fighters. that's this thursday on al jazeera and, of course you can keep up to date with all the very latest news on our website. you can catch up again on any programs you may have missed and read blogs from the correspondents in the field. all that and more in aljazeera.com. >> police reveal the moment charleston church shooter dylann roof was arrested as a community debates how to prevent another tragedy. >> obama administration changes course over hostages and ends families paying ransoms. >> a few hours away from the time vote to give president obama power to push through a trade deal with asia.

it has caused a split between democrats. >> this is aljazeera america live from new york city. good morning. i'm randall pinkston. public viewing begins today for pastor pinckney, killed last week at his south carolina church. his body will lie in the rotunda of the state capital in south carolina for viewing this afternoon. also today bible study will resume at emanuel a.m.e. church. it was last held one week ago when dylann roof opened fire and chilled nine people. north carolina police released dash cam video from the moment they arrested roof last thursday. the 14 hour manhunt ended with a traffic stop. a woman called 911 after spotting roof's car. >> the shooting is raising questions about the issue of gun control. dylann roof reportedly was able to buy a gun although he had an

outstanding drug charge pending the brady campaign against gun violence plans to deliver thousands of condolence cards to the church. >> as calls echo throughout south carolina to have the confederate flag removed hear at the heart of emanuel a.m.e. church there's a different discussion, that gun control. south carolina has some of the most lax gun laws in the entire country. you don't even need a background check to purchase a gun from a private sale. the charles stan mayor said both issues the confederate flag removal and gun control needs to be addressed. >> some would say the flag didn't kill people, the guns did. >> rather it's equal, one is more important than the other but they're both issues that require further national discourse and action. >> what does that look like in

practice? is that putting a limit on the number of guns people can buy? is it victor background checks? >> you know, i don't know that. i think what a good national dialogue with thoughtful people, and looking at what other civilized nations do, so i don't know what the ultimate solution is. that's for wise people other than me to discern but we've got to do it. >> here at emanuel a.m.e. church the people are focused on mourning and healing. >> the other debate after the shooting involves the confederate flag. south carolina lawmakers voted tuesday to discuss removing the flag from outside the statehouse. in other southern states, there are calls for removing confederate flags from license plates and state flags. there is also talk of removing confederate statues, as well.

amazon walmart sears will halt the sale of the flag and related merchandise. >> members of the new black panther party marched in charleston last night. about 200 people took to the streets chanting slogans like black power. they marched to the emanuel a.m.e. church where mourners were gathered, placing flowers outside. tensions high at times between the marchers and mourners, but for the most part, the confrontation was peaceful. >> new details this morning on what caused the death of freddie gray while in the custody of baltimore police. an autopsy report obtained by the baltimore sun found gray most likely suffered a high energy injury to his neck and spine after his arrest. the injury may have happened when the police van he was in abruptly slowed down. gray was handcuffed, but not buckled in. the state medical examiner's

office concluded his death was not accidental, but rather a homicide because police did not follow safety procedures. >> freddie grays death sparked the worst violence in decades. the city imposed a week long curfew. six police officers were charged in gray's death, one with second degree murder. >> nato defense ministers are gathering in brussels after the u.s. said it would hold heavy arms in eastern europe. the u.s. and nato are boosting military presence in the region over tensions with russia. defense secretary ash carter said the u.s. is sending tanks and auction i wilily to poland, romania, bulgaria and the three baltic nations. he calls i also a show of support. >> you lost your independence once before. with nato, you will never lose it again. that's because the united states and the rest of the nato alliance are absolutely committed to defending the territorial integrity of he is toney i can't latvia and

lithuania, just as we're committed to defending all nato allies. >> the u.s. has stationed military assets for the first time in former soviet territory. robert hunter said that may not be the best idea. >> i don't think we should be making this particular move, putting heavy weaponry in these countries. yes, the exercises air policing, showing a show of force at sea all of this, but once you start putting heavy military equipment on the ground, it makes it look as though you're preparing for something much larger and worse you play right into the hands of mr. putin, who can then go to his people and say you've got all this suffering from sanctions, but it's not really our fault. now he's lying but we've just played right into his hands. the important thing is to deal do

what the president is doing patience and sanctions so in time the average russian is going to say vladamir putin this isn't worth it to us, but by doing what we're doing we reinforce his propaganda and the troops are putting in now the military equipment would be of no value whatsoever, anyway. if this escalated. >> defense secretary carter says despite the boost in military might, the obama administration still hopes to work with russia on iran, isil and the war in syria. >> president obama's trade agenda's one step closer to becoming law. the senate set to take a final vote today on whether to give their president wider negotiating powers on an asian trade deal. libby casey has more from washington. >> the legislation moving through the senate right now would grant president obama fast track authority on trade deals. that means congress would take an up or down vote and it couldn't quibble over the finer

details. it couldn't add amendments or take away aspects of a deal president obama negotiates with international partners. this all comes in advance of a trade deal the white house is very focused on, the transpacific partnership resolving around trade with asia and has 12 countries and a lot of dollars at stake. president obama see that is as part of his legacy. that's not being volunteered on that right now but so much of the procedural efforts going on in congress are leading up to that and it's sort of become a proxy for the larger trade fight. the president has been aligned with republicans on trying to get fast track authority it's democrats he has had the most trouble with. in a strange turn of political events, a lot of democrats are saying they have concerns about this fast track authority and trade deals more broadly because they're worried about american

jobs and american workers. >> this is a day of celebration in the corporate suites in this country to be sure, because they've got another corporate sponsor trade agreement that would mean more money in some investor's pockets more plant closings in ohio and delaware and west virginia and maine and all over this country. >> the senate votes on fast track authority and a bill that would help american workers displaced by globalization. even though they are not voting on this massive trade deal with asia, it is certainly influencing the debate. it's even coming into presidential politics. we see senator bernie sanders an independent of vermont coming out strongly against this. it's put former secretary of state hillary clinton in a tough spot because while she was in president obama's administration, she was an advocate of this pacific partnership. now she's saying she wouldn't necessarily grant president

obama fast track authority something that is generally been considered dry and procedural has become a symbol for the larger trade bebait in the country. >> al jazeera's political contributor dave levinthal. t.p.a. is the fast track authority cleared the vote yesterday, now put up for a vote today where he only will need 51 votes instead of the 60. is there any reason to believe that that will not happen or do you think it's a done deal? >> it seems to be on a fast track itself to not only go through the senate, but also ultimately go through the house and on to the president's desk so kind of a series of procedural votes that have to be taken ultimately to get it to the white house but it appears that this iteration of the

package is going forward and there don't appear to be too many obstacles left in its way. >> there aren't a lot of examples of a public majority approving something the president wants. how do you explain this odd coalition. >> it's bizarre and of course, just a step back, something like this would almost be unthinkable even a year or two ago when republicans and some very, very openly and gladly said we'll do anything that we possibly can do to block president obama's agenda but the politics of this have changed considerably. there are presidential poll six factoring into this. there are congressional politics. the penalty doesn't have to run for reelection, yet many of the democrats who are opposing his view do have to run for reelection. there's a built of a different incentive for democrats internally when it comes to this. the president perhaps is feeling

a little more emboldened right now. he is a lame duck, is willing to wheel and deal and compromise more. the congress and the president agree on this particular issue more than they do most. >> democrats were promised a package which would help u.s. workers. that's going to depend on republicans who are all for fast track authority but maybe not so much for this trade j assistance. >> this has been a big compromise. many democrats and especially union members and leaders really don't like this worker assistance package. this is nothing new. there have been earlier iteration of worker assistance of this sort in the past exist today, but this latest iteration is catching incredible heat from many of the unions that say it just doesn't go far enough. it would not provide aid to

workers. it would not provide aid to training and different programs and government assistance to the types of workers who would be affected by a new free trade package, so as a result, it puts a lot of democrats in a very precarious position, because when it comes to election season as you well know, labor and unions are some of the biggest factors for democrats so ultimately, if they get angry they get soured on the way that democrats are acting from a policy perspective it could very much affect democrats' political outlook and their fortunes. >> along this point we saw senator sherrod brown and bernie sanders running, both of them ardent opponents to this fast track authority. what do you think this will mean this break between president obama and his normal democratic allies for any other

initiatives he might try to put forth in his remaining 18 months in office? >> it's hard to say if this will have a spillover affect into any of the other initiatives. we're talking about guns so much in the past week, whether this will have any effect on something that will be a new legislative proposal in a different appeals arena. it leaves for the here and now though, there's going to be a bit of a wrist. it's odd when you have nancy pelosi and barack obama on different sides of a coin when you're talking about the same issue, so at least from a 2016 election standpoint, you may have some democrats who are not terribly happy with the president, may not want the president coming out and vocally supporting them because they view him at somebody who betrayed them or the voters they represent and constituents they represent in their home district, so there's a geographic element to this, as well. some democrats don't be

surprised this year or next year distance themselves. >> today, the white house is expected to announce a major shift in policy toward the families of american hostages. it will no longer threaten to prosecute those who try to pay ransom to whip the release of their loved ones. john henry smith is here with more. what brought about this change in policy? >> in a word, criticism and lots of it from the families of a number of host ones who have died overseas while held captive. members of those families are expected to join the president today as he makes this appealed shift public. >> in january a u.s. drone strike accidental killed american hostage warn wine stein in the pakistan-afghanistan border region.

his family bemoaned the lack of help they got from the u.s. government, saying unfortunately the assistance we received from other eggments of u.s. government was inconsistent and disappointing over three and a half years. >> while news broke that the f.b.i. helped the family facilitate a quarter million dollars payment to his captors the government threatened the family of james foley with prosecution if they tried to pay ransom to isil. he was later killed. >> there were many opportunities along the way and yet nothing was done to save our young americans. >> on wednesday the u.s. government is expected to announce that while it will continue its policy of not paying ransom to kidnappers, it will no longer seek to prosecute families who do. the white house gave a policy of the preview on tuesday. >> other goals entering into this process was to both better integrate the variety of federal government resources that are

dedicated to securing the safe return of american hostages held against their will oversees and to improve communication with the foam of those going through this terrible ordeal. >> the white house will form a new entity called an interagency fusion cell and led by the f.b.i. ref duncan hunter has a problem with that, saying the following: >> today representative hunter said he will introduce his own legislative plan to fix the federal government's hostage

policy. he said there are republicans and democrats in the house and in the senate who party his effort. randall. >> thank you, john henry smith. >> a major scandal documents from wikileaks accuse the nsa of spying on former french presidents. >> in brussels, pressure on both sides to find a lifeline for alexis tsipras.

only on al jazeera america >> a judge says the ballot initiative is inappropriate and unconstitutional, meaning the measure will not be on the november 2016 ballot inial calendar. >> a federal judge imposes a death sentence today on dzhokar tsarnaev. thirty survivors and relatives of some of those killed will address the court. a federal jury condemned tan i

didn't have to die for the 2013 marathon bombing. >> greek president-elect sip is meeting with creditors. his government has a few days left before it has to pay the international monetary fund nearly $2 billion so needs europe to release cash from its bailout. >> french president francois hollande met with top defense advisers after wick leaks reveals the n.s.a. speed on french leaders for years. >> the french foreign minister has summoned the u.s. ambassador to a meet over the leak. >> an emergency meeting in the wake of reports that the u.s. spied on the past three french presidents. french newspaper cited n.s.a. report released by wikileaks

capturing officials talking about the economy in germany. francois hollande, nicholas sarkozy were targeted. >> there is a big debate inside the opposition, as well as the opinion that we don't want france to do like the n.s.a. does in the world. >> despite the uproar among french politicians, there seems to be little surprise. france's defense writing: >> we need the u.s. partnership especially in some operation outside the country like in iraq

and africa. you can't destroy such a strong partnership. >> it is said the u.s. is not targets and will not target the communications of president hollande. it made no mention of previously spying on holland or his predecessors. the whistle blower group promises more publications to come tweeting they will give further evidence as to u.s. true goals in its mass espionage of france. >> an aid to nicholas car cozy said the former president considers this unacceptable especially coming from such a strong ally. >> that's the revelation about german chancellor angela merkel. >> a trail of damage in the new york area after strong winds and flooding slammed the region. dangerous lightning struck new york city.

one church struck in queens caught fire. it was quickly put out. no injuries have been reported from the storm. >> in new jersey, thousands without power this morning trees fell, knocking down power lines, flipping cars. in pennsylvania, hail and strong winds downed dozens of massive trees that damaged several houses, shut down roads temporarily cut power and brought public transit to a standstill for hours. >> the number of children issue foster care has dropped since 2013, but the racial disparity between white and black children being adopted has not dropped. one family's story on why.

>> >> google gives you the option

of choosing a 30 second cancellation period for all of your joust going male. >> the number of u.s. children in foster care is down from 600,000 to 400,000 today. despite this progress, african-american children are still twice as likely as white children to enter the foster care system. we looked at causes and consequences in new york. >> thousands of children are in our in foster care here in new york city. their cases come to family courts like this one in manhattan. across the state black children are two and a half times more likely than whites to end up in foster care. this racial disparity has been studied for years but critics say limited progress has been made to eliminate it. >> the reason why we have large disproportionate numbers of children of collar in faster care is not necessarily because the parents are not good parents, or that the parents are neglectful, but the system has been arranged in such a way that

there's a lot of concentrated hardship. >> the foster care system was created more than a century ago to give homeless children a home. today, african-americans argue it's used as a weapon to take their children from them. joyce's two daughters went into foster care, removed by new york administration for children services. she says she has been treated differently than white parents. >> i will tell you if my daughter would fall and maybe twist her arm and i take her to emergency, a call would be placed asking questions as to how this truly happened. >> tonight we'll hear more from her and tell you what some city officials are doing to address racial disparity in faster care. al jazeera, new york. >> in today's environmental impact, lego is looking to be more eco friendly, investing $150 million to replace the plastic used in their bricks.

the move is designed to leave a positive impact on the earth for future generations. >> thank you for joining us. stephanie sy back with more aljazeera america morning news. keep up on aljazeera.com.

>> a long painful goodbye the state senator and pastor killed in last week's south carolina church shooting lying in repose today at the state capital as two powerful movements clash in the name of civil rights. >> sentencing today for the boston marathon bomber. dozens of victims expected to. he before the judge hands down a death sentence for dzhokar tsarnaev. >> there were many opportunities along the way and yet nothing

was done to save our young american. >> a major shift in how the automatic handles american hostages overseas. what the president is poised to announce this afternoon that could be good news for families trying to bring their loved ones home. >> good morning. this is aljazeera america live from new york city, i'm stephanie sy. today, charleston begins saying goodbye to victims of last week's massacre at an historic black church in south carolina. the body of state senator pinkney, the pastor of the emanuel a.m.e. church will lie in the capital rotunda. concern about security have prompted the charleston city council to pass a temporary ordinance banning protests or picketing. it comes as we get our first look at dash cam video showing the arrest of shooting suspect

dylann roof. >> last thursday, shelby, north carolina dash cam video reveals the moment police closed in on dylann roof, prime suspect in the murder of nine african-american church goers the night before in charleston, south carolina officers are seen approaching roof's car from behind. one has his gun drawn and pointed through the rear window. another officer goes to the driver's side door. roof is seen backing away from the car and the officer frisks him. roof is handcuffed and led to a police vehicle and this is the 911 call that led to roof's arrest: brady tells police one of his staff is on the road nearby following what she thinks is roof's car. >> ok, i've got some officers out there right now.

>> ok. i've got the tag number, black hyundai, has a weird circle tag on the front she said. the boy has a bold looking haircut. >> the dash cam shows police searching the car for evidence. they open the trunk check all around the vehicle. eventually, it dawns on them they've just arrested the country's most wanted man and they give themselves high fives all around. roof appeared in court via court link the next day. noon who saw it will ever forget the families of some of the victims were in court too and publicly far gave him. roof has been seen in photographs with confederate flags, a manifesto emerged saying he wants to start a race war. more details about the gun he used in charleston last wednesday night.

sources tell nbc it was bought in south carolina on april 11, a week after roof turned 21. although he had an outstanding drug charge, under south carolina law the purchase was still legal. al jazeera. >> members of the new black panther party marched in charleston last night. about 200 people took to the streets chanting black power and arm yourself. they marched to the church where mourners were gathered. tensions were high between the groups who appeared sup set at some of of the chants. the march was peaceful. >> the shootings have launched a debate over the confederate flag, and maryland is the latest state to talk about removing it from license plates. governor hogan's office is working to end the use of the

flag. virginia is moving to banish the flags from license plates. south carolina lawmakers voted tuesday to discuss removing the flag from outside the statehouse. other states are considering similar moves, including removing confederate statues. south carolina senator joins us this morning. he plans to introduce a bill to have the confederate flag removed from the grounds of the south carolina statehouse. thank you for your time. why do you feel so strongly that the confederate flag should be taken off the statehouse grounds after all these decades and did you always feel that way? >> personally, yes i did. it's a tragedy that i had to get pushed into this position because of the death of my friend but let me correct you stephanie. i did yesterday introduce that bill. >> ok. of course your friend that you're talking about is reverend pinckney right? how did you know him? >> just through our service in

the legislature working on judicial elections and he's the kind of person, he's like a magnet, you could not help but fall -- i mean he was just a -- you felt the presence of love all the way around him. >> there are lots of other monuments to the con feet razz under scrutiny not only in your state, but other states now looking at symbols being taken down. are you looking at those or focused just on this particular flag in this particular place on the statehouse grounds? >> personally, i'm thankful that the business world has come to the attention of this and done the things that it's done in removing those symbols from their stores. i hear the other governors in other states talking about what they're going to do. in south carolina, i'm going to focus on this issue. we have the movement now i believe to remove the flag from the state capitol. i want to focus on this issue at

this time. >> is this issue a red herring detracting from a conversation we should be having about race relations and real remedies to that. >> i don't think it's a red herring, but i think it's the frosting on the real cake. i think we've got to get rid of the frosting before we can get to the other substantive issues. i don't believe it's at all a red herring. >> what are some of the other substantive issues that should be addressed, in your view? >> well, i mean, you know, in south carolina, we have an area along interstate 95 where our children go to public schools where the air conditioning doesn't work when it's warm and heat doesn't work when it's cold, where their infrastructure is crumbling. i would suggest to you that we don't have equal opportunity in the state of south carolina for all of our income earners. there are so many things that we need to address fundamentally but to say that the confederate flag is a red herring is

completely incorrect. >> the confederate flag didn't kill those nine people, a gun did. what more do you think needs to be done about gun control in south carolina? >> i don't know, stephanie because i think south carolina in a lot of ways is ahead of the curve. we've already mandated criminal background checks before you can purchase a gun and we last year passed a bill that says if one's ever been deemed incompetent they can no longer possess a firearm. i just heard in the peace before you came to me that the shooter in this incident legally purchased a gun. this shooter didn't have a criminal record. he'den arrested but not convicted. >> he'd been charged however with a felony drug possession. in some states, that would have prevented him from getting a gun. >> right but stephanie please, i'm an attorney and i'm not prepared to get to a point where we're going to take one's rights away for a charge. we still live in a country where you are innocent until proven

guilty and i'm not willing to cross that line. >> do you believe that there should be additional background checks for private gun sales in your state? >> yes absolutely. >> south carolina state representative doug brannon thank you for your time, we appreciate it. >> boston marathon bomber dzhokar tsarnaev is scheduled to be sentenced today after the judge in the case hears from ref i was of victims and survivors. up to 30 people are expected to speak at the hearing. the big question is whether we'll hear from tsarnaev himself. >> good morning. you know this really is just a formality at this point. last month a federal jury decided that dzhokar tsarnaev should be executed for his role in the boston marathon bombings two years ago that killed three people and injured 260 others. now while the jury's verdict is binding, the judge still has to officially impose the death

sentence. we're expecting to hear from several survivors of the bombing, as well as family members of the victim who died at the hands of the tsarnaev brothers. big question now is will dzhokar tsarnaev himself make a statement. we shall see and of course bring you the very latest details from inside the federal courthouse here in boston. for now back to you. >> new details this morning on what caused the death of freddie gray while in the custody of police. an autopsy report found he most likely suffered a high energy injury to his neck and spine after his arrest. the injury may have happened when the police van he was in abruptly slowed down, gray was hand custody but not buckled in. the state medical examiner's office conclude's his death was not accidental but a homicide because police didn't follow safety procedures. freddie gray's death sparked the worst riots in baltimore in

decades. the national guard was culled in and curfew imposed. six police officers were charged, one with second degree murder. >> today, the white house is expected to announce a major shift in policy toward the families of american hostages. it will no longer threaten to prosecute those who try to pay ransom to win the release of their loved ones. we have more. john, i understand that the president heard an earful from families trying to get their loved ones home. >> the obama administration was listening in tenty. those families expected to join the president as he announces this policy shift today. >> in january a u.s. drone strike accidentally killed american hostage warren wine stein in the afghanistan-pakistan border region. his family bemoaned the lack of help it got from the u.s. government.

government was inconsistent and disappointing over three and a half years. >> while news broke that the f.b.i. helped the family facilitate a quarter million dollars payment to his captors the government threatened the family of james foley with prosecution if they tried to pay ransom to isil. he was later killed. >> there were many opportunities along the way and yet nothing was done to save our young americans. >> on wednesday, the u.s. government is expected to announce that while it will continue its policy of not paying ransom to kidnappers, it will no longer seek to prosecute families who do. the white house gave a preview of the policy on tuesday. >> our goals entering into this process was to both better integrate the variety of federal government resources that are dedicated to securing the safe return of american hostages held against their will oversees and to improve communication with

the family of those going through this terrible ordeal. >> the white house will form a new entity called an interagency fusion cell and led by the f.b.i. ref duncan hunter has a problem with that, saying the following: >> today, representative hunter said he will introduce his own legislative plan to fix the federal government's hostage policy.

he said there are republicans and democrats in the house and in the senate who support his effort. >> ash carter said the u.s. is sending tanks and heavy artillery to poland, romania bulgar ray and baltics calling it a show of support. >> you lost your independence once before. with nato, you will never lose it again. that's because the united states and the rest of the nato alliance are absolutely committed to defending the territorial integrity of estonia, latvia and lithuania just as we're committed to defending all nato allies. >> the move marks the first time the u.s. has stationed heavy military assets on former soviet territory. >> french president hollande met with top advisers after wikileaks revealed the n.s.a.

eaves dropped on french leaders for years. >> an emergency meeting in the wake of reports that the u.s. speed on the past three french presidents. newspapers cited n.s.a. reports released by wikileaks appearing to capture officials talking in paris. francois hollande and previous presidents were targeted. the leak coincides with a vote on a french bill allowing new government surveillance powers. >> there is a big debate inside the opposition as with the opinion that we don't want in france to do like the n.s.a. does in the world. >> despite the uproar among french politicians, there seems to be little surprise. france's defense council writing:

>> we need the u.s. partnership especially in some operation outside the country like in africa or in iraq and so you cannot destroy such a strong partnership. >> the u.s. national security council spokesman said the u.s. is not targeting and will not target the communications of president hollande. the statement made no mention of previously spying on him or his predecessors. a wick leak spokesman is confident the documents are authentic and promises more publications to come, giving further evidence of the u.s. true goals in mass espionage of france. >> president hollande didn't comment beyond the meeting held today. an aid to his predecessor said the former president considers

this unacceptable, especially from an ally. >> today ohio's house will vote to limit ballot measures and slow effort to legalize marijuana there. it would make it harder to benefit the constitution if it only benefits a few individuals. >> the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff hosts a facebook town hall today answering questions submitted by the public. president obama will mark june at lgbt pride month. the white house has hosted an event to observe the month in each year of his presidency. >> on the run for three weeks still no sign of the convicted killers who escaped from the new york prison. how they may have gotten their hands on the tools used to escape. >> al jazeera takes a look at a new on line movement that claims to help people overcome what they are calling unwanted same sex attraction.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. it is 8:19 eastern, taking a look at today's top stories.

pakistan's military is stepping in to help deal with a brutal heatwave. 800 people of died with temperatures a as high as 113 degrees. residents are angry at the government for the multiple power cuts and water shortages. >> in hong kong, there was a quiet end to months of pro democracy rays. authorities cleared away the last protestors after the legislature failed to pass a reform package. they demanded fully democratic elections. >> queen elizabeth melt with the german president this morning and now with angela merkel. she is on a three day visit to germany. >> a crowded gop field is expected to expand today. while his ethnic background sets him apart. on the issues, he is a conservative mainstay. paul beban reports. >> bobby jindal was considered a

rising star of the republican party, so much so, that he was tapped to deliver the party's response to president obama's first state of the union address. critics said his delivery fell flat. >> like the president's father, my own parents came from a distant land. when they arrived my mother was already four and a half months pregnant. i was what the folks in the insurance industry now call a preexisting condition. >> he picked up the nickname bobby after a character on the popular t.v. show, the brady bunch. after attending brown university and oxford, he worked in the private sector in health care. he joined the george w. bush administration as assistant secretary of the department of health and human services. in 2003, he ran for governor of louisiana and was against abortion rights and favored gun rights. he lost by a narrow margin. only weeks after defeat, he

started to run for congress and was successfully elect toed house. he served until 2008 when you ran for governor again and run. two years into his term, he and his state faced the worst man made environmental disaster in universal history the b.p. oil spill. >> this is not just on the surface, this is pretty thick oil. the tides of come and gone and not moved to out this is persistent oil. the damage is done. >> while leading louisiana he has remained a fierce critic of president obama's economic policies. >> i think there are things we can do instead of waving the white flag of surrender and declaring this economy to be a minimum wage economy i think america can do better. >> his rivals are likely to bring up issues from his past, like account of participating in a sort of exorcism while in college and flip-flopping on tax cuts and support for common core standards. al jazeera, new york.

>> a new clue in a series of shootings in northern colorado. the task force working on the case is asking for help finding a pickup truck. this is a sketch of what it may look like. the truck was seen in another roadside shoot that go happened in loveland, the same night as one that killed a 65-year-old man. a 1970's model single cab chevy. it's still unclear if shootings are connected. >> the prison worker who helped new convicts escape a new york prison mug would tools to them in raw meat. joyce mitchell stuffed hacksaw blades, drill bits and a hole punch into frozen ham burgers. the corrections officer brought the meat to their cells. it is unclear why those deliveries were made. the convicted killers have been on the run for more than two weeks. >> strong winds and flooding downpours slammed the east

coast, dangerous lightning struck new york still. one church in queens caught fire. it was put out and new injuries have been reported from the storm. >> lightning hit new jersey hard too. thousands are without power this morning mostly in the southern part of the state. trees fell, knocking down power lines. >> in eastern pennsylvania, hail and strong winds downed trees. that damaged several houses, shut roads temporarily cut power and brought public transsit to a standstill for hours. >> all that severe weather brought one good thing to new york last night, these beautiful skies. you are looking at time laps video of the sun going down over new york and brooklyn. today, it's clear and sunny here in new york. >> on the culture beat, a growing number which states are moving to formally ban therapies designed to turn gay teens straight. scientists say it simply does not work. a movement is building in churches and on line to help people give up what they call unwanted same sex attraction.

we have more. >> as an actor jeremy was the image confidence, seemingly enjoying life as a bay american. by 29, he decided he didn't want to be gay anymore and devoted his life to ensuring conversion therapies remain an option. he crafted the democratic party's platform on the subject sake parents should have the option to put their children in so-called repairative therapy. >> i want this option to be available. i nope it's definitely the right choice for me. >> jeremy went through the treatment himself and now leads a dallas based ministry called joel 225 international. it has members in europe, asia and middle eastern and african countries. his success is frightening the

family counsel james. >> it's fraudulent. it was talk therapy for me. in my case, it wasn't electric shock or aversion therapy but even words can damage. >> james is still scarred by attempts to turn him straight. he's launched his own internet movement. >> being gay just doesn't work for you it's just not who you are. >> the stakes are rising. four men are suing claiming a new jersey based group knew it was impossible to changing a person's sexuality and yet charged tens of thousands of dollars for useless and traumatic therapy that included group nudity and momentum mowphobic taunting. jeremy testified at the trial. the defense presented him as a success story. >> would you consider yourself a straight man or would you say that you're not gay? >> i can say that i'm straight. i don't know that i would say in the same way that everybody else

is, but i think i was born to be. >> if state lawmakers across the country have their way fewer and fewer people will have access to conversion therapies. >> if it is bad for children and adults, what do you do then? >> i guess i would just keep going until they lock me up in prison. >> you are willing to go forward even if they say it is illegal for this therapy to exist in america? >> yes. >> why is that? >> because i believe in it. it's necessary. i know it helps people. >> al jazeera. >> several southern states have laws on the books protecting the confederate flag, but the charles stan church shooting has sparked new debate over what many consider to be a dark chapter in american history. >> organ donations can save lives, but it can depend on where the patient lives.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. taking a look at today's top stories, a federal judge will impose a sentence today on dzhokar tsarnaev. survivors and relatives will address the court ahead of the sentence. last month a federal jury condemned tsarnaev to die for the 2013 boston marathon bombing. >> president obama is expected to reveal changes to u.s. policies covering american hostages overseas. families will be able to negotiate ransom with foreign groups who hold american hostage. under the current policy, families can be brought cute for doing that. >> public viewers begin today for pastor pinkney killed last week at his south carolina church. the body will be in the rotunda of the state capitol this afternoon. bible study will resume today at emanuel a.m.e. church. >> in the aftermath of the shooting, the discussion has turned to the status of the

confederate flag in the south. florida, mississippi georgia south carolina, and louisiana all have laws banning the did he say creation of that flag. many residents in those states feel the flag doesn't represent them. the shooting in charleston has brought the debate over the flag back into the national spotlight. >> these cannons in a charles stop park honors a city's role in a war that divided the nation. it is a part of the history and d.n.a. some say it's time to leave the past behind. >> that flag does not represent the black culture. >> charleston native we've baskets on the street. while they say the war is part of charleston's rich history they think the confederate flag is hurtful andy vicive. >> it means like savory to me, and, you know, we are still being oppressed by that flag,

and it's not representing us at all. >> it is kind of hurtful when i think about all the negative activity that, you know, going behind it for the wrongful use of the flag, and how if people use it not in the right way. >> we are here in a moment of unity. >> after the governor said the flag should be removed from the statehouse grounds state lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to consider doing that. mississippi governor wants it removed. >> as governor said yesterday her state can ill afford to let this symbol continue to divide the people of south carolina. folks, i believe the same is true here in the commonwealth of virginia. >> corporate america is also weighing in. following walmart's lead, amazon target, sears and ebay said they will stop selling merchandise featuring the confederate flag.

in a statement ebay said we believe it has become a contemporary symbol of devise i haveness and racism. the sports world is taking a stand. nascar said it will not allow official use of the flag at its races. while nascar acknowledges that freedom of expression is an inherent right, we will continue to strive for an inclusive environment at our events. al jazeera. >> south carolina congressman a democratic has spent years urging the legislature to take down the flag. now he's calling for lawmakers to do more than just remove it from the capitol grounds. >> i would hope that they would have a very thorough discussion of that flag and other remnants of rebellion and defiance. let me tell you what i mean, the citadel, the military school, the citadel was created was

established two blocks from the emanuel a.m.e. church for the express purpose of maintaining slavery. now, the citadel to this day the citadel flies that confederate flag in its chapel. that flag needs to come out of the chapel. that flag needs to come off the public grounds all over this state. >> president obama's trade agenda is one step closer to becoming reality. the senate is set to take a final vote today whether to give the president extra authority to negotiate a landmark trade deal. libby casey has more from washington. >> the legislation moving through the senate right now would grant president obama fast track authority on trade deals. that means congress would take an up or down vote and couldn't quibble over the finer details. it couldn't add amendments for

take away aspects of a trade deal the white house negotiates with international partners. this all comes in advance of a trade deal the white house is very focused on, the transpacific partnership revolves around trade with asia and has 12 countries and a lot of dollars at stake. president obama sees that pacific trade deal as part of his legacy. that's not being voted on right now. so much of the procedural efforts going on in congress right now are leading up to that, and it's sort of become a proxy for the larger trade fight. the president has been aligned with republicans on trying to get fast track authority. it is democrats who he's had the most trouble with in a strange turn of political events. a lot of democrats are saying they have concerns about this fast track authority and trade deals more broadly because they're worried about american jobs and workers. >> this is a day of celebration

in the corporate suites in this country to be sure, because they've got another corporate sponsored trade agreement that will mean more money in some investors pockets more plant closings in ohio and arizona and delaware and rhode island and west virginia and maine and all over this country. >> this week, the senate votes on fast track authority and a bill that would help american workers who have been displaced by globalization. even though they are not voting on this massive trade deal with asia, it is influencing the debate and coming into presidential politics. senator bernie sanders an independent of vermont running for the democratic nomination of the presidency came out strongly against it. it's put former secretary of state hillary clinton in a tough spot because while she was in president obama's administration, she was an advocate of this pacific partnership. now she's saying she wouldn't necessarily grant president obama fast track authority. that is something generally

considered dry and procedural and has become a symbol for the larger trade debate in the country. >> the t.p.p. is designed to keep china in check. today the u.s. and beijing continue talks over allegation of chinese hacking and island building in the south china sea. the white house has strong words for the asian giant tuesday but there was also an olive branch. >> as top officials sat down for annual talks in washington amid tension over cyber attacks and island building in the south china sea, vice president joe biden sought to sound a conciliatory note. >> let me be clear. we do not fear china's rise, we want to see china rise. to continue to rise in a responsible way that will benefit you most, china because you have an important role to play. >> the fact that secretary of state john kerry was joined by secretary treasury signaled the discussions would cover economic

as well as national security issues. while the u.s. has not formally accused china of the hack that compromised personal, financial and medical records of federal employees, for its part, the pentagon is more focused on china's rapid build up of conventional military forces. in a speech one day before the china talks, the pentagon's number two civilian, deputy defense secretary bob work said china is mounting a serious aero space challenge against the united states and is quickly closing the technological gaps in a wide are a invite of areas including, he cited stealth aircraft surveillance and reconnaissance systems and air to air and air to ground missiles. he could have been reading from the latest report to congress saying china's officially disclosed military spending averaged growth over the past decade while the pentagon has been hamstrung by sequestration

cuts imposed by congress. the rising china threat card is one often played by the military services as they plead for money, arcing for instance that while china's air force is quickly growing the u.s. air force is shrinking. >> when we deployed operation desert storm in 1990, we had 188 firefighting squadrons. the bottom line of that is that there is just no bench left. >> while america's technological advantage over china may be dwindling, the u.s. insists it will never allow china to intimidation american allies. >> chinas action are bringing people together in new ways and increasing demand for american engagement in the pacific and we are going to meet it. we will remain the principle security power in the asia pacific for decades to come. >> al jazeera, the pentagon.

>> trains between paris and london are running again today. on tuesday hundreds of striking french workers blocked the port, canceling rail service between the u.s. and france, threatening protested layoffs. dozens of migrants raced to board trucks and tried to smuggle themselves into gland. the british prime minister is considering reinforcing the u.s. border with france. >> kurdish forces in syria seized control of more territory from isil. the y.p.g. took an area on the turkish border. earlier this week, the kurds took over a military base near raqqa. as those kurdish forces continue to make strides against isil, syrian pop significance groups accuse them of ethnic bias. >> this kurdish fighter says

they discovered a tunnel used by islamic state of iraq and the levant on the syrian-turkish border. it's not clear whether they smuggled in people or materials from turkey into syria. the people's protection units have been making gains on the border and taken back territory from isil. the latest discovery was after they took this border post in the nearby town near idlib. hundreds of families have returned. turkish authorities reopened the border but despite kurdish forces pushing back isil, there are concerns over their advances. syria's main opposition group accused them of driving out soon any tribesman. the syrian coalition tried to assess the situation but were blocked. >> we were asked to communicate with the y.p.g. forces, but they refused to allow members of the fact finding committee to enter

claiming that the s.n.c. has a political position toward the y.p.g. unit and is biased. >> they deny discrimination and abuse saying check points are for security. >> we share the administration of the town with all at this country is for all. y.p.g. is for arabs before it is for the kurds. >> they are alarming turkey, accusing forces of ethnic cleansing inside syria. the turkish government considers the establishment of a kurdish held area on its border a red line. >> if the kurdish forces really make major gains in raqqa you'll probably find europe and the americans investing more resources in particular, president erdogan was not is saying look, the americans and the western powers are helping the kurds at the expense of the arabs in syria. this has become a major security concern inside turkey.

>> backed by u.s. airstrikes, the y.p.g. has taken villages in raqqa from isil control while opposition fighters are consolidating gains in idlib. as people return to the streets where isil used to carry out public executions, there are lingering concerns of ethnic biases. they go home hoping that the worst is over. al jazeera. >> iran's supreme leader is taking a larder stance on nuclear research, wanting to ban nuclear inspectors from mill stare sites. june 30 is a deadline to come up with a final deal on curbing iran's nuclear program. >> on the tech beat, malaria is still a major problem in many parts of the world particularly africa. now health researchers are turning to new technology to fight the disease. we have the story. >> it's strange not to find

people suffering from malaria in this part of the country. in western kenya it has one of the highest malaria prevalence rates. science itself have studied the area for decades. >> to use it is 60% meaning people are not using mosquito nets. >> health workers from the international control for in sect and ecology is yet to install a solar powered mosquito trap. the project is the first globally. this is laced with a human scent that attracts mosquitoes before they got in the house. they eventually die of hunger

and dehydration. >> you are seeing many mosquitoes. >> she is excited about the new life in her house. the solar light is a bonus to entice people to allow researchers to carry out their study. >> i'm facing health problems like other old people. if there is a way to protect my health, i'm glad. i don't have much energy anymore and all my 10 children have died. >> not far from where she lives. this fisherman returned from fishing. that's the time when contracting malaria is the highest. >> the focus now is shifting to outdoor control. many get infected after being

bitten by mosquitoes away from their home, either out fishing at night or going about their other daily business. >> the mute states and is able to resist new insecticide so they have to be ahead. they say they are slowly winning the war but they are still a long way to go. al jazeera in western kenya. >> a chip that mimics human organs has one a design award. in today's healthbeat, 123,000 americans are waiting for organ

transplants and every day, 21 of them die because they can't get an organ in time to save their lives. one reason may be the way donor organs are distributed. doctors are trying to change that. >> tyler was getting ready to start college when an unexpected illness caused him to drop 35 pounds in three weeks. >> it was really rough. i didn't want to eat couldn't sleep, no matter when, day or night. >> hello hey how are you? >> his doctor said he's lucky to be alive. >> his liver was barely functioning. he was quite license "nearly death. >> the kansas native went on the transplant wait list and within 20 days, a donor organ was identified and tyler was in surgery. >> i've never had anything serious, just minor stuff, so that was a big change. >> he was able to get his liver relatively quickly. unknown to many is the heated debate about the way donor livers like his or allocated. >> a lot of people are worried

there is going to be this big sucking sound out to southeast to the northeast. >> the organization that mansion the transplant system convened in chicago to address what some say is an inequity in the availability of livers around the country. >> the current regions we have now don't optimally allocate and deliver the livers in a way so that everyone has optimal access or equal access and we're trying to reduce that disparity. >> the midwest south and southeast have higher donor rates than coastal cities and there's talk of shifting to lower donor areas. >> we may reduce that ever so slightly, however there will be more deaths in the area from which organs are moving to less death where the organs go. >> the country is divided into 11 regions. the transplant committee is considering reducing it to

eight. surgical director of liver transplants at the university of kansas hospital said remapping does little to address the problem, a fine night number of organ donors. >> you are just shuffling things across the board and moving the chairs on the titanic. we haven't increased the number of organ plans plants. we need to increase awareness and donors. >> in kansas city, educating high school students about the benefits of organ donation through the gift of life program have increased donor numbers. >> we have a very small percentage that says no. and again, it's because they have the right information to make that informed decision. >> that has been a problem in places like new york and california. a study released last month indicates that organ donation rates among potential deceased donors are the lowest in new york compared to other parts of

the country where rates are between 80 i've-90%. among whites in in a-39, it's 75% in new york, 80 to-"9% in other areas. >> a nice consequence of this project to reduce disparity and access has been to recognize we really haven't done anything substantive that has increased organ donation in a meaningful way in the past seven years. >> fortunately for tyler the gift of a life saving liver came relatively quickly. >> it gave us hope at a time when we didn't have a lot. we're very, very happy to be here only side of the transplant mountain. >> the committee discussions and model analysis is on going and it could be months before a final proposal is reached. for now the difference between life and death remains a matter of which part of the country a patient lives in. al jazeera chicago. >> hawaii's number one export

isn't pineapple or sugar contain anymore, it's seeds. some say the seed industry is literally killing them.

>> foul ground. >> play of the day went to a fan

at yesterday's matchup between the cubs and dodgers. he was feeding his seven month baby when a foul ball came his way. he made the one-handed grab, baby in tow adding insult in injury for the struggling cubs, the batter was still called out due to fan interference and they wound up losing the game. >> taking a look at today's top stories. wildfires are burning in four western states. there are hundreds of them just in alaska. several more in oregon and washington state. in southern california, a fire burning east of los angeles is partially contained. several hundred people had to be evacuated. >> exxon-mobil has stopped drilling operations off california. the company called the shut down temporary. a pipeline rupture dumped thousands of gallons of crude into the pacific ocean last month. >> a u.s. appeals court says

religious groups must provide emergency contra september i was under the affordable care act. the judges say birth control is provided through a third party so the university's rights are not violated. >> mission controllers canceled today's planned departure have the solar impulse two from. >>. a due to a cold front. the plane has been wait to go leave for weeks. organizers say it will take off when weather conditions are stable. the next leg of the journey is considered the most risky with no place to land until it reaches hawaii. the trip is expected to take 115 hours. >> the solar plane isn't the only thing on the mind of people in hawaii. some who live near farms say a pesticide is taking a toll on their health.

>> hawaii, the world's number one tourist destination is also the center of a fight between the companies who make crop seeds here to feed blood pressures of--000 millions of people. hawaii's number one agricultural product is no longer pineapple or sugar contain it's seeds genetically modified to resist we'd killers sold with them so farmers can spray without harming their own crops. sprayed you're round with herb sides and pesticides to protect the seeds against hawaii's exotic pests those fields bump up against homes and schools. carrol heart said she suffers dizziness and headaches when she works in her garden. >> i've been tested and my level in my europe were 9.2 parts per billion of the chemical. >> that puts her at three times the average amounts detected

even in farmers who spray according to monsanto which sells the chemical in round up. according a food safety nonprofit, hawaii's seed corn receivers seven more times insecticide man mainland corn does. many are especially dangerous to children. in high winds they drift beyond their intended fields. >> in 2008, at this middle school dozens of people, students and teachers suddenly came down with headaches dizziness, vomiting. ten had to go to the emergency room. there are fields just over the way here that are regularly worked or at least they were at the time. there was spraying going on on that day. >> scott is the president of a national state department of agriculture. >> do you have enough investigators to really figure out what's going on? >> the legislature has given us

additional resources for another four positions this year and another four next year. >> eight investigators who in theory would need to be in charge of over 3,000 sites. >> we -- it. >> sounds like a lot of work for a small staff. >> no one in the country investigates every single pesticide application that is put down. >> a nurse practitioner in hawaii said they aren't paying attention. >> my administration asked me not to talk to the patients about pesticides. >> you are a committed health care worker. >> i am telling the truth but i don't know for sure that it is related to pesticides or illnesses. that says to me further investigation needs to be done. >> when county officials tried to force information out of the companies doing the spraying, they found themselves locked in battle. jacob ward, al jazeera kauai

hawaii. >> that's it for us here in new york. i'm stephanie sy have a great day. >> bold... >> he took two m-16's, and he crawled... >> brave... >> ...do what you gotta do... >> then betrayed... >> why do you think you didn't get the medal of honor? >> a lifetime without the honor they deserved... >> some say that it was discrimination... >> revealing the long painful fight, to recognize some of america's bravest... >> he say.. be cool...be cool... >> ...proudest moment in my life.. >> honor delayed a soledad o'brien special report only on al jazeera america

>> challenge the way you look at the world. >> talking about big subjects. >> telling human stories. >> rising waters taking their toll... we go to the threatened marshall islands...

to talk to the peole affected most >> is there a plan? >> hello welcome to the news hour from doha. coming up in the program at least 10 people are dead after al shabab targets a diplomatic convoy in somalia's capitol. >> heritage under threat, isil destroys two muslim shrines close to the ancient syrian city of palmyra. >> we find out what happens to the migrants who make it to the european union on foot. >> a first f