actually taking practical action. >> working mothers are waiting to see if that action will finally translate into a real change in their position in today's japan. rob mcbride al jazeera, tokyo. >> more news on our website. the address www.aljazeera.com. >> changing the tone over hostages. president obama announces a new policy for the families taken captive overseas. the body of a church pastor arrived at the south carolina state capitol where the public is lined up to give an emotional goodbye one week after he was shot dead. and documents from wikileaks accuse the nsa of spying on french leaders. the outrage in paris and explanations from washington.

#*r. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm lisa fletcher. president obama said that the u.s. will do a better job to help families of u.s. hostages held overseas. over a policy shift announced in just the last hour the justice department will no longer threaten to prosecute families of american hostages who pay ransom for the return of their loved ones. mike viqueira live in washington, the change is part of a broad review of how the u.s. deals with hostages. >> that's absolutely right. after what he had as an emotional meeting many of whom had been killed at the hands of their captors, president obama came before cameras and said it was totally unacceptable the way the government in certain cases have treated these families as they desperately search for any

help in recovering their loved one. he announced new formation of new agencies and entities within the u.s. government, something called a hostage recovery infusion cell, a response group special envoy overseas and on the diplomatic front the president made no mistake. the government is not going to be paying any hostage ransoms at all they feel as though it's a revenue stream that encourages the taking of more hostages, but the president did leave open the door for the government's facilitateing efforts to pay those ran some. i want to play a portion of what has been said. >> i firmly believe that the united states government paying ran some to terrorists risks endangering more americans and funding the very terrorism that we're trying to stop. i firmly believe that our policy

ultimately puts fewer americans at risk. at the same time we are clarifying that our policy does not prevent communication with hostage takers by our government, the families of hostages, or third parties who help these families. in part, to insure the safety of the family members and to make sure that they're not defrauded. my message to these families are simple. we're not going to abandon you. >> and lisa, the president said that many portions of these new entities the recovery fusion cells already up and running. he described that meeting with the families today as a very emotional one hugging and grieving. many of these families still have not recovered from the loss of a loved one. >> mike viqueira. thank you. the body of the pastor at

emmanuel ame church is now lying in repose in the south carolina state house. people will be able to pay their respects to clemente pinckney. the other eight victims of the ame shooting will be laid to rest starting tomorrow morning through next week. another state is taking action against the confederate flag, which has been part of the controversial surrounding the charleston shooting. is robert bentley said that the flag was becoming a distraction and it was the right thing to do. crews took down three natural confederate flags at that memorial. doug brannen, who was friends with reverend clemente pinyckney he said that the lax

gun laws was the problem at the charleston massacre. >> last year we passed a bill that says if one has ever been deemed incompetent they can no longer possess a firearm. i just heard in the piece before you came to me that the shooter in this incident legally purchased a gun. this shooter didn't have a criminal record. he had been arrested but not convicted. i'm an attorney. i'm not prepared to get to the point where we take one's rights away for a charge. we still live in a country where you're innocent until proven guilty. i'm not willing to cross that line. >> president obama has spoken with france's president amid the latest revelations over spying by the usa. wikileaks said that the u.s. has eavesdropped on the french leaders for years.

innes ferer hay more. >> the report that the u.s. spied on the past three president, reports cited by which canny which canwikileaks three last french presidents were all reported to have been targeted. >> not only the phones of the presidents, but their mobile phones, the presidential air fleet and the headquarters of the government transmissions, ministerial switch boards. >> the bill allowing new government surveillance powers. >> there is a big debate inside the opposition as well as within the opinion that we don't want france to do like the nsa does in the world. >> despite the uproar among french politician there seems to be little surprise. france's defense council writing these are unacceptable facts that have already resulted in

exchanges between the united states and france, particularly in late 2013 when the first revelations occurred. >> france needs the u.s. partnership, especially in some military operation outside of the country, like in africa or iraq and so on. so you cannot destroy such a strong partnership. >> the u.s. national security agency spokesman said that they were not targeting president hollande. they made no mention of previously spying on hollande or his predecessors. wikileaks says that they're confident that the information is authentic and they said they would give further evidence in the u.s. true goals of mass espionage of france. >> boston marathon bomber

dzhokhar tsarnaev faces victims' family members. the jury teared up as the speakers described their grief and difficult recovery process. tsarnaev will be allowed to speak, but it's unclear whether he'll break his silence. we're getting the first look today at isil's very own currency. the group has been showing off these gold coins on social media. the coins feature a map of the world and stalks of wheat. the isil treasury department released illustrations of other silver and copper coins. isil fighters have blown up two muslim shrines in syria. it comes after the group bulldozed and broke ancient monuments in iraq. they say that the relics are un-islamic. many fear there is more destruction to come in the ancient city of palmyra.

>> this is what many feared would happen when fighters from the islamic state in iraq and the levant captured palmyra a few weeks ago. it was not the first time isil has destroyed ancient monuments but it was the first reported damage in the city in central syria. fighters blew up two ancient shrines they consider unislamic. the shrines are not from the roman era unlike other 2,000-year-old buildings in palmyra. there are concerns about the fate of the unesco listed world heritage site. >> it's entirely possible that the organization will destroy all of the historical residents of palmyra. they started with the shrines that have islamic residences a shrine--a companion to the mohammed. >> a few days ago syrian activists reported that isil fighters have placed explosives in palmyra's ruins.

it was not clear if they were placed around the shrines or the actual archeological site. >> i think the photos were associated with the blowing up of the shrines. and i have not yet seen any substantiated evidence, any photos real photos that show mines being laid around the archeological ruins themselves. >> isil has destroyed history both in syria and neighboring iraq. dozens of shrines have been blown up. in march isil used the bulldozer to destroy a 3,000-year-old syrian city near the city of mosul in northern iraq. isil also smashing artifacts in the city's museum. its is not just destroying monuments. precious antic antiquities are being sold. >> this is especially true in the east. and in palmyra where isil stole

many artifacts. >> isil fighters are the only ones targeting ancient sites. the syrian museum was hit by barrel bombs and walls once covered in mosaic panels are now in rubble. so many of the historical treasures are long gone. it's not clear what the international community can do to protect whatever remains. >> coming up on al jazeera america the greek prime minister meets international creditors in brussels. the pressure on both sides may leave alexis tsipras without a lifeline. good but not good enough. the economy has rebounded since 2008 but many small businesses are staying cautious.

>> greece's prime minister is meeting in brussels working out a deal days before athens owes a huge payment to the imf. >> i think frankly if you look on the face of it, it looks like greece's creditors are doing as much as they can to break the will of prime minister tsipras. they pledged when they came to power that they wanted to restore dignity to greece and would not put up with more cuts and austerity. what has happened the greeks put forward this measure which they say would allow them to claw back some of the money through things that have turned out to be already deep with tax rises

pensioners they would say that that's the very concession. what's happened today is that it has been leaked that the proposal put forward by creditors that it has enormous red lines that the greeks put forward and what the creditors are saying that this is not anything like enough. we want more cuts, potentially more taxes and you have to go further. that places prime minister tsipras at an extraordinary situation. if he caves in he'll lose his support base at home. if he says he's not having it, then it may collapse and greece will default. they're supposed to come to an arrangement in the next 50 minutes from now when the euro finance ministers are supposed to meet and discuss all this and present it to the heads of state for an agreement by lunchtime on

friday. at the moment it is not at all if any of that is going to happen. because they have these two completely different and polarized positions with greece saying you get to restructure the debt and the germans in particular saying no way no restructuring. we need more cuts and it's very difficult to see at the moment how they can scare square those two positions. >> businesses across the u.s. are hiring more than before, but some small businesses say that the economy is not growing in fast enough for them to compete. as kristen salomoomey reports. >> ever since kelly took over her father's sheet melt business in connecticut, the workforce has become like family. that made the tough economy of 2008 all the more painful. >> it was horrifying. absolutely horrifying.

i would just shut my door and cry. >> kelly had to layoff half of the workforce. but sales are finally picking up. and so is the hiring job growth in the united states remains strong. companies are hiring at rates that have not been seen since before the recession. still the economy is not growing as much or quickly as every would like. >> the local chamber of commerce said that many businesses businesses are held back by uncertain. >> i businesses don't feel that it's predictable in terms of cost. whether it's taxes labor costs healthcare costs. so they remain very cautious. >> until recently kelly avoided having more than 50 employees. since companies that size are

required to provide additional benefits she worried about the cost but she feels that the economy is getting stronger. >> i feel that our numbers are back to pre-recession numbers and order quantities are starting to return to higher quantities. we're really optimistic. >> optimistic but like many small businesses taking a cautious approach to growth. sound manufacturering now boasts 53 employees and plans to add three more this summer. kristen saloomey. >> a crowded presidential field is getting bigger. louisiana government bobby jindal announced on his website that he's running for the white house. jindal's background as the son of indian immigrants sets him apart from the republican pact. but on the issues he's a conservative main stay. >> 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 state of the union address. but it fell flat. >> when my parents arrived in baton rouge my mother was four and a half pregnant. is. >> jindal's parents are indian immigrants who settled in louisiana. attending brown university in oxford jindal worked in the private sector mostly in healthcare. in 2001 he joined the george w bush administration. in 2003 he ran for governor of louisiana and was against abortion rights and favored begun rights. jindal loss by a narrow margin but only weeks after defeat he started to run for congress and was successfully elected to the

house. jindal served until 2008 when he ran for governor again and won. and two years into his term he and his state faced the worst manmade environmental disaster in u.s. history the bp oil spill. >> this is not just on the surface. this is persistent oil and the damage is done. >> while leading louisiana jindal has remained a fierce critic of president obama's economic policies. >> i think there are things we can do instead of wait to go white flag surrender, and declaring this economy to being a minimum wage economy. i think america can do better. >> his presidential rivals are likely to bring up issues from jindal's past like his account of participating in a sort of exorcism while in college and flip flopping on tax cuts and support of common core standards. >> hawai'i's number one export

is not pineapple or cane sugar. it's crop seeds that will feed billions of people. but some residents say that the seed industry is literally killing them.

chaising bail only on al jazeera america >> a growing number of states are move to go formerly band

therapies designed to turn gay teens straight. it is simply not working. it is to help people give up unwanted same sex attraction. >> geremi was the image of confidence enjoying life as a gay american but he decided he didn't want to be gay and more and devoted his life to insuring that gay conversion therapy remained an option. organizing that parents should have the option to put their children in so-called repairtive therapy. >> i think this is what people really need verse same-sex marriage. i want this option available and it was the right choice for me. >> now he's running a ministry

called goal 225 in nashville. it has members in europe, asia and african companies. his. >> it really is walkerry. it's fraudulent. for me it was not electrishock but even words can damage. >> james has launched his own internet movement. >> we need to protect our lgbt youth. >> being gay just does not work for you. >> the stakes are rising for geremi and ministries like his. four men are suing alternatives for healing claiming that the new jersey base group knew it was impossible to change a person's sexuality, and yet charged tens of thousands of dollars in traumatic their byes that included group nudity and

homophobic taunting. at trial the presence the defense presented him. >> i think i was born to be so i think i am. >> but if state lawmakers across the country have their way fewer and fewer people have access to conversion therapies. >> and if it is banned for children and adults, what do you do then? >> i just keep going. >> you're willing to go forward even if you say it's not legal. >> yes, i am. i believe in it, and i know its necessary and i know it helps people. >> al jazeera. >> health officials are warning beachgoers weeks of heavy rain and flooding has caused sewer

tanks to overflow. near galvan ton gallonnear galveston. >> in hawai'i residents say that the seed industry is causing harm. >> hawai'i is the center of a fight of companies that make crop seeds and residents who say they're being poisoned by fields next door. >> they're right here in our backyard. >> hawai'i's number one agriculture product is no longer pineapple or sugar cane. it's seeds. for corn and soybeans genetically modified to resist weed killers sold with them so farmers can spray without harming their own crops. sprayed year round with herbicide and pesticides, those

fields often bump up against homes and schools. carol hart said that she suffers dizzyiness and headaches when she works in her garden. >> i've been tested and my level in my urine were 9.2 parts per billion. >> that puts hart three times the average amount detected. >> kill the root, kill the weed with round up. >> according to the food center for food safety, kauai receives three times the normal amount. >> at waimea canyon school, students and teachers came down

with headaches vomiting, ten had to go to the emergency room. there are fields over the way that are regularly worked or they were at the time, and evidently there was spraying going on on that day. >> scott enwright the president of the national association of state agriculture. did. >> do you have enough investigators to figure out what is going on? >> the legislature has given us four positions this year and four positions 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 lot of work for a small staff. >> no one in the country investigates pesticide application that gets put down. >> but the department of agriculture and department of health simply are not paying attention. >> my administration asked me not to talk to patients about pesticide. >> you're a dedicated health

worker. >> i'm telling the truth but i don't know for sure that it's relateed to pesticides and illnesses. what it says to me is that further investigation needs to be done. >> but when count officials try to force information out of the companies doing the spraying they found themselves locked in battle. >> jacob ward. kauawi hawai'i. >> lego is looking to be more eye co-friendly. they said that the move is designed to leave a positive impact on the earth in future generations. more than 45 billion bricks were made in 2012. 5.2million made per hour and equals 6,000 tons of plastic every year. the news continues next. live from london.

>> hello there i'm felicity barr. this is the news hour live from london. coming up, france summons the u.s. ambassador under allegations that the u.s. spied on three french presidents. >> fighting in yemen kills hundreds in just one day. at least 12 people were killed by a suicide-bomber who targeted