made her feel good too. now she's even more into it than i am. and don't forget as ever you can keep up to date with all of the day's stories and all of the sports news by going to our website. the address, aljazeera.com. a showdown in the south china sea, beijing strongly condemns the u.s. navy after it sends a ship into disputed waters. congress considers how to protect personal information online. critics worry the new rules sacrifice privacy. and outrage over this video throwing a police officer throwing a teenage girl to the ground. ♪

this is al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. angry words from china directed over the u.s. decision to sail a navy warship in the south china sea. bay change claims the area, and says the destroyer threatened its sovereignty as well as u.s.-china relations. the obama administration considers the area international waters. >> reporter: the united states has been signalling for months that it would make this symbolic sail past. china has warned it would respond appropriately, and both sides have been good to their word. the patrol came within 12 nautical miles of the disputed islands in the south china sea, normally the internationally

accepted limit. but not accepted by the u.s., which says these are international waters open to anybody. china says it shadowed the u.s. vessel, accusing it of harming peace and stability. >> translator: we want the u.s. to respect our position and correct its mistake immediately. it should also keep any promise of not taking sides on the issues of territorial disputes so as no to further harm the china-u.s. relationships. >> reporter: the waters are disputed by china and several asian neighbors. among them the philippines, which welcomed the move, saying the ship was operating in international waters. >> the balance of power says that there is not just a single voice that must be adhered to. there has to be a plurality of voices when all parties are effected by changes of the

reality. >> reporter: another alley, japan has its own dispute in the east china sea. it expressed concern at china's island building activities. >> translator: the unilateral conduct to change the status quo such as the large scale landfills to build ocean platforms in the south china sea are a common concern for the international community. as the prime minister repeatedly said, it's very important that the international community units to maintain peace and stability. we're closely conducting intelligence information with the united states. >> reporter: the united states says the decision to send the warship close to the disputed islands reaffirms its right to sail in what it considers international waters. china is responding that it will safeguard what it sees as its

territory, but there is widespread regional support from its neighbors for america's actions. the form at nato supreme ally commander said this. . >> i think it's part of an ongoing campaign that has been conducted for decades by the united states to establish freedom of navigation in international waters around the world. and china claims this area as territorial seas. no other nation supports that. not vietnam, not malaysia, not vietnam, not the philippines, not south korea, not japan, no one else in asia believes that china has some kind of territorial right to the south china sea. these are international waters, and the united states will continue to demonstrate the ability to sail through them.

it's a significant move by the united states. >> it's also a major fishing root in region. ash carter is testifying this morning about the fight against isil. the blamed the iraqi government and the military for letting sectarian division undermine the progress the air campaign has made in the area. >> change the program. the old approach was to train and quip completely new forces outside of syria before sending them into the fight. the new approach is to work with groups that are already fighting isil, and provide equipment and training to them and support their operations with air power. >> he also spoke about russian air strikes in syria, he said

moscow's intentions and actions are fuelling the civil war, and the type of bombs being dropped are increasing the likelihood of civilian casualties. and john kerry was also testifying in a closed-door hearing. kerry held talks last week with russia, saudi arabia, and turkey. doctors without borders says saudi air strikes have hit one of its hospitals in yemen. the group tweeted that the facility was hit by several air strikes last night with patients and staff inside the facility. earlier this month, u.s. forces bombed a doctors without borders hospital in afghanistan and 30 people were killed. afghanistan and pakistan are expanding their search and rescue efforts this morning, trying to find more victims of

monday's 7.5 earthquake. responders are rushing to try to deliver aid in remote areas, where the full impact of the quake is still not clear. india, iran, and u.s. forces in afghanistan have all offered to help. camel heidler is in pakistan's hard-hit valley. >> reporter: rescue efforts are already underway, although for the most part it is on self-help basis. however, the strong earthquake has left a trail of destruction. this area is the worst hit. if you see the wall on my right it is swaying badly. it can come down any time. the government authorities are already warning of after shocks. they have closed the schools in the valley as well as across the country just to be on the safe side. the important thing right now is for a proper reconnaissance of

the areas. the military says they have already started that, and the people are waiting to see what kind of relief and help they will get from their government. the important thing also is to treat the medical emergencies. there are over 200 people in the hospital that need help, and the government will have to gear up in order to ensure that help reaches to these far-flung areas where it is needed most. kamal heidler reporting from the scene. a sheriff's deputy in south carolina is on administrative leave this morning following a violent run-in with a student. the incident captured on cell phone video, and even the sheriff is asking if the officer used excessive force. john henry smith has the story. >> reporter: witnesses say this

deputy went to the classroom at spring valley high school in columbia, south carolina when a teacher complained that a student would not get off of her cell phone. >> the student was asked to leave several time. the assist important principal was there as well. then the officer was called to remove the student. the student refused and the officer acted as you see on the video. >> reporter: on one version he is heard ordering the girl to standing. when she refuses he grabs her, flipping her over and throwing her to the ground now the sheriff sayings that deputy should never be assigned to work as a school resource officer again. and the sheriff was, quote, very disturbed by what he saw. >> we're going to look at what happ happened leading up to it. >> reporter: in a statement,

south carolina's school district says the district is: the deputy is an 11-year veteran of the sheriff's office. in 2007 he was sued for false arrest and excessive force, but a jury found in his favor. the girl in a video, and a friend who protested her treatment were charged with disturbing schools. john henry smith. al jazeera. the video in south carolina is just the latest putting more focus on law enforcement. president obama speaks to police chiefs in afternoon. james comby spoke to the same group on monday.

>> reporter: james comey says the increased violence nationwide could be because of decreased police department. >> each time somebody interprets hashtag black lives matter against policemen, one line moves away. and maybe because the lines are arking away from each other, we have a crisis of violent crime in some of our major cities in this country. >> reporter: monday he spoke to thousands of police chiefs and top law enforcement in chicago, and talked about the so-called ferguson effect, the idea that police across the country have pulled back, slowed down law enforcement in response to the protests over the shooting of michael brown in 2014. comy said he couldn't be sure that's happening, but we said it was common sense. amnesty international reacted

saying: the obama administration appears to agree. josh earnest dismissed the fbi director's theory. >> the available evidence does not support the notion that law enforcement officers are shying away from their responsibilities. >> reporter: this was the second time in a week that comey spoke about the concern. >> in many cities across the country violence is the same, and in some cases even lower. but we must stair at this problem to figure out why it is happening, and what we can do about it. >> mike viqueira, al jazeera, washington. and we will bring you president obama's speech to the chief's association this

afternoon at 3:00 pm eastern. the u.n. secretary general is expected to vote shortly to call for ending the u.s. economic embargo against cuba. it would be a symbolic advisory vote. >> the damage caused by this undeserved embargo against cuba is enormous. we'll vote for this resolution. >> president obama has repeatedly said he would like to see the sanctions lifted. only congress has the power to do that. there are concerns the government may use hacking threats to expand domestic spying. and topping trump, ben carson widens his lead over the onetime front runner. we'll take a look at why he has become a leading contender.

house republicans are speaking about a new budget deal with the white house this morning. >> this agreement will protect our economy and reduces the defic deficit. it secured more long-term entitlement reforms, it strengthens our national security and brings more security to next year's appropriations process, protects more americans from obamacare, and rejects all of the tax increases as proposed by the

administration. >> it would also agree no more budget battles for the rest of president obama's terms. today the senate will take up a controversial bill to help prevent cyber attacks. it's backed by the white house and the department of homeland security, but some of the country's biggest tech companies say it infringes of privacy. >> reporter: target and sony have been hacked, so as the federal government. supporters of the act say it will help. passing on early signs of corporate attacks to the department of homeland security. >> because the private sector really does control to a greater extent the use of the internet and the development and advancement of the internet, they have to be our partners,

and we are very committed to that -- to that model. >> reporter: opponents who have taken their campaign to youtube say it would grant legal immunity to companies who share data about their users with government agencies. >> a company could promise to keep your data private, then break that promise leaving you with no legal recourse. >> reporter: and data can be transferred across agencies to the fbi and others. critics worry that violates privacy rights, and could allow any government to spy on citizens. >> it contains important measures to protect civil liberties and individual privacy. >> reporter: some tech companies like facebook have not come out with a position. others openly oppose it. in a recent statement apple

quote, quote: the bill has already passed the house, the senate today is considering a number of amendments that could tighten privacy protections and the information that companies can share. as republicans gather for their next presidential debate, ben carson has surged past donald trump in a new nationw e nationwide. donald trump had been on the top of that poll since last july, now has 22%. polls show carson's lead has grown even bigger in iowa. david shuster takes a closer look at ben carson, and his new role.

>> we're a long cry away from what we are supposed to be. >> reporter: he is soft-spoken and seems low-energy, but growing up he was not always so calm. >> as a teenager i would go after people with rocks and bricks and baseball bats and hammers, and of course many people know the story when i was 14 and tried to stab someone. and, you know, fortunately my life has been changed. >> reporter: now that young man who discovered the bible went to yale, and became a gifted neurosurgeon is a leading republican presidential candidate. and in iowa, one poll suggests that carson leads donald trump 28% to 19. a 10-point jump in just two months. another poll shows he is ahead 28% to 20, and 84% said they had a favorable opinion of carson with just 10% unfavorable.

>> it really shows the power of social media. because a lot of the media has it in for me, but many people listened to them, i would be polling at less than zero. >> reporter: he is known for blunt style. >> i have a strong desire to get rid of programs that create dependency in able-bodied people. >> reporter: carson began his rise two years ago at a prayer breakfast by hammering the president's reform law as the president sat a few feet away. >> obamacare is, really, i think the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery. >> reporter: this weekend carson compared abortion rights to slavery, and said he would outlaw the procedure even in cases of rape and incest.

>> during slavery, a lot of the slave owners felt they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave. anything that they chose to do, and, you know, what if the abolitionists had said i don't believe in slavery, i think it's wrong, but you guys do whatever you want to. where would we be? >> reporter: his rhetoric has caught fire with christian evangelicals. and like donald trump, carson is a political outsider. he never held elected office. >> neither one of us, probably is going to be somebody who is going to be managed by handlers, because that's not what we are. >> reporter: carson is now filling the airwaves in iowa and new hampshire with television ads. >> washington is broken. the political class broke it. together we can drain the swamp and protect our children's

future. >> reporter: and it all adds up to momentum, and why iowa is different, a win in the hawk eye state can catapult a newcomer into contention for the nomination. limiting standardized testing. many teachers are on board with the president's plan, but will fewer tests actually change education for the better? ♪

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a big discussion in a lot of schools this week over standardized testing, and the new white house plan to reduce it. president obama met with teachers to discuss the initiative. >> i have got a pop quiz for parents and teachers across the country. >> reporter: president obama and the department of education have launched a new initiative to put an end to overtesting. >> i also hear from parents who rightly feel like there is too much testing. >> reporter: on average students take about 112 tests between pre-k and 12th grade. that's 20 to 25 hours a year. the new plan includes limiting testing to 2% of class time, and taking into account classroom work. >> we're going to work with states, school districts, teachers and parents, to make

sure we're not obsessing about testing. >> a standardized test is one of the weakest ways to assess student learning and knowledge. >> reporter: there have been protests and boycotts too. earlier this year, 95% of students at a seattle high school refused to take an exam to measure progress. >> when we stood up against the test here at garfield high school, we had amazing support. >> i enforce standard testing, mostly because it govss -- give us a common understanding. >> reporter: about 12 million students in more than half of the states took the tests. robert is with the democracy

prep charter schools here in new york. >> it's really not the tests. i think maybe -- anybody who is paying close attention realize it's what the tests are for. it's just human nature and simple logic that teachers will spend most of their time preparing for the tests. so the number matters less than the pressure that is put on the teachers. >> how could congress write legislation to address some of these issues that you are bringing up? >> well, one of the other great misnomers here and why it is unusual for the obama administration to take a position on this, is it's a vanishing small number of tests.

the vast majority are driven by the state, district, and even school level. you take exactly two tests under federal law, one math and one english. so most of this is being driven not by the federal government at all. >> and he points out that tests help teachers better understand why some low-income students underperform in school. wal-mart says it wants to start using drones. the retail giant says it wants to use them for curve-side pickup. the faa is set to schedule rules for drones in the next 12 months. i'm stephanie sy. thanks for watching. have a great day.

>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello there, and welcome to the news hour, i'm shiulie ghosh in doha with the top stories. the u.s. says it will step up its air campaign against isil. picking through the rubble of an earthquake thousands of people remain trapped. plus . . . israeli forces fire tear gas at palestinian protesters marking a day of rage acro