her family. you can keep right up to date with all our top stories of course on the website aljazeera.com. you can also tweet me. you'll find me and talk to everyone on the team, as well via that website, facebook and twitter, as well. >> nuclear threat from north korea, saying it tested a hydrogen bomb. heavy rainfall on california all at once. here's your chance to support these efforts. put your money where your mouth is. >> president obama lays out his vision for stricter gun control. many republicans are already saying no.

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. the united nations plans an urgent meeting in a few hours to talk about north korea claims that it testified a hydrogen bomb. the south koreans and international inspectors can only confirm there was some sort of explosion underground near a nuclear site. it showed up on sensors near the site to the north as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. we have the latest from beijing. in pyongyang, people stood to watch that they were told would be an important announcement. state media showed north korea leader signing off on the order. he's a man who likes attention,

particularly close to his birthday, which falls on january 8, so this may have been his way of celebrating early. it could take months or years to prove whether north korea has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. it says it possesses weapons to counter threats by the united states. there was familiar alarm. it was north korea's fourth nuclear test in 10 years. >> japan says government is also promising a firm but as yet unspecified response.

north korea's nuke test is a serious threat to security. the chinese government is alarmed at the prospect of having a nuclear armed neighbor. >> an official spokeswoman admitted that its old ally had not notified china before the test and issued a strong rebuke. >> the chinese government has always tried to keep stability and peace in northeast asia. we strongly urge north korea to stick to commitment to denuclearization and stop taking action to make the situation worse. >> the test happened close to a chinese city. whatever was tested, it was felt here. fearing an earthquake, many local residents were evacuated. al jazeera visited this tense border area three months ago where a series of recent murders

and robberies have been blamed on hungry north korean soldiers. china's leadership supported sanctions against north korea in the past. now it could be under pressure to do so again. adrien brown, al jazeera, beijing. earlier we spoke to retired army major mike lyons. >> we probably won't hear it from the north, they'll continues to that it was an hydrogen bomb test. a lot of it is communicating to their people with the explanation that an hydrogen bomb is more advanced, making them feel better about themselves. you'll be able to determine in the south with regard to whether or not it had the capability to be has hydrogen bomb type test. >> you are referring to south korea there. we do know there was some sort of seismic activity, an earthquake of more than 5.0 in

magnitude so that is one clue. let's assume that there was some sort of hydrogen bomb test. is that unprecedented and was the u.s. aware that the north had this capability? >> it's unprecedented and i'm not sure we had that -- we were aware that they had this capability and now to weaponnize it really changes the game. it creates a real problem for this administration. how does it deal with this and for the rest of the world, the united nations in that reward. it does change completely the game with regard to their nuke capability and their ability to deliver this kind of a weapon. south korea mostly threatened, but japan and china arched other allies in the area, as well. >> the u.s. negotiated a deal with iran, iran shipped out tons of enrich uranium also part that have agreement. has the u.s. dropped the ball with north korea it's taken its eye off i have the and relied on allies to take it more

seriously, but we're seeing that china doesn't have the influence it once had over north korea for them to conduct this kind of test and not let anyone know in the region shows they don't have that same influence. what to do about this is the question. >> if the test is confirmed, it would raise alarm. a hydrogen bomb i also the most powerful type of nuclear bomb, 2,000 times more destructive than the american bombs dropped on japan in 1945. a hydrogen bomb dearrives explosive force from nuclear fusion. the blast from a hydrogen bomb can saws fire storms and intense white light that can induce blindness. we'll continue to monitor the latest on the north korean nuclear test and the international reaction. schools are still closed in oregon this morning in one city

near a wildlife reef final which is under occupation. >> we feel we cannot leave because this is too important of an issue. i and these men here who have been here, we refuse to pass this on to our children. this is not what america's made of. >> the protestors say they were inspired by the case of two local rampers. those ranchers were sent back to prison monday for setting fires on federal land. catherine barrett is live near that wildlife center in oregon. the local sheriff i understand plans a town hall meeting today. what is worrying residents? >> that's right. well, first of all, the schools have been closed, so that's a pain in the neck for parents to have to find child care for

their kids. there's also the worry of the unknown, not knowing how volatile this situation could be, how it could end, how it could resolve when you have around occupiers calling for others to join them. that's a concern for the community. we spoke yesterday with the mayor who expressed his frustration. >> the overwhelming feeling from the folks is it's time to go home. we don't want you here any longer and we want to get our lives back to normal. >> he also pointed out that his small town budget has not necessarily counted for all the overtime that he's had to pay to law enforcement to monitor the situation as it unfolds here. >> clearly producing a strain on that community. the protest leader is calling for more supporters to come join him. is there any sign at this point from law enforcement that they

may break up this occupation anytime soon? >> well, there's been no overt sign, but you may notice behind me the scene is a little different than it was at this time yesterday. the protestors have moved bulldozers, campfires, and armed nightwatchmen basically right to the forefront right next to where the media are. they obviously understand the value of publicity for their cause but say this was a reaction to rumors that there would be arrest warrants made for several members, no confirmation from either side, really. there was a report in today's los angeles times that the sheriff of harney county, sheriff ward received assurance from the f.b.i. that they were putting together federal charges and that at some point those charges would be brought. we've not received confirmation of that, but it's still a fluid situation. certainly there could be federal charges levied. there have been federal laws

violated. >> that's still a big question how this will all end. the latest from princeton, oregon, thank you. california's bracing for more rain today. powerful storms drenched the state tuesday and they are linked to the el niño. >> the season's first major el niño storm slamming the west, drought stricken california suddenly awash from the bay to l.a. floodwaters in van nuys forced this man to make his escape through the window. rushing waters filled southern california streets. >> probably the most dangerous place in southern california. >> mud was the concern here where ed keeps an evacuation list in the front seat of his car. the hillside there was wiped bare by the colby wildfire. three or four feet of mud have

already come down on his property. like many here, he fears the worse. >> i can't get out from underneath this. we are stuck until the big disaster comes and wipes out my home and i get paid for it or this stuff stops. >> mud also a worry in nearby glendora. homeowners there did what they could. >> we've done the work on the driveway and try to keep water flowing from coming under the property. >> a short lived tornado touched down in nearby vernon, damaging buildings, trees and some cars. in arcadia, officials are still cleaning up from the water that broke this retaining wall. in the north, heavy rains also made driving treacherous along route 101 one in marin county. driving was nearly impossible in this part of san jose and officials warned today's storms hitting the bay area could be even worse. john henry smith, al jazeera. for more on what california can expect in coming days, let's bring in meteorologist nicole

mitchell. >> this is a train of storms and overall an active pattern for the winter, which is our busy season for rain in general and then enhanced, possibly more activity due to el niño. this is system number one that hit yesterday. i've taken this back 24 hours. i'll put this into motion in a second. system two is hitting today and behind us, system three more likely for this weekend. one moved interior, the second hitting the coastline and another one poised in a couple days from now, already pretty widespread rain again after just a brief break. the moisture that we have now moving to places like the four corners region, snow for higher elevations there, a little bit more moisture ahead of the system getting into the central united states, but heavy rain up and down the coast. it's a couple degrees cooler than normal in a lot of cases, so the snow levels lower and we could get snow with that. the rain is going to be the most impressive, already yesterday

los angeles set a record for rainfall. over the next few days especially southern california between this current system and the heavy rain today and then the next one coming in for saturday, five inches widespread we could see some place going over half foot and some places could accumulate an inch an hour if you really get under a heavy band, so more flooding definitely a concern. >> a big conversation in l.a. is how do we catch all this rain, we need it later. >> you want it in the soil. a state of emergency in flint, michigan, the governor takes action over lead in the water. ted cruz takes gun rights on the road, making his push into iowa less than a month before the caucuses.

in just a few hours, the man accused of supplying guns and explosives to the san bernardino shooter is due in court. enrique marquez will be arraigned. prosecutors say he gave taking and sayed farook the weapons they used to kill 14 people. if convicted, he faces 50 years in prison. a second baltimore police officer is in court this hour over the death of freddie gray, a pretrial hearing taking operation. he faces second degree murder charges. good son was the driver of the van gray was in when he suffered severe injuries. many republicans and those

backing gun rights are pledging to stop the president. on tuesday, president obama announced several executive access to reduce gun violence and that includes expanded background checks. al jazeera's mike viqueira has more from washington. >> at times during his presidency, he's been called aloof, detached, even cold, but talking the murdered children in new town connecticut, president obama openly wppt. >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. >> in the audience, victims of gun violence and their families there to see the president announce new executive action. effective immediately, aimed at cracking down on so-called private sales of guns over the internet or at gun shows where no background check on a buyer is needed. under the plan, those who sell guns for profit no matter how many or where the transaction takes place will have to get a

license, thereby making their customers subject to background checks for felonies, mental incompetence and other things that would prohibit them from buying a gun under current law. mr. obama rejected critics who say his new rule violates the constitutional right to bear arms. >> this is not a plot to take away everybody's guns. you pass a background check, you purchase a firearm. the problem is some gun sellers have been operating under a different set of rules. >> we are going to take our country. >> that's right. >> republicans are unmoved. the party's presidential candidates immediately bashed the president not only for what he did but how he did it and promised to undo the executive action as one of their first acts if they make it to the white house. >> if he was serious about gun violence, he would be focused on violence, what it is in our culture that is leading people to commit violent acts. >> the president is asking for hundreds more f.b.i. and a.t.f.

personnel to help investigate and enforce the new rules. that will require funding, and the gop controlled congress is likely to try to stop it. in the wake of the 2012 shooting at sandy hook, many thought the political moment had come. in his state of the union little more than a month after the tragedy, he invited the parents of the 15-year-old girl from chicago killed in a random shooting while standing in a park with friends. >> they deserve a vote. [ applause ] >> but the effort to pass new gun laws collapsed and that vote never came. tuesday in the east room, the same couple stood behind the president. they say without cooperation from congress, he's doing all he can, and his emotions were genuine. >> he has two daughters, and he is a father first, and the thing is, it touches home. >> today, you know, guns are here illegally and so rampant that children are looking left and right to make sure it's ok

for them to play and sit on the porch. it's just unfair to them. i think his tears were sincere. >> mike viqueira, al jazeera, washington. a new feud brewing this morning between republican presidential candidates donald trump and ted cruz. trump said the fact that the texas senator was born in canada may be a problem. >> people are worried if he weren't born in this country which he wasn't, he was born in canada and he had a canadian passport along with a u.s. passport until just recently within the past couple of years. i don't know what it all means. i know other people are talking about it. >> trump was revisiting the same claims he and members of the birther movement leveled at president obama. he he says the democratic party could sue cruz if he becomes president and that's not something republicans want. ted cruz responded to trump's comments last night. >> i tweeted out a response to donald trump's raising questions about my natural born citizenship. it was a link to fonzie jumping

the shark. >> he is referring to this tweet linking to a video from the 1970's sitcom happy days. cruz was born in calgary to a mother who is a u.s. citizen. he has released his birth certificate and renounced his canadian citizenship. tensions on the democratic side, as well with bernie sanders voicing some strong criticisms of hillary clinton over wall street, calling out clinton for taking speaking fees from the financial industry. he says her plan doesn't go for enough to regulate big banks. he laid out how he would reform them, including breaking up the banks that are too big to fail. >> and here is a new year's resolution that i will keep, if wall street does not end its greed, we will end it for them. >> sanders was speaking in new

york blocks from wall street. he promised to jail certain banking executives and give new protections to consumers. a state of emergency is now in effect in flint, michigan over lead in the city's drinking water. governor rick snyder made the declaration after more than a year of ongoing health and safety. . al jazeera's bisi onile-ere reports. >> this has been a long time coming, the city of flint dealing with complaints over the quality of its tap water for more than a year. michigan governor rick snyder declared a state of emergency for the county tuesday due to the on going health and safety. issue. the problem is lead. late last officer, virginia tech researcher found that the flint river's corrosive water caused old service pipes and home plumbing to leech lead and then a study by a local pediatrician revealed high levels of lead in hundreds of children. exposure to lead can cause brain damage and other issues. by declaring a state of

emergency, the governor has made available all state resources to deal with this crisis. city and county officials also hope to secure federal funding to assist with the water emergency. right now, flint leaders are asking for more than $40 million to deal with this issue. governor snyder's announcement comes hours after the u.s. attorney's office confirmed that its investigating the contamination of flint's drinking water. all of this started when the city began tapping into the flint river for its water supply. the city has since switched out of the system but there are still serious concerns. relief will hopefully be on the way soon to thousands of flint residents, some who have gone months without using their tap water. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, new york. we have an update now, north korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb overnight, pentagon officials just told al jazeera the u.s. does not believe this claim, saying the blast was way too small to have

come from that kind of device. sources tell al jazeera it appears this most recent north korean test was a smaller fission blast. making a murderer, a netflix series being used as inspiration to fight for justice.

the governor in wisconsin is

saying no to requests that he pardon a convicted murderer with that scott walker says he has no plans to issue a pardon to starve avery. the 53-year-old is serving life in prison and is the subject of new netflix documentary making a murderer. hundreds of people have signed a petition call for him to get out of jail. it has many asking if there are serious problems with the justice system. we have the story. >> the netflix documentary making a murderer puts a spotlight on adjusts system which defense lawyers say is far from perfect. >> you've got a lot of people who are going to be looking at these sorts of things and when they hear about a story, they're going to be more inclined to believe that the government actors are not as honest as they may once have thought they were. >> making a murderer is the story of wisconsin native steven avery. d.n.a. helped exonerate him

after he served 18 years for a rape he did not commit. the documentary suggest the local sheriff and district attorney at the time knew they were convicting the wrong man. >> despite 16 alibi witnesses and a time slip, a receipt showing him going to a department store in green bay that showed was virtually impossible for mr. avery to have committed the crime, the jury convict mr. avery. >> two years after his release, avery was tried and convicted for the murder of teresa holbach who visited his property to take pictures of a vehicle for a magazine. >> we the jury find him guilty. >> the series suggests avery was framed by vindictive law enforcement professionals, angry over a 36 million dollar lawsuit filed against the county for his wrongful rape conviction. the documentary is sparking public interest in how cases like this are carried out. >> now participate in some way

that least offers the prospects of having an impact on things in the world that upset us. >> ken kratz, the prosecutor in the murder case said the netflix documentary left out damning evidence against avery, saying they don't tell you 80% of the evidence the jury saw. they purposely kept all of that evidence that discounted this evidence planting theory. the directors say they put in all the significant pieces of the case and they are confident in the series they made. west point has a woman in charge were its cadets for the first time in its history. she is a decorated army veteran, officially sworn in tuesday. holland served in iraq and afghanistan as commandant of cadets is responsible for training and disciplining of students at west point. the news continues next live from doha.

>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello and welcome, you are watching the news hour live from our headquarters here in doha. north korea says it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. but the experts aren't convinced. homeless and freezing, the refugees trying to survive in winter weather. and we'll have the