rosiland jordan reports from washington about. >> at first glance this video from the iranian military is ominous. ten u.s. navy sailors being detained in the gulf. the crew waiting to learn its fate. but on wednesday morning the crisis was over. the sailors handed over to the u.s. >> i think we could imagine how a similar situation could have played out three or four years ago. and in fact, it is clear that

otoday account this kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved. >> reporter: kerry was alluding to the fact that he and mohammed javad zarif communicated tuesday. iranian officials first had accused the sailors of suspicious behavior and the local press said they had been arrested. however, observers say tehran had a vested interest in tamping down the rhetoric. the nuclear deal between iran and the international community. >> over the next few days the deal is going to be fully implemented by all parties involved especially the united states. and at the same time, the iranian armed forces the i.rgc commanders don't want to take any unnecessary risk. >> nuclear weapons program may

be a reason why the u.s. isn't making a big deal out of this statement there one of the sailors on iranian tv displp it wa.it was a mistake that was our fault. the iranian behavior was fantastic while we were here. we thank you very much for your assistance. >> isn't an official policy and wasn't sure if this was a violation of international treaties. >> generally speaking you are not supposed to show images of detained persons. there they add that with so many critical issues facing both countries letting this situation go may be in both their interests. rosiland jordan, al jazeera, washington. >> j.d. gordon is a retired navy commander. he served at pentagon spokeman for robert gates.

j.d, talk a little bit about what happened in the gulf yesterday between the americans and the iranians. >> hi john, good to see you. there were two navy patrol craft, river craft apparently. five sailors each, going from kuwait to bahrain, but halfway through their trip they had engine problems in one of them. they drifted in the middle of the gulf well over 50 miles from the saudi coast, and the iranians detained them, humiliated them and the united states, by keeping them. at first they didn't say how long they were going to keep them. they took their photos, and as a violation of the geneva convention, i believe, they showed their faces. >> what was the point of this? >> i think iran wants to embarrass the united states. they want to control the region.

they want to be the dominant power in the middle east. they want to reach out to the iranian people to show them they're the boss, they own the persian gulf, they want to push back against the great satan the united states, and want to challenge the saudis in the gulf states for supremacy. that message was yes our regime is tough. >> let me interrupt you, they were sending all that message with that capture of those sailors? >> yes, i think so. john, they're always looking to send that message and an opportunity was just presented to them on a platter. i don't know why the u.s. navy sent those two rivereen craft, they are very small. they could have put them on a large container ship to ship them down there on a freighter. i don't understand why the navy left them vulnerable. why were those two patrol craft hugging the coast of saudi

arabia? that's very strange to me. >> how they got there, those pictures were blasted across iranian television and in print today in iran, not only in iran but in the united states as well. and you say just by publishing those pictures, you believe, they're in violation of the geneva convention? >> absolutely. i was a pentagon spokesman and the issue came up a lot with detainees. you don't hold up detainees they violated the geneva conventions and you know the iranians are going to do that. this is run by a regime of extremists from tehran. you know they're going to do this thing. i was surprisethat the navy would send those ships from kuwait to bahrain on a dangerous journey. the navy should take more precautions in the future. you know iran is a wolf. why tempt them? >> do you believe it was a

mechanical error? how do those ships get off course? >> that's the story, mechanical error in one of them. i believe that problems like that happen. that's why i am a little incredulous now as to why the military would have sent them that way without protection or without on a freighter. to me that was poor planning. >> i'm just assuming you're against the iran nuclear deal? >> oh yeah, absolutely. i think that iranian nuclear deal is just going to ensure iran gets a weapon because they're going to cheat. since 1979, why aren't they not going to cheat? once they get one, saudis will gel one, turks will get one and since when have we seen lasting peace in the middle east? couple thousand years? >> since the united states cut a deal with iran on their nuclear program why would iran want to stick their finger back into the

eye of the united states, especially now? >> well, iran wants to be world power, they want to be the regional power, they want to scare america out of there. they want to crush the saudis frankly too, our allies in the gulf. they're very eager to show they're the boss, they want to show it to the world and also their population. iran has suffered a lot under international sanctions so if there's unrest in iran that regime is going to be toppled. the iranian people are friendly, they're not the problem. it's the regime that has hijacked the people. that regime could be toppled if things get too bad there. >> j.d. thank you for being here. >> thanks so much john. family members of some of the 241 marines who died in the 1983 bombing of their barracks in beirut are trying to collect money, iran's central bank is trying to stop them.

courtney kealy is in washington more. courtney. >> john, these arguments were held at the supreme court, at a very sensitive time during which the iranian nuclear deal will be implement. 1983, beirut lebron no, ma'am non. 241 u.s. marines sailors and soldiers on a peace keeping mission killed when a truck bomb explodes at their barracks. four stories reduced to rubble crushing the men inside. a group the u.s. believes is linked to iran claims responsibility. the families of those killed sued iran an in 2007 won a more than $2 billion judgment. now almost 33 years after the bombing they're at the u.s. supreme court still trying to collect that money. lynn smith derbyshire's brother was among those who died. >> i want the people who killed my brother and the other 240 men to be held accountable for that murder. so far they have not had any

accountability so they keep doing it and i want accountability. >> reporter: the arguments in this case cais com case come aty sensitive time. whether the congress violated the u.s. constitution by dictating the outcome of this case. iranian money in frozen accounts at citibank in new york should go to pay off the judgment. congress split over whether they should interfere with the courts, but chief justice john roberts says, our job is to decide a case. >> the money is in the united states, it is here illegally, it belongs to the government of iran that sponsored these terrorist acts and it should be available to satisfy these judgments. have. >> reporter: former marine

paul rivers survived the 1983 bear actiobearbarracks bombing. >> john those families have waited a long time but it's unclear if a june ruling by the supreme court will bring them the relief that they seek. john. >> all right thank you. no confirmed claims of responsibility officials say health workers were preparing for adoor to door vaccination drive at the time. polio centers have been targeted in the past by groups who say they're used to sterilize the local population. more information tonight about the suicide bomb are who struck istanbul's historic district on tuesday. turkish authorities say the attackers entered the country from syria and registered as a refugee.

five suspects have been arrested. andrew simmons has more. >> on the approach to an ancient egyptian open living died, ahmed davutoglu, fm the whole area has been cleaned up. red flowers are the only visual sense of death. there are no signs of blast damage apart from some wood gouged out of a seat. turkey's government blames i.s.i.l. for the attack, saying it's the organization's third bombing in the country the first named at foreigners. the suicide bomber has been named as nabil fadley, born in saudi arabia. he is sighted here on cctv footage when he is said to give

his fingerprints, a week ago, after an illegal border crossing. police say they were ape to identify him from his fingerprints. they say he wasn't an i.s.i.l. suspect. one of the most historic places in the world, an attack ton turkish some tourists appeared defiant although many are staying away. >> life goes on and if we let this sort of attacks like impact our daily lives i think we are giving in to the threat altogether. i think we should stay confident and live our lives well. >> i don't feel safe going to the public place so there might be an issue from my side, yeah.

>> reporter: turkey's interior minister announced the arrest of one suspected accomplice and how many i.s.i.s. arrests have been made recently. >> 3300 people have been detained over is links to the islamic state and other terrorist groups following the syrian conflict. one being individual was arrested after yesterday's attack. >> as the morning begins for germans who lost their lives after a package tour in this historic setting, the leadership here is calling for foreign governments to form more solidarity and cooperation with turkey in its fight against i.s.i.l. andrew simmons, al jazeera, istanbul. in paris, the crillin cafe opened today, two oargt cafes

targeteother cafeshave already . president obama is taking his message about america's future right to the people.erica pizzi is here. >> hi john. white house says he has picked two states because they have shown particularly improvement in health care coverage. in nebraska, the health care percentage is less than 5% of average and in both states more than 2.5 million residents have gained health care coverage under obamacare. speaking in omaha tonight the president took success within both fronts. >> all this talk about how the

american economy is terrible is just not true, and how america is so weak, we aren't just the strongest economy in the world we are far and away the most powerful nation on the planet. >> reporter: and while he touts how strong the country has become under his leadership, president obama acknowledges that partisan politics has become worse. keep in mind, both nebraska and louisiana are red states. he took opportunity to help bridge the divide between parties. >> so omaha, whatever you believe whether you are a democrat or republican or you don't believe in political parties, whether you supported me or you didn't, our collective future depends on your willingness to uphold your obligation as citizens. to speak out for those who are vulnerable, especially those who need help, knowing that we are only here because somebody else did that for us.

>> the president speaks in baton rouge, tomorrow, where he will continue to talk about health care and education, john. >> count thanerica thank you. hopes he continues the progress made in 2015. >> as we look to the year ahead, we have a unique opportunity to build on what we have achieved in the number of critical areas. now obviously, a top priority ask the conflict in syria. to deal with the refugee crisis that it has spawned and the violent extremism to which it has contributed. >> kerry says defeating i.s.i.l. is another priority and that the u.s. is increasing its pressure on the group. south korea officials say its officials fired warning shots today over a suspected north korean drone crossed the

border. tensions are high along the demill tried zone. harry fawcett has more from seoul. >> on the day when south korea said it fired warning shots to deter a north korean drone, nuclear envoys from south korea, the united states and japan promising tough sanctions against pyongyang for his nuclear bomb blast last week. south korean president made her fourth speech, nuclear program to act accordingly at the u.n. >> translator: i'm certain that china is very well aware if such a strong will isn't followed by necessary steps we will not be able to stop north's fifth and sixth nuclear test and cannot stop the stability of the

korean peninsula. a. >> reporter: a move long opposed by china. >> translator: when one country seeks its own security it must consider the security interests of other countries and regional peace and stability. at present the situation on the korean peninsula is very sensitive. >> reporter: in pyongyang the fourth nuclear test remains a triumph. for president park and her fellow leaders that remains a priority, all attempts so far to change that from the outside have failed. harry fawcett, al jazeera, seoul. stocks plunged today on wall street. the dow fell 360 points, a 2.2%

loss. stock selloff comes with oil hovering around $30 a barrel. today's drop has continued the volatility that has rocked the markets since the beginning of the year. al jazeera will be ceasing its operations by the end of april. driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the u.s. media marketplace. aal jazeera america has done a brilliant job with unrivaled commitment to journalism, through the remarkable work of ajam's team. al jazeera america launched on august 20th, 2013.

last two and a half years the channel and website have been honored by an alfred dupont award and others, honoring ajam's website among many others. the doha based al jazeera media network also issued a press release on wednesday stating it plans to expand its digital rg message in the u.s. why bernie sanders is surging in iowa. plus lucky numbers, the powerball jackpot and how tonight's drawing has already drawn a fortune to many states.

>> the new democratic governorog medicaid in his state. it's something former governor bobby jindal refused to do even though louisiana is one of the poorest states in the nation. jonathan martin has more from new orleans. >> reporter: a long time trumpeter kenneth terry is like many in new orleans, he has no health shoournt. falling into a coverage gap, they make too much to fall under medicaid, but they can't afford a private policy. >> i'm going to tell them, i'm saying even though i be needing help, don't worry about it, i be all right. just pray to god that they keep

me going pulling forward, you know? >> reporter: but terry has reason to be hopeful his situation may change. >> i don't look at this as some revolutionary thing. this is just simply the right thing to do. >> reporter: within hours of being sworn in monday, louisiana's new democratic governor john bell edwards began the process of being expanded into louisiana, the new plan would cover people at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. 16,000 for a single person and 30,000 for a family of four. >> there are 30 states that have done this. 13 have been resided over by a republican governor. this is not.democratic versus republican this is right versus wrong and today we landed on the

right side. >> three to 500,000 is a lot of people. so identifying enrolling all of those within six months might be ambitious. >> mark says louisiana biggest challenge will be finding a way to pay for the expansion. the state currently faces a $1 billion budget deficit. medicaid accounts for a third of the $25 billion budget. starting in 2017 louisiana will have to pay 10%. >> i just don't see how else you can do this without, whether that means reducing some taxes closing something loopholes or whether it means generating some additional taxes. >> governor edwards plans to meet with the department of health and human services to ensure a smooth transition. medicaid expansion is expected to be a key focus of president obama's speech on friday.

kenneth terry says he's grateful the governor is make health care a priority. and to finally have insurance. >> i'm a married man, wife two kids. i have to pay for them. >> jonathan martin, al jazeera, new orleans. >> coming up political battle, what's changed in iowa that reshaped the presidential race there clear winners to tight contests in both parties. very serious health concerns in california that families have. this is our american story. this is america tonight.

did.

>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler. caucus count down. less than three weeks to iowa. now the races are tightening on both sides. air rights. methane gas leaking in california for months. >> it's reckless, it's irresponsible to play around with people's health. >> residents are getting sick and there's i have little done about it. jackpot, there is little to no chance to win the powerball payout. >> there is probably a better chance getting bit by a shark than winning the lottery. >> but states will take in millions. it has been one week since governor areai jerry brown decla

state of emergency. jennifer london reports from the san fernando vale with this report. >> it's hard as a parent. you want to protect your children. you want to not have them sick but i can't take care of the air. >> reporter: brenda rarely lets her boys outside to play. if she does, they have to wear protective maskless. the air she says is making her family sick. >> this is my older boy and this is a medicine he is taking for migraines. and my younger son has asthma attacks. >> at jennifer millbower's house. >> the health of my child means more to me than anything. >> since october 23rd, methane

gas is leaking. down wind in porter ranch north of los angeles. thousands have fled their homes, thousands more are waiting to be moved into temporary housing. every day, you'll find long lines outside the community resource center. but what about residents, like brenda troth and jennifer millbower who live in neighboring communities? >> we were told that porter ranch residents have priority being relocated, so then at the different zip code were at the bottom of the list. >> how did that make you feel to be told you were at the bottom of the list? >> it made me feel invisible, that they didn't care, that they didn't understand the gas doesn't just stay in porter ranch, it actually moves with the wind. >> the owner of the facility socal gas has put in air scrubbers and that has helped a little. but it's like putting band-aid

on a gaping wound. the only way to stop the leak is to drill a relief well. that will take months. >> why wasn't there a safety valve on the well so it could be stopped immediately and not have to wait months and months for a relief well to be drilled? >> this well was in total compliance with its regulations at the time of the leak and those kinds of valves are not required on these kinds of wells. >> in hindsight that doesn't seem like a very good argument given what's currently going on. >> it would be purely speculative to try and ascertain whether any regulations would be required on the well. >> the well was build in 1970. they don't have the shutoff valves as should be required on every single well. i mean it's ridiculous that we are living in this day and age

and it is in our backyard and these rules are so old and draconian, they don't protect the people that live in the community. that needs to change. >> residents from recall over the west san fernando valley are also wanting change and new regulations. >> i won't be happy until that entire facility is shut down and those wells are either moved to some other place where it's not near a community should never be subjected to this. >> is the company considering shutting down this facility because it doesn't appear to be safe? >> this is an integral facility to the energy of southern california. you have to think of this facility much like a water reservoir. just like we maintain water supplies. >> water doesn't poison people if there's a leak. people are being poisoned. >> natural gas doesn't poison people either. if you look at the science you

will see that natural gas is nontoxic and doesn't poison people. >> but people are suffering mike. >> they are feeling symptoms and we are sorry about that. >> governor jerry brown declared a state of emergency, the long awaited proclamation means little. >> has anything changed that you can see? >> no, not one thing. not one thing except for headlines that says he is here and declared a state of emergency. i guess it looks good but for me it's too little, too late. >> how long is this going to be, how long doe do my children havo suffer, how long does my boy have to duet up and say my chest hurts it hurts to breathe? >> jennifer london al jazeera, chatsworth, california. >> fema and the national ged are now in flint, michigan

helping with that community's water crisis. bottled water filters and supplies. back in october the city's water was declared unsafe to drink. meanwhile in detroit, the state school superintendent will hold a meeting to address teachers' concerns that have led to days of sick-outs. superintendent brian whiston says he will address claims of rats, mold and collapsing ceilings. on friday he will meet with state appointed emergency managers for the state's public schools. another round of sick-outs closed five schools just today. just weeks away from the first contest in the 2016 presidential race, polls suggest the races are tightening. david schuster reports. >> whoa! >> reporter: wit just over two weeks until the iowa

caucuses, democrat presidential candidate bernie sanders appears to be surging at the right time. the latest poll of democrats in the hawkeye state indicates he's now ahead of hillary clinton 49 to 45. in new hampshire, the most recent poll suggests he's un14 points, 53 to 39. and nationally where hillary clinton had a 20 point edge over sandz just a month ago, now according to a cbs new york times poll it's 48 to 41. throughout his campaign sanders has promoted economic popularrism. >> take on the billionaire class. >> sanders wants to break up the biggest banks and impose new regulations on wall street. his plans are more progressive than hillary clinton's, who has big donors from walters. >> the truth is you can't change a corrupt system by taking its

money. i'm bernie sanders. i approved this message. join us for real change. >> in the face of the latest polls this week, hillary clinton has stepped up her attacks on sanders. >> but we have differences on guns on taxes on health care, and i think people should have that information before they go to the caucus or the primary. >> reporter: on tuesday in new hampshire even chelsea clinton hit sanders on health care. he says it's not true he wants to go beyond obamacare, david axelrod said, it is not something they should have sent her or chelsea out to do. the republican presidential contest also appears to be getting tighter. the latest polls indicate donald trump and ted cruz are running even and now trump is ratcheting

up his claims that cruz is not qualified for the candidacy because cruz was born in canada. >> a lot of people think you have to be born here. >> most legal experts call the issue nonsense but cruz has been put on the defensive. >> i have never breathed a breath of air on this planet when i was not a u.s. citizen. i have never been naturalized. it is the process of being born that made me a u.s. citizen. >> for months cruz ignored trump but not more. >> the donald seems to be a little bit rattled. >> first time many americans wir will pawill pay attention to th. donald trump and hillary clinton seem to be opening the possibility of a loss. david schuster, al jazeera. >> molly o'toole is a political

reporter in washington tonight, molly welcome. what do you think is going on with let's say the democrats first? i mean why is hillary clinton really lost ground? >> well, from the beginning, the challenge with hillary clinton was going to be, she's a known brand. she has a lot of experience. that was never really in dispute. but she's tended to have trouble in past elections in seeming relatable and the sort of enthusiasm gap which senator sanders has really been able to tap into. that is the sort of advantage, the reflexive advantage, in a state such as iowa or new hampshire. obviously, senator sanders is from next door. they are not the first caucus or the first primary. voters there seem to be very independent thinking if not independents themselves. so it's very much the door to door campaigning that would lend

itself more to senator sanders and less -- those aren't the strengths of a candidate such as hillary clinton. >> let's talk about donald trump who is in pensacola florida speaking live. he played a role in the republican response but neither president obama nor nikki haley mentioned trump by name. >> that's why we have to reject any politics, any politics that targets people because of race or religion. >> during anxious times it could be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. we must resist that temptation. no one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country. >> trump responded by saying haley is weak on immigration and president obama is living in a

fantasy land. what -- i've asked this question so many times before. but i'm at a loss to understand how he continues to grow in the polls. why do you think he is? >> well, anyone who has made prognostications about donald trump has tended to be proven wrong so far. but he is tapping into a very real anxiety among the american public. he's not just tapping into it, he's inflating it. that's what president obama and nikki haley were speaking of. americans are more concerned about national security, in response to events happening around the world, some of those events have touched u.s. soil but they are being overplayed, the rhetoric off the campaign trail and he has tapped into that, fear is an incredibly potent political tool and he's used it to his advantage.

and so long as that anxiety continues the unfortunate inevitability that some of these crises will continual around the world, he will tap into it with a divisive rhetoric. in iowa and new hampshire we are going to see may not have taken the sort of pains in terms of organization and logistics, his pure trumpism to campaign so far. i think we'll see the limitations of that as we get into election day. >> now nikki haley, saying essentially she wasn't conservative enough. why? >> well she pushed back against some of the rhetoric we've seen, immigration, the refugee issue has been a hot issue in 2016. it's important to note, the republican party did a postmortem in 2008, and 2012, if

they were ever going to win national elections because of simple demographic situations they are facing. that's not necessarily satisfying some conservatives who would be opposed to those policies no matter what. >> molly it's good to see you, thank you very much. as the presidential candidates prepare for iowa, some ohio residents are talking about broken campaign promises that go back decades. they say the consequences are a matter of life and death. "america tonight's" joie chen has more. >> in 1992, desperate for help, the people east liverpool turned to the men promising change, bill clinton and al gore, both campaigned here at eastern ohio and promised that they would be the ones to look out for the little guys. >> i went to wheeling and actually shook hands with al gore and he autographed a no wti

poster of mine and assured all of us, over and over and over again if we are elected we will put a stop thi to this. >> but they didn't. the hazardous waste incinerator went on line and they have been fighting ever since. releasing lead and mercury and other toxic chemicals into its smokestack which they blame to health problems in the community. >> it's not right that we have all these cancers in the community. >> dennis, except for a couple of years in the army he has lived here all his life. >> there's time when the wind blows, they call them inversions, depending on what they're incinerating up there you'll get the fine dust all

over everything. it seems to me like there's an awful lot of cancer down here. an awful lot of it. within two blocks three poo people who have serious cancer and how many more i don't know about that keep it private. you can't crawl in a hole and cry about it, you got to deal with it. it's the cards you're dealt. >> dennis dreer has also been dealt cancer. colon cancer that he says has spread to his lungs and he's already had two rounds of chemotherapy. >> that chemo, don't wish that on anybody. it's rough on you. >> at the end of the day, dreer says, he's left with one very basic question. >> why is it there? this is a neighborhood, that's a hazardous waste incinerator. those two words do not blorng bg together. >> they may not belong together

but, along the ohio river the people of east liverpool and the hazardous waste incinerator have shared this valley for almost 20 years with no end in sight. joie chen, al jazeera. >> you can see more of joie's report on "america tonight." journey to the u.s. nearly 8,000 more still waiting to make that trip. many of them are expected to head to miami, home to one of the nation's largest cuban communities. roxana saberi is there with more on how that area is preparing for the new arrivals. >> we will have six beds over there. >> bunk beds? >> yes. >> ah leesalicia says she has nt enough time to get this place ready. >> how many will you have?

>> 20. >> after being stranded in costa rica since september. >> that guy is in costa rica right now. >> valdez, an immigrant herself, is in contact with the group. not prepared to support so many so fast. >> i don't receive any help from the city, from the state, from nobody. the only help we are receiving is from the community. >> is this a crisis? >> yes. >> south florida is already home to the largest number of cubans outside cuba. thousands have fled here in the past year alone. many fearing that as relations improve between washington and havana their window to get special immigration status in the u.s. will close. miami mayor tomas regalado says: >> the agencies are telling us

mayor, we cannot take any more people. we are running out of funds. we are running out of places to house them. >> this area has accepted thousands just in the past year so what's a few thousand more? >> it's not human for us as a city to have people living in the streets for several weeks just waiting for their papers. >> reporter: but miami-dade county official curtis summerhofff says miami is prepared. >> we have a lot of cities, we have a lot of ability to i think absorb a population or in case of the migrant population we're talking about, quite well here. >> when you hear somebody saying that this is a crisis, or that they're worried about this influx, are they exaggerating? >> well, i don't know. i don't know that it's exaggerating for the mayor in

the circumstances in the city of miami. we have this expectation that the federal government's going to make sure that the money and services are here to support these folks. >> how confident are you that the federal government will step in if it's -- >> i'm not confident at all. they have not responded to our calls. >> reporter: valdez agrees so she is relying on these cuban immigrants from miami to step in with donations. >> i want to give back what i received when i got here. >> reporter: they leave her with the words, keep fighting. roxana saberi, al jazeera, miami. >> coming up next on this program. control without a doctor's prescription. how the big change is working in oregon.

>> a new law in oregon is making it easier for women to get birth control.

pharmacists can prescribe for women. >> pharmacist buzz bowman has been practicing for over 50 years. he's eager to begin prescribing birth control. >> i'm eager, there are a lot of women who will won't put up with the fuss of getting a prescription or getting an appointment. >> to seek birth control pills or hormone patches from pharmacists, women must be 18 years of age or older. they must go through a pharmacist's eight step evaluation including a blood pressure check. >> if they are already pregnant, if they have high blood pressure, if they oar smoker or over a certain age those are all risk factors that would require referral to a primary care physician or some other pror.

practitioner. >> a companion law requires insurance companies to cover 12 months of prescriptions rather than doling out over time. >> i wish they have been done earlier and i wish all other states would do it as well. >> i think i.t. makes it more convenient for people who don't have insurance or don't have the money to go to a doctor. >> before they can prescribe, pharmacists have to take ofive hour training course. pharmacies such as costco are embracing the change. others, have reservations about how much time it would take. one independent pharmacist tells me, i won't prescribe birth control because i don't want the responsibility. if one patient gets a blood clot or embolism could it cost me my business. >> but far lower risks than

associated with unwanted pregnancy. >> unlikely to end in abortion and by reducing the likelihood of an unintended pregnancy we reduce the need for more severe health care that a woman might access. >> the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists, recommends to full over the count he are nonprescriptions of birth control, which many countries allow. this is not that. only the food and drug administration could make that change. oregon's law enjoyed bipartisan support and little opposition. >> i think critical point here is access to care. >> california has passed a similar law but has not yet rolled it out. katherine barrett, al jazeera, oregon. >> coming up next, the record powerball jackpot, how the states spend all of that lottery money.

>> the clock is ticking down to get if on tonight's 1.5 billion jackpot. that's billion, yes. powerball has caused epic lines in california and all over the country. the biggest jackpot in history. according to reports they are even crossing the borders. andy rosegen is on the story. andy. >> the proceeds do go somewhere to the individual powerball states which then divide them up hour they want to spend thing tn things like health care initiatives and especially education. with cash out of their pockets and stars this their eyes, powerball players are imagining what they would do with an unimaginable jackpot. >> i would help a lot of people in the homeless community. i'm really big on helping

people. it would be a lot of people to help. >> reporter: in one office pool the entire company of eight office workers might no longer exist. if debra pick the rights number. >> we would use the computers on obviously. >> as jackpot winners don't web the entire jackpot, states don't pick up as much as you would think either. 5% is shaved off for administrative costs and commissions for the stores that sell th the tickets. leaving about 5% for the states and washington, d.c. that play powerball. >> people find that the pricing seems to maximize the state revenues. >> reporter: although many states designate a significant chunk to education, they have the option of replenishing general funds while promising to support education down the road.

just in this powerball cycle some $70 million has been generated for the schools. >> i can tell you though that that money goes for things like classrooms, books, equipment, furniture, everything that it takes to run public education. >> and while at least powerball states know they will be getting something, there's no such guarantee for the players. >> they were all like well, are we going to go to new york, are we going to go to -- where are we going to go to, to even have our club kind of move on? so i don't know. it's a fantasy. >> powerball officials announce today that they have raised $1 billion in these proceeds that will go to the powerball states just in this latest powerball cycle that started in november. john. >> andy, thank you very much. that's our broadcast, thank you for watching. i'm john siegenthaler, ali "on target" is next.

i'm ali velshi. on target tonight. homeless on the home front. let's get those who fought so bravely for america off the street and into stable housing for good. 49,933. that is the government's most recent estimate of how many american veterans are homeless on any given night in this country.