this is al jazeera america. i'm lori jane gliha. in new york. randall pinkston is on assignment. here's a look at today's top stories. president obama's plan to nominate a replacement for the late just scalia launches a barrage of comments from

congressional critics. >> a look at economic and security issues discussed in tonight's the week ahead. plus he helped solve some of the most heinous crimes in the civil rights ecram jerry mitchell. >> it's london's version of academy awards patch honoring hollywood's best. >> the death of supreme court justice antonin scalia could set up a political battle for the ages. a day after the 79-year-old was found dead of an apparent heart attack at a texas ranch the question of who would replace him was the subject on capitol hill including, when the successor should be chosen.

mike viqueria has the story from washington, d.c. >> good evening, lori jane. no sooner had the notice of the death of antonio been released, nominated by ronald reagan back in 1986, a fight began in earnest. fight said president obama is a lame duck, she hold up, he should wait for the people to speak via the elections come november and the republicans hope if it is a new republican president give that individual an opportunity to nominate someone of their own choosing. pliemarco rubio is a presidentil candidate. here is his view.

>> he can nominate someone, i can agree with that. >> make no mistake, president obama says he will fulfill what he believes is his constitutional responsibility and make a nomination. meanwhile the democrats are a flip side of this coin. look at some of the cases on the docket, involving abortion rights, affirmative action, executive officer orders that are proven to be so controversial, these are hot button issues, firing up the base on the right, base on the left many whether they be voters donors or grass roots activists. the democrats want the president to put somebody forward. bernie sanders had this to say. >> beyond my comprehension and it speaks to the unbelievable and unprecedented level ever republican obstructionism against obama from day one. >> the intention to nominate versus when it's going to be. who it will be?

all we know it's not going to be this week. the president has a summit he's hosting in california with southeast asian leaders. you can expect president obama to put forth a nomination. being lori jane. >> we spoke with jeffrey stone, a law professor, who once shared time with justice scalia acknowledge how judgments affected scalia as well as his personal life. >> i think justice scalia did not take disagreement personally and he understood he had a particular position and he argued it with great enthusiasm. but he did not expect everyone to agree with him. at least in the context of interpersonal relationships and because at justice he tended to be far more intemperate. in public speaking he tended to

be far more intemperate. in private relationships he was i think terrific in this regard. >> you had a falling out with the justice after you wrote about his religious views and how you thought they affected his rulings on the supreme court, particularly abortion. how did it affect him? >> i think scalia was a deeply religious person and he would reject the proposition that a justice he was influenced by his personal values, whether religious or otherwise. he very much believed that a justice should look to the constitution that it had an objective meaning and that the responsibility of a justice was to apply that objective meaning without regard to one's own personal idiosyncratic values or preferences. whether scalia really lived up to that aspiration, people were skeptical, whether he thought that was the case.

>> justice scalia's body is now being flown back to california. funeral arrangements have not been made public. pope francis's first visit to mexico as pontiff, during the ceremony he criticized the country's rampant corruption and inequality but the pontiff also called mexico a land of equality. al jazeera's adam rainey was there among the sea of faithful. >> hundreds of thousands of people came out to celebrate mass with pope francis in sunday, on the community on the edge of mexico city sleeping camping out in freezing temperatures, they didn't care because they wanted to share his message of peace and love. he spoke of creating a mexico of opportunity, a mexico where

people don't have to emigrate to other countries to find work, a mexico where they don't have to feel fear of being destroyed by person trairtsd operpetrators o. >> home state of ver rah cruz a, which is totally corrupt and violent. >> we hope to bring hope to all mexicans. >> this edge of mexico city, pope francis is standing in solidarity people feel with them because he shows he understands the problems they are going through. he continues to spread this message from the south of mexico all the way to the north where he'll end his trip here on

wednesday and where he'll say a prayer for migrants so many have died trying to make it to the united states. >> al jazeera's adam rainey reporting from mexico. during his mass the pope called on bishops and priests to be servants to the poor instead of the wealthy and powerful. tomorrow he will visit chiapas, the poorest state. >> father marcello looks more like a freedom fighter than a priest. he says there are place outside of the church where there are forgotten and desperate.

>> now, pope francis is visiting chapas, drawing attention to three quarters of the indigenous population who live in poverty and priests like marcello, rebelling against the catholic hierarchy. >> translator: corruption last impoverished the population and generated a whole lot of violence and because we are exposing that, they want to kill me and put a price on my life. first it was 100,00 100,000 pesd now a million pesos. >> 1994, an army of indigenous farmers called zapatistas rose up in chiapas, creating their own autonomous area. human rights groups say they're

rarely consulted before it's spent. a good example are these houses. authorities built thousands of them for indigenous people but they lack services and the land for crops and to keep animals. virtually no one moved in. focused on mega projects to exploit the state's numerous resources. >> the government is working with the sector that wants to open areas for extraction, for control not for the poor. in that way the pope's visit comes to give hope to those below and to say to those above don't always win. >> that's a message that priests like pilar celllo have been preemppreaching for years. now three the top man on their side. john holman, al jazeera, chiapas. >> stern warn about syria. secretary osenator john mccain o

punches. >> mr. putin is not interested in being our partner. he wants to establish russia as a major power in the middle east. he wants to exacerbate the refugee crisis and use it as a weapon. >> mccain predicted that a ceasefire brokered by secretary of state john kerry is likely to fail. talking to putin with the ceasefire plan and the bigger picture. the two leaders spoke about the involvement in the country. the white house says obama urged putin to focus on extremists and blockades be removed. moving towards mosul the threat of an i.s.i.l. attack is a

constant in oil rich regions like tikrit. suicide bombings are common there. imran khan reports from baghdad. >> in april, to much fanfare, predominantly shia militias announced they had retain tikrit. today just outside that city, there is the scene. i.s.i.l. which still controls the country side mounts attacks on the oil fields there. the battle over tikrit is crucial in advance towards mosul, the second largest city controlled by i.s.i.l. tikrit is an important hub because it's on the main highway leading to baghdad. the oil fields can produce up to 25,000 barrels a day, with iraq's economy plummeting, that number is essential. >> translator: every day we have an astack by i.s.i.l. you can see them over there. they are using suicide car bombers and moto motorcycles.

yesterday we had a suicide bomber but managed to repel the attack. >> i.s.i.l. is in full control of the niche town. for those who got out it wasn't easy. >> translator: we left in a headquarter with totahurry. we managed to escape by then and thank god they left. >> i.s.i.l. mounting attacks on oil fields how long they will be safe there is not clear. there's no doubt the i.s.i.l. fighters are taking advantage of the fact that the iraqi army is stretched and fighting on multiple fronts. but the iraqi army says these remnants of fighters mounting attacks in the country side is simply i.s.i.l.'s last stand and they will be done with soon.

imran khan, al jazeera, baghdad. >> when we come back, a correctional facility so severe, guards are committing suicide, reporting on that later. and later, a preview of the oscars, london honors hollywood.

>> this week, promises a triumphant return to paris, in the wake of the terrorist attacks. the eagles, deaf metal, have been performing at the bataclan when terrorists attacked. 83 were killed there. according to a influence u.n. report record number of casualties for the seventh year in a row. al jazeera's reza saya reports from kabul. >> more civilians were killed or injured in fighting in afghanistan last year than at any time since u.s. and

international forces invaded in 2001. the bleak statistic released in the u.n.'s latest report on civilian casualties in afghanistan. according to the record, more than 11,000 since wer 11,000 cie killed or injured in 2015. more than 3500 died. the u.n. report blamed the taliban and other antigovernment forces for 62% of the casualties. 17% of the deaths and injuries were caused by afghan and international forces. nicholas haysom, the head of the u.n. intelligence mission in afghanistan tells officials here he wants all party. >> we want to call on all those parties engaged in the conflict who have it in their power to reduce the number of civilian casualties to commit to taking every step that will avoid harm

and injury to civilians. >> reporter: the report comes as the afghan government is pushing to negotiate with taliban factions who want peace while promising to fight those who don't. but the record number of civilian casualties that coincides with an increase in afghan troop casualties injects another element of uncertainty as to afghan security force he capacity to fight off the insurgency. reza saya al jazeera kabul. nato deployed ships to the aegean sea, to prevent ships from being transporting migrants from turkey to greece. major topic of discussion at the munich security conference. >> the humanitarian catastrophe of the last five years have been dominant themes at the security

conference. felt there was a an absence of leadership in the middle east regarding syria both in terms of the fighting and in terms of the humanitarian issue. the fact that nato is providing vessels in the mediterranean sea he felt was a if thing but the fact that also the greek vessels and the turkish vessels can only patrol their own waters is a problem. the turkish president recep tayyip erdogan, says yes, they cannot do that, carry on your journey is another perplexing moment as far as the humanitarian crisis is concerned. certainly here aat the munich security conference, some welcomed the agreement reached by the issg on thursday night, others felt posses pessimistic.

senator john mccain said he was very pessimistic indeed and felt the russian position was untenable. >> brutal and voyages is a part of daily life but the condition at one facility in california might have caused five prison guards to commit suicide in the past seven years. michael okwu reports. >> in the past seven years, there have been five suicides. scott was one of them. >> why did he take his life? >> the job. his job. >> jones left his job and became a correctional super. by 2012, the excessive stress unarmed him. he drove his son off at school, drove to a secluded area and

shot himself. >> the note he left? >> yes, janel, the job made me do it. >> sent this letter to the state's whistle blower tip line asking for protection. they never heard back. his fellow guards soon found out janel said and they retaliate r. >> they said something to the inmates so the inmates would reat that time 88th at scott. >> was he looking over his shoulder? >> scanlt, yes. >> what did he tell you? >> i remember, he said, i thought janel, going to do this job was the biggest thing for our family. it's the biggest mistake i have

ever made. trying to understand what the heck they're wanting him to do, he hated it. he hated life. >> there are 32 other prisons in california and yet they didn't have all these suicides. i mean it seems that there's something definitely going on at high desert. >> i do believe something is going on with high desert. i think it has olot to do with the town. >> susanville where high desert is located is tiny. prison guards make up half the town's residents. if you don't work there you know someone who does. in a town this small speaking up is a tall order. >> you may say something at work, gets in trouble, you play get past them at work but you come home and they're right next door. >> the prison is the biggest employer in the country. in one way, they are just as trapped as the inmates.

michael okwu, al jazeera, susanville, california. >> coming up later, a journalist who spent most of his career solving crimes from the civil rights era. >> god does not punish you directly, several individuals will do it for him. >> a trip to mississippi to meet jerry mitchell, still ahead. but first, president obama prepares for a summit with asian leaders. a look at the economic and security measures in tonight's the week ahead. ahead.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here's a look at your top stories. mourners are leaving flowers at the supreme court steps i in hor of supreme court justice antonin scalia, who died yesterday. president obama says he will

choose a nominee in the coming weeks while republicans want to wait until after the election. pope francis visited mexico, mass for hundreds of thousands of people. he praised the therapy of affection, saying sometimes a caacare caress helps. obama spoke to putin on the phone and urged putin to focus attacks on extremists russia has been accused of attacking moderates who want to topple the syrian regime. president obama will welcome leaders from the association of southeast asian nations, or

asean. the agenda will focus on economic issues including the newly signed transpacific partnership. president obama will urge, likely, countries who haven't joined tpp to do so. while the u.s. takes no position on the territorial claim ever south china sea, china's economic influence and military power. some asian nations want the u.s. to remain a strong presence in the nation to counter beijing whiler others have criticized u.s. involvement. al jazeera'sing patricia sabga has the coverage of the summit. >> this is what rebalancing looks like. president obama standing shoulder to shoulder last year with leaders of asean. the association of southeast

asian nations, a region dominated by china and where washington is determined to remain omajor player. >> asia parve pacific is absoluy critical to promoting human dignity around the world. >> this week's summit in southern california will formally elevate the u.s. asean relationship to a strategic partnership. a symbolic upgrade rooted in concerns over china's heft and growing military might. >> we have successfully concluded thing transpacific partnership. >> the largest trade pack in history that if ratified will bind asia closer to the united states. four asean countries also lay claim to parts of the south

china sea, which china has marked out as its sovereign territory. an expansive claim beijing has tried to cement by building islands. >> we will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits. >> and which washington has, in turn, challenged by sailing u.s. war ships within 12 nautical miles of the artificial features. >> not antichina but rather culmination of the seven year effort to reorient the u.s. foreign policy towards asia. a pivot whose success will ultimately be measured how much influence washington continues to wield in china's backyard. >> ann lee, and from washington, d.c. i'm joined by kelly curry, a senior fellow at the 2049

institute nonfrofor nonprofit. i'm going to starts with you ann. a summit like this here in the united states is kind of unprecedented. is the u.s. having a influence priority here, has this ever bean top priority and what's the significance of this summit? >> well, having it at sunnylands does isolate the nation, and obama's attempt to work more closely with the group, only a handful have signed on to the tpp, and there are probably nations that won't join at all, much more in the china camp. and some that are on the fence. this group of nations although they are getting closer together, economically, the

reality is that they're still very disparate nations, nothing close to the european union by any standard. so i think that it's going to be difficult for obama to really work with them as some kind of multilateral block, because they're not even cooperating that closely yet. so -- so it will be interesting what they end up talking about. because i don't think they're going to come to much agreement on anything. >> kelly, i want you to talk about china's role in this and the battle over the south china sea. if you can explain what is the u.s. interest in the south china sea and how do you think that will play into this summit? >> the u.s. has two main interests in the south china sea. one is preserving freedom of navigation for itself and for others in the international waters of the south china sea. and the other is ensuring that all the disputes that are

currently raging in the south china sea between china and other claimants and between some of the other claimants that don't have to do with china, that those disputes are all settled according to international law and that they are settled peaceably rather than through coercion. >> ann i want to get your take on what you think the significance of china is in this meeting. >> well, clearly, it's even though obama says it's not antichina, in a way the u.s. is in competition with china ore influence i -- over influence in that region. it is over china and china isn't invited to this meeting. and i would say that that is probably the big elephant in the room where the u.s. is going to try courts these nations. particularly in the security area. so while tpp is important to the u.s., the fact remains it hasn't even passed here in the u.s. so until it does, these other

nations are on the fence, can't even participate in that. so economically speaking, you know, it's not as important. frankly, the u.s. does more trade with the northern asian powers, and really, this is more about a security issue around south china sea. >> you've mentioned tpp a few times, the transpacific partnership, less than half of the signatories that are coming to this summit are actually part of this. can you think this is an opportunity to for the u.s. to gain more members to sign on? >> they can try, but i don't think it's going to be very productive use because i think the other countries just aren't ready to sign on to the standards that this trade agreement wants to put in place. and these standards could be around intellectual property and other things. and so if it's not realistic i don't think that they're going to sign on for their own self

interest. and i would say that again, the u.s. is probably more interested in talking to these nations more about security issues and trying to maybe allow more u.s. security forces in the region, and talk about those issues more. >> and kelly did you want to weigh in on this as well? do you think this will be an opportunity for the u.s. to did for more signatories to the tpp? >> i think that right now all of the countries that are really able to participate in tpp are currently signed up. the other countries just economically and in terms of their own legal systems and other issues, just aren't ready to participate in an agreement of the quality of tpp. so that is true. at this same time, i doubt that putting -- that expanding the presence of u.s. security forces is going to be areal focal point

here. the real reason to do this here is to develop the u.s. asean relationship and bring it to another level and expand on the type of diplomatic contacts that have been developed over the last few years in terms of the rebalance and redevelopment of asean. not talking about basing rights and additional troops in the region. those issues are too sensitive for the asean to be on the table like this. >> if you could explain the member countries in this group that are meeting here make up the fourth largest trading partner with the united states. can you describe what exactly you think the u.s. is going to be pushing for on an economic level, kelly? >> well, i think that asean is still at a fairly early age in their own internal economic integration, they are still working on lowering tariff

barriers, and the u.s. would like to continue to see the lagging asean countries cambodia burma, and not so much vietnam, those three, start to open up their economies and develop more open systems that can allow for greater trade between the united states and those countries. and to improve the quality of their own economic investment in their own people, whether it's improving health care or the rule of law in certain countries. >> ann, i want to get your take on what will happen once the president leaves office. is this a relationship that is going to continue in the same way? where do you see the future of this relationship going? >> i think it will continue to grow. obama basically had assigned an ambassador to the asean region for the first time. and this ambassador actually had grown his staff there during his

tenure in that region. and so i think that the relationship is probably going to advance. but again, it's not a cohesive group like the eu, there's no one leader that represents all the nations together, as oh, if you want to talk to asean who is it that you call? there isn't that kind of person. and so it remains a loose coalition of nations. and the u.s. continues to just have one on one bilateral relationships with these nations mostly. so it will be interesting how they want to work together because they're, you know, on very different ends of the spectrum on most of these issues. >> and quickly kelly i just want you to give your thoughts on what should we make of the format of this meeting? i know in the past this has been very regimented, and other times

it described as a free for all. how would we expect the format of this meeting? >> they have hosted some summits at sunnylands before. they see it as an occasion for formal engagement. asean tends to be quite formal until the end when they do some skids and things like that. but this is an opportunity to get to know these leaders themselves but to have them get to know each other as well in a more informal setting. we'll see how it goes because these leaders are not really used to dealing with each other like this. >> all right, excellent. thank you kelly curry and ann lee, thanks so much for joining us. and before we go, here is look at other stories. on monday, expected to tell the

refugees in calais france that they must live. residents of calais have said the camp is hurting tourism. pope francis will deliver a mass at the town of juarez in mexico. protesting the actions of state officials which led to the city of flint, michigan's water crisis. what about no electricity at home, the situation in india, the prime minister is hoping to change that with solar power. al jazeera has more. >> for less than 5 cents a night this teenager is providing light to a village that can go days without any power. name meaning moonlight, she rents these lanterns to her

neighbors. she says this small enterprise is helping her family. >> i bought the tv and chairs and many other things. >> reporter: there's an energy revolution happening right across india. rooftop solar panels like athese are part of the government's plan. >> just a handful of people would come to me for solar panels. then people started noticing how they could change their lives. now in some villages half of the house he just solar. >> with abundant sunlight, india is a natural candidate for solar. solar is going commercial, too. sun alpha is a startup that sees

great potential in solar leasing. it installs panels to company roofs. >> we supply the solar power to them at a rate that is cheaper than what they pay to the grid. so far the end consumer without having to pay anything up front, they start generating income from the free lying rooftop space. >> as night falls, many are lining up outside javanese's door to pick up their lanterns. here, just a few hours of light could mean finishing homework, passing an exam or getting granddad to tell you a bedtime story. al jazeera, northern india. committing crimes from the civil rights era. >> if somebody kills me, somebody kills me. if someone kills me then it just

means i'm going home sooner. >> that story is next.

>> this is hollywood's biggest night in london where the basta film awards were handed out. al jazeera's phil lavelle holds the story. >> and the bafta goes to the rev nant.

nant. revenant. >> this film stood the best chance of the lot. five for the revenant. best actor, best film, and best director. he lost out when birdman failed to take off here. despite expectations, cate blancheette. blanchettetete lost out. >> room is not an easy watch but her performance has been astounding critics. the baftas are british films big

night. that's what the b stands for, british. but you'll seize talent from all over the world. a wide indication of what's going to happen at the oscars in two weeks time. same names, same places, same controversies as well. >> case in point this year, the lack of diversity. this protest has been embraced by bafta onto the red carpet. bafta says it's going to increase its transparency. >> kate winslet. >> and best supporting actor was mark rieland bridge o ryland.

and for this, beasts of no inflation, no mention of him at the oscars either. he has to some become one of the faces of this campaign with his impassioned plays for film to be open to anybody, any race any agenda any class. but as the industry enters a period of soul searching even poking fun for itself. >> and the no nominations for bt white actress go to -- >> the question is how long will that take? phil lavelle, al jazeera, london. >> kevin corriveau takes alook at the weather. >> this isn't showing the wind chill we had in the overnight, i'll talk about that in a minute. here in boston, new york, albany, these were all time low

records, boston hit 99 minus 9, new york hit minus 1 and albany hit minus 13°. down here towards new york, we saw anywhere from minus 25 to minus 28° when those winds were kick up across the region . temperatures right now have definitely modified. we are seeing new york at 10°, boston at 5 but still, in the north, temperatures are down to the single digits across the region. those wind chills are going to switch over to winter storm advisories as well as winter storm warnings. we have another storm in the offing. make miserable situations in monday and tuesday. snow developing across the ohio river valley, making its way to

the eastern seaboard. the big problem will be across much much west virginia and virginia. as we go towards tuesday we'll see a lot more snow towards the northeast. eastern seaboard and near providence, snow will turn to rain and mostly rain as we go through tuesday, temperatures coming up. out towards the west though, temperatures above average and those will say like that in the next couple of days, much hotter than we've seen in the last couple of weeks. >> we are looking into a dark chapter of civil rights. in jackson, mississippi, a journalist has spent his career. randall pinkston has more. >> if somebody kills me, somebody kills me. i tend to think in faith terms. if someone kills me it just

means i'm going home sooner. >> reporter: investigative reporter jerry mitchell has risked his life in the back roads of the south, looking for a certain breed of killer. >> where were they killed? >> right along this road here. >> men who murdered civil rights activists decades ago with impunity. >> held them outside the card saying are you the that n word lover? he said sir, i understand how you feel. he pressed his gun guest the chest and pulled the trigger. >> helping african americans to vote whether they were ambushed and killed in 1964. and they weren't alone. the back roads of mississippi still hold many dark secrets. during the violent days of the civil rights movement african american families were often

hesitant to report disappearances to law enforcement authorities because they didn't trust them and jerry mitchell says they had good reason. in fact the trio was delivered to a lynch mob by cecil are price. price. >> after mitchell's digging led him to the mastermind of the plot, a priest named edgar ray killings. >> he wanted me to come to his house, it was like 9:00 at night and i was like, okay. >> leading to killing's conviction, about mitchell grew up in the civil rights movement. >> i grew up in the insular white south and i didn't get exposed to a lot of it.

>> the ploif mississippi burning opened his eyes. >> you got us scared to death, man. >> don't you call me man, boy. >> when you learned the legacy of this paper what did you think? how did you feel? >> i was hor certified. >> decades earlier and under different ownership, jackson letter state agencies like the three murdered men. >> the newspaper was an organ that was opposed to civil rights. >> absolutely. i said when i foun found that o, we've got to write about ourselves. >> the organization was formed but by the 60s it operated in the shadows. >> exactly how did that work? >> they would infiltrate the

ranks of the naacp. it was really an arm of white we segregation is.ists. >> mitchell got his hands on 2300 pages of sealed sovereignty files, and found that medgar evers had been a targets. recording everies movements. in june 1963 evers was killed in the drive way of his home. >> it went through that window, the corner of the window here, went through a wall, hit the refrigerator and landed on a counter. >> his accused murderer byron de

la beckwith was are getting indecisive jury. the chat lasted six hours with what mitchell said was hate filled rhetoric. >> he walks me out there and says if you write negative things about white caucasian christians, god will punish you. >> but mitchell's story ran, prompting others to come forward. medgar's brother charles was skeptical of mitchell's work. >> back in those days there wasn't any white people speaking

up for us. jerry mitchell is one of the few whites speaking up for us, i love him as a brother and respect him as a reportser. >> mitchell's reporting also helped to convict ku klux klan grand wizard sam boirs i bowerse death of three birmingham schoolchildren. mitchell is still on hunt, working on a book titled race against time. >> why that title? >> because time's running out to be able to prosecute these cases. >> but even if no suspects remain, says mitchell, telling the story is just as important. doing justice to history, no

matter the risk. >> it's led to unexpected guests which is living fearlessly. you know i began to you know live for something you know greater than me. i'm not that big a deal. >> randall pinkston, al jazeera, jackson, mississippi. >> thank you for joining us. i'm lori jane gliha in new york. stay tuned, third rail is next. have a good night.

this is third rail. i'm adam may this here is presidential politics like we have never seen before. as a rising tide of voter swamped the political elites that like to think they make the rules