>> we have got a table and eight chairs, and a david, and probably a few plants. >> i spent eight hours yesterday, cleaning up the tumble weed. and this is what i have got today. >> aljazeera.com for all of the news. the pontiff versus the presidential hopeful, donald trump and pope francis trade bashes. the white house lays out details for the president's newly announced trip to cuba. new numbers show donald trump may be losing his lead heading into the next republican primary. and turkey blames russian kurd -- syrian kurds -- pardon me -- for a deadly explosion and launches counterattacks. ♪

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm richelle carey. new statements from the pope calling out republican candidate donald trump over a stance on immigration. >> translator: the person who thinks only about building walls, whatever they may be, and not building bridges not a kis christian. >> he made the statement after traveling back to rome. trump has made multiple statements on the campaign trail about building a wall between the u.s. and mexico. supporting deportation for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants. trump said if and when the vatican is attacked by isis, the pope will have wished i was president. the pope also spoke about the

zika virus. he suggested it may not be against catholic dogma to prevent pregnancy. brazil where most of the zika cases have been found is a predominantly catholic country. for the first time in almost 90 years the u.s. president is going to cuba. president obama tweeted that he will head to havana on march 21st. he also plans to meet with civil society organizations and cuban entrepreneurs. mike viqueira is live for us in washington, d.c. mike, what is the goal of this visit? >> good morning to you, richelle. it's a surprise and in some respects it isn't a surprise. president obama since his historic announcement that his intention was to normalize diplomatic relations with cuba, has made it no secret that he

planned to make a trip to cuba, and he said he will go to cuba with first lady michelle obama on march 21st and 22nd, an overnight trip, as part of an overseas trip to argentina and elsewhere. any president in his series of tweets says we still have differences with the cuban government, but he believes his trip there will help facility progress towards a more open and civil society, and in fact the president announced that he in addition to meeting with recall all castro, the president, he will meet with elements of civil society that translates to human rights advocates, and civil rights advocate within cuba. he said that was something that was a predicate before he could go on to cuba. that evidently has been ironed out.

the last trip by a u.s. president was in 1978 and calvin coolidge. >> how does this visit play into the presidential race? >> reporter: well, this is g is the president wants to do. and i think the presidents and democrats consider it a winner. if you look at the polling conducted around this historic opening, even cuban americans in south florida considered to be sort of the linchpin of the resistance against openings, because of their political power there in such a presidential swing state is florida, even their opposition had been wavering, younger cuban americans didn't see the point anymore. in that hasn't stopped republican candidates from criticizing the president for doing this. jeb bush called it appalling, and republicans in congress still refusing to lift the trade embargo that has been in place for some 54 years, and failing to confirm an ambassador

proposed and nominated by president obama. >> all right. mike thank you so much. as mike just mentioned almost immediately g.o.p. presidential candidates slammed president obama's planned trip to cuba. both texas senator ted cruz and marco rubio called the announcement regrettable. >> today a year and two months after the opening to cuba, the cuban government remains as oppressive as ever, but now they have access to millions if not billions of dollars in resources. >> what president obama has shown to our enemies is weakness and appeasement, his policy concerning cuba and iran, both have parallels, he allows billions of dollars to go to try rants, who hate america, who are fighting against our nation. i think it's a real mistake there we are two days away from the next contest in the presidential race. the republican primary in south carolina, and democratic caucuses in nevada.

the latest nbc news wall street journal poll shows ted cruz has inched ahead of donald trump. but a cbs news poll gives trump a commanding lead, nearly double that of cruz. some good news for marco rubio in south carolina. the south carolina governor announced she is supporting marco rubio. the endorsement comes as trump and cruz squared off last night in a series of townhalls. john henry smith has that story. >> reporter: the republican candidates, each had the stage to himself during townhalls on cnn, and msnbc, but they still took shots and defended against attacks from the others as if they were in a debate. there was trump versus cruz. >> he makes statement like -- like i'm pro-life, and he said he's not pro-life. you can't they. >> it is the most ridiculous

theory i have ever heard that telling stloeters what donald trump's record is, is deceitful and lying. >> reporter: and cruz versus rubio. >> both donald trump and marco rubio are following this pattern that whenever anyone points to their actual record, to what they have said, to what they have voted on, to what they have done, they start screaming liar, liar, liar. >> reporter: but with the spotlight on only one candidate at a time, came more pointed questions. >> are you qualified to be commander in chief? and are you qualified to deal with these national security threats? >> i obviously think so, or i wouldn't be running for president. you know, it's -- it's the political class that has tried to convince everybody that they are the only ones who can solve our problems. >> do you have the temperament to be the president of the united states? >> i think my biggest strength -- >> jeb bush would disagree.

>> jeb is a sad case. >> there you go again. >> no one has more expense on national security or foreign policy than i do. >> reporter: on the issue of appointing a replace for antonin scalia, ben carson broke with his fellow candidates. >> i probably would. >> reporter: and donald trump brushed off that new poll that puts him behind ted cruz nationwide. >> i think somebody at the wall street journal doesn't like me. turkey's president is vowing to retaliate after a deadly car bomb attack. the blast went off on wednesday. at least 28 people were killed. a convoy of military personnel near the turkish parliament was the target. al jazeera's correspondent reports from ankara. >> reporter: it took the turkish

government just a few hours to identify those it believes carried out wednesday's deadly bomb attack. officials are blaming the syrian-based kurdish armed group the ypg, though it denies any involvement in the explosion. ankara, says they are annoff shoot of the pkk. >> translator: the investigation into the attack continues. so far, nine people linked to the ankara bombing have been taken into custody. and others have been identified. there will be other arrests in due course. that's all of the information i can give in detail right now. >> reporter: security has become more and more of a concern in turkey in recent months. in october a twin bomb attack killed close to a hundred people outside of the main train station in the capitol. and just a few weeks ago isil claimed responsibility after a man blew himself up at an

historic site popular with tourists in istanbul. turkey has been saying that its allies need to support it in its fight against those who it calls terrorists. but as far as the u.s. and other western powers are concerned, the ypg are their allies in the war against isil. now ankara says the international community must rectify that policy. >> translator: the pyd and ypg, and kinked with the pkk in turkey, we have touched upon. we have said repeatedly there is a strong link between them. if evidence of those links and one day those terrorist organizations and those who support them will be judged. >> reporter: earlier on thursday, turkish war planes bombed targets in northern iraq. they have been shelling inside syria for weeks now as well. it wants to send in ground troops to create a buffer zone

across the border with syria. but so long as syria and its russian allies control the sky, that option appears to be off of the table, unless nato and turkey's partners agree to support them. with wednesday's attack comes increased anger from turkey towards its allies, it feels it is being let down by the u.s. and nato this. this could provide justification for turkey to send forces across the border, but its position towards the syrian based kurdish groups continues to be at odds with the opinion of its allies. a new report, the largest of its kind, shows that the u.s. military is struggling to help soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. they studied 40,000 cases. and shows two-thirds of troops who suffer do not get the minimum number of therapy sessions needed.

the study does however point to some improvements. new rules from the fcc could soon cut your cable bill. they voted to pass a proposal that would let customers buy cable boxes from third-parties. the cable industry has long fought against this change. cable subscribers spent as much as $200 annually to lease the boxes. toyota is announcing a recall because of seat belts that could fail in a crash. 1.1 million of these cars are in the u.s. it covers rav4 suvs, and the rav4 electric vehicle. illinois, has been locked in a seven-month long budget stalemate. up next the impact that is having on some of the state's most vulnerable residents.

plus we look at why the number of babies born addicted to drugs is soaring. ♪

this afternoon a judge with hear from the mother of sandra bland. she hopes to gain access to records including a texas rangers report of bland's death and an unedited video of her detention. she died in jail three days after being arrested following a

traffic stop. hillary clinton was on the campaign trail with bland's mother yesterday. she told the crowd this chicago that our vote would go to clinton, and clinton talked about systemic racism and police brutality. >> we owe it to them to reform police practices, to make sure that no other young woman like sandra bland is ever pulled out of a car for no good reason. clinton is in nevada today where the democrats are campaigning ahead of that state's caucuses. clinton and rival bernie sanders are trying to court minority voters, but sanders had to distance himself spoken by rapper killer mike. he said he was quoting another progressive, saying -- yutous doesn't qualify you to be

president of the united states. there are serious money problems in illinois. that is where the governor wants to cut billions to end a budget stalemate. as andy roesgen report, the money fight there is having a major impact on the state's most vulnerable residents. >> reporter: kristen is a nurse who treats drug addicts at chicago's ken more center, run by lutheran social security and funded partly by the state of illinois. ward was a addict herself. >> the environment what i felt was like a very safe comfortable place to heal and grow. it was at a bottom that no one wanted to help me. and this was the only -- this was my only choice. >> reporter: but most of the services here are going away, because the state is locked in a budget stalemate between republican governor and a democratic controlled state legislature. this is the longest illinois has

never gone without a state budget, and the state had not paid about $6.5 billion of its bills. each side is blaming each other. >> the majority party thought that just raising taxes to fund those services, they could do it. and they haven't even moved a finger to go do that. >> we ought to get busy, sit down. what can we do to solve this budget problem? >> reporter: thanks like state parks and museums have already been closed. payments to lottery winners have been delayed. but the cuts to lutheran social services represent the biggest yet. the floor that ward works, medically assisted detox will stay open, but another floor for cold turkey detox is closing, as is the residence hall for female addicts like robin. >> it is just making it harder and more difficult for everybody. >> reporter: the state's human

services department tells us that the patients here will have other options for treatment. but the director here says that is kind of like ford shutting down and gm and chrysler having to pick up the slack. >> the simple nature of going someplace where you are familiar, where you trust the staff, that's going to be gone. >> it's going to be a fight to get into treatment centers, because all of these people -- like they are closing all of these places, and people want to get in. they want the help. >> reporter: lutheran social services says the state owes it $6 million for services. so it is laying off 750 people around the state, effecting nearly 5,000 patients and senior citizens. >> truly knowing that i deserve to be happy. >> reporter: there is no patience around here for the politicians in the budget stalemate. >> if it's about the money, they are going to be paying for it with jail or prison. and it will be even more.

>> reporter: even the alcohol rehab clinic is closing. and he and kristen fear for those who are just like they used to be. there is more trouble for cliven bundy and some of his supporters. a federal grand jury indicted the rancher and others for a 2014 standoff in nevada. they faced down government agents who tried to seize his cattle over unpaid grazing fees. he is still in jail in oregon. he and his son ammon were among those charged with occupying that federal wildlife center. the university of texas in austin is out with its plan for allowing guns on campus. the law requires public colleges and universities to allow conceal-carry. under the plan, concealed guns will generally not be allowed in dorms or in offices not open to the public.

a trial is now underway in phoenix for a man accused of supporting isil. prosecutors opened their case wednesday against the 44 year old. he is charged with orchestrating a violent attack at a cartoon contest in texas last year. in that event was designed to showcase images of the prophet muhammad. up next a hospital hacked and held for ransom. why officials paid up to regain control of their computers. and it is called hairy panic and it is paralyzing an australian town. ♪

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opioid addiction like prescription painkillers and heroin is an epidemic in america. the problem is now reaching newborns. kimberly halkett has more from baltimore. >> reporter: every day for two weeks michael george has made this hour-long trip on public transportation. his first stop to a methadone clinic, part of a treatment to withdraw from addiction to heroin. his second stop is to see his newborn daughter, also withdrewing from drug. >> there are sometimes i don't want to look in the mayor. >> reporter: that's because his daughter isabelle was born hooked on heroin. after two weeks in hospital, isabelle like so many other

drug-dependant babies is still suffering from tr trum -- tremendousers, feeding disability, and stress. the number of drug dependant babies in the u.s. is soaring. many argue the reason is an increasing number of prescriptions being written for painkill painkillers. often considered the gateway drug for heroin. a single dose on the street costs as little as a pack of cigarettes? >> this past year we admitted about a hundred babies with withdrawal. now that ends up to be about 20% of the total infant population here. >> reporter: so at baltimore's hospital special units are equipped with low light to help newborns wean off their opiate

dependencies. >> my addiction was so bad that i really didn't stop and think what i was doing to my child, but when she was born, that's when it really opened my eyes. >> reporter: so the outcome of their addictions, michael is now jobless, facing jail time for drug use, amanda must submit to random drug tests. if she tests positive, she could lose custody of her child. >> i want the best for her, like ever mom does, you know. i just have to keep myself together so she can have that. >> reporter: still isabelle faces challenges. she remains in intensive care, spending another night in the hospital without her parents, adjusting to a life without drugs. california hospital is defending how it ended a hacking attack on its servers. it paid thousands of dollars to end a cyber threat fit for a

hollywood film. >> reporter: it admits it paid up after hackers held them up for ransom. cyber thieves took control of the computers demanding a payment of $17,000 in digital currency called bitcoins. >> it is contagious, and typically there is a key to undo it. think about it as like a virus and antidote. so the key is basically the antidote. >> reporter: in a statement the hospital says: the hacked computers had been off line for about a week, including those needed for lab work, pharmaceutical orders, and the emergency room. hospital staff were forced to use handwritten notes and faxes. >> all of the signs said do not

use the computers. i'm like what is going on here? and they said, well, we got hacked. >> in an email to al jazeera, the foot in cuba confirmed: a similar attack happened to a south florida plastic surgeon two years ago. >> all we knew was that there were these internet blackmailers saying we had to pay them in bitcoin immediately. >> the doctor says it took about a week, but after paying the ransom in bitcoin, he received the code and regained control of his files. >> this is the form of the easiest armed robbery that you can have. this will happen and unfortunately it will happen more and more. >> reporter: according to a global network security report there was a 25% increase in these attacks last year. >> ines ferre reporting there.

the world health organization is asking for more funds to fast track research and vaccines for zika. the effort is focused on rio where the summer olympics will be held this august. nearly half a million people are expected to attend, that includes 10,000 athletes and 20,000 members of the media, as many as 200,000 of the visitors are expected to be americans. meanwhile olympic organizers are offering up a drone's eye view of the game's facilities. these will be the first olympic games held in latin america. in australian the warm weather has created a bit of a nuisance. residents in a small town are up to their heads literally in tumble weed. often swept in by winds in the dry summer months. residents are doing everything they can to remove the hairy panic as they call it from their

homes. >> that will do it for out. i'm richelle carey. the news continues next live from london. keep it here. this is al jazeera. >> and this is the al jazeera news hour. a warm welcome for me. coming to you live from london, a look at what we will be studying in the next 60 minutes. >>less arrest the main challenger to uganda's president as they allege. syria's main kurdish armed group denied turkey's accusation that it plant add car bomb killing 28 people.