nadim baba, al jazeera, tel-aviv. do check out the website. it is also there for you, aljazeera.com. you can get the latest on our top story, you can see it there, the syrian kurds announcing they are planning to announce the federalized autonomous region. aljazeera.com. ♪ the president makes his choice for the supreme court, but republicans are still refusing to consider anyone. >> we're going to go forward, and we're going to win, but more importantly, we're going to win for the country. we're going to win win win, and we're not stopping. >> trump widens his lead as marco rubio bows out, and john kasich clings to hope. >> you have been waiting for the right moment. now is the time to come join us.

>> hillary clinton celebrates a strong night but may still be short of a clean sweep. and an about face for the ferguson, city council, signing off on a deal to revamp the police department. ♪ this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. we are about 30 minutes away from the start of the next big political fight in washington. president obama will announce his nominee for a new supreme court justice. we'll bring that to you live when it happens, bup even before a name has come out officially, a name has leaked. there are multiple reports that the president will choose merrick garland, a 63-year-old chief judge in washington, d.c. he has been considered for the high court before, but senate republicans pledging to block

anyone president obama nominates. the president said, quote: al jazeera's john terrett is live on the north lawn of the white house. tell us more about merrick garland. >> reporter: well, let me do just that, stephanie. because i think now it's pretty certain that this is the man the president has picked to replace justice scalia. there are multiple media outlets reporting that that is the name that is going to come out. it's interesting because earlier this morning, we had five names to play with, but now we appear to be down to one. he is 63 years old, and a harvard graduate. five other members of the

supreme court are harvard graduates. he was nominated by the senate back in 1997 by 70-23 votes. so he has had 19 years service in his position. and he has been passed over before. when president obama picked elena kagan, and sonia sotoma r sotomayor, his name was also in the running. the president has given considerable attention to this choice. he has consulted legal experts and reached out to every member of the senate, according to the statement issued by president obama. and all members of the senate judiciary committee are going to be in the rose garden this morning. >> and merrick has been on the d.c. circuit court for some 19

years, so he will have a long record to pick through. how likely is it that the republicans in the senate will be able to block the appointment? >> he has a reputation as a conservative, and has a reputation for being tough regarding criminal justice. we know that there is going to be the most terrible fight break out now. the republicans have made it absolutely clear they won't accept a nomination from this president. there won't be any confirmation hearings. they want to leave it to the next president, assuming that he is a republican in their eyes to make the pick, and they don't want to allow president obama to make this choice, because of course as you know, the nomination of a supreme court justice is the single biggest legacy that any president of the united states can offer the country. we have two examples of the eyre there is against president

obama. you are going to hear from senator john cornen, and mitch mcconnell, the majority leader in the senate. >> members of the senate judiciary committee on the republican side have agreed -- we wrote a letter to senator mccownal saying we are of the view that there should not be a hearing for anyone the president nominates. >> i believe the overwhelming view of the republican conference with in the senate is that this nomination should -- this vacancy should not be filled by this lame duck president. >> reporter: now that being said, lindsey graham as you know is from south carolina, and was a contender for the nomination. and he says looks, it looks like hillary clinton are win this nomination, and the second pick

from her is likely to be very, very liberal. so lindsay gram says let's go along with the pick from obama. we'll have to see how the republicans and democrats treat this, but it's looking like a very, very, very fierce fight that is just getting underway. >> john terrett, live from the white house, stay with us for the president's announcement scheduled to begin in just under half an hour. now to the presidential race which is now looking clearer for the front runners who walked away with big winners in tuesday east prime minister mares. clinton also ohio, but that is where trump came up short, losing to governor john kasich. this morning missouri is still too close to call on both sides. clinton is holding on to a slim lead there over bernie sanders. the same story on the republican

side, where trump leads ted cruz by less than a point. now to the delegate totals for democrats, hillary clinton has nearly 1100 pledged delegates, that is about half of what is needed for the nomination. but her lead is much larger when you factor in the superdelegates. trump has more than 600 delegates. david shuster has more on what happened in the primary states, and where both party stands now. >> reporter: it was the night hillary clinton had been hoping for. >> we are moving closer to securing the democratic party nomination, and winning this election in november. >> reporter: with decisive victories in ohio, clinton defied expectations and added to her delegate lead over bernie sanders. >> and i want to congregate senator sanders for the vigorous

campaign he is waging. >> reporter: but that's all she said about her rival. >> when we hear a candidate for president call for rounding up 12 million immigrants, banning all muslims from entering the united states -- [ booing ] >> when he embraces torture that doesn't make him strong. it makes him wrong. >> paul ryan called me the other day, tremendous call. i spoke with mitch mcconnell today. we had a great conversation. we have to bring our party together. >> i have to thank the people of the great state of ohio. i love ya. >> reporter: governor john kasich got his first win of the campaign, taking his home state.

he noted the contrast between his tone and trump's. >> i want to remind you again tonight that i will not take the low road to the highest job in the land. >> reporter: but there are not enough delegates left for him to win the nomination, and his only hope is that trump falls short and the republican party has a brokered convention. marco rubio had hoped to have that role himself, but got walloped by trump. and with that, the florida senator announced he was suspending his campaign. still amist the hometown support, he chastised the republican party. democrat bernie sanders did not get shut out tuesday night.

he picked up delegates even in the states he lost, and he pledged to keep his progressive campaign going. >> the reason that we have defied all expectations is that we are doing something very radical in american politics, we're telling the truth. >> reporter: but with hillary clinton so far ahead in the delegate count, sanders will need to win nearly 60% of the remaining delegates to close her lead. the math is also against ted cruz, but you wouldn't know it listening to his tuesday night speech. >> tonight we continue to gain delegates and continue our march to 1237. >> reporter: but for cruz to have a chance at the nomination, he will need to win more than 80% of the remaining republican delegates. david shuster, al jazeera. and this morning donald trump is expressing confidence he will become the party's pick, and says there could be riots if

there isn't. >> i think we will win before getting to the convention, but if we didn't, and if we're 20 votes short or we're 100 short, and we're at 1100 and somebody else is at 400 or 500, i don't think you can say we don't get it automatically. i think you would have riots. i'm representing millions of people, in many cases first-time voters. as we said trump's big victory in florida caused marco rubio to suspend his campaign. he lost to trump by nearly 20 points in his home state. let's go to randall pinkston live in miami. it is fair to say that donald trump trounced rubio, why was he not able to win his home state? >> reporter: good question. there are many reasons, but among the reasons, remember this, back in 2010 when marco

rubio ran for the senate, he was the anti-establishment candidate, running against former governor charlie crist. somehow rubio beat chr chris -- crist. one of the platforms he ran on was being opposed to any immigration reform. once he got to the senate he changed his mind. those tea party voters who voted for him in 2010, they don't want an establishment candidate. they like donald trump. trump beat him by about 500,000 votes. let's take a look at the board. donald trump in rubio's home state of florida, 45% of the votes cast. rubio only 27%. cruz, 17%, and kasick coming in with 6%, an overwhelming victory for donald trump, forcing rubio to suspend his candidacy.

>> while it is not god's plan that i be president in 2016, or maybe ever, and while today my campaign is suspended, the fact that i have even come this far is evidence of how special america truly is, and all of the reason more why we must do all we can to ensure this nation remains a special place. >> reporter: and not only has rubio was suspended his presidential candidate, he also decided not to run for reelection for the senate. so some january he will be totally out of office. >> really bruising day for rubio. what is next for mr. trump? >> reporter: well, interesting that sound bite that you just played where donald trump was referencing the possibility of riots if he doesn't get the nomination, that kind of language is the very language

that he was chided for by mitch mcconnell and house speaker paul ryan who had urged donald trump to talk to his supporters about being, shall we say more moderate, especially trump in his speeches to his rallies, but obviously trump is going to keep doing things the way he has been doing them that has gotten to where he is today. he has a number of winner take all or winner take most states coming up, including delaware, wisconsin, come people are thinking ted cruz will do well there. but no one predicted that donald trump would be doing this great. >> let's talk more about the senator from texas, cruz. how was his night? and what can he do at this point to stop trump's momentum? >> reporter: well, cruz has won more states against donald trump than any of the other republican candidates. however, as david shuster points

out, even if he won every delegate going forward, it would be difficult for him to overtake donald trump. so the hope for cruz and also for kasick to a lesser extent is to get to the convention. that there will be a first vote. and donald trump will not get the nomination on the first vote. at that point, at least 57% of the delegates then can cast their ballots any way they want to. they become unlocked, and today we have heard talk from former house speaker john boehner, suggesting that the current house speaker paul ryan might make a good presidential candidate, even though ryan has expressed no interest. >> we'll get a little bit more into that later in the show. randall pinkston thank you. and as randall mentioned john kasich secured his first big win in his home state of ohio. he presented himself as the moderate alternative in the

race, but is that enough to take him to the convention? lisa stark reports. >> reporter: john kasich will spending the day in pennsylvania as he continues to complain for the presidency, one of only three candidates still in the hunt. he was jubilant as he thanked his supporters last night after winning ohio and winning it quite handily. the polls were close, but kasick beat donald trump by more than 10 percentage points with ted cruz coming in a distant third. kasick says he is really the establishment-lane candidate. that's how his folks see it, but he also knows that outsiders are playing in the election, and tried to channel a little bit of that last night. >> forget the politics, forget the pollsters, for get all of the focus groups, because i rep sent you, and it is my job to

listen to you, and then it's my job to go and fix the problems, and if that means at times i have to take heat, well, that's just the price of leadership in america. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: kasick's advisors insist that this really resets the republican race that voters will have a chance to look at the ohio governor; that they will like what they see, and they say the calendar going forward, helps his moderate message, states like pennsylvania, maryland, wisconsin. they think kasick will resinate there. the map is against him, he can't get enough delegates to capture the nomination, but he plans to stay in until the convention, which will be held in his home state of ohio, and hopes for a contested convention that no one will have enough delegates and he can emerge out on top, and so for john kasich, anyone, the race goes on.

>> lisa stark on the campaign trail in ohio. and this morning john boehner is talking about the possibility of a contested convention. during an event in florida today, boehner said if the party does not have a nominee by the convention, that current house speaker paul ryan would be his choice. but he has endorsed john kasich. his spokesman said boehner was speaking hypothetically. coming up much more on president obama's pick to replace antonin scalia on the supreme court. we are waiting for the official announcement at the top of the hour. plus, under water with no relief in site, flooded communities in texas and louisiana brace for more rain. ♪

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. this morning this is what it looks like along interstate 10 in texas. there are mandatory evacuations for nearly 2,000 homes in this area. residents used sandbags to try to keep flood waters out of their homes, and there is a risk of more rain. >> we could be looking at more rain for portions of the south, and it has to do with this, what we're already seeing right around the great lakes. it is already creating some snow on the backside. with that right now, the front is coming down the appalachia.

the snowy side through tomorrow morning. the front by tomorrow could start to see some of that rain. now it's hit and miss, but it goes for a couple of days, and that could be on top by tomorrow of where we have already seen some of that flooding concern. even an inch or two of additional rain that is going to be a problem for us. here is a look at some of the areas already flooding. a lot of these rivers haven't crested yet. on the snowy side, this is a lot for a late-season snow. some places could see over a foot in wisconsin and minnesota. and high winds associated with this. back to you. >> michael -- nicole mitchell thank you. the ferguson city council has unanimously agreed to

overhaul its police department. it's a sharp turn around from earlier this year. andy what exactly is the reform plan, trying to change about ferguson's justice and police system? >> reporter: well, the justice department, stephanie had demanded that the city do things like purchasing software to track the data on police ar ar -- arrests, more officers on the street, and monitor to oversee changes, also they want today bump up all of the salaries of all of the police officers. but last month the city council said okay, we'll do that but with some revisions, because they said these provisions will bankrupt us. but last night the justice -- actually originally the justice department balked at that. they said no way. critics howled.

they field lawsuit against the city. so last night, the city council did agree unanimously to accept the original consent decree with all of the provisions. now a federal judge has to sign off on it. >> so why did they back down? >> reporter: i talked to a city council member who said we were just looking for clarification on some of these things. for example, they said in talking with the doj it turns out they don't have to pay quite as much as a police salary increase as they originally thought, and the federal government will help them out a little bit. he told me look, getting to this end result is a messy process, and he says normally when a city negotiates what is called a consent decree with the government, it takes about three years. >> this took ten months so:

>> reporter: the city council has long said no, we don't use our police officers to get extra cash from minority drivers as was the accusation. they said they already made big changes in the court system, and they say that that problem is a lot worse in other communities, that issue of police officers pulling over minority drivers. and actually last month, social justice law centre in st. louis told us they are absolutely right. there are other communities that are far worse. >> and of course those communities didn't have to face a department of justice investigation. thank you. coming up, we are awaiting president obama's announcement on his pick to be the next supreme court justice. widely reported at this hour to be d.c. appeals court judge merrick garland. we'll be right back. ♪

you are watching al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. we are looking live at the white house rose garden where the president will announce his new supreme court justice nominee. we are told that the nominee is

merrick garland. ever since justice scalia's unexpected death in february, there has been a bitter fight over whether there will even be a hearing in the senate. i want to go out to john terrett, live on the other side of the white house. john, tell us more about merrick garland. >> yes, it is merrick garland, by the way. the white house saying within the past 20 minutes or so, that no one is better suited. he has more federal judicial experience than any other supreme court nominee in history. he is 63 years old. he is a harvard graduate as are five members of the existing supreme court, as was justice scalia. he is currently the chief justice at the court of appeals in the washington, d.c. circuit, and at 63 years old, he will be

the oldest nominee for the supreme court since lewis powell. that was back in 1972. he was 64 when he was nomined. merrick garland was nominated by the senate in his present position by 70 votes to 23 back in 1997. so merrick garland has had 19 years experience, and he has been waiting for his chance to go to the supreme court. his name was in the frame when president obama nominated elaine kagan, and son you sotomayor, but he got passed over at that point. his reputation is one of moderation. he is seen as a conservative when it comes to criminal justice issues. and the president has said today that he gave considerable attention to making this pick for the supreme court. he consulted legal experts up and down the land, and reached out to every