be a reverse they have made in preserving one of the west africa's natural wonders. you'll find plenty more on many stories on our website. the address to click onto, aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. the water was rusting way brand-new parts at gm and was okay for human consumption. >> michigan's governor is grilled by congress over the flint water crisis. the white house continues the push to get the supreme court nominee a hearing in the senate. dash is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and actions. >> secretary of state john kerry blasts isil for committing genocide against minorities.

tens of thousands protest in brazil over claims of government corruption. this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm richelle carey. accusations are flying right now on capitol hill. they're trading blame on over contamination in the city's water supply. several house members accused rick snyder of knowing about the crisis months before he did anything about it. governor snyder said he's done everything he can to address the problem. >> let me be blunt. this was a failure of government at all levels, local, state and federal officials. we all failed the families of flint. this isn't about politics nor partisanship. i'm not going to point fingers or shift blame.

there's plenty of that to share, and neither will help the people of flint. not a day or night goes by that this tragedy doesn't weigh on my mind. the questions i should have asked. the answers i should have demanded. how i could have prevented this. >> the ranking democrat on the committee, elijah cummings, wants snyder to step down. many house republicans blame the epa for failing to regulate flint's water supply. >> we conducted it. does that mean i don't have regrets? i'd really like to -- >> that's a whole different standard. that's cheap. yeah, we just get regressed. that's cheap, that's cheap. >> you have to look at how the law works. >> you know what? it failed. you failed. if you want to do the courageous thing like you said susan hedman did, then you, too, should resign. nobody is going to believe that you have the opportunity, you had the presence, and you had the authority, and you had the backing of the federal

government and you did not act when you had the chance. >> the epa blames the oversight on michigan's government for giving it inaccurate information. some bold accusations from secretary of state john kerry about isil. he said the group that the administration called diyes committed genocide against christians. >> they're guilty of crimes of ethnic cleansing directs at the same groups and also against sunni muslims, kurds and other minorities. i say this even though the ongoing conflict and lack of access to key areas made it impossible to develop a fully detailed and comprehensive picture of all that dash is doing. >> jamie mcintyre joins us via skype from the pentagon. jamie, secretary kerry going point by point listing the reasons that genocide is the word that they want to use now.

how significant is this? why now? >> it's significant. it's the first time since 2004 that the united states has labeled atrocities in a war zone genocide. in 2004 secretary of state colin powell used that term to apply to atrocities in the darfur region of sudan. this is the second time. it comes after considerable congressional pressure. kerry in making the statement today met a march 17th deadline actually included in a congressional funding bill and two days after the congress passed a nonbinding resolution in the house unanimously, 283-0, declares that isil's actions in iraq and syria and libya amounted to genocide. so it's significant from that standpoint, but it's notable that while the united states has condemned isil's brutal tactics and executions in the region

over there for quite some time, it took an act of congress to push the administration to label this genocide a crime against humanity. >> yjamie, calling genocide yen side does that have any u.s.-led coalition fight against isil? >> in theory it creates a moral imperative to do so something. back in 2004 when secretary powell issued that declaration, he did so after state department lawyers assured it would not require the united states to intervene into the conflict in sudan in darfur. so it does not obligate the united states to intervene, but the u.s. is already engaged in action against isil in iraq and syria and libya. today on capitol hill defense secretary ash carter and his top general joint chiefs chairman, again, outlined the steps they say are accelerating that

campaign. pressed by senator lindsey graham the joint chiefs chairman conceded he can't put a time line on when some of the major objectives would be obtained, namely liberates the cities of mosul in iraq and raqqa in syria. the two cities isil declared their de facto capitals in the region. in terms of putting more pressure on isil, probably not. secretary kerry did as you noted in that clip you played for them they don't have a complete picture. one of the things the u.s. has called for is a fuller investigation of all of the war crimes isil may have committed. richelle. >> jamie, thank you. newly released e-mails show hillary clinton was denied a government-issued smart doan during her time as secretary of state. the e-mails date back to 2009. she and for a secure blackberry device like the one issued to president obama. at one point clinton and staffers met with the nsa, but they were still denied a phone.

after that clinton used a secure server for her private e-mail accounts. donald trump and hillary clinton seem to have eeked out wined in missouri in the primaries there. absentee ballots, those are still being counted, and that could take up to four weeks. whoever comes in second can demand a recount, though neither ted cruz or bernie sanders has said if they will. clinton today is holding rallies in nashville and atlanta while sanders is looking towards arizona, which holds its primaries next week. he holds a town hall in flagstaff tonight. sanders said he stands a good chance to win many of the upcoming contests. a round of applause for senator marco rubio as he arrived in congress this morning. he returned to the senate for the first time since ending his bid for the presidency. rubio defended his campaign after losing his home state of florida to republican

front-runner donald trump in tuesday's primary. judge merrick garland today begins a battle of his professional life, that is, trying to convince republican senators to even consider his nomination to the supreme court. the chief judge of the d.c. federal appeals judge heads to capitol hill later this even. he's meeting with harry reid and pat leahy. john, the white house -- >> good afternoon. >> it is the afternoon now. the white house is busy today, this morning and this afternoon, trying to push this nomination through. what's on the agenda? >> reporter: well, they've got a lot of work to do, and to be honest with you there isn't much of white house can do. in the old days when they controlled the house and senate, they could put a symbolic vote in. there are problems with that when they could have done it. under senate rules they could do that, the democrats, but we leave that to one side for now because the senate is going away

on two weeks' holiday as of today. not much will happen after today, but today they released this, a video shows judge merrick garland in many different circumstances of life. you see him in -- you see there on the beach, in the office. you see him with his family for just a second. the white house hopes this will go viral. there he is with his wife on his wedding day. hope it will go viral and just begin to introduce judge merrick garland to the american people, because before yesterday they didn't know really who he was. there's the twitter page the white house released as well. the twitter page is designed for people to comment on the situation if they are particularly agrieved of the fact that the republicans are determined not to give judge garland a hearing and never mind an up or down vote. so if you wish to comment, then you can. the idea, of course, is to wear down the republicans, to try and just force them sooner or later to give him a hearing and an up and down vote. now, there's harry reid.

he's the minority leader in the senate and he's speaking the last couple of hours at the center for american progress. his speech was intended to be a real rebuke of the republican party and how reid says the republicans are responsible for the rise of donald trump. at the end of the 45-minute speech he turned his attention to the supreme court story as well. take a look. >> republicans are slamming the door on a good man they once embraced. simply why? because president obama nominated him. >> reporter: and the republicans seem pretty steadfast and aren't budging on this. i think it's a calculated risk. they're taking a chance there will be a republican in the white house in november or come next january betting that there will be and hoping it's not hillary clinton hillary clinton or bernie sanders, who would like appoint a much younger person than judge garland and somebody even further to the left. richelle. >> largely, there has been a united front among the republicans, but there seems to be a few cracks here and there. tell us about that. >> you see, the republicans are

impressive when it coming to big theater piece things. they really are. they're very, very on message across the whole country. as you say, there have been some cracks. mitch mcconnell met with judge garland by telephone yesterday only. wouldn't meet him face-to-face and won't because he says they really don't want to see a confirmation hearing. chuck grassley, the powerful and influential chairman of the judiciary committee, he has said he will meet with judge garland if it's organized for him after the recess. we have three politicians. this is jeff flake. he's a member of the judiciary committee. susan collins, who is a moderate republican, and kelly ayotte of new hampshire. now flake and collins have said they will sit down with the judge, and kelly ayotte is indicating the same. there's orrin hatch of utah who is saying that he's inclined to

allow a hearing. it was orrin hatch who recommended the judge for his present position in the d.c. circuit court. now jim inhofe from oklahoma is 80 years old, by the way, and he tweeted out this morning, while i will evaluate the nomination of judge garland, the next president should be the one to fill the vacancy on the supreme court. you can see the republicans pretty much on message that there are one or two who might be prepared to move this along, and we should just have to wait and see. >> yes, we will. john live for us in washington. thank you. >> thanks. the obama administration is demanding the immediate release of an american student being held in north korea. the white house says he's being used as a pawn to pursue a political agenda. the university of virginia student has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for stealing a propaganda banner from a hotel as a souvenir. wednesday president obama issued an executive order imposing new sanctions in response to pyongyang's nuclear test and

rocket launch earlier this year. in brazil lawmakers there have started impeachment proceedings against the president, dilma rousseff. she's been widely criticized for appointing desilva to her cabinet. deville va was arrested last month on corruption charges. an injunction has been filed to suspend his role as chief of staff. al jazeera reports from rio de janei janeiro. >> reporter: tens of thousands of brazilians are back on the street. some gathered at the presidential palace and others across the country's large cities. dilma rousseff's appointment of desilva was meant to restore public trust, but it has done the opposite. lula credited with lifting millions out of poverty during the administration is facing charges of fraud and more than laundering in relation to the national oil company petro

brass. he has minimsterial immunity. she said that's not why she game him that appointment. >> translator: i'm sorry. he's coming and he's going to hope. we're going to look at growth, fiscal stability and controlling inflation. >> reporter: shortly after she said that, a federal judge leading a wider corruption investigation, released details of a conversation between rousseff and devilesilva, and desilva was tapped by police. >> reporter: although they have denied allegations of wrongdoing, demonstrators say

they've had enough not just of pu politicians but the deep routed corruption. petro brass has broad down 100 executives and politicians and could bring down the entire rousseff administration. many brazilians tonight agree. people feel rousseff's leadership isn't competent enough to lead them out. up next, why a new bill placing stricter rules on abortion clinics in indiana is even dividing some abortion opponents. why one county in minnesota is ending the practice of using grand juries to investigate police shootings.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. new details in the death of a maryland police officer. he was deliberately shot by a fellow officer outside of a police station in landover on sunday. they say collison was in plane clothes and the officer may not have realized who he was. three brothers have been charged with starting that gunfight. police say one of the brothers wanted to be killed. more news that a county is achanging officers accused of crimes are charge. one prosecutor will stop using

grand juries to make the call. as al jazeera's john henry smith tells us, it's a reaction to a police shooting and the conflict that followed. >> for eight days protesters in minnesota camped outside of police headquarters and demanded justice for jamar clark. >> the gun went off. the guy wasn't fighting back. >> reporter: police say he was fighting with them when they shot and killed him. witnesses say he was handcuffed and contradict that. in light of other high profile police shootings nationwide where grand juries nouned no cause to bring charges, protesters in minnesota demanded mike feeman not use a grand jury in this case. freeman obliged. >> grand juries won't be used to consider police shooting cases in hennepin county. >> reporter: the decision ends a four-decade long tradition there of usually grand juries. in that time not a single

officer have been found guilty of wrongfully shooting someone. freeman says the decision to not use grand juries in these cases will make the system more fair and accountable, but he doesn't think others should necessarily follow his lead. >> in other communities they may feel the use of the grand jury in police shooting cases is appropriate. >> reporter: community anger connected to other high profile police shootings cost prosecutors their jobs. in cuyahoga county, his tim mcginty lost the primary. he concluded the shooting of trz by two officers was reasonable. >> the evidence did not indicate criminal conduct. >> reporter: in kris anita alvarez lost a relocation bid. she waited more than a year to charge the officer that shot laquan mcdonald 16 times. john henry smith, al jazeera. in georgia a bill protecting same-sex major proceponents is

the way to his desk. it removes penalties against faith-based organizations for refusal to serve or hire someone and protects religious officials who decline performing gay marriages. the governor said he won't sign a bill that allows discrimination. a strict new abortion bill is headed to the governor's desk in indiana. the restrictions go so far it divided some abortion opponents. we have the report. >> reporter: indiana's bill contains many of the same provisions for abortion clinicses currently under supreme court review, such as requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals and that the clinics meet the standards of surgical centers. this law would also ban abortions if the fetus has a potential disability like down stroem. >> we can't imagine life without them, nor would we have considered abortion in that situation. every child is a gift from god and, again, every child is a wanted child.

>> reporter: the bill also requires women to make multiple trips to a clinic. they must first view a fetal ultrasound and hear the heartbeat at least 18 hours before the abortion, and it requires the mother to pay for the fetus to be cremated or buried. opponents say the measure adds stigma, shame and unreasonable barriers to a legal practice. a group of them showed up at the statehouse this week to deliver a petition with some 2700 signatures opposing the measure. >> there's no question that there are provisions in this bill that greatly impact a woman's ability to access abortion and it's government intrusion into what should be very private medical decision-making. >> reporter: if approved they would join north dakota as the only state to ban abortions for abnormalities. bumle bee foods is recalls cans of tuna over contamination. while no one got sick yet, a glitch in the packing process could result in a

life-threatening illness if consumed. three varieties of the chunk light tuna are included in this recall. both the company and the fda urge consumers to throw away any potentially spoiled products. up next, niger's gentle giants caught in the crossfire of africa's many conflicts. [ singing ] a michigan felon offers a musical mea culpa.

poachers and conflict have

decimated much of the giraffe population in africa. as al jazeera reports, one country in west africa is trying to protect them before they go extinct. >> reporter: on the lookout for west africa's last giraffes. this is the northern tip of the natural reserve, some 50 kill meters south of the niger capital. soon a herd shows up in a distance grazing on their favorite acacia trees. there was a team when they roamed across the region from senegal to lake chad, but drought and hunting reduced them to a small group found only in niger. they try to protect in endangered subspecies and are proud of their result. >> translator: in 1996 we had just 50 giraffes. now we have 452 giraffes.

>> reporter: we tried to get a closer look, but as we approach we're told not to disturb them. the giraffe behind me is not the biggest one in the park. the big west one is cido. it's famous and you could spend an entire year looking for him because this is a very large park, more than the size of lebanon. about 11,000 square kill meters. nature here is quiet and beautiful and the giraffes share both qualities. >> translator: the giraffe is a peaceful manl. if you don't make a noise, you can come less than 15 meters away from it. it's also very curious. sometimes it would stare at you as long as you stare at them. i love them as if they're my own pets. we have names for them. there was one that carried my name, but unfortunately he died. >> reporter: some people living in the area hardly share this affection. >> translator: we don't see any use to them. they just destroy our crops and eat the trees.

we lived here for a long time before the giraffes. now they are a problem for us, and there's nothing we can do about it. >> reporter: another problem affecting both people and giraffes consisted of two years of drought resulting in meager crops and drier vegetation. tourist is also on the decline. >> translator: at the beginning we made some income, but now there's a crisis because of insecurity. we used to receive large numbers of visitors, up to nine groups per day. now it's five or six per people. >> at the entrance of reserve, tour guides don't have much to do for most of the day. there's concern that violence in the area and drought could reverse the success niger has made in preserving one of the west africa's natural wonders. chicago white sox first baseman adam laroche quit the spot for personal reasons after the team asked him to limit his

14-year-old to the ballpark. they asked him not to bring him every day when ra roach did during the season. while the 12-year veteran forfeits $13 million this yearby walking away, the team is encouraging laroche to change his mind. a convicted felon in michigan surprised a courtroom with an adele-inspired plea to the judge. listen. ♪ i'll try and be stronger ♪ in this life i chose ♪ but i want you to know ♪ that door i closed ♪ in your honor i'm sorry sorry sorry sorry ♪ >> surprising there aren't more people in the courtroom laughing, but he sounds okay. the 21-year-old brian earl taylor used the musical number at his sentencing last week for an attempted armed kidnapping and robbery. the judge said taylor was obviously a talented young man and encouraged him to use prison

programs to help him after his release. thanks for joining us. keep it here. this is al jazeera. hello everyone. i'm felicity barr. welcome to this news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes, as anger boils over in brazil a court steps in to block the appointment of a former president to a new government post. south africa's president is shouted down in parliament. jacob zuma was defending his links with the powerful family accused of undue influence on the government.