>> this is aljazeera america, live from new york city, i'm tony harris. stepping up her outreach, hillary clinton leans heavily on the african-american community to win the nomination, as federal officials step up their investigation of her private emails. criminalizing endorsement donald trump courts controversy again, by saying that women who get abortions should be punished. fans, evacuating hundreds of immigrants to keep peace,

and for public health arraigns, and gone with the wind, a relic of the past may not be in the future as a piece of architectural history may be demolished. hillary clinton is now have just 337 delegates shy of securing the democratic presidential nomination, but as she closes in on the goal, a potential roadblock could block her way to the white house. the fbi has finished it's examination of clint ons a email server, and the investigation appears to be ending. >> reporter: after a year-long investigation, sources tell us that federal investigators are close to a decision whether on pursue

charges. while hillary clinton fights for the democratic presidential nomination, law enforcement sources tell aljazeera that the investigation into her personal email system while she was secretary of state has reached a critical stage. >> i want to say thanks to the men and women of the fbi. >> they have finished examining clinton's private emails and her home server, and adds that the team has been joined by justice department prosecutors. together, they are now examining the evidence, and attempting to arrange key figures in the investigation. those interviews, including attorneys, will be state department aids, former chief of staff, sheryl mills, and clinton herself. soon after the interviews, in the next days and weeks, officials expect director comey to make his recommendation to attorney general, loretta

lynch, about criminal charges. >> mr. director? >> the two appeared in public together last week for an unrelated matter. law enforcement says that they have discussed the clinton investigation, and the only public acknowledgment has been to congress that comey is deeply involved in the case. >> this is one that i follow closely and get briefed on regularly and comment. and the way that we do all of our work, professionally and independently. >> as part of that effort, fbi officials report that nearly 50 agents are assigned to the clinton investigation. last month, they secured the testimony of brian pagliano, reportedly with immunity from prosecution. he's the former state department staffer who set up clinton's home server. clinton has admitted that using her private email system was a

mistake, but insists that she did nothing illegal. >> i did not send or receive any emails marked classified at the time. >> meanwhile, clinton is trying to build up her delegate count. >> some say that we can ban people based on their religion, and turning on each other. well, this is new york, and we know better. >> clinton's rival, bernie sanders, has wong six of the last seven democratic contests. and he keeps hammering the contrast between his campaign and the wealthy donors fueling clinton. >> i don't waste my time going to rich people's homes, begging them for their campaign. >> soon, it could be overshadowed, because there are signs that clinton's investigation is headed toward conclusion, whether it's

exoneration or indictment. and in termels of timing, sources expect a conclusion in weeks, not months, and they add that clinton's interview with the fbi, which could happen in days, could be crucial. >> the indictment figures, whether it's -- scooter libby or bill clinton, they got in trouble, not because of the crimes, but because they lied to a grand jury. it's extremely dangerous for a defendant to go into a interview when the fbi and the investigators have all of the evidence. pagliano contributes that, and that's a big problem. >> what do we know about the prosecutors who have joined the case. >> one of the federal prosecutors helps with the david petraeus case. a year ago, he pleaded guilty to unauthorized removal of

classified information, and it's still that comey's team would lean on a prosecutor who has that kind of experience in this type of situation. >> thank you. another day brought another controversial statement by republican presidential frontrunner, donald trump. today he told msnbc that women who undergo abortions should be subject to "some form of punishment." and here with more on what he said. >> reporter: that's right, teni, good evening, the event in which donald trump made these remarks be wasn't supposed to air until this evening, about an hour from now, but they were supposed to be so inflammatory that the network, msnbc, delivered themmy. doing what he does best, donald trump talking about abortion, saying that women should be punished for having the procedure. >> do you believe in punishment

for abortion, yes or no as a principle. >> there has to be some form of punishment. some form. that, i don't know. >> trump's campaign came up with a statement saying that the issue regarding abortion is unclear, and it should be left up to the state. whether abortion should be outlawed in this country, doctors should be punished, not women. hillary clinton tweeting, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, horrific and telling. this customs as the three men still standing in the republican nomination for the white house, they made their remarks in a nationally televised town hall in wisconsin tuesday night. >> if donald trump is the gop nominee, would you support it? >> let me tell you my solution to that. donald is not going to be the gop nominee, we're going to be

it. >> no, i have been treated very unfairly. i'll give you an example -- >> who? >> the rnc, the republican party, the establishment. >> if the nominee is somebody that i think is really hurting the country and dividing the country, i can't stand behind them. but we have aways to go, and let's see how it folds out. >> last year, they signed a pledge to support the party's choice, whoever it is, and donald trump is standing behind his campaign manager. corey lewendowski, charged with battery. trump, speaking wednesday in wisconsin, where some polls suggest that he's trailing ted cruz. >> when they go to kasich, what would you do? i would fire him. they go to ted cruz, i would fire him. folks, if you're president, you

need someone who is going to be loyal to the country and yourselves. >> reporter: they sent donald trump a letter, wednesday, calling for lewendowski to be fired for inexcusable and unprofessional behavior. >> at the bottom of the hour, donald trump's controversial statements, though they same to have ailiated some conservative voters, we'll bring you bun couple at 7:30 eastern time. charges last name be filed on two police officers for the shooting death of jam arp clark. bisi onile-ere, how is the state reacting to this? >> good evening, tony, a lot

of people that i talked to, the prosecutor's decision, there are several rallies scheduled tonight by civil rights groups that pushed for federal charges to be filed against those police officers. one of those rallies is taking place behind me. there are a couple of hundred people gathered here, and i can hear them saying, justice, no peace. i spoke with an organizer tonight, and they said they are planning for peaceful protest. and the police are prepared for anything. >> criminal charges are not warranted against mark greenburg or justin schwartz. >> they made the decision after jamar clark was shot. >> schwartzy said that as the officers approached clark, he said he had this 1,000-yard scare in him. >> reporter: in the early

morning hours of november 13th, last year, the police responded to the report that clark had assaulted his girlfriend, and the police said that he was blocking paramedics from treating her. officers described clark, who had alcohol and races of marijuana in his system, as acting erratically. on wednesday, they laid out the case, and released video of the night of the shooting. contrary to some witness reports, the investigation found that clark was not handcuffed during the confrontation, and freeman said that dna evidence supports claims that clark refuse to take his hands off of the gun. >> he took his hands out but was not able to get them on clark, and in the ensuing struggle, he dropped -- he told schwartzy, he has got my gun.

he told schwartzy t, he told clark to let go of the gun, or schwartzy would shoot. and clark said, i'm ready to die. >> jamar clark's case isn't happening in a vacuum. it's a part of a practice of discrimination and abusive behavior that has been allowed to persist. and it's part of a pattern where officers have been able to kill with impunity. but we're not going to tolerate it anymore. >> weeks of protests ahead of wednesday's decision, the chief of police urged peace and calm. >> we're peaceful, non-violent protesters, and that's what we have always been, but we let the city know that the blood is on their hands at the end of the day, and we don't have control for what happens. we're going to be out there

maintaining peace, but at the end of the day, it's in god's hands. >> and the minneapolis police chief said that they have plans in place in case tensions here rising. many businesses, i have to point out, many businesses in the neighborhood where clark lived, that's on the north side of a prominently black neighborhood. and several businesses there have closed as a precaution. tony? >> bisi, where does this go from here? will clark's family file a civil suit? >> well, i'm hearing rumblings about that, tony, about the family firing a civil suit, but that's likely the next course of action. the federal government is investigating how the police handled that shooting, as well as there being a justice department investigation, regarding how the police reacted to the protesters following the shooting of jamar clark. so out here in minneapolis,

it's far from over, tony. >> bisi onile-ere, thank you. police department under federal oversight. the city and the government announced an agreement today to reform the department. it calls for five years of monitoring the civilian oversight committee, with training and bold cameras. it knolls a justice department investigation that shows that officers used excessive force and disproportionately targeted minority residents. spring storms are dumping in parts of the midwest right now, and some snow is expected in about northeast by this weekend. kevin is here. >> the northeast, when you say that, tony, you have to be very clear, new york. it's really going to be want northern part of new england. but we do have a lot of snow over here forward the northwest as tony said. in wyoming, there was over 20 inches of snow, and highway 80, it was closed for 350 miles

because of the blizzard conditions going on in the region. now what we're dealing with, this area of thunderstorms right now, severe weather, thunderstorms, and hail. and even tornadoes being reported. and look how they have really popped up this afternoon, and into the evening, all the way up here toward indiana as well as illinois. these are the reports of damage that we're seeing. mostly, they have been hail damage, pushing over here toward parts of illinois and missouri. you see the red, and tornado watches are out right now. tornado watches for the area of red, but in arkansas, we have a tornado warning in effect right now. but we do expect a lot of active weather this evening as this fromm system makes its way to the east. the other problem with the same frontal system, the amount of rain that we're going to get out here to the south, particularly in the areas where we have seen flooding from the

previous storms. this is the flooding from a lot of these areas, and they have not dried out yet. in arkansas, we're looking at flash flood warnings, and we did see areas dealing with flooding in the area. tomorrow is going to be a very similar day as it would, to the east a as the storm pushes to te eastern seaboard. friday, severe weather toward the southeast. and in the weekend, as the front goesthrough, the temperatures will begin to drop across the northeast. and that's why we'll begin to see cooler temperatures, cooler than average and snow up there to the north. here in new york, if we see a flake or two -- >> what? >> a flake or two, but nothing is going to be on the ground. >> okay, kevin, thank you. still on the program, a debate as leaders converge in washington for a nuclear summit.

>> so donald trump wants some of america's allies to become nuclear powers. last night as a town hall, trump tried to make the case that nuclear weapons are necessary for protection. >> wouldn't you rather n. a certain sense have japan have nuclear weapons, when north korea has nuclear weapons in and they do have them. they absolutely do. >> the long-standing policy to prevent japan from having

nuclear weapons, the gop frontrunner mentioned saudi arabia and south korea having nuclear weapons. a summit starting on thursday, president obama is hosting more than 50 world leaders who will be discussing how to keep nuclear weapons from falling into the wrong hands. >> reporter: tony, the world has yet to witness nuclear terrorism, a prospect for hollywood movies. making a nuclear weapon is difficult, but a dirty bomb using radioactive materials, is terror, because it uses a miniscule amount of radioactive material. as leaders rive for the two day summit in washington, last week's attacks in belgium are

fresh on their minds. the ability of terrorists to we would their explosives into the airport terminal, what if isil had packed the explosives, with neighs, but with radiological material. it's that prospect that keeps the arms controllers up at night. that isil or some other group could obtain radioactive material to make a so-called dirty bomb. a conventional explosive which spreads invisible, but terrifying radioactive dust. >> it's almost unbelievable that isis won't try to do something like this. so we're here in the heart of washington d.c., blocks from the white house. and what would happen if someone set off a radiological bomb right here? >> depending on the wind and the size of the bomb, you would see a cloud of smoke go off. and the radioactive material would drift to the wind, and it would go down to the white house a few blocks bea,

contaminating the white house, and it might spread up the mall to the capital. >> but it wouldn't kill a lot of people right away. >> noun would be dead from the explosion unless you were next to it. and the radioactive materials started to adhere to the sidewalks, you breathe it in, and it acrosses your risk of getting cancer five years old, ten years out. >> would anybody be able to live or work here for years? >> people would flee the area,fully the city, even though five or ten blocks to be contaminated and no one would come back for years, they would have to scrub the sidewalk and the buildings to get rid of the radioactive activity. >> last year, isil operatives recorded of hours of surveillance video at the home of a nuclear executive trying to get the material. >> it would be dangerous and

deeply troubling if isil was able to get its hands on nuclear term, or a nuclear device. and it does underscore why the president has made securing nuclear material around the globe a top priority. >> experts say that the irony is that even as progress is made in securing the nuclear stockpiles, the risk of nuclear terrorism has grown in part because of groups like isil, who appear to be willing to use whatever means are available to attack the u.s. and it's allies. back in 2019, president obama expressed the hope to secure all loose nuclear material during his first term in office, as he convenes this final nuclear summit of his administration, it appears that he has fallen far short of that goal. >> jamie mcintyre for us, and now president obama will talk with his chinese counterpart

tomorrow in washington. this meeting will not have all of the pomp and circumstance of last year's state visit, but the program supersedes any and all project tree. >> recently opened in beijing, china and the u.s., a sign of the two countries believed to have conducted four nuclear how to cope with north korea is something that u.s. president, barack obama, will have to address.

>> what china is thing to do is be so tough on north korea that either the country or the regime become unstable, and that means millions of refugees flooding across the boarder into china, potentially mean a take over of the north by south korea, which is a u.s. ally, and extending the u.s. influence. >> it's not just korea that china ars an expanding u.s. presence. it's here in the china see, where china has become more aggressive in recent years, where it sees it as it's territory. self other nations lay claim to the south china sea. the u.s. said that it's neutral, but some of its actions, including sailing a warship into the area, has angered china. >> president xing is more nationalist, risk tolerant, and he has this vision of china becoming this regional, if not global power.

>> and that vision could affect the relationship with the united states. the u.s. is already a super power, and china wants to become one. to do that, it has to redefine its leadership with the u.s. and the rest of the world. aljazeera, beijing. >> still ahead, understanding the support for donald trump. how the gop frontrunner is dividing republicans, and even republican households.

>> potential trouble for donald trump. his favorability ratings are sinking as he heads into the next contest. and adam has more on this for us. adam. >> good evening, tony. according to the latest polls, less than one-third of americans actually like donald trump. so even if he wins the gop nomination, this could be a big

problem for him heading into the general election, especially in swing states like here in florida. >> coming back to the wall, what's the deal with the wall? >> clearly, she and her husband don't see eye it eye on donald trump. typically a republican voter, stamper is trying to understand her husband's support for donald trump. but she couldn't bring herself to vote for trump two weeks ago. >> i was going to go there, pray about it and go in and look at all of them, and i couldn't do it. >> the couple owns a catering company. and they host debate viewing parties with friends, trying to sort through the noise and examine the issues. >> i think that we need somebody more outspoken, and go to bat for us, the people, and give us what we need to secure our borders. bring big corporations back to america. lower that corporate tax to do that. we need to be the leader.

>> as a small business owner, how does this influence who you're going to vote for? >> this country was founded on small entrepreneurs and small business and the way our hands are being tied today, i think that he can loosen that lynch on us a little bit. >> are you over concerned that you're watching a tv character versus someone who is a genuine politician? >> he has never been a politician, so he's learning as he's going, and he has a lot to learn -- >> don, are you ac with a president running our country who is going to say let me at them, i'll get them, right on national tv? would he be quick to blow people up? come on. >> according to polls, only 31% of americans vw donald trump favorably, down from 30% in

january. the question, is trump losing his luster? >> getting to know him, all of those years on television, his persona, people feel that he is similar, though his life is so very different. >> psychology professor t. diane, studies the power of celebrity, and she's researching donald trump. >> what is the term halo? >> halo in psychology, when you light somebody, or see this they're successful at something, we tend to describe positive trends across the board. so if you're a great athlete, i'm going to assume that you werer smart or kind or generous or honest. and mr. trump, as a celebrity, a lot of people liked him and thought he was entertaining and successful, and they just liked him. you like them and you say you're going to like him no matter what else comes along. i like him, period. but there's a limit to that

over time when perhaps people say things that go against your personal beliefs. >> could policies trump his celebrities? >> could trump trump celebrity? absolutely. it's going to be tarnished. >> florida, a critical swing state, shows hillary clinton beating trump by 8 points in a general election matchup, and that gap could widen. >> a american who is flat chest very hard to be a ten. >> using donald trump's own words against him, it's a strategy that may work against some gop voters like shirley stamper, who is tired of the attacks on women. and as a volunteer who works as a volunteer for the homeless, she wishes that trump would speak more compassionately. >> i would like to hear more

about getting homeless off the streets. and what are you going to do about the small business people who are struggling? let's get these veterans into homes. i've seen a lot. a lot of veterans living under bridges, they have shut them down. i guess that i just need to hear more of the heart stuff. the stuff that we need to see from somebody who believes in us. get out on the streets with us, and see what we deal with on a day-to-day basis. >> i talked to a lot of couples that are having this very political debate right in their own kitchens, and also in the favorability polls, among registered republicans, donald trump's favorability sits at more than 50%, and that's an indicator of the growing divide that we're seeing between the republican party and a lot of independents. >> look at them, this debate is clearly here, you spoke to a

lot of self identified trump supporters, and painting us a picture, there are a lot of trump supporters here in the last week, and in arizona. two factors are motive being them. immigration is one of them. and questions about the economy and small businesses, but what i thought was interesting, tony, a lot of donald trump supporters are not too willing to talk publicly about their support for donald trump. and in fact, i heard the other day about people who wanted to talk about donald trump, but they were afraid to go on camp in support of donald trump for fear of what coworkers might say because of the image. 6. >> adam may, thank you. according to a new poll, hillary clinton now trails bernie sanders in the

contest, double-digit lead, now a 4 point deficit. and clinton isn't succeeding anything. she's making a big push to win over voters in wisconsin and new york, and part of that is the african-american community. sanders' support among african-americans appears to have a ceiling. so let's talk about the black vote and the two candidates for president. patricia rhodes is back on the program. brown university. and the director for the center of race and ethnicity in america. patricia, i'm going to dive in here with you. >> it's my pleasure. >> we'll talk about other issues, but hillary clinton, you know, getting older, and sometimes i see things that aren't really there. so help me with this one. hillary clinton crushes bernie sanders in georgia, alabama, other southern states where there are large black blocks,

making up the democratic electorate, right? but those wins seem to be valued less by the big media houses. bernie wins in a state or two, or three or four or five, with very little black or hispanic populations certainly voting, and he has momentum. am i imagining a slight here, or is there something here to talk about? >> right, well, i think that it's always reasonable to raise questions about when race might be playing a role, so i doubt you're imagining anything, tony. i do think that the big media houses do sort of play down southern voters, and i think that there's some regionalism that happens. but i also think that the black and latino vote is mainly taken for granted. and there's a constant effort in trying to get the white

working class vote. and that emphasis, i think encourages, when you get the large white audiences to vote for you, that's where the momentum would be. >> patricia, we know that blacks don't vote as a monolithic group, right? if the fight for african-americans in this election cycle is for greater wage equality and jobs, and against kind of the finance sector and money in politics, it's maybe that and other things as well, can you make a case that bernie sanders has been more focused on those issues in this campaign than hillary clinton, and therefore is more worthy of more african-american support? >> well, there's no question that fair wages and liveable wages, and getting money out of, you know, campaigns and politics, is extremely important. but i don't think that those are the key issues for

african-americans. that is to say, if those things were solved, they will effect all americans in a positive way. raising the minimum page and providing better benefits, et cetera. but to understand the specific needs of african-americans, you have to confront structural racism in a particular way that african-americans take place. we heard over the 20 years, it's not going to solve what structural racism has created. so in a sense, i would say no, emphasis on those issues, without attending to the role of structuralism.

>> the primary season in the white house, should she get there, have you given some thought of what african-americans should ask of her? >> well, my goodness, i know it's the same answer in some ways, but i'll spend another minute on this idea of structural racism, tony, because look, african-americans are like all americans in many ways, but one of the profound burdens that is extremely significant is the way that systemic, not only disadvantaged policies, practices and attitudes have prowsed terrible outcomes for black people when they work hard, play by the rules and do all the things that we're supposed to do. and you can't fix those problems through individual will. you have to fix them through the approach that tackles the legacy and the way that it focuses on african-american

individuals. hillary has used this phrase, and she was being pushed to the left by bernie, and she was taking this up more, but that needs to be fleshed out. i'm working on it right now, and the more i do, the more i am completely convinced that unless that is tackled as a system, we will not be able to deal with the massive disparity that we see on race in every aspect. >> given bernie sanders, we're told, and we see the audiences with the young people, and the discontent in the democratic party. have you given thought to what the democratic party might want to acknowledge and respond to beyond this election cycle? >> right, well, i think that bernie's positive impact

is going to be felt long-term more than immediately. i don't think he's going to get the democratic nomination, unfortunately, but young people should push all parties to the left as much as possible, because we drifted to a dreadful right wing norm, that has been very destructive for a variety of things, so to me, the way to think about bernie's impact is not only in the moment. but someone who could be branled a crackpot socialist, could be so compelling and so powerful as a voice for every day people, and a fair society, and money out of donations, and all that he stands for, and to galvanize young people into the political system at all is very powerful. and if i were a democratic operative, i would be focused

on harnesses that and figuring out a way to build it. particularly because there are many many progressive whites who are part of that constituency, which is another piece. democratic party that needs to be attended to. >> patricia, good to have you. coming up next on the program, it is a drug used to help police officers save lives. and now the department is hoping that the developers of narcan research the results.

>> seattle police are taking part in a new scientific study in the use of narcam as emergency treatment for heroin overdoses. 60 police officers will collect data on the job over the next six months as part of this first in the nation study. >> reporter: even as a young age, meryl williams was a force to be reckoned with on the ball field. >> he was known as the rocket, because he could throw a softball pitch at 55 miles per hour when she was 12 years old. >> penny said that it was around age 12 when her younger daughter began using drugs. battling depression and drugs and an eating disorder, she turned to alcohol and marijuana. >> she went to rehab in arizona and came out and stayed clean and sober for about six months, and then ended up

taking oxycodone, which led to heroin. >> reporter: in 2011, merah graduated from high school and worked as a coffee barista, she was attended aa meetings. things seemed to be better. >> we were just trying to go pill-free, dug-free of any sort. and that's when she overdoabsed. >> what's your drug of choice? heroin? >> merah's story is playing out across america, grappling with how to handle the explosion of heroin use. >> it isn't just the same urban areas increasing more heroin use. what has really shipped and it's really tonight to understand why we need these tools that can be scaled up quickly, geographically into the rural areas, and it has expanded into people in their teens and 20s. >> he advocates for the drugs

that can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. >> it is a sober bullet, an ant don't. but it has to be at the right place at the right time. >> seattle's bike patrol is now testing that theory. 60 officers will now carry narcan, which costs about $100 her dose. sergeant jim diamond has seen narcan revive a person. >> i was awe-struck at how quick and effective that was. >> to date, no research has shown the impact on police officers carrying narcam. here at the university of washington, is the first study in the country. if the research is positive, seattle could eventually have all officers carrying narcam. >> i feel that the world is so cheated because she left us so

early. >> she is determined to fight for people like merah, because every life is worth saving. >> people are not throwaway people, that's what she always said. >> sabrina rush, reporting for us, and up next, disappearing history. and it is one of america's most popular natural wonders, but has too much development threatened the grand canyon?

>> atlanta is the scene of a new battle pitting progress against preservation. a series of columns that date back to the civil war and a possible sale could put one of the last pieces of the city's pre--war history at risk. >> reporter: atlanta, a modern city with a rich

architectural history, getting back to the civil war, and it's hard to tell because nearly all of those pre and post-war structures are gone, so even a trace of them are impressive. like this one, whose white columns go back to the civil war. it's for sale for around $3 million. >> it's unbelievable. colossal columns, and it's up on the hill. >> reporter: in fact, margaret mitchell, the author of gone with the wind, menges those columns in the novel. they were originally on another building, the lighten house, and in 1920, they were move to this one. >> the columns are some of the few things in atlanta, antebellum, that survived. they were on p street called the liedum house. atlanta is surrounded by these

structures and these wonderful homes, and this one didn't even exist here until recently. it was moved four miles, and cut in half and put into this classic historic neighborhood so the preservation could continue. >> amateur historian, raymond keen, said that other cities have done better in the past. >> they're not up-to-date. and they're hard to maintain. and they're not in the least suitable for modern living. it has always been a progressive town, a mercantile town, and it has been interested in profit. , and they have just torn down and demolished everything that's really old. >> and while atlanta's history is hard to spot, it still does exist. >> if i had the money, and i

wasn't interested in making money, i would love to see it look like it does now in some way. i woulway. i like how big and important it looks, and how different it looks. >> frankly my dear, i don't give a damn. >> representing the old south, but for how long? robert ray, aljazeera, atlanta. >> and finally tonight, we return to the grand canyon, changing forever. developers want to build a resort on the eastern rim, including a controversial tram down to the canyon floor. our special report. >> leave it as it is. words made famous by president teddy roosevelt when he

dedicated the grand canyon in 190. it was later declared a national ter hajj site and one of the wonders of the world. it tracts 5 million visitors a year. the south rim is the tourist side. but now eyes are turning to the east rim, seen here from the desert view lookout. if developers get their way, the view won't look like this anymore. package a massive commercial center perched across the canyon, it would bring hotels, an imax theater, tram, to a pristine area of the canyon, untouch bid tourists. the land belongs to the people of the navajo nation. >> the whole canyon for me is a representation for me of who i am, and where i come from. >> when she first heard about

the projects, she thought it was a cruel joke. >> development. when i first heard about it through our local newspaper, the drawings, the tram will go down to the bottom. and i looked at it and opened the newspaper and laughed. it's hilarious, somebody is playing a joke. >> you didn't think it was real? >> i didn't think it was real. i thought it was like the onion news, or something laughable. >> why didn't you think it was real. >> because it's unfathomable to dig into the heart of the site of the canyon, to put in towers, to develop an area where i go to pray. i laughed in desbelief but the more i read, i got angry. don't they know, this is the

heart of our places. >> the developerbs say that the projects will bring jobs and prosperity to an area in desperate need of economic rescue. two past navajo presidents have thrown their support behind the project. but the current leadership won't talk to aljazeera. on the website, you can hear testimonials. >> i like the grand canyon project because it means a better life. >> this project directly east coasts our people, and it will bring people from all over the world to experience the navajo culture. >> what is that? >> but opposition among many tribe members, like renee yellowhorse is fierce. they accuse developers of misleading promises. >> they opened the door and came in, and said we're going to do this and cram it down

your throat, whether you like it or not. you don't desecrate your most sacred places and expect the people to be appreciative of that. you don't go to the sistine chapel and set up a ferris wheel, and then only give 8 cents on the dollar to the pope. >> we were hoping to speak with the developers about the controversy and the criticism that the project will forever alter the natural beauty of the canyon and the river, but they declined to make themselves available while we were here. we did have the chance to talk with the mark superintendent, dave uraga. >> our fundamental concern is that it degrades the overall experience. the views will be impaired with the development within sight of 30% of the park where the visitors come. the night sky will be jeopardized.

there's no water in this place that they have designated in the place for the development. >> how do you balance the need to protect something like the grand canyon, but also with the need to develop it, and make it accessible to people? how do you balance those two things? >> other than a few parking lots and a transportation system, this place, and you can look around, this place is what it is in the early 1900s, so what they have seen for the last 80, 100 years, is what people will come to experience, and it's what's behind us that's the most important. >> the timeline for the escalade project is unclear, but one of the biggest points of contention is the tram. the canyon is sacred to the tribes, and special for visitors because it's so remote and isolated. if you want to travel to the bottom of the grand kwonion, you have a couple of option, by mule, four or five hours or

hike down, and that takes a day one way. the proposed tram would take people from the rim to the river in a matter of minutes. >> not everybody can go to the bottom of the grand canyon, to those places, and we tried to provide a full spectrum, and what was proposed by the developers in the escalade project, it's an angle to get this many people down to the bottom of the grand canyon. >> it should not be built. not because we say so, but it's our mother, it's the grand canyon. >> aljazeera, grand canyon, arizona. >> that's all of our time, thank you for watching. tony harris in new york >> itony, thank you and donald trump backtracking for something he said. trump said women who