age now relegated to the museum and to the memory of people old enough to remember such a thing ever existed. if you want to get more on that story as well as all the others we've been telling you about, head over to our website, aljazeera.com. is. there has to be some form of punishment. >> for the woman? >> yeah. >> trump's reversal, the republican front-runner quickly changing course after saying women that get abortions should be punished. world leaders converge to washington today with the goal of keeping nuclear weapons ouft of the hands of groups like isil.

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. al jazeera america learned the fbi has completed the examination of hillary clinton's e-mail server. that server dates back to her time as secretary of state. after a year-long investigation sources say federal investigators are close to a decision about whether or not to seek criminal charges against the presidential candidate. al jazeera's david shuster reports. >> thank you. >> reporter: while hillary clinton fights for the democratic presidential nomination, law enforcement sources tell al jazeera the federal investigation into her personal e-mail system while she was secretary of state has reached a critical stage. >> i want to say a word of thanks to the men and women of the fbi. >> reporter: the fbi led by director james clome has

finished, and the sources have said that the fbi team has been joined by justice department prosecutors. together they are now examining the evidence, analyzing relevant laws, and attempting to arrange interviews with key figures in the investigation. those interviews according to attorneys will include former state department aides phillippe rinus, and cheryl mills and clinton herself. soon after those interviews in the next few days and weeks, officials expect the director to make his recommendation to attorney general loretta lynch about potential criminal charges. >> mr. director. >> thank you, attorney general lynch. >> reporter: the two appeared in public together last week for an unrelated matter. while sources say they have discussed the clinton investigation, the only public acknowledgment is his kwirmths to congress he's deeply involved in the case. >> this is one i'm following

very closely and get briefed on regularly. i'm confident we have the people and resources to do it in the way we do all our work, which is promptly, professionally and independently. >> reporter: as part of that effort, fbi officials report nearly 50 agents are assigned to the investigation. last month they secured the cooperation and testimony from pagliano. he's the former state department staffer who set up clinton's home server. clinton has admitted that using her private e-mail system was a mistake, but she insists she did nothing illegal. >> i did not send or receive any e-mails marked classified at the time. >> reporter: meanwhile, clinton's pam contain continues to focus on building up her nomination delegate count. in new york her latest ad targets republican donald trump. >> when some say we can solve americas problems by building walls, banning people based on their religion, and turning against each other, well, this

is new york. we know better. >> reporter: clinton's rival bernie sanders won six of the last democratic contests. he keeps hammering the contrast between the campaigns and the wealthy donors fueling clinton. >> i don't was my time going to rich people's homes begging them for campaign contributions. >> reporter: soon the campaign themes and strategying could be overshadowed because there's now every sign that the clinton e-mail investigation is quickly headed towards a conclusion, whether it's her exoneration or indictment. david shuster, al jazeera. despite the e-mail controversy, clinton is still leading in the race for the democratic nomination. she's ahead of sanders in the delegate count. the next contest, though, is tuesday in wisconsin. there sanders holds a slight lead according to this marquette university poll. 49% to clinton's 45%. donald trump is reversing

himself today after making comments about abortion even republicans are criticizing. during an interview with msnbc's christ mat tus last night, trump said this. >> do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no, as a principle? >> the answer is that there has to be some form of punishment. >> for the woman? >> yeah, some form. >> ten years? what? >> that, i don't know. >> trump later issued a statement saying abortion providers and not women should be the ones punished. fellow presidential candidates jumped on trump what he said. hillary clinton tweeted just when you thought it couldn't get worse, horrific and telling. bernie sanders also weighed in. >> to punish a woman for having an abortion is beyond comprehension. i just -- you know, one would say, what is in donald trump's mind except we're tired of saying that. i don't know what world this person lives in. >> republican rival ted cruz said in a statement once again

donald trump has demonstrated that he hasn't seriously thought through the issues, and he'll say anything just to get attention. meanwhile, cruz leads trump in the latest poll out of wisconsin ahead of tuesday's primary. the marquette university survey has cruz on top by 10 points 40% to 30%, john kasich is third in the survey with 21% of the vote. virginia's governor has v o vetoed a law that would allow discrimination against the lgbt community. the democrat said part of the bill was unconstitutional. it would have banned the state from punishing groups that refuse services to gay marriage. supporters say it protects freedom of religious expression. nuclear issues are front and center in washington. 50 countries are taking part in a summit, but russia, a key nuclear power, is staying away. al jazeera's national security correspondent jamie mcintyre has more from the pentagon. >> reporter: as leaders from

more than 50 countries arrive for the two-day nuclear summit in washington, last week's attacks in belgium are fresh on their minds. the ability of bombers to wheel their explosives into the airport terminal underscores a horrific what if scenario. what if isil had packed the explosives not with nails but radiological material? it's that prospect that keeps arms control add voight indicates up at night. that sigh sill and other group obtains radioactive material to make a dirty bomb, a conventional explosive that spreading invisible and terrifying radioactive dust. >> it's almost unbelievable that isis won't try to do something like this. >> so we're here at vermont and l street northwest in the heart of washington, d.c. just blocks from the white house. what would happen if someone set off a radiological bomb right here? >> depending on the wind and the size of the bomb, you'd see a big cloud of smoke go up.

the radioactive material would start to drift with the wind. it would go down to the white house just a few blocks away, contaminating the white house. it might spread up the mall to the capitol and contaminate the capitol. >> reporter: it wouldn't kill a lot of people right away. >> no one would be dead from the explosion until you were right next to it. the poisonous material would adhere to the buildings and sidewalks. you breathe in a speck of this, it increases your risk of getting cancer five, ten years out. that's the risk. >> reporter: no one could live or work here for years? >> everybody would flee the area in a panic. people would flee the city, even though only 5 to 10 square blocks are contaminated and no one would come back for risk of getting cancer. it would take years for crews to scrub the buildings, to scrub the sidewalks, to get rid of the radioactivity. >> reporter: last year bellian police discovered hours of video

at a executive, some say of its desire to obtain nuclear material. >> it would be very dangerous and deeply troubling if isil was able to get its hands on nuclear material or even a nuclear device. it does underscore why the president has made securing nuclear material around the globe a top priority. >> reporter: jamie mcintyre, al jazeera, the pentagon. william toby is a senior fellow for science and international affairs. earlier i asked what the chances are that a group like isil could get its hands on enough nuclear material to weaponize it. >> the chances of such an event are low, but they could still be lower. we need further work to ensure that all nuclear materials are secured to a very high degree. you're quite correct in pointing out the belgian example.

>> is that a vulnerable facility, and where are are there vulnerable spots? are there vulnerable spots in in country? >> there are dozens of countries that have nuclear weapons or weapons useable materials, and not all of those materials are locked up to a state where we would have complete confidence. there have been roughly 20 cases in which highly enriched uranium and plutonium is seized outside of authorized control. several of those cases have been in this century in 2003, 2006, 2010 and 2011. so it remains an ongoing problem. each of those cases is proof-positive of a security failure. the good news is that in none of those cases was there sufficient material to make a bomb. the bad news is that in most of those incidents there was a

claim that the material was a small sample of a larger amount that was available. >> since president obama launched the first nuclear security summit in 2010, stockpiles of radioactive material have been removed or downblended from more than 50 facilities in 30 countries. this morning people in oklahoma are assessing the damage from severe storms that spawned at least one tornado. seven people were injured in the tulsa area. that storm system also caused violent turbulence on a plane flying through oklahoma. two flight attendants were injured in the incident, and that storm system is a threat today. let's bring in nicole mitchell of what to expect. >> most of the reports were hail but half a dozen were turneds through the plains yesterday. anywhere from the great lakes southward heavy amounts of rain and still on the backside a little bit of snow. most of the advisories have been canceled out here, and it's winding down. still, it's been days that we've been dealing with snow in some cases.

now, the rain is a bigger threat. heavier amounts into parts of mississippi today. that's where the core of this has been, especially through the rest of the south. widespread areas, all the greens are different. flood advisories or watches and the red is places where we have flooding occurs in some roads becoming impassable. with the heat and instability we have the severe risk through the course of the day. the highlighted area in orange is where we have the most enhanced risk. hail is still the primary threat, but like yesterday wouldn't be surprised at all to see a few tornadoes out of this. by the day tomorrow this slides to the east. the le then it lessens somewhat. the rain hits the coastline later tonight, and most of the east coast is under rain tomorrow. as i said, saturday starts to improve, and it's a pretty quiet forecast for a lot of the country through the weekend. >> good. clearer skies ahead. thank you. come uppiing up, access to abortion pill.

the fda eases restrictions to allow more women to take the controversial drug. ial drug.

>> al jazeera america - proud to tell your stories... of desperate journeys. a global crisis. >> it was a disaster in the making. the camp is over-congested. >> there is no humanity in this world. >> it's not fair, i'm very sad, nobody cares for me. >> this disaster is booming business time for criminal gangs. >> i want to tell the world,

"stop the war". >> on the front lines here at home. >> people manage to get across this border one way or another. >> members of the u.s. house and the u.s. senate have recklessly disregarded protecting these borders. >> to see this many people that have perished trying to make it. >> all of these people shouldn't be dead. >> these are people that are coming in that we really don't know a lot about... we're afraid. >> i think it's important that we don't play into the hands of these terrorist organizations because that's the tactics they use. >> the hopes, dreams and realities. >> for hundreds of refugee families, this represents a new start. >> philadelphia grew in the first time for 60 years, because of the immigrant communities. they are welcome... it is a safe place. >> if i become a good engineer, i can really contribute to the host community. >> i miss my country but it's safer here. >> my parents came here to the u.s. for a better life, but people say i don't belong here... i'm an american too.

>> al jazeera america - proud to tell your stories. violence in chicago has reached levels unseen in nearly two decades. there have been 135 homicides during the first quarter of 2016. that's a 71% jump from the same time last year. at least 727 people have been shot so far this year, up 73% from 422 last year. the city is on course to top 500 homicides this year for only the second time since 2008. authorities say gang conflicts and the proliferation of guns have helped to fuel the violence. 61 prisoners will be free as part of president obama's push to change sentencing laws. the main target is low level drug offenders serving long sentences. john henry smith reports. >> by exercising these presidential powers, i have the chance to show people what a

second chance can look like. >> reporter: president obama continued to exercise his power to pardon like few presidents before him, commuting the prison sentences of 61 drug offenders. the white house says the president has now commuted 248 sentences, more than the previous six presidents combined. at lunch with seven former prisoners, obama sdz the punishments for drug offenses increasingly haven't fit the crime. >> as all of you know, it's been one of my top priorities for us to bring about a more sensible, more effective approach to our criminal justice system, particularly whether it comes to drug crimes. >> reporter: more than a third of the 61 prisoners president obama has pardoned were serving life sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. a 2013 report from the aclu showed more than 3200 people nationwide were serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for non e

nonviolent drug-related crimes. the total cost to taxpayers is over $1.7 billion. >> that's not serving anybody. it's not serving taxpayers or public safety. >> reporter: emphasizes treatment over incarceration for drug abuse has been a major point of emphasis for the president. he says he's getting support from both sides of the aisle. >> i'm very grateful that speaker ryan and others have expressed an interest in starting to call these bills and seeing if we can get them moving before this congress adjourns. >> reporter: john henry smith, al jazeera. molly gill is the director of federal legislative affairs at families against mandatory minimums. she says president obama has set a precedent with these commutations. >> i think he's using every power he has available to get the message to congress that they need to pass criminal justice and sentencing reform legislation as soon as possible.

he has done what he can do using the constitutional pardon power. you know, the sentencing commission, which writes federal sentencing guidelines, reduced sentences. it's really congress who is missing in action here, and they are the last body that needs to pass legislation. president obama can grant as many commutations as he likes, but he can't change laws. until these laws change we'll see crazy drug sentences in the future. >> the most recent commutations that obama excused, what happens to them on july 28th? how do they re-enter society? >> well, i think the delayed re-entry date is to help them transition into society. you know, the obama administration has been trying to do this in a responsible way. they're very concerned about re-entry and re-offending, so that period of time, that lag time is time that the offender would spend in a halfway house getting help to transition back into the community.

none of these people are just going to be dumped on street corners. all of these people also will have a lengthy period of supervision under a probation officer after their release. sometimes for up to five, even seven or eight years. >> gill says, in fact, there's a backlog of 9,000 cases of inm e inmates appealing for clemency. protests in minneapolis as the prosecutor failed to charge two officers in the death of a black man. the county attorney says there was strong evidence to back the decision. >> the criminal charges are not warranted against either officer. >> reporter: hennepin county prosecutor mike freeman made the decision more than four months after 24-year-old jamar clark was shot in the head during a scuffle with the police officers. >> he said that as the officers approached clark, he had -- he, clark, had quote, this thousand yard stare, end quote.

>> in the early morning hours of november 15th of last year, minneapolis police responded to a report that clark assaulted his girlfriend. police said he was also blocking paramedics from treating her. officers also described clark, who had alcohol and traces of marijuana in his system, as acting erratically. on wednesday prosecutor freeman spent more than 30 minutes laying out the evidence in the case. he released witness and police video from the night of the shooting. contrary to some witness reports, freeman says the investigation found that clark was not handcuffed during the confrontation, and freeman says that dna evidence supports claims that clark refused to take his hands off of riggenberg's gun. >> schwartze took his handcuffs off and couldn't get them on clark. in the ensuing struggle he dropped the cuffs. riggenberg told his partner, he's got my gun. he's got my gun.

riggenberg recalled hearing schwartze tell clark to let go of the gun or he would shoot. riggenberg heard clark say, quote, i'm ready to die. >> however, the president of the local naacp chapter questions the prosecutor's narrative. >> jamar clark's case isn't happening in a vacuum. it's a part of a pattern and practice of discrimination and abusive behavior that's been allowed to persist. it's also part of a pattern in which officers are allowed to kill without inpun knit. we're not going to tolerate it anymore. >> reporter: hundreds of people disappointed in the prosecutor's decision turned out for a rally. the group is nademanding that t police department reform. clark's death tipped off weeks of protests ahead of wednesday's decision, the chief of police urged for peace and calm. >> we're peaceful, you know. nonviolent protesters. that's how we've always been and

how we demonstrated and called for. we let the city know that, you know, 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 trying to maintain the peace, but at the end of day it's in god's hands. the fda has relaxed guidelines for the abortion pill. rights groups say the changes expand options for women, but anti-abortion groups say the drug poses serious risks. we have the report. >> reporter: the fda says women can now take the abortion pill up to 70 days into pregnancy instead of the prior guideline of 49 days. the agency also lowered the dosage of the medication and made it easier for women to get a prescription for it. abortion rights groups say the label update will expand options early in pregnancy, particularly in states where access to medication abortion is under attack including ohio, north dakota and texas, which has laws that require abortion

providers to adhere at least in part to fda approved labeling. >> a lot of girls down here are desperate and some girls commit suicide. there are girls trying every conceivable method to abort. >> it applies to the misoprex that blocks pro jes rhone. a day after that the woman takes a second drug to expel the pregnancy. anti-abortion activists say the fda restated in rare occasions it causes infection or death. americans united for life says the new label confirms the deadly reactions of chemical abortion and underscores the need for in-person expectation and follow-up care. >> like in any medication you take, if you take it without medical supervision, you don't know what the side effect is, what the possible consequences are. >> the fda says more recent scientific data shows it was time for an update. many doctors have been diverging

from the old fda protocol, a practice known as prescribing off-label. up next, atlanta's disappearing history. why the city is struggling to protect its landmarks.

al jazeera america. atlanta is the scene of a new battle pitting progress against preservation. as robert ray explains it could put one of the few remaining pieces of the pre-war history at risk. >> reporter: atlanta, a modern city with a rich architectural history dating back to the rebuilding after the civil war, though it's hard to tell because all of the preand post-war structures are gone. even a trace of them is impressive. like this apartment complex whose white columns date back to before the civil war. it's for sale for reportedly around $3 million. >> unbelievable colonnade and columns. it's up on the hill. >> reporter: in fact, margaret

mitchell, the author of "gone with the wind" mentions those columns in the novel. she was on another building when it was demolished in 1912, they were moved to this one. >> the columns are some of the very few things in atlanta that are architectural that have survived. they were on a house called the lyden house. it's not known for preserving old classic homes and architecture. we have a neighborhood surrounded by big structures and wonderful homes. this one didn't exist here nm recently. it was moved four miles. it was cut in half and put into this classic historic neighborhood so the preservation could continue. amateur historian raymond keen says other southern cities have done a much better job of preserving the past. >> atlanta just has a different attitude. it's always been a progressive town. it's been a mercantile town.

it's been interested in profit, and they have just torn down sad demolished everything really old. >> they're not up-to-date and expensive to maintain. they're not in the least bit modern or suitable for modern living. >> reporter: white atlanta's history is often hard to spot, it does still exist perched on a hill surrounded by magnolia trees awaiting a buyer. >> oh, i'd love to see it. if i had the money and i wasn't interested in making money, i'd love to see it look like it does now in some way. i like how big and important it looks and how different it looks. >> reporter: gone with the wind the other structures may be, but not the columns. >> frankly my dear, i don't give a damn. >> reporter: representing the old south, but for how long?

robert ray, al jazeera, atlanta. thanks for watching. i'm stephanie sy. this is al jazeera. welcome to the al jazeera news hour. the top stories now. iraqi cleric sadr says he's ending his sit-in in baghdad's green zone. south africa's highest court finds want president guilty of violating the constitution after he used public money to renovate his home. a bridge under construction in eastern india collapses, killing at least 15 people. many more are trapped.