the wwf is warning that it is not just harming the environment, but also the people that these ecosystems support. plenty of more news on our website. aljazeera.com is the address. god bless the great state of wisconsin. [ cheers and applause ] >> let me take this opportunity -- >> underdog upsets, ted cruz and bernie sanders win big in wisconsin, and their victories could be game changers in the race for the white house. >> i have been pushing for years to eliminate some of the injustices in our tax system. >> the big merger that is now off because of the new rules.

and business fallout backlash against new laws in the south that many say discriminate against the lbgt community. ♪ this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy. the underdogs in the presidential race are moving ahead today with big momentum, after decisive wins in wisconsin. ted cruz defeated donald trump in the primary. winning almost all of the state's delegates. bernie sanders topped hillary clinton winning more than half of the delegates and tightening the race to the nomination. david shuster begins our coverage. >> we won in wisconsin! [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: for democrat bernie sanders and republican ted cruz it was the night both nomination challengers had been hoping for. >> god bless the great state of

wisconsin. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: with nearly all of the wisconsin primary votes counted, cruz soundly defeated republican front runner donald trump. the outcome means trump's path to the nomination will be more difficult, because his odds of winning enough delegates before the summer convention are now slim. trump who campaigned hard in wisconsin did not speak tuesday night. but cruz was banking on a contested convention, celebrated in milwaukee, loudly. >> three weeks ago the media said, wisconsin was a perfect state for donald trump. [ booing ] >> but the hard-working men and women of wisconsin stood and campaigned tirelessly to make sure that tonight was a victory for every american. >> reporter: in the democratic race, bernie sanders's wisconsin win is now his seventh victory

in the last eight contests. >> real change never ever takes place from the top on down. it always takes place from the bottom on up. >> reporter: sanders margin of victory was fuelled in part by younger voters and by white working class democrats, many angry at free trade. wisconsin's manufacturing base over the past decade has been hollowed out, and sanders made sure voters were aware of his efforts to block free trade deals that clinton supported. sander's wisconsin victory could give him a crucial bounce heading into new york's primary in two weeks. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: in order to close the overall lead, sanders still needs to win 57% of all pledged delegates that remain. >> when we stand together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. >> reporter: in the end,

wisconsin was a rough state for the party front runners, raising new questions about their campaign strengths, and keeping their challenger's hopes alive. david shuster, aljazz. the victories mean the gap with the front runners is getting tighter. for republicans donald trump still leads with 739. ted cruz is close behind him with 502. bernie sanders is also getting close to hillary clinton. he now trials by less than 250 delegates, though if you add in super-delegates her lead is much larger. >> reporter: the results proved one thing last night. the newspaper is saying shaking things up. and in fact it is on the republican side. ted cruz winning by 13 points over donald trump, and it wasn't necessarily an affinity for senator cruz to propel him, it was a movement backed by scott walker, the governor here among

others saying this is the time for never trump and it turned into a movement. so much so even in wisconsin, ted cruz won the congressional district, banishing john kasich who wasn't able to get anything going in this state, because people wanted the candidate who could beat donald trump to change the momentum of this race. going now into states like new york, pennsylvania thereafter, along with connecticut, delaware, maryland, rhode island, other states that will be stronger states for donald trump presumably, and maybe even for john kasich. on the democratic side bernie sanders is the itch that just won't go away for hillary clinton. and we're seeing that bernie sanders is beginning to win delegate-rich states. but he only won by 3 delegates here in wisconsin. and that's he problem he has in

his steep climb, and the biggest problem for him is new york. and hillary clinton plans to get a little tougher in that state, giving an interview today with "politico," where she is talking about things like the fact that bernie sanders may not in fact be a real democrat. so now the attention turning to whether or not hillary clinton can look at the sander's candidacy and say, and she did to barack obama in 2008, this is my state now, and i am going to win here. but for now in wisconsin, the results are the front runners lost, and the race goes on. >> michael shure reporting from milwaukee. after his loss donald trump lashed out at ted cruz, in a statement he said ted cruz is worse than a puppet, he is a trojan horse, attempting to steal the nomination from

mr. trump. and trump is offering more details about his proposed border wall with mexico. in a two-page memo to the "washington post," trump outlined how he plans to force mexico to pay for the 1,000-mile fence. part of the plan is threatening to cut off the flow of payments that immigrants send home. president obama called the proposal half baked. this morning a huge pharmaceutical merger is off. pfizer is scrapping its $160 billion deal. this after the treasury department rolled out new rules to crack down on tax inversions, corporate mergers designed to get around paying u.s. taxes. >> that's why i have been pushing for years to eliminate some of the injustices in our tax system. so i am very cleared that the treasury department has taken new action to prevent more

corporations from taking advantage of one of the most insidious taxing loopholes out there. san francisco is now home to the most generous family-leave plan in the country. a new law there gives parents new protections when they have a baby, but as our correspondent reports, not everyone is on board. >> reporter: in an historic move, san francisco's board of supervisors unanimously voted to give new parents six weeks of paid leave. >> if you have that extra pay you can have a family and go back to work. >> reporter: california already has one of the most generous family-leave laws in the country, giving employees 55% of their wages for up to six weeks. the latest proposal would force businesses with 20 or more employees to pay the other 45%.

>> we need to stop making parent decide between having a family or putting food on the table. >> reporter: it takes effect next year, and is getting a mixed reception from the business community. >> i think it's a long time coming that we get mandated, paid maternity leave, but on the other hand, is this really one more responsibility of the small business peon. >> in restaurant environment you are going to have to pay 45% of someone's salary, and then hire someone else and pay them to work in that person's job. >> reporter: the chamber says it supports expanded leave, but the business members may find it challenging. the office of economic analysis found that the ordinance would likely increase household

spending, but could slow down job creation. a dramatic rescue to show you from a rapidly growing wildfire in northern oklahoma. >> come on guys. >> you need to get out of it. >> get out. >> that man was attempting to drive his truck away from the fire and got stuck. just as he ran for safety, you can see the truck is engulfed in flames. about 300 residents in the area have been told to evacuate. a different story in michigan, more snow is expected to fall today, up to a foot in some places. the severe weather has forced schools to close. nickel mitchell with more. >> it is all part of the same system that is causing snow to high winds back behind it.

through the plains the highest winds are in the northern plains, we have easily had wind gusts today over 40 miles an hour. the southern plains still gusty. but the snow even more significant for other places. another 2 to 3 inches on top of what we have already seen. and then it continues to move its way into the northeast. northern parts of new england get the snow, southern portions get the rain. not very likely it will be severe weather with this particular system, and a very wet day for portions of the northeast as all of this continues to move tomorrow back behind this. there is still some spotty chances for that snow to continue. now with all of that, the temperature is definitely going down as the system goes through. ahead of this, into the 40s and 50s on the east coast. that goes up a little bit and

then back down. temperatures in some cases 10 to 20 degrees above average here in the southwest. phoenix is at 96. that goes down into tomorrow, though, because of this moisture doing in, finally for thursday and friday, good chances for rain in the southwest where it is desperately needed. >> thank you, nicole mitchell. still ahead, mississippi enacted a bill that critics say discriminates against lbgt people.

>> ali velshi, getting to the heart of the matter. >> what if there were no cameras here, would be the best solution? >> this goes to the heart of the argument. >> people out here are struggling and just trying to get by with whatever they can. >> new york city has a higher level of inequality of wealth than honduras and india. >> people need to demand reform. >> it's coming together little by little. >> we're making it the best that we can. >> we're not deterred. we're building a historic project here. >> how big do you see this getting? >> we're trying to get a feel for what the people of iran are thinking right now. >> the galleries and the art and the parties, everything. it's getting better. >> greece is this close to running out of cash. i went there to show you first-hand. >> if you paid taxes, you expect to having something back. >> the city is a powder keg at the moment. >> we're back square minus one. >> now it's time for something different. >> this is the entrance to the

global seed vault. nations around the world contribute stashes of every kind of seed imaginable if something really bad were to happen, humankind can start all over again. >> all year long we are continuing with our conversation on america's middle-class. >> i'm on a mission that i have to keep. keep this business going. >> the middle-class is a reflection of a city's economic health. it fuels the local economy like it's been doing here at philadelphia's italian market for the last 100 years. >> these are middle-class people who decided it's much better to come back here and they're working to fight to make changes. >> proud to tell your stories. alabama's governor is facing impeachment. state lawmakers have started formal proceedings against the governor. he is accused of having an affair with a staffer. >> we're looking at this governor who has essentially

betrayed the trust of the people of alabama. as such the only coarse the people have to address this issue is through the impeachment process. >> bentley denies the allegat n allegations. he says he will fight the move to impeach him. the lieutenant governor says she is ready to step in if she has to. officials in california say the leak at porter ranch could lead to summertime blackouts. >> the leak in the storage field is permanently sealed. >> reporter: that february announcement trumpeted the end of nearly four months of math thank gas leaking. but now there's a new worry for the millions of people in and around los angeles, while only one of the sites was leaking, the state has ordered all the

wells shut down until they can be tested sfchl and four state government commissions say that means the loss of one fifth of the gnat call gas capacity. their report warns that will mean up to 14 days of blackouts during the hot summer months. also residents should expect an additional 8 to 18 days offages later in the year. the community has already suffered health problems from exposure to the methane gas spill. >> our 13 old daughter has been sick as well, and missed school. >> reporter: the state's analysis has drawn protests from the utility industry. one executive saying plenty of natural gas remains to serve the region's typical summer needs, and that reports hinting at

blackouts are irresponsible. a new development today on that rolling stone article about the alleged gang rape at the university of virginia. the central figure has been ordered to answer questions in a federal defamation lawsuit. an associate dean while -- filed the suit against rolling stone. there is growing backlash to a new mississippi law. companies like ibm and microsoft has condemned the bill. as al jazeera's paul beban tells us, it's the latest anti-lbgt law passed in the south. >> reporter: the governor wasted no time signing the bill hours after the legislature approved it. >> i think it protects the religion freedoms, and so did

the legislature, and so do the majority of the people of mississippi. >> reporter: but mississippi democrats and many employers in the state disagree, saying what the law does is give legal cover to those who want to discriminate against the lbgt community. and that it will cost the state dearly. mississippi needs only to look as far as north carolina to see how damaging discrimination can be. >> reporter: last month north carolina passed a law preventing towns and cities from approving their own civil rights protections for the lbgt community. it forces people to use bathrooms according to the gender on their birth certificates. the tar heel state is feeling the heat. paypal announced it was canceling a major expansion in

north carolina. >> i believe paypal will accept our consumer money in north carolina as they accept money in nation throughout the world that frankly have disagreements with some of the policies that are disagreeing with in north carolina. >> reporter: a number of majors have banned all but essential travel of their employees to north carolina. georgia faced similar threats after lawmakers there approved a similar bill. last week the governor vetoed it. >> i do not think that we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community is georgia. >> reporter: governors in virginia and south dakota have also vetoed similar bills. still some states seem determined to resist. despite paying a price.

paul beban al jazeera. the senate begins hearing a bill today that improves early childhood development and education for native americans this is a unique situation because funding for the bureau of indian education schools by the federal government, and many say the government has failed these schools. today's bill proposed by arizona republican senator john mccain would give students attending the bureau schools access to education savings accounts. parents can use that money to pay for private school tuition, and other related items and services. many say it would provide a lifeline out of a failing school system and give familiar list more choice. a senior program officer oversees an early childhood education initiative, and she

thinks the bill would be a good thing for native american communities. >> we have spent a lot of time talking about k-12 education and most recently we have put more light on post secondary education in terms of funding disparities, but we also need to be paying attention to those early parts of a young child's life in which the family and the community really need to be able to shape that child's learning opportunities. in the bureau of indian affair schools they have been working on trying to incorporate native language and culture into the curriculum and have been working on engaging the community in reviving those efforts. but it's a hard conversation to have when we place it in sort of a dichotomy of we're in failing schools, it's broken. but i think i would like to

focus more on what are native communities ready to do? >> only 53% of students in schools run by the bureau actually graduate. the national average is 81%. charged up, and ready to go, the race cars fulfilling the need for speed without gas.

>> these people have decided that today they will be arrested. >> i know that i'm being surveilled. >> people are not getting the care that they need. >> this is a crime against humanity. >> hands up... >> don't shoot. >> hands up... >> don't shoot. >> what do we want? >> justice. >> when do we want it? >> now. >> explosions going on... we're not quite sure - >> is that an i.e.d.? >> al jazeera america brings you independent reporting without spin. >> not everybody is asking the questions you're asking me today. >> we give you more perspectives >> the separatists took control a few days ago. >> and a global view.

>> now everybody in this country can hear them. >> getting the story first-hand. >> they have travelled for weeks, sometimes months. >> what's your message then? >> we need help now. >> you're watching al jazeera america. for the high-performance racing community, electric cars have always been considered a joke. but now they are defeating gas-powered cars. >> reporter: it's all the muscle and excitement of auto racing, except for one thing. >> here are the lights -- >> reporter: at the green light all you tear is tires. the 2016 formula e race is the world's premier electric vehicle competition. winning this race can be the ticket into formula 1, the big

time. so formula e attracts real drivers. the difficulty is teaching them to be fast but efficient, a new way to drive. >> it's very hard to train someone who's natural reaction is power! go for it. but leaving corners with progressive throttle as opposed to on and off throttle. >> i'm used to the sound. i miss the sound. i always listened to the engine. i can't do that anymore. so i really need to look at the steering wheel. >> reporter: they are practicing to switch out tires. but here is a measure of just how primitive e racing is. at this point the battery won't last as long as the tires do. if all goes well, they won't ever really have to do this during the race. driven hard the battery only lasts around 20 minutes, so it

defines everything about this roughly 45-minute race. most of this is battery. >> yes, this huge box here, and you can't see up here, but it goes up into the cockpit. >> so it's impossible to take the battery out? you can't refuel it in a pit stop, right? >> the driver gets out of car number 1 and hops in car number 2 and takes off in a different car. >> reporter: oh, wow. in conventional races a driver never gets out of a car. >> it's quite exciting to jump from one car to another. it's different than what i'm used to. you have around 32 seconds to change from one car to the other and be completely ready. so sometimes it's quite tight, but normally you would do it around 26, 27 seconds. ♪ >> reporter: racing is at a turning point. at the pike's peak international

hill climb an electric vehicle beat all internal combustion challengers for the first time ever. now even the drivers could be replaced. in 2010 audi and stanford university sent an autonomous vehicle up the course. and next year's course will feature a robot division. can it avoid the other cars on the track while handling the curves. >> i suspect they will find it harder than they think. i think they can probably drive around the track fairly quickly. but what happens when the bloke in front of you is spinning, which way does it go? season 1, turn 1, 20 cars all firing to the same corner, that will be the moment when the

question is actually answered. >> reporter: in a few decades it's up likely any professional races will involve gasoline, and they may not even involve a human at the wheel. jake ward, al jazeera, long beach, california. a three-legged u.s. marine dog has been awarded the highest award for animals. three tours in iraq and afghanistan she did. but on her final patrol an explosive went off and she lost her leg. the 12 year old now retired german sheperd and is the first marine corps dog to receive that honor in the u.k. i'm stephanie sy in new york. the news continues live from doha next. have a great day. ♪

>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello there, i'm nick clark, this is the news hour live from doha. coming up, risking everything to make it to europe. we meet the refugees who say they have nowhere else to go. a fragile ceasefire in nagorno. we'll have the latest. i'm tania page in south africa, where rising food