when an asteroid crash through the atmosphere over russia, producing a shock wave that caused mass injuries and structural damage. it's a scenario scientists of long talked about this mission may be vital in protecting our planet. that's easy, crucial components of understanding. what 3rd, that goes to our old plan of the earth. we can't defend our self from objects which we don't know anything about next month. nasa plans to launch its dark spacecraft with the intention of deliberately colliding with an asteroid. it's all part of a planetary defense strategy, even as lucy begins, it's years long. search for answers and the gallagher al jazeera miami, florida. ah, exactly half past the hour. these are your top stories. the afghan taliban is promising to increase security at she a most after another major attack. funerals are being held in kandahar following

a bombing on friday. the killed at least 48 people i saw in afghanistan has claimed responsibility. stephanie decker has more from cobble. it is a strong message that there is an issue to deal with the or the taliban taking it very seriously. just 2 days ago, the interior ministry giving a press conference warning about infiltration within taliban ranks. and, you know, telling its fighters to be vigilant and also just moving around the capital. today, we saw it across the ministries that security has been tightened and there is an increased awareness certainly of what could be potential attacks in the future. so it is a message from iso now that the taliban is no longer an insurgency group. they have been fighting each other for quite some time, trying to stabilize it. now, as it tries to govern, testers have gathered incidence capital to demand greater representation in governments. ronnie was organized by an alliance of armed groups and opposition. members. there is a growing tension between civilian and military leaders. the prime minister says the divisions of crossing b quotes west crisis,

yet in the countries transition to civilian rule. the lebanese prime minister has indicated he will not intervenes, remove or defend the judge who is investigating the explosion of the beirut port. last year, 7 people were killed in sectarian violence on thursday. after has bala called a protest to them on the replacement of the judge. after meeting the minister of justice, the prime minister, not cheap mccarty said his government would not interfere with the work of the judiciary. the u. k. 's home secretary has ordered a security review after the killing of the mp david amos, the prime minister held tributes alongside the leader of the main opposition. u. k . police, the describing the stabbing as a terrorist incident. the french president has condemned a crackdown on algerian protests that happened 60 years ago in paris. emanuel mackerel was marking anniversary of the event in 1961 algerians have been protesting against french colonial rule when the police reacted violently and

dozens of demonstrations were killed. speaking on saturday microns at the crack down was inexcusable. those are the headlines. the news continues here on al jazeera, after full lines, more news on this channel. in fact, he see that, ah oh, in within this a word that i can describe hobb infinity which whenever i, you know, did i've been a causeway, something i didn't do? i'm doing that word dictionary and i've been waking up like dead since 1996. i think about it all day every day. afforded no,

probably 50. ready december so you have spent all of your young adult life into now in prison. and you, you basically see i grew up in prison. brandon jackson was convicted of armed robbery in 1997, a crime. he says he didn't commit and sentenced to life. the verdict and brandon's chase was not unanimous 10 years, but a guilty. 2 jurors voted not guilty in 48 out of 50 states. brandon would have had the right to me trial. ready but not in louisiana. ready it's important to have a unanimous jury verdict because it is important to make sure that there are not reasonable doubts as to someone's guilt. so in one or 2 jurors will say that they have a doubt about guilt. how you can continue to put someone in prison is, is beyond me. brandon has been fighting to get out of prison for years. in 2020,

there was hope when the supreme court ruled that these convictions were unconstitutional. but the court later said the ruling would not be retroactive, meaning brandon wouldn't get a new trial. and you, you all did it with across the julian. boy, you speak really? you know why we know why? because you eat a victim more african american males than indeed any other race fault lines partnered with the lens. a non profit news room in new orleans to investigate the path forward for people locked up on non unanimous convictions. have you thought through what the day would be like the day that you leave prison? don't they? that i look forward to a very they replied deal. my mind is probably just to look. wow. is it? you know, it's just dog, my mom and justin. oh we're and just general, you know,

our loan is here where she had to say because i had no, she never stopped grand. ah ah, happy mothers day. he is, you're hard headed so you are my mother, father, family and bish green. i'm praying that our will be drying when i go to cool. so as you bow waves dawn, pray for my release. the remember in his time, not hours. you have a special relationship with brian because he was the one that needed me most and i didn't love my other kids and and ms. but brandon was always sickly. as a young child,

brandon had severe asthma and needed constant medical attention. so he spent his 1st 15 years in house on the breathed the machine, or else he was in a half bedroom. more than less, he was a shared key. when he turned 15 now was able to master his tags. he tried to make go. but the time that he had now, and that's when he beginning to dear to the male trying to fit in and given. what has it been like for you as a mother to have him be put behind bars for so long is indescribable. you don't bring your child into the world to become a prisoner. and to me, an estate i lose an hour being incarcerated is just another form of slavery. he

hasn't been progress. have i'm busy, jam 25 years. nobody visited him, but me and i my family has died. and so right now i'll, he hes, is me to 24 years after his conviction. brandon's asking for a new trial based on the fact that the verdict in his case was non unanimous list of people, families that are with us today. and was trying to help us in our elderly days. and as a blessing associated with ms. cheryl, it's july and there's a hearing of the court house and bowser parish north west louisiana. brandon's fate is in the hands of a judge in this conservative part of the state, the district attorney, or da here, as opposed brandon's effort to get out how many hearings have you been? oh, to live now. and how are you feeling about the hearing that we're going to to day?

i just pray for a positive outcome because my hopes have been dash o manage on gone to this core. how brandon ended up with a life sentence for a crime in which no one was hurt is as much a story about the harsh laws passed in the 19 ninety's during the so called war on drugs. the prosecutor seized on 3 previous drug convictions to give brendan life in 2019, his sentence was reduced to 40 years that made him eligible for parole for the 1st time. but his application was denied. his mother was devastated. at the hard jew must lay every kiss at our rear as wireless duration. not just hold it in hell, then holding. so it's yours. took

a townhome. i'm glad you thought that the heart attack was because of what happened to brandon. yeah. it, it, it was in the cow, but it help here now go hard. good. take so much. brandon jackson's trial was here at the bowser parish court house. he was accused of robbing an applebee's restaurant at gunpoint. there was no physical evidence that connected him to the crime, but the state had a star witness. tell me who has joseph young? oh, joseph young was my brother in law. he was all day my sister at the time. joseph young worked at the applebees. he initially denied any involvement in the robbery, but later changed his story and told police he planned it with brandon. he said he opened up the back door and let 2 armed men walk in. they tied up the staff and stole more than $6000.00. nobody was injured. young testified that brandon was one

of the 2 gunmen and paid him $1000.00 to participate. did you come at the robbery? no. in the edward did show that none of the de description of the individuals looked alike mean. oh, was built like me and all that was brought up. the biggest thing to me is that no physical evidence were found on brandon jackson's person. no physical evidence was found in his home. all the evidence of an know thing prints on the guns or money didn't have, they couldn't like any of that to brandon jackson's finger, correct. and so like all they have is the testimony of joseph young. we obtained and reviewed the transcripts of brandon's trial. so right here the prosecutor is questioning joseph young and he asked them so he would hope that this helps you with your sentence. is that correct? in other words,

you're testifying against your friend to reduce your sentence and clear as day. joseph young says yes sir. joseph young serve 3 months in jail and was placed on probation for his role when the robbery we also obtained and digitized a videotape that hasn't been seen in 25 years. it's a statement joseph young gate to brandon's lawyer at the time before the trial. he claimed that neither of the robbers looked like brandon, brandon dashed right. yes. and you know how he felt? neither of and bill the judge didn't allow the jury to see this video ruling that joseph young had made the statement in competence to an attorney. he was a star witness. how common is it that the star witness would be changing his story? more common than you think, but it's still ultimately problematic. but i think even without that video being admitted to evidence, something in the way that the state presented the case convinced 2 years ago not

guilty. and so in most states, it would have been a miss trial in louisiana. it was a, it was enough to convict him what sticks out with brandon's case is what sticks out with so many other men and women's cases that we have with non unanimous tre verdicts. and it's that there are serious doubts as to guilt right. ah, the accuracy of these convictions are really in doubt. they involve witnesses who get a benefit for testifying against another. as was the case and brandon's, they involve long sentences. this is not what would happen elsewhere. louisiana's laws are unduly harsh. the history of this harsh lawn, louisiana dates back to the gym pro error following the civil war. black americans began to exercise newfound civil rights like access to the ballot box and serving

on juries. white politicians responded with poll taxes and literacy tests, tools to disenfranchise black voters. they also implemented non unanimous jury convictions. there was a constitutional convention. blame was 1898, and the goal, profess goal. it was said, it was actually written down. its purpose was to ensure the supremacy of the white race in perpetuity to the greatest extent permissible under federal law. and so that i think, i know that was the purpose, an ad, that is what the official journal of the proceedings the states. and one of the ways they thought they needed to accomplish that mission was to marginalize some of the voices that might wind up on a jury. so as opposed to having all 12 people beside the altar innocence, after reconstruction was possible that there could be some black folks who might get on a jury. their intent was to convict more black people and to silence the voices of

black chairs in practice, they have convicted more black people and have disproportionately silenced factors . there are now more than 1500 people in prison in louisiana, convicted by non unanimous juries. 80 percent of those prisoners are black. we tried to contact all of the jurors and brandon's case. some of died and some we spoke to didn't remember the trial very well. we did confirm that the 2 jurors who voted against convicting brandon were black. one of the 2 was willing to speak with us, but she asked us not to reveal her name or show her face. what i mainly remember. that one day presented the case, then i'll wait to liberate it. there. i was not convinced that in with why were you having doubts about that?

no one say it that they knew what it was brand that they recognize them. they think it man, or really no one was able to say enough to convince me that they were sure that it was like committed to robert you. did you express your point of view to the jurors? i'm sure i agree. explain one statement and i was blown down and i did it. and when they dismissed your concerns, how did that make you feel? i felt like ok, i voice my opinion and i was hoping that maybe what are they it has. thank then i'll some one is made a think about it is that change your mind even if they did a lot of big out in front of the room, but from the verdict that did not happen, we tracked down one of the jurors who voted to convict brandon, there was just a multitude of things that made me believe that he was guilty of this crime. could you have any doubts in your mind about his guilt? no,

i did not. i remember am brandon jackson coming into the jury into the courtroom and he was very sure of himself. he seemed to have a very and he smiled a law. he seemed very relaxed. but i remember brandon made a lot of our contact with the jurors and he seemed to be pretty sure of himself. and like i said, i felt he was real, really over confident. and so there was no news about his doing or something about his demeanor that it was like he was trying to win us over to his side with his smile. his he made a lot of eye contact. i remember and, and so i thank think that was i remember that real strongly about them and so it was tend to, to conviction i was at tend to tended okay. and the 2 who did not agree were

african were both african american l. okay. we actually caught up with the one woman. oh, she didn't think he was guilty or she just wasn't convinced because she said that nobody had, nobody was able to identify him. like because they all had ski mask or they had bandanas on. nobody was able to identify him except for the co conspirator who. how does that make you feel about non unanimous jury convictions? do i mean, does that become problematic for you if there is one person or more than one person on the jury that doesn't feel like their voice is being heard, especially someone of color and well, you know, i've, i've been raised, i've lived in the south, my whole life i was, you know, born here raised here and i don't believe that their voice was not heard. and i mean i, i've, i don't think i'm not sure that our, i don't even remember if she explained why she didn't think this guilty. i don't, i don't even remember that. i don't think that their voice isn't heard. i just

think that there were more people that thought he was guilty. one of the reasons why she thought that you were guilty was because you were looking at the jury. you were making eye contact with the jury. the only thing that i was do, and at that time was what i was actually due. by my turn. he said, always give the jury. i heard you know? so if she based her decision on the way, did i look, you know, what, what, what did, what did they say about the type of world and we living a look. are you blow me with? yeah, we're good on him. sid we'll, you know. so you tell me about the never looked at you without the bid the job, the whole time. i would be sitting right here because you would have found not guilty. it's very, very telling. and it really sorta speaks to the language in that 898 costume of invention that created this law or black male making eye contact with

a white person years ago could cause him to lose his life. and in this particular situation, it cost to lose his freedom. and you were a little bit nervous about talking to us on camera. why was that? what was it to get back to my boss? is it good? have a negative effect on me? why is up ok, great, thanks. a lot of like the jury yet, which is how he's a criminal is good enough to straight lock him up with a locker or maybe a little lock him up there. get this personal number of years. someone was actually this man before averted handed down. but m i k,

m a, be a man, i gotta, because i'm a, you know, what happened to me to actually try to change some of these laws. mm. mm. if brandon hopes to change the laws, she will likely have to do it at the louisiana state house in baton rouge. in april, democratic state, lawmakers proposed to bill that would read visit pass convictions like brandon's, but it was rejected by republicans who said banning the practice moving forward was enough. i can't really look at it through that lens and say, i'm going to look back and see what could have been done. different i'm wanting to look at what can be done for and try and make changed that way if it was deemed unconstitutional. and we know that is rooted in a racist origin, and there is a, there's 1500 people there that are sitting there. they sleep there at night. and a lot of them are in there for a life. don't they deserve their case to be looked at again,

i feel pretty confident the mother because the supreme court said that the way we did it was correct. how was it not unconstitutional for the people there who are there now, the supreme court said we were fine. so i can't argue with, but what do you think? i think what we did was bowl monumental and i'm happy that we got that push forward . do you think that those people deserve or remedy? i think there is a remedy. what is the remedy? the remedy is the da can review it. but if the da decides not to review, then they don't, they don't ever em. and how do you feel about that? you think that's right. i feel confident in what we did. but look, i don't look at it from a racial lens. what we did was not about race was about normal was right. they did exactly what has been done. so many times before, when we say we've fixed the law, we've called it at jim crow law. but we refuse to acknowledge that there are people who are carrying the late of this. and we refuse to take that laid off of their

shoulders. there are no black republicans here, right? so when they note it that the people that this would benefit don't look like the unlikely, big groping enable who is likely don't know anyone. they could contact them, they'll care about it. so i'm, you can eliminate that. the racial element because our guarantee you, if 80 percent of the folks that we were talking about were white, the bill would have passed period if brandon jackson can't get help with the state legislature, his only hope is back in both parish. the district attorney here could agree to look at his case again, but very few days throughout the state have agreed to re examine all cases. so we are back at the bowser court house. we've been trying to get in touch with sta multiple times and he's not returning any of our messages. so we're gonna see if he's here, maybe we can find them here and ask him a few questions. is he here today? no, ma'am,

you're not. he did not. okay. i thought well so he is out of town. i just spoke with his daughter. so she took down my name and number and said she would tell him to call me ah old case of a gentleman named brandon jackson. i dont know if you remember the details of that case. i'm not familiar with this particular case level with this convention. rather, this wasn't very long sir. this was in bowser it was a 997. you know, to realize that in united states supreme court for 75 years told it was okay or not targeted as constitution. and so now in 2020 to tell us is not okay. we know that the origins of this law go back to, you know, jim crow times and, and in this case these it was,

it worked exactly like it was intended to, to, to, to mute the voices of these black jurors. well, i have one here. i'm not disputing the origin of the law. i think all of that got a lot of action with the legislature in order to chrome. you know. ok, so i don't have any time in our history and i get all that i do believe in our jury's is too late use for the most part they get it right. it's glorious. what the facts on am giving you details about this one particular case because this is the one that i've been looking at. and then i'm interested in does this sound like the kind of case that you would be willing to go back and look at and retry sure? sure, i don't have a problem with that. his name was randon jackson, brandon jackson jacks. and if you could look into brandon jackson's case, and give me a call back, i would really appreciate that. i'll call you back. thank you, sir. have a great, have a great weekend, bye bye. bye. more than 3 weeks later, in

a letter to fault lines, bozer parish district attorney skyler, marvin said, quote, my office will not vacate and retry convictions solely because of a non unanimous verdict that the bowser paris court house. brandon still has one last possible remedy. i've been up here so many times at deer like i need to get me or how in the judge in his case still needs to one his application for a re trial. but it's not going to happen today. even though the state had months to prepare. ready the judge decided to give them even more time to respond. it's like we're in a holding pattern. vegas are longer turn him loose. it is lives lagged me is a good oh boy make were so i know is away be gang. i don't have laurel mass said my heart surgeries on 6 months and i'm trying to stay up it's god allowed

me to live longer than there to see him go free. but it does ray. i'm not gonna make me. ah, how does it make you feel to see that confederate monument right outside of the court house and both your parents? i think in seeing the convent or is that you is like that constant reminder that the system was not built for black people. this same jury system ways erected in the way that that statue was and in order to send a message to black defendants that this isn't in place for you. i was gonna ask you one more question. when you, you said to me the other day that was very important to you, you've made it all. brandon's hearings, even if you have to drive, however far, you go to everything. why is it so important to you to be there for every single

one? i'll never warm brown enter, be a good. he has been forgotten. i want him to know that he's worried. no matter how long he's gonna be in prison. oh, what ailed is gonna have. he would never be forgotten. his mama, we'll never. ready ever forgive him? well, you'd be able to get out in time to have that cup of coffee with her immediate floors or hill. yes. as more to say there's this there's some didn't want to go and know. you know, she don't been to every day. did it years to go to, you know, heart attacks, bad kidneys, council, colgate, and guess would it would turn are called the she always say, jeremiah, go, no, well joe, i see him come room. and as, while fighting every day,

you know, in a low container freight that i get there. well, because i know she need, i ah, the world is warming, and green lynn's ice sheet is melting, which is changing everything from sea levels to the way people live. and now

even exposing the remnants of a cold war, ponce greenland, the melting of the frozen north on al jazeera, indonesia. the country with an abundance of results for the trade are and walk indonesia, his friends. for me, we moved pool to grow and frock. we balance for green economy, blue economy, and the digital economy with the new job creation law, indonesia is progressively ensuring the policy reform to create quality jobs, investment. let be part when denise is growth and progress, invest even easier now. oh, as she is more there dead and the kandahar mosque bloss the taliban promises to step up security for the minority community in afghanistan. ah,

and welcoming peter toby, you're watching al jazeera alive from doha. also coming up. the west crisis of sedans transition a warning from the countries prime minister as more protests are being corporate everything.