bisi onile-ere is in detroit right now.i, today's development marking a major turning point in this case. >> reporter: yes, del, some bankruptcy experts are calling this development historic. this is the largest bankruptcy in u.s. history, and the plan just unveiled basically sets the course of what could happen here regarding the city. the emergency manager's plan of adjustment calls for shedding $18 billion in debt, and they want to do that by paying less to the banks, retirees, as well as bondholders. just to break it down a bit, the city has proposed 34% cuts to general retirees, and 10% pension cuts to fire and police. and for those unsecured bondholders, they would accept about $0.20 on the dollar. when it comes to the detroit institute of art, there was a lot of concern, but this plan calls for saving that art through money offered by the state as well as private foundations, so for the most part, we're getting a glimpse of what could happen, but nothing is set in stone. negotiations will continue between creditors a

bisi onile-ere reports. >>> high definition cameras are always rolling.someone is always watching. >> this is a crime haven. anything you wanted was out there. completely different now. >> reporter: anthony holt is chief of police. recorded break-ins and assaults and has stopped a few of them. also melissa lesprins monitors activity. they says these cameras are welcome to help solve crimes. >> any time we see something happening we are checking the cameras to see if we have any kind of lead. >> in a city that tops the fbi's most dangerous list, the area in and around campus is setting a new trend. he says crime has dropped 45% since 2008. >> so you would say it is one of the safest places? >> i think there's no doubt about it. >> the wayne state police department's primary beat is campus security. but in a bankrupt city where essential services are strained, work often takes officers outside the 4.8 mile radius they cover. one week nearly 50 off-campus arrests were made. half by wayne state police officers who are sworn in as detroit police officers. >> t

bisi onile-ere, joining us. do we know how he escaped? >> we do know he maneuvered over a fence outside that prison and dug a hole and that's how he got out. i am told he was wearing a white kitchen outfit, that's how he was able to blend in with the snow and get can outside security. soon after he got out of prison he car jacked and abducted a woman by using a box cutter as well as scissors. and -- or i'm sorry a hammer and from there they drove to a town that was right there on the michigan-indiana border. and from there, when they got there the woman she managed to break free unharmed. and she also called 911. but when that happened, police arrived, but by the time that they got there the suspect had fled and we just learned that within the last hour that the vehicle that this man was in, it was a red jeep ford liberty 2004, that was found in a town in indiana, there is no sign of a suspect. i'm told the school district in that area has been put on lock down. del. >> so with that information is it safe to assume that authorities are lo

bisi onile-ere.jazeera, detroit. ♪ >>> investors right now struggling to keep the stock market rally alive. the dow is down 11 points right now. the blue chips trying for a third straight week of gains, but having a rough time. >>> we're also following breaking news, shares of barnes & noble soaring after a private firm offered to buy a majority stake in the company. they also want to separate the unprofitable nook segment. >>> an industry group is warning that the american dream could be slipping away. existing home sales fell more than 5% last month. weather played a role, but the market is also feeling the pinch from soaring prices in interest rates. >>> bitcoin trading below $100 today. it was as low as $91 in japan, although it is worth more than $500 on other exchanges. >>> president obama meeting the dalai lama despite strong objections from china. china condemning meeting soon after it was announced last night. mike viqueira is live at the white house with more and mike do we know what the ti

bisi onile-ere is live in detroit, and michigan one of those states hard-hit standing to lose that moneynder the arm bill. how are people there treating the president's visit? >> reporter: well, reaction as of now has been mixed. i'm inside up with of the largest food banks, and they tell me they have seen the need for their services grow. so with these cuts on the way, and with food stamp reduction a certainty, they are certainly going to feel any squeeze. 28-year-old caw kacia works part-time at this diner, and to help make ends meet she recently took on a second job. and she said that's still not enough. >> something like food, it's just -- it adds a different level of stress. >> reporter: she is among 47 million americans who depend on food stamps, right now $200 a month buys groceries and peace of mind, but with the passing of the new farm bill, old fears are setting in again. >> it's going to be really hard. >> reporter: here is why, the law will take away $800 million in food stamps every year, that could her benefits nearly in half. she is among 850,000 households that will see t

yes, he could be in indiana but at the same time he could be anywhere at this point. >> okay, bisi onile-ereor us, bisi thank you. >>> a suicide bomber struck a bus today killing one person. three persons were injured in the attack. the bus was driving in a shia area. a spillover from the ongoing syrian conflict. a leaked broadcast on egyptian tv, showing the preaft of our completion in cairo. acting bureau chief mohamed fa hee and peter greste and baher mohamed have been held withou without -- for over a month now. stephanie. >> joirnlts were arrested in the cairo hotel room. we decided to use screen grabs rather than return the video. to which he applies, i asked them many times if our legal position is valid in egypt. i was told the al jazeera english position is valid, otherwise would i not have accepted the job. the audio on the tape has been overlaid with overly dramatic music. al jazeera english's director of news has condemned the videos saying if this video was deliberately leaks it violates standards of journalist. the process is called into question. they were also not operating i

bisi onile-ere reports. fm. >> reporter: 28-year-old casha kolek works part time in this diner in michigan. to make ends meet she recently took on a second job. even that's not enough to pay all the bills and sometimes not enough to buy food. >> but something like food it's just -- it adds a different level of stress to not know how you're feeding irs. >> kolek is among 47 million americans who depend on food stamps. right now $200 a month from the program buys her groceries and a piece peace of mind. but with the passing of the fample bill old fears are setting in again. >> it's going to be hard, i don't know, it's going to be really hard. >> here's why. the law will take away $800 million of food stamps every year. that could cut kolek's food stamps nearly in half. 15 states including michigan will be hit hard that's because the new bill eliminates what some lawmakers call a loophole that allow those states and d.c. to increase benefits. >> any reduction in hunger relief effort at this point is going to be

bisi onile-ere reports. >> some cam ration are hidden and others can be easily spotted.someone is always watching. >> it's a crime haven. anything you wanted was out there. it's completely different now. >> anthony holt is wayne state's chief of police. he says the sophisticated system which has been in place for a couple of years has recorded break-ins and assaults and stopped a few of them. she monitors the activity. she says thing cameras are welcome in this crime weary community and help solve crimes. >> anything we have some crime happening, we check the cameras to see if we have any sort of lead. >> reporter: in a city that tops the fbi's most dangerous list, chief holt says the area in and around campus has started a new trend. crime has dropped 45% since 2008. >> you would say it's one of the most safe places? >> i have no doubt about it. >> campus security, in a bankrupt city where financial services are strained, often takes officers outside the 4.8 mile radius they cover. >> one week, arrests made, half by wayne state officers who are sworn in as detroit polic

bisi onile-ere, do we know how he managed to escape? >> yes, i'm told tony, by authorities, that this man managed to escape going through two fences. apparently he was wearing a white kitchen outfit so he was able to blend in with the snow. just a short time ago we do have an update of the story, town in northern indiana, the car was found there. police continue their search. now again this all stems from elliot breaking out of prison in mid michigan last night, shortly thereafter he abducted as well as car jacked a woman by using a box cutter. and they traveled a short distance away, stopped near the indiana-michigan oborder, that's where she managed to get away and called police. unfortunately by the time the police got there, he had already fled in her jeep four-door liberty. >>> he was spending life in prison killing four people, despite his history, this is a man who had no problems when in prison. take a listen. >> preliminary indications are he acted alone, he had no assistance, entirety a one man operation. this particular man h

bisi onile-ere is here to break it all down for us. bisi, where do things stand right now?reporter: tony, detroit emergency manager kevin orr is expected to file a plan of adjustment any day now. once that happens we'll have our first look at how the emergency manager wants to eliminate $18 billion in debt and drive detroit out of bankruptcy. there are a lot of people who are watching this. there are a lot of people who are worried, including many city retirees, who are waiting for this report to see how much they stand to lose. we'll get an idea of what lies ahead for the future for the detroit institute of arts as well as the water department. as i mentioned, orr's goal here is to shed this debt that reaches billions of dollars, and also improves city services here in detroit like fire and police. now, once this comes down this will be a huge development in this case. when i spoke with an bankruptcy expert, who said even though this has become a done deal there is still a lot of work ahead. take a listen. >> it will give everyone a concrete idea of what the city is thinki

bisi onile-ere, reporting. in. >> john henry? >> very popular in canada and sweend because those two teams are settle to play for the olympia gold medal. we welcome in via skype, sharon turner from sochi, what do we do, for are a failure of the u.s. plms or is maybe hockey just that good? >> the us women in particular they played a good game all the way through, the men, they played well in a lot of regards but they didn't seem to be there 100%. the canadianians are really good, if they -- you know hockey is so safer there. >> have we seend the back of this for up, noncommittal about that subject and two is nhl players have suffered significant injuries in these games. >> that's the big question. i think nhl officials are, behind the scene nothing -- i don't want to say they don't like the olympics. if it were simply up to them, i don't think the players wok ba back. but you know the players are influential, it's a union operation, the nhl isn't going to rip the rug out of players. >> what's that going to mean to the popularity o

bisi onile-ere is in detroit with the very latest for us, bisi. >> reporter: tony, amid criticism general motors has sent out a rare apology. now general motors submitted a report to the government recently and the automaker has admitted publicly that they should have acted faster. according to one report it was back in 2004 when general motors realized that there may have been some issues with their ignitions. now here is a list of vehicles recalled. they include 2003-2007 is a turn ion and the 2006-2007 chevrolets hhrs. and 2006-2007 pontiac solstices. and 2007 is a turn sky models and the 2005-2007 chevrolet cobalt and pursuit which were recalled earlier this month. as of now we know of one last that involves a woman out of georgia who was driving one of these recalled cars. her family sued general motors and they reached a settlement back last fall. i did have an opportunity to talk to an auto analyst about this recall and the impact it could have on the auto maker. >> recalls in this one in particular it's very serious business. they acknowledged that and acknowledged that maybe thin

bisi onile-ere, al jazeera detroit. >> meanwhile, arizona legislation that would allow business ownerso refuse service to gay customers is one step away from becoming law. the state legislature passed the legislation. governor jan brewer has a few days to decided if she'll sign it. >>> the world population has led to increased fishing and massive depletion of stock. >> reporter: bare hands, a line and hook. this is how fishermen have made a living in the pristine waters of east indonesia. but fish don't bite that easily any more. >> five years ago when we still used engines we could catch up to 700 feet in one night. now it's not more than 50. >> reporter: more aggressive and illegal methods are being used to catch remaining fish. many fishermen admit they use explosives. they don't want their identity to be revealed. >> i feel guilty using this illegal method, but if we use lines we haven't caught enough to make a living and to be able to send our brothers and sisters to school. >> reporter: despite using desperate measures they still can't compete with the big boats catching all the

bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. >> meeting with the dalai lama.lus off the streets, one city has a solution to a big problem homeless veterans. >>> california lawmaker accused of bribery and money-laundering. is the ♪ what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together the fastest internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. >> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. a lot to cover this half hour, including diplomatic dust up. president obama not to happy after meeting with the dalai lama. we'll have more on that. >>> one city's success story, and playing piano for proteste protesters, richelle carey is here. >>> the president's deal with the ukrainian protesters to try to end the violent uprising. for

right now that's unclear. >> bisi onile-ere for us. thank you. >>> president obama is making another push for money to fix the nation's crumbling infrastructure. the president went to minnesota to call on congress to approve a $300 million plan to create jobs by fixing roads, bridges and railway misthe president has made similar pitches over the years only to have congress reject them. when hurricane katrina hit nine years ago it exposed a weak levy infrastructure. and the waters destroyed much of the city. now the newly rebuilt 350-mile levy system already is having problems. >> this restaurant is known for its seafood. >> nice shrimp right out of the gulf of mexico. >> while the gulf gives, it also takes away. it took owner scott craig five years to reopen after the hurricane katrina burst through the levies and flooded everything else. >> i didn't have the money. i had to go out and work, rebuild and put all the money i made back into this. >> the army corp of engineers which admitted to designing faulty levies pre-katrina has creat

bisi onile-ere in detroit for us. what is this going to mean for the people of detroit? >> i can tell that you these proposed cuts are devastatingbly to thousands of retirees in detroit. if this goes through i talked to one retiree. he worked for the city for 29 years. right now he receives $800 a month from the city for his pension. if this goes through he'll see that drop to $500. this is something that he is not expected to deal with very lightly. we talked to earlier this afternoon. i want to you take a listen to what he has to say. >> i don't know how to express exactly how hurt and frustrated i am. i never thought in my life that i would be fighting for something i earned myself. it's not like i'm asking for anything. just give me what i earned. that's my thoughts. >> reporter: and it's general city retirees like smith who are hit especially hard because he could lose over 30% of his pension. now, just to put this into perspective negotiations between the city and credittiers is ongoing. this is not a done deal. i'm told this could be several months before they rea

. >> bisi onile-ere is at a few bank in detroit for us, and bisi, michigan is one of the states actually losing food stamp aid. why on earth did the president go there to sign the bill? >> reporter: well, he came here because michigan center debbie stebenow played a big role in crafting this legislation. as a reward to her the president came here to sign the ball into law. i'm at gleaners food bank, one of the largest food banks in this area. over the past couple of months they've seen the need for their services increase. now that this bill is in place they strongly believe that even more people will be coming here seeking help. >> 28-year-old tasha works part time as a hostess at this diner in lancing, michigan. to help make ends meet she recently took on a second job. but even that is not enough to pay all the bills. sometimes not enough to buy food. >> something like food, it's just--it adds a different level of stress. >> reporter: among 47 million americans who defend on food stamps. $200 a month from the program buys her groceries and a piece of mind. but with the passing of the n

bisi onile-ere has more. >> reporter: at wayne state university over 800 high definition cameras are always rolling. some cameras are midden, and others can be easily spotted. someone is always watching. >> it's a crime haven. anything you want is out there. it's completely different now. >> reporter: anthony halt is wayne state's chief of police. he said the sophisticated surveillance similar which has been in place has recorded break-ins, assaults and stopped a few of them. the officers monitor the activities. she says the cameras are welcome in his crime-weary community and helps solve crimes. >> any time we have something happen one of the first things we are doing is checking the cameras to see if we have any sorts of leads. >> reporter: in a city that tops the fbi's most dangerous list chief holt said the area in and around campus is setting a new trend. he said crime has dropped 45% since 2008. >> so you would say it is one of the safest places? >> no doubt about it. >> the wayne state police department's primary beef is security. but in a bankrupt city work often takes office

bisi onile-ere, lancing, michigan. >> surviving a chemical attack, one woman's harrowing story what she suffered in syria. plus. >> i'm alan schauffler, in oregon's willamette valley. >> it may seem like yesterday but beatle plain ya was 50 years ago. now it's making a come back. >> look at this: something you don't see every day. rain in participants of california right now. that's really good news for a state suffering one of the worst droughts on record. but there could be some problems as well. kevin cor corriveau is keeping n eye on what's happening. kevin. >> we're talking about if it rains too hard, the ground is so dry, we could see mu mudslides, landslides. we are so far behind, some locations are 18 to 30 inches behind for the year to get them out of the drought. you can see how much we've received over the last 24 hours. let's go closer in. we feel it's going to be lasting at least through sunday. some locations at least north of the bay area will be seeing five to eight inches of rain. the drought will be dropped by 15 to 25%. rain all the way down here just north of l.a. bu

hoirn use has been on the rise in the region, officially, bisi onile-ere reports. gls the the high can be deadly. i.t. comes in different names. thera-flu, bud ayes, an income tax. 20 people over 24 hours died from overdosing and from there, the death toll continued to climb. >> saturday when i had four and sunday when i had three, i knew i was hitting a knowledge part of an overdose crisis. >> by monday similar deaths were reported throughout the region. >> what this is we're finding is, it contains a synthetic opioid called fentanil, 70 times more deadly than morphine. >> even if warned of the dangers some drug abusers take the chance. >> if people were dying from something you would think common sense would tell you stay away from that. but because of the nature of addiction when people with addiction hear it they believe that's the good stuff, that's the strong stuff. >> a little over 1 million people live here in a allegheny county. >> carmen capozi knows the dangers of heroin addiction firsthand. he lost his son. >> i didn't know what heroin looked like you k

bisi onile-ere is at a food bank in detroit, michigan, and michigan is one of the states that will receive less assistance under this bill. do the people at the food bank know how this will impact them? >> reporter: well, tony, i can tell you we're at a food bank on detroit's east side. it's one of the largest food banks in this area that serve over $1 million people every year. a few months ago the food stamp program in michigan and across the country received a hit. now with this farm bill in place there is a big concern that they will see more people seeking their services more than ever before. just to put it into perspective, i spoke with a woman who receives food stamps once a month. once a month she receives $200. with this farm bill in place she risks losing half of her benefits. >> wow, that's a lot. is the food bank--folks there, are they angry? disappointed that the president has moved ahead and signed this piece of legislation into law? >> you know, there's not so much anger here. disappointment. through this bill the food banks will receive $200 million in funding but they're

bisi onile-ere has the details. >> 40-year-old michael elliott wasp apprehended by indiana police. his arrest marks an end to a search. authorities in indiana spoke out about how they were able to track him down. >> the sheriff's department engaged in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle. the vehicle spade -- sped away. the vehicle was pursued. i don't know how long it lasted. the driver was michael elliott. she in custody. >> elliott escaped through a fence, it is supposed to carry an electric shock. that didn't happen in this case. they are trying to figure out how it filed. >> there's an ongoing investigation at that prison. there was a major sell-off on wall street on monday. the do you closed down 326 points, the biggest dip since last june. slow numbers in manufacturing industries has been blamed. weak factory activity has been recorded. jer jer jerry levy says it could represent an opportunity. >> i had a call interest my father asking if he should be jumping out of stocks. it's a time to reset, maybe buy more. look at your portfolios and investments, and make sure you are well div

we are introduced to one of 50 million americans by bisi onile-ere, who relies on food stamps every day. >> 28-year-old kasha works part-time as a hostess at this diner in michigan. to help make ends meet she took on a second job. that is not enough to pay all the bills. sometimes not enough to buy food. >> with something like food, it adds a different level of stress to not know how you are feeding your family. >> she is one of many that rely on food stamps. $200 a month buys her groceries and a peace of mind. >> with the passing of a farm bill. old fears are setting in again >> it will be hard. really hard. >> here is why. the law will take away $800 million in food stamps every year. that could cut expenses nearly in half. this woman is among 850 households seeing food stamps reduced by $90. people in washington d.c. and 15 states including michigan will be hit hard. the new bill eliminates what some lawmakers call a loophole, allowing those states and d.c. to increase benefits. >> reduction in food stamps will be tolling. we are serving more than we can serve. >> karina heads the fo

bisi onile-ere tell us about the couple and what they want. >> reporter: del this couple filed this lawsuitfter learning they couldn'ting jointly adopt the children they are raising. today the state is going toer argue that children are better suited being raised by heterosexual parents, however, the women are fighting back and saying same-sex couples are just as capable of raising children. protesters are present, so far the protests have been peaceful. i had the opportunity to speak with the leaders of these two groups. let's take a listen. >> we're standing for our lord and savior jesus christ. we believe it is clear in the bible. and we're just standing up for the lord. >> my point is simply that i -- i love my wife with all of her being, and i want to have a familial all of the same things that everybody else has. it's not a right i feel should be taken away from me as a person of this country and a person that lives in this state, the constitution was made for everybody, and excusing us out of that is just wrong. >> reporter: both sides very passionate about where they stand. the tria

bisi onile-ere family rights at the center of this debate. >> reporter: they are, del. couple behind this lawsuit filed it after learning that they couldn't jointly adopt their three children. they are blocked by a michigan law that bans gay marriage. it was passed back in 2004. the state is arguing right now that parents who have heterosexual are better equipped to raise children. the women behind this suit are fighting back saying that no, same-sex couples are just as capable of raising kids. you can see behind me there are protesters. people really ignited about this issue. and amanda joining me now. thank you for joining us. you said it is really important for you to be here today, why? this >> absolutely. for two reasons. one i am married to a woman, and we have two beautiful children, and unfortunately my spouse could not adopt our children in michigan. so we had to go out of state to accomplish that, and no one should have to do that. second of all, i am an attorney here in michigan and my law partner and i represent a lot of gay and lesbian clients who are deali

bisi onile-ere is life at a food bank in detroit, michigan. michigan is within of the states that stands to lose a lot of money under the farm bill. how are they treating the president? >> reporter: he action here is really mixed. i'm inside one of the largest food banks in the area. and they said in the past couple of months they have seen their need for services increase. and they expect now more people will be knocking on their food. 28-year-old works part-time at this diner in michigan. she recently took on a second job to help make ends meet. >> with something like food, it's just -- it adds a different level of stress. >> reporter: she is among 47 million americans who depend on food stamps. right now $200 a month buys her groceries and a peace of mind, but with the passing of the new farm bill, old fears are setting in again. >> it's going to be hard. it's going to be really hard. >> reporter: here is why, the law will take away $800 million in food stamps every year. that cut her benefits nearly in half. she is among 850,000 households

bisi onile-ere has the latest details and she joins us from detroit. what does this mean? >> all i can tell you is that these proposed cuts to the pensions come as a major blow to the retirees. thousands of retirees, those who are general city retirees they could be hit especially hard. they could see their pensions reduced by 30%. this is a hard, hard blow because for a lot of people this is their sole income. any loss of income they could lose a whole lot. this afternoon i had the opportunity to speak to a retiree whose name is donald smith. he spent 29 years working for the city. every month he gets $800 in his pension for his pension from the city. and he said that if this is approved, if these cuts are approved that could drop to $500. that's money that he at this point couldn't stand to lose. a lot of emotions and opposition, but it's important to note that this plan is just a proposal. it's not a done deal. i'm told that the thousands of creditors are still meeting with city lawyers. they're trying to come up with some sort of settlement. we're likely to hear about

bisi onile-ere is in detroit for us, and bisi, what is this plan going to mean for the people of detroit well, i can tell you tony these proposed cuts come as a major blow to retirees here in the city of detroit specifically for city retirees. they could see their pensions reduced by 30%. and considering that many of these people depend on these pensions as their only source of income. they're facing the harsh reality that they may have to do without what they're used to receiving. earlier we had the opportunity to talk to a retiree after this report was released. his name is donald smith. he worked with the city for 29 years. every month he depends on his pension check. he gets $800 a month. but if these cuts are approved he'll see that dropped to $500. that's something he can't stand to lose. >> i don't know how to express exactly how heard and frustrated i am. i never thought in my life that i would be fighting for something i earned myself. it's not like i'm asking for anything. just give me what i earned. that's my thoughts. >> so a lot of emotion and opposition to emergency manager

bisi onile-ere thank you so much. >>> 2014 has prove tone be a tough year for stocks.rices plunged again today. down 2%. [ cheers ] [ bell chimes ] >> the dow closed down 326 points. the tough start to february follows a rough jan, wall streets worth month in more than a year. last month ah seven days of triple-digit drops. manufacturing is now at its slowest level in eight months. jared levi joins us from dallas. he is a strategy and writer, we appreciate his time in evening. so what are the key reasons behind this drop? >> psychological resets like to are actually fairly common, and it may be painful to tolerate these drops, but it's actually quite normal, and when you look at it, here is what is happening, the marketing paints a trajectory. a lot of the professionals like myself we use models to figure out where prices are going to be at a certain time. our models will change, and that causes us to begin selling, and then retail people begin selling, and that's what creates this setbacks. >> i noticed you said psychological. >> that's right. we -- we tend to forget

. >> bisi onile-ere. from detroit. >>> attorneu.s. attorney generak holder said that they do not need to up hold state marriage bans if they don't believe in them. libby casey is in washington with the very latest on this for us, libby? >> reporter: good evening, tony. just a decade ago no states allowed same-sex marriage. how times have change: now a third recognize gay marriage. as you mentioned states attorney generals are wrestling with the question of whether they should enforce some of the bans. >> reporter: it's up to the state's attorneys general to uphold the laws. >> we have the duty to uphold the laws and defend the laws whatever the laws that are passed. >> reporter: but hawai'i's attorney general said there are times when an ag sees laws as discriminatory. >> there are circumstances when an attorney general can make the analysis based upon case law that something is unconstitutional. >> reporter: six states a.g.'s all democrats have decided to buck the will of voters and legislatures and refuse to enforce bans on gay marr

bisi onile-ere reports. >> destroyed has a plan to dig itself out of bankruptcy.ing $18 billion, out of debt. kevyn orr filed a plan calling for cuts to retirees, banks and bond holders. it posed pension checks be cut 34%. police and fire retirees would see a 10% reduction in pensions. the plan is subject to approval by a bankruptcy judge and will undergo appeals. but donald smith who worked 30 years says any cut to his pension will hurt. he received an $800 pension check under orr's proposal that would drop to $500. >> this makes a drastic effect on me, i can't even imagine how i will make it from day to day. that's the truth. it's not just the 34% hit, there's an incremental hit in the amount it will pay in excess of what the city gives them, to subsidise their health care. creditors are feeling the squeeze, kevin orr is proposing to pay them $0.20 on the dollar of the money to which they are owed. orr's proposal ignited opposition and eased fears. city-owned art is spared under the plan, thanks in part to money offered by the state and private donations, and al

bisi onile-ere, al jazeera detroit. >> the plant contains 440 pages and was filed electronically in u.s bankruptcy court. meanwhile arizona legislation that would allow business owners to refuse service one step away from becoming law. the state legislature passed the measure saying owners could deny service based on religious belief. supporters say it protects freedom of religious but opponents say that is is discrimination. >>> more bad news for california farmers. not only have they been dealing with drought but their water reserve is running bone drive. they're talking about the water that is sent to inland farms. it's california's largest water delivery system. authorities say it won't be sending any irrigation water to farms this year and california's governor declared an emergency last month. west virginia water supply is now considered safe. that's after a january 9th chemical spill that left 300,000 residents completely without access to clean water. cdc said there are no detectable toxins in the water and it's safe to clean, drink an the watr even for pregnant women. >>> incre

bisi onile-ere explains. >> these three houses in detroit may not be much to look at. they are old, abandoned structure. when toby barlow, and a few friends came across the properties, they saw room for growth. >> there are plenty of people taking apart homes and terring them down. there were not a lot restoring them. >> two of the houses were sold at $1,000 apiece. they acquired a third through a donation. the plan is to renovate and give them away to three aspiring writers, for free. it's called the writer house project. >> the city needs and deserves writers - whether you are a poet, writing essays, a journalist or a novelist, there's a lot to write about. >> in a stay with 80,000 abandoned structures, more houses are torn down in detroit than there are being built. once word got out about this project, the news spread fast. not just locally, but worldwide. shannon lowell worked and lived here his whole life. >> this is trying to put the soul back into the skeleton of a neighbourhood. it's a good thing. >> there's a lot of work to be done, and it will cost between 2

. >> bisi onile-ere introduces us to one of many americans who relies on food stamps every day. >> 28-year-old kasha works as a hostess. she took on a second job to make ends meet. she says it's not enough to pay the bills and not enough to buy food. >> something like food, it's - it adds a different level of stress to not know how you are feeding yourself. >> she is among 47 million minister who depend on food stamps. now $200 a month from the program buys her groceries and a peace of mind. with the passing of the farm bill fears are setting in again. >> it's going to be hard. it will be really hard. >> here is why. the law will take away $800 million in food stamps every year. that could cost her half of her benefits. her food stamps will be reduced bias much as $90. people living in washington d.c. and the 15 states, including michigan, will be hit hard. that's because the bill eliminates a loophole, allowing the states in dc to increase benefits. >> reductions in services for food stamps or hung ir relief efforts will be a tall order. we are serving more than we cap. >> the food b