jamie mcintyre has more from the pentagon. >> it's pricey weapons like the f-35 fighter give the u.s. military a reputation for spending beyond it's means. but the meant gone said that it's not weapons that is threatening to bust the budget. >> the cost of people recruiting retention training, medical care. the simple man choir cost eats up more than 50% of our dollars. and those costs are rising every year. >> a committee of retired military officers and politicians with military expertise is now recommending an overhaul of the system. it's most potentially contentious recommendations cut base retirement pay but at a 401k style plan continue full retirement benefits after 20 years and eliminate tricare the military's healthcare program and replace it with more private sector healthcare programs. a lot will depend on reaction of veterans. >> senate arm service welcoming the committee's diligence but reserving judgment on many it's of ideas. mccain has set a hearing on it next week. >> the military compensation and retirement reorganization commission made a series of 15 recommendation

let's go to jamie mcintyre. is there any indication that the hostages are still alive? >> reporter: well, stephanie the short answer is no, there isn't. but there is also no indication that they have been executed yet by the isil fighters. a pair of japanese officials have traveled to oman jordan, to see if they can negotiate their release. they're very pessimistic at the meant gone. isil fighters in the past have shown that they're willing to carry out executions. they also don't think that japan will pay a ransom. the u.s. has a policy of never paying ransom, and there are limited options. the only thing that could be done is a military rescue, that's very risky and it would require intelligence that the u.s. does not believe exists. >> the u.s. has been touting the success of its air campaign against the islamic state in iraq and the levant, how much progress has the u.s. actually made? >> well, you know, stephanie every day pretty much the pentagon the central command puts out a statement saying what the airstrikes have accomplished. the latest one today lists more

the plan would give authorities more tools to track down hackers, and jamie mcintyre has that report. >> reporter: paul, there's not of that president obama and congress can agree on these days but they did find common ground on improving the nation's cyber defenses. the self proclaimed cyber gee hide on the twitter and youtube pages has created a rare consensus among democrats and republicans that new laws are needed to colonel cyber attacks. the president cited cyber security as one area that should unite the government. >> it goes to show how much more work we need to do in the public and private sector to make sure that our bank accounts are safe and our public infrastructure are safe. >> old ideas, installed in the last congress, that would among other thing encourage private companies that are attacked to ensure more data from the government. targeted bot nets, computer programs with attacks the sale of bot nets would be outlawed and of course would be given new that's right to shut them down, and tougher laws for old credit card and bank account numbers, as well as committing i

jamie mcintyre for us. thank you. >>> president obama is saying farewell to defense secretary chuck hagel. the president and vice president were together this afternoon at a virginia military base for ceremony honoring hagel. hagel became secretary defense secretary in 2013. >>> the company that built the drone that landed in the white house this week is planned to vamp devices so it can't fly over restricted parts of washington, d.c. but that may not be the only way to create a drone no-fly zone. another is a detection and warning system that anybody can buy. lisa stark with more for us from the white house. >> reporter: drones are exploding in popularity and there is concern among intelligence officials and others of how to stop these drones and what to do when they end up where they shouldn't be. this is the same model of drone that went down at the white house, a device about two feet in diameter raising big questions about safety and security. >> it does serve as a very powerful reminder. right on the

soil remains ever present and telling americans to be on the look out for threats and jamie mcintyre s more from washington jamie. >> jay johnson's message is that in the more than a decade since september 11 attacks the threat against the u.s. evolved into something that is more decentralized, more diffuse and more complex. in glendale arizona tight security is being put in pleas for sunday's superbowl the sporting event and a giant headache for u.s. officials for detecting and preventing attacks. >> concerned about the domestic based threat lurking in our midst, the so called lone wolf who may be inspired by this extremist propaganda on the internet and can strike with little or no notice. >> reporter: johnson inspected the super bowl site this week and after a small recreational drone went down on the white house grounds monday the faa issued a warning to football fans via youtube the stadium is a no drone zone. >> leave your drone at home. >> reporter: in his state of homeland security address they said the attacks in paris as well as ottawa and sidney prompted him to order increa

jamie mcintyre reports from washington. >> the new chairman of the senate arms services john mccain, said he'd use his position to preach the gospel of military spending. his prime target is sequestration, that had the pentagon complaining that it can't defend the nation. >> here we go again. >> if we in congress don't act. se crest ration will set the military on a dangerous course. >> the top generals and admiral have a new champion. john mccain railed against the congressional aimposed budget -- congressionally imposed budget cuts. >> it's collateral damage. >> reporter: the chiefs were called. describing the impact of spending restrictions. >> it the worse in 40 years of service. >> we would delay war fighting further reduce the readiness of reporters. we have 12 fleets of airplanes qualifying for antique licence plates in the state of finally. >> reporter: service treatments say they have downgraded. >> we are the smallest air force that has ever been. >> it's a brief discussion such as on the troubled f-35 fighter. six years late and with a life-time price tag, estimated at wel

. >> jamie mcintyre for us in washington. >>> the form korean air vice president at the center of the nut scandal at jfk was indicted today on criminal charges. the executive was on a plane bound for south korea when she demanded that the plane return to the gate because she was served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than on a plate. he was charged with violating safety regulations and then conspiring to cover up the incident. >>> the dow was up 213 points. the s&p rose 23 points. the nasdaq gains 58. >>> charlie hebdo's controversial style made it popular but inspired threats and anger against its journalists. we'll look at the journalists across across the globe who are raising their voices in support of charlie hebdo. [[vo]] rock star astronaut chris hadfield. >>everything i've done has been fun stuff. [[vo]] mind-blowing discoveries & >>it's on the edge of impossible. [[vo]] terrifying near-death experiences & >>if it had been higher, it'd hit us. [[vo]] and an exciting future that's closer than you think. >>go from being an air traveller to being a space traveller. >>you see it as

jamie mcintyre is in washington with more. >> the pentagon is standing by in case americans have to be whisked to safety. for now the u.s. is trying to figure out the best way to respond. >> reporter: with shia houthi fighters in control of the capital. the president hadi agreed to share power with the rebels and briefly it appeared the crisis was easing. >> this is potentially a positive step to de-escalate violence. >> the department was applauding the overture the agreement was collapsing. the president was informed of the latest developments as he flew back to washington. he told reporters - we are still assessing the implications on the transition. and we urge the parties to pursue a peaceful institution. the u.s. risks using a key ally in the war against al qaeda. the unrest had prompted the pentagon months ago to rule out yemen as a destination for a guantanamo prisoner cleared for release, maybe of whom were yemeni. yemeni is in no position to guarantee detainees that return to the battlefield. >> conditions in yemen are not different to what they have been and we don't send th

. >> jamie mcintyre in washington. >> we are joined by a security expert for internet security and privacy company hot spot shield. thank you for being with us. >> good evening. >> quick question here - this proposal about sharing more information between the public and private sector between government and industry - is this because in general we don't know enough about cyber attacks? >> that is the case. the more transparent that government officials are with the information that they have in regards to worldwide cyber crime organizations, organised web mobs the better corporations will be able to protect themselves. the government c.i.a. secret service, fbi - many are on the front lines, along with many. corporate pep tryings testers. they have a lot of insight. the more collaboration, the better off we'll be. >> gotcha. the upside for industry is that they are going to gain from the expertise from the government and vice versa i presume. let me ask you this - they'll be privacy concerns. there has been endless discussions in the country, the ibb vasion of cell phone data. will this rai

we turn to jamie mcintyre in washington >> reporter: there's not of that president obama and those who control congress agree on these days, but they did find common ground on improving the nation's cyber defenses. hacking of sony pictures, along with the tiber gee hide with the youtube and twitter pains has created a rare consensus between democrats and republicans that new laws are meant to counter cyber attacks. the president cited security that should unite the divided government. >> it goes to show how much work we need to do in the private and the public sector to make sure that family's bank accounts are safe, and the infrastructure are safe. >> the white house has old ideas in the new congress, and among other things, encourage private companies that are hacked to share more data with the government, but only after scrubbing it to remove private information, bot nets, they would be outlawed, and they would be given new authority to shut them down, and toughen laws in the overseas sales of bank account and credit card numbers, as well as spyware to stalk i.d. theft. president ga

jamie mcintyre reports. >> reporter: f.b.i. director james comey used top billing to rebut the case against north korea for the sony hack. >> there is not much in this life this that's i have high confidence about. i have very high confidence about this atrib use, as does the entire intelligence community. >> reporter: almost immediately after president obama named north korea, many had doubts. there was a post:. >> some serious folks suggest that we have it wrong. i would suggest i'm suggesting i'm saying they don't have the facts i have don't see what i see. >> reporter: the most popular counter theory is it was the inside jobs with the keys supplied by a disgruntled employee laid off last way. speaking to the website. kurt stanberger said his company identified six individuals with direct involvement in the hack including a former sony employee a 10-year veteran of the company. comey has been on the pressure to go beyond the fbi's previous statement, but the malware was linked to north korea, and the attack had similarities

. >>> jamie mcintyre in washington. thank you as always. >>> in the power politics the calls are getting louder for massachusetts democratic senator elizabeth warren to jump into the 2016 presidential raise. yesterday at a union summit the darling of the progressive movement hammered modern day policies that helped the rich. >> since the 1980s too many people running the country followed one form or another of supply side or trickle down economic theory. many in washington today still support it. it cuts the legs out from underneath america's middle class. >> that speech has gone viral among activists and organizations and the encouragement of a war on presidential campaign has been fuelled by the of the c.h.l. io. >> senator warren shares our values and connects with us, and is a genius when it comes to policy. she is tough as nails when it comes to politics. >> a genius much the trumped up remarks created huffing and puffing in the hillary clinton camp. she has never been praised like that. "the wall street journal" s

. >> jamie mcintyre, al jazeera, washington. >> oil prices fell again today and goldman sachs said don't expect them to move much in the next five months, but i've been told that prices are going to move higher in the sex second half of this year. we'll tell you why when we return in the next two minutes. ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> and here we are with the trusty old barrel. this story does not grow old. oil prices fell 4% settling at $44.45. among the reasons was a support that u.s. oil supplies reached a record after rising 9 million barrels last week. goldman sachs expects it to trade at $40 a barrel in the next four months of this year. this comes as they proposal to open up southern a

jamie mcintyre is live for us. what more is the u.s. saying about the crisis in yemen right now? >> reporter: well, the events in yemen are closely being monitored here. washington has a pair of ships standing by in case americans need to be evacuated from danger, but right now the u.s. is trying to figure out the best way to proceed. the houthi fighters firmly in control of yemen's cam capitol president hadi promised to share power and the crisis seemed to be easing. >> there would be an established processes of dialogue. >> reporter: but as the state department was applauding the overture the agreement was collapsing. president obama was informed of the latest develops as he flew back from speeches in kansas. [ sirens ] >> reporter: u.s. now risks losing a key ally in the war against al-qaeda. under hadi's tenure the u.s. had nearly a blank check to use drone strikes against the apaq leaders. defense secretary chuck hagel said yemen is in no position to guarantee any guantanamo detainees won't return to the battlefield. >> the conditions today aren't any different than they hav

. >> jamie mcintyre, al jazeera washington. >> oil prices fell again today and goldman sachs said don't expect them to move much in the next five months, but i've been told that prices are going to move higher in the sex second half of this year. we'll tell you why when we >> because i was african american i was trying to fit in >> misty copleland's journey wasn't easy >> dancing gave me the opportunity to grow into the person... i don't think i could be without it >> now, this trailblazer is opening the door for others >> i wanna give back to ballet what it's done for me... >> every sunday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> and here we are with the trusty old barrel. this story does not grow old. oil prices fell 4% settling at $44.45. among the reasons was a support that u.s. oil supplies reached a record after rising 9 million barrels last week. goldman sachs expects it to trade at $40 a barrel in the next four months of this year. this comes as they proposal to op

. >> jamie mcintyre at the white house and thank you.resident obama wants congress to do away with mandatory spending cuts imposed in 2011 the president will ask congress for $74 billion increase in his budget proposal next week. he is revealing details of that proposal tonight in philadelphia. >> let's make sure that we end this across the board sequester that doesn't differentiate between smart and dumb spending and let's take a scalpel and not a meat clooe cleaver and what we know helps the families. >>> 30 billion in nondefense and another $38 billion for defense. despite a new accord with cuba the u.s. ban on travel to that country remains in effect. today by partisan group of senators took steps to change that the legislation from four democrats and four republicans would end the travel ban but it's unclear whether the bill will even come up for senate vote and congress must pass legislation to clear travel restrictions from all americans. many american businesses hope it improves even more and see a brand-new market for their prod