able to find the scenes to navigate that lack of cohesion. >> this is particularly painful to the u.s. marinecorps. they lost so many lives in that battle. now, -- >> i had a son in that battle. you think the sacrifice of those marines was worth it given what is happening now? >> very frankly, one of the things that has offended me personally is the fact that i don't think that the senior leadership currently in baghdad really appreciates the enormity of the sacrifice that was made. >> meaning who? >> the prime minister. i could be wrong. betweenthe relationship and alsond washington baghdad has demonstrated a willingness to reach out to people that really are not our friends like the neighbors in iran, support, verbal support for bashir al-assad. this is not indicative of a country that is grateful for the sacrifice that was made. >> turning to america's surveillance program, you are the president's national security advisor, is it time for an overhaul of the way that data is collected in order to restore public trust? >> well, one of the great things about our country is that when we uncove

. >>> some leading american scholars and filmmakers are criticizing a plan to build a new u.s. marine base in okinawa. >>> and scientists from japan, china, and south korea are working together to trace the source of tiny pollutants that's making the air hazardous to breathe. north korea's young leader is thought to be celebrating his birthday. but it seems to be a low-key affair. foreign observers have not detected any official ceremonies to mark the occasion. kim yong un is believed to have been born on january 8th. his exact age is not known, but he is thought to be 31. the north has not officially acknowledged the date as kim's birthday. but foreign officials in pyongyang say people on the streets seem to be aware of when their leader was born. associated press footage shows no special decorations in the capital. citizens seemed to be going about their lives as normal. >> translator: i went to work at the factory as usual. i finished my shift and i'm on my way home. >> former nba basketball star dennis rodman is visiting pyongyang. he and his american team practiced with north kor

u.s. marines burning the bodies of iraqi insurgents more on this just ahead and taking on the n.s.a. new jersey congressman rush holt has called for major changes to u.s. surveillance he'll join us to talk about the reforms he thinks are necessary and just a bit. well another day another leak about the national security agency and it's brought up global reach check out this headline that greeted new york times readers this weekend. it is wednesday january fifteenth eight pm in washington d.c. i'm meghan lopez and you are watching r.t. america will begin tonight with shocking new photos released by t m z which allegedly show u.s. marines burning the bodies of dead iraqi insurgents back in two thousand and four in fallujah iraq t m z reports it of forty one pictures but it does not name the source of those pictures also the web site said it will not release all of the photos because some of them are just too gruesome we're going to put up a couple of those pictures now so please be warned they are graphic and upsetting but we believe they are an important representation of the true ugli

u.s. marines of burning the bodies of iraqi insurgents more on this just ahead taking on the n.s.a. new jersey congressman rush holt has called for major changes to u.s. surveillance join us to talk about the reforms he thinks are necessary in a few minutes. and although many west virginia's residents have been given permission to drink the water some are still leery eighteen lawsuits have surfaced against the company responsible for the leak more on that later in the shell. it's wednesday january fifteenth fine in washington d.c. i'm megalo present and you are watching r t america well we begin this afternoon with shocking new photos released by t m z which allegedly show u.s. marines burning the bodies of dead iraqi insurgents back in fallujah in two thousand and four t m z reports it obtained forty one pictures but it did not name the source of those photos also the magazine said it will not release all of the photos because some of them are just too gruesome we are going to put up a couple of those pictures so please be warned these pictures are extremely graphic and upsetting bu

. >> he served in the u.s. marine core. he visited his grandmother and within a couple of weeks he was grabbed and was in a prison. it is a horrible situation for amir and his family. he does not believe that anyone should negotiate or trade anything for his release because he knows he is innocent. >> and you spoke to be president obama tuesday regarding appear's situation. >> and you and samantha power later. do you think it is doing enough. i have been in corn tact with the state department and toke a couple of times. i'm convinced they are pressing as hard as think can. it is important that we not put the negotiations into the mix hit comes to amir's situation. i think it is a pre-condition that iran can accept. they can't to hold americans. but it is -- >> to that point, former secretary of defense bill cohen jen pace and retired james jones and joseph ralston sent a eter to president obama espectfully urging the administration. >> as they attempt a formal accord, now is the perfect time for the release. other officials

amir assist a high school hockey player like i was, served in the u.s. marine corp, went to visit his grandmother and within a couple of weeks was grabbed and in prison before you knew it. it's a horrible situation for amir and his family. he does not believe that anyone should negotiate or trade anything for his release because he knows he's innocent. that. >> you spoke with president obama tuesday, after the state of the union recording amir's information, and secretary of state kerry. do you think the administration is doing enough. >> i do. at least since i've been in congress. i've been in contact with the state department and responsibling with the president about this, and minister powell and secretary kerry. i'm convinced that they are pressing as hard as they can. it's important that we not put the negotiations into the mix when it comes to amir's situation. i think it's a precondition that iran must accept before the u.s. congress or the world will accept any agreement that's negotiated, and they can't continue to hold americans. it's important we not

u.s. will be able to relocate some marines in okinawa to guam and hawaii. it's believed some 9,000 troops will be moved. >> once that happens, and that facility is built, that will allow us then the realignment of the marine forces throughout the asia pacific. >> but the recently re-elected mayor of nago inamine remains strongly opposed to the relocation project. japanese government officials say they expect a transfer of marines to begin in the first half of the 2020s. analysts say locklear's remarks suggest that any delay in the new facility's construction could affect the timing of the transfer. >>> authorities in china have released a japan-based chinese scholar after nearly six months in custody. toyo ga kuehne professor zhu jianrong went missing on a trip to shanghai last july. china's foreign ministry hinted in september that they were holding him. university officials confirm that zhu has been released. they say they met him in shanghai. zhu told then investigators were looking into whether he broke the law while conducting academic research in chin

. >>> and now meet a u.s. marineho is the only person in the world to have a knew type of bionic hand. for the first time staff sergeant james sides is showing us how this new technology is changing his life. >> reporter: it looks like he walked off of the set of a latest science fiction movie, but for u.s. marine staff sergeant james sides, this is real life. >> i remember being on my left side in the fetal position with dust in the air and my ears were ringing and confused and then i realized what happened. >> reporter: it was the spring of 2012 when he was on his second deployment in afghanistan working as a bomb tech putting his life on the line everyday to dismantle unexploded ieds. until one mission didn't go as planned. >> it was booby trapped and detonated when i was on top of it. >> reporter: that explosion left him without a hand. >> there is no point in, oh, i lost my hand. that does not get you anywhere. >> reporter: and it was that positive attitude and bravery and a sense of humor that made him a candid

u.s. marines burning the bodies of dead iraqi insurgents.dy in flames and this picture of a marine kneeling next to a skull. there are many more. >> this looks really bad, but we don't know exactly what was happening and we don't know what the circumstances were. >> reporter: u.s. military officials can't tell us what unit these men were in. they're trying to determine their identities. rue says the 2004 fighting in ma loo ja was some of the worst urban combat marines had seen since vietnam. >> they literally had to clear the entire city, house to house. some houses would be empty, some houses would have booby-traps and some houses had three, four, five, ten insurgents inside ready, waiting to fight to the death. >> reporter: why examine this case now? >> there's certainly a value in our society condemning this kind of conduct and girl the world including the iraqi people an explanation for what we're doing. >> reporter: analysts say it's possible the bodies could have been burned for hygienic purposes, but it's a crime in the military to bu

u.s. marines lost their lives in fallujah in 2004 in a fight to drive the militants out and hand control to the shiites who now run iraq. today the u.s. has no leverage other than backing the iraqi government. secretary of states john kerry mired in the increasingly problematic israeli-palestinian peace deal offered the iraqis moral support. >> we're not contemplating putting boots on the ground n. is their fight but we're going to help them in their fight n. is a fight that's bigger than just iraq. >> reporter: that's a diplomatic understatement. jihaddists have plunged into the carnage in syria in a step towards establishing an islamic state. neighboring lebanon is also being sucked in. the jihaddist' proclaimed gel is a unified fundamentalist state encompassing iraq, syria and lebanon but the real issues are much murkier and far more complex, according to former u.s. ambassador edward walker. >> this fight is much bigger than iraq. it is something that has got its depend pt in history. it's got its depth in religion. it's far brokeredder than just a question of -- broader than just a que

fled the surrounding areas after more than a week of fierce fighting and loss kaput see a former u.s. marine things the u.s. led invasion has helped widen the sectarian gaps in iraqi society. i think the reason that there's discontent in iraq right now is because the the u.s. led occupation put in place a lot of structural injustices that are the root of all the violence in iraq right now one of the results of the occupation of iraq was that the sunni community. became a very marginalized targeted group within iraq so this is the root of a lot of the fighting in the province right now. i think for the u.s. government to continue arming the rocky government to facilitate their internal oppression of various ethnic minorities within the country i think that would be very immoral on our part and i think it would be even more immoral for us to send troops to participate in this repression. and in some other world news in brief seven people have been injured and at least one critically in a shooting outside and antigovernment protest camp in the thai capital bangkok reports say unknown gunmen ope

u.s. marines were honored posthumously for their service and sacrifice in afghanistan. the families of captain matthew minuki and staff sergeant sky mote were awarded the navy cross. that's the navy's highest honor. they were killed in 2012 when an afghan police officer burst into their outpost and opened fire. >>> president obama is making news tonight for his comments in "the new yorker" magazine about two hot-button issues in this country. the president, who enjoys pro football, was asked about following the sport, given recent reporting about concussions and retired players suffering from early dementia. the president said, quote, i would not let my son play pro football. but he added, "these guys know what they're doing. they know what they're buying into. it's no longer a secret." when asked about the renewed debate over marijuana after a couple states legalized it, the president said, "i don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol." but he added, "it's not something i encourage. and i've told my daughters it's a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy." >>>

they fell into the hands of al qaeda affiliated wind has adjourned last couple today as a former u.s. marine and his sayings the u.s. led invasion has helped a widen the sectarian gaps in iraqi society but i think the reason that there's a disk. in iraq right now is because the u.s. led occupation put in place a lot of structural injustices that are the root of all the violence in iraq right now one of the results of the occupation of iraq was that the sunni community. became a very marginalized targeted group within iraq so this is the root of a lot of the fighting in the province right now. i think for the us government to continue arming the rocky government to facilitate their internal oppression of various ethnic minorities within the country i think that would be very immoral on our part and i think it would be even more immoral for us to send troops to participate in this repression. hundreds of people have reportedly fallen sick in the us after a massive chemical spill into a west virginia river the incident has led to an indefinite ban on tap water for around three hundred thousand

u.s. marines burning the bodies of the rocky insurgents more on this just ahead. taking on the n.s.a. a new jersey congressman rush holt has called for major changes to u.s. surveillance will join us to talk about the reforms he thinks are needed in just a few minutes and although many west virginian residents haven't had their permission for their water to be turned out many of them are still leery eighteen lawsuits have surfaced against the company responsible for the leak more on that later in the show.

u.s. marines this amid reports afghanistan's security deal with the u.s. is unlikely to be signed before presidential elections if signed the agreement would allow up to ten thousand u.s. military personnel to stay in the volatile state and ensure financial aid up to twenty fourteen however washington is demanding immunity from prosecution force troops something the afghan leadership reticent to accept a diplomatic deadlock has severely strained relations there and washington has already threatened a total pull out of afghanistan in the deal if the deal isn't a sign saying again and p. and presidential hopeful diode sultanzoy says the growing dispute it will do nothing to improve security. aware of the national security forces of afghanistan with the word to cling on. the national army we sort of divided into different groups and then the taliban can take advantage of that sort of a division from which they can stage attacks and the civilians will probably not stand on the military side and they'll just just stand. a state of emergency has been declared in

defense officials in southern japan are moving forward with a plan to relocate a u.s. marine base in okinawa. they're asking companies to submit bids to do work, despite the re-election of a mayor opposed to the project. japanese and u.s. leaders have agreed to move the futenma air station from the city of ginowan to a coastal district of nago. last month the governor nakaima approved a government request to start pushing infill into the ocean to build runways for the new base. officials with the okinawa defense bureau say they're accepting bids for three projects. these include designing embankments, and a survey of miern, coral and dugong sea mammals. the officials plan to sign contracts by the end of march with the companies that submit successful bids. they say they'll later seek bids for a coastal drilling survey. >> translator: while continuing to seek the return of land used for the u.s. futenma air station, we will also steadily promote the relocation plan. >> but the newly re-elected mayor of nago is strongly opposed to the plan. >> translator: leaders in this countr

other parts of the province in iraq and proclaimed an islamic state ross at the point is a former u.s. marine who fought in fallujah a decade ago he things the u.s. led invasion could be to blame for the violence that we see now but i think the reason that there's discontent in iraq right now is because of the u.s. led occupation put in place a lot of structural injustices that are the root of all the violence in iraq right now one of the results of the occupation of iraq was that the sunni community. became a very marginalized targeted group within iraq so this is the root of a lot of the fighting in unbar province right now. i think for the u.s. government to continue arming the rocky government to facilitate their internal oppression of various ethnic minorities within the country i think that would be very immoral on our part and i think it would be more immoral for us to send troops to participate in this repression. in syria western nations are watching in horror as their favorite rebel groups turn on each other just as last week almost five hundred opposition fighters have died fightin

group's activity with being behind the latest bombing attack in beirut ross kemp who she is a former u.s. marine who fought in philip a decade ago he thinks the u.s. led invasion could be to blame for the violence we're seeing in iraq now i think the reason that there is discontent in iraq right now is because the u.s. led occupation put in place a lot of structural injustices that are the root of all the violence in iraq right now one of the results of the occupation of iraq was that the sunni community. became a very marginalized targeted group within iraq. butting in on by province right now. i think for the u.s. government to continue arming the rocky government to facilitate their internal oppression of various ethnic minorities within the country i think that would be very immoral on our part and i think it would be even more immoral for us to send troops to participate in this repression. meanwhile in neighboring syria the strengthening of al qaeda linked groups has led to growing infighting between once allied rebels fierce clashes between rival opposition factions have killed at least s

you see it. >> and of course we're listening to the sounds of the u.s. marineband. they bring us class and dignity. our hats are off. we salute this group composed of the san diego-based first marine division band. the third marine aircraft wing band. and the marine band of san diego. looking sharp. marching sharp. sounding sharp. >> gets you in the mood, doesn't it. >> yeah, i'm telling you. that is fantastic. for 5 1/2 miles, they will march, they will play, and they will remind us of the sacrifice and the patriotism that are exemplified by our men and women in uniform here and abroad, protecting us across the world. >> yeah. you really get a sense of nostalgia and patriotism when they narch front of you, al. ♪ >> all right. good news for this float right here. the past president trophy winner is before us, western asset management company, won for most innovative use of floral and nonfloral materials. this is an exciting new group and it's called presented by western asset management company, and it is called "so close yet safari away." >> i get it. safari a

u.s. marines committed to huge war crimes against the people of pollution they can they call a kill zone anything that moved was killed when you declare a kill zone you say everything that moves must die everything that moves must be a terrorist everything that moves is a legitimate target who then dies who then suffers it's the the people of pollution themselves of course they don't want to live under al-qaeda but do they want to live under these kind of military assaults paid for by the united states with arms from the united states carried out by the government which has also been a brutal against the residents of fallujah i don't think so crucial question thank you thank you no doubt there is an urgent need to drive these militants out after all how can you allow extremists to run talent's again territory expand but then you also have to ask if you see bombing as a viable option in order to drive extremists out of residential areas how different is it from what bashar assad is doing in washington i'm going to check on. the conflict in neighboring syria has helped found the sectarian tensions

u.s. marines fought a ferocious, house-to-house battle against iraqi insurgents. more than 100 marines gave their lives to pacify the city and hundreds more were injured. today, with american troops out of iraq, security has collapsed. and the civil war in next door syria, where al qaeda fighters are growing in strength and taking the lead among rebel forces, is now spilling over freely into iraq. the fear now is that al qaeda might actually form its own state, its own power base, within the chaos. secretary of state kerry said this weekend the u.s. stands ready to help iraq in this battle, to a point. >> we're not contemplating putting boots on the ground. this is their fight. >> reporter: and right now, they're losing. terry moran, abc news, london. >>> and back here at home, it's official. the senate has confirmed janet yellen as the new federal reserve chair, making her the nation's top banker. and the first woman ever to hold the post. she takes over from ben bernanke on february 1st. >>> and we know, tonight is a big night for football fans. the national cha

right now the u.s. marine corps futenma air station in the densely populated city of ginowan. the plan is to move the facility north to nago. but the newly re-elected mayor of the city opposes the relocation. kennedy is expected to raise issues related to american military bases in okinawa during her meeting with nakaima. the ambassador will visit futenma and meet troops. u.s. embassy officials say she's also considering making a speech as an opportunity to connect with the people of okinawa. analysts say kennedy will try to -- will be trying to get a firsthand look at the issues stemming from u.s. bases in the southern prefecture and seek support for her country's policies. >>> government officials from several countries met in western japan to try to prepare for the worst. the international conference on disaster recovery has been held since 2005. participants are sharing ideas on how to deal with the aftermath of a natural disaster. and ways to help those affected get back on their feet. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the meeting took place in kobe, a city hit hard nearly

u.s. marines lost their lives in fallujah in 2004 in a fight to drive the militants out and hand control to the shiites who now run iraq. today the u.s. has no leverage other than backing the iraqi government. secretary of state john kerry mired in the increasingly problematic israeli-palestinian peace deal offered the iraqis moral support. >> we're not contemplating putting boots on the ground. in their fight but we're going to help them in their fight. this is a fight that is bigger than just iraq. >> reporter: that's a diplomatic understatement. jihaddists have plunged into the carnage in syria as a step towards establishing an islamic state. neighboring lebanon has also been sucked in. the intervention of the powerful hezbollah movement on the side of syria has been met with car bombs and assassinations. the jihaddists proclaimed goal is a unified islamic fundamentalist state encompassing iraq, syria and lebanon. but the real issues are much murkier and far more complex, according to former u.s. ambassador edward rocker. >> this fight is much bigger than iraq. it is something that has g

exist and give no one city is that for ten base u.s. marine air base and for ten months and there's been a lot of protest about that for many years in one thousand nine hundred sixty three u.s. troops raped a twelve year old girl and the people there were just fed up so since one thousand nine hundred six has been a movement that okinawa to get the base out of going to one city which is heavily populated area and the people of okinawa want to get it out of okinawa completely it's been a very unfair situation for a long time and they were first taken over by the japanese and then there was the big battle in one thousand nine hundred five in the u.s. after the war set up to its bases all over okinawa and you see this little area it's really less than one percent six tenths of a percent of the entire landmass of japan and it has seventy four percent of all u.s. bases in this very very small area so this is the controversy one the governor betrayed the people of okinawa many of us decided it was time to act so we put together this statement and th