action, plus another change maybe for the tv industry. earth day - a californian campus using recycled waste to produce power. . and we begin with world diplomacy and growing concerns. within the hour president obama leaves for east asia. his week-long trip which began as he detargeted washington is part of a -- departed washington is part of app effort to rebalance the region. the administration has been pulled to other crisis in the middle east and europe in the past few months. new developments. first, ukraine. u.s. forces are stepping up their presence. paratroopers are going in. 600 american soldiers from the 173rd airborne brigade will work with locals in the poland and baltics. it's part of support for n.a.t.o. allies. >> ukraine's acting president ordered military action against pro-russians in the east. a local politician was found dead, with scenes of being tortured. we have this report from kiev. >> reporter: the day regan with a show of -- began with a show of america's sport for kiev. vice president joe biden was warmly received. both the vice president and ukraine's acting prime minister had tough words for russia. >> no nation, no nation has the right to simply grab land from another nation. no nation has that right. and we will never recognise russia's illegal occupation of crimea, and neither will the world. . >> translation: russia should stick to its international commitment and obligations. we demand that russia fulfils obligations and not behave like gangsters in the modern century. >> the americans promise more support for the ukrainian economy. for example, to help ukraine reduce dependence on russian gas. that will take time, and time is one thing that the government in kiev will not have. the latest from the east is ominous. in slovyansk, they fear an attack from government forcesar the body of a local politician was found tortured and murdered, and was found near the city. he blames russia for the killing. >> oleksandr turchynov is calling for a ru sumption of -- resumption of anti-terror activity. it was suspended over the easter holiday period. the geneva agreement, intended to de-escalate the crisis is in danger of unravelling before it was implemented. >> thank you for your strong support. >> joe biden encouraged the ukrainian government with his strong language. he has gone home to washington, leaving the ukrainians to try to deal with their powerful neighbour to the east. coming up later this hour, we'll find out the latest u.s. show of force in europe - what it could mean. i'll talk with retired brigadier general mark kim it. syria - 88% of the forces there - 88% of the declared weapons have been removed or destroyed. there are allegations of another chemical attack. those accusation are backed up by disturbing video posted on syrian opposition website. we have this report from neighbouring turkey. >> they have problems breathing. they cough, vomit. doctors say the people are victims of chlorine gas bombs. this is the hospital in a town in the northern countryside of hama. act visits say syrian government helicopters have been dropping barrel bombs that contain the poisonous gas. over the past two weeks hundreds have been treated. >> in governments alone, there have been six attacks involving the use of chlorine guns. when the bombs are dropped it spreads. critical cases were sent to turkey. three cases. >> united nations says sarin gas was used in a rebel-controlled suburb in august, killing hundreds. the u.n. inquiry didn't say who used them, but a deal to destroy syria's chemical weapons stockpile was reached. the united states is trying to determine the facts around the attacks. >> we have indications of the use of a toxic industrial chemical. probably chlorine in this month, in the opposition-dominated village. we are examining allegations that the government was responsible. we take all allegations of the use of chemicals in combat seriously. >> but the people who are targeted say that is not the problem. they want the attacks to stop. >> they are using it as a field for experiment. they want to see how effective chlorine gas is to force people to flee. many have left the town. >> this is in the the only area where chlorine-relied incidents happened, report over recent weeks. the frequency of these attacks is increasing. civilians have largely been the victims of the attacks. chlorine bombs have been dropped on populated areas, not far from the front lines. >> i don't think any international community will act on this, and you got that sense from the white house statement. they want to wait until the last bit of the chemical weapons is destroyed and they'll take on the other issue as a separate investigation. >> people feel that the government is banking on international silence as it continues to clear the towns in a push to retake territory. >> south korea's defence ministry reports increased activity near the underground nuclear site. the south warns north korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test. china is calling for restraint. north korea conducted three nuclear tests since 2006. north korea, korea, ukraine - the president has a full agenda as the air force one heads to asia. then there are conflicts within the region, mike viqueira is travelling with the president. >> reporter: first stop for president obama - japan. rising nationalism raised alarms in washington and south korea and china. regional rivals that suffered under japanese war-time occupation. a high-stakes dispute over a threat of islands threatens to become a live-fire conflict. >> what could generate between a mus or mis-cal -- mistake or miscalculation, but because of our alliance relationship united states affirmed that we'd be an china's side. >> next south korea - home to many forces. seen in joint exercises. they serve as a trick wire on peninsula still at war. north korea's pattern of confrontation under kim jong un continues. china is its closest ally. critics say the obama administration has lost focus. >> discussion and engagement is seen as a reward. we need to get over that in the united states. north korea needs to be high on the priority list, because it has nuclear weapons, is developing nuclear capabilities. >> president obama arrives in malaysia. tragedy around flight mh370 leads to resentment of beijing. >> some of the accuse at tri powers, harming the soft power, making china's neighbour wanting a strong u.s. were not. >> last stop, the philippines, locked in a dispute with china, this time over another set of islands, the sprattlies, claimed by six nations to the south. >> they have problems with their neighbours. everywhere they have problems, u.s. is cultivating new friends. they see it as a fundamentally constraining attempt >> as china continues to broden its power and influence, the president's trip carries is clear message. >> this is about showing the american presence, reassurance and letting china know that we are committed in the region, and letting them know that china's neighbours want us there. >> the president's mission - to skip the scales in its rebound to asia. and at each stop along the way, a rising china looms large. >> heather joins us tonight from washington. she worked in the clinton administration and is a senior advisor at the national security network. >> good to be back. >> good to see you. how does the president prioritise. there are serious issues with several countries. >> so you have sort of the urgent and the important, right. you have the things you can't ignore what is going on in ukraine, you can't ignore. what are the things that set the table for american interests, making it possible to change some of these longer term problems. having a stable security situation, having it clear that the u.s. is in asia to stay, relationships are strong. that will help you in the longer term deal with the concerns raised by north korea's nuclear programme, deal with the worries around china and japan. and, importantly, something that didn't come up is set the foundation for continued u.s. economic prosperity which, by the way, is the foundation for the u.s. having military diplomatic might in asia and other parts of the world. you are constantly balancing what is the crisis today. the pictures from syria are horrifying. you want to put your focus on that. what can you do that sets the table for long-term success, and you say asia is the place where we can do things - make investments of time and effort today that make a difference going forward. >> but, i mean, try it this way - so he's stated his commitment to asia, yet he's distracted by what is going on in the middle east and europe. does that impact his relationship with china? >> well, the reality of being an american president is that you are always tugged in multiple direction. there's no question that the chinese are watching this and love to tell visiting americans that we are perfectly happy for the americans to get bogged down in the middle east. having a president go ahead with a trip sends on important signal to the chinese that we do have the ability to walk and chew gun, in this case to walk and chew gum and juggle it at the same time. >> now to syria - how much focus has the united states put on syria in recent months. has there been enough focus by the u.s.? >> well, there are really good people in the state department, in the defense department at u.s. a.i.d. working night and day trying to figure out how to help syrians get out of this horror that they find themselves in. there has been a decision by the administration that, you know, maybe it's not the biggest high level priority frankly because no one has been able to see a clearer way forward because syria's neighbours don't see a clear way forward. where you are choosing among - if you are advising president obama, and you spend an hour here, it will make a difference, and if you spend an hour here i can't promise you it will make a difference. >> he has a lot more time in office, but does the president at this time look at his foreign policy legacy or not? >> it feels less and less like you have a lot of time. if you think about legacy items, that you need for support from congress, like passing a trade deal or changing your aid relationship with ukraine, you have a short time window before the elections, and a new congress to deal with and another year before, frankly as a president, you struggle to not be old news once the 2016 campaign kicks into full gear. yes, you are absolutely thinking about legacy, but you are thinking about how to do a good job right now. >> there are plenty of critics. you worked for president clinton or the democratic side is where you come from. how would you judge the president's foreign policy so far. >> a couple of things i admire is that he came >> office with a couple of big goals and worked steadfastly on them. where they really excelled is picking out issues like the rebalance the asia, like getting a deal over iran's nuclear programme, and setting the table for going forwards. i think they have done that excellently. on the day to day cries assist management, there's -- crisis management there's a lot to criticise. it's a great joy of being on this side of the administration that we can name things they may have done better. we'll look back and see ways they have set the table for long-term health of the u.s. relationships overseas that will be the big positive for them. >> good to see you. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> the number of u.s. troops staying behind in afghanistan may drop from 33,000 american troops to less than 10,000 after the end of this year. the smaller forces reportedly being considered following afghanistan's smooth presidential election. white house officials believing the army may be able to deal with a taliban insurgency with less support. it's been 115 days since the arrest in egypt. they were back in a cairo court. the journalists that the trial - the journalists covering the trial were ejected from the courtroom. richelle carey is here with more on that. >> obviously it was an unusual day in court. that's the best way to put it. the prosecution presented video evidence meant to incriminate the journalist. it confused the judge much after that those covering the trial were kibd out and not -- kicked out and not told why. >> peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have been held for more than three months, charged with spreading news and providing a platform for the outlawed muslim brotherhood. officials said the trial is fair and transparent. in the middle of this session a judge booted journalists out of the courtroom. patrick kingsley, "the guardian"'s correspondent was there. >> we were chucked out. those that stayed behind were back in for the final half hour or 45 minutes of the session. >> journalist ruth treated: >> journalists were eventually let back in. evidence prosecutors presented included outio recordings. >> several of the recordings were inaudible. even to the judge who said at one point "does anyone understand what is going on, if you do, let us know?" defence lawyers challenged the prosecution saying most of the material is unrelated or a standard tv reporting. abdullah al-shami, the fourth al jazeera journalist in detention has been held in egypt for more than six months and has been on hunger strike since jan 21st. his detention was extended by 45 cause on march 13th. the trial of the al jazeera atractored worldwide -- attracted worldwide attention. al jazeera rejects charges and continues to call for the release of its team. >> mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste were once again denied bail. they'll be held until the trial resumes. that is on may 3rdrd. another delay. >> another day. >> yes. >> thank you. the situation growing more desperate in south sudan. the u.n. says that as a result of recent violence 22,000 people are seeking shelter at its bases in bentiu. hundreds of civilians were killed, reportedly murdered because of their ethnicity. many hiding in churches, mosques and schools. rebels loyal to the former vice president have been fighting government forces. >> escaping her captors. a nigian schoolgirl describes her kidnapping. plus, the supreme court's decision and the impact it could have on who gets into college. earth day - one college making power out of waste. >> now to a major decision by the u.s. supreme court. the case is about affirmative action and could affect whether some students get into college. bisi onile-ere reports. >> jennifer has been active ever since she was an applicant to the university of michigan in 1990. after being denied administration she sued over the affirmative action plan and won. in 2006 michigan voters passed a law barring colleges from practicing race-base admissions. she welcomed the high court ruling. >> i think the decision is a decision, a victory for the voters of michigan and the issue of equality. >> the university reads a statement that reads in part: appear >> after the law took effect many michigan colleges stepped up recruiting campaigns to attract minorities. the number of black and lat eacho students -- latino students entering public universities dropped by a third in the years since the ban. at michigan, 4.6" of the undergraduates are afghan americans compared to 8.9%. the history professor is a propon ept of affirmative action and was one of the plaintiffs challenging the ban. >> this is not a law. that doesn't mean we can't be more creative to reverse some decline. >> california, florida, washington and four other states have similar bans passed by voters. legislators, or instituted by executive order. the decision in the michigan case could open the door for other states to follow suit. . another supreme court case which has not been decided was being argued today in washington. it could change the way we watch tv. lisa stark has that story. >> reporter: this is one of the significant copyright cases in decades, could have an impact on the way we watch television. the justices seemed a bit conflicted about what to do about tech start up aereo. >> now there's aereo... . >> it let's its customers watch over the air television through the internet. it rents one of its thousands of dime-sized antennas to a customer and stores the video on a dvr in the cloud. it's a fraction of what cable companying charge and targeted at people that don't want to watch or pay for cable channels but want local sessions. aereo is not paying a.b.c., n.b.c. or c.b.c. broadcasters, and attorneys argue it violates copyright law. >> i think what is at stake is the nature of broadcast television as we know it. >> aereo, which is two years old and available in 11 cities so far, argues it is not distributing content, just renting equipment - the tiny tv antennas. >> from our perspective the issue is whether consumers, who had a right to an antenna and ddr and make copies of local broadcast television, if that right is infringed by moving the antepa and d.d.r. to the cloud. >> justices seemed don flilent. chief justice john roberts said the technical model seems designed to circumvent copyright, justice steven brier worried about the consequences of finding aains aereo, and what it means for the growing cloud industry, a thought echoed by a group supporting aereo. >> it's hard to draw distinction between aereo and cloud services and popular internet-based services that are right now unquestionably legal. >> because of that concern the justices are likely to write a narrow decision if they do rule against aereo so they don't impact clued services. if it loses it, they may have to close up shop. if the broadcasters move, they are will have to move popular programming off the networks to paid cable stations. >> lisa stark reporting. coming up next - a presidential show of support. rescue crews and mudslide victims remembered a month after the disaster. the u.s. sends a military-strength message to russia. why new charms are filed in the south korean ferry disaster. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. we have a lot to cover this half hour. including first-hand account of a teacher - one of the girls abducted in the nigerian school talks about the attack. plus - mourning the mudslide victims, the president pays his respects to the 41 lost. and energy - enough to power is college campus. richelle carey first with the top stories. the arg nisation overseeing the chemical weapons removal in syria has removed 88%. there are allegations of new attacks, involving possibly clor each. video posted op youtube. the white house is investigating. it's claimed a rebel group was blamed for the attack. >> the number of troops staying behind in afghanistan may be reduced. there's a report that the white house may consider keeping less than 10,000 in the country. white house officials concluded the elections, the army, would be robust enough to detain a taliban injurge si. in ukraine, they have called for action in the east. a local politician was wound dead. the body had signs of torture. it's claimed russian forces were operating to cause unrest. vice president joe biden warned more sanctions against russia if they don't ease tensions in eastern ukraine. the pentagon announced a bigger u.s. military preps is coming to eastern europe. it appeared the u.s. was sending a message to russia. rosalind jordan has details. r- the u.s. military is taking action to shore up the defenses of four states which share a common border with russia. poland, latvia, lithuania and estonia will get 150 paratroopers from the 173rd airborne. that's part of the u.s. army based in vin when za italy. all paratroopers will be conducting infantry exercises with the military counterparts for the next four weeks. the pentagon says it will continue over the foreseeable future. more on the programme. this is rear-admiral john kirby, a pentagon spokesperson. >> russia's aggression in ukraine renews our resolve to strengthening n.a.t.o.'s defense plans and capabilities. i can announce today that a company-sized contingent from paratroopers from the u.s. army, europe's 173rd infantry brigade combat team, airborne, based in vin whensa italy will arrive in poland to begin exercises with polish troops. >> admiral kirby says it does not mean that the u.s. is trying to go it alone in the states with a border against russia. he says when n.a.t.o. comes up with a set of exercises and deployments, they should be taking an alliance, that the u.s. will be front and center taking part in the exercises. it's worth noting that at this time, the u.s. s "taylor" is in the black sea for a routine visit and base stop. >> rosalind jordan reportingment >> retired brigadier general mark kimmitt joins us from washington. he was an assistant secretary of state in the george w. bush administration. thank you for being with us. given your rehabilitation to the military exercises, what sort of message is the u.s. sending? >> it's sending two messages and it's unfortunate that neither the message that we need to send, that we are willing to put if 100 men in a couple of countries to defend the borders of n.a.t.o., and are willing to put troops in countries where we have a treaty obligation. i don't see how it sends a message so ukraine. >> what would you do? >> well, we are to understand that russia has done this either as a soviet union or russia for years and years. they attacked hungary, went in checkal slovakia, the lift impose on. what russia has done is tried to expand borders to provide territorial application. if we want to send a message of deterrence and not provocation, my recommendation is to put american troops in the center of the action inside of ukraine. >> they put the force, though, and attempted to expand the border in crimea, right.. >> they have. but they are - and that's why it's more important at this point to understand that crimea, which did have an historical affiliation with russia, that that's as far as it goes. that the russians cannot use the antagonisms between east and west as an excuse to invade into ukraine. >> you say that's as far as it goes, else what? >> else i would expect that if the situation deteriorates further inside of ukraine, vladimir putin will see it has a reason and provocative action for which he can use to send the troops on the border of ukraine under the guise of restoring stability and order, and ukraine into the territorial sovereignty of russia. >> if the u.s. puts forces on the ground in ukraine, is it the united states flirting with world war with russia? >> we have 12,000 troops going to bed-sitting on the border between -- bed, sitting on the border with north and south korea. the reason they are not invaded is they understand they are not going against south korea, but united states. we have 3,000 troops along the east german border. because of the deterrent felent the russians -- effect, the russians never came further. it's a deterrent effect to vladimir putin, not one of provocation. >> is it reasonable to ask the question - what if the deterrent doesn't work, then what? >> i have no example where that type of deterrent, sending a message to ausha, that you can't -- russia, that you can't cross the line, that it didn't work. only when we draw lines in the sand that we are unable to stand up to or the wrong lines in the sapped, where - which led to korea, and led to the invasion of south korea. >> how many troops does the u.s. need. >> as the saying wept in world war i, how much british troops have to die before the british come into the war against germany. the april was one. >> acting side by side with the ukrainians, at their invitation would send a message to vladimir putin - if you want to come into the country and take it over. you have to understand that you are going it not only against the sovereign country of ukraine, but the state of america. >> you think it will work. >> i see no examples in history where it didn't. i don't think vladimir putin is irrational. he is taking what is given to him. any time he is pushing back, he pulls back himself. >> brigadier general mark kimmitt, fascinating discussion. i'd like to continue it in the future. thank you. >> sure. >> there is new information on how more than 200 teenage girls were abducted from the school in nigeria. a teacher said armed men stormed the school, pretending they were soldiers. the school is in bono. we have this report from nigeria's capital abuja. rmpingts these are the first images of what suspected boko haram fighters did to a skate girl's school in borno state. dormitories were bombed and teaching rooms set alight. 200 girls were kidnapped, driven away on lorries into the bush. this girl escaped. >> we thought they were soldiers and we asked them to board a vehicle and my friends and i jumped from the vehicle and ran back home. we realised they didn't look enjoyment. >> the attackers spoke to one teacher. >> they took around 11. the children run away. they took them. they ran away with them. >> reporter: how many of them? >> around 200 - over 200. >> these numbers have not been confirmed by the parents. no one claimed responsibility. it looks like the work of boko haram. the armed group attacked schools in the region before. it's against western education, and what the strict islamic law imposes on saturday boko haram set fire to a building. no student was harmed. >> the nigerian military said it launched a major operation to find the girls missing in the but, and hundreds of soldiers are used in the operation. a week since the girls were abducted. many feel not enough is being done. >> the grim task of identifying victims from the sunken ferry is underway in south korea. the death toll more than 100, and nearly 200 missing. four more crew members accused of abandoningship were failing to protect the passengers were arrested. we have the latest from jindo in south korea. r- it's a week ago since the ferry was op its side, on its way underwater, a few kilometres off the coast. we saw those extraordinary images of passengers clipping to the side of the chip, plucked off -- ship, plucked off by helicopter, young people jumping off the side, picked up by boats. when we got here a number of parents were looking out to sea, homing their children will be brought back alive. >> in the days sips, the situation regularized. it became a grim one, where people go into a tent and watch as each body comes assure and people write up descriptions, that is how people are finding out whether they have been brought ashore. >> as well as that, there's a booth set up for people to register, to go out on ships to see for themselves exactly what is going on. we have seen people doing that this morning. there has been times when the teeth are optimal. authorities are trying to put down a submersible with detection facilities on board. they hope it will accelerate the process of recovering bodies. >> harry fawcett reporting from south korea. a deadly virus is spreading through saudi arabia. there's a surge of cases of middle east respiratory sindh om. the saudi arabia health minister has been fired. the sars-like virus is rooted in that region. 79 faces are fate a it's been traced to camels. the virus could mutate. joie chen to tell what you say is coming up on "america tonight". . good evening. tonight an exclusive investigation into the fate of little guys caught up in bankruptcy. we heard about the big creditors. pensioners, bond holders. there are smaller debts that the city is based about paying off. individuals that made successful legal claims for wrongful convictions, civil rights violations and accidents. it looks like some of those will get a fraction of what they are owed. >> jessie pap payne is not a sophisticated wall street bank or bond holder. she was walking in a parking lot, hit by a city bus and deserves to be paid fairly. >> we'll find out what happens in an exclusive investigation from "america tonight". ahead at the top of the hour. see you then. >> president obama is on his way to asia after making a stop in oso washington, scene of the mudslide that killed 41, last month. air force one left oso washington moments ago. a few hours earlier president obama got a birds eye view of the destruction left behind. he flew over the region, and spoke to the rescue workers at the fire house. he talked about a letter he knot from a firefighter. >> the firefighter pointed out the incredible work done under tough circumstances. number two, he was pointing out what others were doing, not what he was doing. and you see a community come together like this and not be interested in who is getting credit, but making sure that the job gets done. that says a lot about the character of this place. >> joining us from oso in washington state is our allen schauffler. what else was the president - was on the president's schedule today? >> well, besides the fly over and the talk with first responders. he met with the victims of the mud slide. up the road, he spent an hour with them, delivering a simple message. we heard the phrase oh so long, the slogan about the area. he said we, the rest of the country, will be strong with you. he spent a lot of time with family members, enshowering them that support would be stable and strong into the future. this is the event that gives the people here a break, gives the first responders a chance to do something different than the terrible job they have been doing, and for the residents it might mark a bit of a door opening in time, and it may be time for them to put the past behind them, looking to the future. >> marler lives on the edge of the slide, leaving her slide undamaged but her world torn apart. >> it will never be the same. i have to accept that. everybody is just trying to move forward, but it will be difficult because everything has changed so much. the landscaping changed. and friends there are that we won't see. >> a 1-lane access road has been built across a con of her property -- corner of her property and will be improved. pilot cars will escart traffic one way for commuters cut off. >> it will be months before it's cleared. >> the only through road, a two-lane state highway is mostly buried. the extent of the damage unknown. the state transportation department hopes the fix will be measured in month. there's no timeline to reopen the line. >> the hydrology, geology of the area has changed. the river changed course. there's a lot to take into course before we have a long-time sol use. >> as for the river, dammed by the slide, working through the mile or so of mud and debris, former fish biologists bill mcmillan said the river and its salmon and steel populations will bounce back. >> if that area is probably wisely left alone, over the long term it could provide important and good fish habitat. >> evidence of the human tragedy is everywhere. yellow ribban lined bridges and fences. flags are at half staff. ridges are dotted by heavily-logged areas. some pointed to clear cutting and heavily rain as contributing factors in the slide. a logging contract nearby has been suspended. others will be reviewed for land slide risk. through it all marler facebooked 10-12 hours a day. she shared pictures and notices of services and fund-raisers. >> thank you so much is what i say. because i do appreciate all the different benefits going op. >> like others in this valley. she'll try to balance what was lost and what is ahead. >> we keep on going. you know, we just - there'll always be memorials. once a year there'll be a memorial. we go the best we can. >> we met marler first, just a couple of days after the slide hit, 3.5 weeks ago, and she told me that she hadn't cried, that it wasn't time to cry. i asked her when we interviewed her about this, if she cried. she said "no, not time, tears have not come", maybe at some point she'll sit with a friend, go back over what has been lost, and maybe then the tears will come. although she didn't get a chance to speak to the president, she was glad he was here and keep the focus on the needs that the community will face in coming years. >> did we get a sense of the president's reaction to what he saw on marine one? >> we did. i talked to senator patty murray, washington senior senator with the president in that fly over. and she said he was clearly impacted by it, very quiet. and it just underlines the cliche that we hear, that you don't understand the impact until you see it in person. you don't understand the impact until you see it in person. that was clearly true for the president as well. it's a truly dramatic sight, and the sale is mined boggling, and clearly it had an impact on the president as he flew over. it was a brief fly over. you don't need much time to see it to sense the scale and human loss. it was clearly felt. >> allen schauffler, thank you. next - celebrating earth day by turning discarded food into power and warmth. plus sherpas take a stand. the guide's decision that has the busy hiking seven at mt everest in jeopardy. earth day set for confirmation and sustainability, we have been seeing all kinds of events across the u.s., to plant trees and do things outdoors, to clean up. sustainability is the main topic, as we look outside not everywhere has been the greatest to be outside. especially parts of idaho, they had strong storms, bringing in damaging wind gusts. the wind gusts coupled with dry conditions, we'll talk about drought. this is a big topic. we look at central california, san francisco, 31% when it comes to rain fall. the drought continues to the south and east of san francisco, and further over into the midwest and south. dallas, fort worth and waco reporting that they have had the lowest year to date precipitation totals. dallas at number 7 for the driest year. a couple in the wind gusts. we have big concerns, globally because of wildfire danger. we have concerns and warnings for the south-west. fire weather-watchers and red flag warnings to indicate dry windy conditions that spread wildfire quickly. al jazeera america tips. the future of the climbing seen in mt everest is uncertain. sherpas say they are leaving the mountain in honour of 13 killed and three missing after the deadly avalanche. climbing companies are calling off expeditions to allow a mourning period. the nepalese government is offering more compensation to families of those killed. officials say sherpas will return to work on saturday. the guides say the government's offer is not enough. today is earth day. to on our the environment some cities are turning to greener technologies. the university of california, davis takes food waste and transforms it into energy for eat and natural gas. jacob ward is in davis. r- in the distance behind me you see the hills that form the beginning of napper valley. this is central valley. the food grown here is about to begin providing electricity to 500 homes thanks to these biodigestors which opened today. i could have shape you mean amazing things. i shows to bring you up close and personnel with a clean fuel. there's a little water melon, lasagna, bananas - it's token garbage. what sets the system apart is that this doesn't have to be mixed with water. it can go right into the digester in solid form like this, get spun for a little while in this system, and get slowly pulled into the chambers here, which clelent methane gas coming off of this. the garbage loaded into here, 50 tonnes a day, will put out 12,000 kilowatt hours of power. it's enough to power homes. it's perfect as a closed system. that's what sets this apart, is that in 10 days it produces enough power for 5,000 homes, when typically a landfill requires months. >> this digester technology is designed for solids, organic waste treatment, so can take a solid waste without adding water, digesting microbes quickly and efficient and lower cost. >> where the gash im goes over there, it moves into this tapping. microbes eat away at it, it's called anaerobic, it doesn't use oxygen. it moves here, to this tank, where it gives off the gas. normally it could swaep, but over the -- escape. but over the course of 10 knams it gives off -- days it gives off enough gas to power it 500 homes. it's a beautiful closed loop. >> when you say davis started this project. they did a feasibility study, and found to g 25 packets a day. it would cost 24 million. this facility using the products, technology, we were act build a 50 tonne per day for under 9 million. >> up until now, anaerobic digestion is getting rid of what we don't want. the four big silver eggs in newtown processes 1.5 millions of gal ons of sewerage. they don't collect energy. if you ma'am taking this facility, blowing it to an urban scale, you talk about something that can put a dent in problems. >> now to rome. it's celebrating its birthday. actors, dressed as gladiators and others marched through the city. >> coming up tonight on al jazeera - wild america. we take you to wyoming where the longest mammal migration in the country is underway. the dangers faced and why scientists believe the creatures face the risks. back to the future. underwater homes and moon cole onnies, predictions that missed the mark and came true from the new york world fair. that and more 11 eastern time and 8 pacific. here is the photo of the day, the imaging catching our attention from south korea. the shadows of visitors on the side of a tent at the port of jindo. hundreds of messages written, wishing for the safe return of passengers. richelle carey with the headlines after this. vé welcome to al jazeera america, i'm richelle carey, here are the top stories. the united states is warning russia that more sanctions are likely unless tensions are eased along the ukraine boarder. vice president joe biden offered up a $50 million aid package for the new government. joe biden criticised russia for bulking up military presence at the ukraine border. u.s. forces will begin exercises tomorrow near the russian border. over the next month u.s. paratroopers will train with baltic and polish soldiers. the pentagon says drills will follow up the crisis. 88% of syria's chemical weapons have been destroyed or moved, according to the organization tasking with disposing of them. allegations of another attack with the agent chlorine. an al qaeda linked rebel group has been blamed for that attack. >> the country is thinking about all of you and have been throughout the tragedy. >> words of support from president obama for victims of the mudslide in washington state. oso was his last stop before flying to japan to begin a week-long foreign policy trip. those are the headlines. "america tonight" is next with joie chen. you can get the latest news online at the website - aljazeera.com. >> on "america tonight" - fight for chicago. warmer weather leads to a heat-up in the gang wars, and a fierce debate over whether crime is up or down. >> you can't come to the park and enjoy yourself without this happening. >> also tonight - broke, and at the back of the line. as detroit tries to dig its way out of debt, an "america tonight" investigation finds some that have waited years for city payments could turn out to be the biggest losers. >> ever since the city of tr