Transcripts For ALJAZAM News 20140522

Ebay hacked. What theyre suggesting customers do to protect themselves. A fast foot protests lead to go dozens of arrests and forcing one company to tell workers to stay home. A decade after a california mother reported her 15yearold daughter missing, she reappeared. Police in santa ana say the woman now 25 was kidnapped and forced to live with her attacker. The man is facing many charges today, including kidnapping, false imprisonment and rape. Garcia inflicted abuse and forced him to marry him and bear his child. It is an incredible story. A 15yearold girl came to this country to be with her mother and start a new life. That took a horrifying turn. Im so happy and blessed to be with my family. Thats what i want all the time, all the time i cry for her, for them, more for my mom and my sisters. An emotional moment for a 25yearold woman who spent the last 10 years with a man police say kidnapped her when she was just a teen. A decade long mystery of her disappearance came to an end when she left her apartment and walked into a police station. There, the woman, whos identity has not been released told police a harrowing tale of how this man kidnapped her when she was 15, forcing her to marry him and have their now 2yearold child. She arrived in the Southern California town from mexico to live with her mother. Also living in the apartment at that time, the mothers boyfriend, asidro garcia. One day, he kidnapped and drugged this girl. She awoke later in a garage. This is a 15yearold girl in the country for six months. She doesnt know where to go, what to do. Shes in a strange city. Thats when the brainwashing starts. He changed her identity and telling the girl her family was no longer looking for her. For the next 10 years, she was his prisoner, enduring physical and sexual abuse. My understanding is there was continued and repeated sexual assaults. On two occasions, she tried to escape. He caught her and beat her. Garcia had complete control moving to multiple cities to avoid detection, eventually settling at this apartment complex 20 miles from where she was abducted. Neighbors say she looked like a normal family. He was always watching, you know, when she was outside, he was looking through the window, or looking down at her. All the time i cant do it. I was very afraid about everything, because i was alone. Garcia is scheduled to be arraigned today on charges of kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment. His bond is set at 1 million. Meanwhile, the victim is now back with her family. No doubt a very emotional reunion this morning. Stephanie for us in los angeles. Another kidnapping Elizabeth Smart said she is happy for the woman and operating for her. Smart was kidnapped when she was 14, held captive for nine months. She said no one can understand what the victims go through. They urge giving her privacy. They said we dont know what evil people are holding over them, their lives, their families lives. She said shes faced many unfair questions about why she didnt escape from her captors. Over the last several decades, there have been cases of child abductions. Last year in cleveland, neighbors helped free three young women held captive or over 10 years. The three were tortured by aerial castro who killed himself after going to prison. Jaycee dugard was held for 18 years by a couple and gave birth to two daughters before her rescue. There are cases outside the u. S. , of course as well in australia. A woman was detained by her own father for a quarter of a century. Her father held her captive in a basement, forcing her to father seven children. The u. S. Now sending troops to chad to help search for missing school girls kidnapped in nigeria to help with intelligence and searches in the country. They will keep a close eye on the town where the girls were abducted by boko haram. The group is suspected in attacks on nearby villages. We are in the capitol where the protestors were calling on the government to take more action. Whats the very latest this morning . Well, the protestors are expected to start anytime. They are organized by the group called bring back our girls campaign. Theyve been meeting every day for the last days to pressure the government to rescue the girls and do more. Eight days of nothing materializing and the girls being rescued, now they are going to march to show they are angry with the length of time and to show solidarity. It has ban deadly 48 hours in nigeria, 130 people dead. Is there a concern that the Nigerian Government is start to go lose control to boko haram . Well, yes. That is a concern that is in the minds of every nigerian, has the government lost their ability to tame this problem. The government a few weeks ago in the past few weeks has been saying that boko haram is only restrained to the northeast of the country, now ever proved that wrong by carrying out attacks in west and also those deadly bombings in the capitol where more than 120 people died. Many people here asking themselves what is happening. Its not that the military doesnt want to work or stop those people, but corruption has a huge impact on the government and this is coming out of the fore right now. Many asking themselves how much this has to do with elections nine months from now. Reporting live from nigeria, thank you very much. Coming up, were going to be talking to a retired army major more specifically about american troops helping in the search for those missing school girls. A violent terrorist incident, attackers in two cars drove through a Street Market in the northwest region, crashing into people and lobbing explosive devices out of the car windows. Witnesses say the attackers crashed headon causing another explosion. It is uncheer who is responsible for the attacks in chain . Russia vows to veto a Nato Security Council measure about war crimes in syria. The civil war has been raging for three years, displacing more than 9 Million People, a third fleeing to neighboring countries, the red cross delivering food aid to people in the hard hit city have aleppo. Its been six months since aid was received on a large scale. The Syrian Government approved that aid plan. The red cross has been trying to help civilians still stuck inside syria. With elections days away, tensions are escalating in ukraine. A deadly attack on a military check point in donetsk has left soldiers said. Thirty others were wounded in the attack. We report on the volunteer militia who have risen up to protect polling places. On the side of the road, they make final adjustments before starting the operation of the day. They are heading to the Regional Council in the town where there is a new man in charge. The men in black, as they are known here, are part of the recently formed militia that fights separatists in ukraine. People are worried they will protect the region and districts during the elections so people can vote in peace. This group of volunteers say its filling the vacuum left by police, who many feel have offered little more than mild resistance in the wake of the pro russian takeover of government assets. They forget they gave birth to this country and its people and if they dont execute it, they should leave the police. They are traitors. The sight of masked armed men on the streets worries many here. The next stop is the city council where theyre going to talk to the mayor. The mission here is to make sure the upcoming election go on with no disruptions. The mayor monitored them storming the building. When they entered his office, he seemed to welcome them, but its not always so smooth. After a short drive, we reached a time. Here the mayor gives them a frosty reception. Hes accused of being pro russian and comes under attack for not allowing a pro unity gathering, something that wont be tolerated anymore. They have taken check points from the pro russians and handed them over to the ukrainian military. While they continue, they cover operations to keep ukraine united. Maybe the government is busy with something more important than this. I dont know what it could be. Battalions are forming, operating with acknowledgment of the government in kiev. With the emergence of another armed force, the government risks losing even more control in the east. That was a report from donetsk. Russian troops appear to be withdrawing from the ukraine border. The u. S. Supreme court putting the execution of a missouri death row inmate on hold. The convicted killer has a rare vascular condition, his attorney arguing that would cause unnecessary suffering if given a lethal injection. His lawyers want to prevent the same suffering from their client as a botched execution in oklahoma. Samesex couples free to tie the knot in pennsylvania. The republican governor there not going to appeal the ruling. A judge struck down the states ban wednesday. He faces a tough reelection. Also a majority of the voters in the state support samesex marriage, now legal in 19 states. Democrats are gearing up for another congressional intense investigation into the benghazi scandal. The House Minority leader nancy pelosi appointed investigators. President obama gets tough on the veterans anniversary hospital system, saying someone will pay if reports of deadly delays in service at 26 different facilities being investigated are true. For now, he is not firing the v. A. Secretary. We have the story from washington. Today, a House Committee considers giving the v. A. s Inspector General 5 million to investigate whether employees cooked the books. That same committee may discuss putting a hold on bonuses at the v. A. This is common sense. If you fail to do your job, and fail the men and women you serve, you shouldnt be getting bonuses. You should be held accountable. On tuesday, the house overwhelmingly passed a bill making it easier to fire top managers in the v. A. With his deputy chief of staff on the ground in phoenix today, president obama is promising punishment if the Inspector Generals report finds wrongdoing. The president is mad, and were going to wait to see the results of another report. Tough words just arent enough when it comes to this issue. We need action. The president suggested even v. A. Secretarys job could be at risk. He does not think he can do a good job on this and if he thinks hes let our veterans down, then im sure that he is not going to be interested in continuing to serve. He makes his third trip in a week to capitol hill where lawmakers complain his aides around turning over paperwork fast enough. A House Committee plans to subpoena them if they dont show up today. Coming up, the story of one veteran who suffered through v. A. Delays. The simple test they put off that he believes could have caught his cancer earlier. We take a closer look at the role of the v. A. Secretary and why he wasnt asked to resign by president obama. Hundreds have firefighters on their way to Northern Arizona to battle a quick moving wildfire. The slide fire is burning near sedona not yet contained. It tripled in size wednesday. 500 acres burning, fanned by winds and low humidity. The 3200 residents there between sedona and flagstaff are warned to get ready to evacuate. We lose it, we pretty much lose everything. Im not leaving until they kick me out. Resorts have been evacuated. The cause of the fire unknown. Officials believe it may have been man made. In colorado, severe storm spawning hail, strong winds and tornado warnings, the extreme weather causing street flooding, leaving cars slipping and sliding on the roads. Six tornadoes were spotted across the state. No major damage was reported. That storm also bringing air traffic to a halt in denver. Several Frontier Airlines jets were damaged by the hail. That hail looked like bouncing balls. Severe weather could bring relief to drought areas. Our meteorologist Nicole Mitchell has a look at what we can expect. The thunderstorms are going through the night providing an early wake up for a few people on the east coast. Heres where that line is now, moving through the weest. Theres the boundary, the front associated with this is stretching back. Yesterday it was lining up pretty closely to interstate 70, today farther to the south. Already this morning, heavy rain moving into iowa and missouri this morning. You just saw the video of that very impressive hail. Heres storm reports as they came in yesterday, so widespread hail, a couple of tornado reports, not damaged, reported at least at this point with those, so thats good news. This was the storm system now that at this end of it, moving through the east coast, so already a few overnights, but still widespread instability. More will develop through the course of the day. What we saw yesterday with some hail and also a little south of this, more wind damage reports, not any tornadoes reported in this particular area, but this severe risk shows a little farther to the south of the great lakes through the day today. You can see this, a couple of areas in the west and the yellows are more of a slight risk area, a little more of an elevated risk as we get into the eastern half of the country bringing with it rain. This is what is really nice to see, because all of this area, parts of new mexico, texas, where i have the reds highlighted are extreme drought areas. You have to take the Severe Weather, but it could be with really beneficial rain the next couple of days and places like texas will take it. Speaking of flooding, cleaning up after the floods in the balkans. It will take billions of dollars. Serbia will receive more aid than bosnia as they try to recover. If you have an ebay account, it may have been attacked. What you need to know about the massive cyber attack. A real life hero for a young boy close to death. Years later, he is still influencing young men. Todays big number 100 million. One group is shelling out that much cash to influence the mid term elections. 50 million will come from activist tom styer, wants to make Climate Change a top issue in the elections. That will be used to back democrats. It will target races gore govern in pennsylvania, florida and maine. The campaign will focus on women, minority and young adult voters. Widespread damage left behind by flooding in the balkans is called unprecedented. It will cost billions to recover. Thats money the countries and people affected say they dont have. In a shelter in belgrade, this family waits. Literally everything, our entire lives have been destroyed. It is the same for all of us here. We have been reduced to nothing. The only thing we can cling to is that we saved our families and our children. He says it will cost thousands of dollars to rebuild his home. The damage to his country could surpass 2 billion. The country hopes for help from the european union. Its important that serbia receives a quick and efficient response to this so they can resume this and use this unique opportunity to continue reforms. Serbia is a candidate for e. U. Membership, and qualifies for emergency funds. The money likely wont come for at least six months. Bosnia is not a candidate for e. U. Membership, so wont receive funds. Early estimates forecast nearly 2 billion in damage there. Half a Million People are displaced. Bosnias government said the infrastructure damage is worst than caused by the civil war in the 1990s. It warns floodwaters uprooted land mines, making for another urgent and costly problem. For all of this recovery work, bosnia will depend on the International Monetary fund. Bosnia region is also in talks with russia. They are about to begin loan talks with the i. M. F. Their borrows power has been devastated. Bass knee. And serbia range as the poorest countries in europe. Lets look at temperatures we expect across the nation today. Nicole mitchell is back. Nicole. Theres definitely a dividing line where we talk about the boundary that could turn the thunderstorms through the day or will trigger some storms through the day. On the southern half, very warm air, lots of 60s. Behind this, denver, minneapolis at 47, cooler air definitely on that side. Thats how the trend stays through the course of the day. The extreme heat shifts farther to the east, so places like atlanta are now hitting those 90s. If youve been trying to hold off on turning the air conditioning on, i think its over. Mine is already on. Nicole mitchell, thank you. It could be soon easier for air travelers to figure out how much their plane ticket really costs. New rules are proposed for carriers forcing them to spell out specific charges for baggage, preferred seating and add ons. It would require fee information to be shared with travel agents and on line ticketing sites. If approved, the new rules could go into effect by the end of the year. Ebay pinpointed the source of the cyber attack lead to go a major breach of customer information. We are talking about a lot of people potentially affected here. Yes, nearly 145 million users may have had their private information compromised. Ebay said its system was breached three months ago but the company only discovered it early this month. Hackers infiltrated the network accessing a small number of log ins, allowing them to access a database containing customer names, encrypted pass words, phone numbers and dates of birth. Even if passwords were changed, they should be on the lookout for fraud. They said ebay should reexamine its private protection technology, if not, the government should step in to change consumers. Changing a password is hopeful a couple of times, i think but after a while, you sort of run out of variations on your names, after that, the burden really shifts back to the companies and to congress to make sure that all of the appropriate protections are in place. Ebay also owns the Payment Service pay pal but said those accounts were untouched. This is the biggest single data breach since the cyber attack on target stores that compromised credit card information of 100 million customers late last year. In this case, though, ebay insists no Financial Information was breached, however the hackers could still sell your personal data to criminals who could try to steal your identity. The u. S. Is stepping up efforts to find those missing school girls in nigeria. Troops are on their way to chad to try to bring those girls back home. Fast food workers seeking higher pay go straight to the source. Why the protests landed many demonstrators behind bars. The 10 richest actors in the world, number one is going to be a huge surprise. Maybe not now, but who else is on the list is raising eyebrows, also making headlines around the world. Good morning, welcome to Al Jazeera America. Im del walters. Im stephanie sy. Ahead in this half hour, the systemic problems with the department of veteran affairs and a growing debate on whether or not the head of that department should be forced to resign. Clashing with police overpay practices at mcdonalds. Why there are even more protests expected today. In our next hour, a potential break through treatment for stroke victims, how stimulating patients brains with magnets is making a difference i understand helping them survive and thrive. Lets look at top stories at this hour. A california woman is being rescued after being kidnapped by her mothers boyfriend. Asidra garcia kidnapped her teen and forced her to marry him and have her baby. The missing school girls in nigeria, 80 military members will head to chad to launch Surveillance Drones to hunt for the girls. The armed rebel group has held the girls for more than a month. A fire near sedona, arizona, tripled in size, authorities warn people between sedona and flagstaff to get ready to evacuate. President ial elections are scheduled to take place in egypt. Some are leery of the process, because four different men have been in charge of egypt over the last four years. We look back at the changes in leadership and the impacts theyve had on the country. These are the men who have been in charge of egypt over the last three years. First, Hosni Mubarek was president for 30 years, it came to an abrupt end in early 2011. For three weeks, antigovernment demonstrators rallied in tahrir square, demanding he resign. In february of that year, they got their wish. Mubarak stepped down, handing power to the armed forces. The commanderinchief became egypts temporary head of state. He was also the head of the Supreme Council of armed forces. It ruled egypt for the next 17 months. Then in 2012, there were president ial elections. The first since mubarak was removed. Mohamed morsi was voted in as president. He was from the Muslim Brotherhoods freedom and justice party. Under mubarak, the group has been banned but tolerated. Now it had to try to get a country which had been through an extraordinary revolution on track, but it couldnt do it fast enough. A Grass Roots Movement rebealian formed, collecting signatures, calling an penalty Mohamed Morsi to step down. June 30 last year, hundreds of thousands of egyptians again took to the streets to protest against morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. He was removed from official sisi. Once again, the military was back in charge. Sisi appointed an interim president. Now egyptians are getting ready to elect a new president. They can choose from sisi or leftist politician sabahi. For anyone watching egyptian politics, the last few years have been about change, no one sure whether this election will lead to stability. Nicole, johnson, aljazeera. Polls show sisi is expected to easily win next weeks election. He dropped his military title of field master to run as a civilian and outspent his opponent 101. Aljazeera journalists held in prison falsely accused of conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood and aiding a terrorist organization will appear in court again today. Aljazeera rejects the charges against them and is calling for their immediate release. In libya, the former general is calling for the government to step down, but the current Prime Minister says he is not willing to quit his position. The general who recently launched several attacks in benghazi and tripoli said the country has become a terrorist hub and has failed the libyan people. The government says he is at the same timing a coup. The president is sending 80 troop to say chad to help find with it hundred missing school girls in neighboring nigeria. Chad is on the northeastern border where the armed group bourque co has ram has formed its strong hold. The fact that the u. S. Is sending these troops into chad is almost an admission that the drones already over the skies in nigeria havent found anything. She this year havent. Theyll set up an Operational Base that will allow them better support. Right now, the drones have been coming from italy. Theyll be able to get up there, set up command and control cells and send information back quickly, create a 24 7 environment. The fact that there havent been any leads yet in locating these girls, does that surprise you . It really does. This is a very smart enemy that likely dispersed them and put them in differing nations. They are fundamentally third world countries, very porous borders. This is an enemy that is ruthless, creating problems for the government for the past few years ago. Theyre smart, likely have dispersed them. Im afraid its going to be a bad result if we dont start getting information. Is this the flip side of the Edward Snowden saga in the United States where there are concerns that the government knows too much about everything were doing and in nigeria they have since launched four separate attacks since these girls were kidnapped . The Nigerian Government has no idea what this organization is doing. Part of what the government will do, the United States do in its soft power that it has is bring intelligence, bring analysis, give geospatial information to the government, give them a heads up on the organization that really has a leg up on the Nigerian Government. What a believe among some people is that the United States has satellites in the sky, know where these people are, have infrared technologies, they can see these people moving in the dense forest, true or untrue . Weve got great technology, but it only works in conjunction with other systems. We get a lead on the ground by somebody that we know of a place that they might be, we are able to quickly put eyes on that target or on whats going on there to see whats going on. Thats purely reactive. We dont have this entire espionage type of operation where we can see everything going on. 80 u. S. Troops on the ground. Should americans and i guess nigerians be concerned about Mission Creep . We have to be. Theyre going to collect information thats going to have unintended consequences. Nigeria is not a country with a great human rights record. We could be giving information about other things besides boko haram that they could use against their own citizens. This is a great example of u. S. Soft power if it comes out right. By soft power, you mean. The u of military assets in a way to show that were a powerful country by our technology, not necessarily at the point of a gun. Were not trying to bring in 200,000 troops and do a raid across nigeria, which would be one technique. If we put 80,000 troops inside nigeria, we could turn that country upside down and try to find them. This is a way to do it softly. Yes or no, girls will be found . Tough to say. Its such a difficult situation. Theres so many of them, a rescue operation would be very, very difficult. Lets just keep our fingers crossed. Mike, thank you very much. Were going to have a live report out of nigeria where protestors are gathering demanding action from their government. Secretary of state john kerry is calling on venezuela to deal with the countries on going protest. President Nicholas Meduro is accused of failing to operate in good faith, saying the government has failed the meet the opposition halfway. Kerry said hope for the ending the political crisis is in the hands of government. We believe what is important is for the venezuelan government now to honor the dialogue pros and to restore the Civil Liberties of opposition leaders who have been unjustly imprisoned, and to protect the human rights of those who are simply trying to exercise their democratic right to express dissent. Kerry warned u. S. Sanctions may be on the table if no progress is made ant the protests. Opening day of the world cup is brazil is just weeks away, but instead of celebration, the games have stirred anger and frustration at the government. Workers are using the opportunity to demand better pay and benefits. Police in the capitol take to the streets, not to patrol, but to protest. Members of the civil police, those responsible for criminal investigations, stop their work to march down the main avenue where the Ministry Buildings are located in the heart of the federal government. They want better salaries and resources, but say it is about even more. The world cup is coming and the country is going to show a false sense of security. We want security for the games, but also for the brazilian people afterward. It was meant to be a nationwide strike. Civil police took part. They hoped for several thousand people for the march, but only a few hundred showed up. Some federal police were not on strike, nevertheless showed support. They have not received a pay raise in eight years. With the word cup kicking off, the big question is will scenes like this repeat themselves during the tournament. Most do not plan to strike during the world cup, but the federal government is watching closely and say they will have the army as well as the National Force police from the ministry of justice on stand by, ready to deploy to any world cup host city where security situation might break down. A more immediate concern was in sao paulo where bus drivers went on an unexpected strike. Hundreds of thousands of commuters were left stranded, frantically cramming into metro stations to try to get home. Several bus terminals were left empty. In other areas, buses sat idle parked on main avenues in the city while commuters wondered how to get home. Soon the country will host the football world, but first an uneasy tension in many cities. No one is sure if or when it will go away. Aljazeera, brazilia. The word cup kicks off june 12. Protestors stormed mcdonalds headquarters, demanding better pay and benefits. Activists and workers battling with Police Outside the building in oakbrook, illinois. They traveled around the country for the annual shareholders meeting. 130 people were arrested, including the president of Services Employee international union. Organizers want their pay increased to 15 an hour and the right to form unions. Taking a look at todays headlines making news around the world. This ones embarrassing. Its a minor miscalculation. I wouldnt say its minor, its costing french taxpayers major money. Trains were built that were too wide for 1600 stations. Theyre having to shave off the platforms. Missed it by that much. They spent 68 million so far on reworking train stations. They had ordered 341 of these new trains at a cost of billions of dollars. Nearly one in 10 people have diabetes. One of them is actress mary tyler moore. It is reported about her long battle and her famous friends now offering support, among them Dick Van Dyke, her long time co actor in the Dick Van Dyke show and rhoda is speaking out, starting to lose her eyesight and suffering greatly from this. Everybody who knows her said she still has that great spirit. Shes had type one diabetes since she was 33. Its a long battle. Time magazine has the results of the top 10 of the worlds richest actors and they are all men why do you emphasize all so much. Thats the point to be made. The reason is that men tend to be mr. Bankable overseas. There are obviously women actors that make a lot of money in this country but arent able to bring in much overseas. Jerry seinfeld, the guy at number two is a huge bollywood actor. President obama acting on those reports of deadly delays at v. A. Hospitals, for some, it is too little, too late. They told me there was nothing they could do, this was standard procedure. One veteran said the v. A. Is directly responsible for his cancer reaching stage four. He showed us some of the trucks and had us dress out in some of the fire gear. Well meet a firefighter, the effect he had on a little boy who wasnt expected to make it to adulthood. Something in a mothers womb meant to protect her unborn child may be exposing it to bacteria. Its our discovery of the day next. Texas and utah home to the Fastest Growing cities. Texas claiming the number one spot, and the four spot. Utah claim the other two spots, the cities booming oil and gas business say that is behind the growth in those two states. The news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. Al jazeera america. Someone will pay for systemic delays at service in v. A. Hospitals across the country, for patients suffering as a result of those delays, some say his reaction did not go far enough. One man blames the v. A. For missing his illness. Barry coats is ridsled with cancer, possibly face ago slow painful and what he believes should have been a preventable death. He has stage four Colorectal Cancer that has spread he said because the Veterans Administration made him wait for a critical test that could have found his tumor much earlier. They told me there was nothing they could do, this was standard procedure time line of getting a colonoscopy done, six months. It isnt supposed to be standard procedure. In fact, the v. A. Headquarters has a Computer System that tracks how long its patients wait for care. The problem, many veterans hospitals were keeping their wait lists on paper, and forging the lists on the computer. According to this internal memo, the bosses at Veterans Affairs still figured out what was happening and sent this memo to its hospital staff four years ago, warning them to stop it. It appears many didnt. Now investigators are looking into whether that led to at least 40 deaths in phoenix, arizona and more across the country. Its been a growing scandal that president barack obama is now addressing. If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, disgraceful and i will not tolerate it, period. You cant do veterans like this. You cant treat veterans like this. Veterans are outraged, too. Many politicians blame the president , but he has some pretty strong numbers to fall back on. Funding for the Veterans Affairs department that clay increased on his watch. When the war in afghanistan started in 2001, the u. S. Spent 48. 7 billion on health care for veterans. It has steadily increased since. This year, the president asked congress to spend almost 164 billion. Investigators will now look to see if thats enough money to find out if incompetence or lack of resources is to blame for the backlog that proved deadly. The president warns someone will pay. Barry coats said he already has. Aljazeera, washington. Richard allen smith is a retired Army Sergeant and veteran of the Afghanistan War and member of the Digital Communications staff at the department of Veterans Affairs. He has inside knowledge and joins us from washington this morning. Thanks for being with us. Thanks for having me. The American Legion have asked for the secretary to step down, saying his pete are you familiar and sacrifice for this nation are above reapproach, however his record as head of the department of Veterans Affairs tells a different story, a story of poor oversight and failed leadership. Mr. Smith, do you agree with that . I dont at all. If you look at his leadership and stewardship of the department, theres been unmitigated success when you look at the post g. I. Bill, the veterans homelessness, the claims log has been reduced by half in just the last year. What i think is important is to look at what he has done overall. Even on health care, you know, nobody is questioning, even the American Legion, i spoke with a rep who acknowledged that the quality of care from v. A. Is above row approach, the problem is access to the care in some of these locations. I dont think anyone is arguing with his accomplishments at the administration, yet these current allegations that hospital clerks and managers might be gaming records to height actual wait times, that has been around since 2010. An investigation then found that these problems were deeply engrained. Why didnt the general address them sooner . From my time in v. A. , i would tell you that these things have been addressed. The problem is they were so bad before he took over, that, you know, theyre still lingering. If you go back to 2007, 2008 before he was onboard, im sure youd find that these wait time issues were way worse. He had had five years, five years in the helm of the v. A. P i know its a military credo, that responsibility rests with command, when in charge, take charge, five years to address this. Its the largest civilian agency in the federal government. This is an agency mismanaged for decades amounted thats not something you can fix in five years. You can make it significantly better in five years and i think better than anyone thought could happen five years on the ground an his watch. These problems are horrible. I mean, im not trying to excuse them. Anyone responsible for gaming the system, particularly directors at the hospital this may have happened, if the i. G. Investigation comes back that that is what happened, those people need to be held accountable and out of this line of employment as soon as possible. Do you think believe the general is the man to bring the v. A. Into the 21st century. It seems there is nobody that doesnt agree with you that these problems of bureaucracy have been around a long time. Is the general the man to address it . Absolutely. On the claims side, v. A. Had a paper claims process for decades. It wasnt until when i was there, they always talked about moving us into the 21s 21st century and i was like come on, guys, were 10 years into the 20 first century, thats not something to brag about. That wouldnt have happened if the general wasnt taking on v. A. And putting pressure on people that were long in the business and didnt want things to be changed. You are not the only veteran that has told me that this morning. Richard allen smith, retired Army Sergeant and veteran of the war in afghanistan. Thank you for your service, sir and thank you for being on aljazeera this morning, appreciate it. Time for another check of the weather across the u. S. Today and Nicole Mitchell joins us. We definitely have a couple of wet spots. We are seeing a heavy band of rain move into the iowa, missouri area now. Those storms already through the northeast, areas of rain, this line percentent through the day. Ill have more on the severe risk. The Hurricane Season just around the corner, very quiet of course right now. Already the pricks are starting to come out, Colorado State, which puts out the predictions has already done that, lower than average, you can see the lower average number here. It only takes one big landfall, so always be prepared. A florida firefighter made a lasting impression on a toddler. 25 years ago, he made the boys dream come through through the make a Wish Foundation. That young boy then fighting for his life is now a healthy young man. He never forget the kindness he was shown. These two men will ever a life long connection. It started about 25 years ago, when a 4yearold brian had leukemia. Now the two are meeting again in the make a Wish Foundation office, where it all started. As soon as we opened the door, this little wildmans running around all smiles and his sister. You would never know the kid was sick. Brians wish was to go to disney world in 1989. Norm granted that wish and did much more than he realized at the time. His face is always a part of my memories, but also the fire station that he had brought my sister and i to, we climbed on some of the vehicles. He showed us some of the trucks and he had us dress out in some of the fire gear. Almost 20 years passed, then this letter made its way to norm at his fire station. It was from brians dad. The goose bumps and the tears and i guess the most defining line is when his dad said we are working for norm engel, he was a very big part of our life when my son was diagnosed with leukemia. I want him to know not only did he survive, hes a happy, healthy firefighter, paramedic. Norm was there at his graduation with another once in a lifetime surprise, there to pin brian with his badge. Reading a speech i made, which i thought id be able to get through and it was tough. There wasnt a dry eye in the house, including us. Now this make a wish child is on his way to becoming a doctor and this wish granter couldnt be more proud. Brian has a year left of med school and in his spare time, hes a volunteer with the make a Wish Foundation. Here is what were following this morning. A california Woman Held Captive for more than a decade is free. Police arrested the man accused of kidnapping her when she was 15. He forced her to marry him and have his baby. 80 u. S. Troops are now in the country of chad, they are going to use drones to hunt for hundreds of Abducted School girls in neighboring nigeria. Calling delays at v. A. Hospitals nationwide dishonorable and disgraceful, president obama is promising to get to the bottom of the widening v. A. Scandal. A seat mom veteran caught in immigration limbo learns his fate, whether the florida man who fled cuba and spent half a century living as an american is actually a u. S. Sit 10. Sucking the wind out of a hurricane and fighting fire with fire, wind with wind. Some say it could be done by tapping into Wind Turbines. We are coming back with more news right here on aljazeera america. Every saturday join us for exclusive, revealing, and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. Abe foxman well fight for your right to be a bigot. If you are a bigot, youre gonna pay a price. Holocaust survivor and head of the antdefamation league. Theres an awful lot of hatred floating out there. And ending discrimination. As long as the children arent educated, its gonna maintain. Talk to al jazeera only on Al Jazeera America investigating a dark side of the law they dont have the money to puchace their freedom. For some. Crime does pay. The bail bond industry has been good to me. Ill make a chunk of change off the crime. Fault lines. Al jazeera americas hard hitting. Theyre locking the door. Ground breaking. We have to get out of here. Truth seeking. Award winning, investigative, documentary series. Chasing bail only on Al Jazeera America hack attack, the massive Security Breach at ebay that could potentially expose the personal information of 140 million users. My understanding is there was continued and repeated sexual assault. On two occasions, she tried to escape. He caught her. He beat her for her efforts. California kidnapping, a teen held captive for 10 years escaping and her abductor is now in jail. Terror in china, more than 30 killed and Dozens Injured as an explosion rocked a marketplace in a volatile region of china. I couldnt do tasks like turn the pages on a book. I didnt have that kind of manual control. Medical break through, the stimulating new study giving hope to thousands of stroke survivors. Good morning, welcome to Al Jazeera America. Im stephanie sy. Im del walters. Ebay urges account holders, customers to change their passwords after detecting a major Security Breach. Nearly 145 Million People may have had their private information compromised. The on line bidding giant said the cyber attack happened in late february, but only discovered two weeks ago. This has a lot of people checking their computers. This is the biggest single Security Breach weve seen in quite some time. The biggest one since the fiber attack on target stores compromised credit card information of 10 million customers over the holidays last year. In this case, ebay insists no Financial Information was briefed, urging customers to change their password, because other private information i guess at risk. The confidential customer database of one of the worlds biggest on line shopping sites cracked wide open, its secure system accessed through employee log ins, giving them access to customer names, encrypted pass words, email and birth dates. We areriesing to have people change their passwords before the bad guys can use them. That includes pay pal, even though untouched by the breach. Sarah shops on ebay often. A lot of information is connect thed to ebay, credit card account, your home address, there is a lot to be concerned about. The hackers did not get Financial Information but could sell the personal data, like emails and birth date to say criminals who could steal your identity. Measures have been put in place to enhance security. Ebay should reexamine its Privacy Protection technology altogether, said an expert. Changing your password is helpful a couple of times, but after a while, you sort of run out of variations on your pets name. I think after that, the burden shifts back to the company and congress to make sure all the appropriate protections are in place. Ebay says it has fixed the problem and is working with Law Enforcement to catch the hackers. They are not saying which User Accounts are compromised or how many. It has not seen fraudulent activity linked to the breach, but urges vigilance. Tech Companies Say that a proposed bill in the house meant to curve spying by the nsa too weak to work, saying the legislation doesnt go far enough to safeguard users private information. The bill dubbed the u. S. A. Freedom act will lead to mass storage of records. Anytime the government wants access to data, theyll have to get court approval. Opponents say that opens up a major loophole and leaves users vulnerable to spying. The house is he can specked to vote on that bill later today. 10 years after a california mother reported her 15yearold daughter missing, she has reappeared. Police in santa ana outside los angeles say the woman, now 25, was kidnapped and forced to live with her captor since 2004. The 41yearold man is expected to be arraigned today, facing charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment and rape. He inflicted years of abuse, even forcing the young woman to marry him and father a child. Stephanie is in los angeles with the details. Such a harrowing ordeal. The victim is now speaking publicly for the first time after being reunited with her mother and sisters. She told police how she spent the last 10 years living in fear of this man, 41yearold ysidro garcia, who physically and mentally abused her. The woman got up the courage to go to police and tell her story. Her nightmare is finally over. Im so happy and blessed to be with my family. Thats what i want all the time, all the time i cry for her, for them, more for my mom and my the woman is now 25 years old. She told police how garcia kidnapped her when she was 15, forcing her to marry them and have their now 2yearold child. Police say she arrived in the Southern California town of santa ana in 2004 to live with her mother. Also living in the apartment at that time was the mothers boyfriend, garcia, one day in august. He allegedly drugged and kidnapped the girl from the park, from a nearby park. She woke up later in a locked garage. She told police that she tried to escape garcia many times but that she would only be caught and beaten by him. This is a 15yearold girl thats only been in the country for six months. She doesnt know where to go, what to do. Shes in a strange city. Hes all shes got. Thats when the brainwashing starts. That brainwashing, police say, also included changing the girls identity and moving her around many times to avoid detection. Now the woman recently contacted her sister on facebook and she told police that that is what gave her the courage to come forward and tell them her story. Garcia meanwhile is said to be arraigned today on charges of kidnapping, rape and also false imprisonment, so just such an incredible story, the woman reunited with her family this morning. She is back with her family. U. S. Supreme court putting on hold the execution of a death row inmate in missouri. The convicted killer has a rare vascular condition. His lawyers argue that condition would cause unnecessary suffering if hes given the lethal injection. This would be the first execution since oklahomas botched case last month. The lawyers want to prevent the same type of suffering for their client. The high court blocking the execution, send that go case back to a lower court. Agencies under the banner of the justice democratic will begin recording interrogation procedures, that includes the f. B. I. Local Police Departments have taken to recording to prevent wrongful convictions. They are to record anyone questioned unless that person asks not to be. The policy will extend to the d. E. A. And marshall service. The bomb used in the Boston Marathon is under investigation. Dozens hurt in what is called a violent terrorist i understand. Attackers drove through a Street Market in china, throwing bombs used the windows and then the attackers crashed head on, causing another explosion. We report on the violence. This latest incident happened at 5 50 a. M. Local time, when 24 wheel drive cars plowed into a group of shoppers at a market in the center of the area. One vendor said he heard 10 explosions, but certainly there were multiple blasts after the cars plowed into the group of shoppers. Pictures of the aftermath of the attack have been circulating on social media, showing bodies on the ground, flames, smoke. This was a very serious attack, indeed. The Public Security minister is on his way to the region to take charge. Hes been in shanghai with the president , who of course has been chairing a Regional Forum discussing security in asia. No one has claimed responsibility for the latest attack. There have been a series of attacks over the past several months. In the past, china has blamed separatists. In thailand, they are calling it a military coup, the chief of the army saying that was necessary to bring stability to the politically volatile country. It comes two days after he declared martial law and called for a meeting of the opposing sides. They met and failed to reach agreement. Thailand has been in protest. This is the 12th military coup in thailand since the early 1930s. President obama sending 80 troops to chad to help find those 200 missing school girls in neighboring nigeria. Theyll stay in chad until further notice, offering support with intelligence and aircraft missions. Chad is on the northeastern border, an area where the Group Boko Haram has formed a strong hold. The United Nations will vote on whether to call the international to investigate syria war crimes. Russia vows to vote tee it, arguing it will hurt peace efforts. There is widespread torture in syria on both sides. The war has been rageling for three years, displacing more than 9 million syrians. Secretary of state john kerry calling on venezuela to deal with that countries on going protests, saying that president haduro has failed to negotiate. He says hope for ending the political crisis is now in the hands of the government. Its important for the venezuelan government now to honor the dialogue process and restore the Civil Liberties of opposition leaders who have been unjustly imprisoned and to protect the human rights of those simply trying exercise their democratic right to express dissent. Kerry warning that u. S. Sanctions could be on the table if no progress is made to end protests. Hundreds of firefighters heading to Northern Arizona to battle a quickmoving wildfire. The slide fire burning is still not contained. The blaze tripled in size wednesday to 4500 acres. It is fanned by strong winds and low humidity. Authorities warned 3200 residents to be ready to evacuate. The cause of the fire is unknown. Officials believe it may have been man made. A mix of sunshine and scattered showers expected in denver today. On wednesday, at least six tornadoes touched down in the metro area and brought fierce winds as well as large amounts of hail as you can see in this video. The Severe Weather caused street flooding, and brought plane traffic to a halt at Denver International airport. That looks like snow walls. Looks like tiger woods practice golf balls. That weather hitting a large part of the country today. Lets go to Nicole Mitchell for the latest. Some hailstones are really catching air as they bounce. You can be injured even by hail, plus all the damage it can do. You can pick out where weve got that line. Its a frontal boundary extending across the country. Thats been firing things up especially in the heat of the day. We have had showers and storms into the overnight periods, heavy rain now moving into iowa. As we continue off, this is what we saw yesterday, widespread hail and then also just south of this, all of this region south of the great lakes, wind damage, as well. Didnt see eight tornadic reports from this region of the country and those showers and stores continue to move overnight, so thunderstorms waking people and more redeveloping today because of instability. Yesterday, in places like colorado. A lot of things to cause problems. That same boundary has slid a little farther through the great lakes, a little closer to i70, maybe i40. Jo all of this is in significant drought area. We need that rain. Thats the Silver Lining for weather. Some areas could get beneficial rain. Theyll take the risk if you can get the rain. Nicole mitchell, thank you. As i am sex couples, now free to tie the knot in pennsylvania, the governor saying hes not going to appeal the ruling. The judge striking down the states ban on wednesday, also facing a tough reelection. The majority of that state support legalization. It is legal now in 19 states. A follow up to a story we brought you yesterday. A florida man voted for decades and watched over criminals as a federal prison guard recently found out hes not actually an american citizen. That caused him to do battle with the government. Robert ray was with him yesterday as he learned his fate. When his parents defected from cuba, they never filled out the proper paperwork. Now Immigration Services would decide his fate. With iting patiently with his wife and attorney, he expressed concern about the process hes gone through to sort out the confusion and about a system he feels has been very hard to deal with. The first time i walked in here, i was treated like dirt. The meeting inside Homeland Security here in jacksonville lasted about an hour and a half. A path to citizenship was cleared, but Mario Hernandez and his attorney were sometime not happy. This system is not broken, this system is a a wreck. Same thing that i did three or four months ago when i came here, they told me two weeks, now im told to be waiting again. They dont have no jurisdiction. Hernandez was told nothing could be done on the spot. United states citizenship and Immigration Services made a mistake in adjudication of mr. Hernandezs application for citizenship and we definitely apologize to him for any hardship that that caused to him and his family. Simply put, we decided his case under the wrong section of the law. But soon after that apology, there was good news. A federal judge with jurisdiction had signed the necessary documents. Congratulations, sir. Thank you, maam. [ applause ] Mario Hernandez would philadelphia his dream as he had hoped, becoming a u. S. Citizen at last. How great is it to be an american citizen right now . It is the greatest feeling in the world. Its always been, but now makes it even sweeter. The Hernandez Family will never forget may 21, 2014. In their words, perhaps a trail has been paved for others, afraid or confused by Immigration Law in america. Robert ray, aljazeera, jacksonville, florida. As for that cruise, Mario Hernandez said hes going to put it off for now but is definitely getting a new Voter Registration card. What a happy ending. He said he thought he was going to get thrown back into the system of delays, when the press attention was involved, all of a sudden, all of that red tape went away. Really makes you think about what it means to be an american. Yeah, nice. Fighting the devastating effects of a hurricane by turning the storm against them, the proposal being made to turn wind hurricanes into hurricane busters. Joining spiderman, the x men and superman, one comic book maker creates a new character out of nsa leaker edward snow jean fighting for a better way of life, fast food workers going toetotoe with police. That and other stories captured by our citizen journalists around the world. Children given up for adoption when the dads didnt even know whats the law. The Performance Review. That corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. And yet, theres someone around the office who hasnt had a Performance Review in a while. Someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. Im looking at you phone company dsl. Check your speed. See how fast your internet can be. Switch now and add voice and tv for 34. 90. Comcast business built for business. 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 he has a phaser its not a phaser its my phone he can use his voice to control the tv. You can use your woice . My voice. Your woice. My voice. Vuh, voice. His voice. Your woice . Look. Watch scifi. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. Welcome to Al Jazeera America. Lets check videos captured by citizen journalists around the globe. People in brazil, a bus strike effecting sao paulo. S massive crowds are raising new questions about their ability to host the world cup next month. Fast food workers holding a demonstration near mcdonalds headquarters outside of chicago demanding higher pay. This video was captured, hundreds of protestors walking up to police, chanting for 15 an hour. Several dozen people were arrested. A group of swimmers in the waters off of laguna beach, california getting a Close Encounter with whales. The animals are making their way north to alaska now. One of the reasons theyre coming closer to shore. Is the plankton and Global Warming makes it closer to shore. How we might be able to stop hurricanes by harnessing their own winds. First, a check of the temperatures we can expect to see across the nation today and as always for that, Nicole Mitchell has the answers. Weve talked about that line, that boundary thats going to kick off the Severe Weather, also the dividing line between warm temperatures and those more typical for this time of year. Denver, 50 degrees, but ahead of that, we have 70s, including memphis this morning. Through the course of the day, the hot weather shifted a little bit to the east. Now its atlanta that is going to see 92 degrees today, although this corridor still in the 80s where we were talking about the southern plains. Up into the midwest, comfortable, chicago at 70 as we get through the rest of the day. Weve been much cooler on the west coast versus where we were at last week. Today and into tomorrow, a lot of very comfortable 60s and 70s out there while the heat continues in the southeast. A lot of places where its kind of nice spring weather. 1 billionaire wants to make Climate Change a top issue in november elections. The activist is giving 50 million to the Political Action committee as part of a bigger 100 Million Campaign the group hopes will keep republicans who reject Global Warming and you have office. The money will target several states. The campaign will focus on that women, minty and young adult voters. Hurricane season is less than a month away. Some say it may not be a very busy year. The outlook will be later today. What if the storm could be weakened or stopped . It may sound unlikely, but theres a study that says its possible if the government looks in the right place. John face add long road home. After sandy destroyed his new jersey neighborhood two years ago. It just washed things away, you know, it came onboard and was very, very mean to everybody. For too many along the coast, mother natures fury could not be avoided. A new surprise be study may change that. Surprise is not enough. I was astonished. All right, guys, lets start. Environmental engineer christina discovered something may indeed stop a hurricane. Of all things, the windmill. We found out that the humble turbines actually have way more power than we thought they did. Using complex computer models, she along with a team at Stanford University realized Wind Turbines have an unexpected effect on hurricanes. Their spinning blades absorb their power. That he can actually weaken the hurricane, reduce the winds, and on top of that, reduce flooding in coastal communities. How cool is that . The idea she says is built enough and it is a lot, think 10s of thousands off the coast. They might break apart even monster storms like katrina. This is without turbines and this is with. Practiceically fill the gulf of mexico with half a million turbines and katrinas surge drops by four feet. The hurricane as it approaches the turbines begins to fall apart. Yeah, absolutely. Critics laugh, saying what she is suggesting is probably impossible. Its too oral to speculate about costs. America doesnt have any offshore wind farms. The only on the coast is in new jersey and it just has five. Even some green Energy Supporters are doubtful. I dont think theres an economic justification for it, so if youre putting 10,000 as opposed to 2,000 offshore to off set a hurricane that might come. Sceptics doubt whether they could withstand a hurricane. This wind farm in new jersey was the first to put it to the test when Hurricane Sandy plowed through. The generators were turned off before the storm, but the wind mills survived. They stood and then they were up in generating in a couple days. People are going to say this is crazy. Im not proposing that we actually do it. Its more about wow, there is a benefit that we didnt know. It intrigues people who lost everything. It sounds wonderful if it works. Thats a big if, but it does bring home that winds of change would one day stop a storm. Jonathan betz, aljazeera, Atlantic City new jersey. Some of the potential names on the calendar this season, hanna, kyle and vicky. The funny quote that became a serious issue yesterday. We have a three year ban on marijuana. I did not say that im going to change that ban. Why he says marijuana is making it tougher for his agency to do its job. Only 50 of a people after a stroke will actually get hand function back at all. Of the 50 that do, most dont have very good hand function. We want to improve on that. Were going to talk about a breakthrough for stroke parties, a new study with stimulating result, giving hope to thousands of stroke advisors. The 20 billion mistake that has officials in france on the wrong side of the tracks. Its going to take a lot of money to fix the problem. A look at our images of the day and the competitors in the International Association of Athletics Federation world challenge taking place in beijing. The challenge is the annual global competition that got its start in 2010. Good morning. Welcome to Al Jazeera America. Ukrainians and russians putting a side their differences when it comes to the love of cinema. Were going talk about the story of Edward Snowden being told in the comic books. The u. S. Is sending troops to chad to help search for hundreds of kidnapped school girls in neighboring nigeria, helping with intelligence, surveillance and aircraft searches over the Northern Region of the country, also keeping a close eye on a town where its believed the girls were abducted by boko haram. The armed rebel group is suspected in a series of recent deadly attacks on nearby villages. Protestor calls on the government to take action. What more can you tell us . The protests have been organized by the bring back our girls campaign. Campaigners who have been meeting every single day for the last days since the girls have been missing with the hope that they will be rescued now are getting more and more i am patient with the government rescue mission which they say has taken a long time. This afternoon, they are going to march to the president s office to show their anger and show solidarity with the parents of the girls. With the spike in attacks weve seen in recent weeks, is the Nigerian Government losing control to boko haram . Is that the perception there on the ground . Indeed it is, stephanie and there is a a lot of concern that the government is not in a position to stop the boko haram fighters who have been cutting out a spate of bombings and attacks in different parts of the country where they have been restrained and confined to the northeast of the country, now theyre flexing their muscles more, carrying out attacks in the other areas of the country. All righting from nigeria, thank you. Libya spinning out of control is the sentiment of the Italian Foreign minister, saying military action may be needed. The former general is calling for the government to step down. The current Prime Minister is not willing to quit his position. The general who launched attacks in benghazi and tripoli said libya is a terrorist hub and is attempting a coup. An investigation into the benghazi scandal, five democrats to serve on a special committee looking into the 2012 attack. The Speaker John Boehner tapping republicans, who want to look into the lax security at the compound. The white house response, the committee is expected to meet today for a planning session. A congressional reporter for politico is in washington, d. C. This morning. Good morning. Good morning. The roster for the House Select Committee is now complete. Was this more about being included in the debate on the democratic side of the aisle or protecting Hillary Clinton . I think that depends who you ask. You did see a mark of evolution in Nancy Pelosis thinking. When Speaker John Boehner first announced it, she was squarely in the camp of not appointing democratic members because she didnt want to validate this panel. After hearing from members and as we now know after members of the Hillary Clinton camp reached out to democrats, really urging that they do participate, nancy pelosi, the minority leader for House Democrats really did change her mind and said its better that we participate, that we have access to the documents and the testimony and the witnesses than be looking out or looking in from the outside. The democrats are saying that this is a witch hunt. The republican side of the aisle saying this is based on something new, is it . You have the emails from the Deputy National security advisor for Communications President white house authorizing talking about on talk shows. Those emails are new and contradicts the white house line that the c. I. A. And Intelligence Community was drafting the talking points. Democrats dismissed that connection, saying ben rhodes was discussing goals and not talking points. They think with these emails, if the emails didnt am out before, they are going to find something else. There is a really fierce prosecutor chairing this committee. They truly do believe they will find something else. Democrats are dismissing this as a kangaroo court, their participation to act as a check against republicans. This is a really partisan political issue that is gripping these two parties now. One of the major bone of contentions on the democratic side of the aisle is that benghazi is used as a funding tool by republicans. Is benghazi still using it as a fundraising tool . The house arm of the Republican Committee for furnished raising is. There are a select few republicans who are using it as fundraising. Speaker boehner hasnt said whether he would disavow that. Ihes disavowed it, but democras are launching on that anytime they see a republican using this to fundraise. Lauren, thank you very much. Campaigns for the president ial runoff start today in afghanistan. One big issue, security. Afghan officials held a press conference in kabul to reassure nervous voters. A report on how the country is getting ready for the election. Preparations for afghanistans president ial runoff are well underway. These workers preparing to seal ballot boxes for delivery to polling stations across the country. There are more than 12 million eligible voters for the june 14 poll and coordinating vote across 34 provinces at 30,000 polling stations will be a huge logistical challenge. A political analyst warns thats not the least of it. The situation is unpredictable. We are hearing a lot of indications that this round is going to be disrupted. Security might be the first and biggest challenge. Last week, the taliban began its socalled spring offensive, marking the start of the fighting season. The group threatened to disrupt the poll, describing it as fake. Speaking for the independent Election Commission, he is confident the vote will happen in time. We know that probably the taliban a Record Number of ballots were cast in aprils election, the increased threat of violence means voters may stay home on polling day. Aljazeera, kabul. Afghanistans Election Commission said wednesday that fired 3,000 employees accused of fraud. Veterans Affairs Secretary pulling back on that 9,000 performance bonus for a Phoenix Health care official, has hospital at the center of the controversy over the alleged cooking of the books that turned deadly in some cases. The president says if the allegations against 26 separate hospitals across the country are true, someone will have to pay. Hes not ready to fire the secretary. If does he not think he can do a good job and thinks he has let our veterans down, im sure that he is not going to be interested in continuing to serve. Republican lay makers called on the secretary to resign, all happening as they debate how much funding the v. A. Will get next year. Just call him whistle blower man, Edward Snowden is now a comic book character. The comic is being reds in print on on line. The comic tells the story behind the man behind one of the biggest Intelligence Leaks in u. S. History. The creator is a snowden fan and said he did the country an Important Service by exposing n. S. A. Practices. Russia and ukraine in the midst of political conflict but when it comes to cinema, theyve been bonding at the Cannes Film Festival where several movies are being shown about the protests in kiev. Its been the place for protests, now it is fueling fill that. What happens in Independence Square that filled news bulletins for months, but it is filling cinemas, too. A movie is being screened at the Cannes Film Festival, an important place to tell an important story. I believe that what happened in ukraine teaches a lesson from the whole world, because the people who died there paid for their lives with freedom and dignity. Sell the rights to show the films, get them out to a wider audience, same goals. There is a slight problem in doing so, cash, a lack of it. This is number 102, the official ukrainian residence here in cannes. It nearly never happened. The government in kiev has cut the amount of money its spending ole Film Industry and it shows. All of these countries along here have got their doors open, trying to grab people going past, looking for business, trying to sell their films. The ukrainian office, has has got nobody in sight, locked up. Its been like this most of the time. This office can only open on a part time base. It is supporting ukraine. They have cut it, the parts of the budget. We have paid only part and brought director with this money. Despite whats happening back home, the feeling in cardinals is that the two countries are friends. Last week, russian film buses came by to say hi and show solidarity. Where politics divides, it seems explain ew unites. Conflict and reality are two big themes at cannes this year. Ukraines hope is that the reality of conflict will bring the crowds in. Aljazeera america at the Cannes Film Festival. A movie about the russian annexation of crimea is in the works. F. B. I. Director clarifying his remarks about marijuana. He said he had to struggle with trying to hire top cyber crime workforces. It seems a lot of the top programmers and programmers use pot. The bureau wont hire you if you have used marijuana in the past three years. He said despite his remarks, thats not going to change. One of our challenges that we fates is getting a good workforce, at the same time when young peoples tuesday about marijuana and our states tuesday are leading more and more of them to try it. I am dead set against using marijuana. I dont want young people to use marijuana. Its against the law. We have a three year ban on marijuana. I did not say that i am going to change that ban. The f. B. I. Acknowledged the growing acceptance of marijuana as a recruiting challenge, pot is legal under federal law, but medical marijuana legal in 21 states. Colorado and washington making it legal for recreational use. B. P. Wants an Appeals Court ruling on a multibillion dollars compensation package related to the 2010 oil spill. The company paid out 12 billion to local businesses. The company is now complains that the recent ruling allows some businesses to get economic damages without proof that the spill caused the loss. The 2010 explosion of the deep water horizon drilling rig killed 11 people and was the largest u. S. Offshore spill. Engineers ordered 2,000 new trains and made a big mistake witness measuring modern train stations. They forget to look at the older stations where platform gaps are narrower. The new expression trains are too wide for many older stations. Now they have to jump grade 1300 platforms to accomodate the trains. Miscalculations, its going to cost france 68 million. It cost 20 billion to build the new equipment. It could be easier to find out how much a plane ticket really costs, with new rules forcing them to share information about add on costs. If approved, those new rules will go into effect by the end of the year. More than 7 Million People in the u. S. Are stroke survivors. Thousands face the harsh reality of being left unable to move. The break through study thats giving hope of getting back their lives. A boundary stretching through the midsection of the country, along that, you see the yell lows are elevated risks have fire, places like texas, the rain can be beneficial. I want to mention we dont until june 1 start the atlantic Hurricane Season. It is expected to be lower than average, Colorado State put out their projections, so the average main storms 12, they put out nine. A new study is raising questions about whether getting a double mastectomy to prevent Breast Cancer is always worth it. Women who do so, are often motivated by fear and not facts. 70 of women who had a healthy breast removed had no risk factors. The rate of women opting for the procedure have increased 50 in recent years. Doctors say other options should be considered first, including drug treatments. Health groups in the philippines opposing a government plan to privatize hospitals across the country. The Health Groups say this will hurt more than 70 have the population who live below the poverty line. Her husband makes four u. S. Dollars a day and they can never afford to go to a private hospital. In a Government Hospital like this, at least she can give birth for free. Its very important. When we dont have the money and you come here, they really accept you right away. We dont have to think about how much it costs. This is the philippines biggest maternity hospital, where around 100 babies are born every day. Here, mothers from the poorest communities have accessed Maternal Services in a country is largely unaffordable. That might change under a new government policy. The president S Administration plans to privatize over 100 Government Hospitals across the country. Private companies will be allowed to come in and bid for partial ownership of these facilities, which may mean that around 70 of hospitals will soon be privately operated. This is how Health Care Services can be improved, but many see solution at problematic. You see hospitals now that theyre being flooded with patients who cant afford to pay, but they go to Public Hospitals because they know if they do pay something, its still within their means or they can borrow money. They can go into loan to say pay for those. Government is not only washing their hands, government is completely reneging on its obligation. Its a total turnaround from its obligation. The government defends its policy, insisting that this will be properly regulated. I would assume that based on their financial planning, when they entered the bid that they have factored in what parameters that make sure that they will marry the social objective of providing Public Health as well as on their own on the private entity that profit margin that theyre looking for. Assumptions like these do not reassure the general public. Millions of philippines die without getting medical attention and those who do will still have to pay around 60 of their medical costs. Many fear the plans will only enrich the private sector and once again, they say they are left to fend for themselves. Aljazeera, manila. Clinics and hospitals taking a major hit during typhoon haiyan in november. Public Health Officials are now scrambling to vaccinate 5,000 people who may have been exposed to hepatitis a after a worker was diagnosed with the virus. Nip customer who visited are urged to visit a doctor. The goal is to get people vaccinated. Hepatitis a is very contagious and cancerously damage your live. People who suffer strokes are often left with partial paralysis. Regaining the ability to move can be a life long struggle. A pioneering new study out of chicago is providing new hope. I couldnt do stuff like this big time. After suffering a stroke five years ago, 62yearold daryl holmes lost the these are the main stories well be covering this hour. Thailands military chief seizes power after political factions fail to break the deadlock. Its a 12th coup in thailand since 1932, a nationwide curfew has urfew