leap for n.a.s.a. actor, director and producer griffin dunn talks about his career and new project on his famous under dr john -- joan d ishes dion we begin with doubts about the allegations in relation to university of virginia, and doubts about the rolling stones magazine report. >> it was an article detailing a culture of sexual amounts on the u.v.a. campus. rowling stones is apologising for the story, a story the editor no longer has full confidence in. [ chanting ] angry protests, calls for justice following allegation of a gang rape at a fraternity in virginia. >> i am appalled, simply appalled at the information that has come forward. information reported in this rolling stone article, explaining how a student was assaulted by seven men, each taking their turn while the others watched. the magazine is being called into question. in a statement they say: when the article was published two weeks ago the writer told al jazeera america that jackie was discouraged from reporting her attack. >> she would be told she'd be blackballed from the frats, her reputation would be shot as the girl that cried rape. >> what she was told is she was going we a pariah on campus. >> attempts to verify the story raised questions about her credibility. the fraternity where the rape took place was vandalized after the article came out. the fraternity said on friday in a statement: in the wake of the article u.v.a. suspended all greek activities until january and began a look at policies on sexual assault. the university president says that evered will continue. those that work with sexual assault victims worry about the fall out from the story. >> it caused a lot of people to realise what sort of problem sexual assault is on campuses, and allowed a lot of women who experienced the same situations to come forward. it may have a pulling effect on the same women coming forward. >> "rolling stone" says they are not retracting the article, which details a number of sexual assaults on the campus, but are looking into the portion of the article involving jackie's story. >> thank you. on social media, support for the student using the hashtag i stand with jackie. supporters blasted the magazine and rallied behind victims of sexual assault. i spoke with a sexual assault survivor and attorney and asked what she thought of "rolling stone"'s comments and implications on other survivors. >> i think they are poorly phrased. "rolling stone" has to acknowledge they did not do their job, checking details. to say that they misplaced trust put in jackie is alluding to victim blaming? a. the -- victim blaling. the problem is trauma effects the brain, you may not be able to remember every detail. it doesn't mean the account is untrue. it's unfortunate it's phrased that way. >> what if it is untrue, what if she made it up pt? >> i don't doubt at all that something happened to jackie. i know the sad reality of our response is when someone is not the perfect victim, or doesn't know all the information, we jump to it being untrue. i think there is truth. we need journalists to fact check. it's hard for an individual to know everything about their case when they suffered through the experience. i believe survivors. it may not be the way it was recounted but something happened. >> a lot of people remember the dublet-cross case. that was made up. i understand the numbers and statistics, but this could be the one that is. >> we had people blaming kobe bryant's victim, and there are a lot that believe the victims. i don't disbelieve, the major city of true. casting doubt on a story is inappropriate. the way to discredit is to find contradictory information. we don't know if it was a different fraternity, she got the name wrong. that's what police do, journalists do. >> "the washington post" interviewed her and went though a number of details. there are a number of important details in this case in which there's some contradictory evidence, but talk to me about what this means for survivors in this country, and this is a high profile case. it got a huge amount of attention, everyone talked about it. and now this. what does it mean for other survivors. >> i think it's reinforcing the message that we should not ever give to victims, that if you are not perfect, if you don't remember everything, you'll likely be disbelieved. that is unfortunate. rolling stone should have acknowledged it did not fact check. to place it on jackie is victim blaming. so many were victimize. i consistent believe it. it took journalists vetting my story, doing all the details to verify the truth of the statement. that is horrible for victims to go through so much to be believed. we don't scrutinise perpetrators to that degree. we allow the violent crime to go on too often, because of moments like this. >> laura, founder of a group that helps victims of sexual assault. the department of justice is investigating the department of the new mexico's handling of sexual assault. guide lines have been adopted as a result of a settlement a with the justice department more protests over the death of an unarmed african american man in new york. [ chanting ] people marched through midtown manhattan. in response to a grand jury decision not to ignite a police officer in the choking death of eric garner. former protests, paul beban, in new york city. >> that's right, fewer protests, but making impact felt on the third night of protest in the wake of that grand jury decision. there was a group of protesters getting into macy's, in the flagship store down the truth. they moved from there to grand central. they were marching through midtown. there were smaller groups in foley square and downtown. another group went into the apple area. a lot of people were probably kept hem, it was 40 degrees. a lot of anger and outrage vented in the wake of the grand jury decision. >> as we know, the new york police department had to deal with mass protests. this time was different, right? >> it did, that's right. and what we have seen over the past couple of days, what i observed, is large groups of protesters roming through the city more or less at will. with police keeping a watchful eye, escorting them, allowing them to shut down landmarks like the brooklyn bridge and the westside highway. we have seen it over and over as the protests have gone on. >> every night sibs the groour -- since the grand jury's decision not to indict the officer involve in the death of eric garner, thousands marched over new york city under the watchful eye of n.y.p.d. it's been emotional and at times confrontational. it has not been violent. a far graham from scenes like these. 2011 the n.y.p.d. the cracks down on occupy wall street making thousands of arrests. heavy-handed police tactics resulted in complaints. n.y.p.d. arrested more than 1800 protesters and journalists. the city would pay 1800 in a wrongful arrest case. confrast that -- contrast that against this week. large and intense, but largely peaceful. police say they have made about 300 arrests. by and large protesters have been athroughed move freely -- allowed to move freely throughout the city. former officer damon jones says the n.y.p.d. learnt from experience. >> i think because the world is watching, and they do not want to look at it as an occupying force. their posture is nonaggressive. just to allow them to blow steam and hopefully it will last just a couple of days and go away. >> response also comes down the individual officer involved, and how much retrant they are able to -- restraint they are able to show in the face of provocation. >> the best judge in a given situation is the officers involved. there's no generic formula that will work for every situation and action pos important to remember that police officers are outnumbered. if there's no compliance, they cannot police. >> reporter: compliance from a public outraged by the deaths of those in custody. so far it has not boiled over to the streets of new york. >> now the question is what will happen this weekend. more protests are planned for saturday and sunday. the forecast is like this - cold and rain through saturday. we'll have to wait and see if the large numbers return the mother of an unarmed african man fatal lay shot -- fatally shot by police say she doesn't want this to become the subject of protests. the officer mistook a pill box for a gun. she said: associate professor of sociology of black studies at city college in new york join us at our studios. what do you think of what thor of mr brisbane had to stay? >> i'm not surprised by what she had to say. for african-americans in the united states talking about race is a distractionar -- or a playing of the race card. black people are victims of violence by police. she calls for folks to support the protest, to engage, she has to say if my child were someone else, would he be alive now. sadly, probably not. >> in the protests in new york, they walked into stores, closed down highways or the past couple of days. what does that accomplish. how long can you keep it going? >> it's important. it's civil disobedience the. when you look at the civil rights it is inconvenience, which causes elected officials dealing with protesters, but now elected officials have to say what is at issue, how can we dissolve this. >> how can they? >> do a number of things involving police reform and judicial reform. we look at non-violent pr pro tests. what people are looking for is that police officers be upped the guise of law. i talked to a former police officer who suggested the training. it's not going to mean much to police officers. at first they don't pay attention to it, they don't get much out of it, and spend hundreds of millions in training police officers all over the country, and we have the problems that we have. >> training is the beginning. it's far from conclusive. if there's a training that says treat everyone equally, make sure you are not bias, but those that brutalize, if there's no league at consequences... >> apart from the legal system, there's rules in the department. aren't they effective? >> i think they'll be effective if they were used. we see the death of eric garner, but now we see the grand jury failed to indict. we have an issue with the grand jury process, and the police officers' union saying it was not a choke held. we have to make sure they are legal, safeguards making sure training and action in the leaves of all are safe. >> you know as well as i do, over periods of time protests wane. they get quieter, voices are not as loud. often the news media doesn't cover the stories the way they have the last three or four nights. what happens then? >> it could be that case. we are 118 days in ferguson outside of michael brown's death. local organizers continued to keep pressure on. >> we find it in new york, phoenix. people of california say we have incidents of abuse. as people mobilize it's the responsibility to put a spotlight, but with pour to do something about it. when the cameras disappear, the pain doesn't. >> when the cameras disappear, the politicians are not always responsive, right. >> that's true. doesn't mean we don't keep pressure and be civilly disobedient now to president obama's pick to lead the pentagon. he nominated ashton carter. here is more from jamie mcintyre. >> in picking ash carter, the president gets someone with smarts, he knows how weapons work, and having done three tours, the last as the number two in charge. with the other major contenders taking themselves out of contention, by the time the president made the announcement. it was washington's secret. >> with a record of service spanning 30 years as a public servant, advisor, scholar, regarded as the nation's foremost security leader. >> i accepted the president's tofr be nominated as secretary of defense because of regard for his leadership, and the seriousness of the strategic challenges we face, and also the bright opportunityies that exist for america if we can come together to grab hold of them. >> carter will get a confirmation hearing next month when the new congress is back in session. it's expected he'll be confirmed with senators from both parties expressing the opinion that he's highly qualified. incoming senator john mccain indicated that he'll make the hearing a forum about president obama's foreign policy which has been called februaryingless. >> thank you secretary of state john kerry expressing concern about the upcoming release of a report on the c.i.a.'s marsh interrogation r harsh interrogation techniques. kerry asked senator dianne fienstein chair of the intelligence committee to consider world events before the release - including i.s.i.l., and americans held hostage. dianne fienstein's representatives had no comment. >> the family of an american hostage luke summers released a second video pleading to al qaeda for his release. his mother sends a personal message. >> we desperately want you to be released and home with us again. it's been too long, and we need you here. we love you more than words can express. >> to put it simply, luke is a humanitarian, helping others who felt persecuted or those that felt he didn't have a voice. >> the family released new pictures of summers, some showing him in jamaica. david shuster has more on efforts to bring him home. >> luke summers was working as a photo journalists in sanaa when kidnapped by the al qaeda philliate al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. the group released a message with a threat he would be killed within days. his plea: it's unclear when the message was recorded. a rescue mission was agreed weeks ago. members of a team raided a hideout. >> as soon as the u.s. government had reliable intelligence and an operational plan, the department of defense was authorised to conduct an operation to rescue mr summers. regrettably when the operation was executed, he was not present. >> summers had been moved two days earlier, the white house learnt. six others were rescued. the family of summers is speaking out asking al qaeda to spare his life. >> you have taken care of luke. we thank you for that. please show mercy. allow us to see luke again. he is all that we have. >> reporter: following the attempted rescue, al qaeda and the arabian peninsula is threatening to kill summers if demand which are not known are not met. they cautioned: summers family was unaware of the u.s. mission. >> he was a photo journalist and not social for actions the u.s. government has taken. please understand we had no prior knowledge of the rescue attempt to luke and mean no harm. >> the state department says it's going everything to rescue summers. >> i have within in touch with his family and we'll provide more details about that. we continue to be in contact with the yemenis throughout the u.s. government about how we can find and bring him home. coming up this hour - what is the value of your life in dollars and cents. plus, the gift of guns. why your holiday present could be considered illegal in washington state and orion makes a splash. n.a.s.a.'s unmanned capsule wraps up its first big test flight. the philippines are ready for a typhoon, the worst of the season. over it 100,000 families in evacuation centers. our meteorologist rebecca stevenson is tracking it for us. landfall snoon. >> we are looking at land -- soon. >> we are looking at land fall. 1 o'clock tomorrow, 3am in the philippines, not the greatest time for a storm this size to move on shore. as we saw photos from n.a.s.a., they estimated an eye wall and an eye about 12 miles wide. right now it's a category 4 equivalent typhoon. super typhoon, and in looking to be like the supertif on is going to continue to detract slowly but surely as we get towards - not the east, they'll get an impact from this as we get towards laong, which is part of the - that small island. if we look at the satellite, it's a finely tuned. the colour - it's tracking for the central area. it's going to brush by a little corner before heading off. >> looks like a well-formed typhoon. what is the super typhoon. as we look at the typhoon, it's to do with where t and the national date line, the international date line. as it tracks over and strengthens, we have wind speeds, 150 miles per hour, sustained, and the rusts closer to -- gusts closer to 200 miles per hour. tracking across the area and slowing. it will lose status at that point. >> it could do damn. >> there's a foot of rain fall included in this. we are looking at this, similar areas hit by hyun last november. they were finding bodies two months later in recovery with high on, one of the strongest storm on record. this is close, not as powerful. it will be like a second hit. >> sony picture is the target of hackers again. employees received a new email threat. the email came from a group calling them the guardians of peace or g.o.p. the company discovered the attack on november 24th ds. >> next - new questions about the rape case at the university of virginia after "rolling stone" magazine apologises for discrepancies in reporting. plus, a community living in fear of the police. this is al jazeera america, i'm john seigenthaler. coming up, questions about a highly publicised rape case at the university of virginia. it is the season of forgiving. guns in washington state - a new law changes that orion's perfect test flight - the first step in the mission to mars. "rolling stone" is apologising for an article it published about an alleged gang rape at the university of virginia. a young woman identified as jackie reported to be sexually assaulted by seven men at a campus frat house. it sparked protests and outrage. "rolling stone" is questioning her story stating: the fraternity where the assault took place doubts the accuracy and said in a statement: . >> john watson is an associate professor of journalism efforts. jim jim jim jimmy -- jaynie floyd is our legal contributor. the "rolling stone" is between a rock and a hard place. so far they haven't said their story was wrong, but they raised questions about it. what is next? >> first, and foremost, was the decision to not fully identify a principal party in the story. seems they did not recognise the fact that a fundamental ethical directive says identifiery person principal to a news story. >> most journalists don't name a sexual assault victim in the story. it's practice. in some states it's not allowed. >> the first amendment was tested in courts. the supreme court says you can do that. it will protect you if you reveal the identity of a sexual assault victim. it's an ethical question. the fact that you have a legal right to do this doesn't mean it's proper journalism. the reason for the directive is it helps to ensure the credibility of the principle. people will generally not lie if they know everyone will know this is the person telling this lie. >> courts do go to some lengths to protect victims when they testify, right. >> that right. you race a good point, that journalists are torn as to whether or not to identify victims, this case will have us re-evaluating whether to do that. they didn't do the rest of the work. they didn't check who the person straitors were. they didn't double-check the facts of the story. simple things about whether or not the party that jackie - that's a pseudonym - jackie said happened that weekend might have been happening. whether or not the fraternity was pledging, part of why this horrific ept went on. there was no pledging happening at this fraternity in the fall. >> let's go to your lawyers. who is at risk here locally? >> rolling stone. >> what about the alleged victim. >> the alleged victim. something is very wrong there. something terrible happened, or something terrible is happening in her mind. she is the first defendant. then the reporter, and the editors and rolling stone. >> the fundamental mistake is "rolling stone" says "we miss placed our trust." journalists shouldn't trust anyone. they are not about telling the truth, they are about collecting the best evidence of the truth, when you collect evidence you have to test it before you public it. even though understand the human smthy you feel for someone who had been through a horrible ordeal. you can't. >> thank you both. more protests after a grand jury decided not to indict a new york city police officer in the chokehold death of eric garner. [ chants ] police marched in new york, chicago and miami. in another conflict the grand jury will hear the story next month. a person killed in family projects. in cleveland, the family of a 12-year-old shot and killed by police filed a wrongful death suit. the news follows a scathing report, abuses. bisi onile-ere is there. >> excessive force, years of injustice. a systematic pattern of reckless behaviour. according to a federal government report, which reveals a dark side to the cleveland police department, the finding, a price to some. but not to residents such as shadow johnson. >> i she a lot of stuff -- see a lot of stuff. >> reporter: the 23-year-old has been mistreated by police, but will not elaborate out of fear. >> i feel a lot of police feel they have so much power that they can do what they want. they can change out the rules, how they feel they want it, because they have a badge. >> the justice department's 2-year department backed up his claims. it uncovered multiple violations. an environment fostered where supports were aware of the wrongdoing but looked the other way. people have been hurt, and lives lost. johnson says within the black community there's lit the trust in the police. a shift could be underway. >> there are problems and this review demonstrated some of those problems. we will enter into discussion with the department of justice as to how to create the problems that we agree on. >> ra washington is a community activist, rallying behind the families that lost loved ones to police, including 12-year-old tamir rice carrying a toy gun. washington says the city can regain the public's trust, by letting leaders go first. >> it needs to be met with leadership saying "you know what, we messed up. the first thing we'll do is resign. >> the city and the justice department already began to negotiate terms. >> a federal monitor will oversee the force. >> the only hope i have is if i see challenge. they have to show me proof. actions speak louder than words. >> johnson and many in the community are looking for change. but understand it will take time to bridge a gap that existed for decades. garner's family is considering a civil lawsuit against the city of new york. they could get mill glons compensation. how do you determine the value of human life. it's something corporations, and the government make all the time. jacob ward explains. >> your life, total potential earnings, the value you represent in society is 8.7 million. no, really, that is the statistical value of your life. i don't mean you in particular. it's a standard measure averaged by academic researchers surveying insurance companies and agencies. it comes with its own acronym. vsl. standing for the value of a statistical life. regulators use vsl to determine how much to spend on safety standards that save human lives. it's not a fixed number. federal agencies value life differently, depending on the regulations they are considering. the maths changes. the environmental protection agency, as it measures the risks of mortality of what might be toxic, uses a baseline of 7.6 million. the transportation department used values of $6 million. the food and drug administration puts a price tag of $7.9 million on human life. the value of life is calculated differently in the courts. a civil lawsuit in the death of michael brown, or eric garner could result in millions in reword to the families of the dead -- reward to the families, depending on the circumstances. lawyers hand out millions in the case of the defective ignition switches in the case of general motors. another form of gruesome maths comes in to play. the law adminer straiting g.m.'s mine starts with the million dollar life's loss, and tailors each victim's occupation, and $300,000 for each dependent spouse. that's been provided to victims of the september 11th attacks, the 2011 spill. the practical math of death. in the case of awards determined in court a stranger ash tract -- abstract comes into life. it's applied in unfatal injuries and like being maimed in an accident. it's applied to the living. it's a way of thinking about the price, the value of life. accidental teeth feels random. that's part of what makes it brutal. sad. death is everywhere. our society developed a cold brutal math to cope with it. we put a price tag on tragedy. >> things can be tougher in washington state. a voter improved law went into account. people had to pass a background check. buyers and sellers are confused about how it works. allen schauffler has details. >> a custom made short barrelled semiautomatic rife - pretty in pink. >> it was supposed to be a christmas surprise. >> it happened to be an amazing oh, my gosh present. i can't do that. >> reporter: under the new law in washington state, that gift to his girlfriend could be considered a firearms transfer - illegal without a criminal background check through a licensed gun dealer. a frustration in this house. >> i would love for politicians and lawmakers to focus on those breaking the law. >> the law extends criminal background checks. it could make handing a gun to a friend to shoot at a range like this illegal, and could have implications for businesses that use guns. >> in the state of washington in the armed licence progressions most own the firearms. priority security contactors, private investigators wonder if the way they have been doing business is a string of felonies. >> 45 calibre semiautomatic. >> gun range manager says his rental business will not be affected. he supports the concept of background checks for sales. >> if you can't vote as a felon. i don't see why you won't own a firearm. >> what he is hearing is confusion about what they can and can't do without breaking the law. >> it's the transfers, ambiguity. that upsets the majority in this community. >> the organization backed the initiative, calling concerns nonsense, a smokescreen, and says procedures will not bother with christmas gift rifles. >> hard right gun-owning zealots that brought up the issue to get away from the main point, and that is this is an important first step to keep guns out of the hands of those that shouldn't have them. >> that's little comfort to eric and others, who see it as recreation and constitutional rights. >> if it was not the intention to criminalize firearms, why is it written into law. i haven't met many making mistakes that big. >> it will be accurate, hard to break. and it's pink. >> nazi war criminals will no longer collect social security benefits. a bill locking it passed. it allows nazi war release to receive million. the legislation was introduced after an association press investigation found the justice department allowed them to leave. >> the launch of the orion deep space capsule is her added as the dawn of a new era. one day it will carry astronauts to mars. it could happen within the next 15 years. andy gallagher was at the launch. >> reporter: it was a textbook launch and a spectacular site. launched by the most powerful rockets in the neat. this was one of the most opted projects. hundreds came to watch the beginning of a new era, orion climbed to an orbit of 6,000km. going through a series of stress tests. >> we have separation of the port and starboard boosters. >> reporter: it may be unmanned but it's considered a considerably step in deep space explore ace. -- exploration. >> now we are going out to a different planet. that are brings a lot of challenges, technical and human, that is exciting about this new era. >> at 4.5 hours, it was a short mission. orion orbited the air twice. as the craft re-entered the atmosphere the shields were super heated. n.a.s.a. says things couldn't have gone better. >> it's an amazing vehicle. the fact that it went well is a testament to the workforce that put in hours and years of hard work. >> it was a flawless start to a long and ambitious programme. over the next few months engineers will pour over data, but say this is a milestone. there'll be another unmanned test in two years. after that astronauts will bored orion and venture into deep space. >> it carries with it the hope that taking hupans into deep space is possible. our picture of the day is next. plus... >>. >> for money. it was just a tough sell. >> actor griffin dunn on his documently about his favourite aunt author. plenty of rainfall coming to the west coast overnight into saturday. we'll get mountain snow out of the storm. levels hovering between 6,000 and 7,000 in the sierra nevadas, right where we need rain to contribute. in the meantime. we are getting rain fall into parts of the south central east. looking at the stat light. a series of storms set up. we'll see them rolling into the west, all the way through next week, timing out to where they should have 12-24 hours in between each rain and breezy winds, but the parade of storms will continue in spite of the rain, especially into the coastal mountains. to the east. cold temperatures moving in. at the same time there's rain fall. a cold rain from delaware to new york. and snow inland. as we look at the rain fall through the day, tennessee, uhuru kenyatta, you'll get the -- kentucky, 1.5 inches to half an inch. it's a lot of soggy weather. starting cool across the border to the north. there's a warming trend for the u.s. in the week ahead. al jazeera news continues. joan didion acclaimed author with "joy and sorrow", she is camera shy. her nephew, actor and producer griffin dunn tells his story. he raises the money through kickstarter. >> joan didion is an essayist, writer, book award writer who is influential. people don't know how joan sounds. she's a lion, a fearsome critic. voice of moral authority, and deeply intimidating figure griffin, good to have you on the programme. nice to see you. why did you do the documentary? >> i've been making it for three years. and my aunt suggested me to publishers to shoot, you know the book publishers do a marketing thing. they are usually cheesy i said i would like to do it, but in a particular way. with joan, we got a crew, cameraman we pile on a van and shot the video. all different sizes and sections from the book. we have a lot of fun making t. >> you find yourself swimming in the colour blue. french calls that kind of day a gloeming. this book is blue lives. it's the time i began. to the end of promise. to the dwindling of the days, the inestibilities of the dying. blue knights are the opposite of the dying of the brightness. they are its warning. >> i get goose bumps when i listen and watch that film. after you did that... >> we did that. and joan was pleased. despite her being in my life. i assumed there was a bunch of the documentary. the co-director, a wonderful film-maker - we found there was never a documentary that had been done. we asked joan how she felt about that. >> you raised the money on kickstarter. >> we needed more money. it was a tough cell. sell. >> my cousin said "let's do kickstarter", and i said "go ahead." it went on at eight in the morning. we are making it because no one has made a documentary about john didion. it's a mystery. it declined. what that told us, and has told all the companies that we went to for money, is there's on audience for the movie. people want to know about joan's life. >> if she didn't know, she now knew she didn't just have fans that group up with her writing. i saw a girl reading blue nights. she was engrossed. i said how are you enjoying the book. this writer - i've been into her. >> what does this documentary tell us about john's life? tells us about the pros ects tects of a writer. he is a quotable writer. people rerl where they were when they red her stuff. we want to honour that for the fans and get across what her language looks and feels like and using that in her life, and having her life as a writer. she and john were the greatest love story around, an incredible couple. what was your relationship with your aunt. >> i was close to john. with john you get john. you can't say john without joan or joan withouton. it was john and joan. he's a big guy on the phone. and you call them up and you'd read what was in the paper. before you'd say "i don't know, i don't know, pick up. pick up much." joan was like the woman i was. a woman i was in awe of. if i wanted to address a girl i might. >> does the documentary have a name. >> we tell ourselves stories. that is a sentence written a long time ago that was prophetic. writing kept her sanity or monitored time of insanity, the magical thinking that she was act write here book. >> when might we expect it. it will be a good year. probably a year and a half. >> we look forward to it, and so seeing you in other productions in front of or behind the camera. thank you now, our picture of the day. in south africa a leader is memorialized. nelson mandela's widow lays a wreath at the foot of his statue. today marks a year since he passed away. i'm john seigenthaler. see you next week. their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. >> journalism is not a crime. let's take a look at china. china overtakes us. it's the world's manufacturer. america has to live with the china that exists.