Transcripts For ALJAZAM News 20150205

High then theres this competition for the food and the water. Now the government is doing something about it. We begin tonight with a battle against i. S. I. L. And a new threat. This time the threat is directed at i. S. I. L. Itself. After months of fighting the group seems to be losing ground, suffering heavy losses from coalition forces. And that was before i. S. I. L. s videotape execution of a prisoner. A move that may have galvanized. Is countries divided in many ways now drawn together against a common enemy. The rage is intensifying in jordan after captured pilot Muath Al Kasasbeh was seen. Support from King Abdullah. Exacted with the execution of two prisoners including sajida al rishawi. She had been on death row for eight years. The pilots father praised the punishment. Translator i demand that i. S. I. L. Be annihilated. This militant group made up of groups are from all over the world. In jordan, growing fight against i. S. I. L. I. S. I. L. Has been our problem. Important to stay in the coalition, in order to make sure blood was not shed in vein. But u. S. Coalition suffered a significant setback after United Arab Emirates wants more search and rescue support from the u. S. At least 35 nations have led the u. S. Fight against i. S. I. L. 17 are giving both military and humanitarian aid. That includes the u. S. , saudi arabia qatar canada, france and germany. 14 nations are pledging humanitarian aid only including japan spain and switzerland. Four countries are providing just military aid. Christopher swift is a professor of National Security studies at Georgetown University in washington. Christopher is this a Tipping Point for i. S. I. L. And the coalition . Well, it is and it isnt. It is in that i. S. I. L. s very provocative and brutal execution of this pilot seems to have unified public support inside jordan, each one of these countries thats providing military assistance has its own domestic political concerns and part of what you are seeing with the uae standing down temporarily and calling for more search and rescue support is of great concern of their pilots being turned into hostages and being executed in a similar way. While we may think of that one way this the United States, in some of these societies in jordan and United Arab Emirates these are connected to pretty important stakeholders and they exercise leverage. In some ways is this less about religion and more about the economy and the political situation in many of these countries . And some of the some of the countries tar not democracies worried about an uprising . Sure. Well, if you look at the situation in jordan, the pilots father is a very prom narnt prominent individual in one of the very important families that backed the hashemite design city. Bending over backwards to get this young man home. But now that i. S. I. S. Has killed this young man in a horrible brutal way you see the family come back into the fold, rather than criticizing the government, they are rallying around the government, that is important for the king of jordan. Whether or not the uae should be involved in these kinds of operations theyre temporary standdown is a way of dealing with that issue internally while still nominally being part of the coalition. So a lot of the fighting is been in iraq and syria. How vulnerable is jordan to this fight . There is a fair amount of vulnerability, twofold, if you look at where the area where syria and iraq and jordan come together, thats a rural open mostly desert area, very hard to defend and not a lot of population there. If i. S. I. L. Wanted to move into that part of jordan, they would get far before encountering the jordanian army. Thats part of the reason King Abdullah is worried about. F16 fighter wing and patriot missiles were left behind in jordan. Asked jordan to cooperate in, quote, combating terrorism. Is there any chance that syria is going to cooperate in all of this . The prospects for meaningful cooperation between the alloite regime and jordan are very, very low. Because they have a common adversary doesnt mean they are adhered now. One of the reasons i. S. I. S. Has been so l successful successful as a military situation is theyve been able to divide those that might form a coalition against it. And this is one of the things that jordanian government and the u. S. Government, as well, are going to be considering as they go forward with their particular campaigns. So the uae which is a u. S. Ally and in this coalition has halted its combat missions and theyve claimed theyre concerned about several and rescue if their pilots go down like the jordanian pilot wement went down. Is this a bigger sign that some countries may not be as willing to go forward with this fight . It may be. And the reason might be twofold. The first is there is some concern in the region that the United States and the europeans have been somewhat less energetic in their prosecution of the war than some of the arab countries had hoped. Uae also has to deal with some pretty important internal political debates about the role of a muslim majority country going in a war against muslims in a country just a few hundred miles away. That was a big issue in jordan as well even a few days ago. But this particular execution the manner in which it hamed and thehappenedand the l insult, has changed that perception very rapidly. Lets hope they realize just what kind of adversary theyre dealing with here. Christopher swift thank you sothank youvery much. The fight against i. S. I. L. Makes for partnerships, qatar the country that funds this network. The pkk u. S. And turkey called the pkk a terrorist group. The group has been fighting the turkish government for years now its credited for a major victory against i. S. I. L. Nick schifrin sorts it out as he reports from turkey. Reporter this isnt supposed to be a war zone. These two sides are meant to be talking peace. But this curbingish city is battle ground. This city sits on the base of merchandise where noahs arc was said to have landed. 20 of turkeys population and long complained much neglect. They fought the government and call themselves a martyrs movement. Those two died in fighting are enshrined on posters. Bullets filed by police right before they drove through the front door. Translator the purpose of the extermination operation is to end the legal Kurdish Movement and annihilate its members. Reporter the violence is mutual. The movement is affiliated with the militant pkk which the u. S. Calls a terror group. An Opposition Group accuses pkk of burning their offices and killing nine of their members. Translator if Security Forces stay quiet the more the pkk builds an empire of fear. Reporter violence built and residents built trenches. No cars can come through here anymore because residents have blocked it by building this massive ditch. There are hundreds of these across the city, deep, three or four feet deep, and the purpose is to prevent police from coming into these neighborhoods and making any arrests. But when we visited heavily armed police move around easily. In this neighborhood residents say police are using a new law to act with impunity. So what have the police been doing in this neighborhood . Translator its like theyre paid for each tear gas they fire. They want children to throw stones at them. They are starting the complex they see us as the enemy. Reporter inside the familys home, holding up a picture, of 12yearold nahat. I loved him so much, my angel, he was a flower, a flower of kurdistan. Reporter the family says in early january as nahat was surrounded, he suddenly drops. Police had shot him in the head. His mother, his Community Want revenge. I hope his heart burns for his son like my heart burns for mine. Reporter tens of thousands of people attended nahats funeral. Rapid in a kurdish flag they carried him through the streets. At his grave they promised v for victory. Turkish authorities will maintain their pressure and so will kurdish fighters, fueled by a 12yearolds grave at what they call the martyrs cemetery. Nick schifrin, al jazeera turkey. Sakuraisacsakurais mussowi. Jonathan betz has more. Saudi arabia is one of the u. S. s most strategic allies in the completely. Now, former al qaeda operative sakuraias. Moussawi now in null released Court Document mussawi claims officials helped fund queastled inal qaedain the years before the 21 2001 attacks. Look we are not against islam or the jihad we financed bland. Bin laden. Who was then the countrys intelligence chief prince bandar been sultan, and and alwa al masal. And some say hes mentally ill. Remarked he was an extremely intelligent man. Our psychiatric experts predicted his behavior to a tee. It fits right in line with their fear that hes suffering from dilutions. Moussaoui even said he discussed the possibility of shooting down air force 1. But moussaoui was arrested before he could carry out that plan and days before the hijackings that would change the world. Jonathan betz, al jazeera, new york. Now to washington. Tough talk on ukraine from the president s nominee for defense secretary. Ashton carter says he supports sending weapons to help ukrainian rebels. The white house has resisted arming ukraine. Carter has taken a harder line. The nature of those weapons i cant say right now but i inclined in the direction of providing them with arms, including to get to what im sure your question is, lethal arms. A full senate vote on carters nomination is expected as early as next week. Proponents to sending u. S. Arms to ukraine point to recent gains. Rebels are advancing in that countrys east threatening to take control of a a strategic railway hub. Charles stratford reports. Ukrainian army fire a volley of grad rockets towards front lend. Separatists they have surrounded be debaltseve. A city under siege. You can hear shelling and shooting. At night it was very intense. He says. I have to go says this man. Its bad in there very bad. We followed a bus along the mud roads into town. Attempts at negotiating a temporary troos for safe passage had failed. Go go go go, catch them, catch them. The shemg is intense. The the shelling is intense. The very few people on the streets run for cover. What sounds like ar till rar or mortars fires towards targets we cannot see. There have been repeated efforts trying to get some of the wounded out of debaltseve. Calms for ceasefire some of those ceasefires have been ignored. We followed a convoy into the city. The men tell us they are going to an area that is too dangerous for us to film. Translator were trying to deliver aid to people who are still here at our own risk. We could not organize a temporary truce to come here safely. Reporter approximately 25,000 people used to live in debaltseve. After weeks of heavy fighting, it is not known how many are living here now. Only the very brave remain. I walked to deliver aid to people every day says this woman, as another shell explodes close by. Debaltseve is of strategic importance to both sides in this conflict. Its a Major Railway hub linking territory the separatists control with russia. Its believed up to 8,000 Ukrainian Government troops have been deployed to try and defend the town. Theyre suspicious about what they say are separatist spies. This armored personnel carrier blocked our path as we left town. The soldiers questioned us before letting us drive on. This road is the soanl only way into debaltseve from the ukrainian side. While fighting intensifies it is the only route out for many civilians who remain inside. Charles stratford, al jazeera debaltseve. Eastern ukraine. A lot more coming up on this broadcasted. Why hundreds of people are killed at Railroad Crossings every year and whats be being done to stop it. Plus the Measles Outbreak, how far should a school go to protect students . The creator of the notorious website silk road, has been convicted in federal court. Found him guilty on all charges silk road is an online black market. It allows participants to buy fake i. D. s and passports. Sentenced in may. The nationwide Measles Outbreak is continuing to grow. One Group Believes all children should be vaccinated. The other group thinks immunization should be the parents choice. Michael okwu has the story. When john and olivia took their child to the doctor for a cold they were shocked to find out she may be infected with something worse the measles. Carrier was a boy whose parents had chosen not to vaccinate. I was angry but at the time, most concerned about what do we do next . Reporter what followed was a 28 day county imposed quarantine. No walks no fresh air no certainty about what the next day might bring. The simons live in oakland across the bay from marin county which has among the highest rates of nonvaccinated schoolchildren in the state. Its all part of greater San Francisco and a hot spot in californias largest rash in measles cases in years. Its spreading across the u. S. 14 states from california to new york. 102 cases in all. Just this year. The great majority afflicting individuals who were not vaccinated. Theres one pediatrician whos not troubled by the plummeting vaccination rates. Dr. Bob sears. Half his young patients arent vaccinated. I tell the parents that thats an okay decision. I think its a legitimate decision. The topic is a political lightning rod. All 50 states require schoolchildren to be vaccinated with exemptions for medical or religious reasons but now 20 states, including california, allow parents to file philosophical exemptions. Last year, california passed a law requiring a pediatricians signature for those exemptions. Some parents continue to believe for example that theres a link between vaccines and autism. Numerous comprehensive studies have looked at the relationship between vaccines and autism for over a decade. And found no link. Livia never got the measles but the simons wont soon forget the whole episode. You cant decide not to vaccinate your child and also then not be exposing other children to risk. Michael okwu, al jazeera, San Francisco. And can you see more of michaels story on america tonight coming up at 10 00 eastern time. But we continue the discussion now. David ropec the author of how risky is it really . Why our fears dont always match the facts. I want to pronounce your name right. Easy to say siegenthaler. You got it. What is your reaction to this debate . Boy this is really complex. First thing to know, as complex as this might be, most kids do get vaccinated. This nonvaccination piece as michael suggested happens in isolated areas. There have been worst ones over the states in the last several years. This is getting a lot of attention because of the disneyland connection, bad things arent supposed to happen in disneyland. If i may thats the first part, second point with jennifer and dave the parents of livia there parents have a basic goal in life which is to take care of their kids. They talked about being angry to the other people who exposed their daughter to measles but what do they want to do is, what should we do next . Thats where most parents are coming from not the liberal values or the libertarian values we do need to give parents a break they are struggling. You say this is driven by fear . Well sure. I mean but fear is a loaded word. We all wake up in the morning with one job subconsciously which is to get safely to bed at night. That is my expertise here, the psychology of what we read in the tea leaves, that is not all the information. So we use a lot of instincts to sense whether its dangerous or if our friends say it is or our political leaders say it is, we jump to that conclusion. If were against man made things we jump to the conclusion that man made things might be bad. It is a very psychological as opposed to purely objective danger, thats all we have. If you say the governments putting my child at risk or the parents on the other side, saying these parents are putting my kids at risk. Where do you put the two together . This is an easy one. Society for the longest time is to protect ourselves from things we cant protect ourselves from. No matter how conservative you are, the police, the law we dont allow drunk driving or people to do things that are bad for society. It is mandatory to get our kids vaccinated but we are a democracy, we give people a choice. It turns out for every state but mississippi you can opt out. The candidates say we dont have choice. Theyre lying for political sex aggrandizement. For self aggrandizeful. We have a right to ask people who want to sanction them if they dont and i would not be averse tot idea of economic to the idea of economic sanctions against parents who dont vaccinate raise their insurance costs a little. We do that for smokers for drivers. As long as they still have a chance to opt out. My suggestion is you come back on the program again and talk about the topic you spend a lot of time on, fear, on a whole host of issues maybe measles david, thank you for talking to us tonight. Coming up next, the deadly commuter train crash in new york. Why so Many Americans are killed at Railroad Crossings. And separation with a high border fence. Border fence. S. Hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. Im john siegenthaler. The investigation into the deadly train crash in new york. Whats being done to prevent another one . Homecoming. Peter greste, united with his family. The pleas for two al jazeera journalists still hin bars. Behind bars. Heartbreak and healing. Im so happy i was able to see them. Their loved once divided by the u. S. Mexican border can meet. Taming the Wild Horse Population in the american west. And we begin with new details from last nights train accident in suburban new york. Investigators remain on the site tonight, where a metro north commuter train slammed into an suives that was stopped an stuive that was stopped suv that was stopped on the track. Investigators are focusing on her and why she stopped. The crash happened at a Railroad Crossing its where many train accidents occur. There are hundreds of thousands of them in the United States. Tonight a new debate over whether enough is being done to make those crossings safe. Lisa stark is in washington more. Lisa. Well john, we should point out that efforts by state and federal governments and the railroads themselves to improve safety at these crossings really have made a difference. Collisions, deaths they have drapped dramatically over the past few decades. But there are still far too many accidents and most of them are preventible. Just like the horrific accident in new york about half of all collisions involving trains and vehicles in the u. S. Occur at Railroad Crossings outfitted about warning devices flashing lights or gates. Its often the fault of the driver who gets confused, distracted or tries to beat the train. Thats what happened in this collision, in michigan, in 2009. The driver, apparently tried to slip around the gate. An amtrak train plowed into the car killing all five on board. There are more than 200,000 grade crossings in the u. S. , locations where vehicles and trains can come together. Safety improvements at the crossings and education campaigns have made a huge difference. In 1978, there were more than 13,000 accidents at grade cross beings. Crossings. In 2013 that dropped to just 2,000, an 85 decrease. A number of deaths has dropped from a high of 1315 in 1976 to 251 in 2013. A 77 decline. Still about every three hours in the u. S. , a person or a vehicle is hit by a train. Here on this mta video you can see commuters testing their luck running across the rails trying to catch their train. Operation life saver a group that works to promote grade crossing safety runs safety campaigns like this one targeting distracted drivers. Stay focused stay alive. Reporter drivers often misjudge a speed of a train and how long it takes them to stop. A Freight Train moving 55 Miles Per Hour often needs 18 football needs to stop. The federal government spends 200 million a year to improve grade crossing safety, money that goes directly to the states and about 60 of the crossings in the u. S. Have crossings and lights. Requiring the doors to to come down and the bells to sown at least 20 seconds df to sound at least 20 seconds before the train comes by. This driver got out in time but most often these descends are deadly. And ask anyone in Railroad Safety what is the safest kind of grade crossing . Theyll el you no grade crossing thel tell you no grade crossing. When you builds bridges over or tunnels underneath. This is really expensive. We talked to north carolina, for example. They are in the middle ever building 13 separated grade crossings so theres no potential of a collision and each one of them is costing about 10 million. John. Interesting lisa stark lisa thank you. President obama met today with six young people known as dreamers. Theyre immigrants brought to the country by their parents. His executive action would allow them to stay. The meeting in the senate failed to cut Immigration Reforms. Maria fraley was born in peru, came to the u. S. At the age of 5. She has been a leading advocate for campaigners the Organization United we dream. Maria welcome. What was the president s message today . Well, thank you for having me. And i think there were a few different things. First of all he wanted to hear our stories to be able to really put faces to the work he was doing. His message aside from hearing our stories was that we had to defend this victory. That as you can tell you have republicans in cock and you have certain governors signing onto this lawsuit all saying they want to deport me and my family and thousands of others like myself. This is not the end goal, this is only a temporary bandage on a problem and that we have to continue to fight so we can get the legislators trained so that we can get a bail and Immigration Reform bill that will be a permanent solution to the life of many undocumented folks here in the United States. Let me read about your background. You can correct me if im wrong. You grew up in new millford, connect, not far from where you live. You graduated from high school in 2012, you went on to graduate from Gateway Community college in new haven with an associate degree the schools first undocumented student body president. Youre now a junior and a Political Science major working towards your bachelors degree at quinnipiak university. What do you want to say about what you think needs to be done in congress . I think Congress Needs to stop playing politics. They need to understand they are targeting individuals like myself. This is personal. That i have been here for over 16 years like thousands of others. And we are asking them to create that line because they keep on complaining and saying we dont wait in the back of the line and we ask them what line are you talking about . You need to create the line first and then we will get in back of it. And they need to understand that we are members of the society. That we contribute to the economy. And that were not going anywhere. So they can continue to go back and forth and try to pass horrible bills in congress that are going to essentially want to deport me and thousands of others. But were not going anywhere and were going to continue to fight. Not only to protect this victory but to fight until we get some Permanent Solutions to this issue. You say with confidence, youre not going anywhere but do you worry about yourself and family members and friends and what could happen in the next couple of years . Not necessarily. I myself am a daca recipient. What if the next president decides to get rid of this . Honestly it would be not a smart political move on their behalf. How do you take this safety from deportation this Work Authorization card away from almost 700,000 people and its going to increase as the months come and just tell them that all of a sudden they could be deported at any moment . How do you do that to hundreds of thousands much people . It just wouldnt be of people . It just wouldnt be be socially correct or politically smart. I believe in the power of organizing and i believe in the power of our communities and all the work we have done so far and i believe that its not going to be so easy to get rid of us and we are not going to go anywhere. I have no doubt. Maria, its great to talk to you and thanks very much. Thank you. Theres a place along the u. S. Mexico border where families can meet face to face called Friendship Park in california. A metal fence separates from tijuana, mexico. Jennifer london, im assuming this is a pretty overwhelming experience. Reporter john, youre absolutely correct. This is the only place where the politics of immigration fall away. The focus is on family. This is a place that is not easy to get to where families from both sides of the boashed travel for hundredsborder travelto steal a few sweet moments with their loved ones. Youll find the only place along the 2,000 mile border fence where families torn apart from immigration can see and touch each other. Called Friendship Park. Southern most tip of california bordered by tijuana mexico. But the park is closed for six months of the year because of possible flooding, the only way to get there is to like down this road. It costs a gray shadow but does nothing to dampen the spirits of those who have traveled so far to get as close as they can. This tiny finger reaches reaching through the fence bernard was deported back to mexico, leaving behind his wife and their children all u. S. Citizens. I was so happy to see them. The little one is grown a lot and now shes walking and im happy very happy to be able to see them. Bernardos wife alice didnt want to speak. Her daughter is wet and muddy from the rain. The ability to stick mayor fingers through the fence and connect with their dad in a way they havent been able to, what does that mean for you . Its nice. You know, its here so that they can see each other and they can touch and they can talk. I mean they talk over the phone but its not same as seeing him. Were going to come back next week and see him again and at least for a month so theyre happy they know who he is. And they dont forget him. Thats the main point they dont forget him. Reporter a few hours later we met jermana cruz. She and her two daughters traveled 1500 miles from mexico city. She blows kisses to her grand sond dylan. Shes meeting him for the first time. I dont have words to express how i felt. The emotion of seeing my family my children. Ten years for me it sounds easy but its a long long long time. Reporter do you know when youll see your son and your daughterinlaw and your grandson again . I have no idea. The truth is, i cant imagine it. Reporter so for now the few hours spent at Friendship Park will have to carry the family through next few months or even years. Both germana cruz and bernarda feel that wont need to be spent through a rusty metal fence. On sundays there is a binational Church Service where the service is health simultaneously on both the tijuana side and san diego side. Unfortunately one of the days we were at Friendship Park it was raining so much they had to cancel the service. Can you tell me how often these meetings take place . The park is only open on saturday and sundays for a few hours. We were there for both saturday and sunday. When you talk about the emotion of the place john, you can see it in the families faces reaching through the mesh, searching for way to touch. Holding up their cell phones to show pictures of their loved ones. The father we featured in our piece, bernardo, was showing a picture of a cat to make them giggle. That time is so important to carry the families through when they dont know when to be able to see each other again. Jennifer london reporting from california, thank you. A number of american war vette ransveterans are fighting a new war. Stephanie sy. John, people dont realize that you can serve in the u. S. Military and not be a citizen. These are veterans have at some point been convicted of crimes. A lot of these veterans grew up in the states and they believed their military service would guarantee them citizenship. Some blame their criminal behavior on posttraumatic stress disorder and want the right to be citizens in the u. S. If we honor our veterans, honor them by letting them be with their families and get medical care. The thing that bothers me the most is being separated from my daughter. I love her very much. They deport me and its like a slap in the face. Al jazeeras adam rainey has the story. Stephanie sy, good to see you. Your program is coming up in about 15 minutes. Thanks very much. Detroit has some of the highest Car Insurance rates in the nation. I. T. Also has a crumbling Transit System. That combination makes commuting a very difficult problem for many people. Last week a story of man who walks 21 miles to and from work every day made headlines. An online crowd funding effort quickly raised 250,000 to help him. But that does nothing on hundreds of thousands ever detroit residents who rely on a decrepit Public Transit system. Bisi onileere reports. That has to be a huge inconvenience for you. It is because you have like i say you have to adjust your life to where you can and cant go. Its a limitation that affects where you shop and where you live. It also cost her a job. Joans worked as an i. T. Specialist in a suburb located over 20 miles away. Living in detroit she says it took her more than six hours to travel to and from work and olot of her time was spent walking. And i would actually get home in time to take a hot bath, meditate i dare not fall asleep and then go back. And i did that for like, let me see, three months, six months, Something Like that and i lived off coffee to keep myself going. But she eventually ran out of gas. That has to take a toll. It did it did. Its almost like you have another job getting to and from your job. Youre putting in a double shift whether you want to or not. In a city known as the automotive capital of the world detroits Public Transit system is dysfunctional at best. From the city to the suburbs the regions Transit Systems are underfunded at best. The city has an ontime rate of about 65 the National Average is 85 . And in the suburbs a number of communities have opted out of a Transit System altogether. Detroit is predominantly black. Jones feels that race is a factor. It tells me that michigan is one of the most racist states in the union. Thats what it tells me. Michael ford is ceo of the Regional Transit association of michigan so far there have been no major reforms. Who is accountable for making sure that these lines run better . Well i think its all our accountability. But were here to make sure that that happens. And working with our transit providers, to make sure that were all working together is our responsibility to make that happen. Ford says improving a broken bus system will require funding education and extending a reach to the suburbs. Well i think we have to meet with them we have to talk with them we have to understand what their issues are and their concerns and i think we also have to communicate how transportation can be helpful to that community. I dont know if it needs to be that they need to be cooperative, or they just need to be merged into one. I dont know. But i know that the quality of Service Needs to be improved. In january detroits mayor rolled out a fleet of new buses promising that more changes are on the way. But as the city works to rebound from bankruptcy, jones still sees a rough road ahead. Bisi onileere, al jazeera detroit. And coming up on this broadcast, jailed for 400 days. What al jazeeras peter greste is telling the world after hes a free man. After he got out of an egyptian prison. Plus, wild horses roaming the american southwest. Why ranchers say theyre now a big problem. Big problem. Its tomorrow morning in taipei and the plane the airplane that crashed yesterday has been pulled out of the water. Rescue teams have pulled the transasia flight out of the river. It went down just after takeoff from taipei. Dash cam video shows the moment the plane rolled over, clipped a bridge, crashed into the river. The death toll stands at 31. There are 15 people still missing. At least 12 people survived the crash. The pilot called out mayday three times before that plane went down. Tonight an al jazeera journalist peter greste ask back home in australia. He was freed from a prison in egypt last week. A beaming greste, leaving his fellow journalists behind, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed was tough. We knew that there was always a chance that one of us would leave and some of the others would have to stay. And i that doesnt make it any easier. You know, we all having talked it through we understood what the circumstances were. And you know, theyre all very happy for me. You can imagine after 400 days in prison with these guys, were very close. And it was very difficult to leave them behind. But im grateful to be out. I trust that they will follow in due course. Its going to take time. Its going to take some further efforts. But well see them out. And when we do, im going to party with them very hard, indeed. Peter greste said he never thought he would have to serve his entire seven year sentence and he wont. Now to the weather and a rough forecast ahead for some northwestern states and what, possibility of snow in the northeast . Meteorology Nicole Mitchell is here with that. Nicole. Fortunately, the snow from northwest to the mid east is pretty pliech northwest this is going to be a pretty potent system just starting to get going. A very wound up system that is a sense of high winds into the system. This is going to be rain that continues through the course of the weekend. Just in the next three days, we could see some places especially in washington and Northern California a foot of rain thats especially in the mountain areas. That means we will definitely see some flooding across the region. Theyre really going to get hammered nicole thank you. Tens of thousands of wild horses room the west. Efforts to control them pits Animal Rights activists against the ranchers. The wild west, horses beautiful and free or a nuisance depending on who you talk to. Weve had horses in this area for about a decade. And last summer we were able to remove about 100 excess horses through a water trap. And now we have support to remove the horses do you to zero. Ranchers in this remote part ever nevada complain that the horses take too much forage from cattle. And the u. S. Forest service have launched this in response. Helicopters chasing small groups of horse he across the range towards a trap site where wranglers are waiting for them. Preventing injuries during this ordeal is tough. Once captured the horses will then be separated studs from mares from colts. Ive seen horses run through barbados wire. Babies run until their feet fall off. Pretty terrible things. Animal rights activist laura lee, the photos shes provided show horses in distress and injured. Its an emotional and divisive issue. Well, i think real true lovers of wild horses believe that the cattlemen in 9 11, anyways, want the horses wiped off the slate clean. Thats not our position at all. The problem is whether the herd levels become too high then we have competition for food and water. Ranchers pay government access to public land where wild horses also happen to roam. I think theyre excess Government Property and should be hanted handled like anything else. They are feral horse he that need to be dog food. Thats what they will tell you. The two sides disagree over almost everything. Even where they come from. They say theyre descendants of spanish horses. Others say they are native. Which many econtain experts do not accept. Across the United States, the federal government needs and cares for some 48,000 wild horses. Some go up for adoption. Others are sold. But most live out their days in designated pastures. By law the bureau of Land Management must manage the range. Critics say the government does so to the detriment of the horse he. So the paradigm does exist today, cows versus wild horse and burr burros, i ask you and others to help me change that paradigm. Because it is truly about the land. What can the land sustain . The blm warns that soon its Holding Facilities will reach capacity and then, even the roundups would stop. Without natural predators the horse population doubles every five years. Its a crisis in the american west. Melissa chan al jazeera northwestern nevada. That is our broadcast. Thank you for watching. Im john siegenthaler. See you tomorrow. Antonio mora and stephanie sy continue with the news, next. Outrage in the arab world. Over death of a jordanian pilot. Achieving against ammans decision to combat i. S. I. L. Greeces leaders meet with eu officials hoping to ease concern over its financial issues. Worldwide consequences. Dr