Al Jazeera journalists sentenced, Iraq compared to Vietnam, Brazilian-American on World Cup

Scores of prisoners and a number of police officers were killed today in Iraq when insurgents attacked a police convoy transferring inmates. Amidst the growing violence, U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, is in the country for talks with Iraqi leadership. The talks are pivotal as many voices inside and outside of Iraq have called for Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki to step down and allow a new, inter-sectarian government to emerge. We’ll talk with Andrew Bacevich, a former U.S. Army colonel and professor of international relations at Boston University.
Then, the World Cup is well underway in Brazil. Before it began, there were stories of stadiums that weren’t complete, strikes and protests in the country’s major cities and a general sense that Brazilians weren’t necessarily thrilled to be hosting the Cup. We’ll get an update on how things are going with Maria Clara de Carvalho, an interpreter from Rio who spends half the year in Chicago and the other half in Brazil.
And, an Egyptian court sentenced two Al Jazeera journalists to seven years and one to ten years in prison. The journalists were accused of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered a terrorist organization, and reporting false news. Journalists Baher Mohamed, Peter Greste and Mohamed Fahmy had been held for 170 days. The journalists deny the charges. We'll discuss the verdict with David Kirkpatrick, Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times.

(photo: Lebanese journalists and activists use tape to cover their mouths as they hold placards to show their solidarity with detained journalists by Egyptian authorities during a sit-in protest in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014.(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein))