follow our contributors on twitter, facebook, google+ and more. >> hello welcome to al jazeera america, i'm jonathan betz. >> congressional republicans refuse to drop the fight over obamacare, as the government faces its first shutdown in two decades. >> israel claims it has caught an iranian spy as benyamin netanyahu prepares to address the u.n. general assembly. >> kenya may have ignored warpings about the attack on the mal. >> payroll cards - they may be convenient, but many are not

happy about the fees they charge. >> tonight there is every indication the u.s. government will shut down. it will be the first time in 17 years. not since bill clinton was president. early this morning house republicans hassed a bill to keep the government open but would delay the affordable care act by a year. democrats will not consider that, calling it dead on arrival. our correspondent tells us what to expect now. >> when it comes to the possibility of a government shutdown republicans and democrats are playing the blame game. >> this is a terrible destructive strategy unnecessary. >> the president is saying i'll shut government if you don't give me what i want on obamacare. >> the house will be in order. >> in the wee hours of sunday morning the republican control

house of representatives passed a bill. >> the democratically controlled senate promised to not allow it. >> one eliminates a tax on medical devices such as wheelchairs , that would partially fund the healthcare law. the law is the bone of contention. conservative republicans tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to repeal it. democrats say that's the goal. >> this was a calculated strategy to drive the country to the cliff and say give us what we want in the affordable care act, or we'll shut down the government. >> the republicans say it needs changes and the democrats won't address them. >> so far the majority senator harry reid told us to jump in

the lake, i'm not willing to compromise or talk. >> a member of the house said, "we will not shut the government. there's no clear way to avoid it" house republicans rallied urging the senate to come back and take action. there's no sign that either party is putting its position and no obvious way to avoid a shutdown. >> this is not the first time our country has been in this position. 1976 the federal government shut down 17 times. the shortest lasted a day. the most recent dragged on for three weeks, beginning in december 1995, ending in january "96. that cost the economy nearly $60 billion. israel said it arrested a spy for iraq. the secret service said he posed as a businessman gathering

intelligence for the iran revolutionary guard. the arrest comes at a critical time. >> for israel much depends on the visit by prime minister benyamin netanyahu to washington. the perceived warming of relations between the u.s. and iranian governments worried israeli officials and benyamin netanyahu made it clear it was time for straight talking when he meets the u.s. president on monday. >> translation: i'll respect the citizens of israel, our rites as people, determination to defend ourselves and hopes for peace. i'll tell the truth in the face of sweet talk and onslaught of smiles. telling the truth is important for the peace of the world. >> president obama's 15 minute historic phone call with the iranian leader may have been hailed as a breakthrough. in israel it's seen differently.

political analyst here urge caution in the spirit of improving relations. >> i think it's obvious if, indeed it works out, and it leads to an end to the nuclear program. it would be something greeted positively. the concern is that he doesn't necessarily mean it. when he was a nuclear negotiator in 2003 to 2005 he did something else. the concern is he's going through the same motions again. >> on sunday israeli intelligence announced that alex mans was accused of spying for iran. he was picked up at ben gurian airport on 11 september. he was found with photographs of the u.s. embassy in tel aviv, and is said to have been offered $1 million to spy on israel and had visited three times in less than a year. >> news of the arrest of the spy came as prime minister benyamin netanyahu left for washington.

it will be presented by israelis as evidence that the rainians cannot be trusted. that will be the trust of benyamin netanyahu's meeting with barack obama at the white house on monday afternoon. >> an israeli prime minister benyamin netanyahu arrived in new york city. he'll meet with president obama tomorrow and address the u.n. on tuesday. at least 16 people, mostly students, were killed in syria. an airstrike at a school in raqqa. amateur video shows the aftermath. government forces bombed it repeatedly. 100,000 have been killed in syria's civil war. as that war rages, u.n. weapons inspectors arrived in damascus and are expected to start the long process of inspecting, cataloguing and destroying syria's chemical weapons.

we spoke with richard butler, the u.n. chief weapons inspector in iraq in the late "90s. >> they have to keep their nerve. they'll be in difficult circumstances, doing a vital job, great pressure will be upon them and the people around them, even though they might be cooperating are hardly going to be their new best friends. >> joining us to talk about this is a chemical weapons expert. thank you for being here, we appreciate it. there are several steps, we begin the first one, which is not necessarily to destroy the weapons, but the ways of making the weapons and delivering the weapons. that's expected to take a month. will it be enough time, faiza. >> it's tight. within a week of friday, 4

october, the syrians have to update the information provided on the chemical weapons stockpiles and the chemical weapons production facilities and research facilities, then the opcw inspectors have a month to visit the facilities. they are expected to be about 45 of them. >> there's a lot of facilities and a lot of ground to cover. is a month enough time? >> they are going to have to make it a month. that's the deadline that has been agreed. depends on how easy it is to move around and how closely clustered the facilities are. if they are moving a lot in dangerous areas, it will be harder. >> it seems that syria is cooperating with the efforts. do you get the impression that they are fully committed or is there a chance they may back out at the 11th hour. >> we have to wait and see. u.s. officials said they were pleasantly surprised with the

completeness of the syrian declaration and it is a good sign. we'll see if they give access to the inspectors to all of the places they want to go. when the u.n. was inspecting chemical weapons in iraq. saddam hussein led them a dance and it took a long time. there's always the risk. indications are good, we should be hope. . >> the organization for the prohibition or chemical weapons - they'll go in. you used to work for them. they are considered a watchdog group, are they capable of going in during a civil war and handling this. >> they know what they are doing. >> they know what they are doing, but it's a new realm. >> it is a new realm. particularly in staffing it will

be difficult, they'll take inspectors that were in iraq, but it will be a huge challenge. >> what is the game plan when it comes to destroying the weapons. in the united states it took years for this country to remove its chemical weapons, and there's a lot of research around environmental impacts and the areas around that. will the same concerns happen in syria or will they put them in a ditch and light them on fire? >> i hope not. weapons have two aspects. there's mettle, which you mutilate. and the toxics chemicals, it depends how much they are stored. most are binary, so you need to mix two together to make the weapons. if they are stored separately you may be able to destroy some on site. >> will they rush to destroy the

weapons and not be concerned about environmental concerns. >> i think they don't know how they're going to destroy the stockpile agent. they'll move it somewhere. they don't know where. they'll give it to a third country to destroy, possibly the russian federation. >> they are feeling their way through this. >> it will be some time before we know what they'll do. >> a lot will unfold. it's a step forward. >> thank you for your time. >> towns along turkey's southern border are feeling the effects of the war. violence has spilled over and the economy has taken a nose dive. we have more from the turkish border. >> scenish beaches in southern turkey, it's difficult to imagine there's a war raging close, along the coast. the conflict had an impact on the fishing town across the

border. a few weeks ago a seasonal fishing ban ended. ordinarily all the boats would be at sea. >> fuel prices have shot up. the value of our currency is down. we can't export the catch through syria. >> they still go out. 20 families depend on the catch from the boat. the catch is good, but their take, how much they sell it for is uncertain. most will go to local markets at a low price. >> before the war companies would take truckloads to export through syria, now, once a week a single container may try to get through. i push my men's pay. >> the war is dangerous, a syrian coastguard shot and detained fishermen who breached waters. >> the syrian coast is 15 miles

in this direction. turkish people on the boat say they haven't seen syrian come out to fish in more than a year. water front restaurants used to be full of syrian tourists and visitors from other countries. >> syrians can barely afford food, let alone go on trips. others will not come because of the proximity of the war. you can see syria from here. >> several tour operators have gone bankrupt. other businesses barely hang on. >> with the war in syria showing no sign of abating soon, many wonder how long will they be able to keep their head above water. >> the latest on the a attack in mennia. the new pictures -- in kenya, the new pictures show the westgate mall in ruins.

it will take a week to go through it. >> kenya faces questions over whether they ignored warnings. they heard a year ago that al-shabab was planning suicide attacks on that mall. nazanine moshiri has more from nairobi. >> this footage shot by the kenyan red cross shows scenes of confusion during the westgate mall siege. a number of victims are treated. some of the dead had to be left behind. >> more than a week later kenyans learnt the government may have known about a potential attack here. the document given to al jazeera, and originally leeked to kenyan media contains situation reports dating back to september last year when officers warned the somali armed group al-shabab was planning an attack on the westgate mall and a nairobi church on an undisclosed date. a warning in february suggested a mum buy-style attack where

operatives would storm in and probably hold hostages. a number of al-shabab fighters were apparently given refugee cards to enter kenya. then this intelligence from the israeli embassy, about a threat to its citizens during the jewish holidays. the report may have been shown to several top kenyan officials. the government will not comment on what is a leaked and unverified report. >> we treat our intelligence as confidential and it's not something we are willing to discuss in public. >> some say there must be consequences. >> this is a series of failures. it wasn't just intelligence, it was a series of failures. the worst part is everyone involved, nearly everyone involved was faulty. the people had to get into the country through some means. >> the holy family basilica was named as a target in the leaked

report. >> kenyans have known for a while that military involvement in somalia could make them a target. they never expected this. >> a detailled report is embarrassing for the kenyan government. most intelligence experts say with prior warning, it's difficult to prevent a group of people intent on committing these kinds of attack. forensic investigators continue their work. we don't know whether the bodies of dozens of people who are unaccounted for are inside and whether the attackers escaped or will be found buried in the rubble. >> the scan phase of the bp trial begins in a new orleans court tomorrow. who is responsible and for how much of the damage is turning into a deep fight. bp is trying to avoid billions

in fines after the rig explosion in 2010, killed 11, dumping millions of barrels of oil. we explain what is at stake for bp and the people of the gulf coast. >> this family has been raising oysters since 1904. mitch runs the business that his grandfather started. >> we grew from a 14 acre lease to now roughly almost 15,000 acres. it's a pocket here. >> when he is not tending the oyster beds he's keeping an eye on the marsh. >> you see it on the mud. it's oil, definitely oil. >> 3.5 years ago the marshes were covered in oil that had poured into the gulf of mexico after the explosion of the deepwater horizon. >> the oil is a little pore difficult to mind but you can smell it. 200 miles of shower line has

oil, 14 moderate to heavily oiled. >> it's been devastating. oyster processing plants have closed and oisters have not spawned in the golf in two years. >> 2014 there'll be a decline in oyster production which is worse for the markets because the few processes left can't get enough oysters. who is to blame is the subject of a federal trial in new orleans. phase one focussed on the cause of the blow out and level of negligence by bp and other companies. phase 2 concentrates on the event after the explosion. >> it was everything that happened after the blow-out in terms of efforts to cap the well and determine how much oil was spilt. >> co-owners bp and anadarco are the defendants. they say 2.4 million barrels and

the government says twice that. >> some of the low-ball admissions by bp are laughable. >> the court must decide the issue of negligence needed to determine fines based on the clean water act. and could range from 4.5 billion to 17.2 billion. on top of 42 billion bp spent on clean-up fines and settlement pay outs. >> we need to win for our futures. >> 80% of clean water fines will be spent on restoring the gulf coast. >> i'm meteorologist wardave wan

watching the state's west the the storm is about to impact. look how the cloud is expanding. the low pressure, and the pressure is dropping quickly. the forecast calls over the next six hours this area, where the lines grow out of this as it animates. that's the pressure dropping. very low pressure, incredible with the storm. by about local time eight or 9 o'clock you'll see the winds and hurricane force winds and rain. it will continue overnight as the storm moves inland. certainly watching this and another storm developing off the east coast. we'll have the national forecast later. >> ahead - they are called golden dawn. more on greece's extreme right wing party, who critics say are using neo-nazi tactics to gain attention and increase

membership. >> it's supposed to be convenient, but it's costing hard-earn workers cash. what workers go through just to collect their pay and what one woman did about it.

>> many people in greece are welcoming the arrest of leaders of an ultra right wing party. the crackdown on the goal is prompting protest. barnaby phillips has more. >> the leaders of the golden dawn marched into court at 9 end of a dramatic day in athens. the sudden change will delight many greeks. not all supporters of golden dawn gather to protest against the rest, furious at the turn of event. >> golden dawn is here. it cannot be imprisoned, it is not in retreat. we will fight to the end.

we can see the leaders of golden dawn being taken away from police headquarters under escort. he is are extraordinary scenes in greek political history. the first arrests of members of parliament since the restoration of democracy in 1974. it seems clear that the greek state is determined to crush them. >> translation: golden dawn tried to test the endurance. today they received their answer. my criminal report towards the supreme court prosecutor has created the possibility to bring together pending cases against golden dawn, so the neo-nazi phenomenon is known as a criminal organization. >> golden dawn surged in popularity as greece's economy collapse. it uses nazi-like symbols and wants immigrants to leave

greece. it's been accused of numerous attacks against ethnic minorities. it was the murder by an alleged golden dawn supporters that finally prompted the greek state to act against it. the crackdown on golden dawn will be welcomed by governments across europe. it could lead to instability here in greece. if golden dawn is forced out of the parliament the coalition government will face a series of by-elections against a backdrop of economic collapse and widespread disgust with the entire political class. >> despite the arrests the party will keep the parliamentary seats unless convicted of a crime. golden dawn holds 18 of greek parliament's 300 seats. >> michael eaves is here with the sport. it was a tension filled day in

major league baseball. >> three teams were playing off for their play-off lives. the indians earnt their first play-off berth with a fin. who they'll play is yet to be decided, because the rays and rangers won setting up a play-off to determine the other american league wildcard team. in the nfl the seahawks did something they never did before - started the even 4 and 0 thanks so a win against texas. a touchdown took the game to overtime. seattle winning on a 45 yard field gold. >> 4 and 0 - you can add the kansas city chiefs after the counting of 0 and 4 to new york giants. we'll have more sport including a pitching feat in major league baseball in 20 minutes. >> she you then. ahead - -- see you then.

>> ahead food recalled because of a possible listeria contamination. details when we come back.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz, here are the top stories. israel's security service said it arrested a spy for iran. the man is a belgium citizen of iranian origin, posing as a businessman to gather intelligence for the iranian revolutionary guard, and it comes as rain your prime minister benyamin netanyahu prepares to address the u.n. >> the government in kenya is facing questions over whether they ignored warnings over the siege. they received warnings that al-shabab members were planning suicide attacks at the westgate

mall. reports were obtained indicating that operatives weren gauging in a plan on that mall. >> time for a sunday night segment called the week ahead. the federal government is on the verge of a shutdown, congress has until mid night-monday to pass a bill. a sannate will reject the idea tomorrow. also, u.s.-iran relations seem to be thunder storming. hassan rouhani talked on the phone with president obama, the first time leaders of the two countries spoke in 34 years. tomorrow iran will we a wig focus when president obama meets where israel's prime minister benyamin netanyahu at the white house. he has called for pa cautious approach. >> talking about these topics we have two strategists, tom doherty and dan, a democratic strat gift. thank you both for being in.

tom, is what the republicans doing a good idea? >> no, it's not a good idea. a government shutdown is never necessarily a good idea. unfortunately, because there's a lack of communication going on between the president, the speaker, relationships have not gone well over the last five years, the only way to get attention to the problems that the house members - remember, right now in the republican they represent the most conservative republicans and conservative people in the country. they are wanting red meat. that is less spending, obamacare out the wointed. -- window. >> unfortunately we are heading for a shut down. >> can the democrats move a little on obamacare. >> they could, but not in this context. the president is drawing a line

in the sand and is sticking to it. he should have done it in the past. to a certain degree he's partly responsible for the extremist tactics, because they don't fear him. they have no fear of the president. the consequences for opposing him and sabotaging his presidency. there's a pattern where they got hostile even when it's against their self-interest. not particularly well. you see the couple bickering the same fight over and over. the american people are like the guests at thanksgiving and tuning them out. >> are the american people fed up. is there a lot of fury. why are they fighting. the american people seem so have attention spans of three-year-olds. we talked about syria gassing its people, we moved on and

forgot about that. i really think that there's a uj opening for a legitimate third party. america is fed up with both parties. everything today is about politics. it's the republicans at the last minute here throwing a contra-septemberives into obamacare. it's about democrats having not passed a budget in five years, a president who hasn't called a speaker of the house. they are not working in our best interests. >> speaker boehner said that the fact that the senate democrats have not come to work on a sunday is an act of breath taking arrogance. we know the senate doesn't like the proposal that the house threw out there. they are supposed to meet monday and reject it. why not come to work on sunday. why wait until monday. >> the tactics that the republicans are using. if you legitimise it by knuckling in, the rest of barack obama's presidency - you'll see

the bringsmanship. the president trying to reason with them, with the last two showdowns over the debt ceiling and tax package - you can't reason with them. they are out to destroy his presidency. i am not an apologist for the president. he has made mistakes, the republicans are trying to block any progress, and the president has finally said, "i'm not giving in to that kind of tactic", he is has the public on his side. >> this is not a president who does the hard work of doing the legislative meetings, working with the congress, hasn't done it for five years, hasn't worked to build relations, go to the rayingans, and the tipo'neils, they disagreed but talked it

out. this is a president who is not a guy that gets into the legislative process. a president needs to be unified. he can't give a big speech that sounds good. you have to do dirty work. >> will it make a difference? >> i think it does, john boehner at his core believes in his institution, wants to shout down the far right put needs something to go back to his party to show a compromise. john boehner is the last guy that want to see the government shut down. >> president obama made a mistake by not building relationships with moderate reasonable pragmatic voices in the senate. he was withdrawn, disengaged, didn't do the hard work that you saw. he was famous for his outreach to congress. as a result, when there were

crises, he didn't have a reservoir of goodwill to draw upon. we are in the situation where the outrich would be counterproductive. there is such distrust and akry moany. it will be a bunch of senator getting together to cut a deal. that's the pattern for the last five years. >> you think there'll be a deal cut. >> no. >> after the shutdown. >> just to be clear. final topic - iran. prime minister benyamin netanyahu from israel will be speaking. he's not sold on the charm offensive by the iranian president. do you expect his speech to the u.n. to make big changes on the american... >> no, you have the same voices heard after a bill benyamin netanyahu speech. i agree with him on this issue. you'll have the same core republicans. the,new york democrats who come to israel's defense.

he's in a vacuum. we have a government backdown, the last thing we'll think about is iran and nucks. i think that the speech is kind of old. we are in negotiations with iran to shut the weapons program. >> agree, there's the potential for a good cop, bad cop. for benyamin netanyahu to carry the stick, it will be interesting to see whether this diplomatic reconnection leads to anything, or whether it is the sham that israel thinks it will be. i think barack obama having the conversation, he becomes more credible if there is a confrontation to say i've exhausted every diplomatic means. >> do you think israel is being fair and not giving iran a chance? >> no, if you're israel, you live 365 days a year under the thought that someone is going to

blow your brains out. iran thinks it's a government that should go away. they should have no trust. if these truly a moderate and wants to bring iran out of the sanction area, trust but verify. that's what we hope for. >> we'll leave it there. thank you both for coming in tonight. >> milwaukee company recalled food because of lift earia, including 19 pounds of meet from garden fresh foods, so far there has been no report of anyone getting sick. >> using payroll cards to pay employees salaries is a new trend. the card comes with extra fees that the worker has to pick up. it essentially amounts to a pay cut. >> there's an investigation to determine if payroll cards are even legal. >> natalie used to like working

at mcdonald's, until the company gave her a payroll card. it was loaded with an employees wage, used at an atm like a debit card. the problem - fees, and lots of them. natalie was not given a choice. >> i went home, called hire up to see if they could find another way, a direct deposit, a check, something. they told me i could activate the card or not get paid. >> she quite, hired a lawyer and sued mcdonald's. let's look at the fees. if natalie used the payroll card now: if you chose to be cautious and not use the card you could be penalised with an inactivity fee. that doesn't leave much when you earn $7.25 an hour. 50 u.s. companies use the payroll card system - big name retailers and restaurants. it's popular.

companies save millions a year by switching from paychecks to cards. >> the prepay card industry is growing, it's been around for a while. it's relatively new. there's a wide range of companies involved, a spectrum of costs associated with the cards, protections that people get, and other kinds of abusive practices. corporations insist they offer staff multiple ways to be paid. the card helps low-wage workers who go not have bank accounts. >> walgreens used the cards as a pilot program in 2004. the employees have the option of being paid by deposit or check. >> walgreens said in a statement to al jazeera: >> go online and check applications. natalie is looking for work online and at job fairs. she has a seven-year-old daughter to support.

>> they are taking advantage of underage kids who don't understand fees and deb it cards. they are taking advantage of people who are less fortunate or struggling to find a job. >> natalie would rather be unemployed than watch her small salary become smaller without touching her money. >> the consumer financial protection bureau warned companies against using only payroll cards to pay employees. by law workers must be able to choose how to receive wages. >> still ahead - what happens when a huge investment in a new sports stadium doesn't pay off. that is next. >> and the team having a season to forget has a day to remember. back with that story.

>> clrz >> 30 tourists were rescued after a boat caught fire in london in the river thames. passengers jumped into the water to escape the flames. the tourist were riding on a duck boat everywhere got out, and no one was seriously hurt. >> build it, they will come. in miami the promise of a new stadium fell short. residents will be paying for it. we have the story. >> it's been another lack laughter seen for the miami marlins. with empty seats and store fronts in and around half a billion stadium, paid for by taxpayers. fans are disgusted with the marlins losing streak. . >> the stadium is only as nice

as the promises. >> there was the promise of an economic boom, and revitalization of the surrounding little havana. when the miami commission voted to pay for the commission in 2008. as the owner of the bar and liquor store, orlando padron envisioned vans taking a seat at the bar or buying liquor next door. since the stadium open, his profits have not risen and on game day regulars stay away, afraid of the traffic. >> translation: politicians may be referring to jobs inside the stadium. but here we don't see any changes, you could say it's hurting us. >> taxpayers will by up to $2 billion thanks to the interest rates. the scc is investigating financing to see if there was irregularities, like withholding information. >> mayor carlos gimenez won

opposition because of his opposition to this deal. >> the only deal that can come is a change of ownership, a competitive team. hopely in the future economic development will go to that area and you'll see more activity, i don't see it happening in the future. >> in february owner took his message to the fans, placing an add in the newspapers. he said the maimerity of public funding came from taxes, many are attacking the county's method of financing the contribution. the marlins had nothing to do with that. there is anger over the stadium price tag and the politics goodnight it. >> transparency is key. accountability is key. people learn from the experience and this has become a national conversation. >> in florida, the aftertaste of

the marlin stadium deal lingers. earlier this year, they torr peed jod the miami dolphins request to fund for renovations to their football stadium. >> we were talking about how miami is having a tough time. not a game. >> especially for the fans who come to the game and watch. they were treated. sports has been the best reality programming on television. after decades of story lines and outcomes. we saw an example of that in miami as the marlins pitcher blanked through nine innings, he celebrated a no-hitter on the ondeck circle as the marlins scored bottom of the ninth

innings for a 1-0 win. it was the third no-hitter, and the fifth in marlin's history. he was considered one of the best up and coming football coaches. he parlayed to becoming the youngest head coach when hired to lead the okay land rangers at 32. after two stints in college, kipen is without a job after the troejons returned following a 62-4 loss. it was the seventh loss in the last 11 games, in three plus years at fc after replacing carr om. >> he made one trip to a ball game, a lose to the tech. >> now to ffl. peyton manning is turning it into his own highlight. coming into a game against the

phil delifia eagles with 12 touch downs. manning lit up the eagles secretary, 28-34, 327 yards and four touch-downs bring the the season total to 16. he hasn't thrown an interception. 52-20 the final over eagles. >> in nash victlle. bad news door the tigers, a player, locker throwing three touch downs before leaving. the vikings and the steelers going to london to renew their rivalry. it's been a long day. they put up 383 passing and a touchdown. adrian peterson's quest or the

record that is been held in check until today. a 60 yard touch down run helping the cause. two scores as the vic ings dropped the steelers. in for some nfl fans, it's hard to envisage players as anything but a football player. there's one former player who may become a bigger star off the field than he was on it. >> he is blessed with a set of pipes making him a top tenor. before hitting the high note he'd hit quarterbacks. that is ta "you pupua.

unfortunately after a stellar career a foot injury ended his career two years after being drafted. . >> when it happened i thought my world came to an end. >> he could barely watch the games, so he turned to singing. [ singing ] the tongan native decided to pursue his dream, moving from utah to new york city. >> it probably takes a lot of courage, everyone askses. i said no, it was no courage, it was fate. >> he persevered and got a job near the lincoln centre, o'neil's. >> i wanted to work across the street.

i knew we'd have opera singers coming in and have dinner. i'd stair at them and wonder what makes them tick. i'd watch what they'd drink, eat, and how they carry themselves. >> he got a big break after meeting kiri an international soprano icon. i met her at a book signing at the metropolitan opera. she thought i had something special. very brought me to july yard and i sang and they agreed i had something special. >> he received a rare scholarship, and he became a student and graduated. he made a debut in 2011 at the opera house. >> he's 30 pound lighter than his playing weight in football.

at 6 foot 5 he's a presence on stage. this big man is big time. [ singing ] >> he's a big guy, but that voice is guy normous. >> what is interesting about that is he went from the nfl to a waiter next to an opera house hoping to meet an opera singer to get his break. >> a solemn ceremony at athens for the olympic flame as it

heads to russia for the olympic games. an actress dressed as an ancient priest es lit the flame and called to another pose gs as priest es opolo. the greek alpine skier began the run from athens to russia. >> coming up later. an interview with the president of bl bolivia. he has been at ads since his plane -- at odds since his plane was not allowed to cross air space. it was thought he was trying to smuggle edward snowden. >> translation: at first, it's not safe air piracy, blackmail and visas. even some ministers that want to

come with the president don't get visas, it get a visa for four, five, seven days. they consider the cuban president as the promoter of tourism. what's more, here sometimes you have shootings, like there have been in the last few years, and on the other hand the resolutions that are past here are not respected by the host country the united nations. they have done an economic blockade on cuba. so many things. that's why in order not to have this visa, blackmail and as far as the safety, we need to change the headquarters of the theiations. >> and you can see that full interview with tony harris coming up on talk to al jazeera.

10:30 eastern, 7:30 pacific. stream storms are approaching the south-west. dave warren is up next with the forecast.

>> i'm metrologist dave warren,

we are watching the pacific north-west of the this is the second. heavy rain causing flooding. the next storm, which is intensifying off the coast of washington will bring a round of wind and rain. it could be stronger with this. the storm intensifies, and the low pressure - a classic low pressure system. the lines continue to grow out from the storm, indicating pressure is dropping rapidly. quick intensivication. by 8 o'clock specific time. the wind could be gusty. the heavy rain coming down. >> this is the next 6 hours, the storm will move onshore. the wind will gust along the coast of washington and oregon. >> high wind warning remains, a flooding problem for washington, oregon. higher elevations expects to see snow as the storm moves onshore.

rain conditions, it will lead to flooding and wind damages. that's the next few days in seattle. monday and tuesday wind and rain. wednesday, thursday, friday drying out. temperatures are warming in the mid west, up to the 70s as the front moves through, dropping temperatures quickly. the rain is moving from the midwest and the line falling apart. a storm could develop off the coast bringing in cooler weather to the north-east. textures warming in chicago. a quick rebound with the temperatures. the coastal tomorrow develops eastern time monday, tuesday and wednesday, further east. the wind coming in from the north-east keeping temperatures cool in new england on monday and tuesday. that's a look at your farecast. another look at the headlines is coming up.

>> and welcome to al jazeera america , i'm jonathan betz, here are the top stories. the federal government faces a shutdown tuesday if the spending bill does not pass both houses of congress. the house passed a version. it would delay the affordable care act. senate is expected to reject the bill tomorrow. if the senate takes action it will be to send a version to the house with no conditions related to obamacare. israel's security service says it has arrested a spy for iran. the man is a belgium citizen of iranian origin, posing as a businessman to gather