welcome to al jazeera america. i am thomas drayton in network. here with the top stories we are following. >> making sure the united states government pays its bills. >> that's not negotiable. >> president obama says a deal needs to be reached right now. toranados ripped through the midwest damaging homes and other structures. rallying for reform in more than 150 cities to chanall for change in policy.

it's good to have you with us. lawmakers keep saying they are willing to talk. both democrats and republicans are speaking to the public, but apparently not to each other. in an interview with the associated press, the president said it's the republicans who are being too insistent on getting what they want. we can vote to open the government today. we know that there are enough members of the house of representatives, democrats and republicans, who are prepared to vote to reopen the government today. the president was supposed to be at a summit in asia today. the white house says the shutdown forced the trip's cancellation. secretary of state john kerry is filling in for the president. to all of our friends and foes watching around the world, let me be crystal clear: do not mistake it momentary episode in american politics as anything less than a moment in politics

or anything more than a moment in politics. >> kerry also said the shut down can be seen as an example of how robust the u.s. process is. >> more on what's happening today in washington, we saw house republicans and democrats speaking. get us up to speed here, randall. >> thomas, it's beginning to feel like that ground asking hog movie, the same thing over and over again. the president is saying no compromise until you end this budget shut down and go on to raise the debt ceiling. the republicans are saying, we are not going to do that unless you agree to talk about obamacare and some other deficit issues. this morning, the house did go into session. this is what we heard from the house majority leader, republican eric cantor. >>. >> what we are looking at here is an administration, a president, that seems to be unwilling to sit down and talk with us. we have a majority leader in the senate that seems unwilling to

sit down and work out our differences. and, you know, it's really, you think about it, it doesn't mat make any sense. well, the house did take a vote this morning, a nam vote as it were, nearly nam, 407 votes in favor of making sure that furloughed federal workers will get their back pay once the shutdown ends. president obama and other democratic leaders continue to point out that the shutdown to end tomorrow if house speaker john boehner were to call the measure to the floor. this is what president obama said to associated press: we are having a few issues getting the president's sound. the american people want to know. here we are on day 5 in the shutdown in progress.

none that we can see. we are hearing rumors around the edges after possible elements of compromise. for example, we have even heard democrats like senator charles schumer say, he is willing to rescind the that ax on medical devices but he doesn't want to do it in the context of ending a shutdown. he wants a clean deal. then they will talk about modifying the affordable care act. the republicans are saying they want to attach it to the continuing resolution to keep the government running. so we have both sides talking past each other, a lot of rhetoric which some observers say isn't helping the case, heated rhetoric on both sides. but at this point, publically, no deal. seen there. the healthcare part of the new obama care health exchanges is

getting down time for repairs. a series of technical problems overwhelmed the health insurance markets which debuted tuesday. many users were unable to sign up or get the quotes. they are working to fix the technical problems with healthcare.gov. it will be taken down at 1:00 a.m. each night for a few hours. weather across the u.s., despite the government shutdown. a tornado tears through the midwest causing millions of dollars for damage. homes are destroyed. blizzards dropped 33 inches of snow on the great plains. three people are dead in related traffic accidents. it's a state of emergency along the gulf coast as tropical torm karen approaches. he evacuation orders are in effect for parts of louisiana. coverage begins with meteorologist tracking all of these storms. it has been a rough start. >> it has.

a lot of weather across the middle of the country. >> that's where that big storm was, snow and rainfall across parts of the dac oatas through the midwest. it's eastward. we will see that press for severe weather again today mainly stretching from milwaukee and chicago and maim hail and damaging winds. wend find winds gusting and we are still keeping tabs on karen, a tropical storm at this time. it will continue to weaken. we have seen a little bit with shower activity and heading out. but here, freen precipitation. a little bit of a mixed bag as we see the moisture wrapping around. it's going to head east. saz it does, we will see a big

temperature drop. look at the contrast in our temperatures. we have 30 to 40s back behind the system. ahead of it 79 degrees in chicago. low 80s around indianapolis into cincinnati. expect temperatures to fall at the beginning of summed. we are not expecting snow but we will feel that cooldown as temperatures drop. here across the west, it's fairly quiet but we have the off-shore wind flow bringing the heat and threat of fires here into parts of the southwestern area of california. thomas? >> let's talk more about tropical storm karen. in one of the evacuated areas of louisiana, jonathan, are people scrambling to get out? >> >> reporter: thomas, we just learned within the last 30 minutes or so that the mandatory evacuation for this area, plackman's parish showing karen

weakening a bit but this is a coastal community where people are used to storms. they dealt with katrina. they dealt with isaac. it depends upon what you talk to. they have some folks who say we will stay out here. we have seen big storms. this is not one it's a tropical depression and other people saying we are not i can at thatting chances bob and sonya england, decided not to the leave during the mandatory evacuation. you are living here on your boat which you do during the summer. why take the chance? why are you deciding to stay? >> we didn't fem like this was going to be a major storm. take all of the factors into consideration and made a decision to stay here in the marina this time. >> we were talking earlier. you guys rode out rita and through isaac. it was rough out there. so you are taking the chance and if it does get worse, strengthen a little bit, what is your plan? >> we either will come up to the marina or if he thinks it's bad enough, we will cut loose and go throughout roilk we did with

isaac. >> be safe. the mandatory evacuation will be lifted at 1:00 o'clock. there is one area, grand i'm, louisiana, a small barrier island, thomas, 1200, 1300 people live in that community. really. there is one way in and one way out. if that road floods, those people are pretty much trapped. as we said here, things look pretty normal. wind picking up now. we will continue to monitor the conditions on you here. >> i hope it's safe going for residents out there. be safe as well. jonathan, thank you. supporters for comprehensive immigration reform are holding rallies in over 154 cities across the u.s. they wanto congress to pass the bill brought by democrats earlier this week. they are addressed at house republicans who have refused to put the bill on the calendar and

to get president obama to stop deportations and andy, good to see you. this is a national effort. what are we expecting from the rally in chicago? >> we have had singers who organized this event. they say what they are doing is holding republicans to a promise back in the summer now, house democrats unveiled their immigration reform bill. now, the organizers of these across the cities, about 154 cities, in fact, across the country say they are holding republicans to that promise to make october the month to get this done. now, earlier today, governor quinn, the democratic governor here in illinois spoke at the rally. i asked him with all of this talk about the shutdown and all of the focus seemingly on that

right now, how can you get people behind the idea of i immigration reform? here is what he said. >> well, there is already a bi-partisan bill passed the u.s. senate with large margins. i think the house of representatives should vote on immigration reform and pass it into law and we can move on in america. this isn't a partisan issue. it's not a democrat or republican the it's all about people. >> in fact, organizers hearsay, hey, look. congress can multi-task. even with the government shutdown, you can get bills passed and get that done. the more we have been hearing in washington is there is not much chance republicans will take up this bill any time soon but just to hammer home the point, these rallies will continue next week and on tuesday. there will be a national rally at the mall where they are promising civil dis0 beadients, arizona are possible to hammer home the point they want republicans to take up this bill

and get this moving forward. the next week, there are more rallies planned, as i mentioned. here in chicago, in fact, there will be a rally downtown, in downtown chicago which we expect will attract more people. this rally is not over yet. even though it's wrapping up right now in this park in chicago, this organizers will go out to wheaton, a suburb a few miles to the west. >> that's the home of representative peter roscum, a republican who they say can push this bill forward if he chose. thomas. >> andy ross ten at a local rally in chicago. thank you. a military raid on the group blamed for the attack on a shopping mall in nairoby. details coming up. killer hornets on the loose in three cities in china. we will have a closer look at the cause of this fphenomenon. what happens when social media uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? >>they share it on the stream. >>social media isn't an afterthought. it drives discussion

across america. >>al jazeera america social media community, on tv and online. >>this is your outlet for those conversations. >>post, upload, and interact. >>every night, share undiscovered stories. >> obama administration officials said they need to enrol 2.7 u.s. redents between the ages of 18 and 35 in exchange plans to balance risks and hold down costs. will they enrol come 1 october - should they pay the face. >> joining me now is jen mishory, deputy director of young invincibles, she's in washington d.c. and yevgeniy feyman, a research assistant at the manhattan institute. thank you for being with us. i want to start with you yevgeniy feyman. the young people are crucial to the success of obamacare. >> absolutely.

they'll balance out the risk pool, they'll keep premiums that need the insurance, and the administration is reaching out to them. >> jen, the young invincibles are in the 18-34 group. [[voiceover]] there's more to america. more stories. more voices. more points of view. >>from our headquarters in new york ... [[voiceover]] now there's a news channel with more of what americans want to know. >>i'm ali velshi, and this is real money. >>this is america tonight. >>our news coverage, reporting, and documentaries explore, inspire, and reveal more of america's stories. >>i'm here to investigate genetically modified salmon. >> roshthd carried out angattack against an al shabaab militant

base in somalia. axis has been told the brifrnb british commander was killed. the turkish foreign minister has denied involvement in the raid. the reaction of al shabaab militants. the next question is how al shabaab will sporespond to this morningts operation. everyone is concerned they there may be a retalt tory strike the we are seeing similar attacks after other operations in the past. we certainly expect to see heighten security operations across mogadushua kenya has named four suspects on the attack last month. neil released footage shows four young been scrambling around with ak-47 rivals in hand. the footage contra ducts earlier government statements that claims between 10 to 15 attackers were involved in the

september 21st attack. the militant group claimed responsibility for the 4-day assault and left at least 67 people dead. >> bad weather has brought rescue hope is fading more survivors will be found. 111 african asylum seekers have been confirmed dead. hundreds more are missing. the my grants have spent two days at sea traveling. just 155 people survived they hope to resume the search for more victims. an increase in hornet attacks in northwest china has killed at least 41 people since july you now so serious the government has sent out an army of pest control officers to destroy hundreds of hornets' nests. ariana han reports. >> he was working a farm when he

knocked a wasp nest out of a tree. he says he is lucky to be alive. >> 3 cities in sunshi province have been plagued by wasps in the last three months. >> the rise in wasp numbers is due to mild winters and hotter, more humid summers. the main offender is the asia giant hornet, a particularly large and aggressive. wasp going as long as five centimeters and wielding a stenger half a centimeter long. they don't lose their stenger when they attack. so while a strike by a single hornet can be nasty, the venom from multiple stings can lead to more serious problems such as acute renal failure and in some cases, death. the worst season usually runs

through to november and the government of shunshi prance isn't taking any chances. it has sent hundreds. >> joining us for more, james louderman from the insect division of the chicago field museum museum. good to have you with us. what is behind the surge in the population there. >> has a lot to do with probably temperature and humid 10 and it may be extra rainfall and insect populations very often vary on the different times of year. insect populations explode some years and go right back to normal. if it's just a relating related incident. if it is a climate change, it's a more serious problem. >> if you can, in detail, explain a little bit more about this particular hornet.

i know you have -- i believe you have a specimen of one of the hornets you can show us. >> yeah, this is one of the giant asian hornets. there are big hornets. they have very strong venom. multiple stings can actually cause death. there are a lot of different hornets that aren't very powerful and lots of stings from any hornet can really seriously in general a human. >> but i understand they prey on honey bees. why the rise in human attacks >> okay. because of the weather, there are probably larger populations this year than in most years and if the weather goes back to normal next year, the populations could go right back to normal. >> you talked about the sting. how does the sting feel? >> the sting feels like somebody injecting you with a hypo determinic needle with some very strong medication. this might even be a little more painful. needle with some very medication. this might even be a little more painful. >> we talked about the amount of deaths here how much time do you have once you have been stung by

one of these hornets >> you probably have plenty of time to get to a doctor. if you are stung by one, but if you are stung by a lot of hornets, it can be very quick. >> so i know a lot of people watching this right now are concerned. are there any concerns here in the u.s.? >> with this particular hornet, probably not. there is a hornet that's found here in the u.s. that looks very much like the giant orientation hornet. this is just a giant hornet that is native to north america, and they can do the same thing. they look very much the same. i guess there have actually been reports of people seeing what they think are the giant orientation hornet. what they are probably seeing is this particular hornet, which is supposed to be here. >> all right. what is the possibility of the number in china will increase? >> if the weather continues to be hotter and wetter than normal, it could very easily increase. if the weather goes back to normal, it will probably decrease back to normal numbers. >> we certainly hope that's the

case that it doesn't increase. jim louderman, we appreciate your time today. thank you. >> thank you. a tiny town in the frozen north with big dreams for olympic goals. we are going to take you there. coming up

. welcome back the let's get you caught up on the top stories of this hour. president obama again calls on house republicans to reopen the government. the shutdown is now in its fifth day with no end in sight. the impasse is complied guide the looming debt ceiling deadline which the treasury department says it will hit on socket 17th. the healthcare website health exchanges is getting down time for repairs. glitches have plagued the process. the site will be taken down at 1:00 a.m. eastern each night this weekend for a few hours. the midwest was hit by a string of tornados. more than 15 people were injured from storms that blew through iowa, nebraska, and south dakota.

and we are still watching the storm system move across the upper midwest. it's not only putting down snow but also the threat of severe weather once again to this line of rain not looking too impressitch at the time. but showers firing up. here across the southwest, it has been dry. so much so there have been fires. the wind offshore across southern areas of california. so we will have to keep tabs of this area. it looks like there is enough moisture to quell much that threat of fire. watching that with the heat building, just all of the ripe ingredients to trigger fire as temperatures soar. the gulf court, we are watching tropical storm karen. it has weakened quite a bit over the last day or so. it will continue to weaken. we actually do have a live picture in bill objectioni,

mississippi, the. fair weather clouds. not a lot of action. oxi, missi the. fair weather clouds. not a lot of action. we will see clouds thickening and lowering. we are expecting a little of rainfall. some areas localized. it could be upwards of six inches: we are watching for that and strong wind gusts. let's show you what we are finding now. a little bit of convection blowing up with karen. doesn't look that great. it's here along the gulf cost from louisiana in particular for landfall overnight tonight and early on sunday morning back into the panels handle thomas? >> ebony, thank you. the olympic flame begins its traditional journey from athens to the host city, in this case, soshi, russia, it was a company with controversy in addition to the cheer. a peaceful protest against russia's anti-gay legislation

and it's ban on, quote, gay propaganda. a small school in alaska is cultivating some big-town talent. intlavkz city university in ankchorage has one cross-countr ski team, but it turns out it's home to america's elite. >> in the hills above anchorage, in the mood and the midst, there is some suffering going on. relax, but remember when the suffering is coming in to quiet the mind. okay. up, up, up. >> this is ski training, a workout designed to hurt and to help. >> as soon as we tip it uphill, we put more stress in the heart and put a pair of poles in the hands. that jumps it up a nach. >> every painful step is another step closer >> it's the ski race. >> these mornings when it's tough training, when there are

bears in the woods or you are scared or when it's raining, you are thinking about, what am i going to do today that's going to make me stand on the line and do something that's never been done? this is their unlikely home base, alaska pacific university, a tiny private college with 5000 students, one sports team, cross cupped tree skiers. >> okay. nice job. >> the coach estimates six to eight members of his squad to make the u.s. olympic team. >> the right people, right coaches, right place, right time and it's all coming together. >> they can train at sea level when they don't have snow or they just fly on the snow on the eagle glacierier nearby, a short helicopter ride from campus. the snow conditions here memmic those in sochi and he has built rep plic cas. it's a club sport, a non--profit organization supported financially by the school, membership fees and private fundraisers and, as a club, it's not bound by ncaa rules.

that means athletes like world sprint championship kekan randall can get help from sponsors. scholarships and online study options allow them to train and compete 51 weeks a year. >> this isn't all about world cup wins and olympic glory. the people who run this club are determined that these athletes' commitment to their sport not disrupt their education. >> bjornsen should wrap up our her business next year. >> they are allowing both goals. you can finish and put in your pocket. >> the misery of year-round mud-running, roller training and glazier skiing, these athletes claim they are having fun. >> it's amazing. they can do everything with. you meet cool people. you travel all over the world. now, we have a chance go into the olympic games and make history. >> history will have to wait while the suffering continues. al jazeera, anchorage, alaska.

>> the red cross is stepping in to help hundreds of last year's thunderstorm established. until today, new york city had been paying for nearly 300 people to stay in 27 hotels. on average, the rooms cost more than $250 a night. the program ended after femaing dried up. red cross says it's willing to spend $1 million to extend those stays. >> sell brays as australia honors 100 years of its naval fleet. a grand fireworks display went off for 30 minutes in sydney harbor. around 1.4 million people came out to watch the light show, including britain's prince harry. the prince was dressed in british army uniform and welcomed with a 100 game absolute. thank you for watching. i am thomas drayton. the stream is coming up next. for news updates throughout the day, head to aljazeera.com.

we flock to the movies and turn on your tvs to gawk at an imaginary world. it's now big business off screen. so, here's the el t-plt o element of pop culture . the. >> so, are you ready for the apocalypse? millions of americans are spending half