>> this is al jazeera america. thomas drayton, with a look at today's stories. >> i say to my friends on the republican side of this senate, time is running out. >> lots of talk yet no deal to end the government shutdown. after three rounds of talks, still no deal about how long u.s. troops will stay in afghanistan. aomassive cyclone slams into india's eastern coastline four times the size of hurricane katrina.

>> good to have you with us. no deal as the debt ceiling dead line is just days way.away. nearly two weeks after the government shut its doors, now the u.s. senate is the site of talks. >> the nfnlg i -- the engine is bearing down and the question is whether the congress will come to the rescue and save this country. >> with all this back and forth i want to bring in john terrett on capitol hill. this is not a movie and there's no script but do we know how this one's going to end? >> i like that movie analogy. that's very good. we had a double feature and now we've got a grainy on black and white movie, thomas. today we had the house and senate working on this issue and

the house has captain late capid given up. now it's all eyes on the senate. to that end senate democrats are meeting with president obama in the oval office. to make sure all the democrats are on the same page, followed a meeting this morning with chuck sheurschumer and lamar alexande, harry reid the majority leader has given a statement and said that meeting went surprisingly well. take a listen. >> the conversations were extremely cordial but very preliminary of course. nothing conclusive. but i hope that our talking is some solace to the american people and to the world. >> now, at midday today in the

senate there was a vote to try and get discussion underway on raising the debt ceiling which is the very serious issue on all of this. that happens on thursday if the debt ceiling isn't raised the government rungs out of money. and 53 to 45 the senate blocked that possibility. the only glimmer of light is an idea out there from the main senator susan collins. now she interestingly was surrounding by democrats before the counting of that vote by midday had even been finished today. we watched her being completely surrounded. there can be a possibility that there may be some movement involving the susan collins idea, we don't know for certain. she was due for a press conference and hasn't done so yet tom. >> do we know what any action is for the rest of the action? >> no house tomorrow, just like

last weekend and the weekend before that. the senate is going to meet at 1:00. earlier in the day the house gave up the ghost with members of the cause of action that the president isn't dealing with them anymore, all eyes on the senate. encouraging their senate brethren to stand firm and stand strong. it is not that they want for the debt ceiling not to be raised and not having economic collapse, it's increasing debt ceiling is raising spending, even though that's been appropriated. earlier in the house the senate tried a couple of tactics, the democrats tried a couple of tactics. one was called getting a unanimous vote in the house and the other one was called a discharge petition, both of these were not successful. they were -- the limited tools that they have as a minority in the house they tried them, they didn't work.

>> once again there's no script for this. it is serge not a movie although some would call it political feed. you do have a script. john terrett on capitol hill. thank you. want to talk about this massive storm that is pummeling india's eastern coast. phailin worse part of this storm is hitting that area right now. local media have reported several deaths but we won't know that for sure. four times the size of hurricane katrina. fez shemeil is outside the eye of the storm. he has the latest. >> there's been black generosity, we have a generator but we are hearing all along the coast there is no power in most places. now here in ander pradesh on the coast the rain just came down a

little bit and it's much lighter than before it will in odisha, the rain is more intense, several centimeters have already fell. we are getting report from the indian meteorological department say winds of supercyclone speed have hit the coastline. there will be zero casualties this time around the indian emergency knowledge authority has declared. right by the coast it could only hold 200 people when the entire 4,000 community was said to be evacuated. we'll find out by day break if those areas were hit or other sherts on the coast because those people could be in serious trouble. >> we certainly have a lot to talk about h ebony dionis trackg

thing storm. ebony. >> by in time tomorrow, we will be talking about a tropical storm or even less. however we are still going to be feeling very severe impacts late tonight into this area on sunday with winds in excess of 120 miles per hour or more and of course the heavy rains will continue. so although we are not seeing the very widespread rainfall coverage we are expecting those heavy rains to continue right on into the evening hours. so a very populated area right along odisha. we are going to see conditions going downhill within the next 24 hours. we won't have the heavy winds on hand but a tropical storm status into the late morning hours of sunday.

winds upwards to 120 miles per hour, that means it is still a category 3 major hurricane status but that will change over the next 24 hours. so something to keep in mind. storm surge 10 feet or more. heavy rains. some areas could see a foot or more. of course this is a very low lying area along the immediate coast so flooding will be an issue. >> ebony, thank you. joining us about the cyclone in india is mogala mohante. first of all are you safe where you are, you are at the brunt of the storm and what is the situation on the ground right now? >> right now as you have already said, for next six to seven hours, the cyclone is on the ground. it is followed, heavy and more intense rain.

also, the wind speed of 200 to 240 per hour, kilometers per hour. and i saw already dark and only in the morning, it is you know we are right now raining on us, on the severity of the cyclone. although, yes, the -- you know the first early warning program and the early evacuation which has taken place, it has really helped. because as per an estimation by the government of india it is almost less people have been evacuated from the coastal districts, particularly the vulnerable ones in the areas,

not to be left these are the most six coastal more vulnerable districts that accept, yes please. >> and once again you've had strong winds heavy winds, extensive flooding. have you had any casualties? >> yes it is almost you know in all the areas there is completely blackout. there is no power, since the morning, because the rain, most of the part of this 12 to 13 districts have started since last night and you know, it has you know it has become you know more intense and severe. people have been taken to the multiple cyclone centers and other makeshift camps. so there's not much casualty but already in the early hours we have part, you know there are

three casualties already, one in the state capitol and one in the danyam district. when they're done tomorrow morning we'll find more. but-yeah. >> quickly because we appreciate your time. how are you dealing with shelter, food and sanitation? >> that's -- that's -- as i told you you know, most of the people have been many sent to multipurpose cyclone centers, 200030, 40 line within the kilometers of the coastline. but besides the schools, many of the schools, the school compounds you know, near the cyclone centers have also been converted. besides there has been evacuation from the lowland to the various other places

involving both government and community buildings. that has actually worked. so the casualty will be definitely much less compared to 1999 supercyclone. but we have to really wait, because you know, it's still the cyclone is in front and going. >> mangala mohanty, secretary in the request country, we thank you for your time, we appreciate your time today. secretary of state john kerry and president hamid karzai are hammering out agreements. >> no final agreements have been signed here in kabul. secretary kerry says the majors issues block being agreements have been bypassed.

has apparently been sofd in that the u.s. forces will ask for afghan permission before they undertake any operations here and the other sticking points, president karzai had asked the united states for security assurances are from the united states in that it had problems with its neighbors and the two have come to a definition about what an attack means. the secretary says they have an agreement that president karzai can take to the national council to approve the agreement. president carr dy karzai would e agreement beyond 2014 when the nato mission ends. one sticking point that could be a mission when that gurga ends is the question of immunity or jurisdiction. in virtually every country where the u.s. has forces if a soldier

commits a crime in that country he is subject to be punished under the laws of the united states. that is what the united states want to happen here in afghanistan. that has not been decided yet. that will be decide he with the gurga and secretary kerry says that will be decide with no security forces and without the security agreement no forces beyond fourteen. >> we want to -- beyond 2014. >> joining me is pr a discussion on the budget battle. there was caution that we would hitter the budget deal. what happened? >> looks like right back to where we started. the house republicans came back, said to their caucus, this president is not willing to negotiate on realistic terms and

now we turn to the senate and we look to see if we can get a compromise that is bipartisan. >> the moderate republicans coming up with a plan that was dismissed by democrats. do you think the blame will fall on the democrats are they unwilling to compromise if you will? >> i don't think yet. certainly the house republicans are going to try to shift the blame right now but it's hard to see how they do at the moment. what has to happen is that they have to have their senate colleagues step forward, come up with a bipartisan agreement that gets us over this hump and makes republicans look a little bit more reasonable. >> do you think republicans have that ah-ha moment linking this to obamacare this debate? >> i think republicans weren't willing to compromise and stop talking about obamacare as part of the deal. that's what made it fell party. over the weekend hopefully that gets us to some deal here.

>> how does the white house address this issue now, especially to the american people and those that are still furloughed? >> they have to be careful because optics are important now. it's clear republicans know they need to compromise and the white house and democrats have to be willing to do that too. they don't want to take a deal that isn't fair for everyone but they should start thinking about how far they're willing to go now that the republicans have blinked. >> and quickly looking to the october 17th deadline raising the debt ceiling, what do you think will happen? >> what that is to happen and what will happen are two different things. thursday is the deadline. again senate democrats, senate republicans have been talking about a deal that extends the debt ceiling into november or to the end of next year even, if they're willing to make some changes to basic programs and the way that we fund government. that is good news for everybody. however, the house is still going to have to pass whatever the senate does and it remains to be seen if they're willing to

come back and be reasonable. >> every day is different. >> it really is. >> evan theis, thank you for joining us. marching against monsanto. dramatic video of rescuer rescud survivors off of the coast of italy.

(vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story.

>> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news. >> well, people in nearly 400 cities around the world are protesting against genetically modified food. they're marching against monsanto, the leading manufacturer of gmos against the biochemical giant. stephanie stanton joining us, good to see you stephanie. what's happening out there? >> hi thomas. this protest is part of world food day and not only hundreds

of protests going on in the u.s. but worldwide as well. now the protesters in los angeles had a protest in may, they had several thousand show up. but today's protest was only a couple of hundred people, but the protest looms large. here in mcarthur park where i'm standing among this group not only are there activists but concerned citizens who say they want to educate the public about what they say are the dangers of gmo's. >> not only is it affecting obesity but our mental state as far as our emotions. >> what do you want the citizens of this country to know? a lot of people don't know what they are. >> no a lot of them don't and that's exactly what we're doing today is spreading awareness so people can look at the ingredients. >> i want him raised not eating

what the stuff when i was a little kid i didn't have to worry about. i don't want him to have the illness that this food is causing. >> and in addition to educating the people about gmos the protestors are encouraging people to boycott companies, and they want to buy organic and want labeling so consumers can make educated decision best what they're buying. they want research into gmos thomas. >> what is the company monsanto saying about this? >> the company hasn't commented about today's protest but on their website they say that gmos are safe. they say the crops have been tested more than any other crop. countries in 59 areas say that

more than 2400 approvals have been granted on more than 300 different gmo traits in 25 crops. so they're saying that the science isn't there to back up some of the claims that protestors are making that gmos are unsafe they cause cancer and infertility and a host of other problems, thomas. >> stephanie stanton, thank you. a boat in the niger river in mali has sunk. 400 passengers were believed to have been on the board bound for titimbuktu. the latest mediterranean shipwreck has increased calls for humanitarian corridors to allow safe passage to europe. this report from malta.

>> huddled on deck the survivors of this latest tragedy helped onto dry land and perhaps a new life. among them many children shocked and cold but alive. it is thought many on those on board were syrian. the maltese priessments appeals appeals -- prime minister appeals for help from the eu. >> we feel abandoned, there is no better word, abandoned. malta, lampedusa, italy we are not our own frontiers. we are europe's frontiers. these people, these desperate people are looking for an answer in europe and our european colleagues cannot turn a blind faith to all this. >> it couldn't have been worse. around 200 were rescued. maltese were quickly on the scene hypothesis these images were filmed by the italian navy.

you can see people swimming for their lives. here a toddler is quickly landed onto the ship. once aboard they sit wrapped in full blankets recovering on their ordeal. on the italian island of lampedusa this child was brought in with his mother and father but his three-year-old brother didn't make it. >> we knew the helicopter was on the way. our team made up of doctors, anesthesiologists and cardiologists, we're ready to help. >> on saturday the coffins began their journey back to the homes they had hoped to escape. there appears to be no end to this desperate human traffic. despite the obvious daidges thousands are still -- dangers

thousands are willing to risk everything including their lives in a search for a better future. al jazeera, malta. >> an nfl star is dealing with a personal tragedy. the two-year-old son of minnesota vikings 8 ra adrian peterson has died from abuse. police say the boy was alone with his mother's boyfriend before the event. peterson tweeted thank you to my family, god bless everyone and thank you so much. >> darren haynes, a heartbreaking story darren. >> extremely tragic. football takes a back burner when other things like this

happens, makes you think twice about what's important. game 1 of the american league championship series starts tonight as the detroit tigers travel to boston to take on the white sox. the red sox are coming in red hot. it is unusual to see texas unranked but took it to number 12 oklahoma today. the horns won this game 36-20. and just getting started game 2 of the nlcs, cardinals and dodgers. the cardinals lead this best of seven series one game to nothing. >> darren, we'll see you coming up in just a moment. >> open for business, the government may be shut down but national parks and landmarks are opening up for business. terror bombing in boston, the

first marathon since, the chicago marathon, keeping them safe. that's all i have an real money. victoria azarenko >> welcome back to al jazeera

america. here are the top stories we're following this hour. in washington there's still no deal to end the government shutdown. both houses are in session today but it doesn't appear they're making much progress. senate democrats rejected a bill to temporarily raise the debt limit and fund the government. secretary of state john kerry and afghan president hamid karzai just ended a press conference to hammer out an agreement to end the american occupation of afghanistan. monster storm known as phailin strikes. the government says at the

evacuating hundreds of thousands of people from the area. phailin is the size of france, four times the size of hurricane katrina. aid groups began delivering basic supplies to areas along the coast. zuman zaman, leader for oxfan. your organization has been preparing for days to make sure you have a plan for response to the storm. what does that plan entail? >> the plan currently entails putting in position relieve stock especially for water and sanitation and emergency shelter to basically cover over 30,000 people in the most affected areas. and also to -- actually we've

got also a humanitarian assessment team that's on stand by, to assess the situation immediately after the disaster strikes. right now, it's a little premature to actually tell you what the situation is because we are -- we are not there. we don't really know what's happening. but i most will there be tomorrow afternoon or late even and the picture will be a lot more clearer. one is a very, very quick rapid assessment of the situation and secondly, launching a quick response to address the emergency needs of people affected by the disaster. >> i know you're in the early stages right now. so far we have reports of nearly a half million people evacuated from their homes. would i imagine this has been a very difficult task for authorities getting so many people out. >> yes, i mean, getting people to evacuate from their homes has

always been a bit of a challenge in india. one is because people don't want to leave their assets and move away. that's one. and of course, secondly, sometimes there is a sense that we can -- that we can actually more or less get through the disaster without actually getting -- being harmed by it. i think these two factors actually do play a role in making evacuation a big challenge in india. >> sure. what is the immediate need at this point? >> from what i can -- what i'm gathering and from information from the field and from oxf oxfm staff on the ground, provision

of clean drinking water is going to be a critical need. there is also a prediction of the forecast at least the weather forecast, says there's going to be -- there's going to be rain over the next at least if not one day but at least for a couple of days. and that means that emergency shelters actually need to be put in place. so water and emergency shelter are going to be critical needs. i understand from the information and the reports that we gather from the government and administration that food stocks are being, you know, stocked up. but there are -- there might be unmet needs in certain unreached areas, where food assistance might be required. so i would say number one would be water, drinking water

straight away, emergency shelter number two, and food assistance is number three. >> zubin zuman, from oxfam, i appreciate your time. the bay of bengal where cyclone phailin has been gathering strength, the most severe a category 5 storm in 1999, known as the orissa storm, it was also india's most expensive cyclone with an estimated $4.5 billion. back at home some governors are reopening some national parks on the state's dime which is really on the taxpayer's dime and they're doing it because of the huge revenue losses. want you to take a look at the graphic here, 401 parks are closed and the average number of visitors this go to them per day is 715,000. the parks are losing $450,000

each day and the local communities have lost $76 million put together. take a look at these numbers: acadia national park in maine is losing over $5 million. the everglades almosts 4 million. arizona governor jan brewer held a press conference earlier today to announce the opening of the grand canyon. here is what she had to say. >> this was a reasonable solution at the right time for the right purpose. this brings in an enormous amount of revenue to the economy to the state of arizona and to our tax coffers so it was the right thing to do. when we run out of seven days we'll have to reassess but we are committed. we are committed, but we wish that the feds would move along and do their job. >> one of the parks that's reopening is colorado' coloradoy

mountain national park. jim hooley is joining us there, i would imagine business owners have a lot to say. >> right in the shadows of the rocky mountains, next to rocky mountain national park, it's a beautiful day in more ways than one. a month ago we had the devastating floods that hit so many towns in the foothills, in the rocky mountains, this town was virtually isolated, and still is in many ways. two weeks ago we had rocky mountain national park closed down. all of this happening at a time when tourists are coming in to see the changing leaves and beautiful closhes an -- colors d the elk rut, and this is a crucial time forking people oofestes park.

i can imagine the news that the park is reopening is a blessing for you. >> we are blessed that it's reopen because rocky mountain national park is the reason that people come up to estes park many of the roads that are washed out many of them are still closed. that has to hurt. >> some of them are still closed but they are rebuilding as soon as possible, sooner than later they are going to be reopened. this town is resilient. we've practices this before we have done it a few times frankly and we're going to come through with flying colors. >> you've really had a one-two punch over the last few months economically. >> we're happy for people to support us coming from the front range and denver, we are getting good response for people who really do care. >> thank you, we appreciate you are time. >> thank you for being here. >> the governor is going to be

spending approximately $40,000 a day to put the park back in operation, clearing snow that mass already hit the park and doing other maintenance from the department of of commerce. thomas. >> thank you. the tea party decided to clean up washington. a crowd of conservative activists hit the national mall and began picking up trash. the maintenance workers who would normally do it have been furloughed because of the shutdown. l if margin lead into the boston marathon begins, the chicago marathon. safety is still a major concern. >> 45,000 people have signed up to run in this year's chicago marathon. police here are on heightened alert. >> we are going to have eyes on the ground on just about every

foot of the marathon route. and packages, and suspicious behavior will be addressed is probably the best way to put it. >> it comes in the wake of the boston marathon bombing in april in which three people died and more than 200 were injured. securing the 26 mile route from through some 29 chicago neighborhoods is undoubtedly a major challenge especially since the marathon expects to draw 1.7 million spectators. >> we transform urban roadway like you see behind us in grant park into what is the marathon route. we secure the roadways. >> chicago's grand park where the marathon starts and ends is no stranger to massive crowd control, requiring a robust security detail. in june grant park was the site of a massive rally celebrating the chicago black hawks stanley

victory. still marathon organizers have tightened security measures. this year people will no longer be allowed to pick up participant bid packets on behalf of others and these marathon issued clear plastic bags are the only bags allowed inside grant park on race day. in years past, four security checkpoints will give participants access. in addition to the tens of thousands of security cameras already around the city extra mobile surveillance units will monitor the state. >> post-boston we will do our job so everybody can enjoy and have great fun. as a group an entire city, country and world coming together to say we will not be deterred. >> all precautions for what is the second largest marathon in the world and the first major marathon since boston. usher karegi, al jazeera, chicago .

>> 67 people were arrested after religion and conservative activists confronted a lesbian bay bisexual transgender rally. fights broke out after antigay protestors tore a rainbow flag out of a protestor's hands. russian activists have been facing increasing hostility from antigay groups about. edward snowden leaked spy agency documents that revealed extensive spy activity by u.s. government. snowden spoke at a ceremony in moscow. >> people all over the world are realizing that these programs don't make us more safe. they hurt our are country, they hurt our country they limit our ability to speak and think and

live and be creative and have relationships and associate freely. >> snowden is currently staying at an undisclosed location in russia reportedly under heavy security. controversy under the big top. coming up, we're ringside among allegations against some of moscow's most popular circus acts. ross. >> hey i'm ross shimabuku live at fenway park, game 1 between the tigers and the red sox we'll have a preview in just a bit.

>> welcome back. venice is world famous for being

a floating city but the waters often get too high. engineers have come up with a pretty unique solution. >> rising to the surface after decades of planning this is what should save a world heritage site of rising sea levels. a system of barriers built to protect the city of venice from high tide were officially tested on saturday. 78 of them will be raised from the bottom of the lagoon to stop tide as high of as three meters from reaching the city. but the barriers will protect venice without taking away all of its trademark high waters. >> well venice when the water reaches 80 centimeters above sea level but we are going to close the mose only when it is one meter and 10 over sea level. otherwise we will be obliged to

close too many times. 87 centimeters will more than 40, 50 times a year and this will affect either the system and the port authority. >> venice has lived at high tide since its construction but rising sea levels and land subsidence means they're higher and more frequent. in the last three years venice has sunk and experts have long called for a solution before it's too late. this system of barriers has been in the making for a long time. it was first conceived 30 years ago and it has been under construction for ten years. at $7 million this is one of the most complex and expensive project ever attempted in italy. but while it is trying to stop high tides from venice the barriers have created criticism.

turning venice into a stagnant pond. but experts say the barriers will only be activated when necessary and it is the only way to make sure that venice is forever. >> the laguna will not change its behavior because this is only a temporary closure. the number of closures will be limited especially the first year. interrupted only for afew moments or few hours so this will not damage the lagoon itself. >> with the first are test deemed a success, hoped venice will be shielded from the forces of nature. >> darren haynes joining us once again with sports. good night for baseball. >> when the playoff action starts off in baseball but when the detroit tigers are making their third appearance they've had their share of playoff are disappointments. two years they lost in this

round and last year they were swept by the san francisco giants. in the way jim leyland is talking, this could be the year. >> we were embarrassed when you lose four straight it isn't good. we were embarrassed a bit. certainly you want to stretch it out a little bit. there is incentive but a lot of times that is a normal thing osay, really, sometimes. but in our case last year you know, we got swept. and you know, bee -- i mean we didn't even get to six games or five games and that was a little bit embarrassing. but i think every year is a new year. you know, you start over, you start fresh and there's certainly no guarantees even though a lot of people have said if we don't may the playoffs it's a total bust but you find out it's not that easy. you know we're back, and like i

said, in oakland, yesterday, we were just trying to get to the final 4. >> so let's look at how the tigers clawed their way through the postseason. after beating the oakland athletics, the tigers are playing in the third als. how about the first al pen ants, the first in 2006 and the second last year. and tonight game 1 in boston, at fenway park only one win to show. so for more on the alc matchup let's bring in ross shimabuku who is live in fenway park in boston. the tigers are used to playing in this round but what's the road like getting back to this championship series? >> it's been a chilly road back, and a chilly 57°, but of course the mileage, sorry of course we're having live problems at fenway park.

but of course the tigers are trying to get back to that alcs third straight year, but they've done a lot of traveling, after thursday night's dramatic victory they took a red eye from oakland to boston, got in about 9 a.m., it is the playoffs, it's time to man up because the tigers haven't won a world series championship since 1984. >> the detroit tigers are going back to the american league championship series. it's déjà vu all over again. the tiegz ar tigers are behind n verlander, but the tigers are looking to finish what they started and their first world series title in almost 30 years. detroit becomes better equipped, in right fielder torii hunter and jose iglesias.

matt sherzer winning 20 games this season. superoutfielders miguel cabrera. they will have all they can handle on the al's best record. >> if you watch the red sox, a little bit more ved ran club with pedroia, big poppy, they are more of a veteran tough club and oakland is more of a medium age tough club. so we're going to boston. we're thrilled to be going and we'll see how this all plays out. >> the tigers will have anibal sanchez on the mound and first pitch scheduled for aisk 07 easter8:07 easterntime.

>> how is a guy like cabrera paid off this season? >> miguel cabrera has paid huge dividends. that's what you need in the postseason. you need your superstars to be superstars. cabrera has definitely done that. he's been battling abdominal injury, but everyone is going on adrenalin and winning the world series. darren. >> pitching is huge and what can the best starting rotation in baseball do against the league's best offense, of course the boston red sox? >> the tigers would love to have justin verlander pitching but he won't be available until game 3. anibal sanchez led the league with the lowest era and then max sherzer going, 21 victories, and

most likely your al cy young winner. it will be interesting to see how they do against the big bats in boston. >> ross we'll hear from you later on tonight. that's a look at sports. we have a big night in playoff action. >> you a fan of the circus? >> of course. >> the circus has been one of the most popular form of family entertainment for the russians. but many circuses are struggling to survive amid allegations of animal cruelty. you may find some images in this report disturbing. ♪ ♪ >> a ringside seat here in moscow where the world festival of circus art has just opened will close you close to $-- cost you close to $80.

that is a lot more than the average family can afford. but there was no shortage of spectators for this performance. the circus still holds a special place in the heart of the people here. traditionally, the circus in russia has always been revered as an art form much like the ballet or the opera and it dates back to the time of catherine the great. it was in the 1800s that the circus rose in popularity and the performances were being watched by more than 70 million people in the year. this time mus muscovites still y it. >> it's a big time, the children love it. it's our pride it's a level of professionalism unmatched by any other country. >> animal rights activists have

condemned the methods training animals. >> they say we torture animals. it's absurd, it's nonsense. it's impossible to force an animal to perform using violence. >> there's no doubt a circus crowd always hopes something dangerous will happen. unfortunately it did for these performers from the u.s.a. in the middle of their static double trapeze act. but no serious injuries resulted. it's been said every country gets the circus it deserves. spain gets bullfighting, italy the church. america, hollywood. but in russia its very survival is hanging in the balance. david chater al jazeera moscow. >> ebony has the forecast next.

hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you. on august 20th,

>> and good afternoon. it's been a busy day weather

wise. of course i've been tracking phailin, which is continuing to make its way into india. as it does it will continue to weaken which is great news. still packing a great punch. major hurricane but will weaken over the next 24 hours and we expect it to be down graded to at least a tropical storm sometime on sunday. tonight we'll still be dealing with the heavy rainfall, some areas have already reported up to eight inches, we could talk about a foot or more of rain. here in the u.s. i'm tracking a cold front making its way eastward across the country. lower and mid mississippi valleys, an inch or two around the little rock area. areas of texas and northeastern louisiana, strong to severe storms. that threat has been very isolated. south southeasterly air flow

pumping in warm moist air from the gulf of mexico. sparking thunderstorm activity this evening. causing cool showers to move across minnesota and we still have some widely scattered showers across parts of south dakota, heavy concentrated rain and north dakota where we are going osee temperatures dropping overnight down to the freezing point. freeze warnings have been posted. these are frost advisories in the area shaded in the lighter blue. temperatures already in the 40s and 50s across this area but take a look at the nice warmth we feel across the areas of deep south. atlanta we made it up to the low 70s in new york city so a nicer day thanks to the return of sunshine but still watching that persistent northeastly flow, threat of coastal flooding around coastal areas.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city, i'm thomas drayton with a look at today's top stories. in washington there is no end in sight to the budget struggle. senate rejected the bill to temporarily fund the government. some of america's iconic national monuments are opening again despite the government shut down. the statue of liberty and the grand canyon and mt.