welcome to al jazeera, here are the stories we are following for you. shutdown showdown, day 13. the senate meets in a sunday session to try to reopen most of the government. >> the indian coastline taking a beating from cyclone phailan, taking 17 lives and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands. in central india a stampede during a religious festival killed 80 worshippers. it

. 13 days in, still no deal. talks between the white house and house republicans have gone nowhere. the government showdown has moved from the house to the senate. senator will meet in a matter of hours. hopes are a bipartisan effort will break the impasse. >> john terrett joins us from capitol hill. let's talk about - take it away, buddy. it seems to be changing by the minute, but not necessarily going anywhere. >> there's absolutely right. we've been in this situation for a couple of of weeks. i was pointing to my watch is it's 1 o'clock eastern, and the senate is in session. the senator jeff's office is just across here, they are in. nothing from the house. nothing today. there wasn't anything last sunday or the sunday before either. the senate is in session.

we assume there'll be a series of behind-closed-doors meetings during the course of the afternoon. the emphasis moves away from the house to the senate. republicans in the house conceded that the president is not talking to them and encouraging colleagues in the senate to stand strong. when it came to a vote yesterday afternoon - i'm trying to work out how to discuss raising the debt sealing - it went down with some democrats voting against the whip. there was a meeting in the oval office between the president and leading democrats to get everyone on the same page, following a meeting with leading democrats in the senate and republicans, after which harry reid, the majority leader said that had gone well. it really is all eyes on the senate. it looks as if there may be something going on between the two leaders in the senate. >> these are tiny things. the

17th is around the corner. the country needs something huge, bigger than this. >> you are right. whatever is going to happen, and something will happen regarding the debt ceiling. that's the bigger of the two issues. that runs out on the 17th, which is thursday. then the united states will not be able to pay its bills. someone will have to do something, and quickly, because it will take a couple of days for everything to work out and for a bill to arrive on the president's death. a lot of people are saying, "where is john boehner?" the speaker of the house, where is he, he hasn't been seen in publicment a lot feel that he's a -- public. a lot people that he's allowing the freshman representatives in his party to run things. a move could come from mitch mcconnell or patty murray, or susan collins, who has a plan on the table, extending the debt ceiling to 21 january, but

requires changes to the affordable care act, known as obamacare. here is senator rob portman for you to listen to. he spoke on, "meet the press", and he said there's blame to be shared by politicians of all stripes in this town. take a look. >> there is fault on both sides. that's where we are, and that's why the president and leaders of congress ought to take the opportunity to deal with the problems, and keeping budget caps in place, put in place two years ago, we have added $2 trillion to the debt since then. >> the deadlock is locked down. republicans say now the democrats are talking about uncuting some of the cuts that were put into place by the sequester. that's new, something we have not heard of. we have to deal with it. democrats are saying, "look, reopen the government and we can talk". >> let's talk in facts here. sure, the polls do say that voters are miffed with both sides. but the polls clearly say that

they are more miffed with republicans than democrats, but the bottom line is that at some point it doesn't care who they are more upset with, they are going to want somebody to fix it. >> yes. i mean i think the politicians care. there's a bit of a myth around that some don't care what's going on. that's not true. they care. i don't think any of them want to be here in washington. they don't want a government closed down, they don't want to embarrass the united states around the world. at the moment you are right - the polls indicate that the public is more annoyed with the republicans than it is with the president. there's a washington post n.b.c. poll showing the margin of difference is 22 points. people blame the republicans. 22 points more than the republicans for what is going on. but, you know, we have been here before. there is a precedent for this. back on 31 december we were in a similar situation. i was here reporting it, and at

that point it came down to a deal done in the back rooms between mitch mcconnell in the senate, the minority leader and harry reid the majority leader. no one knew they were doing it, it came out of the blue. harry reid suggested that they know each other, like each other, are i'd logically opposed, they were whips together, but maybe something will come out of the senate. we don't know what. we'll have to watch the space and time is running out. as you and i are talking harry reid is addressing the group right now. let's talk this through, john. isn't it somewhat disingenuous for some legislators to say, "i don't want a government shut down", but they do things that lead to a shutdown. that's the equivalent of eating 20,000 calories and saying, "i don't want to gain weight", if you do something like that, you'll gain weight. actions are leading to a government shutdown.

it's disingenuous to say, "i don't want a government shutdown", if you do things that lead to a gridlock. >> the problem is the way the constituencies are in, that have been operated and the boundaries changed, some are in safe seats. they feel comfortable and able to say and do things that won't lead to them or their colleagues losing their seats. others are more panic stricken about that. at the end of the day what is driving them, of course, is the people in the constituencies and the people funding them, and they have to fall into line with those people for as long as they can, until the 11th hour comms. we see this time and again. deadlines get deals done, not really what - you know, the ideological sort of commonsense would imply. >> it's questionable whether that is getting done.

>> the first day deadline it serious. economists are concerned about the united states defaulting on its debts. they are telling the united states - we heard christine lagar and the world bank saying the same thing, don't default, it could have a knock-on effect. that is the focus. >> john terrett on capitol hill, thank you for walking us through this. we know you'll keep an ear to what harry reid is saying on the floor of the senate. thank you. >> veterans in washington sent a message to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. thousands showed up to rally at war memorials at dc and across the nation. organisers of the million vets march say veterans have been dishonoured due to the shutdown and ask for congress to prevent members of government to close memorials except for maintenance purposes. iconic parks will reopen, but with money from the states not the government. the statue of liberty reopened after being closed for two weeks during the government shut down.

new york state will pick up the $60,000 tab to keep lady liberty running. similar moves by other states resulted in parks like mt. rushmore being reopened. in washington yesterday park police had to bring in a small army to guard the usually unmanned lincoln memorial. protesters pushed past barricades into the memorial - angry over the closure due to the shut down. >> the rescue and recovery is beginning along india's eastern coastline. the efforts come as fal continues to -- comes as cyclone phailan continues to drop rain. andhra pradesh and odisha took a direct hit. phial -- cyclone phailan weakened before hitting

landfall. the storm impacted nearly 9 million people. it has cost about $400 million. 900,000 were evacuated to shelters before the storm. one of the largest evacuations in india's history. a cyclone in 1999 killed nearly 15,000 people. military personnel and rescue workers are over the affected areas using helicopters and boats to get to villages cut off by the cyclone. along the coast we are joined by phone. faiz jamil, what does the area look like? i hope people have not returned to the area. is it safe for them to return? >> well, from where i am right now in andhra pradesh, it's safe. for 100 miles up the coast it's safe. cyclone phailan took a north west ward direction.

so it isolated and centered itself to the coast of odisha. a lot of people 100 miles from where i am are all right. the people who were severely affected, hit by the brunt of the storm - they are actually - a lot of them experience rainfall and it's only in the last few hours rescuers have been able to get to them. people were in shelters. they are still there now, and the ones who got out are only now returning to their homes. we won't know until daylight until what it will be like in what situation they are in. >> what do you know about how the shelters held up. i know you had seen what some shelters were and were concerned they wouldn't hold up under the storm. >> that's right. and the big reason was because the - some of the shelters we found were next to the ocean, which seems completely ridiculous. they are government schools. there was a stop building,

two-storeys, that could hold a couple of hundred people and was supposed to be a shelter for a village of 4,000. andhra pradesh was spared the storm, but in the state of odisha, it's fearful to thing what has happened to those people. the thing is the power is still out in a lot of places in odisha. part of that is on purpose to protect electroaccusations from falling trees, which happened in 1999, 15,000 were killed from electrocutions afterwards. because of that there's no information or communication from the regions. it will take a day or two to get to the communities going for a couple of hundred miles to find out how they fared, and if the death toll will - hopefully not - but if it will rise. >> thank you so much for all the

reporting you have been doing on this. joining us now on the phone for the latest about the cyclone and the situation in india is mangala mohanty, the state secretary with the indian red cross. let's talk about the evacuations. we heard about how successful they were. in your opinion, how are you able to pull that off? >> evacuation was useful, very useful. the less number of casualty, which is increasing, unfortunately, now stands at 20. that is - that signifies the massive operation by the government, red cross and the community took up. the pro-active government got the time with the community since "99 super cyclone. having said that, it is - you

know, it is not only the security, but it is moving inland and now even as i'm talking to you, it's still raining at many places. my latest information is the catchment is increasing, which will result in flood in the coastal districts, depicting three major blocks. that means, you know, you have to deal - the rescue operations of the people, and all the logistics numbering in 9 million of them. already - our estimate puts 250,000 house us understand damage collapse. definitely it is significantly increases.

this time, around the bumper area, mainly it arises. 500,000 hectares of crop is supposed to be damaged. it's an estimation, the number will increase. there has been damage to, you know, on account of the tree falling, and that's one of the reasons, you know, why the government and the rescue workers could not reach even many of the remote community and even after 72 hours there's no power supply. i understand the city, they have no electricity, electric supply since the last 48 hours. that depicts the water supply. and, i mean, even for the next

five or six days, it might affect this area. primarily because... >> you are describing a situation that will continue to develop over the next hour. >> yes. >> absolutely. it can be a while before we really know the extent of this because so many areas are cut off, and things... >> yes >> ..things could get worse the longer people go without power and sanitation will be a concern. keep us informed. >> sanitation is a major issue. >> yes. please do continue to keep us posted as you deal with the developing situation. we appreciate the information. and the storm's impact still felt. let's check in on the conditions with metrologist ebony dion. the flooding continues to be a problem, right. >> that's right. we have a loft of moisture that is in place. the worst of the storm is over. it's lifting north wards and

weakened now that it has been over land for the last 24 hours. so once it moved over the land mass it weakened considerably. still falling apart. look at the orange shading - that's the heavy clouds and showers and thunder storm activity. around odisha conditions will improve. we are dealing with the on and off rain showers. most of the heavier rain is concentrated north. we'll have the wind to deal with and the flooding rains, and mudslides as well. here is a glimpse of what people are dealing with today. a lot of falling trees blocking roadways and getting into areas, including their homes. of course, we have seen the weak structures destroyed completely, and we will watch the impact being felt over the next 24 hours - more rain and more gusty winds at times. >> at least 80 people have been killed, more than 100 others badly injured in a stampede in

northern india. the chaos broke out as worshippers feared a bridge they were crossing would collapse. several killed were women and children. hundreds of thousand of worshippers went to a row mote village as part of a festival. >> the red cross announced 10 workers had been grabbed outside syria. a red cross worker says there was six red cross workers and a red crescent worker. team-mates were on their way to damascus, when they were opened fire upon. >> in afghanistan, one nato officer is dead after a man wearing an afghan army uniform shot at soldiers. the insider attack in pat eka is the fourth in less than app month. the attack was the 10th taking the death toll to 15.

nato did not release the name of the soldier. >> a gun show in new york welcomes a special visitor who was a gun victim herself. >> and the oil leak and the people who discovered it.

the attack was the 10th taking in oil-rich north dakota people are learning about a pipeline leaks days after it happened, the largest - around 20,000 barrels. a wheat farmer found the leak, nine miles east of north dakota. it's owned by texas based tesora. workers say it's contained, but residents are furious, saying they should have been told about the spill. the leak is believed to be smaller. >> farmer congress woman gabrielle giffords and mark kelly, her husband attended a gun show.

gabrielle giffords was injured in tucson in 2011. 15 were killed and 11 others wounded. she is joined by eric schneiderman. >> talks between the san francisco bay rapid area system and unions are expected to resume. theionions -- the youngions are asking for a labour increase. workers walked off, but governor jerry brown forced them back. >> at least 2 million muslim pilgrims are expected to take part informant hajj. many arrived in mecca. the pilgrimage is the largest gathering of muslim people in the world. this year many say they'll pray for peace in egypt and syria.

we are dealing with quiet whether from much of the nation. there are a few problem areas. i'm watching a cold front making its way east. we are finding the active area across texas, where we see a good deal of moisture from the gulf of mexico, and the pacific, the eastern pacific where there's an upgraded tropical storm. okay -- octave. it's throwing moist europe into parts of the southern plains and helping to fuel the shower and thunder storm activity around texas. through the day we'll see the scattered showers fuelled across the area. heavy rain to the west of houston - we'll watch for the threat of flash flood. there has been reports of local streets and highways closed as a result of the flooding over the last 48 hours. we have seen up to three inches of rainfall. additional rain will add to the

problem. the area shaded in green, including austin and santiago, and flash flooding until early monday morning. keep that in mind. they are looking quieter across the south-west. as you get into nevada, into utah, we see persistent rainfall. high elevations need to be confirmed. near utah and salt lake city, snow level advisories are in place. >> after the break on al jazeera america - it's a solar race to the finish line, attracting global drivers.

shutdown showdown, and nearing what many will say will be a financial nightmare. the senate meeting in the hope of finding a way to open the federal government and avoid the debt ceiling deadline >> death toll is spected to

line hours after cyclone phailan slammed into india's southern coast. the storm is expected to drop torrential rains, increasing the risk of mudslides. >> it's called a medical turning point. british researchers say they have found a breakthrough that could lead to degernive brain disease cure. many are hoping a cure is not far away. we have more from london. >> bob taylor describes his parkinson's as an unwanted guest. he was diagnosed in 1988 after his hands stop working so well. >> i went into free fall. i kind of dug into the past, wondering what caused it. >> 16 years on his symptoms developed. bob learnt not to second-guess them. >> you can't take anything for granted.

the condition changes day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, depending on stress, anxiety, whether or not your medication is working. they all play their part. no two days are the same. no two people with parkinson's is the same either. >> understanding the puzzle posed by nero degenerative diseases such as parkinson's and alzheimer's is a huge challenge. scientists are hailing a turning point. they have been looking at the root causes of such conditions - clumps of abnormally shaped proteins developing in the brain. when they appear the body reacts by killing of nerve cells in the affected area. researchers showed by giving an experimental drug they can stop the body attacking brain cells. at the moment this has been

achieved in mice. human clinical trials are 5 to 10 years off. campaigners are watching closely. >> it's important to talk about this important scientific finding. we must bear in mind it could be a lopping time before -- a long time before we get success in patients. it is difficult and many attempts fail. there's a long way to go still, i'm afraid. >> the news gives hope to many people living with diseases like the one bob has. >> hope is the biggest ally you have got. without that, you have nothing. driving through the australian desert is no easy feat. imagine crossing that terrain in a solar-powered car. commet tors from 23 -- xet tors from 23 countries took up the challenge. the vehicles were allowed 5 kilowatt hours of stored energy. the rest had to come from the sun. a team from the netherlands took

the prize. >> "earthwise" is next, and for updates go to the website aljazeera.com.