the debt ceiling deadline now just four days away. the senate and the house are both trying to reach deals to make sure the government does not default for the first time in u.s. history. for the first time in two weeks, lady liberty is back open for business. what some states are doing to re-open popular tourist attractions shut down by the government standoff. more than 100 people are killed in india by a stampede on a bridge outside a hindu temple. grandmothers targeted by criminals are banding together and fighting back.

good morning, and welcome to "al jazeera america." i'm stephanie sy. with the debt ceiling deadline three days a way, the world is nervously watching to see if congress can end the partisan gridlock. there is broad agreement that the u.s. default would have dire economic consequences worldwide. many americans are already feeling the effects of the government shutdown now in its 14th day. it appears the political pendulum has swung back to the senate after president obama rejected a house proposal for a six-week extension of the debt ceiling. >> i've had a productive conversation with republican leaders this afternoon. our discussions were substantive. we'll continue those discussions. i'm optimistic about the prospects for a positive conclusion to the issues before us. >> while republicans initially

held up a spending measure over the affordable care act or obamaca obamacare, it seems democrats are making extra demands of their own. they want to get rid of across the board cuts scheduled for early next year, and republicans in the senate say that's a nonstarter. >> we were with the president yesterday, and he said this strong push from democratic senators to spend above the limits of the budget control act that all agreed to in august of 2011. so i'm a little bit uneasy here, because i think there is an effort and will be an effort, which is unacceptable, to deal with those cuts. >> let's bring in john from washington. good monday morning to you, john. >> reporter: good morning, stephanie. >> what do things stand after a weekend of negotiations and proposals? >> reporter: well, you know, there's been a lot going on here, and we've been on capitol hill all weekend reporting it.

really, not a lot of progress. the really big need is harry reid and mitch mcconnell are talking. we know this because harry reid told us so and they met face to face on saturday and had a telephone conversation on sunday that was cordial. the big game-changer is mitch mcconnell is involved, the minority leader in the senate. he's been on the fence until now. he has re-election issues and now he's fully engaged. stephanie, there was a precedent for this. back on the 31st of december last year, the sequester discussions were going on. congress is as deadlocked as it is now. in the 11th hour along comes mcconnell and reid and they have a deal and everyone is reasonably happy. we think that something is in the works along those lines.

changes to the affordable care act this may end up being a starting point rather than a finishing point. we'll see. on top of that we have you have international people on the fund battering on the door of the united states saying please don't default on your debt. it could have serious consequences for americans and people all over the world. >> financial leaders beg the u.s. to get it done. an nbc/"wall street journal" poll, john, says 53% of americans blame republicans, and only 31 #% blame president obama for the shutdown. now we see democrats making more demands related to this debt ceiling deal. are they emboldened by public opinion? >> i think they are. i think they absolutely are. that's what happened. that poll was devastating for reps who tried to get more

candidates into the senate in the midterms that come up in november of next year. that's got to be now unlikely for them. when you have a margin of 22 points in favor of the president among people who are asking who do you blame for this, that is pretty serious. here come the democratics tries to roll back sequester cut that is they hope. republicans hate them as well but they hate different parts. so they put that on the table. republicans say this is an slits absolutely nonstarter. obamacare is dead in the water and nobody is talking about this at all and time is running out. if they don't get something on the table regarding the debt ceiling in wednesday by the senate, it has to go to the house. we're talking about a couple of days to get it done. look at the markets today and see what the markets do. the international economists implore the u.s. not to default. let's see if the markets send a

signal today. >> futures are down right now. christine la guard says the u.s. needs to give certainty to the west of the world by paying bills. >> one thing was certain, that lack of certainly and lack the trust in the us signature to recession. as debate continues, there are a few key dates to be aware of. on october 17th, thursday, the government will no longer be able to borrow, and it will have an estimated $30 billion in cash left in its coffers. that money will run out sometime between october 22nd and the end of this month, and that means benefits for social security, medicare, and veterans could be put on hold. by october 31st, the government must pay $6 billion in debt

interest or risk default. then on november 1st, $60 billion is do you for benefit programs. if there's no increase, those payments could be delayed another two weeks. finally on november 15th another $29 billion interest payment is due. if the economy slows and tax payment falls short, a default could occur. war veterans are sending a message to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. thousands showed up at washington, d.c. and across the country on tuesday. senator ted cruzes leading the fight to, quote, tear down the walls. >> let me ask a simple question. why is the federal government spending money to erect barricades to keep veterans out of this memorial? two weeks ago the house of representatives passed legislation to open every memorial and every federal park

in this country. two weeks ago the president of the united states signed a written veto threat. he said, if you open the memorial, i will veto it. >> organizers of the so-called million vet march say the government shutdown dishonors veterans. they're asking congress to introduce legislation that would prevent any member of government from closing memorials. despite the government shutdown, the statue of liberty is again open to visitors. new york state has agreed to pay the salaries of national park service workers so that the monument can remain open. the state is paying the federal government $61,000 a day to keep lady liberty up and running. governor andrew cuomo says the money they're spending to keep the attraction open pales in comparison to how much it was losing when it was lossed. the statue of liberty is a number of national parks and monuments that re-opened because states are footing the bills.

mount rushmore is open again and south dakota will pay for it. arizona agreed to pay $650,000 to keep the grand canyon operating for the next week. colorado's rocky mountain national park is up and running. it will cost that state nearly 663,000 to keep the park open for ten days. in total about a dozen re-open thanks to temporary funding from individual states. new details in the deadly stampede near a temple in central india. at least 111 people were killed on sunday caught in the chaos of thousands of hindu pilgrims leaving a religious festival. there are now reports that police may have been involved. we're in daita with more on the ongoing investigation. >> reporter: we're about a kilometer away from the temple where the stampede happened on subbed. now, district officials we spoke to this morning have said that

the death figure stands at more than 110 people including some 30 children. some of them as young as just a year old. now, as you can see all around me, pilgrims still are continuing to go to the temple where this accident happened, and that's because this is the last day of the ten-day festival. it's an incredibly important festival in the hindu calendar with locals bringing offering and prayer to the hindu goddess to make sure the coming here is prus prus and well for them. police have not been able to stop them from coming here, despite the accident happened yesterday. they cordoned off this side of the road so that the vehicles can't come in. people are continuing to stream in, and they say that was the problem yesterday. officials told us that there was 100,000 people making their way up to the temple, which is about 2 kilometers, 1 kilometer that

way. they couldn't control the crowds. there were rumors that on a particular bridge where there were thousands of people standing at the time, people were saying that the bridge was going to collapse, that it was unsteady, and that may have caused panic amongst the people causing the stampede. however, officials have not told us that that was the case. they haven't given us any cause. one of the most concerning things about this is that a similar accident happened in 2006, 57 people died in the stampede at that time. since then there seems to have been no action taken to make this event any safer. it happens every year, but officials say they are hoping to restrict crowds ncts future to prevent this kind of thing from occurs again. so far, there's been no action taken. >> india's prime minister expressed deep sorrow and shock over the loss of life and asked

local officials to provided aid for victims and their families. 17 sailors have been rescued off the coast of india after the ship sank during cyclone phailin. the storm killed at least 23 people. millions more are recovering. authorities say the death toll would have been much higher, but hundreds of thousands of residents were evacuated before the storm hit. flash flooding in austin, texas after a foot of rain fell in just 12 hours. sunday's rain closed roads and left many people stranded. the final day of the austin city limits music festival was canceled, and the problems may not be over yet. there's more rain in the austin forecast through tomorrow. texas is bracing for more rain today. for more on the forecast let's brick in nicole mitchell. good morning, nicole. >> yes, it's a case of too much too soon. we needed the rain as we get to texas. you just don't want so much all at once. here's the broad picture across

the country. this is a water vapor image, so it helps to show some of that moisture in the atmosphere. we have a disturbance over the rockies bringing rain and snow. but on the south side of that it's picking up a flow where you see moisture coming from a tropical system from the pacific and funneling right in over texas. so that's part of why we see that problem over the last couple of days. here's the rain that we have coming down now. you heard us mention austin, so that's just off to the northwest of san antonio. the official report was 3.15 inches shattering the old record for yesterday of 1.75. but as mentioned some parts around town, if you're under a heavy rain bands, as much as close to a foot of rain. really impressive totals from the last couple days. more on the way. the moisture plume across the region and then heading well northward because of that weather system that i was mentioning. this is going to help with the drought conditions.

it does mean we've been getting so much, though, that we still have a lot of flash flooding in areas. you can see these out here highlighted in green. more of that for today if you're near the rivers increasing out there. that's a big problem. a couple other areas we have problems for today. we talk about that until the next half hour plus more of what's going in the tropics. back to you. a car bomb explodes in syria for the second straight day. the latest on the violence and how the ongoing chemical weapons deal may help the assad regime instead of hurting it. why some churches are banned for using a specific word for god. and holding on for dear life. a woman is trapped on a drawbridge. the warnings she missed before getting stuck 22 feet in the air. social security resill yents expect a raise and could soon be very disappointed. i'll tell you why.

what happens when social media

in syria a pause in the war allowing thousands of people to leave a besieged rebel-held part of damascus. they escorted millions to safety areas over the week yenned. international aid workers have tried to reach the area for month. some in the town have died of mall noo transition. since the war began more than 2 million refuses have fled syria. there's been no contact so far with gunmen that kidnapped seven workers in northern syria. they were seizes on sunday on their way to damascus. a spokesperson says the relief team had six red cross aid workers as well as one local volunteer. in northern syria at least 20 are dead after a car bomb exploded in the town of darkush. it's in a rebel-held area near the border with turkey.

it following dual car bomb blasts in damascus on sunday near the state television and radiohead quarters. no casualties have been reported. we're live now from beirut with more on syria. three car bombs over 48 hours, are they connected? has anyone claimed responsibility? >> reporter: no, there have been no claims of responsibility. like you mentioned, two suicide car bombings outside the syrian state division headquarters in damascus late on sunday, and a few hours ago a huge explosion in a rebel-controlled village in the northeast -- excuse me nest part of the country. darkush is a town that lies along the turkish border. thousands of displaced syrians have sought shelter and safety there. like i mentioned, no claim of responsibility, but opposition activists are pointing the finger at the regime. the casualty toll is climbing.

we understand dozens were injured, a lot of them sustained serious injuries and they're succumbing to the injuries. this area of the government forces have been pushed out of these areas. a lot of the rebel north really. the north is controlled by the rebels, but the regime occasionally targets areas with military air strikes. the government seems to be very confident now. militarily it still has the upper hand. mr politically it has the upper hand now that it agreed to get rid of the stockpile. syria is giving up the chemical weapons, but in return the regime may have bought time to stay in power, at least until the disarmament process is completed in the middle of next year. that's also around the time the next presidential election is scheduled. until then president assad's cooperation is needed for the weapons mission to you can --

mission to succeed. >> this issue of cooperation between the security apparatus, the armed forces, militia, et cetera, he is the one -- the pivot that all of these circle around. >> reporter: the war is no longer a conflict between two sides. rebel groups have no unified command. al qaeda is present, and assad is not just relying on the military. he also depends on a decentralized security apparatus along with pro-government militia. >> i don't believe that americans want the syrians and the apparatus to disintegrate. actually, they made it clear they want to preserve the machinery of government, which including the military intact. i don't think you will be authorized or i don't think being in power will be one of his prerogatives.

i think he would be allowed to complete his term. >> now russia and the u.s. want to revive a dramatic initiative in switzerland that stalled over what should happen to assad. if that peace conference convenes in geneva, discussions won't be about the regime handing over power. the goal would be to establish a transitional governing body that would involve members from the opposition and the regime. it's reaching an agreement on power sharing, and that's something the opposition and regional backers don't want. in january assad made clear a political settlement would involve a cease-fire and national dialogue to decide on a new constitution and a cabinet. months later, the regime is just as defiant insisting that assad handing over power is not up for discussion. the chemical weapons agree has been a turning point. assad may have won this political battle in a war that has still not been won.

al jazeera, beirut. >> many believe that the chemical weapons deal gave the regime a new lease of life. we heard john kerry say that, yes, assad has lost legitimacy, but we no longer hearing that assad leaving power is a precondition for geneva peace conference to convene. >> how quickly the tide turns. i'm curious whether all of the violence we hear about in syria in last couple of days affected the weapons inspectors on the ground right now trying to dismantle the chemical weapons. >> reporter: dozens of inspectors are on the ground and started their mission. so far they haven't reports any security incidents. they have visited a number of facilities and started the disarmament process. we know that some of these military facilities, the chemical weapons facilities are in areas where battles are ongoing. one of those areas is in the southeast of aleppo city in the north of the country, and we

know that the regime has been on a major offensive in that area trying to push rebels away from the town close to that military facility. the rebels who are based there really are the al qaeda-linked ones so this is a nightmare scenario for the west if the foreign fighters get their hands on the facilities. so far the inspectors can continuing their work but a dangerous mission. >> absolutely. zeina, thanks. a careless smoker may be responsible for a fire in australia that engulfed a parking lot destroying dozens of car. fire investigators say a lit cigarette butt or exhaust pipe likely started the fire. dry and windy conditions fueled the fire. 1500 people were forced to evacuate a nearby olympics complex. no one was injured, but a firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. bay area rapid transit is up and running this morning as

negotiations between between the nation's fifth larger rail system and its workers. a midnight strike deadline was pushed back 24 hours. talks resgleumed on sunday nigh. b.a.r.t. workers want increased benefits and a pay rate. they walked off the job and were ordered back to work by governor brown. a strike forces 370,000 commuters to find another way to get to work. wall street is disappointed. it did not wake up to a deal in washington this morning. we have all of that. good morning. >> good morning, stephanie. only a deal many investors say will calm markets. they say it's creating negative vibes on wall street and stocks are way down at this hour. that could encourage sellers on the fence to pull the trigger when the markets open this morning. stocks are coming off one of their best performances of the year. the three major industries each soared during the last two trading sessions. the dow stands at 15,237, the

s&p 500 above 1700 and the nasdaq opens at 3791. oversees european stocks are mostly lower. traders are waiting on word of a debt deal in d.c. asian stocks are mixed. japan and hong kong are closed for public holidays. we look to australia and south korea. the longer the stalemate lasts the greater the impact on the u.s. economy. >> it will force consumersing to cognizant of their need to change how they spend money this holiday season. what that means is retailers get paid less, and they're likely to higher -- they know they're getting paid less so they hire fewer seasonal workers. it will have a trickle-down effect. >> u.s. bond markets are closed today for columbus day. breaking news. robert shiller, well-known for his report on u.s. housing

prices is one of three americans named winners of nobel prize in economics and in other business news, netflix is reportedly in discussion with cable operators and is looking to add its streaming video service to set top boxes. reports say comcast and time warner cable are among those involved in discussions. cable operators with tie voe are also in the mix. for the second year in a row, millions of social security recipients can expect much lower raises for 2014. the associated press reports beneficiaries may only see an increase of roughly 1.5%. that would be among the smallest since automatic increases were adopted in 1975. this year the raise was 1.7%. social security was scheduled to announce the annual cost of living increase on october 16th, but the government shutdown may delay that. >> why was it so low this year? >> it's died to inflation

because so many people are unemployed and economic growth is sluggish, the models suggest that recipients don't need as much money to maintain a current lifestyle. >> the government shutdown delayed the numbers, but what about the raise? is that paid out or delayed as well? >> there are a lot of fears about a delay. let me be clear. the social security administration says it won't be delayed. right now there's no indication of that. just to put it into perspective, those increases should go into effect in january of 2014. >> fingers crossed. thanks so much. nationwide protests in egypt. the day-long million man marches by protesters upset about the ousting of president mohamed morsi. a foot bring collapses sending dozens of tourists into the water. where the accident happened and what may have caused it.

grandmothers learning self-defense moves to feel safe. the threat they say is forcing them to take action and fight back. i'm john henry smith. the tigers were rolling in boston until they weren't thanks to big papi and friends. highlights ahead in sports.

this is the 900-page document we call obamacare. my staff has read the entire thing. can congress say the same? welcome back. these are the top stories at this hour. there are reports police may have been involved in the deadly bridge stampede near an indian temple. at least 111 people were killed as thousands of hindus were leaving a religious fest ral. >> it's three days before the u.s. defaults on its debt. lawmakers in the senate have picked up the ball from the

stalled house negotiations. the head of the international monetary fund says not raising the debt ceiling could lead to another global recession. for the first time in two weeks tourists can visit the statue of liberty. new york state decided to pay furloughed workers to re-open the monument during the shutdown. columbus day is usually a popular day for boating in florida, but as christina tells us, the federal shutdown is keeping some boat lovers in miami on dry land this holiday weekend. >> reporter: for power boaters in south florida, biscayne national park, columbus day weekend is traditionally the biggest part of the year. the waterway south of miami is home to some of the best skub da diving and snorkeling in the nation. it provides access to nearby havens like elliott key. this year because of the federal government shutdown the park is officially closed. >> you can boat through the park but you can't arngor in it.

>> patrolling the waters is not a matter of putting up the sign and closing the gate. >> we have hundreds of miles of boundary out in the ocean, unmarked boundaries. we put the word out that people are closed and asking people to stay away from the park. >> state and local law enforcement officers are pitching in with the challenging task. boaters who ventured out were given this notice and told they can do so if they were either fishing or transiting through the intercostal waterways. they can only anchor in the park if they were seeking safe haven. >> if it's a safety harbor, you don't get in trouble, right? >> that's your argument? >> that's my argument in court. >> it's kind of confusing. they tell you yes, and some tell you no. i don't want a $5,000 ticket. the money i make, i can't afford 5i$,000 right now. >> there's plenty of space out there for everybody to have fun. >> also closed nearby is everglades national park where fishing has been prohibited and

at least 100 boats gathered last week to protest and send a message to washington. >> the park being closed means we can't go fishing and we can't make money and the days of fishing we don't get back. >> reporter: the fishermen are not the only one feeling the financial squeeze. >> federal employees across the country are having to think about their finances and make temporary arrangements because we're not getting paid at this time. >> reporter: on top of the angst over the spectacle in the south florida bay, park rangers are actually feeling the pain themselves from the government closure. al jazeera, miami. the obama administration says states can re-open national parks during the shutdown but must foot the bill without any prompts promise to bet money back. neither the house nor the senate appear close to a deal at

this point. brandon brice is a republican strategist and columnist for the washington times community section. thank you for being with us this morning. what do republicans want from a deal now? at first it was all about obamacare weeks ago, and now it's moving in a different direction. >> if you're a republican right now, you have a major problem. on the one end you want to cut spending. we're trying to do the deficit. on the other end sadly the public associates this debt with the republican party. i think if your mitch mcconnell, you have a major issue. you have to cut a deal, but how do you maintain those principles? if you're harry reid you're fine as long as the debt actually doesn't begin to affect upcoming elections. i think 2014 and 2016 are going to be critical, and i think right now you see a deal not necessarily because they want to but the republican party specifically has to cut a deal before november 1st. >> are republicans unified on what they want out of the debt

ceiling deal specifically? i think that's what we're talking about moving forward. the consequences for that, they're saying, are going to be catastrophic, way worse than the shutdown. are republicans unoited in what they're asking for? >> i think they're united in what they're asking for. sadly, i think ted cruz has become the de facto party leader to look at obamacare and defunding that. i think more importantly is that when we're talking about the gop, they understand that a budget has to be cut. the more important issue -- i actually fault the speaker for not being more clear about the american people about what's the issue on hand. the issue is about washington paying bills on time. they could have global catastrophe if we don't, because other foreign investors say they can't pay bills on time. >> is this becoming a situation where every time congress needs to approve a debt ceiling, the word has to worry that they're going to get it done on time. >> i mean, no, no. i agree with you.

i think not only that washington pays its bills on time, but right we're spending money we do not have. i think obama is in a very interesting place right now. it was interesting, the first time we had the government shutdown on october 1st, i believe, automatically he blamed republicans. the fact the speaker was not articulate about the issue at hand. most people understand that they're ouft of a job. right now washington ---ing it's three weeks in, and i think there's going to be major issues if this goes past november 1st. the treasury secretary said if you don't have a deal by november 1st, this is catastrophic for the private sector and other industries as well. >> that's something everyone agrees on. are you embarrassed to be a republican right now? >> i think it's not about being republican but a responsible fiscal american. i wish washington would stop acting as they are and come with a deal. i think it's going to bring out the issue of states' rights and it will talk about the issues of

empowering the private sector. right now you see why the private sector is important as opposed to the public sector. washington was never expected to be this big. i think it has major implications down the line. >> is there any doubt at this point that the republicans have lost this battle and it's time to fold? >> i wouldn't say it's time to fold. i would say that right now they're being blamed, but also i think they've had the opportunity to articulate the argument and failed to do so. if you're mitch mcconnell, you have to have a deal and speak directly to the american people and tell why you push back. people are smart and understand that people have to pay bills on time. if folks have to pay bills on time, so should washington. >> great insights with "the washington times." millions of muslims are in saudi arabia for the annual haaj pilgrimage. they gather at mount arafat to

pray. crowds are less this year because of a serious respiratory virus in the area. they issued fewer visas because of construction at the mosque. a controversy has been brewing in malaysia for years surrounding the use of the world allah or god. muslims say it's exclusive to the religion. now a landmark court ruling could have wide repercussions for catholics across the country. >> reporter: a three-man panel on the court of appeal has unanimously decided that the word allah cannot be used by the catholic church in the malay language newspaper. it's not just the arabic word for god but it's the word for god in the malay language. the court sided with the home minister, and the court said it

found no evidence that the word allah is inat theing gral on the christian practice. the usage only causes confusion among the community. the christian community hire is understandably unhappy with this decision. the editor of the catholic newspaper said that this represents a step backwards in funt mental liberties of the religious minorities. he says there's no evidence to support the court's decision, pointing to the fact that other muslim countries such as neighboring indonesia have has the largest muslim population allows christians and muslims to use the word allah. it's widely used in malay lang beige church services. there are wider implications of this decision, even though it's restricted to the usage in the catholic newspaper. the catholic church says it plans to appeal this decision. >> florence looi reporting from

malaysia. argentina's president habben released from the hospital. 60-year-old christina kirsch ner underwent brain surgery on tuesday. doctors prescribed strict rest and no air travel for the next 30 days. the surgery cost her to abandon campaigning later this more ifrments millions in india are ovring the cyclone phailin made landfall on saturday night. at least 23 people have died. authorities say that death toll would have been far higher, but hundreds of thousands were successfully evacuated before the storm hit. nita dutch reports. >> reporter: they have been growing rice in these fields for 20 years. it provides a steady income for

his family. because of cyclone phailin he has little to look forward to this season. >> translator: this is my land. i used to farm it. now it's flooded with water. i kabt see my crop. >> no amount of planning could have saved the agricultural sector from widespread damage. people say their livelihoods will bear the long-term brunt of furry. in 1999 a supercyclone demolished this ville anl. this time it's left standing, but some that live here say this is a blessing and burden. they fear the authorities will be deceived by the lack of physical damage here when tlifring aid. >> translator: our village's tringing water source han ruined. we don't have water to drink. our stock of candles is also finished. we are sitting in the darkness. i can't find medicine for my

elderly parents. i am only just stepping out my home. >> reporter: cyclone phailin tore through some of the most fertile agricultural areas. the state government estimates 500,000 hectares of farmland have been affected, destroying livelihoods and local food supplies. during this time of year hundreds play to the hindu god dez for strength and courage, blessings the people of this state in need in abundance as they try to get back on their feet. >> india's disaster management official high school two days to move half a million people into cyclone shelters. in 1999 ray cyclone of similar scale killeded more than 10,000 people. there are more tropical systems brewing. let's bring in meteorologist

nicole mitchell to see what forecasters are keying an eye on. >> it's pretty quiet for the united states in the atlantic basin this season. not the same around the world. even as we were watching this storm make the laugh into india, na ari passed oifr the philippines. it's tracking towards vietnam now. we have another system, another typhoon towards japan. it looks like that one will graze the coastline and this one is a direct hit. i mentioned this passing over the philippines. these are the images as that moved through this area. these are devastating storms recently and already starting to get that moisture as the system continues to push in here. now, as we get closer to home in the eastern pacific, we have two tropical storms. one heads off to sea and not an impact. but octave into the baja peninsula, a lessening storm but you can see. look at the moisture mrup pulling all that moisture into

the united states. there's a system in the u.s. that's helping to funnel that moisture in. so as we take the u.s. look, you can see how this is kind of the moisture setup that has been impacting texas. that's part of the reason weave had all the rain recently. the other part of the reason the system is setting that up is more into the rockies region and north of that there's another area of rain and snow we're dealing with. as we get into texas, we already have flooding. austin for example yesterday set a record rainfall. some places around town get close to a foot of rain. a lot of flooding are going to stay up in the air or flood watches and warnings. next couple of days, here's how that moisture shield looks. all the way into texas and on the northern end of this. in the great lakes that's more of the moisture we get into tomorrow. but northern plains, northern midwest has rain across most of the state of south dakota where we're still recovering from the blizzard just a weekend ago or a week and a half ago. so it's been a little too active

in this part of the country. as we get into, say, nebraska and possibly parts of kansas, we could even see strong storms through the day today. we already have flooding concerns because of that, and then you get into the higher elevations. those are the areas we still see the snow with all of this. that system is also definitely dropped those temperatures in places like billings not getting out of the 40s today as that system goes through. back to you. >> thanks, nicole. 18 tourists tumbled into a lay when a bridge collapsed. surveillance video captured the chaos. the bridge's capacity is 40 people. it collapsed after 100 visitors ignored that advice. whoa. that advice of guides and rushing onto the bridge. thank feelingly no one was seriously hurt. after walking for charity, a woman in fort lauderdale suddenly found herself holding on for dear life trapped on a railroad drawbridge.

it's controlled remotely more than 400 miles away in tallahassee. she had to hang on for 20 minutes until firefighters could help her down with a ladder. what a comeback in boston last nice. we have a look at the amazing finish in fenway park. >> the come back was particular amazing. the red sox couldn't hit the tigers or so it seemed after boston logged one hit in saturday's game. more of the same in sunday's game two against cy young favorite max scherr zero. that's why it wasn't wicked awesome for boston fans with runners on the corners. this is an rbi single to get scherr zero a 1-0 lead. second he was in the majors this year with 240 strikeouts. boston struck out 17 times in game one. i bet you know what that mean. trouble in beantown to the tune of a postseason record.

seven strikeouts in the first three innings of work. the red sox players haven't been happy with the strike zone. max seems cool with it. max is cool with miguel cabrera in the top of the sixth over the green monster. that's the second homer for him this postseason. the floodgates were about to open wide. victor martinez gets into the act finding a gap with a double to center. prince fielder should go lugging, and it's a tigers world. avila is doing work again with a two-run homer to right. that's it after 5 2/3. the tigers look to have a commanding 5-0 lead. i say commanding for the second straight night boston got no hit. in the bottom of the sixth shane victorino solved that problem and broke up the shutdown by scoring on a did you say tin pedroia double. he strikes on out david ortiz to end the rally after striking 13

through 17. he told jim leland i'm done. the tigers were done as the bull pen played gasoline and ortiz played match. papi goes boom. that's a game time grand slam home run. just like that we're typed up at 5-5. boston had knock. jared lasers a liner past third to play jonny gomes. the red sox rally to beat the tiger 6-5. al jazeera has more from boston. >> the boston red sox were on the road against the tigers in game two of the alcs. the red sox was down 5-1 and the offense was offensive. in the eighth boston was strong. the red sox loaded up the bases and david ortiz unloaded a game tieing grand slam that rocked the house here at fenway. in the ninth jared delivered the game winner driving in jonny gomes. the red sox win it in dramatic

fashion 6-5. >> it feels good, man. we need it. we played some good pitching. he was on tonight. you know, we never stopped. we tried to keep them continued and make things happen. you saw through the regular season. this is a good situation here. we have to keep on fighting. >> this series is tied at 1-1. they head back to motown for three, four and five. justin verlander will be on the hill on tuesday against john lackey. >> thanks a lot, ross. fans of the boston area had two rallies on sunday. one on the diamond and one on the gridiron courtesy of one of the few boston sports icons more popular than big papi. tom brady needs his rally capitulate in the fourth quarter. he hit kenny stills with a 34-yard score.

later after a field goal, the saints led by four. the problem is the saints left brady 2:24 to drive 80 yards. he hit thompkins for the game winner. they improved a 5-1 by beating the saints 30-27. that's your look at morning sports. grannies taking self-defense classes. >> no! no! >> the daily threat these seniors face, and the success they've had fighting back. an emotional wedding day. why this walk down the aisle was extra special for a dad and his daughter. antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours. >> what do you think? >> consider this. unconventional wisdom. millions who need assistance now. we appreciate you spending time

with us tonight. up next is the golden age of hollywood going golden but elsewhere. why l.a.'s mayor has declared a state of emergency for the entertainment industry there. next. (vo) friday

it cool increase 30% by the year 2020. in one of kenya's most dangerous slums, elderly women have turned to self-defense classes to protect themselves from hardened criminals. al jazeera's katherine soy first told their story two years ago, and she returned to see whether their situation had changed. >> no! no! >> reporter: learning the hard way, they punch, kick and scream. this is the way to try to reclaim the streets of the slum they live in, one of the most dangerous in the city. for years elderly women had been a soft target for rapists and robbers, and then they say enough is enough. they took this basic martial arts class help them fight off unwanted attention.

the tactics have worked. >> translator: we say no because just screaming won't help. people think it's a domestic quarrel, but if you keep saying no, no, no, no people will listen. >> reporter: we visited this four years back at the height of the violence against them. we featured a woman who had a stroke after losing seven children, three of them to gang violence. >> translator: i get strength every time i come to this group. it's a source of inspiration. >> reporter: they may seem old and weak, but these women are by no means defenseless. they tell us these classes have helped them in very scary situations and no one here dare mess with the grandmothers anymore. this 70-year-old was attacked in her home a couple of months ago.

>> translator: i opened the door, and i hit him on the nose with my elbow. he fell, and then i stepped on him. he told me, don't kill me, grandma! the commotion brought out my neighbor. >> reporter: they all have frightening tales of their harsh lives in the slums, but as they go home after a session, they walk with a confident swagger inning that they now have more control over their lives and the environment they are in. katherine soy, al jazeera, nairobi. violence against women has been a long-standing issue in nairobi's slums. a recent report from the world health organization found that more than one-third of women will fall victim to physical and sexual assault over the course of their lives. in ohio a terminally ill dad was able to keep his promise to give his daughter away on her wedding day. thanks to a special group of nurses he held his braid he is hand as the hospital bed was

wheeled down the aisle. at the end of our first hour, here's what we're following. we're in day 14 of the fwovt shutdown with no deal in sight. perhaps more importantly the debt ceiling deadline is just three days away. at least 111 people were killed in a human stampede in india. the victims were caught in the chaos on a bridge filled with thousands of hindu pilgrims leaving a religious festival. supporters of ousted president mohamed morsi are taking to the streets across egypt later today. the million man protest are being called prayers for egypt. i'm john henry smith. on the diamond and football field, it was rally day in boston. highlights ahead of how the sox and pats snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. i'm nicole mitchell. more heavy rains in the owner plays including texas. it has a tropical tie-in. a new modern day gold rush. how mother nature is stirring up very precious metals.

and anger in north dakota. environmentalists demanding answers on how 20,000 barrels of oil leaked there, and why it took officials two weeks to reveal the problem. al jazeera continues. we're back with you in two and a half minutes. del walters will be here.

what happens when social media uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? >> they share it on the stream. >> social media isn't an after-thought, it drives discussion across america. >> al jazeera america's social media community, on tv and online. >> this is your outlet for those conversations. >> post, upload and interact. >> every night share undiscovered stories.

the debt ceiling is just three days away. the senate and house both tried to reach deals to make sure the government does not default for the first time in u.s. history. more than 100 people are killed in india by a stampede on a bridge outside a hindu temple. this morning there are new questions about what caused it. another car bombing rocking syria for the second day in a row. seven red cross workers are kidnapped in the war-torn country. i found it. nobody else has ever laid their eyes on it. >> everyday people panhandling in the rivers of colorado. a hunt for gold that's been unearthed by recent flooding.

good morning, and welcome at that "al jazeera america." i'm del walters. with the debt ceiling deadline three days away, the world is nervously watching to see if congress can end its partisan gridlock. there's broad agreement a u.s. default would have dire economic consequences worldwide, and many americans feel the effects and the pinch of the government shutdown now into its 14th day. it also appears the political pendulum has swung back to the senate. that the after president obama rejected a house proposal for a six-week extension of the debt ceiling. >> i've had a productive conversation with republican leader this afternoon. our discussions were substantive. we'll continue those discussions. i'm optimistic about the prospects for a positive conclusion and the issues before

this country today. >> while it was the republicans that once held up the spending measure over the affordable care act or obamacare, now it seems the democrats are making extra demands of their own. they want to get rid of those across of board cuts known as sequestration, which are scheduled for early next year. republicans say that's a no-go and nonstarter. >> we were with the president yesterday, and he said the strong push from democratic senators to spend above the limits of the budget control act that ail agr-- all agreed to in august of 2011. i'm a little bit uneasy here, because i think there is an effort and will be an effort which is unacceptable to deal with those cuts. >> let's bring in john terett standing by live in washington. another weekend of negotiations and proposals. where do we stand? >> reporter: we're no further forward than we were last thursday. in fact, we're probably a few

steps backing to honest with you. we've been here all weekend to witness this, del. lots going on but little progress. the headline news is the majority and minority leader in the senate are talking and met face-to-face on saturday and had a telephone call yesterday described as cordial. they have something in the works. it is thought, but we don't know what because they're not telling us. if you remember back on the 31st of stem last year congress was deadlocked. up pops reid and mcconnell with a deal and everybody signs it and we go home. we look for it to happen after this weekend. the house is back at midday and the senate by 2:00. also on the docket you have the susan collins proposal. she's the republican senator from maine. she's a moderate. she's looking to row the debt ceiling back to january 31st, and also to make some changes to the affordable care act, otherwise known as obamacare.

democrats rejected the plan, but she and another raft of maybe women senators i have to say are trying to push that plan forward. it maybe a starting point if not a finishing point. >> there are those pesky polls released saying 53% of americans blame republicans while only 31% blame president obama for the shutdown. does this empower the democrats who are now making their own demands? >> reporter: yeah, i think it does. it comes down to that poll. that's a huge margin, 22 points among people asked who they blame. they say mostly the republicans, 53% against the president 31 mercy. that's a 22-point difference. the democrats are coming out, and they know the reps are on the ropes right now. so they hit them with a right upperc uppercut, which now we want to roll back the soo quester cuts. democrats don't like them and republicans don't like them either. very much so that's on the cards

at the moment. one thing not on the cards anymore, obamacare. no one is talking about that anymore. >> john joining us live from washington. thank you very much. it's safe to say the whole world is watching. the head of the international monetary fund pleading with u.s. lawmakers to settle the debt ceiling debacle before the global markets take a hit. christine lagarde says it needs to give certainty to the rest of the world by paying its bills. >> one thing was certain around the table. if there is that degree of disruption, that lack of certainty, that lack of trust in the u.s. signature, it would mean massive disruption the world over. we would be at risk of tipping yet again into recession. >> as the debate continues over raising the debt ceiling, there are a few key dates to be made aware of. on october 17th the government will no longer be able to borrow. it will also have an estimated $30 billion in cash that is left

in its coffers. now, that money will run out sometime between october 22nd and the end of this month. that means that benefits for social security, medicare and veterans could be put on hold. by october 31st the government must pay $6 billion in debt interest or risk default. on november 1st, $60 bill is do you for benefit programs if no debt ceiling increase. those payments could be delayed for another two weeks. on november 15th another $29 billion in interest payments are due. if the economy slows and tax payments fall short, a default could occur. the government shutdown is causing problems. war veterans send a message to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. thousands of them showing up at a rally at war memorials in washington, d.c. and across the country on sunday. senator ted cruz was among those leading the fight to, quote, tear down the walls. >> let me ask a simple question. why is the federal government

spending money to erect barricades to keep veterans out of this memorial? two weeks ago the house of representatives passed la legislation to open every memorial in every federal park in this country. two weeks ago the president of the united states signed a written veto threat. he said if you open the memorial, i will veto it. >> organizers of the so-called million vet march say the government shutdown dishonors veterans. they're asking congress to introduce legislation that would prevent any member from closing memorials. there are new details in that deadly stampede near a temple in central india. at least 111 people were killed on sunday caught in the chaos as thousands of hindu pilgrims were headed to a religious festival there. there are now reports that police may have been involved.

we have more on the ongoing investigation. >> reporter: we're about a kilometer away from the temple where the stampede happened on sunday. now, district officials that we spoke to this morning have said that the death tig now stands at more than 110 people including some 30 children. some of them as young as just a year old. as you can see all around me, pilgrims still continue to go to the temple where this accident happened, and that's because this is the last day of the ten-day festival. it's an incredibly important festival in the hindu calendar with locals going to bring offers and prayers to the hindi goddess to make sure that the coming year is prosperous and well for them. police have not been abled to stop them from coming here, despite the accident that happened yesterday. they've cordoned off this side of the road so that vehicles can't come in, but people are

continuing to stream in. they say that was the problem yesterday. officials told us that there was some 100,000 people that were making they're way up to the temple, which is about two kill lowers, one kilometer that way. they couldn't control the crowds. there were rumors that on a particular bridge there were thousands of people standing at the time. people were saying that the bridge was going to collapse, that it was unsteady, and that may have caused panic amongst the people causing the stampede. however, officials have not told us that that was the case. they haven't given us any cause. one of the most concerning things about this is a similar accident happened in 2006. 57 people died in the stampede at that time. since then, there seems to have been no action taken to make this event any safer. it happens every year, but officials say they are hoping to

restrict crowds in the future to prevent this kind of thing from occurring again. so far, there's been no action taken. >> india's prime minister expressed deep sorrow and shock over the loss of lives and asked local officials to provide for victims and their families. 17 sailors have been rescued off the coast of india after their ship sank during cyclone phailin. the storm, which was the strojest to hit india in morning a decade, has killed as many as 23 people. authorities say the death toll would have been much higher but hundreds of thousands were evacuated before the storm him. two other tropical systems will cause problems in the pacific over the next few days. we turn to nicole mitchell. >> we had on friday a landfall in the philippines. it's still causing problems out there. so this one, it moved its way over the philippines on friday, caused damage there. still a typhoon and now pushing

into the vietnam area. so we'll see this what we would call a category 1 hurricane as it continues to make that land. that's not the only system we're watching out here as we get a little bit on the broader pick. you can see a second typhoon. this one is headed towards japan, although it looks like the weather pattern will block this and steer this away from the island enough not to make a landfall likely. it could get outer bands, some of the rain and that sometimes is enough to cause concerns. as we get a little closer to home, we actually have two more systems in the eastern pacific. you can easily pick these out on the satellite. one is going to go off to sea, but the other one, octave, is enough to bring some moisture into the united states. you can see how that plume is kind of drawn in. all that moisture, if you've heard us talk about the moisture moving into texas, well that's part of that. that's definitely causing problems with a lot of flooding across the area. in fact, places yesterday set

some record rainfall. in the next half hour we talk about what's going on in texas and the northern side of this system that even has some snow. back to you. >> nicole, thank you very much. fbi agents are investigating a small explosion sunday night at los angeles international airport. that blast shut down terminal 2 at lax for several hours. it also brought security screenings to a halt and delayed flights from taking off. no injuries or arresting have been reported. it appears some dry ice exploded inside an employee bathroom in the terminal. b.a.r.t. is up and running this morning. negotiations continue between the nation's fifth largest rail system and it's workers. a midnight strike deadline was pushed back 24 hours. talks resumed sunday night. b.a.r.t. workers are asking for increased benefits and a pay raise. they walked off the job in july, but they were ordered back by california's governor jerry brown. they've been working ever since without a contract.

it would force nearly 70,000 commute erdz to find another way back to work. secretary of state costa concordia is calling for a peace conference on syria. he says peace is not possible without a transitional government to replace assad's regime. >> we believe that president assad has lost the legitimacy necessary to be able to be a cohesive force that could bring people together. >> secretary kerry is currently wrapping up his overseas trip with a visit to london. he urged leaders to start to draft a plan on syria by mid-november. in northern syria 20 peoples are dead. the bomb went off in a busy marketplace. it's located in a rebel-held area near the border with turkey. it follows dual suicide car bombings in damascus on sunday. those exploded near the headquarters of state tv and

radio. no casualties have been reported. also in northern syria the international red cross says there's no contact so far with gunmen that kidnaps seven of the humanitarian workers. they were seized outside the city on sunday on their way to da maus cuss. a spokesman it issed the relief team was snatched including six red cross workers and a local volunteer. thousands of people have now been allowed to leave a rebel-held suburb of damascus. the syrian government with the help of the red crescent escorting more than 3,000 civilians to safer areas over the weekend. inthern international aid workers have tried to reach the area for months. some died of malnutrition. since the war began, more than 2 million refugees have fled syria. london police are restarring the search for little madeleine mccann. we'll tell you about the steps they're taking to generate new leads. they are demanding answers in north dakota.

they want to know how 20,000 barrels of oil spilled and why it took two weeks for information to come to light. new orleans looks to turn the tide as it faces one of the biggest and highest murder rates across the country. how they use sports to try and stop the violence. the nobel prize -- the committee is out with the award for economics, you and probably know the name of one of the winners. i'll have that story coming up. frdz .

investigators are looking into what caused a pipeline to spill more than 20,000 barrels of oil onto north dakota farmland. while they look for answers, residents want to know why they were kept in the dark about the problem for weeks. >> it's sunk in. you can see the line right up here. you can smell that. you might smell petroleum. >> reporter: you can, absolutely. steve jensen drove through an

oil slick. he sensed a problems days earlier. >> even in this yard a week in advance i could smell something, but we're a mile and a half away. >> reporter: what he found was the first hard evidence of pipeline own had ruptured and gushing 20,000 barrels of crude. these photos show surface oil burned off the next day. area residents weren't informed about the spill for almost two weeks. >> we're probably 30 to 40 miles from the morz river. >> dennis is the director of water quality for the north dakota health department. he says the state took all the necessary precautions and felt no notification was needed. >> if this would have gotten into groundwater or surface water where there was a potential to harm, say, drinking water or fish or wildlife or the public, we definitely would have notified necessary authorities. >> reporter: the ruptured pipe

lies five feet below the surface. they say it's down 12 feet protecting groundwater deep below. cleanup is under way on the spill. so far workers have recovered 2,000 barrels of ease-to-reach crude. >> we dug it down to a clay layer in the soil, and the oil flows into that. we recovered the oil out of the trenches. >> reporter: they need a more extensive plan to clean up the rest. the quarter remotely monitors pipelines. the company says it has personnel in the field checking its pipelines routinely. north dakota has more than 8,000 miles of pipeline and is now the second largest oil producer in the u.s. in tioga some residents worry about the next spill and want a quicker response.

>> years ago when i was growing up, the state motto was greener and cleaner. it isn't anymore. >> reporter: they say it can make steve jensen's land farmable again. he's not so sure. >> i try to be positive. they say they can make it better, as good or better. time will tell. diana easterbrook joins us from stanley, north dakota. how long can farmers expect before that spill will be cleaned up? >> reporter: delta soro has two weeks to present a plan to the state, and the state has to sign off on it. keep in mind, winter is starting to move into north dakota. it's very cold today, and that could delay the remediation. it could take months to clean up the spill. >> we didn't notice how cold it was, but what seems to be the cause of the spill and what's the state doing to protect the land going forward? >> reporter: we really don't know what the cause is.

this was a 20-year-old pipeline built back in 1993. so corrosion could be a cause. what the state really wants to look into is how the pipelines are monitored. they are monitored, but obviously something went wrong and that's one of the big questions that the state has. >> diane easterbrook joining us live from stanley, north dakota. find some place warm, diane. thanks very much. we turn to business news now. wall street is disappointed no deal got done over the weekend. >> it was a blow to the markets, del. the march towards the dwebt ceiling is creating negative vibes on wall street. it could encourage sellers to pull the trigger when the markets open this morning. stocks had one of the best performances the year, the three major indices soared during the last two trading sessions. the dow stands at 15,237. the s&p 500 is above 1700 and the nasdaq opens at 3791.

oversees european stocks are trading lower as investors wait on word of a debt deal in d.c. talks are mixed, china and shanghai posting a gain and japan and hong kong are closed for public holidays. we look to australia and south korea where stocks are modestly lower as well. as the talks drag on, analysts caution that a deal that delays hard decisions will not be well-received by investors. >> any deal right now is a short-term deal, which means we may be back in this position again in a few weeks or a few months, which is very unhealthy because you have this kind of perpetual unease among consumers and folks who actually work for the federal government who believed that they have essentially the safest job in the country. >> the u.s. bond markets will closed for columbus day. for the second year, millions of social security recipients expect much lower raises for 2014. the associated press reports

beneficiaries may only see an increase of roughly 1.5%. that would be among the smallest since automatic increases were adopted in 1975. last year's rise was 1.7%. social security was scheduled to nuns the annual cost of living raise on october 16th, but the government shutdown may delay that. he's well-known for the reports on housing prices and now yale professor robert shiller is the winner of the nobel prize of economics. the committee credited shiller and two other americans delaying the foundation for the current understanding of asset prices. now, sharing prize are uyeen far ma and lars peter hanson. congratulations, proefrn shiller. back to the associate security increase, seniors say my milk prices didn't go down and my bread prices didn't go down. why such a small increase and so low? >> it's tied to inflation.

so when social security administration calculates the economic models, they look at the fact that unemployment hasn't gone down very much. the economy is sluggish, so they say, well, it will cost you less less money to live. therefore, we won't increase your wages that much. >> but they expect anything they want that check in the mail. any indication that the fovt shutdown is going to delay that small raise? >> there's a lot of talk and fear, however, the social security administration does not suggest or indicate in any way that the raise itself will be tla delayed. >> thank you very much. a lot of grandmas listening right now. a $70,000 reward is offered to help find a missing new york city teenager. he's autistic and has limited speech. the 14-year-old was last seen running from his school in queens back on october 4th. flyers have been posted on subway stations as kro the city because the teenager has an affinity for trains. the nypd is searching land and

sea trying to find him. london police are releasing a reenactment video he hope generates new lieds in the case of little madeleine mccann. she disappeared six years ago now. she was left alone in her family's holiday apartment in portugal as they dined out with friends. police say they have new reason to believe that madeline may still be alive. that video will be released later today and will feature the most detailed look at the indicate to date. new orleans has one of the highest murder rates in the country. last year 193 people were killed in the big easy. the city is tackling the problem with a variety of new ways. don looks at one program. >> reporter: with his dreadlocks and warm smile it's hard to picture ryan dalton as a self-confessed street thug. >> i was in there. i was what you might call an at-risk individual. i was living that lifestyle. i was subject for that to happen.

dealing drugs and being in that life. >> reporter: a life that nearly killed him four years ago. >> i was shot three times and i'm about 150 pounds and the guy was five feet off of me. >> my administration has decided to focus on the hard issues of young african-american kids shooting young african-american kids who know each other. >> reporter: now dalton heads up midnight basketball. it targets troubled teens and let them engage in friendly, free, weekly basketball competitions. it's from 8:00 p.m. to midnight, a time when the teens may otherwise find trouble. murder is down in the united states, about 10% since 2002 according to the fbi. still, nearly 13,000 people are killed in this country each year. people have programs like midnight basketball say the answer is in more programs just like this one. new orleans is following that trend.

murders are down 25% compared to the same time last year, but it's not known how much midnight basketball or the campaign is helping. >> you may or may not hit the real at-risk kids. most kids have no risk of murder. there's a shawl group of kids, maybe 800 in the city. >> some say midnight basketball helps. >> any one of these people would be on the streets, but they're not. they're playing basketball. >> getting the most at-risk kids involved away from violence is the toughest part. dalton says when you live the street life, you often overlook opportunities in front of you. >> a lot of times it's not in their eyesight. they don't know about it. to them shgsz there's no opportunity. >> they don't see a bigger world out there? >> exactly. not many seem past a certain age and see past their situation, their lifestyle or their community. >> we live in the united states of america and can solve any problem if we identify tf as a problem and if it's important to us, i think that the lives of

young african-american men are critical and important to the future of country. >> a future they mief a shot at by coming here. dawn ostrem, al jazeera, new orleans. >> ard according to the latest statistics the state of louisiana is the murder capital of the u.s. with 1100 murders for every 100,000 people. for the first time since she was shot, former congressman gabby giffords goes to a gun show. the special message she shared at that event. a landmark legal case in afghanistan helping a teenage girl win justice by providing a ray of hope for women who live there. i'm john henry smith the tigers are rolling in boston. highlights are ahead in sports. [[voiceover]] no doubt about it, innovation changes our lives. opening doors ... opening possibilities. taking the impossible

from lab ... to life. on techknow, our scientists bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life.

what happens when social media uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? >> they share it on the stream. >> social media isn't an after-thought, it drives discussion across america. >> al jazeera america's social media community, on tv and online. >> this is your outlet for those conversations. >> post, upload and interact. >> every night share undiscovered stories.

welcome back. these are the stories we're following for you. there are reports that police may have been involved in that deadly bridge stampede near an indian temple. at least 111 people were killed as thousands were leaving a religious festival. in northern syria at least 20 people are dead after a car bomb exploded in the town of darkush. it went off in a busy marketplace. it is now down to three days before the u.s. defaults on its debt. lawmakers in the senate have picked up the ball from the stalled house negotiations, but they don't seem any closer to a deal either. the head of the international monetary fund says not raising the debt ceiling could lead to another global recession. the statue of liberty is open to visitors. new york state agreed to pay the salaries of national park service workers so the monuments can remain open. the state is paying the federal

government $61,000 a day to keep lady liberty up and running. governor cuomo said the money they spend pales in comparison to how much it was losing while closed. the statue of liberty is just one of a number of national parks and monuments re-opened because the states have now decided to foot the bill. mount rushmore is open again. south dakota will pay about $15,000 per day for expenses. the grand canyon also re-opening. arizona agreeing to pay $650,000 to keep it up and running for the next week. colorado's rocky national park is also up and open for business. it will cost the state nearly $363,000 to keep that park open for ten days. all said, about a dozen national parks will re-open thanks to temporary funding from individual states. an american lawyer has been working in afghanistan to help get justice for a teenage girl

there that was tortured. as jennifer glass reports from kabul, the landmark legal case provides a race of hope for women in afghanistan. >> reporter: a sheet of paper represents a modest step forward for women's rights in afghanistan. this teenager wanted justice. she's one of thousands of afghanistan girls sold into marriage who end up in abusive families. only she wanted to punish them. her case ended up in afghanistan supreme court with the help of american lawyer kimberly motley who explains the ruling. >> they said mom, mother-in-law and father-in-law should be rearrested and go to prison for five yeerars. they tortured her because she refused to be a prostitute. she was 13 when she was rescued, her hair burned off and fingernails pulled out. her case was a symbol of widespread abuse against women here. that's how motley found her. she has worked closely with them. the torturers were sent to ten

years and jailed until an appeals court freed them in july. she appealed and won. it's a qualified victory. her husband, brother and brother-in-law are still to be prosecuted and free, so she would like the forced marriage anulled and she wants financial compensation. all that means going back to court. and that's difficult for this shy girl, who two years ago was illiterate. she doesn't enjoy the limelight and frets about each court appearance. >> she needs to know that she's the only female in afghanistan ever that has ever appealed a case and has told the court that she wants people to be punished independently, and that's important. >> reporter: gold doesn't seem to care about being a pioneer, even a at time when the law protecting women here is under threat. in this halfway house for abused women and girls, you don't have to look far to see the scars of

the national problem. jennifer glass, al jazeera america, kabul. >> for more we turn to our correspondent in kabul, jennifer glass. it seems like a very dramatic case. what is the status of women's rights there now? >> reporter: just the fact that this case went forward, two years ago i was in the hospital when she was brought in really badly, badly hurt. the fact she can take her case to a supreme court shois what amazing strides women have made in afghanistan in the past 12 years. under the taliban girls weren't in school. now more than 40% of the girls in school, about 4 million girls are in school. there are women in pa lament and in all walks of life. at the american university lots of articulate, smart female students graduating going on hoping to be professionals. there have been really great

strides, and i know that there's hope that that will continue. >> jennifer, u.s. and international troops are set to withdraw. is there a concern when those troops leave afghanistan women's rights will suffer? >> reporter: there's very much a concern among women's rights advocates here. we've seen disturbing signs in the last few months. earlier in the summer the parliament debated the violence against law women here, and many conservative politicians were against it. they wanted to revoke the law or change it to water down women's rights here. we see a surge in the number of women reporting being attacked. while there has been a lot of progress certainly in the cities and urban areas and the larger districts centers, many of the rural areas life hasn't changed that much for women. it's a very, very conservative society here, and women don't feel they can do very much to protect themselves. just last month a top female police officer was killed in

helmund province gunned down by two men on a motorcycle. she was killed in cold blood in the middle of the day. those incidents do happen. there's still a lot of opposition to progress for women here, and there's concern when international forces leave in 2014 and there's less engagement by the international community, women's rights might be further eroded. >> jennifer glass joins us live. thank you very much. in tulsa, oklahoma, two men are now under arrest after gunmen there opened fire at a festival over the weekend. five r wounded during saturday's attack. they arrested the suspects after they spotted a car driving with its lights off near the center. 400 people gathered to celebrate the mong new year. the mong are asian ethnic groups from laos, china, vietnam and thailand. former arizona congresswoman gabby giffords who survived a

mass shooting toured a gun show in upstate new york. giffords who is still partially paralyzed after being shot in the head said she was there to support a call for tighter gun controls. reporter rae lynn johnson has more. >> reporter: it might be one of the last places you expect a shooting victim to be, at a gun show. but it was safety, not sales, that brought the former congresswoman here. >> now is the time to come togeth togeth together. be responsible. democrats, republicans, and everyone. >> reporter: her visit along with husband markely is part of the couples national campaign to expand background checks for gun sales. kelly is part of the couples national campaign to expand background checks for gun sales. his mental instanlt wablt determined and that allowed him to pass the state background check. for the past two years,

giffords, has appealed to congressional lawmakers to close loopholes that allow criminals and the mentally ill to purchase guns. >> you must act. be bold. be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> gabby giffords deserves a vote. the families of newtown deserve a vote. the families of aurora deserve a vote. the families of oak creek and tucson and blacksburg and the countless other community ripped open by gun violence deserve a vote. >> while gun len lags failed in congress, states like new york make it harder to purchase firearms. the s.a.f.e. act expands a ban on military-style weapons,

requires mental health professionals to report threats. the organizers of sunday's show have made an agreement to adopt rules that will track sale as the shows and provide on the spot background checks and main date proof of purchase before buyers exit the building. it's a gun control compromise, one that doesn't infringe upon second amendment rights. giffords still struggles to walk, speak, read and write, but she is determined to take her gun control message to an audience least likely to want to hear it. rae lynn johnson, al jazeera. new york's gun control laws were prompted by an investigation in 2011. it found gun show dealers were evading the background checks. we are following breaking news out of syria. the red cross confirms three of the six staff members and the red crescent volunteer kidnapped have been released. we're being told they're safe

and sound. rioters smash windows and overturn trucks and clash with police during the biggest outbreak of anti-immigrant unrest to hit moscow in three years. demonstrators vandalized shops known for hiring immigrant workers. flash flooding in austin, texas after a foot of rain fell in 12 hours. sunday's rain closed roads and left a lot of people stranded. the final day of the austin city limits music festival also canceled and the problems may not be over just yet because more rain is in the forecast all the way through tomorrow. that storm system hitting texas is also causing a lot of problems in other parts of the south and midwest. for more on that and our national forecast we turn to nicole mitchell. >> you mentioned austin. we have different reporting spots for that precipitation. the old record for that location

was 1.75. so it shattered the record with all that rain yesterday. look at this. this is a water vapor image. a lot of times you have a satellite shot whiches a picture above showing the clouds. it shows moisture content in the atmosphere. where you see the white, you see the cloud shield. the greens, that's the heavier moisture to places where you get precipitation on the ground. you can see we have a tropical system off here in the eastern pa siveng. what does that have to do with texas? look at the flow. it's pulling that moisture into text, so that's part of the reason we had such wet weather the last couple of days and more on the way to today until this kind of draining out a little bit. so southern oklahoma and thu the state of texas expect more of this today into tomorrow because we've had so much and we're getting more on top of that. you can see we have the different flash flood watches and warnings out. some of those roads it only takes two feet of moving water to move your vehicle.

you want to be careful in six inches if you walking to move you. you want to be careful when you see weather like that. this isn't the only. part of what creates that flow is a low pressure system right over about colorado. on the north side of that we also have enough moisture with this system itself that it's been causing snow for higher elevations in the rockies and all the rain we see moving into the northern plains. for the next couple of days, as this is on the move, a lot of us in the mid-section of the country are going to be getting rain if not those higher elevation snow. here's where we have it right now. the dakotas and especially south dakota really under heavy bands we've been dealing with. this is where we just had the blizzard about a week and a half ago, so we're still trying to recover from that. flash flood concerns, higher elevations still have different winter storm advisories and even warnings up because of the weather here. into nebraska and likely kansas later today some of the storms could become on the strong side.

wind and hail would be the primary threat as this moves through the country. this is also bringing in a lot of cold air, so some of these temperatures with the system not getting out of the 40s for today. a little too cold, del. >> it is indeed, nicole. thank you very much. brr. well, an amazing finish at fenway and a sunday night game we won't talk about at all. john henry joins us with sports. >> we have to talk about the sunday night game. let's get to the boston red sox first. the red sox couldn't hit the tigerser after boston locked one hit in saturday. more of the same in sunday's game two against cy young favorite max scherzer. it wasn't wicked awesome bore boston fans when runners on the corner tagged clay buchholz for the single. did you know scherzer was second in the majors? i bet you know what that means.

trouble in beantown. he victimized boston early on to the tune of a postseason record seven strikeouts. the red sox players haven't been happy with the strike zone through two games. max is cool with it. he's cool with cabrera. that's his second homer this postseason. tigers are 2-0. floodgat floodgates, color them open. victor martinez gets into the act with a double to center. prince fielder chugalugging home. tigers hit their field up 3-0. it's avila against doing work again with a two-run shot to right. that's it for buchholz after 5 2/3. it's tagged for eight hits and five runs. they have a commanding 5-0 lead. for the second straight night boston was getting no hits. in the bottom of the sixth shane victorino had that problem. he soon broke up the shutout by scoring on a dustin pedroia double. max would bounce back striking

out david ortiz to end the inning and end the sox realliy. he struck out 13-7. he told his manager i'm done. the tigers were done as their bull pen played gaffes and ortiz played lighter. big papi goes boom. that's a game-tieing grand slam home run. we're all tied up in 5-5. the liner past third to play jonny gomes with the walk-off winner. the two teams head back to detroit with their series tied up at 1-1. fans in the boston area actually got treated to two rallies on sunday. one on the diamond and one on the gridiron courtesy of the one boston sports icon that might be more popular than big papi. tom brady neez his rally camp late in the fourth quarter after he hits kenny stills in 34 yards out to make it 24-23 saints. later after a field goal, saints

led by four. the saints left brady 2:24 seconds to drive 80 yards and that's what he did hitting tm kinz with a game winner with seconds to spare. they beat the saints 30-27. del, look away. sunday night football. dallas doing work on the redskins finding terrence williams with the 15-yard score. cowboys lead 21-9. the redskins need to do something. handing the ball to alfred morris was a good idea, and it was. he scam perked 45 yards for the touchdown. that brings the redskins to within 21-16. del still has hope. redskins still in it early in the fourth until he gets in griffin's business and sacking him and taking the ball in the process. the cowboys one 31-16. houn the broncos? they were a record 28-point favorite against jackson ville. by the end of the first quarter denver was halfway through.

they have scored 12 unanswered points when he hit julius thomas in the corner for six to put the broncos up 9. broncos led by a 21-19 count in the third. one of the three touchdowns, and people who took the jags in the points were winners. the broncos win 35-19. that's your look at morning sports. sorry to do that to you, del. >> really, it's like that? >> it's like that, but it's all about love. silence. come on, del. come on. let's talk it out, man. >> no. >> after the show. >> john hohnary, thanks. still ahead, 2 million muslims gather in the holy sti he of mecca for the annual pilgrimage. we'll tell you about the challenges. chocolate lovers, bad news. get ready to pay more to satisfy your sweet tooth. why a price hike is coming for chocolate. there's gold. the gold rush returns to the west. we'll tell you how widespread flooding in colorado is helping

uneart unearth that high-priced metal. we call obamacare. my staff has read the entire thing. can congress say the same? al jazeera america

an estimated 3 million muslims in saab raid ra . we have the report. >> this is the mount of mercy. it's been the focal point where pill grams spend the day in prayer and con tell me plagues. for muslims it's a reminder of day of judgment when they believe they will descend on a plain similar to this one for the final judgment. this is why arafat is considered the highlight. wherever you go here, you will see peek invoking god and seeking forgiveness. habib came here from the u.s. the jewish ancestry, raising a christian, he converted islam

two years ago. all pilgrims here wear the simple white and they disappear. >> a present of mine that started to learn something about islam was not herself a muslim, but started to teeping me some things she had learned. i started with that, and then my heart just continued to open more and more. >> reporter: he hopes once he gets back home he will try to convince his family and friends that he made the right choice. >> this is my family with concerns about this. they also recognize that i have a deep connection with god. with the one god. i believe people have no idea

what this is. >> reporter: originally from texas, habib now lives in california. he says his biggestle cha -- biggest challenge is to change misconceptions in america about islam. >> it's unfortunate that the media portrays as it is because there's no connection between terrorism and islam. >> as the day dre draws to an end, many continue their prayers in the spot where muslims say prophet mohammed delivered his last sermon. for habib, this is a new start. he hopes to visit more muslim countries and discover the true meaning of islam. al jazeera. the first cuban american writer to receive the pulitzer prize for fiction died in new york city. it was unexpected. he wrote of the immigrant experience and won a pulitzer for his novel "the mambo kings

sang songs of loves kwts "which was turned into the a movie. they emigrated to new york city in the 1950s and achieved minor success following an appearance on the "i love lucy show." the author collapsed on sunday while playing tennis. he was 62. the world seems to be developing a sweet tooth that is crying out for chocolate, and that is driving prices skyward. store owners say the cost has jumped 20% to 25% over the last two years, and they say that could be just the beginning. chocolate's main ingredient is in limited supply while the worldwide demand is spiking like never before in places like india and china. remember those terrible floods in colorado last month. it seems that they had a silver lining or gold. >> there's a silver lining to the flooding in the foothills of

the rocky mountains. >> anywhere in the stream here you can find gold. what's happened over the last month or so with the flooding and everything, we've got a lot of material that'sed down from the mountains. >> the flooding kicked up the creek beds. >> this is a smooth spot, and it's designed to severely separate the gold and any other heavies that are in with the sand and the rocks. >> so gold that had been sitting at the bottom of colorado's waterways for years is now flowing down from the hills. these men and women belong to a group called gold prospectors of the rockies. they work these waters all the time, but for them the past month has been golden. >> it's a tiny piece. >> these may be small, so small you need a well-trained eye to spot them, but this is a golden moment for panners like pam smith. >> i'm the first one that seen it. i found it. nobody else has ever laid their

eyes on it. >> reporter: if you're lucky enough to find something here, you can do one of two things. you can hold onto it and show the grandkids, or cash it in and make all this work worth your while. gold tektors in golden, colorado felt the if pictures of the floodwaters in the newfound fortunes, too. >> i have gold i bought from customers that have been out panning. >> she inspects every flake. floo this looks really clean. la do you think that's worth? >> that's probably worth around $600. >> that's a good price. >> yeah. it's just about half an ounce. >> this is where the first colorado gold rush began in 1858. >> it's exactly the same as back in the 1800s. our equipment is so much updated much better made out of aluminum, made out of plastic. >> but the technique is basically the same. try to get the gold that's suspended in the water to drop to the bottom of your pan.

>> it's been doing us good. >> reporter: when the waters are flowing like in much of colorado, there really is gold in them there hills. >> that's a fact, gold here seven miles from downtown denver and we're getting gold. >> gold's current price is well over $1200 an ounce. al jazeera, golden, colorado. >> 1868 was a good year. the prospectors club is not keeping their techniques secret. they lead trips to streams and give lessons to anyone who wants to find out how to spot gold in black sand. that will do it for this edition of al jazeera news. i'm del walters. more headlines in two and a half minutes. check us out anytime of day on aljazeera.com. together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

[[voiceover]] every day, events sweep across our country. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours.

♪ >> welcome to the news hour. we're in doha, the top stories on al jazeera. four of the aid workers are free after their owe deal bega ordea. and seven are dead in india. and south korea does an u-turn on its plans for nuclear