>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. just three days until the deadline for extending the debt ceiling and concretio congressil lawmakers are back at it. and in india a stampede kills more than a hundred hindu worshipers trying to cross a bridge. and seven aid workers abducted in syria. the whereabouts of three others are still unknown.

>> the clock is ticking, congress just has three days now to until the oh government debt. still no deal or end in sight for the government shutdown that is in its third week. libby casey joins us live now on capitol hill. thwe're now hearing word that te white house will be meeting with congressional leaders a little bit later today. what are we hearing about that meeting? >> reporter: president obama and vice president biden will meet with the four leaders in the house and senate so that harry reed, senator mitch mcconnell and nancy pelosi, this is something that we'll watch for any progress to come out of. interesting to see that vice president biden willing present.

he has been missing in action during this whole process. he was at camp david taking a bit of r&r, and that had a lot of people around here noticing, and the conventional wisdom is up to until now senate democrats have not wanted vice president biden in this process because senate democrats say they would hold a tougher line. they didn't want the white house giving away things and making concessions that they weren't ready to do. in congress you'll see the senate bring up this clean bill that would raise the debt ceiling. don't expect it to move again because they would need republican support. over in the house they're continuing this piecemeal approach where the house republicans will take one part of the federal government and try to find just that. today they're attacking native american and alaskan aid issues and a variety of issues from healthcare to education, and a

group very concerned about their interests getting met, but this is not the approach that democratsing are go to bite on because it's just taking the government an inch at a time. >> all eyes are on the senate. walk us through what you think is going on behind the scenes there. >> even though the action on the floor today won't be that exciting, we're watching for behind the scenes discussion. we're hoping that something will move forward. senator susan collins from maine, a moderate put forward a plan that might gain traction but we're not any closer to a resolution. it looks like the democrats were holding a bit of a line. we're watching the senate because minority leader mitch mcconnell has gotten involved with this. he met with senator harry reid for the first time in a long time. these are two men with a long history and don't see eye to eye on many things.

but the fact that they're talking means that senate republicans are getting involved who are a bit more moderate and willing to compromise than the house republicans. that will be something to watch out for. >> one final question, deal or no deal, what are the tea leaves saying? >> reporter: the best hope really was senator susan collins plan because it called for raising the debt ceiling for a period of time and getting the government back up and running for a set period of time. it would roll back part of the federal healthcare law medical device taxes, something that has been controversial, and this would delay that. it's part of the way to pay for the healthcare law but it's unpopular among republicans and some democrats. but the democrats said no. here are the two sticking points. one, how long discuss this short term spending deal last. the democrats want it to last awhile. they say kicking the can down

the road to january or march is not enough. and then another one is sequestration. that has not been part of this discussion. more cuts are supposed to go into effect in january. democrats say no, put that on the table. roll back those cuts and then we'll talk. now democrats are taking a more aggressive posture and they are the ones saying we're not going to give away the farm. you need to play ball with us. wait to see what happens. right now it's a big question mark. >> libby casey joining us joining us live from capitol hill. thank you very much. the head of the international monetary fund is pleading with u.s. law make tours settle the u.s. debt prize before the global markets take a hit. the u.s. needs to give certainty to the rest of the world by paying its bills. >> it's one thing that is 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 and we would be at risk tipping yet again into recession. >> this is wall street at this hour. and the dow down 17 points. that is off its lows earlier as wall street continues to wonder exactly what is going to happen in washington. so let's recap the dates that we should be watching very, very closely on october 17th, the government will no longer be able to borrow money, and it will have an estimated $30 billion in its cash coffers left over. that money will run around between october 22nd and the end of the month. that's when benefits would be put on hold. october 31st the government must pay $6 billion in debt interest or risk default. and then again on november 1st $60 billion is due for those benefit programs.

if there is no debt ceiling increase those payments may have to be pushed back, delayed another two weeks. finally on another 15th, another $29 billion interest payment is do. now despite the government shutdown, the statue of liberty has reopened. the state is paying the federal government $61,000 a day to keep lady liberty up and running. govern andrew cuomo saying that the spending pales in comparison compared to how much it would lose if the statue of liberty remained close. that is just one of a number of national parks open. mount rushmore has reopened. the grand canyon has also reopened. arizona agreeing to pay $650,000 to keep it operating for a week.

and colorado's rocky mountain national park is up and iraning costing that state $363,000 to keep the park open for ten days. all told a dozen national parks will reopen thanks to temporary funding from individual states. there are reports that police may have played a role in the deadly stand pediatrician in central india. more than 110 people were killed in sunday's incident. it took place during a festival aat a hindu temple. we have more on the investigation. >> we're about a kilometer away from the temple where a stampede happened on sunday. now, district officials that we spoke to this morning have said that the debt figure now 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 are still continuing to go to the temple where this accident happened. that's because this is the last

day of the ten-day festival, an incredibly important festival in the hindu calendar where locals bring offerings and prayers to the goddess to make sure that the coming year is prosperous and wealth for them. now the police have not been able 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 were some 100,000 people that were making their way up to the temple which is 2 kilometers, 1 kilometer that way. they could not control the crowd. there were rumors on a particular bridge where there were thousands of people standing at the time people were saying that the bridge was going to collapse, and that may have

caused panic amongst the people causing the stampede. officials have not told us that that was the case. they haven't given us any cause. now one of the concerning things about this is a similar accident happened in 2006, 57 people died in the stampede at that time, but since then there seems to have been no action taken to make this event any safer. it happens every year. officials say they're hoping to restrict crowds in the future to prevent this kind of thing from occurring again, so far there has been no action taken. >> rescuers in columbia say they have found a body in the rubble of a highrise building. although one body was found on sunday, ten people are said to be missing. a lot of lives were saved when the building was evacuated on friday night after cracks were spotted in the structure. most of those trapped inside

were workers who were repairing those cracks. secretary of state john kerry and the u.n. envoy for syria are meeting in syria and say that a transitional government in syria must be organized right away. kerry said it's crucial to get the conference set by november. >> we agree, as do many others, that there is no military solution in syria. we believe it is urgent to set a date, convene the conference, and work towards a new syria. we also expressing my own point of view because he's the negotiator and it's not his point of view to say this, but we believe that president assad has lost the legitimacy necessary to be able to a

cohesive force. >> meanwhile there are now reports that four of those seven aid workers kidnapped in northern syria on sunday have been released. three others are still being held in that rebel controlled town. the aid workers were released near the turkish border. they were in the region giving out medical supplies. also near the turkish border 20 people died after a car bomb exploded. the bomb went off in a busy market in the town. and there are some signs of pause in the war in damascus. he is supreme courting 1800 civilians to safe areas over the weekend all this while the current regime continues to give up its arsenal of chemical weapons but as it turns out the disarmament might actually help president bashar al-assad. >> reporter: syria is giving up it's 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 is also around the time the next presidential election is scheduled. until then, president obama bashar al-assad's cooperation is needed for the weapon's mission to succeed. >> such a symbol o amongst the security apparatus, the armed forces, the militia, etc. the organs of state, if you will. he is the one, the pivot that all of these circle around. >> reporter: the war is no long arrest conflict between two sides. rebel groups have no union need command. al-qaeda is present, and assad is not just relying on the military. he also depends on a de centralized apparatus along with militia. >> i don't believe the americans want the syrian apparatus to

disincidendisintegrate. they made it clear they want to preserve the government. i don't think--i don't thin--i l be allowed to complete his term. >> reporter: now russia and the u.s. want to revise the agreement in switzerland. that is stalled over what should happen to assad. >> reporter: discussions will not be about the regime handing over power. the goal will be transition a governing body. it will be about reaching an agreement on power sharing that is something that the opposition and it's 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 cabinet. most later the regime is just as defiant. the chemical weapons agreement has been a turning point. assad may have won this political battle in a war that still has not been won. al jazeera, beirut. >> still ahead preparations for cyclone phailin saved a lot of lives in india, but the effect on that country and it's food supply now the major concern. and why some church goers have been banned from using a specific word for god. >> 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.

al jazeera america - a new voice in american journalism - >> introduces america tonight. >> in egypt, police fired teargas at supporters of the ... >> a fresh take on the stories that connect to you. [[voiceover]] they risk never returning to the united states. >> grounded. >> real. >> unconventional. [[voiceover]] we spent time with some members of the gangster disciples. >> an escape from the expected. >> i'm a cancer survivor. not only cancer, but brain cancer. america tonight 9 eastern on al jazeera america >> throw americans have won the nobel flies economics. they are going to be splitting the $1.2 million prize. they are with credited with changing the way we invest in stocks, bonds and homes.

schiller, helping to create the shiller index that tracks home prices. all three men will receive their prize in december. there is a new controversy surrounding the use of the word allah. how the ruling could have widespread repercussion force catholics in that country. >> reporter: a three-man panel in the court appeal unanimously decided that the word allah cannot be used in the catholic newspaper. allah is not just word for god, but it is the word for god in the malay language. they found that there was n no base that the word allah is

integral to the church. the editor of the catholic newspaper said this represents a step backyards in the fundamental religious liberties of the religious minorities and pointed to the fact that other muslim countries allows christians and muslims to use the word allah. the word allah is not only used in the malay language, it is also used in christian services although right now it's just restricted to the use in the catholic newspaper. the catholic churc newspaper plo appeal this decision. >> cyclophailin hit saturday and hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated before the storm

hit. we go to the farmlands that were devastated by the storm. >> reporter: he has 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 harvest season. >> reporter: this is my land. i used to farm t but now look, it's flooded with water. i can't even see my crop. >> reporter: the government's disaster preparation saved many lives but no amount of money could have said the agriculture sector from widespread damage. the workers hearsay they will face the brunt of cyclone phailin's fury. in 1999 a cyclone demolished this village. this time it's been left

standing but they say this was a blessing and a burden. they fear the authorities will be deceived by the lack of physical damage when they deliver aid. >> our village's drinking water sources has been ruined. we don't have water to drink. our stack of candles is also finished. we're sitting in the darkness. i can't find medicine for my elderly parents. i'm only just stepping outside of my home. >> reporter: cyclone phailin tore through some of the most fertile agriculture areas. the state government estimates 500,000 hectares of farmland has been affected destroying livelihoods and food supplies. [♪ singing ] >> reporter: during this time of year hundreds of millions of indians pray to the hindu goddess for strength and courage, blessings that people in this area need in abundance as they try to get back on their

feet. >> officials from india's disaster management agency said they have just two days to move people from the cyclone to shelters. in 1999 the cyclone killed 10,000 people. in texas floods prompts organizers to cass cycle the final day of the austin city limit music festival with more rain expected all the way through tomorrow. >> meteorologist: yeah, we're talking about that rain in texas. i'm meteorologist dave warren looking at the radar plus the satellite together shows exactly what is happening here. this rain coming in from the gulf. that's moisture from the gulf, and this is tropical moisture bringing moisture in the area and rain causing that flooding.

this is the radar estimated rainfall. that's a foot of rain. the sensor there in san antonio had just over a half inch but that focus brought rain in that one area. that was over a foot of rain. flood warnings in central to west texas with rain leading to flooding. this is flooding in south dakota. saturated ground with rain coming down, that is rain occurring. and we have winter weather with more snow really over wyoming and south dakota. here is the radar showing all of that rain the next 12 hours the rain coming through iowa and then through the midwest into chicago. this storm really large and just taking shape now. by tuesday morning there is rain in minneapolis and the cold air in western south dakota that

leaves snow but as it pulls away the it will dry out. the melting snow is what leads to more flooding in south dakota. the temperatures will climb through tuesday and then get cooler and thursday right at 60 degrees. >> thank you very much. still ahead, granny is taking self defense classes. >> no, no. >> we'll tell you about the daily threat these seniors are facing and the success they've had fighting back. 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. that's all i have an real money.

victoria azarenko

>> now three days to raise the debt limit or the government will lose it's ability to pay its bills. there is still no deal in sight as the shutdown now enters it's third week. four of those aid workers kidnapped are free. the workers were abducted by unknown gunmen on sunday after giving out medical supplies. there are new details in that deadly stampede in central

india. 111 people were killed on sunday all caught in the chaos as thousands of hindu pilgrims relieving a religious festival. there are reports that police play have been involved. and in one of kenya's most dangerous slums elderly women have turned to self protection classes to protect themselves from hardened criminals. we first reported on the story two years ago. we now return to see if the situation has changed. [ yelling ] >> reporter: they punch, kick, and scream. this is their way of trying to reclaim the streets of the slum they live in one of the most dangerous in the city. for years the elderly women have had been a soft target for rapists. then they say enough is enough. they took up this basic martial arts classes to fight off

unwanted attention. the tactic of hitting hard and shout even harder has worked. [ screaming ] >> we say no because just screaming won't help. people will just think it's a domestic quarrel. but if you keep saying no, no, no, people will listen. >> reporter: we visited four years back at the height of violence against them. we feature one woman who lost three of their children to gang violence. >> i get strength every time i come to this group. they have been a source of inspiration. >> reporter: they may seem old and weak but these women are by no means defenseless. they tell them this class has helped them in very scary situations, and no one here dare

mess with the grandmothers here. >> she was attacked at home a couple of months ago. i opened the door and hit him on the thousand with my elbow. he fell and then i stepped on him. that's when he told me, don't kill me, grandma. the commotion brought out my neighbor. >> reporter: they all have frightens tales of their harsh lives in in the slums. they walk home and walk with a confident swagger knowing they have more control over their lives and the environment they are in. >> a woman in fort lauderdale, florida, found herself holding on for dear life. she was trapped on a draw bridge that is controlled in tallahassee. it started to rise and she had to hang on for 20 minutes until firefighters were able to get her down. they used a latter. i'm dale wall certificates.

check us out 24 hours a day. on al jazeera.com. there will be 30,000 of them flying above your head within the next 20 years. is america ready? ♪ by september 30th of 2015, the faa has to have regulations in place to allow unmanned aerial vehicles, or typically known as drones into the nation's air space. later this week thousands of enthusiastic will be getting together in new york for the drones and aerial robotics conference.