>> welcome toage america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. just moments from now president obama will address the affordable healthcare changes. and one of the most restrictive abortion laws anywhere in the country. and governor christie as same sex marriages go forward any way. >> it has been nearly four weeks since a key part of president obama's healthcare law was

rolled out and some would say four weeks of problems. those exchanges being blasted by everyone from the president as former press secretary to the president himself. all of them admitting the online exchanges proving to be an embarrassment to the program. mike viqueira joins us, what can we expect to hear from the president at 11:25 this morning 123,478 you hit the nail on the head, an embarrassment, someone needs to be fired. the healthcare exchanges rolled out october 21st. and a large part is due to the part that the system was overwhelmed. that's the line that the white house stuck with, and 19 million unique visitors have visited that, but precious few have been able to get through. there is political criticism, not only from people trying to

get health insurance from these exchanges but insurers, as well. code writers say the architecture of this site is grossly inadequate and we can expect the president to address some of that today. the president will talk about the fact that he's deploying a tech brigade to take a look at this. they're working around the clock. we're expecting the president to say 24 hours a day 7 days a week. but the pressure is mounting. robert gibbs, the press secretary, calling for someone to be fired. but congress, as you might suspect, is all over this, and many republicans criticizing many of their own party for drawing away from this ineptitude and casting down on the affordable care act to begin with, and we expect the

president to say there was not really a problem but it's a question that too many people have been visits the website. >> we know it is broke. now that we know it is broke what are some of the main issues plaguing this website? >> reporter: as i mentioned a lot of folks looking at the technical aspects of this. it was three years ago that the president signed the affordable care act, three years presumably that the administration would have an opportunity to get this thing up and running. there was no shortage of fanfare leading up to t and we should go back and explain this is for folks who do not obtain their healthcare through their employers. they have to go through the individual market, this is the place to do that. we should mention that the sign up period lasts until mark of next year. but many are going to be discouraged by this and will be turned off to the entire program. the administration said they've got people on this. they're going to be working around the clock.

they've called in, quote, the best and the brightest, to get this thing on its feet. >> thank you very much. this is how the healthcare roll out runs state by state. 27 states have a federally run marketplace and those six states in blue, they're a hybrid of both. we'll bring you president obama's remarks live from the white house rose garden at 11:25 eastern time. a a series of tweet threatening texas senator ted cruz. they blame cruz for the recent partial government shutdown on the same day that the tweets posted senator cruz appeared on nbc news threatening another shutdown. they say they are aware of the threats and have been in contact with the authorities.

in texas some abortion providers are trying to stop new abortion laws from taking affect next week. do they think they can actually stop this restrictive law from taking place? >> reporter: well, they're telling us that in any other state where this law is requiring doctors to have admitting privileges in a hospital within 30 miles of an abortion clinic. all those states legal challenges has caused that restriction not to be enforced. there are other legal challenges going on. they are very hopeful. the reason why we're paying attention to this injunction hearing is ever since june, if remember, we saw protesters on both sides flood the texas state company tolcapitol. the biggest protest on

restriction. we saw protesters removed by police, and we saw state senator wendy davis campaign with her 13-hour filibuster which ultimately stopped thee restrictions from being passed. these rules ban abortion after 20 weeks, and it does require admitting privileges, which is ththethe biggest hurdle that toy those abortion providers are trying to convince the judge they are unable to meet by next week. and 36 abortion providers will be put out of work, and that leaves 22,000 women in the state of texas who will not be able to have an abortion next year. listen to what a spokesperson for planned parenthood said this restriction, what kind of an affect it would have on her

patients. >> if this law goes into affect we have patients where safe, legal abortion will not be available in their communities. that puts low income women and women in smaller communities will put their health at risk because they are not going to be able to access the help that they need. >> reporter: this morning we saw the stateside attorneys coming out of their car, nine attorneys in general arguing the state's case, and they're saying these rules protect life and increases improved women's health. notebly missing was greg abbott lead defendant in this case. we're told he will not be present during this hearing, and it's expected to be a long-drawn out process the judge expects either side to appeal this all the way up to the supreme court.

>> how long do we expect this hearing to last? >> reporter: well, today we have at least five witnesses all on the abortion clinic side ready to take the stand. in witnesses on the list for this state, but again the judge is acting on a limited timeline. the restrictions will take force on the 29th and they will be heard before then. >> they're calling it a major victory for same-sex couples in new jersey. same-sex couples are free to wed, and they did so last night. >> i declare joseph and orville to be lawful spouses in the state of spous new jersey.

>> the first same-sex couple to tie the knot at new ward city hall. >> as the couple and spouse gather in the city hall. just after midnight new jersey became the 14th state to allow same sex unions. >> the great state of new jersey becomes far, far greater by recognizing the equality of all god's children. >> reporter: mayor and senator-elect corey booker vowed not to marry anyone until he could marry everyone in this state. >> as the first of nine ceremonies began there was just a handful of protesters outside and one who briefly tried to disrupt the first union. >> forever hold your peace. >> it's unlawful in the eyes of god. >> well, sir, will you please remove that person.

>> reporter: many of the couples here will tell you they're used to the protest in the fight or equality, and even on this historic day it's not over. >> i mean, we are married, happy to be so, but it's not legal in all states in the united states, and there are a lot of people who still, even in the states where it's legal, don't believe that it's correct or proper. >> but that battle will have to come later. because in the early morning hours here the ceremonies gave way to celebration. >> butterflies. a lot of butterflies. we're just happy to see all of our friends and family. >> reporter: a happiness say they fought for, for decades. >> that was jay gray reporting. where does the country stand on the issue of same-sex marriage.

52% of americans back the issues. 43% say they opposed it. new jersey is the 14th state to legalize same-sex marriage and there are seven court cases involving gay marriage and civil unions across the country including arkansas, hawai'i, michigan, texas, north dakota, virginia, and until today new jersey. secretary of state john kerry is in france for talks on advancing the middle east peace process but he is caught in a diplomatictive. france's team is upset over new revelations concerning the nsa and who that agency spies on, which is in this case france. here to tell us more about thesel gas stations, phil ittner. >> reporter: these allegations came out in the french newspaper "la monde." it was authored by the journalist who broke the story

along with edward snowden on the nsa surveillance program. it just infuriated the friend. it included things like the information that the nsa collected 70 million phone records over one month, obviously something that the french are very concerned about. while secretary of state kerry is supposed to be in paris talking about the peace process, and the situation in syria this is stealing some of the limelight even so much as the french government have summoned the u.s. ambassador to come toward and explain what the nsa has been up to. >> phil, since the days of mat harry, governments have been spying on each other. are officials really that upset and what can we expect in terms of official fallout from these

allegations. >> reporter: the french foreign minister said this is unacceptable and measures need to be taken quickly to make sure that this never happens again. since the nsa story broke around europe there has been widespread criticism and outcry about this. why is the nsa snooping or conducting espionage of citizens of friendly nation. even here in england prime minister david cameron is looking at new measures to control the so-called cloud and transmission of information that has been picked up by the nsa. we're hearing this all around europe, but it's just really bad timing that this article has come out in this in french daily on the exact same day that secretary of state has arrived in paris. some might say that it's not so much of a coincidence. >> phil ittner live from london, thank you very much. one of china's cities has

been shut down due to smog. officials say the visibility is as low as 10 yards in some areas. we have more from hong kong. >> reporter: we're right on the harbor here in hong kong some miles away, and we couldn't see 300 meters across the harbor today. the pollution across the country has been at it's worst. the index which measures particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers is at 1,000. 300 is considered has ounce at the "world health organization" consideration anything over 20 dangerous. so at 1,000, the air was not only toxic but deadly. and of course most of china is fueled in terms of energy by colcoal stations. likewise peoe

use coal stoves and ovens. and many hundreds of thousands of people die each year due to pollution and it's an increasing problem which china will have to tackle because this issue creates a great deal of social unrest. >> still ahead, a celebration in egypt turns violent as gunmen open fire on a wedding. >> the most important money stories of the day might affect your savings, your job or your retirement. whether its bail-outs or bond rates this stuff get complicated. but don't worry. i'm here to take the fear out of finance. every night on my show i break down confusing financial speak and make it real.

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. >> you're looking live at the scene of the white house that is because in just about eight minutes president obama will come out to address the issues concerning the affordable care act better known as obamacare. it has been four weeks now since the roll out of that act, and everyone including the president himself has said it's been almost an unmitigated disaster. the president is expected to outline steps needed to fix it.

we'll bring that to you live when the president makes his remarks averages deadly attack on a we hadding in egyp we wedds stunned many people there. the shooting at a coptic church left at least three people dead. it happened in giza, a suburb of. cairo. dominick kane has more. >> reporter: the attackers arrived on motor bikes and fired without warning. the target wer, the christian church, a wedding where many people had arrived. >> a woman was sitting down with many bullet wounds and blood coming from everywhere. there were many laying about her including a child who had shot

in the shoulder. >> reporter: this was an attack on the entire country. >> what happened is an insult to egypt, and it is not directed only to the coptic christians. we're destroying our own country. just imagine what people outside of egypt will think when they hear something like this has happened. we're an internationally known church. >> reporter: coptic christians make up around 10% of egypt's 84 million population. in recent months dozens of churches have been attacked across the country. fueling tensions between christians and the majority muslim population. it's understood the church of the virgin mary had been left unguarded for several months. the head of police security in giza said officers will now increase their patrols outside of churches following this attack. al jazeera, cairo. >> so far no one has claimed responsibility for that attack.

it is now day four that have strike in san francisco, bart workers on strike and walking off the job. transit unions have been at odds over a lot of issues including wages and health and pension benefits and making more complicated, an accident claimed the lives of two of those workers. many are on the scene and the question is did that work stoppage play a role in the deaths? lisa bernard has more. >> reporter: the train involved in the accident rolled out of here yet the investigators are trying to figure out what caused it to plow into two workers checking the tracks saturday killing both of them. the train was running in automatic body with the driver plus five others on board and there was an experienced operator at the controls. they will look at the employees involved and investigators say they will scrutinize the equipment. >> we do a thorough inspection of the equipment, thorough

mechanical inspection on the train itself inside and out, wheels, brakes, the third rail all these things. >> reporter: the investigators spent four hours on sunday on the tracks of two suburban train stops and they'll likely pend the next four to ten days collecting evidence. an employee and a contractor were looking at a reported dip in the tracks when the train hit them. investigators say they will look at the video taken from a camera facing into the cab of the train. they'll ask bart for documents, photos and sketches. they have the radio transmission when the train and transit system which captured audio at the moment of impact. >> routing at c-54, let me know when you're ready to proceed ahead after your brake. [ yelling ] >> bart emergency, bart

emergency. >> bart emergency go ahead. >> central, we just struck some individuals at 16 decimal two. it may be bart employees. >> reporter: they say they will consider whether the current strike but bart's two largest unions had a bearing on the accident. >> reporter: the union held a candlelight vigil for the two employees killed here but bart unions continue to picket. >> if that strike were to end right now it would be a few more days before the trains were up and running on those tracks again. still ahead we're awaiting word from the white house. you're looking at an imagine from the white house, the rose garden, we'll await word from the president about fixing the

website of the affordable care act which some call an unmitigated disaster. we'll be right back. desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are your headlines. same-sex marriages are continuing in new jersey. today chris christie withdrew his legal opposition. marriages started at midnight. secretary of state john kerry is in france to talk about the middle east peace process bu,but he's probably going to be answering more questions on francfrance and the nsa's gatheg of information. each year a man from

illinois turns carving giant pumpkins into halloween magic. >> my name is steve, i'm a pumpkin carver. i have been carving pumpkins for about 24 years. i enjoy it. the tools i use are chisels a potato peeler, and a couple of scrapers. >> right now it looks like a big scary face. >> i don't draw on the pumpkin. i just--i'll wing it. i'll do anywhere between three to four hours. i start with the eyes first, the nose and the mouth is the last thing that i'll carve. >> it looks amazing. >> now i'm going to make his top live by taking the potato

peeler, and i'll scrape until i get it to go around. >> do you supply the pumpkins. >> i bring them in. >> we have a big machine that comes in and scoop it off my truck. >> it's humongous, and colorful and cool. >> my inspiration with carving pumpkins, i like the way the children react. they never get to see something this big before. the police where we get these big pumpkins are up in wisconsin. i have nine growers who grow the pumpkins for me. i preserve to carve the pink colored and the cream colors because the walls can be as thick as 13 inches thick. >> i think it's unbelievable that there is a pumpkin that big. >> it's going to look like a

ball. >> my carvings will rot. they last only for two weeks but to me it's think it's an art. >> and steve started carving pumpkins as a hobby. since then he has done it professionally across the u.s. and as far away as poland. we want to remind that you we're watching washington where we're awaiting word from president obama concerning fixes to the affordable care act website. we've been given the heads up that he could be speaking at any moment now. in northern nevada police are investigating a shooting at sparks middle school. a child has been shot and the gunman is under arrest. no word on the condition of the child. we'll have more as it becomes available. a 12-year-old has been shot and the gunman is said to be in custody.

>> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist dave warren with news coming out of the pacific. we're looking at typhoon francisco, and that will dump a lot of rain over japan and cause overlow in the fukushima site where they'r they have radioacte leaking there. this coming week, it could weaken about but could move over tokyo with a lot of heavy rain. watching this track closely, it's not what we need, and a little too much rain is more rain in the forecast. temperatures here across the country have dropped quite a bit. especially in the northern plains from denver to minneapolis. chicago's 34, warmer along the east coast. there is a storm spinning up over canada with a front drapped

across the midwest. you see the cool moving across the north and will bring with it a drop in temperatures, also another storm developing. first off the drop in temperatures you can see the freeze warnings and free watches in affect. these are issued the first time in the season when teaches will drop to 32. 28 minneapolis. chicago is down to 32. this is a low temperature tomorrow morning. a draft chill in the air when you step aside it the midwest and the plains. this rain and snow will work its way to the east but it's a storm that will devil off the coast once that cool air hits the warmer air. the temperatures are climbing in the upper 60s tomorrow. it will warm up across the northwest and then drop as this storm develops. a storm off the coast by tomorrow morning will stay off the coast. here comes the front as it moves through virginia by wednesday and