. . . president obama admits he fumbled the rollout of the affordable care act and announces a plan for americans to keep insurance policies cancelled under the law >> some victims of typhoon haiyan are begging for help a week after the storm. >> a reality tv show for the mayor of toronto, the plot twist for rob forrd. >> in chicago - hundreds show up hoping to try out for the new star wars movie.

. welcome to al jazeera america. under pressure to keep a promise he made repeatedly, president obama said he'll make changes in his health care law, announcing on thursday insurers may reinstate cancelled policies for a year, but insurers must be told what they don't cover. they cannot be purchased by new customers, a republican bill on friday let's health companies offer the plans that don't conform to the affordable care act. mike viqueira has more from the white house. >> it was a remarkable appearance by president obama. he was contrite, apologetic, shouldered a lot of the blame and propose add -- proposed a solution, a fix.

>> with republicans and democrats on the verge of a revolt president obama decided it was time for a mea culpa. >> it's on me. >> the president denied he was aware of pre launch tests that warned of disaster. >> i was not informed correctly that the website would not be working. i don't think i'm stupid enough to say this is going to be like shopping an amazon or travelosity a week before the website opened if i thought it wasn't going to work. >> with millions seeing existing policies cancelled as a result of the law, the president proposed a fix. >> insurers can extent current plans into 2014, and americans whose plans have been cancelled can choose to reenrol in the same kind of plan. >> there's no guarantee insurers will offer the old plan. in a statement top lobbyists slam the proposal. changing the rules after plans

met the requirements of the law could destabilize the market and result in higher premiums, it was not good fuf for republicans, taking turns on the house floor. telling tails of coverage. 25,000 lose. >> democrats threatening to defy president obama. some bills forcing insurers to replace the plan. senator mary ley andrew facing a tough fight. >> we probably need new legislation. >> top aids were sent to capitol hill to calm democrats. >> it's legitimate for them to expect me to have to win back credibility on the health care law in particular, and on a whole range of these issues in

general. >> as he shoulders the blame, president obama insists the reform will work. >> these are two fumbles on a big game - but the game is not over. >> and the first votes on the proposals come in the house of representatives, voting on a bill allowing insurance companies to offer plans to those that had them cancelled but allows them to sell to new customers, and the fix is beyond 2014 to what the president proposed. >> mike viqueira reporting at the white house. it's been a long road for president obama and his overhaul of the health care system. promises have been made, but the challenges were enormous. >> let's be the generation here, now, saying, "we will have universal health care in america by the end of the next president." >> if you like your plan and you like your doctor, you won't have to do a thing.

>> if you have health insurance, you like your doctor and plan, keep your doctor and your plan. now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together and show the american people we can do what we were sent to do. >> i believe it's time to give the american people more control over their health care and insurance. >> if you like your current insurance, you will keep your current insurance. i get how upsetting this can be for a lot of americans, particularly after ai shurnss they heard from -- assurenesses heard from me if they had a plan they liked they could keep it. i fumbled the ball. i'll make sure it's fix. >> house speaker john boehner dismissed the changes saying the law should be scrapped altogether. >> turning to the philippines, problems are complicating the

relief and rescue efforts in tacloban. the body count is rising. the city is running out of places to bury the dead. the death toll is estimated at 44-00. bodies are piled in streets and morgues. unidentified vic ims are being dumped in mass graves. >> craig leeson is on batayan island north of cebu. the first wave of aid arrived at the remote island where you are, what did you see? >> well, that's right. we spent the night on the mv gemini six, a small and old cargo veriesle that travelled for the last 10 hours to reach the remote island off the northern tip of cebu. the island was hit with the full force of typhoon. it did not receive the massive

surge of water that leyte did, but it did receive the wind. that caused damage to this island. it desimated parts of it. behind me - you can see some of the palm trees have been snapped. some are standing, there are houses to my left. the damage here is just as great, and we are here to travel with a convoy. it's one of the first relief shipments to arrive. these people have been without food, medical attention and water since the typhoon hit. we are travelling across the island to three major centres to watch the aid is distributed to people that need it the most. >> aid to other areas has been a major issue. are you hearing updates from government officials that that situation is improving? >> well, it certainly seems to

be improving on the ground in cebu when i was there yesterday. cebu - philippines air force base was extremely busy with international aid organizations coming in c130 aircrafts, finally arriving, organising relief efforts, and sending most aid to tacloban, where it's needed, because that was the epicentre of the disaster. it seems that the cogs have begun to turn as far as the international effort is concerned. in remote places such as here, remote islands, there's no sign of international help, or even national hep, and, in fact, most of the aid coming here is from private organizations or local governments. the shipment we came with is with a group called the rapid response unit, a civil volunteer unit working with the local

municipal government to bring aid here, because they are off the radar as far as it goes with international aid. they haven't heard in the philippine government. local government and people are helping out in remote areas where they can, so that people are able to eat, and to build shelters so that they have somewhere to sleep during the evening. >> that is what my next question would be to you. what about shelter, electricity, running water. are folks living in primitive conditions? >> the only power here is from generators that have been brought on and the generators have been used to power up the cell towers. so there's a form of communication. shelters are few and far between. most of the houses here, like elsewhere, where this typhoon crossed lost their roofs. they need tarpaulins and

shelter. that is brought here today. more importantly medical attention, because it's been so long since the typhoon hit, that they are starting to experience disease, problems with diarrhoea, pneumonia, particularly in young children, because it's been wet and rainy. in the evening it's cold. during the day it gets hot. so we are getting problems with those sorts of diseases, dengue fever and the medical teams are setting up field camps and supply them with medical equipment so they can treat the sick and the injured. >> there's a great need. craig leeson reporting from batiyan island in northern cebu. we'll look forward to your updates. >> staying the course on the economy. president obama's pick to lead the federal reserve says she'll continue the pro manufacture growth policies, janet yellen was questioned by the senate banking committee. some republicans expressed concern that the bond buying strategy is creating a market

bubble. she'd be the first woman to head the central bank. janet yellen said she'll do what's necessary to create jobs and get america on track. >> the objective of our policy is to broadly benefit all americans, especially those who were seeing harm come to them and their families from high unemployment in a recovery that has taken a long time and been, frankly, disappointing. wall street apparently liked what they heard from yellen, the dow rising to a record high on thursday. the s&p gaining 9 points. iran's nuclear program has slowed dramatically. that is the finding of the atomic energy agency. negotiations aimed at further curbing iran's nuclear

activities resume next week, president obama spoke thursday about the consequences of iran getting nuclear weapons. >> it would be not only dangerous to us and our allies, but destabilising to the region, triggering a nuclear arms race. >> if it turns out six months from now that they are not serious, we can crank, dial the sanctions right back up. >> the president says diplomacy is his first choice, but he has not ruled out a military response. >> well, for the nearby parts of the united states things are warming up - between 15-18 higher in one day as we enthe day on thursday. friday will be nice. enjoy it while you can. to the north-west - rain and

snow. now, the higher elevation, especially the cascades, we are expecting to see two feet. in some places in the central cascades 2.5 feet in the next 48 hours, that will be a problem if you cross the cascades by road. the skiers are getting ready there. the rain extending all the way back here to parts of utah as well. for seattle it looks like this on friday and saturday. rain in the forecast. sunday and monday things get a little better. temperatures getting to the high 40s, and overnight lows of 42. down towards the south-west, things are not looking too bad. california, showers from the north. phoenix - nice over the next day or so with temperatures on friday going up to 83, down towards saturday, 74 degrees there, and plenty of sunshine as we begin the new week. texas saw showers along the

coast as well as across parts of the austin and san francisco. showers making their way towards east alice, high temperatures of 60-70 degrees. friday, cloudy conditions, temperatures rebounding, look at sunday to monday. a controlled font is coming in, dropping -- a cold front is coming to dropping to a high. showers to mobile and new orleans. >> new allegations about toronto's beleaguered mayor, the latest rob forrd allegations. and whitey bulger - how long will he spend behind bars. evidence from more than 1,000 unsolved rapes, why budget problems could present a roadblock to justice.

ed. crude remarks, crack cocaine, strange behaviour, toronto mayor rob ford has been in the spotlight for all those things, now he says he's getting professional help for his drinking problem. we have more on his latest apology. >> facing the media for the second time in a few hours rob ford apologised for his first appearance, asked about allegations of a sexual advance on a member of staff, he denied it using inappropriate language. >> i used unforgiveable language, i apologise. the allegations are 100% lies. >> the embattled mayor confirmed he's receiving treatment from drink and drug use. >> i'm receiving support from a team of health care professionals. i am taking accountability and receiving advice from people with expertise. i do not wish to comment on the

particulars of this support. >> this video obtained by a canadian newspaper shows rob ford swearing and ranting about killing someone. police confirmed they were investigating a drug case when they found footage of the mayor smoking crack cocaine. during a council meeting where they wanted him to take a leave of absence they had another reason want him out. >> have you purchased illegal crack in the last two years? >> yes, i have. >> ford apologised for his behaviour but repeatedly refused to step down or take time off to deal with his issues. released documents from a criminal case against one of the mayor's friends link him to drug use, drink-driving, threats to staff and issues of personal behaviour. a popular figure when he became

mayor in 2010 his popularity has plum eted demonstrations outside city hall demanding he go are getting bigger. he has no problem saying he'll continue. even as the city waits to see if more will come. >> the city council is considering stripping ford of his duties and cutting his budget on monday. if approved he'll be mayor in title. >> a child pornography crackdown in canada leads to hundreds of arrests worldwide. the operation saved nearly 400 children. the arrest of a man charged with running a child porn site started the investigation. police tracked down users of the site. >> a stone-faced whitey bulger hears his fate. he'll probably spend the rest of his life in prison.

he was sentenced thursday to two life terms, plus five years. whitey bulger was convicted in 11 murders. he was captured two years ago after a decade on the run. whitey bulger was taken by a motor kate to a prison south of boston, his attorney says he plans to appeal. dna tests are the strongest evidence in rape cases. thousands of rape kits are put in storage untested. we report from detroit where prosecutors who are trying to reopen unsolved cases say they are running low on money. >> over 11,000 untested rape kits - some dating back over two decades. for years the kits, which hospitals used to collect forensic evidence from rape victims collected dust inside an old detroit police storage facility. >> i was surprised, but not completely shocked.

>> wayne county prosecutor kim worthy made the discovery in 2009. >> there was nothing to do but pursue it and make sure at some point in the victims' lives we get just. >> fighting the cases comes at a cost. without county funding worthy's office depends on grants and donations. money is running out, resources are thin. i have to have fund raisers to source the office. >> is that normal? >> no, it's ridiculous, it's not normal. that is what we have to do. >> so far 1,154 rape kits have been tested and reviewed by michigan state police. through dna analysis they identified 300 suspected rapists. and 59 serial offenders. as a result, over a dozen

rapists have been prosecuted, including this man. >> you'll be sentenced to a minimum term of seven years, a maximum of nine. >> grant, sentenced to 27 years in prison for raping a woman? 2004. the rape kit crisis is not exclusive to detroit. in 1984 carol bart of dallas texas was raped. her kit untested for two decades. now she speaks openly about the issue and the need for funding to test the kits. >> i want them to know there are people like me who will come out and speak about the rape kit until we get all the money we need to have them processed. >> worthy says $15 million is needed to test the kits and investigate and prosecute the cases. with victims out there, the prosecutor hopes funding issues

will not jeopardise justice. >> federal officials estimate there are 400,000 untested rape kits nationwide. congress is reconsidering funding for a program that cost $1 billion. officials defended the program saying it's needed for maximum airport security, even though it failed to detect a gunman who killed an officer at the los angeles airport. the report says the program is flawed and un fairly targets certain racial groups. >> federal bureau of investigation director james comby believes cyber attacks will be the number one national problem for the u.s. he said computer hacking, theft and espionage will pose more dangers to the u.s. than al qaeda and other terrorist networks. comby was appointed and expects

cyber attacks to be the top priority by the end of his 10-year term. >> the c.i.a. is collecting records from international money transfers in and out of the united states. the collection includes americans transactions with companies such as western union. the c.i.a. financial records is authorised under the same law allowing the n.s.a. to collect records from international phone calls. the effort overseen by the court known as hiser. >> the video game war to heat up as sony's latest playstation hits stores. >> some of the rare dinosaur skeletons to hit the auction block. a multi million price the bones could go for. how would you like a chance to have a movie role in a galaxy far, far away. >> and a search for star power in the star wars film.

walmart's latest results are

raising concerns about the holiday shopping season. third-quarter earnings topped expectations but revenue fell short. they expect holiday sales to be flat. >> the battle in the video game wars is underway, sony's new playstation 4 went on sale. they have 1 million preorders, coming a week ahead. xbox 1 debut from microsoft. >> a fossilized fight to the death could be worth $9 million. two dinosaurs are thought to have killed themselves in combat and been buried. the skeletons were found 10 years ago on a montana ranch by clayton philps.

>> i appreciate the pail yentologist who understand the importance of these studies. i hope it can be academically studied. >> the skeletons called mon talla's dualling dinosaurs will be talked in new york. >> if you wanted to be a jedi knight here is a chance. >> here in chicago, it's freezing, bitter cold and windy, hundreds are here in full force hoping for a chance at sci-fi start om in a seventh -- stardom in a seventh film. the director is stepping away from the reboot to hone the film for disney and lucas. star wars episode 7 are casting a net in search of a male and female to play major roles. they were instructed not to come

in cost uch. >> i was looking forward to doing the job with my bikini. i had it at home. it's a good idea. i would be chaffing if not for that that. >> star wars, my brother got me hooked on that. we are doing it for him. >> auditions like this have taken place in st louis and england. after a day in chicago, the team moves on to austin texas and nashville. can't make it, online video auditions are accepted. the characters are described as rachel, a young woman, beautiful, smart, 17, and thomas - 19-23, handsome, smart and athletic. if any of these hopefuls make it through the rigorous audition pros possibility, it will be years before they are seen in a galaxy far, far away. it's not scheduled to hit

theatres until 2015. and that will do it for us, i'm stephanie sye. thanks for watching "the stream" is next. suicides and accidental precipitation overdoses are alarmingly high in the u.s. military. is indies cell natural dispensing of painkillers and psychiatric drugs to blame? ♪ ♪ could the military have a drug problem? the he is department of defense spends billions of drugs to treat mental illness and reduce pain, in fact a recent report by the department of veterans affairs found that v.a. doctors prescribe specifically more opiates to