>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. as a new round of nuclear talks open in geneva, iran's he leader could complicate the deal. and a meeting in afghan doing u.s. withdraw. [ "taps" ] >> a nation remembers john f. kennedy. >> back to the negotiating

table, and all right iran's supreme leader i spoke to a pa a paramilitary group and slammed the u.s. saying instead of using threats, go and repair your devastated economy so your government does not shut down for 15 days. go and pay your debts. phil, i got if tell you, the first opening meeting was quite brief. it was almost as if it was the setting of the table for what is to come starting tomorrow. >> reporter: yeah, tony, those comments are being discussed here in geneva, you really couldn't miss them. but an u.s. delegation spoke in the background briefing today and the top negotiators has the impression that most of that was

meant for the domestic audience back in iran. nevertheless, top officials saying that it does affect the december cases of mistrust that was built up over the years and that will have to be overcome if a real agreement is to come to the table. >> what are those specific issues that have to be ironed out for there to be a deal here? >> reporter: okay, tony, this is the nuts and bottles. primarily there are several issues. the iraq heavy water is of concern because it can be used in a number of nuclear weapons. and the surplus of enriched

uranium that iran has. the u.s. officials say they don't expect a rush for there to be people to break sanctions. they think the six-month period, a trial relief of some sanctions of $10 billion wil worth, will a good period to see if iran is earnest in their intentions. >> thank you, phil ittner in geneva. >> john terret. >> reporter: why do we really care? >> why do we care? >> reporter: because ordinary people are really hurting. because you know, there is little doubt that the reason these talks are taking place in geneva at all right now is because iran's economy is really in a bad way. in the past seven years the u.n. the european union have all

imposed crippling sanctions against individuals and companies and entities that have literally wrecked iran's petrol economy, and we're feeling the pinch. iran's economy is the 21stageest economy in the world by gdp or growth. of course it's dominated by gas and oil production but there are 40 industries listed on the tehran stock exchange. but the effect of the sanctions has been to seal iran off from the rest of the world. it cannot easily import or export materials for a long time. it was assumed that the materials that iran needs to keep going was coming illegally from china to the east. however, i think that either to have gone away because right now the trade at iran's ports have seized up. exchange rates have plummeted

making iran's experts cheap, a d imports are the opposite of that. they cannot get ahold of foreign exchange. there is no silver or gold or precious metal trading going, and they can't get parts for think boeing fleet. ordinary iranians are finding that their lives are affected by these sanctions. there is plenty of gas for vehicles but think about that, getting spare parts for those vehicles that deliver the gas around the city in iran when they break down is difficult because they can't get the stuff in the country. now that's why iran's leaders are talking to the west. if they don't do it now they may have to deal with a harder line post 2016, and they fear civil unrest if on the streets with angry iranians cross with their

governments that the sanctions are having such a bad affect on their families. >> i think that's not spoken of nearly enough. there is pressure internally in iran because of the years of these crippling sanctions. >> reporter: exactly. >> and in many cases the iranian economy right now is held hostage to what results could come from these negotiations. so important topics, it is why it matters. john, thank you. >> reporter: thank you. >> joining m me now, michael cohen, do we have it right, there are internal pressure regarding the sanctions. does that make it more confident that something will get done now than before the future?

>> everyone wants a deal. it's in everyone's interest to get a deal. it doesn't mean that a deal will happen, but it could weaken their position or make them more willing to compromise to get a deal. >> the iranian supreme leader making nasty fiery comments is part of the course, but he did not pull back his negotiating team. what impact if any will those comments have on the talks, and was that more for domestic consumption. >> i'm sure its more for domestic consumption and to give them cover if they do make a deal. but as far as the american government wil is concerned that that will stop them from wanting to make a deal. the rhetoric is not helpful, but it won't stop them. >> do you think there is an text for agreement, an framework for an agreement in place here? >> there was paperwork at the p 5 showed to iran, and they had

to going band to consult with their folks back in at this ran, i think there is a framework of a deal, it is not agreed upon, but it's pretty close of what it will look like. >> help me to understand the position of israel in this. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is calling for a few freeze in the iranian program. is that going to happen? >> no, the israeli position does not want iran to have any nuclear capability at all. they want the facilities out of the country. the uranium out of the country. that's not going to happen. >> why are they arguing for a position that won't happen. >> that's a good question. it could be to make a tougher deal. my sense of it is that's more inclined to torpedo the deal. he doesn't want a deal to happen at all. his position is there shouldn't be any capability for iran.

his goal to so torpedo the deal. >> and the saudis in particular, are siding with israel on this in this strong line, at least, what cams later, but now certainly taking this strong line. >> if israeli israelis were to e military force, i think they would be cheering them on, privately. they're as opposed to iran getting a bomb as israel. >> thank you, michael cohen, a fellow with the century foundation joining us here in studio. you know, there may not be a deal on iran just yet, but the u.s. and afghanistan have reached a deal to keep the american troops in the country after 2014. ross lind jordan is i for us.

i wonder if immunity for u.s. troops is a part of the deal. >> reporter: according to secretary of state john kerry immunity is very much a part of this deal. this has been confirmed in the past hour that there is a deal between the u.s. government and the afghan government on what is being called a bilateral security agreement that would take affec effect january 1, 20. the afghan government posted a draft version of this agreement. even though it was dated nine days ago it does indicate that u.s. troops and civilian employees of the defense department would have immunity from prosecution under afghan law if something happened while they were deployed in country. that would not apply, tony, for contractors, for people who work for private firms that are supporting these u.s. troops and civilian employees of the defense department.

that's a key distinction. one of the issues that turned out to be very difficult while the u.s. was fighting the war in iraq. also in there is this idea that the u.s. is going to pay an unspecified amount of money, but it is going to pay punish every year from now on to help pay for the training, the mentoring and the paychecks of afghan national security forces. that's some 350,000 men and women who are working even at soldiers or local police. the u.s. taxpayers are going to be footing the bill for that because the idea is to essentially keep them from going back into growing poppies which leads to the production of heroin, or worse, joining up with the taliban or some other group that might try to de stabilize the government. >> do we have th the number of . troops that would stay in the country, i think i read around where 10,000, is that close?

>> reporter: that's one of the main numbers that has been wantied and. we've seen as few as 5,000 to as many a 28,000. it really comes down to what the afghan government said it would need, and, two, what pentagon officials think would be sufficient in order to carry out what is supposed to be primarily a training and support mission. that means that they would have to decide where these troops ought to be deployed, how many of them should be there, and then really make certain that they have the right mix of people to do that training, to do that support work, and if the afghan military found itself needing extra help on the ground. but that 10,000 seems to be the number that is being bantyed about very frequently. >> roslind, they're meeting in the country now, and this is a meeting of tribal leaders of

delegates. is this deal a done deal, or can they scuttle this deal? >> reporter: that's the $64,000 question. that's of great concern for officials in the obama administration because even though the people who were picked to be at this meeting are thought to be supportive of the government of hamid karzai, there is no guarantee that they won't take a look at this deal starting thursday morning and say, well, for example, maybe we should be charging them to fly their aircraft in afghan air space. maybe we should be charging them more than the going rate to use electricity and running water. maybe we should change the immunity standard. it's not clear whether they're going to rubber stamp it or try to make changes. if they try to make changes that will complicate not just the long-term relationship between the two countries, but if the u.s. were able to gain the permission to stay in

afghanistan, military leaders may complicate their efforts to do the kind of planning that would be effective and worth having those troops deployed in afghanistan. >> that's terrific. ross jordan, thank you. we've got a little bit more reporting to do on this very question. so starting tomorrow afghan tribal elders and politicians will meet to discuss the proposed deal we were just talking about with ross. but as reported from kandahar, many afghans are already opposed to the agreement. >> reporter: for many people in kandahar life has been extremely hard over the past 12 years. they're squeeze between a major military base and a strong taliban presence. the traditional way of decision making will take place in kabul to debate the future of some basis in the country. but for people like is this shopkeeper in the city want them

gone. >> thanks to god we are muslim and the americans, everyone knows who they are. no islamic country would want to give a place for infidels if their country. they don't want to give them military bases ever. >> reporter: people here tell them that the war has brought them nothing but loss. and from the thousands of representatives traveling to the meeting, should reject any agreement with western armies. some have little faith going to the capitol. >> these elders have not consulted ordinary people. they have not talked with them about these issues. ordinary people are not aware of it. >> most of the kandaharys we have spoken to want foreign forces out of afghanistan. they've seen some of the most brutal fighting here over the last is it years and much less reconstruction and development. in other parts of the country, offer, opinions on the bilateral

agreement are much more diverse. >> reporter: some are mindful that a lack of foreign troops could leave afghan forces more vulnerable than ever. >> if the agreement is signed, it's a good thing. if foreigners leave the country, then we're left behind. if they stay this the country they will help us. they're good for the security of afghanistan from every point of view. >> reporter: head further north, and residents remind us of the international politics at work. >> this agreement is not in the benefit afghanistan because many want afghanistan to be their colony. we are already their colony. they also want military bases to have authority in the region. >> reporter: across the country opinions on the security agreement range from support to suspicion and fear. as elders gather to come to a consensus they will be shaping the lives of millions they

represent. jane ferguson, al jazeera, kandahar city, afghanistan. >> meteorologist: i'm meteorology dave warren. we look out to the northwest, snow will continue to move across into the rockies and then it will pull warm air from the south and cold air from the north bringing a mix of wintery weather. cold air is down into colorado and kansas. now look at what happens throughout the morning. warm air approaches from the south but cold air stays in place. that's a storm developing bringing warm air to the north, and then the cold air is trapped, so you start to see a mix form. rain over oklahoma and kansas. then as that rain moves through

cold air there is a mix developing, with snow where it's cold enough there is a mix in between. you're seeing a mix of rain to ice to maybe even freezing rain to snow. but this area could get a coating of ice. or if it freezes before it hits the ground that sleet could be slippery on the roadways throughout the day tomorrow. this is wintery precipitation but we're talking about an arctic blast. we'll have more coming. player. >> coming in al jazeera america. a change in ranks to protect soldiers. >> reporter: the nation remembers in a tribute to president john f. kennedy. >> reporter: one joyful, one solemn, both ceremonies reverenceial.

this party is all built around the worst video game ever made. who is driving the desert bus for hope, and what is this all about? we have answers in a basement studio in british columbia.

>> so on friday the u.s. will mark 50 years since president john f. kennedy was assassinated in dallas. today president obama paid

tribute to his legacy. the awarded the presidential medal of freedom to 16 people. kennedy created the award just before he died. the presidents will went to the arlington national cemetery to lay a wreath at his grave. walk us through in parts today a pretty solemn day in washington. >> reporter: it was a welcomed day in many respects, tony. first of all in the east room just behind me the grandest stage that the white house has to offer. that ceremony awarding the medal of freedom to 16 people serving their country culturally, athletic, music, performance, there were jurists, scientists, civil rights activists, former president bill clinton, oprah winfrey, this is the highest civilian honor this country has to offer. it happens every year. there have been 500 such awards that have been give out since

john f. kennedy initiated it 50 years ago. one of the awardees was oprah wiwin free, and she was a big backer of president obama's campaign in 2008 and 2012. the president spoke and had kind words for each and every one of the nominees, but it was kind of special when he spoke about oprah. >> early in oprah winfrey's career, her bosses told her she should change her name to susie. i have to pause here to say i got the same advice. they didn't say i should be named susie, but they suggested that i should change m my name. people can relate to susie. that's what they said. it turned out, surprisingly, that people can relate to oprah just fine.

>> reporter: tony, i'm not going to go through all 167. gloria stein ham was there. daniel inoye, from the president's home state of hawai'i. >> mike, thank you. >> on wall street the federal reserve takes the fuel out of a potential market rally. the dow following 66 points. those mints show some policymakers felt if the economy improved they should pull back on the stimulus program soon. jc penny's effort to turn around its business seems to be working. shares soared an, and jc penny d

it's optimistic about the key holiday shopping center. =fplt and pre-owned holes fell, national association of real state said that because of median home price rising, and 30. year mortgage rates remain above 4% throughout the month. we go to the ceo and chief global strategist of a euro pacific capital. can i say something to you? >> sure. >> i've been sitting here day in and day out. one day the economic news is pretty good. the next day it's pretty bad. sometimes on the same day it's good and bad. what is the state of the economy in your mind? >> i think the economy is a mess. you talk about jc penny's turn around.

it's losing millions. the revenue is below from where it was last year. the stock price is down 90% since 2007. i mean, talk about turn around is premature. the main problem for j this, penny is a lo is the same you problem a lot of retailers have. many can't shop at jc penny. they're loaded up with debt, auto although loans, student loans, and mortgages, america is broke. >> america is broke. we have minutes and there is discussion among fed policymakers about when to stop the program. >> they're never going to stop. they have to talk about stopping, it's impossible. >> let me cue up the question, and then you take it up. >> qe forever. is it possible? is it likely?

>> it's not possible. the market will put an end to it eventually. the federal reserve won't. the fed will delay it as long as possible because it doesn't want to accelerate the crisis. the meant the qe stops the whole phoney economy that we've built on qe will championships. the fed doesn't want to admit the phoney nature of the recovery, so they're never going to stop the qe. they're going to increase qe. eventually the market will figure out the fed game and force it in by crushing the long end of the bottom market, and then the fed will have no choice. then we'll face a worse financial crisis than 2008. >> you're not negative by nature. you're looking at the data, and this is your read on it, right? >> yes, exactly. that's how i was reading it when the fed was inflating the housing bubble in 2008. the data is what it is. this is a phoney recovery. and if you look at th the anecdl evidence, if you don't pay attention to government numbers and look beneath the surface you

see the health of the economy continues to deteriorate. >> thank you for your type. speedometer schiff is ceo at euro pacific capital. >> so there is this sexual assault case that involves a heisman trophy contender. >> reporter: yes. >> are you getting more information on how that case is shaping up? >> reporter: we are, but the problem this alleged assault happened in december. it took awhile to get to the point where we are today. now the alleged victim of the sexual assault involving florida state jameson winston said the tallahassee police warned that her life could be made miserable if they continued charges against winston because tall laytallahassee is big football

city. in the second leg of the qualifier against new zealand, mexico came in with a commanding aggregate lead and mexico now qualified for six consecutive world cups. and finally members of manny pacquiao and rios' camp got into a scuffle today. the incident started regarding the camps allotted practice time at the venue and it ended up with alex ariza kicking freddy roach, pacquiao's trainer, in the stomach. now neither rios or pacquiao were involved in altercation. what is the fight going to be like if the trainser are already going at it. >> i'll sign up for that pay-per-view. a small stung hold with big

views on obamacare. and the ugly sweater collection. oh my.

♪ >> welcome back to al jazeera america. here's a look at your top stories now. world leaders arrived in geneva to reassume nuclear talks with iran. u.s. and other leaders trying to broker a deal with iran. it's leader said his country would not set it back not one iota from its nuclear rights. and president obama pays tribute to president john f. kennedy by laying a wreath. the pentagon has been under fire for not doing enough to combat sexual assault in the military. senators want to do something about the problem but they have different ideas about how to move forward. libby casey in washington for us, libby, talk us through the proposals that are taking shape.

>> reporter: senator gillibrand is the biggest voice on this issue right now. she has been on the senate floor off and on all day pushing for an health that would take sexual assault cases outside of the military chain of command. that's significant because if you're a victim or accused it can be your command who are is the arbitor, the person making the decision about what happens next in your case. the senator said it should be left up to independent military professionals outside of that military hierarchy. here she is explaining it in her own words. >> simply put we must remove the conflict of interest from the current system. the system in which commanders can sweep his own crime or the crime of a decorated soldier or a friend under the rug. protect the guilty, and protect serial predators, and it harms military readiness. until leadership is held accountable this won't be corrected. >> reporter: now other senators aren't pushing back and saying while they want the military to keep working on the problem of

sexual assault and make sure it gets more reported, more dealt with, changing the command structure is not the way to go at it. one of those big voices, senator john mccain. >> i say it as passionately as i can to my colleagues, if we do not trust the commanding officers who take our young men and women in battle our most precious assets. if we don't trust them, then we obviously had better reevaluate our entire structure of the military. >> now this debate is taking place within the larger conversation about a defense authorization act, a big defense bill. one of the other proposals on the table by senator mccaskill of missouri does not go as far as senator gillibrand's bill, it doesn't change structure but it makes it a crime to retaliate against someone who reports

sexual assault, and makes it key for commanders to go nate court-martial convictions. right now they have that power. >> that brings me a question. the military has a big stake in this. what is pentagon's position? >> reporter: that's right. they don't want to see gillibrand's bill to pass. they want to make sure that military leaders are held accountable, but gillibrand has been pushing back against that. she has a coalition of senators and it's not all democrats or republicans on one side or the other. she has got people like senator ted cruz, more liberal members. it's splitting up among interesting lines. >> libby casey on capitol hill for us. people in the midwest are spending another day sifting through what was once their homes after a string of tornadoes ripped through their towns on sunday. in one small town of washington,

illinois, we're on the ground there, andy, it's day two, how are people coping, and i want to know what aid is not on the way, but what aid is actually on the ground there to help folks. >> reporter: well, actually, tony, team rubicon has arrived, a non-profit group of ex-war veterans who go around to natural disasters around the country. they use technology that was used to track terrorists, they've repurposed it, and they use that technology to assess homes, find out if homes can be salvages odd nor. these tough guys do not get paid but they like the sound and gratification that they hear from the homeowners. >> when i explained what we do, a lot of people don't know about us, so when i explain what we do they have a deep emotional

release, and it affects me. i sat there, and i cried with them because it just--it's an amazing feeling that for them to know that they're getting help, and for us to know that we are making a difference. >> reporter: you know, with over a thousand homes that were destroyed you can realize how important team rubicon's efforts are. in the meantime there are more efforts up coming. they have a television program coming up called "help for the home front," and on thanksgiving day they have organized a big thanksgiving dinner at the high schools for all the victims as well. >> andy reporting from washington, illinois, for us. andy, thank you. nearly two months in, and we know the problems plaguing healthcare.gov are far from being very solved. suffice it to say that many people are frustrated with the

healthcare.gov roll out. but in some parts of the country, it's not just the website they're angry about. we go to rome georgia, two hours north of atlanta. that's where right wing tea party candidates are using the failed launch to grab votes for 2016. >> reporter: in rome, georgia, political chatter about what is happening in washington is as familiar as the southern charm of its main streets. >> the people up there don't have a clue about what is going on in the united states. >> reporter: in the foothill of the appalachians, rome is home to conservative republican congressman tom graves, one of the architects of the legislation to repeal obamacare. he has also voted to continue the government shutdown. he can find plenty of supporters in rome who blame the president for the failures of government. >> there would be people disposed to opposing him on purely partisan grounds and people are vehemently opposed to

the affordable care act. it's one of the things that energid thenergized the tea pare early days. >> reporter: over here is lack of confidence specifically in the president of the united states. that's not surprising. back in 2012, his opponent mitt romney won this region by more than 73% of the popular vote. now the problem plagued rollout of the affordable healthcare website and the partisan bickering that led to a partial shutdown of the federal government are add to go earlier disfaction, contributing to the continuing disapproval ratings for president obama. >> i think it has helped him tremendously. >> reporter: charlene has been an independent pharmacist in rome for over 30 years. she thinks that obama's policies are anti-small business and with the affordable healthcare act is will just getters. >> independent pharmacies are not a preferred pharmacy, which will cost our customers more

copay if they trade for us. >> reporter: in the local barbershop the hope is gone. >> when he was first elected, he had an opportunity as a black man, being the first black president of the united states, that he could actually make some changes. >> roy hudson supports the president. >> there are some people driven interest the tea party movement because of racial resentment. we know when we look at public polls tea party the sympathizers are more likely to express views that harbor racial resentment

than those who are not affiliated with the party. >> reporter: in towns like rome the anger may be enough to bolster the part in coming elections leading to the 2016 presidential bid. >> so i think it's just moments from now we may get the timing right on this, illinois is about to become the 16th state to allow same-sex marriage. we have live pictures with illinois governor pat quinn in a moment here, we may not have the timing right. the state's centers voted to legalize gay marriage last february and the house passed the bill by a slim margin earlier this month. the law takes effect on john is. a republican congressman pleads guilty to cocaine possession.

>> reporter: freshman republican congressman trey radle, the congressman in the blue, not the guy in the tie, the other guy, he was busted last month in do you upon the circle after buying two and a half grams of coke from an undercover cop. given that it was his arrest the judge sentenced him to probation. he may find himself in a tough political spot because of his hypocrisy. it would have forced some americans to prove they are not on drugs before they can receive food stamps. the latest debate over execution methods came to an end today. joseph franklin, was put to death in a missouri print earlier this morning by lethal injection. his lawyers tried to challenge the protocol and tried yesterday

to block it, but the state appealed and cleared the execution. it was the first death penalty carried out in missouri in three years. reverend billy graham who turned 95, has been admitted to a hospital. it appears the evangelist has had some breathing issues. did we mention that billy graham is 95 years old? and exactly one week our nation will celebrate the day before thanksgiving with expressions including could that idiot in front of me drive any more slowly? yes, next wednesday is the busiest travel day of the year. and triple-a predicts 33.4 million americans will travel 50 miles from home. thanks to the sluggish economy the expectation is down from last year. 90% of all travelers will go that method, by car. and if that includes you there

is good news, gas prices are the lowest they have been for the holiday in three years. tony, i know you're a dapper guy with really terrific threads, well, like all of us i'm sure you have at least one awful holiday sweater like these folks who are in the holiday sweater race. now all of us have the opportunity to wear the tony harry's ugly sweater for a good cause. the group is asking people to run out or walk out in hideous sweaters to raise money for cancer. the more embarrassing you can wear the better. >> if you don't have any really bad once i'm willing to donate a few to the cause. >> reporter: you have some with reindeer. >> oh my goodness do i thanks to my kids, the holidays, and the 80's. i got plenty. hitting the road for eight

whole hours, not so fast. here is alan schefler. >> reporter: i'm in victoria, british columbia, with folks who are deadly serious about raising money for charity and helping kids all over the world. we're in the center of the geek university with kings and wings of the inner web, and we will look at the desert bus for hope. >> and football season canceled in massachusetts. michael eaves explains why in sports ahead onal jazeera america. seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story

next only on al jazeera america

>> when was the last time your road trip took you from tucson to las vegas. it's an eight hour journey and one that is virtual. stay with me here. but it raises real money for some really special kids. so here to tell us all about the desert bus and it's mission is alan schafler in british columbia. it's all yours. >> reporter: tony, here we go. we're talking about the desert bus for hope. we'll pan to the right. and show you who is driving

right now. and there is the screen from the desert bus co-opted by a comedy troupe and their extended family and friends to create a huge fundraiser a wildly pop lay event reaching all over the world. they turned a very simple, a very--well, it's borey, it's dumb. a video game into an amazing charity fundraiser. >> there it is, the view from the desert bus for hope on screen and on the road. down this quiet alley and behind this blue door you'll find a cramped studio with something weird and wonderful happens every year. [♪ music ] >> reporter: view verse checked in from 126 countries in the last few days, and the more they pay the longer this event runs and the longer the bus rolls. dance and song challenges from a hyper active chat room bring in

donations. so do online drawings, silent auctions and auctions live for anything. >> we just continued limited edition i love the opening band is sold. >> reporter: there is the bus. still rolling. it is a modern type of telethon intensely interactive, and viewers chat, blog, tweet, post on facebook and youtube. >> the right them makes you go. and the left them makes you correct your driving. >> reporter: how do you drive while dancing? >> like this. >> reporter: they keep the bus on the road all the way from tucson to vegas in realtime. do that and you get a single point. >> you just got a point. >> never released commercially desert bus has a rapid following. it was designed by magicians who call in to chat and donate.

>> considering that our intention was to create the dumbest, most boring gam video e ever, i rate it are a success. >> reporter: all the money raised goes to child play, a seattle-based charity. >> we have a network of 90 hospitals worldwide. the money goes to consoles, video games, ipaids and technology to improve the lives of sick kids around the world. >> reporter: so the bus rolls roll, and stunning organizers who just wanted to have a little fun and help kids in the name of gaming. >> it's a wonderful feeling, but it's just sort of, we all look around at each other and go, how did we do that? we're, to be honest, we're not entirely sure in. yeah, i've been here for 24 hours, and i'm not sure how they do all of this. they've raised $262,000 so far this year more than $1.5 million all told in their seven-year

run. all of that money goes to child play charity and helps out hospitals all over the world. 70,000 separate people have plugged in via the internet to check out the website. and it's extraordinary and completely nuts but cheerful group of people. >> i'll ask you to step aside. instruct them to give us 10 seconds of energy. just give us some energy. >> reporter: ten seconds of hilarity for tony in new york. [ cheering ] >> all right, they had it about right, kind of dumb but not too terribly boring. it's all right. adamingappreciate it, thank you. >> all right, let's get to

michael eaves for a day in sports. you're telling about but winst winston. >> reporter: a sexual assault case involving quarterback winston will stall because the alleged victim will not step toward and press charges. in a statement released by the alleged victim's family, a tall hattie detective warned her that her life would be made missishible if she continued to press charges against winston because tallahassee was a big football town. and doing so would alert winston being a suspect and the matter would go public. both florida state and winston's attorney said that he has done nothing wrong and his playing status is unchanged. on a high school level, disturbing graffiti has ended

the season for a massachusetts team. the phrase "knights don't need inwards on the home of one ever their teammates. one player whose mother is white and father is black, the school superintendent said, quote, we have no tolerance for racism in any form, and we do everything we can to eliminate it from our schools and our community. no arrests have been made. joining me now is kevin, comments with "the boston globe," kevin, you wrote a column about this incident in a greater context, if you will. for our audience, give us an example of what type of community we're talking about. i believe it's 50 miles north of boston? >> it's about 50 miles northwest, but it's out on route 2, a very scenic, when the foliage is in tune, there is nothing like it out there. it's a small town about 9,000 people in central massachusetts.

like any small town i think there are differences of opinions about this in terms of the town did obviously did a very commendable communal act in which there was a vigil on sunday night in which people showed solidarity with isaac phillips and his family saying this type of hatred would not be tolerated but it gets more complicated. by canceling this game, for any high school football player, the best game of his career is the thanksgiving day game and it's at last organized game of football. there is a lot of traditional, and it's a big thing particularly here in massachusetts. there are some people who believe they're punishing the many for the sins of a few. there is a presumption that somebody on the football team put that graffiti up there, but do we absolutely know for sure? we don't. but town officials believe by

doing this, one, there is going to be an awful lot of pressure on the perpetrator or perpetrators to either step forward or be identified by somebody who might know what they did. and i think that's number one on the town officials. but the flip side of it, there was a hearing in the town last night actually at the town select group don't have any control over this, but more than a hundred resident showed up and said this is not fair on the good kids of the football team who did nothing to bring this about. and then you have to think about the other team, the collect school involved who always plays them on thanksgiving day. now those kids have nobody to play on thanksgiving. two schools are being punished for the sins of one, two, or who knows how many people are involved in this graffiti. it's not as clearcut as it was a couple of days ago. >> he has been argentinaed by other incidents. his tires from slashed, his bicycle, something was done to his cleats.

granted things like this happen all across the country, and this may be an isolated incident in this area, but nonetheless, how do you respond to something like this going forward? and if you're the kid, what do you do? should his family be forced to leave the community? it is overwhelmingly a white community. if he's being targeted simply because his father is black, what does it say about the community itself. >> the community showed up and said they have no tolerance for this type of hatred which is commendable for people in this town to do. young isaac is 13 years old. he said he doesn't want to go back to school. there are so many different issues. but at the end of the day the most important thing is this 1231-year-old boy and his personal security and his personal health in a situation like this. beyond his physical health, his emotional health, and i think that's what i think most people have to focus on in this. there are wider issues in that town because let's not forget this--the cancellation of the

season is not necessarily just because of the graffiti. there were reports that at least two our games involving the lunenberg team against another town, both varsity or junior varsity game, and that the allegation is that more than one lunenberg player threw that "n" word out at opposing players. that's what is really going on. that's a much bigger issue. >> thank you so much for the insight. very sad, but very good perspective. it's a football game. that's all it is. it's a football game but sometimes people take things way too far. and here is a 13-year-old kid who has younger siblings and they write the "n" word on his house, and these are some of his teammates? >> in the weather and the arctic

blasts that are on the way.

>> meteorologist: i'm meteorology dave warren. we're talking about a wintery mix and the arctic blasts for this weekend. this is colder air, just the cold air most south. not the arctic air yet. that's next. winter weather advisories with warnings in southwestern montana. we could see accumulations of snow. the cold air is pushing down in wyoming. it's a colder shade in billings. in denver this is a colder shot

of air as the storm develops in texas. you could see a wintery mix with ice, sleet and snow across the midwest across the day tomorrow and tomorrow evening. then the art arctic air comes n this will be saturday coming across the great lakes as this moves south. it will move through about saturday morning and saturday evening. the arctic air will slide to the east. now it's there on saturday, and by sunday it's across the northeast here as it continues to move across new england. you'll see a quick drop in temperature. we'll have lake effect snows and everyone could see wind chills drop down below zero. the timing of this, there it is in chicago, we'll have a look at the headlines coming up.

>> this is al jazeera america with tony harris. leaders arrived in geneva trying to broke arrest deal with iran over its nuclear program. iran's supreme leader said that his country would not step back one iota from nuclear rights. there may not be a deal in iran, but the u.s. and afghanistan have reached a deal to keep american troops in the country after 2014. secretary of state john kerry saying whether or not iran could continue to enrich uranium would not be resolved, and he noted afghanistan's president