welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. a major winter storm blacking up travel plans for millions. parents are reluctant to speak with their teens and sex. plus teen pregnancy in america. the rates are down but only for a certain sector of the population. ♪ just in time for the holidays a major winter storm dumps snow, rain, and freezing

rain across much of the country. there have been flight cancellations up and down the coast, delays at airports around the country. diane is in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. diane safe to say, snow is the story where you are. >> reporter: yes, it certainly is, dell. here in pittsburgh, i would say about two to three inches of snow has fallen. the department of transportation has road crews working 12-hour shifts. so far no major accidents. still in other wards of the country this has been a dangerous wreak for holiday travel. >> it is a deadly storm that had wreaked havoc in the mid-section of the country. 33 states have seen whiteout conditions, but the worst is yet to come, with heavy rains expected to hit the east coast

later tonight into wednesday. all enough to snarl traffic and air travel. threatening plans of millions of americans hitting the road this week for thanksgiving. >> i saw an accident in the parkway. it was a four-car pileup. >> reporter: from sleet and 50 mile an hour winds in albuquerque, new mexico, to philadelphia where many are bundling up against 20 degree temperatures. even the south, where high surf is picking up. and it's not just commuters and travelers. in colorado springs police are on high alert as they race from wreck to wreck. >> i hit a bridge coming over and the car just went airborne sideways, and i was doing 20 in

white knuckle with two hands on the wheel >> reporter: and in western new york first responders came together to save a hunter who was trapped waste deep in freezing waters. the rescue team getting stuck themselves before a hovercraft and helicopter were brought in saving everyone. strong cold winds could ground the iconic balloons from flying at macy's thanksgiving parade. the domino effect of a wintery storm where the calendar still says it is fall. the national weather says by tomorrow night it expects about a foot on snow will have fallen on western pennsylvania. >> diane what about the airports? what happens if i want to fly? >> reporter: well, it depends on where you are in the country. yesterday we saw problems in the

south and west, and those problems are now moving east with the weather. we're already hearing about delays in atlanta, we expect to hear about delady -- delays in places like philadelphia, pittsburgh, and boston. >> diane thing you very much. now here is dave warren with the latest on where the storm is now. >> the storm is still off of the gulf coast and intensifying. there will be a lot of rain, but that will still cause problems. here is where the snow is expected to come down, western new york and pennsylvania and down the appalachian mountains. look at how it just stops, though, along the coast this will all be rain, but very heavy rain. we can start to see this mixing occurring here. that is freezing rain.

roads along this area will be dealing with ice. there is the rain/snow line. but it warms up considerably and will continue to get warmer as the storm brings in warm air. mixing will occur here, but the storm will bring up a lot of warm air with it, so it's mainly rain and the rain will continue heavy throughout tuesday and wednesday, then it's winds we're talking about. in other news the future of that security deal between the u.s. and afghanistan is up in this the air. afghan tribal leader approving the deal but karzai says he won't sign it yet. >> reporter: even though leaders recommended that karzai sign the agreement, he is balking.

he wants to see an end to private-home raids in afghanistan. the u.s. are allowed in the name of counter terrorism to do that now. and he wants to see inmates at guantanamo bay released. and this centered around the elections, dell. he wants to delay until the april deadline gets closer for the presidential election. however, that is unacceptable to the white house. dell. >> libby what does this mean for the thousands of troops still in afghanistan. >> it could mean a lot. susan rice met yesterday karzai, and she said these delays could be very costly. >> if the agreement isn't signed properly, what i said to the president is we would have no choice, we would be compelled by necessity, not our preference to have to begin to plan for the

prospect that we will not be able to keep our troops here. and then the nature of our partnership and the investments that we have made will be more difficult to sustain. >> she relayed the message if karzai does not sign this soon, it could mean the pull out of troops in 2014. and also no monetary aid. >> is there a sense in washington that here we go again, after iraq put up a fight after the u.s. forces pulled out is there a sense in washington they are very frustrated with the karzai government? >> it's so interesting the power karzai is trying to wield. but the u.s. has a lot they can put up as a bargaining chip. and the fact that it was

recommended that he sign helps. but the u.s. holds a lot of cards because they have the troops and the money, dell. >> libby thank you very much. the top commander of the fee syrian army says they will not take part in peace talks unless some demands are met. here are the details. >> reporter: syrian rebels and -- under growing pressure to make a decision about whether to attend the geneva peace conference. but the main opposition group is pushing back and has set a number of conditions for sending its representatives to those negotiations. one of them is a ceasefire across the country to be followed by humanitarian

corridors to areas besieged by government soldiers. they also want the release of prisoners, but that's not all they want. they want a change in government too. >> we will not go to geneva if the our conditions are not fulfilled and the first and main important position that bashar must leave the power and he does not have -- will not have any role in the future of the country >> reporter: while the political maneuvering continues, so does the shooting. fighters are seen here launching an attack against government troops. on the outskirts of damascus, government jets found rebel positions. and over in the callmoon area, a major army campaign is underway to retake positions now under

rebel control. it has been more than two and a half years of fighting, and tens of thousands of people have been killed. now the international community faces the delicate task of convincing both that peace is the only chance. china's first aircraft airier is getting a workout. they will test the crew and equipment over long distances and a variety of conditions. the move is controversial, china and other countries are fighting over control of those islands in the south china sea. anti-government protesters in thailand continue to occupy government buildings there. they say they will continue until the government stepping down. scott has more from bangkok. >> reporter: a new day begins

with hundreds of protesters still inside government compounds. by late morning with an arrow pointing the way, they set their sites on closing down more ministries, furthering their promise they would spark the collapse of the government. they say it no longer represents them. >> look at the people around us here. a lot of people have been silenced for so long, and i think this action means a lot to us. it's time for us to show that we're not happy. >> reporter: the prime minister faces a two-day no confidence debate, but her party controls the house of representatives, so there is to chance she will be voted out. >> translator: the acquisitions are strong and unjust for me. >> reporter: she says police and security forces will not use force to remove protesters, so

the demonstrator have continued without much violence. >> reporter: the anti-government movement is organized and has a massive following. but what happens next? they have asked the government to resign, but they haven't made it clear what they would do if that actually happened. this man resigned from his parliament seat to lead the protesters, but has yet to define the movement's political goals. that might be because even if the pis unseated, there still do not have the votes to win. france is calling for a larger force to help curb the violence in in the central african republic. 1,000 friend troops will join an african union force already

there. the movement coming a day of a possible civil war. buying a piece of history. coming up on al jazeera america, a piece of the iefl tower goes on the blocks for big bucks. >> al jazeera america is the only news channel that brings you live news at the top of every hour. >> here are the headlines at this hour. >> only on al jazeera america.

every sunday night al jazeera america brings you controversial... >> both parties are owned by the corporations >> entertaining... >> it's fun to play with ideas... >> thought provoking... >> get your damn education... >> surprising...

>> oh absolutely... >> exclusive one on one interviews with the most interesting people of our time >> you're listening because you wanna see what's gonna happen... >> i wanna know what works, what do you know works? >> conversations you won't find anywhere else talk to al jazeera sunday - 7 et / 4pt only on al jazeera america >> oh my... the centers for disease control reporting that teen pregnancies are going down but not for blacks and hispanics. natasha ghoneim went to east harlem in new york to see what is being done about it. >> reporter: by the time 17-year-old knew she was going to be a mother, she was around six months pregnant. >> it was just like, woe. like, oh my god. but my mother says everything happens for a reason. >> reporter: that was two years ago. her mother was 18 when she had

her first child. she says her mom never had that sex talk with her, and didn't warn her about the struggles that teen parents face, but she says she has no regrets. >> it helped me slow down and focus on stuff that was more important in my life. >> reporter: between 2007 and 2010, the teen pregnancy rate dropped 18% in keeping with a continuous decline, 45% over the last four years, but the teen birthrates are still double that of whites. union settlement association is a 118-year-old community group that serves east harlem. the organization runs a teen pregnancy prevention program and offers classes to teen parents. michelle runs the program. she says the pregnancy rates are

higher among blacks and hispanics due to lack of education. >> many of the parents who have teenagers were teen parents themselves, so they tend to be more on a friend to friend basis. >> reporter: perkins says once she is old enough, she hopes to feel comfortable talking to her. >> i want him to come to me or come to his father. and i will give him better advice. >> reporter: michelle says community groups get to work together more, but education begins at home. natasha ghoneim, al jazeera, new york. the cdc says teen birthrates fell almost 23%, and that is a 6% decline from 2011. the cdc says it is the lowest rate they have seen since

tracking teen births. ♪ on wall street there have been 42 records for the dow this year, and we could be looking at 43. stocks are getting a boost from some positive housing news. the federal aviation administration getting involved in issue involving geengines on planes. monday bowing warned of possible engine icing problems in those engines. microsoft saying some of its xbox 1 consoles have faultily disk drives. gamers began complaining after hearing clicks and knocking noises after inserting the disk.

if a piece of the eiffel tower is on your holiday shopping list, you are just a little bit too late. paul brennan has more from paris. >> reporter: since its construction in 1889, more than 250 million visitors have climbed its staircases and risen in its left. recognizable worldwide as a symbol of the french capitol, and a pioneering example of art and engineering combined. the chance to own an original section was something very special indeed. >> it was the invention of the structure, so a lot of houses, and [ inaudible ] have been made because of this new technique, so it was [ inaudible ] and technique, both sides. that's why it is magic. >> reporter: in this photo

gustav eiffel stands on the staircase. but valuing such unique objects is always difficult. in october of this year, a violin reputedly played on the titanic went for $1.7 million at auction. and a small piece of the berlin wall can be bought on the internet for just over $50. but how about a whole bridge. an american dropper bought london bridge for over a million dollars. an eiffel tower staircase is certainly an object of desire. >> reporter: it's not just a piece of the eiffel tower, it is also a staircase and piece of art. >> translator: i wouldn't mind

buying a piece. >> reporter: other sections are on public display. private collectors own a few others in in existence. the new owner of this section has joined an exclusive club. painted this battleship gray and slightly rusting at the edges, this staircase doesn't come pay the full magic of the eiffel tower. but knowing that you are literally standing in the footsteps of gustav'sel himself. lots of people have small gardens in their backyard, others have ones like this. 140 feet straight up. that's next on al jazeera america.

power of the people until we restore our freedoms and r

welcome back to. i'm del walters. these are the today's top headlines, holiday travel off to a rocky start. snow, rain, and snow, moving towards the east causing major highway headaches across the country. thousands of flights have either been delayed or canceled. karzai says he want more things added to pack between afghanistan and us. protesters in thailand stormed government ministries. australians are building a garden unlike anything else you have ever seen. first of all it is vertical. second it is 140 feet high.

andrew thomas has more from sydney. >> reporter: you could call it an urban jungle crawling off the side of the building are vines, ferns, and flowers, this is the newest example of the latest thing in architecture. structures clad with vertical gardens. one central park has the tallest garden anywhere. it runs up 14 floors. the outside of the building is the latest project of the french architect. >> it is a little bit like this [ inaudible ] it's quite a challenging, yeah? >> reporter: due to fully open at the end of the year, the design is part of a growing trend for greening the outside of buildings. partly it's for aesthetics for passers bi. >> you'll see mosses and ferns and bugs in here even inside, so

it's actually developing its ecosystem >> reporter: it is also a system of the deep less visible green credentials, water recycling that will turn wastewater and even suage into flushing water to use. >> it's a vej. it's a label. they are the branding. they are the identity. they are the visual display of what this project is trying to achieve. >> which is? >> which is a unique development with a brood and in2340e vattive sustainability agenda? >> reporter: the living art acts as a bill bard. the developers wanted to make it's chronic, so authorities could approve a building of this size. the garden seems to have done

the trick. already 1250 of the 1400 apartments have been sold at an average price of three quarters of a million dollars. this is similar projects being developed around the world. greening van nears one building at a time ♪ meteorologist dave warren. temperatures are right about the freezing market, but they will get warmer. a lot of warm air will be moving up with this storm. a lot of rain, but a little bit of freezing rain. pittsburgh is at 32. and here is this rain snow line up to about pennsylvania and maryland, and it will continue to move north. as far as the amounts of snow, 5

to 9 inches in pennsylvania, western new york and up through new england, but along the coast is just a lot of rain. right here, though, we're starting to see that cold air get stuck in place. so we're going to see rain which could freeze. that lead to ice accumulation. very slippery roadways with ak -- accumulating snow. the wind issue will be wednesday night to thursday. wednesday night as all of the moisture is moving out, it will start to dry out, but the wind will pick up. these will be gusts of up to 50 miles an hour at least. very windy day thursday the first day of hanukkah and thanksgiving. as far as the temperatures go, they climb today well above the

freezing mark, but this 29 comes after this rain and snow clears out. thursday, 35 and 25. very windy but getting dry. sunshine is there thursday, friday, and saturday, but the storm clears out. the big problem will be the heavy winds and rain. inland you have ice on the roadways and snow accumulating in western pennsylvania. this will last for at least the next two days. dell? this >> dave, thank you very much. in bosnia, a sinkhole swallowed a pond. villagers have some theories about what happened. some say the pond vanished because its owner died recently, but one geologist says it is just nature. thanks for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters. "inside story" is next, and for

updates throughout the day, head to aljazeera.com, where the news continues 24-7. >> between u.n. security council members, germany, and iran, hope halts temporarily iran's nuclear deal. that is tonight's "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez. it's only the first step towards a far more difficult goal.