>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. yet another delay from the affordable care act. this time affecting small businesses. a number of americans could spend their holidays as captives in iran and north korea. and winter weather could make the thanksgiving get away dangerous. >> we'll have all the latest in just a moment. what could be another blow the roll out of the affordable care act. the white house giving small businesses more time to enroll for coverage.

the news coming on the eve of the deadline to fix problems of healthcare.gov . mike viqueira is at the white house. we're heading to the holiday dump which appears to be more bad news for the administration. >> reporter: it's a cascading affect from all the problems that obama has had with the roll out of the affordable act. the official news just released moments ago is that this online component for small businesses, del, if you're a small business defined as having 50 or fewer employees. you want to supply your employees with insurance. offer it through your business. now you cannot do that online. the goal was to have that up and running this month. there is an one-year delay, largely the result of all the problems, and the glitches that

have been the result of online.com. first of all, small businesses are not compelled to offer insurance. but the online component of that would have allowed them and still can allow them if they go through agents through through insurers to get tax credits to make it more affordable for health insurance. this is more bad news and cascading bad news and mitch mcconnell i, i just saw a tweet from his office, they're calling for the repeal of obamacare. >> sometimes you just have to lance the boil, but some might be asking what else can go wrong? >> reporter: there is a significant date coming up over the holiday weekend as well. the administration promised that the quote/unquote vast majority of americans would have a smooth experience when they got on to

healthcare.gov . only two months after that website was launched by voluntary majority finding 80% of americans who go on that website, we're talking about people in the individual marketplace who do not get their insurance threw their employers. they will be able to enroll a lot of people are going to be looking to that day and it comes on saturday. but whether or not that is going to be the case after all. >> mike viqueira joining us live from the white house. thank you very much. >> reporter: okay. >> now to that thanksgiving get awayer, the powerful storm that is making it tough for millions to make it to their holiday destinations. we have two reports, dave warren, but we'll go to randall pinkston at laguardia airport, what is the situation with flights being delayed? >> reporter: we thought the weather was going to be a huge problem today, but we've been checking the faa air tracker and

so far the delays are fewer than expected. but of course the day is still young. this is what it looked like on the south. this is what it looks like today in the northeast. the storm system that started in california canceled hundreds of flights as it moved across the country. while there have been some disruptions today it is definitely not been as severe as anticipated. >> this morning we had a little bit of a lull in the weather. so the winds kind of died down. the rains kind of died down. and the wind and rain is supposed to pick up again in the afternoon. so far we've dodged a bullet. >> reporter: a new expedited system of going through security has eased long lines. >> they will keep their shoes on, they keep their belts on, light outer wear on, their laptop and their 311 bags in

their bags. >> reporter: this is the busiest day of year in the country but many still choose this path to get to their destination. >> the flight is three hours, and so far so good. >> do you usually travel on at bussest day of the year? >> absolutely not. i avoid it as much as i can. >> reporter: people will travel more than 50 miles in the next six days with the majority jumping in their cars tomorrow. that's fewer than last year meaning the skies and the roads will be less connected. that and the weather break is something that millions of americans can be grateful for as they begin their thanksgiving holiday. >> normally there are 1.8 million travelers a day, but today 2.4 million are expected. >> randall, thank you very much. as we've been saying all week this has been a massive storm system dumping rain, snow, depending where you are, sleet and ice. dave warren has been tracking

throughout the week. dave, is the worst over? >> not quite over yet. there was that lull they were talking about, and this it, an area of rain, still all rain as the temperatures remain warm. so a little farther south we see the rain continuing. there is the snow moving east. the cold air moves in along with the guesting winds. it will be along the coast and by that time things will be drying out. flooding across new england, the winter advisories and storm warnings still remain in effect. still up in the 60s in boston. 44 in new york. dropping down to 39 in washington. so a cold rain, but its rain. the temperatures are above freezing. in comes the cold air. the air will clear up and it will get cold and windy. the there are two storms, the whole system is elongated, these will become very up tense, and all that rape is gone.

it will be gone, and we'll look at the first day of hanukkah in the national forecast. >> thank you very much. new high profile prisoner in iran in north korea. robert levison was held more than six years. he was detained to a business trip to an island in iran. and accused of being a c.i.a. spy. in north korea merri ll newman was detained last month. authorities took him off the plane before kick off. kenneth bay has been held by north korea since november of 2012. the white house saying it's committed to bringing all american detainees to be brought home. protesters in thailand running four straight days. we have our report from bangkok.

>> i would say in general it is not tense, it is rather festive and rather loud. there are while ever whistles aplenty. it has added a new measure of pain to cover these protests, i must say there are clear instructions from the leaders that there are not to be any weapons by protesters. but given that and the history of protests in violence anything could happen. violence could cause break out. they have security guard t who e dressed in black who are not slow to react if they see threats, and they are very careful to protect the leader, who had a been issued with an arrest warrant for rebellion because of protests over last few days.

>> the law making it illegal to demonstrate out a permit. security forces firing tear gas and water canyon. s. activists for human rights warning that egypt's new law must be changed. iran and turkey calling for a cease-fire in syria. iran supporting the assad very cream, turkey backs the rebels trying to overthrow the government. those peace talks takes place january 22nd. coming up later she called it her fair fairytale dress. the dress that goes up for auction on monday. we'll tell you what people are doing to put down their phones. >> ten thousand from now it will be against the law to have an electronic device in your hands and drive.

opening doors ... opening possibilities. taking the impossible from lab ... to life. on techknow, our scientists bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life.

>> every morning from 5 to 9am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other american news channel. find out what happened and what to expect. >> start every morning, every day, 5am to 9 eastern with al jazeera america.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. another piece of information is texting while drive something dangerous, more dangerous than you think. five second is the average time that a drivers' eyes are off the road while texting. texters are more times more likely to die in a crash. and 60% say they use their cell phone while driving. the states you want to avoid is tennessee. they have the highest death rate linked to texting any where in the u.s. >> reporter: it's meant to grab your attention new message boards reminding drivers that 900 people have been killed why texting while driving this year. distracted driving specifically texting behind the wheel is behind many of these deadly crashes. >> it's definitely got worse here in the last few years.

i would say right now it's the number one traffic safety issue in the country. >> reporter: tennessee is one of 41 states where it is now illegal to text and drive. yet, in the four years since the tennessee law went into affect highway death versus not gone down. in fact, tennessee violators only face a $50 fine. >> i will like a stronger law that we would easily enforce. i think down the line in the future probably five to ten years from now it will be against the law to have electronic device in their hands. and drive. >> reporter: a national safety council report details just how bad the problem has become. seve7% of all fatal crashes were caused by texting.

law enforcement officials are using a variety of strategies that are trying to combat the problem. troopers have swapped squad cars for 18 wheelers giving them a higher vantage point so they can see what drivers are up to. >> reporter: they're using several campaigns. using sobering psa's to highlight the dangers of texting. >> this is the text from me right before they flipped her car. >> reporter: they're promising to push for heftier fines. >> i know if i get a $250 fine every time i was texting and driving i would stop the first time i got caught. >> they're getting ready to up the ante and put costs every certainly miles to enforce those laws. >> reporter: state leaders say they believe the problem of distracted driving will likely get worse. leaving tennessee and other

states looking for new and more aggressive approaches to keep numbers like these from climbing. jonathan martin, al jazeera nashville. >> across the country taking aggressive steps to outlaw hand-held devices while driving. well, coming back to our top story, thousands, in fact, millions out there on the roads right now. diane estherbrook watching the roads for us. she's live in chicago along the kennedy expressway. diane, smooth sailing so far? >> yes, beautiful weather and it's a grat great day to travel. this is the heaviest travel day for motorists. 89 million people are expected to take the roads and joining me from triple-a is beth moser.

we've seen a lot of bad weather throughout the weekend and even still today in the east coast, do you think that is going to prompt some people who would have flown to take to the highways? >> you know, we actually think people who have airline tickets and were scheduled to fly are going to continue with those plans. certainly we may see people who choose to drive who weren't already planning to drive. but we think that people who have tickets are going to hold on to those tickets and fly. >> this is a little bit fewer people traveling this year versus last year. what happened between last year and this year? >> we are seeing a little bit of decrease in travel and the number of people traveling. we really think it's due to the economy. while the economy is improving, it's an improving in an sluggish pace. for many people they're choosing maybe uncertain in their job says, and they're choosing to hold on to that disposable income. >> reporter: it's very cold out today. what do motorists need to keep in mind?

>> motorist who is have not packed up the car should go and get their battery checked. cold weather can zap the battery very quickly. >> reporter: thank you very much. stay safe, and have a happy holiday. >> diane estherbrook joining us live from chicago. diane, thank you very much. >> checkingous business news. the dow was up up six points. if you blue chips finish in positive territory it would mark the 45th straight day of record closes. that merger where the largest airplane is taking off. signing off on the 17 billion combination but they first had to take up across the country.

big banks may have to pay more. standard and poor say top banks including jp morgan and bank of america may have to pay an additional $400 million. just last week jp morgan agreeing to a settlement over shoddy related mortgages. some people are fixing up their home and business is booming, but there is a hitch. the banks aren't lending the money to do some of those renovations so some of those people are getting creative. >> a home remodel in the atlanta area for 25 years. she said business is good but it has changed dramatically. >> the joke in the industry both rremodeling and building, oh, te banks have opened up lending to a trickle. >> it's been much more difficult

for homeowners. >> it's been difficult for even my professional clients, doctors, lawyers, professionals. they can't get a loan. >> reporter: result, barn said most of her clients are currently financing some or all of their renovations themselves. >> people are getting creative in different ways. sometimes they borrow it from an interest line on another home they own. sometimes they take the money out of their 401k and do it themselves and then refinance the house at the end. >> reporter: that includes her current client, when the bank wouldn't give her and her husband the money they needed to renovate their home. >> it was very creative. i played with numbers and different types of loans that was daunting, but in the end it

will be better financially. >> mormore of her clients are turning to hom home depot and ls to finance their renovation. >> you can go in and open a line of credit and have 18 to 24 months to pay. >> and barns has evolved her business to accommodate this wave of self-financiers. >> people are not doing a bank loan, they're at a laws of when to pay us and how to pace us because the bank would dictate that. one way we've kept ourselves in the game when people can't get a loan from the bank is using the bank form. so we have turned our paperwork in a similar form. rather than says your job is $40,000 pay us 10%. we say pay us for the footing, for the framing, for the roofing. clients can understand if that has been completed. >> reporter: she said it's more work for her but it's better

than not having of the business and the clients appreciate the added effort. >> it's great to work with someone that you trust. >> reporter: al jazeera. >> black friday is going to be a day of protest at some walmarts around the country. unions plan to march outside certain stores demanding higher pay. very few of walmart employees willing taking part. it will be a five-star meal in a soup kitchen. we'll have that story and more when al jazeera comes back.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm ale del walters. here are some of the stories making news at this hour. an accident in brazil has left three people dead. it happened at the sao paulo stadium where hoping ceremonies for the 2014 game is set to be held.

the obama administration saying vice president joe biden is going to be talking about the new dispute between japan and china when he visits beijing next week. trying to set up tensions around an area that is claimed by both china and japan. the affordable care act now giving small businesses more time to sign up for coverage. it is the most important events in chicago's history. the world fair in 1993 changed the country and especially chicago. now there is a new exhibit that takes a look back. we have that story. >> reporter: if. >> they called it the white city, the world's fair that transformed chicago the world's fair of 1893 put chicago on th e

map. >> it was the moment that chicago came a world class city. the potential was there. the wealth was there. the industry was there. but until the 1893 world fair there wasn't a coming together of all of those factors and focused on the city being a world city. >> reporter: an arresan architel marvel. costing dozens their lives. >> 17 were killed and then later the fires. >> there were other world fairs but this one was industrial and enormously success. whole villages from across the globe and their inhabits were

shipped to the city of big shoulders. the city's emblem is this massive wheel storing 100 feet higher than the ferris wheel that now anchors chicago's navy pier. >> people came to look at the future. >> it was short lived. the white city built on a swamp and torn down as soon as it ended. >> reporter: it's hard to find a lasting remnant on the city landscape. this is one of the few. now chicago's museum of science and industry. but then it was a palace of fine arts. they needed one permanent structure to safeguard the masterpiece of the day. what was left behind was this, meteorites now reliving the landmark fair. >> then there is this, a giant louis vuitton in moscow's is

having moscow showing red. the designer luggage has been there as part of the exhibit on the company's history. dave a lot of people going to the airport are needing luggage that big to take things home but are they getting there on time. >> meteorologist: it may an little late, but it looks like the de lies with the low clouds with all this rain coming down. it's not stopping the flights. it's just rain delaying the flight across the northeast. this period of snow could coat some areas. the big one, the wind maker here for tonight and tomorrow, big area of low pressure. you see all the rain and snow

gone by wednesday night tonight, this is dry air coming in but the wind will pick up and this is bitter cold air coming through tonight and tomorrow. big storms across eastern canada. high pressure building in across the southeast. these lines are packed tightly indicating a big pressure and strong gusting winds. watch these temperatures drop overnight tonight. thursday morning, 29 it new york, 27 in washington, it may not be all that cold number-wise, but when you factor in the wind chills into the teens and single digits, and that will not move much throughout the day tomorrow. >> thank you very much. it is an annual presidential tradition, the turkey pardon, but this year was a twist. carmel and popcorn. but popcorn won becoming the

national bird. the presidential family will visit a shelter later this afternoon. they always perform service for those who are less fortunate. they're serving a five-star meal at a soup kitchen this thank you. giving up the job as a chef at an upscale restaurant to work at st. paul salvation army. they'll have turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy. i'm del walters in new york. "techknow" is up next. we have a map of all the flights in the air at this hour. it is not a christmas tree. those are the number of planes in the skies even as we speak. the bottom line if you have a flight you might want to call ahead, especially if you're expecting a loved one because they could be late. "techknow" is next.

nerds. tonight sharks. we are tracking some of the misunderstood cret cite cret cre dry cre creatures in the sea. we are behind the wheel of the fruifuture testing out the drivs car. tonight police, science and a