welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. once thought to be impossible, republicans, and democrats getting something done on capitol hill. a vote on the budget agreement could come tomorrow. thousands of people lining up to pay their last respects to nelson mandela as his body lies in state. and new york moving closer to legalizing marijuana as one country down south has already done just that. ♪ the do nothing congress has finally gotten something done

after months of inaction and delays. a bipartisan committee reaching a deal. the plan now going to the full house and senate for approval. libby casey joining us live from capitol hill with the latest. the fact that we're talking about congress doing something is interesting in itself. >> and it really just took two members patty murray and paul brian. and they finally announced a deal last night. in in a case of rare bipartisan agreement, aimed at averting another government shutdown a new budget deal is on the table for now. >> when one countdown clock was stopped, it wasn't too long before the next one got started. >> reporter: budget negotiators representing the senate and house, including the 2012 vice president republican nominee announced a deal to set government spending levels for

the next two years. >> as a conservative i think this is a step in the right direction. we're finally starting to deal with autopilot spending. >> reporter: for republicans the selling point is a control on spending and budget reduction by $23 billion. including higher security fees for airline passengers, but no tax increases. for democrats it's a win against automatic across the board spending cuts known as sequester. a new round is expected to begin next month. hitting programs like health research and education. democrats gave up on trying to roll in an extension to unemployment benefits that expire at the end of the month. president obama out of town to attend memorial services for nelson mandela praised the deal. in a statement the president saad . . .

republican leaders also weighed in on the announcement. house speaker john boehner said . . . but not everyone was pleased with the budget deal. the proposal did draw fire from both conservatives and liberals who say it doesn't go far enough. senate negotiator patry murray said compromise is key. >> i'm confident we don't have 100% of the senate or the house >> reporter: speaker boehner said the first vote will be held in the house. congress will return in january with another shutdown deadline looming, something congressman ryan hopes to avoid. >> i think alleviating government shutdowns alleviates a lot of uncertainty that has been plaguing this country and this capitol. >> dell, they have given

themselves until friday, and that's when house speaker john boehner has said the house will gavel out for the recess. >> is it believed as you read the tea leaves that this might be a done deal? >> i don't think we can say that yet until it is signed, sealed and delivered. but this morning, republicans, the key block in the house, sounding like they are okay with this. lukewarm, but like they are okay. democrats are raising criticisms and concerns but they are likely to vote for it, because they are getting to see some of these rollbacks of the sequester cuts. unemployment benefits not a part of it. nancy pelosi addressed reporters and she said she far prefers ament democratic version of the budget they put on the table. >> libby thank you very much. health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius is

calling for an investigation into the botched rollout of healthcare.gov this as she once again goes in front of a house committee to testify. mike what investigation is she suggesting? >> she has asked the inspector general to conduct an investigation into contractor acquisition, in other words how those were acquired and hired to begin with. she wants to look into management. she wants to look into perform. she wants to look into how the contractors are paid. a whole host of problems. it is no secret it has cost people the ability to get on the website, and cost the administration politically, dearly. she has asked the internal inspector general at hss to look into these matters. you might assume they were going to do that anyway, and it is likely to be very unsatsry for

republican critics. on goes this testimony now on capitol hill even as those numbers have improved and the administration feels it has turned the corner. >> mike these new numbers that they are talking about, how improved are they? >> you remember on october 1st, the day of healthcare.gov exactly six people were able to enroll. it has improved dramatically especially in november. 365,000 people in total. if you combine the state and federal exchanges, have been able to sign up. of those it's still a relatively low number, dell. about 130,000 have signed up in this total on the federal website. it is accelerating. they are seeing more success, shorter wait times.

the administration painting a very rosy detail. >> mike viqueira thank you very much. >> okay. pope francis has been selected as time magazine's person of the year. nancy gibbs saying the pontiff has had the greatest impact on the world this year. since march the pope has changed the tone, perception and focus of one of the world's largest institutions. edward snowden came in second. now to south africa where dignitaries and now thousand -- thousands of mourners continue to file past nelson mandela. flowers and candles lining the sidewalk outside of the south african call sole late in new york. nelson mandela first visited the united nations after leaving prison in 1990.

it was one of many visits to the u.s. his picture also hanging outside the un security council dham cham -- chambers. vice president biden is expected to speak at a memorial service in washington. civil rights leaders and others expected to attend. in south africa the wait see the body of nelson mandela is now starting to look like the lines of blacks waiting for hours to vote for the first time in that country. allan, today's mood more somber it seems? >> reporter: that's right, dell. things have really changed a bit. it's time to say good-bye now. and in the next few days tens of thousands of people will have a chance to do just that. those are the union buildings behind me. down at the bottom of the hill are several bus stops where

people can board free buses and go up there, and that short trip a very important trip in this setting. downtown people queue up in winding lines waiting to board buses to go to where nelson mandela's body will lie in state for the next three days. >> it's very emotional. even now i'm just thinking what will happen when i get there? >> it's important because mandela has passed on. and all we know what he has done for us as africans, especially african women. >> reporter: there is a heavy police presence, but at the moment the crowd is cheerful and patience. as the ten-day celebration of

nelson mandela's life changes venue and pace. it is time to say good-bye in person and no line is too long. >> maybe i will ride the bus in the afternoon. maybe i'll be the last person here. >> reporter: that's a long time. >> yeah, it's a long time. if the police cut the line, i'll sleep here and go up there tomorrow. and then maybe you can provide me with some snacks and something to drink. [ laughter ] >> reporter: and we happen to know that billy did make it up to see mandela today. we'll have the story a little later. >> allan thank you very much. there was also a lapse of security at yesterday's service. the sign language interpret was a fraud. the national director of the deaf federation of south africa said the signing had no meaning. how he got there, no one knows,

and just who he is -- that's him standing beside president obama, how he managed to slip past all of that security with close to 100 world leaders nobody knows how he managed to do so. secretary of state john kerry is leaving for a trip to the middle east to meet with israeli and palestinian leaders. then he will head to vietnam and the philippines. the united states is spend all non-lethal aid to the syrian opposition in syria. rebels taking control of the army bases at a border crossing with turkey last week. embassy officials say the suspension won't effect humanitarian aid. riot police in ukraine have withdrawn after an overnight

faceoff with proterss in that country's capitol. security forces trying to take down the tents and barricades occupying the main square. thousands of protesters have filled the square demanding the president's resignation. the ukraine president is inviting all parties to talk to come up with a political compromise. >> reporter: everyone had been expecting it. confrontation. between the revolutionary movement controlling the center of kiev, and the government unwilling to lose face hours after high-level talks, officials stormed the barricades. at one area of the square a mighty wrestle. at first it seemed an attempt to regain the square. it took three hours for hundreds of police to break the lines,

but their real objective to dismantle the elaborate blockade. the whole purpose it seems has been to take down the protester's encampment around it. so far it is without the use of violence. all the while opposition leaders kept up their calls for the movement to stand firm and stay peaceful. some youths appeared in the mood for trouble, but others were intent on preventing violence, but with consequences. >> we were trying to stop them, get them out and they pepper sprayed me. >> reporter: katherine ashton, the eu foreign affairs chief who earlier stood with demonstrators in the square said she was saddened by the events, and criticized the use of force. >> i come here [ inaudible ] and to show to all of the people that i [ inaudible ] that we

really do care about them. >> reporter: the president's closest foreign ally gives in moscow not brussels, and as long as the russian president opposes increasing ties with europe, his hands are tied. a show of strength that enough is enough, and that it's time for everyone to go home. robin walker, al jazeera, kiev. the president of france is praising his troops for confronting what he calls horrendous violence in the central african republic. flying there after two french soldiers were killed trying to disarm the rebels there. nearly 500 people have died in battles. they now fear the former french colony is on the brink of civil war. the big problem now is every

day passing the new situation. last week it was fight between armed people. now we are fighting between communities. >> reporter: the un saying about 10% of the country's 4.5 million people have already fled, a million more urgently need food. mexican authorities say they have shafly removed a shipment of cobalt 50 that was in truck that was stolen last week. legalizing marijuana, up next on al jazeera america, new york city taking steps to legalize and tax pot. ♪ 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. have been telling you in the san joaquim river, freeze warnings in effect. never seen too much in terms of rain. los angeles, you are going to be seeing some beautiful weather all the way to sunday even into the low 70 did or high 60s, partly cloudy conditions, overnight, about 44 degrees. texas also dry for you as well. we saw rain showers and a mix of precip just a little bit up here towards the north. temperatures for dallas at about 42. san antonio at 55. for houston, well, you are going to be seeing rain by the time we end the week. 59 degrees there. that will will last one day. your weekend should look better with a high of 63. over here towards the southeast, some rain showers pushing through orlando right now.

atlanta is going to be about 56. an american auto maker making history. the newer ground general motor is making as it names its latest ceo. checking wall street, investors once again pulling back from the market's record

run recently. the dow right now down 71 points. it is on pace for a second day of losses. wall street continues to worry about a possible fullback of fed stimulus. for the first time in modern history, pay for younger women is nearly the same as their male counterparts. it's now 93% of the pay of men. but more believe more still needs to be done. for all groups women make just 84% of what men do. florida high school are about to be taught financial literacy. the money course will provide instruction in topics from money management to protecting credit scores. uruguay is now the first country in the world to legalize marijuana.

under the legislation that goes into effect in april. private companies will be able to grow pot and the government will oversea the sale. government officials hope it will slow down the business for crooks. >> reporter: uruguay's senate approved a law which makes the small south american nation the first to legalize and regulate the consumption and sale of uruguay will now allow its residences, to grow, buy, and consume marijuana, a 40-year-old decree allows people to smoke it, and thousands do, but they can't buy or sell it. this in turn has created a market for drug traffickers. uruguayan congress [ inaudible ] wrote the law. >> translator: we had two

options, to fight drug trafficking, or let the state regulate a market where $40 million a year instead of leaving it to dealers on the street. >> reporter: uruguayans over 18 will be able to walk into a drugstore like this one, and buy up to 40 grams of marijuana a month. the government says it will be cheaper and safer than buying it on the black market. but one must register in order to plant it and sell it at home. this man has six pot plants in his backyard. it the exact amount allowed by the new law. >> translator: i'm against declaring it. i'm not afraid of the government or the police, but of being kicked out of my job by my boss. >> reporter: the government will

distribute licenses to pant up to 40 hectors of cannabis to be sold in drugstores. this congress woman says uruguay doesn't have the means to control the new legal market and may compromise the drug war in neighboring countries. >> translator: fighting drug f trafficking is something serious, which cannot be done unilaterally by one country. >> reporter: the president also thinks the country cannot act on its own. that's why he asked for international consensus. the government needs at least 120 days to regulate its new legal marijuana market. and uruguayans are still divided. the president hopes neighboring countries will join his campaign, and help turn his experiment into a success story. and here at home, new york could be the next state to

legalize the casual use of marijuana. lawmakers introducing a bill yesterday to regulate and tax marijuana use. new york city's comp trailer saying it would add $430 million to the state's coffers just from the city alone. colorado and washington have already legalized marijuana. surviving subzero temperatures. coming up we'll tell you how a family of six a is still alive and well. ♪

fight drug trafficking and forbid marijuana consumption, or let thetñ

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are today's headlines. throngs of people lining up in the capitol of south africa today. they are waiting to pay their respects to nelson mandela. his body will lie in state over the next three days before being taken to his home village on sunday where he will be laid to

rest. a house vote on a bipartisan budget bill could come as soon as tomorrow. president obama says he will sign it as soon as it reaches his desk. a major crack down in kiev. riot police have withdrawn after fierce overnight clashes with anti-government protests in the ukrainian capitol. john kerry condemning the action, saying he is disgusted by the violent crackdown. a family of six is alive and well. somehow managing to survive two days stranded in the mountains of nevada in the freezing cold. >> reporter: what turned out to be a terrifying trip to the mountains could have been a lot worse. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: but authorities say the quick-thinking father did his best to better the situation and keep his family alive. >> i remained optimistic, but due to the weather conditions, they were drastic, and it's a

miracle. it really is. >> reporter: james and his girlfriend and four children ages three to ten were on their way to the mountains when their jeep suddenly skidded off of the road and flipped over. they were near an abandoned gold mining town called seven troughs. it's part of a vast frozen terrain that spans 6,000 miles. with no cell phone service they were stranded. >> the jeep was upside down so he stayed where he was at. >> reporter: search and rescue teams spent two days looking for the family. meanwhile temperatures dropped to 14 below zero. he burned the spare tire to start a fire. >> they had a fire going and jay was heating up rocks. >> reporter: fortunately they had enough food and water with

them. a volunteer spotted the overturned jeep through binoculars. >> reporter: the first thing this volunteer did when he found his friend. >> gave jay a big hold hug. >> reporter: the family was in perfectly good condition. >> thank god answered our prayers. they are alive. and that's all i wanted to hear. >> reporter: alive and well. not a single member of the family even suffered from frostbite. ♪ i'm meteorologist dave warren. we are still talking about the cold. no storms, though, they have cleared out. just the bitter cold arctic air. right now the cold arctic air coming down through the northern plains. actual temperatures 4 below.

it is cold out west as well. seattle is at 35 degrees. this cold air will slowly work its way across the great lakes and eventually new england. this is the next 24 hours. not much of a warm-up is expected. and the cold air creating lake-effect snow. we could see some areas getting 12 to 18 inches of snow. here is what is forecast on the eastern side of the lake here. 12 to 18 inches here in western new york, and this will continue between now and about the next 24 hours. we are looking at the temperatures here, specifically dropping below zero. this is the actual air temperature in fargo, 14 below. it feels like it is well below zero. in fact it will stay that way pretty much today.

chicago temperatures only in the teens. friday maybe a little warmer air but it stays below zero on saturday. here is that lake-effect snow. it will continue for the next 24 hours at least. the temperatures are down below freezing. a little sunshine will melt it, but it will refreeze. the outlook showing the lake-effect snow staying this western new york by tomorrow afternoon. the snow may continue through tomorrow night, but eventually some warmer weather will try to come back this weekend. >> dave warren thank you very much. athens is lighting up for christmas and a ship is the centerpiece of the display. it is an old greek tradition that was revived this year. familieies decorating boats instead of trees to welcome the sailors home. thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters.

"inside story" is next, and check us out 24 hours a day at aljazeera.com. ♪ amidst the nelson mandela tribute, the story of apartheid on "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez. the world said goodbye and thank you to nelson mandela in an emotional memorial service in a stadium in