welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. let's make a deal. bipartisan budget deal coming together. final vote could come as early as thursday. a major security breech at the national memorial service for nelson mandela. a gaffe so big it has security experts scratching their heads. and surviving an avalanche. the life saving device that kept a skier from being buried alive. ♪ the house could vote as early as tomorrow on a new budget.

the drift bill being unveiled just last night. the spending plan now has to be approved by the full house and senate. libby casey joining us live with the latest. libby, tell us about the devil in the details. >> it's actually about a trillion dollars spending package, but it does maneuvering with things like sequester cuts. people in in washington have not liked these cuts because they have heard from americans that they have not been received well. things like head start cuts. programs at the nih for health, and military programs. so both members of the house and senate were eager to find a way to replace them. this budget package does just that. this will allow the appropriate fors in congress to go ahead and pass the budget bills which could prevent a government shutdown come january. a lot of members of congress are saying look, i don't love this,

but i'm willing to live with it. nancy pelosi addressed reporterers this morning and she said she far preferred a democratic budget, but she can live with this one, what it doesn't include is a deal to extent unemployment benefits. speaker pelosi likes her version more. >> it was about ending the sequester, but doing so in a way that enabled us to support growth as well as to -- to extend the unemployment benefit -- unemployment insurance. it's absolutely unconscionable that we could possibly even consider leaving washington, d.c. without extending those benefits. >> so unemployment benefits, these long f-term ones do expire in late december. democrats are hoping to see month on that before congress leaves. the house slated to gavel out on friday and go home for the holidays. but for now the budget dealeys

and will probably see a vote in the house tomorrow, and then they would kick it over to the senate. conservatives have had some criticisms of this, as have more liberal members. so it's really the end of the spectrum that have been raising their voice of concern. but darrell issa who holds a lot sway here on capitol hill said he is a conservative and he still supports this. >> conservative groups would like to get more. i would like to get more, but if what we want to do is keep the government open but get a trajectory of savings for now, and then quite frankly argue rightfully so in the 2014 elections that we should be more willing to do more than this particular combination, i think that's the right thing to do. >> the two brokers of this deal, senator patty murray, and paul ryan of wisconsin, said the main bonus is it stops that constant

careening from crisis to crisis that washington has become known for, dell. >> libby i'm confused isn't this the way it used to happen in washington, neither side got exactly what they wanted and therefore, they called it, it's a foreign word, compromise. >> that's so quaint. that's right. dell. this has established the regular order. if this goes through, it would prevent not only a showdown in january, but also next october. it is still a modest deal. a modest compromise because no one is really walking away with the big ticket items that they want, but at least it does the little stuff. >> libby casey thank you very much. our other top story, in south africa nelson mandela's body lying in slate through saturday, thousands of people lining up to pay their last

respects. >> reporter: in downtown today people queue up in long winding lines waiting to board free buses for a trip to the union buildings at the top of the hill in the distance. it's the seat of south african government and that's 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. so i'll just see. >> it's important because madiba has passed on, and we all know what he did for us, especially for south african women. and that's why i'm here to say thank you. >> reporter: there's a heavy police presence at the bus stop, but at the moment this crowd is cheerful and patient as the ten-day celebration of mandela's life changes venue and pace. it is time to say good-bye in

person and no line is too long. >> maybe i'll ride the bus in the afternoon at 4:00 or 6:00, maybe i'll be the last passenger. >> that's a long time. >> yeah, maybe if the police cut the queue, i'll sleep here and then join the queue tomorrow. yes. and then maybe you can provide me with snacks and something to drink. [ laughter ] >> and he did go on to vote. mandela's casket will remain there until being taken to his home village on sunday. we talked to the first african american ambassador to south africa about how he was treated as a black man from the u.s. in south africa, and talk about mandela's unique role in history. there was somewhat of a security lapse at yesterday's memorial service for nelson mandela. the sign language interpreter turned out to be a fraud. he stood foot away from all of

the world leaders including president obama, signing as they spoke. but the signs had no meaning. how he got there. why he did it, and who he is, is still unknown. tim is in atlanta. he is our al jazeera national security tribute for. tim good afternoon. can you hear me? >> yes, i can hear you now. sorry about that. a few technical difficulties. yes, well obviously it has raised a few questions as to security, but the gentlemen is wearing a security badge and pin, so he was obviously checked for a potential threat to the dignitaries, but obviously not his competency. >> tim, all of this royalty and this man manages to sneak on stage. how big of a gaffe is this? >> again, they would have done

some type of checks. there are some reports that this gentlemen signed at on event a year ago attended by the president himself. so, again, it was probably felt that he was cleared. they would haissued his badge t get access to the area. but no one would have really checked if he was competent at signing. >> after something like this comes up, how many of those heads of state are now going to men like you in your position that you once held saying what happened? and who's head should roll? >> obviously there is going to be a full investigation as to where this gentlemen may have fallen through the cracks. yes, there were over 90 diplomats there, or heads of state, and each one of those security teams will be asking those sort of same questions. there may be a little bit offing pointing the finger saying this

should have been your responsibility and i would imagine that they will look to future events to not allow this to happen again. >> tim, i have to ask the question from a skeptical viewpoint. are we making more out of this than we should, or was this is a maj may gafa. >> well, it is embarrassing for the organizers. this is a huge organizing event. and they would have wanted their best person on there. and his competency should have been checked. so you would have to ask the question, was this a favor to somebody? did he get that position or opportunity because of favoritism -- >> yeah, but what if this guy had a gun? what if he meant harm to anybody on that stage and simply had been setting people up? >> yes, i would have very much doubted that anyone would have been able to get a firearm on to

that stage into that en closure. so i would have found it very unlikely that he would have posed any sort of physical threat. >> tim thank you very much. we want to get right now to dave warren who is following two major weather stories right now. >> yeah. the first is in utah. the storm has cleared out, but there was fresh powder on one of the ski hills there, and if you ski in areas which are not patrolled by ski patrol, you run into this risk. that's an avalanche, and the video stops right there, because the person goes to help. but luckily she had precautions with her, an air bag kept here near the surface and she was able to be pulled out okay.

from here we'll go to the middle east, and this shows what is happening. right around syria here, a storm is approaching and just developing now, pulling in a lot of moisture and some cold air with it. so in lebanon, close to about 800,000 people in these refugee camps, and you are starting to see the snowment come down. this is just the initial stage of the storm. they look to be in good spirits there, having a snowball fight. but certainly a lot of people are effected by this. certainly the infrastructure is not there to handle it, and dealing with the snow and flooding could be a big problem here over the next few days, so we're continuing to watch that. i'll have the national forecast coming up later. >> we do live in a global community. calls for an investigation into the botched rollout of healt

healthcare.gov. and high hopes for legal marijuana, the country that has given the green light to the first national marketplace for pot. 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. >> from our headquarters in new york, here are the headlines this hour. >> al jazeera america is the only news channel that brings you live news at the top of every hour. >> a deal in the senate may be at hand and just in the nick of time. >> thousands of new yorkers are marching in solidarity. >> we're following multiple developments on syria at this hour. >> every hour from reporters stationed around the world and across the country. >> only on al jazeera america.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. health and human services secretary, kathleen sebelius back on capitol hill today. she is facing tough questions once again about the rollout of the affordable care act just as she calls for an investigation into the botched rollout of healthcare.gov. what investigation is the secretary suggesting? >> well, she has obviously been under a lot of fire for the last two months, dell, because of the bungled rollout of healthcare.gov. she is the responsible party and has been the target of a lot of republican fire, including her home state senator.

today she says she has asked the inspector general, the ig in these parts of hhs, to look into how these contractors are acquired, hired to begin with, the management of the rollout performance involved in in getting the website up and running or as the case may be not up and running, and how they are paid. and it may not offer much coverage. ig's are paid to do this. they are supposed to be independent of management. and whether or not secretary sebelius was going to ask the ig do it or not, one presumes the ig was going to look into something like this. meanwhile, it is going about as you would expect on capitol hill, republicans fully on attack over the website, over the rollouts, john boehner, the house speaker, that was what he

lead with today. democrats are defending sebelius as they have for the last two months. >> it has been frustrated with the experience so far. we are asking you to come back. it's now easier than ever to shop for plans and enroll online, over the phone, in paper, person, or directly through an issuer or agent. >> so the administration feels as though they are turning the corner. they met their november 30th deadline to get the bulk of the problems fixed, and now they are going back hat in hand to consumers who had a bad experience over the last two months asking them to give the website another try. >> mike one month ago we were talking about how this would be doom and gloom for the democrats come the midterm election, and now they are rolling out new numbers which they appear to be proud of. >> yeah, i don't think we can expect republican attacks to abate any time soon. they feel that is a political

winner. but there were new numbers. they are releasing numbers for each month. a total of 365,000 americans have had success in enrolling for healthcare on the exchanges, and the state exchanges, of those 137,000 on the federal extreme. not a huge number, dell, but certainly a big improvement over the course of the last month in october they only had 27,000 able to enroll. >> mike you have been in town for a long time, two months ago we were talking about the republicans on the ropes because of the government shut down. last night they got something done. are they out of ammunition? >> we'll see how this works out. and you make a good point. they say a year issen eternity in politics. two months is an eternity in politics. internal division, and underlying problems that are still there and on full display

today as conservative groups are on open war fair over the budget deal. we'll see how democrats react. a lot of democrats aren't happy about the budget deal either dell. >> mike thank you very much. ♪ taking a look at the day's top business stories on wall street investors picking up where they left off yesterday, selling. the dough right now down close to 100 points. leading to speculation that the federal reserve will ease back on its economic stimulus program. salaries for younger women are nearly the same as men for the first time ever. hourly wages for women 25 to 35 years of age are close to those of men. education was a big factor.

women still make less than men $0.84 on the dollar if you look at the whole. housing demand is rising but so are costs. applications for home mortgages rising at their highest rate in more than a month. but interest rates are always rising. boeing and its machinist union talking again. boeing said it may have to ooez production and take production outside of washington. more than a dozen states have expressed interest in getting the new plane. registered sex offenders say they never stop paying for their crime. natasha ghoneim nat is in miami. and this is tough for all sides

in this controversy. >> reporter: it is indeed, dell. but community officials we spoke to say this is a model. they have only had to evict a few people in the five year of its existence. it's 45 minutes away from west palm beach, and there are more than a dozen kids living there. just off of a two-lane highway there is a 23-acre patch of tiny neutral colored run down homes. a no trespassing sign greets visitors. this is miracle village. the population includes 100 sex offenders. patrick powers founded the village in 2008. he is a registered sex offender, and knows how hard it is to find a place to live after leaving

prison. tough registry laws formed sex offenders to form an emcamp here several years ago. laws prevent registered sex offenders within 2500 feet here in miami. these men have even formed a band. no serial rapist or diagnosed pedophiles are allowed. drinking and doing drugs aren't tolerated. 24-year-old chris fear dawson is the youngest. >> i had sex with my girlfriend, she was 14 at the time. she lied about her age. and i was 19. >> reporter: despite the isolation, he and other residents have found a home

here. >> even my neighbor is a session offender, my best friending is a sex offender now. i feel more safe than i could ever be. >> while i'm here i have peace. i have hope. but it would also be great if we didn't need a place like this. >> reporter: this law professor agrees. >> they are wrong headed and cruel. they result in ostracizing people, making them feel isolated, making it difficult for them to find work, and all of those things that result make it more likely that people are going to lapse into being criminals. >> reporter: state lobbyist pushed the plan. >> having the housing built away from the population is a good thing to have happen. but see what they want you to believe is that the residency restrictions are what created their problem.

that's not what created their problem. their criminality, their sexually def -- deviant behaviors created their problem. >> why wouldn't you want us to come back into society. >> miracle village officials say one day they hope this place doesn't need to exist. natasha ghoneim nat, al jazeera, palm beach county, florida. you might be wondering how the village sustains it's a. residents pay 4 to $500 a month in rent, dell. >> thank you very much. we'll talk to the first black american ambassador in south africa about mandela's unique roll in history.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are today's headlines. uruguay, now the first country to legalize marijuana. private companies will now be able to grow pot. the government will oversee the sale though. citizens 18 or older will be able to grow the drug or buy it from licensed pharmacies. thousands lining up in the capitol of south africa today waiting to pay their last respects to nelson mandela. his body will state over the next three days and then will be taken to his own home village on sunday where he will be laid to rest. south africa was once a very, very different place. edward perkins remembers it well. president ronald reagan tapped him to be the first u.s. a

ambassador to south africa. >> my reception by the president was decidedly unfriendly. as a matter of fact. he had thought about -- >> did he shake your hand? >> he did not shake my hand when i first met him. >> and unfriendly is a diplomatic term. so tell me that what means to real african-americans. >> first of all he wanted to receive my credentials on the steps of the union building, where the president is lying in state now, and he demanded of his people that i stand one step below him. >> did you? >> so i had to look up at him. >> did you? >> i did. and he was standing one step higher, and then when i handed him the credentials, he has to look down. he had to look at those credentials, and then he had to

look straight into my eyes because i'm taller than he is or was. so his ploy didn't work. i just mention this much, he received the credentials, and he was decidedly unhappy at not having to force me to look up at him. he took me inside for a little chat. and i told him how glad i was to be in south africa. and he lost his temper and said how can you say that? your country has just declared economic war fair over my country. he said not your president. he is a good guy, meaning president reagan. and then he said but the congress did. >> did he use derogatory language? >> he did not, actually. but wagged his finger in in my face several times as he was one

to do. ♪ >> i'm dave warren the bitter cold arctic air is the story for the next few days. it is coming down and will slowly move into the northeast. tomorrow that cold air is coming across new england. as it goes across the great lakes we're seeing lake-effect snows. the amount could easily be over a foot, not everywhere, but mainly western new york here. a tremendous amount of snow in the same area. some lighter snow amounts for a few of the great lakes there, and through michigan, but it's western new york that we'll see the heaviest snow in the next 24 hours. here is the current snow, and we are talking about wind chills to 20 or 30 below. >> dave warren thank you very much.

thank you for watching al jazeera america. "the stream" is next. and check us out 24 hours a day on aljazeera.com. in the u.s. all right, our digital producer is here, raj, about two-thirds of graduating students leave school with debt. a topic that a lot of people relate toast. >> student debt she's to be one of the fundamental crises of the generation.