>> in is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. syria's wars, rebels, infighting, is causing the u.s. to pull aid and refugees face life or death consequences. and the senate and congress bring a budget. the next move, a vote. syrian rebel groups are supposed to be fighting the government, instead they're fighting with one another. and that's led the u.s. and

britain to suspend non-lethal assistance to rebels in northern a syria. the move follows reports of al-qaeda linked rebel groups capture warehouses belonging to western-backed rebel groups. we have more on the administration's decisions, tell us more about the suspension and what it really means. >> reporter: well, it is worrisome for the administration, and remember, tony, over the summer into the fall there was a big debate of what kind of aid to give to the syrian rebels and how much to give to the syrian rebels, and everything that transpired, all the international trauma in that russian dean to broker the international arms. allies among the rebel movement,

as you reported the islamic front, took over some warehouses, took over the headquarters in one position near the turkish border of the smc, which is the syrian military command chief umbrella organization for the syrian rebels. at least the military branch. josh earnest is the deputy spokesman here at the white house. here's how he described the situation and the u.s. action. >> we have seen reports that islamic front forces have seized the warehouses belonging to supreme military council, we're still gathering facts and inventorying the supplies provided so the smc. united states has suspended all non-lethal assistance. communication equipment, vehicles, now there was a lot of talk, of course, about the

administration supplying the syrian rebels with lethal assistance, remember, small ne munitions never confirmed but the house of representatives, the chairman said over the summer that they had authorized those shipments. i asked today what about lethal aid. they refused to even comment on it. they refused in the first place to have acknowledged the small munitions are going to the syrian else. >> general adrese the man who he said up the free syrian army, i wonder if there has been any response from the free syrian army. >> reporter: there is a spokesman who said, quote, we hope our friends are rethink and wait for a few days when things are a bit clearer. administration sources are careful and hayesen to point out humanitarian aid, the u.s. has

given $1.3 billion in the past few years administered by united nations and other non-governmental organizations, and will continue to flow. >> syrian refugees forced from their homeland. the weather is their new battle. a storm has dumped snow on the part of lebanon and jordan dotted with refugee camps. >> reporter: it's the third winter some syrian refugees spent in makeshift shelter and this is where refugee versus settled in makeshift communities. they built this flimsy accommodation themselves because they can't afford to pay rent. >> look how bad it was here. the children are suffering. we don't have fuel to keep them

warm. there are those who are cold, and those dying the cold. >> reporter: the storm is expected to last through the weekend with heavy snow and fierce wind. the misery of these syrians here is also felt by 280 tented communities across the valley. those who haven't registered with the u.n. refugee agency have yet to receive much-needed aid. >> we arrived yesterday. we still have to register with the u.n. agency. the office is so far away from here. we called but no one answered. maybe it's because of the weather conditions. >> reporter: the u.n. refugee agency has been working with refugees delivering shelter. >> what we have done is identify pieces of land that could serve as transit sites where we could

build up to standard tenths that could host refugees that would be more weatherproof in. but the lebanese government has refused to set up the refugee camp. they feel it would encourage syrians to stay just like the palestinian refugees have stayed. mostly sunni refugee community is seen as a threat to the delicate balance. >> it could be a really difficult winter for syrian refugees. dave warren is following that side of the story. >> reporter: yes, this storm is just getting under way, and it will be around for the next 48 hours. talking about rain, and there could be snow coming in. and the refugees, just under half of them in tents, not really the infrastructure there to handle this. really seeing the clouds as they come in over the next 26 hours. the storm is on the coast

bringing in the cold air, beginning to intensify. we can expect the rain, four inches or more. where it's colder there could be quite a bit more snow. the storm is just getting under way. it will be around for the next two days, 48el hours. we're watchin watching this arey and talking about the cold air here in the country. we'll talk more about that. >> thank you heath and human services secretary kathleen sebelius in another hearing. she said now that the webs has been improved more americans are using it to buy health insurance. >> we're seeing very, very positive trends. we're seeing a lot of people reengage, and it's about not only the numbers of individuals, but at the end 69 day hopefully getting the right next of individuals and hopefully the young americans who are tech-savvy, they want an easy,

functioning site, so getting the website up and running help with those targeted numbers. >> sebelius has called for an investigation into the botched roll out of healthcare.gov. the house and senate have reached on a agreement on a budget plan and lawmakers could approve it before the holiday recess. the house will vote on it tomorrow and the senate likely next week. it comes just in time as the funding bill expires on january 15th. libby casey has more on the debate over the plan. >> reporter: it may an bill that nobody loves, but the bipartisan budget act did gain momentum today. house republicans went behind closed doors to talk it over. when they came out many said even though they don't get everything they want in this deal, it does bring them closer, pregnant wall done, republican of orego organize--it does brinm

closer. greg wal waldon republican of oregon, says it is a deal they can live with. while they would like to see entitlement reform, a bigger package on the table, this will do for now. many say it does not roll back on the sequestration cuts too far. many on the other side of the aisle are happy to see them pull back. things like nih funding, head start, and other issues. nancy pelosi did express some disappointment today. she said the democratic plan on the table would have gone farther and would have been more successful, and she's concerned because long-term unemployment

benefits expire at the end of this month, and not included in this house bill. >> it's unconscionable that we're considering leaving washington, d.c. without exten extending those benefits. >> the house could vote as soon as tomorrow on this bill. the real deadline is january 15th. that's when the government would face a potential shutdown if the deal isn't brokered. many weeks away but budget watchers are saying this is a crucial time where congress can show that they can work together and get something done. >> plenty of lawmakers are saying it is not a permanent fix. jonathan betz with the breakdo breakdown. >> reporter: well, tony, the republicans don't see tax hikes and democrats get some spending restored. this focuses on two groups, money for the military, and money for the rest of the government.

they're working with less than usual for now because of spending cuts this year. and they each will get $22 billion next year and more the year after that. now it's not as much as they used to have but it is something. that pleases some lawmakers. how to help pay for all this? for one, airline tickets are going to get more expensive. the tax will jump from $5 per flight to $5.60 per flight. retired soldiers won't get quite as much in their retirement, and it does not touch on the expenses that lawmakers want to reform like medicare and social security. the national debt stands at 17 trillion-dollar. this deal saves only a fraction of that. cuts off $20 billion over the next decades. so some say, tony, these cuts are symbolic. a tiny drop in an ocean of debt. >> they have to get to a grander

agreement down the road. people of south africa and around the world continue to pay their respects to nelson mandela as people pass by mandela's casket. vice president joe biden was a main speaker and said nelson mandela taught the world that trust, and change is possible. nick, if you would, talk to us more. take a moment and talk about today's events and what's to come. >> reporter: yeah, tony, in the last few days we talked a lot about how people are celebrating his life. talking about how they're thanking him. but really today was about mourning and these buildings behind me which are usually a seat of power are really a shrine. people came out and said today was a sad day. they really missed him, and today more than yesterday at the

stadium, more than over the weekend as we saw that dancing and singing, today was more about thanking him and mourning and thanking him for thinks sacrifice. that is absolutely the theme that we heard from today. i spoke with girls, boys, men who knew him in jail, they all said that we thank him for his sacrifice. he gave so much for us. mandela dreamed of a nation united in diversity. and it was incredibly diverse today. >> some wonderful pictures today. nick, my understanding is that there were moments where family members who had an opportunity to see the remains, the body, for the first time literally broke down. winnie mandela comes to mind, and some really touching moments with his widow. >> yes, it was really difficult to watch that. and everybody here echoed those

sentiments. the sentiments, looker for five or six days we've been celebrating this man's life. we've been talking about how he changed the country, how people have come out to his home, lit candles and said thank you. finally he's in a better place. today was shocking for a lot of people, finally the casket lay instate. finally they got to bury him, to say good buy. that'goodbye. that's not what happened over the last couple of days. they said thank you, father, for your sacrifices. thank you for everything you've done. >> you know what is interesting about this moment. it feels to me that this has a resonance of permanence about it, and now it is time to start thinking about the future of this country. we talked about that a bit over the last few days. there was an election coming up in just a few months' time, and

given some of the issues that you have outlined for us, that becomes a very important next step for this country. >> reporter: i think that's absolutely right, tony, i think people will start thinking about what happens next. people will start thinking about that election on sunday and monday, and there is absolutely at the top of everyone's list. but right now this is about thanking him, thanking their father, thanking him for all those sacrifices. when on monday they begin to think about the next step they will stay wait a minute, mandela had a certain notion of how to put forward this country. he united us. he had a notion of how to lead us. we're not sure if the current leadership is grabbing the torch and running with it. that's when people will say, hmm, is the leadership of the anc, the leading politician, the leading party in this country, which mande mandela helped to c,

they may lose some of that support. if they get under 60% a lot of other politicians, a lot of other parties will smell blood, so to speak, and we could see a shift over the next few years. >> appreciate it. thank you for your time and grab a little cover for us. in south africa, nick, thank you. south africa's government is investigating, have you followed the story? a major security breach at yesterday's memorial service. a standing next to the speakers including president obama, all day. but the head of the deaf foundation, do we have a picture of him, say he was a fraud. and that the signs have no meaning. are we going to see it? it's still not clear who he is.

and he has disappeared. folks don't know what he was doing and how he got there. up next, new accolades for pope francis. his fresh approach to faith has put him in the spotlight. and we than the shine being putn the motor city. >> it's difficult for sex offenders to find a place to live after they've done their time. we'll show a community that is set up solely for sex offenders. 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.

al jazeera america - a new voice in american journalism - >>introduces america tonight. >>in egypt, police fired teargas at supporters of the ... >>a fresh take on the stories that connect to you. [[voiceover]] they risk never returning to the united states. >>grounded. >>real. >>unconventional. [[voiceover]] we spent time with some members of the gangster disciples. >>an escape from the expected. >>i'm a cancer survivor. not only cancer, but brain cancer. america tonight weeknights - 9 eastern on al jazeera america >> in florida sex crime rates are among the highest, and for offenders it means finding a place can be a real challenge. laws aim to keep them from schools and parks and any place children gather. but one area out to ease this problem, more of the half of the

residents are register sex offenders. >> reporter: this is a model, they've only had to evict five people since it's inception a few years ago. it's residents include more than a dozen children. deep in sugar cane country just off a two-lane highway there is a 23-acre patch of tiny neutral colored run down homes and an in trespassing sign greets visitors. this is miracle village population 200 including 115 sex offenders. >> their hope is to come here and start a new life. >> reporter: patrick powers cofounded the village in 2008 along with now deceased pastor. powers is a registered sex offender, and he knows how hard it is to find a place to live after leaving prison.

residency laws force sex offend tours form an encampment. state laws prohibit sex offenders from living 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and anywhere where kids congregate. but i in many places that distae is now increased to 2500 feet. >> this is a focal point of the community. no serial rapists or diagnosed pedophiles are allowed. >> they have found a home here. >> my neighbor is a sex offender. my best friend is a sex offender

now. i feel more safe than i ever could than right here. >> here i have peace. i have hope. >> but it would be great if we didn't need a place like this. >> reporter: law professor tamara lays agrees. she calls it cruel. >> they're long handed and cruel and result in ostracizing people, making it difficult to find work, be with their families and all those things. it makes it more likely that people are going to lapse into being criminal. >> reporter: state lobbyist ron brook enacted stricter laws in florida but wants to ensure that sex offenders do not end up homeless. >> having affordable housing built away from the general population is a good thing to have happen. but see, what they want you to believe is that the residency restrictions is what created their problem. that's not what created their

problems. their deaf scent criminal behavior created the problem. >> many say they don't want to live at the sex offender village for o the rest of their lives. they want to move about actuallyfreelyfor now they havel society for society's ultimate outcasts. residents pay $400 to $500 a month center rent and the staff is paid from the rental >> let's get to business news now. wall street investors not feeling the love in washington. the dow falling 129 points. that's the biggest one day drop in more than a month. the budget deal hammered out in congress, you would think that would be a good thing but it is

raising fears that the feds would pull back on its easy money policy as early as next week. demand for housing on is on the rise. the mortgage bankers association say applications for home loans are up for the first time in five years but mortgage rates are at its highest at 4.61%. salaries for women are nearly the same as their male counterparts. a study show that salaries for millennials are now 90% but on average the average is $0.86 of

dollars for men. you have mortgage rates getting higher, but we're still seeing a lot of people applying for loans. are people ignoring the rates? they just want that home? is it possible that we could see another housing bubble? >> well, i don't think you're going to see another housing bubble 2014 yet, tony, but you do see the economy strengthening a little bit. you also see this is the first time in six weeks where you saw mortgage applications actually rise, which is a good sign. let's turn the trend around. so new home applications, new mortgage applications up 1%. refinance is up 2%. but you see the rates. you see the 15-year fixed rate in the 3.5% rate and 30 year rate 4.5% rate range. those are still very competitive historically for having a mortgage on a house. and you see more-- >> did you say rates are going

up and that's a good thing? >> well, they are still competitive, they're still in a competitive range. when they go above 5% on the fixed 30 years then you're going to see people reevaluate whether they want to buy a house. >> let me get more on the heels of mary bara being named ceo of gm. it appears that the pay gap appears to be closing, particularly among millennial women. >> not really. 1963 john f. kennedy signed the equal pay act. you see a continuation of that and you see history and society change. back in the 80's and 90's you may not realize but college educated females and college educated males, when they first started out the females were paid more than the males. why was that? females were better educated, had higher grades and worked

harder. so even back in the early 90's you saw that women started out making more money than men before societal and family members came in. >> there you go. the trend lines are not so good once women decide to start their families. >> but there are still ceos, whitman at ebay, the new ceo at gm. we've had women ceos at new york stock exchanges. >> but still men are dominating that field by a long and wide margin, you would grant that. >> i'm not going to argue with that. >> good to see you. todd joining us from san francisco. we'll get you back on the program i soon. thank you, todd. ross is here with sports headlines. a big change and quarterback for the washington redskins. >> reporter: most people thought it would be the head coaching

change, but it's the quarterback change, the franchise, robert griffin iii is being benched for the rest of the season. now rg 3 is not hurt but they want to protect him in the offseason. that's shanahan is saying i'm in charge. they're saying griffin has taken too many hits after being sacked five times in the last five games. and kurt cousins will get the start at quarterback and he'll be backed up by sexy rexy rex grossman. and kobe bryant second day back with achilles injury, look at him here. i know what you're saying at home, he is 6'6", he scored 20 points and gave himself a d-grade as he gets himself back in shape. and one of the most iconic numbers in nascar, number three car will be making his return

next season. austin will be driving the third car that has been named champion by dale earnhardt. they think its time to bring it back. very hotly debated. >> we want to see kobe take off on that left leg. >> and elevate. >> and elevate. >> ross, appreciate it. thank you. still ahead on al jazeera america. new policy that gives police the right to remain silent is controversial, and clashes between police and protesters in the ukraine.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top stories. warring rebel groups in jaar led to a suspension of some aid there. one rebel group sees the headquarters of another group, and now the u.s. said it will stop sending aid like communication equipment to syria. a vote on a bipartisan budget bill could come as soon as tomorrow. it was brought by congressman paul ryan and senator patty murray. president obama said he will sign it as soon as it is on his

desk. thousands of people in south africa said good buy to nelson mandela. mandela's remains lie instate. and we spoke to poet maya angelou who wrote about his death. >> we suddenly lost everybody which is why in the next few lines i mentioned the people of south africa and tell them that we, the people of the united states, we americans, in particular that we also lost a friend, and we speak to th all f the south african people and say, sorry, we, too, we lost someone. sorry. we have feelings for you. >> riots in ukraine where police clash with protesters. >> the united states is appalled by what happened in kiev.

the ukrainian government response to peaceful protest over the last two weeks has been completely unacceptable. >> thousands of protesters have filled the capitol for weeks demanding the president's resignation. >> reporter: everyone had been expecting it, confrontation, where the revolutionary movement control the center of kiev and the government unwilling to lose face. government militia's storm the barricades at one entrance of the jaar militi square the riotd militia. it took three hours for the police to break the lines. >> the whole purpose of this operation it seems is not been to take back the square but to

take down the protesters' encampment around it. it has been a show of force, but so far without the use of violence. >> reporter: all the while opposition leaders kept up their calls for the movement to stand firm and stay peaceful. some youths appear in the mood for trouble but others were intent on preventing violence with its consequences. >> we tried to stop them. >> reporter: katherine ashton, the e.u. 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 make it clear as i come here... >> reporter: the president yanukovych's closest ally lives

in moscow, not brussels. and presidenta yanukovych's hans are tied. this show of strength that enough is enough, and that it's time for everyone to go home. al jazeera, kiev. >> once again, social media has played a big role in organizing the protesters. we have more, maria. >> reporter: well, the protest set u up the # hash targ tag eu. they're asking for doctors at nighttime to volunteer. you look at this picture the caption says that they give them first aid kits. you can see a doctor. he's giving instructions to

people around him for the rescue team that is helping out protesters. this is one of the blogs that was set up, and this is a map where people can go and they can enroll for things like building barricades, putting up tents, security, food preparation. you have this gentleman who is carrying plain getcarrying blana building, and they've got tables set up for food. not only are they getting food but they're getting medical attention and you have some people sleeping on blankets. and table is a table of volunteers giving out information. >> i wonder if they're getting support from the folks who are behind the occupied movement, from other places around the country, maybe not financial help but moral support?

>> reporter: they're certainly getting support, they're getting support from people who even have small protests in africa, india, and even here in miami and the u.s. >> thank you. the u.s. military could start transporting african troops into central africa republic as early as tomorrow. they asked the u.s. could help get the troops into the country quickly. french and african forces are trying oh to keep the violence from spreading. 500 people have been killed in two weeks of violence. now 72 hours to stay quiet if they are involved in a shooting. and. they can get to review any video of the incident before giving a statement. the ruling comes after a dallas police officer shot a mentally ill man for no reason, and his partner lied about it. mark snyder has more. >> reporter: in october a dallas

police officer shot and wounded a memorially ill man seen on surveillance video doing nothing threatening. but the officer's partner said in a police report that the suspect held a knife and you lunged at the officer, who ultimately fired the shot. a month later the department announced the new policy the police chief wouldn't talk to us about it, but a police union vice president would. >> i think the whole goal is to get what happened, get it right, and get it accurate. you don't want somebody to tell you something if they don't legitimately recall. >> reporter: dallas police officers involved in a shooting now have their own right to remain silent for 72 hours after the incident. >> it's not that they're trying to cover up or mislead what happened. they legitimately can't remember everything that happened. it's more like they're in a tunnel. and they get tunnel vision and

they don't remember how many times they shot. >> reporter: dallas defense attorney represents a victim in that video shooting. he said that officers should not suddenly have an advantage getting their story straight. regular folks don't. >> i think it is geared towards making certain there are no material inconsistencies in any officer's statements that could later be used against the city in civil litigation. >> reporter: under the new policy dallas police officers don't have to wait 72 hours to give a statement. they can do it sooner. every officer handles the stress and trauma from a shooting different. >> i you don't want to rush an investigation for the sake of rushing it. you want an officer to give a good, accurate recollection of what happened. and all we're saying is some officers might not physically be able to do that initially after a shooting. >> i agree with him, but who we do the same thing are every

single person who being investigated for some type of homicide or other shooting crime? you wouldn't do it. they wouldn't dream of doing it. >> reporter: the detective said he's sure this policy will prove to be good not only for the officers of the department but for the citizens. it will lead to more thorough and accurate investigations. mark snyder, al jazeera, dallas. >> pope francis is the person of the year. "time" magazine said the pontiff made the greatest impact on the world this year. and so it honored him today. the magazine said that it chose the pontiff because it has changed the tone and focus of the catholic church in an extraordinary way in such a short period of time. i think we're talking about nine months. the pope beat out nsa leaker edward snowdon. and here is the pope being named person of the year is jeffrey sacks. director and worked with the pope. great to see you.

great to have you on the program. first of all, what is your reaction from this honor from "time" magazine. >> first, they're right. and second, it's wonderful. because this pope is changing the world's perception on many crucial things especially social justice. >> you've met with the pope, and you have been meeting with the vatican, what are you working on? >> well, listening to the pope, the vatican is energized to look for new paths for social inclusion, social justice, fighting extreme poverty, and protecting the environment. those are issues all completely dear to my heart, so i've been working with the pontifical academy of science and pontifical council of justice and peace, and also visited with the pope with a group of world leaders, group of religious leaders last month.

>> what are you communicating? what are you saying to the people that you're meeting with? >> well, first i'm encouraging so much, and expressing the thrill of the change towards social justice, and he's demonstrating it in the basic ways and calling out the injustices, and the world is listening it, and this is phenomenal. what i can say as a professional development practitioner, there are things that can be done that are incrediblebl incrediblebly . >> you said there can't be gains without growth. expand on that comment particularly in the context of these times when so much of the conversation, as you know, is dominated by talk of austerity.

>> well, i think the right framework is what we call sustainable development, which means you have to keep three things in mind, not just one. economic progress, social equality and inclusion, and environmental sustainability. it's quite a trek. we can't have just one goal, and times it seems that we're not meeting any of them. but we can, and i think the pope is telling us something very important. if we come back to moral standards and stop saying that the poor are useless and to be excluded, and if we forget to take care of the natural environment, of course we're going to lose it all and we can put the pieces together. that's what the vatican is trying to do. i think it will be a worldwide movement. >> real change with this pope, or surface change, what is your feeling on this? >> this is real. i voted pope joan paul

ii before, boy can they create change. >> chaff ochief of staff of a tp tennessee law maker is being investigated for child he pornography. >> reporter: authorities have been searching his washington, d.c. home. india again has criminalized homosexuality. offend necessary india can be sent to jail for ten years. the food and drug administration are trying to phase out antibiotics used in meat. it's creating superbugs and making people sick. and animals would be need to be prescribed the drugs. for a long time farmers have

been pumping their animals with drugs to make them bigger, but now only when they're sick. >> yes, that sounds good. >> reporter: it's not permanent but just suggestions. >> jonathan, appreciate it. thank you. and in detroit one house in every five stands empty. and there are more than 75,000 of them recently tearing down these structures has been a top priority. as david hawkins reports, the city wants to spend $500,000 for this blight removal, but local entrepreneurs have plans of their own. >> where some people see trash other sees treasure. in the case of these abandon houses, a lumber yard. >> the lumber we get are virtually unavailable and beautiful stuff. >> reporter: founding reclaimed

detroit in seeing these houses slated for demolition. >> when we saw this lumber i thought we need to save this and for people to work. >> reporter: it costs $9,000 to demolish a house. many have been scripped by scavengers who look for copper pipes. but most houses contain $10,000 of lumber, plywood. entrepreneurs want to reclaim that wood, recycle it instead of seeing it wasted and ruined. >> we're doing what we can to show people the inherent beauty and opportunity in this wood. >> reporter: james, an architect and third generation master carpenter designs and builds furniture made from this reclaimed lumber. >> the natural quality of it, the fact that it has a story behind it, all of our pieces

comes with its own unique detroit address. >> more and more decorators are using reclaimed wood for their clients. >> we're protecting the environment and offering what is exotic wood species rather than destroys a rain fogless but it's not just will we cycling. it creates jobs. they call it deconstruction work. >> deconstruction is the opposite of construction. instead of building the house from the ground up we take it down from the top down. >> reporter: deconstructing a house takes more time, skill and labor than just knocking it down and carting the debris off to a landfill. >> so far we have six workers on this one right now. it's coming down quickly. but just to demolish a house, you have a machine and maybe two or three guys. >> reporter: before being turned

into a cutting board, dining table or coffee shop counter, it needs to be reclaimed, sanded, finished, and it's creating more jobs. maybe that's what detroit needs more than anything else. >> an event that draws thousands to tennessee is now under intense scrutiny. we'll look at claims of abuse of those famed tennessee walking horses. exclusive... former president jimmy carter reflects on the life and legacy of nelson mandela. >> that spirit of nelson mandela is embedded deeply in the heart and soul of the south africans... >> they worked side by side for freedom, now president carter talks about mandela's global impact. a revealing interview you won't see anywhere else. >> i've never heard him say, that he was grateful to the united states... >> talk to al jazeera with jimmy carter only on al jazeera america most of the students are black

or latino, some with an undocumented parent. none were born with a silver spoon in their house. 98% qualify for free or reduced price launches. >> the majority of them face a challenge. it may not be their skin colour. it may be socioeconomic status. it may be being homeless. >> the children are quick to connect nelson mandela. >> i heard that he was, r martin luther king in another state. ms klieforth says her students are bringing their personal experiences to the classroom. >> the kids tell stories. i walked into a store and felt like people treated me differently. it. >> it's cool. what he did - he didn't came, if

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. tennessee walking horses are known for their smooth high-stepping gait. right? but some trainers are now facing serious charges. jonathan martin reports. >> reporter: the annual tennessee walking horse national celebration is filled with pageantry and pride. >> it's the largest horse show in the country. >> reporter: every august it pumps around $38 million in the local economy. >> my first time here was 1955 when i was eight years old, and i've been coming ever since. >> reporter: but the celebration and the walking horse industry itself are embroiled in an o ongoing controversy over training methods. larry wheland has been charged with felony aggravated cruelty to livestock and conspiracy to

commit cruelly. more than a dozen horses had their legs or hoofs chemically burned. it's called soaring and it's long been used by trainers. it develops the high stepping gait because of the pain experienced in its legs and hoofs. undercover video showed the beating of a horse and using soaring tactics. but many trainers say the actions of a few have given the entire industry a black high. >> we get categorized as all of us being bad when it just because you may own a gun don't mean you're a murderer. just because i got a horse don't mean i'm an abuser. >> reporter: the humane society of the united states say abuse is still going on train whose plays more value on winning than the animals themselves. celebration ceo said the new

u.s. department of agriculture inspection process has cut down on cruel and abusive practiced. >> a horse is monitored more than any other horse or breed. >> reporter: but the humane society is acciden skeptical. some trainers say the scrutiny is unnecessary and further punishes a sport already in turmoil. and others say its finally forcing the end to cruel training methods. >> ross is here with the day in sports with an interesting perspective on a high-stress job in hockey. >> reporter: in hockey, imagine this, tony, imagine going to work like you do, and imagine

you make the slightest mistake a red light starts buzzing above your head and starts lighting for everyone to see, welcome to the life of a goal. >> breann, and jesse and molly have been camped out since early september with the rest of the u.s. national team just outside of boston repping for the winter olympics in sochi, russia. >> what makes her a good goalie. >> you can see her scored on and she's giggling through her mask. for me you can get frustrated in a day of practice, and she's always giggling and it can bring everybody out of a funk. >> these players are on my team. they are good. good shot, way to go, glad you're on my team. >> i think brie has the widest

butterfly i've ever seen. if you're trying to score, i would never go low, ever. she can be more serious. she's, like, pay attention. >> being a goalie. i always use the word forgetful because you're going to get bounces against you. they're going score. the biggest thing is to forget it, keep making saves and keep playing. >> of all the position you could play hockey, the three of you chose the one that has a 380 mph puck coming at your fast. >> i would say i was forced in the position as a young kid because my brothers didn't like to shoot at open nets. oh you want to play, wear pads, you're protected. they weren't. >> you just get used to it. you work hard that you belong with the boys, and it makes you better, more competitive.

>> you would think having three goalies on the same team fighting for the starting position in the upcoming olympics would create tension amongst the teammates. but instead, they say it's actually brought them closer. >> we're always together because it's kind of like, the boys over there or something. we went on a team vacation and it always seemed that the three of us were always together on the beach or something like that, and i don't know whether it was no one else wanted to hang out with us. that's when we started being friends. >> reporter: and it's that chemistry that carries over to the ice and will play a vital role for the olympics in february. >> you're competing for the same spot but we've been together for five years now, and on the ice, off the ice, we get along really well, get along and generally like hanging out with each other. >> there is little doubt th the road to sochi will go through

canada. making the international rivalry between the two even more intense. >> you're training to be the best in the world, and to be the best you have to beat the best. i think for us we look forward to that opportunity, and it's always a dogfight, and those are the games you want to win. >> and last time out the americans had to settle for silver meaning that avenging a loss has been years in the making. >> it's hard i think winning silver because you lose that ultimate game. whereas bronze, you end on a my note, you win. for me personally it took a couple of days. we ended up flying to the states and there were people at the gate congratulating us. sow excited. it wasn't the first time, but it hit home what we had done, what an accomplishment winning the silver medal was. >> what would it mean winning gold? >> it would mean that our hard work paid off. we have obviously have different

goals and different successes that we can have throughout this process, but that would definitely be something special to walk away with that gold medal. >> in bedford, massachusetts, jessica taff, al jazeera. >> 57 days away. >> is that what it is? 57 days, and we're spending time for this team. we have a rooting interest. >> reporter: that's right. >> thank you, sir. a cold blast impacting much of the country. dave warren here with your forecast. this is al jazeera.

>> national forecast looking cold, bitter cold air coming down from canada and moving across the great lakes and affecting the mid-atlantic and the northeast. the winds have picked up, and we look at wind chills well below zero. now the cold over the great lakes creating lake-effect snow. it's not the storms, two of them tweetlactually, they're gone. but this is lake-effect snow. you have that cold air coming across the great lakes, on the eastern side, significant snowfall over the same area. and you can see that that is what we're expecting over the past 12 hours the snow looks pretty much the same getting that snow over the same area. that will be the story for the next few days. the temperatures have dropped down to freezing in new york getting even colder overnight tonight. a look at the headlines is coming up.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. george zimmerman has once again walked free in florida. he was booked on several charges after his girlfriend accused him of pointing a gun at her. she has now told the court she doesn't want to pursue the case. a jury acquitted him in july on charges of second-degree connected to the death of trayvon martin. the house votes on a bipartisan budget bill could come as soon as tomorrow. president obama said he'll sign the spending plan as soon as it's on his desk. thousands waited in line to pay their respects to nelson mandela. saturday he'll be taken to his