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tv   News  Al Jazeera  December 17, 2013 4:00pm-5:01pm EST

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live.is is al jazeera with a look at today's top stories. the world's giggest tech bosses plead their cases on spying and a sit down with president obama. a major hurdle in the senate, and a new $15 billion deal moved the ukraine closer to russia, and further away from the oppositions demands. >> leaders from some of the nation's top technology companies met with president obama at the white house today. topping the agenda, the national security agency spying programs.
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this comes as nsa leaker edward snowden says he is willing to assist brazil in it's investigations of u.s. spying in exchange for asylum, in an open letter to a brazilian newspaper, he wrote, i have expressed my willingness to assist wherever appropriate and lawful but unfortunately, the united states government has worked very hard to limit my ability to was no doubt one of the top topics of discussion today for the pl can vallee in the west wing today, in the roosevelt room, meeting with the president that was at the top of their agenda. we saw them briefly, they afforded a photo of p
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then they got down to brass tacks. they talked about
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is going to take over the management of healthcare.gov that has been run. the former her going to lead that effort now heading to the
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new year. >> when will the white house release the information from that review of the until next year. >> mike, appreciate it. >> and travel to the country, at least 25 people have been killed
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in fighting between army factions and many say innocent civilians are among the debt they took the people from their home, and they killed them. >> they are looking to the u.n. for safety, they say the violence is part of a foiled coup acement by is former vice president, he is on the run, and eight senior political figures have been arrested. rail yeah rothers. >> all that these people want is to feel safe, there are thousands more like them, and of all ages. >> we live -- with congress, nothing here. because. >> . >> u.n. officials have been trying to cope with all the people looking for a safe place to hide from the fighting. they say at least three
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women have given birth in the compound. >> it's quite a harrowing situation. >> an attempted coupe against him, he has abandoned his signature suit for military fatigues and perhaps set the tone for what is to come. it was long in coming. not a lot of old and settled personalty, political, and ideological issues. people want to put him ethnic issues. >> tried the military coupe. >> dozens of people
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mostly soldiers have been killed in the fighting. the president and his former deputy, for now the military on the streets. rashad catch is yet to comment on the allegations. >> one of the bicorns is that the crisis will prompt to tighten his grip on power, and he will become everybody more intolerant to political dissent. policy analyst.ro at the center for american progress, good to talk to you. let's start here. the world's youngest nation has struggled for months. struggles even before that, how concerned are you that this will turn into another protracted
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conflict, leading to a humanitarian crisis? and everything that goes concerned. the escalation is remarkable. we just heard from partners on the ground, that almost 30,000 people have sought refuge in the compounds and been displaced by the violence. the fighting continues in the streets of the capitol city that is normally quiet. i think the most disturbing feature is that it is moving along ethnic lines. even though the tensions at the root of this conflict take on tribal, or interethnic tone. through a decade long war with the north, and the product of the libbuation movement, so they know
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the pain and danger of a civil war, and the message we want to sent to officials is to avoided that from happening again. avoided subjecting their people whoudan, and pushing it forward. >> i want to get to that point in just a moment. let me see if with youky be really clear with what is going on. what's happening here? is this as president maintains the army fighting off an attack by soldiers alied to the former vice president? or is this president taking advantage of this military flair up to crack down on those in the military, and elsewhere, who have
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altercation, and the fact that he has gone and arrest add number of senior former government officials, that counts up to 10, i think. if not 11, including the secretary general of the sudan people liberation movement, the ruling party, it shows that he is really targeting political rivals here, and seeking to eliminate them through play. whether the same political rivals were also planning something against him, and whether those plans in the air. >> so here is the question, and my last question, probably the first for a lot of people watching this, either way, why should americans and the obama 7,000 miles acquire. >> the u.s. and the american support has been
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critical to accomplishing south sudan as an independent nation. request it is also the lynch pin of stability in a tricky neighborhood. you have seen the central african public, that has seen many killed in fighting over there to the north. south sudan
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policy analyst at the center for american progress. joining us, thanks to talk to you. six u.s. soldiers died when their helicopter went down. six american service members dies when the chopper crashed no's in the southern part of the country. there was no insurgent activity at the time of the crash. however, that didn't stop the taliban from taking to twitter to claim that it's fighter shot down the aircraft. meanwhile, afghanistan's u.n. ambassador, says he expect add security deal with the u.s. to be signed in a timely manner, the u.s. wants afghan president to sign the deal by the end of year, but he has balked as signing the agreement, even though tribal leaders have endorsed him. the deal covers foreign forces once the nato mandate expires, if it falls apart, afghanistan
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could lose billions of dollars in aid. the u.s. says the agreement between ukraine and russia will not address the concerns of the protestors. demonstrators upset about the deal gathering in the capitol, they want ukraine to form a closer relationship. the agreement gives cash strapped ukraine a much needed lifeline. >> it was a very public display of affection, an affirmation of the close cultural and economic link between russia and the ukraine. between the ukraine leader produced more than just himries of a shared history. among the pros controls signed at the kremlin, a landmark agreement promising to reduce the price of its sales of natural gas to ukraine by a huge 30%. dropping to $265 for 1,000 cubic meters.
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russia will buy $15 billion of government bonds to sure up an economy that's seeing its foreign currentsy reserves drop to a seven year low, and is battling third recession in five years. >> we have prepare add plan of action for regulating economic relations a two way road map so to spook. it will let us improve our performance, and it's realization will bring tangible results to entire sectors of the economy, and our government. >> the visit deepened the political crisis where for weeks protestors have been demanding closer ties with the e.u. now the opposition is blocking the work of the country's parliament, asking for government
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resignations and early elections. >> the protestors have been fearful that he would sign a deal with russia, committing ukraine to a russian customs union, which finally closed the door to a trade agreement with europe, that door remains open. the customs union was never signed, and never even discussed said president putin. >> the president will be delighted with this deal. he got what he wanted without having to sign the russian led customs union document. that would be a sit that would further enrage his opponents, where tens of thousands still mass in the streets. al jazeera, in moscow. >> protestors continue their demonstrations in the streets, al jazeera rory challenges has the reaction to the deal. listening live to the press conference being given. and vladimir putin in
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moscow. and i was digesting all of that information, i was turning around to see what the crowd here was watching what i was listening to. whether they were also having that broadcast relayed to them, what they made of it. and it was still the same songs and speeches and music coming over the screens from the stage, that they have been hearing and seeing for weeks, and maybe a technical reason why they weren't watching what was going on in moscow. but i think it also suggests that the people here have moved way beyond kovich. now we have heard about the opposition leaders, on this stage, in the after math of those announcements. and really clarify what is under the carpet of their meeting. he is not trusting what they are being told at all. he says that the leaders
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are scared to publish what they have signed in moscow, and a real message of distrust there. ten the tactics going forward, are interesting. we have seen the locks parliamentary business, by blockading inside the parliament itself. trying to blockade the business, and succeeding. we are also hearing from one of the leaders that they are trying again for the vote of no confidence, and they say that it is actually their nine votes away from getting the numbers needed to unseat this government. activists say at least 15 people, including two children were killed today. more than 100 people have died. aleppo has been a major front that has killed more than 100,000 people. safety barriers outside
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the u.s. embassy were removed today in retaliation -- they were also asked to turn in their identity cards. alcohol and food imports have been banned india's deputy console was arrested last week for allegedly false fying a work visa for her maid. her arrest has escalated into a diplomatic spat, a real raul. >> they are shocked and appalled be i the arrest. they say their diplomates arrest was simply barbaric. one of the most influential stated tweeted out earlier, refused to meet the visiting u.s.a. delegation, in sol dare tear with our nation. to our lady lip do mate in the u.s.a. is 24 a way to behave with indian diplomate, washington?
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the 39-year-old by dropping her daughter off at school this week. now her lawyer says she was strip searched and held in a cell with drug addicts. she is accused of false documents for her housekeeper's visa, they also say she was being paid $3.91 an hour, as opposed to $9. >> i'm not sure how good india looks when it championships the cause of its diplomate over that have oa servant who is also indian. also another person writes, the incident shows how regressive wees are a a nation, our nationalism comes alive to depend a diplomate, underpaying her maid. and the u.s.a. department stays standard prozeros were followed. tony, really, people don't know how much this will escape. all right, here we go. >> ahead on al jazeera
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america, mississippi man is kill bid the ku klux klan and now years later his family seeks justice. a drug giant stops a business practice criticized as a conflict of interest with doctors. and a face off between california and three major paint companies. the $1 billion settlement, that will remove their product from hundreds of homes. blame
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(vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story.
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>> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news. ordered -- the reason led paint. exposure to led is linked to learning disabilities and other health problems especially in children. now these companies will be forced to pay for
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the judge ordered the three companies, sherwin williams, 20 president $1.1 millions into a fund for the abatement of paint. by the way, con agra is a ,
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thank you. >> on wall street, stocks barely moving. the dow down 9 points. that policy makers will tell us whether they will start putting the brakes on their bond buying stimulus program, that's helped fuel this year's stock market rally. and remember to stick with al jazeera america for the past coverage of the fed decision that's tomorrow afternoon. half of those who still have holiday shopping to do plan to do it online.
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32 million of us haven't even started holiday shopping and 10% said they won't make their final purchases until christmas eve. one of the biggest drug makers in the world, grab sew smith kline is ending the practice of paying doctors to change drugs. in an effort to lift drug sales. john is here to tell us more about this, and -- >> game changer. >> right. >> get to that in just a moment, what -- tell us more about glasgo and what was going on here? >> huge company. >> yes. >> $10 billion. our viewers will know them they are based in north carolina, philly, pittsburg, very very big english company. but they do employ americans. the drugs they marry are
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wellbutrin. and levitro. we all know what it does. what they are doing, that's new, is they are no longer going to pay doctors to speak on their behalf at international conferences. they are not going to pay other doctors to go to the conferences. here is the real game changer, they are no longer going to reward the sales force by the number of prescriptions the companies write. instead they will be rewarded based on the quality of their service. this is not really applicable in mainland united states. by this is a giant company around the world. >> so no more payments to docs. >> sort of. >> okay. >> he says we recognize we have an important role to play, but this must have done clearly, transparentsy, and without any perception of
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conflict of interest. so that is a what he says but what they will move to is a grant system. if they want a doctor to speak, and they are also going to go on funding researches. >> why do you say that this is a real game changer here? >> we think it is a game changer, because remember this doesn't really apply in homeland united states. but these companies are huge, and what is going to make the difference is if -- they have done nit germany only, now they have been doing it for the whole world between now and 2017. the question is johnson & johnson, will they follow suit? if you do, there's the game changer. >> all right, appreciate it. thank you, john. ahead on al jazeera america, struggles with political uncertainty and demonstrators mark the third anniversary of the so called arab spring. and the force of wild winds in parts of the world where police were dispatched. whoa.
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welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top stories. the state department has ordered all nonu.s. officials to leave sudan siting safety concerns. at least 70 are dead, and dozens of civilians have been killed. that comes as a result of an attempting coupe earlier in the week. six service members have died in the helicopter crash in southern afghanistan. there was no word on what caused the chopper to crash. the taliban is claiming it's fighters shot down the aircraft. danish and norwegian ships are ready to collect chemical weapons. they are part of a u.n. backed plan. but there may be delays because of security issues inside syria. on capitol hill, the senate is on track to approve a budget deal, the bill which passed the house last week, has clear add major murder until the senate, the plan would ease some of the across the board budget cuts and help us, we
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now? with this budget harry reid layed out the time line this afternoon. to avert another costly shut down in january. we have a lot to do before christmas, but we can get it done. we just need a little bit of cooperation from
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mcconnell talks to reporters this afternoon as well. >> you know, i and most of my members came to washington to reduce government spending, so i hated to walk away from something that clearly was working. and i don't think any of you had any d mcconnell sae
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stuck those numbers we should have stuck to them.
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o go back and support the deal. libby, good to see you, thank you. >> three years ago, the so called air rack spring, when a young fruit seller lit himself on fie. since then a waive of oppositions has toppled governments and it remains politically unstable. in the city where it all began. despite some groups labels the day a day of rage. in what game the uprise canning inspires overs across the middle east. at this same time, when we spoke to people about whether they had got better, the general answer was no. it's as high as almost
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60% nearly double the national average. seek a better life elsewhere, and they say that reflects a major failing of the aims of the revolution. and what people are also demanding back then, in the weeks of protests which led to the revolution. in terms of being able to move around the country and be free to search and to look for a job in whatever area they wanted. which puts some barriers in the way of setting up businesses they also say there's a certain amount of police corruption, and police mistreatment of people that they arrest. thissing coes widely,
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setting himself on fire, because he felt he had been harassed by local police here. >> the u.n. refugee agency says 210,000 people have been displaced by fighting in the capitol of central african republic. french soldiers deployed to the area, are trying to disarm the malaysias who began attacking last month, the rebels took control in march, and many christians accused them of rape and looting. some 500 people have been killed in the fighting. today marks the two year anniversary of the death of late north korean leader, since then the shadow we leadership has undergone some major changes. the new leader, marked the day by visiting the statutes of his father and grandfather. since assuming power he has removed five of eight advise discoers who were
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close to his father, most recently he had his uncle executed for freaseson. adding more history to the nation's on going shifts in power. the fbi's cold case initiative. from the civil rights era, but other families are still seeking answers in case cases that have goe unresolved for decades. al jazeera has more now from mississippi. >> in the back woods of mississippi, ancestors return to a dark place from their childhood. >> we lost our father here. my mother lost her husband here. and today is about opportunity to say daddy, we are still seeking the truth. >> in 1964, kathryn and shirley's father was driving down this road when he was ambushed by a group of white men and shot. these women were barely teenagers at the time, and despite a lengthy
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investigation, their first contact with the fbi is when they were handed a letter telling them the case was closed. >> you located me to bring me a letter stating that you are closing the case, but yet you never took time to meet with our family. to discuss any findings of interviews. >> it is a outcome that doesn't surprise close case. he claims the fbi agents assigned to the case, didn't appear to have the resours or will to thoroughly investigate the racially motivating killed. >> this is an opportunity to wage the war on america's demons. from it's racist past, and that has not been delivered and the opportunity to bring that to bear on this history, is diminishing every day. >> the fbi's headquarters in washington, we put those accusations to the man now in charge of the
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cold case initiative. the aim is to prosecute, but even when that doesn't happen, he said the project is a success. >> in terms of putting the evidence together, putting those stories together, that we have achieved something. historically. we have achieved something to tell the tail about exactly what happened. and hopefully bring some closure to the families. >> since the cold case began in 2006, no one has been brought to justice. although the fbi said they are confident prosecutions will follow. for the case that have been closed there is a overwhelming sense of disappointment, that their cases were not taken as seriously as they could have been. >> though we can't say it
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is justice. >> it will never be served. >> justice has not been served. >> woodvile, mississippi. >> a dramatic rescue from the rubble of a collapsed bidding, david chuteser with us now, with that story and more of today's headlines, david? >> doneny, in birmingham alabama, the explosion was so loud, and shook the ground so violently, that residents initially thought there had been a plane crash. actually according to fire crews it was a gas line that ruptured in an apartment building early this morning and then bust. the explosion blew out part of the building you can see the fire crews there, and showered debrises on houses a block away. doctors say that he is in critical condition, a woman that was waythe man was found dead. six other people were injured. one of the most spectacular of the pacific coast is now thick with smoke and jammed by emergency vehicles.
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in big sir, 1500 homes have been destroyed. highway one the pacific coast highway remains open, and the resorts are not in danger, however, forest officials say the 600-acre fire is only about 5% contained. the cause of the fire is under investigation, california is in the midst of the dryest calendar year on record. former boston crime boss is on the move. transferred to a federal facility in new york. bulger has been moved to a federal lock up in oklahoma. local prosecutors are considering whether to go forward with a state case. bolger was convicted of killing wheeler and ten other people in the federal case, and sentenced to two life terms. his daughter says that moving forward with the state case in oklahoma would be a waste of taxpayer money. the food and drug administration has issue add new warning about a stimulant used in some treatments for the children's condition
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known as adhd. or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. the fda says the stimulant can spark harmful side effects including genital bane in boys, the stimulant is found in ritalin, and detrana, it is urging to talk to boys so they are aware of the warning signs. if you saw the wind gusts were strong here, this is the shopping district in. the video distributed has gone viral. >> look at that, they were so strong even the local police were called in to try to help people get across the street, everybody eventually did make it to where they were going. at least one person fell down, and needed an ambulance. >> can you imagine that as a tail wind. >> again, same principle the wind storm comes through, so it p had to
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be at the rate place with these huge gusts. >> look at that. >> visitors to one of the most popular sites. a new way to know about the prehistoric monument. stonehenge set deep in this corner, and around 1 million people come to see this icon every year. >> what endures about this space is the puzzle that it presents. because no one has been able to say where total certainty, what stonehenge is. >> some say it was a solar temple, others belief it is an ancient computer. this many theories but what is clear, is it's popularity, and now after years of rangeling visitors can experience stone hinge in a
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thoroughly modern way. for the first time, it has it's own museum. more than $40 million has been spent on creating this building made of glass and steel. and visitors stopped from accessing the center of stonehenge can now do so virtually. >> there are two things that are important, the first is the ability to feel as if you are standing inside the stones. we have fantastic artifacts here. that is really exciting to see. >> this new era hasn't pleased everybody. some people have objected to changes to a local road, others have expressed anger over the inclusion of human remains. ultimately, it is the stones themselves which will remain the biggest draw here. i see it is a place of beauty, and a place of wonder. yes, it is a ruin.
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was even for it to survived in this state, it is a testament, i think, to the engine ingenuity and the skill of the people that built it. in just a few days hundreds of people will gather here, for perhaps one of the purposes stone hinge was originally built for. to worship the sun during the winter solstice. >> ahead. strange attack on a popular fruit is jeopardizing imports around the world. and how education plays a winning role in the giant megamillions jackpot. >> al jazeera america is the only news channel that brings you live news at the top of
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every hour. >> here are the headlines at this hour. >> only on al jazeera america. >> how important is the future of manufacturing industry? >> you're talking about something that's very complex. >> made in america equals jobs in america. >> welcome back. you're watching scenes from the documentary, made in the usa, a 30-day journey, it's a look at the workforce and consumers, and john paid that documentary, and he got interested in where the goods we buy come from after a plant closed in his hometown, and welcome to the show. >> thanks for having me, appreciate it. >> so talk about how the closing of that plant impacted you and the community. >> well, the film sparred from century aluminum shutting down in my hometown in virginia, and 650 people lost their jobs,
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including my father-in-law, david nelson, and as time went on, it destroyed our local and regional economy.
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this?e you ready for the megamillions fever has really taken hold. in tonight is the number up there? wow. in tonight's drawing. a lot of people dreaming of ways to spend that cash, right? but just as much money is made by the states that participate. georgia has had a law on the books to use as much as 35% on ticket sales on education programs. but last time that happened was 15 years ago. robert gray joins us now. e
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followed the money trail. >> advertise the season for hope. over half a billion of them. >> odds are one in 285 million to one. >> not all of that money goes to the winners, so what happens once they are paid out? children's health care, and medicaid, and stuff like that. >> not exactly, here is a break down of the 43 states selling
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megamillion tickets. 60% go to the prize winners, 15% to the redalers marketing and operations and the final 25% to the states of which about 27 of them earmark lottery revenue for education. >> well, there's always criticism of the lottery, in terms of it being -- it is a voluntary type of source of revenue. more lower income people play the lottery keeping it specifically for a college scholarship program. >> again, the state of georgia has looked at it as a good source of funding for very important sector of the economy, which is education. >> for students in georgia with a b average, there is the hope scholarship, which has helped thousands of middle class families pay for college. but, there have been short falls. the georgia lottery
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funded the program with 901 million in 2012. that's a went% drop of the revenue suggested. >> well, it has to do with the cost of tuition. in the system, georgia -- as you know, college and university cost situation has gone up faster than inflation and other products and services. as a result of that, as a result of the recession, people losing jobs and lower incomes. >> so in response to the need for new funding of the hope scholarship, the georgia legislature passed the video lottery terminal bill this year. which they expect to give good to see you, thank
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you, sir. banana lovers may soon have to find their potassium intake elsewhere. the world supply of bananas. insects are eating the fruit. there are fears thatst andr of banana. the fate of the fruit that changed the world. dan, good to talk to you, you know we have a lot of things to worry about, so i need you to put this into perspective for me, so tell me more about this soil fungus, and how much of a is incurable, ant
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is a total wipe out once it appears. >> whoa. >> once it shows up in the soil, you can kiss your banana plantations goodbye. not just across a region, but an entire don't innocent. >> is there a precedent fact, the original banana introduced by the predecessor company was a different variety, and that was wiped out by an earlier version of panama disease, totally wiped out. made extinction as a commercial product. haven't we learned from it, don't we know how to get rid of it. >> we haven't. and they are very tough to get rid of. bananas are especially susceptible, because they are uniform.stick. when it gets sick it
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spreads very fast. >> is there an there's lit that will can be done in terms of building resistence to the fungus. what needs to be done, is to add variety. there are over 1,000 varieties in the u.s. we only get one here. if this hits latin america, with all of ours come from, the ba that what are the chances of it hitting south america? >> the chanceslump of infen my shoe, andish stepped on to a ba ma that plantation, that could set off a shine of events that would spread this. >> you are being
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alarmist, that can't be true? is it true? >> well, look at this disease began in ma play sha about 1990, it spread to china, taiwan, it has wiped out much of the australian banana industry. now spreading to africa, into the middle east. and everywhere it goes these banana plantations end up lying fallow. it is up to companies like cole to protect it. >> it is up to them, and the question is how are they going to do it. it takes 50 years to develop an effective banana variety. now genetic engineering. the problem is most people don't want to eat. >> last question for you, if the for the cabin dish is under threat, and you
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say introducing more variety would help, is that something that can be advocated in is that something that is being looked at? >> wide a minute, so it isn't the best on the pl amazing texture, but tough to grow. >> dang, thank you for your time. he is a journalist and
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the author of banana the fate of fruit that changed the world. up next, with your national forecast. lan >> start with one issue >> start with one issue
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putting on the brakes. here it is slowing down so we have more snow to deal with. tomorrow morning more snow will accumulate overnight tonight, but by wednesday morning it is slowly beginning to clear out. all the way up through maine, starting to clear out a bit. in the southeast, then we taked about our changing weather, this is the high temperature outlook, and you can see the warm air just coming back, but not until saturday and sunday. high temperatures climbing into the 60's, 70's, all the way up there through philadelphia and washington, d.c. maybe as far as new york. it does come with some moisture, though, and by saturday and sunday, as the storm develops, the threat for severe storms watch that across the southeast this weekend.
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>> welcome to al jazeera america. we're live in new york city. i'm tony harris. this is our top stories. nasa needs to replace a broken pump at the space station delaying a cargo launch. and that is from the associated press. that doesn't make sense but we'll sort that out and i promise a better story on that. top tech executives met with president obama while yesterday's nsa legislation loomed. n.a.t.o. said six service members died in afghanistan,

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