>> a presidential panel calls for changes to the national security agencies and made dozens of recommendations aimed at increasing transparency and accountability. fighting is started. the crisis left hundreds dead and is sparking forwards of a civil war. >> there are still good people. >> after surviving a fall on to subway tracks, donations pour in to help a blind man keep his beloved guide dog. >> big brother may be watching every move you paying.

>> good morning. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> the n.s.a. has been under fire for months following edward snowden's disclosure of its mass if collection of phone records in the u.s. and around the world. as alan fisher reports a presidential panel is calling for changes in the way the n.s.a. does its business. >> a surveillance review report is due to be published but is pushed out by the white house. the highlights - the n.s.a. will no longer keep a phone database, it will be held by the phone companies or a third party. the agency can no longer ask parties to build a backdoor, and the n.s.a. should not spy on non-u.s. citizens outside the u.s. because of their religion or political views. the scope was revealed by

whistleblower. he said any changes need strong support. >> the congressional committees are completely cooptive, worth else and impotent even if they have the incentive to do so. courts have been one-sided. so i think we need gen urine oversight. the other ones we have to ensure the changes take place if the white house adopts them. >> the white house can accept, reject or modify recommendations but has to consider a decision by the federal judge who ruled that the collection may be unconstitutional. the intelligence community will not be happy arguing that it will impact conversations of alleged terrorists or rogue states or those that need to be watched. >> any time there's outside elements, be they judicial, the fifth, media, journalism passing

judgment by shedding light on programs it becomes a problem for the national security establishment. it's not necessarily a bad thing. oversight is important. unchecked and unwatched institutions, people, will creep and expand their action, so these things need to occur. it's not pleasant. >> the panel does not suggest all data be stopped. it recommends reducing the scope of what it can grab. >> the report says the kind of metadata the n.s.a. has been routinely collecting from america's phone records should only be turned over after a court order. >> vladimir putin is expressing admiration for edward snowden. he made the comment in an end of year press government. he says the russian government is not helping but nearly

providing refuge for him. >> translation: i'll be honest this person is interesting to me. i believe thanks to edward snowden many people changed their world view, including politicians. he made this choice. it is a complicated one. we act unthe assumption he will not continue anti-operational propagan propaganda. we have not worked with him. >> he said that no decision has been made on whether to deploy missiles to the country's western most region, something the u.s. is opposed to. vladimir putin says his country's $50 billion bailout did not come with conditions. >> target may have been hacked. millions of credit and debit cart information could have been compromised. the secret service a looking

into the breach that started on black fradd. and lasted for several weeks. the data stored on magnetic strips was believed to be hacked at the cash registers. target has 1900 stores in the u.s. and canada. >> for the first time in three years congress passed a bipartisan deal. despite opposition from some conservative rub cans. the deal eases spending cuts that would have taken affect and eliminate the risk of a shut down >> president obama proposes to nam name max baucus as an ambassador to china. it's been called the big-sky buy off.

he'll replace gary lock. >> the arrest of an indian diplomat in new york city is training the relationship between the u.s. and long-time ali. standard arrest procedures were fold. secretary of state john kerry is trying to smooth things over after the incident sparked outrage. >> the international incident centres on this woman. she's india's deputy consule general. he charged her with whichesa fraud. she was accused of paying a housekeeper far less that she promised. authorities say the woman received about $3 an hour, below the legal minimum wage, allegations her attorney denied. >> she was paying her employee what they should have. >> it's what happened next that adds fuel to the fire.

indian officials allege the diplomat was taken into custody, handcuffed after dropping her daughter at school. they say she was strip searched in a gaol sell and locked up with drug addicts before posting $250,000 bail. the state department says proper procedures were followed. >> we know it's sensitive, and are looking into it for ta reason. >> reaction to her arrest and treatment set out angry protests outside the american embassy in new delhi. indian authorities asked u.s. consular officials to return cards and stop them leaving the country. relationships are strained and secretary of state john kerry publicly addressed the situation, calling india's national security advisor. the state department released this statement conveying dar es salaam -- conveying john

kerry's message: >> negotiation to restrictions imposed. some indian politicians are considering penalizing the same sex companions of american diplomats. homosexuality was made illegal in india >> a storm will impact the money, meteorologist nicole mitchal is here. >>uably at this time of the year we talk about snow storms. as we head west wood we have a developing storm system and energy bringing snow.

it will be the southern part that we are concerned about. i just want to get through today's forecast. 2-4 inches in a lot of cases. not too problematic. it's when we get into the weekend. this is it developing south ward, the morn edge of that. a lot of the rain, because the temperatures will be so warm. that is part of the problem for us. is the fact that we have the cold air to the north, and then these temperatures in the '60s, '70s. the clash of those two different air masses - a lot of uplift and that's why we could get the severe weather. this is really saturday into supd, especially saturday. even the risk for isolated tornado and into sunday the risk east ward and the risk for wind gusts and damaging winds and things of that nature. there's a lot of warm air asserted with the system.

along with watching that we'll watch the temperatures, lifting saturday and into sunday, up and down the coastline, there could be a couple of records shattered. it's not unreasonable to hear that. somewhere like new york city will be in the '60s, that would be record setting. >> thank you. two prisoners released from guantanamo bay are back in their native sudan. uthman muhammed and ibrahim othman ibrahim idris are both considered to have been members of al qaeda. they have been detained at guantanamo since 2002. this is the third release of detainees this month. 158 detapees remain. hundreds are feared dead. the country's army has been split between presidential

supporters and those loyal. clashes escalated. south sudan's army says it lost control after reports of clashes there. the u.k. is airlifting its citizens out of juba as the situation worsens. as stefanie dekker reports there are fears of a civil war. >> in the world's newest country many people are finding themselves without a home. the u.n. says up to 20,000 people are seeking shelter at its camps in the capital juba. >> we have been able to get medical assistance, enforce medical services and provide them with emergency assistance. >> fighting broke out over the weekend after what the government says was an attempted coup by the ousted vice president. the disagreement is being put out. soldiers south sudan army are

fight others. sdla is dinka. the other is nuer. those familiar with the region say this is about power. fighting has spread to the spla dominated town in the oil-rich state. there are conflicting reports over who is in charge. there are fears that the conflict could descent into ta civil war. >> this is a political crisis and needs to be dealt with through political dialogue. there's a risk of this violence spreading to other states as we have seen some signs of this. >> the president salva kiir offered to sit and talk with riek machar, whom he dismissed in july. he has gone underground, a warrant has gone out for his repeat. >> this tiny country split from sudan. no one wants to see a return to

violence. there's little they can do to stop it. >> turning to south sudan's neighbour, the central african republic. u.s. ambassador to the united nations samantha power arrived a few hours ago. she's the highest profile american to visit since internal conflict broke out. it comes on the eve of a new faf can peacekeeping force charged with stopping the violence. >> a ceremony will be meld for misca a u.n. and african union initiative. they'll take over peacekeeping. the number of troops are expected to doubt in the coming weeks to 6,000. an influx of troops buts pressure on the government of michel djotobia to maintain order. >> according to neamnesty

international more than 1,000 have been killed, higher than earlier estimates by the u.n. torture beatings and execution-style beatings are levelled against a rebel group. an 18-page report released by nest -- amnesty international claims that isis are named as those torturing prisoners. the u.n. commission of inquiry on syria is releasing reports on politically motivated abductions, after using bashar al-assad of war crimes. >> doctors say people with high blood pressure can stop taking their medication. why the recommendation is not sitting well with everyone.

>> i ran back and said i'm hit. >> an incredibly difficult condition, throwing twin babies out a wind to save them from a fire. >> scientists plan to map the milky way. >> indiana pacers travel to south beach in a test to see if they can beat d wade and lebron on their turf.

>> an ex-firefighter accused of starting a massive wildfire pleaded not guilty to arson and murder. zane peterson is accused of starting the clover wildfire in september. the fire charred nearly 8,000 acres in a remote section and destroyed 68 homes. 56-year-old brian henry was killed in his motor home. 1500 firefighters battled the blaze. peterson is accused of setting six other fires. >> health insurers are giving

customers 10 days. the payment coming in recked -- reaction to the lingering internet. customers must select an insurance plan by monday. >> new guidelines mean millions of americans may not need to take blood pressure medication. a study in the journal. american medical association says it may be time for a change. not everybody is on board. >> treatment of the most chronic medical condition in the united states is seeing its first major change in 30 years. one in three americans have high blood pressure of the guidelines released by a government panel say holder people can cole operate levels. up to a level of 150. rather than 140. now i think based on the

guidelines if you have the patient below 150 you are at your goal. >> hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes, but the committee didn't find evidence to use medication at the previous threshold improved health. >> patients may get side effects from different medicines, there may be drug interacts and the complexity of taking different drugs makes it difficult for many patients to adhere to the ragement that the doctors prescribe. the panel found less medication could lead to dizzy innocence. having the ability to get them to go without overmed kating them is encouraging and exciting. some leading cardiologist are raising concerns about the recommendations. >> this is not the time to relax about a silent killer. we have to do everything we can

to prevent strokes, heart failure and death. >> for patients with disease, the old flesholds for prescribing medication stands. >> it's not clear how many people may be affected by the guidelines. millions of people over 60, between them, may be between the 140 to 160 range. the top number is given for attention because it rises with age and represents health risks. taking antidepressant drugs does not cause autism. kids may be at a risk of developing disorders when their mum used them. those are the findings of a new study. doctors say it suggests pre-existing issues play play a role in auto. >>. >> dennis rodman is heading to north korea. rodman says he'll train a team

of north korean players to play a squad of n.b.a. legends. his visit after self-proclaimed friend kim jong un had his uncle a top general executed for trees job. the state department advises americans not to travel to north korea. >> the white house is sending a delegation of prominent athletes to sochi winter olympics and named billy jean king to the delegation. she's one of the first athletes to acknowledge her sexual aryan dags. openly gay hockey player caitlin cahol will be at the closing ceremony. >> you can't divorce policy from the m olympic games , but we made great straits on this issue of l.g.t.b. lights. we have a lot to work on. when we two to russia and make the statement that we are there

supporting the dignity of all humans, we can bring that sentiment home and work on issues that remain for us to owl. >> former secretary of homeland security will lead the delegation. president obama and the first lady will not be attending. >> jessica taff is here with the sport. i love when when the two teams play. >> it's december, but it doesn't feel that way. every time the miami heat and indiana pacers square off. they jockey for supposition. in miami there was a play-off atmosphere. >> they are trying to defend home court. the pacers find why they had it going. pacers up 11 at the half, and then they keep it going into the third. in transition it ned up in the

ants of paul george who drops the trille. pacers have 15 points. the heat - they had it going. they had it going from long range. >> lebron from downtown, cutting the deficit to three. kirch bosch gets things going, tying at 92. why not go to the n.b.a.'s best from downtown. ray allen, popping from the top. the heat go on a 12-2 run, edging the pacers and the series at 1. >> good qualitiry win. a good team. we had to overcome a lot. they are making shots. they, very good win. it's the type of win we needed and wanted. >> we played well and was

winning for 80 to 90%. they played at home, with energy. >> we rallied. >> you have two teams that understand to rein will be on the defensive win. you win games and championships. >> moving on to the college rank, yukon taking on a stamford team that hasn't won since the 2008 tournament. things are about to change. the huskies, one of the best, they have one of the best players in the country. the huss bys leading by 10 at the half. stam forward turning the defense into offence. anthony brown with a sweet finish the the huskies coming

back. taking it the significance. he made it a game. it was the cardinals scoring. going untouch through the line. knocking off youion. there's nothing i like better than a coach's rant to break of post-game press conferences. the coach gave an impressive one i saw following the loss. it included his wife's basketball ability. yes, yesterday the head coach had one thing to apologise for. >> i don't know why, i have been. i made a mistake. in a post of game media conference i untilled out an individual. it was immature of me. i take full responsibility for

it, i should not have done it aapologise personally and to the team for singling out an individual. let me get to the second part. from that point on. anything else i said in that press conference i stand by. i believed every word i said. if that ruffles your feather or somebody else's, you know what we'll have to deal with it. here is the other thing, i'll have to deal with it. >> not the best apology, he ripped on the entire team. he said one name when he answered the question. >> fair enough. thank you. we have breaking news on the target hacking case that we told you b the retail giant says up to 40 million credit card accounts may have been compromised. it was suggested 40,000 people may have had data stolen. the secret service is looking

into the breach that started on black friday stealing data at the cash registers. target has more than 1900 stores in the u.s. and canada. >> time to look at what temperatures we'll see across the nation. meteorologist nicole mitchell is bark. minnesota 21. enjoy it. we won't see highs that high by the end of the weekend. cooler air in the 50s in parts of california after a record-setting heat. it's beneficial. it's been warm. i'll leap frog to the weekend to show you what is causing severe weather. look at the contrasts. chicago to memphis, 40 degree change, 34 versus 73. that's the cold versus hot air, a clash of two air masses. that is part of what will play into the weather threat. up and down the coastline. '60s and 70s.

it's not unusual that we would see this once tore trees and a season, but when you see cities like new york that spent two weeks below average, '60s will feel warm. >> it doesn't pay to file an insurance claim. the states, where the insurance is the most if you cash in on your policy. >> things like this don't happen for everybody. >> a blind man who survived a fall opens up about saving the guide dog who jumped in to help film. >> surveillance cameras could keep an eye. some stores keeping track of a move. >> we depend on you, your ideas

and concerns. all the folks making a lot of money. you were one of the

>> welcome pack to al jazeera, i'm stephanie sy. these are the top stories at this hour. a presidential panel came out with 46 recommends changes to the n.s.a. surveillance program. the review board wants the n.s.a. to do away with a massive database. it says the records should be kept by service providers or a prised third party with government access granted only through a court order. fears of a civil war as violence in south sudan escalates. hundreds are dead. men forced to leave their homes. all nonemergency personnel are ordered to leave south sudan. >> a new african peace keeping force will try to stop the violence in the central african republic. nis ka will take over military

operations from the force of central africa. the extra troops are desperately needed to curtail the violence that's killed 1,000 people. >> vladimir putin is defending his decision to bail out ukraine saying he believes in the country's potential. the remarks coming a day after russia offered to assist a republic. russia gave ukraine a 15 billion loan. ukraine reportedly could have received 26 billion if they signed a trade agreement with the european union. protesters pushed the country to strengthen relations with the u.s. ukraine needs the money. with us to dissect the latest development in ukraine is the executive director of the american institute in ukraine. thank you for joining us this morning. >> so the ukrainian president is

speaking live at a press conference right now. one of the things he has said is that he's warning foreign countries against europeans. it's a tense situation there, throngs of people in the streets. there is concern that the situation was peaceful. the last thing ukraine needs is for violence to change out. there's strong feelings about which way ukraine goes. they made a decision to do this diseel. it's controversial. this is crossing the wires as well. he's criticising the president. for revolutionary actions. does that pretent a military crackdown. >> i think they'll be reluctant to do that.

they've been tollerant so far. they were occupying government buildings and government squares. you have to ask yourself what would be the reaction in the west. just sort of sit there. so i think the authority so far is showing restraint. i have a feeling they'll continue to do that. >> let's go back to the offer of aid from russia. it's a lot of money. i just want to read a quote to you from an opposition leader in the ukraine. this is it how he characterised the deal. russian money beat european values, it's a geopolitical victory. way do you make of the assessment. >> the ukraine for russia is important. this is a country the size of france, it's on russia's doorstep, it's got profound connections to russia, the cradle of russian civilisation. it was important to the russians that ukraine remain - continue

to maintain close relations with moscow. it is essential for them. and i think that is what this deal is about. and the european offer wasn't nearly as realistic, or as strong as the russian offer. >> reading between the lines. what the opposition leader is suggesting is values of openness, demack accuracy and transparency. ukraine turned its back on that part. >> they are loaded terms. i see what you are saying. i think that you know, europe - rather russia, they are making huge strides in democracy. this is a country that for seven years is undercome unism. i think remarkable things emerge. it's a work in progress. the shame here is that ukraine -

opposition remarks like that, it tends to make it seem like ukraine has to choose one way or the other. >> does it have to choose? >> it shouldn't have to. >> can it have a bailout with russia and integrate with the e.u.? >> it could. putin's said himself that he hopes to have a free trade with europe. it's calling for tripart eyed talks. that's the future. that's what they need. they don't need to be pulled in two directions at once. we'll have to continue this conversation. anthony, executive director of the american institute in ukraine. thank you for coming in this morning. >> state officials are looking into 6,000 cases of child abuse, which were never investigated. the scandal embroiled the administration's governor, jan

breuer. a special task force has been formed to find out how it happened. >> here is a cps report that needs follow up. >> outside phoenix in the city of scottsdale detectives are getting their marching orders - investigate the ni reports in their jurisdictions. some of which date back as far as 2009. exactly as if the case had come in today. >> if there was a case that have been reported a year ago, two years ago, three years ago, our urgency is to discontinue. could it go on, is a child in a worse position. >> over a week ago detective todd larson received 143 cases. >> we need to put eyes on the child, we need to see the child. how is their health, demeanour, their physical appearance. are they safe and well. >> larson is the commanding officer of the scats dale family

center. where multiple law enforcement and social service work hand in hand. everyone in this building is an expert. >> the goal is to have a collaborati collaborative effort between law enforcement, medical, social services, state partners and have a location that a victim can come and have a one-stop approach. >> for the more than 100 ni cases that will be vetted victims will not be coming here, they'll go to the victims. >> go and double they can that. i may have missed it. >> detective tony gall brath told me that the fact that these are cold cases is troubling. p. >> if we are unable to find where they live, dealing with stale information. that's a huge concern.

>> do you new cases represent a lot more work for you. you were busy before this. >> absolutely. >> it is more work, it has to be done. >> the work has to be done. detective galbraith is a cop, she's a mum with two young kids of her own. >> it's so sad to see that, and especially when you're speaking of a child that is your child of your child's age. that's when it gets tough. you got to do it. you have to help one child to outweigh it all. >> more than 800 cases have received attention. now members of the task force ask that they be reviewed. some of the pieces that shelve the reviews are carrying out the investigations. >> a new york city mailman is hailed as a hero after making two life-saving deliveries. he caught two baby boys tossed

to him. their father panicked and shirley told him he could help. >> no one was below. he did not want to climb down with both kids. he screamed for help. i said drop them, drop them, i'm here. >> the twins were taken to the hospital and are reportedly doing fine. >> a blind man will keep his sees eye dog thanks to the kindness of strangers. cecil williams made headlines after falling on to the railway tracks. a train rolled over him and his dog. he pulled the blind man to safety. he said thanks to many donation, he'll get to keep him as a pet when he retires. >> all the people that contribute. i think we should take our hat off to them.

they are good people. >> williams said people said they couldn't donate money to other seeing eye dog donations. >> the ceo of delta airlines is saying no to the idea. saying delta will not allow voice calls despite new rules that the fcc my impose. the ability to place a call from the air would make experiences worse not better. >> if you file a claim after a car accident insurance rates can go up. as stacy tisdale report, it doesn't always pay to make a claim. >> boy do we love our cars. >> a survey by transunion finds that americans make their monthly car payments before they pay bills and mortgages. with love comes responsibility, and taking responsibility in their car can cost you big time.

particularly if the love affair hits the skids. this is where car insurance rates are going up. it's a view that the consumer is now riskier than they were beforement he said the company wants to adjust the rate because they collect premiums to pay out future claims. a study by insurance quotes found if you make a claim of $2,000 or more premiums go up. the national association of insurance says the average autoinsurance in the u.s. is $791. so the 30% hike would raise it to $1092. there are three types of insurance, bodily injury coverage. it's required in the district of columbia. the second property damage coverage. he did that in case the car, someone else's car, the building

and the mailbox was damaged. >> comprehensive cover protects you. >> the two that cost the most for consumers are property damage and bodily injury. they'll increase rates by 40%. comprehensive claims are less expensive. they affect your rate 2% across the nation. location does matter. >> insurance companies in massachusetts raise it the most, 70% on average. california is second. hiking 62%. new jersey is number three. the states have the smallest premium hikes, marlin at 20%. michigan at 23%. >> insurance is regulated at the state level, not the federal level. insurance companies have a lot of lee way in how they can

adjust rates based on history. the smartest thing consumers can do when it comes to premium hikes is usually they are not worth the high cost. it's important to shop arrangement and ask questions. many are surprised to find out they qualify for discounts. taking a proactive approach to taking care of your baby. >> so the first car accident can put a dent in insurance coverage. don't think about getting into a second crash. that'll send premiums up 86%. here is what is making news in the financial markets and business world this morning. the federal reserve takes the first step in weaning the economy off its 85 billion bond buying program. it will trum bond purchases by $10 billion a month starting in january and expect the job market welcomes a need to improve and vows to keep interest rates low. ben bernanke says if the economy

shows strength, the entire program would be wrapped by the end of next year. >> if we make progress in terms of inflation and job gains, at each meeting a measured reduction, that would take us to late in the year, certainly not by the middle of the year. >> stock futures pointing to losses. after the feds sparked a rally on wall street. the s&b and the dow hitting record highs. >> investors in europe applauding the feds decision to taper. european market slightly higher. asian markets mixed. >> investors will get more years on the strength of the u.s. housing recovery.

existing home sales were due out. housing will grow at a slowing pace because of rising interest rates. >> first-time home buyers will recoil at increases in monthly payment. the move by buyers happened last summer, saying i'll accelerate my decision to buy. in order to beat increases in mortgage rate. the average 30-year rates edged up 32%. >> snooping on shoppers. new technology is helping retailers keep track of spending habits so they have an edge on the competitionful privacy advocates are concerned, but retailers say there's no need to worry. >> as you hunt for the right gift or bargain you might not be aware that retailers are watching you from high above. stores are believing she's using

sophisticated technology. it may be beneficial to retailers. what about you. >> each shoppers is taking certain stores leading a footprint. they mine the information about customer information to improve the bottom line. it doesn't bother me at all. if they use it to better merchandise the store, they should should. >> the privacy i had is not there. the more you do, the more your privacy gets tape away. >> this is a fusion of a camera. the gapp mounts the equipment in a store. watch as i walk into a storm with an executive from brick centrally. this is noting what we walk in as a group and is recording how

long we stay at a prime minis p display. where do people go, where to they stop and dwell. >> another advantage promoted is information gathered can trim the time customers wait online to check out. the newly released device tracks shoppers. if a customer's wi-fi is turned on, retailers record the id, store it and monitor as they shop. to avoid being followed a customer has to opt out. for retailers to help themselves to a consumer cell phone it will leave a bad taste. the concern for consumer privacy prompts the senator and the washington think tank to work on an arrangement with tech companies. they must post signs alerting shoppers that they are tracked

and provide instructions on how to opt out. advocates say the measures are a first step in coping with the evolving technology. shoppers may have adapted to leaving a digital footprint behind. big brother is out there. the company feet urted in our piece has devices at more than 50,000 stores, including germany, france and russia and are not the only ones producing this technology. >> apple is taking customer tracking technology to a new level with the ibeacon transmitters sending information, including details on products, information to shoppers. >> it's a billion dollar mission to map the milky way. the technology letting

scientists pinpoint 2 million stars an hour. >> and we are monitoring snow in the rockies, it's the southern piece of energy -- over the nation's capital.

welcome back to al jazeera america. just ahead mapping the universe millions of stars at a time. first let's look at where the snow may fall. meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. >> as we move across the country a lot of whether to watch. a northern peace of weather bringing snow to eastern montana. the southern piece of energiy, not a lot of moisture, but as it moves across the country taps gulf moisture that is going to kick up. watch that. i'll have more about the severe risk coming up. in the meantime minnesota today into tomorrow could get a couple

of inches as this moves through. the northern interior will be the snow. into the weekend rain and storms. back to you. >> thank you. the european space agency is getting ready to make a detailed map of the milky way galaxy using a telescope with a 1 billion pixel camera. >> a rocket carrying the gaia telescope blasted off in french ghana, as part of a project for scientists to figure out the distance between stars. the powerful telescope will provide scientists with data and never-before seen images. >> scientists plan to park the billion dollar gaia telescope in earth's shadow, 1.5 billionkm

away. it will survey the stars. >> one of the biggest things in avt ron omy is we don't know how far away the stars are. gaia will refine the positions to the 1% or better. for the first time we'll have a 3d map of a large chunk of the galaxy. gaia uses two identical telescopes to track the movement of different stars, each with five mirors focussing the light on to what is effectively a billion pixel camera - the most powerful put in space. >> this presaying tracking technique pinpoints the position of 2 million stars an hour. that data, around 50 gigabytes each day will be transmitted to earth for analysis. >> if we can measure a lot of different stars in our galaxy, we can look at distant gal axies, if we see how bright they are, comparing the two we can

work out how far away they are. it gives us a wonderful map of the universe. >> it's hoped that gaia will map and remap the position of a billion stars over the next five years, and measure their brightness, temperature and writeness in space. they'll be observed by spacecraft to map how the galaxy moving, how it formed and developed, together with all the gal axies, it's applicable to other gall axies. gaia can see the wobble of the star. if a planet is around the star, we can detect it, gaia may find if as well. >> scientists expect to discover new asteroids, tens of thousands of stars. as many as 20,000 super-nova or exploding stars. from such a detailed survey it's

hoped gaia will shed light on the structure, contents and evolution of the galaxy, how it came into being and why it is the way it is. >> this telescope is so sensitive it can measure the with of a human hair from 600 miles away. it's undering for exoplanet, those outside the earth's solar system and search for asteroids that could threaten our planet. >> the works of pablo picasso are treasured and sell for millions, a lucky man from pennsylvania nabbed the ultimate barga bargain. an authic pablo picasso for $140. we spoke to pablo picasso's grandson who showed us a piece valued at $1 million. it belongs to a 25-year-old american who has been looking for a picture for his wall. he purchased the ticket in

sotheby's online charity raffle. the money raised about will -- will be used to renovate the city of tyre. >> tarring get has this 40 million of its customer's acts hacked. >> spy tactics has recommended changes to the n.s.a. >> the u.k. is sending planes to south sudan to get british nationals out of the cunty. >> i'm meteorologist nicole mitchell tracking a system that could bridge...

>> 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.

>> hack said, target says 40 million customers may have had their personal information stolen. now the secret service is getting involved. >> where is the outrage for the maid? the u.s. prosecutor in charge of bringing a case against an indian diplomat comes out swinging about the arrest, fueling tensions in india. >> spying overhaul, major changes could be in store for the nsa, changing the way information is collected on americans and international leaders. >> getting rid of syria's chemical weapons. an international coalition comes together to help destroy the weapons. now they must agree on where the work will be carried out.

>> good morning. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. we're following breaking news. retail giant target says up to 40 million credit card accounts may have been hacked. the secret service is looking into the breach that apparently stole data on magnetic strips of credit and debit cards at cash registers nationwide. it began black friday and ended sunday. this is one of the largest retail data breaches in history behind the data of 7 million payments on credit cards stolen from t.j. max. c.e.o. craig steinhoff said:

target is one of the world's largest retailers operating in the u.s. and canada. last year, the company generated $73.3 billion in revenue. the company employs 365,000 employees. we'll have more on this developing story later in the program. >> the arrest of an indian diplomat in new york city is scraping the relationship between the u.s. and its long time ally. now there's conflicting tones coming out of new york and washington after the alleged mistreatment. india's outrage has set off a fire storm against the prosecutor who decided to charge the indian diplomat. she was strip searched, sodomize said and held in a jail cell with drug addicts. the u.s. attorney fired back wednesday, denied she was ever handcuffed or restrained. he also said: he took it a step

further adding: >> secretary of state john kerry chose to take a conciliatory approach to easing tensions between the two allies, calling a cabinet official to express regret over the arrest. state department spokesperson said they don't want this incident to negatively impact the bilateral relationship with india. >> what we're focused on is moving forward. i do think it was a good opportunity for the secretary to very directly he can press his regret and talk about where we go from here. >> her lawyer says the allegations against his client are false and baseless. >> we hope that we won't ever have to address the actual

charges in court because we hope and expect from a diplomatic level this case will be resolved, but we're confident that if we do have to address the charges, she will be completely vindicated. >> on wednesday, dozens of people protested outside the u.s. embassy in new delhi. they say her treatment was an insult to all indian women. >> the n.s.a. happen under fire since edward snowden revealed secrets about the agencies massive collection of phone records. now a presidential panel is weighing in with a series of recommendations. as reported, the review called for big changes in the way the n.s.a. conducts business. >> a surveillance review board report was due to be published early next year but now pushed out by the white house. it makes 40 recommend is as. the n.s.a. will no longer keep a phone database. it will be held by the phone companies or third parties. the agency can no longer asked

agencies to build a back door in their software. the n.s.a. should not spy on non-u.s. citizens outside the u.s. because of their religion or political views. the scope of the program was revealed by whistle blower edward snowden, the journalist who helped get the information out. >> the agencies toover see the agency are impotent when it comes to restraining the n.s.a. even if they have the incentive to do so, which they don't. courts have been very one-sided. we need genuine oversight mechanisms besides the ones we have to make sure these changes take place if the white house adopts them. >> the white house can accept or reject the recommendations, a federal judge ruled the massive data collection it illegal.

>> any time there are outside elements, either a judicial or legislative or the media, journalism, that is passing judgment by shedding light on clandestine programs, it becomes a problem for the national security establish men. that's not necessarily a bad thing. oversight is important and unchecked, and unwatched, institutions, its people will creep and expand their actions, so these things need to occur, but it's not pleasant. >> the panel does not suggest all phone and internet data not be seized. it does recommend reducing the scope of what it can grab. aljazeera, washington. >> the report says the kind of met at a data the nsa has been routinely collecting from american's phone records should only be turned over after they were been granted a court order. >> russian president putin is

expressing admiration for edward snowden. he made the comments in an end of year press conference in moscow. he said they are merely providing refuge for him, not helping him. >> i'll be honest. this person is interesting to me. i believe thanks to snowden, many people changed their world view including politicians. he made this choice. it is a noble choice, but a complicated one. we allowed him to live here. we act that under the assumption in russia he will not continue any anti american propaganda. we have not worked with him and are not doing this now. >> for more on his comments, let's bring in peter sharp in moscow for us. president putin said his government is merely providing refuge for snowden. is there any reason to believe otherwise? >> well, not at the moment, but he has been here for a long time. it's conceivable that he would obviously have been interviewed by the f.s.b., the successor of the k.g.b.

putin of course is a former k.g.b. officer himself. he was asked at this mammoth press briefing going on four hours now whether he actually met snowden. he said no, he hadn't but stressed, he said no matter how much you criticize our american friends, all this work the n.s.a. surveillance is being done to counter terrorism, and this is what it's all about, so really, just a word to washington and an almost friendly word to washington that he is a former professional, knows exactly what's been going on and why. >> that is absolutely fascinating, that comment. putin also commented at length about the situation in ukraine. was it just more denying that russia has been pulling strippings in that country? >> well, it's pretty obviously been pulling strings. they handed a $15 billion sum

investment to the ukraine two days ago which basically putin said saved the country from bankruptcy. they slashed the prices they charged ukraine for urgently needed natural gas. there are big, big life lines held out to this crumbling economy. obviously, moscow is trying to sort of increase its links, its grip on the ukraine to stop it from moving towards the e.u. >> peter sharp with the latest from moscow, thank you. >> for the first time in nearly three years, congress has pass add bipartisan budget deal. the bill cleared the senate with 64 votes despite opposition from conservative republicans and tea party members. it will go to president obama to be signed into law. the deal eases automatic spending cuts that would have taken effect next year, the

fiscal cliff and reduces a government shutdown for two years after the one that shuttered federal agency for 16 days in october. >> u.s. ambassador to the united nations samantha power is in the african republic, meet wing government leaders, peacekeepers as well as civilians. as the violence continues, thousands of people have taken ref final in the international airport, secured by french soldiers. fighting between christians and muslims has spread into other parts of the country. a new peace keeping force is trying to keep the conflict from spreading further. andrew simmons reports. >> another african peace keeping force in the making, dress rehearsals for a ceremony that ushered in. the internationally support mission to the central african

republic is twice the size of the previous force and they double that again in the coming weeks to 6,000. with the military build-up, more political pressure is building down on the interim president to calm the anger and threaten full justice to anyone involved in the unknown number of atrocities. atrocities. >> in our words, it is critical that the message comes from himself to make sure that nobody will be immune from any form of persecution. >> here the risk of more large-scale killing hasn't diminished just as it hasn't in the capital. it's clear that bolder action is needed as attacks on christian

militia continues. >> it isn't about peace keeping, it's about enforcing some form of calm and to have any hope of doing that, the new force needs to be fast, officials and well equipped. >> the outgoing peace keeping commander believes the bolter in force will work. >> we only intervene in specific locations, depending on the threat where as they will be able to go everywhere, and diminish the risk. >> but action is needed soon if the fears of the minty muslim people don't spill over into retaliation. the french want to start disarming both sides, but it's too tense right now and sources have told aljazeera that more fire power is needed first. >> for more now on the situation in the central african republic, we're joined by andrew. good morning. what can we expect from samantha powers' visit there and can you

talk about the situation on the ground? >> well, right now, i'm beside angie d.p. camp, displaced persons catch and samantha power is actually in there meeting the people, trying to speak to as many central africans as she can on this visit. in her briefing ahead of it, she said the division, look to rwanda and what happened there and for conflict, look at somalia. she said what will arise out of this visit is unclear. she will clearly be briefing the president along the lines of there's a desperate need here. in terms of america's involvement and interest in the central african republic, that's quite limited apart from the u.s. dollars that's been put forward to the peace keeping force that you saw in my report. >> ok.

andrew simmons with the latest on the ground. thank you. >> the central african republic's neighbor is sinking as well, hundreds of people may be dead in south sudan. crashes reresulted between factions of the military favoring the countries president and those loyal to the former vice president. thousands have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. south sudan gained independence in 2011 after decades of fighting. >> the white house intends to nominate max boccus as the next ambassador to china. the six term senator announced he did not plan to run next year. if confirmed, the senate of the finance committee would replace the current senator there. >> peterson is accused of purposely starting colorado's clover fire in september. the blaze charged nearly 8,000-acres in a remote section

of the county. one man died and 68 homes burned. peterson is being charged with murder and 200 counts of arson. he is accused of setting at least six other fires. >> firefighters hope to get an upper hand on a wildfire burning in big sur. the unusual late season wildfire burned 22 buildings and homes and forced 100 people to flee. the blaze began sunday and is so far 74% contained. two firefighters have suffered minor injuries. >> a tomorrow system brewing out west could have the potential to cause problems across the country, for more on this morning's national forecast, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> there's some good side to a storm system. even though we might have problems over the weekend, we were that just talk about the fires in california. when this came onshore initially, a lot of the rain didn't make it to the ground because the air is just so dry, but at least it raised humidities and dropped temperatures and that actually helped with that fire situation.

not everyone is going to like this storm so much, though, as it moves into the central portion of the country, taps the gulf moisture, it's going to be a big problem spot. i want to mention snow moving across the northern tier of the country today. that's what we're going to watch for places like parts of minnesota, two to four inches. let's get back to the storm system. this is by saturday as that energy gets out, collects more energy. strong storms anywhere from texas into the northern ohio or mississippi valley area, we could watch some of that. this moves into the east coast with chances for rain, more chances for rain than snow unless you're on the very north side, because temperatures are going to be so warm. that's part of what's giving us the energy. the fact that the slash of cold temperatures from the north and all that warm, moist air that helps give us lift with he need for the strong storms, so saturday into sunday, the area outlined in green, chances for storms, but especially on saturday, what i've highlighted in red, this is our chance for more of that severe weather.

can't rule out isolated tornadoes, so something we'll have to monitor as we head into the weekend. that thank you. >> giving health care to the homeless, how one program looks to bring necessary care to the less fortunate. >> a superbowl snowstorm threat. what the nfl plans to do if north nature and her fears enter the game. >> our big number of the day, it's big business one snack brings in. why one manufacture could stand to lose out on that cash.

>> we have a delicious big number for you today, $8 billion, the annual sales of greek style yogurt in the u.s. the healthy grocery chain will stop selling this brand by next year, making room for smaller exclusive brands that are organic and don't contain genetically modified ingredients. >> good morning, welcome back to

aljazeera america. it is crunch time for football fan nat particulars as their team tries to make it to the superbowl. with the big game takes place in new jersey, there is concern about motor nature. officials have a plan of action. first, let's look at what temperatures we can expect across the nation today. meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. nicole. >> good morning. i hope everyone is having a great morning out there. we have milder air coming into the south. temperatures in houston, 56 degrees right now. if you're into the northern tier of the country, minneapolis, 19 is our high by the end of the weekend. we'll be cooler like this, so enjoy the little warm up while we've got it. i'm going to jump to the weekend to show. i was talking about that storm system. look at chicago to memphis, 34 versus 73 for highs on saturday, so just a state separating the two places, yet a 43-degree temperature change. that is part of the clash contributing to our severe.

all this warm up spreading up the east coast could set records by the weekend. back to you. >> oh in january, president obama's health care law will expand medicaid to suffer millions of uninsured americans. signing up those eligible and homeless is especially difficult. we report on groups providing a bridge to health care on the streets of los angeles. >> every night, the homeless line up for food on this corner in west hollywood, but on wednesday note, they come for something more. >> i'm here to have my blood pressure stacked and get things i need, and a pair of socks, and food here. >> for more than 12 years, this mobile health clinic staffed by doctors and students from ucla provides medical care for homeless. >> we have such a low barrier, all we need is a first name and birth date to treat and see people. they don't even have to give us their real name. >> they troat everything from diabetes, h.i.v. and

hypertension to asthma, pneumonia and sore fee. the clinic hands out a lot of socks. >> i have neuropathy and the socks just kind of like are comfort for my feet. >> most never see a doctor until they become so ill they have to go to the e.r. and wherever they go feel unwanted. >> you have the look of disdain from the receptionist, you have a nurse that may not want to take your blood pressure, because you're dirty. >> out here on cold nights, they find a warm welcome. >> i have never received better treatment, not even in the e.r. >> some homeless advocates are optimistic that the affordable care act will soon offer relief. january 1, poor people not previously covered would be eligible for medicaid. california is one of 25 states that have agreed to expand their medicaid coverage under the new health law. that change could dramatically impact the homeless population here in los angeles county.

some 58,000 people by the last official count. >> one homeless advocacy group has already started an outreach program to urge people to enroll and provide them with clinics and doctors willing to take them, but it won't be easy. >> i think that challenges are multiple, and that this is going to be messy for a little while. some of the challenges are going to be linking homeless folks with providers of their choice. they're going to have choice now. >> the first challenge, few of these people have proof of identity, a problem facing lisa poll son and her husband. >> between the two of us, it would cause three or $400 that we don't have just to get our birth certificates. >> there are people that already could sign up if they wanted to oh, but they don't want to. >> why? >> because of the experience they've had with medical care. one of the goals is trying to be that stepping stone back into a system. >> this clinic on wheels will continue to show up week after

week to care for the patients no one else seems to care about. aljazeera, los angeles. >> a government study released last month found the number of homeless people in the u.s. shrank from 2012 to 2013. >> taking a look at business headlines now this morning, the question on wall street today, what's the encore? investors still buzzing about yesterday's surprise move by the federal reserve to trim bond purchases by $10 billion a month. the pullback begins in january, but it vows to keep interesting rates low. the move sent stocks soaring. one economist said don't expect any reaction from the fed until march of next year. >> they certainly don't have leeway given the weakness in the economy that still 50's to taper anymore than they did. i wouldn't be surprised if they skipped a couple of meetings before they do a lot more tapering. >> wall street seems to be taking a bit of a breather, do

you futures down four points. the dow and s&p at record highs. overseas, markets sharply higher. in asia, markets ending the day mixed, but nikkei closing at a six year high. >> it could be a case of bit coin changer revenge. the tate media is suggesting angry bit coin fans are to blame for hacking. the on line attack kim on the same day the bank curbed bit coin transactions in china, sending the price plummeting on bit coins. >> this year, the superbowl is at the mercy of mother nature because it's being played in the northeast at met life stadium. the biggest fear, a nasty winter snowstorm. nfl officials say they're ahead of this game. >> i hate to mention this,

superbowl fans, but we do get an awful lot of the white stuff in new jersey in the winter and february is key for snow dumps, very large ones. met life stadium, home to superbowl forth eight has no roof, which means high paying fans could be freezing in the fans or worst, the game postponed. >> a snowstorm can hit at any time, but that doesn't mean people should not be able to move around or football not be able to be played. >> he says the key is to have the resources in place and be able to clear the snow efficiently. >> and this is what they're worried about, a giant pile of snow atop the 30-yard line. it's not just here at met life stadium. it's all the many roads around, because this will be known as the first-ever mass transit

superbowl. >> the roads will be cleared was not 30-mile radius of the stadium. they will have access to 30,000 tons of salt. the met life stadium transformed from being just outside new york city to being outside the hot springs of iceland. meet the superbowl host committees secret weapon, mother nature, you stand no chance, 600 tons of snow every hour cab dispatched by this bad boy and they have more than 30 of them. the man who runs met life stadium said he hasn't missed games because of the weather and isn't going to start now. >> if you have tickets, we're going to greatly you and make you comfortable and safe. >> and hand warmers. >> hand warmers, hats, gloves, tissues, my nose has been dripping out here in the cold. >> a little too much information

there, but you get the idea. every effort is being made to keep the superbowl from becoming a snow bowl. >> despite the winter worry, every game at met life stadium going back to 1984 has been played as scheduled. >> congress end sends the budget deal to president obama. >> removing serious chemical weapons. inspectors laid out their new time line to get the job done. we'll talk to a former chemical inspector about the risks that remain. >> we've got the heat and the pacers round two and rematch has been proven to be just as close to this season, too. that and more later on in sports.

on august 20th, al jazeera america introduced a new voice in journalism. >> good evening everyone, welcome to al jazeera. >> usa today says: >> ...writes the columbia journalism review. and the daily beast says: >> quality journalists once again on the air is a beautiful thing to behold. >> al jazeera america, there's more to it.

>> good morning, welcome to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. let's look a little our top stairs. we're following breaking news with retail giants target, saying up to 40 million credit card accounts may have been hacked opinion the secret service is looking into the breach that stole data on magnetic strips of debit and credit cards at cash registers nationwide. the theft began black friday. target says the matter is resolved, but many consumers feel angry. >> pretty concerning that it would happen at such a big place like target. it's a pretty reputable kind of store. >> a presidential panel has come out with 46 recommended changes to the n.s.a.'s surveillance programs. the review board wants the board to do away with massive database of telephone met at a data, saying those records should be kept by service providers or private third party with

government access granted only through court order. >> the u.s. is watching, that's the message from u.s. ambassador to the u.n. samantha power, the highest profile american to visit the central african republic since fighting broke out. a new african peace keeping force will try to stop the violence, taking over military operations today. troops will be double the current force's size. >> for the first time in three years, congress has passed a bipartisan budget deal. the bill cleared the senate with 64 votes, despite opposition from conservative republicans and tea party members. it will now go to president obama to be signed into law. the deal eases automatic spending cuts that would have taken effect next year, what has been refused to as the fiscal cliff and reduces the risk of another government shut down after the one that happened in

october. >> joining us with a look ahead congress agenda is professor of campaign management at new york university. professor, always good to see one good morning to you. what are the key challenges for congress in the new year, the top priorities? >> the top priorities in terms of legislation certainly we can't forget in february and march we face another debt ceiling crisis, so there's going to be another vote on that. we've heard republicans say they want to strike a deal and president obama saying he will not be dealing. that's number one. we have unemployment insurance to deal with, immigration reform, you know control, we're just off the one year anniversary of sandy hook. they still haven't passed gun control. we have things in terms of the environment. there's a whole host of issues that they can deal with. i think the big question is are they going to, because 2014 is most importantly for congress in election year. >> most of those issues, including immigration and the farm bill and gun control were

all on the agenda in 2013, too and we didn't see any movement there. 1.3 million americans will soon lose their unemployment benefits, emergency benefits on december 28. will an extension of unemployment benefits be addressed at the beginning of the year? it should be. it's 1.3 and it will be 3 million if they don't do anything, long term unemployed, the benefits cut off right after christmas. it's hard to believe congress let this happen. it should be addressed immediately. i am hopeful they will pass a bill, extend it, but the issue here is less than 100 bills have been passed this year alone. when harry truman first called congress a dew-nothing congress, they had passed over 800 bills. if that was a do nothing congress, we're in a real... >> not that passing bills should be the only measure of productivity but that has been said about this session of congress, the do-nothing

congress. does that mean there will be more action in congress. >> it's a double-edged sword. there's thinking that they want to show passing bills, on the other hand, you are looking at people running in districts where they are told they have to be idealogically firm in their settings. mitch mcconnell or john cornyn both facing reelection may not be willing to compromise on issues. we saw that with them in terms of this latest budget vote. >> they didn't want to stick their neck out in an election year. a wave of 2014 retirements of legislators have been announced in both the senate and house. does it appear that some are jumping ship or is this the normal sort of retirements we see every year. >> on tuesday alone, we saw three veteran house republicans, two republicans and one democratic who all three separately but the same day within hours said they are not

running again. none attributed it to the lack of productivity or collegiality. this is a higher number than we usually see. if you go to congress that to legislate and you're unable to do that and you're facing challenges at home in terms of your base, from utah, conservative democratic, he won by only a narrow margin of 800 votes, seems to have decided that he'd do better service in another sector of government or private service. i think there's a sense when you can't ledge lay, that being there doesn't make much accepts. it is a disturbing trend in terms of the number of people saying they are just not going to do this anymore. >> we heard that frustration from both sides of the aisle. we'll to have leave it there, thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> torture, beatings and execution-style killings are some of the allegations leveled against a rebel group

controlling large areas of northern syria. a new 18 page report released by amnesty international claims the group known at isis is conducts the ruthless acts at prisons. several detention centers are used. later this morning, the u.n. commission' inquiry on syria is releasing a report on politically motivated abductions, accuse in the syrian president bashar al assad of war crimes. >> china is the latest country to join in the international effort to destroy syria's chemical weapons. beijing will send a ship to help shipping the weapons. the most dangerous will be destroyed at sea aboard an american ship. >> it's been a challenging task, and it may well get even more complicated. the job is to dismantle and

eliminate a chemical weapons program in a country in the middle of a raging civil war. so far, it's been a relatively smooth situation. facilities were declared unoperational within a few months. now it's time for hundreds of tons of toxic chemicals to be removed. the stockpile, 500 tons of sarin, they have been agents and mustard gas, would be taken cross country in russian armored trucks guarded by syrian government troops. they would be tracked by u.s. satellite navigation equipment to the port on the mediterranean coast. there, the weapons would be loaded on to danish and norwegian cargo ships. china and finland are offering emergency response teams. the ships are to sale to an undisclosed italian port where the cargo would be transferred to a u.s. vessel.

it would be equipped with two chemical reactor chambers to neutral lies chemical weapons at sea. a plan is in place, but is it feasible? parts of these roads that the trucks will travel on have been changing hands between government forces and opposition fighters on weekly basis, so how safe are these highways? >> not yet, not completely and not 100%. >> it is said the u.s. russia and the u.n. will to have talk to regional countries with influence about some of the insurgent groups to ensure the convoy isn't attacked. it is acknowledged some of these opposition groups are out of control. >> it's very sensitive, very dangerous if those chemical weapons would be on the hands of insurgents, it would be catastrophe. >> adding to the difficulties, bad weather. last week, one of the worst snowstorms hi in 100 years hit e

region. >> the operation is expected to continue and allow its members to accomplish their mission. >> joining us to discu a former u.n. chemical inspector who joins us from washington this morning. let's first take a look at this new o.c.w. time line. the most serious toxins are set to be removed this month. february, the rest of the chemicals are removed, a month later, another 100 tons and chemicals for making mustard gas and sarin are destroyed. the end of june, chemical destruction will be completed. to you, sir, what is the riskiest take this of this operation no is there anything in this plan that particu

chemical agent. that's dangerous, but it's not something they can use as a weapon. as you point out in your question, stephanie, the most dangerous part, riskiest part now is in the next few weeks when they have to move these precursor chemicals, these toxic chemicals from their storage locations and there are a dozen of them to the port. they have to go over roads that will be going in convoys, military escorted, the

process should happen smoothly. >> besides the fact there is a raging civil war going on and they have to travel these roads in some sort of secured convoy, is there any danger in the chemicals themsel

toxic substance at this point in time. >> i understand that the journey after the port is to an american vessel in the sea, the cape ray fitted with mobile laboratories for actually destroying the chemicals at sea. can you tell us more about this technology and how the destruction will actually

inspector, thanks for joining us, sir. >> thank you, stephanie. >> the n.b.a. had an elite matchup. we have that in sports. >> the always must-see t.v., miami heat and indiana pacers. they picked up where they left off from last year's game seven. while the heat won the nba title last year, of course the pacers

took ground one this season at home. wade and james trying to hold serve on their own court in round two. pacers would have it going early on the visiting team, using a downtown. george hill popping the triple there. indiana would lead by double digits president break. into the third, in transition, they were still firing from long-range. the pacers led by 15 intoed third. miami would heat up and get into the three-point act. lebron james left alone, 24 on the night on that sore ankle, but still knocks it down. the heat managed to cut the deficit all the way down to three. chris bosh dropping the triple and then for the lead, as well. that ties things up. here we go, mr. clutch, ray allen, there it is, money from downtown. part of a 12-2 run in the fourth to edge the pacers 97-94. they even the series at one. >> it was a good win. good quality win versus a very

good team on our home floor and we had to overcome lot. we had to overcome foul trouble to make the shots, you know, but it was a very, very good win, so it's the type of win we needed and we wanted to we played well, we first winning for 80, 90% of this game, a couple slip ups. they were playing at home, they were going to play with energy. knew they would come back and make a run. >> you have two teams that understand to win is going to be on the defensive end. offensive needs to go to the basketball but you win games on the defensive end of the floor. that's two of the better teams out there defensively. >> after last season, the thought of search love watering a minnesota timberwolves uniform seemed crazy. he spent time on the sidelines partly because of an injury, the other part dreaming of playing for another team after he wasn't given a contract extension.

a new front office and things are different and the timberwolves are getting their old kevin love back. nice court vision, too, love the beast in this game against the trailblazers with their first head-to-head match up. love pulled down 15 boards, pumped in 29 points, and how about this for the forward? he added nine assists on the day. he did everything in minnesota's one between-109 win. love leading the league with his eight 25-15 games this season. in second place, aldridge with three. >> elsewhere, james harden and the rockets trying to bounce back sunday. part of the 15-1 roll heading into the final quarter. superman leading the way for houston. you see harden there, also dwight howard getting into the

act. we still got james harden going on there, and more james. the rockets go on to win 109-94, marking the first game back for houston as head coach kevin mchale is back since the death of his mother. tonight, to games, the chicago bulls traveling to oklahoma city where the thunder are a perfect 12-0 at home this season at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. in the late night cap, san antonio spurs bringing their 20-5 record to take on the very streaky warriors. the spurs 40-11. that game starts at 10:30 p.m. eastern time. i know you're not going to be up for that one, because you have a morning show tomorrow. >> i may watch it from here. we'll see ya as we have reported, retail giant target says up to 40 million credit card accounts may have been hacked. the secret service is looking into the breach that apparently stole data on magnetic strips at

cash registers nationwide. joining us to discuss the breach is abraham wagner. he teaches on national and cyber security at columbia university and joins us from los angeles this morning. sir, thanks for getting up early and giving us your expertise. how big a deal is the security breach? >> if what is being report, it's one of the larger breaches that we've had in recent years. when you're talking on the order of 40 million credit cards, that's a very, very large number of cards that have been broken into, presumably and the data just coming in, there was some sort of a hack by criminals into a data center presumably used by target for their credit card holders, where they were able to obtain whether it's wireless or not, information related to the

mag stripes on the back of the cards and possibly including some of the pin numbers. >> how did something like this happen, and why is the secret service getting involved in the investigation? >> well,off got two really good questions there. first of all, the secret service gets involved, because they have two jobs, one is protecting the president, the other protecting our money. for many years, they protected the money by chasing counter fitters and since people are counter fitting credit cards, it's part of their job. we've expanded greatly in terms of the number of credit cards available and numbers of sectors that do the processing don't have adequate security software to protect against this new generation of cyber criminals that are building better and better tools to hack in and attack these networks. >> how does this affect the credit card companies and what should people be doing at this

point if they've shopped at target since black friday? >> well, the good news for shoppers is that under federal law, they're protected. the same way you would be protected if somebody forged a check at your bank. it may be a huge inconvenience because you're going to have to look at your bill and then contact the credit card issuer or target and have the charges taken off and have the card replaced, so it's an enormous pain in the neck for the shortstop, but ultimately, the shopper is protected by the federal law. hopefully, the company will identify the blocks of numbers that have been compromised. they've been in contact with people who had the cards, get them new cards and alert them to the fact that there may be fraudulent charges. in the holiday season, it causes a lot of disruption. you don't want to immediately have your credit card turned off because you've got shopping to do. it takes more time to get you

new credit card. then you've got to go look at your statements and find that there have been fraudulent charges and deal with a great deal of paperwork that you don't want to do. >> doesn't in still a whole lot of confidence on these last few days of holiday shopping. abraham wagner who teaches on cyber security, thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> paying a little more to avoid traffic. the new system one u.s. city put into place to relieve congestion.

>> good morning. welcome back to aljazeera make. i'm stephanie sy. like any big city, dallas has a texas sized traffic problem, so the city opened its first dynamic toll lanes, charging a fee to drive on a less crowded road. mark snyder spoke with drivers who took the new lanes for a test drive. >> the l.b.j. in dallas is the second most congested highway in texas. 270,000 drivers a day use the 13-mile stretch that was originally built for 180,000 cars.

a five year $2.7 billion project is underway to relieve congestion by allowing drives to pay more to drive in less traffic. how does it work? next to the free highway lanes are toll lanes. the price goes up and down with the traffic. between noon and 3:00 on tuesday, traffic was moderate, the price, 35 cents to drive here. at 5:00, it casts 45 cents. by 6:30, the highway is more con jetted and the cost to get in the toll lanes, 65 cents. >> how is it going to save us time and cost ben if i on the time it saves us versus what it's going to cost. >> at the end of the day, it's about making sure traffic moves, there is not congestion, economic development continues to grow in north texas. >> john marks is a salesman who's on the road constantly. he thinks the new toll lanes are great. >> i've experienced driving in a situation like that in seattle, and it seemed to work pretty

good to control the traffic. >> depending on where i needed to be, i would definitely take advantage of it, so i think the concept is pretty good. >> critics call the new toll lanes lexus lanes, suggesting their way for rich people to avoid sitting in traffic, but there's just as many free lanes as before. if hundreds of people want to move to get the toll lanes, well, that means fewer cars in the free lanes. >> so if it all works like the transportation planners designed it to, it's going to spread traffic out and keep traffic moving more. >> the money from the tools goes right back to keeping these pay and drive lanes open that. >> the very first dollars go right back into operations and maintenance. >> then it will go to paying off construction loans. if traffic slows to 35 miles an hour, they say you'll get your money back. the hope is to keep traffic on the toll lanes zipping along at least 50 miles per hour, a speed some commuters may find well worth the price, whatever it is at the time.

mark snyder, aljazeera, dallas. >> at the end of our second hour, del walters joins us with a look at what we're following this morning. good morning. >> good morning. retail target saying up to 45 million credit card accounts may have been hacked. the breach that stole the date that from those sometimes are being investigated. target is saying the problem has been fixed. >> a review board recommendings 46 changes to the n.s.a. including oversight on data collection practices. >> the united kingdom is sending planes to the south sudan to get british nationals out of that country as clashes spread following an attempted coup. >> the news continues in two and a half minutes. i'll be right back.

>> tarts hacked by hackers. 40 million credit card accounts may have been stolen, now the secret service is getting involved. >> a presidential panel calling for serious changes in the n.s.a. that made dozens of recommendations increasing accountability of the agency. >> there are still good people in this world. >> after surviving a fall on the sub we tracks in new york city, donations pouring in to have a blind man keep his beloved guide dog. >> a growing number of stores are snoop i go on their own shoppers. why big brother may be watching every move you make.

>> good morning, welcome to aljazeera america. retail giant target is the victim of a major credit card attack. the retailer saying up to 40 million credit card accounts may have been compromised. the secret service is looking into the breach that started black friday, the busiest shopping day of the year and continuing until last weekend. hackers lifting data from credit card magnetic strips at cash registers. target is taking the matter very seriously and working with law enforcement and financial institutions. c.e.o. saying: he goes on to say: some customers say this is much more than an inconvenience. >> that's a huge breach. i mean, who's going to pay for it all? >> it makes me not want to trust

this company. >> i had my identity stolen last christmas. it was a pain. they had a great christmas on me. >> i definitely used credit cards. i didn't even think twice about it. that's pretty crazy, i'll have to monitor my bank account. >> people reacting to the news that target had a security breach. they're going to social media on target's own facebook page, writing how come you're not posting messages to your customers? how nice of you. shana saying: >> this jam joyce dennis alfred: >> upset customers also posting their outrage, but target that put their notices on corporate

websites to explain factory what is bunk done following this incredible security breach. tarts operates in stores in the u.s. and canada, yep rating $73.3 billion in revenue, employing 300 sick 5,000 workers. >> elsewhere, the n.s.a. has been under fire for months for much of the same reams, invasion of your privacy. outrage following disclosures by edward snowden that the spy agency collected phone records and personal information on millions here in the u.s. and around the world. as aljazeera's alan fisher tells us, a presidential panel now calling for changes in the way the n.s.a. does business. >> a report was due to be published next year but pushed out by the white house. it makes 40 recommendations, the highlights, the n.s.a. will no

longer keep a database, it will be held by the companies. a back door can no longer be asked to be built in software. the n.s.a. should not report on non-citizens outside the u.s. because of their political or religious views. the scope of the program was revealed by edward show den, the journalist who helped him get the information out said any changes need strong support. >> the agencies that oversee the n.s.a. cannot restrain the n.s.a. courts have been very one-sided. i think we need genuine oversight mechanisms beyond what we have to make sure these changes take place. >> the white house can reject or accept the panel recommendations but will have to consider a recent decision by a federal judge ruling the massive collection of data may be

unconstitutional. the n.s.a. won't be happy, being unable to listen in to those they feel need to be watched. >> anytime there are outside elements, judicial or legislative or the fifth estate, the media, journalism that is passing judgment shedding light on clan did he say tine programs, it becomes a problem for national security establishment. that's not necessarily a bad thing. oversight is important, and unchecked, and unwatched, institutions will creep and expand their actions, so these things need to occur, but it's not pleasant. >> the panel does not suggest the n.s.a. stop seizing all phone and internet data and that was never likely to happen but does recommend reducing the scope of what it can grab. aljazeera, washington. >> the report also says the kind of met at a data be the n.s.a. has been routinely collecting should only be turned over to

agencies after they get a court order. >> for the first time in nearly three years, congress passing that bipartisan budget deal, the bill clearing the senate despite opposition from the tea party republicans and other conservative members of the congress. it now goes to the white house for president obama to sign it into law. he has promised to do so, that deal easing automatic spending cuts that would have taken place next year. it also eliminates another government shutdown for two full years. the senate has loose ends to tie up before going home for the holidays, including keyext fed . aside from the nominations, what else does the senate have to do.

there are nine other nominations s.nding as well, including the it could be a long day or two for the senate, still. >> del. >> critics slamming this congress as a do-nothing congress, indicating it's one of thng us live

from washington, d.c. this morning, thank you very much. >> we are following breaking news right now. a jury has just found those two british man guilty of murdering a soldier on the streets of london. you may recall a graphic video of the murder takion place. the suspects are 220-year-olds, both of them running over rig by with a car and hacking him to death with knives outside the military barracks last may. during the trial, one described himself as a soldier of allah, saying he killed rig by as part of a war against the west. one witness describing the attack similar to watch i go a butcher hack up a peace of meat. >> switching gears now considerably, a large storm

going to impact a large part of the country this weekend. nicole mitchell is here now with a look at the weather. >> we officially start winter saturday. this is going to be more of a spring storm to hail in the season than what we expect for a winter storm. we already have one piece of energy bringing snow. we'll monitor that throughout the course of the day. more of this wrapping up as we get into the southern plains over the next couple days, that taps into moisture. that's going to be a problem for us. quick forecast, northern tier of the country, higher elevations, you could see more of that and of course the slick roads to go along with it. this is what we have already by the time we get into saturday. this system is going to have a lot of warm air along with it. we're going to see the potential between the colder air to the north and warm moist air interacting. that's kind of that spring set up that i just talked about so we have the risk for severe storms, anywhere from texas, pole up toward tennessee

watching that, even isolated tornadoes, but wind and hail could be a threat and then a little north of this, heavy enough rain, so we could have flood concerns. i talked about that temperature contrast, look at somewhere versus chicago versus memphis, a 40-degree change in the high temperatures as we get to saturday, so a lot of people in the south and up through the northeast are going to like the fact that the warmer temperatures are returning, but there's another caveat to that. last week, we had over 60% of the country with some snow cover. this week, we're already down to 40% of the country with snow cover and when we see temperatures like this and all the rain moving in, it means that for christmas, it's going to be a lot harder to find a white christmas out there next week. back to you. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> two prisoners released from guantanamo are back in their native land today. they are both considered to be members of al-qaeda, held since 2002. their release part of the president's ongoing effort to close the facility.

it is the third release of detainees this month. 158 still remain a the that prison. >> hundreds of people are feared dead after days of violence in south sudan. country's army have been split between those in favor of the president and those loyal to the former vice president. clashes between two sides are escalating now, south sudan saying its army has lost control of a city after clashes there. the situation worsens. as we report, there are now fears of a civil war. >> in the world's newest country, many people are now finding themselves without a home. the u.n. says up to 20,000 people are seeking shelter at its camps in the capitol. >> we have been able to get medical assistance, aille to provide them with medical assistance. >> fighting broke out over the

weekend after what the government says was an attempted coup by the ousted vice president. mashar denies there was a coupe. that disagreement is now fought out on the ground. spla are loyal to the president andifieding supporters of the former vice president. the spla is mainly dinka. those familiar with the region say this is all about power. fighting has spread to the spla dominated town in the oil rich state. there have been conflicting reports over who is in charge now. their are fears that this could descend into a full out civil war. >> this is a crisis and needs to be dealt with through political dialogue. there is a risk of this violence spreading to other states, as we have already seen some signs of

this. >> the president has offered to sit down and talk with mashar who he dismissed from his post in july, but mashar has gone underground, a warrant out for his arrest. this tiny country split from sudan after years of conflict. none of the people here want to see a return to violence but there is little they can do to stop it. >> we are in south sudan's capitol city, reporting on a new incident renewing fears in the region. >> a plane was coming from uganda trying to land at the international airport. it was going to evacuate people from the airport back to uganda. as it tried to land, it crashed. no one knows why has happened. government officials have rushed to the airport to investigate. the airport has now been shut down until the source of the crash can be found. government officials are telling people not to panic. understandably, they are. it's been a tense few days.

there are now rumors and speculation that perhaps it was shot down. the government is telling people to stay calm until it investigates to find out why the plane came down. people are walking about, trying to get food. that those in the u.n. compound are too afraid to go home. the big concern is the fighting going on. they are hearing that things are getting worse there, the army has september in reinforcements and people are concerned that the violence will spread in the country. >> turning now to south sudan's neighbor, samantha powers, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations arrived there to do. she is the highest american to visit since the conflict there broke out, her rainfall coming on the eve of a new peace force charged with stopping the violence. >> a ceremony will be held today for mska, a u.n. and african union formed in july, taking

over peace keeping operations from that multi-national force of central africa. the number of troops expected to double in the coming weeks to about 6,000. this new in flux of troops putting added pressure on the countries interim president to maintain order. >> we have discussed the president to rally on what need to be done to prevent crimes. it is critical that the message comes from himself to make sure that nobody will be immune from any form of persecution. >> amnesty international reporting that more than that a thousand people have been killed in the country, that number significantly higher than estimates by the united nations. >> increasing tensions between the u.s. and india after a diplomat is arrested and strip searched in new york. what the american ally is now demanding from the u.s.

>> and i want my own room so i can have my own puppy and kind of throw a party. >> homeless children sharing their holiday wishes on christmas cards. how the project has helped make their dreams come true and helping other kids in the process. >> surveillance cameras could be keeping a close eye on your shopping habits. why some stores are keeping track of their customer's movements. this is a live look right now outside new jersey. target saying that up to 40 million credit card accounts may have been hacked, compromised.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. straight ahead, we're going to tell you about an international incident with secretary of state john kerry doing diplomatic control with an ally. first, let's check the weather. >> i hope everyone's out to a great thursday. this morning, we've got 50's through the south, parts of

houston, for example. atlanta, we've been on the cool side starting off, but new york, you can notice versus yesterday morning starting off in the 30's and these temperatures will be on the rise. we'll jump right to sunday. this is the day we could actually set records, as we see that system come in, it's going to shove that warm air well northward and sunday, and then receiving a little bit into muhammed, that's when we could have record-high temperatures, new york possibly in the 60's, washington, d.c. in the 70's on the backside of that system, though, minneapolis right around 12 degrees, so depends on what side of the weather i guess you want to be on. del. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> india is demanding an apology from the united states concerning the arrest of a diplomat in new york city, saying the u.s. must admit it made a mistake. secretary of state john kerry trying to smooth things over after it sparked outrage.

>> the international incident centers around india's deputy consul general. last week police in new york arrested the high level diplomat, charging her with series have a fraud. she was accused of paying a housekeeper she brought from india far less than she promised. authorities say the woman received only $3 an hour, far below the legal minimum wage, allegations her attorney denies. >> she was paying her exactly what she should have been paying her. >> it's what happened next adding fuel to the fire. indian officials allege the diplomat was taken into custody, and handcuffed after dropping her daughter at school. they say she was later strip searched in the jail cell and kept locked up with drug addicts before posting $250,000 bail. the state department says all proper procedures were followed. >> we do know this is sensitive. we are looking into it for exactly that reason, to see exactly what transpired.

>> reaction to her arrest and treatment set off protests in america an new delhi. indian authorities have asked u.s. consular officials to return their cards and leave the country. secretary of state john kerry has publicly addressed the situation, calling indias national security advisor. the state department conveyed kerry's message: secretary kerry expressed his regret as well as concern we not allow this unfortunate public issue to hurt our close and vital relationship with india. aljazeera, new york. >> some indian politicians also considering penalizing the same

sex companions of american diplomats living there. homosexuality is illegal in india. we are joined now in studio. the breaking news at this hour is that india is demanding an apology. should the u.s. apologize? >> i believe that probably the situation, this particular situation, india has overraked. one has to look into the international conventions and there is specific convention on consular relationship, section 17. in this kind of incidents, diplomats, especially working at the consular offices, they do not enjoy any immunity. >> you don't think she had diplomatic immunity. i think the question is two fold, one is that she was

arrested, the other that she may have been strip other searched. that seems to be generating the outrage, not the fact that she was picked up in the first place, but also the way she was treated after her arrest. >> what my understanding is, that she was provided, what possible treatment she could have been provided by the extent. she was allowed to keep her cell phone and allowed to make whatever calls she could have made, and as far as strip search is concerned, in the criminal procedure is several things. strip searches are normally done for two reasons, number one, if the defendant is carrying something with him or her that may cause injury to others, or may cause injury to that defendant itself, also, so the

stip search is not necessarily to humiliate somebody. >> i got to tell you. i got two daughters her able, and i honestly have to say that if they were picked up for something that wasn't murder, wasn't rape, wasn't some heinous crime and they were strip searched, i would be outraged as a father and you heard secretary kerry saying the same thing. obviously the united states believes something beyond the pale happened. >> normally the permission of department of state, and marshalls were from department of state's diplomatic unit, so it's not something which was totallyun usual was done, as i said, this is a normal procedure. >> i want to move on, though and really further this conversation

a little bit more. first of all, this has happened before. there have been two. >>s involving diplomats and their house keepers, the house keepers being promised one thing and given another. is this against our law no. >> it is definitely, because what happens as you said, not only with the indian consulate, but general practice, diplomats are allowed to bring domestic serve a.m.s with them on visa. normally what hams, they have contracts, one for the immigration purpose and the other one the actually... so there is a -- in this particular case, a complaint was filed. when investigation was done by the department of state and they found that there was a fraud, that's the reason they moved forward and they arrested her. >> i want to thank you very much for being with us. before we go, i do want to read the bill of rights for workers said they have the right to

overtime pay at time and a half, they have the right to basically be protected as employees and rest every seven or so days with overtime pay and three paid days each year after one day of work. workers do have rights. thank you very much. >> and bill of rights is basically a new york state law, but there are federal laws, too. >> thank you. >> president obama intends to nominate senator max baucus for his next ambassador for china, after announcing he won't run again in 2014. another democratic will be appointed to the senate, some calling it the big sky buy off. if confirmed, he would replace ambassador gary locke. >> the business news, wall street still talking about that fed move to cut back on economic stimulus, the decision leading stocks to sore yesterday but

investors enthusiasm fading, futures lower this morning. the dow and s&p at record who is, the dow jones starting the day above the 16,000 mark. the s&p 500 standing at 1810, the nasdaq at 4,070. overseas, in asia, the markets ending the day mixed, make key closing at a six year high. >> next month is when the fed's going to trim the band purchases by $10 billion a month. one economist saying he does not expect the central bank to increase that until at least the spring. the fed has been keep i go a close -- >> we have leeway giving the weakness in the economy that still exists to taper any more than they did. i wouldn't be surprised if they skipped a couple of meetings before they do a lot more tapering. >> the fed keeping a close watch on the housing market recovery, which has been a key driver of

the economy and we get another important report on that later this morning when the existing home sales comes out, yesterday new construction reported soaring more since 1990. >> mark zuckerberg trading in stock to pay his taxes, selling more than 41 million shares. that comes out to $2.3 billion. facebook saying it expect zuckerberg to use the money to satisfactory tax requirements from another stock move. >> how air force cadets are going undercover to find others soliciting sex and why one former cadet is calling the investigation a violation of the honor code. >> my eyes are misty and i'm tearing right now, because, you know, things like this here don't happen for everybody. >> a blind man who survived that fall on new york city's subway tracks opening up about saving the guide dog who jumped in to help save him. >> they're so innocent and what

they see is the things like michaela's dream, i want to room of my own. >> the photography project helping children share their very basic holiday wishes. >> the olympics are now less than 50 days away and the u.s. men's bobsled team is headed by steven holcomb, looking to defend the title. that story is coming up in sports. >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit...

>> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news.

>> a jury finding two men guilty of murdering a soldier on the streets of london, running him over and hacking him to death with knives last may. the jury did not take long to come back with its verdict. 's think deliberated for 90 minutes, came back with a

verdict of guilty of murder. they were not found guilty of the attempted murder of a police officer. they were in possession of a firearm, but the defense successfully argued that the firearm was so old that it was not functioning and there was no real intention to kill a police officer. what the defense says is that these two men wanted to die during this incident, and become martyrs. >> what is next for both men? >> >> now we go into the sentencing phase. we do expect the sentence will be quite severe, given the nature of the crime. life imprisonment is on the tail here, but we will have to wait and see what the sentencing will be, but again, del, it is expected to be quite sphere. >> phil, one suspect describing himself as a soldier in the war against the west. what role did that play? is it part of a bigger movement in britain or is it viewed as an

isolated incident? >> well certainly there is cause for concern within britain about attitudes, kind of exsupreme tuesday on the streets of britain this is certainly seen as anomaly. the defense that the two gentlemen took was that they were soldiers, that they were in a war against britain, and that that is why the soldier, lee rig by was a legitimate target. the court did not agree with that, the judge at one point saying that their defense was not an excuse for murder, but neve the less, this has caught widespread attention in britain. there i see great concern about this kind of attitude, and whether or not there could be more acts of violence, the police obviously keeping a very close eye on that. >> phil ittner, thank you very

much. >> the n.a. isn't the only agency rocked by a spying scandal. a former cadet was ordered to work as an undercan you have informant. we report. >> it was adam's life long dream to be an elite officer, inspired to join the military at age 12. >> when 9/11 happened and you could see the towers burning from my hometown, it gave you a sense of in a couple years, i'm going to be fighting those people. >> he enrolled in the air force academy but in his junior year he said he was caught on a dating website discussing sex with a minor he thought was of legal age. facing the threat of a did he merit, he agreed to join a secret program run by the office of special investigations, the law enforcement arm of the fair force. he said o.s.i. offered a deal, your website mistake goes away

if you spy on other cadets the. >> there was evidence that other cadets have been soliciting for sex on line and they were interested in this. this is the craigslist incident. >> to catch fellow cadets in the act, he potioned as a woman answering requests for sex. one advertised for a hot sexy cheek da who knows how you to get kinky and dirty. >> you'll see the honor code. this is an ideal engrained in the mentality of every cadet and airman from day one. the air force says it has no choice but to ask cadet to say spy on each other. >> at the same time they're saying always be honest, always be forthright, they're also using a program that says lie to everybody, trick your colleagues. >> colorado springs gazette reporter dave phillips broke the story on the cadet informant

program. >> we have page after page. >> shortly after his report. the o.s.i. admitted: >> on a tuesday, general johnson told aljazeera america be intends to eliminate the need for cadet confidential informants. as for adam, his junior year website mistake never completely went away. it was brought up again when he got into trouble for alleged frat at her nication during his senior year. it was that episode that led to his dismissal from the academy. >> the hardest part is being able to want to serve, be willing to serve, able to serve and then told you're not allowed to serve. >> the academy has requested an air force inspector general investigation of the informant program.

adam hopes his case will be heard. he has never been charged with a crime. aljazeera, colorado springs. >> in a statement, the office of special investigation saying the informant program is" an important and time proven investigative tool." >> that blind map is going to be able to keep his guide dog after falling right into the path of an approaching subway train. his guide dog jumped in, staying with williams as the train rolled over them both. he was later pulled to safety. when he talked to reporters at st. luke's hospital, orlando was right by his side approximate thanks to donations pouring in, he now gets to keep orlando as a pet even after the seeing eye dog retires. >> all the people that contribute or donated, you know, i think that we should take our hat off to them, you know, there are still good people in this world. >> williams also saying that people should think about giving

to other seeing eye dog organizations, as well. >> this is that time of year, the time of year that many of us get greeting cards in the mail for the holidays. aljazeera jonathan martin has the story of a unique line of cards that provide though kids who can really use it. >> shamar hopes for word peace, sage hopes to be in a band, and ethan wants everyone to have clothes and shoes. these are some of the dreams of america's homeless children. that no video games, no bicycles, just a chance to be normal. >> they're so innocent in what they see as the things, like michaela's dream is i want to room of my own. in society we have so many things we want, for these chirp, it's the simple things of life. >> puppies, get in your places. >> 5-year-old michaela has a simple dream. >> i want my own room, so i can have my own puppy, and kind of throw a party.

but i got to ask my mommy and get a puppy, probably have it some friends for a sleepover. >> her wish is feet you haved on these picture of hope greeting cards. >> what can you capture right here today? >> pictures of hope is a project started by photo low journalist linda salomon. it teams up professional photographers with homeless kids to help them visualize their dreams. >> all the kids listed what they want to be when they grow up and what they hope for. they were each paired with a photographer after they wrote down what they wanted. she wanted to take pictures to capture, you know, what their hopes and dreams were, so. >> and i captured mine, capture add lot of mine. >> she did. >> in society, we don't quite think of children being homeless, but we have children here at the mission that range in age from newborns all the way up to 17, and there seems to be a trend that moms and children

are the fastest growing population in the mission world. last christmas, we had 52 children here at the mission. >> for the children, pictures of hope is a special gift. >> to see her get so excite said, because her picture was on a card and for her to put that together with the fact that she knows this isn't forever, this is just temporary, it means a lot, you know, that she can hope and dream and she doesn't get down. she is my little inspiration. >> pictures of hope cards are sold by 12 homeless shelters across the country, which keep all the money they earn. aljazeera, nashville. >> linda salomon has taken pictures of hope on the road, now in 13 cities across the united states. >> winter olympics just around the corner, 49 days to be exact, jessica taft counting each and

every day. >> it's getting cold, that's how i know it's getting close. the countdown is on. for american bobsled driver steven holcomb, it wasn't the something he knew he would compete for. >> steven holcomb has been competing since 1988, struck gold also the driver of the four man team in vancouver in 2010. it was the first such win for the americans since 1948. the win was particularly sweet for holcomb, who had to overcome a rare eye disease before his gold medal dreams could come into focus. >> i had a degenerative eye disease, a slow thinning of the cornea, causing them to bulge out. you slowly go blind over time. everything was goal well and taking off, it just caused isolation. i with drew and fell into a deep

depression, then when it finally hit rock bottom. >> to say he hit rock bottom is an understatement, as he struggled with his vision and with keeping his disability a secret, the gregarious bobsledder with drew from friends and family, even tried to take his own life. >> you'd be surprised what the human body can endure. you go through such crazy stuff. i actually attempted suicide at one point and it was pretty devastating. it was a moment that i realized that i'm here for a bigger purpose, there's something more for me to do. >> holcomb found the courage to address his secret disability. he did so with a risky experimental procedure. >> we were lucky to find an experimental procedure in beverly hills, a revolutionary procedure that is just now being introduced and that saved my vision. just over a year after having that procedure done, we won the 50 world championship in 50 years and two years almost to the daewon our first gold medal. >> at the team prepares to

defend their gold medal, holcomb is grateful for another opportunity, but he can also see that he has a greater purpose. >> if i can help one pepper, motivate one person, that's a great feeling, i'm here for something bigger and better and hopefully i can send a message and help other people. >> john henry smith, aljazeera. >> to the nba, someone else getting a second chaps to make a first impression, power forward kevin love, injuries and discontent over a contract issue kept him on the sidelines and everything he loved for. he had everything but love for the timberwolves. enter a due new team and things have changed. love is feeling the love once again. kevin love absolutely won the bat of power forwards last night against marcus aldridge moo many mention in the same breath as m.v.p., love one shy of a triple double. the show featured 50 rebounds,

29 points and nine assists. he leads the league with eight games of at least 25-15 this season. in second place, that m.v.p. guy i just mentioned, aldridge has just three. >> a couple of games on the dockets, the bulls face a thunder team with a perfect 12-0 record at home this season starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. in the late night cap, the san antonio spurs bringing their 20-5 record to golden state at a take on the very streaky warriors team sporting an 11-3 record away from the loan star state. that that starts at 11:00 p.m. eastern time. >> 49 days until the olympics. >> i know. >> a presidential panel making dozens of suggestions on how to reign in the n.s.a. and its spying tactics. a national security expert will weigh in on what this could mean for the agency. >> a growing number of stores are snoop i go on their open

shoppers. why big brother may be watching each and every move you make. >> we have everything from snow and bitter temperatures northward to a brewing storm system southward. i'll have your forecast coming up. the stream is uniquely

>> welcome back to aljazeera america, i'm del walters. a presidential panel recommending big changes in the n.s.a. we'll tell you what they can mean for you and your privacy straight ahead. first let's find where the rain and snow are going to fall today. for that, we turn to nicole mitchell. >> we're going to be a country of contrast over the next couple days. we have everything from falling temperatures northward today to temperatures that are just going to sore in the east coast over the course of the weekend. let's get to what we have now. you see the snow in the northern plains. that could be a lot of places two to four-inches, through south dakota into montana three to five inches. temperatures are falling with this. you can see tonight, starts to spread more into minnesota. there's a biting wind with all of this, so wind chills going

below 20 below zero in the overnight period. that's where that moisture is. we're watching the system pull out of the west, causing potential severe weather we have to watch closely this weekend, especially saturday. back to you. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> the white house is releasing a report calling for dozens of changes in the n.s.a., the national security agency. the report came to light that the n.s.a. had been collecting the data mom millions of your phone calls and emails. among the changes, they want the agency to stop storing met at a data. there are calls to put new limit on the data demanded from private cross and stopping eaves dropping on foreign leaders. they say someone should represent the rights and privacy of american citizens and that that next director should be a civilian. the director of the center for national security at ford ham law school joins us, thank you

for being with us this morning thank you for having me. >> do you agree with the report no. >> yeah, i think this is for civil libber tarns concerned about the sweeping surveillance programs, i think this is a wonderful step in the right direction in terms of demanding supervision, accountability, and changes in the law, yes. >> i guess the question that begs to be asked, is this a question of being careful of what you asked for? in the days following september 11, all the alphabet soup were criticized for not knowing enough about what was going on in the country. are we walking that tight rope between national security and privacy? >> we're walking the tight rope between national security and what it means to collect intelligence in a way that will prevent another terrorist attack. you're right, after 9/11, the sort of catch phrase was this is about intelligence, this is an intelligence failure so those were the policies that led to

what we see now and are we walking it back no we'll see. >> i'm sure with you doing what you do, this is not the first time you have asked for these questions to be asked, but following the days of september 11, no one wanted to hear this dialogue. the president when these reports first surfaced saying it is time for america to talk, to look into these things. is that what we have seen and has american spoken? >> well, what we've seen is a country that's been rather complacent about the kinds of programs that were initiated in the name of national security, and we've seen constitutional rights, whether privacy, freedom of speech and other rights be removed or reduced and what this report says is that it's time for that to stop. i want to say something about this report, that beyond the 46 recommendations, which are all very carefully written and all have some kind of pushback against the kind of encroachment on privacy that we've seen, but what's most striking about this report is not the specifics of

the recommendation, it is the tone of this report. this report says in a way nobody has said at the top of government in any kind of leadership position that there are certain constitutional principles and certain principles that cannot be compromised. among them are the guarantees of privacy that americans have depended on and even in the name of security they can't be compromised behind the constitutional process, beyond statutory limits that need to be rethought and beyond what americans expect and that is -- we've never seen this bro and it's important. >> it basically says that if this happens, if we become this type of society, those who are enemies lose in a nutshell. >> it basically says that. it basically says if we want to be secure in our liberty, we need to take our liberty more seriously than we've been taking it. >> i want to ask this question and this has been bugging me since this information first came out. we talk about these agencies as

if they're not run by people but if you're the person sitting in that seated, you not do everything in your power, legal, illegal, otherwise to make sure you had every piece of information to make sure the country was safe and is that not what we've seen? >> i think we have seen that, but i think there has to be some kind of other lens from which to view this. what does it mean everything? there is no such thing as 100% security and there is also a thing such as focused abstrategyic and focused intelligence. what happened after 9/11 was that in a country that felt like it had failed to live up to the task, they pulled out all the stops. the issue is now that we've built up a tremendously integrated intelligence agency to out the government. they should be able to do this in a way that relies on quality, rather than quantity, unfocused. they should know the enemy now and i think they do. in terms of being able to do

this, the time is right. >> thanks for being with us this morning. >> thanks for having me. >> while we are on the subject, how about snooping on shoppers, retailers are keeping track of your spending habits. they say they are doing so to have an edge on competition. privacy advocates are concerned and retailers say there is no need to worry. we report. that. >> as you hunt for the right gift or bargain this holiday season, you might not be aware that retailers are watching you from high above. stores are now using sophisticated technology to track shoppers. it might be beneficial to retailers, but what about you. >> each step these shoppers are taking, stores are leaving a digital footprint. often, they don't know it. that is like gold to retailers who mine the information to improve their bottom line. >> it doesn't bother me a the

all, if they're going to use it to better merchandise the store, i think they should. >> the privacy i used to have isn't there anymore. the more and more things we do, more and more your privacy is taken away from you. >> this device is a fusion of a camera and compute per that the equipment is mounted typically above the in trans. watch is a walk into a store with an executive, a manufacturer of the product. this is knowing whether we walk i have not as a group, whether we are adults or children based on our height and recording how long we stay at a prominent display. >> how many come into my store and how many do i convert into sales that's one benefit. secondary benefit is advertising, where do people stop, and dwell. >> information gathered can help trim the time customers wait on line to check out. this newly released smart device

can track shoppers via their smart phones. if a customer's wi-fi is turned on, retailers will automatically record their cell phone i.d., store it and monitor them as they shop. to avoid being followed, a customer would have to opt out. >> nobody wants to be tracked. for the retailers to help themselves to a consumers cell phone is going to leave a bad taste. >> it has prompted u.s. senator charles schumer and think tank privacy forum to work out an arrangement with tech companies. they must post signs in stores alerting shoppers they are being tracked and providing instructions on how to opt out. even so, privacy advocates say these measures are a first step in coping with this revolving technology. >> in the facebook and google age, shoppers may have adopted to leaving their information

behind. >> if you think you are only tracked while shopping in the u.s., think again. the company featured in our piece has devices in stores across the globe including germany, france and russia. they're not the only ones producing this technology. aljazeera, miami beach. >> apple is taking technology tracking to a new level with eye beacon transmitters, it can send a variety on punts and events simply by standing near a transmitter. >> the works of pablo picasso are treasured worldwide and sell for millions. a lucky man in pennsylvania just nabbed a bargain, a bargain for $140. a few weeks ago, we spoke to pablo picasso's grandson who showed the piece valid at $1 million. now that precious artwork belongs to a 25-year-old american who says he's been look forego a picture to hang on his

living room wall. he purchased the winning ticket on line. the money raised will help preserve the ancient city of tyre in lebanon. >> not bad if you can get one. that's going to do it for this edition of aljazeera america. as always, more news straight ahead and thanks for joining us. in the meantime, i think i'll take stroll down picasso lane. we'll be back at the top of the hour with more news. we'll see you then.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. these are the top stories this hour. retail giant target saying up to 40 million credit card accounts may have been hacked. the secret service is looking into the breach that stole the data on the back of your didn't a understand credit cards at cash reaming officers across the country, target now saying the problem has been fixed. >> a jury finding two men guilty of murdering soldier lee rig by on the streets of london, the men ron over him with a car then hacked him to death last may. >> the u.s. is watching. that's the message from the american ambassador to the united nations samantha power. she is the highest ranking american to visit since