consider this. >> since i'm in charge, obviously we screwed it up. >> president obama addresses the health care rollout and what else went wrong and right this year in a last scheduled news conference for 2013. >> the conflict in south sudan is getting worse. tens of thousands are trying to escape the violence. >> overturned - a federal judge ruled utah's same-se marriage ban is unconstitutional and

couples are free to tie the knot >> hello. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster in new york. >> president obama is heading home for the holidays. he and the first family are on their way to hawaii. the president, himself, said on friday a vacation and the sleep and rest it entails will help him prepare for the year ahead. before leaving washington president obama had a news conference and talked about what went well and poorly in 2013. al jazeera's mike viqueira has the story >> the president had the tone of putting 2013 in the rear view mirror. there were setbacks, he talked about them openly. next year, 2014, things are looking up. >> good afternoon everybody >> with calls for reform coming from the courts and his own advisors president obama defended the n.s.a.'s collection of millions of phone messages, but left the door open for

changes. >> whatever benefits the configuration of this program may have, maybe outweighed by the concerns that people have on its potential abuse. if that's the case, there may be another way of skinning the cat. >> asked if a plea deal could be struck with n.s.a. leaker edward snowden in exchange for a stop to the leaks, president obama chose his words carefully. >> it is also important to keep in mind this has done unnecessary damage to u.s. intelligence capabilities and u.s. diplomacy >> on iran, the president came out against a push for new sanctions. leading democrats defied the white house joining republicans in tightening screws. >> in light of that, what i said to democrats and republicans and there's no need for sanctions legislation. not yet.

>> the session with reporters was an effort to end 2013 on a positive note. by some measures it's been a tough year, his approval rating sinking to 40% in december before rebuilding slightly. n.s.a. the controversy to blame, and the botched health care roll out. >> since i'm in charge obviously we screwed it up. >> yet the president sees hope for his agenda and chided reporters for writing him off. >> i think this room has recorded nearly 15 near-death experiences. >> at the top of the agenda. immigration reform. the president sees heap for deals in the coming year. >> hopefully folks learnt their lesson in terms of brinksmanship coming out of the government shutdown. >> this was probably the president's last official appearance until next year. for the first time in his

presidency, there's no fights with congress to keep him in washington. at the end of the day he boarded marine one, bound for 17 days in hawaii. >> the president accentuated the positive, talking about the upturn in the economy, and had an announcement about healthcare.gov, saying 1 million people signed up through the website for insurance, half a million in the first three weeks of december alone. that's good news for the white house, they have many of the problems behind them. at this point the goal was 3 million by the first of the year, 7 million by april 1st. they have a long way to go. >> the president faced a string of tough questions in that news conference about the n.s.a. surveillance program, on the same day there were new revelations about the targets of u.s. eavesdropping. documents from the national security agency showed it spied on more than 1,000 people since 2008 and 2011.

among them an israeli prime minister, united states directors and others. it was leaked by ex-n.s.a. contractor, edward snowden. >> fbi director james koby met with the family of missing contractor bob levinson, who went missing seven years ago on a mission in iran. his family wanted to meet with the fbi director since he took office in september. they wanted to meet with president obama also. it's been two years since photos or videos were received. secretary of state john kerry says the united states has not abandoned bob levinson. >> the barack obama administration is sending an envoy to south sudan where violence has escalated. secretary of state john kerry made the announcement declaring that peace is the only option. kerry's comment came after speaking by phone with the president of south sudan, urging him to protect civilians and

work towards reconciliation with armed groups. hundreds died in a wave of ethnic violence. we have this report. >> this woman is angry because the food she's been given is not enough. >> they told us there would be food. that is not true. they said we'd get help. i'm angry, frustrated and hungry. >> the catholic church statements there's 5,000 people living here, families who are too scared and traumatised to go home. >> james is the country's vice president. he is visiting families living in camps, telling them to go hope. he says juba is safe. he replaced riek machar in august. the man accused of planning a coup. >> only places like mangala and

one other is under his control. we will flush him out. >> the united nations paints a different picture. it says at least 35,000 people are still hiding out in its bases in six of the country's 10 dates. riek machar denies trying to take over the country. juba is relatively quiet. some of the incidents during days of fighting are opposing that. >> it's different from shots at night and during the day. at night it meant people were running. it was surprising. they were running. >> in the morning, they were in the front lakes, thighs chests. those and most were for the chest and the head. >> locals in juba say if the

crisis escalates there's nowhere to run too. >> the president of south sudan met with foreign ministers from neighbouring countries and were in juba to help calm tensions. the the united nations says it has received a notification from india to register an indian diplomat as a member to the united nations. he is at the center of a dispute between the united states and india. protesters gathered outside the indian council holding signs reading "justice" and "overworked", a show of concern for the housekeeper involved. the united nations says it will process the request according to standard procedures. >> a war of words erupted between north and south korea via a fax machine. north korea ordered a strike on the south after rallies held on

the second anniversary of the death of kim jong-il, kim jong un's father. ef anies were burnt. >> the remains of a filipino mayor killed in an ambush you returned home to zamboanga. the mayor and two family members and a child were killed when a gunman opened fire at manila's main airport. five others were injured. police believe the mayor was the target of the attacks. media say she survived two previous attempts on his life. >> we'll begin the weekend very messy. you can see in texas and harrison okene, the combination

of rain and icy conditions. as it comes to saturday afternoon, we expect to see wet weather. across the north-west - look at how the moisture came in on shore and we are getting a lot of snow, cascading into the rocky. if you have a ski holiday anywhere in the rockies, we'll look good there. unfortunately it will be rainy over the next couple of days, especially in seattle. heavy rain saturday and sunday. it's looking decent as we go towards christmas eve and christmas. let's hope the trend continues. to the south-west, look at the rain. that's staying across los angeles and san day ago. it will get out of the way with temperatures of 64 degrees and conditions will not be better. we are seeing sentences staying

into the low and mid 70s. look at the rain and moisture. big problem as we go towards saturday morning, especially because of the slick conditions. until continue through the afternoon, we think. worse to the east. temperature wise dallas with a cool down as a cold front comes through, temperatures of 48. on saturday things do get better and as we go towards christmas we are looking at a temperature of about 50. >> a utah judge ruled that a ban an same-sex marriages unconstitutional. the state's counter laws deny gay and lesbian citizens the right to marry and demean the dignity of same sex couples for no rational meaning. the court found the laws unconstitutional. salt lake county began to issue

marriage licences and the state is appealing this ruling. >> getting smart - secure credit cards and why they are scarce in america. and target is trying to make amends for a massive data bridge by offering discounts and credit fraud protection.

>> retail giant target is trying to win back shoppers after a security breach compromised deb it and credit cards of customers. they are offering free credit monitoring and this weekend all customers will get a 10% discount on their purchases. according to the u.s. department of justice, 10% of americans have been the victims of credit card fraud making america the world's leader. the biggest leader is reliance

on old technology, dating back to the days of 8-track dates. >> news that 40 million target shoppers are vulnerable to identity theft would make shoppers nervous. >> target says it fixed the problem, but doesn't know how the breach happened. the large-scale security failures are turning into regular occurrences. tj max suffered a breach twice the size of targets. bonds was hit last year. adding to all of this uneasy innocence is the fact that credit card fraud is more prevalent in the u.s. than any other place in the world. one analyst says it results in an increase in high-tech fraud. >> the magnetic stripe in the existing credit card based in the u.s. is old school. it's antiquated. the data is in plain text and can be easily compromised. >> this makes american shoppers

vulnerable. according to nielsen, a company that packs payment systems. the u.s. accounts for 47% of global credit card fraud. the u.s. uses swipe technology, other countries adopted a sophisticated card technology. >> in europe and asia, canada, mexico, australia and other places they are using chip and pen, which is an advanced form of credit card that requires a chip, meaning it's a small little chip like a smart chip and requires a pin. it is not easily led and has more security and encryption. >> here is how it works. when you use a chip card the transaction information is scrambled. dozens of pieces of information are changed between the card and bank. on a swipe card the information is there and can be copied with a cheap card-reading device.

hackers pay a premium and use it to create counterfeit cards. they purchase gift cards and convert them back to cash. the chip technology is the strongest defense against counterfeit cards. why is chip technology used in less than 1% of cards. for one, it costs more to adopt the system, and some companies would rather wait for newer technology that relies on fingerprints. >> there are over $5.5 billion of credit card fraud. 48% of fraud happens through email. >> senator majority leader harry reid is home from the hospital. the 74-year-old suffered a stroke in survive. he was not feeling well on fridays. after observation and a series of tests doctors concluded he was suffering exhaustion. >> now for the latest report on

veterans' voice, the series on the men and women that serve on the front line and at home. david hawkins takes us to a special place where they can find care and comfort while they travel. >> it may not be as fancy as a first-class lounge. but it's a place of welcome and comfort for a special kind of traveller. the freedom center at detroit's metropolitan airport is a place where military personnel, veterans and families can rest between flights. there's free food, wi-fi, chairs and bunk beds for the weary. >> army specialist alannah mengay is on her way home for the holidays. >> i was toying with getting a hotel room for a few hours. it doesn't make sense. >> my plane was pushed back. it's nice to relax, get something to eat.

>> christmas was not a national holiday until after the u.s. civil war. in part to reunite a divided nation with a message of peace and goodwill. it's a holiday homecoming for american soldiers and sailors - a time to reunite with families. >> i've seen them once since bootcamp. everyone is excited to see me. >> some, sadly, are headed in the other direction. sergeant maxine montoya is flying to rejoin his unit after losing his dad. >> i love my dad. i had to leave before the holidays. >> air force veteran and delta pilot and two colleagues opened the lounge. >> we evolved into a crossroads of air travel. there are hundreds, if not thousands of military personnel

transporting the airport. more than 80,000 visited the freedom center. >> i have not slept in a couple of days. this is nice to come back here, kick back, relax. that is what this place is for - to provide rest and relaxation for men and women who serve or have served this country. >> there are dozens of these lounges across the country operated by the uso and other organizations. undocumented students living in new jersey are getting a break on college tuition. governor chris christie will allow illegal student to pay the in-student rate. they must attend three years of high school or get a gde. they have enacted similar laws, put it comes with a limitation. undocumented students are not eligible for state financial aid. >> canada's supreme court makes a big ruling on the safety of

sex workers. >> plus, looking at the world through the eyes of an 8-year-old. a series offering a new perspective on concerns that affect all of us.

>> canada's highest court on friday struck down a series of laws aimed at stopping provt tuition. lawmakers have until next year to reform the laws. >> this was not a ruling on the legality of prostitution. it was a ruling on whether the restrictions imposed by parliament on prostitution, which is legal in canada, is endangering sex workers. the justices found they are, and struck down the prohibition on keeping a brothel, making a living from profit it use and on- street soliciting. precautions will now be taken to

a safe-working environment. >> this is the first time in canadian history that sex workers are truly persons, we are truly citizens of this country. now we can work in a legal occupation, in a legal manner. >> but the laws remain in place for now. the justices have given parliament a year to draft new laws to impose limits on what they called the community disruption of prostitution without endangering sex workers. what should replace the laws. one group argues parliament should follow the nordic model. >> the government should put in place social and economic reforms so they are not vulnerable to the pimples and brothel keepers, and hold the menace brother keepers, pimps and advertisers, being responsible for exploitation of

women's inequality. >> that's not the position of some groups. >> someone trying to run their business is trying to do so with clients running scared from the law. there's fewer clients and clients with less to lose and are willing to take bigger risks, and we are finding they are more likely to be dangerous. >> sex workers admitted they will continue to be at risk in canada. >> if you are not working this weekend we know a couple of people who are. two nasa astronauts will venture outside the international space station to fix a giant pump. it is about the size of a refrigerator. the 3-part repair will take place saturday, monday and wednesday. the first paranormal image from china's spacecraft on the moon has been released. dozens of pictures have been released of where it touched down. it landed last saturday and has

started to conduct surveys. china hopes to send an astronaut to the moon. >> the most interesting information comes from children, says mark twain. we can learn a lot from them. we bring a series about struggles, insights all through innocent ice. a young ballet reena poised to take the stage. >> kendall is eight years old, and 4 foot 5. there's not a lot of ballet rolls for her out there unless, of course, it's christmas time. [ ♪ music ] >> this nutcracker performed by the passat deana dance theatre is kendall's first shot at dancing in a production. >> i'm in a scene where mother ginger comes out. she lifts up her dress and we

dance around her >> it's about four hours before curtain time, kendall is home, getting ready for her day u. >> i'm nervous and excited at the same time. >> she followed at the age of three. >> whenever i see or do something i want to do it too. >> even so, kendall had to audition. this company rarely accepts 8-year-olds, but she was accepted. she found a set of role models >> what did you think of the people who had the leads? >> it was amazing, he kept lifting her and he was on point. >> on point and the leaps. >> it seems you are flying. i always wanted to do that. and then the audience can see me do that, like floating up in the air. >> it's now two hours until curtain time. her hair is in brads, ballet bag

in hand and she's off to the theatre. she and the other girls are herded backstage where they must wait for their appearance in the second act. >> how will you get 3 minutes out of this? >> onstage the nutcracker is in full swing, and backstage the girls are transformed into little french clowns or channels. >> i picture's myself on stage. the wait has given kendall stage fright. >> i feel like i'll mess up. >> intermission is over, she's rushed to wardrobe. kendall feels transformed. do you feel different, like you are no longer kendall? >> yes, i feel like a professional ballet. >> at last she's waiting in the wings, ready to take wing. mother ginger's giant skirt is lowered over the girls for their

entrance. for kendall it's the moment she's been waiting for. but wait, we'll let her tell you. >> when mother ginger lifts up the skirt there's lights and a big audience out there and it's like, "wow." >> wow, indeed. kendall has fallen under the spell of the music, the dance, the applause and even as she takes her bow with the cast, she's dreaming of the future. >> when i grow up i want to be the roll of clara. >> the lead role? >> yes. >> 4 foot 5, eight years old and ready to fly. >> and just down the block from al jazeera's headquarters in new york a holiday street courtesy of the empire state building and the first christmas light show with the colours changing and flickering. thanks for watching al jazeera

america. we'll see you again at 4am eastern. thanks for watching.