♪ it's deadline day to sign up for health plans under the affordable healthcare but with problems persisting on the healthcare.gov doesn't mean everyone who wants a plan will be able to do so and in sudan they are forcing a civil war and evacuated hundreds of u.s. citizens from across the country. holiday travelers having a hard time getting home for the holidays and a weekend storm impacted 35 states everything from snow and ice to tornados and flooding. >> i could have been dead. it saved me.

>> reporter: a girl saved by her eyeglasses and may have deflected a bullet during a drive-by shooting. ♪ a very good morning and welcome to al jazeera america, i'm thomas and good to have you with us. today is the key deadline for the affordable care act better known as obamacare and have it kick in on the first and the troubled website can now handle a rush but it could prevent people from signing up and al jazeera has more. >> if you have not already you might want to pencil in a couple hours to sign up for healthcare, millions of americans remain uninsured in most states and monday december 23 is the

deadline for selecting a plan if you are looking for coverage that starts january first. it's important for people in high-risk pools to get insurance now, that includes those with preexisting conditions, people who lost coverage when insurers cancelled 2013 plans and people in states where medicaid is scaling back. but the january first deadline varies in states that operate their own health exchanges. open realliment for 2014 runs through march 31st. this man said he signed up without a problem. >> i got a call yesterday that said i was approved and i came in today and finished the application and i'm covered now. >> and website difficulties and other changes are leading to some confusion for others. >> these constantly changing the rules at the last-minute causes tremendous amount of confusion for consumers and creates uncertainty for health plans. >> reporter: could face a federal tax penalty if they

don't have insurance by march 31st and the penalty is $95 for most people in 2014. but it rises rapidly. by 2016 people without insurance will face penalties of close to $700. to avoid the penalty you need to have some sort of insurance plan in place by february 15 and could be a plan through your employer, one purchased on a state or federal exchange or providing eligibility for a government plan like medicare or medicaid. the white house says the increased staff at call-in centers across the country to help people navigate the system and 12000 people at 17 sites and i'm with al jazeera. >> note for some there is still time to sign up after today's deadline. the obama administration said there will be a bit of flexibility for people who have had trouble signing up on line and if there are any glitches on monday, officials say they do have a backup plan in place and

could mean hundreds of thousands of people clicking away on healthcare.gov all day today and president obama said 1 million people enrolled for plans and the numbers could surge and officials sent 2 million e-mails to people who did not finish signing up and a far short of the administration goal of 7 million which they now projebt to hit by the end of spring. there is one group the white house is desperate to sign up, the young and healthy and we will tell you why this group is so crucial to making the entire system work. >> it's by christmas and they may have last-minute shopping to do but one thing they neither plan to buy after work is health insurance. the obama administration wants badly for young americans like them to enroll and are not convinced. >> what i know about obamacare is what i see and saturday night

live. >> reporter: it would like to see 7 million people signed up by spring. administration said that it would like the healthy americans. it's not about the number of people who sign up for obamacare, it's about the distribution, in order for the system to work, enough young, healthy americans must enroll to pay for the healthcare costs acruised by americans. and the premium will go up and so expensive it will discourage more people from buying and forcing it higher still and making the system unsustainable but some state-based exchanges are doing well and california enrolled almost 17,000 americans between the ages of 17-34, about 22% of those enrolled, that is on target as a proportion of california's calculation. >> california has a great base of running the state-based exchange and do not rely on the

federal plan and rely on their own system. >> reporter: state-level exchanges have the advantage of taking the show on the road with town halls and workshops to reach out and educate the public and some say what is happening in california and other states shows that if done right obamacare works. >> i think it's worth being cautiously optimistic of what is coming out of california given the numbers in new york and i done think it's the case the plans are unravelling right now. >> reporter: many young americans will not sign up by monday. >> i have been living this long without insurance and i will keep doing the same thing. >> reporter: carrying on without insurance even if it means paying a federal penalty and i'm with al jazeera in new york. >> estimated that someone in their 60s will use $6 in healthcare services for every $1 someone in their 20s uses and in the weather 35 states are feeing the effects of the massive storm

system that brought snow, ice, tornados, rain and unseasonably warm temperatures in areas and causing delays and road condition as people try to get home for christmas and we saw this. >> wild is the word for it and talking about hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled from chicago to philly because of the wild weather and roads are a mess from coast to coast making getting home for the holiday challenging to say the least. wild winter weather across the country cutting off power to hundreds of thousands and taking lives. in kentucky flood waters rose so fast and high it washed a way an suv drowning three people inside. >> it was under my door. >> i grabbed my grandmother, her daughter and great cousin. >> reporter: dealing with

fast-moving floods as firefighters go door to door with a rubber raft to rescue residents and spawned a tornado that tore through oklahoma ripping apart homes and injuring several people and wintry conditions causing crashes in oklahoma and ice is blamed on the deaths of at least three people. in oklahoma city this scary moment captured at an outdoor mall as sheets of ice come crashing down on holiday shoppers and no one got hurt. in michigan ice coats the power lines, cutting off heat to hundreds of people. while the winter wonder land makes for pretty pictures it's also down right dangerous. >> at 2:30 this morning we woke to the house shaking and discovered a tree next door fell on our house and cars. >> reporter: new england seeing the same thing as ice takes down huge tree limbs in vermont. >> i need gas and i cannot get in because my car is completely

frozen. >> reporter: up state new york feeling the freeze and the governor declared a state of emergency as hundreds are stranded without power and heat and several hours south and the weather went from nasty to nice and new york city near 70 degree temperatures has shoppers and skaters outside in t-shirts. >> people in florida must feel like this. >> reporter: new york city hit a high of 71 degrees breaking the previous record of 61 but it's about to get back to normal quickly, tonight temperatures drop back down to the 30s so it's going to be cold again. >> that is great for last-minute shopping but as you said it's winter after all, isn't it? thank you. why was the weather so extreme from one location to another? let's bring in our metrologist to explain. >> we are watching moisture streaming from the south and southwest over the last several days and we still have a ton of moisture making its way from the

south. this is warm, moist air in advance of a cold front that allowed for the lift and instability to be in place interacting with the system and it had rain and on the back side we had the air going southward and brought wintry precipitation with the icing event that happened there and we still have a little bit of wintry weather hanging on and temperatures are mild and the sea board will deal with rain but heading into parts of new england at least into maine that is where we are dealing with ice but the cold front has its way to make it to the coastline and that will be tuesday and when it does it will take the wet weather with it and the cold air is making its way in and we will feel a drop in the temperatures and the case to the northeast as well as the area of low pressure lifts to the north and east. we will have a little wrap around moisture and keeping the ice in maine but we will start

to dry out and a disturbance across the great lakes and bring more snow showers in the area and it's wet around atlanta. we are starting to see precipitation warning down but the ice storm warn willing be in effect until noon and watch out for that. with the additional rain and already very ssh rated ground flooding is a huge concern across georgia and in the midwest and the green shaded area indicates the floods in indiana including indianapolis. >> we will talk more about that in a minute as well and thank you. escalating violence in south sudan is driving thousands from their homes and hundreds of dead. the u.s. state department says 380 americans have been evacuated from the country. on sunday the government had control of the capitol oil producing state and they are leading the rebillion says he

wants to be the next president of sudan and we have more for the embattled capital city of duba. >> as the violence escalates, thousands of people are trying to escape fighting. government soldiers lost control of the capitol of unity states to rebels and also battling to recapture the gongelese states. >> and the whole time is gated completely. it is only these rebel soldiers who move about in the town. all the bodies have not been collected. we don't know how far, what is the number of the death up to now because the town is under the control of the rebels. >> reporter: the rebels are loyal to former vice president and accused by the president of having a coup and denies this but speaking to al jazeera davis foster over the phone says he is

ready to run the country. >> so the next [inaudible] the second area for the next elections. >> reporter: so the answer is, yes, you would like to be the next president? >> yes. >> reporter: no one knows where he is and government officials seem to be losing patience. >> since he is continuing with the atrocities against the people the government of south sudan will not tolerate and we will not let him continue to kill the people and in the meantime we follow our hints and keep waiting for him to accept peace. i strongly believe that after this there will be no way but we

will have to move to protect the lives of the citizens. >> reporter: there are diplomatic efforts to get the opposing sides to talk. government officials say it's a temporary setback an order will be restored soon and will not get them to take the capitol duba and they are in the capitol to talk about peace talks but it's clear and could make any chance of a dialog difficult. al jazeera, duba. >> reporter: the u.n. is urging rival little leaders to agree to a truce in open negotiations. at least 65 people are dead after an air strike in syria, military helicopters are dropping barrel bombs in the city and government officials say they are targeting terrorist and insurgants in allepo and

they will talk next month in switzerland. >> the driver told everyone to get off after a passenger spotted a suspicious-looking bag and no one was hurt in the blast and they are blaming palestinian groups for the attack. an apology from al-qaeda in yemen said one fighter disobeyed orders and attacked a hospital earlier this month leaving 52 people dead, the al-qaeda leader says he is not pleased with what the fighter did and offered condolence to the family. and some texas people are worried about the oil pipeline starting in their backyards next month. bangkok paralyzed tens of

thousands of protesters in the city and recalling the thia president to step down. they face off in an olympic-style competition. >> and some think peyton manning is not human and the record-breaking may have the best season ever this year, that story and more later on in sports. ♪

♪ good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm thomas and coming up, in a moment a growing controversy surrounding a new oil pipeline that stretches across north america and some say it's a disaster waiting to happen but first let's look at what temperatures we will see across the nation today and ebony is joining us and it's really all over the place. >> it is and the day of transition across the eastern u.s. and cool air going eastward and fairly mild for the start of the day in the northeast and we

have low 60s around new york, philadelphia and warmer than and afternoon high and contrast this yesterday, pittsburgh 20 degrees cooler and 24 in lexington and going and dropping our temperatures through the next 24 hours. now, it's been cold here across the upper midwest and temperatures are sitting at 16 below in fargo and 22 below zero and 20, 30 below the freezing point or below zero and wind chill advisory and warnings across the area and keep that in mind and bundle up and atlanta is mild and 53 and supporting the rain we will see through much of the day. not much of a warm up off to the west of atlanta. >> 70s to the 30s like that. thank you. u.n. secretary general moon is

urging the world not to forget about the philippines and i was crippled by the typhoon last month and 6,000 were killed and millions left homeless and he visited the storm-ravaged place where many residents are struggling to recover. >> my impression going to tacloban yesterday was very dire but at the same time i was impressed by such a strong re-councr re-councr resiliance and the philippine government needs $8 billion for the massive rebuilding effort. the exxon will carry this to the gulf of mexico but $7 billion project is at the center of a

heated debate and those in favor of it say it will increase canadian oil and limit it from other countries and al jazeera andy gallagher says it's an environmental disaster waiting to happen. >> driving the roads of texas is a birth right and it was owned by his grandfather but part of the pipeline runs through the family property, a development mike fought for three years in an expend shun legal battle but the main concern is not losing in court but what may happen next. >> it's going to leak and the stuff in this pipe is not like your common crude oil or gas or anything like this. this stuff is bad. >> reporter: the pipeline points to spills in projects across the u.s. in 2010 trans canada spilled a

dozen time and so close to the angelina river it could threaten their freshwater supplies. the state's fortunes very build on oil and they say it's going to be the safest oil pipeline in history. when we went to alberta there are concerns of residents, saying inspecting and testing are critical to this and each section of pipeline is built to high standards and the company won't compromise when it comes to safety. >> you can he the pipeline or the station making noise which totally creeps me out. >> reporter: she is living in the shadow of what she calls extreme extraction. her property has several gas lines running through it and the keystone is close enough to give her concern. >> this pipeline is something that puts a lot of fear into the daily lives of people all along

its route and people, that alone should be enough to stuff this project. people should not have to be afraid for health and safety and for their communities. >> reporter: the final approval for the northern portion of the pipeline rests with president obama and so far it's a decision he has delayed time and again. in east texas opponents say it won't make a difference, this section of the pipeline will be operational in january. east texas. >> one additional note here canada is the leading supplier of crude oil to the united states. the super cheap gas prices in venezuela hey be going up and people currently pay 18 cents a gallon for gasoline. the fuel heavily subsidized by the government is the cheapest in the world and the president says he wants to raise prices which have been frozen for almost 20 years and reinvest the money in homes and schools. the last time venezuela tried to

do it in 89 there were days of deadly rioting and the report-breaking season continues and jessica has more and he is not slowing down. >> no, if there is a player who talks about bouncing back it's peyton manning, a sure fire hall of famer and the legacy almost ended after a neck injury and change in team and to get past glorys reminded why he may be the best ever and put denver in the end zone and 36-yard pass to thomas, 10-3 broncos and fast forward to the fourth and number 51, his third of the quarter for the record and grabbing it is thomas and the dream season continues and denver goes away a

winner. >> it's a neat thing to be a part of history and it may be temporary and i personally think all season records are going down especially if they go to 18 games and not an asterisk to them and bradley will break it next year and the year after and we will enjoy it for as long as it lasts and the hall of fame would send the ball back when somebody throws for more. >> here is payton by the numbers in what could be the greatest season we have seen and putting him 51 for the season from 2007 and 5211 passes and can knock it out and 266 shy of the mark set by drew brees in 2011 and he put up monster numbers but this is

his first 5,000 yard passing season. lost in the shuffle of all the manning madness is the broncos won the rest and have a bye and could not be worst than second seed at this point and the playoff ticket was punched as they play a winner and payton old team and they have a catch phrase what can brown do for you and brown delivers and 33 yards to him and he was just getting warmed up and here he is and he goes up the gut, 51 yards to the house. and you will take advantage of four casey turn overs and the colts within 23-7 and what could be the first round of playoffs in two weeks. how is this for pay backs. and they bounced from post

season and blunt helping first blood with the defending super bowl champs and brady and they kept their foot on the gas all diminished the playoff hopes with a 41-7 dropping. >> this team has fought hard all year and we won and the competition is stiff. >> the players prepared hard and played hard for 60 inmanys and played well. so i'm really proud of the way they played and competed. being able to finish and play 60 minutes is good and something we obviously need to do more of but it was good today. >> reporter: let's look at the afc division and they are clinched and still up for grabs and denver it's win and stay home throughout and looking at the wild car situation in the

afc chiefs securely in the number five and they occupy the final wild card with the ravens and charges behind. that is a look at sports and safe to say it will be a wild week 17 in the nfl, i'm excited to see it. >> loving every moment of it inching closer to the big game. >> the african republic spilling into neighboring countries and thousands of refugee are pouring into chad. customers taking aim at target. what they are doing. they are calling it a holiday miracle and a girl shot in the face thanks to an ordinary pair of glasses. ♪

♪

a very good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america and i'm thomas and let's get you caught up on the top story of the hour, last day for insurance for kick in january first and they think the site will be able to handle a last-minute rush and americans have until march 31 to avoid paying a penalty for not having coverage. a sloppy storm system could make it hard to get home from the holidays from tornados and flooding and snow and ice the winter storm created all sorts of problems across dozens of states and hundreds of thousands in the u.s. and canada are without power. in south sudan is going towards a civil war, hundreds killed in ethic fighting and a key city in the oil-rich state has been taken over by forces and they helped evacuate hundreds of americans living in the country. jointing us with the latest

humanitarian crisis is an international spokes penn from south sudan and italy and nice to have you this morning. >> good morning. >> for those who are not following the story closely can you tell us what is happening currently in south sudan? >> this situation has been detier raying since last sunday so this is the 8th of increasingly brutal fighting between government soldiers and the defected soldiers, soldier whose are defecting and pledging loyalty to the former vice president who was sacked a few months ago and joining in this are armed civilians, unfortunately south sudan is a wash with small arms which is a legacy of many decades of internal conflict and civil war. and now we are seeing the two

main ethnic groups, the dinka, the group of the president of president here and the newer, the community of the former vice president fighting it out in an increasingly brutal way and in a manner that is spreading geographically and started in the capitol and moved out to other areas and civilians are at the receiving end and people are terrified. i've spoken to people who have seen their family members being killed or other people being slaughtered who themselves have been able to escape attacks, at the moment people have one main wish, to find a safe shelter, which nobody can provide at the moment except for the u.n.

compounds that in those places where those compounds are available but even those could come under attack as happened a few days ago in one part of the country. >> sure, innocent people trying to get out. i want to talk more of the attacks on day eight and reports of attacks on armed youth and going beyond this and what is escalating that particular violence? >> it is inter comunial violence and south sudan has a long history of inter comunial violence and this is the latest manifestation and unfortunately not a new phenomenon but it is on a much grander scale than anything we have seen for a number of years in south sudan and the proportions are incredibly worrying because this is just spreads so much in a

shorter time as eight days and we don't see anything at the moment indicating that the conflict is deescalating and quite on the contrayry and too many weapons, too easily obtainable. >> reporter: we mentioned at least a dozen americans have been evacuated from the u.n. compound in bore and countless number of civilians are trying to flee and what are they trying to do to help in the effort? >> on this international like all other human rights organization is not present, rite now in south sudan it's just impossible at the moment to be investigating which is what we do normally. at the moment we are seeing the united nation that has 7,000 armed troops on the ground trying to struggling to protect

its own troops and personnel and indeed getting all nonessential staff. so at the moment the ones who really can and must do something to help the civilian population are president and former vice president mishir and must go back to soldiers under commend and youth and others loyal to them and must call on them to stop this brutal attacks. so violence is continuing on the scale as it is. it is very difficult and quite impossible for unarmed organizations to be able to do anything concrete. at the moment what is most needed is protection for civilians from people who are very well armed and bent on

using their weapon in the most a atrocious manner. i do appreciate your time. violence in the central african republic are forcing many out of their homes and fleeing to the neighboring country of chad. u.n. agency says the newest refugees are joining more than 70,000 refugees from the central african republic who have been in chad for years and this is from a camp in southern chad. >> this is in the jungle and hundreds of refugees from the central african republic have arrived here and getting away from violence at home and he lost his arm in the cross fire. >> translator: i was walking out and a bullet hit my arm and no medical care or help and i went to a town and stayed until a week ago.

suddenly we received word that rebels were coming and we fled to chad. >> reporter: they tortured and broke his bones. >> translator: people were in the spots when armed men attacked the marketplace and began to shoot and old people like me were tortured and shot at and cut the arms and legs of some of cutoff 100 people. >> reporter: chad hosts 70,000 refugees since 2003 and over the last few years thousands of more joined and it's limited but study and the camp has been around seven years and new arrivals are coming since the resent violence flare-up in the republic and about 400 people have been hosted here during the last couple week answer being hosted in the big strictures and families are sharing the same space so far but soon they will build their own homes using this type of material.

they have tents for families who arrived earlier. the newcomers are also beginning to get help. ♪ and those much propagated muslim christians have no physical traces here. as the christians held sunday service in a make-shift church their muslim neighbors stood aside in silence. >> translator: they came looking and decided to flee to the frontier. >> reporter: it's way below accepting standards but after the dangers seen back home, the refugees are happy to find a safe haven in chad, i'm in al jazeera in the refugee camp southern chad. >> reporter: more than 200,000 people have been displaced in the republic and it's boiling over against the prime minister

and tens of thousands marched through bankok calling for her to resign and says she is a puppet of her brother and tens of thousands blocked traffic and marched to the prime minister's home and we have a report from bangkok where protesters are worried about the up coming elections. >> hundreds of protests have been making their way to the thai stadium and outside of a police station next to the stadium of registration of would be candidates and parties for the february election will be taking place. the protesters don't want to see elections taking place because they don't trust the process and they want a nonelected person to overlook a rather of reforms and it has been prepared for a situation like this because

protesters have announced this over the weekend and said the candidates and representatives unable to maybe it into the stadium can lodge a police report in the police station next to the stadium as well as register over there. we have heard from the election commission that more than 30 parties have already registered. so we have seen protesters have not been able to achieve their objective. the protesters have said over the weekend that they will not be resorting to violence, they don't intend to break in the premises but they did say that they do not want the elections to take place and whoever wants to take part in the election will go past it and they are camping overnight outside the venue, making their way in from other protest sites from around the city and try and intimidate candidates who want to take part in the election. the top leaders has already said

because the prime minister is clinging on to power, protesters have to come out and chase her and will continue to chase her until she is dead or until she leaves office. >> that was lowie reporting from bangkok and the up coming elections in thailand a february 2. they are holding this in the capitol and kia entered the second month, 100,000 people gathered in independent square on sunday and ral laying against signing a trade agreement with the european union and last week they agreed to a $15 billion from russia to help the country fend off a potential crisis. a russian tycoon released from a decade in prison is speaking out. he was pardoned friday as part of an amnesty bill and he spoke to reporters in berlin on sunday and a critic of putin he talked

about a future in politics and said he will not disappear totally from the public eye. >> translator: i will not engage in that and said it in a letter to putin work and the struggle for power is not for me now. >> reporter: he was jailed in 2003 on allegations of fraud and tax evasion and he was the chairman of the largest oil company and a fortune for $15 million and has a visa and to planning to go to russia any time soon. pussy-riot was released from jail after protests at a church and putin ordered them out and says charges against green peace demonstrator and one of the

freed girls said it was a pr stunt. three class action lawsuits have been filed against retail giant target and the plaintiffs are seeking $5 million in charges for the credit card hacking scandal and they instituted measures after the massive data theft and limiting how much the customers can spend in the final days before christmas and as kimberly reports not every one is happy about that. >> he she walked in and discovered she was in the target breach and she could only get $100 and far less than what she needs. >> and i have kids and brothers and need sweat shirts and not know what i will do because that is over $300. >> that is what chase will allow her to get on her credit card

and she has used her card from november 27-december 15. her branch was closed but one-third of chase branches were open sunday to help customers print new cards. >> half of its branches can issue new debit cards on the spot but customers who cannot get to the bank getting a new card could take two weeks. >> mine needed to be changed during christmas shopping which was a shock and inconvenience and this statement was released to all customers we -- on sunday i got a new card at my bank in less than five minutes and for people who couldn't switch their cards. >> i feel i cannot use my card any more and i will have to use cash and that is not very

convenient for this time of the year. >> reporter: and convenient not just for shoppers but stores including target which is still trying to figure out how some 40 million of the credit and debit cards were hacked. and i'm with al jazeera, new york. >> reporter: and it was not alert customers back to target stores and saw a decline in customer traffic over the key holiday weekend and the transactions fell 3-4% from last year and this comes from growth and patterns. apple will get a bigger slice of the chinese market and they reached a deal with china mobile and will sell to the mobile network starting january 17 and gives apple access to sub viber base which is 7 times larger than verizon, the largest u.s. carrier. wall street looking to build on last week's rally and gains at

the open after the international will grow faster than previously expected and dow jones starts the average at a high of 16221, s&p 500 at an all-time high of 1818. the nasdaq standing at 4104. overseas european markets are higher for the fourth straight day and markets ended in the green and chinese stocks rising for ten trading sessions. where the boeing jet liner will be built is uncertain and the union is expected to vote on the proposal on january third even though local union leaders oppose the vote and will still eliminate the traditional pension plan for a 401(k) and guaranty the plane is produced in the seattle area. boeing says 22 states have interest in building the plane.

retailers had a tough time holding on to customers this holiday season and they released a report saying two thirds of retailers had to do that but walmart tops at 88% of the customer base. >> extremely well in electronics and benefitted from the children's apparel numbers in double digit and it's rare for a double digit increase but their numbers will be pretty impressive. >> reporter: and dollar tree and target 70% of the customers this holiday season according to the consumer research group. a california family is praying for a medical miracle this christmas, their daughter is brain dead after routine surgery to have her tonsils out and than planned to remove the ventilator because they say her condition

are is irreversible but they will go to court to prevent it from happening and asking for public support. >> if you come out wearing a purple shirt because it's her favorite and if you have it please wear it and march with it. >> reporter: it will begin in a few hours at the hospital. a teen survives a shooting because of her eyeglasses. >> if i didn't have my glasses on i wouldn't be here. >> reporter: how they saved her life. hundreds of students from all over the world compete in a robot olympiad and shows a technology gap between the u.s. and asia. >> i will let you know when all the rainy weather will clear the coastline.

>> start with one issue education...

♪ ucation... good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america, coming up, in just a moment, a robot competition that shows how far american students are falling behind kids in other parts of

the world and first let's look at where the snow and rain may fall in the country and the metrologist is joining us, forget about the 70s, they are dropping to the 30s. >> like new england but have a good bit of rain out there and a sloppy mess for the view. really up and down the east coastline with a frontal boundary to findly make its way out to sea and it will be tuesday and take the rain with it. so far we have rain from the gulf coast to new york and we are seeing a little bit of freezing rain still across some northern areas of new england and freezing rain throughout the day and not a lot but enough to cause issues on the roads and icy spots to watch for and rotating through the great lakes and spreading more snow in the area and wisconsin looks like more snow flakes will be flying for you. >> in time for christmas.

>> a white one. >> hundreds of computer wizards tested it out in denver and organizers hope it will spark the next generation of techs. >> the students have come from around the world, turning the conference room into a giant learning lab. ♪ they have programs and fancy foot work for the robot dance competition. >> the dances are really put together well. >> reporter: more than 300 students are taking part in the robot olympiad in 16 different categories. >> 2, 1. >> reporter: lobster-like robots can grab and go. there is an agree culture -- agriculture to save money on the farm. >> it will move up a position and when it gets to the top it will dump out on the tray and put in a bucket to feed the

cows. >> reporter: sometimes things work. sometimes they don't. but that is not enough to stop the budding genius and most in high school, some only in elementary. >> this robot is a sucker robot. >> reporter: randy is the executive director of ameri-robotics and worked three years to get this competition to america. >> all of the moving pieces and parts and math and it's a really powerful platform. >> reporter: they are getting ready for the biathalon and looking around the room there is proof that american kids are falling behind in the field of technology and most of the come ticks here has been dominated by asia, where are the americans? >> back at home sitting at home and watching tv. >> 10% are from the u.s. >> the real issue with our kids is we need to look at from a u.s. perspective how we get them to go beyond where they are

right now and not just be consumers of technology but be creators of technology. >> reporter: last year south korea had top honors and americans won one silver metal and u.s. students are ranked 21 out of 23 countries in math and science and 17th out of 19 in problem solving. >> that doesn't mean everybody has to be a creator of technology but if we move them up that continuum it's going to be a really powerful experience. >> reporter: a point not lost on nine-year-old of denver. >> you can't do this if you don't know math. >> reporter: robot also go to beijing, china. >> 30 students took part in the competition and drew in kids from canada, india, mexico and saudi arabia. going to seattle and a teenager

was almost killed by a drive by shooting and her glasses saved her life and the plastic frames defected it so she didn't get fatal wounds and the teenager was shaken. >> i could have been dead and i'm glad the glasses saved me and i just wish this never happened. reporter: they moved out of their home and looking for a new place to live. police are still searching for whoever fired the shot. at the end of our first hour here is what we are following this morning, americans lifted from south sudan because of escalating violence there and the government lost control of a key oil producing state and people have to sign up for insurance and three were killed in a winter storm that tore across the country downing trees and cutting off power and causing flooding and we will talk to an aide to hw bush about

which republican can be a game changing candidate in 2016 and charges are filed in a deadly bangladesh fire and al jazeera looks at the dangerous conditions that workers face everyday. >> and tracking the rain and where snow will fall and details on where you need extra tame for travels. >> reporter: and al jazeera news continues and i'm back with you in 2 1/2 minutes. see you then.

(vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news.

>> escalating violence in south sudan raises fears of an all out ethnic civil war. american forces evacuated residents from cities across the country. >> it's deadline day to sign up on the affordable care act. with problems%ing on the website, it's unclear if everyone wanting to buy a plan can do so. >> trouble traveling home for the holidays. 35 states were affected with snow and ice to tornadoes and

flooding. >> >> a new beer with a patriotic flavor, brewed by american veterans. >> good morning, welcome to aljazeera america. i'm thomas drayton, good to have you with us. violence in the world's youngest country is spiraling out of control. hundreds have been killed in a week of fighting in south sudan. sunday, the capitol of an oil rich state called unity is no longer under the control of the government. 380 americans have been safely evacuated from the country. loyalties have been split along tribal lines between supporters of the countries president and its former vice president. the violence escalated when the president downfield his entire cabinet in july. he created a one party state, making it nearly impossible for anyone else to be elected

president. as we report from the capitol city, south sudan is a country in crisis. >> as the violence he is skates, thousands are trying to escape the fighting. government soldiers have lost control of the capitol. they are also battling to repap at your another area. >> there are lots of people who are now in the u.n. compound. the whole town is evacuated completely. it is only these rebel soldiers who move about in the town. all the bodies have not been collected. we don't know what is the number of the deaths up to now, because the town is under the control of the rebels. >> the rebels are loyal to form vice president. he accuses the president of plotting acoup. he said he is ready to run the

country. >> the answer i didn't say, you would like to be the next president? >> yes. >> government officials seem to be losing patience. >> since he is continuing with his atrocities against the people, the government of south sudan will not allow him to continue to kill the people. meanwhile, we fold our hands and keep on waiting for him to accept peace. i strongly believe that after this, there will be no way, but

we'll have to move to protect the lives of the citizens. >> there are diplomatic efforts to get the opposing sides to talk. >> government officials say losing key towns to the rebels is a temporary setback and order will be restored soon. >> the u.s. envoys are in the capitol to broker peace talks. >> about 62,000 people who have been displaced by the fighting are now seeking refuge at u.s. peace keeping bases. >> children are debted after another army air strike in syria. military helicopters are said to have been continuing to drop barrel bombs. the government has been bombing several areas for weeks now,

saying they are targeting terrorist insurgents. residents say the bombings have killed mostly civilians. talks on the crisis are scheduled to take place next month in switzerland. >> a rare apology from al-qaeda, a leader saying one of his fighters disobeyed orders, attacking a hospital earlier this month, leaving 52 people dead. the leader said he is not pleased with what the fighter did and offered condolences to the victims's families. >> egyptian judges hand down harsh sentences to lee activists for organizing peaceful protests. the ruling comes just weeks after the military backed government passed a law that requires police permission to hold demonstrations. the activists chant as the verdict was read. >> the two remaining members of pussy riot have been released

from prison in russia. president putin ordered the release along with 30 other activists. he said charges against green peace demonstrators will also be dropped. >> once his rival, president putins says he will steer clear of politics. he spoke publicly for the first time. >> if the kremlin hold the world would forget him after his release, they were wrong. at a museum dedicated to berlin's cold war past, he arrived. at times, it was chaotic. he was quick to thank those who helped secure his release which he admitted came as a surprise. >> i did not have a choice at the time i was reds.

a chief at the prison camp woke me at 2:00 in the morning. i was told i would be going home. during my trip, i found you that it would end in berlin. >> he said he would fight to help those left behind. >> there are other political prisoners who are still left in russia, not only those related to the criminal case. you should not see me as a symbol that there are no more political prisoners in russia. i ask you to see me as the itself of a civil society that could lead to the release of those people who nobody ever expects to see released. >> he had spent a decade in detention. he always denied the charges against him from behind bars. once russia's richest man, he was a thorn in the side of the establishment. once lauded as a possible rival, he outlined his plans for the future. >> i am not going to engage in

any political activity, and i said that in my letter to president putin and reiterated it several times since. i'm going to engage in public work. the struggle for power is not for me now. >> he may have ruled out a role in front line politics, but it's unlikely that he will as i on the sidelines and stay silent on what's happening in russia and is closely followed by the kremlin. >> he has a visa to stay in germany for a year. he said a return to russia is not imminent, because he may end up facing more charges. aljazeera in berlin. >> as chairman of russia's largest oil company, he once amassed a foreign worth $15 billion. he was jailed in twee on allegations of fraud and tax evasion. >> a relatively quiet morning in ukraine's capitol as protests enter their second full month.

anti-government protestors slept in independence square. sunday, nearly 100,000 people packed the same square. they have been calling for the president to step down. that a bailout deal was signed with russia instead of working with the european union. jennifer glass talks with protestors hoping for action with the government. >> as the demonstrations enter their second month in key every, there's still the power to draw tens of thousands of people to independence square in the center of the capitol. these demonstrations began as a protest when the government failed to sign a deal with europe and then grew when the government tried to crack down on protestors. now many wonder what's next. >> he joined the protestors after seeing police crack down on protestors. he said he will stay here in my the government agrees to their demands. >> what next? i haven't really thought of

that. the next step has to come from the government. the demonstrations entering their second month. the president has called them revolutionary and criticized the leaders for personal ambitions. >> again, ukrainians come here to independence square in their tens of thousands. the organizers say this protest will continue. they've called on people to celebrate new year's eve here and to demonstrate into 2014. >> she has been here since november 24 and said something needs to change. >> we can't just stand here and way. we node to act. there must be concrete action. >> she says a peaceful outcome is impossible here. opposition leaders disagree. >> some have said they are willing to shed blood, head towards violence. >> no chance at all. that that is what the president is willing, to shed blood.

we prevented all kind. we have shown to the entire world that we are really pro european opposition. >> a pro parliament member predicts there will be some movement towards europe to appease the protestors. >> the government's mistakes make the opposition stronger, so we need to correct our mistakes in the next few days so the situation will calm down. >> the people on independence square will not be easily won. after a month here, they want to see concrete changes before they will consider leaving. jennifer glass, aljazeera, key every. >> last week, ukraine president agreed to a $15 billion bailout from russia. that main is expected to shave the country's debt and lower gas costs by a third. >> a frightening scene in oklahoma city. this is cell phone video of sheets of ice falling on holiday

shoppers, when crashing to the ground were over five feet long. shoppers took cover. there were no reports of injuries. >> two late tornadoes bleu through the state. the strong storms injured a few people and damaged homes. one of the storms ripped through a mobile home park with winds of 130. >> in kentucky, three people died in a car trapped by flooding. the storm caused scattered power outages throughout the state. >> for more on that system that is really causing a mess, let's bring in ebony deon. >> we still have that cold moving cold front in place making its way to the eastern seaboard. we have rain across parts of the deep south and freezing rain mainly into northern new england.

over the last couple of days, just a big plume of moisture streaming up from the southwest and south, bringing up some very warm, moist air out of the gulf of mexico. of course with that front, that aided in the instability of the atmosphere. we had quite a contrast in temperatures ahead of the front, temperatures, record warm temperatures up and down the east coastline. behind the front, we had the much colder air already in place. as this front continues to push to the east, we are bog to get that cool down along our east coast, as well. for now, it's still very mild from the gulf coast to new york with rain. this front will push eastward. we'll have the warmth in advance of it. the arrow indicating air coming down from the north, that will be the same across parts of the northeast, as well. places like new york city, philadelphia where it's been warm, temperatures today cooler, but warmer than we would typically see this time of year. with the moisture in place, cold

air spilling in behind it, we're going to be dealing with more freezing rain set ting up across maine. our ice warning will remain in effect there. by late tuesday, the front clears the coastline, taking that moisture along with it. we can still see a little snow flying across our larger cities in the most. >> we now those warmer temperatures wouldn't last. >> not this time of year. >> thank you. >> family and friends are mourning loss of colorado school shooting victim claire davis. the 17-year-old died more than a week after she was shot at her high school. the governor wrote: >> a u.s. senator wrote: >> the colorado of human services tweeted: >> a key deadline for the affordable care act. what millions of americans still need to do to get health

insurance. >> fallout from the hack attack on target. the lawsuits some of filing in the wake of the retailers data breach. >> $449,500,000. it's our big number of the day. it's how much one high end retailer is being ordered to pay another.

>> welcome back. take a look at this, today's big number could by you more than a few precious diamonds at tiffanies. $449,500,000, that's how much the luxury retailer is being told to pay swiss watch maker swatch. the two are locked in a contractual dispute. swatch claims tiffany's tried to block a partnership on time pieces that was supposed to last for two decades. they flit in 2011 after only two years. tiffany said it is shocked and disappointed by the ruling. that wig number is more than the company's annual earnings for last year. >> good morning, welcome back to

aljazeera america. with the new year upon us, we are one step closer to the 2016 presidential race. we've seen plenty of names thrown around about potential contenders. we're talking with a former aid to president george h.w. bush about who in the republican party has what it takes to reclaim the white house prom the democrats. first, let's look at what temperatures we can expect across the nation today. >> we have quite a contrast in our numbers again today. it's going to be cooler across parts of the eastern u.s., but warmer than we would typically see this time of year. you can see the cold air in place single digits to houston, we're just above the freezing point. the much cooler air is making its way across the east. we still do have milder temperatures around albany. we're at 41 degrees, more than we would typically see for a

high this time of the year. it's only 18 degrees in montreal. temperatures are five to 25 degrees colder and that will be the trend as we go through the day. today, upper 50's, we are paying a price. it's going to be rain with that. we could see a flake or two as temperatures drop back into the upper 30's. >> people are saying when are those 70's going to come back. >> spring. >> thank you. >> today marks a key deed line for the affordable care act. it's the last day for millions of americans to sign up for health insurance and still have it kick in january 1. officials say the website can now handle a last minute rush. critics fear it could keep people from signing up. >> you might want to pencil in a couple of hours to sign up for health care. millions of americans remain uninsured in most states.

monday december 23 is the deadline for selecting a plan if you're looking for coverage that starts january 1. it's important for people in high-risk pools to get insurance now. that includes those with preexhausting conditions, people who lost coverage when insurers canceled 2013 plans and people in states where medicaid is scaling back. the january 1 deadline varies in states that operate their own health exchanges. open enrollment for 2014 runs through march 31. this man said he signed up without a problem. >> i got a call yesterday that said i was approved and i came in today and finished the application, so i'm custody now. >> website difficulties and other changes are still leading to some confusion for others. >> these constantly changing the rules, the last minute causes tremendous amount of confusion for consumers and creates uncertainty for health plans. >> people without coverage could face a federal tax penalty if

they don't have insurance in place by march 31. that penalty starts small, $95 for most people in 2014, but it rises rapidly. by 2016, people without insurance will face penalties of close to $700. to avoid the penalty, you need to have some sort of insurance plan in place by february 15. that could be a plan through your employer, one purchased on a state or federal exchange, or providing eligibility for a government plan like medicare or medicaid. >> the white house says its increased staff to help people navigate the system with 12,000 representatives at 17 sites. >> for some, there is still time to sign up after today's deadline. there will be a bit of flexibility for people who have had trouble signing up. if there are glitches monday, they do have a backup plan in

place. we could see hundreds of thousands of people clickingar on healthcare.gov all day today. president obama said friday 1 million people have so far enrolled for new insurance plans. that number could surge. officials have sent more than 2 million emails to people who did not finish signing up, but that's far short of administration's goal of 7 million which they now project to hit by the spring. many republicans oppose the affordable care act and some are vow to go get rid of it if they are elected president in 2016. joining us to discuss potential contenders for the white house is former aide to president george h.w. bush. we were just talking about the affordable care act, so let's start there. did it hurt or help republicans moving forward? >> i think it certainly helped republicans moving forward on a number of fronts. i think it was one of those rare example in politics where the

policy as politics align for the represent party. they were obviously against the act in policy terms for a long time and made their case to the country. once the implementeddation of the act occur understand and we had all the hiccups and confusion that ensued where republicans looked pretty good in hindsight in terms of their predictions that this was going to be a policy disaster as well as a political disaster. >> looking back at october and the government shutdown. >> the political gift the republicans were given by the ineffective rollout of obamacare was muted by the fact that the republicans shut down the government and clearly took a lot of the blame for that. >> pew research center shows republican party is at an all time low. why do you think it is seen in such a negative light? >> i would pair that statistic that the president's approval

rating is at an all time low, as well. >> president aside, heads focus on the republicans. why such a negative light? >> the budget shutdown hurt the republicans. it is fair to say that they have seen as obstructionists in the house and senate, as well, because they don't own the pully pulpit of the presidency, it's hard for them to lead, owning one third of the government. >> can the party come to a an senses on a candidate that will reflect the party's image? >> i think there will. i think there will be a lot of blood letting until then. >> how do you define the republican party of today? >> it is very much one that is certainly a mixture of the wall street journal republicans, the country club republicans especially in the northeast to the more fiscally socially moderate paired with tea party members on the fringe of issues. you have the evangelicals and christian right that care about

morality and ethical issues. >> the iowa caucuses are the first step to the white house here and a recent poll of republicans showed an overwhelming support for congressman paul ryan. what makes him so appealing. >> i think paul ryan is the rare breed of politician, back to politics and policy, seen as credible on weighty issues of substance with regard to finances of the united states. i think he comported himself well as mitt romney's running mate. he checks the political box, as well. i think he is seen as a young cars massic person. >> he came out ahead of chris christie. could we ehis name on the ticket? >> i think you will. i think he's going to be under immense pressure to run, and i think he should. he will be dogged by the label of northeast moderate and iowa caucuses, that's going to be tough to overcome. >> you think he's going to run? >> i think he does. >> what dark horses will you

see? >> governors in their first terms about to run for second terms in 2014. martinez from new mexico, wonderful stories to tell and can make a big flash. >> sarah palin's been mentioned a couple of times. you think she'll make a return? >> i don't think she will. she's found a niche for herself, commentating and looking in. that seems to suit her. >> we look 40 to 2016. it will be here before you know it. always good to see you. >> you, as well, thomas. >> three class action lawsuits have been filed against retail giant target. the plaintiffs seek more than $5 million in damages for the credit card hacking scandal. chase bank has instituted a number of safety measures after the massive data theft, limiting how much its credit card customers can spend in the final

days before christmas. >> discounts were not enough to loor customers back to target stores. the wall street journal reports there was a decline in customer traffic over the weekend. the number of transaction at target fell 3% to 4% compared to last year. the journal citing estimates from customer growth partners. >> apple is going to get a bigger slice of the china mobile market. it will begin selling the phones through the chinese carriers vast mobile network starring january 17. the deal gives apple access to china's mobile subscriber base, which is seven times larger than verizon, the largest u.s. carrier. >> wall street with another rally, pointing to gains at the

open. >> overseas european markets are higher, asia ending in the green, chinese stocks rising for the first time in 10 trading sessions. holiday travelers will get relief at the pitch. gas prices fell for the first tile in a month. the price per gallon slipped 2 cents no last two weeks. the nationwide average is $3.26. the cheapest gas can be found in items you is a. long island, new york, be prepared to pay top dollar. >> division over the future of the n.s.a. lawmakers face off over what to do next with the troubled agency in the wake of the edward snowden scandal. >> charges have been filed in last year's deadly factory fire in bangladesh. a look at weather conditions. >> gay marriage in utah heading back to court.

what a judge's decision could mean for the recently overturned rule. >> could have, would have, should have, post week 16 in the nfl. we'll have those stories layer in sports. they call it "vertical farming." these fields grow on floors on at industrial park and farmer john adel and his staff agrees user. >> my shipping proceed did you say 1500, 2,000 miles to

get are. >> the plant of the indoor -- as the indoor formers call it doesn't grow corn or soybeans but mustard, high end micro greens on the plates of white-napkin restaurants. these fish supply the vert liser that number issues the

>> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. today is the last day to sign up for the affordable care act. government officials believe healthcare.gov will be able to handle a last minute rush. americans have until march 31 to sign up to avoid paying a penalty for not having coverage. >> a sloppy storm system could make it hard to get home for the holidays. from tornado to flooding to snow and ice, the massive winter storm has created all sorts of

problems. hundreds of thousands of people in the u.s. and canada are without power. >> south sudan is spiraling toward a civil war. hundreds have been killed in the last week. a key city in the oil rich unity state has been taken over by renegade forces. u.s. troops helped evacuate hundreds of americans living in the country. >> the violence in south sudan is all happening as president obama is vacationing in hawaii. the white house says president obama is keeping a very close eye on developments there. >> the united states in coordination with the united nations has now airlifted, according to the u.s. state democratic, a number of u.s. citizens who presented themselves to the u.n. camp. they were airlifted on helicopters to juba. the specifics have not been made available by the state democratic for deliberate reasons. saturday, there was an effort to airlift that was abandoned when

four u.s. service members were fired upon. they are recovering from their injuries, but at the same time, the safety and security of the effort is still of the jut most concern to the united states, so it is releasing few details. the state department says that more than thee 80 government officials, as well as private citizens have been taken from the region to nairobi. we know another 300 from partner anything elses have also been evacuated. we do know president obama is continuing to be updated by government officials on the situation. he is vacationing with his family right now in hawaii, but is continuing to stay abreast of the situation, the white house issuing a statement saying there is great concern about the volatility in the region, saying that any effort to seize power through pores will result in an end to the long standing support from the u.s. and the international community. of course, we know, too, that the secretary of state john

kerry has appointed a special envoy to the region, donald booth. he has said it is the u.s. position this sudan and south sudan not slide back into violence, this would be detrimental to both sides and the u.s. encourages both sides to resolve differences through prettyical means. >> charges have been fired from a deadly fire in bangladesh that killed 112 people. workers were locked inside, many exits blocked. the owners of the factory are among 13 under arrest. they could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. bangladesh has the world's second largest garment industry. >> in april, a building collapsed in the capitol of bangladesh. city officials have determined that thousands of buildings are not up to code and hundreds need to be demolished right away.

as we report, those poor safety standards are putting lives at risk. >> at first glance, it looks like any other fresh market. a closer look reveals it's frightening nature. this man works every day, knowing the roof above his head could crash down at any moment. >> of course it's scary, but what can i do about it? we can't just give up our businesses. this is our workplace. we don't have any other place where we can go. >> the ceiling in this part of the market is on the verge of collapse, held up by these rods. there are people working upstairs right on top of the ceiling. however, the people here seem to accept this as a fact of life. they keep going on with their jobs. >> the market isn't just you a workplace. for many, it's also their home. >> the people here are poor. they can't afford to pay rent

elsewhere, so they have to stay here. >> the fresh market isn't a rare exception. the agency responsible for urban development says there are 321 highly vulnerable buildings that urgently need to be demolished. about 500 more structures have been found to be below building codes. >> if it happened that we can't the imagine more so a building would be collapsed and in that state, we will not be able to move from one place to another and because of that, roads are very narrow and there are so much on the side of the roads.

>> city authorities have still not acted to demolish buildings that do not meet the building code. people at the fresh market keep their fingers crossed, hoping they will not be the victim of another disaster. >> investigators in bangladesh also found evidence of building code violations when looking into that deadly november, 2012 fire that claimed 112 lives. next month a senate judiciary committee is looking at recommendation to say overhaul the n.s.a. the suggestions come from a special white house panel, outlining 46 recommendations for reviving programs. patrick leahy and peter king debated the issue sunday. >> i don't think everyone has to know what the spy agency is doing. by the nature, it's kept secret. >> of course we need it, but let's have it accountable to the american public. >> among other things, the new recommendations call for the

n.s.a. to shut down a massive data bass including nearly every phone call made and received in the u.s. >> utah's same-sex marriage ban is back in court just three days after a federal judge ruled a ban unconstitutional. friday's decision made utah the 18th state to legalize same-sex marriage. >> a pipe bomb exploded on a bus in israel just moments after it was evacuated. a passenger spotted a suspicious bag. no one was hurt in the blast. israel police are blaming palestinian groups for the attack. >> suicide innate toe's second largest army has been on the rise. the turkish military blames soldiers taking their lives on family problems and drug addiction. as aljazeera reports, relatives of the dead say they've been victims of physical abuse and

torture. >> all turkish men have to do military service. it's a cause for celebration, a rite of manhood. ♪ >> so it felt for this man and his family. >> he was as happy as a man can be. if there was anyone who wanted to do a military service for the rest of his life, you would say that was him. >> but 12 months later, he was dead, a suicide the military said, but he had no history of mental illness and no reported problems in the army. his mother keeps his bedroom as service until they find out what really happened. >> they are trying to cover this up, but as long as there is blood in my body, i will refuse to accept it. i just want justice. >> the soldier rights program was set up and families have

brought stories of suicide and ill treatment to their sons. >> every year, people are dying, labeled as suicide. they are dying because of suicide or somebody is killing them. >> soldier rights platform published its report on the suicide problem last year, forcing the defense ministry to announce that over the past decade, there have been 965 deaths, classed at suicide, while only 601 soldiers were killed in combat. the military stated that family problems and drug addiction are behind the suicides. >> you learn how to be who you mill 80ed and how to who you mill 80. >> this man was found to have

two bullets in his head. his family, too, are fighting for an irinquirey. >> it doesn't help the families that when the deaths of their young sons are investigated, it has to be in the military courts, not civilian ones. families want that change. the turk issue justice system moves so slowly, families struggle to get a proper investigation, if they feel they ever can. >> turkish soldiers' relatives are calling for transparency. >> the turkish defense ministry said more than 2,000 soldiers lost their lives in suicides or accidental deaths between 1992 and 2012. the u.s. has been secretly helping columbia kill members of a rebel group. the c.i.a. helped bogota find rebel leaders and gave the government a special satellite

guidance kid. the program was launched under george w. bush. the paper adds the assistance has continued under president obama. >> u.n. secretary is urging the world not the to forget the philippines. the nation was crippled by typhoon haiyan last month. he visited the storm ravaged city of tacloban where many are still struggling to recover. >> my impression of having visited tacloban yesterday, it is still voir dire. i am impressed by the strong people. it is slowly coming to normalcy. >> he said the u.n. has only achieved 30 percent of fundraising efforts for the

region. it estimates it needs $8 billion for its massive rebuilding effort. >> time to talk a little sports now. sunday marked a make or break day for a lot of teams in the nfl. we are joined for more. >> dallas cowboys certainly dangling by a thread there. despite statistically having one of his best seasons, tony romo captain shake the critics because of the lack of consistency in december, especially coming off the huge meltdown last week. they had a big game this woke with the redskins in our nation's capitol. cowboys up 7-6, romo avoids the sack, hits for the touchdown. romo looking and it's a touchdown. murray for that score, the

cowboys keep their playoff hopes alive. >> that felt like an elimination game for us. we needed to win this football game. it was a playoff game. guys kept having belief and came out on top, it's good to see. >> tony has been remarkable throughout his career, creating time for himself, buying time for the receivers and he did it again in the biggest play of the ballgame. >> i'm proud for our fans you. deserve it. that was a killer last week. i want you to know that nobody stewed in it more than i did at that let's all enjoy this as we enjoy christmas. >> big repercussions after a the phillies crushed the bears. eagles on the board early and then the bears special team would help. devin hester had a great return, but then the ball is stripped and the eagles would recover. the turnover would lead to this, mccoy touchdown. the rout was on.

chicago could have clinched with a win, but now will face the packers next week for the division crown. >> we got beat down. you know, it's a different type of game. it's, you know, we were playing a little treat ball there, just trying to crawl back into it, two minute situations in the middle of the third quarter. it's unrealistic. to really go back and study it is going to be a waste of our time. >> we he prepared so hard through the week. it wasn't really just if they was not or not. we had a job to do and we came here to do it today. now we focus on dallas. that's the next step, the next team. we got to go through there to fill full our dreams and goals. >> what were the consequences of sunday? the nfl east, a winner take all between the eagles and cowboys in dallas.

loser misses the playoffs. in the n.f.c. north, all three teams in contention lost. the lions are out of playoff contention. >> the carolina panthers used a player that's barely been a blip on the radar all week long to beat the saints, reminding the team of the words keep pounding which is stitched into their uniform. cam newton struggled all day long, but kept pounding, finding

hickson for the game-winning score. panthers bethe saints and will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. >> with that win, panthers now control their own destiny. as they win they can week and have the division crown, they have been chasing all season round of course and a first round bye. big week 17 next sunday. >> it is, here we go, right? anything can happen. not going to ask you for predictions. >> there's no such thing anymore. >> tragedy in the waters of the mediterranean. residents in one italian community are dealing with the deaths of migrants trying to make their way to europe for a better life. >> creating jobs for american veterans. doing it one beer at a time. >> in making a dying girl's final wish come true. thousands came together to deliver her a musical message.

and join the conversation online @ajamstream. consider this: the news of the day plus so much m

>> good morning, to aljazeera

america. coming up, the brew maker helping america's heroes get back to work. of course, we have to talk about the weather. who's going to see the rain and snow? >> mainly the east coast is dealing with a lot of rain, gulf coast to new york. now we're seeing freezing rain return. that's going to make for very slow travel for those of you trying to make your way across northern new england. fairly quiet, we do have our next turnance moving in to parts of the pacific northwest. that's going to spread rain. with all this moisture, we are seeing pink shading across parts of vermont into new hampshire and rain. the ice storm will remain in effect throughout today. >> this is the one time you don't mind if it snows. >> no, definitely looking forward to a white christmas. >> they hope it melts after, right? >> exactly. >> italy's largest island is a gateway for those wanting to

start a new life. in october, more than 350 died when their boat sank in that one of europe's worst migrant tragedies. we talk to one man who was among the first at the scene about how it changed his life. >> this is a year they will never forget. he has been a fisherman for 40 years. the sea was his second home. two months ago, he witnessed a tragedy that made him scared of the open waters. >> we were sailing back to the port when we spotted a stranded boat, i saw a lot of heads in the water. we rushed to their help. >> in the beginning of october, he and his brother arrived at the scene of the worst ship wreck ever recorded off the coast of italy's southern most island. more than 350 died when the ship capsized. >> that night, he and his brother pulled 18 from the sea.

he says he's happy he saved so many lives, but he's still haunted by those he left behind. >> they were screaming, raising their arms. for every one we saved, another drowned. i haven't been able to go out at sea anymore. >> since that night, the idea of leaving the port sends him into a panic attack, but more than worrying about himself, his thoughts go to those he saved. >> i hope they'll be happy wherever they go, god help them. they have nothing. it is hard for us here, but we have a home. they don't. >> for a seaman like him, home is out at sea. until he lets go of his fears, he will stay on dry land and watch his brother sale away without him. aljazeera. >> in the wake of that tragedy,

the european union and italian government said they would rethink the countries immigration policies. >> scary moments for passengers aboard to british airways flight, one of planes wings sliced through a brick building on the runway as it was taxiing. this image shows the wing of the bowing 747 wedged right in the structure. no one onboard was injured, but four ground staff in the building were letter. >> veterans are three times more likely to be unemployed in the sufficient. one entrepreneur is on a mission to change that one beer at a time. a company hires only veterans to make its patriotic brew. >> the makers say it's america's most important beer. why? because the new brew is what they call 100% pay reatic. >> for the holidays, for the veterans. >> in the summer of 2012,

veterans advocate paul jenkins wondered why veterans were holding such high unemployment rates, then a light bulb went off. >> why beer? >> i couldn't think of anything else. i was sitting there, it was july, a lot of the ads i had seep were related to beverage alcohol and if i could come up with something better, i promise you, i would have done it. >> jenkins went on a mission as focused as any he flew in the navy. his plan, launch a veteran beer company in illinois and indiana on veterans day, using only veteran employees. being a jack of all trades served him well in the military, but not in today's job market. >> i think a lot of companies are afraid to commit to hiring veterans like myself if they don't fit that job christian, that the roles and responsibilities that the company is looking for. >> mark is one of the employees.

they figured they'd sell 1,000 cases of beer in the first year. they sold 10,000 cases in the first month. paul said he's more excited about hiring more veterans than he is about selling more beer. >> people are despairing because they can't find work to know we're coming. that drives it. if they can hold on and know we're coming, it's that military philosophy. backup is coming. backup's on its way and they've got to know that we are growing this as quickly as we can. >> he started this company, you have 10 years to either move up in the company or you're out. period. that includes the founder. >> i recognize that probably one of the most important parts of my job will be finding the person that takes my place. >> first things first. the veteran beer company plans to expand to seven more states by the spring and more than a dozen more by the end of the year. >> these are the two products that we have on the market, and

that's... >> what's appealing to his customers is the taste, of course, but also what he calls... >> when somebody said what should i reach for, means nothing. i'm going to drink something that matters. >> aljazeera, chicago. >> the company hopes to hire 3500 veterans in the first five years and donate 10% of profits to veterans' charities. >> a heart warming gift for an 8-year-old fighting for her life. >> >> more than 5,000 carolers gathered to help laney her dying wish. she listened to their singing from inside her house, too weak to go to the window. there she is with two thumbs up. she was diagnosed with a rare

form of leukemia. the community is trying to make her dreams come true. that really is touching. >> more americans have been airlifted from south sudan because of the escalating violence there. the government has lost control of a key oil producing state. today is the last day for americans to sign up for health care plans if they want their insurance to kick in january 1. at least three people were killed in a winter storm that tore across the country, downing trees, cutting off power and causing flooding. >> i'm tracking a storm system bringing rain and snow to parts of the eastern u.s.

>> 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.

>> it's deadline day to sign up for health care plans. it's unclear if everyone who wants to buy plan will be able to do so. >>... of raced of a civil war in south sudan. hundreds of american citizens were rescued from across that country. >> holiday travelers having a hard time. a wild weekend storm impacted 35 states with everything from snow and ice to tornadoes and flooding. >> i could have been dead. i'm glad i was saved. >> a girl saved by her glasses.

the teenager's eyeglasses may have deflected a bullet from a drive by shooting. >> a very good monday morning and welcome to south africa america. >> if you're one of the millions of people who haven't signed up for the federal health care insurance, now is the time to act. >> that's because today marks a key deadline for the affordable care act better known as obamacare. it's the last day to select a plan and still have coverage january 1. daniel lee is joining us with how the administration is handling the last minute rush. good morning, danielle. >> they've brought on hundreds of workers to help in call centers to handle problems that may come up. early this morning, the website

was warning users high demand could cause delays. >> thank you for calling. your estimated wait time is 105 minutes. >> consumers calling in for coverage have reported a nearly two hour wait at times. many others are finding success, like oliver who lives in maryland. >> i got a call yesterday that said i was approved. >> for the hundred was thousands of americans whose insurance policies were canceled, today is not a deadline. they can now opt out of coverage without penalty. analysts worry the ongoing changes are impacting the law's credibility. >> trust is a lot easier to establish than recover once you've lost it. that's something they're going to have to work on. >> lawmakers continuing the debate. >> >> there are a lot of good things that people like. the more people see that, the

more positive it's going to be. >> all right more than 1 million people and counting have signed up for health care. >> this is filling a real need in the society. >> analysts believe that need is what will ultimately save this law. >> americans who don't get coverage by the end of today will not have it at the start of the new year, but will have until the end of march to sign up and not get that penalty for not getting coverage. in washington, back to you. >> with the glitch and having a hard time signing on, the deadline feels it might catch most americans by surprise. is there any talk of delaying the mandate? >> there is a bipartisan bill that would delay the mandate until 2015. the administration does not want to go for it, so it's unlikely to happen, reason being the mandate makes the law work.

>> today's deadline could mean hundreds of thousands of people clicking away on healthcare.gov which has faced a series of trouble since launching in october. the website should be ail to handle the last minute are you sure according to officials. the president said 1 million people have enrolled for new insurance plans. that number could surge. officials have sent 2 million emails to people who did not finish enrolling. that's short of the 7 million goal, which they now project to hit by the end of spring. >> 35 states are feeling the effects of a massive winter storm that's brought snow, ice, tornadoes rain and even unseasonably warm temperatures in some areas. >> it's causing flight delays and dangerous road conditions as millions are trying to get home in time for christmas.

>> the ice storm blanketing from maine to michigan is the first since 1998. hundred was flights have been canceled in major airports like chicago and philadelphia, but flooding is wreaking havoc in other parts of the nation. nine deaths are blamed on this storm system just two days before christmas. >> wild winter weather across the country, cutting off power to hundreds of thousands and taking a number of lives. in kentucky, floodwaters rose so high, so fast, it washed away an s.u.v. drowning three people inside. >> it had got up to my walk and into my door. >> i grabbed my grandmother, her dog, and my great cousin. >> ohio also dealing with fast moving floods as firefighters go door to door with a rubber raft to rescue residents. the same storm in the south spawned a tornado that tore through arkansas, ripping apart homes and injuring several people. wintery conditions causing

crashes in oklahoma. icy crashes there are blamed on the deaths of at least three people. >> massive sheets of ice come crashing down almost hitting holiday shoppers. in michigan, ice coats the power lines, cutting off heat to hundred was people. while the winter wonderland makes for pretty pictures, it's dangerous. >> about 2:30 this morning, we woke to the house shaking, and discovered the tree next door had fell on our house and cars. >> parts of northern new england seeing the same thing as ice takes down huge free limbs in vermont. >> i need gas and i can't get into my gas tank. my car is completely frozen. >> upstate new york, the government declared a state of emergency as hundreds of stranded without power and heat. a couple of hours south, in new york city, near 70-degree temps has shoppers and skaters outside

in tee shirts. >> this is what people in florida must feel like. >> further south, the warmer weather got people out on the golf course. >> doesn't feel like christmas to a point, but it's great for the golfers. >> sure is. new york city hit a balmy high of 71, breaking the previous record of 61. these warm temps will not last long at all. here in new york, we're back down in the 30's. >> i have a feeling we won't be seeing those 70's for quite some time. >> no more golfing. >> why was the weather so extreme from one location to another? >> let's bring in meteorologist ebony to explain. >> we had a strong cold front. it's still making its way across the eastern sufficient. in advance of it, lots of warm, moist air. typically this time of year, we don't see this much moisture in the atmosphere. we were dealing with a surge coming in pulling in all the

gulf of mexico moisture northward. we had temperatures very mild for this time of year on the backside of the system. the much colder air in the southern plains. where we do have the moisture, that spelled out the wintery weather, icy conditions in oklahoma. we still do have a lot of rain left over. it's going to continue to make its way gradually over the coastline for the next 24-36 hours. as it does, we are going to get together relief. the colder air making its way in. we're getting that reinforcing shot here in new england, keeping that opportunity for more icing to take place across vermont, new hampshire, and maine where we do have an ice warning in effect until noon. keep that in mind. could see an additional half inch of aisles here and on the backside of it, a few light snow showers that will continue to rotate in that area. here's a look at the timing. we will catch a break by early tuesday, freezing rain comes to

an end. lake effect snow showers will be blowing off to the east and that's going to bring a few flakes into the northern areas of parts of new york. watch for that, as well. our current warnings, we do have freezing rain advisories across areas of new england. all the rain coming down on saturated grounds. flooding is a huge issue. we do have flood warnings stretching across much of central indiana, wind advisories across the midwest. it's dry but on the cold side. >> we will be taking a closer look at those temperatures, thank you. >> escalating violence in south sudan has left many dead. the government lost control of the capitol. the former vice president tells aljazeera he wants to be the next president of south so dan.

>> the president of south sudan announced the state would strike the town the rebels hold. what does this mean for peace talks you? are they finished or is there a chance to get two sides to meet? diplomats are trying to get the president and former vice president to meet, sit and try and compromise to end the violence. people are concerned that if the army starts attacking the rebels, things will escalate. thousands of people are running to u.n. bases. there's a lot of concern that things could escalate. another blow is that another oil rich area has fighting erupting there. we hear the soldiers have joined those loyal to the former vice

president. civilians just want it to end. they just want to go home. right now, they don't feel safe because when they go home are targeted because of the tribes that they belong to. >> at least 56 people, including children, are dead after an army air strike i have not syria. human rights groups say military helicopters dropped barrel bombs in aleppo. government officials say they are targeting terrorist insurgents in aleppo. residents say the bombings have killed mostly civilian. talks on the the crisis are scheduled to take place next month in switzerland. >> a pipe bomb exploded on a bus in israel yesterday, moments after it had been evacuated. the driver told everyone to get off after a pardon me spotted a suspicious bag. no one was hurt. israeli police are blame in palestinian groups for the attack. >> a rae public apology from al-qaeda. the leader of the group's yemen

branch said one of its fighter disobeyed orders, attaching a hospital attached to the defense ministry, leading 52 dead. he said he is not pleads and offered condolences to the victims and see families. >> italian foreign minister met with the iranian president in tehran. it's one of first representative to say tehran from a high-ranking western official since iran agreed to cap its uranium enrichment pack in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions. talks with world powers on finalizing a deal to end sanction, making slow progress. the e.u.ed chief diplomat agreed to postpone talks until after christmas, urging all parties in talks to avoid troublesome issues, without spelling those out. >> based on the principle of good will, the two sides should

continue to talk with the perspective of the bigger picture, drown up by the political will of the iranian officials and p5 plus one. they shouldn't raise issues that could be seen as trouble-making. >> during sunday's meeting, italian foreign minister expressed support for iran, taking part in a syria peace conference set next month in geneva, a move blocked by the united states. >> the white house wants millions of young, healthy americans to sign up for insurance through the affordable care act. >> their participation is very crucial to the program. how many young adults have been enrolled so far and why they are needed to make the system work. >> plus, big fallout from target hacking scandal. how compromised credit cards are affecting holiday shoppers and what some customers doing about it. >> it's god september. if it wasn't for god, she wouldn't be here, and i know that. >> they are calling it a holiday

miracle. a girl who was shot in the face survived, thanks to an ordinary pair of glasses. >> let's take a look outside, what you can kind of see in the fog a little bit. that's new york, i promise, that really is new york city. >> not only a monday morning, but a foggy start. we're coming back in a moment. stay with us.

>> good morning to you. welcome back to aljazeera america. >> coming up, why the white house is so focused on getting young people to sign up for obamacare. >> first, a look at the temperatures across the country. it's very difficult to tell, because it's been so unpredictable. we have the details. >> the record warmth that we enjoyed yesterday is not here today, definitely still a bit on the mild side, but i want to start with a bit of the core of cold air in place across the upper midwest. it's minus 23 in busy marg. you factor in wind that is on going and it feels colder.

sitting one in new york. 59 in philadelphia. that we have teens in montreal. colder air is moving south. we are going to see our temperatures falling through the next 24 hours. by tonight, it's going to feel much colder. that here across the southeast, we have the frontal boundary making its way eastward. it's 67 in savannah, 64 in memphis. >> we knew it wouldn't last, but it was nice while it did. thank you. >> the white house wants everyone without health insurance to sign up for the action act, but they're really focusing on americans who are young and healthy. this group is crucial to making the entire system work. >> >> it's right before christmas and they may have shopping to

do, but one thing neither plans to buy is health insurance. the obama administration wants americans like them to enroll. >> i think the only thing i really know about obamacare is what i've seen on "saturday night live." >> i think health care should be free. >> the administration has said it would like about a third of the 7 million they hope to sign up by spring to be young and healthy. >> in order for the system to work. enough young healthy americans must enroll to pay for the health care costs accrued by older americans. >> if too few young and healthy americans enroll, premiums go up. the fear is that they'll become so expensive that they'll discourage even more from buying, forcing freedom yums higher still, making the system unsustainable. some state based exchanges have performed well.

california's exchange enrolled almost 17,000 americans between the age was 18-34, about 22% of those enrolled. >> california has done a great job of running their state based health insurance exchange. they don't rely on the federal plan, just on their own system. >> state level exchanges have had the advantage of taking the shown oh the road, holding town halls and workshops to reach out and educate the public. some argue for patience, saying what's happening in california and other states shows that if done right, obamacare works. >> i think it's worth being cautiously optimistic, given what's coming out of california, given the numbers we're seeing in new york. i don't think it's the case that the plans unraveling right now. >> in the meantime, many young americans will not sign up by monday. >> i've been living this long without health insurance, i'm just going to keep on doing the same thing. >> carrying on without

insurance, keen if it means paying a federal penalty. aljazeera, new york. >> it's estimated that someone in their 60's will use about $6 in health care services for every $1 someone in their 20's uses. >> joining us to discuss the health care deadline is the managing editor of states progress. thank you for joining us. there seems to be confusion about today's deadline. if someone wanted to sign up and is making it under the wire with today's deadline, what do they need to know about today's deadline? >> today's deadline just means coverage starts in january. you still have until march 31 to sign up this year, and so if you sign up for february, coverage is going to start in march. so there's still some time left.

that this date just means for coverage in january, this is the last day to do it. >> it's an important clarification. there's been so many numbers that have been thrown back and forth for the last few weeks. let's focus on just a few here. in october, more than 106,000 people signed up using the federal website, specifically the federal website. in november, about 365,000 people and then this past friday, the president said more than 500,000 people had enrolled and just the first three weeks of december. the numbers have steadily been going up. are there any pit falls that you still see out there that will prevent these numbers from continuing tog up? >> well, the enrollment numbers are probably going to increase, and that's because people like to sign up close to deadline. that's what they saw in massachusetts and that's what the administration expects is going to happen here.

the big pit fall in terms of coverage is making sure people's applications get to the insurers. the polling numbers have neve been really strong. they budget a little bit. how does that number change? >> what we've always seen is when he break it down into its component parts, ask people do you want insurers to discriminate based on preexisting conditions, do you want this to stop, do you want your child to stay on your plan, they say yes. they don't like obamacare that's been so politicized. there's hope among supporters that as people start getting coverage and take advantage of benefits, that those numbers are going to increase, but they've neve been very good, partly

because of the politicized environment the law was cooked up in. >> do you think the administration seems to keep making adjustments is a good thing or bad thing? >> it's certainly confusing. it's confusing for the people in your package, because those dates keep on changing. some of the rules of the game are changing. people who had policies canceled are now pelt from getting coverage. i think the administration wants to make sure that this transition period from the old system to the new is a smooth one. they think if they give extra flexibility to folks, in the long run, that's going to be a good thing even if there is confusion in the early days. >> so far, a total of about a million people have signed up. the administration hopes to have 7 million people signed up by spring. do you think that seems

ambitious? >> well, it's certainly ambitious, and, you know, the 7 million goal came at a time when people thought the rollout was going to go a lot smoother than it did. they might want to revisit numbers. it's that balance of young people to sick people that's so important. if they strike that, then that means the market's going to be stable, and for next year, the rates antgoing to go up astro momically. that's really going to be the test. what happens this year as it relates to next year. if the balance is right, if enough young people come in even if the number isn't 7 million, if it's six or five, that means, i think the law is still a success. >> so much still remaybes to be seen. >> absolutely. >> thank you so much. >> to california now where a family is operating for a medical miracle this christmas. they're daughter is brain dead after a routine surgery to have

her tonsils out. the children's hospital plan to remove the girl's ventilator saying her condition is irreversible. >> the family is asking the public for support to keep that from happening. >> her favorite color is purple. if you can come out wearing a purple shirt, it doesn't matter the shade, please wear it and march with us. >> the rally will begin in a few hours at the hospital. >> wall treat looks to kick off the holiday week. stock futures pointing to solid at the open, adding to the positive. facebook begins trading today.

apple shares were up more than 3% in premarket trading, finally reaching a deal with china mobile. al pell will begin selling the phones starting january 17. the deal gives apple access to china mobile subscriber base, which is seven times larger than verizon. verizon is the largest u.s. carrier. >> the future of the bowing next airliner and where it will be built is still open. the latest offer will eliminate the pension plan. the contract will guarantee the plane is produced in the seattle area.

22 states have expressed interest in building this plane. >> retailers had a tough time holding customers this holiday season. america's research group released a report this morning that says two thirds of retailers had trouble retaining shoppers this year. there were some winners. wal-mart did manage to top the list keeping 88% of their customer base followed by dollar tree and target. consumer research group also says we can see a late spike in spending. >> only 5% of consumers said they were waiting to get 60% to 70% off to finish shopping. this year, it's 22%. it's grown by four times in one year. more consumers are waiting for the deals. the question is if they don't get it, what will they do. >> they wait until the last minute to get those deals. >> they? you mean you. >> the biggest loser this year was barnes and noble, giving up 44% of its customers. >> the key stone pipeline is

kicking into gear. >> not without controversy. why some texans worried about the pipeline starting up in their back yards next month. >> customers taking aim at target. what they're doing following that massive credit card hacking scandal. >> keeping an eye on santa. as he gets ready for his big flight around the world. >> christmas came for peyton manning and the broncos. denver's q.b. having the best season for anyone under center. more on that story later in sports. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america

>> welcome back. south sudan is spiraling toward a civil war. hundreds have been killed in

fighting in the last week. a key city in the oil rich state has been taken over by renegade forces. u.s. troops evacuated hundreds of americans living in the country. >> today is the last day to sign up for obamacare to have your insurance kick in january 1. government officials say they believe the federal site healthcare.gov will handle any last minute requires. americans have until march 31 to sign up to avoid paying a penalty for not having coverage. >> a sloppy storm system could make it hard to get home for the holidays. from tornadoes and flooding to snow and ice, the storm has created problems across dozens of states. hundreds of thousands of people in the u.s. and canada are currently without power. >> there's just one night left for the world's most anticipated voyage taking flight. you know what i'm talking about. >> you set out the cookies and milk. >> for myself. no, not for me.

we've been keeping tabs on santa. >> bob, will santa be prepared to take that flight come tomorrow? >> merry christmas to you. >> it was very difficult to get an interview with santa. he did grant us this one-on-one access. >> with transportation like this, just raring to take off, st. nick will have no problem racing around the globe christmas eve. >> he can go around the world with me. >> here is north pole's most famous sit accept checking in on his eight reindeer in the moments before what seals to be an insurmountable task. >> how you are doing? >> he has one night to complete the wishes of every girl and boy on the entire planet. >> you cut down a little bit,

didn't you? >> that's good. what do you want for christmas? >> i'm thankful for everything i already have. >> that's nice. what would you like? >> ipad. >> ipad? an ipad? what do you want for christmas? >> i would like a new pair of running shoes. >> how about a wedding? >> ooh, that would be nice, too. [ laughter ] >> turns out that running shoe request wasn't for running away. she said yes. >> that's what it's all about, christmas. >> thomas, she assures us that she was surprised. we got a direct link to the north pole air traffic control. hey, guys we have a direct link. let's check it out.

he is always tracking rudolph on a last minute test flight there. to help rudolph santa and the reindeer, it's the regiment out of fort waynewright. >> all clear. >> in case they come across a wrench or dufus in the background. those had to be traveling at about 10 miles per hour. >> we are a global network, which means prom now until christmas, we're going to of the best coverage of santa's next 48 hours, wouldn't you say? >> absolutely. he even mentioned if you're going to talk to aljazeera, he goes i want you to tell them

look, at least one of them is on the good list. >> i can tell you richelle's been kind of naughty. >> a little bit. >> at the north pole, thanks, bob. >> thank you. >> many banks are ins that substituting safety measures after the massive security breach at target stores. chase opened more than a third of its branches cross the country on sunday to help affected customers. the bank is limiting how much its credit card customerers can spend in the final days before christmas. not everyone is happy about that. >> he walked into this chase bank, finding she was a casualty of the tarts credit card breach. she could only withdraw $100, for short of what she needed. >> i have 12 girls to shop for, 13 brothers to shop for, and i have to get their sweatshirts and i don't know what i'm going

to do now, because i'm pretty sure that's over $300. >> that's more than chase will now allow her to charge on her debit card. she's far from alone. she is one of 2 million chase customers who used their card at a target store. her branch was chose, but one third of chase branches were open sunday to help customers print no cards. >> chase said half of its branches can issue new debit cards on the spot, but for customers who can't make it into the bank, getting a new card could take up to two weeks. >> i learned my card needed to be changed while christmas shopping, which came as a shock and inconvenience, a fact not lost on choice who released this statement: >> on that sunday, i was able to get a new card at my bank in

less than five minutes. for shoppers who couldn't switch their cards. >> i feel that i can't use my card anymore, we're going to have to abandon it and use only cash and that's not very convenient for the time every year. >> and convenient not just for shoppers, but stores, including target, which is still trying to figure out how some 40 million of its credit and debit cards were hacked. aljazeera, in the morning. >> three class action lawsuits have been filed as a result of target security breach. the plaintiffs are seeking more than $5 million in damages. >> protests are boiling over in thailand. tens of thousands marched through bangkok sunday calling for the prime minute at her to resign. they believe she is a puppet for her brother, ousted as prime minister after accused of corruption. tens of thousands of protestors fought traffic marching to the prime minister's home. the protestors have worried

about the upcoming elections. >> hundreds of anti-government protestors have made their way to the stadium and gathered outside as well as outside a police talking about that's right next to the stadium where the registration of would-be candidates and parties for the february election will be taking place. the protestors don't want to see elections taking place, because they don't trust the protests. they want a non-elected council to loafer look reforms. the election commission has already been prepared for a situation like this, because the protestors announced intentions over the weekend. the election commission said candidates or their representatives were unable to make it into the stadium, can lodge a police report in the police station next to the stadium, as well as register over there. now, we've heard from the election commission that more than 30 parties have already

registered. it would seem protestors have not been able to achieve their objective. the protestors have said over the weekend that they will not resort to violence. they don't intend to break into the premises, but did say that they do not wantette election to take applies and whoever wants to take part in the elections won't have to go past them and they've camped outside the venue, making their way from various protest sites around the city to intimidate those wanting to take part in the elections. because the prime minister is clinging on to power, protestors have to come up and chase her and will continue to chase her until she's dead or leaves office. >> and that was florence reporting.

>> the two remaining members. >> of the controversial punk band pussy riot have been released. they were jailed last year after staging anti putin protests in a church. putin ordered their release along with 30 other activists, saying charges against jailed green peace demonstrators will also be dropped. >> an oil tycoon and former critic of putin has been released. he spoke to out for the first time sips he was imprisoned a decade ago. while he ruled out a future in politician, he said he wouldn't totally disappear from the public eye. >> i am not going to engage in political activity. i said that in my letter to president putin and reiterated it several times since. i'm going to engage in public work. the struggle for power is not for me now. >> he was jailed in 2003. he was the chairman of russia's largest oil company and had a

personal fortune worth more than $15 billion. he has no plans to return to russia anytime soon. he has a temporary visa to germany. >> we have seen several high profile prisoners be released in russia. we're going to talk in a moment about whether this show of support has really softened the push for putin coming up in just a moment. we'll get to that in a moment. >> as we mentioned -- >> the two remaining -- the -- the key stone excel pipe like that is going to carry on oil -- carry oil from the american refineries to the gulf of mexico, but the project is at the center of a heated debate.

those in favor of it say it will increase access to canadian oil and limit american dependence on oil from other countries. those against it say it is an environmental disaster waying to happen. >> driving the back roads of east texas is a birth right. this land was left to him by his grandfather, but his relationship with these woods and fields has changed. a section of the pipeline now runs through the family property. he fought it for three years in an expensive legal battle. his main concern isn't that he lost in court, but what might happen next. >> it's going to leak and the stuff in this pipe is not like common crude oil or gas. this stuff is hazardous. >> opponent point to a history of major spills in similar projects across the u.s. in 2010, transcanada's key stone one spilled a dozen times.

residents in east texas say the pipeline is so close to the angelina river, it could threaten fresh water supplies. >> texas is no stranger to oil pipe lines. this state's fortunes were built on the oil industry and transcanada say they've gone above and beyond to create the safest oil pipeline in u.s. history. >> inspecting and testing are critical to the pipeline construction, saying each section i guess built to high standards. the company says it won't compromise when it comes to safety. >> you can hear it, this pipeline or this station making noise, which totally creeps you out. >> she spent her life living in the shadow of what she calls extreme extraction. the property has several gas lines running through it. the pipeline is close enough to give her concern. >> this is something that puts a

lot of fear into the daily lives of people all along its route. that alone should be enough to stop this project. people should not have to be afraid for their safe health and safety and for their communities. >> the final approval for the northern portion of the key stone pipeline rests with president obama, and so far, it's a decision he's delayed time and again. in east texas, opponents say it won't make any difference. this section will become operational in january. aljazeera, east texas. >> canada is the leading supplier of crude oil to the united states. >> those super cheap gas prices may be going up in venezuela. people there currently pay 18 cents a gallon for gasoline. the fuel which is heavily subsidized by the government is the cheapest in the world. the president there wants to raise prices, which have been frozen for 20 years and reinvest the money in homes and schools. the last time venezuela tried to

raise gas prices in 1989, there were days of deadly rioting. >> sunday marked a make or break day in the nhl. >> we have sports now. good morning. >> we're learning that peyton manning, kind of like a fine wine just gets better and better and better and continues to improve every time age is just the a number. he continues to remind we may be seeing the best season ever from the best quarterback ever. denver got in the end zone first with a 36-yard touchdown to thomas and records are broken. manning's first, tying tom brady's mark, hitting decker for number 50. here comes the record breaker. this is number 51, going togolese thomas. it was also manning's third of the quarter and peyton manning's dreams, he then continues.

denver goes away a winner. let's look at payton by the numbers at 37 years old. he's the oldest active starting quarterback in the league and having one of the best seasons we've seen at that position. his four touchdown game to get the texans put him at 51 for the season, passing tom brady's mark in 2000 february. right now, payton stands at 5,211 patting yards. he can knock that out of the water in week 17, as he's just 266 yards shy of the all time mark set by drew brees in 2011. throughout mannan's career, he's put up monster numbers, but this is his first 5,000-yard passing season. here's what he had to say: >> i think of it's a unique thing to be a part of nfl history, even though it may be temporary. i personally think all season records going down, especially if they go to 18 games and there won't be abasterisk next to them.

brady will probably break it again next year, if not, the year after. we'll enjoy it while it lasts and hopefully, the hall of fame will send the ball back when somebody throws for more. >> getting payback against the rains team that bounced him from the postseason last year, getting the pass in the end zone first and then tom brady and shane do it again. new england kept their foot on the gas. the 41-7 drubbing means the stars truly have to rely on the defending superbowl champions to make the postseason. divisions all four have been clinched, home field still up for grabs. in denver, it is win and stay home throughout. looking ahead to the wildcard situation in the a.f.c., the dolphins occupy the final wildcard spot with the ravens and chargers right behind. big repercussions in this one

after the phillies crushed the bears. putting the eagles on the board early and then the bears special teams would help them out later on. devin hester had the nice return until right about here, when it gets stripped away and the eagles would recover. the turn i don't ever led to this, mccoy touchdown. the rout was on. chicago could have clinched with a win, but the bears face the packers next week for the division crown. >> we got beat down. you know, it's a different type of game, it's, you know, we were playing a little street ball there, just trying to crawl back into it, pass, pass, pass, two minute situations in the middle of the third quarter. it's unrealistic, to go back and study it is going to be a waste of time. >> we prepared so hard through the whole week.

it wasn't really just if they won or not. we had a job to do, we came and did it today. now we focus on dallas, the next step, the next team. we've got to go through there to kind of fulfill our deals and goals. >> looking ahead to another game with playoff implications. tonight, the san francisco 49ers host the atlanta falcons. the niners could tighten up things in the west with a win. that's a look at sports this hour. get it is wings ready, get the popcorn. >> this is when it gets exciting. >> the wings at your house? >> that's fine. this holiday season. >> jessica can be thanks. >> all right, a teenager survives a drive by shooting. >> this really is amazing here. she said it's all because of something that she was wearing. >> if i didn't have any glasses on, i wouldn't be here. >> how she says her glasses saved her life. >> plus hundreds of students from all over the world compete in a robot olimb picks.

the big technology gap between the u.s. and asia. >> tracking the foggy conditions in the south. when conditions will improve. >> you're waking up to a live look at the nation's capitol, an overcast morning in washington, d.c. we went frock the 1970 to see now in the upper 30's. >> if we're lucky. all right. keep it here. much more to come. was -- prince william was dating kate middleton. >> ross shimabuku is here with sport. >> dennis rodman is in north korea to train basketball players for an upcoming player.

he wants everyone to know he's not a joke. this is the same guy who dressed up in a wedding gown and will rite a book with his bff, kim jong un. the 52-year-old rodman, who never shies away from the spotlight arrived in north korea every sunday night join us for exclusive, revealing and

>> good monday morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. >> just ahead, a robotic competition that shows however american students are falling behind children in other parts of the world. >> first the weather. meteorologist ebony joining us. >> we have rain in the south, where we could see an additional one to three-inches in some areas. we have the frontal boundary making its way off the eastern seaboard. it's not going to clear until tuesday, meanwhile, all of that

moisture funnels northward. we have heavy rainfall coming in across raleigh now. we're seeing the rain above d.c. and boll more. it has reduced visibility, as low as one mile around raleigh with that heavy rainfall. northeast, light rain showers. where we do have the pink-shaded areas, freezing rain across parts of new hampshire into maine. cross parts of maine, we could see an additional half an inch of ice. >> nasa called off a second space walk to make repairs to the international space station. one astronaut reported a space suit problem after making repairs once. surface has been working with aging space suits, which are 35 years old. the next walk will be on christmas eve. >> hundreds of young computer

whizs tested skills in denver. >> organizers hope the events will spark the next generation of tech innovators. >> these students have come from all around the world, turning this into a giant learning lab. they program some fancy footwork for the robotic dance competition. >> their dances really put together well. >> more than 300 students are taking part in this robotic limb pee idea. robots can grab and go. there is away agriculture competition for designs to save money and water on the farm. >> eve will move up one position. when it gets to the top, it will dump on to the tray, can be put

in a puck to feed the cows. >> sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. that's not enough to top these budding geniuses. >> this robot does this. >> all of the moving pieces and parts, it's just a really powerful platform. >> this is getting ready for the competition. if you look around the room here, you'll see more proof that the american kids are falling behind in the field of technology. most of the competition here has been dominate dominated by the m the asian countries. >> where are the americans? >> i think they're at home in front of the t.v. >> we need to look at how we get them to go beyond where they are

now and not just be consumers of technology, but creators. >> last year, south korea walked away with the top honors. the americans won just one silver medal. sufficient students are now ranked 21 out of 23 countries in math and science, 17th out of 19 in problem salving. >> that doesn't mean everybody has to be a creator of technology, but if we move them unthat continuum, it's going to be a real powerful experience. >> a point not lost. >> if you don't know math, you can't really do this at all. >> next year's olympiad is booked. they will be heading to beijing, china. >> 30 american students took part in the competition which drew in kids from canada, india, mexico and saudi arabia. >> to seattle now where a teenager sleeping at home was almost killed in a drove by shoot i can, but her glasses

probably saved her life. >> the plastic frames deflected the bullet just enough to prevent a fatal head wound. >> i could have been dead. i'm glad that the glasses saved me, and i just wish that this neve happened. >> obviously she's still shaken up, as you can imagine. she and her family have moved out of that home and are looking for a new place to live. >> certainly don't blame them. >> police are still searching for whoever fired that shot. that will do it for this edition of aljazeera america. >> thank you so much for your time. another news update in two and a half minutes. keep it here.