the obama administration extends a healthcare deadline for 24 hours after a record one million americans monologued on to healthcare.gov and they want to increase the number of peace keeping troops in south sudan as violence escalates and thousands pour into refugee camps. and taking a stage behind bars, inmates were using acting to get a fresh start. ♪

good morning everybody and welcome to al jazeera america and i'm david in new york and we are given more time to sign up under the affordable care act and the coverage starting january 1 was last night but now it's extended to 11:59 tonight christmas eve and daniel lee has the story. >> and he is more of one million americans breathing an sigh of relief and caught in yesterday's scramble to get her father-in-law insurance she now has through today to finish the job. >> better for him to be covered and be safe and not worried about it. >> this morning the website is advertising the one-day extension, granted in response to the record number of visitors to healthcare.gov and so many not everyone who tried could get through. >> wanted to make sure people who were trying to sign up today were actually able to do it and get covered. >> reporter: republicans attacked the last-minute change.

>> it's another demonstration the plan was not ready for prime time and problem after problem. >> health industries are warning of problems to come. >> health insurance need 2-3 weeks to process normal enrollments and will have a week to process these with lots of errors. >> reporter: and could lead to headaches for consumers and they are saying keep your paperwork. >> daniel lee in washington, if you live in one of 36 states that has management of the federal government and sign up for coverage before the deadline you will pay the first month's premium by the end of the month. if you do that the insurance will kick in on january the 1st. the syrian government is stepping up the use of helicopters to drop bombs on its own people. the so called barrel bombs are filled with dynamite, nails and debris and spray shrapnel and

it's on bus stops and groups controlled by rebel forces and 80 people were killed in attacks on monday and estimated 300 were killed over the weekend. several explosions in egypt killed 14 people and injured 130. the attack happened in the nile delta city of mansura, sections of the building collapsed and emergency workers are still sifting through the rubble and the blast may have been caused by car bombs and peter has more. >> reporter: and it struck headquarters in mansuri around midnight around the time that senior police officers were inside, among team the city security chief. it's not clear if he was the target, but he is among those listed as seriously injured in the explosion. the car bomb ripped through the five-story building collapsing part of it and burying officers within the rubble. it also caught neighboring

buildings in the densely-packed neighborhood. as rescue workers struggled to get to the victims local hospitals called for blood donors to help cope with the rush of casualties and authorities set up checkpoints around the city to try to find those responsible. the prime minister described the attack as a terrorist incident and said the perpetrators will not escape justice and the government spokesman said the muslim brotherhood showed its ugly face as a terrorist organization shedding blood and missing with security and no one admitted to be behind the bombings and they carried out attacks on the peninsula in the past. a few days ago one said it considers egyptian troops to be infadels because they respond to the government, al jazeera in cairo. >> the reports have 8 police officers among those who were killed.

antigovernment protests in, ukraine and calling for the president to resign and saying they are up set because he wants closer ties with russia instead of the european union and jennifer glass has more from the capitol kiev. >> this is the heart of the protest movement in kiev independent square and this camp is set up for just over a month and as you can see people are living in tents, keeping warm around oil drums here. it's much less crowded than certainly we have seen in the earlier days and people being counted in the hundreds rather than the thousands here and it's a week-day morning here and a lot of people are at work and in the evenings and on the weekends the numbers do get bigger and not seeing the turn out we saw in the early days of the protest. and demands have remained the same that the people want the government to resign. they want the government to make concessions toward europe.

they would like to see the police apologize for attacks that occurred in the square in early december and late november but the government has shown no signs of making any concessions. the opposition leaders have called on people to stay here through the new year. here we are on the main square. this is where the main protests have been happening. the heart of the protest. as you can see a few hundred people here on this morning. it is a working day. the real question will be what will happen here when the holiday season starts. now ukraine is or docks and the holiday season begins at the new year and orthodox christmas happens in january opposition, leaders have called on people to come out in large numbers over that time to celebrate new years here on independent square. we may see then how much momentum this protest still has but right now as row can see very few people, certainly not the huge numbers that we saw in the early days of this protest.

>> reporter: al jazeera's jennifer glass in kiev, ukraines started protesting about their president's decision to side with russia but over time demonstrations evolved into more criticism of the government as a whole. according to the group, it's one of the most corrupt cities in the world. they are headed to south sudan and deploying program a base in spain to protect and evacuate american citizens and the growing violence in south sudan has claimed hundreds of lives and 40,000 refugees trying to escape the deadly fighting. u.n. security council held an emergency meeting on monday to discuss the situation. u.s. ambassador to the u.n. samantha power says something must be done quickly. >> the future of south sudan is in jeopardy and demands urgent leadership to get rid of further blood shed and have stability

and leaders have a choice, they can return to the political dialog and spirit of cooperation that helped establish south sudan or they can destroy those hard-fought games and tear apart their new-born nation. >> reporter: u.n. secretary general is calling for an additional 5,000 troops to support the mission in south sudan but as al jazeera reports the organization is focused on finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis. >> reporter: u.n. security council members are considering a draft resolution which has been circulated by the united states following a recommendation from the secretary general to sent more troops to south sudan and there are currently 7,000 there right now, about 4.5 thousand are needed for escalating violence in the country and moon recommended sending 5 1/2 and police on the ground and more air support in the form of three

utility helicopters and three attack helicopters and a c-130 military transport air cart. this will happen soon as possible. once the security council votes on this at 3:00 p.m. local time on tuesday. as the ambassador to the united states put it, samantha power said it was a meeting where they scratch their heads and working out a way to get the troops in and considering pulling troops from neighboring areas like congo and liberia and india, bangladesh and napole and they say this is not the solution to the fighting and not end the crisis and this is a reaction to escalating violence and the only way this will end is through political dialog and they are still pursuing the diplomatic channels. >> reporter: and kath turner at the u.n. and talking about

increasing troop presence in the region this afternoon. let's turn to al jazeera's with the latest from south sudan's capitol duba. >> reporter: more u.n. troops will go a long way, and the u.n. needs all the help it can get in trying to protect people who fled fighting and thousands of people are hiding in u.n. bases across the country and there are still diplomatic to get the two sides to sit down and talk and agree to peace talks. for example the delegations and flying in the capitol later this afternoon and hear both sides they say they are willing to talk but there are conditions and the former vice president said he wants it to take place in ethiopia but there is not a lot of trust in south sudan and the president saying he is not sure about the people and the government. he is not sure about who he can

trust. here is one quote he states, he basically says some people are sitting here in government with us in this house, they are involved in the coup. we don't know who they are. it remains to be seen if miss trust and other issues will delay the peace talks that many people are hoping will happen because if they will meet and talk the violence we see now could end. >> reporter: al jazeera in duba, south sudan. in neighboring central african republic nine were killed monday between fighting between christians and muslims and african union and france are struggling to gain control and we have more on the violence in the capitol bungi. >> reporter: a civilian with a handgun opened fire at christian demonstrators outside of the international airport and he was then lynched by an angry crowd.

a total of 40 civilians were injured and three seriously and the central african peace keepers intervened, opening fire into the air. after that another peace keeper a congoleze who was hacked to death and the french who killed three people and it's a dangerous mix. it's unclear whether this anti-french sentiment will increase and it's mainly confined to the former rebels from the celica, not the christians, the christians are venting their anger at the contingent of the central african peace keeping force because they makeup a lot of the celica rebels. so right now the situation for the peace keepers, only five days into their mission is getting more and more hazardous. >> reporter: al jazeera andrew simmons reporting from the central african republic and when they deploy to the region this month many civilians welcome them but that changed and many people suggest the international forces are taking

sides now in the conflict. floods and mudslides in brazil have now killed at least 20 people and forced more than 40,000 people to evacuate their homes. massive flooding caused by hef -- heavy downpours and seeking shelter in buildings and friends and homes of relatives and they try to bring more people to safety. back in the united states an icy winter storm will batter states across much of the country this christmas holiday and mid-atlantic and they will see snow and ice and near freezing temperatures through the end of the week, that means roads will be slick and many flights delayed during one of the year's busy travel times and 5,000 flights delayed monday after a storm and 94 million americans expected to travel this holiday season. it will be a white christmas for some parts of the united states,

more on that and let's bring in the metrologist ebony-deyone. >> this was christmas last year with 51% of the country covered and at least some amount of snow but contrast that to today thanks to the snow we had with the very warm temperatures we are missing out here over much of the northeast but we are still up to 47% of the country that is dealing with at least some snow on the ground and we will see even more snow coming in across the upper midwest and the great lakes and a white christmas and dakota and michigan and not a lot of snow accumulating will get a few flakes and includes new york city, a pr e christmas treat. right now we have a frontal boundary on the move and taking moisture and drying out and certainly turning a lot colder. we do have another front moving behind it and helping the wind flow to pull out of the north and northwest and will bring us

a little bit of snow. as far as the timing, as the front pushes to the east we are watching the next disturbance rotating around the great lakes and a little bit of snow coming in mainly in the evening hours ayos the new york city area and more snow to come across the eastern area of the great lakes as we get into the day on christmas. so definitely good news there. for those of you that will be traveling, and the snow we will find in minnesota will cause big problems, i-94 and we have winter weather advisories and could see 3-5" around minneapolis and as you get further south not expecting to see much but we also have the wind chill advisories in place. heading out here you need to bundle up. wind chills could dip minus 35 in spots. in the northeast we had a good deal of icing across maine and watching out for some advisories there. lake effect snow warnings in place right into place right across northwestern areas of

pennsylvania and david back to you have. >> thank you. a federal judge is allowing same sex marriages in utah to continue at least for now. a voter-approved ban on marriages in the state was overturned by the courts last week and on monday a judge said to halt them until a higher court weighs in and nearly 700 gay couples have been granted licenses since friday, utah is the 18th state to legalize same sex marriage. and indian diplomate arrested in new york could soon have a new job. she was accused of lying on a visa form about how much she paid her housekeeper and outraged she was arrested, strip searched and jailed and they want to put her in the u.n. and provide her greater diplomatic unity and they will have to approve the move, if convicted

she could face ten years for visa fraud. six months after leaking a million documents to the press edward snowden says mission accomplished. his leaks exposed details of the nsa massive surveillance program and in an interview with the post snowden said all he wanted to do is the public to have a say in how they are governed. and pope francis had a chance to do something raerly seen at the vatican and that is to wish his predecessor a merry christmas and he saw benedict on monday at the home in the vatican and pontif and former pope had greetings and embrace before praying together in a chapel and since benedict retired this year the two men met once in public for an official vatican ceremony in july. the federal government is taking a closer look at the target hacking scandal. we will explain what roles the justice department and secret service are playing in wake of the data breach and the stock

market is climbing to new heights, what is driving the record run and the u.s. real estate market is picking up steam but not everybody is benefitting from the housing market rebound. >> and playing for the superbowl the 49ers clinch a playoff spot with one week remaining of the regular season and i'm jessica and we will have that and more in sports. >> reporter: in is a live look at the neighborhood in brooklyn, new york which is obviously getting in the christmas spirit with some festive lights and perhaps keeping all the neighbors wide awake this morning, the day before christmas.

good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm david and owning a home has been part of owning the american dream but people are giving up on the goal and we will talk about that and what is deterring them from making the purchase in the broadcast and first we will look at temperatures across the nation and metrologist

ebony-deyone has that. >> it's a cold start to the day making your way out to parts of the u.s. and cooling down and the cool down is not done yet and seeing temperatures now in the 30s around dc and as far south as atlanta. this is the temperature difference and comparing where we stand now to 24 hours ago it's at least 26 degrees cold ner new york city and down in the mid 30s this morning, not expecting to feel that much of a rebound heading in the afternoon and cold in the upper midwest and keeping it that way through christmas and minus 11 in minnesota want minus two in chicago and feeling like minus 22 and a time to dress in layers and mild air in central and south florida. >> almost half of the children in nepal are considered small for their age and many of the kids don't get enough to eat and suffering from malnutrition. al jazeera's sabina reports from

southwest napal with the silent emergency. >> a meal is a hard day's work animal nourishment is the major cause of death in children under the age of five. and she has five children, the 6th on the way and she rarely gets time to feed them. >> translator: i work all day and so much to do to work in the field and get vegetables and fetch water and i have to leave the children at home. >> reporter: and with the women working all the time the children suffer. they are small for their age and half of the children are malnourished or stunted and 11% of the children are severely or moderately malnourished and making them vulnerable to disease. she is almost two years old and tiny and hopes she will have a son this time around and a son

is said to have the path to heaven and having babies until they have a few of them and the stunt in growth is caused more than lack of food. >> and causes include poor nutrition and infections and this in turn are effected by poor access to water and sanitation, and poor practices and food and security. and in term this is effected by basic causes like poverty, less preference for women and low women education. >> reporter: and a few kilometers away 3 out of 4 children are malnourished and they are brought in for check up and five months ago diagnosed as severely malnourished. >> translator: we check the children and if they are able to eat and use therapy we give that or understand they have a medical complication and look at them further.

>> reporter: and she shows some improvement and gained one kilogram in five months but still feels weightless. >> translator: if you keep feeding her she will be better. >> reporter: but many don't improve and instead end up in hospitals like this two-year-old girl, severe mall nourishment means she is wasting and vital organs are failing. the widespread mall nourishment effecting her and so many others are what some people here are calling a silent emergency. al jazeera, far western napal. >> reporter: studies have shown that malnutrition is half of the deaths around the world. kim jong-ununcle may have been escuted because of a business dispute and the/centered around exports including coal and wanted to give the profits to the military but the uncle

resisted and the uncle was executed for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government and dennis rodman has left north korea and made the third visit and rodman did not see the leader kim jong-un who he called a friend for life and will involve a dozen veterans and north korean players. and we are here with sports and news of another nfl team punching its ticket to the playoffs. >> a crazy season two and emotional night for 49er fans in an up and down season for kapernick and san francisco had yet to clinch a playoff until last night, one week before the season finalle at candle stick park and sling it over to bolden

and he has a tie game and 10-10 and falcons would answer late in the fourth quarter and matt ryan and tony gonzales after scrambling in the end zone and atlanta is in with three. after recoverying the on side kick and atlanta in the red zone and matt ryan intersuperintendeinter superintende -- intercepted and 49ers clinch a playoff spot and happy on the night he turned the big 5-0! that is the best thing i seen happen at a football game and might have been close to the catch. that was and the best birthday present i've ever gotten second to being born. that was awesome. >> reporter: doesn't he have kids there is the nfl has demonstrated the season is quite

the under statement and they may have a call it a big headache as well either way it set the stage for the must-see tv in if final week of the season and nfl anita marks breaks it down for us. >> what an exciting week 17 it's going to be in nfl season and first we have a dallas coy by philadelphia eagle ls game week 17 and win and in and in if playoffs and you lose and go home and your season is done and interesting scenario that has developed the fact there are rumors out there and speculation that tony romo will shut it down or the season because he is having back issues that would mike kyle horten is the starting quarterback for the cowboys and the eagles and if you saw them play against the chicago bears, nick and shaun mccoy and they are rolling like a fine oiled machine and you got to love what chip kellie brought to the nfl and the offensive system and the

cowboys and they have been bad all season and have a photo of the eagles, i don't see it in. wind you in, i see the eagles playing at all-time high and eagles win and represent nfc east in the playoffs. >> we will find out sunday. before the season began the nets and billy king did serious gambling and rolled the dice on jason kid and bet the house and making him the highest payroll in a deal that traded away future to win with some aging hall of famers and brooklyn hosting pacers since learning lopez was out the rest of the season with a broken foot and indiana took advantage and may sum it up for paul fierce as frustrations mount and this is pierce and tossed by a foul on

george hill and immediately ejected from the game and left scoring no points for the second time in his career and admitting the team is complacent and this was tough for new york teams in the basketball world. >> not a good night last night. a highly anticipated meeting is aiming to ease tensions between neighbors and what will the leaders from india and pakistan accomplish in their sit down? plus a california teenager is on life support after a surgery that went wrong. her mother is fighting a legal battle to keep here alive and colorado is making history over recreational marijuana use, what it means for the business of pot in the centennial state. ♪

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

good morning everyone and welcome to al jazeera america, i'm david in new york and here are some top stories at this hour, obama administration extended insurance under the affordable care act and people have until the end of today to complete forms needed to be covered by january the 1st. in south sudan the united states is sending an additional 150 moo rains to help evacuate americans and the violence there and u.n. will vote today to double the number of peace keeping troops in the war-torn country. in egypt several explosions at the local police headquarters killed 14 people and injured more than 130 others. the blast according to police were likely caused by car bombs and osama-bin-laden is charged

with conspiring to kill americans and providing terrorists with materials and support. the trial is set to start in early february. the judge in the case said the jurors will remain anonymous for their own safety. the obama administration says it's willing to extend a deadline for a deal that will determine the future of u.s. troops in afghanistan. the original date for signing that agreement was december the 31st. despite softening the deadline the u.s. is standing by the warning that a complete pull out is still possible if there is no agreement soon. afghan president karzai refused to sign a deal unless it meets certain conditions and if agreement is signed 15,000 troop also reman in afghanistan after 2014 mainly to train and mentor afghan forces. senior officials from india and pakistan are meeting for the first time in more than a

decade, the two nuclear armed neighbors are talking about peace in the cashmir border and they both claimed the region as their own and as we report the people of cashmir are increasingly skeptical that any deal between the two sides will make a difference. >> reporter: it looks quiet and peaceful but life here can be hard. these children may not know it, but things can change quickly here in cashmir and something these people know for themselves. shelling, cross border shooting and land mines injured many including these men who travel from border areas to this hospital in the state hospital for treatment. and he lost his right leg to a land mine a few years ago and his brother lost his left leg in a separate incident and a high-level meeting between

pakistan and india that may stop cease fire is of little comfort to him. >> translator: we are poor people. we are handicapped and we belong to india. we live on the border. if we do not stay on the border what will india do? >> reporter: mohamed knows the pain caused by fighting. in 1998 he had to leave his village which was next to the so-called line of control that divides india and pakistan and cashmir and in 2004 a year after the last cease fire he had to move again because of shelling which killed several people. >> translator: only god knows if anything will come out of the meeting, what would i no, nothing happened yet, they are yet to resolve anything. >> reporter: this bus service between india and pakistan and cashmir is a few connection between the two sides and based on past experiences most cashmires on this side of the line are not putting a lot of

faith in the high-level talk but there is hope like the buses good will will flow freely between the two sides. and coli is one of those people hoping things will change as a result of the two sides meeting. >> translator: everyone here is happy that they might be able to go back home and very happy there could be peace. >> reporter: what ever the outcome of the meeting he is among the lucky ones with money to move to safer parts of cashmir, the ones who don't are left behind. >> translator: what can we do, if we are not in the homes hungry and naked what can anyone do? this is life for the poor. who looks after us? >> reporter: snow has fallen on cashmir and with it a reminder of the hardship the people face and unlike the snow there is hope here now that whenever peace descends on cashmir it will be here to stay and i'm in india. >> reporter: since the late 1980s more than 70,000 people

have been killed in the cashmir region. back in the united states a california family is fighting to keep their teenage daughter alive. the 13-year-old girl went in for a routine tonsillectomy and was left brain dead. her family went to court monday to prevent the hospital from taking her off life support. a judge ordered a second opinion on the condition of the girl named mcmath and went in cardiac rest in oakland and they say her condition is irreversible and the girl's family is not so sure and is asking the public for help. >> please, don't give up on my baby because she will wake up. i don't have a doubt. she will wake up. the doctors don't know. they don't know. god got the final say so. >> reporter: hundreds gathered in oakland on monday to show support for the family. as the family of mcmath wait force a life or death decision

to be made al jazeera jacob ward helps us explain what it means to be brain dead. >> the first thing to understand about brain death is that it's not like persistent vegetative state or being in a coma or being asleep, it's not just about being unconscious, it involves the total loss of brain stem functions and things like your activating system which is what controls being alert and awake and conscious, that is gone. also destroyed are the centers for breathing and centers that control your heart rate. now, the heart can continue to beat. there are even instances in which the heart has been removed from the body and continues to beat but that is because the heart's electrical system is separate from the rest of the nervous system and does not mean the patient is still alive. the thing to understand is there are noel documented cases of anyone who has been properly diagnosed as brain dead ever regaining neurologic function and the question is how do you go about diagnosing brain death? there are three tests.

the first is really understanding a clear and intractable loss of consciousness from an irreversible and known cause. you have to know why this happened and know that person is not coming back from it. the second test is a series of tests of your reflexes things like your pupillary reflex, if you flash a light in the eyes do the pupils contract or if you touch the patient's eyes with a q-tip do they blink, if those things are gone that means the reflexes are gone and that is a second check on the list. and the third is if you remove the patient from a ventilator do they continue to breathe? if they don't then that is also the final step in understanding that this person is brain dead. now, again, no instance has ever been well recorded of any one coming back from a proper diagnosis of brain death and in this case five separate doctors have examined this patient, determined that there is brain death. and so the desire to double

check, to bring in an independent doctor to again check on the condition of her is not about science. it's really we have left the realm of science and entered the realm of faith and desire and on christmas eve who wouldn't want their child back? according to medical science there really is no chance of it. >> reporter: that was al jazeera jacob ward. a man in texas is fighting a law in an effort to remove his pregnant wife from life support. and she was declared brain dead after suffering a pulmonary embolism and she was three months pregnant at the time and she never would have wanted to be kept alive but doctors are bound by a texas law that for bids taking pregnant monthers off of life support and colorado is the first state to issue special licenses for businesses that sell recreational pot and on monday they mailed out 136

licenses to marijuana stores properly licensed store also be able to start selling potato adults beginning on new year's day and more than 100 of those stores are in denver. millions of americans are giving up on the dream of home ownership and are instead turning to renting. and as prices soar affordable housing for poor and middle class is vanishing and al jazeera tonya moseley shows us how some people are feeling the squeeze. >> 62-year-old william is a disabled painter and spends time at the public library searching online for affordable places to live. rome is homeless and sleeping in a men's shelter and on the waiting list to get in the subsidy housing program for three years. the scarcity of affordable housing particularly for low-income people is happening not only here but cities across the country. the joint center for housing at

harvard says low income renters has gone up and rental options for them is going down. between 2001-2011 renters making $19,000 a year or less searched from 3 million to nearly 12 million. the number of affordable rentals is 7 million and a third of them are now occupied by higher income households. >> when they are out competing for a rental unit in the market from someone perhaps who works at amazon who can pay a higher first and last month's rent, people in lower and socio economic are not the winners in this. >> reporter: she heads the housing authority and a few months ago they opened up a waiting list and there were 2000 slots available. 20,000 people applied. >> when you're looking at the projections for the rental markets, the supply and the demand is pretty flat. so i don't see we are going to

be coming out of this any time soon. >> reporter: as the demand for rental housing soars middle class americans are also feeling the squeeze. >> i feel like the amount we pay to just rent this house is absurd and i feel like we got a good deal. >> reporter: and he and his family competed with dozens of others for their $1500 seattle rental and less expensive appointments were snapped up within hours of the listing. >> i don't understand how anyone could ever breakout of this sort of cycle. >> reporter: william rome is holeful. >> i will be back on top some day. >> reporter: and out of the shelter he now calls home. >> reporter: with a spike in cost seattle is one of the most affordable big cities for renters and federal prosecutors are looking in the massive security breach at target and target says the justice department is conducting an investigation and the retail

giant is teaming up with the secret service for an internal probe and investigators are trying to figure out how much hackers managed to steal from as many as 40 million credit and debit customers and 11 customers so far have filed laws against target. this is what is making news in the financial markets and business world this morning, holiday sales are pointing to a ba-humbug for retailers and sales at brick and mortar store fell to $43 billion in the final weekend before christmas compared to last year. sales have fall end for three straight weeks. the holiday season is crucial for retailers because they can bring in 40% between november 1 and christmas. the holiday cheer continues on wall street and at least for now and futures are pointing to slight gains at the open. inl vesters are gearing up for a shortened trading session because of christmas and the dow

and sap kickoff at highs and it's 16294. s&p is 1827 and nasdaq is 1448. in europe and markets in london and paris a slightly higher but most other european markets are closed for christmas eve holiday. in asia they end in positive and japan hit six-year high and on track for the best yearly rise since 1972. chinese markets were higher as fears of a credit crisis in the country began to ease. we will get a closer look at how the u.s. housing market is holding up. new home sales for december are due out from the labor department this morning, sales are not expected to move much after a big spike in october. one economist said higher rates will not hurt the housing recovery. >> i think that something more along the lines of 4 1/2 or 5%

is sort of well within the range of an affordable market and also an appropriate level of interest rates given the strength in the economy we are seeing now. >> it is due to be released this morning. high anxiety and astronauts at the space station prepare for a launch to try and repair something that is about the size of a refrigerator and follows a strapped first attempt. plus new worries for new parents, potential health risk facing babies who do not get a particular shot when they are born. all the world is a stage, even a prison, now shakespeare is helping inmates turn their lives around.

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

♪ welcome back to al jazeera america, just ahead a real life drama behind bars and how some inmates are bettering themselveses with a little help from william shakespeare and first let's get a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the united states and

ebony is here, what do you have? >> we are drawing across the u.s. and there is dry air moving in and we are watching low pressure rotating through the great lakes and spreading snow across the area and some will make its way into the northeast as we go through the day and a little bit of a pre-christmas treat into new york city later this evening and could see some snowflakes flying but where we see it accumulating is in the upper midwest and the western storm system is now on the move as it tacks eastward it will bring snow not only in the dakota but minnesota and before it's said and done we could end up with 3-5" in minneapolis and it's fairly quiet and as it goes off the east coast notice the pink and blue shading noticing the cold air behind it. >> thank you. a new study says it's okay for a pregnant women to eat nuts. researchers found moms who ate nuts five times a month during pregnancy were less likely to

have kids with allergies compared to women who rarely ate nuts. in the past women were advised to avoid eating nuts while pregnant. research was conducted with more than 8,000 women and children. parents are deciding not to get a vitamin k shot for the new-born babies and leading to an emerging and dangerous trend. and jonathan martin reports that doctors say refusing the shot could lead to a serious bleeding disorder. >> reporter: as a first time mother amber shadow lots of questions about her new-born including whether or not her daughter needed a vitamin k shot. >> and dula told us that our option was the vitamin k shot and why some people were choosing not to get it and we just felt like it was the best decision for us to get it and the benefits out weighed the risks for us. >> reporter: doctors in the u.s. have been given vitamin k shots sense the 1960s after

medical research showed it could prevent a bleeding disorder called late vitamin k deficiency and it was once common but c.d.c. says the disorder only appears in six infants per million. earlier this year multiple cases emerged in tennessee. between february and september of this year four babies ativan der built children's hospital in nashville were diagnosed with late vitamin k deficiency and bleeding on the brain and the parents declined the vitamin k shot and said desire for natural child birth to out dated information that remains online mainly a disproven study from england linking the injections to leukemia. >> so that scared a lot of patients as it should. but unfortunately subsequent studies that refuted that study don't get references much and unfortunately the first study that showed there was a possible

link continues to exist on the internet and is widely used in different parent blogs. >> reporter: the doctor who freighted all of the infants who had the bleeding disorder at vanderbilt said they said no to the shot. >> the parents are well educated and you have to understand what the risk are when you decline the shot and something as simple as that. >> reporter: c.d.c. reports the risk for developing the bleeding disorder is 80 times greater among new-borns who did not receive a vitamin k injection and a preliminary c.d.c. report in nashville said 28% of parents were declining the shot and the four infants at vanderbilt all survived but the ones with bleeding on the brain may have developmental changes and i'm al jazeera in nashville. >> vitamin k helps the blood to

close and infants have low levels of vitamin k and that is why doctors recommend that shot for newborns. astronauts on the international space station are preparing for the second christmas eve walk ever and they will head out on the space craft in the next hour and using the walk to repair one of the space station's cooling pumps and it was initially scheduled for monday but the crew had to prepare a backup space suit because of a malfunction of one used over the weekend. you are looking at live pictures of the international space station and that hatch at the center of the screen will pop open and two astronauts will come out in the suits and space suits that are working perfectly this time and get back to work on the pump that is the size of a refrigerator and nasa is expecting if it goes well they will have the pump which cools electronics in the space station may have it fixed today but the

question is whether or not the space suits will operate as they are supposed to. from behind bars to center stage, a couple of the newest stars of mexico city's shakespeare theatre are prisoners and al jazeera tells us about breaking a leg instead of breaking the law. >> reporter: confronting one of the greatest villains inmates are learning about drama and gaining personal insights. >> translator: king richard forces us to face our dark side, the parts of us which are false and hypocritical but every one has a bit of richard the third inside them including those in the audience. >> reporter: and garcia serving a life sentence for kidnapping, playing the power hungry king richard hits close to home. each actor uses his own life experience to write monologues

based on the original play. rehabilitating and facing personal demons is an objective of the prison theatre program started by the shakespeare program in mexico city. the other is to challenge the audience to question their own assumption about prison life. >> translator: people come with the idea that we are terrible and have no redeeming qualities but when they see us perform, they see that we are talented, passionate and want to transform and create. >> reporter: for many of these people entering a prison is an intense experience, not only do they have to overcome their fears but also their stereotypes they will see. and it begins going to prison and this is the warm-up act. he intimidates the audience by sharing his own violent experiences when he was this jail. it's this woman's second time

seeing the showment for her the experience humanizes people behind bars. >> translator: as you watch the play you forget that they are inmates and committed crimes. you see so much of their emotions and really see them as people. >> reporter: back if the theatre she along with family members of the inmates and even other prisoners watch as the play unfolds. but one person in the audience is missing. >> translator: i wish my victim could come see me perform so he could realize that we all just make mistakes but that we can change. and if trash can be recycled then why not a life? >> reporter: a challenge these criminals turned actors hope more and more mexicans will accept. i'm in mexico city. >> reporter: at the end of our first hour we are following the

obama administration extended one day the first sign up deadline for insurance under the affordable care act and have until the end of today for forms to be covered by january 1st. the united states is sending an additional 150 marines to south sudan to evacuate americans pinned down be increasing violence there. u.n. security council set to vote today on whether to double the peace keeping troops in the war-torn country, in egypt explosions in the city of monsour killed 14 and more than 130 others hurt by the blast. and al jazeera news continues and you are looking at a live look at the space station and again we are expecting a space walk and the hatch is opening and they are beginning the walk and we will have live coverage at the top of the next hour.

>> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america

>> the obama administration extends a key health care deadline for 24 hours after a record 1 million americans on monday log on to healthcare.gov. >> the united nations wants to increase peace keeping troops in the south sudan as thousands of people pour into refugee camps. >> one of christianty's most sacred sidelines is getting a face lift. we'll take you to the church of the nativity in bethlehem. >> some parents are refusing to give their babies a vitamin shot at birth. that may lead to a doing russ blood disease.

>> good morning, everybody. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm david shuster live in new york. the obama administration is giving some americans a little extra time to sign up for health insurance coverage under the affordable care act. the original deadline for coverage starting january 1 was last night, but it's been extended to 11:59 p.m. tonight christmas eve. danielle has the story. >> min is among the 1 million americans breathing a sigh of relief. >> are you married? >> yes. >> caught in yesterday's scramble to get her father in law's insurance, she has until today to finish the job. >> it's better to be covered and safe and not worry about it. >> this morning, the website is advertising the extension, granted in response to the 1 million visitors.

not everyone who tried could get through. >> we wanted to make sure people trying to sign up today were actually able to do it and get recovered. >> republicans attacked the last minute change. >> this was not ready for prime time. there's going to be problem after problem. >> health industry are warning of problems to come. >> the insurance companies really need two or three week to say process a normal number of enrollments and they're going to have a week to process an extraordinary number of enrollments with errors. >> errors that could spell headaches for consumers and insurers warning keep your paperwork. >> danielle in washington. if you live in one of 36 states that has a website managed by the federal government and sign up for coverage before tonight's new extended deadline, you will have to pay your first month the premium by the end of the month. approximate if you do that, your insurance should kick in on january 1. >> 150 u.s. marines are now headed to south so do not, deploying there from a base in spain to help protect and

evacuate american citizens. the growing violence in south sudan has claimed hundred was lives over the past week. 40,000 refugees trying to escape the deadly fighting. an emergency meeting was held on monday to discuss the situation. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations samantha power said something must be done quickly. >> the future of south sudan is in jeopardy and at this moment demands further leadership to avoid further blood shed. the leaders can return to the political dialogue in the spirit of cooperation that helped establish south sudan or they can destroy those hard fought gains and tear apart their newborn nation. >> we have the latest from the capitol city of

juba. >> thousands of civilians hiding in u.s. bases across the country. there are diplomatic efforts to get the two sides to sit down, talk and agree to peace talks. the e.u. delegation is flying in to du juba this afternoon. the former vice president has said that he wants the talks to take place in ethiopia, a more neutral venue. there is still a lot of distrust here. this is the morning's's headlines here, basically the president saying he's not sure about the people in his government. he's not sure who he can trust. he basically said some people are sitting here in government with us in this house. they are deeply involved in the coup. we don't know who they are. it remains to be seen before this distrust will delay peace

talks you that many are hoping it will happen. if the two sides agree to meet and talk, perhaps the violence could end. >> in neighboring central african republic, nine were killed monday in fighting between christians and must les. peace keeping troops from the african union and france are struggling to maintain control. aljazeera reports now on the latest violence in the capitol. >> the central african peace keeping force says a civilian with a handgun opened fire at christian demonstrators outside the international airport. he was linked by an angry crowd. a total of 40 civilians were injured, three seriously and the central african peace keepers intervened, opening fire into the air. after that, a congolese was

hacked to death. it is unclear whether anti french sentiment will increase. the christians venting their anger at the chad contingent. chad makes up a lot of selica rebels. >> in egypt, an attack happened in the nile delta city. buildings collapsed and emergency workers are sifting through the rubble. please say the blast may have been caused by car bombs. >> the syrian government is stepping up the use of helicopters to drop bombs on its own people. the so called barrel bombs filled with dynamite, nails and

shop necessarily. the bombs are being dropped on crowded markets and bus stops and neighborhoods controlled by rebel forces. in the city of aleppo, 80 were killed in attacks monday and an estimated 300 killed over the weekend. >> protests in ukraine initially focused on the president's decision to side with russia instead of the european union, but over time have evolved into more criticism of the leadership as a whole. there is widespread corruption in the ukrainian government. >> starting a business is per i willous here. for businesses like his, the landscape is bleak. navigating bureaucracy to dealing with endless inspections and laws that aren't easy to understand. >> we try to figure out which

taxes we don't to have pay, the ones we have to pay and who to pay them to. >> it's not just in business. ukrainians say corruption is part of daily life, affecting police, health care, courts and education. almost anything connected with government. >> transparency international labeled ukraine the most corrupt country in europe and most believe it starts at the top. anti corruption groups alleged the president and those around him get billions of dollars a year from the economy. >> like the president's son, his businesses have skyrocketed since his father took office. >> from $7 million to $510 million in less than four years. >> while there are laws against corruption, they are not enforced. >> there is a problem in ukraine with law enforcement agencies.

they will never ever start a prosecution of corruption of high officials. >> constantine knows that all too well. 100 men raided his book tore just after he was elected in 2010. he has the rights to the lease, but it's prime real estate and someone wanted to force him out. >> this is a raider scheme but didn't work, because this shop is known all over kiev and the world. >> his only solution was to temporarily put the historic building in the care of the city. >> there was less corruption a few years ago, because you could still go to court. now the judges will ask you what ewe doing here with no chance of winning. >> he says all he can do now is wait for ukraine's current leader to say leave office. jennifer glass, aljazeera kiev. >> according to the group

transparency international, ukraine, syria and the central african republic are among the most corrupt in the worlded. >> you are looking at live pictures right now of repair operations currently underway on the international space station. astronauts are raring a cooling unit. this is a live picture from the astronaut. the view is from his he will me. you don't get a great deal of perspective, but that is the view the astronaut has. this is the wider view from nasa, you can see the row poetic arm and the astronaut on the right side of your screen. that was the close up picture you were seeing earlier. we will have more on this and describe some of the problems with the space suit they were having over the weekend late in our newscast. >> floods and mud slides in brazil have now killed at least 20 and forced more than 4,000 to evacuate their homes.

the flooding was caused by heavy downpours in the southeast region of the country. that many displaced residents are seeking shelter in public buildings or homes of friends and relatives. brazilian national guardsman arrived sunday to try to help bring more people to safety. >> travelers across the united states could be facing delays this morning as an icy winter storm makes its way across the mid atlantic and england. forecasters say the region will see everything from freezing snow, ice, slick roads and delays at the airport for one of the busiest travel days of the year. more than 5,000 flights were delayed yesterday after this weekend's big storm. more than 94 million americans are expected to travel this holiday season. for more on the christmas forecast, let's bring in ebony. >> many are wondering are we going to have a white christmas. across the northern half of the

country, christmas time last year, we saw that. 51% of the country had snow on the ground. that how often, this year, it's a bit of a different story. we have snow into parts of the northeast, but thanks to the record warmth we enjoyed so much, it helped to melt that snow. notice how we're now void of all of that snow here across much of the northeast. the only exception northern areas of new england. we are expected to see a little snow coming back through, but probably not to give us the white christmas that we'd like to see here. we are expecting to see definitely a white one here into minnesota as well as the great lakes. our winter storm system that has wreaked havoc up and down the eastern seaboard is making its way to the east and moving out into the atlantic. we have our next weak frontal boundary moving through. it's that low area of pressure spinning around the great lakes helping to spawn more snow

showers. going into this evening, it looks like northern areas of new jersey could see light know coming in across this area as we get into the evening hours, not enough to really accumulate, but at least we'll see a few snowflakes flying. the bulk of the snow remains across the great lakes where we could see up to five inches in spots. >> a federal judge is allowing same-sex marriages in utah to continue at least for now. a voter approved ban on gay marriages in the state was overturned by the courts last week. then on monday, another judge rejected a request to hall the marriages until a higher court weigh's in. the case is now moving toward an pellet court in denver. nearly 700 gay couples have been granted licenses since friday, utah the 18th state to legalize same-sex marriage. >> an indian diplomat arrested in new york could soon have a new job. he was accused of lying on a visa form about how much she

paid her house keeper. officials in india were outraged that she was arrested, allegedly strip searched and jailed. now india's looking to transfer her to the united nations. they say that would provide her with greater diplomatic immunity. she could face a maximum sentence of eight years for visa fraud. >> six months after leaking more than a million come toes to the press, edward snowden says he has already won. his leaks exposed details of the massive surveillance program. he says all he wanted was for the public to have a say in how they are governed and that his mission is accomplished. >> pope francis had a chance to do something rarely seen at the vatican, wishing his predecessor a merry christmas. he visited benedict's home. they exchanged greetings and embrace before praying together.

the men have only met one time in public in july. >> the church of the nativity in bethlehem is one of christianty's most holy sites. it has remained essentially unturned sips the middle ages, but this christmas season, the biblical site of jesus' birth is getting some much-needed repairs. aljazeera is in bethlehem where the renovations are underway. that what's the latest? >> not onliment are the renovations underway, but the parades here in the palestinian west bank are underway approximate the local archbishop is about to arrive and he's about to walk into one of the most famous churches in the world. for the first time, he'll see it being upgraded. >> walk through the door of humility, walk inside one of christianty's most sacred

shrines. that you see a construction site. >> this really needed to be renovated, especially the roof. this is water. >> it's all water damage right here. >> yes, yes. >> it is the first face lift since the middle ages. parts of this church of 1500 years old. the building's been neglected. >> we were all worried about the situation of the church. when it started raining, water comes down through you the walls and mow dayics, all over. approximate we need to protect this holy church for the culling

generations. >> workers will restore the frescoes and mosaics. >> does it full you with pride? >> to manage, run, to start the renovation of one of the holiest places in the world in general and also for palestine. >> the art is christian. his family has lived here for as long as anyone can remember. he joked that one of his ancestors attended jesus' birth. >> we are deep-rooted here. >> thousands line up to see the grotto, the spot where it is believed jesus was born. >> in order to have the best tourism, the best economy, the best atmosphere for developing

and also protecting our history and our heritage is to end the occupation. >> this church is now endangered word heritage site. the renovation will take four to five years. by then, he homes it is holy land has peace. >> our history, our future, our aim is to live in peace and dignity. >> it's a christmas wish, despite all the politics outside, inside, construction offers hope. >> part of the reason it took so long is that 600 years later, the three sect that is control the church were fighting. they actually have stories here of those monks brawling in the church. over the next 24 hours or so, they'll all be saying merry

christmas. >> so interesting. nick, thank you. >> the u.s. federal government is taking a closer look at the target hacking scandal. we'll tell you about the roles the justice democratic and secret service are playing following that data breach. >> plus the u.s. real estate market is picking up steam, but not everybody is benefiting from the housing market rebound. >> $42.7 billion, that is our big number of the day, and why it may have some saying bah humbug this holiday season.

>> today's big number, $42.7 billion, that's how much americans spent grabbing gifts the week before christmas, but it's not probably going to put a smile on retailers' faces this holiday season. according to shopper track, that's a dip from the same week last year. retailers have found it hard to

attract shoppers this year even with big discounts and longer hours. that does not include on line sales, which have been a bright spot, up 9% from 2012. welcome back to aljazeera america. owning a home has long been part of the american dream but for millions of americans, they are giving up on that goal. we will tell you why just ahead. first let's get a look at what temperatures we can expect to see across the nation. >> it is definitely a chilly start to the day, much colder than where we set this time of year yesterday. temperatures have dropped in the last 24 hours across the northeast. this morning, you are waking up to temperatures in the mid 30's, we were into the low 50's this time yesterday morning. we are in the teens in toronto, cleveland is 19, pittsburgh 27. through the day, we will see more of a brighter sky. 38 today, colder christmas day at 30 degrees. overnight lows dropping into the 20's.

here across the upper midwest, it's been cold the last several days. it's minus 11 around minneapolis, no the much of a wind going there. where we do have the winds, it feels like minus 33. it's dangerous cold in fargo. >> millions of americans are giving up on the dream of homeownership and are instead turning to renting. as prices sore, affordable housing for the poor and middle class is vanishing. we show you how some are feeling the squeeze. >> 62-year-old william row is a disabled painter who spends his time at the public library. searching on line for affordable places to live. he is homeless, sleeping in a men's shelter. he's been on a waiting list to get into the city's subsidizes housing program for three years. >> it's amazing how fast it can happen. >> the scarcity of affordable housing particularly for low income people is happening not only here but in cities all

across the country. the joint center for housing studies at harvard reports the number of low income rentallers has gone up while the amount of rental options for them is going down. between 2001 and 2011, rentallers making $19,000 a year less search from 3 million to nearly 12 million, while the number of affordable rental units held steady, nearly a third of them are now occupied by higher income households. >> when they are out competing for a rental unit in the market from someone, perhaps who works at amazon, who can pay a higher first and last month's rent, people in lower socioeconomic places are sometimes not the winner in this. >> the seattle housing authority provides rental stipends. a few months ago, her office opened a waiting list. there were 2,000 slots available. 20,000 people applied. >> when you're looking at the projections for the rental

markets, the supply and the demand is pretty flat, so i don't see that we're going to be coming out of this anytime soon. >> as the demand for rental housing source, middle class americans are also feeling the squeeze. >> i feel the amount we pay just to rent this house is absurd, and i feel like we got a good deal. >> he and his family competed with dozens for their $1,500 a month seattle rental. less expensive amounts were snapped up within hours of their listing. >> i don't understand how anyone can ever break out of this had cycle. >> william is hopeful. >> we'll own a house someday. >> perhaps out of the shelter he now calls home. >> aljazeera, seattle. >> even with a spike in costs, seattle is still rated one of the most affordable big cities for renters. >> federal prosecutors are now looking into the massive credit card security breach at target.

target says the just democratic is conducting an investigation, target also says it is teaing up with the secret service for an internal probe. investigators are trying to figure out how hackers managed to steal data from as many as 40 million debt and credit card customers. 11 customers so far have filed lawsuits against target. >> in business news this morning, we are soon going to get a closer look at how the housing market is holding up in the face of higher mortgage rates. new home sales are coming out this morning. sales are not expected to move much after a 25% jump in october. one must says the housing market is expected to be strong next year. >> the fundamentals are there, strong economic growth and improving labor market. interest rates should stay very supportive of the housing market and we expect a strong underlying economy that's good for consumer confidence and that's good for home buying and the housing market in the future. >> we will also see if consumers are spend i can on big ticket

items. durable good orders are out just about an hour from now. >> wall street is gearing up for a shortened trading session, stock futures mostly lower at this hour, the dow and s&p kick off at record highs. in europe, markets are flat. most are closed for the christmas eve holiday. >> audio gear is topping the holiday gift list. n.p.d. group says sales of headphones and speakers were among the top selling electronic gifts this holiday season. the research form says audio equipment accounted for the

money spent on consumer electronics between november 24 and december 7. >> if you are hitting you the road, you will not be alone. 95 million people will be traveling 50 miles or more between christmas and new year's. the travel is likely to boost the bradder economy. >> while economic conditions and economic growth remain stagnant, when the holiday lands on a wednesday as it does this year, it creates more flexibility for travelers and will spur additional travelers taking to the roads and skies for the year-end holidays. >> triple-a says travelers will also benefit from lower gas prices. >> deadline delayed, why u.s. officials are backing off a key date to pull american troops from afghanistan. russia steps in to lend a hand to destroying syria's chemical weapons. we'll talk with one expert on whether enough is being done to move the process along.

>> colorado is making history over recreational marijuana use. what it will mean for the business of pot in the state. >> i'm jessica taft. coming up in sports, we look ahead to one of the most intriguing matchups of week 17 in the nfl. >> in case you didn't know it, today is the day before christmas and we've got a live picture of the neighborhood in brooklyn new york where that house is clearly in the christmas spirit with some festive decorations and candy contains on the lawn.

>> good morning, everybody. welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm david shuster. the obama administration is giving people a one day extension to sign up for health insurance under the affordable care act. those looking to register have until the end of today to

complete the on line forms needed in order to be covered by january 1. in south sudan, the united is sending an additional 150 marines to help evacuate americans pinned down by the increasing violence there. the u.n. court council is set to vote today whether to double the number of troops in the war torn country. >> in egypt, several explosions at the local police headquarters in the city have killed four and wounded 130 others. the blast said the police were likely caused by car bombs. >> the obama administration says it is willing to extend a deadline to determine the future of u.s. troops in afghanistan. the original date for sign that go agreement was december 31. despite softening that deadline, the u.s. stands by the warning that a complete troop withdrawal is possible. hamid karzai refuses to oh sign unless it meets certain

conditions. if the agreement is signed, 15,000 foreign troops will remain in afghanistan until 2014 to train and mentor afghan forces. >> more than 2 million refugees have fled syria sips the civil war began there. iraq is one of the handful of neighboring countries that has taken in people who are desperate. as we report, one big issue there is providing them with a way to earn a living. >> it isn't so much a camp site, but a small town made out of canvas and rope. it needs an economy and infrainstruct tour survive. the winters are incredibly harsh here, rain a problem and flooding if not controlled would wash away this camp. one aid agency is working with a french organization and refugee council. together they are protecting the camp against flooding by building drain systems.

instead of bringing in contractors, they've employed camp residents to do the job. for the men in the camp, it provided much-needed dignity, a day's pay for a hard day's work. >> i have an elderly mother and 11 siblings. i'm the sole provider. this is great opportunity for me to work and i am proud i can provide an income for my family. >> it is hard work. all these stones need to be placed along drainage ditches. it's a basic low cost solution, but provides protection and much-needed income. the manager of the program takes a hands on that approach. >> the people are unemployed, the kids have nothing to do during the day. we try to involve the people in all the projects that we have. for the people in the refugee catch, it helps the whole community to see the development and gives them a far greater

sense of purpose. those involved take pride in what they're doing and they can see pride from what they're doing. >> people in the camp definitely oh that a sense of community through such programs, of building a life together in tragic circumstances. that is particularly important when you consider that about 13.5000 people live here, many with very little to do. >> while they're building this camp, there is a lot of work to go around, but this is a short term solution. what we've seen in longer established camp is when the work dries up, there is a sense of frustration that kicks in and that can often lead to anger which leads to violence and managing that especially dealing with refugee communities of this size is going to be very difficult but very crucial. >> it's not just here, there are camps along the region. the longer the conflict goes on, the more anger there will be.

>> the united nations estimates there are more than 40,000 syrian refugees in parts of northern iraq. >> the process to remove dangerous chemical weapons from syria is underway. russia has sent more than 75 vehicles, including 25 armored trucks to transport the tax ins to a u.s. navy ship that will dump them out at sea. syria agreed to hand over the chemical weapons as pat of an international agreement. the united states threatened military action after a sarin gas attack over the summer. >> support has been offered to destroy the chemical weapons tock pile. is enough being done to make sure this moves forward on a timely basis? >> thank you, david for this

opportunity. just for a moment, it's important to remember how much has already been accomplished in the last three months to insure that these weapons can never again threaten the people of syria or any of their neighbors. the important work of the opcw has destroyed the production facilities so that no more can be made. it has destroyed the declared munitions that syria had manufactured to use these weapons, and now we're at the critical stage of actually removing the dangerous chemicals, both agents and precursor chemicals from syria. many countries are contributing as you noted, russia, china and the united states have all provided equipment to the united nations opcw joint mission so that syria can move these chemicals down to the port. from that point, a team led by

denmark, norway, finland and italy will remove the chemicals and transfer them to a united states ships and the united states shames and united kingdom will do the important work of actually destroying the chemicals. i have to just correct one thing you said, which is you mentioned that these chemical wastes would be dumped at sea. that is not accurate. this is an environmentally safe process. we will drop not one gram of anything into the water. >> so noted. with all of those he was and all that international cooperation to get this done it still looks like that a key deadline is going to be missed next week. did the international community, were they too ambitious in terms of the deadlines that were set? >> well, we deliberately set ambitious deadlines starting with the geneva agreement in september between the russian federation and the united

states. we are still confident the overall deadline will be met and that the complete elimination of syria's weapons program can be verified by the middle of 2014. you're talking about a very important target date, which is for syria to deliver these chemicals to the port for removal. this is an obligation of the syrian government and we expect them, we require them to begin that movement very soon. that we understand security conditions are difficult, and that meeting the schedule is not easy, but the target date remains legally valid and we expect to see some action from the syrian government now. >> given the barrel bombing in the city of aleppo this weekend in which perhaps as many as 300 have been killed in the last couple of days, doesn't this underscore that all of this attention on sarin gas and chemical weapons perhaps miss the point in that bashar al

assad is going to do what he will to put down this rebellion. >> clearly we understand that the chemical wees use as horrific as it was has only accounted for a fraction of the many deaths inflicted by the syrian regime in its war against its own people. we know that a longer term solution to the syrian conflict requires an inclusive political process. the smaller job, the crucial job that we're doing here is to address a particularly horrific kind of weapon and we've seen overwhelming support from the international community for accomplishing this task. >> on yesterday's new york tiles, i'm not sure if you had a chance to see it, by former ambassador to the reason suggested that maybe keeping assad in power is the best of a sort of bad situation, because it would essentially mean we're not providing support to al-qaeda.

do you agree with that? >> i have the deepest respect for ambassador crocker, but i do not agree with that assessment. the root of the conflict in syria is the policy of the assad regime. it's impossible to imagine a peaceful, secure jair and a peaceful secure region with bashar al assad remaining in power. >> isn't it also impossible to imagine some sort of conflict that gets resolved where supposedly we support the rebels, is it possible to imagine that al-qaeda would not have a role? they are a key in the groups trying to fight the regime. >> now you're going well beyond my specialty, which is the technical issues with the chemical weapons. i would note that this has been a constant fear as a wave of democratic impulses followed by turmoil has swept across the arab world. it's been a concern in tunisia,

egypt, libya and elsewhere. all those countries have their problems, but there's no case yet in which an arab people have chosen to be led by al-qaeda, and i don't expect that in syria, either, particularly if we can get to that inclusive political negotiation process that secretary kerry is promoting. >> thomas, thanks for coming on. >> thank you. it's my pressure, you're welcome. >> colorado is now the first state to issue specialists to businesses that sell recreational marijuana. on monday, the state's marijuana enfort forcement division mailed out limbs to say marijuana stores. properly licensed stores will be able to start selling pot to adults starting new year's day. more than 100 stores are in denver. there's still just a little more time to get in the last of your christmas shopping and force

hope shoppers will do just that. after a strong start to the holiday shopping season, sales have fallen over the last three weeks. seams at u.s. stores were down 3.1% for the week that ended sunday compared to this time last year. retailers usually take in 40% of their annual revenue during the period between november 1 and christmas. the economic news is not at all bad. the reuters university of michigan sentiment index, an economic indicator determined by consumer opinion came out yesterday. it found consumer spending rose half a% and that consumer sentiment is now at the highest level in five months. joining us to break down the numbers is chris christoffer. consumer confidence can be a a key driver in the economy. isn't this great news that consumer sentiment is up? >> it is good news. it does help retailers, however, a lot of the hits to consumer

mood happened during the government shutdown and it's more political than it is economic. >> one of the things that the retailers are complaining about with fewer people coming to the stores, don't the retailers share blame here, because the situation has become so hyper competitive that there's so many discounts out there that consumers are getting used to to be able to get discounts and everything. >> in addition to that, they started discounting relatively soon. the prices are actually falling for most retail items exempt for some premium products. in addition, you have to be worried during this holiday season if you're a retailer because there's one less weekend between thanksgiving day and christmas day in comparison to last year, so it's a very tight schedule. >> as we look at the broader economy, why shouldn't when we consider that stock market is on steroids, that housing is heating up, the auto industry is doing well and here we have another indication that consumer

confidence is starting to build. why shouldn't we look at this and say ok, our economy really is starting to heat up now. >> well, for starts, we had a few false starts, and that's something to always be careful of. the consumer is coming back. they are buying cars. it's more of a release of pends-up demand. the job market is looking good, the housing market gaining traction. when it does, people buy more white goods. they don't look white anymore, they're aluminum. they are the refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers and that's helping the economy a bit, but there is still a lot of caution as you sort of reported. consumers are pushing back a little bit or holding back a little bit in december, because they got most of their shopping needs out of the way. >> is one of the reasons consumers may be holding back is for all the economic growth, wages particularly for the middle class continue to be stagnant, that the people who

are doing the best as the economy continues to grow are the people at the very top and everyone else is seeing things fairly stagnant? >> that's exactly correct. basically, median household income adjusted for inflation since the peak of the housing market has about fallen by 8%, and there's a lot of people not in the labor force. that's one thing. however, because the stock market's doing well, luxury's doing well, in addition, discount stores are doing well. it's the middle tier retailer that's sort of having a hard time of it. the book end's doing well and the middle trying to find ground. >> we had congress reach something of a budget deal. it looks now there will not be a government shutdown, nothing that gets in the way of creating uncertainty as far as how the government handles the economy. what i am fact does that have on the broader economic situation? >> it will keep consumer confidence, mood, sentiment, it will keep it up and it will gain

traction. the last thing you want is a government shutdown again, even if there's no economic implications, people don't like it when the government is ineffective. that's the first thing. the second thing is if they can solve some of the problems, then that will also help consumer are spending, because consumers will feel a little more comfortable opening their wallets. >> thank you very much. we appreciate you coming on. >> jessica taft is here with sports and another nfl team is punching its playoff ticket. >> just one week left, we can say better late than never for one of them. certainly it's been an up and down season for the 49ers. collin kaepernick and the defending champs went out in the final regular season game at candlestick park. san francisco fans trying to will their team to the playoffs one last time. the niners answer the call, kaepernick finding bolden and we are knotted at 10. falcons would answer late in the

fourth, matt ryan finding gonzalez in the ends zone, cutting atlanta to three he there. after recovering the on-side kick, atlanta is back in the red zone. matt ryan's pass intercepted. he takes it the distance to the house. 49ers clench a playoff spot. jim harbaugh is as happy as ever on the night when he turns the big five oh. that. >> that's the best thing that i've ever seen happen in a football game. might have been close to the catch. it's the best birthday present i've ever gotten, second only to being born, that was awesome. >> the 49ers are heading to the playoffs, but get a load of the nfc north. for that, we handle it off to our analyst.

>> the nfc north, it's pretty interesting. you've got a green bay packers team that are hoping, praying, crossing their fingers that aaron rodgers will be cleared to start for the packers, because they have a great game set up against the chicago bears. the chicago bears coming off a very disappointing loss to the eagles. it was worse than a loss, it was a total beat-down, so can john kerry acknowledge bears team rebound and know that again, they're in that situation, win and you're in, you advance and represent the nfc north in the playoffs, lose and you're out. if aaron rodgers cannot go, matt flynn will continue to be the starting quarterback. he's put together nice drives to bring the green bay packers back from a deficit and have won. so listen, it's going to be an exciting week 17 in the nfl. it's going to be a lot of fun. fun not a word thrown around the brooklyn nets locker room of lay. the nba team with the highest

payroll have only produced nine wins this season. they just lost their center lopez for the rest of the mistaken. last night, the pacers rubbed salt in the wound. the only thing that managed to stop the pacers briefly was the play you're going to see here, paul pierce trying to stop george hill from a breakaway lay in clothes line. that's a flagrant two foul and immediate rejection. it's been a frustrating season all season long. the nets go down without a fight 103-86. that's a look at sports this hour. back to you. >> a christmas eve space walk. why astronauts on the international space station are floating around space right now as we take a live look at their mission. they are fixing their pump understand it does appear their space suits are working better. >> new worries for new parents,

the potential health risk facing babies who don't get a particular shot when they are born. every sunday night join us for exclusive, revealing a

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. we're going to have more on that shot that parents are not getting their new bornes in a second. first let's get the latest in the weather. >> we have lingering rain showers along the eastern seaboard, but it's the snow many people are watching out for hoping for that white christmas. many areas in the northeast not going to see that. with leftover moisture along the front, we are seeing that much colder air behind it. we have snowflakes off the great lakes. we could see up wards of five-inches arounder re. >> a rare job is underway at the international space station. you're looking at a live picture. you see the astronauts right there trying to rare a cooling pump keeping the electronics onboard from overheating. this first space walk came over

the weekend and had to be can you short because there was a problem with one of the space suits, one of the astronauts feet were getting cold. this particular space walk is expected to take six hours. one of them called it an early christmas present. >> a growing number of patients are declining vitamin k shots for their new babies. some say that leads to a dangerous trend. doctors say refusing the shot could lead to a serious bleeding disorder. >> as a first time mother, amber had lots of questions about her newborn, clodding whether or not her daughter needed a vitamin k shot. >> we were told that our option was, and why some people were choosing not to get it, and we just felt like it was the best decision for us to get it, the benefits outweighed the risks for us. >> doctors have been giving vitamin k shots to newborns since the 1960's after it was

shown it could prevent a bleeding disorder. it was once a common threat, but now the cdc said the disorder only appears in six infants per million. earlier this year, multiple cases emerged in tennessee. between february and september of this year, four babies here at vanderbilt hospital in nashville were diagnosed with late vitamin k die efficiency. three had bleeding in the brain, a fourth, gastroin test national bleeding. the doctor said the parents in each case declined the vitamin k shot, adding the regions went from natural childbirth to outdated information on line, mainly information from england linking the injections to leukemia. >> that scared patients as it should, but unfortunately study that is refuted that study don't get referenced that much and the

studies continue to exist on oh the internet and is widely used in different parent blogs. >> the infants that had the bleeding disorder said a specific group of parents seem to reject the shot. >> these tend to be parents that are well educated. people need to understand the risks when you decline the shot, something as simple as that. >> the risks reported for developing the disorder is 80 times greater among newborns who did not receive a vitamin k. injection. even though, a preliminary report focusing on nashville found 20% of parents were declining the shot. doctors say the three who suffered bleeding in the brain may face developmental challenges. jonathan martin, aljazeera, nashville. >> at the end of our second hour, here's what we're following. this morning, the obama administration is extended by

one day the first sign of deadline of insurance under the affordable care act. they have until the end of today to be covered by january 1. >> the united states is sending 150 additional marines to south sudan to help evacuate americans pinned down by the increasing violence there the u.n. security council set to vote today whether to double the number of peace keeping troops in the country. some live pictures of the space talking about, the space walk continues. they're fixing a cooling pump. we'll keep you post understand and have more noose in two and a half minutes right here opinion aljazeera america.

>> the ma'am administration extends a key health care deadline for 24 hours after a record 1 million americans monday log on to healthcare.gov. >> the united nations wants to increase the number of peace keeping troops in the south sudan as the violence escalates and thousands pour into u.n. refugee camps. >> after decades of neglect, one of christianty's most sacred sidelines is getting a face lift. we'll take you to the church of the nativity. >> good morning, everybody, and welcome to aljazeera america.

i'm david absolute at her in new york. the obama administration is giving americans a little extra time to sign up for health insurance coverage under the affordable care act. the original deadline for coverage starting january 1 was last night, but it's now been extended to 11:59 p.m. tonight, christmas eve. danielle is in washington with the details. >> good morning. it feels a bit like day you. >> volunteer, but the administration is giving extra time to sign up. >> caught in yesterday's scramble to get her father-in-law insurance, she now has through today to finish the job.

>> we are trying to make sure people trying sign up today can get covered. >> republicans attacked the last minute change. >> it was not ready for prime time. there's going to be problem after problem. >> health care industry cants warn of problems to come. >> the insurance companies need two or three weeks to process a normal number of enrollments and they're going to have a week to process an extraordinary number of enrollments with errors. >> insurers warn keep your paperwork. >> the next deadline is december 31. that is when premiums are do. many insurers are giving until january 10 to pay. david. >> danielle, thank you. >> 150 u.s. marines are now headed to south sudan, deploying there from a base in spain to help protect and evacuate

american citizens. the growing violence in south sudan has claimed hundreds of lives over the past week. an estimated 40,000 refugees trying to escape the deadly fighting. an emergency meeting was held monday. the u.s. ambassador samantha powers said something must be done quickly. >> the future of south so do not is in jeopardy and this moment demands urgent leadership to avoid further blood shed and to restore stability. the leaders of south sudan faced a stark choice. they can return to the political dialogue and spirit of cooperation that helped establish south sudan or they can destroy those hard-fought gains and tear apart their newborn nation. >> meanwhile, the u.n. secretary general is calling for an additional 5,000 troops to support the peace keeping mission in south sudan. the organization is still focused on finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

>> united nations security council members are now considering a resolution circulated by the united states following a recommendation from the secretary general to send more troops to south sudan. there are colonel 7,000 there now. some of combat troops but more needed due to the escalating violence in the country. >> it is recommended to send five and a half thousand troops as well as police on the ground, as well. also, more air support in the form of three utility helicopters, three attack helicopters and a c130 military transport aircraft. this will happen soon as possible security council votes on this on tuesday. as the ambassador to the united put it, samantha powers said it was everyone working out a way to get these troops in.

they are pulling from the congo, darfur, liberia and asking for more troops from troop contributing countries such as india, bangladesh and they pap. the u.n. has been consistent with its line that this is not the solution, the fighting will not end the crisis. they say this is merely a reaction to the escalating violence. the only way that this will end is through political dialogue and they are still pursuing those diplomatic channels. >> let's turn now to the latest from south sudan's capitol city of juba. >> sending in more u.n. troops will go a long way. they need all the help that it can get in trying to protect civilians who have fled the fighting. thousands are hiding in u.n. bases cross the country. there are still dip low at that timic efforts to try to get the two sides to sit down, and try to agree to peace talks. the delegation is fighting into

the capitol juba later this afternoon. we hear bat sides say they are willing to talk but there are conditions. the former vice president has said that he wants these talks to take place in ethiopia. he this i say that will be more neutral. there is a lot of distrust here. this is the morning headline here in juba, basically the president saying he is not sure about the people in his government, he is not sure who he can trust. he has one quote saying some people are sitting here in government with us in this house that are deeply involved in the coup. we don't know who they are. it remains to be seen whether all this mistrust and issues will delay the peace many people hope will happen. if the two sides agree to meet and talk perhaps the violence we see now can end. >> we are just receiving reports from the united nations that 75 bodies have been found in a mass grave in south so dan.

in neighboring central african republic, nine people were killed monday and fighting between peace keeping troops from the african union and france are struggling to maintain control. we report on the latest violence. >> the central african peace keeping force says a civilian with a handgun opened fire at christian demonstrators outside the international airport. he was chadian. he was then lynched by the crowd. forty were injured, three seriously and peacekeepers intervened, opening fire into the air. after that, another peace keeper, a congolese was hacked to death and the french who killed three people and it's a dangerous mix. it is unclear whether this anti french sentiment will increase. it is mainly confined to the former rebels from selica, not

the christians, the christians venting their anger at the chadian contingent of the central african peace keeping force, because chadians make up a lot of the selica rebels. only five days into their mission, it is getting more and more hazardous. >> reporting from the central african republic. doctors without borders says more than 200 have been injured over the past four days. >> we want to bring you up to date on the international space station christmas eve space walk. you can see one of the astronauts there trying to rare a cooling pump. this is something they tried to do over the weekend, but one of the space suits had a problem. there's the close up shot actually from the camera on its helmet, so you can see exactly what he's manipulating with his hand there as he tries to pull out the device the size of a

refrigerator. you can see the space station is over north africa. there was a problem over the weekend in which one of the space suit that is that water sick lating through it to modulate the temperature of the person inside was not working properly and one astronaut was complaining that his feet were getting very cold. they had to cut that walk short. there is every indication this morning or this evening where they are, depending what rotation they have that in fact the space suits are working just fine today, so as expected, this particular walk is scheduled to last for six hours and nasa is confident that they will be ail to fix the cooling pump with that the next six hours. but again, spectacular shots from the international space station on this christmas eve. >> a powerful blast tore through a police headquarters in egypt today, killing at least 13 and injuring 130. it happened in the nile delta city, sections of the building collapsed and emergency workers

are still sifting through the rubble. police say the blast may have been caused by car bomb across there are new indications the syrian government is stepping up the use of helicopters to drop bombs on its people. the barrel bombs spray shall necessarily when they explode. witnesses say they are being dropped on crowded market and bus stops in neighborhoods controlled by rebel forces. in the city of aleppo, more than 80 people were killed and 300 killed over the weekend. floods and mud slides in brazil have now killed at least 20 people and forced 40,000 to evacuate their homes. the massive flooding was caused by heavy downpours. many displaced residents seeking shelter in public buildings or holes of friends and relatives. national guardsman arrived to help bring more people to safety. >> back in the united states, an

icy winter storm will batter much of the country this holiday. states in the mid atlantic and new england will see snow, ice and near freezing temperatures through the end of the week. that means roads will be slick and many flights might be delayed during one of the year's busiest travel times. more than thousand flights were delayed after a storm. >> for more on the christmas forecast, let's bring in the meteorologist. >> we are seeing that frontal boundary that brought all of the active weather across the eastern u.s. finally making its way to sea. it's taking a lot of the moisture with it. we've got lingering rain showers here along the mid atlantic coastline. meanwhile, a weak frontal boundary is helping kick off snow showers from the great lakes into parts of virginia. most of it is on the lighter side. we are expecting to see some couplelation around ther rearea into northeastern areas of ohio, so cleveland,er re, even up to

syracuse, expect accumulating know. high pressure bill build in. if you're looking for a white christmas, the northern plains will certainly see that. it's been cold here and we have more snow coming in across this area today, adding to the additional snowfall, maybe seeing up wards of five inches in spots. that includes minneapolis, so looking good there. today across the southeast, we are certainly a little bit drier, but it's cold, that colder air is spilling down into areas of the deep south and that's going to also create very chilly temperatures through theover night hours. today we're talking 40s, even 60's for highs into the orlando area. as we head into tonight, 20's and 30's, freezing conditions can be expected across george. >> and northern florida, so a freeze watch has been posted. we are talking more about those temperatures coming up. >> a federal judge is allowing same-sex marriages in utah to

continue at least for now. a voter approved ban on gay marriages in the state was overturned by the courts last week. thennen on monday, another judge rejected a request to halt the marriages until a higher court weighs in. northerly 700 gay couples have been granted licenses since friday. utah is now the 18th state to legalize same-sex marriage. >> an a indian diplomat arrested in new york could soon have a new job. she was accused of lee harvey oswald on a visa form about how much she paid her house keeper. officials in india was outraged that she was arrested, stip searched and jailed. they are looking to transfer to the united nations to provide her with greater diplomatic immunity. the u.s. state department would have to approve the move. she could face up to 10 years for visa fraud if convicted. >> six months after leaking more than a million documents to the press, edward know den said

mission accomplished. his leaks exposed details of the massive nsa program. he said all he wanted was for the public to have a say in how they are governed. >> the federal government is getting a closer look at the target hacking scandal. the roles of the justice democratic and secret service are playing. that we will explain that rewarding the data breach on the other side of this break. the church of the nativity in bethlehem gets a makeover for the first time in centuries. we'll take you inside the church for a closer look at the face lift. >> tracking santa around the world. why one of the nation's top military installations has been keeping ohen eye on st. nick for more than 50 years.

>> bonk, everybody, and welcome back to aljazeera america. just ahead, the historic church of the nativity in bethlehem is getting a major overhaul. it is considered one of the most psych red places in the christian religion.

first let's look at temperatures across the united states today. our meteorologist is here. >> it's cold for most locations across the country, the only exception, south florida, 71 in miami, enjoying nice temperatures there. it's minus one in chicago. the colder air is spilling down behind it, temperatures 30 degrees colder than 24 hours ago when we were sitting in the 50's this time around new york city. we're in the mid 30's, it's 30 in d.c. we are keeping that cold air in place across the upper midwest to northern plains. it's minus one in chicago. you factor in the wind with that it feels like 33 right now. >> pope francis had a chance to do something rarely seen in the vat can he be, wish his predecessor a merry christmas. he paid a visit to benedict's

home. the pontiff and former pope exchanged greetings and prayed together. since he retired earlier this year, the two men have only met once in public for an official vatican ceremony in july. >> the church o of the nativityn bethlehem was built in the fourth century. it has remained untouched since the middle ages, but this christmas season, the biblical site of jesus' birth is getting some much-needed repairs. in bethlehem, the renovations are underway. nick, what's happening behind you? >> not only the renovation's underway, but the celebrations and parades are underway. thousands of pilgrims have lined the route waiting for local archbishop. he has arrived and entered one

of the most famous churches in the world. >> walk through the door of humility, walk inside one of christianty's most sacred shrhines. >> this is the renovation. >> this is water. >> it is all water damage here. >> yes, yes. >> he is overseeing the church of the nativity's first face lift since it was built. 200 million pilgrims visit each year. >> we were all worried about the situation of the church. when it started raining, water comes down throughout the walls and the mow sayics and all over.

it needs to be protected from now on and this is our determination, to protect this holy church for the coming generations. >> these are the original frescas. >> workers will then restore the tress cos and mosaics. >> does it fill you with pride? >> to manage, run, start the renovation of one of the holiest places in the world in general and also for palestine. >> he is christian. his family has lived here for as long as anyone can remember. he joked one of his ancestors witnessed jesus' birth. >> we are not settlers, we are not coming from abroad, we are not coming from anywhere else. we are deep-rooted here. >> thousands line up to see the grotto, the spot jesus is believed to have been born. the palestinians argue they can't bring the church to its

full splendor while under occupation. >> in order to have the best tourism, best economy, the best atmosphere for developing and also protecting our history and our heritage is to end the occupation. >> this church is now world heritage sigh. the renovation will take four to five years. by then, he hopes the holy land has peace. >> our dignity, history, our future, it is our aim to live in peace and dignity. >> it's a christmas wish, despite all the politics outside. inside, this holy church, construction offers hope. >> and you can see some of the crowds right here in maker square. you can see the crowd, the tree and behind that, that is where the church of the nativity is. i have to say one of the reasons that it took about 600 years to

reconstruct this church is that the greek orthodox, the armenian and catholic months don't really get along. actually, there are famous stories here of them brawling inside the church. they came together, agreed on this renovation. of course they're coming together for the next 24 hours to say merry christmas. >> nick, thank you. >> millions of children are eagerly awaiting the arrival of santa claus this christmas. for nearly 60 years, norad has been tracking st. nick's sleigh ride around the world. this year, norad is sharing santa's progress on line so web savvy boys and girls can follow his every move. we are with norad. when did norad start doing this?

it happened by accident, right? >> yeah, dave, it really was an accident. first of all merry christmas and thanks for having us on. inadvertent phone call back in the 1950's, picked up by one of the watch standards in norad, and since then, it's taken off, and it's been an important holiday tradition. not just in the united states, but around the world, so every day, norad, 365 days a year takes care of defending north america, but on this very special day, we're dedicated to tracking norad and making sure boys and girls around the world know of his safe and secure journey to deliver joy and happiness around the world. >> lieutenant, i understand that norad's a very serious place. what are you seeing today no tell us about how things have gotten a little bit lighter for

the celebration. >> things are going great and we're all excited to be here, and c.j. is one of 1200 volunteers that we have manning phones, all volunteers, that answer the phone calls of boys and girls around the world, and lets them know where santa is and when to expect them to show up to their neighborhood. >> how has the tracking of santa and their reindeer changed over the years for norad? >> >> well, it's changed as norad and technology has changed. we started with simple phone call into the command center, and our men and women manning their stations would report out on what they might see on their radar korean, and now, as

technology's improved, it's much more than just phone calls. now it's twitter and facebook and all tied to the social media and websites. it's a lot of fun for boys and girls around the world. >> finally, general, is there any special sort of code name or number that you give to santa, the way you guys give with regular aircraft or u.f.o.'s or anything else that pops up on your screen? >> for a lot of us, he's the big red guy and we make sure the big red guy is safe, secure and avoids storms but most importantly web gets to deliver his message of peace and joy to kids around the world. >> general and lieutenant, thank you for joining us. kids, you ever gotten a firsthand lesson on norad. it protects the united states and on this day protects santa claus to make sure any

subversive threat can't take it down on christmas and christmas eve. >> federal prosecutors are now looking into the massive credit card breach at target. the retail giant is teaming up with the secret service for an internal probe. investigators are trying to figure out how hackers stole data from 40 million customers. at least 11 so far ever filed lawsuits against target. >> in business news this morning, holiday sales are pointing to a bah humbug season for retailers. shoppers track said sales at brick and mortar stores fell 3% to nearly $43 billion in the final weekend before christmas, compared to the same time last year. sales have fallen for three weeks. retailers have had a tough time. it can bring up 40% of annual sales during november 1 and

christmas. >> mortgage applications are hitting thoroughest level in 13 years. the mortgage banker associate reports that applications for loans fell 6.3% last week. meanwhile, the average 30 year fixed mortgage rate edged up to 4.64%. we will get a closer look at how the housing market is holding up in the face of higher mortgage rates later this morning. new home sales for november are due out. sales are not expected to move much after a big spike in october. one must says higher mortgage rates will not hurt the housing recovery. >> i think that something more along the lines of 4.5 or 5% is sort of well within the range of an affordable market, and also an appropriate level of interest rates given the strength of the economy that we are seeing right now. >> we will also see if consumers are spending on big ticket items. the report on that is out in a few minutes from now.

>> wall street is hitting the pause button after the stock market's recent record run. stock futures not much changed at this hour. investors are gearing up for a short wered trading session. the dow and s&p kick off the day at record highs. the dow jones industrial average is at 16,294. >> tesla is holding on to its five star safety rating, reaffirmed for the 2014 model year. the electric carmaker's flagship vehicle is still reviewed by the agency over battery related fires. >> highly anticipated meeting

ailing to ease tensions between neighbors. what will the leaders from india and pakistan accomplish in their sit down. >> a california teen that ager on life support following a routine surgery, but something went horribly wrong. her mother is fighting a legal bale to keep her alive. >> colorado is making history over recreational marijuana use. when it means for the business of pot in the centennial state. >> just a year removed from playing for the superbowl, the 49ers finally manage to clinch a playoff spot. we'll have that story and more later in sports. >> primetime news: weeknights at 8 and 11 eastern. only on al jazeera america. on august 20th, al jazeera america introduced a new voice in journalism.

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

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. here are our top stories.

the obama administration extended one day the first deadline for health insurance under the affordable care act. if you are looking to register, you ever until the end of today to complete forms needed in order to be covered january 1. >> unsouth sudan, the united states is sending 150 u.s. marine to say help evacuate americans pinned down by the increase in violence there. >> the u.n. security council is set to vote today on whether to double the number of its peace keeping troops in the war torn country. in egypt, a massive explosion at the local police headquarters has killed at least 14 people, more than 120 others were hurt in the blast. protests in ukraine initially focused on the president's decision there to side with russia. over time, the demonstrations evolved into more criticism of the leadership as a whole. there i see widespread corruption you in the ukrainian

government. >> he knows all too well the per i wills of starting a business here. >> very big corruption in ukraine, because everything we should pay. >> from small to medium businesses, the landscape is bleak. navigating bureaucracy to dealing with endless inspections and laws that aren't easy to understand. >> we try to figure out which taxes we don't to have pay, the ones we have to pay and who to pay them to. >> it's not just in business. ukrainians say corruption is part of daily life, affecting police, health care, courts and education. almost anything connected with government. >> transparency international labeled ukraine the most corrupt country in europe and most believe it starts at the top. anti corruption groups alleged the president and those around him get billions of dollars a year from the economy.

>> like the president's son, his businesses have skyrocketed since his father took office. >> from $7 million to $510 million in less than four years. >> while there are laws against corruption, they are not enforced. >> there is a problem in ukraine with law enforcement agencies. they will never ever start a prosecution of corruption of high officials. >> constantine knows that all too well. 100 men raided his book store just after he was elected in 2010. he has the rights to the lease, but it's prime real estate and someone wanted to force him out. >> this is a raider scheme but didn't work, because this shop is known all over kiev and the world. >> his only solution was to

temporarily put the historic building in the care of the city. >> there was less corruption a few years ago, because you could still go to court. now the judges will ask you what you're doing here with no chance of winning. >> he says all he can do now is wait for ukraine's current leaders to leave office. jennifer glass, aljazeera kiev. >> according to the group transparency international, ukraine, syria and the central african republic are among th >> osama bin laden's son-in-law is pleading not guilty to terror charges and will face trial for crimes related to the september 11 attacks. he is charged with conspiring to kill americans and providing terrorists with materials and support. the trial is set to start in early february.

the judge said that jurors will remain anonymous for their own safety. >> an american citizen has been sentenced to a year in prison for posting a video on you tube that makes fun of young men from dubai who imitate u.s. hiphop culture. a 29-year-old aviation consultant has been detained since april in the united arab emrhetts after posting the 20 minute mock youmentry. seven others face jail time over this video which remains available on you tube. >> the u.s. is standing by its warning that a complete troop pullout is possible in afghanistan if there is no agreement son. afghan president arizona sky refused to sign a deal unless it met certain conditions. if the agreement is signed, 15,000 foreign troops will

remain in having a after 2014 to train and mentor afghan forces. senior military officials from india and pakistan are meeting for the first time in more than a decade. the two nuclear armed neighbors discussing ways to insure peace along kashmir's de facto border. each has claimed the region as their own. the people are kashmir are increasingly skeptical that any deal between two sides will make a difference. >> it looks quiet and peaceful, but life here can be hard. these children may not know it, but things can change quickly in kashmir. these men have traveled for treatment.

he lost his right leg to a land mine, while his brother loft his left in a separate incident. news of a high level meeting between india and pakistan that might stop the ceasefire violations is of little comfort to him. >> we are poor people. we are handicapped and we belong to india. we live on the border. if we don't stay at the border, what can india do? >> muhammed also knows the pain caused by fighting. in 1998, he had to leave his village which was so-called next to the line of control that divides india and pakistany kashmir. in 2004, a year after the last ceasefire, he had to move again because of shelling, which killed several people. >> only god nose if anything will come out of the meeting. what will i know? they have yet to resolve anything. >> this bus service between

india and pakistani kashmir is one of the few connections between the two sides. based on past experiences, most kashmir on this side of the line aren't putting much faith into the high level talks. there is still hope that like these buses, good will will flow freely between the two sides. >> he is one of the people that hope things will change. >> everyone here is happy that they might be able to go back home. we're very happy there could be peace. >> whatever the outcome of the meet i can, he is till among the lucky ones who have money to move to safer parts of kashmir. the ones who don't are left behind. >> what can we he do? if we are in our homes hungry and naked what can we do? this is life for the poor. who looks after us? >> snow has fallen on kashmir and with it a reminder of the hardship its people face.

unlike the snow, there is hope now that whenever peace descends, it will be here to stay. aljazeera, i understand india. >> more than 70,000 people have been killed in kashmir. >> the north korea leader may have had his uppingle executed because of a business dispute. the clash centered on the countries exports, including coal. they believe he wanted his uppingle to give profits to the military, but the uncle resisted. the uncle was executed earlier this month for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government. >> a california teen was left brain dead after a routine surgery. the family went to court to keep her on life support.

she went into cardiac arrest after the surgery. the hospital said her condition is irreversible. the girl's family is asking the public for help. >> please, don't give up on my baby. she will wake up. i don't have a doubt. she will wake up. the doctors don't know. they don't know. god has got the final say-so. >> hundreds gathered in oakland monday to support the family. as the family waits for a life or death decision to be made, aljazeera's jacob ward helps explain what it means to be brain dead. >> the first thing to understand about brain death is that it's not like persistent vegetative state for being in a coma or even being asleep. it's not about being unconscious. it involves the total loss of brain stem function. that means things like your system controls being alert and awake and conscious, that is

gone. also destroyed are the centers for breathing, center that is control your heart rate. the heart can continue to beat. there are even instances in which the heart has been removed from the body and continues to beat, but that's because the heart's electrical system is separate from the rest of the nervous system. that does not mean the patient's still alive. there are no well document cases of anyone who has been properly diagnosed at brain dead ever regaining neurologic function. the question is how do you go about diagnosing brain death. there are three tests. the first is really understanding a clear and intractable loss of consciousness from an irreversible and known cause. you have to know why this happened and that the person is not culling back from it. the second test is your reflexing. that if you flash a light in the eyes, do the pupil's contract or if you touch the patient's eyes

with a q-tip and do they blink. that's a second check on the list. the third is if you remove the patient from a ventilator, do they continue to breathe. if they don't, that is the final step in understanding that this pepper is brain-dead. now again, no instance has ever been well recorded of anyone coming back from a proper diagnosis of brain death, and in this case, five separate doctors have examined this patient, determined that there is brain death, so the desire to double check, to bring in an independent doctor to again check on the condition of her is not about science, we have left the realm of science and entered the realm of faith and desire and on christmas eve, who wouldn't want their child back? according to medical skies, there really is no chance of this. >> the judge has ordered the

hospital to keep her on a ventilator until the end of the year. >> colorado is now the first state to issue special licenses to businesses that sell recreational pot. on monday, the state's marijuana enforcement division mailed out 136 license to say marijuana stores. properly licensed stores will be able to start selling pot to duties beginning new year's day. more than 100 of hostess are in denver. >> jessica taft is here with news of another nfl team punching its ticket to the playoff. >> you can say christmas came early for collin kaepernick and the 49ers. jim harbaugh got his birthday wish and icing on the cake was this, the last regular season game at candlestick park and they made it count. the niners q.b. slinging this one. we are tied at 10 after he runs into the end zone. we go on to the fourth quarter. falcons clawing their way in

within three aftermath ryan finds an airborne tony gonzalez in the end zone. the game now still hanging in the balance. atlanta will be looking to take the lead here, but ryan's past is a pick six. and a halnavarro bowman on the . san francisco clinches a playoff spot on jim harbaugh's 50t 50th birthday. >> that's the best thing that i've have seen happen in a football game. might have been close to the catch. that's the best birthday present i've have gotten, second only to being born, that was awesome. >> somewhere his wife and kids are saying hello. the stage is set for must-see t.v. heading into the final week of the season. our analyst breaks it down.

>> what an exciting week 17 it's going to be in the nfl season. the dallas cowboys--philadelphia eagles game, you win, you're in, you lose and you go home and your season is dub. interesting scenario that's developed, the fact that there are rumors out there, speculation that tony romo's going to shut in down because he's having back issues. kyle orton would be the starting quarterback for the dallas cowboys. on top of that, you've got the philadelphia eagles. if anybody saw them play this past week against the chicago bears, nick foles and sean mccoy and that offense are rolling like a fine oiled machine. you've got to love what think kelly has broth to the nfl in that offensive system. regardless of who's at quarterback for the dallas cowboys, what defense, let alone the dallas cowboys, who's defense has been horrible all season can stop that high-octane offense of the eagles? win a understand you're in. i have a feeling the eagles are

playing at an all time high. i do believe the eagles win and they remember the nfc east in the playoffs. >> not only things going down to the wire in nfc east, but get a load of the nfc north as another winner take all match between the bears and packers. >> the nfc north is pretty interesting. you've got a green bay packers team that are hoping, operating, crossing their fingers that aaron rodgers will finally be cleared to start for the packers in week 17, because they have a great game setup against the chicago bears. the chicago bears coming off a very disappointing loss to the eagles. it was worse than a loss, it was a total beatdown. can john kerry and this bears team rebound and know they're in that situation, win and you're in, you advance and represent the nfc north in the playoffs, lose and you're out. that if aaron rodgers cannot go, plat flynn will continue to be the starting quarterback.

he's really put together nice drives to bring the green bay packers back from a deficit and have won. so listen, it's going to be a good, an exciting week 17 in the nfl. it's going to be a lot of fun. >> yes, it is. of course, this was not the year in the nfl to bet the house on any game, there is such parity all year long. >> as we've been telling you all morning, repairs are underway outside the international space station, two astronauts trying to fix a broken cooling pump. they've been doing their space walk for about an hour and a half and par of the drama, if there is any drama to this is that the space walk did not go as planned over the weekend because there was a space suit problem, a cooling problem. let's check in with nasa to get an update on how things are going with both the space suit and cooling pump they are trying

to fix. we have a spokesperson from nasa on the phone from the johnson space center in houston. first of all, rewarding the space suit, how is it performing today? >> the space suits are performing well and merry christmas to everybody. coming up, since it's christmas eve space walk, the first space walk actually went exactly as planned. they were able to get all of though work done earlier than expected, so that's why they came in alleges early. they did have a bit of a misconfiguration on the space suit after they were done with the space walk, but both are are working well today and the team outside are doing well. >> tell us about this cooling pump that they're trying to fix and how complicated it is to fix this thing. >> well, this is kind of a plug and play device. it's called a pump module, but it is a little bit more difficult than just unplugging a couple of things. there are four different liquid

moan i can't connections they have to disconnect and reconnect. they've already done the disconnections on the old pitch and set it aside. right now, they're in the process of getting a new pump and getting ready to in stall it and then he'll hook up those electrical and liquid moan i can't connections. >> what we're seeing now, the view from one of the helmets where it looks like the astronaut is trying to manipulate the tool. what is that they're doing right there? >> they are getting the new pump module that's been stowed on an external platform outside the station for several years ready for its move over to its installation location. mike hopkins is on the end of the space station's robot eying arm and he'll be actually grabbing a couple of handles, like those gold handles you see in front of you and then the japanese astronaut inside the space station will drive him over to the installation

location with this new pump. >> how complicated, how difficult is it to handle these particular devices with the space gloves that they have on? is this a fairly complicated move in the general scheme of things? >> you know, any space walk that we do is a fairly complicated activity, because it's a very unusual environment to work in, a very hazardous environment. you've got to take great care to make sure you're texted, connected to the structure you're working on. it's a lot of hard work in a situation and you're working for six and a half, seven hours without a break. yeah, it's very complicate and it's a very difficult task, but these guys have trained extensively on exactly this task, because it's one of the things we expect to have

happening. as the space station gets older, these things are going to happen. they've trained for this specific activity in an underwater pool here on the ground for many, many hours. >> i did looks like they are uncrewing part of it right now. we lost the shot. thank you very much. you're looking now at hour tracker as to where the international space station is and it's just over the east coast of australia, probably a pretty good look at sydney and the great barrier reef there from the international space station, which they could see if it was date, but it's not. >> still the history of u.n. good will ambassadors, include in latest to sign on, singer katy perry. that's ahead.

>> pop singer katy perry is taking on a new role, using her celebrity to help children as the u.n.'s new good will ambassador unicef. >> it's constantly looking for ways to highlight their plight. sixty years ago, it tried what was then a novel approach.

it was in 1954 the danny kay, then one of the world's most famous actors and singers became the first-ever good will ambassador for unicef. his path was followed by many others over the years, stars from hollywood from audrey help burn to angelina jolie, singers and sports stars, acting as celebrity ambassadors, messages of good will and even one special agent. >> my name is moore, roger move and i'm a good will ambassador for unicef. >> over the years, the corridors have been packed with top politicians and diplomats and many celebrities have come to visit u.n. headquarters here. in this building, you never know who you're going to bump into. >> the latest god will ambassador to be announced by unreceive, the pop star katy

perry. >> i have a lot of attention, and a lot of spotlights, and it would be so easy and so lays for me to put that spotlight on something that is kind of, you know, material or funny or not really meaningful, but what i do want to do is take all of this extra attention and put it on something that needs that illumination, that needs that light. >> some may question her insight on the issues facing children around the world, but not her impact and it's here that the idea of celebrity ambassadors is getting a new boost. katy perry has 49 million followers on twitter, 60 million likes on her facebook page. >> when she tweets, it's really interesting, because she'll get 5,000 to 6,000 engagements, whether it's retweets, or favorites or people tweeting back. i think unicef has come out to

say that they want to engage a younger audience and katy perry is the perfect person to do that. >> in this new age of communication, the celebrity social media reach gives the u.n. a big boost. compare katy perries followers on twitter with old media, 60 million people is almost five times more than the print circulation of the best selling newspaper in the world. james base, aljazeera at the united nations. >> that will do it for this edition of aljazeera. thanks so much for joining us. more headlines at the top of the hour and all day long.