>> hello welcome to al jazeera america. i'm tony harris. >> happy returns - deep discounts lead to strong holiday sales. it does not mean the economy is roaring into 2014. begging for freedom. an american kidnapped in pakistan says he feels abandoned and forgotten. >> an n.f.l. paycheck being given away >> photos of the year - haunting images chosen as the best of 2014.

if >> and we begin with encouraging numbers of the economy. retail sales. according to sales the growth is as high as in the past three years. much fuelled by discounts. then the jobs picture - the numbers of it americans filing for unemployment. according to the labour department jobless claims fell by 42,000. when you add it together, watch stock market sore. the dow hit another high. before proclaiming that the u.s. economy is back, listen to what mark lieberman has to say. >> we face hurdles going forward. at the end of the month 2.5 million go off on unemployment insurance. the unemployment benefits program will end. that's money spent, every day, by every recipient.

the jobs that we have been seeing is not necessarily the higher paying jobs. in october, for example, half the jobs created were in the retail sector or hotel or restaurant personnel. not career jobs or best-paying jobs. the best thing we can say about the economy is it's yofl. there's not a particular date or statistic that says it's a turn around. >> the day after christmas is a big day, it's one of the top 10 busiest. nationwide stores slash prices and to get rid of left over merchandise. some stores open early to give customers a leg up. now to the grinch who stole christmas for many families. thousands of customers bought gifts online to be disappointed when they didn't arrive in time. shipping companies are blaming

the weather and a last-minute boom in sales. many of those pack ints are in transit. >> a busy holiday season and huge shipping problems across america as ups and fed ex struggled to get out of their on-time deliveries. ups we spoke to earlier, and they gave us this statement: >> now ups, one of their largest clients is amazon.com. they have seen a huge surge in online orders. last week they had to stop a membership for a membership program, allowing people to get 2-day free delivery, because

they were afraid the shipping companies, like fed ex and ups would be overwhelmed. that seems to be the case. holiday sales online have surged. numbers up 10%. thanksgiving day 21%. black friday up 15%. cyber monday 18%. green monday 10%. so as people await their packages that were supposed to be here before the christmas holiday, retailers like amazon are offering gift cards or refunds for people that have not received those funds. ups will pay funds set to package domestic air if they do not get there on time. for ground delivery, you are out of luck. people from fed ex apologised and are willing to give refunds.

>> the united states confirmed it is sending military aid to iraq. the iraqi government has been hunting fighters across anbar province. al-qaeda has become increasingly active. tom ackerman has more on the story. >> the u.s. is providing 75 he'll fire missiles, air-to-ground missiles deployed on light turbo prop planes used in operations against the al qaeda affiliates, iraq and syria, that is operating from across the border inside syria, and inflicting serious casualties against both civilian and military targets inside iraq. the white house, however, cautions that there has been no formal request for armed u.s. armed drones operating over iraq, nor is there any intention of diverting american armed drones into iraq. but this increasingly serious

security situation really belies the assurances previously by the white house that after the withdrawal of all american combat forces from iraq, that the security situation inside iraq is secure. >> in syria a symbolic surrender in change for food and supply, at a rebel-held town. residents suffered the humiliation of flying the fag and handed over weapons. they got food. video was pasted. al jazeera cannot verify the images. in cairo a person died in violence at a protest for muslim brotherhood supporters. several students were arrested after clashes. the fighting was in the eastern district of n.a.s.a. city, where a bus bombing left several injured yesterday. the military-backed terrorists.

kenyan and ethiopian officials arrived in juba. the fighting forced 90,000 people from their homes. more u.n. troops are on their way to protect civil jan refugees. >> we are improving an spread rapid redeployment of available assets to volatile areas, and in particular where civilians sought refuge. we are over 50,000 civilians in various compounds in juba, bor, bentiu, malaka and elsewhere. >> the fighting started in the capital but moved. haru mutasa reports from joouba where people are afraid to go home.

>> righters patrol the areas. when fighting broke out two weeks ago, people here were caught in the middle of the violence. many families are sleeping at the u.n. base. officials are trying to convince people that it's safe to go back. >> to minimise the looting that occurs, we have to deploy forces - police, security. the army in different locations to maintain law and order. we are trying to disarm those with the guns. we are trying to disarm those who are not allowed to have guns, and so that people go back to their home. >> this is where many people were killed. >> people have not come back to this part of town. it's eerily quiet. most have been looted. it used to be a supermarket. there's nothing left.

parts of the capital are busy. people are trying to move on. >> this family wants to go to bor in jonglei state. he was a brigadier general in the army, killed on december 16th. >> it was difficult to get his body. it was buried somewhere in the bush. yes. it could not be brought here, there's no way. could not be taken to bor, there was fighting. they were carted off and they buried him there. >> juba is relatively quiet, but there is fighting in the oil-rich state of unity. the kenyan president and the prime minister of ethiopia were in the capital trying to broker a peace talk. >> issues discussed, among others, one is on the decision of hostilities, and the second

issue is on the immediate start of talks or dialogue to settle the issue politically, and the third issue is on the detainees who are suspects of the coup. and the four is the humanitarian crisis. >> for that to happen the president of south sudan and his former deputy need to put aside their differences and compromise. >> an american kidnapped in pakistan is pleading for the u.s. government for his freedom. warren winestein was kidnapped a few years ago. >> in this 13 minute video warren winestein says he feels

forgotten and abandoned by the u.s. >> i'm appealing to you on a humanitarian basis, if nothing else, and asking that you take the necessary actions to expedite my release. >> the 72-year-old u.s. government contractor from merrylands was in his home from lahore pakistan, when gunmen, posing as his neighbours, abducted him. al qaeda has claimed responsibility. a former kidnapping victim says pakistan is partly to blame. the pakistani government do not control their territory. it's a save haven that exists. >> al qaeda said it will release him if america stops the drone

strikes and releases tall prison ners. >> americans don't respond. the american government will not pay ransom or release prisoners. >> wine stein pleaded for the president's hand last year. >> my life is in your hands, mr president. if you accept the demands i live, if not, i die. the video is labelled with al qaeda's media arm. the state department says: >> the white house has said it will not negotiate with al qaeda. >> more than nine years after the death of former palestine leader yasser arafat there is

confusion about how he lied. palestine officials accused israel of poison him with plutonium. israel denied the claim. a swiss report said high levels of: >> french scientists rejected the theory and concluded arafat died of natural clauses and the russians concluded there was no pointing. >> ice-breaking ships are heading to antarctica to help a vessel caught in the ice with 70 people on board. the russian ship was stuck east of a french and arctic base, 1700 miles south of australia. the first rescue vessel is expected to reach the vessel on friday. >> the death toll from flooding in brazil rises.

dozens were dead. the brazilian army has been distributing food, water and medicine. 10 days of heavy rain and mudslides devastated south-eastern brazil and the region has been under a state of emergency. tens of thousands in this country are without power, the result of a sunday ice storm hitting the mid west, north-east and parts of canada. crews are working around the clock to restore electricity. power should be back by the weekend and 90,000 customers m michigan are in the dark. electric companies say it may take several days to get everything up and running. snow hampered efforts to restore power to 100,000 customers who blast cold weather. >> let's get the latest. >> tony, it is a race to get the power back on in michigan.

there is snow now. that's not the least of their problems. what will be happening is there's another cold blast of air. it's making its way down. detroit at 25. look at thunder bay, minus 15 degrees. that area of purple is the next culprit. it is about to come down over the weekend, bringing temperatures down to 25 degrees lower than what we see now. also, on saturday we'll see snow. they need to get the power on over the next couple of days. taking a look at miniappo lis. minneapolis. dropping on saturday to 6 degrees. this is an example across the region. by the end of the week, and the temperatures are coming down. across the north-east things are better. the snow has pushed away and we are dealing with the snow. in terms of weather - no

problem. they have the textures to deal with the north. talking about temperatures in the area of about 20 to 25 degrees. in the south-west dealing with firewarning across ports of los angeles. >> next, an expensive mistake. airline deals so generalous santa might blush. living with mum and dad might help ride out a tough job market. but it is taking a toll on the u.s. economy.

>> presents come in all shapes and sizes and hores power. december could be the best month for autosales. i asked automotive analyst lauren fix why sales are so strong. >> december is a quiet month. if you walk in a dealership, they are, "thank god someone walked in, we are here to sell

you a car." sales have been growling. december will be 15% over november and 5% over last year. there's tonnes of incentives. in some dealts as much as $6,000 -- deals as much as $6,000. you can get into a vw jetta for under $200 a month. that's crazy. they are building the sales numbers, the goal to brake the 15 million mile marker. >> consumers expected to spend $34 million on vehicles. there's new optimism for autoworkers in iraq. iran agreed to limit their nuclear program in exchange or an easing of economic sanctions. we have our report. >> back on track. people in iran's car industry found a renewed sense of

optimism. the country wants to become a top 10 automaker, producing up to 3 million cars a year. the goal is a step closer, because of november's nuclear agreement, which includes lifting sanctions on iran's car industry. >> our plan is after removing the sanctions we go to the direction to remove all weakness point of industry. not just parts. >> iran's main partners started pulling out of the auto industry in 2012. it followed an international an on trading with tehran's car-building sector. at its peak in 2011 iran produced 1.7 million cars annually. this year the production dropped

by almost 40%. while iran wants to reclaim what it lost, so, too, do the foreign partners. >> where is iran. it's in the middle. >> iran's mentality changed since sanctions hit. >> of course, during this time the auto industry didn't remain silent to see what happened. of course they went to the other sources, and - which was not originally the - as good as it was before. >> this self-reliance has been tough. last year iran exported more nan 1.8 million worth of parts. the 95% less than two years ago. the country is determined not to rely on foreign imports like it did in the past. >> according to figures, iran's automotive industry laid off 1,000 workers because of sanctions and the bad economy.

what sanctions could mean is thousands of men and women could get their jobs back. every car rolling off the production line means the cost increases. >> lucky travellers scored cheap fares on delta airlines thanks to a computer glitch for two hours. fares on the website and air fair booking sites were showing up incorrectly. some got round-trip flights costing 400 for as low as - listen to this - $25. the airline says it fixed the problem and will honour tickets purchased at incorrect prices. there are signs the economy is on the rebound. a trend is slowing growth. not enough young people are creating households. we have the story. >> 24-year-old eileena joseph is surrounded by nick nacks from

her childhood. she's at her mum's house. >> how old were you when you first got this? >> i may have been, like, 11 or something. it was a christmas bazar at my school. >> she's one of millions of 18 to 32-year-olds who are not starting her household. her decision affects her family and the economy. >> rates are down, and that has had a bit of economic implications. many consumer services and consumer durables are tied with setting up your own household. >> when a person moves out it boosts construction, transportation and buys goods and services, including furniture, power, water, internet, food, electronics, directorables. all translating to jobs for

other people. eileena is holding back, waiting for the right time to move. >> it makes sense waiting at home. struggling, trying to live down the street. the u.s. labour department reports 11% of people in jelena's age group that want a job can't find one. it's forcing young americans to count every penny. >> everything is counted >> millennials are getting a lake start. research calculates one in three of 18 to 32-year-olds heads their own households. >> it's not a stigma. we are all doing it. our parents know that none of us can afford to live outside the home. >> there must be sometimes where you wish, "i want to come home and be by myself." >> every once in a while. it's not that bad. >> historic by 1.1 million

households were created last year. in all, the national home builders association says more than 3 million households never formed in the u.s. because of the recession. >> eating and having somewhere to live - that would be hard to do both. >> jelena is is determined to move out of the base: she's joining the foreign service. until the first check comes, she's not budging. >> president obama took time off his vacation to sign the bipartisan budget deal into space, preventing a government shut down or sequester. there'll by budget talks after the start of the new year. congress will decide on raising the debt limit. >> turkey in turmoil. a power struggle for an important u.s. alley and real-life hunger meets currency.

how bitcoins are helping to feed families.

>> welcome back do al jazeera america. i'm tony harris. here is a look at the headlines. >> holiday sales more than tripled from a year ago, according to data collected by mastercard. megadiscount considered the driving force. >> an american kidnapped in pakistan is asking president obama for help. asking for a negotiation to win his freedom. winestein was captured more than two years ago. >> al-qaeda is targetting government forces. along the syrian border 18 troops were killed. in turkey thousands of demonstrators were back in the streets, calling for the government to resign in the wake of a major corruption scandal.

we have more from istanbul. >> hours after three senior cabinet ministers resigned over a corruption scandal. the prime minister announced a major cabinet reshuffle replacing 10 of his ministers. >> translation: some of the ministers asked to resign because of ongoing developments, and some of them quit as they contest mayoral elections. some of the changes are my j >> interior minister armando gulouza and economy minister armando gulouza resigned. the environment minister egemen bagis was different, one exposing divisions within the government. his resignation announced on live television, during an interview. he called on recep tayyip erdogan to resign.

it was a call the prime minister chose to ignore. >> police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfer to iran, and bribery for instruction projects. many believe the scandal stems from a power struggle between recep tayyip erdogan's government and this man, the influential u.s. base muslim cleric, said to have many followers within the police and judiciary. the government admitted dozen of police officials believed to be linked. >> the government is in turmoil. such a step was unprecedented, unexpected, and one can only spegulate that had -- speculate that this will shatter the ground under recep tayyip erdogan more. >> during the 11 year rule, this

is the first time three ministers resigned and asked the prime minister to resign - it was a close friend of his. >> this is the first crackdown in the government. a main question is whether recep tayyip erdogan's popularity will be affected ahead of elections in 2014. >> we have a visitor searching through what is means and is a fellow at the presuman center -- truman center. what is your interpretation. >> it's a fast-moving situation. prime minister recep tayyip erdogan has been in power for over a decade and has been popular, seeing turkey rise in prominence, economically, in regional and global prestige, but has been weakened by a series of event, notably the

protests over the summer and the corruption scandal. >> how bad is in, and sud erd your survive this, and in this case survival is winning an election next year. >> it remains to be seen. if he stands for election the turkish people have a chance to vote on it. he's been weakened within his own party. the environment minister had a strong statement against him. the party has been weakened. so these in an overcalled weakened possession personally and in terms of his party yip. >> what kind of a challenge does the upheaval present for the barack obama administration? >> president obama invested a lot of time and energy in

developing a close personal relationship with recep tayyip erdogan on the correct theory that turkey is a correct regional player. with so many different states in upheaval, syria's and turkish border, it's a difficult situation to have ner another ally go through periods of instability. it's a product, a head ache to be avoided. >> what is at the root of this issue, the counter scandal for recep tayyip erdogan. what sides are pitted against each other. >> there's two big divides. one grows up through the course of turkish history. between those in favour of a strong central government that used to be secular, but is now party in power, the party of

recep tayyip erdogan. the government of turkey has been very authoritarian throughout its history, and i think recep tayyip erdogan is playing into that. there's a long-standing issue and a shore-term issue. with the growth of the country economically, there has been a development and shift in the economic class. there's businessmen tied with the government who have risen to prominence. there has been corruption on that and it spawned quite a lot of resentment. it's difficult to say what is petering out. there's an element of the changing of the economic ties within turkey. >> what i head in some circles recep tayyip erdogan is behaving in an authoritarian way. do you find that? >> it's true. if you look at his behaviour over the last several years,

he's clearly more personally invested. i see him giving speeches. it's not something that most leaders and democracies do. it's a more authoritarian behaviour, affecting decision making internally and externally. >> a former state department officials, and now with the d truman center. >> a man accused of opening fire at los angeles international airport. paul anthony siantia is accused of opening fire. one ta agent was killed. he could face the death penalty. an appeals court of pennsylvania ordered the release. mon siing yore was convicted for mishandling sex abuse cases.

the judges said there was not enough evidence to convict lim. more than a million americans are looking at drastic increases in flood insurance costs. many say they will not be able to afford their homes. >> in the quaint coastal town lies a close-knit community. >> all the dogs cam to us as rescues. >> kelly martin and her husband found the perfect home and moved in request a lease to own contract. >> it was a beautiful spot on the water. everything we dreamed of having. >> last month the landlord broke the new, the flood insurance is expected to quadruple to $10,000 a year under the new law. >> we were forced out. there's no way we could have afforded it.

>> the martins moved into the house they left. a place converted into kelly's animal boarding business. for that home they'll face higher insurance payments. >> my generations and friends had to leave. >> coastal areas are not the only place that could feel the affects of the new law. flood zones have been re-zoned. it affects the north-east where communities are rebuilding after superstorm sandy. >> some are forced to cut down on premiums, others are forced to give up their home. >> i'll be forced to sell out, move to a place i can afford to live. >> errol knows the reality. between home owners and flood insurance, he forks out there 13

grand, before the new law increases his premiums. >> if your insurance doubles, what does that do to you? i can't pay it. i don't know what to do. i feel the government don't care about the poor people. >> there's bipartisan legislation to delay the implementation for four years, but it's little comfort for those looking long term. >> it will affect the economy and will happen in a lot of cases. >> what will happen? >> people will walk away from their mort irges. >> for kelly martin, trying to save her home and business, it's an option she doesn't want to consider. >> we'll have to pay it, figure out a way to make more money to pay it. >> there's only so much they can pay before they pack up and

leave. >> bitcoins for charity. have you heard of this. you buy them and use them online. they are helping a florida homeless center spread the wealth. >> the tragedy of losing his best friend inspired jason king to tackle the tragedy of homelessness. shaun was murdered. >> it was a brutal crime, affecting my family. for a long time we tried to figure out a good way to immortalize him. one of shaun's friend's outreach charity began to feed the homeless one meal a week. he purchased this nine acre property. with no pan handling the homeless can live here

undisturbed. >> i have a shelter. >> what is unusual is king accomplished all of this using bitcoin, the virtual currency letting you buy things in the real world. he pays a mortgage property. the outpost raised $50,000. from bitcoin donors in 43 countries. >> the community is the kindest people i have met. >> king doesn't sollist donations and says there's no way he could raise so much money so quickly. here is how it works. king trades the currency with participating retailers in exchange for gift cards to purchase food and other items. bitcoin is like a stock. in december 1st bitcoin soared to 1200, and dropped to 700. with the ups and downs king says

bitcoin is efficient way to tap into a global community of donors. shaun's outpost is not the only charity to see the benefit. the mission is to encourage charities around the world to use bitcoin. the benefits, instant payments, no credit card or processing fees. king is a bitcoin evangelist. jessie and his friend were living on the street using free wi-fi at a park and smartphones. when king introduced them to bitcoin. they found ways to make money, doing online tasks for websites and doing oddjobs. last month they moved into this house. >> we were three homeless guys in a park. bitcoin kind of inspired us, made us want to, you know, get off the street, into a place so we can better ourselves.

>> to the skeptics who think bit copy is a bubble. the value an is increasing and the ranks of devotees expanding. >> bitcoin will change the world for everybody. >> it's changing the lives for pensacola's homeless. >> in argentina dozens of swimmers had their day at the beach ruined by a swarm of biting finish looking like that. more than 70 people were treated for bites on the hands and feet. several children lost parts of fingers and toes. it is blamed on an attack of species of pieranas, but it is rare. >> a high school maths teacher gets a crack at the number of fl. the whole experience to ben -- n.f.l. and the whole experience to benefit his students.

>> and get thing to the winter games is a huge accomplishment.

>> other parts of the country are dealing with snow and power outages, southern california is dealing with heat and red-flag warnings. high temperatures up to 82 degrees. 8-10 degrees above average for this time of year. this is where we are looking for the red flag warnings, low humidity and wind from the

north-east meanings fire danger until 10am. this could be extended and was extended. we see it extended as we go to saturday. forecasts like this. 78 degrees on saturday and 79 towards sunday. in the coastal of mexico developing. it will move up the coastal regions, bringing heavy rain showers from south john carlos to new jersey. the possibility of flooding will exist. if you have plans along the. >>94 corridor it will be messy. atlanta messy saturday and sunday. monday a better day by 53 degrees.

>> a lot of students and teachers are taking it easy over the holiday break. they deserve it. there's a teacher who will have one heck of a story to share in the faculty lounge next week. boy, mark morgan is here with that story. >> a lot of e-athletes, where do they go. golf course, business venture or the broadcast. this guy did something different. >> it's coolism. >> yes, and he's giving back. john kit ner spent 15 seasons in the n.f.l. playing for the seattle sea houcks, cincinnati bengals and other. now being out of the winner take all came kit mer will be in the big d and is not forgetting those left behind. >> when former cowboys quarterback john kit ner found

he was returning to dallas, he put his money in the classroom. he will don'tate his $53,000 check to clinton high school where he has been a maths teacher since surprising. >> john is a generous person. he and his wife donated to the school. >> kit ner has been coaching the football team where his son is a quarterback. he is making a return to the big stage. >> i run the high school scout team. i'm throwing and working my son out. i'm throwing it back to him. other than that i was not staying in shape to, you know, thinking i'd get another shot. >> in the classroom his students are appreciative of his talents as the young man he coaches on the grid iron and his generosity is well-known. e.d there's no secret that lincoln is a low-income school.

him donating to us gives us hope. >> it's not a surprise that he's taking the money and giving it to us. he's always doing stuff for the school. >> he's humble and quiet. when teaching he comes to life. >> kit ner will wear the star on his helmet before thousand of streaming fans. shortly thereafter rely return to his biggest supporters. >> if the cowboys beat the eagles and clinch a play-off birth, things about be interesting. lincoln high will be back in session. whether he plays or not will be interesting. he is likely not to play where there's several injuries. >> he'll have a chance to play. >> the cool thing is a lot of

dallas players are hope to have him back. kit ner took players aside talking about coverages and how the defense mixes up and getting them used to the n.f.l. they wouldn't put kit ner and brian connor and roy williams, former dallas wide receiver. he made an impact, even though he's not what you think of as a star quarterback. >> for those interested in the game, don't leave, we'll be done with this in a second. tony romeo, is he out. >> as of now the cowboys are saying - not saying he's not going to say. but most people think kyle will start. >> he has never won a medal. it's unlikely he will, roberto

kasula is set to make history. he was one of the first perooufians to compete four years ago and will head to socchi. >> on perfect snow, beneath the blue skies on the mountains of british columbia, a salary -- solitary skier trains. you're on your open, you are must at your own pace, and you are thinking about a million things. a monning the many things, memories of a night four years ago, the opening ceremonies of the vancouver games. >> you walk out, and it's, "oh, my god", and you feel the roar of people and it's - you can't

put it into words. absolutely happy to be brilliant and carry the flag. >> he lives in seattle with wife frank and daughter filling out support. he gets some support from the international olympic committee and the sol darty program supporting ath leets and coaches from developing countries. he covers a third of the cost. $50,000 from his pocket. kate works for microsoft. he has a consulting business. born and raised in peru roberto was a surfing champion and long-distance runner before trying skiing, a sport that he admits he is still learning. >> i'm getting older and better here now. >> he finished 94th out of 95 in his event in the 2010 olympics and knows he will not win a

medal in socchi. victory is raising awareness of winter sports in his native country. >> how much recreational skiing is in peru. >> a little. >> he is the peruvian winter olympics team, all of it. he has a vision of kids training at high altitude, growing up to take on the world. >> to train a group of kids living in the andes, and putting them in roller skates and the perhaps a few years down the road we'll have a housemate delegation. >> and he hopes a second olympic appearance and what he expects to be a better performance will raise money and interest to get the program started. >> meanwhile, it's him and the snow and a challenging trail ahead. >> okay. bare-knuckle boxes is the best

way to clear the air in peru. have a look. every christmas people out in the ands fight each other, air grievances, and then settle scores, bear knuckle style, have some before the start of the new year. it's a celebration including men, women and kids. the annual festival has rules, and local authorities keep an eye on things. outside of a few bumps and bruises they leave with smiles. >> up next on al jazeera america. one of the most frightening days of the year and how it created iconic images.

>> all this week we have been looking at some dramatic images captured in photos. jonathan klein is the ceo of getties images and talks about two pictures from boston's marathon bombing. >> when one is looking at photos of the year, you have to say what were the big events of the

year. the second thing is what is the right image or immings to illustrate the big event. clearly the boston marathon was an amaze r maizing event. it was shocking and took everyone by surprise. this is interesting because there's no one in it, no people in it, but it makes you think about the people who were killed or injured or areaed traumati d traumatised -- or otherwise traumatised and brings home the fact that this was almost personal and a tine brings this across. boston's year was back-ended by the marathon run and the red sox winning the world series, and

yet this happened. what followed was two or three days of activity. suspect were hunted down, one killed, one arrested. which is another part of the story which we could have shown. we chose this picture. i refer to another picture in another part of the story. there's a wonderful photo to show a different side of the story. an elderly man, 78 years old. knocked off his feet by the bomb. someone is coming to help him. he gets up and finishing the race. that is the part of the resilience of the human spirit. this shows the bomb exploding at the finish line, an elderly runner, 78 years old, blown off his feet, someone helping him, and it summed up the moment, the

resilience of the individual that got up, the chaos that happened. unexpected. and a classic photo which captures a moment in time, and the fact that the runner was to sold and determined made it a special picture. >> finally the spirit of giving is getting an marijuana boost. one particular star bucks in connecticut. starbucks customers are paying it forward by buying coffee for the person behind them. the trend began christmas eve morning and is going strong. as of this afternoon, 700 customers paid it forward. we'll get to the head lines in a moment and turn you over to "america tonight", and joie chen. can we pull up the shot of the u.s. capital building in washington d.c.

back in a moment. >> welcome to al jazeera, i'm tony harris, here is a look at top stories. president obama signed a bipartisan budget deal while vag vacationing in hawaii. and a defense bill paving the way for somehow sexual assault is handled in the military. >> warren winestein is seen in a new video plating for the u.s. government to negotiate with his captors. >> trapped in antarctic waters. help is