to decisions. >> this is al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy with a look at today's top stories. a massive car bombing in beirut. a target of former finance minister who was an outspoken critic of the syrian president and hezbollah. renewed crackdown on protest necessary egypt. two dead and 350 arrested. and a federal judge rules that the nsa surveillance is legal. just after another judge ruled

it wasn't, the supreme court may have to decide. >> an assassination in beirut, killing mohammed shehata. we're in beirut. >> a daring attack in the heart of beirut's posh downtown area. the car bomb killed former finance mint mohammed shehata. his car was tossed into the air and landed here. shehata.

the explosion took place just a short difference where shata had his office. security was very tight but not enough to fend off this attack. >> we were inside and felt class breaking and then an explosion happened. an explosion continued to break. we waited until it was all broken and went out and saw this. >> as you can see all the shops are damaged. all of this is tomorrow. terrorism, what can i say, god help us. god help this country. >> reporter: politicians said they already know who is behind this attack and they pointed the figure to iran and hezbollah. al hariri who has not set foot in more than a year said that

the killers of shata are the same as those of his father. they met at al harriri's residence. >> the killers are the same. >> it's not the first car bomb to hit lebanon this year. in november the iranian embassy was targeted. over the summer there were attacks, dozens were killed, and in tripoli twin car bombs went off outside of two mosques. lebanese politicians may disagree on various issues. but when it comes to the deteriorating situation in the country they share the same view, the civil war next door in

syria is the cause of it. saudi arabia allies are now blaming iran for today's bombings. but for those who live in lebanon, their country was tur turned into a regional battleground for players. >> this war is transforming. the whole political landscape. it's transforming even the borders that were prevailing before this syrian revolution. so it could be as a part of a big attempt to redraw the whole map. >> mohammed shata was a key figure to bring killers of the former prime minister to justice. he always felt it was important to deter the perpetrators from further killing.

it did not stop the assassination of shata himself. >> the security situation has been deteriorating in recent months. there is a full amongsting government. now announced his cabinets resignation after failing to agree on the path to elections. a caretaker government has been unable to bring lebanon's rival sectarian groups together. earlier the commander was shot outside of his home in beirut. they blamed israel. earlier i spoke with james jatras, former policy adviser to political committee. today's bombing is a sign that violence in syria is spreading throughouting the region

>> and now they want to rule us with guns, and because of that we're going to present peacefully to state ureter our

protests. >> this four fingered salute is the symbol of the anti anti- >> minutes later the police moved in with tear gas and bird shot into the crowd. before it determined call regroups to fight back. the police tried to arrest anyone involved in the protests. >> we have one person that ha, y are now in prison. >> reporter: a photographer

bencheperched on a balcony tooks picture. dealing with what leaders determine a threat to national security. if this continues as protesters promise it may well have the opposite effect. al jazeera, cairo. >> two judges, two different opinions on the national security agency mass collection of americans telephones records. last week a federal judge in washington said that it violates the constitution. today a judge in new york said it is legal. we have more on today's ruling and what lies ahead. >> reporter: stephanie, the public canned decide on this government nsa spying, whether it infringes our civil lib liberties. now with judges coming up with different rulings on essentially

the same topic. >> federal judge william pauley said that the mass collection of americans' phone records. he said the 9/11 attacks might have been prevented if the phone data collection system had existed then to help investigators connect the dots before the attacks occur. he said the government has learned from its mistakes and adopted to confront a new enemy. the terror network capable of orchestrating attacks across the world. he said the data election program was part of the adjustment, and he dismissed the lawsuit brought by the silver liberty union after he ha edward snowden leaked information. lawyers argue that it was so proud that it could justify the mass collection of financial

health and librar even library s of americans without their knowledge. the judge ruled that it mis miss interprets the statute and misapplies the president to read away core constitutional protections. now the department of justice spokesman said they were pleased with judge pauley's interpretation. in another ruling. edward snowden's disclosures about the nsa programs have provoked a heated debate over silver liberties at home and around the world. >> where are we now? the white house published an interim report commissioned

after the edward snowden affair in which they seem to suggest that there may be changes on the way in the way this data is collected and stored. edward snowden has what he wanted a nationwide if not a global discussion of the efficacy and morality of all this data and judges coming up with completely different decisions on the topic, many are wondering whether this issue is going to end up at the supreme court which is where it should end up as it effects all of us and splits us down the middle. >> thank you. there is new information concerning that massive data breach at target. the company is confirming incrypted pin information was taken after the cyberattack earlier this month. hackers stole names and numbers from about 40 million credit and debit card users. they said that the system is

secure. and target said we remain confident that pin numbers are safe and secure. the pin information was fully incrypted and it remained incrypted when removed from our systems. the number of reported sexual assaults in the military jumped. there were 5,000 reports of sexual assaults between october 12 and october 13 up less than 3400 the previous year. defense officials say it could be a sign that more victims are willing to come forward. the report comes a day after president obama signed a bill that changes how the military handles sexual assault cases. up next, new details on the new town school massacre. connecticut police release thousands of documents and images from their investigation. as congress enjoys recess, unemployment benefits are about to end. a look at the impact on the

economy next. here is more. >> beneath the fluorescentsun in a former meat packing plant is the latest trim in farming. they call it "vertical farming." these fields grow on floors on at industrial park and farmer john adel and his staff agrees user. >> my shipping proceed did you say 1500, 2,000 miles to

get are. >> the plant of the indoor -- as the indoor formers call it doesn't grow corn or soybeans but mustard, high end micro greens on the plates of white-napkin restaurants. these fish supply the vert liser that number issues the so many money stories sound complicated. but don't worry. i'm here to take the fear out of finance. every night on my show i break down confusing financial speak and make it real.

>> connecticut state police have released thousands of documents on the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school. 20-year-old adam lanza shot 20 children and six adults and his mother before committing suicide. this is the culmination of the investigation. what have we learned? >> the report is roughly 7,000 pages long and gives the most detailed picture yet of adam lanza's fascination of guns and violence. still his motive remains a mystery. this footage of lanza's home shows in almost every room there were guns or materials related to guns like ammunition and receipts for gun purchases. lanza so the his mom in their home before head to go sandy

hook elementary school where he killed 26 people. in one 9/11 call a wounded kindergarten teacher said she's with their class in their room and she thinks the gunman in is in the hallway. the dispatch said can you stay on the ground? she said we can but the door is not locked. he says, is there any way to lock it? she said no, he is out in the hallway. there was a letter accompanying the report and said he hopes the release, though difficult for families, will help them heal. those are chilling details, it's hard to imagine how they're feeling about it. roxana, thank you. >> a broader look at the holiday shopping season shows retailers did better than expected. sales rose 3.5%. but this might have come at a

price. david shoeser will b shoesers, i velshi. >> they had to trim their margins. they were forced to slash their prices, keep stores open late, and furthermore because online sales were strong, many brick and mortar stores were forced to spend more on advertisement, and many slashed prices, they were able to get more people in but it come at the cost of their profit margins. >> and these extra sales had unintended consequences. >> yes, to offer a good mornign teed delivery by christmas eve. however retailers on stores and

online get so carried away for purchases made at late at 11:00 p.m. monday night. down to the wire sales push fueled stronger demand in the end but caused a logjam in a gummed up deliveries, and stores are still trying to make amends by shipping gift cards to customers who got burned. >> we're going to interview the many who created the popular rainbow loom. a can "u" toy that allows kids to make bracelets, his product is the break out start up at the holiday season. we'll talk about that at 7:00 p.m. >> we see those bracelets everywhere. the holiday rally losing steam on this friday. stocks closing flat with the dow down about one point.

investors pausing after blue chips hit their 50th record high. overall the dow had a strong week on positive economic news. it will be anything but a happy new year for 1.3 long term unemployed americans. the budget signed by the president did not extent long-term benefits. those checks will stop coming tomorrow. long-term benefits kick in after state benefits run out. 9 average check is $300 a week. and some argue the number of long-term unemployed will grow rapidly. >> if this program is not renewed by the end of 2014 it will hold many unmr.ed workers who will have no federal benefits. >> in january they'll vote whether to extend benefits for three months. joining me now to discuss the expiration of these extended unemployment federal insurance will effect the economy, we have

financial reporter at th the "washington post." you clearly spoke to people who are in this boat. give us an idea of who these people are. >> reporter: one of the women i spoke to, her name is kathy, she's 51, she lives in baltimore. she has been looking for a job since june. she sends out 20 to 30 applications each week and has been on 20 job interviews but nothing has panned out for her. her situation is really very common in a recovery that is trying to gain traction. now she says if the unemployment benefits are not reinstated she could be actually out on the street. she's already behind on her represent. she has had to cut back on the amount of food. she's gone down from three meals a day to two. there is not room in their

budget to absorb the decrease she'll be facing. >> if she depends on these weekly checks. these unemployment benefits from instituted under president bush, why has support for the program waneed. >> reporter: we've seen the economy getting better. we've seen the economy add 200,000 jobs. we've seen some indications that the private sector is beginning momentum. now we're facing 2014 without the threat of a government shutdown, that that gives businesses more confidence to continue hiring. so the argument for keeping these benefits going becomes harder and harder to make. however, if you are one of those people who is still struggling to find a job, certainly times are very tough. and many people actually believe the recession is ongoing even though it ended four years ago. >> the conservatives argue that maintaining these benefits sort

of disinfieadvise people from finding jobs. is there anything that bears that out? >> reporter: if you are receiving a certain amount per week any job that you take would have to be paying above that amount in order for it to make it worth your while. and certainly you do see some folks who are saying, hey, you know, i need to be able to make a certain amount of money in order for me to be able to take a job. i'm not going to take any job. i need to make a certain amount of money. economists believe the larger impact will be from those who give up looking for work. that could lead to an artificial decline in the unemployment rate that makes things look better than they are. >> with 1.3 million people who will suddenly set to lose their

income l that have an impact on the broader economy? >> the estimation for the gross domestic product to be lowered next year because of the expiration of this program. which is paid out something like $225 million sense its inception. the impact on the unemployment rate could be a little bit larger with the jobless rate dropping .5 of a percentage point. you'll see an impact of the broader economy. >> it will be a big fight in washington at the beginning of the year. thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> denver began issuing licenses to sell recreational marijuana. 42 businesses have been given approval to get permits. colorado approved the sell of

non-medical marijuana last year and residents can buy up to a quarter of andown. india is taking its problems with the united states a step further and cracking down on officials station there had. they're asking staff working at american schools for details that could reveal tax violatio violations. the move is in retaliation of arrest and holding of an diplomat in new york. she's accused of fraud and under paying her housekeeper. she was arrested and strip-searched by police. we talked to a former u.s. ambassador, plus south sudan's government agrees to a cease-fire. but a break in the fighting may be a long way away.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top stories. a federal judge in new york city has ruled that the national security agencies bulk

collection of americans telephone records is legal. this ruling comes after a week of federal judge in washington said the program likely violates the u.s. constitution. >> target says incrypted pin information was taken during the cyberattack earlier this month. hackers stole names and numbers of credit arrested debit card users. target said its confident that pin numbers are secure. hundreds are injured in the up stalupscale district. >> lebanon. lebanon's ambassador from the u.s. from 1997 to 1999. he gam became the country's fine minister. i accused assad of mettling i in

affairs. in turkey protesters took to the streets to demand the resignation of prime minister erdogan. demonstrators were held in istanbul in evening. supporters of the prime minister held a separate protest in another part of the city. the marchs came amid a widening investigation into corruption in erdogan's office. we have more from istanbul. >> reporter: one of turkey's supreme court has announced and asking judicial police and obliging them to report to their superiors before carrying out

investigations or raids. this is seen as a step that will only the on going probe in allegations of corruption. what is interesting is that the turkish military issued a statement saying that it will not take sides in this legal matter. now putting things into perspective, there is a power struggle between two islamist blocks in this country. one represented by the government led by prime minister erdogan, and the other, the movement led by a person who is based in the u.s. he is a muslim scholar and preacher. the latter is said to enjoy support, wide support condition turkey and particularly within the judicial and police system. now the confrontation between the two sides will probably go into that area into turkey's

judiciary. but this crisis, this scandal has shaken the country. >> reporting from istanbul. joining me now to discuss the political situation in turkey is james jeffrey. mr. ambassador, it's a pleasure to have you with us. what is you're assessment inside turkey? >> first of all, i think you got an excellent report with right on the spot analysis from your reporter from istanbul. he got the basics absolutely correctly. what i would like to emphasize is the fact that the military even issued a statement, forced to withdraw from politics is significant in and of itself. sixly the fact that one of the supreme courts or several of them in occur at this issued this statement that basically rescinded prime minister's erdogan's order that the police and prosecutors would have to be

under their political control is another very important and dramatic development. essentially what is happening all over turkey people are beg beginning to question the amassing of power by the akp government, that's the party that prime ministerre prime minn heads, and how that power is being used. >> how much of a threat is prime minister erdogan under right now? >> he's under absolutely no threat. but here's the problem. his intense is to prune for president in 2014 when the next election would take place, and to ensure that there would an new set of constitutional rules that would give the president much more power. that would require parliamentary power. that's all in doubt now because his popularity has slipped

enough to call into question his ability to advance his very ambitious agenda for the next year. >> does what is happening in istanbul have greater impact for democracy in the middle east in whole. turkey has been held up as a model able to bridge that divide between secular government and a place where islam exists. >> absolutely. and when i was ambassador i made that argument back in washington. what we've seen and i was ambassador in iraq, and what we've seen in egypt, gaza with the hamas movement is that these islamic religious parties have a very hard time dealing with the muralispluralism in the rule ofw

that is needed for democracy to flourish. >> turkey is an important u.s. ally. we have an air base in turkey. does this unrest in istanbul present problems for the united states? >> it presents massive problems. first of all is to blame this whole corruption scandal on influence influence and machinations, and he made it clear that he was talking about the united states. the united states does not like being used as the scapegoat for internal problems, particularly by nato ally for whom we've done an awful lot. that's created an immediate crisis resulting in a very sharp statement by the department of state. supporting our ambassador there. and clearly behind-the-scenes

efforts to get the tushes to back off or erdogan to back off. more importantly this does call into request again much of our agenda in the middle east. turkey is essential to it, and turkey is essential to playing the role we will like to see it play. getting back to what we just discussed, what is happening in turkey could call into question the american agenda of promoting democracy in the region. but we haven't seen the last of it yet. this could well result in the increase in no, sir and democracy in freedom and increase in pluralism. we'll have to see how this plays not. >> ambassador james jeffrey, thank you so much for your perspective tonight. >> thank you so much for having me here. >> the head of iran's nuclear program said it's developing new centerfuges which will enrich

uranium faster. a recent deal with the so-called p5+1 prevents iran from enriching more uranium but it is allowed to develop new technology. the u.s. and other powers are afraid tehran has developed a nuclear weapon, something that tehran has denied. talks in geneva will be discussing slowing down iran's nuclear program in the next six months. the deal is only a framework for the new solution. pussy riot held a news conference today. they criticized russian president vladimir putin and called for a boycott of the up coming winter olympics. >> what we want to attract

attention to first of all the attention of the people living abroad is that they should not go to the olympics as if it's some sport or cultural event. think of it as a political event, a political choice. if this choice is positive and you decide to come, remember there are people here in russia, russian citizens who do not have this opportunity because they're behind bars and for no reason. >> he is afraid of lots of things. he surrounds himself with walls and doesn't see the reality behind them now. he's deceived and ready to live in that deceit. >> they have no plans to leave russia and plan to help prisoners who live in prison. >> news of reinforcements come as south sudan's president agr

agrees to a cease-fire with rebels. but the rebels have not agreed to halt the fighting. there are reports that they allowed the political detainees go free. fighting in south sudan has left more than a thousand people dead and a hundred thousand misplace we have returns from juba. government forces have retaken a key area. >> the taking of the capitol of southern sudan is a huge for the forces. this is something that is independently confound telling us that it was fully under the control of government forces although there was sporadic fighting going on. now this is a key town with an international airport and home of some of the most productive oil fields in southern sudan. now retaking of the city and that of the capitol eight hours ago by government forces is

something that will encourage them in the answe onslaught. now, the igard heads of state have given the government here in southern sudan up to four days to begin talks. they'll welcome the government's commit to talks unconditionally, however, they're asking for former vice president machar to commit himself to attacks. they're asking for those who are in detention, that they should be released so they would have all enincludesive talks that will end the crisis that has engulfed south sudan in very veer humanitarian situations.

>> we spoke with the minister of culture, we asked how the conflict began. >> there have been political competition between various powers within the ruling party. the liberation movement that will be dependent on south sudan, and now these competitions with public office were looking like we can spill over into ethnic politics, and the ethnic politics of south s sudan and it's complexities cannot be denied but can be overplayed. they often reached for the ethnic card as a way to get their ethnic groups on their

side. what has happened in the south sudan is purely political competition between leaders, but it has quickly taken on ethnic overtunes. >> what does it mean that president kiir declared a cease-fire. clearly the rebels were not part of that cease-fire. does that mean anything? does it mean that we might see the fighting subside? >> no, it will not. that translates into a fighting halting. it simply suggested the good will on the part of the government saying tha saying sat this juncture in our history with only two years of independence when all of our citizens are expecting something better, something to relief the burden of 30 years of war by account of other historians, 50 years and maybe even 100 years of war, it would relief them

during this period as now been as we fight. the government has suggested we don't want that. >> do you think most do see themselves as citizens of a nation, or do they identify first with their tribe? >> i think especially in times of tension like this people are likely to see themselves as members of ethnic group first before they can call themselves south sudanese. south sudan as a nation, for them should come with some stakes for them. whether it's a time like this where many have been killed, and the state has not been able to protect them, they are more likely to see the results most look likely with the ethnic group than with the nation. >> that is jok madut jok reporting from south sudan. >> the u.s. and gad agreed to

move a controversial base on okinawa. now the deal is done and the island's governor has greed to the relocation plan. it has been viewed as a breakthrough, but not everyone in japan is happy with the decision. we have more from washington. >> reporter: the future of the u.s. military base on the island of okinawa has been in dispute for years. but on friday the governor of the japanese island approved a plan to hanoko bay, another remote section of the island. in a written statement the u.s. defense secretary said the realignment effort is absolutely critical to the united states ongoing rebalance to the asian pacific. region. moving forward with this plan will reduce our footprint in the most populated part of okinawa while sustaining u.s. military capabilities vital to the peace and security of the region. but locals have long complained about the noise, pollution and even crime the military presence

has ingested into the heavily populated area. that opposition turned to outcry in 1996 after three american service men were convicted in the gang rape of a 12-year-old japanese girl. shortly after tokyo and washington greed to move the marine base. the continued public opposition to relocating the base to another side of the island stalled the move for 17 years. the latest plan to move the base is no less controversial. roughly two thousand people turned up outside of an okinawa building in protest, but the prime minister shinzo abe accepted the location. he reportedly offered the island incentive like infrastructure improvements. the relocation of the base in okinawa is a key part of the realignment of the troops in the asian region. so the u.s. is better positioned to respond to potential threats.

north korea or china. >> the plans have the backing of the prime minister who have promised tighter ties with the u.s. as a result of increased tensions with china. >> with the obama policy shifting, pivoting towards the far east, it remains in the presence on okinawa remains a very important part of the strategicastrategiccal couldsts. >> reporter: currently there are 18,000 marines stationed at okinawa. that number is expected to drop to roughly 10,000 once the new base is completed over the next decade. kimberlkimberly halkett, al jaz.

>> how a program is saving money by helping homeless people stay out of the hospital. many worry that the gains made in education will not stick in the future. aljazeera's jane ferguson takes us to a school in kandahar city that was long considered a success and is now facing closure. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know, a quality education in real tangible skills, a path away from positivity and early marriage

and towards university and a career. since 2002, the modern stud has been teaching women languages, like management and computer skills. that they are skills that speak of ambition which in the heart of tallle ban country is remarkable. >> we are a unique school, preparing women to go to jobs. our school is preparing women to go to universities. >> san francisco is now the most unaffordable housing market in the country. do the math.

the city is small, 49 square miles, and house something not keeping pace with the growing population. rent has gone up more than 10% in the past year. median rent for a two bedroom argument now $3,250 a month. that has priced out many residents and brought attention between new tech money and older residents. >> for almost half a century mary has had this view of francisco from her balcony. but she stands to lose that view next spring at 97 years old she faces eviction from her rent controlled apartment. >> i feel very bitter about it. they'll have to take me out screaming and yelling. >> she intends to keep her view and decided to fight the eviction in court. others are not being kicked out, but they're being prized out.

mary now wants $3,000 a month, possibly $4,000 a month. >> i don't think i've done anything wrong except that i'm not rich. >> according to the u.s. census bureau, san francisco now has the highest median rent among the nation's large cities, the income gap has widened between the rich and poor. as long time residents leave neighborhoods like this one, resentment has grown. anti-eviction protests have become more frequent. >> it's getting worse and worse. we have three times the amount of evictions we had last year and it's time to say stop. >> it's really sucking out the soul of san francisco. >> reporter: san francisco has become a victim of its own success. a strong economy fueled by the technology industry has led to a tale of two cities. the supply of homes can't meet demand even with new

construction and some real estate speculators are using eviction as a tool to make way for new development. protests have stopped buss that shuttle employees to and from work. the level of anger in some argue has been misdirected. the housing shortage made painfully clear in this boom time. whatever the reason for the crisis, tech has become the target. al jazeera asked google about the backlash. we received this statement, quote: th >> the city is trying to speed up construction. >> i don't know just what i would do. i don't want to go to an old

folks home. >> if mary loses her court battle all she'll have left are photographs, memories of her decades in this home. melissa chan, al jazeera, san francisco. >> 600,000, that's how many people are in the u.s. rely on shelters. or the streets to call home. and when it comes to healthcare treating the homeless it comes at a high cost. but as randall pinkston reports, a new program to handle homelessness and healthcare costs at the same time. >> i'm so happy. >> it's been a long time since he has been able to say that. born in manhattan and raised in puerto rico, ramirez was studying to become a teacher. >> my mother got sick and then i stopped that to take care of h her. >> ramirez worked a series of

jobs. finally when the job he was working at moved away he lost not only his job but his home, too. he lived under the kony boardwalk. his health suffered. >> i was drinking too much. >> you're diabetic? >> yes. >> so you have hypertension and high blood pressure. >> yes. >> and you have asthma? >> asthma, also. >> what we do know from past research among people who are frequent users of the emergency departments those people are homeless. these are people who have medical problems, coexisting substance abuse problems. >> reporter: specializing in homelessness. but it was a stint as a field researcher in san francisco that showed her a different approach for healthcare for the homeless. >> when you break it down there are so many things that are necessary for health that you can't do when you don't have the stability and that roof over your head. >> so you do your own shopping? >> yes. >> having a refrigerator and a stove so you can make healthy

food and not rely on handouts or fast food or something that is bad for you. >> ramirez has a fresh start because of an innovative plan that uses government funds, medicaid to help the homeless. it provides an argument, medical care and a case worker. 16 studies nationwide has backed up the benefits what have is known as supportive housing, showing that states can save money by implementing this plan. >> two years ago new york state began a first in the nation experiment use $150 million in medicaid money in housing for the homeless. >> we serve over 5,000 individuals right now. what we're see something decreased utization of hospital use and increased use on the primary preventive side. that's exactly what we wanted to say. >> ramirez used to go to the emergency room three and four

times a month. and now? >> i haven't gone to the emergency room at all. >> at all? >> he now takes his medication and makes regular visits to the nurse's office and case manager, both in the building where he lives. >> i'm proud of how well he has done. >> he is the one who helped me. >> and key for good health for ramirez and other hol homeless people having a home. >> where would you have been without this place? >> probably dead. >> it's like a new life. >> yes, it is. a whole different world. >> when asked how to r reduce te rising costs of healthcare for the homeless by getting them their own place. >> some folks will be enjoying warmer weather this weekend. we'll tell you who next. >> coming up on "real money" retail reality, what happens to

consumer spending with holiday discounts. and the year's hottest toys. we'll talk to the creator of rainbow looms. and dozens of tax cuts for 2014, and tax bills for some folks is heading higher. all that and more on "real money." i'm phil torres. coming up this week on techknow.

>> in the democratic republic of congo the streets have gone high tech. one of two robots that direct traffic. they were installed to handle rush hour congestion and to keep an eye on traffic violations. the robots complete are

sunglasses use applied technique. 6:00. >> temperatures were a little milder across the state. in a lot of places we have below normal temperatures. 20 degrees below normal and wind chills. not to start your weekend. as we look at the saturday to start out we'll have dry, milder conditions across portions of the midwest across texas, oklahoma and cans. some of those spots have had snow and ice. as we get to the center northern portion of the u.s. let's go to canada even, yeah, we're going to get more arctic air. it's wintertime and what are you going to do. we'll have arctic air sending a blast down for snow and giving the risk of freezing rain in places. saturday is going to be fairly nice initially. what i want to point out is the rainfall coming down around texas, florida, parts of the

southeast with an increase of rainfall here. this is our next storm system. we're really watching to interact with that arctic care coming in from the north. the flood watches are already in place with the rainfall we expect to come with the system. the bulk of the rainfall will come across alabama, georgia, and go into the carolinas. we'll start out on saturday with low temperatures in the 20s for minneapolis. mid 30s for seattle and so still a little warmer than what we've had. high temperatures, okay, we're much closer for our normal saturday. but then as we get through the day that very cold air will be pushing down across the great lakes. that's going to make the wind gusting. wind chills across that's going to bring snow from the great lakes with the highest totals up to eight inches.

>> this is al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm stephanie sy with a look at today's top stories. in beirut a car bomb has killed it's former finance minister. the united states has condemned the attack. in egypt there was heavy fighting between anti-coup protesters and forces across the country. three people were killed and 250 arrested. the clashes come days after the interim government declared the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization. the aclu said it will appeal a federal judges rulin ruling e national