... this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i am jonathan betz. a weaker safety net as emergency unemployment benefits run out. no relief for hundreds of thousands of hurricane katrina victims. a federal judge throws out all of the remaining lawsuits against the government. a new report now says al-qaeda was not responsible for the attack on the american consulate in been gas i. a humanitarian disaster in syria. a refugee camp where people are starving to death.

it's been a particularly difficult holiday for millions of americans. nearly 11 million people are unemployed. 4 million have been unemployed for more than six months. as of today, nearly a third of those people are being cut off from a federal lifeline. 1.3 million americans lost long-term unemployment benefits. on average, each person got a little more than a thousand dollars a month. the benefits began in 2008 at the height of the recession. since then, the payouts have cost the federal government $225,000,000,000. congress had renewed them regularly until this year. rebecca dixon said the government should do something. >> we would need to have a robust job creation program. there have been lots of ideas that have been out there that have been part of the president's budget, that have been part of different budgets from both parties. but there seems to be this gridlock in congress and an unwillingness to take it on. in america, we don't look at

problems like this as too big. we can't just forget the unemployment just because it's a hard problem to solve. for more on this, we turn to jennifer london in honolulu where the president is vacationing. jennifer, there is still, it seems, some hope the president might be able to extend these benefits. >> the president has been pushing for months, jonathan, long before he and the first family came out to hawaii for their vacation. and it hasn't been just tee times and beach trips for the family with the president here stressing he is on vacation but he has been working behind the scenes on this and earlier this week, the president did sign in to law the bi-partisan act of 2013 which funds the government and a number of other programs and did not include an extension to the federal jobless benefits which is why today some 1.3 million americans are seeing that federal lifeline, if you will, cut off. the president has said that extending these jobless benefits is an urgent economic priority

and yesterday, the president made two calls. one to democratic senator jack reed and another to republican senator dean heller, the president calling these two senators to show his support for a proposal they have put forth to extend jobless benefits for another three months. and before the president began his hawaiin vacation, before he left washington, d.c., the president said congress should have taken action on this before they left town for the holiday. >> because congress did not act, many of their constituents will have no job source at all. >> despite the president's behind-the-scenes pushing on this, there is no immediate quick fix on the horizon, jonathan. congress is in recess until january 6th. >> jennifer, when they come back from recess, is there anything

indication that some republicans might be willing to extend these benefits? >> well, house speaker john boehner has said he would be willing to consider an extension. he would be willing to take the possibility of an extension to his party if it is paid for. and boehner says simply at this point, the white house has not put forth any plan that he thinks is acceptable. so we will have to wait and see. >> okay. our jennifer london live in hon l lulu tonight. thank you. a fred recall judge in new orleans dismissed all of the r5i78ing lawsuits seeking damages caused by hurricane katrina's flooding. more than half a million people filed you claims against the u.s. government for failing to maintain the levy. it blames them, not mother nature for the floods. the army corp of engineers was in charge. stephanie boswell has more now from new orleans >> reporter: a series of lawsuits in new orleans seeking billions of dollars against

thefet federal government and insurance companies are over. the damages were caused by katrin a in 2005. u.s. district judge stanward duval, jr. dismissed it yesterday. he ruled more than 500,000 residents, businesses, and governments would have to pay their own damages. the classes action suit accused the u.s. corp of engineers of poor maintenance of the industrial canal. this ruling comes more than a year after federal appeals court overturned judge duval's original ruling that the corp was responsible for billions of dollars in damages. duvall dismissed the parallel lawsuit against a contractor. this suit claimed the company's excavation work week ended the levy's floodwald walls. he has presided over this case for the last eight years because he did not receive any damage to his personal property due to flooding. a new report suggests there is no evidence al-qaeda played a role in last year's attack on the us consulate in benghazi.

chris stevens and three other americans were killed in that incidents. an extensive investigation by the "new york times" concluded that the truth is very complex. it suggested an american-made video criticizing islam did spark anger in the run-up to the attack and that al-qaeda did not infiltrate benghazi prior to that. it blames local military taints. it says the attack was notmetic lusly planned and it wasn't spontaneous and there were some warning signs. it suggests the current u.s. focus on fighting al-qaeda distracts from protecting broader american interests a new year ahead and a push for progress in israeli-palestinian talks. john kerry will travel to jerusalem and meet with benjamin netanyahu and palestinian macmum makmud abbas. >> the plans for more jewish settlement in the west bank announced this week have angered

p palestinians. they say that could derail talks. 20 penal were killed in a syrian air strict in aleppo today. a bomb hit a crowded vegetable market. two children are said to be among the victims. the past two weeks, president musharif's army has zeroed in on aleppo. 400 people have been killed following days of attacks. a messages to pope francis. according to state media, assad said he is protecting syrians of all religions. the u.n. reports some refugees are starving to death. act visits say five people in one camp in damascus have died of malnutrition. al jazeera stephanie decker reports, but we must first warn you that the images in this are graphic >> reporter: ultimately starved to death.

this is what happens to the human body when it doesn't get enough food. these images have been filmed by an activist inside the palestinian refugee camp. we used his voice and not his face for security reasons. >> good morning. >> the humanitarian situation is disastrous. there is a threat of famine and people are getting sick. basics like rice and sugar are hardly available and some corrupt traders took advantage of this situation and they sell 1 kilo of rice for between 50 and $70 u.s. dollars. also, medicine has run out. >> the camp has become a stronghold for rebel forces for over a year now. in the last few months, it has been surrounded and completely cut off by government troops. it's prompted the united nations reliefage agency for palestine refugees to call for an immediate humanitarian corridor for people inside. >> there are perpetual reports

of starvation, of malnutrition, of hunger, and these reports are extremely disturbing. they must lead to a siege as the commissioner general and other work leaders have asked. there are as many as 20,000 people trapped inside. many are children and we are extremely concerned about their plight today. >> yarmuk was or is home to the largest palestinian refugee community in syria with 160,000 people living there. it is south of damascus, set up in 1957 and gradually build up as an urban quarter with its own schools and health centers. overall conditions here were far best earn the other palestinian camps in syria. but that is no longer the case. people here are calling for an end to the siege. they are desperate for help.

tra >> translator: we only have dust and dirt to eat. have a look at us. we have nothing to do with fighting. >> the fear is if aid doesn't come into the camps, that those left in the camp will continue to bury their dead. stephanie decker, al jazeera. the death toll from the car bomb in beirut has risen to 7. the target is believed to have been mahamid shasa. he was an out spoonlike ridict of the al asooed and hezbollah. nobody has claimed responsibility. >> the lights are out for thousands of people in the northeast t could get worse. an ice storm earlier this week cut power to half a million homes from michigan to maine. warmer weather in some areas the next few days could cause falling ice and that could bring down more power lines which, of course, is not good news. rebecca, you were saying earlier, they could see even

more snowy weather coming up. >> got it coming in. it's developing, jonathan. if you thought it was cold last week, wait until you get this hit. this is coming in to start out the new year. yes, high temperatures are getting colder and colder in the upper midwest. this is where temperatures dropped down, now, to 17 in billings, but note the difference. minneapolis still sitting at 40 while the winds are picking up. they are powerful gusts here and the wind gusts, as blustery as 46 miles an hour in fargo. this cold air is going to be dropping temperatures. and, in fact, it's going to feel like 50 degrees below zero near the canadian border as we get into late tonight and early morning sunday and continues to cool off on the way downing. yep, another hit of snow on the way for the northeast. i will have more details on that coming up at the end of the hour. jonathan? >> same-sex marriage has beenleg legal in utah for a week. will a supreme court challenge change that? plus... >> i don't know about you, but

my high school campus was never quite like this. just ahead, i will introduce you to a school where aviation and education mix.

every sunday night join us for exclusive, revealing and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. tomorrow night. >> we try to be funny in serious stories which is very, very rare. >> he made radio cool with his sense of humor, insight and curiosity. he opened a new window into american life. >> before they know it we're actually able to present something new that they haven't heard about. >> talk to al jazeera with ira glass.

it's been a week of celebration for many in utah for the state's gay community especially, christmas came early with a ruling to overturn utah's ban on same-section marria sex marriage. the state is planning to ask the u.s. supreme court to put a hold on same-sex marriage in utah while the appeals continue. >> our jim hulee joins us from salt lake city. are we still seeing gay couples getting married, or are they waiting to see how it plays out in court? no. no, jonathan. so many have been married here over the past week. it's been an incredible week here in salt lake city and all of utah after the ruling was overturned, the ban was overturned, some of the same-sex

couples here began flock to go their clerk and recorders' offices, the county clerk's offices all over utah mat waitio get marriage lningz. some 900 have been issued to gay couples here just in the past week alone. incredible numbers. the lines out the door, the lined in. what would happen, two people would go get their marriage license and step downstairs and out the door. there were ministers waiting that had been ordained just a few of them a short time before. they would then wed the couples right there. just an incredible time. not for everybody, of course. they are having some hurdles in the outlying cities. incredible numbers as most people here described is it, kind of a surreal experience for utah and salt lake city. >> it is surreal since utah is, as many know, very conservative. what has the pushback been like there? >> well, it happened quite quickly where some of the clerks in some of the counties, they

put said we want to know more about what's happened here we want to know more about the judge's ruling. we are not going to issue any licenses for -- so for a couple of days, they did not issue any licenses. in utah county one couple, two women, a lesbian couple, said they were going to go ahead and they were going to sue that county clerk. after thinking about it for a couple of days, all of the county cleshingz and all of the countiesrks and all of the counti counties. by thursday, they decided they would issue the licenses. >> that's what's been going on. the paperwork now has to be filed by the attorney general to issue the stay. we are expecting that to happen on monday or tuesday. but pos bliz issue that stay. that, of course is a big question here now for everyone. >> walk us through the legal process. what happens after that stay is issued? what's next for the state? >> william, of course, it is up to the supreme court justice sonya sotomayor. it will be the request for a

stay at this point, not an appeal. that will mean if the stay is issued, that will mean that the state can -- counties can no longer issue at that point the marriage licenses. it will not invalid ate any of the marriages that have already taken places and the ceremony that have already taken place. they will remain in good standing, but of course everyone is waiting for the paperwork to be filed by the attorney general. that should happen either monday or tuesday. >> certainly a historic week there in utah. jim hooley live in salt lake city. thank you. students are admitted to a special seattle area high school can get a head start on pursuing their passion for aviation. some are concerned about the public/private partnership behind the unique school. alan shopler has more now in seattle. >> it makes sense in a place nicknamed "jet city" and in a state where 130,000 people work designing and building airplanes that there would be a school called aviation high. raysbeck aviation high where you

will see planes out the classroom and find sky mechanicalen loving math. >> it's a language that describes the universe. if you want to go to space and if we are to really develop things that work, that get off of this planet, we have to understand physics and the language of the universe. >> that's what sky and hercase classmates wants to do, get off of the planet. the curriculum is designed to help them. >> there are no traditional organized sports here but making the robotic team, that is a big deal. >> we put a gopro on the robot to have perspective and the disks go bam, bam, bam, bam. >> most classes have an aviation space or engineering theme. every student has their own laptop. the nearby museum of flight is an extended campus and a source of mentors and student internships. only one in three who apply get into this school and students come from all over the region. it's college prep meets industry

prep. with 200 aviation related companies nearby, the business community has bought in, providing instructors, real world job experience, and money. seattle-based alaska airlines, a million and a half dollars for construction, raysbeck engineering, three billion. jet maker, boeing, 4 million. a third of the $44 million price tag for the public school paid by private donors. even boeing's international rival agrees. >> yes, there is a gap that we have to start filling right now. >> the aerospace industry needs to help kids like these get ready to do jobs like these. >> our industries has huge challenges, environmental challenges, fuel efficiency challenges, cost challenges, quality challenges. to do all of this, we need really good people. >> among educatoreducators, thet pushback when corporate money supports schools with the expectation that the employee pool will be improved and

businesses will benefit. doctoralen mull nar is a long-time education researcher specializing in commercialization in public school systems. he would like to see corporations pay more taxes instead. >> it seems it's a good idea if it's a tax contribution. it's it's bad policy and a bad idea long-term if you have a public education system that relies on bits and scraps given as a matter of free will by a corporate corporation here or there to promote its particular interests. >> the boss at aviation high seas the public-private union quite differently, essential in a time when school budgets are under pressure? >> it is absolutely critical that schools be partnered with business and industry. we can't do it. we simply can't do it alone. many of our educators have never worked outside the field of education. >> sky, she just wants to build space ships and sees this place,

however its funded, as a launchpad to that dream. >> it's a humbling experience to go to this school because we are surrounded by mail and female role models. we are surrounded by our heroes, who are doing what we want to do and they are showing us how to do it. >> with high schoolers prepping to design the future of flight, alan shoveler, al jazeera seattle. >> it's an interest can topic. the author of a recent study, she joins us from berlin where she is doing research. thanks for being with us. as we heard in the piece, there has been some pushback against these specialized schools. what are your thoughts of this concept? >> i think you have to be an idealouge to not be excited about that school. look at what's going on there. your reporter reeled off a bunch of numbers. we are talking about up to -- i don't know? is it $10 million or something that was coming from business? >> good when business is willing to help schools get better.

and, you know, it's a new concept around the country more and more is this idea that businesses that know what kind of workers we need in the economy in the workplace and in the economy will help schools not just with money but with aligning their curriculums so that they are preparing kids for exactly the jobs that are in demand in a very technological workplace. >> but jobs and demand in that community, is it not also in some ways, though, possibly shifting responsibility from the company, of training future workers to the school district? >> no. i mean companies are paying to train them. >> that's the point. they are helping schools train them. companies don't do much job training at this point in america. i mean some countries, you know, germany where i am, for example, companies do a lot of training in the worksite. there is a lot of tradition of that. in america, they are not doing very much training any more until this new idea came along. >> isn't that -- >> businesses per. >> isn't that precisely the

problem right there is that the companies are not doing the training any longer and relying on high schools and colleges to do the training that the companies probably should be paying for? >> no, but that's a good answer because you need some classroom time, and again, in the company -- in a country like germany, the government organize the companies to work with the schools and the colleges. you are alternates going to need some classroom component. it's a good thing that the businesses are meeting with and collaborating with the schools and doing it together. >> that's the best way go to make it happen. it's exciting that it's happening in america. it's not happening enough is the main problem. the problem is not that it's happening too much. it's not happening enough. we are seeing the very beginning of a movement. we are left -- where left and right, democrats, pretty much everybody agrees it's a good thing. the question is how to make it happen more. >> how do you make it happen more? >> well, you try to educate businesses that it's in their interest that it's a win-win for

them, that it will cost them some time and money but they will get the workers they need amend then you educate the schools that it's a good idea to work with business and push back like that educator you had who said, you know, is worried about it. the biggest -- one of the biggest problems is you educate the public to understand that not every kid has to go to college. we have an idea in america. everybody should go to college. college is the ticket to the middle class. well, sometimes it's a ticket to the middle class. but sometimes it's just a ticket to a lot of debt and a diploma that you can't do anything with. the beauty of the kind of school you just showed us is that when you graduate from that school, you have a job. you know, chances are you have a job because you have learned really how to do a job that some business needs. >> one of the jobs is this notion that everybody should go to college and that that's the only expectable answer, we have to lift up just what you are doing, showing some of these schools really work and a kid like sky, she has a great

future. >> a lot of options. live in berlin, thank you for your insight. the first time in decades, more couples in china will now, have the legal option of having a second child. china's law enacted in the 1970s was meant to curb the population. it faces an elderly population it cannot support. al jazeera's dominic cain talks to parents about the change. >> it's official, from now on, millions of chinese families can grow, and that is music to the ears of zhang and chin jun. they are in their mid 30s and have one son but they feel it's their duty to have another child. >> i think it's our obligation as parents to make sure he has a sibling. an only child is too lonely. i am not an only child myself. i have a younger sister. an only child will never feel what i feel. it feels great to have a sister.

>> for a generation, the one-child policy is thought to have prevented as many as 400 million births. it was introduced when china, economy was weaker, with a population its government felt it couldn't support. but with the country much richer now than in 1979, the likelihood of a baby boom is remote because developed countries tend to have smaller families regardless of government policy. >> if the rules hadn't been loosened, we wouldn't have been allowed to apply for the birth permit. we were worried it might affect our second child. we are so relieved that the policy has changed. it will take a lot of the financial burden off of us. >> that is something the government is clearly keen to encourage. one academic says without this relaxation of the rules, the

economy would suffer. >> in the long run, ab labor shortage and a rapidly aging population will under 9 economic growth. it's not always good that the birth rate stays low. it should match the changes in population. >> one thing is certain, the children playing in this kindergarten will enjoy freedoms older generations were deny. dominic caine, al jazeera. there is a lot more ahead on al jazeera america, including saying good buy to 2013, will mean saying good buy to some popular tax breaks. look at which deductions disappear next. >> raves from critics but not from the tribe that portraysportrays.

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. here is a look at top stories this half hour: a judge in new orleans dismissed the last of

the lawsuits for damages caused by hurricane cat writtkatrina. a new york sometimes investigation says the 2012 attack on benghazi did not vow al-qaeda. it says it was caused by local militants angry about an american-made film about islam. four were killed including christopher stevens. long-term unemployment benefits ran out today. that put more than a million americans at risk of falling below the poverty line. the benefits program began in 2008. congress had renewed it regularly until this year. >> tom ackerman has more >> reporter: the u.s. economy is adding jobs but it's still well short of the total before the bottom fell out of the labor market in 2007. the hardest hit are the long-term unemployed. an estimated 4.9 million of them will exhaust their emergency benefits during 2014 unless congress acts to renew the

program. people like 56-year-old nor better fronchak are being cut off now? >> i can't pay for unitilities. after this check i get this week from unemployment, i have to pay the mortgage payment 1st of january. i will have less than $200 in the bank. >> before congress adjourned for the year, president barack obama appealed for the benefits to be restored. >> for many people who are still looking for work, unemployment insurance is a life line that can make the difference between temporary hardship or lasting catastrophfee. >> republicans procepose to. >> people think we need two years of unemployment insurance, they should say we want to raise the taxes and the contributions of employees and employers. >> others contend the extended benefits discourage the unemployed from stepping up their job search. that argument doesn't improve dale sexton who lost his job six months ago?

>> it seems to be the impression that the people on unemployment benefits are just kind of sitting around enjoying the money and nothing could be farther from the truth. >> despite a booming stockmarket and record corporate profits, almost three americans are competing for each current job opening. tom ackerman, arizona, washington. >> the new year will mean dozens of federal tax deductions and credits will also expire. stacy tisdale has more on that >> reporter: while 2013 came in with a bang, it ends with perhaps a higher tax bill for many. that affect small business owners to educators. teachers in the u.s. spend $13,000,000,000 out-of-pocket on school supplies for students. that's right. $13,000,000,000 every year. >> more than 3 and a half million teachers in the u.s. spend money out of their own pockets to make sure students have the supplies and resources they need. since 2003, they have been able to deduct up to $250 for

out-of-pocket expenses. that deduction disappears at the end of the year. >> i hope that the counselors and teachers and aides spend those funds on behalf of the children. buzz it will cost them more in 2014. >> it may cost parents with kids in college more. the tuition and fees deduction allows families earning less than 160 dlarsz a year and single parents earning less than $80,000 a year to exclude as much as $4,000 from their income giving them a lower tax bill. >> we are hoping congress does something to make some of these incentives more permanent to provide some certainty because when you are trying to decide whether or not you can afford to go to school, you need to know the after-tax expense for tuition and fees. >> in the meantime, tax experts say affected parents should try to pay 2014 expenses by the end of this year. struggle ling homeowners will face what many experts call a

financial disaster with the expiration of the mortgage debt forgiveness relief act of 2011. it prompts it from being taxed as income. consider that more than 640,000 americans received relief from the national mortgage settlement reached in 2012. lenders reduced it $108,000 so monthly payments were affordable. if congress doesn't act, mortgage reductions made in 2014 will be taxed as income. >> it's going to hit these people who are the very most vulnerable people who are already struggling with their mortgage payments, people who have been hurt by a declining home price market. and that just hurts the housing market. it hurts the economy. small businesses in the united states create more than 60% of private sector jobs. many economists say their ability to grow will be hurt by the expiration of deduction that let's them write off up to

$500,000 spent on many kinds of new or used equipment. in 2014 t trochees to $25,000. >> just because these ex recommendations set to expire at the end of the year does not mean that the taxpayers won't get relief. it's always possible that congress can reinstate provisions and make them retro active but that doesn't mean they will come back in the same size or form. for now, it's a waiting game. millions of taxpayers and businesses need to brace themselves for a higher bill from uncle sam. stacy tisdale, al jazeera, new york. hopes for a cease fire in south sudan are fading. officials say a tribal militia loyal to the former vice president is marching toward a key state capital. the violence is displacing thousands of civilians seeking refuge in camps that are being overrun. >> al jazeera mohammed abdul takes us inside of one of them. >> these people are displaced. almost two weeks after they sought protection at the main

u.n. peace keeper's base in the capital, juba, they are not confident enough to return to their homes. the fighting is neighbor against neighbor. this man watched as his brother was shot. >> my brother was killed, not by soldiers but by civilians. he died because he belonged to a certain ethnic group. >> reporter: with thousands living here, the camps are overcome. they are short of the most basic of services such as clean water. help is beginning to arrive. here, officials of the world food program distribute food and house homed items to the displaced. >> it's been a very challenging task for the world food program and its partners in terms of distributing food. we are doing so in a challenging circumstances but we are doing our utmost. >> with more and more displaced people seeking shelter in u.n.

conflict across the country, the u.n. peacekeeping mission in south sudan is overwhelmed. there are plans to increase troop members to 12,500 with reenforce] from other u.n. peacekeeping missions in the congo, libiria and the avery coast. >>ivory coast. >>. >> they are from the u.n. mission in the democratic republic of con go, trained in crowd control, they will be spread across the country. >> we believe that the need for these additional peace keeper troops and u.n. police advisors is critical. we have something on the order of an estimated 63,000 civilians housed at a dozen locations of the peacekeeping mission across the country >> reporter: they say, however, with additional capabilities,

they will not be able to protect every civilian in south sudan. the country is too big and the conflict is spread over wide areas to be effective liz police by 12,500 troops. 340e78d abdul, al jazeera, south sudan. >> as we mentioned, one of those areas is the city of bor. members of the white army militia are said to be on their way with a force of about 25,000 strong. i asked steve mcdonald, senior advisor at the wilson center what could be in store for that area. >> if there are indeed 25,000 of them, it depends upon a little bit of how heavily armed they are, the south sudan hesudaneses recaptured bor and mcalla. well, maybe half of mcalla. they have a large presence up there. if there are 25,000 of these guys, there may be a real

knock-down drag-out battle up there. >> that was steve mcdonald, the senior advisor for the africa program at the wilson center. >> an intention heat wave has hit argentina. national weather center has declared a red alert in the capital, bon as aries. some people have taken to the streets to voice anger over the power outages. >> no one listens to us. we followed all of the correct procedures, and we have called the energy company, but only computer deals with us. they say the engineers are out working, but that's a lie. we have no alternative but to do this. >> with temperatures over 100 degrees, the government is now handing out water and until energy companies fix the problems, residents are trying to beat the heat as best thing. >> well, from hot to cold, an australia an risk u ship is trying to get to a vessel stuck off antarctica.

it's about 100 miles east of a french research station. on board are 74 scientists, tourists and crew. seven foot thick ice was too much for a chinese ship called the snow dragon sentence in to help. the australian ice breaker is due to arrive tomorrow. it has the highest ice breaking rating of a ship in that area but it is unclear if it will be able to help. >> a hollywood thrillerset in the mountains of new jersey has received rave reviews from critics but not for the tribe that theville ages are based on. seventeen members of the aremapo tribe filed a lawsuit against the film makers. al jazeera kaelyn forde has more >> reporter: for centuries, the remapo indian nations has called these mountains home. just 30 miles from new york city, the tribe of 5,000 has kept their traditions alive. >> this is called a kinniwaw

kinniwawikan. we pray and the images are essentially spirits of the forest. they look over the forest. >> the remfo have more than 16 acres of land here along the border of new york and new jersey but the tribe said it's hard to keep their land and protect their culture. they have faced racism and discrimination for decades. now they say that hollywood film set in their mountains has old old wounds, reviving old stereotypes. >> people in those hills have their own breed of justice. it does not include us. >> out of the furnace tells the story of a kidnapping by mysterious hill people. it's main villain is one of two characters bearing a common name. the film's criminal game is known as the jackson white, a racial slur against the remapo. >> he haunts those mountains. >> the real issue with the film

is that it's not that it's blatantly racist all the way through but the underlying current is so ugly and so pronounced that -- and, also, it's so identifybly connected to our tribal people that it's sort of giving cart blanche to hatred. >> this didn't start yesterday >> i am sure it didn't. >> morning star says her children has been bullied. >> a substitute teacher came in and he had made the comment that one of our family members deserved to get shot and that we were just one of those people. my niece and my kids as well, they come home, mom, what is the jackson white? >> since the film's release, the prayer house was also vandalized? >> the racism was dying down. it really was. you know, and what this movie does is it brings back -- i went to the movie. i started crying.

>> seventeen members of the tribe, several with the last name degrote have filed a $50 million lawsuit against the film maker. chief barry isn't backing the lawsuit. he would rather see the film and the film makers apologize. it's a drama that hasn't ended when the cameras turn off. kaelynn ford, al jazeera, mawa in general. >> relativity media did not return our request for comment. imagine dealing with 18 hours of darkness a day as a winter reality in russia. next on al jazeera america. what the government is now doing to brighten people's days. in sports, from a-rod to the boston marathon bombing, we look back at some of the moments that shaped the world of sports this year. coming up this week on techknow. it's roll-call for the santa cruz police. their locked, loaded, armed with a computer program that could change everything. >> we found that the model was just incredibly accurate at predicting the times and

locations where these crimes were likely to occur. >> alright, where are we going? >> put your hands behind your back. >> can science predict crime before it happens? 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. the stream is uniquely interactive television. in fact, we depend on you, your ideas, your concerns. >> all these folks are making a whole lot of money. >> you are one of the voices of this show. >> i think you've offended everyone with that kathy. >> hold on, there's some room to offend people, i'm here. >> we have a right to know what's in our food and monsanto do not have the right to hide it from us. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> watch the stream. >> and join the conversation online @ajamstream.

? winter, people in moscow deal with 18 hours of darkness a day. this year, the government is 3 to go cheer up dreary days with artificial light. peter sharp has that story in moscow >> reporter: wakey, waky. it's nearly 10:00 o'clock in the morning. it could well be midnight. ever since the crimin kremlin sd daylight savings time, the people face 18 hours of darkness a day through the winter, sometimes without seeing blue sky or sunlight for months. >> the people of moscow, the daily walk to work,a depressing and at times, daying dangerous experience carried out in almost darkness crossing treacherous icy streets and then it all has to be repeated again eight hours later on the way home, again, in total darkness. >> it really influences people.

they can even get depression. statistics say 10% of people suffer from this disease during winter. almost every person can feel lack of energy and about 10% have to get medical treatment such as antidepressants. >> so for the first time, the city authorities declared: let there be light and lo and behold, there was light. they don't celebrate christmas in december. new year is the big deal but that didn't stop cities flashing out $10 million to turn moscow into a winter wonderland. as far as christmas decorations go, we are not talking about london's region ent street or new york's time square, but trust me, this is a big improvement. they lit up 7,000 trees and plastered lights across moscow, deck races that will remain in place for the winter olympics in february. >> lovely. we walk after a long day at work and this cheers us up.

we have to turn the lights on our apartment. what the about the children? they have to spend their mornings and evenings in darkness. >> if you life outside of moscow, tough luck, no lights in the suburbs, just four months of bumping into things. peter sharp, al jazeera in morning on you. >> i must say it does look dreary out there truth be told. >> don't want any part of that, no doubt. >> in times for the olympics coming up after what's been kind of a crazy year in sports. >> it's so often that case jonathan when you go back and think about it for more than 100 years, the world of sports has provided some of the most unf unforgettable moments of the year. one this year was when jason collins announced he was gay. eight months since that announcement, collins has yet to be signed by an nba team for this season mark morgan looks at the stories that shape the 2013 year in sports.

>> from lance armstrong coming clean about cheating to football's mantaitao never existed, sports wasted time moving from the back to the front page. the story lines turned serious with an incident at olympic hero oscar peistoriuous. >> he robert to fame shot and killed his girlfriend, reba stein camp in the dead of night. he claimed he thought she was a burglar. he will stand trial for murder in march. on april 15th, boston's biggest event was shaken by explosions near the finish line that killed three and injured 180. after the alleged bombers were hunted down, boston's pro sports teams led the way in rallying a shaken city. but soon, it would be another boston athlete dominating the headlines. >> former patrionarian hernandez

back in court for an indictment. he needed not guilty to six charges including first degree murder. >> in june, star new england aaron hernandez went from the penthouse to the jail house when police arrested him in the shooting death of ona loyd. he remains locked up after being indicted for murder. >> what we saw today was just disgusting. the fact that the man from milwaukee that put the suspension on me with not one bit of evidence, something i didn't do, i shouldn't serve one inning. >> alex rodriguez declared war on major league baseball for singing him out for a 211 game suspension after the injured yankee slugger's name and 13 other major leaguers were discovered on the client list of a south florida clinic that dispersioned performance enhancing drugs. he fought his suspension and returned to the field

august 5th. >> just as performance enhancing drugs turned to the for front of baseball, concussions reared their ugly heads in football. a group of retired players settled over the long-term effects of con discussions. >> instead of facing several more years of litigation, they de on a settlement with the league prepared to shell out $765 million. >> four months after the settlement, the ex players have yet to be paid but the conversation about concussions has not ceased. >> johnny manziel was accused of cashing in, the texas a & m quarterback denied any wrongdoing but thing agies suspended him for one half. who knows if an apology from incognito would have kept him from bolting the team but his departure and allegations of harassment kindled a firestorm in a miami dolphin's locker room

that stood by incognito despite his racially charged barbs. >> i don't feel like it was anything out of the ordinary, anybody was being bullied, hazed. we were doing things football teams do playing with your brothers, you know. i don't know how he took it. >> neither player has played against since october. >> florida state quarterback jame winston finished briefly but his heisman campaign was nearly sunk. >> jameis winston's lawyer was surprised this came out. >> despite vocal protests about the investigation by tallahassee police, prosecutors said they could not find enough evidence to charge winston. that left him free to succeed man zel as the most celebrated college ball player in the land. >> i trusted in the processziel the most celebrated college ball player in the land. >> i trusted in the process. it delivered a positive outcome. >> next for winston, the national title game where he will open 2014 in the headlines

again mark morgan, al jazeera. >> jonathan, some of the bigger stories from 2014 will be capped in 2014 as he mentioned there with the national championship game in college football with florida state win and maintain the number 1 ranking. this is the last weekend. the super bowl will be in february of 2014 when the champion of 2013 is crowned in 2014. we have some tail end stories. >> on the spot, with all of the stories, what do you think was the biggest sports story? >> the most captivate from a worldwide perspective had to be jason collins coming out as being the first active player in major sports to say he was gay. as i mentioned earlier, he has yet to sign with another team. now the question has been, now had a he has come out, has he been black balled because of it? that is a question that could linger into 2014 if he is not picked up by a team. >> might become a big story. signed by a team. ? >> we will see. okay. thanks, michael. still ahead on al jazeera

america, blizzard conditions hitting the middle of the country. how long with the storm last and where does headed? next. pope francis schedules a very special lunch. details ahead. your retirement? i'm here to make the connections to your money real. real money with ali velshi next on al jazeera america (vo) al jazeera america

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>> the two popes have prayed together and now they have dined together. three days after pope francis paid his predecessor a visit on christmas eve, retired pope benedict joined him for lunch. they ate on vatican city's grounds. their personal secretaries amend two other vatican officials joined them at that special lurchon. arctic air caused a warning into min associated a. it's a little bit of snow from the canadian boarder. one to two inches with wind gusts up to 50 miles an hour. it's going to be difficult. hard to see and the hypothermia and frostbite can happen quickly in this area. that kind of

carry weather stretching down causing it to work its way up to the northeast in the midwest and northern planes gu in the northeast as well as we get toward new year's day. right now, the blizzard in effect for north dakota and minnesota. elsewhere, windchill warnings and winter weather advisories toward the great lakes. it 2350e8z like 34 below zero. stenching downfeels like 34 bel stenching down. like atoma had a, nebraska. tht will work its way into not only nebraska but down into kansas and eventually toward arkansas as well. so the timing of these storms for tomorrow will be to continue the rainfall coming up the southeast coast, florida, georgia, the carolinas, virginia, maryland. you are all going to get the rain. it's going to be heavy at times.

one to two inches could fall in a specific area, especially where he hawe have the potentia the severe thormdz. as it gets into the northeast, this is where we are going to start to see a development of snow againunderstorms. as it gets into the northeast, this is where we are going to start to see a development of snow again. "new hampshire, maine, the o outages from the ice storm last week. it will workt its way down into the weekend and into the northeast monday and tuesday. we will have to bundle up for new year's day. even down into northern florida, it's going to be much cooler temperatures for you. so, sunday, dry and mild for louisiana. texas sort of split in half with the colder air along the west texas area, lubbock, you will start to feel the chill. it doesn't kick in until you get into later sunday night and monday. so, after that comfortable weather, maybe a little on the muggy side because of the storms, we will be monitoring the carolinas and even over toward atlanta, georgia. we are going to look for the development of some severe

thunderstorms. at a time could bring dusty winds, heavy rainfall causing local flash flooding but, also, hail, lightning, and that's definitely risk with these storms. the rain will get heavier as the storm will spin right up the east coast. temperatures as we get through the course of the morning hours will drop coldest, of course n be minnesota, north dakota where that blizzard warning is in effect. we are going to get cold temperatures in northern maine. now, as we get through the day, we will have that snow developing in maine, we will have a mix of snow/rain across parts of central new york city and the high temperatures. still mild for new york. but that arctic air was working its way in. we will drop to 10 for caribou. highs mainly coldest in the northern plains but mild on the west coast. gusty winds for southern california, but overall, we are not going to get too cold for the west.

>> you are watching al jazeera america live from new york city. i am jonathan betz. more than a million americans have been out of work for months, have now lost long-term unemployment benefits. congress did not extend the program which would have cost $19,000,000,000 next year. a federal judge in new orleans threw out the last of the lawsuits seeking damages for flooding caused by hurricane katrina. the army corp of engineers was in charge of the city's storm defenses. the federal agency has immunity from lawsuits no matter how negligent it might have been. a "new york times" investigation says the deadly 2012 attack on the u.s. embassy in benghazi did not involve al-qaeda. it alleges the attack was a response by local fighters to an amer