nicolas maduro >> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz live in new york. >> life just got harder for more than a million americans - today their unemployment benefits ran out >> a judge closes the book on katrina lawsuits, warning the government can't be held responsible for the flooding of new orleans. >> student protesters clash with police in care. . >> chinese building boom - why there are brand new apartments with owners - but no one living in them. >> we begin with unemployment.

it affects millions of americans - nearly 11 million, in fact, do not have a job. 4 million have been unemployed for more than six months. many are at risk of falling into poverty. as of today 1.3 million americans lost long-term unemployment benefits. on average each person got a little more than $1,000 a month. the benefits began at the height of the recession, costing $225 billion for the federal government. congress renewed the payouts until this year. congress said the economy means it needs to be cut. >> there's a lot of ideas part of the president's budget, different budgets, but there seems to be a gridlock in congress, and an unwillingness to take it on. in america we don't look at problems like this as too big

and we can't forget the unemployed because it's a hard problem to sold. >> we turn to jennifer london, live in honolulu where the president is vacationing. what kind of behind the scenes work is the president doing trying to extend the benefits? >> well, long before the president began his family vacation in hawaii, he spent months urging members of government to reach an agreement and extend jobless benefits. this is a vacation, but the president has been working behind the scenes to push member of congress to extend the jobless benefits. it hasn't just been tea time and trips to the beach. the president made two calls, one to democratic senator jack reid and the second to republican senator dean haller and the president called the two senators to show support for their proposal to extend jobless benefits for another three months.

the president went on to say he is pleased that they are working in a bipartisan fashion to address the manner, which the president said could be damaging to the u.s. economy. the president said it could hurt the economic growth of the united states and hurt job creation, because we are talking about 1.3 million americans who today are seeing the federal jobless benefits cut. states like california, illinois, new york, could be among those that are hit the hardest. before the president did come out to hawaii to start his presidential vacation, he held his last presidential press conference of the year, and said ending the jobless benefits is not the right thing to do. >> i think we are a better country than that. we don't abandon each other when times are tough. keep in mind unemployment insurance only goes folks actively looking for work. a mum who needs to feed kids

while sending out resumes, or a dad needing help to may rent while working part time and earning skills for that new job. >> jonathan, the president said further that reaching on agreement to extend the jobless benefits should be the law maker's first action, priority, when they return to washington d.c. after the recess on january 6th. >> when they do return, how likely is it that the benefits will get traction. are republicans showing interest that they might let this happen? >> house speaker john boehner said he is open and willing to perhaps take a potential deal to extend benefits to his caucus to members of his party if the deal is paid for. at this point he said the white house has not put forth an agreement that he thinks is acceptable, and furthermore other republicans have bush era

benefits that went into effect in 2008. they were meant to be temporary. some of those republicans were saying this is the time to cut those benefits. >> jennifer london live from honolulu, hawaii. >> thank you >> a federal judge in new orleans dismissed almost all of the lawsuits seeking damage caused by hurricane katrina. nearly half a million people filed games against the u.s. government, blaming the army corps of engineers for failing to maintain the levies, causing flooding in 2005. the corp claimed immunity based on a 1928 law. >> a series of lawsuits in new orleans seeking billions in damage against the federal government and insurance companies are over. the damage was caused by katrina in 2005. the u.s. judge dismissed the case late yesterday, ruling that 500,000 residents, businesses

and governments would have to pay their own damages. the class action suit accused the u.s. army corps of engineers of poor maintenance of the industrial canal. the ruling comes more than a year after the original ruling was overturned that the corp was responsible for billions in damage. the judge dismissed a parallel lawsuit against a contractor. this suit meant the excavation work weakened the flood walls. the judge had presided over the case for the last eight years, and was chosen as he was a judge that did not receive personal damage to property due to flooding. >> there no evidence that al qaeda played a role in the assault an a consulate in benghazi. u.s. ambassador chris stevens and three other americans were kill. an investigation concluded the truth is complex. suggesting an american-made video did spark anger in the

run-up to the assault, and al qaeda did not infill freight benghazi prior to the attack, blaming local fighters. the report says the attack was not meticulously planned, and there were warning signs suggesting the focus on fighting al qaeda distracts from protecting broader american interests. joining us from washington d.c. is brigadier general mark kimmit. thank you for being with us. i'm curious about your reaction to the report by the "new york times." >> first of all, it's a well-written article. i believe there's logical inconsistencies inside the article allowing people to draw conclusions that i don't think the author meant to have drawn from the article. >> like what? >> for example, there's a notion that al qaeda was completely absent from the scene. in fact, al qaeda - inside

afghanistan, did not practice, but there's concern of the affiliated movements, the franchises, whom the author himself says could have been involved inside the attacks at night. so al qaeda and al qaeda sympathisers were certainly involved - whether they were card-carrying members of pakistan al qaeda is a moot point. the fact is that al qaeda sympathizers, those that agreed with the vision were part of this attack, and part of this - the killings of the ambassador that evening. >> is this an argument over semantics? does it matter if it was an al-qaeda group, militia or terrorist cell? >> i think it is an article over semantics. the four people and organizations sympathetic, as the author states. >> the report makes it clear that the video had a lot of

influence over the anger in the lead-up to the attack over the consulate. does that match up with congressional testimony. >> there seems a question about that. the video came out on the 9th. it wasn't until the 11th when the video created the disturbances in cairo. there are questions whether to, and what extent the video was responsible for the violence in benghazi. that's a reason why there should be further investigations from benghazi, so the issues can cole out. the american embassy stated that the videos had no effect on the violence. >> there's a lot of focus on the local militia leader. what do we know about him, and if he is really being pointed to as the main suspect of this attack, why is he still at large? >> well, it's clear that the u.s. asked for a number of times

to have him taken into custody to find the questions out. this is a gentleman that spent most of his adult life in prison for his extremist visions, many, militia groups that saw him as conservative. he, himself, admitted in the article, said he was not al qaeda, but shared their vision. this is a dangerous man that probably had a significant amount of impact on the events that happened that night. he was on site, seen to be directing some of the attack, and does need to be brought into custody and investigated for his complicity in the event. >> retired brigadier general mark kimmit from washington tonight. thank you for your time. >> the first item of business for the secretary of state is a trip to the middle east. john kerry has a push for progress in peace talks.

as part of that progress israel released the names of two dozen palestine prisoners due to be set free next week. the planned release is sparking protest. thousands gathered outside benyamin netanyahu's residence in jerusalem. many are angry over the plan to build homes in the west bank. >> the death toll from the friday car bomb in beirut has risen to seven. the target is believed to be the former finance minister and ambassador to the united states, mohamad chatah, a critic of bashar al-assad and hezbollah. his funeral is tomorrow. no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. >> 20 were killed in a syrian air strike in aleppo. the bomb hit a crowded vegetable market. two children are among the victims. in the past two weeks president bashar al-assad's army zeroed in

on forces in aleppo. 400 have been killed. president bashar al-assad sent a message to pope francis. he is determined to defend syrians of all religions from hard-line islamists. >> the war in syria is taking a cruel turn. the u.n. reports refugees are starving to death. five people at one camp in damascus died of malnutrition. images in the story are dramatic. >> the siege, bombarded, and starved to death. this happens to the human body when it does not get enough food. images have been filmed by an activist inside a palestine refugee camp. al jazeera spoke him, we used his voice, not his face for security reasons >> translation: the

humanitarian situation is disastrous. there is a threat of famine. basics like rice and sugar are hardly available. they sell one kilos of rice between $50 and $70. medicine has run out. the camp is a stronghold for rebel forces and has been surrounded and cut off by government troops. it's prompted the united nations relief agency for palestine refugees to call for a corridor to access the people trapped inside. >> these reports are disturbing. they must lead to a lifting of the siege as the commissioner general and other world leaders asked. there were 20,000 trapped, many children. we are extremely concerned about

their plight today. >> yam uk is or was home to a -- yarmouk is home to men thousands. it lies near to damascus. was set up in 1957 and was built up as an urban quarter with schools and health centres. overall conditions here were better than the other palestine camps in syria. that is no longer the case. people here are calling for an end to the siege. they are desperate for help. >> translation: we only have dust and dirt to eat. have a look at us, if any of you have honour or dignity, we have nothing to do with fighting. >> the fear here is if aid doesn't come into the camp, that those left will continue to bury their dead. >> fighting in cairo between

student protesters and police hit a fever pitch. two students were killed, 100 arrested. many demonstrations are taking place at universities. peter greste with the latest. >> i have been speaking about the protests around the universities here in cairo, and also there was another incident at a university in alexandria where authorities were forced to evacuate buildings. after explosive devices were found. i'm refer to my notes. there was a bomb found on board a bus that was diffused. the passengers found the device hidden under seats, and there was a grenade that was also thrown at a checkpoint to the north-east of cairo. that grenade went off. there were no casualties as a result of that, but it did cause damage to cars.

the protests are in response to a government decision to designate the muslim brotherhood as a terrorist organization. since then 400 people have been rounded up by the police, accused of having links to the organization. according to the terrorism law, anyone supporting the group can be gaoled for up to five years, and the punishment for those leading the organization is death. a lot of people are getting worried entried. i know a lot of -- indeed. i know a lot of people are reconsidering new year's eve plans, worried about going into public spaces for fear of an attack. >> an australian rescue ship is trying to reach a russian research vessel stuck in the ice off antarctica. the ship is 100 miles east of a french research station. a chinese ship, "snow dragon"

could not reach them. >> the "auroraaustralis" is planned to arrive later today. they'll assess the situation, and report back to the rescue coordination centre in australia here behind me, before the next decision is made. >> passenger reports on social media say the 74 people on board are in good continue, despite being stranded since christmas eve. >> same sex marriage has been legal in utah for a week. will a supreme court challenge change it. >> china - thousands of empty homes, yet housing prices doubled. we'll explain why.

>> it's been a week of celebration for utah's gay community. hundreds of couples from granted marriage licence, after a federal judge overturned a ban on same-sex marriage. now the state is asking the supreme court to put a hold on the marriages while the appeals continue. >> earlier this week four counties refused to issue licence, jim hooley, are they on board? >> they are. it's been an incredible week. a lot of people we talked to described the situation as sewer reel. hundreds of people, same-sex couples turning out to get married. thousands turned out for a rally. we talked to couples that have been together 15-18 years, who are happy to go into the new year as newlyweds. they are celebrating but the

state says the fight is not over yet. >> this has been the scope in utah for days. same-sex couples pouring into country clerk offices to get marriage licence, many turning to local officials and ministers it say, "i do." >> to feel the love, joy and elation of people free to marry the person i love. it's beyond explanation. >> it's a shocking state of events for a state known for conservative ways and family values. >> we didn't think we'd see it here. >> all made possibly by a lawsuit. among the plaintiff said, derek kitchen, and moudi sbeity. they run a middle easterb food business in salt lake city. >> we heard the news on saturday. >> a federal judge ruled utah's law banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. it's been you forria in the

state's gay community since. more than 900 same-sex couples obtained marriage licences. >> there are thousands of couples that want what we want. we are fighting for ourselves, but in that process, for everybody as well. >> i now pronounce you wife and wife. >> clifford rosky is a law professor at the university of utah. he became a minister so he could wed gay couples. he said the impact goes beyond utah. >> we are starting to see in you federal courts recognise the right to marry. >> cheryl haws and shelly eyre's dream had to wait. the clerk where they lived refused to recognise the ruling. so they threatened to sue. >> i said, "we are going there" even if they turn us away and we go to salt lake, we'll go there because we need to make a point. >> on thursday, utah county

clerk brian thompson gave in and called the girls to come to his office and he agreed to issue them a licence. >> i felt it showed a great level of compassion on his part. integrity or something. i felt compassion towards him. >> moudi sbeity and derek kitchen have not tied the knot. they want to wait until the timing is right. >> marriage is more than a peace of paper. we want to celebrate, exchange vows and show to family and friends that we made a commitment to one another to be with each other till death do us part. >> by waiting moudi sbeity and derek kitchen risk not getting a chance to marry in utah. the state is appealing the ruling. utah's attorney-general is expected to file paperwork monday or tuesday. >> and the state is hoping to get its next move just right.

to do that they hired an outside firm to help with the paperwork and execution. that should be filed early next week. >> jim hooley live from salt lake city. thank you. >> after 30 years china is easing a one child per couple policy, allowing more married couples to have a second child. formerly only one child was legal, and two if both parents from single children. now, only if one child was an only child. officials fear a labour shortage and growing numbers of elders that the country won't be able to support. >> a city in china has everything you want - plenty of stores, schools and new homes. the only thing it doesn't have is people. andrew thomas explains. >> six years ago all this was farm land.

now there's tens of thousands of apartments and plans for more. >> shen dehua lives in one. in her building of 44 flats, four are occupied. >> translation: it's too quiet. on weekends or weekdays it's the same. you don't see anyone on the streets, except sometimes cleaners. >> do others feel the same way? there was no one around to ask. if cheng gong had tumble weed. this is where it would be blowing. >> there's something spooky walking around here. it's the weekend, middle of the day, there are hundreds of apartments and the streets are deserted. it's almost as if some terrible accident cleared the people out. >> in fact, they have never arrived. most front doors are still wrapped in cellophane. the city has been planned by the

provincial government, which hopes 2 million people will live here. in established cities housing is expensive, millions living in pore conditions. 50 families have shared areas, bathrooms and cooking are communal. it is expected that urban chinese will move. that's why they are creating cities. the theory that places like cheng gong offer affordable housing. most apartments have been sold to speculators. prices have already doubled. >> it's an vestment. here is creeper. it's speculation for the long term. >> real people may move in. universityies and government offices are being moved to bring in students and jobs. speculators have driven the price, and they are out of reach

for those they are aimed at. the result is an expensive ghost town with few people and without much traffic. in china's planned economy building the right housing in the right place is proving tricky. >> there is a lot more ahead on al jazeera, including after days of peace talks, the world's youngest country is on the verge of civil war. a u.s. peace envoy returns to belfast. we look at the tough issues facing northern island.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz, here are the top stories this half hour. the government cut off nearly a million americans who have been out of work for a month. long-term unemployment benefits expired. congress did not extend the program which would have cost $19 billion. >> the last of the lawsuits seeking damages for hurricane

katrina has been thrown out. the government department in charge ever maintaining the levees claimed immunity. >> a newly released "new york times" report says the 2012 attack in benghazi did not involve al qaeda. the attack was caused by local fighters angry about islam. four americans were killed, including u.s. ambassador chris stevens. >> officials in south sudan say tribal militia loyal to the former vice president is marching towards a key capital, bor. they are seeking reference in camps that are overrun. we go inside one of them with mohammed adow. >> these are the displaced after rival factions. two weeks after seeking

protection in the capital juba. they are not confident enough to return to their homes. the fighting exposes ethnic divisions as neighbour turns against neighbour. >> my brother was killed. not by soldiers, but civilians. he died because he belonged to an ethnic group. >> with thousands living here, they are dangerously overcome. that is the most basic of services. help is beginning to arriving. here officials of the world food program distribute food and household items to the displaced. >> it's a challenging task for the world food program and its partners in terms of distributing food. we are doing so in challenging circumstances, but are doing our utmost. >> with more and more displaced people seeking shelter the u.n.

peace-keeping mission is overwhelmed. there are plans to increase numbers from 7,000 to 12,500 with reinforcements coming from democratic republic of congo, lib earia and ivory coast. the first of the extra forces, a detachment of 73 police officers from bangladesh arrived. from the u.n. mission in the democratic republic of congo monusco. >> we believe that the need for the troops and u.n. police advisors is critical. we have something of the order of 63,000 civilians housed at a dozen locations of the peacekeeping mission around the country. >> u.n. officials say with additional capabilities they

will not be able to protect every civilian. the conflict is too big. it will be effectively policed by 12,500 troops. >> as we mentioned earlier an area is a city of bor. members of the white army militia are said to be on their way with a force of 25,000 soldiers. i asked steve mcdonald what could be in store for that area. >> if there are, indeed 25,000 of them. it depends how heavily armed they are. the south sudan regular army, the s.p.l.a. is moving towards bentiu and has recaptured bor and mccala or maybe half. they have a large presence up there. if there's 25,000 of these guys, there may be a real knock-down, drag-out battle.

>> that was steve mcdonald with the wilson center. >> a former u.s. diplomat is at the center of an effort to bring the northern island political parties together. richard haass is there to resolve disagreements. >> catholic fought protest ants, but now the arguments are on smaller but sensitive matters. >> they are calling it a final effort to reach an agreement between northern island's political parties. as richard haass and his team convene talks, he admitted it was difficult. >> by noon on monday we'll have had 12 hours of plenary sessions. it will be very hard at that point, given everything that will have come before it to argue that rt missing ingredient is more time. >> the issue that is toughest to crack is flags. in late 2012 they voted to only

fly the british flags from city hall and other buildings. it sparked street protests in which 100 police officers were injured. >> nationalists say 47% are catholic nationals and they feel the flag shouldn't be flown where they don't want it, and they want it flown sometimes. >> a recurring source of tension is the so-called marching season. every year parades - most organised by protestant groups like the orange order take place. while most pass off parades through some areas invoke clashes. the talks see progress on that and another key issue dealing with the legacy of violence, troubles preceding 1998's good friday agreement. more than 3,500 lost their

lives. nobody was brought to justice. >> the reports of victim's groups, studies by civil society and conversations had. all of those things have influenced the process. that is another example of how we weren't starting from square one, we were start from a well-developed conversation. if talks lead to an agreement, it could be a long time before northern island deals with the resentment and understanding. >> the endangered species act turns 40. president richard nixon signed it into law. they were on the brink of extinction. has it worked. ashar quraishi takes a look at what has been done in chicago. >> last december wildlife rescuers found this sea oter pum on the beach. now grown, the otter is

thriving. they are one of moan threatened species studied. >> it wasn't until the enactment of the endangered species act that the public became aware of challenges that animals faced and laws were put into place to protect them. >> over the last four decades the act is credited with saving 227 animals from ex-tippings. the act prohibits capturing, keeping, an endangered species. it paved the way for conservation efforts. in total, the she'd aquarium is working to improve the chances of fival of threat threatened or endangered species. >> a critically endangered

animal, of way 75 gray wolfs live in the wild. the goal is to pair them up. >> the mexican wolf is the top predator in the south-west. if that is taken out of the equation, all the numbers - you get too many rabbits, deer, other things. the eco system is ruined when you take out the predator. >> conservation efforts say wildlife efforts have saved animals like the grizzly bear. as we look at the 40 year history we have learnt a great deal, the balancing effort, how difficult it is to rescue an animal. we learnt it is possible. wildlife populations continue, due in part to habitat loss, conservationists hope displaying the species will inspire others to protect them. >> well, it is the final sunday the n.f.l. riggular season and

several play-off spots are up for grabs. michael eaves explains the stakes are higher. >> after 16 weeks of action it's amazing we have this many scenarios. going into the final day only eight teams clinched one of the 12 available play-off spots. as many as 10 teems have a chance to qualify, including the dallas cowboys who lost tony romo after undergoing season-ending ball surgery. jessica taff talks to charean williams asking what that means. >> carlo has made 69 starts, but has not thrown a pass as a starter and only thrown 15 passes over the last two years. it takes the pressure off the cowboys. there's no doubt about that. they go in, play loose and play defense against the eagles.

it will be a tough road. >> the bears had their own quarterback controversy. jay cutler not bad, but not necessarily good in his two games back from injury. there's a division title on the line. what is cutler's future with the team if he doesn't get it done this weekend? >> the funny thing is the bears can be without the quarter backs for next season. both are free agents at the end of the season. a lot will depend on what happens, if jay cutler returns. if they don't win, i think they'll try to resign josh mccallan or another quarterback. i think jay cutler moves on after this season. >> let's talk about the afc, the six seed up for grabs and down to four teams. all of them need help to punch their ticket. who gets it. >> i like miami, they need the least amount of help.

kansas city will rest on starters in sunday's game. the chargers win the game, all the dolphins need to do is beat the jets. that's easier said than done. all they had to do was beat the buffalo bills. they weren't able to do that. they were shut out. they have the jets at home. they don't have anything to play for. they have signs up, they want to know. that's all they need. win the game, get help, which it looks like they'll get, hope to get and they go to the play-offs. it will be the first time in five years. if they don't go it's the most disappointing finish since 2008. >> the outcome having an effect on coaches, who will clean out the offices come monday. there are seven coaches who have to worry about getting fired. it doesn't count garry kubiak with a head start on the

coaches. they talked to him a couple of weeks ago. they'll be back next season, he's probably going have his pick of jobs among the seven teams or among some of them, and they'll fire the coach after the season. >> mike shanahan wants out of washington. it will cost of the owner $13 million. there's a play going on. i talked to shanahan. i asked if he thought about his job future. he'll sit with dan schneider and figure out where to go. >> one other note concerning the play-offs, there are two win or go home games. the winner between the cowboys and eels and the winner between the bears and the packers claim the north title. it will be a huge day for n.f.l. fans across the country. >> still ahead - hollywood thriller gets rave re views from critics, but not the new jersey

native american tribe it portrays. plus... . >> i don't know about you, but my high school campus was not like this. i introduce you to a school for aviation next.

tv

>> a hollywood thriller set in the mountains of new jersey received rave reviews from critics, but not from the native american tribes its villains are based on. 17 members of the ramapough tribe filed a $15 million civil lawsuit. kaelyn forde spoke with members of that tribe. >> forcenturies the ramapough

indian nation called these mountains home. just 30 miles from new york city the tribe of 5,000 kept their traditions alive. >> it's called a kinduwahwekan. it's where we come and pray and images that we see, they are essentially spirits of the forest that look over the forest. >> they had more than 16 acres of land along the border of new york and new jersey. the tribe said it's been a struggle to keep the land. >> it tried racism and discrimination for days. >> the ramapough say the hollywood film set in the ramapough mountains opened old moves. >> people in the hills don't breathe justice. >> "out of the furnace" tells the story of a kidnapping by the mysterious hills people.

the vil april degroat is one of two characters. one of the characters is jackson whites. >> he is the worst. >> the issue with the film is that it's not a lantern or race all the way through. the underlying current is so ugly, it's so identifiably connected to our tribal people. it's sort of gaving carte blanche to hatred. >> morningstar mann says her children have been bullied since the film's release. >> a substitute teacher came into the conversation saying, "one of our family members deserved to get shot", and we were one of those people. my kids, what is the jackson

whites? >> since released the tribe's prayer house was vandalized. >> the race was dying down. it really was. what this movie does is bring back - i went to the movie and cried. several members filed a $50 million lawsuit. chief perry is not backing the lawsuit, rather seeing the film pulled. for the ramapough the drama has not ended. >> and relativity media did not respond to our requests for comment. >> students are admitted to special seattle area high school so they can get a headstart on pursuing their passion for aviation. some are concerned about the public-private partnership. allen schauffler has more. >> it makes sense in a place

nicknamed jett city and where 100,000 work building airplanes, that there'll be a school called aviation high. raisbeck aviation high, where you see planes out the window and find skye mceowen loving math. >> it's a language describing the universe. it you want to go space and if we are to develop things that work, that get off the planet, we have to understand physics and the language of the universe. >> that's what skye and her classmates want to do - get off the planet. the curriculum is designed to help them. a robotic theme - that is a big deal. >> we put a go fro on the robot and the discs go ball, ball, ball. most classes have an aviation theme. the nearby museum of flight is an extended campus, and a source

of mentors or student internship. one in three that apply get into the school. it's college prep meets industry prep. with 200 aviation-related companies nearby, the business communities brought in, providing instructors, real world job experience and money. >> seattle based construction airlin airlines, raisbeck, jett and alaska airlines. a third paid by private donors. boeing's international rival increase. >> yes, there is a gap that we have to fill right now. >> the aerospace industry needs to help kids like these get ready to do jobs like these. >> our industry has huge challenges - environmental challenges, fuel efficiency, cost challenges, quality

challenges. to do this we need good people. >> among this there is a push back, with the expectation that employee pools will be improved. dr alex molnar is an education specialist. he'd like to see corporations pay more taxes instead. >> it seems to me it's a good idea if it's a tax contribution. it's bad policy and a bad idea over the long term if you have a public education system relying on bits and scrps given as free will by a corporation here and there to promote particular interests. >> the boss at aviation high sees the public private union differently, as a natural pairing, essential at a time when budgets are under extreme pressure. >> it is 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 never worked outside the field of education. skye wants to build spaceships and see this place an a launch pad to the dream. it's a humble experience to go to the school. we are surrounded by male and female role models. we are surrounded by role models, showing us how to do it. >> this is an idea getting traction around the country. we spoke earlier with an author of a study about education and career chaining and joined us from berlin, where she's doing research. >> you have to be excited about the school. you add up - your reporter reeled off a bunch of numbers, up to - was it $10 million coming from business. that's good when business are

helping schools get better. it's a new concept. more and more the idea that businesses that know what kind of workers are needed in the economy, will help schools not just with money, but with aligning curriculums so they are preparing kids for the jobs in demand in a technological work place. >> jobs and demand - is it not in some ways shifting responsibility from the company, of training future workers for the school district? >> companies are paying to train them. they are helping schools train them. companies don't do much job training. some countries, germany, they do a lot of training in the work site. there's a lot of tradition. in america they don't do much training until the idea of businesses partnering... >> that's the problem, that the

companies are not doing the training. they are relying on high schools and colleges doing the training. it's a good answer. he needs classroom time. but in a country like germany they organise the companies to work with the schools and colleges. you need classroom component. it's a good thing the businesses are meeting and collaborating with the schools and doing it together. that's the best way to make is happen. it's not happening enough. the problem is not that it's happening too much. it's seeing the beginning of a movement where left and right agree it's a good thing. >> parts of the country have seen wind chills 50 below zero. the rest enjoy record highs. >> pope francis schedules a

special lunch. details ahead.

>> 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, pope bennedict joined the pope for lunch, lunching together at santa marta hotel, on the vatican city grounds. two other vatican officials joined them at the luncheon. >> the light are out for thousands of people in the north-east. it could get worse. an ice storm this week cut power to half a million homes from michigan to maine. warmer weather in some areas, the next two days could cause falling ice, bringing down power lines and causing problems. they are freezing in the mid west. over in the west nice warm beautiful temperatures in california. >> it's like good news, bad news. yin and yang, black and white. we have textures warming up. sacramento coming in,

comfortable here. the trented will continue. in the next two orreor three days we'll see record-high temperatures, coming up from nice toasty air. different story as we go to the midwest. this is where we have a blizzard warning. winds gusting from 30 to 50 memberships, with temperatures near zero. that's making the wind chill drop fast. not only do we have a blizzard warning for light snow and dangers of frost bite. it's making it feel like 44 degrees below zero in fargo. omma ha dropped to 28 degrees. as we look at the radar and clouds. there's a little snow and not a lot of moisture. a lot of moisture coming up from the south-east, riding up the coast over the weekend and will bring heavy rain, especially in

thunder storms along the east coast. from the virginias and delaware. we'll get the snow coming back from vermont, new hampshire and maine. what will happen for the south-east is the risk of storms, the potential of severe storms. if you are in florida up to the carolinas, you'll want to monitor the weather conditions. low temperatures on sunday in the mid west. it will take time for the cold air to work to the east. here is where we'll get a hit with snow, dealing with power outages, places around vermont. we'll see a band of heavy snow moving from vermont to maine. we'll watch the winter conditions break out from the midwest to the north-east. the west will have mild warm weather.

>> into this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. more than a million americans that have been out of work have lost long-term unemployment benefits. congress did not extend the program that would have cost $19 billion. >> a federal judge threw out the last of the lawsuits against the government for katrina. >> a new york times investigation says the deadly attack on the u.s. embassy in benghazi did not involve al qaeda, alleging the assault was a response by local fighters to an american