google+ pages. see you next type of. -- see you next time. >> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york. life got harder for a million americans. today is the day when congress let unemployment benefits run out. a judge closes the book on katrina lawsuits. >> unrest in northern island. flames and flags inflaming deep divides. how holster's great granddaughter plans to attract new readers to his novel.

>> tonight the life line for more than a million americans has been cut. 1.3 million people will no longer have long-term unemployment benefits. on average each person got 1,000 a month. benefits began five years ago during the height of the recession. the cost to the government $225 billion. congress renewed the payouts until now. >> tom ackerman stepped down with people hit by the loss. >> the u.s. economy is adding jobs but is well short of a total before the bottom fell out of the labour market in 2007. the hardest hit are the long-term unemployed. many will exhaust benefits unless congress renoose the program. meanwhile people like norbert

franzak are being cut off. >> i won't be able to pay for utilities. after this check i have to pay the mortgage. i'll have less than $200 in the bank. palmar appealed for benefits to be restored. >> unemployment is a life line that can make the difference between hardship and lasting charity. >> people think we need two years of unemployment insurance, they should come forward and say they want to raise taxes and contributions of employees and employers. >> others believe it discourages the unemployment from stepping up job search, which doesn't yes dare sexton who lost his job two years ago.

>> it seems to lead to an impression that people on unemployment benefits are sitting around enjoying the money. it's not true. >> according to latest data three people are competing for one job. >> analyst rebecca dixon worries that the movement will hurt people. >> we need a robust drug creation program. there's a lot of ideas that have been out there, part of the president's budget or different budget. but there seems to be a gridlock and in congress and an unwillingness to take it on. we can't forget the unemployed because it's a hard problem to solve. >> it doesn't stop there, 1.9 million americans are expected to exhaust state benefits. >> a federal judge in new

orleans dismissed lawsuits seeking damage for flooding. more than half a million people filed claims. the suit claimed the army corp for failing to maintain levies, causing flooding. the corp claimed immunity bait on an old law. >> lawsuits in new orleans so seeking billions in lawsuits are over. the damage was caused 2005. the case was dismissed yesterday. 500,000 residents, businesses and government have to pay damage. they were accused of poor maintenance. the ruling comes a year after the federal appeals court overturned the original ruling the that the corp was responsible for billions in

damages. they dismissed the parallel lawsuit. it claimed the excavation work weakened the walls. >> he was chosen because he was a judge that did not receive damage to his personal home because of flooding. >> ambassador chris steven and three others were killed in an attack on an embassy, a report has been produced. an american-made video criticising islam did spark anger and al qaeda did not infiltrate benghazi. local militants are blamed. the attack was not spontaneous and there were warping signs. the current u.s. focus on fighting al-qaeda distracts

protecting broader interests. >> jim walsh joins us from boston. is it clear that al qaeda did not have a role in the attack. >> i think it didment this is spectacular reporting. i wish congress did a good job. >> al qaeda was frustrated that it couldn't get a toe hold in libya. what we are talking about. this is something we suffered from, where we think all terrorism is al qaeda. this was a local group. the person implicated had a following of 24 fighters. two dozen fighters small, local and violence. rather than the organization we have in our heads.

we should not think about al qaeda, but violent extremism is the category - whether big or small. >>s there's a concern that we are playing semantics. whether it's mill tant or a cell, whether there should be a differencism. >> it makes a big difference. if you focus on al-qaeda central or in yemen or elsewhere it leads to targetting decisions, intelligence decisions. you'll look for certain sorts of things and ignore other things. libia is not so much about it being al qaeda or a muslim country. there was a religious extremism. you have lots of groups, tonnes of guns. any of these groups could carry out an attack.

we weren't focused on them. the second implication is the report laid out - we assumed that the bigger groups would control the smaller groups. at the end of the day they had allegiance and interest locally so we did not get a warning and they did not control them. several journalists interviewed the leader of al-qaeda. why is it journalists can find them. >> there was an attempt to get it at one point. his neighbourhood and community came out to protect him. they set up roadblocks, had people with guns - that's one piece. the extraction is difficult. there's noir issue. people will not want to hear --

another issue. people will not want to hear this. there's a fragile weak government. to my put the government at risk, leaving us with no partner to work with. there are diplomatic factors involved. >> there's confusion over whether the controversial film about islam sparked this. the article made it sounds like it was not a planned attack. how do you get around the fact that it was happening. >> you can pick a day in the calendar year, and it's an anniversary for something. something in the muslim world, terror attack. i think here - ultimately responsibility for these murders

rests with that yogroup. when americans burn the koran and engage in bigotry that has consequences. when you shout fire in a theatre, it has consequences. while the murderers are responsible, these others are accou accountable. it wasn't the whole story, but a big piece of what got people angry. >> jim walsh from mit, thank you for your time, we appreciate it. >> secretary of state john kerry will begin the year request peace talks in middle east. palestines are upset over plans to build new homes in the west bank, a move that could derail talks. >> an air strike in aleppo

killed 20 people. a crowded mash hit a crowded market. two children are thought to vice-president victims. >> bashar al-assad sent a message to pope francis saying he's defending all religions from hard line islamists. >> syria's dangerous chemical weapons will most likely miss the december 31st date. the transport will need to be postponed. >> syria's chemical weapons program is said to be eliminated in june, based on an international agreement. despite the bla, it's making progress. protests in ukraine is in their

second month. leaders are calling for a massive rally. jennifer glass reports from the ukrainian capital. >> as the opposition tries to put direct pressure on the ukrainian government, a poll says the majority wants the government to resign. >> how can you work with the people. they are trying to hide away. it at the same time ukraine will never be the same. >> the well-known opposition leader is gaoled former leader. >> everywhere, the power, is

deaf and blind. they are irresponsible and don't answer for their brutal acts or ilacts. >> there has been attacks on government opponents including one on from incident journalists. the court only want to charge them with public disorder. >> the authorities tried to protect the attackers. this is the same offence we have seen. it's a manipulation by the police, >> it's the beginning of the holiday season. opposition leaders are hoping that demonstrators will come out in larger numbers to march to president viktor yanukovych's pal racial home, and new year's eve where protesters would like to show that this still matters. >> for generations catholics and

protest ants have clashed. an american diplomat is in belfast trying to soothe tensions. talks with not eased. >> they are calling it a final effort to reach an agreement between the northern island political party. richard haass and his team are overseeing talks. >> by nonon monday we'll have 12 hours of plenary sessions. it will be hard at that point given everything that come before it to argue that the missing ingredient is more time. m the issue that has been toughest to crack has been flags. the flag were to be flown from city hall.

>> they fly when and wherever they want it to fly. nationalists say they want esteem, and feel that you shouldn't rub our noses in it. flying it where they want to to nigh. a recurring source of tension is the marching season. every year parades take place. most pass through peacefully. often they promote antagon. >> and clars. >> they report progress on that and other key issues. troubles preceding 1998's good friday agreement. in most cases nobody was brought to justice: reports of victim's groups.

conversations had about dealing with the past. all influenced the process. that is another example of how we weren't starting from square one, but from a well-developed conversation. >> if the talks lead to an agreement, it could be a long time before they deal with resentment and understanding. >> gays getting married in utah. a couple celebrate the new ruling even though the government promises the fight is not over. >> a hollywood thriller gets rave reviews.

>> into it is has been a week of celebration for many in utah. some gay couples celebrate the new year as newly weds after an overturn on same-sex marriage. the fight is not over.

the state wants the u.s. supreme court to step in. jim hooley has the latest. >> it's been an incredible week for so many in utah. so many call the situation surreal. hundreds of same sex couples running out to get married. thousands turning out for a giant rally a couple of nights ago. we talk to couples. same sex couples that have been together for 15-18 years. they'll be able to move into the new year as newlyweds. the fight is not over. >> this has been the scope in utah for days. same-sex couples pouring into country clerk offices. >> to feel the love and the joy and the elation of people that are free to marry the person they love. it's beyond explanation. >> it was a shocking turn of events in a state known for

conservative ways and traditional family values. >> all of this has been made possible by a lawsuit chipping the law. among them, derek kitchen, and moudi sbeity. >> we heard the news. >> december 20th, a federal judge ruled utah's law banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. more than 900 same-sex couples obit tained marriage licences. >> thousands of others want the same thing we want. we are fighting for ourselves. in that process we are fighting for everyone. >> clive ord is a law professor at the university of utah. he became an ordayed mirps to she could -- ordained minister

so he could wed gay couples. >> we are seeing here in utah federal courts are recognising that same sex couples are the right to marry in all states. >> hawes s and shelly eyre had to wait. their county clerk refused to, the ruling. >> i said we are going there, even if they turn us away, we'll go there because we need to make a point. >> on thursday, brian thompson gave in and called shelley to come to his office. he agreed to issue a licence. >> it showed a great level of compassion on his part and integrity or something. and i felt compassion towards him. >> moody and derek have not tied the knot. >> marriage to us is more than a piece of paper.

we want to celebrate and exchange vows. and show to our family and friends that we have made a commitment to one another to be with each other till death do us part. >> the state is appealing the judge's ruling. utah's inspector-general is expected to sign the paperwork monday or tuesday. >> the state hired an outside firm to execute the paperwork. it should be filed next week. >> a hollywood thriller set in the mountains of new jersey received rave reviews from critics, but not native americans. al jazeera's kaelyn forde reports members of that tribe are suing the film makers. >> for centuries, the ramapough

indian nation called the mountains home. just 30 miles from new york city, a tribe of 5,000 kept traditions alive. >> it's where we come and pray in the images that you see. they are spirits of the forest. >> they have 60 acres of land here. for the tribes it's a struggle to keep their land. the tribe have fought racism, discrimination. now the ramapough say a hollywood film set in the mountains opened old wounds, reviving stereotypes. >> "out of the furnace" tells the story of a kidnapping. its main villain is one of two characters bearing a common

name. the film's criminal gang is known as jackson whites, a name suicide as a racial slur against the ramapough. >> this is the worst. >> the real issue with the film is that it's not that it's racist all the way through, but the ind lying current is so ugly and so pronounced that - and so identifiably connected to our tribal people that it's sort of giving carte blanch to hate red. >> morningstar mann's children have been bullied since the film reduced. >> a comment was made that one of our family members served to be shot. they came home and said, "mum, what is a jackson whites."

>> the tribe's house was also vandalised. >> racism was dying down. what this movie does is brings back - i go to the movie and i cry. >> 17 members of the tribe, seven with the last name de-grote filed a $15 million case against the film maker. >> it's a drama for the ramapough, that doesn't end when the cameras turn off. >> relativity media didn't respond to a request tore comment. we look at why that could be changing next. >> i'm michael eaves - the play-off phase of 10 teams, the most important scenarios here on al jazeera much .

>> welcome back to al jazeera

america. i'm jonathan betz. here is a look at the headlines. dozens of lawsuits seeking damages for flooding by hurricane katrina has been thrown out. he said the federal government cannot be claimed forward the levies breaking. >> a "new york times" investigation claims local fighte fighters blamed a video made. >> the government cut off benefits to a million americans out of work for a month. congress voted to end the program. it would have cost $19 billion. >> jennifer london has more from honolulu where the president is vacationing. >> long before the president's vacation he had spent months pushing lawmakers to reach a deal to extent federal jobless benefits. it has not just been tea times and family trips to the beach,

the president is working on this behind the scenes. he's been working to push lawmakers. we understand that the president made two calls, one to democratic senator jack reid and another to dean heller, the president calling both to show support. the president said he is pleased they are working in a bipartisan fashion. the president said it could harm the economy. it will hurt the economic growth and job creation. we are talking about $1.3 billion. today, california, new york, illinois are expected to be among those hit the hardest.

before the president left for his vacation and hawaii, during his final presidential press conference, he said ending jobless benefits is not the right thing to do. >> we are a better country than that. unemployment insurance only goes to folks who are actively looking for work. a mum that needs help feeding the kids while she sends out a resume. a dad working part time and earning skills for the new job. >> the president said that when congress returns to work in washington, he says reaching in an agreement, extending the jobless benefits for $1.3 million americans should be the first order of business. >> the world's newest country teems to be on the brink of civil war. 1,000 have been killed. a tribal militia loyal to the

vice president is mounting more unrest. mohammed adow takes us inside an overwhelmed refugee camp. >> these are the displaced. those displaced by rival military factions. almost two weeks after seeking protection in the base juba, they are not confident enough to return to their homes. the fighting exposes ethnic divisions as neighbour against neighbour. >> translation: my brother was killed, not by soldiers, but civilians. his body was in the open when i last herm. >> with thousands living here. they are overcrowded.

>> help is beginning to arrive. here officials of the world food program distribute food and household items. >> it's challenging. for the world food program and its partners. they were doing so in challenging circumstances, but doing our utmost. with more displaced people seeking shelter, the mission in south sudan is overwhelmed. there are plans to increase troop numbers with other forces coming from other peacekeeping missions in libya, ivory coast and other places. >> the first, 74 police officers from bangladesh have arrived. they are from the u.n. mission in democratic republic of congo mon use coe.

they'll be spread across the country. >> we believe the need for 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. >> u.n. officials say with additional capability they will not be able to protect every civilian. the conflict too big to be effectively pollized by 12,500 troops. >> as we mentioned earlier members of a white army militia are expected to be on the way to bor, with a force of 25,000 strong, and that worries observers. >> if there are, indeed, 25,000, it depends how heavily armed they are. the south sudan regular army,

the s.p.l.a. is moving towards bentiu and recaptured bor, and half of makala. they have a large presence. if there are 25,000 of these guys, there may be a knock-down drag-out battle. >> thanks to steve mcdonald with the wilson center. >> fighting in cairo between student protesters and police had a fever pitch. 2,000 were killed. demonstrations are taking place at the university. >> we have been speaking about protests around the universities here in cairo and there was another incident at a university in alex molnar -- in alexandria after an explosive device was

found. there was a bomb found on board a bus there was diffused. the passengers found the device hidden under a seat. the grenade went off. it caused damage to some cars. now, the protests are all in response to the government's decision to designate the muslim brotherhood as a terrorist organization. since then 400 preem have been rounded up accused of having links to the organization. anyone in the group can be gaoled for up to five years. the punishment is death. a lot of people are getting worried. there's a few people reconsidering their plans.

a lot are thinking twice. for fear of an attack. >> iran is flirting with the idea of moving the capital from tehran. some feel the move won't solve much. >> tehran is a new city. it's been the capital for 200 years. if some politicians get their way, it won't be the capital for much longer. >> if they move the capital we'll have at same situation. this is removing the question, not the solution. there are two men ministries, highwa highways. i don't think it's possible. ilth i think it's funny, it's not possible to move with the

government buildings. if you move it commrp else, we'll have the sim problems. >> it's the country's largest city. add to that the 150,000 people who move to tehran. pollution is a major problem. it causes serious health problems. >> when you come to tehran you can't see it because of the pollution. they should do something about it. this pollution is the unhealthiest thing for people, and we are all in the same boat. because of that iran's economy

is moving forward. >> mahmoud ahmadinejad made surrounding areas a focus instead of improving the capital of tehran. he strengthened the power of reem anal areas. >> critics say parliament created headaches for the government. introducing a time-consuming and costly proposal at a people when the government is solving significant economic problems. one politician said it would take 25 years to g a new capital. by that time who knows what tehran will look like. >> for the first time in 30 years china is easing a one child per couple policy. it will allow couples to have

two children instead of one. >> officials say it may have worked too well. they are worried about the decline of china's population. >> argentina's national weather center declared a red alert. for two weeks a heat waive strained power cids. some marched in the streets. >> no one listens to us. we followed the correct procedures and called the energy company. only a computer deals with us. they say the engineers are out working, but that's a lie. we have no alternative but to do this. the government is haning out water and until energy companies fix the problems, residents are trying to bet the heat. >> from hot to cold. rescue ships are trig to reach a

russianship trapped in the ice much it's 100 miles east of a research station. a chinese ship called "snow dragon" could not reach them. it's waiting for an icebreaker from australia. >> the "aurora australis," the australian research and supply vessel has a slightly greater ice rating than the chinese vessel. for that to observe today, sunday, here in australia, they'll assess the situation and report to the rescue coordination centre in australia behind me before the next decision is ma. >> passengers say 74 people on board are in good continue. not a good place toe about struck. >> we have to talk play-offs. >> it's a huge day.

>> eight teams clinched one of 12 aavailable spots. as many as 10 teems have a chance to qualify, setting up an epic sunday afternoon of football. here are important point, starting with the nfc, when there are three different scenarios. the winner between the cowboys and eagles clemping the nec east, the winners between the bears and pakkers in the north, and the losers eliminate from the play-offs. the saints with a win over tampa pay with a chance to win the south division. back to the dallas cowboys. >> that leaves this game in the hands of others. they made 69 starts with 39 and

34. he hasn't throw a starter pass. there's no doubt about that. they can go in play loose. it will be a tough road. >> as far as the final spot, there are 14 alive for the spot. miami in the driver's seat. a win by balt your and sand, creating -- baltimore and san diego. miami owns the tie breaker. if the ravens and dolphins. balt mer would earn the bid. it's believed namy has the edge.

>> we know that kansas city will roast some starters. if the charge win, all they have to do is shut them out. they dominated the last time they played. the doll fints have signs up. win the game, get some hope. they go to the play-offs. if they don't go, the most disappointing finish in may. >> it will be a huge day of

football. >> it's like a calculus test. one thing to note, nor miami, if they make the play-offs it would be a huge statement. hor them to make the play-offs, says a lot about that. >> up next bringing the 19th century into the 20th century. a modern spin on classic works. >> i don't know about you, but my high school example us was never quite like this. i'll introduce you to a school for aviation next.

>> welcome back. high school graduation rates in the u.s. are at a 40 year high with nearly 75% of students not qualifying. some coulds are trying something different. allen schauffler shows a partnership at one school. >> it makes sense, a place nicknamed jett city, in a state where it's estimated 130,000 people work designing building airplanes that there'll be a school named aviation high. where you'll see planes out the classroom windows and find skye mceowen loving maths. >> it's a language describing the universe. if you want to go to space and develop things that work, that get off the planet.

we have to understand the language of the universe. the curriculum is designed to help. there's no traditional sports. >> we put a go pro on the robot. >> most classes have an aviation space. every student has a laptop. nearby is an extended camp as. one in three who apply get into the school and students come from all over the regent. the business community has come in, providing instructors, providing job experience and

money: >> a third of the price tag of the public school paid by the private donors. >> the aerospace industry needs to help kids like these, doing jobs like these. >> the industry has huge challenges. to do this is good for people. the ex-peck takes is employees accrue and businesses benefit. dr alex is a long-time researcher, commercializing in commercial public school systems. he'd like to see corporations

pay more taxes. seems to me it's a good idea, or bad policy to have a public education system relying on scraps given by a corporation. >> the publicionion sees it essentially at a time when the school budget is under pressure. it is necessary that schools partner. we can't do it alone. many educators have never worked. >> skye mceowen wants to build spaceships and sees this place as a launch pad to that dream. it's a humbling experience to go to the school because we are surrounded by male and female road models. they are showing us how to do

it. with high schoolers prepping. >> schools across the country are trying this concept. we spoke to the author about careers training. joining us to describe benefits of private-public schools. >> it's a new concept. businesses that know what kind of workers we need in the economy will help schools not just with money but aligning their curriculums so they are preparing kids for the jobs in demand in a technological work place. >> partnerships between businesses and schools can lead to better opportunities. >> now the body of work has been

digitized. david chater has more. >> this is the voice of the 19th century writer tolstoy. he's reading a fairy tale about a wolf and a child. this shows him in his final years at his country estate. we caught up with his great, great granddaughter at his house. she was in the middle of a photoshoot for a magazine. to put a new generation in touch with his heritage online. >> i wanted people to return to reading toll stay with all the

ways modern technology offered. not all of it is on the internet. impossible to buy. it's this russian company charged with the task of getting the works online. not just the standard collection, but his diaries, letters and less well-known works. the cost of proving a vast amount of material threatened to halt the project. thousands of readers volunteered to help. toll stoi's country estate only attracts a small stream of visitors these days. it's hoped the project will reig-nate interest and boost

numbers. >> it's as though the writer is expected back any minute. perhaps toll soy's most famous quote is the opening lines of "anna karena" happy families are all aligning. every unhap family is unhappy in its own way. >> at the end of his life toll stoi said "i don't need any money for my work. i want to give it to the people. in a way never foreseen. david chater. >> now the saying good riddance and putting 2013 through the shredder. >> get rid of it. >> crowds gather in 2014,

throwing out bad memories. they were in new york as part of good riddance days. it all when into a shredded trust. ahead on al jazeera america. blizzard kns in the middle of the country, how long it will last and where it's headed next.

>> well, a fireball lit up the sky. take a look at it. it got a lot of tapes. a security camera captured the whole thing. look at it go. astronomers said it could vice-president a meteor or manmade space debris. it must have been big, it was spotted in several midwestern states. >> drivers are being told to stay off the roads in western minnesota and eastern north dakota. not a good sound.

you can hear how strong the winds are, up to 50 miles per hour. the pictures north of north dakota. where it's gold and visibility is poor. temperatures are not encouraging. you are saying it's less than zero degrees. >> there's wind gusts 40 to 50 miles per hour. in the video you can hear the muted muffled sound. it's brutal weather conditions. we'll get to that, if you are in the if blizzard and are looking for a warm spot. california getting record-high temperatures conditioning for the next few days. especially around los angeles, where we get the low to mid 70s. let's go from the record warmth to where the cold is. dropped in 24 hours. down 45 degrees. temperatures continue to crop.

omaha dropped 10 degrees. whipped gusts up to 45 miles per hour. we factor in the cold weather. increasing for oema ha. blowing for 45 miles per hour. and feels like it's well below zero, a dangerous kind of cold. the blizzard impacting parts of the midwest. highway two and state highway north. both of these are closed now because of the weather. we are getting severe conditions because of the wind chill. not a lot of snow. one to two inches. it's the dry kind that can blind you, bringing in white out conditions. otherwise it's the rain that is the story. mild temperatures, heavy rain working up through the morning hours. we'll expect to see the heavy i

don't remember rain fall. is-2 inches. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york. i'm jonathan betz with tonight's headlines. >> more than a million americans who have been out of work for a month have lost long-term unemployment benefits. congress did not extend the program ta would have cost $19 billion next year. a federal judge in new orleans threw out lots of damages. the state has immunity. >> new york times investigation says the attack on the embassy did not volve