check check check >> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york. >> a russian bomb attack in a railway station. >> a grim picture for afghanistan - predicting chaos and the rise of afghanistan after u.s. troops leave. >> 7-time formula 1 champion michael schumacher in a coma after a skiing accident. >> a special group of heroes from world war ii will be honoured at this year's rose bowl parade.

>> a deadly attack at a train station in russia. suicide bomber detonating ex-plea ex-plea explosives at a security checkpoint killing 15. another 30 were hurt. it's 700 miles from sochi where the 2014 winter olympics will be held in six weeks. u.s. condemned the bombing saying it stands with russia against terrorism. peter sharp has the latest. >> the chaotic after math of the attack on a railway station in volgograd. a body lies on the ground as emergency services scramble to treat survivors, a woman set off explosives near metal detectors near the main train station. the blast was captured on camera. >> thousands were leaving on

holidays >> translation: everything was covered with smoke, there were dies everywhere. inside the train station it was destroyed. >> inevitably the attack killed and injured dozens of people. >> translation: according to preliminary information the power was 10 kilograms of tnt. there would have been more if it weren't for the guarding system, preventing the suicide bomber from getting through the metal detect tore into the main hall, where there were three trains as they were late. >> seven people in october died after a suicide bombing on a bus. the latest raises security concerns at the black sea resort of socchi. >> president putin offered support to the families and relatives of those killed and injured in this attack.

security at the winter olympics will continue to be an overriding concern for the kremlin. it deployed 30,000 troops and security personnel into the region in an attempt to lock down the winter olympics. >> in an internet video doku umarov, leader of russia's muslim separatist rebels urged supporters to use maximum force to disrupt the socchi games and was cancelling his moratorium. his group claimed responsibility, including the underground attack. >> two days ago a car bomb killed three in a russian city. ordinarily russians may be wondering where the next attack may come from >> here is background on the violence in russia.

for two decades the government has been fighting with rebels in northern caucasus. from 1995 to 2013 there has been 15 attacks in russia, many involving chechen fighters, killing 1300 people, including hundreds of children. we take a closer look at chechen violence and security concerns ahead of the olympics. >> violence is no stranger to vladimir putin's russia, stemming from decades of conflict. 1999, the russian army inviteded chechnya, under orders vladimir putin described as an anti-terrorist provision. the conflict that followed lasted nine years. 50,000 civilians died, along with 5,000 russians, in 2001, a pro-moscow regime was installed. the conflict declared over.

separatists group spread through the kauk -- caucasus. >> there's a pattern, before the largest events, and sochi olympics is the biggest of them all, there has been these sorts of attacks. what they want to do, first and foremost is remind the kremlin that they are here and a force to be reckoned with. >> doku umarov called on militants to strike russia and prevent them hosting the sochi games. it raises a question whether more attacks will follow, and where. the maximum impact is whether to pull off an attack like this. moscow is more difficult to penetrate. here you have a combination of a city that is sizeable. it's close to the caucuses and easier to get into than moscow. >> perhaps easier than the

winter olympics themselves. a security zone extends 60 miles along the black sea coast and 30 miles inland. russians outside the city may not be getting the same level of protection. >> turning to ukraine where the protests got personal for the president. demonstrators marched to his home. jennifer glass has more on that. hundreds of ukrainians took their protests to the streets, trying to reach the pal racial residence of viktor yanukovych. for weeks they have been calling on him to resign and hold elections. demands have gone unanswered. >> we are not here for money or privileges. we are at independence square for ourselves, family and future. >> demonstrators first converged on independence square in

november. an association deal with disbanded with the e.u. >> demonstrations have waned after five weeks. the new tack take to target ministers and the president -- tactic to target minister and the president. >> the government doesn't have to listen to people. they only lose force. they simply ignore us. despite us and the people around - it makes them angry. >> with hundreds of riot police blocking the road to the president's house, the demonstration was peaceful. >> the demonstration seems o have run their course. opposition leaders are relying on a civil society movement taking the momentum and turn it into change in ukraine's city and region. >> seven time world champion race car driver michael schumacher is in critical condition after a skiing accident. the formula 1 legend was taken to a hospital near the french

ski resort after falling and hitting a rock. he suffered a head injury, even though he was wearing a helmet. a hospital official read a statement by his agent. >> he suffered head trauma with coma, he needed immediate treatment. >> a lot of people around the world are concerned. >> if you are not a fan of auto racing and formula 1 racing which is more popular outside the united states, this is the context for michael schumacher. he's the michael jordan, the tiger woods, the roger federer of his sport. he raced for benna tonne, winning two titles in "94 and "95. in his career, skyrocketed, he won five consecutive formula 1 titles from 2000 and 2004, giving him seven for his career, that is a record in formula 1

racing. he has 91 race victories in formula 1. the high point of his career - he was earning for than 80 million a year, in the same breath as tiger woods and athletes of that ilk. he is a premium racer. >> and you said one of the first to reach the billion limit. >> yes, in 2005 he was one of the first billionaire athletes, from racing and sponsorships and other entities he was involved in. $80 million in 2004. he made a large salary with ferar aafter retiring the first time. he came back and raced for three years. they retired at the end of 2012. the last race in november 2012, one of the highest paid

athletes. >> a lot of americans are not too familiar how does that compare? >> nascar, stock cars is like what we drive, but in open-wheel racing, it's similar to indy car racing. the wheels are outside the chassis of the car. the difference in formula 1 and indy car is the fuel that is used in the cars as well as technology. people consider around the world formula 1 drivers as the best drivers in the world, based on the complexity of driving, and the speed at which they reach. he's been the best in the sport. >> it is so dangerous if he gets hurt skiing, something unrelated. >> he is an avid skier, he is in switzerland. they are so accomplished in their skiing ability, they were not skiing down a marked run as you see in most resorts. they were going off on the road. maybe that led to the accident. we don't know.

he has done that before. motor sports is dangerous. he gets injured skiing. >> thank you for that. >> saudi arabia has promised to give lebanon's army $3 billion. forces struggled with violence, spreading across the border. the money allows the military to buy weapons. lebanon must remain united. >> translation: i know that france equipped the lebanese army until recently. we'll answer solicitation. why? lebanon must be united. integrity must be respected and security guaranteed. >> the funding was announced hours after funeral of lebanese minister. a car bomb killing mohamad chatah, and seven others. we have more on that.

[ singing ] >> an honorary medal for mohamad chatah from the lebanese president. other dignitaries lining you alongside the mosque for a final farewell for the final government minister ambassador. >> security was tight. the body of mohamad chatah and his body guard were laid to rest next to the vehicle. saad al-hariri, the former lebanese prime minister, and the man that built the mosque was, himself, a victim of a car bombing more than eight years ago. these mourners said they would remain defiant in the face of such attacks. >> translation: i came to participate in his funeral and show that we do exist. and if they think they can kill us all, as long as they are all standard we'll stay here. >> translation: we don't want hezbollah or anyone else. we want a real government.

>> amongst people here, anger at the assassination. also, despair that there's little they can do to stop similar assassinations in the future. >> former prime minister, a leading figure in the ain syria march 14th alliance told the crowd that the way things were before the assassination would not be the same after his death. >> we have a date with you at the square. it's for democratic and peaceful action. we decided to liberate our country. we decided to liberate our country. >> he referred to the arsenal of weapons held by the hezbollah movement. >> the march 14th alliance wants to channel anger into support for a government that doesn't include hezbollah, and wants to pressure the group to give up arms. although the assassination

polarized lebanon, the turn out was modest. a reflection of the challenges facing the march 14th camp to get supporters on the street. whether protesters take to the streets. war-weary lebanese are bracing for more trouble in the coming weeks. >> meanwhile in syria, activists on the ground say more than 20 people are dead after an air strike in aleppo, saying it was carried out by government forces on civilians in a market. >> taliban could make a comeback if america pulls out of afghanistan. it could take as little as three years, koorlding to an article in "the washington post." >> a national intelligence estimate is a report which is a consensus of the 16 intelligent agencies on the outlook.

their estimation of it, outlook for a policy question, which probably is impending and in this case is the course of the american posture in afghanistan, which may or may not have 34,000 or maybe zero troops by the end of 2014, depending on the negotiations conducted with the afghan government. this is a report - that you are talking about - is a leak. these reports, nies always classified and emerge in the media as the product of a leak. you can be confident that one side or the other which feels that the conclusions in this report favour their side of the arguments here in washington, that they are responsible for this. in this case it sounds like it's the civilian intelligence agencies, which have always come through in this nie. >> as you can hear from the back

and forth with the government of president hamid karzai, the american relations with the - his government at least are very, very frigid right now, and there is the ongoing threat that the united states, if they do not conclude a security agreement with the government, and again this is the outgoing government, because hamid karzai does not have another term, he cannot succeed into another term, that the united states is threatening the afghan government with pulling out completely because there's no understanding as to the status of forces in afghanistan at 2014. the question here is for policy makers in the united states, how does this intel gens estimate talk about the taliban resurging, how much that would inform the way the american

administration should conduct itself in these negotiations. >> tom ackerman in washington tonight. >> a ferry caught fire in the north sea a few miles from the british coast. two have been arrested for starting the fire. we have more. >> the shots were taken by britain's royal air force on saturday night. it shows the moments helicopters were airlifted. four passengers and two crew members were evacuated. 23 either were treated for smoke-related inhalation. >> there's a lot of smoke in the area. passengers show people listening to safety announcement and waiting by live boats. once they were on dry land many paid tribute to the crew. >> everyone was quiet and patient and easy.

it's very good. stewards take good care of us with the food and drinks and everything, so no problem at all. >> we stayed calm. there was a lot of smoke we could smell. but for the rest - the english people were a bit annoying, fighting and really rude. >> when they announced they were going on to holland, it was okay. 10 minutes later they said it was going back to newcastle. a couple of guys were arrested. >> police arrested two men, including a 26-year-old passenger suspected of starting the fire in his cabin, it's not clear if it was an accident. some tried to get on flight to the netherlands, but there's limited damage to the ferry, and it's safe to travel. >> well, france has given the go ahead for the much debated millionaire's tax. francis hollande introduced the measure as a way to have the wealthy help with the crisis.

it's for tax for a country paying taxes of one million euros or $1.4 million a year. >> the latest on violence in sudan, and how china is getting involved. >> the future of the long horns. we look at the future of the big-bucks team.

>> a militia of 25,000 strong is thought to be on the run. government forces clashed with the militia known as the white army, made up of thousands of youth thought to be aligned with the vice president riek machar. >> reports reaching us from the town of bor in the state of south sudan indicate that some of the white army militias, thousands who have been marching to the town of bor, with a view

of overtaking it from the government defense forces. the government information minister michael mccoy says that the minister disbanded and requested them to abandon their mission to go back to their homes. other sources say that there were aerial bombardments carried out around the place where the militias were. the aerial bombardments were to serve as a warning not to advance to that town. however, what we know and can confirm is some of the militias are marching to the town of bor. government defense forces are taking up positions in and around the town of bor, to defend the town from the approaching militias. the white army as they are known as brings its name from the white ash that the militia apply on their face to protect

themselves against insects. they are a subtribe from the tribe of nuer, which former vice president riek machar be longs to. >> china is calling for calm. the chinese government has been working to end the conflict. a spokesperson added that china's red cross will continue to deliver aid. the goodwill may be tide to its own interests. deputy commissioner of the human rights watch joins us. why is china showing an interest in sudan? >> china has a close interest, lubery kated by oil, because they buy up to 80% of their oil. these is key to china's economic growth, having reliable lines of fuel coming into the country.

>> is china the one with the most influence of the government of the china has serious skin, and leverage because of economic and financial vestments in the country. its willingness to get involved is a welcome sign. the fact is that it's interesting, it's awkward, because china, by doing so is violating this long-herald noninterference policy. this is an explicit thing. it doesn't want people involved in china's interior relations. that was a big issue with china. >> absolutely. concern about china's military assistance to the sudanese regime prompted the government to dispatch an envoy. sudan is a hot spot for the chinese government ensuring that the interests are protected.

>> moving forward, if china is reluctant to have people criticise this government, do you expect china to wade into these waters in sudan, and try to help the different factions come to peace? >> the chinese government sees reliable supplies of oil from south sudan as an imperative. it will continue to see it expressing concern, bringing leverage to bring peace in the region so the oil can flow. >> what can china say to the leaders to get them to come together and stop the fighting? >> what the chinese government needs to do, as a major investor, someone supplying so much of the foreign currency that the nation needs, that they are concerned and this is a threat of instability vital for south sudan and china. >> what about china's interest

in other parts of africa. >> china has a long history of involvement. they have for decades. the footprint is massive and growing. it's interesting when he see that china is involved in south sudan, while on the other side they are close to abusive regimes ending in zimbabwe, turning a blind eye to abuses in other countries, where there's an economic impairment, they voice their serves. >> do the african country seem receptive? >> many african countries reckons china has enormous resources which can be brought to bear where western countries try to bring about change. >> is it in the world's interest for china to take a bigger role to get the government of sudan

to get along. >> wherever china has leverage, it's in the interests of the international community that china speak out for issues of rule of law, peace and stability, particularly where you have flare-up where lives of thousands are at risk. >> slowly wading into the waters. >> thank you so much for you time. >> still ahead dash in "the week ahead", we discuss u.s. foreign policy and 2014, and a deadly start to the flu season. several states

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz, here are the top stories - president vladimir putin ordered tighter security following a suicide attack at a train station killing 15, 34

hurt. >> it happened at volgograd. >> 7-time race car driver michael schumacher is in critical condition after a ski accident. he suffered head trauma and is in a coma after falling at a french ski resort. >> gains that the u.s. made in afghanistan could be eroded after a drawdown. the national intelligence estimate says this it could take three years for the taliban's power to go after the americans leave the country. >> time for "the week ahead", first juan carlos molina reviews the highlights from 2013. >> vait john kerry is preparing to make his 10th trip, focussing time on this region and complex issues not expected to be resolved became a criticism of john kerry's tenure. the last visit to the region was less than a month ago where he

stated the goal of the u.s. >> in order to bring about a comprehensive agreement that can withstand anybody's test. on a positive note the nuclear negotiations with iran was hailed as a success, the islamic republic agreeing to open up discussions. >> president obama and john kerry were criticised on their handling of the military situation in syria and intervention, both making pleas on humanitarian ground and deferring o congress. >> edward snowden stirred the diplomatic pot when he revealed the us had been spying on its allies, angela merkel was outramed when -- outraged when it was discovered that her cell phone was monitored.

>> between allies, there must be trust. >> the obama tried to shift the focus so asia, particularly made after john kerry's comment at the asian conference, where he called the negotiateses a top priority. china and the u.s. agreed to a new model of relations, looking to ease tensions between the nation, both of which is expanding their presence in the pacific. 2013 was a packed and complicated year. 2014, by the looks of it, will not get easier. >> president obama and john kerry has a long to-do list for the new year. several hot spots need special attention. one big political headache is likely to come from afghanistan. u.s. and n.a.t.o. troops will leave in 2014. the tribal leaders will keep

some soldiers behind. >> president obama will not sign off until april. >> the nuclear deal with iran will expire. tehran, washington and a number of powers have to reach an agreement. they have to satisfy iran's nuclear ambitions and ease the fears of their neighbours. fighting in the central african republic put millions at rick. humanitarian disaers are a security threat. >> joining us to discuss of the year is. >> shaan tharoor, a senior editor at time magazine anded tore of time world and ali wyne with the harvard kennedy school. >> president obama - good job or

bad job, and secretary of state john kerry. >> they have done good and bad. john kerry has been dogged. he's undertaken a number of short-term initial tifs on israel and palestine. they may unravel and may not bear fruit. give them credit. >> he gets credit for trying. >> he had a tough, challenging first year, but there are few instances of success. very clear success that we see in the past year. >> starting with syria. let's go across the world and start in the middle east. syria is the big one. remember, he had the red line. syria crossed it with chemical weapons. looks like a missile strike will happen, then he says, "no, no", and a new plan came out. blunder or not. what do you say? >> it's a headache i wouldn't call a blunder. there's not a self-evident

solution for it. we see 125,000 people have been killed. what do you do when you have a fractured opposition. now you have former ambassador ryan crocker. maybe the better alternative. what is the self-evident way forward. there's no good guys in this fight. >> getting tangled up in the red line is not the greatest place to be. no one in the u.s. wants to be part of. >> they didn't cover themselves in glory in that sense. >> angered some allies, including israel and saudi arabia. >> one of the less discussed stories is the drift between the u.s. and saudi. this is the long-standing ally in the region, at least arab ally in the region, on syria, and iran.

saudis are not happy right now. >> let's talk about iran. you know, it's hard to come to a firstly conclusion on whether this was a first deal. it's a temporary deal. 2014 will be the real make it or break it. the fact that united states reached a deal with iran, how much credited does iran get for that. >> huge. viewed against a long objective, some kind of final deal. the deal may seem prem stur. given down-right non-existent relations, now we this contact with american officials. big progress. the initiative may unravel. we should see where the agreement goes. absolutely. especially the endurance they have shown and putting up with

domestic opposition. we have to stomach that this year. it's been a testament to diplomacy. >> we had other issues popping up. secretary kerry spent a lot of time in israel to reach a deal. meanwhile, we have, as we mention, issues in syria, africa, asia. is it smart for the obama administration to focus on israel and palestinians, when some say that's not top of mind. >> president barack obama is reluctant. secretary of state john kerry initially wanted to restrain kerry. >> you say this is the secretary's big idea. he's under taken initiative. >> it's a thorny issue. given the fact that the sides were not talking. at least we are talking. it seems like small potatos, it's a scar.

>> the level of cynicism. it's as high as it's been in a long time. we have seen the violence in the past few weeks in the wang, in gaza -- in the west bank, it's occurring in a context. they can only focus on so much. meanwhile there's asia, another big hot spot. president obama was not able to attend a summit in asia because of a crisis with the federal budget. is asia ignored. is that a problem. >> the idea of the asian pivot has been discussed for now. and they use the term rebalancing. slightly less sharp thrusting. i think what is curious about the past is as we have seen kerry go to the middle east a few times, focus on syria.

asia in a certain sense has been ignored. and the u.s. is eager to re-engage. what is important to know is this is one of the parts of world, where countries want american engagement. how can they focus on asia if they spend so much time on syria and israel. the premise of the rebalances is it brings you back. two big questions is one will america's continued economic weakness undermine the ability to resource the pivot. can the united states move forward, minimising pressure while bolstering allies in the region. unenviable balance k act. >> this is occurring at a

fraught moment when you have a hawkish nationalist prime minister in japan, antagonising his neighbours. you have the chinese making rather assertive claims in the neighbouring waters. so it's a context where the u.s. has to play a calm and conservative role. a lot of european leaders are not too happy with the united states. long-term damn, short-term, big deal, not big deal - what do you say. >> short-term damage is indisputable. close friends are saying, "the hypocrisy. short-term damage is indisputable." >> i think that in the long term the imperatives of cooperation will hopefully put aside the damage done by the revelations. in the short terms america has to reinvigorate its diplomacy.

>> how do they do that? >> that is - i am sure kerry would like the answer. >> they promised to overhaul the n.s.a. and no longer spy on the german chancellor angela merkel. >> i think to americans there's not a lot of big deal. what was more damaging was in latin america, the brazilian president cancelled a state visit and the president having his plane grounded in vienna, in a place where america has to assert itself. >> if africa we talked about south sudan, central african republic, it's part of a world that is overlooked by the united states government. do you think that will change in

2014. >> 2014 - 20 year anniversary in rwanda. president clinton said his biggest regret is not doing more about rwanda. that will be seered into america's conscience and samantha power, the u.n. ambassador wrote the seminial book. >> and susan rice. >> those would among the others will urge greater action and focus on that part of the world. >> what does that look like though >>. >> washington, and oficialts in washington and state department made phone calls. trying to push for peace. i am sure it's disappointing. they have invested hundreds of millions in the fledgeling state. presumably for a negotiated

outcome. >> the last big question - we talked about the planet. i want each of you to answer - what will be the biggest issue for the united states. >> asia pacific. many level-headed cool observers say asia on the eve of 2014 has evil parallels. europe in 1913, they are optimistic. economic integration, and 1914. >> as was mentioned we had a resurfacing in china, japan and other countries, the second-largest economies. if china and japan were to engage in a skirmish. the united states will get involved because of treaty obligations, there's no good outcomes. i think - it is the middle east. generally you want to find a

lasting agreement with iran. that will be a challenge in home and abroad. it will be a busy year. ali wyne with the harvard school. thank you both for coming in. >> a huge day with the n.f.l. as the play-off field reaches new levels. michael eaves back later with sport.

>> severe weather across the country, let's go to kev yin with more than that. >> we are looking at two big problems, first of all the storm up the eastern sea board. it's moving quickly.

last time i showed you i had moved through new york. now it's ready to go through parts of central vermont. ending at the bottom of vermont. we are seeing a quick improvement. the airports are lagging behind. >> across the nowhere planes and midwest it's a frontal boundary coming through, seeing the clouds pushing to the south-east. we are looking at fargo minus 11. compared to yesterday. these temperatures are anyone between 30 and 40 than they were 35, 24 hours ago. minnesota is seeing a 39 degree drop in temperatures. omaha 36, kansas city 36. a change in temperatures for many people. chicago, you are 25 degrees. factoring the wind chill, this is what people feel like.

minnesota, thiunder bay, ontari. if you are getting out for new year's eve. this is what we'll see. st. louis cloudy. it will be a snowy day. 27 chaps of precip. we'll understand a high of 16. it will be more like 13 degrees. minnesota, your high, minus one, minus 5 degrees. here across the north-east things along the coast will be dry. a lot of people - this is what we are going to see. partly cloudy conditions. by the time we get to midnight you want to bundle up. there's no chance of rain in the forecast. >> that is good news. a huge day in the n.f.l. michael, do we know who is going

to be in the play-off. >> there's one little thing up there. >> win and you are in. >> if you are a team fighting for a chan to play in the championship. that's where it would be. we start in nsc where the chick go bears. roger breaking his collarbone. less than 2 minutes to play to gave green bay a 33-28 win, and a trip to the play-off as the champion of the nfc north. the new orleans saints needed a win over the tampa bay buccaneers to guarantee a spot. it came threw as drew breezed through four touch downs, running for near. reece finishing the season well. >> the saints playing close

attention to the carolina panthers came. a loss would give them the number two overall seed. it was not to be. cam newton threw two touchdown passes. >> matt ryan, nine times, four coming from hardy. here is how the play-off standings look in the nfc - seattle seahawks have home field venge as the number one. number three, philadelphia or dallas. those two are playing now. the winner of that game will be the three seed as champion of the nfc east. san francisco and the saints, two wildcard winners on the road next week to play in the play-offs. now to the afc, where there are four chances to claim the final wildcard spot.

pittsburg steelers needed a win, but three other teams to lose. the steelers did their part. lefion bell ran for 90 yards going along with ben rothel burger's passing yards. pittsburg winning. helps the steelers avoid a losing season. one of the three teams pittsburg needed to lose was the miami dowl sfins. the jets spoiler. three long scoring drives. jets go to a win ending the dolphin's shot. one down, two to go. play-off hope for baltimore rave eps, the defending super bowl champions. the hopes are shattered. andy dalton threw two touchdowns, employing a 5-strange. that meant it came down to the

san diego charge against the chiefs. putting them in the play-offs. brian missed a 41-yard field goal. instead it goes to overtime where the charges took advantage thanks to a 36-yard field goal. san diego's fourth straight gave the charges a 6th and final spot, eliminating the steelers. here is how the playout, denver broncos are the number one seed. patriots number two. the bipingles get the three seed because they beat the head to head. chiefs and the charges are two wildcard teams. >> now to college football where the university of texas. matt brown coaching two games. >> replacing brown is well beyond the field.

>> texas long horn football is a cash cow. according to texas, they lead out of all teems, the only team to bring in more than $100 million a year. that happened with the past two. all with a team that has not played. 30 wins, losses. according to patrick, it's a research firm in st. lieu ace. even though there has been a lull here the last few years, there's a situation that built the brand and you had a state of texas, it's so rich and saturated, people are crazy about the sport, in the state of texas, and university of texas long horns fell. current ut students missed the glory days when the long horns

won the title. from a popularity standpoint texas is on top. >> you go into a walmart, loving texas. all that, and there's still longhorn merchandise. >> they brought in 109 million, of which 82 million was profit. most come from ticket sales. royalty and donors. there's a situation where everything is bigger in texas, there's a lot of wealthy individuals. the two men credited with making texas football what it is today, is retiring director, who held the position for 33 years, and outgoing football director matt brown. >> it's a huge matter. >> jason, who runs the texas team storm isn't surprised by

texas football number one ranking. here on game days. >> it's a mad house. there's tonnes of people. nonstop. >> you can go to germany and someone will know what it is. it led the staggering results. even as the program tries to regain the footing on the field. >> all that money that u.s. texas raised led. 5.2 million. the money did not lead to a lot of wins. that's why matt brown is stepping down. >> still ahead on al jazeera america. the 125th rose bowl parade is days away. speaking with a female pilot from world war ii.

>> the 125th rose bowl parade honours a special group of women, those that flew military

planes during world war ii. they are known as the women airforce service pilots, or wasps. >> her hands are not as steady, her eyes not as sharp. but she's still a pilot. >> i used to tell my father that's what i fanned to do, and he said, "not something girls usually do, but if you figure out how, more power to you." there wasn't much hope for a woman that wanted to fly. florabelle reece saw an ad seeking women pilots, they went for training in texas. >> i was excited. i was going to get to fly. we could see the plane on the field. >> the military conformed the women airforce service pilots the wasps. they shuttled bombers and fighters around the country and flew transport. when they started, flying was a

man's world, and even the flight suits were for men. they went in and picked one out and it fits you okay. they were too big and you rolled them and did what you had to do >> the training was difficult. >> one of the things we had to do, they would blindfold us, and get - name an instrument, and you had to touch it and tell what it read, and what you would do if it malfunctioned and why it was important it was in the airplane. >> it turned out women could fly. >> i did the wheel verse, the spins, everything i could think of that we had been taught to do. and it was just a beautiful airplap to do it. >> she ended up as an airport pilot, dragging bombers in exercises. >> it never occurred to me it would be dangerous.

>> it was. over 1,000 who became pilots, 38 died in accidents. after the war she had a family and never flew again. new year's day, aboard the float, commemorating the wasps, florabelle reece will be in parade dresses. >> i will wear my wings, they'll be on and my staff. those two things tell you this is who i am. >> this is her moment, a moment of recognition for her and seven other women and all the wasps that are gone now. >> this is a big deal for me, and the appreciation that people need to know that we were there. i'm living proof of that, that women did fly in the war. >> new year's day, she'll fly high once more. >> flying high, indeed. good for them. that is our show, headlines and "correspondent" is next on al jazeera america.

>> and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz with tonight's top stories. russian president vladimir putin ordered tighter security following a suicide attack that killed 15 people and hurt another 34. it happened in the southern city of volgograd, 600 miles south of moscow. six weeks before the winter olympics in sochi. >> saudi arabia offered $3 billion for the lebanese army to help them buy weapons and fight violence. >> 7-time world champion race car driver michael schumacher is in critical condition after a