>> hello, and welcome to aljazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york, and john seeing no the temperat. making money, hopes are high for the economy in 2014. the record is broken, and the reason for optimism. annihilate all terrorist. that's the comment from russia's president. [ audio difficulties ]

>> in chicago, it's tough to find some hopes for sale. inventories are down about 30% compared to last year, and in some cases, bidding wars are breaking out on property. >> reporter: mark and kay home shopped for several months before final close on this three-bedroom brick colonial. >> our inventory was very low, and the places that were very nice or fit our needs go under

contract very quickly. >> reporter: however, rising interest rates could undermine the move. affirm interest on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is 4 and a half percent, and that's a percent higher than a year ago. real estate broker, scott newman, thinks that the prospect is prompting many of his clients to buy now, rather than wait. [ audio difficulties ]

so here we are with a million people, and there will be 150 americans watching on television, and about 1 billion people around the world, when they take all of the clips into account. it's a very very big, and rather cold event, john. >> and john, talk about the temperature out there. what is it like? how is it affecting the crowd size? >> that's a very good question. i've only been in time square this time of evening, only until midnight. so i don't know. there's nowhere to move. it's jam-packed. and if you went down to meet some of the people earlier today, and one of the big issues is -- i met a couple from canada and their family, and for them,

it's like a walk in the park. they live in canada and their heating went out for christmas, and so it's a training of what they're going through now. >> we had a rough week last week, our power was out all week. >> where are you from? >> i'm from toronto, canada. >> so it was cold at home? >> yes, -16. >> and your power is still not back on? >> . >> last minute decision to come here. >> so in other words, a cold home. and you've been in training for this. >> i'm from china. >> really? did you come over specifically for this celebration? >> oh, yes. >> it's an amazing experience. >> you are already engaged to get married? >> yes. >> oh, one final word, jonathan, there was an election in 2013.

and mayor bloomberg is out. at midnight, comes in the democrat, and he's not going to be here, so triggering this evening, no word on whether sonya sotomayor will be wearing these fashionable boots that i bought on eight avenue this afternoon. >> how much did they cost must. >> they cost me about four times more than they would. >> only in style for a couple more hours. thanks, john. appreciate it. >> me or the gloves. >> thanks, john, we'll see you a little bit later. we also want to show you this from outer space. not long ago, the crew on the international space station tweeted a photo. happy new year, time square, lit up and looking good from space.

fun. new year will bring in tough tax problems for teachers and homeowners. more than 50 tax breaks are disappearing at midnight. and that could change after congress returns from a holiday break. and that's one of the political stories that could make headlines in the year ahead. the huffington post said that overall things need help in 2014, starting with the disappearing tax breaks. >> every year, people run up against the deadline that congress refused to renew. and we saw 1.4 million people run out of benefits, and there will be hundreds of thousands more in january and february, and this is a problem that could snowball quickly. it's taking money out of people's pockets. >> another big topic this year. 2014 might be the year that we see reform there? >> i really thought that 2013 was the year that something would happen.

after 2012, the republican party had a big autopsy, and they should have done well in the elections, and they have done badly in the senate level. and the only serious policy recommendation that they made for themselves, let's get comprehensive immigration through, and we need tore start winning votes that aren't old white men. but if the party can't get serious about that this year, they might be able to have a decent year of the senate in 2014, but you're looking for long-term problems for the republican party. >> elections are going to be pivotal for 2004 2014, and whato you say? >> yes, in particular, in the house, where republicans are in control, you worry about the primary challenge, and that has been going on for the last year or so. and once you get through the primary process, there are going to be a lot of people out of

work, and no matter how liberal or conservative you are, you have to get a job, and being able to at least pay the rent or something, and get through the month is something that i don't think is unreasonable for the americans and yong to provide for them. so i think that you might get through the process with a reasonable decent policy. >> who do you think is going to be the big winner? republicans or democrats? >> the economy is going to be not so great for democrats, and obviously, the signature, right now, the signature proposal and policy reform for the democrat party in the last years hasn't done terribly well. and you combine that with the economy, and i think that obamacare is a drag on the tickets. but all you can say if you're a democrat, make a big point about how the republican party is bad on these issues. if you're on the lower part of the income, they haven't done well for you. i think it's plausible that the

democrats get a good message going, and at least hold the senate. i wouldn't be surprised if they hold the senate and make gains in the house. >> what about senator mitch mcconnell. a lot of people watching that. >> the most interesting senate race in the country, and it could end up in a situation where weirdly, if mcconnell loses, it could come down to the wire and whether the republicans take back the 60 seats they need to gain control of the senate. it could be a situation where mcconnell loses in a close place, and if that happens, he has made himself the face of washington gridlock with the president's agenda finish the next few years. in the last months, he's drawing the line with the tea party and saying, we have guys like ted cruz shutting down the government. and i'm going to make a deal.

>> thank you for your time today. >> in utah, taking its fight against gay marriage all the way to the supreme court. filing an appeal, asking justices to block same-sex marriages. it was legalized in utah earlier this month as a judge overturned the ban. >> salt lake city is not san francisco or new york, about you it's a great place for candace and colleen. they're same-sex parents. >> this is lydia marie and this is sarah ann. >> not far away, in another salt lake neighborhood, rachel and claudia are serving breakfast to their eight-month-old daughter, laurel. these women are among the 900 couples who rushed to get marriage licenses after a ban on same-sex marriage was overturned by a federal judge. >> to be able to get married in utah, it's unbelievable.

sometimes i still pinched myself. saying it actually happened. >> the ruling surprised everyone, in utah and beyond. but quietly, out of the spotlight, salt lake's gay community has been raising families here for years. >> because there's such an emphasis on families and children, it just makes it easier to be a parent, period, because everybody else has children. >> that comes inner part from the strong influence of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, and the mormons who call this city home. clint is a professor at the university of utah. >> utah is a family state and always will be. >> census shows that salt lake city has the highest rate of gay parents than any other state in the country. 26% are raising families, and san francisco, 13%, and new york, 17%. >> i think that one of the key things to remember, we say that

26% of gay couples are raising children together in salt lake city, that has serious obstacles. >> among the obstacles, homophobia and hostility. and it just got easier. >> it would have been a worry for us that the babies weren't legally protected in utah or federally without the adoption. >> married with children, it's a tradition, and now that they're married, they feel they will be putting out the welcome mat for many more same-sex families. >> they had no idea that the nsa was trying to hack the iphone. reportedly got its information

from the smart phone. the program wanted to monitor text messages and contact lists and more. and it said that it never had the access data in any of its products! >> in russia, a fears nears view from russia president, vladimir putin. >> we bow our heads before the victims of cruel terrorist acts. i am certain that we will fiercely and consistently fight against terrorists, until they're complete annihilation. >> his comments since the twin bombings killed at least 34 people in volgograd on sunday. the winter olympics will be held in a little more than a month. at the south pole, 74 passengers ring in the new year off of the coast of antarctica. they have been stranded since christmas eve. but they're not letting it bring

down their holiday spirit ♪ ♪ >> the group of researchers and tourists and crews set out last month. several attempts to reach them by ice breaker have failed. and helicopters will fly them to safety as soon as the weather clears. it's going to get worse before it gets better. >> yes, some places tonight, jonathan, are going to get cold. we did break records, and those are up here on the canadian border. minnesota and north dakota, we're looking at snow in the area, but these are the current temperatures that we're seeing right now. fargo, -18°, and if you look to the north, you see the darker purples, and that's where we broke the record. it could still be in that region that we're concerned about. minneapolis, bismarck, yes, it does look cold. and you're not breaking any

records. it wasn't until 1960 that we saw the temperatures down to -4 to -8, and you're aways from there, but the windchills feel like -32 in fargo and -12 in minneapolis. tomorrow morning, it's going to be cold, you'll be waking up to -23 in fargo, and it's going to be another day or so, and then the temperatures will slowly pull back up. you can see here in minneapolis. on friday. >> cold end to 2013. protesters in the ukraine tried to ring in the new year with a new world record. [ music ] protesters tried to org the biggest crowd ever to sing a national anthem simultaneously. thousands gathered in independence square. and in dubai, the world's

largest fireworks show. the persian nation is known for its over-the-top accomplishments like the tallest skyscraper. you could see them on the dubai skyline. and seattle is about to launch another one of the world's largest fireworks displays from the iconic building. if. >> and key provisions in the president's healthcare plan kick in tomorrow.

>> new year's day marks the start of the affordable care act, when key provisions kick in. we have dates to watch out for, and breaks down what it all means. >> today, americans whoever been forced to go without insurance, can visit healthcare.gov and get quality coverage. that starts today. >> that was president barack obama when the first insurance exchanges went live. but what happens now? the first milestone is fears nears day, when the bum being of the health reforms take effect, and for insurance to kick in if you already purchased insurance on the markets. the others can face a fine around tax time if they haven't picked a plan by march 31st, and there are others that roll out on new year's day. the term, preexisting conditions

are a thing of the past. they can no longer deny you coverage if you're sick or raise the price of the premium if you're a woman, and no idea what the medical costs will cover, and if you suffer from cancer or want to take part in a clinical trial, they can't drop you. new medicaid will be for low income people. a family of four, earning up to $32,000 a year, will be eligible for free coverage. looking ahead, there are new dates to watch out for. under pressure after insurers began dropping the plans for millions of americans, president obama said that they can be covered even if they don't meet the requirements. there are big changes coming for

you too. after a series of delays, the online marketplace for businesses are set to open in november. the market is for employers with less than 50 employees, and owners with 55 workers could be eligible for tax credits if they join. if you have a bigger company, you have a year before you cover all of your workers or pay a fine. now, here's a big one. starting january 1st, 2013, the law imposes a tax on employers, and $27,500 on families. idea is to reduce costs, by making employers more discerning with the plans that they offer their workers. but for now, as they roll out, more on the exchanges. aljazeera, new york. >> it's one of the world's largest firework shows launched

from a structure. from the past two decades, the seattle space needle as offered the world a glance of color. a look at the high altitude show. >> this takes a special kind of workplace approach. buckle up and keep your eyes on the job. >> if you don't look down, vertigo, focus on what you're doing, and go to the next one. >> we have to handle the explosives 6 feet off of the ground. >> a 12 person crew works for three days, prepping the space needle for one of the largest fireworks displays launched from a building. it's a special challenge, placing pyro technic challenges where they will place the architecture built for the 1962 worlds fair. >> with a circular roof, we have the opportunity with the legs

vertical. so we'll be moving up and down the legs in the show too. >> the fireworks are packed in prebuilt boxes and then hested onto the roofs for careful positioning. >> they're going up and breaking apart like a shell. and they go up and burn out. that's how they go. sometimes they go up and they will break into pieces and split up. >> this is the 21st year that they have wired the needle for the city, and lit the fuse, but [ audio difficulties ]

>> a new year's promise from rush president, vladimir putin. vowing to fight the terrorists until their total destruction. at least 30 people were killed in volgograd in two days. the sochi winter games begin in february. >> and so it begins. this was the scene as the clock struck midnight, ringing in the new year in shanghai, china. lighting up the skies in asia and new zealand. people in colorado have another reason to start 2014. at midnight, it will be legal for anyone over 21 to smoke pot in that state and buy it over

the counter in licensed stores. >> reporter: harvesting and processing pot is a family affair at nature's herbs and wellness in garden city, colorado. >> this is my aunt judy and my mom and my dad. >> three generations work here, and business is booming. >> we started out with 1200 square feet and right now, we have 10,000 square feet all finished and we're bursting at the seems. next grow o op is 10,000 square feet. >> pot is the biggest game in town at garden city, population 400. the marijuana dispensaries already account for one quarter of all of the tax revenues, and that's before they start retail sails, and it has the mayor seeing green. >> there's not a pothole in my entire town, because we have been able to invest in

infrastructure and do things that we wouldn't have the chance to do with out industry or new energy in town. >> if the estimates are correct, colorado is about to have a bumper crop of cash. some say $6 billion in 2014. right now, there are 100,000 users of medical marijuana in the state. but another half million are expected to legally light up recreationally, and that's not even counting marijuana tourists. >> it's a destination, no doubt about t we get so many phonecalls a day. i would say right now, being closer to the first, we're getting about 50 phonecalls a day. >> the u.s. department of justice has said that it won't try to shut down the recreational pot industries, but some gray areas remain. banks won't take retailers money for now, and there are worries

about underaged crime and drug use, but john thinks that other states will soon see dollar signs through the haze. >> colorado is going to be one of the richest states, and i think that everyone will follow suit if the voters allow it. >> so if there are questions about how weed will play out in colorado, it's safe to say that the hopes for the future are high. >> hillary burken has talked about how the marijuana law is a game changer. >> it's an unbelievable step in the right direction for legalization as a whole in the united states of america. it will be the first state in the union to have legal sale of marijuana and it's unbelievable. >> but people are concerned about crime to the odor of the

drug. >> that,. breaking areaber area barriers t easy to do. many communities are worried about what you said. odor, green light districts, and it's a grand social experiment. and hopefully these communities will be able to get past that when they see that the implementation is not going to kill us all. >> so now people can buy it with a license, like liquor stores, and it's also being heavily tacked and that's a concern that people will be able to buy it and sell it on the black market. and will this encourage more criminal activity? >> my opinion on that, this is a grand social permanent. and many people, i'm confident, want to be law-abiding, and they will stay within the tax just to be in a lawful environment when they purchase marijuana. just like they get that martini

after work, they don't want to feel the stigma. they will pay the tax. >> is this going to take off in colorado or is it going to be a smash, specialized industry? >> in the beginning, you'll see a small, specialized industry, most proliferating in denver, and in the first two years, i anticipate being rocky territory because of the federal tension. the federal banking laws and taxation laws, still are heavy on the entrepreneur's shoulders. so i anticipate it will be you have to going in the first two years. >> xiao think that this will sparking tourism in the col? >> i certainly hope so. if we learned anything from amsterdam, tourists love to get stoned and i think that these states will be proud that they can have marijuana tourism, just like bars and mountain lodges. i think that marijuana can fit

into those economies physically. >> does that make you cringe? to think that tourists are coming to colorado to get stoned? >> it doesn't make me cringe. no matter what verb i use. i think it's an issue of social conditioning, and with enough time going by and social spontaneous in the right areas, marijuana will be no different. >> hillary, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you, jonathan. >> and colorado's pot laws, just one of the 40,000 new laws going into effect tomorrow in the country. >> oregon has a new law about smoking. this one is about cigarettes, and bans lighting up in your cars if children are inside. some guns are being banned in connecticut, following the shooting deaths of 26 at the sandy hook elementary school.

guns can only hold tep rounds. in order to keep them legally. >> these are getting a lot of attention in the new year. here in new york, there's a ban on smoking e cigarettes in public. where cigarette smoking is no longer allowed. imposing this type of law, and several others are debating whether to restrict the devices. if you got or gave a pet in the holidays, the new pet lemon law may interest you. it allows an owner to return a pet or reimburse vet bills. also drivers passing up school buses. they can signal cams to catch them. in california, new rules for schools. based on the gender they identify w not the gender they were born with. and drinking laws have not been

forgotten for the new year. in wisconsin, you can go to a pedal tavern. it cycles you from bar to bar. some will take place several months into the new year. but it's clear that 2014 will bring new changes, not just the calendar year itself. aljazeera, new york. >> 2013 was a year to remember. and not for the reasons that you may think:. >> from lance armstrong coming clean about cheating, so football's manti te'o discovering his girlfriend never existed, sports wasted little time in 2014 from the back page to the front page. and storylines quickly turned serious from oscar pistorius' house in south africa. >> oscar pistorius has been arrested. >> the man who overcame his

handicap for a rise to fame shot and killed his girlfriend. he said that he thought she was a burglar, but he will stand trial in march. in boston, near the finish line, bombs went off. and killed 3 and injured 80. sports teams went to rally a shaken city. but soon, it would be another boston athlete dominating the headlines. >> former hateiot, aaron hernandez, back in court today. he pled not guilty to first-degree murder. >> he went from the penthouse to the jailhouse when he was arrested in the shooting death of odin lloyd. that same day, he was indicted for murder. >> what we saw today was disgusting, and the fact that the man from milwaukee that put this suspension without one bit

of evidence, something i didn't do. i didn't do one thing. >> alex rodriguez declared war on major league baseball and bud selig for singling him out in july. 13 others were discovered on the client list of a south florida clinic that dispensed performance enhancing drugs. only a-rod chose to fight his suspension. >> new. just as performance enhancing drugs returned to baseball, concussions reared their ugly heads in football. in august, a group of retired players settled their lawsuit with the nfl over the long-term affects of concussions. >> facing 4500 retired players, settling the largest lawsuit in history, shelling out $165 million. >> four months after the

settlement, the ex-players have yet to be paid. but the talk about concussions hasn't ceased. johnny manziel accused of wrong doing. who knows if an apology from richie incognito would have kept jonathan martin on the team. but the allegations of harass. kindled a fire storm. >> with anything out of the ordinary, bullied, hazed, any of that. it was a regular football teamful playing with your brothers. >> neither player has played again since october. winston finished brilliantly. but his heisman campaign was nearly sunk by sexual assault allegations.

>> i think that florida state was a little surprised that came out. and jamison's lawyer was surprised. >> despite local protests about the investigation by the tallahassee police, the prosecutors couldn't find enough evidence to charge winston, and that left him free to be the most celebrated football player. >> next up for winston, the national title game where he will open 2014 in the headlines again. >> and the formula one champion, badly hurt in a skiing accident, has undergone a second surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. doctors are saying that he's showing slight improvement in a medically induced coma. fans have a flag outside of the hospital where schumacher is in

serious condition. if a. >> next, cancer and google blast, some of the best and worst inventions of 2013. and another live look at time square in new york city. a mill people expected to ring in the new year.

>> in central africa, thousands of south sudanese soldiers have been dispatched. they're expected to go tomorrow to capture the city. in the oil state of jong li, an important location. the ethnic fighting started two weeks ago. the victory could give them a stronger position in negotiations. and there are updates tonight on the four aljazeera

journalists who have been detained in egypt. moved to torah prison outside of cairo, and they will be questioned by the prosecutor on wednesday. a number of high-profile political prisoners are being kept this. mohammed, another is being held in torah prison. and questioned on wednesday and remains at the police station. and aljazeera is demanding that it's staff be released immediately. there were intriguing technological advances this year that could impact society for years to come. >> 2013 was a mix of goofy inventions and transformative discoveries. shrinking electronics gave way to what the industry calls wearable computing. transformers and of course google glass. while glass sounded like a good

idea, is it scared our friends and made them look scary. it will take at least a year it find out what to do with the computers. at least this year, you won't have to turn them off on the plane. you can keep them on in flight. 2013 was a doldrum for apple, an android phone can do much the same stuff. the long rumored apple television set or perhaps the eye watch. but why wait for a company to do these things for you when you can print them out yourself. personal printers fell to the $1,000 mark. they can prototype their own stuff. and just don't expect anything to be private. revelations that the nsa has been monitoring millions of unexiting americans for digital privacy. in 2014, companies will be competing to prove that what was

their products out of the government's reach. but perhaps the greatest area of achievement this year, and the most exciting in 2014 was in medicine. scientists developed an experimental the therapy that us the boyd's own immune system to fight cancer. genetic microsurgery, turning on or off the genes that lead to certain afflictions. scientists may have found out how to clone human stem cells like they do sheep. and what really got attention was the brain. deep brain stimulation, a method of feeding stimulation into the head, treating parkinson's, and andafflictions like post-traumac

stress. the first complete computer simulation of the human brain. and at last, scientists seem to have figured out what sleep is for. it clears toxins out of the brain that buildup in the course of the day. that discovery could lead to a better night's rest for every. >> ever wonder why countries set off fireworks to ring in the new year? or why people kiss after the ball drops? some of those next. and a look at why people are partying tonight with bacon of all things. stay with us.

>> when the clock strikes mid, cheering and fireworks, but did you ever wonder why? the ball dropping in time square. the tradition started with fireworks. but they banned them in. but then smooching. this dates back to medieval times as a way to ward off evil spirits.

fireworks, scaring off demons and misfortune. and finally, forget the wine. people eat 12 grapes for 12 months of good luck. it starts at midnight. and need one for each. around the world, people need special foods to bring in good fortune from black eyed peas. josh, thank you for being with us tonight. >> my pleasure. >> what do you think is the biggest tradition in the united states? what do we eat the most of? >> the classic new year's day is a low country classic with black eyed peas and delicious collards, simmered for endless hours in pork fat. that's the american new year's day dish. >> where did that come from?

hopin' john. >> it comes out of poverty, and there's all of this concern about getting hungry or getting poor. so you eat rich, fattening foods, and hopin' john, the greens look like dollars, and the beans are said to look like coins. so you're hoping that in the next year, you're going to stay full, and you're going to keep from being poor. >> that's good to know. i always thought that it was good luck, and now i know that the beans actually represent coins. not bad. and another tradition that i heard about. cochachino and lentils and what's that about? >> in italy, you have the same food obsessed peasantry and eternal superstitions. they didn't have black eyed peas

and greens, and they had lentils, and then it's a loosely ground pork sauce ang that can absorb all of the pork fat inside of the lentils, and it's a way of cramming luck, and happiness and fat into your body at once. >> it's all about the fat, isn't it? >> all about the fat and the bacon. i hear that, and let's talk about asia too. that's on our list of things to talk about. what do they do in asia with the noodles? >> it's kind of a tradition. it's very cool. so it's not so much about copious amounts of pork fat or animal fat. but it's about sustenance. and they have this tradition of slurping noodles, and they have one long endless noodle and you slurp and slurp it, and yes, it suggests that you're going to be full, but more importantly, you're going to be full in an uninterrupted way. and not have a cycle of feast

and famine, for people within the seasons, but it's one continuous stream of food and happiness in your body. >> how long is that noodle? that's a cool idea. >> i never met anybody that could slurp for much longer than a minute, so depending on your suction power. >> so speaking of all of these, what is your favorite one? >> well, my favorite one isn't any of the above. i always make elaborate bacon concoctions. i am going to make something for esquire that should come out tomorrow. how americans are making these elaborate, bacon dishes, and that's perfect, because that's our happiness tall is man. and when you're hung over the next day, you need all of the salt you can get to keep the water in your system. >> thank you, jonathan, happy

new year. >> happy new year! >> all righty. from sydney to dubai, it has been a day of new year's celebrations around the globe. here are the sights and sounds of saying good-bye to 2013.

it now in rio brazil. a fireworks display, as revelers ring in the new year. hundreds of thousands are expected to show up in rio for that massive celebration. back here in new york, more than a million people are minuted. wall street has a banner year. the s 5