>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. this is tony harris with a look at tonight as top stories. healthcare coverage is in effect for two million americans. and colorado begins selling marijuana. it's an era of boy scouts as the organization allows guys. and the heartbreaking decision of a couple taking care of orphans in the south sudan. so happy new year, and welcome to 2014. change is certainly in the air. new leaders are being sworn in,

and there are hopes with a growing economy and private health insurance starts for more than two million americans. but the president's new healthcare law has encountered a legal hurdle. justice sotomayor with a ruling that applies to non-profit groups that have the same health plans. the white house said it is confident the new law does address the objections of religious organizations. the legal challenge won't stop coverage from kicking in for millions of americans who signed up in hawai'i where the president is vacationing. healthcare for the majority of the population is nothing new. jennifer london joins us from honolulu. >> reporter: hi, tony, it's nice to see you, and happy new year. when most people think of hawai'i they think of the image

that is behind me. beautiful beaches, surf, and palm trees. it's not called the aloha state without good reason. but if you take a closer look perhaps hawai'i should also be known as the health state. inside eden and love a small boutique in honolulu customers are looking for deals. but those who work here might actually have the best deal of all. >> we have clothing lines. we have jewelries. >> reporter: the shop owner offers healthcare benefits to his employed. all 12 of his employees, including five who only work part time. >> for us it's the business model where we've been able to supply part time workers who works 21 hours medical. >> reporter: he didn't a saint. he's simply a small business owner following hawai'i's healthcare law that has been on the books since 1974. in fact, the aloha state was the first in the nation to set

minimum standards for healthcare benefits for workers. benefits hawai'i resident valerie has been benefiting from for a long time. she has always had health insurance. >> hawai'i healthcare requirements is one of the reasons why our quality of life is so hear here. you don't have bankruptcies because of medical bills. >> reporter: even so she decided to enroll in obamacare through hawai'i's state exchange because she's hoping to save money. >> so i am going right down here to one of the most expensive plans. >> and that would an platinum plan, it looks like. >> it is really--it's a really good plan. my copays go from $20 per visit down to $10. and i'm covered from head to toe. >> reporter: so far only a little more than 2,000 people have enrolled through hawai'i's

health connector. one reason, technical glitches on the website. the other, according to hawai'i's governor, kneel abercrombie, most don't need it. they're already covered under the state's simple healthcare law. >> the entire thing is 15 pages, and a lot of that is describing what we intend to do. it's easy. you provide healthcare for people. we cover 90 plu 90%-plus for ev. >> reporter: dean nubau er professor at university of hawai'i manoa said that there are limited insurance choices. >> between two, they have 80% of the insurance marketplace. and that's unique. >> reporter: despite what has been hailed as a success story governor abercrombie said hawai'i's model was never

duplicated because the state is viewed as a vacation land. >> hawai'i in main people's eyes is a romantic vision, it's not real. >> reporter: while that may be true for many employees having insurance is not just a romantic vision, it's just a way of life here in hawai'i. >> hawai'i's healthcare does assess penalties to any employee what works 20 hours arrest more and that "t" could lead to the business being shut down. hawai'i's healthcare law enacted in 1974 the state has maintained and insured well over 90%. >> jennifer london is in honolulu. good to see you, and happy new year. now to some of the lesser known provisions of the new healthcare law. calories count. according to an fda estimate. $28.8 million is slated to spent

to encourage americans to make healthier choices. chain restaurant and vending machines will be required to post calorie counts and getting help with breast-feedings. insurance plans must provide breast-feeding support, counseling and equipment for mothers, and finally abstinence new healthcare law renews $50 million a year for the next five years to cover it. programs that receive this funding must teach that sex before marriage is, quote, likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects. another service under the new law includes getting help with breast-feeding. i think i just read this. let's move forward. on i this new year's day a huge cultural shift. the first day of legal sales of recreational marijuana in colorado. people have been lining up at pot shops across the state since early this morning. paul beban is in denver for us.

paul, if you would, you've been there most of the day, describe the scene. you still have a lot of people behind you. >> reporter: i do, tony. as you said, happy new year. it's more than a cultural shift. it's an economic shift. all the people that you see represent big business. they've been in line since before the sun came up this morning. and where they're headed is right over here to the purchasing room where you can see they've got cases of marijuana on display. you can also buy paraphernalia to smoke it or otherwise get it in your system. there are lots of ways. but hundreds of people have been passing through here all day. the cannabis center this is by far the biggest day they've ever had. prior to this they were a medical marijuana dispensary. they did about $1,000 a day. and they've been in business

four hours and this is a huge economic windfall for the state. one of the first customers, the very first customer was an ex-marine iraq war vet who used cannabis to treat his ptsd. >> now i get to use recreational cannabis to alleviate my ptsd. it's a stepping stone to help other veterans as well. >> that's sean, an ex-marine who served two tours in iraq, suffered with ptsd until he found marijuana to help alleve anglanxiety. he hopes that this will be provided to veterans like him to help with ptsd symptoms, as well as just for money. >> you mentioned just a moment ago there is a potential

windfall for the state in terms of the state and economic impact. what are we talking about potentially. >> reporter: they're calling it green wednesday. there are all kinds of clichés running around but the numbers in the estimate are $400 million to $600 million in sales. those kinds of numbers are getting attention from other states during a slow economic recovery. it will be very favorbly looked upon. a lot of legal hurdles with retail marijuana, but those kinds of numbers you're going to have a lot of people taking a close look at this. >> it's not an easy process to open up one of those stores like the one you're in. >> reporter: no, no, certainly not. very tightly regulated. we saw the state's marijuana enforcement division was here

today checking all the plants. every plant has to be tagged from seed to sales, is what they call it. that's the beginning of the regulatory hoops that these growers have to go through. it's tightly regulated, and again that's something that all a lot of states are looking at, what is the best way to keep this business really from venturing over into causing more black market kinds of problems. the idea is to solve that black market issue and get this in a more regulated environment. >> paul beban. appreciate it. happy new year. century old ban has been lifted. the boy scouts of americans will now allow openly gay scouts. under the old rules kids can't be banned but the organization still has a ban against gay troop leaders. there has been tough criticism and heavy financial pits from those who oppose the move. and this change in the law, pass

could you teseiat. you've got a fascinating store oh story. you were attempting to become the first openly gay eagle scout. tell what's this change in the policy means for you? >> well, for me it starts out as being a--first off, today is the first day that i'm allowed to be a boy scout and marks the day that i can officially start working on my eagle. >> you can start today, okay. >> yes, well, i have been working on t and today is the first day that means i can no longer be kicked out of boy scouts, and there is no longer a ban on gay youth. i can work on my eagle project, all my service hours, and hopefully i'll have my board of review late in january. >> how big a deal is this for

you, this change in policy? >> it is a huge deal for me because i have been part of boy scouts since i was 11 years old. so seeing this organization that i have come to know and love is a huge change for me. seeing how they progressed and how they learned to accept people like me is wonderful to me. today is marking the day that to show how far they've come, and i'm waiting for them to take the next few steps to coming to full inclusion. >> your older brother who is gay and he is an eagle scout. has he motivated you in your scouting life, and what's different about your two stories is that he made the rank of eagle scout, and he is it "z hea

time when he couldn't be who he is, an openly gay young man. >> that's correct. my brother absolutely motivated me working through all this stuff and working to be eagle. when i was 11 years old, my brother is four years older than me, he was already up in the ranks. seeing how he developed, and what he was doing, i looked up to him, and i wanted to be that. when he got his eagle scout the administration didn't know that he was gay. that's the difference between us. the people who will be working with me, they know that i'm gay. seeing that change is wonderful. i want to be able to get my eagle while being openly gay is something i want to do as well. >> what do you think, should the ban on openly gay leaders in the boy scouts of america's, should that be lifted? >> absolutely. there is no reason that the ban

should stay in place. once you turn 18 something inside you changes, and that you're no longer allowed to be gay, which doesn't make any sense. nothing changes about you on your 18th birthday other than you're a year older. there is no reason that things should change just because you're 18. logically it doesn't make sense and morally it doesn't make sense, adult leaders who are gay, that's not okay. but when you'r your you were yos okay. >> i don't know much about scouting. i was a cub scout for a minute, and i know its tough to become an eagle scout. when will you know if you made that rank? >> well, it will be a while, but hopefully i'll find out in late january. >> i just want to wish you the best. it's been terrific talking to

you. >> thank you very much. >> and happy new year. >> happy new year to you, too. have a great night. >> thank you, appreciate it. first major snowstorm of 2014 is coming as much as a foot of snow is expected in parts of new england and up state new york. the storm is expected to arrive overnight. some areas of the country are already under snow. in milwaukee up to six inches, has fallen and warnings have been issued for an additional four inches in south bend, indiana. there was heavy snowfall as well where winter weather advisories remained in effect through thursday. kevin is here. kevin, this storm is moving in our direction here in new york, and it could be nasty for the next day or so. >> meteorologist: it's expected to be nasty. we have the northern storm and we have the southern storm. let's breck it down. the one you were just talking about in showing the video, this is the one with all the snow pushing towards new york right now. let's go a little bit closer and what we're going to be see

something more snow arriving. we think here in new york it's going to begin in midnight. it will be light and it will go through tomorrow morning. it will accumulate heavier, stronger and the winds will pick up as well. then that secondary storm will reinforce it as well. we have warnings in affect right now. blizzard warnings, the blue is winter storm. but down here towards long island, we're talking about blizzard warnings. six inches of snow or more, winds over 35 mph as well as temperatures in the 20s or below. they're expecting the wind chill to be in the minus teens or the minus single digits. we'll be watching that. because of the blowing snow we'll see those visibilities coming down. if you travel on the south shore, you want to be careful in this area. thursday, the accumulations are going to be considerable.

we think the majority of the snow is going to be over here at 15 to 18 inches possibly even more for some communities. >> wow, kevin, appreciate it, thank you. at least 13 people were injured, six critically in a fire in minneapolis earlier today. it began in a three-story apartment building that also housed a grocery store and a mosque nearby with an explosion. no one knows what caused the explosion. up next, a look at weather 2014 will be promising, and the heartbreaking decision of family of american missionaries in south sudan. it is becoming too dangerous for all the violence. but if they leave what will happen to the ou orphans in ther care?

and how the fallout could effect the safety of americans >> are dangerous amounts of radioactive water, leaking into the pacific eververyday? >> join america tonight's michael okwu for an exclusive four part series, as we return to fukushima only on al jazeera america many worry that the gains made in education will not stick in the future. aljazeera's jane ferguson takes us to a school in kandahar city that was long considered a success and is now facing closure. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know, a quality education in real tangible skills, a path away from positivity and early marriage and towards university and a career. since 2002, the modern stud has been teaching women languages, like management and computer skills. that they are skills that speak of ambition which in the heart

of tallle ban country is remarkable. >> we are a unique school, preparing women to go to jobs. our school is preparing women to go to universities. >> an update on al jazeera journalists under arrest in egypt.

producers are being held in a prison, and they will be questioned on sunday. peter is being held in a police station. al jazeera is demanding that the journalists be released immediately. in volgograd, russia, president vladimir putin spoke with families of victims of two suicide-bombings. he vowed to fight terrorism in his new year's eve address. the attacks killed 34 and wounded over a hundred more. three bombs exploded in somalia. 11 people have been killed by the explosion. so far no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. the police say one of the explosions appeared to be a suicide-bombing. it happened at a hotel used by

government officials. islamist suicide-bombers attacked the same hotel last september. the crisis in south sudan deepens, the two sides prepared for cease-fire negotiations on thursday. south sudan's president kiier has declared emergency in two states. the territory includes the city of bor where pro government forces are preparing to take it back from rebel fighters who took over yesterday. thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting there. meanwhile representatives from both sides have arrived in east nobody with ethiopia to particie cease-fire negotiations.

an american family is trying to get out of south sudan. the campbells want to take their family and the orphans they've been caring for out of south sudan. the americans can leave but the orphans lack the paperwork they need to get out. >> reporter: kim campbell, her husband and two daughters have been taking care of south sudanese orphans for two years. the missionaries are originally from nebraska. the children are orphans whose parents have been killed. >> trying to leave the compound once whether they were firing to scare us or firing at us or firing at other soldiers, there was gunfire going off as we were headed in their direction, and missiles threw over our head, and we ran back to the compound. it took two attempts to get to the u.n. base. >> reporter: now that they've

made it to the base, a heartbreaking dilemma. if they leave what happens to the orphans. american officials have told the came bells it's up to the u.n. who awards the evacuation flight. >> i think they're trying. they're all aware we're here. we were put on an evacuation list. so they're doing what they can do, and i understand they have procedures, but i would think in a time of war somebody could do something. if we're trying to protect children this isn't the place to do it. >> that was del walters reporting. the campbell family works with charlotte-based organization "keeping hope alive. with me is joan campbell, brad campbell's mother. joan, let's put it out there for everyone. you don't do a lot of television but you were gracious enough to talk to us. you're concerned about your son and everyone in this situation. i can't thank you enough for

talking to us. if you would, i know that you've been speaking with your son brad as often as possible. tell us how he's doing, and how he's coping with this situation. we know it's very difficult. >> it has been very difficult. but i will say that, and i've talked to brad often. times two and three times in a day since all of this started. their spirits are up. they're feeling hopeful, but they're also struggling with not enough food. not enough water, not enough sanitation. he explained to me earlier today how this got to be so out of control when they showed up at the u.n. base camp, once they got most of the people in, they decided they had room for everyone. they provisions for 6,000

people. the next day there were between 20,000 and 30,000 people there. they don't have enough provisions for that many people. >> they're doing their best with impossible circumstances. >> is the u.n. able to get in and out and bring additional supplies? or is the fighting precluding that? >> the fighting has been precluding it. i know they're trying, but it has been impossible. i don't know how they're going to solve that part of it. they need to get food in there,

and to get food for 30,000 people is far different than getting food from 6,000 people. if you got that many people in a camp, you know, it doesn't take much of a stretch in thinking that you have the potential for real security issues and problems at that u.n. base exacerbated by what's going on outside. what are brad and kim telling but the security situation? >> well, they said the security has been pretty good, and it's quite a comfort to them. in spite of the fact that there has been fighting all around them, and their town is in terrible condition from all that shelling and everything. there are u.n. soldiers paroling inside and outside. i mean, as i said, about 6,000 people inside the gates of the u.n. camp, but there are another

20 or 25,000 camped outside the base taking whatever shelter they can, trying to stay out of the hot sun, trying to find food. it's heartbreaking. but there are soldiers paroling, and they're keeping a very close eye on things from what brad has said. >> so the basic question here is can they get out, brad and kim? can they get out? >> you know, at this particular moment i don't have an answer to that, and unfortunately neither do they. they are not even exactly sure what the possibilities are. they just don't even have answers. they're going literally i would say minute to minute on this. they just don't have answers. the situation is difficult and volatile. they're just doing the best they can to try to figure out a plan, which they don't have yet. >> and the idea of leaving, my

understanding is that it's complicated by the fact that they have real concerns about the young children at the orphanage, correct? >> they do. these kids are truly--it's all one big family now. brad and kim and their daughters love these children beyond words. i can't even put it into words. they want to all stay together if it's at all possible. they're doing everything they can to stay together. they are concerned if they have to separate from the kids, from the ten orphaned kids, that the kids will have nobody to look out for them in a really dangerous situation. >> let's do this, joan. we're going to keep our eye on this story, and if there is a way to assist we will.

joan campbell, her son, brad campbell, is at an u.n. base in south sudan. joan, thank you for talking with us. >> thanks for having me. >> we'll be back in a moment.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is look at your top

stories. marijuana sales are brisk in cal today. today was the first day businesses could sell pot for recreational use. chosthose over 21 can buy from licensed stores. in beau scouts kids cannot be banned because of their sexual orientation but there is still a ban against gay troop leaders. the insurance benefits from healthcare insurance. stocks posting all-time high. 2013 was a big year for wall street. the dow up 26%, and the s&p 500 up almost 30%. and as we report there is cause for real optimism heading int into 2014.

>> the bulls plowed through significant obstacles in 2013 overcoming sluggish economic growth and a government shutdown. >> if your money was in equities and stocks you were happy i in 2013. >> there was nothing that would drive the market down. >> reporter: one factor, the housing recovery. home prices rose 11% across the country. that makes consumers feel richer. new construction this year is expected to exceed 1 million units for the first time since the housing bubble burst. that means jobs. >> every construction job leads to three other jobs. that's a multiple, so we can see a million new jobs coming out of a surge in housing. >> reporter: improving jobs market is one reason the federal reserve has started to reigning in its $85 billion bond buying program that helped drive the stock market no record ice

in 2013. but now that stimulus is receding, americans will have to focus on fundamentals. >> firms will have to start innovating, investing in r & d, investing in employees and start growing with new products, new services. >> reporter: with corporations issuing profit warnings at a record rate, investors may be more discerning in 2014. >> investors will be watching for janet yellen's senate confirmation. it is likely to happen this month. she's poised to become the next chair of the federal reserve. i spoke with pedro decosta, i asked him if the tapering of the fed's bond buying program will be the new fed chair's newest challenge? >> that's one of the major challenges. of course ben bernanke gave her

a gift with the start of this tapering of the stimulus program by starting it this december because that leaves her with markets that were afraid, you know, we had a scare in the middle of the year where a mere talk of removal of the stimulus sent interest rates sharply higher and led to a lot of fear. that didn't happen this time. that makes that transition easier to manage for her. another challenge for her is to come into her own as fed chair woman, and becoming one of the key voices in the world's largest economy. >> while the fed has been consistently optimistic continued optimistic growth it has fallen short on occasion with the forecast of the amount of annual increase. fiat has announced it has reached a deal to take ownership of the chrysler group that will pay the company's current

minority owner an united auto workers health trust $3.65 billion. this past year chrysler made a roaring combat. just four years ago ford was in trouble and gm and chrysler were near bankruptcy. and now they've rebounded and then some as bisi onile-ere the future looks even brighter. >> reporter: the big three automakers are on a roll, chrysler, ford and general motors are on a record pace to close 2013 exporting more than 2 million cars and trucks around the world. >> there are still many more imports than exports, but experts will grow for the next three to five years. >> reporter: the turn around comes four years after ford was in financial turmoil and chrysler and g.m. were nearing bankruptcy. ford went through a majoring restructuring and g.m. and chrysler both received

government bailouts. u.s. scars once scorned overseas for a poor quality are now in demand. why? >> automakers have adopted kind of a global strategy where instead of building specific vehicles for specific markets. they build one vehicle that is appealing to people across the world. >> reporter: the top two export markets are canada and mexico. lower wangs and energy costs are making the u.s. fertile ground for auto manufacturing. >> you'll probably see more jobs coming from the transplants, japanese and germans, who are also looking to build more cars here and export them elsewhere because in terms of wages and compensation the u.s. has become much more competitive in the last ten years. >> reporter: 2 million exports is a small piece of the pie compared to the estimated

15 million vehicles sold in the u.s. in 2013. but the big three automakers are rolling into the new year with a tighter grip on the global market. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. >> i got to tell you the future is not bright for the homeless across the country and especially here in new york city. the number there has skyrocketed in the past 12 years. we have more on those who live in the shadows o of success. >> reporter: you know, we saw so many people braising the cold here at times square here for the new year, but just imagine you didn't have a place to stay after the ball dropped. that's the reality for many who live in new york city alone. you can imagine in this cold night many new york city shelters were working over time, including one shelter that is just steps away from times square here who helps young people find a warm bed and get off the streets. for many of these kids living in

this shelter their wish for the new year is new home for a new life. >> if you really knew me then you would know that i'm a daddy's girl. >> reporter: as she proves in her poetry, kiana loved her father. he died when she was 16 years old, she took it so hard that she had to leave her home in the bronx. >> i would be on the streets, just riding the subway train, sleeping in restaurant, and i would wonder where i would sleep after i got out of school. >> reporter: she found a place to sleep at the covenant house. a shelter for homeless youth from 18 to 21. >> i can go to work and come home to a bed, to a shower, to food, so i was excited that i could actually calm down and think about what's my next step in life. >> reporter: she hopes that next step comes in the new year. >> to save enough money so i can move on.

>> reporter: hector shares the same wish for 2014. he came to the covenant house when he did not have a place to sleep either. he credits this program for helping him get back on his feet. >> i applied for housing, and that didn't work. maybe if i go to a shelter they can keep me. >> kyana and hector are two kids of thousand who is need help. the need is so great, especially in new york city that the covenant house alone has to turn away 300 young people a month. the reason, they simply do not have enough resources to serve them all. >> that's a disgrace in this city 37 that'. that's 300 that we're turning away. in the city there are 3800 youth sleeping on the streets every night. >> reporter: those conditions can lead to a dangerous life lifestyle. >> they'll engage in survival sex to find a place to sleep, to

get food. >> reporter: they're hoping that the new new york mayor deblasio will help create change. >> that's a crisis. it should an crisis for our conscience as well. >> i have a place to sleep. somewhere where i can just dream. >> dreaming of more programs and places like this one. >> i save my pennies in a jar. >> to help close the book on homelessness. >> my father told me that even you can have the newest cars. >> the covenant house is in 21 cities nationwide as well as south america and canada and many of those shelters say they struggle with a decreasing budget and increasing need. advocates here in new york city say there needs to be more education, employment, affordable housing to truly tackle this presiden problem. >> in new york city mayor bill

deblasio was sworn in office for the second time today. he was sworn in just outside of his brooklyn home. then he was sworn publicly by former president bill clinton. deblasio promised to fight for income equality and social justice. >> we are called to put an end to economic and social inequalities that threaten to unravel the city we love. so today we commit to a new progressive direction in new york. and that's same progressive impulse has written our city's history, it's in our dna. >> de blasio is the first democratic mayor since 1993. in detroit mike doingen was

sworn in. he has limited powers to tackle the city's desperate financial situation working under emergency city manager kevin orr. former first lady barbara bush remains in a houston hospital tonight. she's reportedly suffering from a mild case of kne pneumonia, bt the wife of one president and mother of another is in stable condition. she was admitted to methodist hospital in houston's medical center for treatment on a respiratory related issue. she is in great spirits, has already received visit visits fr husband and family sand receiving fantastic care. turn together middle east now syria has missed a key deadline to get rid of the first batch of chemical weapons. the government cited weather. meanwhile, fighting has not

stopped. >> reporter: this blast was caused by a barrel packed with expletives dropped from a syrian air force aircraft that's according to a voice-over. the target is a damascus suburb. they've intensified attacks across the area. the regime may have been stripped of its chemical weapons but it seems to have little affect on its campaign against anti-government forces. the ships that were supposed to take those weapons out of syria are returning to port in cypress empty. the combination of bad weather and security on the ground means the deadline to take the weapons out of syria has not been met. >> everything which syria needs to complete the process of removing and transporting the chemicals, all the equipment has been provided, and has been

delivered. so now it's a matter of getting the train rolling. we understand that a number of factors have added up, which have made the syrian authorities unable to meet the 31st of december deadline. >> reporter: the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons said it's still on track for the june 30th deadline when the syrian chemical weapons program must have been dismantled. the syrian government is responsible for removing, packing and transporting the weapons to port. earlier this month assad forces regained control of the highway linking damascus to the coast. but convoys could still be vulnerable to rebel attack. it's the conventional weapons that is causing death and destruction. this is on new year's eve, the syrian observatory for human rights said that more than

46,000 civilians have been killed since the conflict began. >> the secretary of state john kerry is expected to arrive in jerusalem tomorrow morning. the obama administration is still hope to go hammer out a framework betwee of a piece deal between palestinians and israelis. ariel sharon's condition has taken a turn for the worse. he's suffering from kidney problems and is in a life-threatening state. the 85-year-old has been in a coma since 2006. he sharon became israel's prime minister in 2001. another internet security breach. find out which social media site has been compromised. and don't call him a dumb jock. this penn state student might make you rethink your image of

offensive linemen. >> this sunday... >> scholars and writers, policy makers and cultural icons >> don't miss the best of "talk to al jazeera" revealing... >> he said he was gonna fight for the public option, he didn't do it... >> personal.... >> from the time i was about nine, i knew i was different in ways other than just my face... >> shocking... >> being babtist...they always talk about don't judge other people.. but they judge everybody... >> the conversations people are talking about >> forget the democrat party and forget the reublican party, they're all one party... >> talk to al jazeea on al jazeera america real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. new lights use low wattage led rights, neither harmful for the trees nor dangerous for the kids that may touch them. >> many play-off spots in the n.f.l. are still to be decided.

mark morgan is here to explain it all. >> hey, a lot of anxiety in dallas, wondering what the dallas cowboys would do. tony romeo underwent back surgery. kyle ortman will start quarterback in the eagles game. sher een williams of the fort worth star telegram weighs in. >> that lees this game in the hands of kyle orten, he made 69 starts. he's 35 and 34. but has not thrown a pass as a starter and only thrown 15 passes over the last two years. it takes the pressure off the cowboys. no doubt about that. they can go in, play loose and

>> are you familiar with the snap chat? there was a security breach last night. user information from the photo sharing app. more than 4 million user names and phone numbers were reportedly release. the site where the information was posted has been suspended. the hack was supposedly done so that snap chat will taten its security. okay. >> snap shot. >> i guess the kids use it. >> i got to google it. >> yes, yes, this was, ross, a huge day for the nfl. what a showcase.

>> reporter: they called michigan stadium the big house because it can entertain over 100,000 fans. we see it all the time for college football. but today they put a hockey rank irinkin the middle of the stadi. like think say, if you build it they will come. fans were rocking the house to see the toronto maple leaves lace it against the red wings in the winter classic. detroit was down 2-1 late in the third, but they tie it up at two. and it would stay that way through over time. we have a shootout. jonathan barnier, and he denies it. he was still be between the pipes and maple leafs could win it right here. they take aim, oh, yeah, he can put this baby on ice like last night. maple leafs have gone on to win

3-2. and some athletes are won and done. a lot of them leave before graduate to go cash in on the big paycheck at the professional level. but there is a penn state football player who is taking the term "student-athlete" to a whole other level. >> he would appear more super jock than scholar. but when you look at his resumé scholar may not be enough to describe his academic process. he is working towards his second masters degree in mathematics, and he teaches a math class at penn state. and for his efforts he picked up college football top academic awards with the senior class award given to the top senior student complete as well as the william b. campbell trophy otherwise known as the

academying heisman. >> i'm looked at as a football player but people are surprised to hear that i'm a math major and how well i do in the classroom. i try to excel in both the classroom and the football field and i have a drive to be the best of what i do. >> while he truly loves the game of football, mathematics will always be his first true love. >> there is something about mathematics, the beauty of t there is an explanation for everything. there is rigorous proof. i would say some of the proofs i get to see day in and day out, some of the most beautiful things. >> oftentimes we talk about athletes who are very good students as well. we talk about the transfer of being able to analyze the situation, use different parts of the information to execute. is that really true, and is there really a help from using the classroom aspect on the football field?

>> there is definitely a careover especially for offensive linemen. i think having to go to the line looking at what the defense is showing making calls, make adjustments. it's nice when you have intelligent offensive linesmen, so i think that definitely helps me. >> how much academic abilities helps his nfl future is still yet determined. he's regard only the 13th best offensive guard and the 238th best prospect over all by cbs sports. >> i intend to train for the nfl combine. i feel anyone who truly loves something, wants to do it at the highest level, and afterwards how many years my career will be, i intending to back to school and get my ph.d in math. >> whatever the future hold for john urchel he'll continue to be one of the positive aspects of the penn state football program

after the firing of scandal and firing of joe paterno. >> i'm honored to be able to represent my university the best i can. it's a university that has done a lot for me. it has give me the privilege of being on full scholarship, i louing me to go on to get an undergraduate degree, master's degree and i'm currently working on my second masters. i take it as a responsibility that i have to my university for all they've done for me. i do it with pride. >> john's mother should be very proud. nebraska was putting on a show because georgia in the gator bowl. nebraska in the third, corn huskers, and from their own end zone unloads the rainbow, and

looky here, aloha, sayonara, any way you want to say it, he takes it 99 yards to the happy place. it's the corn husker who is would go on to win 24-19, and the bcs games get under way. >> with who? >> stanford against michigan state. >> is that--yeah, the rose bowl oh, we've got a story. slightly planned this. the tournament of roses this year broke new ground because danny leclair got married on a float called living the dream, love is the best protection. the float sponsored by the a.i.d.s. healthcare foundation was celebrating the passage of several same-sex marriage laws in 2013. not everyone wished the couple well. a facebook page popped up calling for a boycott of the rose bowl parade.

but the crowds paid no attention. the new year means new rules for how restaurant collect tips from customers. we'll tell you how it will impact your next dining experience. and folks heading to th back tok tomorrow in the northeast should maybe take the day off. kevin is up next with the forecast. on al jazeera america and join the conversation online @ajamstream.

>> the new year brings a change for folks who like to dine out. starting this week mandatory restaurant tipping is a thing of the past. gratuities are often applied to the bill for larger parties, but the irs will classify them as service charges, which would be taxable. as a result many restaurant are expected to eliminate the practice to avoid the added paperwork and the cost. we'll get back over to kevin for a check of weather. the storm in the midwest, we showed those horrible pictures. >> meteorologist: absolutely. >> that's moving east, and that starts to arrive in the northeast overnight? >> meteorologist: we start to get the snow tonight, and it

will merge with the storm that is to the south. when those two come together we think tomorrow afternoon, then it will get extremely bad. you can see the storm--the snow starting to come into the area of the metro right about now. it's probably new jersey. it's probably coming down but not coming to the ground. it will even start to make it lower. by tonight midnight we'll start to see the flurries. it won't stick but tomorrow morning it will be a completely different thing. this is what we expect to see by tomorrow by the end of the day. how the snow and these are the 24 hour snow totals. this is just going out until tomorrow night. we expect to see 12 to 16 inches parts of massachusetts particularly massachusetts, connecticut, road roa rhode isl. then as we go towards friday morning, more snow. these totals will go up another three inches. it will be very slick traveling tomorrow evening as well as friday morning.

the snow will end on friday, then they'll start to clean up. we don't expect to see any more snow for the next couple of days. here is the forecast for boston, snow thursday, clearing up saturday. temperatures are fairly low, friday as the front goes through goes all the way down minus two. comes up, and then sunday rebound to go 40 degrees. then we get a mix of rain and snow in the forecast. pretty much the same story here in new york. temperatures are a little bit more stable in the area. now over here towards the west, this is where the storm is originating. we're still seeing snow in parts of o'hare that is causing problems at the airports. but we'll start to see this clear up as we go towards thursday. the temperatures are getting better. fargo is only minus six. we weryesterday we were talkings double digits. have a good evening.

♪ >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at tonight's top stories. let's get back to the weather. the snort east preparing for the first snowstorm 2014. forecasters say it should begin moving overnight and then moving into new england. kevin mentioned in some areas you could see a foot of snow. temperatures will also plummet and hover around zero. insurance benefits from the affordable care act are official in effect. they will cover means who purchased insurance through exchanges before decemberh.