>> the north-east is bracing for a blizzard. the first major storm of 2014. it could dump more than a foot of snow were washington to maine. >> despite talks aimed at a ceasefire and south sudan government troops are going to take back a city by force. >> pushing for peace in the middle east john kerry is beginning another round of talks with palestinians. >> looking ahead to medical breakthroughs, including high-tech band-aids doing more than recovering cuts. >>

>> we are less than 48 hours into 2014, and the north-east is bracing for its first severe winter storm of the year. it's expected to wallop a wide stretch of the eastern see board from washington to new england. >> the powerful storm is threatening to bury parts of new york and boston under a foot of snow, a winter storm warning has been issued. the storm could become a blizzard with the metro area experiencing face-numbing temperatures nearing negative 10 degrees. new york governor is considering closing the major highways as a precaution and in massachusetts they are preparing for the worse, declaring a snow emergency with 18 inches expected in some parts of the state. in advance of the storm boston mayor closed city schools through friday. >> erica pittsy is live for us.

snow ploughs and trucks are ready for a significant storm. good morning, erica. >> good morning stephanie. in new york city trucks filled are out prepping the road. that's likely the case. since this storm expected to dump a foot of snow to maine. the snow storm taking aim at the east wreaking havoc in the west. in minneapolises responding to explosion reacted to extreme decisions. subtemperatures turning water from the hoses to ice. some victims were forced to wait in the cold. >> if you are trying to advance a heavy hose line on an ice skating rink, it's challenging.

>> chicago was soft with 9 inches of snow. residents are digging out, clearing side walks, getting around any way they can. >> i was like "is this going to stop?", but it's still snowing. >> a steady fall has drivers being cautious. especially with another 3-5 inches through the morning. >> it's easy out there. trying to go at a slow pace. >> being played in chilly weather. >> it was there in michigan where fans braved bone-chilling terms hovering around 12 degrees to watch the winter classic. more than 100,000 people packed the stands, bundled up under near white-out conditions. >> never seen snow. >> you got to do what you got to do. >> the north-east is in the snow storm's past. cities are bracing for the

blizzard. like white plains new york, where the 4,000 tonne salt supply is ready for the roads. we are playing cat and mouse with mother nature. >> shovels and blowers are flying off the shelves was people prepare for the deluge of snow. >> probably between 6-14 inches. with this i'll be ready for anything. >> you can imagine the storm is affecting travel plans for people. yesterday being the holiday of new year's day, in fact, chicago, o'hare international airport and new an ark in new jersey affected the most at this time. just today already 1,000 flights have been cancelled nationwide. >> wow. erica pitzi live in new york city. for the latest on the storm, let's bring in metrologist. i want to talk about areas critic by impacted. all the areas you see in the

darker blue-purple - depending on the resolution - they are the areas under the winter storm warnings. the areas in the pinks - the cape of massachusetts, and long island, they are the blizzard warning areas. what exactly does it take to get to that blizzard criteria. it means winds to 35 miles per hour, plus visibility down ta a quarter mile or less. sustained. both of the conditions for at least three hours. with some of the winds in the areas, we may not get to the blizzard criteria or sustain it for the three hours, but you need to be prepared. here are some things we need to look at. wind will go over 35 miles per hour. whether they are sustained for three hours is debatable. temperatures 23 or lower. lower visibilities making travel treacherous. here is a broader look at the

area. if you are not under the blizzard or winter storm conditions, areas will be under different weather advisories, here is a look at the snow coming in, hitting new york city, interior, up into parts of massachusetts, the same boundary extending backwards, so we see the snow. persistent in chicago, dealing with the effects on the side of the lake. we don't see them because of the wind pattern with all of this. there is a closer look at where we are looking at the snow. some were significant. massachusetts, for example, easily a lot of places over a foot of snow south of the area, 4-8 inches. here is a couple of cities. of course, it can go a couple of inches in either direction. new york city, the 8-inch mark shuts the transportation. it will be a mess tomorrow morning. back to you. >> we'll keep tracking it. >> on new year's day there were

violent clashes in two of egypt's largest cities. two students died when supporters of ousted president mohamed morsi clashed with police. police say they used tear gas and accused the protesters of using guns. two people were killed and several officers hurt in similar protests in the northern city of alexandria. three al jazeera journalists are under arrest. mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed are held in tyra fouds of cairo. mohamed fadel fahmy has been moved to the prison hospital. correspondent peter greste is held at the cairo police station. al jazeera is demanding the release of these journalists. >> the spiralling violence in south sudan sparked a crisis. hundreds of thousands have been displaced. representatives from the warring parties are set to begin talks

in ethiopia. the u.n. is stopping short of calling it a breakthrough. they hope negotiations break-in an end to the violence that kill 1,000 people, coming on the heels of south sudan president declaring a state of emergency. on wednesday, the president salva kiir said unity and the oil-rich state of jonglei have been overrun by rebel force, including bor, where prorebel forces are trying to recapture the city. we have the latest from the war torn country. >> marching to war. these men and women are preparing themselves for the battles ahead. we are coming. we are united, and we will defeat you, they say. these government soldiers are preparing for front lines. fighting is going on in three different fronts. military commanders are fighting

the rebels until there's an agreement on a ceasefire. the spokesman for south sudan's forces. the rebels continue to attack. who will fight until they are paralyzed and not able to attack any more. or a ceasefire is agreed. >> government forces say their retreat from the town of bor, under rebel control was tactic am. they indicate the battle is far from over. >> we don't believe they have the strength. their only strength is using a human shield, which is inhuman. the spl forces are capable of dispeeting them -- defeating them, it's a matter of time. >> as the conflict intensifies, aid workers warn of an unfolding humanitarian crisis. more than 100,000 have been

displaced, more than 1,000 killed. the u.n. peacekeeping mission cannot fulfil the mandate. the mission has 4,000 peacekeepers trained in infantry. >> at this point in time we are not in a position to do more than protect camps, external and internal security. hopes for a peaceful resolution depends on the peace talks beginning in the ethiopian capital on thursday. until they are successful, the people of south sudan, the world's newest state lives through the worst of their fears. >> the united states has pledged over 268 million in humanitarian aid to south sudan. >> six people are dead after a car bomb exploded. the moment in the somali capital is a popular location for

politicians. security forces shot. the al qaeda linked rebel group which ones controlled mogadishu carried out a number of similar attack, but no one has taken responsibility. >> secretary of state john kerry is due to arrive in jerusalem in the next few hours. it's his 10th arrival. nick schifrin joins us from jerusalem with a preview. >> good morning, kerry is here och. people here are joking. he's commuting between washington, jerusalem and ramalia. he is back. palestine officials are here from ramallah. a main road block in these talks is the israeli settlements

inland that the palestinians hope makes up their future state. to look at the issue we went into one israeli settlement. before this man had the chance to move into his new home, it was destroyed. last month the israeli military bulldozed his house. this is the epitome of degradation. they must think we are animals, otherwise they would not treat us like this. >> a mile away israel is building. these foundations are homes for the settlement. this woman's home was built four months ago. the israeli woman subsidised the houses. she moved here because the streets are quiet. . >> it's a beautiful view. nice neighbourhood. >> has you can see, we are a few hundred feet from the house that was demolished. >> this man's family lived her for generations.

the villagers don't have building permits. israel is trying to encroach on palestine land. >> one settlement, number two. >> and number three. >> do you feel like you are surrounded. >> absolutely. >> when you look at the settlement, what do you feel about a future palestine state? >> almost zero. >> why? >> practically the settlements are occupying ever. >> israel was the rights to build settlements on land captured in the 1977 war. the pace of the building increased dramatically. in 1977, 4,000 settlers lived on 24 settlements. in 1993, 110,000 settlers. in 2012, many in settlements and outposts. the u.n. calls the settlements

illegal. for this person it is small-town usa. >> kids can play at friends' houses, they can tell me and go without me going with them. >> she's not here for the neighbourhood and the view, she believes god wants her to be here. >> in the bible. god gave the jews the land. i don't have anybody, any problem with anyone else living here, okay. it was given to the jews. as she walks home, the family of nine are gathered. there's not enough room for everyone. he vows to rebuild the destroyed home. he has no power to stop israel from destroying it again. >> israeli officials are expected to announce an additional 140,000 settlements

last week. they have delayed the anoums nounsment after -- announcement after kerry leaves of the the palestinians say how can you expect or be partners for piece or a viable state if you build israeli settlements in the land we hope is the heart of our future state? >> the settlements are not the only sticking point. prime minister benyamin netanyahu made a point in public speeches that he wants the palestinians to recognise that israel is a jewish state. does that threaten to throw a wrench into the talks which have not gotten off the ground yet. >> yes, there's so many wrenches in the talks. this is one of them. it's interesting. it's a relatively new one. the palestinians acknowledged the existence of this state.

what the palestinians say is look, why do you need us to recognise this, and if we do, that's not only the existence of a jewish state, but we are accepting your narrative, and that is that palestinians are not allowed to move into homes they had before 1948, before the creation of israel. so palestine officials are wary of doing this, but benyamin netanyahu said this is one of our new demands, and to kerry's credit he's gone on the israeli side, giving a speech and said, "we predict part of the peace talks, requirements, for peace, is palestinians accepting that israel is a jewish homeland", it is not something they'll accept and there's a lot of anger against that notion on the palestine streets. expect john kerry and benyamin netanyahu to push them on that, but it's not clear that they can

come to terms on that. >> it's that narrative that a lot says is at the heart of that conflict. >> doctors treating former israeli prime minister ariel sharon say his life is in danger. the health of the 85 year-old is rapidly deteriorating. he suffered a streak in 2006 and has been in a coma since then. and is dealing with kidney issues. he's become the 11th prime minister in 2011. >> former pakistani military ruler is in the hospital with chest pains. he was admitted while on his way to court to face treason charges. it's the third time he failed to show up. he seized power in 2002. >> former first lady barbara bush is in a houston hospital dealing with a respiratory condition. the 88-year-old former wife of

george h bush was admitted to hospital. doctors confirm it was brought on by early stages of pneumonia. a family spokesperson says she's stable and treated by antibiotics. >> she's in great spirit and getting great care. we are pleased and taking it one day at a time. >> mrs. bush may have caught the virus when in florida for holidays with the family. the former first lady received well-wishers from many: >> a father in colorado says he has forgiven the killer who shot his daughter to death. 17-year-old clair davis was killed in a denver school shooting. her father says the student who killeded her was blinded by

anger and didn't know what he was doing. investigators say karl pierson was targetting a teacher and davis with a random victim. karl pierson took his own life. >> a marriage during the rose bowl parate. >> an app that millions need to know. tipping your wait or or wit res. new regulations change how much is made. >> and sparton comes up in the first rose ball. >> taking a live look at the streets of chicago, and the snow headed to the north-east.

>> good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. just ahead a controversial same-sex marriage during one of the nation's famous parades. first a look at temperatures across the nation. metrologist nicole mitchell is back. >> we are cold in a couple of

locations and others that will barely move the temperatures. >> what we see is minus 4. we'll watch for that. up and down the east coast. new york, for example at 28, barely making it above freezing. with the temperatures around freezing, with all the snow, you could see a little freezing mixed in. that causes a problem. it means when it's closer to freezing you get a heavier snow. watch that if you do shovelling. feels like with the wind, well negative in the midwest. the temperatures, as i said, around the freezing mark already cooler air and cleveland - optimistic. then as we get through the next couple of days, it will drop. windchills in some cases could go below zero. >> a daring mission is underway. to rescue papingers stuck on a

ship. the first group of stranded passengers was scooped up and flown to a nearby ship. 52 scientists and students were stuck for a week after ice froze the boat in place. a chinese icebreaker vessel was sent to rescue them. the ship is not any danger and the crew has enough supplies to last for weeks. organizers of the annual rose parade in pasadena. some called to complain about a couple who got married on a float during the day. it's not the first wedding. as brian rooney reports, it's the first of its kind. >> the rose parade floats are designed to defy the imagination, what will the designers do and what will they think of next the the fantastical floats look at causes. the idea behinds the aides health cancer float is love

between two people of the same sex. today these two people were married on top of the foundation wedding cake flok in front of the reviewing stand. >> a shout out to the newlyweds and happy couples. >> for us it's standing up there. and getting the message across - let people love who they want to love. be free in that. the rose parade, a symbol of traditional america hosted a gay wedding. these two have been together for 12 years. they were invited by the aides foundation to make their marriage a message. they did this to make a point about aids and how to prevent it, and anyone that wants to get married should be able to. >> the wedding with was seen here and on television. >> something i got early on was when it's something that occurs

to you authentically. that fear goes away. we give hope and be the voice for many. word of the impending wedding sparked chatter and a boycott of the 2014 rose parade. do not attend or watch, the page says. among the comments, absolutely disgusting and: snoom the parade organizers were not deterred. >> we are not deluded in thinking a supreme court ruling came with prepackaged love and acceptance to those that don't condone marriage. >> the honeymoon has to wait until next month. >> and, of course, the rose parade celebrates the rose bowl. for more on the football, jessica taff joins us with

sport. >> it was a game. michigan state and stanford featuring tradition and lessons to be learned in the 100th year. a star. game was not a starter. he took the place of a senior captain suspended for violating team rules. that was max who missed it. david shaw takes it on michigan state. cardinals on the board. til ler gaffney taking it through traffic. then in the second spartans trailing. here is it jeremy, cutting the deficit, going outside into the ip zone. michigan is within three. spartans driving later. this one in the second. second and six at the own 45. connor cook gets it off. kevin anderson has it.

cook finding trayvon in the end zone, that's a michigan state touchdown. 17-14. into the fourth. spartans with a lead, cook finding tony, tie breaking touchdown. now the final 2 minute drill, stamford trailing 24-20. how about that play. defense used, coming up big. cardinals going over the score. ryan hewitt diving in, kyles elsworth, filling in for suspended captain named defense of mvp, and it's the first rose ball win in 26 years. >> 16th ranked u.f.c. makes is a debut. the 16th rapped in the country. 42-28 lead. how did they get there.

next possession, glasgow martin. trailing. not ready for the storm late in the fourth. it is baton down the hatches. johnson ran 40 yards for the score. baler outscored. top offence 54.42. how about that. huskers plan. they got a lead and check this out. from his own end zone. wow. nebraska 17-12. getting a rainbow to quincy. another one 99 yards into the end zone. the longest reception. cornhusker win this one 24-19. they call michigan stadium the big house. it can entertain 100,000 fans. we see it all the time. on new year's day, they put a hockey ring in the middle of the stadium. if they build it they would come. it was snowing throughout. that did not stop the largest

crowd to see a hockey game. 105,000 fans rocking the house. toronto maple leaves making it up. it was a classic hockey game. detroit down 2-1. justin apple gait tying it up. it would stay on the way. john that were barneya was rock solid. they can win it here. taking aim. you can put this on ice. the shoot-out 3-2 is the final. >> i'm jessica taff. back to you. >> busy. busy start to the new year's. jessica taff, thank you. >> new york city has a change in leadership for the first time in 12 years. what's on new york mayor's bill de blasio's agenda and how his

administration will differ from michael bloomberg. millions of snapchat users hacked. a new species moving into the chicago area. why rare snowy owls are calling it home. >> sanitation trucks are expecting several inches from the big apple today.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy, and they say are the top stories at this hour. of the the first major winner storm of 2014 is headed to the north-east. a foot or more of snow is expected in parts of new england, new york and new jersey. winter storm warnings have been issued through thursday and friday afternoon.

boston schools closed for the rest of the week. in south sudan, the ongoing violence spiralled into humanitarian crisis. international diplomats hope the ceasefire talks in ethiopia will bring on end to the sectarian conflicts. it comes on the heels of south sudan's president. declaring a state of emergency where pro-government sources recaptured the city. secretary of state john kerry is expected to arriving in jerusalem. he is attempting to kick start talks. john kerry will visit with benyamin netanyahu. and hold talks with the palestine leadership. they'll delay announcement on settlements until after john kerry leaves. >> a new era begins in new year's eve. bill de blasio was sworn in my friend former president bill

clinton. and was sworn in by a bible owned by franklin roosevelt. >> for the first time in 20 years a democrat is now mayor of new york city. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. [ cheering and applause ]. >> with fan fair, pomp and circumstance. bill de blasio was southern in in a ceremony -- sworn in in a certain -- ser knowny fi former president -- ceremony by former president bill clinton. >> bill de blasio - can he deliver on his promise to help the have not. >> anyone that runs into office with the type of support that

bill de blasio did has an agenda that is too significant to accomplish. what he needs to do is think bowledly while at the same time finding short-term victory for new yorkers. >> bill del blasio wants to raise money by making shorter schools pay rent, and tax wealthy new yorkers. and to bring more affordable housing he wants to take a million dollars from the city's pension funds. they have been met by opposition from rival and variety of groups. bill de blasio will be able to accomplish some things. >> there may be big-pact items that he'll hold on to, like raising taxes on the rich to support pk and supporting kids going to school. there are other areas where we see a lot of negotiation by the mayor. >> bill de blasio's populous prose is not new.

the mayor will have to turn to the state government to get much of what he wants. >> bill de blasio is promises sweeping changes to the nation's largest city, changes that will be different from his predecessor michael bloomberg. >> michael is a former advisor to chuck schumer and knows a lot about u.s. politics. good morning, thank you for joining us. >> my first question is why do so many in the country care about what happens with the new york city mayor? it seems bill de blasio is being watched by politicians around the country. why is that? new york city is the media and financial capital. it seems to be a 180 from the top and enormity of wealth and structure of government presented by michael bloomberg. >> clearly he has a progressive agenda. what are the key points, his key

policy ideas. >> the one that gets the most media attention is for affluent new yorkers to pay, for a more ambitious education program - affordable housing, folding into market rate development, where the focus has been an luxury condos. >> education, as wellism. >> education. michael bloomberg had a sea change in education by secure control of the schools, under city hall. mayor control of the schools. we'll see a change in tone as well. less about affluence and wealth and business and technology as the drifs of new york city, and more in the lives of new yorkers. >> that is striking a cord, talk about income, inequality and the gap between the rich and the poor. is that why a democrat has been elected again in new york city,

it's been 20 years. >> it has and hasn't. michael bloomberg ran and that was the line. he was unaffiliated. >> independent. >> michael bloomberg was the kind of republican where imp else he would have been a liberal democrat. we are seeing a certain kind of democrat elected. unabashed liberal. progressive with a social agenda. >> does bill de blasio need to worry about alienating business interest and wall street in new york? >> i would say not. that tone is a bit negative. i think mayor bill de blasio - it is nice to say. i think he understands the city is in a position to afford the ambitious program he has because of financial sector banking, insurance, universities. as a city we came to a place where they need not be vilified. >> what kind of head wind is faced. >> the beginning and end is albany. raising taxes, changes in

education policy, depending on sit legislation, republican controlled senate. and a state assembly with a large democratic society and represents the whole state so serra cues, rochester, binging ham need input and a say in what's. >> a lot of people saying what you are likely to see is ipp cemental baby steps towards his agenda. >> incremental baby steps and based on financial taxing of certain industries. i think we may see pilot programs with definite and clear end dates and sunset times. i think we will see baby steps, but the tone will be different. >> thank you so much for coming in. >> new york was not the only big city to welcome a new mayor, mike duggan took the oath. celebrations were mip mall. the former medical center chief is vowing to get to work.

he has limited powers because the emergency manager has control ever detroit's offence. >> adults may not have heard of snapchat but their kids probably have. the popular app is the latest victim of a security breach. the information of 4 million users was posted online. >> an anonymous cyber pilot or group hacked into snapchat, an app that let's users share photos and videos much the hacker posted 4.6 million details of users. >> you can see how something like this leads to bad results. >> the security breach is troubling because the same user name is used on facebook and twitter, multiple apps. >> this is the same wake up call. >> snapchat was alerted to the

concerns, but they dismissed them. snapchat is popular among teenagers, the two young owners turning down facebook's offer to buy it. it's not clear if the latest security threat will prevent the value. it added countermeasures and would continue to make improvements to cournt act spam and abuse. >> skype has also been penetrated. the syrian electronic army, a group supporting bashar al-assad is claiming credit. wednesday skype's twitter account said: "don't use microsoft emates, they are monitoring your acts and selling the information to the government." >> in a statement the anonymous hackers who breached snapchat say the hack was intended to draw intention to internet security. the mote situation was to raise

public awareness and put pressure on snapchat to fix the problem. >> america's flood insurance program is deeply in the red. $24 billion to be exact. fema officials say after a string of hurricanes and floods the well is dry. flood insurance is to blame. congress tried to raise premiums, but the proposal created an uproar. >> waiters and waitresses work long hours for little pay. on average they earn $16,000 a year, relying on tips to make ends meet. as tania moseley reports the irs is making changes and it's having an impact on how much money they take home. >> 43-year-old michelle pearson has been a waitress since she was 14 and is raising a family. tips from customers make the job

worthwhile. >> it's a great profession in many ways. >> up until now serving staff like pearson were paid tips at the end of a shift. it would be the employees responsibility to report the tips to their employer so taxes could be taken out. >> but a new internal revenue service ruling changes that. here is what is affected - the automatic gratuities charged for larger parties of six or more. under the new rule they'd count as wages and be taxed differently. this gives the irs more accurate reports on how much is tipped and how much to tax. it means some employees will not see the tips until their regular pay period, which is often every two weeks. >> with the tips, that's how we pay the bills. we are used to having them on a daily basis. >> business owners complain the new tip taxing rules are complicated and are experimenting with ways to work

around them. this restaurant is it doing away with mandatory tipping, instead offering a suggested tip amount on a bill. beginning january 6th. the family of restaurants, including olive garden and other chains, will take mandatory tipping off the table. >> you want to simplify it, making money available. >> according to an industry analyst the practice may be dropped by 90% of restaurants. >> they all agree. there may be a silver lining. >> people should have free will and there should be a choice as to what you want to tip a person. >> by doing away with mandatory tipping they are giving diners a choice of deciding how much the service received is worth. >> the mandatory gratuity policy started as a way to prelent servers, making sure they were

not undertipped by customers. >> wall street is getting set to ring in the new year after a stellar 2013. stock future are lower. the dow m.s. p kicking off 2014 at record highs. here is where we stand. the do you starts at 16,576. t the s&p stand at 1,048. >> chinese stocks are under pressure after latest data showed factory activity slowed down. >> european markets are starting off the new year with losses. >> shares of fooe at are rallying in europe. the italian car maker announced it is taking full ownership of chrysler, buying 41% from united autoworkers health trust for 3.6 billion. they have shared ownership since

it emerged from bankruptcy, making it the 7th largest automaker. >> we'll find out how busy builders were. the commerce department releases a report on instruction spending. numbers are expected to be strong as high rents spurred activity in multi-family buildings. construction is expected to improve after falling three out of the last four months. jobs will be the key to the health of the housing market. >> in order for a market to recover, you want consumers to feel wealthy enough to buy a house and confident enough to buy a house. if unemployment doesn't issue or they are in fear of losing their job or don't know where to go to find a new job, that is troublesome. >> we'll find out how the labour market is holding up with the release of weekly unemployment benefits. >> a look at medical breakthroughs, including a new device that may prevent

epileptic procedures. an owl driving in the south poll are moving south. why they are making their way to the chicago area. >> snow from the midwest is targetting the north-east with crippling snowfall totals. i'll have your national forecast.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. just ahead real medical marvels that can help the blind see and stop seizures. first a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the country, meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. >> we have a lot going on. a few showers moving to the north-west. a lot of focus is on the east coast. i want to get to you before everything is said and done. the two systems moving in, northern interior and moisture from the south. as the southern system pulls out 28 help to influence the wind. and a -- pulls out it will help to influences the wind.

a lot of focus on the north-west. it targets the north-east, the wind cranks up. we'll see a lot of those conditions, some places getting a foot on snow. more on the totals in a bit. it will be a messy commute tomorrow morning. >> thank you. >> in the last few years we have seen electronics getting smaller and smarter. it's been a boon for consumers, and resulted in new and innovative health technologies, we look at incredible medical advances. >> gentlemen, we can rebuild him. we have the technology. >> the idea of technology enhancing the human body is capturing the information. one of those bionic devices is helping those without site. it sends visual signals into the

brain. >> what it is is a silken wafer able to transmit the light you normally show in the eye into signals for the nerves that go to your - where you see in the brain, to be active. >> then there's a new generation tooth brush, a specialized 3d-printed mouth mould. after biting it for six seconds your teeth are cleaned. at $300 each, it costs you more than a brush. from personal hygiene to personal health monitors, a smart band-aid tracks body's vital signs, giving real-time modelling from sporting performances to health of a family member, perhaps a relative living in another country or continent. >> you can remotely monitor what is going on with them. because it as an ak tell sellerometer built into that,

you can -- ak seller om ter built into that you can sell how you are running from side to side, or has your loved one got out of the bed, or have they fallen and not got up from that position. >> another is helping epilepsy patients whose seizures have not responded to medication. the device detects abnormal electronic activity in the brain. >> it's like a defibrillator for the brain, but stops the impulse so you don't know you are having a seizure. >> a detailed understanding of the way the brand works. >> 2014 is the year super computers begin to build the first simulation of the brain. the 1.6 billion human brain

project will take 10 years to complete, promising to give us an understanding of how the brain works. >> and from this, new insights into almost every aspect of human health. >> one of the goals of the human brain projects is to advance the field of medicine and computer sciences. >> twins, born minutes apart have different birth years. lorraine came into the world 2 minutes before midnight. brandon was born three minutes later on new year's day. >> a majestic bird is getting attention in the windy city. the snowy owl found in icy habitats like the north pole and alaska has been spotted in chicago. ashar quraishi explains. >> it's a bone-chillingly cold morning on the chicago lakour. nature photographer jerry golder

is hoping to capture a photograph of a snowy owl. >> they are the largest owls in north america, they are amazing. beautiful to watch and spend time with. >> with its bright yellow eyes, black beak and puffy white plumage, it has a distinct appearance. le >> it gained notoriety in the harry potter series, seen in "the source rer's stone." the fascination is it's seen as a spiritual creature, a wise owl. everyone wants to experience that. >> as the arctic nomad appears in harbours around chicago bird-watching enthous yasts brave the elements. it features on rode ents and birds. sense of hearing is so acute they can hone in on prey under heavy vegetation for snow. >> experts at the lincoln park

zoo say food may have brought them south. >> they have a lot of chicks, food is available. then after the adults may push the juveniles out of the breathing territory, so they look south looking for food, and outside of their territory. >> a resource that helped to track snowy owl sitings is ebird, providing real-time information on where the owls are and where they are going. >> the first arrived in mid november, and because of the internet and how birds are reported online now, we knew to expect them. people were out looking for them before they showed up, because they were seen in other areas nearby. >> snowy owl numbers will increase, giving an opportunity to see them in february or

march. >> if electronic bird tracking doesn't sound appealing, there's always the zoo. >> while most owls hunt at night and sleep during the day, the snowie owl is active during the day. the wind span is 4-5 tip long from wing tip to wing tip and eat five lemings a day. >> thomas drayton joins us with a look at what we are following for the next hour. >> good morning, a winter storm dumping several numbers of on the region bringing blizzard-like conditions to the north-east. the snow storm expected to disrupt air travel and could cause highway closures. >> there could be a meeting with south sudan in ethiopia. >> secretary of state john kerry's meeting with benyamin netanyahu. he is on his 10th trip to israel and the west bank to try to set up a framework for talks.

>> four years after nearing bankruptcy, the three auto makers made a comeback. we focus on what is behind the insurgence and why 2014 is better. >> obamacare got off to a rocky start with the federal website that launched two months ago. questions that remain now that americans signed up for the plan are covered by health insurance. >> i'm meteorologist nicole mitchell - snow cripples the commute and blizzard warnings with some locations. >> al jazeera america conditions, thomas and i are back with you in 2.5 minutes.

>> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. 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 >> an exclusive "america tonight" investigative series >> we traveled here to japan to find out what's really happening at fukushima daiich >> three years after the nucular disaster, the hidden truth about the ongoing cleanup efforts 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

>> the northeast is bracing for a blizzard, the first major storm of 2014 wimp has pull emwould the midwest could damp foot of snow from washington, d.c. to baseline pushing for peace in the middle east, john kerry is beginning another round of talks with the israelis and palestinians. >> despite new talks aimed as a ceasefire in southern sudan, the government is preparing to take back a city by force. >> marking a milestone in aviation, the very first commercial flight.

>> old man winter's leaving his mark. weaver got a lot to talk about. welcome to aljazeera america. >> we're less than 48 hours into 2014 and the northeast is bracing for its first severe winter storm of the year. the storm system has walloped the great lakes region, chicago hit with nine inches of snow in some areas wednesday. 400 flights have been canceled at o'hare airport. >> the east coast could get as much as a foot of snow in some areas. in boston, they're preparing for the worst, canceling school for the rest of the week. the new york governor says he may close major highways as a precaution. we are joined live in new york city where they are preparing for what could be a pretty significant storm.

good morning to you. erika. >> good morning to you. that we have already seen light snow turn to rain, turn to freeze in rain here, so certainly we are seeing the beginnings of this had snowstorm, and here in new york city, trucks filled with salt are already out, prepping the roads and that's likely the case across the northeast, because this snowstorm is expected to bring blizzard like conditions, jumping up to a foot of snow from d.c. to maine. >> the snowstorm taking dead aim at the northeast has already wreaked havoc in the midwest. >> we're going to have to move you down. >> in minneapolis, emergency crews responding to a gas explosion worked under extreme conditions. sub zero temperatures that turned water from their fire hoses into ice, as first responders rushed to help. some vies were forced to wait in the freezing cold. >> you can imagine if you're through to advance a heavy hose line on an ice skating rink,

it's very challenging. >> chicago was s socked with nine inches of snow, more expected today. residents are digging out, clearing sidewalks and get i can around any way they can. >> it's still snowing and i was like is this ever going to stop. i thought after i took a couple of naps, it would slow down, but it's still snowing. >> a steady snowfall in takano has drivers extra cautious especially with another three to five inches through the morning. >> it's pretty ice. >> i out there, so trying to go at a slow pace. >> being played in very chilly weather here in ann arbor. >> in ann arbor, fans braved bone chilling temperatures to watch hockey's winter classic. more than 100,000 people packed the stands, all bundled up, under near whiteout conditions. >> what, you've never seen snow before no. >> you got to do what you got to do to be hackie fans, you know.

>> now cities between washington, d.c. and maine are bracing for the blizzard, like white plains, new york, where the salt supply is ready for the roads. >> we are playing cat and mouse with mother nature. >> in new jersey, snowblowers and salt are flying off the shelves as people prepare. >> they are saying between six to 14 inches, but with this, i'll be ready for anything. >> the snowstorm already affecting airports and travel as you can imagine, this has about that the holidays over the past week, some folks coming back just this week, even today, so we have already heard that on thursday, justify today, nearly 1,000 flights already canceled. thomas. >> could be a rough 48 hours ahead. joining us this morning, thank you. >> for more on the storm's track and who could get the brunt of the system, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell.

>> as we look at different hazards, watches and warnings in effect, i've zoomed in on the east coast. this highlighted in pink is long island, the other area the cape of massachusetts. those are the two areas that are under blizzard warnings. the rest of the region that you see in blue are the winter storm was nottings. wawarnings. what are we watching in different advisories? the possible blizzard condition, the reason you hear us saying blizzard-like is you need two things for it to be a criteria as a blizzard, quarter mile visibility and winds 35 miles an hour greater sustained for three hours. you don't even actually need new snow coming down, if there's already snow on the ground coming down, that's called a ground blizzard. with this system, i don't know that all places will get it for the sustained three hours, but you could still have periods of time within there that are treacherous.

six inches of snow and winds over 35 miles per hour, the temperatures will be dropping, and that lower visibility will really make travel a mess. this is already the stuff that's going through chicago, still bringing snow there, and more moving into the northeast now especially this afternoon, heavy stuff overnight and through tomorrow morning is when we're expecting all of this and some of those cases, like parts of massachusetts, we could be talking a foot or more of snow. cities like new york, seven or eight inches, but that can really slow down that public transportation. back to you guys. >> if you have errands to run, do it early. >> six people dead after car bomb explodes outside a hotel in mogadishu. it is a popular destination for government officials and foreign visitors. police say suicide bombers tried to rush the heavily guarded hotel as the cars blew up, but security forces shot them. no one has claimed responsibility, but the al-qaeda group al shabab which once ruled

mogadishu has carried out similar attacks in the region. >> a humanitarian crisis, hundreds of thousands have been displaced nationwide in somalia since the sectarian conflict broke out two weeks ago. parties are set to begin ceasefire talks in ethiopia today. diplomats hope there will be an end to the violence that has killed at least 1,000 people. that comes on after the president declaring a state of emergency. two areas have been overrun by rebel forces, including bor, where pro government forces have been trying to recapture the city from rebel fighters. we have the latest from the war-torn country. >> the declaration of a state of emergency by the president is more about giving gough forces and officials a free hand to deal with the rebellion. within the government-run state, a sense of embarrassment that

they have lost the two key cities of bo r&b entu. fighting is going on around those times. in bor, the fighting began at dawn when government forces were sent there as reinforcements to their police who had been defeated on tuesday, attacked rebel conditions and fighting is said to be going on there. the government is saying that they will not stop the fighting until they got bor. also, fighting is going on around the capitol of the oil producing unit state. these are two key states. the government doesn't want the talks to begin before it gets control of it. >> reporting from juba. coming up at the bottom of the hour, how one american couple in south sudan is determined to protect a group of orphan children they've been carrying

for. >> in cairo, two students died when supporters of the ousted president mohamed morsi clashed with police. two people were also killed and several officers injured in a similar protest in the northern city of alexandria. the demonstrators are protesting the recent classification of the muslim brotherhood as a terrorist organization and the military's takeover the interim government. >> three aljazeera journalists remain under arrest in eit, producers are held in a prison outside of cairo. one has been moved to the prison's hospital for a broken hand. our correspondent is held at the cairo police talking about. aljazeera is demand in they be reds immediately. >> former pakistani ruler moo shower ref is in the hospital.

>> authorities arrested a man wanted for a deadly embassy bombing in beirut, one of saudi arabia's most wanted men and the suspected leader of a group linked to al-qaeda. authorities are conducting d.n.a. tests to confirm it's him. we are told he's currently in a military hospital under strict security. the two bomb attacks and you said the iranian embassy in beirut in november killed 25 people. >> the palestinian ambassador to the czech republic was killed by a freak accident. when he tried to get in a safe that was sealed for 30 years when it exploded. the blast was at his home news morning. the safe was recently moved from an old embassy building. the explosion was probably caused by a security device left over from the cold war. >> secretary of state john kerry is expected to arrive in

jerusalem this morning, his 10th trip to the middle east as secretary of state in an effort to revive stalled peace talks. he will meet with netanyahu today, scheduled to talk with the palestinian leadership friday. we are joined live from jell. nick, good morning. >> is there a change this time around with talks? >> well, i think we've been trying to do this for 30 years or 40 years, and obviously, it is extremely, extremely difficult. i want to just give you a sense of what kerry is coming here to try to do, how simple, how many baby steps that he's been trying to make right now. these people have been talking for four or five months and all

at the point, let me read a quote from the state department is that kerry is going to discuss the proposed framework to serve as a guideline for addressing the core issues. the proposed framework to serve as a guideline for addressing core issues. this is after four months that he doesn't even have really the first step, let alone anything else, and what he's trying to do is get to that point so both sides can just agree an something, if nothing else, the fact that they're going to put on a peels of paper a guideline, a framework, a blueprint, what have you want to call it about the future talks. that is all he is here to do and he's been here 10 times in the last year. that will give you a sense of how difficult it is to bring these two sides together. >> there are a lot of sticking points, but settlements remain a huge issue for both sides involved. israel said settlements can wait until kerry is gone. do you expect them to address this issue? >> every single time that kerry

meets with him, the first thing raised is israeli settlements on land that the palestinians hope is their future state. the palestinians, the u.n., much of the word said that those settlements are illegal. the israelis say they have the right to build anywhere they want on land they captured in the 1967 war. what the palestinians argue is if we're really talking about peace, a two state solution in which we have a palestinian tate that is viable, how can you build jewish settlements that almost pack mark the land so we have to drive around them. we can't create a state if those exists. the israelis say we have a right to do the settlements no matter where we are. for the majority of israelis, often they will say we support settlements. when netanyahu gives just a little bit, prisoner releases to

the palestinian authority, prisoners who were in israeli prisons, he says look, anything that we give to the palestinians, we need to take a little bit back and the settlement issue is what the israelis want him to keep pushing on. >> just one of many seemingly intractable issues. thank you. >> security concerns remain a key issue in the west bank, many palestinians complain training issues carried out by the israeli army remain a threat. the so-called mock raids have them living in fear. >> all is quiet, but november 5, hundreds of israeli soldiers walked into town. their rainfall is documented. near the mosque, young palestinians threw stones and soldiers fired tear gas. 15 soldiers entered this home, the 3-year-old girl was terrified. the soldiers took up position on

the roof. as night fell, they left without saying a word. the whole thing turned out to be a training exercise. >> they didn't only disturb my routine, there's obviously a sense here that they came to mind our lives. i feel whenever they want, they can break into my home in whichever way they like. >> what happened here is happening all over the west bank, palestinian villages and towns being used for train. this was an evacuation exercise in august in hebron. also, these soldiers were filmed training in a palestinian cemetery. >> most palestinians have become familiar with israeli soldiers on their land, but the idea that some raids often in which people are detained for hours in their homes are merely training exercises, well, that shocked many. >> in defense of the practice, the army issued the following statement to aljazeera:

>> when violence by israeli settlers is increasing, they ask why doesn't the army carry out mock raids in jewish settlements, as well. this former israeli soldier said they're all about reminding the palestinians who's in charge. >> something that's very, very unusual if you think about it, that people would enter your house, train in your streets. i'm not sure i as an israeli would agree if someone would do it in my street or someone would raid my house as part of a training. i think this is part of why i think it's wrong. >> the exercises are simply causing greater anger and resentment, and that's not good for anyone's security.

aljazeera in the occupied west bank. >> u.s. officials don't expect any major breakthroughs from kerry's latest middle east visits. >> doctors treating former israel prime pinster sharon said his life is in danger. the health of the 85-year-old is rapidly deteriorating. he as you haved a stroke in 2006 and has been in a coma since then. he is also dealing with significant kidney issues. sharon become israel's 11t 11th prime minister in 2001. >> former first lady barbara bush is still in a houston hospital this morning dealing with a respiratory condition. the wife of former president george h.w. bush was admitted to methodist hospital monday. doctors confirm that her respiratory problem was brought on by early stages of pneumonia. she's in stable condition and treated with antibiotics. >> the former first lady has received well wishes from both former president clinton and president obama. mr. obama issued a statement extending well wishes from him

and the first lady, adding i know i speak for americans everywhere when i say that our thoughts and prayers are with barbara and her family on this new year's day. >> roaring back. >> in a big way. the u.s. auto industry that made a big turnaround during the slumping sales seen in the economic crisis. >> taking the business into liberia the year for tech.

ukraine has rich soil. many believe with better

>> pay close evening today's big this be, 400,600,000, the amount of nap shot users that have been hacked. it let's users share photos and videos. it hacked user names and numbers. the breach is troubling, because people often use the same user names on facebook and twitter. you want to change those pass words and change it often. >> i never heard of it. >> welcome back to aljazeera america. >> 2013 saw the american auto industry put the brakes on its slump from the economic crisis and make a comeback.

we'll look at the key to the rebound. >> first, let's get a look at what the temperatures are going to be doing across the nation today. meteorologist nicole mitchell joining us. good morning. >> i think snapshot is the one when you send a picture and it disappears shortly. you wish these temperatures would disappear. minneapolis, minus five degrees right now. that temperatures up and down the coastline, around that 30-degree mark, which means some of the snow will be wet this morning. the midwest, temperatures below zero, with the wind chill, places like far go that will have a warm up, tomorrow, saturday, the bottom falls out even colder than this sunday into monday. watch those temperatures as we head into the early part of next week. that highs for today up and down the east coast, some of those around 30, impacting the freezing rain with the show today and i mentioned temperatures going way down. chicago, you can see that as we

get into next week, some negatives out there and more of that snow today. back to you guys. >> here in new york, you can feel it. it's going to have you walking faster to warm up. nicole, thank you. you don't know what snapshot is, pay attention to this next report. >> 2014 is expected to bring new technology. we show you gadgets. >> here are the the basics of how to use glass. >> much hyped and years in development, 2014 will see google's glass eye wear go on sale to the public. questions remain to whether its function and style make it anything more than a fad. >> this is my pebble. >> the same goes for smart watches that link to your phone. some of record on the market, but tech giants will add their offerings in the months to come. >> to me, it's freedom. >> shexperts predict the rise of virtual currencies like the bit

coin. their value has been highly volatile, but some say they have the potential to disrupt traditional became systems. >> the transaction fee is zero. once you have the bit coin, you can put it in any currency you want. a lot of people see it as a virtual safety deposit box. once you have the money in the bit coin universe, you can use it anywhere you want and the interaction will eventually be done through mobile phones. >> i believe watson has the potential. >> simple computing and artificial intelligence are set to enter every day life. i.b.m. has given watson, the smartest computer, it's vast power to understands natural language could transform finance, even a simple on line search. >> artificial intelligence can do that, because it can monitor who you communicate with, what you say, do and what your activity is on line.

then you can go to search engine specific to you, rather than general populace. >> in 2013, we learned how spy agencies track us and can read our communications. now, there's increasing demand for secure and encrypted email and mobile messaging. >> this has led to the rise of apps like snap chat. >> when you share the photo, it deletes itself after the person saw it, so there's not going to be a tangible record. we are all learning that the internet doesn't forget. snapshot is a new idea that are taking hold pretty quickly. >> they're already alcoholo graphs being developed

the big three have rebounded and the future looks even brighter. >> the big three detroit based automakers are on a roll, chrysler, ford and general motors on a record pace to close 2013 exporting more than 2 million cars and trucks around the world. >> so there's still many more imports than exports, but right now, the trajectory is exports will continue to grow for the

next three to five years. >> the turnaround comes four years after ford was in financial turmoil and both chrysler and g.m. nearing bankruptcy. ford went through a major restructuring and g.m. and chrysler both received government bailouts. u.s. cars once scorned overseas for poor quality are now in demand, totals $65 billion in export sales in 2012. 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. >> the top two u.s. auto export markets are canada here behind me and mexico. demand is growing in china and the middle east. lower wages 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

looking to build more cars here than elsewhere because in terms of wages and compensation, the u.s. has become more competitive in the last 10 years. >> 2 million exports is a small piece of the pie compared to 15 million vehicles solid 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. aljazeera, detroit. >> as the closure of unproductive factories helped the u.s. auto industry become more competitive in the global market. >> working to help the youngest victims of the crisis in sudan. >> day one of obamacare is in the books. we'll find out how it is doing in its infancy. >> a penn state offensive lineman is trying to change the perception that athletes can't be book smart and have a high football i.q., as well.

that story coming up in sports.

>> you're looking at a live shot of a snowy morning commute in chicago. this storm system hitting chicago now on its way to the east coast, creating some slippery conditions. good morning, welcome to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> not a fun commute, that storm system making its way to the east. also, peace talks are set to begin between rebel and government leaders to stop the violence in south sudan. hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the conflict. we'll meet an american couple caring for roar fans caught in the

conflict. >> first, let's look at other headlines. >> negotiators from south sudan's two warring sides are in ethiopia for ceasefire talks. the conflict has killed at least 1,000 people. the talks come on the heels of south sudan's declaring a state of emergency in two states, including bor where pro government forces are trying to recapture the city from rebel fighters. >> an american couple has been taking care of 10 orphans. the fate of the children is now up in the air. >> they went to south sudan to help others but now they are the ones who need a hand. kim, her husband and two daughters have been taking care of south sudan orphans for two years. they are children who's parents

were either killed by conflict or illness. their orphanage is two miles from where the fighting is located. >> we tried to leave the compound once, and whether they were fire to go scare us or they were firing at us or at other soldiers, there was gunfire going off as we were headed their direction and missiles were fired over our head. it took two attempts to get to the u.n. base. >> now that they've made it to the base, a heartbreaking dilemma. if they leave, what happens to the orphans. american officials ever said it's up to the u.n. to decide who boards the evacuation flight. >> i think they're trying. they're all aware that 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, then this isn't the place to do it. >> that was aljazeera's del walters. the u.n. said 200,000 people have been displaced by fighting. the world health organization said there is now a growing risk of disease in the country. >> january 1, the affordable care act went into effect for sufficient residents, but for people in hawaii, universal health care is nothing new. we have details from honolulu. >> inside eden and love, a small boutique, customers are looking for deals. >> good morning, thank you for calling. >> those who work here might actually have the best deal of all. >> we have clothing lines, we have jewelry. >> shop owner office health care benefits to his employees, all of his 12 employees, including five who only work part time. >> for us, our business model,

we've been able to supply part time workers who work 20 hours medical. >> he isn't a saint, simply a small business owner following hawaiis health care law that's been on the books since 1974. the aloha state was the first in the nation to set minimum standards for health care benefits for workers. benefits hawaii resident valerie has been benefiting from for a long time. she's always had health insurance. >> hawaii's health care legal requirements is one of the reasons our quality of life is so high here. you don't have bankruptcies because of medical bills. >> even so, she decided to enroll in obamacare through hawaii's state exchange, because she's hoping to save money. >> i am going right down here to one of the most expensive plans. >> and that would be a platinum plan, it looks like.

>> it is really, it's a really good plan. that my copays go from $20 per visit down to $10 and i'm covered from head to toe. >> so far, only a little more than 2,000 people have enrolled through hawaii's health connector. one reason, technical glitches on the website. the other, according to hawaii's governor abercrombie, most don't need it, they're already covered under the state's health care law. >> the entire thing is 15 pages and a lot of that is describing what we intend to do. it's easy. you provide health care for people. we coffer 90 plus% of everybody. if you're working, you're covered. >> deanna says another reason hawaii's health care law has worked is because consumers on the islands have limited insurance choices. >> the insurance marketplace is

essentially a duopoly. between the two of them, they have the marketplace. that's unique. >> besides hailed as a success story, the governor says hawaii's health insurance model was never duplicated, because the state is viewed as a vacation land, not a template for policy. >> hawaii's still in many people's eyes as a romantic vision. it's not real. >> while that may be true, for employees at eden and love, having health insurance isn't a remap particular vision, it's just a way of life here in hawaii. >> aljazeera's jennifer london reporting from honolulu. the cornerstone of hawaiis program is that employers provide health insurance for all employees that work 20 hours a week. >> let's bring in a fellow from the manhattan institute. good morning. >> good morning. >> they say first impressions

are everything, here we are, day one, can we tell if it's working? >> no, we can't tell if it's working. there are going to be a lot of things to look at. 2 million people have insurance throughout the exchanges. we don't know how many of them will pay, we don't know how many healthy or sick people. there's still a lot of data. >> many questions remain. we have a new year, new coverage. can we tell if woman 14 is going to be a smooth ride for obamacare? >> it won't be a smooth ride. march 15 is a deadline, because helpfully by march 31, the end of open enrollment, we'll have information about who is enrolling. >> some say it could take years to overcome the damage from the launch. >> i hope it won't. young people got a bad taste in their mouth from the beginning. in another year or two, they might start looking at it positively. >> young people, they say if we don't have them, it's not going

to work. do you think it's going to deter the youngs from signing up? >> absolutely. they are tech savvy. that if they see a website not working, they are less likely to go back to it in the future. >> for the most part, the employer market will continue as it is. on the employer side, there are going to be a lot of changes to health n, some had will go to a private exchange and not obamacare exchange. those might be bigger than obamacare exchanges. >> president obama said if you like your coverage, you're going to be able to keep it. that wasn't the case for millions of americans. the president addressed those who lost coverage. where do we stand now? >> more will probably lose their coverage in 2015 when the employee mandate goes into effect. we don't know how many of them went to the exchanges and purchased new plans, so 2014

might be a case where the number of people with private insurance falls, so we're going to have more uninsured. >> can you apply for hardship extensions still? >> you can. you can apply for hardship extension and not have to buy coverage. >> before i talk about sotomeyer, what are some of the deadlines for enrolling? >> by march 31, you have to apply. you don't have to have coverage. it takes two or three weeks. as long as you fill out your application on march 31, you're not going to have to pay a penalty. after that, you still have a three month grace period. there's really a lot of minute deadlines, small deadlines, but after that, we're looking at the enrollment period to begin in november right after the mid term elections. >> sotomeyer gave nones a reprieve. you were surprised by that move? >> it was odd that it happened

right on new year's eve when the law was about to launch. she may have done it to appear bipartisan, because the white house is going to respond, and she is probably going to accept whatever the response is and lift the injunction. this has a chance of going to the supreme court. >> religious grooms are exempt anyway, aren't they? >> church groups are exempt. members still have to have access to the contraceptive plans. that. >> we'll see he how that plays out. that deadline is friday reward in the nuns and the sotomeyer's decision. >> democratic bill deblasio was sworn in as mayor of new york city yesterday by bill clinton. he laid out his vision for the big apple under his term. >> 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 same progressive impulse has written our city's history. it's in our d.n.a. >> deblasio is the city's first democratic mayor in 20 years. >> new york wasn't the only big city to welcome a new mayor. mike doing began took the oath in detroit. celebrations were minimal due to the city's limited funds. the former medical center chief is vowing to get right to work. he has limited powers, because the city manager has control over detroit's finances. >> the family of a brain dead girl in california is getting support from a family who has traveled a similar path. the terry shave voluntary foundation is trying to help the

family transfer the girl to a long term care facility. her parents wanted to keep her on life support. she is ordered to stay on a vent later until january 7. the hospital says there is no hope for recovery and wants to pull the plug. >> a father has forgiven the shooter of his daughter. her father said the student who killed her was blinded by anger and didn't know what he was doing. investigators say karl pearson was targeting a teacher of the school and davis was a random victim. pearson took his own life during the school shooting. >> all 52 passengers aboard the research ship stuck in an arc at a have been airlifted to safety. they were flown to a nearby vessel. the group of scientists and tourists have been strand the

after ice stranded the ship in place. the crew has enough supplies to last for weeks. they plan to stay with the ship until the ice melts naturally. >> cholesterol has been ramp to to be good for your heart. >> the research now suggests it could help another organ stay in good shape, too. >> distracted teen drivers, how quickly they lose their focus once they get behind the wheel. >> celebrating a major milestone in the history of commercial flying, however we've come since that first plane took flight.

>> this sunday... >> scholars and writers, policy makers and

>> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm receive sigh. >> i'm thomas drayton, good to have you with us. recreating a historic flight, honoring the birth of commercial aviation. >> first, left side get a look at where the rain and know will be falling today. meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. >> we have actually a healthy

dose of both of those things, so the broad view of the country, i want to hit a little bit on other areas that are getting hit, because we will be talking a lot about the thunderstorm. we have warm moisture into the northwest, it's going to be wet for seattle and then as we head southward, we have abundant moisture, look at that, the entire state of georgia covered, but that piece of energy moving up the coast and the snow that we already have in the midwest, that's what's coming together to provide a lot of moisture for the northeast. we'll talk more about who's going to get what over the next 24 hours coming up in a little bit. >> college bowl season is here and we're seeing a lot of college players accelling on the field. one young man is also getting it did you in the classroom. >> we use the term student athletes, used loosely at times. many times the student portion takes a back seat with the pressure college kids now have of the focus on being a great

athlete. that isn't the case for one penn state football player. >> at 6'3", 300 pounds, penn state lineman john would appear to be more super jock than scholar. when you look at his resume, scholar may not be strong enough to describe his pow we say. he carries a 4.36g.p.a. and teaches a class entitled integral vector calculus. he is up for the academic heisman. >> people are surprised to hear i'm a math major and how well i do in the classroom. i'm equally competitive with

both. in just try to accel in both the classroom and on the football field and i have a drive to be the best at what i do. >> while he loves the game of football, mathematics will always be his first true love. >> there's something elegant about mathematics, the beauty of it, how there's an explanation for everything. there's rigorous proof, and i'd 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 the transfer of, you know, being able to analyze a situation, use parts of information that it executes. is that really true and is there really a help from using a classroom aspect on the football field? >> there's definitely a carryover especially for offensive linemen. i think having to go to the line, looking at what the defense is showing you, make calls, make justs, it's nice

when you have intelligent offensive linemen, so i think that definitely helps me. >> how much his academic abilities help his nfl future is to be determined, as he is rewarded as only the 13th best offensive guard in the 2014 nfl draft class and the 238th best prospect overall by cbs sports. >> i intend to train for the nfl combine. anyone who truly loves something wants to do it at the highest level. afterwards, i intend to go back to school and get my p.h.d. that in. >> whatever the future holds for john, he will likely continue to be one of the positive at expects of the penn state football program as the school continues to recover from the damage of the jerry sandusky sexual assault scandal resulting in the former coach going to prison and firing of joe paterno, but the continualing sanctions of a scholarship reduction and four year bowl ban

for the nittany lions. >> i'm honored to be able to represent my university as best i can. it's a university that's done a lot for me, giving me the privilege of being on full scholarship, alleviating that financial responsibility for my mother, allowing me to get a master's degree and i'm currently working on my second masters. i take it as a responsibility i have to my university for all they've done for me. i do it with pride. that. >> john had strong influences growing up, his father a surgeon and mother operating room nurse before becoming a lawyer. >> he plays chess on the side. >> none of my math professors looked like that in college. i probably would have learned more. >> the truth comes out. >> good cholesterol can help your heart and brain.

researchers say people with high l.d.l. level have less plaque linked to always homer's disease. scientists are trying to determine if the raises the risk of dementia like it does with heart disease. >> teenage drives start off safe and cautious but turn to distracted driving over time. dangerous distractions include send org receiving text messages, as well as talking on cell phones. the study says these activities increase the risk of crashing by three times, but the distracting behaviors go beyond cell phones. teens have a higher case of looking around their cars for objects, heatedding to crashes. teens are more likely to eat or drink in their cars. they are easily distracted by the radio and adjust heat and air conditioning more than experienced drivers. >> getting around the country and word is as easy as hopping a

flight. when the industry was just getting off the ground, we report from the site of the flight that started it all. >> we are having a few issues. we'll try to get to report in a fewments. the fare of the first flight was $5 per person and sold out weeks in advance. >> coming up in the next hour, a winter storm that dumped several inches in the great lakes region could bring that blizzard conditions in the east. oh! >> let's get back to the aviation, the 100 year anniversary here. >> despite questionable weather, rain and heavier than usual winds, the pilot gave the green light to take off in a

amphibeous airplane. he duplicated the historic flight of january 1, 1914 with the same 28-mile flight across the bay to tampa. >> 100 years ago, it showed you in the past, humanity was drown beyond itself. today we are. in 1914, the pilot had but one passenger, the mayor of st. petersburg, who made $400 in a ralph to win the opportunity to become part of history. that. >> on wait over to tampa, the plane did have a malfunction. they set down, actually fixed the plane, got up in the air again and flew the last leg into tampa. >> this is a replica of the

plane used, built without formal blueprint. the plane is complete but not yet sea worthy to make the flight. that first flight was basic, open air, no protection prom the elements, no space for luggage, room for the pilot and one apparently. >> the elevator goes up and down. >> a personal love of aviation prompted him you to build this aircraft, saying he wants the next generation of aviators to also think big. >> our fascination with flight in the past was with the birds. the crescent moon as i will pollies the present within our grasp and the stars symbolize our future. >> in 194, the commercial service between st. petersburg and tampa was revolutionary. other options, train, 11 hours, ferry boat, roughly four hours. that today, the industry provides commercial global travel in record numbers and

time. >> we basically went from two round trips per day, each flight watering one passenger to a situation where in 2013, the global airline industry carried more than 3 billion passengers for the first time. >> in 100 years, we've gone from this to this, a jet plane that can carry over 500 passengers, and travel nearly 10,000 miles. imagine what the next 100 years will bring. aljazeera, st. petersburg, florida. >> can't imagine what's ahead. the aljazeera morning news continues, del walters is back with you in two that have minutes. >> have a great morning.

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 >> an exclusive "america tonight" investigative series >> we traveled here to japan to find out what's really happening at fukushima daiich >> three years after the nucular disaster, the hidden truth about the ongoing cleanup efforts 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

>> the northeast is bracing for a blizzard. the first major storm of 2014 already pummel would the midwest and it could dump more than a foot of snow from washington, d.c. to maine. >> despite talks aimed as a ceasefire in sudan, government soldiers taking back a city by force. >> pushing for peace in the mideast, john kerry beginning talks with israels and palestinians. >> when it comes to tipping, why new regulation could change how much money waiters and waitresses make.

>> we are less than 48 hours into 2014, and the northeast already bracing for its first major winter storm. it's expected to wallop a wide stretch of the eastern seaboard from washington, d.c. to new england. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. that storm threatens to bur new york and boston under more than a foot of snow, the winter storm warning issued for new york city and long island. that storm could become a blizzard with the metro area facing face-numbing temperatures and winds approaching 10 degrees by friday. new york's governor is considering closing the state's major highways just in case, and in massachusetts, they, too, are bracing for the worst. that region declaring a snow emergency with up to 18 inches of show expected in some parts of the state. boston's mayor already clothessing schools through friday.

erika is live in new york city, where they are also preparing for what could be a pretty big storm. good morning, erika. >> good morning, del, yes, new york city already has trucks filled with salt out on the roads preparing them. it's a good thing, because the snow has already started. we've got a dusting here. check this out. you can see it right here, just a little bit, but of course, this is nothing compared to what we're about to see come the next 24 hours, up to a foot of snow expected from new york city to boston to maine. >> the snowstorm taking dead aim at the northeast has already wreaked havoc in the midwest. in minneapolis, emergency crews responding to an apparent gas explosion worked under extreme conditions, sub zero temperatures turned water from their fire hoses into ice. as first responders rushed to help, some i got haves were

forced to wait in the freezing cold. >> if you're trying to advance a heavy hose line on an ice skating risk, you know, it's very challenging. >> chicago was socked with at least nine inches of snow with more expected today. residents are digging out, clearing sidewalks and getting around any way they can. >> it's till snowing, yeah. i was like, i thought after i took a couple of naps it would slow down, but no, it's still snowing. >> a steady snowfall in takano has drivers being extra cautious especially with another three to five inches in the morning. >> it's pretty icy out there, so trying to go at a slow pace. >> being played in very chilly weather here. >> it was in ann arbor, michigan where fans braved bone-chilling temperatures to watch hockey's winter classic. 100,000 people packed the stands bundled up under near whiteout

conditions. >> you've never seen know before? >> cities between washington, d.c. and maine are are bracing, like white plains new york, where the 4,000-ton salt supply is ready for the roads. >> we're playing cat and mouse with mother nature. >> salt and snow blowers are flying off the shelves as people prepare for the snow calming later today. >> they are saying possibly between six to 14 inches. with this, i'll be ready for anything. >> you're looking live a the a shot of those flags blowing in the wind. we're showing you that, because wind is going to be a key factor here. that blizzard conditions mean winds upwards of 35 miles per hour, and that could mean some seriously treacherous roads. you can see plenty of people heading off to work here along the west side highway in new york city, which is one of the main drags. this could be pretty serious. there are a lot of highways throughout the eastern seaboard

that are going to be shut down, so really, this is becoming something that people really need to pay attention to and certainly prepare for. del. >> we turn to our meteorologist nicole mitchell who has been tracking the storm. >> we have seen the watches and warnings expand as the system has gotten closer and everything continues to definitely oh. the areas we see in pink off the coastline of massachusetts and long island, those are the blizzard warnings. get in the broader picture, the blues, winter storm warnings, advisories, outside that have, you've heard us use the word blizzard or blizzard-like, just to define what that is, you need two things. winds to 35 miles per hour or greater and visibility a quarter mile or less for at least three hours sustained. that's a hard criteria to match. some place will briefly get those blizzard like conditions

but not for the required three hours. i think it will be isolated, anyone that meets that criteria. this area will have more than six inches of snow, winds 40 miles per hour from to him to time gusting that high, and temperatures dropping and the lower visibility, as the snow blows around that will make things difficult on the roads. broad picture for today, not just the west coast, but east coast starring to get moisture. messaging with the system in the midwest, that will help influence everything in the most. the system moving through the midwest is under the great lakes region. chicago doesn't usually get the lake effect, because it's on the west side of the lake but with winds out of the north this morning, that is a set up for lake effect, and that is why chicago is still seeing snow. all the the snow is starting to push into the northeast. this will pick up if you're not seeing it yet into this

afternoon. tonight, it will pile up, massachusetts could get a foot or more. a couple of the cities, new york, seven inches, right around give or take a couple, eight-inches is where public transportation shuts down. this is going to be a big problem especially with tomorrow's commute. >> stay with aljazeera as we track the progress of this latest winter storm. >> secretary of state john kerry touching down in tel aviv a short while ago, his 10t 10th visit to the middle east in an evident to jump start talks between israeli and the palestinians. we have a preview of the secretary's visit. good morning, nick. good morning, del, kerry's been here so often people are joking that he's commuting. nonetheless, he continues to come here, continues to do his shuttle diplomacy. there's no one more controversy

yell aspect between these two talks than israeli settlements on palestinian lands that palestinians want to be their future state. >> bread the chance to move into his new home, it was destroyed. this is the village, and last month, the israeli military bull dozed his house. >> this is the epitome of dehe gradation, he says. they must think we're animals, otherwise they wouldn't treat us like this. these foundations are homes for settlement. this woman's home was built four months ago. the israeli government subsidizes these houses, so they're cheap. she moved here because the streets are quiet. >> it's beautiful view, nice neighborhood. >> their neighbors, the village. >> as you can see, we are a few

hundred feet from the house that was demolished a few days ago. >> he has lived here for generations. israeli said these villagers don't have the required permits, but they argue israeli is encroaching on palestinian land. >> do you feel you're being surrounded? >> absolutely. >> when you look around at these settlements, what do you feel about a future palestinian state? >> almost zero, zero chance of an independent palestinian state. >> why no. >> practically, i mean the settlements are occupying everywhere. >> israeli said it has the right to build settlements on land captured in the 1967 war. the pace of that building has increased dramatically. in 1977, 4,000 settlers lived on 24 settlements. in 1993, 110,000 settlers.

>> in a good day, we can see the city. >> the u.n. calls these illegal, but for some, it's small town u.s.a. >> my kids can play in friends houses without me going with them. >> she is not just here for the neighborhood and view. she believes god wants her to be here. >> in the bible, god gave the jews the land. i don't have anybody, any problem with anybody else living here, ok? it was given to the jews, so it's important for me to live here. >> as she walks home, he gathers his family of nine. there's not enough room here for everyone. he vows to rebuild the destroyed home but has no power to stop israeli from destroying it again. a israel was expected to announce 1400 additional

settlements last week. they called the press to brief them about it, but in order to not spite john kerry, delayed that announcement. an israeli official tells me it doesn't that matter whether we announce last week or next week, the settlements, forward. clearly one of the stumbling blocks to peace are these settlements. >> what exactly does the secretary hope that to accomplish with these latest round of talks? >> i think the operative word the u.s. officials are using here is baby steps. he is not expected to announce any kind of break through. i was fascinated by one of the quotes out of the state department before he arrived, trying to give some perspective on however they are seven months into these talks. they said that he's going to talk about proposed framework to serve as a guideline for addressing core issues. the proposed framework to serve as a guideline for addressing

core issues. he doesn't appear to be for along in making petition. >> >> it's a new thing that israeli did not demand in its peace treaties with jordan or egypt, palestinians have recognized israeli's right to exist. netanyahu is saying you have to recognize our right to exist as a jewish state. palestinians say if we say this, it acknowledges the narrative that you have in thisle land. the palestinian side is palestinians were living there before the creation of israel and those palestinians were pushed out by the israelis and that we can't give up on their

right to return, and we at least can acknowledge publicly that they are forever not going to be able to return to their former homes. they say why do we have to recognize this as a jewish state. netanyahu said to be sure they are going to be partners in peace, they have toage us as a jewish state. >> nick, thank you very much. >> doctors treating former israeli prime minister sharon say his health is getting worse, now said to be in critical condition. he suffered a stroke in 2006, has been in a coma since. he became israeli's 11th prime minister in 2001. >> musharraf has failed to show up for his trial, being taken to

the hospital. he was forced to resign in 2008. that. >> the escalating violence in south sudan now leading to a humanitarian crisis, hundreds of thousands of people displaced since fighting started two weeks ago. representatives from the warring parties are set to begin peace talks today. the u.n. stops short of calling that ming a break through. officials hope the negotiations will bring an end to the violence that has killed at least 1,000 people. those talks come on the heels of the president declaring a state of emergency in two states on wednesday, saying that they have both been overrun by rebel forces. that includes the city of bor. we have the latest. >> marching to war, as the conflict in south sudan continues, this man and woman or preparing themselves. we are coming, we are united and

we will defeat you, they sing. the government soldiers are preparing for deployment to the front lines. fighting is going on in at least three different fronts and military commanders say they will continue fighting the rebels this will there is an agreement on a ceasefire. that. >> the colonel is a spokesman. >> if the rebel continues to attack, we will fight until they are paralyzed and not able to attack anymore or a ceasefire is agreed. >> government forces say they are in the strategic town of bor now under rebel control. >> we don't believe they have a strength. their only strength is using human shield, which is inhuman, and the forces are capable of defeating them. it's a matter of time.

we are confident we will take bor. >> as the conflict intensifies, aid workers warn of a humanitarian crisis. 200,000 people have been displaced. the u.n. peace keeping mission here cannot fulfill its mandate of protecting civilians. the mission has 4,000 peacekeepers trained in infantry. >> we are no the in a position to do much more than protect the camps, the thousand us and thousands of people, external security, internal security. >> all hopes for resolution to the conflict depend on the peace talks set to begin on thursday. until they are successful, the people of south sudan, the world's newest state will continue to live through the wash of their fears. >> the u.s. already pledging over $268 million in humanitarian aid to south sudan.

six people are dead after car bombs explode outside a hotel in mogadishu. the hotel is a popular destination for government officials and foreign visitors, pleas saying suicide bombers tried to are you sure the heavily guarded hotel but shot by security forces. no one claiming responsibility, but it has the fingerprints of abshabab. >> on new year's day, there were violent clashes in egypt. two died when the supporters of the ousted president clashed with police. police say they only used tear gas to break up the demonstrations. two people were killed and several officers hurt in aim larr protest. >> aljazeera journalists are being held in a prison outside of cairo, another is held in apprize son hospital for a

broken hand. our correspondent is still held at the cairo police station. aljazeera continues to demand these journalists be released. >> tipping rules are changing, why some of them are eliminating mandatory tips that are added on to your bill. >> after several failed attemptses, that daring rescue to save dozens of people stuck on the ice in antarctica. >> a new species is moving into the chicago area. why snowy owls are calling the windy city home. >> this is the nation's capitol, right now in fog. that is washington, d.c., the capitol building, if you can see it. snow is on the way there, too.

>> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. straight ahead, we're going to tell you why the way you pay your waiter or waitress is changing nationwide, but first let's find out how cold it's going to be when you shovel all

that snow. >> temperatures are going down. we've already seen that, the midwest still stuck with some below zero temperatures, minus eight for minneapolis. it's been a couple days in some places since we're saying above zero. bismarck, minus 24 is what this feels like. this is where the snow has cleared out. chicago, still some lake effect, usually chicago's on the wrong side of the lake for the lake effect. we're going to see that today. friday to saturday, a big warm up, then the bottom falls out. sunday and monday, depending which side of the midwest you're in. new york, the snow comes in, the temperatures go down. friday morning, single digits, but the wind will crank with this system, that will put wind chills in the northeast, too. watch out for that. temperatures going down. you add in the wind and snow, just going to be not so pleasant

day out there. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> all 52 passengers onboard the research ship stuck in antarctica have been airlifted to safety, flown by helicopter to a nearby vessel. they were stranded for more than a week after the boat was frozen in place. several ice breaking ships were sent to rescue them but couldn't get through. the 22 member crew will remain onboard with enough supplies to last them at least a few weeks. >> waiters and waitresses often work long hours for little or no pay, earning $16,000 a year, wimp means they need tips to make ends meet. as we report, the i.r.s. is changing things, making changes to certain types of tips and it's already affecting their bottom line. >> 43-year-old michelle pearson has been a waitress since she was 14, raising a family on the money she makes here. she said tips from customers make the job worthwhile. >> it's been a very great

profession for me in many ways. >> up until now, serving staff were paid all of their tips at the end of a shift. it would then be the employee's responsibility to report those to their employer so taxes could be taken out. a new i.r.s. ruling changes that. here's what's affected, those automatic tips charged with large groups would be taxed different. this gives the i.r.s. a more accurate report on how much is being tipped and how much to tax. it also means some employees won't see those tips until their regular pay period, wimp is often every two weeks. >> with our tips, that is how we pay our bills and so we are used to having them on a daily basis. >> some business owners complain the new tip taxing rules are complicated. they are experimenting with ways to work around them.

>> blue tar restaurant in seattle is doing away with mandatory tipping altogether, and offering a suggested tip amount on a bill. that. >> beginning january 6, oliver garden, red lobster and other chains will take mandatory tipping off the table. >> you want to simplify it and do the best you can and make the tips available to the servers and make money available. >> the pro may soon be dropped by 90% of all restaurants. morales and pearson agree there may be a silver lining. >> i think that people should have free will. it should be a choice as to what you want to tip a person or not. >> by doing away with mandatory tipping, they're giving diners a choice of deciding how much the service received is worth. aljazeera, seattle. >> the mandatory policy started as a way to protect servers and make sure they weren't

undertipped by consumers. >> wall street set to ring in the new year on a higher note after a stellar 2013, do you futures down 37 points. the dow and s&p starting at record levels, the dow at 16,576, the s&p standing at 1848, the nasdaq at 4,176. asia, markets ending the day mixed, chinese stocks under pressure after the latest manufacturing data showed that factory activity slowed down. japan's nikkei remains closed for a public holiday. >> european markets are starting the year off with losses. 2013 a good year for billionaires like about him gates, a survey of the richest people on the planet finding they added $524 billion to their corrective net worth last year. gates is number one on the list, increasing his foreign by $16 billion, thanks to a 40% rise in the country's stock. the bloomberg founder, mike

bloomberg didn't make his own list. >> chrysler will be owned by fiat, taking full control of the company buying the remaining 41% that it doesn't own from the united auto workers health trust. chrysler has been run by fiat since 2009 and it has been a big money maker. chrysler is saying sales are rising 9% in the first 11 months of the year. >> the commerce department release in a report on construction spending this morning, the numbers expected to be strong. people fed up with higher rents are now buying homes. residential construction is expected to improve after falling three out of the last four months, one economist saying those jobs will be key to the health of the housing market in 2014. >> in order for market to recover, you want consumers feel wealthy enough to buy a house and be confident enough to buy a house. if unemployment is an issue or they're in fear of losing their job or don't know where to go to

find a new job, that always is troublesome. >> we'll find out just how well the labor market is holding up in a few moments from now. that is when they will release the wokely unemployment benefits. >> is donkey meat, it's the recall, yes, in china. up heard it, donkey meat, wal-mart recalling the meat in stores. it contained the d.n.a. of other animals. the meat is sold only in two stores. it is popular in some parts of china, but just a fraction of the meat is consumed in the country. >> a new year means new legal battles for the nation's top courts to consider. we'll look at some of the cases the supreme court is going to be weighing in on in 2014. >> snap shot users hacked. the personal information that was posted on line. >> there is a new captain set to board the buccaneer's ship. more on the new coach, coming up later on in sports.

disaster, the hidden truth about the ongoing cleanup efforts 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 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. and how much to tax. it means some employees will not see the tips until their regular pay period, which is often every two weeks. >> with the tips, that's how we pay the bills. we are used to having them on a daily basis.

>> business owners complain the new tip taxing rules are complicated and are experimenting with ways to work around them. this restaurant is it doing away with mandatory tipping, instead offering a suggested tip amount on a bill. beginning january 6th. the family of restaurants, including olive garden and other chains, will take mandatory tipping off the table. >> you want to simplify it, making money available. >> according to an industry analyst the practice may be dropped by 90% of restaurants. >> they all agree.

>> welcome back, i'm del walters. the first major winter storm of 2014 heading now to the northeast, a foot or more of snow is expected in parts of new england, new york and new jersey, storm warnings issued. boston schools are closing for the rest of the week. >> in south sudan, a humanitarian crisis. international diplomats hope ceasefire talks will end the sectarian connick. secretary of state john kerry arriving in tel aviv, attempting to start talks between israeli and the palestinians. he will meet with netanyahu

today and palestinian leadership friday. >> the affordable care act is now officially a real thing, insurance coverage kicking in for more than 2 million people on new year's day. the battle is still far from over. >> this morning, they are among 2 million americans happy to now have health insurance they can afford. >> this means a lot to people like us, being self employed. >> on capitol hill, that's only half the story. >> 6 million people who had plans they liked have been thrown off of it. i don't think there's anything to burrell operate. >> there are people without i.d. cards, others not showing up in the system. the obama administration set up a toll free number to help. >> if they've gone through the paperwork and for some reason, the insurer doesn't have it, if they call that number, we'll be able to identify them. >> there are computer glitches and some insurers say some

aren't signing up. >> the obama administration says rules already address the custom of birth controls. >> a criminal defense attorney is a professor at a brooklyn law school and has argued before the supreme court. thanks for being with us this morning. >> thanks for having me, del. >> that ruling by justice sotomayor, what impact is it going to have on the affordable care act itself? >> the case is going to be heard this term on that specific provision of the affordable care act, it's a as i will lavish,

whether corporations can opt out of providing health care coverage for birth control on religious grounds. it's an extension of the citizens united case from a couple of terms ago and the core issue is whether corporations have religious rights under the first amendment that are tantamount to the speech rights the court afforded them in the citizens united decision. >> it's an interesting ruling, because sotomayor was a justice picked by president obama, so it appears that his personal choice is coming out against him. >> well, that's often the case with justs on the court, they don't come out the way the president who point them anticipate, but in that case, the claimant in the case is actually a group of nuns, a religious institution, where the case is going to be heard on the merits are just regular old corporations that are seeking the same religious rights that

those nuns obviously possess. >> do you expect other groups to mount similar challenges? >> there will be tons of friends of the court briefs pouring in on the case, many of them have already been approved, so i actually don't expect a slew of them. this case fits the roberts court's incremental approach. they don't like the affordable care act, but roberts found a way to salvage it the last time and this gives them a chance, not that they're girding for it, but to knock out part of it without doing massive surgery on it. >> let's talk about campaign contributions. i want to show a graphic, because this is a very contusing situation. individuals limited to $48,000 in contributions for all candidates, a little more than $74,000 for all parties and political action committees or pacs, $123,000 during a two year election cycle can be given to a candidate. do you see the cases before the

court affecting anything concerning the november elections in 2014 and the 2016 presidential elections? >> i really don't. there's a lot of hand wringing and sound and furry about this, but the difference between direct dough anywayses on the one hand and political spending on causes, the line is so blurry these days, because you have causes that act as shills for candidates' positions. it's more symbolic than real. the argument, which occurred back in october, seemed to suggest that the court might strike it down. i don't see that happening, and the reason why is that this is a court that has porch sensitive to public outcry over unpopular decisions. citizens united is a deeply unpopular decision and i don't see the justice taking that step at this point to stir even more controversy. >> affirmative action back on the table. >> back on the table. that one may be coming out a different way.

the issue in that case is basically whether the voters of the state can pass a referendum abolishing affirmative action and this court has proven itself in doma. >> the defense of marriage act. >> and it's proven in the voting rights act case that when the underlying rationale for a given issue has eroded, the court won't hesitate to knock that out. it may have become the time to allow the states to suspend fairly active action. >> thanks. >> thanks for having me. >>, are a bush is still in that houston hospital dealing with a respiratory condition. the 88-year-old wife of former president bush was taken to methodist hospital on monday. doctor confirming her problems were brought on by early stages of pneumonia, a family spokesperson saying she is in stable condition and being treated with antibiotics.

>> she's in great spirits, getting great care over there at the methodist, so we're very pleased and just taking it one day at a time. >> doctors believe barbara bush cashing the virus when she was in florida for the holidays with her family. >> mr. obama issuing a statement extending well wishes from him and the first lady, adding: >> the family of that brain dead girl in california now getting support from a family who has also walked that same path. terry shaivo tried to help the family. they want to transfer the girl to a long term facility. in the 1990, you may really a terry shaivo being in a persistent vegetative state, her husband saying she had the right to die, but her parents wanting

to keep her on life support. now the core has ordered the girl to be kept on a ventilator until january 7. the hospital wants to pull the plug, saying there is no hope for recovery. >> a father in colorado has forgiven the man who shot and killed his daughter. claire davis was killed in that denver school shooting last month. her father said the student who shot her was blinded by anger and didn't know what he was doing. carl pearson was looking for a teacher and davis a random victim. pearson took his own life as police moved in. >> some adults may not have heard of snapshot but their kids have, the latest victim of a high tech security breach. information for more than 4 million users being posted on line. we tell you exactly what happened. >> an anonymous cyber pirate or group has hacked into snap chat, uploading the user names and

phone numbers of 4.6 million users. >> the biggest danger is stalking, i think and you can see how something like this could lead to bad results. >> experts say the security breach is particularly troubling because people often use the same user name on multiple apps like facebook and twitter. >> it's a wake up call we've been getting and hitting the snooze button. >> security companies claim they alerted snap chat to the potential threat but concerns were dismissed. snap chas is increasingly popular among teenagers. two owners turned down facebook's offer to buy it for $3 billion. it's not clear if the latest security threat will affect the company's value. snap chat has recently added additional counter measures and would continue to make improvements to combat spam and abuse. internet calling service skype has also been penetrated. the syrian electronic early, a

hacker collective that supports syrian president bashar al assad claims credit for the breach. similar messages appeared on skype's facebook page and removed shortly thereafter. >> david gram specializes in intellectual property and gaming law and joins us. these days, you can't even read an on line site wow giving out your email address, so how safe are people who actually register on line using social media sites? >> well, the short answer is not terribly safe. there's no way to be absolutely sure that you can be protected from hackers. that's just the nature of the game, but on top of that, there's always a risk that at least in many cases a risk that the company's themselves will use your data to do lots of things, like advertising or an

littics or other things with third person companies. on top of that, now, we he also have to worry that the government itself will be snooping in in some way. >> i want to show a poll to our audience, 75% of people have no confidence at all concerning their privacy on line. 75% of them saying they only have a little or no confidence when it comes to facebook, 68% saying they don't have much confidence that google will protect their safety on line. 64% actually believe the i.r.s. will do a better job, and 59% believe the n.s.a. will do a better job, although not by much. i guess the question is, is anybody's information on line private? >> i think another quick answer for that i also also no. in fact, there's an explicit --

it's explicitly true that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in the data given to companies on line. justice sotomayor and judge leon who had a ruling about the n.s.a. have made indications that that might change, but so far, it has not. as far as the security goes, which is kind of a secondary issue, many websites are fairly safe. that they do take efforts, especially the major ones, but that said, there are always ways for hackers to get in. it's always an issue. it's very difficult for websites for on line services to make themselves 100% secure against hacking. >> in fact, the hackers that tapped into snap chat say they did so because they wanted to make the public aware of internet safety issues. that what internet safety issues do they want the. to be aware of? >> that really just depends on the particular service and the particular website.

this was what had was called a white hacking group, or a white hat hacking group, and their goal was not necessarily to divulge all this information, but to awaken people to the fact that they are potentially giving up information by doing so. in fact, they left the last two letters of everybody's phone number out of it, specifically for that reason. >> the world seems to be pretty upset with edward snowden right now for leaking all of that n.s.a. data, but should the world be concerned about how much information these social media companies have and is it time to take a closer look at them no. >> i absolutely think that's the case, both what snowden has done, what hackers have done and what we have done voluntarily. all of that can be a little worrying. >> david, thank you very much. >> the nfl coaching carousel continues to spin, but one team

that their new guide. >> it's a matter of dotting the i.'s, crossinging the t.'s, the buccaneers reviewing an agreement with lovie smith to be their new head coach. smith has been an assistant coach in the organization, giving him a four year deal reportedly worth over $5 million an an option for a fifth year. smith is said to be bringing in jeff tedford and possibly rod marinelli and leslie frasier. the former chicago bears coach is replacing greg schiano he who was fired monday. that being said, let's look at some of the vacancies, baltimore rains jim caldwell expecting to meet with the lions and redskins about their head coaching jobs. these new england patriots offensive coordinator josh

mcdaniels is believed to be a favorite for the head coaching job of the cleveland browns. >> meanwhile, speaking of football, new year's day always big for college football and right on the gridiron, we're going to be talking about bowl games. the rose bowl is the grand daddy of them all. max missed on you on the event after being suspended for vitalling rules. we pick up the action, game tied and that is your go ahead touchdown. m.s.u. ahead 24-17. let the defense do the rest, that was linebacker there looking up, that was stanford driving in that final two minutes, but that was stuff from kyle ellsworth, filling in and linebacker actually named the defensive m.v.p. michigan state wins its first rose bowl in 26 years, 24-20 the final there. south carolina beat wisconsin in yesterday's capitol one bowl,

but the news hanging headlines was defensive end clowney announcing he had played his last game for the game cocks. lebron james took an eternity to give us the decision, clowney took all of a few minutes after the clock hit zero, the junior was asked immediately after the game if he would enter the draft. yes, sir, was the immediate answer. the game cocks leader is expected to be a first round draft pick. >> bridge water will forego his sooner season, possibly to be the first quarterback taken, as well. he broke the pass i go and touchdown records and was the best running back, as well. he may be the best guy that's hardly been seen in the draft. >> who sports gives us the scoop on why bridge water could be the top guy in this year's nfl draft the. >> this is another guy who could go number one and i think the

texans would be happy to have him, as well. teddy bridge water didn't get a lot of press this year, because louisville, while it only lost one game was kind of in a bad conference and they didn't play, you know, the greatest non-conference schedule, but he's a guy really steady, very accurate patter. last year, he really impressed a lot of people, because he gritted through a couple injuries and took his team to a bowl win. i just think he is a fantastic, steady quarterback, not a really flashy guy, but a guy who will just get the job done, make accurate passes, doesn't make a whole lot of mistakes. if you want a for sure guy who can lead your franchise and he's ready to go right now, teddy bridge water is your guy. >> tonight is the sugar bowl. krill son tide take on number 10 oklahoma. then we've got another bowl

game. >> side stepping the gatorade, coming out clean. >> he's on his toes. >> owls that thrive in the north pole moving south for the winter. why experts say these owls are making their way to chicago. >> two different pieces of energy combining to make amyls in the northeast. i'll have the latest on the brewing snowstorm.

[[voiceover]] no doubt about it, innovation changes our lives

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. straight ahead, we're going to tell you about medical marvels that can help the blind see and stop seizures in their tracks. first let's find out where it is going to rain and snow across the country today. >> we do have a little bit of everything. we've had freezing precipitation. the broad picture, these two pieces of energy, i'll get to that. i want to mention showers in the northwest. that we've had a lot of rain through the southeast. by tomorrow, this clears out for sunnier skies. that piece of energy along with

what's been moving through the midwest means lake effect for chicago. those two areas merging together, and one being off the coast, bringing in winds from the northwest, that's really going to blow things around, but look at this snow that will come in as we get thursday into friday. by mid-day, a lot of this clears out, but snow, blowing snow and dropping temperatures, tomorrow morning's commute had been a mess. back to you. >> thank you very much. >> remember that brick phone, no doubt over the last few years, we've seen electronics getting smaller and smaller. it's good for consumers and lead i can to new and innovative health technologies. we look at incredible medical advances. >> gentlemen, we can rebuild him. that we have the technology. >> the idea of technology in the human body has long captured the popular imagination. the now one bionic device is set to change the lives of those without sight. this implant has taken more than

20 years and $200 million to develop. that it sends visual signals directly into the brain. >> what it is is just a silken wafer able to transmit the light you normally show in the eye into signals for the nerve that is go to your where you see in the brain to be active. >> as this new generation toothbrush, a personalized 3-d print the mouth mold. after biting for a few seconds, you're teeth will be completely clean. >> from personal hygiene to personal health monitors, the smart bandaid traction the bodies vital signs. it gives realtime monitoring of activity from sporting performances to the health of a family member. perhaps an elderly relative living in another country or on another continent.

>> you can monitor what's going on with them. you can tell how you're running from side to side or down a sporting field or you can tell how your relative or loved one gotten out of bed, have they moved out of the chair or have they fallen and not gotten up from that position. >> another medical monitor is helping epilepsy patients whose seizures have not responded to medication. placed beneath the scalp, the device detects abnormal electrical brain activity, and respond to say normalized brain activity before the individual experiences a seizure. >> this is like a defi defibrilr for the brain. >> a detailed understanding of how the brain works. >> 2014 will be the year super computers begin in earnest to

build the first simulation of the brain. the $1.6 billion human brain project will take 10 years to complete, but promises to give us an unprecedented understanding of how the brain works. from this, new in sights into almost every aspect of human health. aljazeera. >> one of the goals of the human brain project is to advance the field of medicine and computer sciences. >> twins born just minutes apart in washington, d.c. have different birth years. lorraine came to the world in just two minutes, two minutes before midnight new year's eve. her younger brother, brandon was a little late, born three minutes later. he came in on new year's day. congratulations, mom. >> a majestic bird is getting a lot of attention in chicago. the snowy owl headed south for the season. >> i tried to get here at sunrise every morning and come

here at sunset. >> it's a bone chillingly cold morning on chicago's lakeshore. nature photograph jerry is hoping to snap a photograph of a snowy owl. >> we have probably the largest owls in north america, so they're just, you know, amazing, just beautiful to watch, beautiful to spend time with. >> with its bright yellow eyes, black beak and puffy plumage, the snowy owl has a distinct appearance. it gained notoriety in the harry potter series, seen here. >> i think the fascination is owls throughout history have been seen as a spiritual creature, a wise owl, and i think everybody wants to experience that. >> as this arctic nomad has begun appearing in chicago, bird watching enthusiasts have braved the elements to catch a glimpse. it feeds on rodents and birds.

the sense of hearing is so acute they can hone in under heavy vegetation or even snow. experts at the lincoln park zoo said food may explain why the owls have my greated this far south. >> there are boom and bust cycles where they think they have a lot of chicks because there are food sources available and then after that, the adults may be pushing the juveniles out of the breeding territory in their range, so they move further and further south looking for food and moving outside of their territory. >> one resource helped to track snowy owl sitings is developed at cornell university. the database provides realtime information on where they are and where they're going. >> the first arrived in mid november. because of the internet and how birds get reported on line now, we sort of knew to expect them, so people were out looking for snow why owls before they even

showed up, because they were seen in other nearby areas. >> experts say the numbers will likely increase, giving birders an opportunity to see them until late february or early maven. if electronic bird tracking with hours in the bitter cold doesn't sound appealing, there's always the zoo. aljazeera, chicago. that. >> unlike most owls that behind at night and sleep during the day, the snowy all is active during the day. their wing span on average, four to five feet long and they eat about five le lemmings a day, although there aren't many lemmings in chicago, but there is great pizza. more news straight ahead in two and a half minutes. i'll see you then.