and google plus and twitter, and more. >> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz live in new york. >> gunphytes in fallujah -- gunfights in fallujah, car bombs in baghdad. >> a deep freeze in the midwest and north-east bracing for dangerously cold temperatures. safety rules mean pilots have to get more rest between flights. it's 50 years since president lyndon johnson called for a war on poverty. we look at the successes and failures of that fight.

>> in iraq the government in anbar says it has retaken the city of ramadi, a day after it was seized by militants linked to al qaeda. they remain on the edges of ramadi and fallujah, as local tribal leaders consider their next move. both cities are key regional centres and witnessed fighting. we have more from al jazeera's imran khan. >> after a standoff lasting days the iraqi army is ready to go to the city of fallujah, and fight the al qaeda-linked group i.s.i.l. the agreement to do so was heartfought. sunni tribes insisted they be part of the situation. others disagreed saying i.s.i.l. fighters were protecting fallujah. the standoff is an indication of the sunni tribe and shia-led

government disagreements. nouri al-maliki now has an agreement to act. >> translation: there's increased coordination between the army and tribesman. the army provides the tribes with weapons and everything they need in the battle against the terrorists. the issue will be resolved within one or two days of expelling the groups. >> the iraqi army sent out a video of air strikes against the i.s.i.l. they are limited to the cities. other strongholds are on the desert. getting rid of the fighters there will be challenging. adding to the iraqi government are critics of the prime minister. >> translation: we call on the government meet the demands of the people, demands not related to terrorism by any means. if there's a further escalation of the violence in iraq, worst may happen. the reason for the criticism is simple - general elections are

scheduled for late april. the political parties will be looking to get themselves into the best positions and force nouri al-maliki to take the blame for the worst security since 2008. a fact underlined by car bombs ripping through the capital on sunday. >> sunni tribes protested demanding the release of the detainees. demonstrations grew. prime minister nouri al-maliki tried to respond with reforms, but attempts from blocked by shia and sunni political parties. in april the al qaeda-linked group, the islamic state of iraq and levant was formed. playing on sunni fears, they got support from the tribes. last month al qaeda-linked fighters defeated the iraqi army. in response, prime minister sent soldiers to anbar to break up the protest, triggering violence. the army has not entered fallujah, and worries it will cause a clash between sunnis tloil the army and those loyal

to the militants. john kerry says no more american troops will be put on the ground. the former al qaeda teen chief said other forms of u.n. support may be available. >> not necessarily in numbers of fighters, but in terms of popular support it is probably growing. there's much more sympathy for the al qaeda fighters who say they are trying to protect the sunni minority against the shia majority in iraq. >> you mentioned taking the stand. secretary of state john kerry said, "we are willing to support iraq, but are not going to put boots on the ground. what will he go to demonstrate the support. >> the iraqis would welcome a lot more intelligence from the united states and surveillance drones and things like that. i think one of their problems is knowing what is going on on the ground. i think that the americans obviously have a great deal of

expertise not just in that thing but iraq itself. he'll be looking for the political and practical support. i don't think there's fundamentally much support for al qaeda. they are a bunch of thugs, ruling by intimidation and fear. if they are thugs, they appear to have growing support. >> that's a sign of frustration about the way the people believe they have been treated by the government. if policies change, that frustration could die down and everyone would join and try to get rid of al qaeda. >> across the border. fighters from islamic state of iraq and levant are said to have killed 50 rebels, according to the syrian observatory for human rights, which has been speaking to local medical staff and other rebel groups. zeina khodr has more. >> syria's armed opposition is pushing forward with what seems

to be a coordinated offensive with the islamic state of iraq and levant. the al qaeda-linked group is pushed out of its bases and a war declared by some forces who believe islamic state of iraq and levant has not been working for the interest of their institution. the foreign fighters created many states in many areas of the rebel-held nortth, imposing their own laws, which many in the opposition believe are brutal. i.s.i.l. threatened to withdraw fighters from the front line if attacks against it continue, warning that regime forces would be able to retake aleppo. >> an audio recording the i.s.i.l. said it was being stabbed in the back by some groups involved in a conspiracy that seeks to get rid of al qaeda before planned peace talks in geneva. rebel commanders deny they are

waging the war on behalf of the international community. some believe it has to do with geneva. >> what we are seeing now is fighting over who is going to be the negotiator with the regime. so far there is no unified opposition. actually, there is a lot of infighting in order to produce a negotiator. >> the syrian national coalition, the main political opposition in exile threw its support behind the battle asking the international community to recognise what it said was the importance of supporting revolutionary supporters as partners in the fight against al qaeda. the syrian conflict has spread throughout the region and so has al qaeda's region, the islamic state of iraq and levant emerged in iraq a few years ago. the vacuum caused by the war in syria allowed it to set up base there. now it has a presence in

neighbouring lebanon. it claimed responsibility for the latest attack, targetting shiite supporters for the group hezbollah. the war against i.s.i.l. may not have only been declared in syria. authorities in iraq and lebanon are also trying to wipe out the group. it may not be an easy battle. a reminder that syria's war does not have boundaries. >> widespread arctic blasts, a polar vort ex, will take winter to the next level, affecting a good portion of the country today, tomorrow and tuesday. record-setting low temperatures across the midwest, the north-east and down south. that weather is expected to be so cold frost bite and hypothermia can set in quickly. >> juan carlos molina has more. >> across the nation's midsection - north, south and

east, cold snow and wind are bringing cities to a standstill. the part of the cold is part of a vortex, frigid air circumstanceling the vortex. areas that are accustomed to cold temperatures have not seen this degree of cold air in at least 20 years. in some cases we will see record lows or record low highs set. some of those records date back into the late 1800s, early 1900s. as a result the plummeting temperatures and winds are causing windchill factors leading to frost bite and hypothermia in a matter of minutes. we talk about temperatures 50 and 60 below. five minutes of exposed skin at the temperatures can have a serious impact. >> winter-hardened minnesota is closing all public schools for

the first time in 17 years. nashville is taking no chances, cancelling classes. >> it's rare to cancel classes because of cold. it's been five years since we did that. >> the mayor of indianapolis is closing city offices and urging people to stay indoors. >> this whether is unlike anything we have seen in decades. >> in new york city as warm enough where some snow is melting. there's plenty of accumulation, and in the next couple of days some of this snow will melt. come tuesday new york city will see a deep freeze, which could mean additional headaches for air travellers. there was a closure at j.f.k.international, where a plane slid off a run way. many make the most of the winter wonderland - officials are warning people to take the

severe weather system seriously. >> kevin is here with more on the weather. we are hearing a lot about the polar vort ex. what exactly does that mean? >> remember the movie "the day after tomorrow" when new york city was clobbered with snow. that was a polar vort ex. we don't have to worry about that. you are looking at the north pole in these pictures. here is the united states. this is a normal scenario of where the polar high is located. when the polar vortex breaks out, the high separates so this is an example of what happens with the polar vort ex, when it comes apart. this piece comes down over canada into the united states, and the other piece down over siberia. it's the polar high dividing and we get the polar air. it doesn't happen that often.

let's take a look at the temperatures or the wind chill temperatures we expect to see over 24 hours. here at 9:00 pm, let's role this. minus 63 degrees here in fargo. all around this area it is cold. overnight minus 70. for parts of chicago, minus 43. minus 44. it will last a day and things will change. it will be better in terms of cold air. we had a lot of snow. i want to show you video of what happened in st. louis. it brought visibility down considerably across the area, causing delays in the airport. we have video coming out in parts of indianapolis, i believe. let's show that. they are dealing in northern parts of indiana. i want to show you warnings in

effect now. here is the blizzard warning i was telling you about. the rest of the map we are talking about wind chill warnings effect all the way down through parts of kentucky and tennessee. that's new in the last hour. thinks get a little better with snow. that snow is making its way to the east. >> thank you. today secretary of state john kerry said peace talks between israelis and palestinians have been promising. he says there has been progress towards resolving the tough issues. they hope to have a deal by april. he acknowledges there are tough choices ahead. the path is clearer. the puzzle is becoming more defined and it is becoming much more apparent to everybody what the remaining tough choices are. and, you know, what the options are with respect to the choices.

>> those talks resumed in july after a 3-year break. pope francis set to make an historic trip to the middle east. he told thousands he'll visit jordan, jerusalem and bethlehem. it was the first trip to the holy land. he announced plans for an interfaith meeting with the head of the christian orthodox church. >> after two weeks in hawaii, president obama is back in washington. the first lady is staying behind as part of a 50th birthday present. >> at the top of the agenda immigration reform. >> congress is back monday. it is an election year. let's look at what is on the agenda. in the republican-led house, legislation on personal data in the affordable care act.

democrats will try to raise the minimum wage and jobless benefits extended. >> janet yellen as the head of the federal reserve is due to be voted on. >> a flight from san francisco to new york made an emergency landing because of a bomb scare. an american airlines plane landed. the precautions were taken after a flash drive was taped to the bath room wall. parnings and crew -- passengers and crew were evacuated. nothing else suspicious was found and passengers were allowed reboard and continue the flight. >> a small plane crashed killing one person. the plane, a bombardier challenger 600 was on route from tuscon to aspen. eyewitnesss say it caught fire whilst trying to land. >> now rules for commercial

pilots by the ffa. details next. >> if you have recently visited a yahoo website, your computer may be infected.

>> the computers of hundreds of thousands of users who visited yahoo websites may have been vected by malhair. people that clicked on ads could have received malicious software. it's been happening since december 30th. it's unclear who is behind the attack. yahoo! has started to remove the harmful ads. >> voting precincts were virtually empty, but streets filled with election-day violence in bangladesh. police fired on protesters demanding the prime minister step down and appoint a mutual observer to oversee voting.

opposition activists torched more than 100 polling stations. more than 300 were damaged. 19 killed. >> more on the election-day violence from jonah hull in bangladesh. >> there are indications that there will be no let up in the pressure being applied to the government by the opposition, even as it walks away with victory and as it prepares to set up a new government, cabinet and tries to carry on. the opposition announces another nation-wide strike to commence monday morning, carrying on from the current 48 hour strike that has been held over the election period. the indication then, if precedent is anything to go by, the violence will continue at similar levels, and the economy will continue to hurt as it has done over the recent months of violence in the build-up to the

election, an economy growing well in recent years, but which has taken enormous damage, with millions of people risking falling back into poverty because they can't sustain the political turmoil, that will hurt the government. as much as the government will want to continue and claim some form of legitimacy from this election, it will not be able to sustain a failing economy. that, it appears, is what the opposition will be aiming to achieve. at some point they'll have to reach an accommodation. the government has indicated that it might be willing to go to early elections, but only on its terms, and so far there is no sign of the opposition backing off. a deadlock is where the country is headed, with more of the same in years to come. >> diplomatic efforts are

underway to end weeks of violence in south sudan. peace talks were delayed. sudan's president is upseted to meet his counterpart in -- expected to meet his count part in juba. >> sudanese president omar al bashir on his first visit, a stunning turn of events, following two years of frosty relations with the neighbours nearly engaging in an all-out war in relation to oil. omar al bashir is returning to the south to address internal fighting that killed more than 1,000 people since december. >> this is one of the surprises of this crisis that the government in juba appears to be mortgaging its nationalist credentials, so serious is the challenge to it authority. for the past three weeks fighting has raged across south

sudan. the army loyal to president salva kiir is battling rebels loyal to the deputy he sacked in july. the violence began as a coup attempt. the warring factions are sending negotiating teams to ethiopia. the ceasefire talks are not off the ground. the rebels demanding captured leaders be freed. >> we came to talk peace without conditions. to come and tell us release these people so that we talk is a condition that we are not ready to accept. >> the political struggle has another dimension, the president is from the dinka community, his opponent nuer, now supporters are settling scores with gunfire. it's worsed more than 200,000 from their homes, and the u.n. is scrambling to protect them, hoping to avert a humanitarian

crisis. the government and rebels want peace, but there's little sign that either side is willing to lay down their weapons. >> russian oil tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky has left germany but is now in switzerland. he says he's there to take his sons to school. but he'll be campaigning to release prisoners from russia. >> he says the charges he was convicted on were politically motivated. >> al jazeera is demanding the release of our colleagues, mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed and peter greste. mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste are facing further questioning. they are being held under suspicion of joining a terrorist

group and spreading lies. al jazeera says allegations are unfounded. >> the cost for young women in vened to enhance their looks is high. in some cases deadly. last year a dozen died from beauty injections. we have this story from caracas. >> these are some of the most beautiful women in the world. from all over the country they compete for the title miss venezuela. winning the crown is a dream for many, in a beauty obsessed country where people tend $2.5 million a year to look good. after oil the beauty trade is the second-most poopular industry. it comes at a high price. ask this man, whose 21-year-old daughter died whilst getting liquid buttocks injection. she went to an unlicensed

condition and died within 24 hours. >> translation: it's shameless. the people kill for $75 to $125 to inject someone. my daughter died for $125 >> now they are raising their twin grandsons. he believes peer pressure pushed his daughter to risk her life. >> translation: the government is not informing venezuelan women about the risks. the diseases are deadlier than cancer, they kill within 24 hours. >> 4,000 people go under the knife in less than a month. silicon is illegal, but most women by it online or go to illegal clinics. >> translation: if the patient is lucky to survive, they could have chronic pain in buttocks,

chest, or face; discolouration of the skin, abscesses throughout the body. >> despite the health risks, venezuelans are injecting themselves. >> a clear sign that many are ready to pay the ultimate price for beauty. >> an american ship left australia today on a rescue mission to the antarctica. u.s. coast card is sending a heavy icebreaker to free two ships trapped in ice. a russian research ship has been trapped since christmas eve. and a chinese ice breaker came to its rescue but it too is trapped. >> 50 years after lyndon johnson waged a war on poverty, in "the

week ahead," we look at that fight. >> i'm ross shimabuku at the rose bowl. well have a preview of the big game coming up.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz, here are the top stories: the iraqi government says it has retaken a key city. despite the increase in violence, secretary of state john kerry says there's no chance any u.s. soldiers will be sent back to iraq. millions of americans are in the midst of the coldest weather in decades. half the country will see temperatures of zero degrees or less. the deep freeze comes after a snow storm blanketed much of the country last yeek. south sudan -- last week. south sudan peace talks have been held up. the meetings will be held in ethiopia. >> it is time for our sunday even look at "the week ahead."

wednesday marks the 50th anhavesry of president lyndon johnson's war on poverty speech. in the coming days al jazeera's correspondents will examine the successors, failures and how the legacy will shape our lives today. we begin with mark schneider on the speech that set it in motion. >> this administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in america. [ clapping ] >> >> the speech came less than two months after the assassination of president kennedy. >> our aim is not only to relieve the simply tom of poverty, but to cure it. above all, to prevent it. >> poverty was a concern of president kennedy, and with a country grieving and one in five americans living in poverty,

johnson declared war on poverty. >> university of texas and dallas professor mihai nadin wrote a book on how poverty could undermine the united states and says johnson's war on poverty speech was one of the best. >> he realised he is not going to be a loved president. therefore it's easy to continue the line of a president that was more than admired, he was loved and whatever, and take his agenda and make it yours. all the time making sure you give credit to the person. >> let's carry forward the plans and programs of john fitzgerald kennedy not because of our sorrow or sympathy, but because they are right.

>> to help convince congress to invest in a war on poverty, johnson took his plan to the people. known as poverty tours, johnson saw the poorest of the poors in places like the mountains of west virgin yax. >> every time you played the theatrics you have success. >> five years after the law passed poverty dropped from 20% to around 11%. today it's back around 15%. that's more than 46 million americans according to the sensis bureau. >> the richest nation on earth can afford. we cannot afford to lose it. >> the world's poverty is another war that the maker is not winning. we cannot win the war on poverty for anyone else. those affected by poverty can be

empowered to get out from this position. >> professor mihai nadin believes president johnson had the best of intentions. the war on poverty had an impact, but not what was hoped for. trillions of tax dollars and five decades later - poverty persists. >> johnson's war on poverty give us many programs many take for granted, famously medicaid and medicare. it also under pinned food stamps and social security. they moved through congress with landmark laws, including the civil rites act in 1964. collectively it was known as a great society. there was criticism on the war of poverty, reshaping the party. there were still about 50 million people living in

poverty in america. it's 15% of the population. we are joined by "costa cordia" from thinkprogress and clay risen from the "new york times." it's the war on times, they are fighting poverty. a simple everyone. are we winning, losing or not going anywhere. >> we have made advances. we have not won. a 15% poverty rate is high. there's a lot of americans and increasing number living blow the poverty line. >> i think by the mid '70s, the rates declined, attributed to the efforts of the great society. it began to pick up as we eroded a lot of programs through the '80s and '90s. you say the war on poverty worked but now we got rid of a lot of programs. >> there were a lot of parts on the war on poverty that worked. a lot that weren't excessive or

designed well. they were targeted by the republicans. in aggregate it worked well. >> what are some of the programs that didn't work and should have been picked apart >>. >> job corp and job programs that weren't well designed. they were failures. the community action program was one that tried to em-power local people to create jobs and change within the community. it didn't work. republicans went after them. what do you think worked for the war on poverty. >> we have seen amazing success. it was 5 million a year out of poverty. it did a good job of stepping in when times were tough, rising to meet the needs. >> some were cut. >> funding is an important part of the picture. like he was saying, we have been eroding the safety net created

in the 1960s, and starving it of fun. it's part of the picture of why it might be increasing now. >> as the nims cited, we would be looking at double the -- as the "new york times" cited, we would e be looking at dubility the rates of -- double the rates of poverty if we didn't have these programs. >> a lot people say if we didn't have the safety nets and programs we'd see more people. but there's an art that the programs are -- argument that the programs are not doing enough to help people create jobs. >> a lot of these programs have a big economic multiplier. you get a big bang for your buck when you invest and help people buy food. they spend the money at the grocery stores, going back into the local economies, it boosts

growth or creates jobs. a lot are bringing growth and leads to growth creation. >> a lot of people say all we do is create a generation of entitlement, that is that the people getting the benefits are not as compelled to go out and get a job and lift themselves out of poverty. >> no one that says that has tried to live on food stamps. it's not a situation that you want to remain on for a while. it's something that is a stop gap measure and there to keep people from starvation. >> is it fair. a lot of people say there are a lot of americans that don't mind lifght on food stamps or the benefits. that's the concern that people are lazy. clay, you said no one on food stamps... >> i think that statistically that's a bogeyman.

there are not those people. there'll be someone that you find for a soundbyte that says, "i don't mind living on food stamps", by and large it's not something the average human being wants to persist on. >> this is a life line. >> this is a life line. they want families to eat. it's not a lot of food, but it means a lot to the people that use them. >> we always talk about that, but is there not something to the argument that we are relying on the benefits erodes responsibility. >> it's not the sense society gives people. there's a lot of jam around finding the -- shame around finding the benefits. there's a lot of people that feel they don't deserve it. it an tablize your life and give

you a boost to find a job. let's look at some graphics when it comes to child poverty. >> childhood poverty was 27%. in 1969, a decade later after the programs, child poverty fell to 14%. today it's up in 2010, close to 18% there. especially when it comes to children. what needs to be done to lower the numbers again. >> i think a big piece of the puzzle that we don't talk about, and that the war on poverty did some, not a lot is child care. it helped to create head start and that is giving a lot of kids help. we don't do a lot to subsidise the high cost of childcare, nor do we give kids quality care. that's the key, giving children quality education at a young age.

it has a multiplier effect. >> talk about how the quality of life in the united states changed drastically since this was implemented 50 years ago? >> it's better. when you talk about the war on poverty, it's part of the great society, which included medicare. medicaid included investment in mass transit and assistance for elementary and secondary education. all this end everyone, not just the bopoor. the first national parks were created, wrapped into what we think of as the good american life. >> when we look at the numbers and the poverty rate barely moved, when you look at the quality of life that people in the united states have, how does it compare? >> it's better, except that you see a bigger gap between the people well off or decently well off or those struggling.

that is something that - it would be wrong to say it persisted. it got better, and now it's worse. that is important to keep in mind. these things worked for a while, for a variety of reasons don't. >> as we move forward, what is the solution to increase the government programs. is sounds like you guys are suggesting it. or to move away from the programs and focus on personal responsibility, on family dynamics. i think that that is right. the things that we need to do, boosting the minimum wage, again, as the "new york times" reported, boosting minimum wage would drop the poverty rate by 1.7%. it's a huge step that is way overdue and not a handout. better educational reform would make a difference. the argument is we can't spend our way out of this.

that's the concern, that we spend so much on the poverty programs that it's not making a difference. >> you are right. we need to make sure that people work full time, they are enough to feed the family and survive on. a lot of the jobs added are low wage and put people in poverty. >> great income gaps that remain to this day. thank you so much for coming in. great discussion. >> other news. the west african country - parents sent their children to religious schools to study islam. one is a lesson in humility learned through begging. for some, begging is all they do. al jazeera's malcolm web has the story. >> at this time of the morning most children in senna gal are getting ready to go to school. these boys are preparing to beg on the streets of the capital dakar. getting a bowl is crucial.

they live in an islamic school called a daara. the boys are known as talibes. their parents sent them to study the koran, institutionalized begging is the reality. ouseynou seck begged for six years and is insulted and rejected every day, but he has to try. >> translation: you go back without anything one time they don't beat you. after several times, they beat you. >> out on the streets it's tough. some boys get slapped or hit by cars. some people are sympathetic. but most don't want to know. meanwhile back at the daara, the marabout that runs it agrees to talk to us. >> translation: it's not my choice. i wish i could stop them begging on the streets. if i had the means i would sop this. but i don't. i have no other solution.

>> the boys say they don't know what happens to the money they collect, but it's not spent on food. they have to beg for meals too. >> after several hours of begging, it's time to pray. there are about 20 boys living in this daara. it's cramped and dirty and te do religious studies for a couple of hours a day. but for their parent who are poor and living in rural others, sending them here means they have fewers mouths to feet and many believe it's worth a few hours begging on the streets so they have the opportunity to move to the city and learn the carran. [ singing ] >> this is it what parents hope for. it's one of dhaka's beater daaras. children here are given three meals a day and do not beg. >> but for an estimated 10,000

taliba, itself a dream. the government tried to regulate the daaras, but there's strong opposition. the boys grow up trapped in conditions of near slavery. >> still ahead the ffa issued new rules for commercial pilots. what it means for passengers - ahead.

conversation

>> new regulations on rest for airline pilots were issued this weekend. we have more on what it means for pilots and travellers. >> it is a big change. it's the first time in nearly

many years where it's governed when airline flight crews rest. the foorty demand that all -- foorty demand that all commercial pilots get 10 hours between sleep. the pilots could spend the eight hours getting to and from the hotel, showering and eating. now pilots must have 30 consecutive hours of rest. 25% increase from previous regulations. the rules limit a pilots time in the cockpit to eight or nine hours, depending on when the flight begins. the new rules goes into effect saturday. jet blue and south-west welcome the changes. delta follows the new guidelines won'ts. the airline pilots association

welcomed the faa regulations, explaining that they were long overdue, but fell short not including cargo pilots. they have a critical shortfall. they exclude cargo airline pilots. all airline pilots experience fatigue in the same way, regardless of whether they are transporting passengers or cargo. alpa officials told al jazeera that they are pushing for the new regulations to be implemented internationally, starting with canada. >> something emphasised is all passenger operations. they'll have the same fatigue rules when it comes to the pilots. in a sense, the old rules sort of look at the kind of operation that is determining the fatigue. renewal is based on human performance. >> the faa implemented changes

after a february 2009 crash near buffalo killed 50. according to investigators pilot fatigue contributed to the crash. >> airlines had two years to prepare for the changes, but say with the preparation, they are bracing for potential delays and cancellations. >> that is not encouraging. >> no, it is not. >> record-low temperatures are blanketing the mid west, from chicago to fargo. in indianapolis residents are warned to stay indoors. freezing whether could be life threatening. let's go to kevin corriveau. >> we are looking at nasty conditions. we saw the snow across the most. now we have warmer temperatures, look at the pings, and the temperatures coming up. it's about 45 degrees warmer than it is in north dakota, but

it's causing its own problems, one is dense fog. you can see the grey. fog is down to be a quarter to an eighth of a mile. if you are on the ground travelling, it's a problem. if you are trying to get in the air, that's a problem. the pink is ice storm warnings, we expect a quarter to anated of an inch of ice on the roads through tomorrow. new york's forecast looks like this. 49 degrees on monday. tuesday, look at the drop-off that we have. coming down to 12. if the snow has not melted, it will refreeze and get slick on the roads. down towards the south we are looking at it as well. we have heart freeze warnings along the coast. take a look at atlanta. >> he's talking about the temperatures, and the windchill.

people are out there sitting in the snow watching. some are playing. >> some are getting paid. other people are paid to be in that environment. leading to the nfc wildcard match-up, there was a thought that the weather conditions could set a record for coldest game ever. mother nature was a bit kind to the players. temperatures above zero, the wind chill making it feel like it was above minus 13. this was old hat for the packers. that was only to see the 49ers respond with a touchdown drive on the next possession to retake the lead 20-17. there were six lead changes. green bay had a tie. 49 erts responding. this is the game winner. bill dawson wins it, advancing to the next round with a 23-20

win. the top seed, seahawks host the saints. sunday it's the panthers hosting the niners at 1 o'clock. steady rain and the chargers took advantage of cincinnati's lines. chargers win streak to five straight. the win sends san diego to denver, scheduled for 4:30, and the other afc featuring the colts. now to the college game with the national champion will be grounded at the rose bowl in pasadena, when florida state faces auburn. join us, ross shimabuku. tomorrow night's game could provide the exclamation pointed to sem noel's season.

>> all eyes on jameis winston, who will be celebrating his 20th birthday at the rose bowl. auburn has a chance to complete the greatest turn around. i got a chaps to peak so yahoo sports columnist pat ford to get his take on the game, including the lay off. >> in these games, you look at notre dame, they didn't show up. you go back to ohio state, they were the favourites and were beaten soundly. some teams handle it well, some don't. both teams seem to be on point. we will not know until kick-off. florida state dominated. the average margin of victory, closest points. if it's a tight ball game, do you see it peeping an issue. >> it would be unfamiliar territory. they had to play for their

lives. auburn was in the situation constantly. that's been the modus operandi. some things taught about if this thing is close, i'm not sure that it will be close, but if it is, it will. >> florida state is the favourite. what do you think will be the x factor? >> if there's a differentiation, it's the passing game against the auburn defense. auburn susceptible. missouri throwing it on them. johnny manziel three it on them. they had people exposing the secondary - not just the heisman trophy, jameis winston, but the number one pass quarterback, threes guys to the n.f.l. i think that is the area that could be the big advantage for the seminoles. >> do you believe in the hype that auburn is the team of destiny? >> no, it's not.

if they are, they had destiny on their side. eventually destiny hits a brick wall against a balanced team. >> final work. prediction, please. >> i'll take florida state and the scc string. it's time for now blood at the top. the seminoles are a complete team, and he'll win by two touch downs. >> there you have it. pat from yahoo taking florida state. whichever team wins the national championship, it will be the last team to win of the v.c.s. because next season college football switching to the four-team play-off. no controversy in this championship game. they got it correct with auburn and florida. ross shimabuku joining us life. number one versus number two.

you can't ask for anything better. more news in a moment.

>> 2013 was a wild year in washington. some of our favourite episodes of "talk to al jazeera" put a spotlight on politics. this week's show has ron paul. >> forget them, the democrats and republicans, they are one party. all the pretence that they are different is nop sense. because both parties endorse the federal reserve, and all this military intervention overseas. both depend on the monetising of debt and planning the economy. no matter what they say, the same procedures continue. so i forget about them totally and completely. >> that is on a special edition of "talk to al jazeera," the best of 2013, 10:00 pm eastern, 7:00 pm pacific. that's the show, i'm jonathan betz, i'll be back at 11:00 pm eastern with more news. headlines are next after a quick

break. thank you so much for watching. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. the iraqi government says it has retaken a key city under the control of the al qaeda-linked militan militants. they had seized control of fallujah, and ramadi. there's no chance any u.s. soldiers will be sent to iraq, says john kerry. >> americans are in the midst of weather. we'll see temperatures of zero degrees or less. the deep freeze coming after a massive storm that blanketed much of the country. >> for the first time in 50 years pilot rules are changing. pilots required to get more sleep. they h