>> and join the conversation online @ajamstream. an arctic blast of dangerous winter weather is gripping much of the nation. the deep freeze is bringing some of the coldest temperatures on record in 20 years. bitter fighting in iraq as government forces battle al-qaeda militants for control of several cities. the u.s. says it will help the iraqi government but not put american troops on the ground. >> our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty, but to cure it. >> reporter: more than 50 years after declaring a war on poverty we will focus on lyndon johnson's call to action and getting heated in hawaii over solar power and why there are serious roadblocks planning to

go green in the aloha state. ♪ you can call it the big chill part two on the heels of a major cold front that socked large parts of the nation last week, another one has arrived and it may be worse, packing some of the coldest temperatures this country has felt in more than 20 years. good morning and welcome to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy. a widespread arctic blast known as the polar vortex will bring freezing winds impacting 140 million people across 45 states and exposure to this dangerous weather could result in life-threatening frost bite and hypothermia and some people could be 40 degrees below normaler and the plains and upper midwest are bracing for cold that could dip down to

minus 60 degrees and bringing chicago to a stand still and the city is expecting temperatures of minus 20 degrees but the wind chill will feel like minus 50 a temperatures in the windy city is colder than the south pole where it was minus 9 degrees sunday night and joining us from icy cold chicago is sarah and i see you are out there reporting, people are not supposed to be outside there at all. >> yeah, that is correct stephanie, a little ironic but we have to worn people about the bad weather and the coldest that chicago has seen in decades and the weather is not only dangerous but it could be deadly. a bitterly cold wake up for millions this morning as an arctic front causes temperatures to drop to record lows. 30-50 degrees below average in the midwest. 25 states with thermometers sitting at 0 and below and

indiana sunday 2" of snow fell every hour throughout the day. the mayor of indianapolis warning residents to stay ind r indoo indoors. >> and the temperatures are deadly or certainly life altering. >> reporter: st. louis snow and high winds made it nearly impossible to see. >> see what your neighbors need and take care of them. >> reporter: schools closed in chicago and minnesota, the first public school closure there in nearly two decades. officials are pleading with people to stay off the streets. already there have been problems from black covered roads in maryland and pennsylvania. >> a sheet of ice. cars are just spinning out. >> reporter: to the runways in new york where a plane slid on jfk on sunday. and nation wide thousands of flights are cancelled or delayed and saying that frost bite can happen within minutes of exposure and workers are on stand by and workers the street

to help people find shelter. >> bring the people in houses, temporary rehab which may be an empty seat bus in the back of a medic rig. >> reporter: may be life-saving in the brutal weather gets more extreme. forecasters don't expect things to warm up until late this week, meanwhile officials say if you can stay inside do so, stephanie, back to you. >> stay bundled up out there, reporting from chicago and thank you. we are hearing a lot about the polar vortex and we will bring in nicole mitchell to explain. >> it's something we always have and science class and says most of the weather takes place in the first player of atmosphere that we have close to the earth. then you get the stratus fear and the polar is over the arctic and cold air that extends in the

mesosphere and normally the air is bounded by the polar jet but sometimes when it changes you get the air surging southward. this is extreme to get this much cold air coming this far southward but it's all because of the pattern change. so what we are going to see as we have all the air diving southward as we have temperatures well in the south, only some teens this morning, wind chills below 0 and we will see the midwest as our coldest spot and that dangerous cold air. so we have temperatures themselves like we were just talking about in chicago minus 10, we are looking at minneapolis at minus 22. as we continue and add in the winds that we have, very strong with this, so minneapolis about minus 50 is what that feels like on your skin. that is really getting us into dangerous levels and why the schools in the state of minnesota were cancelled because frost bite. we are talking wind chill minus

50 and 5 minutes of skin exposes to the air and you can get frost bite and can be permanent damage to your skin and ice crystals forming up inside and don't rub it, you can rub the crystals and damage your skin more, put it in hot water and of course if it's serious get yourself to a hospital. this is why they don't want people outside in this sort of weather. in addition to all of that we have on the eastern edge of this some rain that moved into the east coast. ahead of the system there has been a warm up but of course the east coast will get under the cool down before long and more on that in a few minutes. >> we will check back in with you. the iraq government has retaken the city of ramida from al-qaeda fighters, the army is on the edges of ramidi and fallujah and action was delayed in fallujah as they debated the last move. >> reporter: they are ready for go in and fight the al-qaeda

linked group sil and the agreement to do so was hard fought and they insisted to be part of an operation, other tribes disagreed and said isil fighters were protecting fallujah and the standoff is an indication of the tension between sunni and shia-led government been he is poised to act. >> and we can see it. >> translator: there is increased coordination between army and tribesmen and the army provides them with weapons and everything they need in the battle against the terrorists. i think the issue will be resolved within 1 or 2 days to expel the armed groups. >> reporter: they may be optimistic and they sent out a video which they say are surgical air strikes against the fighters and limited to the cities. other strongholds remain in the desert on the border with syria and getting rid of the fighters there will be challenging and adding to the worries of the government are increasingly

vocal critics of the prime minister. >> translator: we call on the government to meet demands of the people and not related to terrorism by any means, if there is further escalation of violence in iraq worse things may happen because of what is happening in the region. >> reporter: the reason for the criticism is similaring, general elections are scheduled late april, all political parties will be looking to get themselves in the best position they can and force prime minister to take the blame for the worst security situation in iraq since 2008 under scored by car bombs ripping through the capitol on sunday, i'm with al jazeera. >> reporter: thousands of families have now fled the city of fallujah and heading to nearby villages to avoid government air strikes, here is more context on the current situation in iraq, a year ago sunnis were protesting demanding the release of detainees and the demonstrations grew throughout the year.

iraqi prime minister tried to respond with reforms but millimeter inters of sunni and shia parties blocked the move. in april an al-qaeda linked group called the state of iraq was formed and playing on fears of shia domination and support grew quickly and isil factors defeated part of the army and they sent soldiers to break up the protests triggering the latest fighting there. until now the army has not entered fallujah out of concerns for the escalating violence and u.s. will support leaders but not sending american troops. secretary of troops john kerry said they are in contact and will provide other levels of support. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraqis and this is what the president and world decided some time ago when we left iraq. so we are not obviously

contemplating returning. we are not contemplating putting boots on the ground. this is their fight. >> reporter: the statement comes as fighting between the army and al-qaeda linked rebels left 34 people dead on sunday. officials said 58 people were injured in the clashes. the city went into some of the fiercest fighting during the war in iraq. john kerry said iraq may have a voice in ending the war in syria, the country not allowed to participate in the geneva two talks because of with the role of bashir and talks will start on january 22. peace talks between sides in south sudan will get underway today in ethiopia and the teams are in place but as gerald tan reports the talks were delayed a

day because of disagreement of release of rebel prisoners. >> reporter: april 2013 the president bashir's visit since the independence and it was a turn of events following two years of frosty relations with the neighbors nearly engaging in all-out war over oil on the disputed border and went to the south and addressed internal fighting that already killed more than a thousand people since december. >> this is one of the surprises of this crisis that the government in duba appears to be mortgaging its nationalist credentials and challenge to authority. >> reporter: over the past through weeks fighting is increasing in south sudan and the president says rebels loyal to the deputy he sat in july and said the violence began as coup

attempt and allegations rebels deny. and war factions sent teams to neighboring ethiopia but cannot get off the ground and rebels demanding the captured leaders be freed. >> we came here to talk peace. under conditions. to come and tell us to release the people so that the talk is a condition and we are not ready to accept any precondition. >> reporter: the political struggle has another dimension, the president is from the dinka community, his opponent is new and the supporters are settling long-standing scores with gunfire. it forced more than 200,000 people from their homes and the u.n. is scrambling to protect them hoping to divert a humanitarian crisis. the government and rebels say they want peace but there is little sign that either side is

willing to lay down their weapons. gerald tan with al jazeera. >> reporter: fighting sunday in the south capitol of duba contributed to the delay of peace talks in ethiopia and gunfire broke out an hour near the northern outskirts of the city. pope francis is going to the holy land and will visit jordan, jerusalem and west bank in may and it will be pray and renewed attempts at peace between israel and palestinians and he has consistently called for it. he also plans to have an inter faith meeting with the head of the orthodox church during the visit. tel aviv a planned three day prozest is underway and has increased rights and better treatment for african migrants and tom akerman said thousands were there. >> they were outside of the city hall to vent grievances and come

from sudan and other sub sahara countries and escaped war and economic hardship. and he arrived three years ago from darfor region of sudan. >> so we come here to protect in the country. >> reporter: 50,000 migrants who crossed into egypt infiltrators and the government refuses to grant them refugee status and they are in limbo subject to detention or at best working illegally under what is called conditional release and few of them entitled to any social services. >> prisoners and the bigger thing is to check asylum and rights. >> reporter: they think the government is treating the migrants fairly.

>> translator: i have nothing against them, but we have so many problems so far on. and israel is very great. >> reporter: a new generation of migrant children is growing up and being educated in israel. their hope to be granted a secure place in a country built by refugees. tom akerman, al jazeera, tel aviv. >> reporter: the agency is blasting israel's treatment of migrants and a statement calls on israel to stop, quote, warehousing migrants at a holding facility in the desert and described the facility as a detention center from where there is no release. there are roughly 50,000 migrants living in israel and from sudan and tria and they tightened visa restrictions and built a fence. and they are talking about what caused a small plane to crash in

california and trying to land an aspen and it flipped over on the runway and burst into place and one killed and two others injuries and it originated in mexico and all three on the plane were mexican citizens. a single engine plane was on a sightseeing flight when it lost power over the weekend and started going down and made an emergency landing on the major degan expressway north of manhattan. the pilot managed to stay calm during the whole thing. >> less than a thousand feet. i'll never make it. where do i touch down? i'll never make it. where do i touch down? >> i'm not sure where you can touchdown if you are not going to make it.

the area is populated. >> reporter: authorities credit a quick-thinking transportation worker for preventing a catastrophe and stopped traffic using his vehicle before the plane made the emergency landing. an american airline flight made an emergency landing in kansas city because of a bomb scare, the plane was headed to new york and landed halfway through the flight after a flash drive was found taped to the bathroom room and they were evacuated and after that passengers reboarded and continued the flight. braving the bitter cold. >> you keep your feet and head basically warm the rest you can tolerate. >> reporter: experienced ice fishermen share tips for staying warm when the weather is anything but. on a mission to brick the ice, a u.s. coast guardianship is going to antarctica to free two trapped ships. >> and this administration

today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in america. >> and president lyndon johnson declares a war on pavty a half century ago and used the memory of jfk to convince the americans it was the right thing do do. >> living up to its name in sports and we had every warm team taking on the cold temperatures like champs coming up, in sports. >> reporter: this is a look at the capitol building which will come alive this morning as congress returns to work. ♪

♪ good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy and we will hear from some ice pitching experts on how to deal with bone-chilling conditions that are freezing a good portion of the country this morning and let's look at how cold it's going to get out there and metrologist nicole mitchell is back. >> my dad is big on ice fishing so there are some people who are excited about cold air like this because it helps freeze the lake extra solid and column for the

rest of us and as we continue out there today and we will see that air surged to the south and big dividing lines in a couple cases but northeastern u.s. well below 0 and winds gusting 15, 20 miles per hour or more and that makes the dangerous wind chill why people are told to stay home today and do not head out because of frost bite. look at atlanta versus savannah within the state of georgia, 28-64. so you can see the dramatic divide where we have the cold air and where it hasn't made it in. ahead of this a warm flow and philadelphia is warm to 61. between the warm temperatures and moisture a lot of heavy fog in this region. but that region gets the cold air by tomorrow. back to you. >> okay, nicole with most of the u.s. facing record-low temperatures people are preparing for the worst but some

are ignoring the warning to stay inside and there are some on the frozen waters in michigan. >> you might think nobody knows cold weather like an ice fisherman. >> if the fish are biting i don't care how cold it is. there we go. >> reporter: most people have never experienced the kind of cold weather that is expected to blanket half the united states this week. so who better to ask about how to handle temperatures of 10, 20 or 30 below than a man sitting on a bucket full of fish in anchor bay, michigan. >> if your feet are cold you are miserable, your feet and head, if you keep your feet and head basically warm the rest of you can tolerate. >> when you are out in the cold you have to dress right, it's a must. >> reporter: is it ever too cold to be on the ice trying to get blue gul or perch? >> 30, 40 miles per hour winds.

it was pretty crazy weather. as far as temperature goes, it doesn't effect my fishing. >> i thought you had one or something. >> an itty-bitty ones. >> reporter: they have tents and heaters but he and his son prefer to be outside exposes to the elements. >> and wear more than you need and as long as your power doesn't go out you are all right. >> and your furnace. >> reporter: and they may prepare for shopping r emergency supplies like milk, bread and butter and gas for a generator the fisherman stay on the ice waiting for the next bite. >> i got something big here. whoa. they are fast. [laughter] the best piece of advice for surviving sub 0 temperatures is what you won't hear from the fishermen on the ice, stay

inside, i'm from anchor bay, michigan. >> do not try that at home. they recommend if could are going to be outside you should also try to stay dry. an american ship called the polar star is heading to antarctica to rescue other rescuers. the coast guard is sending the ice breaker to free two ships stuck in ice, a research ship trapped since christmas eve and dozens were rescued and the other ship is now stuck and the ship is due on sunday, and built in 1976 this measures 399 feet, one of the largest vessels in the fleet. the engines can deliver 75,000 horse power and far more than chinese ice breaker, 18 horse power and can breakthrough six feet of ice is on its way. there was plenty of snow and ice at nfl stadiums this weekend for

the first round of playoffs and we have a few upsets. >> if the regular season had you scratching your head and i know it did the post season will keep you guessing, on the coldest within of the season it was the warm weather teams that made themselves right at home. we will start with san francisco visiting green bay. game time temperature at lambo field 5 degrees. fields like minus 10 and parker's to capitalize on an interception and rogers gets it to nelson for the touchdown and 7-6 lead and san francisco and frank gore up the gut for the score. so 49ers with 13-10 lead at the half. we go to the fourth. packers leading 17-13, kapernick looking at brett favre and finds davis for the score and 21-17 and game tied at 20 late in the four and san francisco driving

and he has a great run there and gets it right in field goal position and here comes phil dawson for the win. dawson's 33-yarder is good, 49ers beat the packers in the frozen tundra 43-20. >> didn't think we would pull that off? not our first time. absolutely not our first time. we got a lot of tough guys and generate a lot of toughness and clutch, clutch performance is crab tree and kapernick and brock and a lot of guys. >> a red nose from the game. this is how the games will match up, top seeded seattle and seahawks at 4:30 on saturday afternoon and sunday the panthers hosting the 9ers and going to cincinnati with the

bengels and giving green the ball for 4-yard touchdown and andy answering and picked off by melvin graham, third turn over for the game for cinci and two minutes left and charges up 20-10 and ronnie brown going to get the hand off, look at him, up the middle, 58 yards to the house. chargers win this won't 27-10. so the win sends the chargers to denver next week to play the top seed in the afc, the 13-3 broncos and scheduled 4:30 on sunday. the other afc division game will feature the new england patriot england patriots and we will talk to the new head coach in texas and he is the first black head coach of the men's program

at texas and strong leaving the growing louisville program taking over 31-21 over the last 4 years and 18 and 17 mark the big 12 and replaces brown who coached texas for 16 years and won a national championship in 2005. not a good season for the southern illinois basketball team and first off 4-11 start and the coach berry hinton was the perpetrator and calling his players mamma's boys after losing and the team stranded on interstate 57 for more than 5 1/2 hours because of blinding snow and had to stay on the bus until early morning because interstate was shut down and a tow truck pulled it and one player tweeted they spent at a church nearby and it keeps getting worse and everybody is safe and sound and i've been on the interstate in illinois and it's not easy, the roads. >> at least they had wireless. >> thank you. as dangerous cold stretches

across the country officials are telling people to stay inside at all costs and how the freezing temperatures are creating problems on the roads and at the airports. protests of elections in bangladesh turn deadly, why hundreds of polling stations were torched. the markets ended 2013 on a high note and talks about investing in the new year. ♪ return to fukushima only on al jazeera america

♪ welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy. arctic air is blasting a big part of the country. some areas feeling the coldest weather in two decades, as al jazeera's erica pitsy says it is causing hypothermia even in

towns that are used to this brutally cold area. >> reporter: whipping through the u.s. temperatures went below 0 in several states. >> never this cold. >> reporter: some seeing record-cold temperatures for the first time since the 1908s, the mayor of indianapolis warning people to stay inside at all costs. >> it scares me with temperatures that are potentially deadly. >> reporter: then there is the snow, a foot fell in chicago and michigan, and indianapolis it takes two plow trucks to clear the roads. >> i have been here almost an hour, a sheet of ice and cars spinning out. >> reporter: paralyzing air travel and nearly 10,000 flights cancelled or delayed, in new york, jfk shut down after a plane skidded off an icy runway and still people are trying to get out and about but with cars getting stuck in the snow people

are using other modes of transportation. >> easier to get around this than in a car or truck. >> reporter: they are warming up to the deep freeze. >> it's wonderful, chicago, you have to enjoy it. >> reporter: it's the same attitude that has fans in the stands for the green bay packers game in wisconsin braving the coldest in history, 13 below with the wind chill. and the midwest is the first to feel the freeze the arctic blast is headed east where ice storm warnings have already been issued for virginia, maryland and dc and erica with al jazeera new york. public schools closed across minnesota for the first time in years and it's so cold in some parts of the state that some sledding hills are closed and frost bite and hypo thermia can

happen in minutes and she will be in bed recovering for three weeks and meetings cancelled today and cancelled her trip to war saw and a meeting with the prime minister. the california girl declared brain dead last month left the children's hospital of oakland and jihogh was taken in an ambulance to an undisclosed location and she was attached to a ventilator but without a feeding tube when she was released and a judge ruled that she could be removed from the hospital if her mother had full responsibility for consequences. bangladesh is preparing to set up a government after winning an election marred by violence. [gunfire] protesters ran for cover as police fired on demonstrators, 21 people died in clashes between activists and police,

more than 300 polling stations were touched to disrupt voting. cambodia said five have been killed with police and opened fire on a factory-lined street on friday striking garment workers with sticks and molotov cocktails and on strike for weeks demanding inl crease in minimum wage and 500 people are plowed in the industry which is worth $5 billion a year to the country's economy. and we are demanding release of fahmy and mohamed and peter greste have now been held for 8 days and fahmy and greste face questioning today and being held on suspicion of joining a terrorist group and spreading lies and say the allegations are fabricated nonsense.

oil tycoon is in switzerland and says he is there to see his wife and children. he will also be campaigning for the release of political prisoners in russia. once the richest man he spent ten years in prison for fraud and tax evasion before being set free last month by vladimir putin and says the charges were politically motivated. >> reporter: president obama is returning to washington d.c. after a hawaii vacation and the president says he is ready to tackle his agenda for 2014. at the top of the list lobbying lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits that expired last week. mr. obama said, quote, denying families that security is just plain cruel and we are a better country than that, we don't abandon americans when times get tough and we keep the faith until they start that new job and congress is getting back to work today and 2014 is an

election year and it will shape the agenda and senate democrats will try to raise it from $7.25, a vote on extending those jobless benefits until march is also expected today and republicans say they plan to further scrutinize the president's affordable care act. this week is 50 years since the president lyndon johnson's speech declaring a war on poverty and it was a controversial idea at the time and 1-5 americans did not have enough of the basic, food, clothing and shelter and al jazeera mark snyder looks at the speech and president johnson's speech. >> here and now declares un k unconditional war on poverty in america. >> reporter: it was two months after the assassination of president kennedy. >> our aim is not only to

relieve the symptom of poverty but to cure it and above all to prevent it. [applause] poverty had been a major concern of president kennedy and with a country still grieving and almost 1 and 5 americans living in poverty, johnson declared war on poverty. university of texas and dallas professor wrote a back how poverty can under mine the viability of the united states and said the speech was one of his best and the timing was perfect. >> johnson realized that he is not going to be a loved president. therefore, it's much easier 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 that you give enough credit to the

person. >> let us carry forward the plans and programs of john fitzgerald kennedy. not because of our sorrow and sympathy but because they are right. [applause] to help convince congress to invest in the war on poverty johnson took his plan to the people known as poverty tours johnson went to see the poorest of the poor in places like the mountains of west virginia. >> and it helped with the legislation and every time you played these little theatrics you are going to have success. >> reporter: five years after the law passed poverty dropped from nearly 20% to around 11%. today it's back around 15%. that's more than 46 million americans according to the census bureau. >> the richest nation on earth can afford to win it. we cannot afford to lose it.

>> the war of poverty is yet another war that we are not winning. we cannot win the war on poverty for anyone else. those who are effected by poverty can be empowered in order to get out from this condition. >> reporter: professor nadine believes president johnson had the best intentions and the war on poverty had an impact. just not the impact the country was hoping for. trillions of tax dollars and five decades later poverty persists. mark shneider al jazeera dallas. >> reporter: according to experts at columbia university president johnson's legislation helped shape poverty levels by more than a half. business news this morning yellen is close to being the next federal reserve chairman and they will vote and confirm her later this afternoon. the biggest challenge as she steps in the roll is talking

about the bond buying program. >> she has to decide when the time is right to withdraw the accommodation to say the economy can stand on its own and doesn't need support from the fed any more. >> reporter: if confirmed she will be the first woman to hold the job replacing federal reserve chairman ben bernanke on the first. and they are close to a deal in the madoff case and will may $2 billion to federal authorities for allegedly turning a blind eye while working with madoff as he ran his ponzi scheme and go to compensate victims and escape criminal indictment. bit coin crossed $1,000 again after it said it would accept it for payment option for some online games and they are gaining in popularity but the digital currency is highly volatile and not regulated. wall streak and after kicking it off on a weak note it's hire at

this hour and the dow starts at 16469. s&p 5 00's 1831. nasdaq is 4131. in asia markets ending the day lower and leading decline following below the 16,000 mark and european markets are mixed. new rules about rest for airline pilots and the first changes in nearly 50 years layout how and when crews must rest between flights and al jazeera has more on what this means for both pilots and travelers. >> the federal aviation administration requires before going on duty all commercial pilots get at least ten hours of rest between shifts and 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and in the past pilots could spend 8 hours getting to and from the hotel, showering and eating. under the new rules pilots now must have 30 consecutive hours

of rest each week, that is 25% increase from previous regulations. the rules also limit a pilot's time in the cockpit to 8-9 hours depending on when their flight begins and the new rules went in effect on saturday, delta airlines started following the new guidelines on wednesday. the largest pilot's union in the u.s., the airline pilots association welcomed the new faa regulations explaining they were long over due and added they fall short by not including cargo pilots. unfortunately the regulations have one critical shortfall because they exclude cargo airline par -- and they are the same if they have passengers or cargo and they have a lawsuit against the faa for excluding them in the new regulations and lapa feshl also told al jazeera they are pushing for the new faa

regulations to be implemented internationally starting with canada. but with the new rules and even some planned retirements which may be delayed, some airlines say they are ready. hiring additional pilots in order to deal with the regulations. >> one of the things the faa emphasizes is that now all passenger operations will have the same kind of fatigue rules when it comes to pilots so in a sense the old rules sort of looked at the kind of operation as determining what kind of fatigue the human being will have. the new rule is basically based on actual human performance rather than the business. >> reporter: faa implemented the changes after a february 2009 airplane crash near buffalo killed nearly 50 people and pilot fatigue contributed to the crash. and the push for regulations is combat fatigue and monitoring it is up to pilots themselves and they created an app to help them

track how many hours they worked and slept and i'm with al jazeera. >> and jeff says they have a shortage of pilots and faa says they have two years to prepare for new changes. starting with a look at the year ahead for investors and we have a market strategist at the private client group and joins us from new jersey this morning and thanks for being with us. and let's first take a look at the markets and the dow s&p 500 and nasdaq have preformed extremely well and dow up 27% and s&p up more than 30%, nasdaq up around 40%, do you think, mr. karen, that 2014 will be another record year? >> well, i think it can be. most of the data that we see seems to be indicating the economy here is going to continue to expand whether you look at final sales from consumers, whether you looking at automobile sales or

production like manufacturing and most data is moving in the right direction. as we come in the new year the fundamentals support the case but i would point out we moved far and fast and the margos market is ahead of itself and due for a construction and we have gone a while without construction. >> talking about fundamentals and improving them are you talking about jobs, are you talking about what we can see on main street? >> well, i think it's a combination of both. if you look at what ultimately drives stock prices, which i assume is what we are talking about, is the seize of the economy, the amount of earnings of the companies the markets represent can generate. so if we see an economy that is expanding and expect to see earnings expand, then underneath that you would expect to see, sorry, because of that you would expect to see an improving value of the stock market. >> reporter: here is another sign and compare the u.s. dollar

to the japanese yen and the dollar is stronger and looking at trajectory and equaling 77 yen back in 2012 and growing to almost 88 yen in 2013 and today it's worth is approaching 105 yen, why is the dollar gaining strength? >> the dollar is gaining strength because there is a little bit of shift occurring under this and doesn't have as much to do as earnings as it does with monetary policy and interest rates. you are at a point in time where the economy has moved four years away from recession and central banks around the world are not as coordinated as they were let's say a year ago. looking at banks like the japanese or the bank of japan and the european central bank who are looking to ease more and here in the united states maybe the bank of england looking at central banks that are looking to tighten interest rates. for the first time in four years

the degree of coordination morning central banks are not as in sync and because of that you could see a little more volatility in currency and equity markets this year. >> reporter: what do you think are some of the best bets for invest investors in 2014 i know that is loaded but any sectors that are showing particular strength? >> you want to be a little bit cautious about your allocation to assets particularly given the fact we had a strong run last year. when i look around i see some opportunity in the consumer area, the consumer has been very steady. i like to see that. of course be careful of validation and what you pay. energy you can find value. technology and charge technology has gotten to be very inexpensive and balance sheets are typically very, very good. and then i guess healthcare here in the united states has been a subject of a good deal of concern in the last few years as we had regulatory changes and

there is some very good values to be had there too. so consumer energy technology healthcare would be places i think you could find some value. >> reporter: good answer and kevin from the steeple private client group with the highest electricity rates in the country people in hawaii are turning to solar power but it's taking a toll and some owners are having trouble getting their systems up and running. i'll have the national forecast. >> reporter: and it's a foggy morning in new york city. where the cold weather hasn't moved in yet. it will be more than 50 degrees here today.

♪ welcome back to al jazeera america. just ahead as most of the nation deals with record-setting cold we will head to warm hawaii where people trying to go green are running into roadblocks but first let's get a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the country today and metrologist nicole mitchell is

back. >> the cold air and you see where that moved in and this allows the day to night, you don't have installation and temperatures overnight can drop without the cloud cover. we have it on the dividing line of cold and warm air and moisture to the south and it may be a little snow in places like atlanta today. we will deal with all of that. so that always kind of exites everyone and we had moisture moving into the northeast and ahead of that warm air melted the snow and moisture to give us fog and that is going to be another concern as you head out in direction and we will talk more about the temperatures in a minute and back to you. >> reporter: in hawaii there is still a money-driven motivation to install solar panels and many dropped thousands of dollars to install them vetting they will save more but some residents feel they have wasted their money and cannot use the panels

because the power companies say they are overloaded. drive down almost any street in and around honolulu and they are on the rooftops and average of 270 sunny days a year and most expensive electricity in the country almost three times the national average it's easy to guess why. the sun is a resource almost begging to be harnessest for electricity and homeowners spend a lot to go green. >> we spent that for the panels we have. >> reporter: they were supposed to reduce the walkers' electricity bill of $250 to $20. three months later the solar system is dormant and the walkers and hundreds of others on ohau find themselves stuck on

solar-li nsh solar-l solar-limbo and he cannot be hooked up to the grid and is angry. >> if we have to up grade the circuit or conduct further studies that is a cost we will assess to you. >> reporter: the utility says the state's solar boom is overloading the utility grid. >> we are a little isolated grid and cannot sacrifice reliability so some customer can get a roof-top solar and not pay the electric bill. >> reporter: sola rshgr installation doubled and many see the resent policy of not connecting new systems as a dark cloud over the move to green energy. >> it's not just my house and solar panels and it's bigger and effects the entire island.

>> the module. >> reporter: and founder of inter island solar supply a distributor agrees and not just worried about business dropping off, he is worried about high high's leadership in alternative power. >> we have more solar water heaters per capita than any state in the nation and the thing with the photo now and here is an example of heading towards sustainability, where we need it most and if it doesn't work in hawaii it ain't going to work anywhere. >> reporter: henry curtis is an energy expert and community organizer and says hawaii electric is facing bigger problems if homeowners hungry for solar decided to hook up unauthorized systems on their own because this can be dangerous for an already overloaded grid. >> the problem the utility is facing some will do it any way

and are called region systems. it's a national problem but it's really big here and that is going to be increasing. >> reporter: with the state mandate that 70% of hawaii's electricity come from renewable sources by 2013 the solar issue will heat up as homeowners wait for the utility company to catch up. >> reporter: and al jazeera jennifer london reporting. residentss say they have higher electricity bills in hawaii because they need to run the air conditioning around the clock and we are joined with what we are following for the next hour. >> good morning, dangerous cold is gripping the country and stretching across 25 states. some areas could see temperatures 40 degrees below normal. iraqi troops battling al-qaeda linked fie darlene's in the providence and they have retaken the city of ramadi and congress returns to session today and plan to push for an extension of unemployment benefits which expired over the holiday break. also in our next hour retired

army mark will explain the reason behind the attacks in iraq and how the u.s. can support the iraqi government would sending in american troops. plus how african refugees and asylum seekers are using sport to integrate into their new communities. and i'm nicole mitchell and i will have the national forecast. >> and thomas and i are with you in 2 1/2 minutes and as the cold air moves across the country you are looking at the roads in indianapolis and snowy and getting colder by the minute. ♪

>> an arctic blast of dangerous winter weather is gripping much of the nation. the deep freeze is bringing some of the coldest temperatures on record in 20 years. >> bits are fighting in iraq as government forces battle al-qaeda for control of several cities. the u.s. says it will help the iraqi government but not put american troops on the ground. >> congress is heading back to work after the holidays, but will the upcoming mid term elections impact how much they get done? >> given the congestion we have in london. >> taking cycling to a whole new level, a unique plan to build a bike lane high in the sky.

>> you can call it the big chill part two or maybe part 2.0 on the hills of a major cold front that hit large parts of the nation, another the has arrived and may be worse, packing some of the coldest temperatures this country has felt in more than 20 years. good morning and welcome to aljazeera america. >> this is nothing to play around with. forecasters say a widespread arctic blast known as the polar voluntary tex will bring powerful dangerous freezing winds impacting 140 million people. exposure to this dangerous weather could result in life threatening frostbite and hypo therm qua. >> some areas could see temperatures dipping down to

minus 60 degrees. >> it is having an impact already, the biting weather bringing the chicago area to a standstill, the city expecting temperatures around minus 20 degrees, but the wind chill will make it feel more like minus 50. the temperatures in the windy city will be colder than the south pole where it was a balmy nine degrees sunday night. >> unbelievable. joining us now from chicago is usher. people are not supposed to be outside. you are, tell me what it feels like out there righty now. >> it feels like you shouldn't try this at home, you know, just a couple of minutes out here and you start shifting. i've been here for three or four minutes since getting out of the truck and my face is starting to go numb and you can feel the needles, so it is very cold and this is something they're feeling across the midwest. in indiana, 100 miles of interstate are closed. the chicago public schools are closed today. a lot of schools across the

midwest are also closed and officials saying if you don't have to be out here, stay inside, because it is just too dangerous. >> whipping through much of the midwest, an arctic blast sent temperatures plunging below zero in several states. >> we've never experienced weather this cold, ever. >> when areas are seeing record cold temperatures for the first time since the 1980's, the mayor of indianapolis warning people to stay inside at all costs. >> the cold really scares me. we have temperatures that are potentially deadly. >> then there's the snow, nearly a foot fell in chicago and michigan. in indianapolis, it takes two plow trucks back-to-back to clear the roads. >> i've been here for almost an hour. it's a sheet of ice, cars just spinning out. >> the frigid temperatures are paralyzing air travel, 10,000 flights canceled or delayed. in in the morning, j.f.k. airport shut down after a plane skidded off an icy runway. still people are trying to get

out and about but with cars getting stuck in the snow, people are using other modes of transportation. >> a little easier to get around on this than a car or truck. >> some are warming to the deep freeze. >> it's wonderful, it's chicago, you got to enjoy it. >> it's that same attitude that had fans in the stands for the green bay packers game, braving some of the coldest weather in nfl playoff history, nearly 13 degrees below zero with the wind chill. >> wisconsin natives we are, we can't help it. >> while the midwest is the first to feel the deep freeze, the arctic blast is heading east where ice storm warnings have been predicted for maryland, virginia and washington, d.c. >> we are looking at minus 10 to mine fuss 15-degree range with wind chills south of minus 40, so really dangerous temperatures. it takes about a minute or so before exposed skin starts freeze i can and frostbite is

likely. the silver lining is this polar vortex may be short hid and we could he temperatures above freezing as early as tuesday, possible wednesday and back into the double digits here in the midwest. >> go cover your face, please. reporting from chicago, thank you. >> i hope he runs back inside. for more on this dangerously cold weather, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. we keep hearing about the polar vortex. >> we always have this going on. most of the atmosphere and where we get the weather is right next to the earth, this is a core. we're looking at the core of cold air that sits and extends well into the atmosphere than typically we see weather extend. you have a polar jet that bounds it, but if that diverts a little bit, in this case, a lot,

exceptionally so, it brings that air well into the united states as it did fortunately, it modifies a little bit so it's not as cold as the pole, but it's brought that well to the south, so that's what we're dealing with. even where that's moved through on the edgion of that, we've got the weather, but cheer skies, minneapolis at minus 22, it feels like on your skin minus 50. that's when it gets dangerous. minus 50, five minutes is all it takes to get frostbite, a lot of places into the 30's, that's 10 minutes to get frostbite, so that's why so many places are telling everyone to just stay indoors, school canceled so the kids don't have to risk being out even for a couple of minutes in those dangerous conditions. >> what is frostbite and what happens to your body when you get it no first off, medical experts say it occurs when blood

vessels contract, causing the tissue or skin to freeze. that reduces the blood flow and oxygen to those body parts affected. it usually causes a lot of sensation and color change to the affected areas. experts say frostbite will normally hit body parts that are farther away drop the core of the body, including your feet, toes, hands, fingers, nose and ears. >> the u.s. says it will stand by iraq's military, but won't be sending any american troops. secretary of state john kerry said sunday that the u.s. is in talks with leaders in the anbar province and will offer other levels of aid. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraqis, that is exactly what the president and the world decides sometime ago when we left iraq. we are not obviously contemplating returning, not contemplating putting boots on the ground. this is their fight. >> fightings comes between the army and al-qaeda linked fighters, leaving at least 34

dead on sunday. the city witnessed some of the fiercest fighting during the nine year american war in rye action in ramadi. now the iraqi military says it is ready toify to regain control of if a luge. >>. it comes as families are fleeing to escape the growing violence. has the iraqi military provided any time table for this mission? >> no, and it's likely to be a very tough fight for them, as well. let me explain the tactics. that what the iraqi army has done is surrounded i surrounded. they've been able to allow

anybody who has wanted to leave the city to leave. oh lot of those people are no you staying in schools. they've surrounded the city. they've allowed the pro government tribal fighters to go in. they've always insisted that any operation that takes place be led by them, so they're inside the city, fighting the iraqi early on the outskirts providing backup. they are shelling for self days. they stopped the shelling. they want to show the fighters they are fighting on their side. it's going to be very, very tough. the army has a future beyond fallujah and ramadi. there's no time table, but this could take at least three or four days, perhaps several. >> we know the iraqi military has been conducting air strikes in fallujah. are they affecting the region? >> they are. the air strikes, they say the iraqi army say are surgical, designed to weaken the fighters

and safe havens to allow triballifiers to go in, but it means that what the isil have said is that they will send more fighters from syria into iraq. the isil fight on both sides of the border, in iraq and syria, and they're under pressure in syria from the local tribes, from local militia groups there, as well, so by coming into iraq, there's a chance that this could be a decisive battle for this i don't know. it may well be the end of this group approximate that's certainly what the iraqi government hopes. >> joining us, thank you. >> coming up, we'll talk with former assistant secretary of state about the battle in iraq. >> to syria, rebel groups are turning against each other. human rights activists say the islamic state of iraq and fighters have killed at least 50 rebel rivals there. we report from lebanon, where the fighting is also spreading.

>> syria's armed opposition is pushing forward with what seems to be a coordinated offensive against the islamic state in iraq and the isil. the al-qaeda linked group is being pushed out of its bases. a war has been declared by rebel forces who believe isil hasn't been working for the interest of their revolution. the foreign fighters have created many states in many areas of the rebel-held north, imposing their own laws, which many in the opposition believe are brutal. >> isil has threatened to withdraw fighters from the front lines if attacks against it continue, warning that regime forces would they be be able to retake aleppo. >> in an audio recording, the isil 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 waning this war on behalf of the international community, but there are some people who believe it has to do with geneva. >> what you are seeing now is fighting over who is going to be the creator with the regime and so far, there is no unified opposition. actually be there is a lot of in-fighting in order to produce a negotiator. >> the syrian national coalition, the main political opposition in compile has thrown its support behind this batting, asking the international community to recognize what it said was the importance of supporting revolutionary forces as partners in the fight against al-qaeda. >> the syrian conflict has spread throughout the region and so has al-qaeda's influence. the islamic state in iraq first emerged in iraq a few years ago,

the vacuum caused by the war in syria allowed them to set up a base there and now they have a presence in neighboring lennon. >> it claimed responsibility for the latest attack, targets shia supporters of the armed group hezbollah. the war may not only have been declared in syria approximate authorities in iraq and lebanon are also trying to wipe out the group. this may not be an easy battle. another reminder that sir where a'wheresyria's war does not have borders. >> peace talks in geneva are scheduled for january 22. >> talks ending the war in syria, the country has been kept out of the so-called geneva two talks because of their alliance with president bashar al assad's regime, but iran could play a minor quote on the sidelines. rye iranian leaders have said

they are willing to take part if invited. >> aljazeera is still demanding the release of our colleagues held in egypt. they have now been held for eight days. they face further questions today. egyptian prosecutors say they are held on suspicion of joining a terrorist group and spreading lies harmful to state security. aljazeera says the allegations are fabricated and nonsense. that. >> in tell he ave, thousands of migrant from africa have begun a three day protest, demanding increased rights and better treatment. more than 30,000 people attended the first rally, the largest in protest history. migrants have crossed the border through egypt, most coming from the the sudan. >> bangladesh's ruling party is preparing to set up a new government after winning an election marred by violence.

>> protestors running for cover as police fired on demonstrators. 21 people died in clashes between activists and police. the opposition boycotted the election and activists torched more than 300 polling stations in an attempt to disrupt the vote. we report as the country tall listen up the polls. >> perhaps unsurprise i cany of course that the league has won an absolute majority as a result of this very one-sided election, 145 of the 147 seats have gone to the government at least and given the seats they would have won unprotested there, two thirds majority in particle men is assured. there's news on turn out, turn out figures may go up, but already putting at or around the 40% mark, which will surprise a number of people, not least the media. the turnout had been extremely

low. look at that, that's the headline of the generally respected daily star newspaper, turned out low, the article suggested could have been the lowest ever, even low are than 1996, the last time a one sided election was held by the 07 significance. in fact, 26% turned out on that occasion. they are looking at perhaps 40%. it's low are than the 87% that turned on you for the last fair and credible general election, but a lot higher than the 20% many feared and that will strengthen the government position to claim a popular mandate. what hams going forward, well, we are already into another period of national strike called by the opposition. i've got another were you ever these blue force under my door at the hotel warning me that a political party had called a count arerywide strike and i should remain indoors. it is suggested that the strike periods bring violence out on to the treats.

that may be the case in the days to come and that of course will frustrate efforts to begin any sort of a dialogue towards what happens next in this country. as long as these parties remain at logger heads, very little progress can be made. the government will form it's cabinet and try to sustain a government here, but it seems likely that they may be days, perhaps longer of violence and turmoil ahead. >> that was jonah reporting from bangladesh. opposition leaders say they will continue their strike until wednesday. >> president obama is returning to a chilly washington, d.c. after more than two weeks vacations in sunny hawaii. the president in his weekly address saturday said he's ready to tackle his 2014 agenda. at the top of the list, lobbying lawmakers to extend unemmoment benefits thattings expired last week for 1.3 million americans. that president obama said:

>> meanwhile, congress is also getting back to work today. 2014 is an election year, which will certainly shape their agenda. senate democrats will try to raise it is minimum wage from 7:25. a vote on extending jobless benefits until march alleges expected today. republicans plan to further scrutinize the president's affordable care act. >> violence escalating in iraq. >> the u.s. saying it stands by the country. >> we'll talk with former secretary of state about how two major cities were overtaken there. >> the confirmation of janet yellen as the next chairman of the federal reserve, the multi-billion dollars decision she faces if given the job and wide raking implications it could have. >> 20 billions is our big number of the day and how much one of the u.s.'s biggest banks have

had to pay the government. why that amount is said to grow even more, thanks to bernie madoff.

>> tossed big number directly affects this nation's biggest bank, $20 billion, that's the amount of fines j.p. morgan chase haded to pay out to the government over the last year, including a $2 million settlement, the bank will pay fines for its ties to the bernie madoff case, the government said chase ignored signs of the ponzi scheme. troubled mortgage securities led up to the financial cries and they paid fines. did he say fight the fines, j.p. morgan has assets of $2.4 billion. >> that's a drop in the bucket. >> secretary of state john kerry says the u.s. will not be sending troops to assess iraq as its government works to regain control of major cities from

al-qaeda fighters. we're going to talk about what type of support the u.s. will offer iraq as putting boots on the ground is clearly out of the question. >> let's get the latest on the deep freeze hitting a large part of the sufficient today. >> we've had that arctic plunge well to the south and you know if you're on the dividing line of all that have, places like atlanta at 27 and then you get to savannah and it's warm. the the coldest air, the core of the midwest, minneapolis, minus 22, chicago, minus children, winds gusting into the 30's in indianapolis, where there's a travel warning out because of these temperatures with wind chills in the 40-50 below zero rake. in indianapolis, they're saying we don't want you on the road unless it's an emergency. you might not be able to do that anyway, because in temperatures this extreme, your car won't start, because the battery dies out. savannah at ticket five, while

atlanta is in the 20's and a lot of these temperatures not warming up there the course of the day. >> as we've been telling you this morning, the battle is on in anbar province, iraqi forces fight i can for control of two key cities there. the government has retaken ramadi. thousands have fled to escape the the growing violence. a retired army brigadier general joins us and secretary for middle east policy joins us this morning. thanks as always for being with us. who are these militants and how were they able to overrun two major iraqi cities? >> the significant militants are al-qaeda flowing out of syria. they've found an environment

within anbar to fight against the central government i've juke how were they able to overrun these two cities? is it the government that's sort of in control of an bar, or are we talking about the tribal leadership in this part of iraq? >> there's been a long stand i can lack of reconciliation between the sunnis who don't enjoy their post 2003 status in iraq. the sunnis believe that they can pull in al-qaeda to help them make argument against the central government the way they did in 2005, 2006. i think the tribes now raising the mistake they made by relying on al-qaeda, just as they made that mistake in 2005, 2006 before the surge. they are now starting to fight with the government against al-qaeda that in region. >> the u.s. is sending weaponry and other military aid, but

secretary kerry made i clear the u.s. will not put boots on the ground. that's not surprising, but is it enough, the support that the u.s. is provide i can, especially given that republican senators over the weekend are also blaming the administration for the early withdrawal of u.s. troops on the current violence. >> well, three things, first of all, i think everybody recognizes that were we able to have negotiated a strategic sofa arrangement in 2011, which would have kept about 10,000 american troops in there to facilitate, many of these issues we're seeing now may not have come about. it's the same arguments we're going through in afghanistan. reward in the equipment package, i'm concerned that we're sending the wrong equipment over there, what the iraqis don't need are more hell fire missiles. they need intelligence support. they've got sufficient man power, tanks, artillery. what they really need is the persistent intelligence

capability to find al-qaeda and let the iraqis defeat them. >> is there any doubt that iraqi securities won't gain the upper hand in fallujah? they have air exhibits. the rebels certainly don't have that. >> the critical lack is intelligence. this isn't one small army against a large early. this is a terrorist organization that has burrowed its way into the cities. this isn't about trying to destroy tanks or take land mass. it's about extracting al-qaeda from the basements and from the locations where they are hiding. it's about going after the bomb makers, ied makers. that requires intelligence. the best source will be from the tribes themselves, the people of anbar themselves. if they can work with the central government and iraqi security forces, i'm confident that they will be able to get them out of the cities. >> is this spillover from the syrian war similar to what we're

seeing in lebanon? >> it absolutely is. unfortunately, there are countries in the region that are supportive. this is part of a larger struggle between the arab world and persian world, and iraq's government is seen leaning a little bit too much to the persian world, so there are countries in the season that are rooting on and supporting the al-qaeda fighters in syria and iraq. i think that's what the international community needs to do is urge those countries in the region to quit providing support to al-qaeda, and its affiliates in the region, because i think we're seeing the effects of that support throughout the region. >> ok, thanks very much. retired army brigadier journal, thanks yourory insight. >> the suit the wars continue, men's warehouse offering a hostile bid for the bank.

men's warehouse will take its bid directly to shareholders. this is the latest twist in a string of back and forth office between two companies. >> wall street back to work after a sluggish start to the new year, the do you starts the day at 16,469, the s&p at 1831. the nasdaq is at four thus 131. asia, markets ending lower, nikkei leading the climb. european markets are higher. >> by the end of the day, janet yellen will likely have taken the federal step to becoming the federal reserve's next chairman approximate the senate is expected to vote to confirm her this afternoon. she faces big challenges as she steps into her new role. >> her greatest task is trying to achieve what better than bernanke hasn't, a full fledged, did you recall, sustainable

recovery. >> if confirmed quarterback yellen would be the first woman holding the job taking over for bernanke february 1. >> lawmakers have a very big laundry list of legislation they need to tackle. >> we'll break down which bills, if any, will make it to president obama said desk. >> new federal rules for how much rest pilots need to get before getting in the cockpit. why the largest pilot unit in the country said the regulations don't go far enough. >> the black market buried in the internet, an inside look at the deep web and technology that's helping hide its wide array of illegal offerings. >> what a difference a year makes. we'll show you how two miraculous plays have the tigers knocking on the door of a national championship, coming up later on in sports.

>> you're taking a live look at indianapolis as the sunrises on this very cold morning, where the temperature there feels like 30 below zero. good morning, and welcome to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> one of those mornings you want to stay in bed and just pull the covers over -- >>ett >> especially in minneapolis. >> congress set to return to capitol hill with a hefty list of legislation to tackle in the coming days and weeks, including extending unemployment benefits, funding the government, raising the debt ceiling and you've got to remember this is abelection year, so politics in play. there are questions about how much will really be done, 114 working days here. we're going to talk with the former advisor to the new york governor george pi tacky. >> a lot on the agenda. for the first time in did he go

cased, new rules have gone into effect over how much rest airline pilots get. that's been a big controversy, a look at how the new rules could impact travel. >> imagine riding your bikes in the skies. >> i can't imagine that. >> it is a realistic plan that one architect is proposing to help keep cyclists who share the busy streets of london safe. >> we'll get to that in a minute. in case you've not been outside and you are in the midwest, it is brutally cold. ice a massive arctic blast known as the polar voluntary tex, packing freezing winds affecting 140 million people across twenties five states. officials warn that conditions are not only dangerous, but could become deadly. we have the details. >> a bitterly cold wakeup for millions this morning as an arctic front causes temperatures to drop to record lows.

30-50 degrees below average in the midwest, 25 states with thermometers sitting at zero and below. in indiana sunday, up to two inches of snow fell every hour throughout the day. the mayor of indianapolis warning residents to stay indoors. >> we will have temperatures that are potentially deadly. >> in minneapolis, winds made it impossible to see. >> may attention to your neighbors, see what they need and take care of them. >> cools closed in chicago and minnesota, the first public school closure there in nearly two decades. officials are pleading with people to stay off the streets. already, there have been problems from blackize covered roads. >> it's a sheet of ice. cars are spinning out. >> to the runways in new york, where a plane slid into snow sunday. thousands of flights are canceled or delayed. there is concern about the

elderly and homeless, saying frostbite can happen within minutes of exposure. cities have out reach teams on oh the street to help people find shelter. >> people into houses, temporary rehab. that. >> it's assistance that may prove life saving if the brutal winter weather gets more extreme. >> sarah report i can. to give you an idea of just how cold it will be, southern cities, like atlanta and nashville, which northerly have warm climates will have temperatures closer than alaska. >> learning more about what caused a private jet to crash in colorado, it was trying to land in aspen sunday when it slid off the runway, flipped over and caught fire. one person was killed and two others injured. officials say the flight took off from mexico and all three people on the plane were mexican citizens. >> the government is setting new rules to battle pilot fatigue,

the change lays out how and when crews must rest between flights. we have more on what this means for both pilots and travelers. >> the federal aviation administration now require that is before going on duty, all commercial pilots get at least 10 hours of rest between shifts, including eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. in the past, pilots could spend those eight hours getting to and from the hotel, showering and eating. under the new rules, pilots now must have 30 consecutive hours of rest each week. that's a 25% increase from previous regulations. the rules also limit a pilots time in the cockpit to eight or nine hours, denieding when they're flight gibbs. the new rules went into effect saturday, delta airlines started following the new guidelines wednesday. the largest pilots union in the u.s., the airline pilots association, welcomed the new

regulations, explaining they were long overdue, but added they fall short by not including cargo pilots. they have one critical shortfall, because they exclude cargo airline pilots. it is clear that not all airline pilots experience fatigue in the same ways regardless whether transporting passengers or cargo. cargo pilots have a lawsuit for excluding them in the new regulations. an official told aljazeera they're pushing for the new f.a.a. regulations to be implemented internationally, starting with canada. with the new rules and planned retirement which may be trade, some airlines are ready, hiring additional pilots in order to deal with the regulations. >> one of the things the f.a.a. emphasizes is now all passenger operations will have the same fatigue rules when it comes to pilots. in a sense, the old rules, sort

of looked at the kind of operation as determining what kind of fatigue the human being will have. the new rule is basically based on actual human performance, rather than the business. >> the f.a.a. implemented the changes after a february, 2009 airplane crash near buffalo killed 50 people. pilot fatigue contributed to the crash. the whole push for the no regulations is to combat if a feeling, but monitoring that will be up to the pilots themselves. the pilots association has created an app to help track how many hours worked and slept. >> a complaint has been filed citing a shortage of pilots, but the faa said airlines have two years to prepare for the new changes. >> a debate is brewing over whether edward snowden should face jail time. the former n.s.a. contractor fled to russia after release in classified documents on u.s.

surveillance programs. democratic senator chuck schumer said snowden should be but on trial while senator rand paul said he deserves leniency. >> i think in the end, history is going to judge that he revealed great abuses of our government and great abuses of our intelligence community. >> snowden says that he he's in the grand tradition of civil disobedience in this country. it is a brand tradition. part of that tradition is you pay the consequences. if you break the law because your conscience says you ever to, you stand trial. >> he he currently faces criminal charges in the u.s. for vitalling the espionage act. last week, senator paul announced influence file a class action lawsuit against the n.s.a. over its data collection programs. >> information buried so deep, it can't be found by the average user is called the dean web. since it is unreachable to most,

it is easily used for criminal activity. we take you inside the web's darkest secrets. >> there is a place on the internet to deep, so dark, so utterly anonymous it's become a black market bazaar for crime. >> you have everything there, hits for hire, you can kill people, you can buy drugs, you can buy people, you can, i mean, there is everything that we in society say shouldn't exist in civilized society is there. if it's not there, ask for it and somebody may provide it. >> you can order up false i.d.'s, and murder for hire. >> you can pay an assassin to go after a certain person for $6,000 plus. >> just don't ask him to videotape it. there are standards. there are teenagers for sale, unregistered guns you can make on your 3-d printer or have delivered to your door and

reviews from happy, presumably high customers. >> just basically, the amazon of drug world where you can go through and purchase whatever you would like, cannibus and stimulants. >> it's someone nervingly easy to navigate. >> the onion router reroutes communications an masks a computer's address. >> sitting here in cambridge, connect to a bunch of machines around the world, the last in sweden. >> and by bit coin, a digital currency experts call untraceable. there have been arrests like this child porn bust in november and the f.b.i. shut down of a drug site, replaced later, but those busts relied heavily on human sources. deep web say don't blame the

technology. >> i can use a car to kidnap people, rob banks or save homeless people. the car is a car. no one goes after ford or chevy or jaguar saying your car is used by criminals, can you stop it. >> it's no surprise criminals and porn graphs are early adopters, but so are free speech advocates, battered women's groups, any minty seeking a safe haven on the web. when the u.s. has tapped in to much of the communications of the world, the deep web maybe fulfilling our worse fears, but is fulfilling the promise of free speech on the internet. >> the mastermind behind the deep website is still awaiting trial in manhattan. >> in congress, it's time to get back to work, but that may be tricky, because it is a mid term election year. the white house has its sights

set on restoring unemployment benefits for americans. we have more on the fight to extend these benefits. are we expecting to see action on that this week? >> we could see action on it today. this did not get done before the end of the year, so as of new year's, a lot of people lost those benefits. senate democrats want to get those checks rolling again, but critics say hold on here, how are we going to pay for it? >> 1.3 million americans lost unemployment benefits on new year's day. the obama administration claims that will eventually affect 14 million americans, those who lose checks this year and those who they support. >> denying families that security is just plain cruel. >> this is the difference between hardship and catastrophe. >> restoring those benefits will cost $6.3 billion. >> i'm opposed to having it without paying for it. >> i'm not saying off set dollar

for dollar, but there ha has toe some compromise coming from the democrats. >> the nat is expected to vote today on a three months extension. they need a few republican to say support it. >> it would seem to me that five republicans in the senate should agree with the republicans around the country. >> the administration argues it's politics. >> all five times that president bush extended unemployment benefits, there were no pay fors. >> if congress passes this extension, president obama has said he'll sign it. >> keep in mind, even if he signs it, this is a temporary extension, which means congress could be back at it dealing with this very same issue? the spring. >> just three muts. all right, tracy, thanks. >> we have a lot to talk about here. joining us to discuss what may be at the top of the upcoming congressional agenda is former advisor to the new york governor. good morning. >> good morning. >> it is a new year, new goals,

114 working days, we are optimistic hoar. what's at the top of the congressional to-do list. >> unemployment benefits is at the the top. republicans will be rise to move forward and quick will be, because there's a lot of item that is need to be done. if they get off to a bad footing this year, that will not bode well. >> do you think it is going to pass the house no. >> i do. they would be very wise to move this off the table, because the numbers show the economy is moving in the right direction right now approximate the laugh thing you want to do is slow it down. 100% of these unemployment benefits go right back into the economy. the republican party doesn't need to be seen as against the middle class. how long do those benefits continue? >> do they go on for 97 weeks no there needs to be reforms in here, reforms concluded, so

republicans can move forward and get it off the table quickly. >> meanwhile, some republicans talking about the affordable care act fight again. we saw that evident numerous times, you and i have talked about that numerous tiles. are we going to do that in 2014, especially given that obamacare doesn't seem to be doing that well among the american people. >> i think this will be the political gift that keeps giving to the republicans, the thing that has turned their numbers jump side down to the point where their generic ballot test right now are doing very well against democrats. if they kind of just stop with the government shut down kind of thick, if they get out of their own way, they could take over the senate. >> we are no going to see any real legislation to health care. >> no, i think they will keep talking about it, talking about it with the hope that it falls apart on its own. >> i think we're going to hear a lot about income in equality this election year, try to chip away at the opponents here,

income and eequal, raising the minimum age. >> i don't think it goes far. every time it has come you, i think people are tired of we have this conversation, and every time it culls up, it further divides. as opposed to what politicians should be doing, i think a politician who takes this on correctly could win a lot of votes. >> when you talk about the economy heading the right direction, but the average american doesn't feel that it is. >> you know, but it always takes time for the average worker to catch up to where the numbers of heading. you need to catch up to feelingle that my life is getting a little bit better, and so right now, when we do have problems, whether it's a housing problem, homeless problem, instead of pointing to the "one percent versus the

99 percent," we need the financially table to help. it needs to be a fight together. the politician who was able to do that, unify, is going to be very successful moving forward. the country is ready for a unified figure. when you divide, all you're doing is exciting your own base, a base you already had. somebody right now, i think that somebody around the country is going to take this congress and boehner kind of started when he went after the tea party. it's going to be the politics, clinton doing triangulation, calling out his own side to get people united. >> spoken like a true strategist, tom, thanks so much. >> happy new year. >> liz cheney might be dropping out of the senate primary. the eldest daughter of dick cheney could step aside as early as today. she said the reason she is calling it quits is because of serious health issues in her family, but the report did not provide further details. cheney was challenging popular

senator mike enzi in the republican primary and not doing well in the polls. >> the college football season wraps up tonight. two surprise teams faceoff, but one team's road to the big game has captured the attention of the nation. jessica joining us this morning with a look at sports. >> in sports, you believe anything is possible and tigers weren't on the radar before the season began for the to be 25. they finished 3-9, failed to win a conference game last year. that resulted in the firing of their head coach. enter new head coach and now the tigers are the team from alabama that is playing for a national championship. some are calling this team a team of does in any, as well, because two miraclous plays, ross shimabuku has the story. >> first, it was the prayer at jordan hair. auburn trails georgia 38-37,

with 36 seconds left in the ballgame. lewis hauled in this hail mary tipped ball for go ahead touchdown as the tigers pulled off a shocking victory. >> what did that ball look like when it was dangling up in the air? >> like a bag of money. you see a bag of money flowing in the air, you going to go catch it. >> everybody thought that that was the play of the year, but the following week, auburn pulled off another miracle, ducked the kick six. >> there knows davis! >> oh, my gosh! >> auburn's going to win the football game! auburn's going to win the football game. he ran the field goal pack. >> he returned that kick 109 yards as time expired as the tigers knocked off oh then number one alabama in the iron bowl. from that point on, life has never been the same. >> signing more autographs within taking pictures and getting standing ovations in class. >> the reaction when that play

happened, you know, i just love to hear that. it makes me happy knowing i made everybody else happy. >> davis and lewis are gracing that the cover of sports illustrated this is the first time i got a chance to hold this in my hand. i see it on line a lot and to get it in my hands is a great feeling now. i like the picture, it explains my personality, i like to show off a little bit, show the guns. after that, you knew you are destined to be where you are now. >> we're going to see if auburn can do the turnaround tonight. that game tonight is 8:30, we'll all probably be sleeping, but i will tell you about it in the morning. >> i'm going to stay up for it. >> i'll wait for the highlights. >> breaking free. >> the support the u.s. is sending a antarctica to help two

trapped ships in the ice make their escape. >> the futuristic plans one architect is offering to help bike riders stay safe.

>> good morning, to aljazeera america. i'm thomas drayton. >> i'm receive sigh. if you have a bike, you know safety is a top concern especially when you share the road with drivers. a sky high plan to reduce it is dangers for cyclists in london. >> first let's look and it is where the snow and rain may be

falling today. >> obviously with the cold air, a lot more will be snow than rain. you can see he the clear skies behind the system. most of the rain is into the northeast, and it is a lot of rain. we have a core of warmer air, but as soon as that cold air comes in behind it, you can see that's been switching to snow. then we'll have the wind areas, some areas lake if he can today through tomorrow night, should get up to three feet in the heavy areas. with the warm temperatures melting. ♪, a lot of reduced visibility. if you're flying in and out of new york, it's going to be a big problem. >> an american ship called the polar star is heading to antarctica to rescue other rescuers, the coast guard is sending the heavy ice breaker to free two ships stuck in ice. a russian ship was stuck since christmas eve. dozens were rescued and flown to a chinese ice breaking ship that

is now also stuck. >> bicycle lanes in the sky may sound like science fiction, but one prominent architect thinks they can provide a solution. the proposal comes as more cyclists are killed on the road each year. >> it's a london cyclists dream, a streamlined drive into the city without a car or bus in sight. dubbed sky cycle, it would run above existing national rail lines with a hope of transforming the city. >> it would become a recognized mode of transport. >> architects say it wouldn't be cheap, cost estimates for the network are in the bulbs, although he insists sky cycle is not just a pipe dream. >> with one lane, they're not committed to saying that we want to do it, they're committed to wanting to understand how it could be done. >> cycling has become increase you cany popular in london.

job son has trumpeted the two wheel mode of transport and wants to hear more about sky cycle's plans. >> despite the push to get more on their bikes, many cyclists argue that this has been done to make the roads safer. several designated bicycle lanes have been set up, but for the most part, they are sharing congested roads with the traffic. that. >> cycling safety remains a major debate after a spate of biker deaths at the end of the last year. folks we spoke to welcomed any way to ride safer, but questioned whether a sky cycle would go ahead. >> i love the idea, whether or not it's all practical. >> cycling is the way forward in the city, given the congestion we have. i think that having a sky cycle would be fantastic. >> it's estimated it would take 20 years to build and would

bottom a model for other cities. even the designer admit it will need high level support. >> 54 riders have been killed since 2010, many using the dig nateed cycling lanes. del walters is here with a look at what we're following this morning. >> good morning, stephanie, thomas. dangerous cold stretching across 25 states in the country, some areas could see temperatures 40 degrees below normal. >> al-qaeda is battling the government. the government has retain the cit ramadi. >> congress will be back of a the holidays.

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

>> an arctic blast of dangerous winter weather gripping much of the that is, the deep freeze bringing some of the coldest temperatures on record. >> bitter fighting in iraq as government forces battle al-qaeda militants for control of several key cities. the u.s. says it will help the iraqi government, but won't put troops on the ground. >> cronk returning to work this morning with a mid term election looming in 2014, why unemployment benefits could be the focus of the first eggs of the new year. >> the ugly side of beauty, how some women rusk their lives to improve their looks.

>> you could call i will the big chill part two on the heels of that major cold front that hit the nation last week, another arriving and it may be even worse, packing some of the coldest temperatures this country has seen in more than 20 years. good morning and welcome to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. forecasters saying the appeal larr vortex could bring powerful and dangerous freezing winds affecting people across 25 states, authorities warning that exposure to this dangerous weather could be life threatening, the result of frostbite and hypo them i can't. some could see temperatures dip 40 degrees below normal, the upper midwest bracing for cold that could dip down to 60 degrees. in chicago, the windy city brought to a standstill. there the thermometer could go as low as -40 degrees,

temperatures in chicago colder than the south pole. joining us from from frigid chicago, sometimes looks can be deceiving. somehow i get a feeling it is a lot colder than it looks. >> absolutely. it is brutally cold here in chicago, so much so that the third largest school district in the nation canceled classes, so children not going to school here in chicago because of these potentially life threatening temperatures, but the real thing that officials are saying is it is too cold out here, if you do not have to be cold out here, do not go outside, it's just too dangerous. >> whipping through much of the midwest, an arctic blatche sent temperatures plunging below zero in several states. >> we've never experienced weather this cold, ever. >> some areas are seeing record cold temperatures for the first

time since the 1980's. the mayor of indianapolis warning people to stay inside at all costs. >> the cold really scares me. we have temperatures that are potentially deadly. >> then there's the snow, nearly a foot fell in chicago and michigan, in is, it takes two plow trucks back-to-back to clear the roads. >> i've been here for almost an hour. it's a sheet of ice, cars are spinning out. >> the fright temperatures are paralyzing air travel. 10,000 flights are canceled or delayed. j.f.k. shut down after a plane skidded off an icy runway. still people are trying to get out and about, but with cars get i can stuck in the snow, people are using other modes of transportation. >> easier to get around on this than a car or truck. >> some midwesterners warming up to the deep freeze. >> it's wonderful, chicago, you got to enjoy it. >> that had fans in the stands for the green pay backers game in wisconsin, braving the

coldest weather in playoff history, 13 below zero with the wind chill. >> wisconsin nate was, we can't help it. >> while the midwest is the first to feel the deep freeze, the blast is heading east where ice storm warnings are in effect for virginia with, maryland and washington, d.c. >> del, while the know has stopped here in chicago, these wind gusts are something that officials are looking and it is. idot crews are on stand by, watching for drifts to come through the city and through the interstate. they'll continue to clear those streets and maw as that becomes necessary. again, the big lesson is if you do not have to be outside, do not go outside. it is very cold. there are about 100 warming centers across the state, the governor saying if you do need shelter, there are warming shelters. the city of chicago has done a good job clearing the streets of homeless people, get i can them to shelters and out of the severe temperatures. >> on days like todd, fashion be

darned, so what is the runway look for minus 50 in chicago? >> there's almost no way to prepare for this, but wearing multiple hairs out here. one of the things, that in temperature this low, exposed skin freezes within a minute. frostbite is likely, hypothermia is possible, if you have to go out, cover as much as possible. if i could talk with something wafering my mouth, i'd do it right now. >> get back indoors, thank you very much. people in certain parts of the country are more prepared for this temperatures but not in the south where they're used to wearing light jackets this time of year. we are in atlanta, getting hit hard by the cold. that this is the coldest weather that city has seen in a long time, so how cold is it there? >> good morning, del, it is a beautiful, chilly morning who are in the deep south in atlanta. here's a fact that should get your attention pretty quickly.

it's warmer in anchorage, alaska today than it is in atlanta, georgia. last night at about midnight, it was near 50 degrees, believe it or not, with rain coming down. overnight, the temperatures have plunged. we are at the 20's and expected to go down to the single digits, but with the wind chill, we are looking at perhaps negative 30 degrees by later this evening. you can see behind me the salt and sand trucks that the city of atlanta has deployed. they are looking although for black ice around this town. north of here in the georgia mountains, we are seeing a couple of inches of snow right now. this is not an area of the part of the world that i also used to this kind of weather, so people are taking it very clowe this morning. let me brick in someone from the georgia department of transportation. you guys are not quite used to this. in 2011, you had a pretty significant norm that crippled this area for about a week.

what are you doing? >> we under lessons, went so states who deal with this and talked to them and said what works, what doesn't work. we learned that salt brian works, something we never used before. we put salt on the roadways that keeps ice from adhering to the roads. we are doing staggered shift changes for our employees instead of bringing them all in and out at the same time and then you have a gap of time where you don't treat the roadways, now we stagger so there's always someone out there work that. we found those are good ideas and believe they'll work better in the future. we're certainly not used to this kind of weather, so need to talk to those folks who are used to it. >> we have flight flurries coming down. you can't quite see it, but these guys are looking out for black ice. what you are seeing? >> we are only seeing a couple of patches around. the wind blowing around dried the roads out. we have limited ice patches. we hope that it stays that way.

>> thank you, appreciate it. so, del, like he just said, the wind has been blowing all night long. as a matter of fact, the atlanta airport just reported a gust of nearly 40 miles per hour. we'll be out here in the cold, as well as the rest of the country, about 130 million folks. >> i got a call while you were on and he said he would trade places with you gladly today from chicago. >> i'd be happy to head back to my hometown and enjoy that frigid weather, del. >> robert, thank you very much. >> let's turn now to nicole mitchell. compared to the other numbers around the country, not too bad in georgia. >> i'm from minnesota, temperatures feel like minus 50, so you take what you can get. a lot of people have asked me what is a polar vortex, this is looking at the pole, usually you have the polar jet that kind of bounds in, pinning like a top, an area of low pressure with winds that can be hurricane

force, winds over 100 miles an hour, sometimes, but it's cold air that extends well up into the atmosphere into the meso also sphere, so usually that is bounded. what can happen is either part of this can surge southward or you have a breaking of that shooting a couple pieces of cold air in different directions. we have one of those shots of cold air and it is just well to get the south. that is why you don't see these outbreaks this cold that often with all of that happening. there's a study of whether some of that is climate change impacting that area of pressure, bringing the cold air extremes like we've seen. but as we continue on, temperatures themselves minus twenties in indianapolis, but look at the wind chills adding to that, minus one in minneapolis, minus 43 in indianapolis where you're knots supposed to be on the road if it's an emergencies if your car is even starting. wind chills of minus 35 or

temperatures to minus 35, 10 minutes and you can get frostbite, minus 50, five minutes is what we got for frostbite. that actually freezes and can permanently damage your kin, cause greater problems if you're more exposed to it. never rub a frostbite area, because it's ice chris stalls and you can cause more damage. get yourself into warm air and warm water if you get that. we've had the moisture moving toward the coastline, fortunately not so much has made it southward, otherwise we'd be dealing with more show. in atlanta where we were talking about it is flurries, the wind gusts are making it feel brutal. we'll talk more about what the temperatures are doing in a few minutes. >> vacation time i guess over for the president and congress, the president flying back from honolulu, but it is time to get back to work and that could be tricky, because it is a mid term election year. the white house has its

assignmentses set on returning unemployment benefits. will we see action on that this week? >> we could see action on that today, the senate is going to take this up, democrats want to get these checks rolling again, but there is some opposition here from republicans who say how are we going to pay for this. 1.3 million americans lost unemployment benefits on new year's day. the obama administration claims that will eventually affect 14 million americans, those who lose checks this year and those who they support. >> denying families that security is just plain cruel. >> this is the difference between hardship and catastrophe. >> restoring those benefits will cost $6.3 billion. >> i'm opposed to having it without paying for it. >> i'm not saying off set dollar for dollar. >> the senate is expected to vote on a three month extension.

they need a few republican to say support it. >> it would seem to me that five republicans in the senate should agree with the republicans around the country. >> the administration argues it's politics. >> all five times that president bush extended unemployment benefits, there were no pay-fors. >> if congress passes this extension, president obama has said he'll sign it. >> but here's the thing, even if the the president signs it, it's a temporary extension, which means congress could deem with this all over again in just a few months in the spring. >> tracy pots, joining us live from washington, tracy, thank you very much. >> the iraqi government has retaken the city of ramadi, remaining on the edges of bothy mat da and fallujah. tribal leaders debate the next move. >> after a standoff lasting days, it airaqi army is ready to

go into the city of fallujah and fight the al-qaeda group isil. the decision to do is hard fought. local sunni tribes insisted they be part of any situation, other tribes disagreed saying isil fighters were in fact protecting fallujah. the standoff is an indication of the disagreement. the government is poised to act. >> there is increased coordination between the army and bribesman, the army provides the tribe with weapons and everything they need in this battle against the terrorists. i think this issue will be resolved within one or two days to expel the armed groups. >> one or two days may be optimistic. the iraqi army sent out a vote of what they say are surgical air strikes, but they are limited to the cities. other strongholds remain on oh the border with syria and getting rid of the fighter there is will be more challenging. only adding to the woes of the

iraqi government are increasingly vocal critics of the prime minister. >> we call on the government to my demands of the people, demands that are not related to terrorism by any means. if there's a further escalation of violence in iraq, then worse things may happen especially because of what's happening in the region. >> the reason for the criticism is simple, general elections scheduled for lately april. all the political parties will be looking to get themselves into the best position they can and force prime minister malkey to take the blame for the worst security situation in iraq since 2008, a fact underscored by series of car bombs ripping through the capitol on sunday. aljazeera. >> thousands of families have fled fallujah. heading to nearby village to avoid those government strikes. >> the u.s. has said ill will support leaders in iraq but not sending boots on the ground. secretary of state john kerry saying that the u.s. is talking to leaders in anbar province and

will provide other levels of support. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraq keys. iraqis. that is what was decided when we left iraq. we are not obviously contemplating returning or putting boots on the ground. this is their fight. >> considerry's statement coming as feuding between the army and al-qaeda livinged rebels near ramadi left 40 people dead. 58 were injured in those clashes, the city seeing some of the fiercist fighting during the nine year american war in iraq. as that fighting rages onen iraq, a celebration in baghdad's green zone. today, marking the 93r 93rd affairs of the iraqi he army, the prime minister on hand for today's army day festivities, along with other senior military iraqi he officials. >> braving the bitter cold. >> you keep your feet and your head basically warm, the rest you can tolerate. >> ice fishermen sharing tips

for keen warm when the weather is anything but that. >> on a mission to break the ice, the u.s. coast guard ship heading to free two other ships that are still stuck. >> the high cost of beauty, venezuela's fascination with looks. >> that is the windy city where the wind chill could hit minus 50 today, so if you live there, bundle up. up.

>> good morning, to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. straight ahead, we'll talk to some ice fishing experts on dealing with bone-chilling temperatures we're seeing across a good portion of the count are i, but first let's find out exactly how cold it is going to be. nicole. >> my dad is an ice fisher and i got dragged plenty of times. they like the weather, because it helps freeze up the ice extra solid, a longer fishing season when you have more ice, but a lot of us don't like this, minus

21 in minneapolis, the wind chills in the 40 to 50-degree range, so very dangerous. toward the south, you can pick out the dividing line. atlanta to savannah, a four hour drive and 26 degrees versus 59. temperatures, you'll see go up each other doing that drive morning where the front hasn't hit yes. >> getting into the northeast, a core of warm air ahead of all of this has been melting off the snow this morning and rain in the region, the combination of those two moisture sources, a lot of dense fog making driving a little tough and things slow at the airports, because of all that, but the cool air gets into the east tomorrow. >> with the u.s. facing record low temperatures, some are preparing for the worst, but some, including nick comb's father who thrive on winter sports ignoring all of those warning and headings outside. david hawkins found some of them

on the frozen waters in michigan. >> you might think nobody knows cold weather like an ice fisherman. >> if the fish are biting, i don't care how cold it is. here we go. >> most people have never experienced the kind of cold weather expected to blanket half the united states this week, so who better to ask about how to handle temperatures of 10, 20 or 30 below zero than a man sitting on a bucket full of fish in anchor bay, michigan. >> if your feet get cold, your miserable. keep your feet and head basically warm, the rest you can toll lately. >> when you're out in the cold, you to have dress right. >> is it ever too cold to be out on the ice, angling for blue gill and perch. >> the coldest weather i fished in was minus 10, blizzard conditions, 30-40-mile per hour winds.

it was crazy weather. as far as the temperature goes, it don't affect my fishing. >> if you had one. >> many here have small tents with heaters, but plenty of others like chuck and his son pref being outside exposed to the elements. >> always wear more than you think you need, because it's always colder than you think. as lock as your power doesn't go out, you'll be all right. >> and your furnace. >> while others may prepare for the cold to come by shopping for emergency supplies, milk brett and butter, fire wood or gas for a generator, these finish err has not stay on the ice, waiting for next bite. >> i got something big here. whoa! there's your bass. [ laughter ] >> perhaps the best piece of advice for surviving sub zero temperatures is the one you won't hear from the fisherman out here on the ice, stay inside. >> the cdc or centers for

disease control and prevention recommend if you are going to stay outside, you should at least try to stay dry. >> the coast guard now in the latest effort to rescue the ships trapped in the an arctic, the u.s. sending a heavy ice breaker to free those two vessels now, a russian ship trapped since new year's eve, a chinese ship came to its rescue and got stuck in the ice. the sufficient ship is set to arrive on that sunday. by way of statistics, the polar star was built back in 1976 and measures 300 feet, 299 feet to be exact, it is one of the largest vessels in the coast guard fleet, its engines can therefore 7500-horsepower, more than the chinese 1800-horsepower engine and the hull is specifically designed for ice breaking and even at slow speeds can be break through ice six feet thick. >> j.p. morgan chase close to a deal in the bernie madoff case,

paying for a wouldly turning a blind eye for working with madoff as he ran his ponzi scheme. madoff's relationship with j.p. morgan respond two decades before his arrest. >> key mobile making a big purchase from verizon, paying almost two and a half billion dollars for some verdicts licenses, t. mobile saying the licenses cover 150 people in major u.s. cities, including narc, los angeles and washington, d.c. >> a new twist in the suit wars, men's warehouse attempting a hoss till take discovery of j.s.a. bank. the offer will be taken to the shareholders. this is the latest in a back and forth bid between those two companies. >> wall street looking to open higher today, do you futures up

28 points, starting the day at 16,469, the s&p at 1831 and nasdaq at 4,131. in asia, the markets there ended lower, nikkei falling blow the 16,000 mark. >> european markets are posting small gangs at this hour. >> janet yellen, the senate is expected to vote to confirm her as chairman of the federal reserve later this afternoon. fed watchers say her biggest challenge will be to detail back the feds massive bond buying program. >> she has the hardest job in washington. she has to decide when the time is right to withdraw the accommodation to say the economy can stand on its own. >> if curled, she will replace ben bernanke on february 1. >> zinga giving bit coin a big boost, crossing back over the thousand dollars mark after zinga said it will accept bit

coin as payments. it has taken wild swings in the last few months as some central banks ever taken steps to limits its use. >> india is one of the largest milk producing countries in the world. many small dairy farmers are working with cooperatives in order to get milk to the market. >> milking the traditional way, pamela and millions of indian women are often the ones who spearhead milk production. she began with one cow, now has 15. she's one of more than 3 million in the state and 50 million across i understand i can't. she's part of a cooperative, a system growing in popularity amongst indians for the past 40 years. >> it takes time to build up like this, but with the quo that that are a active support, i'm now earning money to educate my family. my daughter you has just come

back for america as a qualified pharmacist. >> quality is high, farm ares only use what was produced for their own needs, any excess sold locally. with the cow a commodity and breeding techniques improving, there are increasing herds and milk. excess milk is collected in milk stations like this, tested and weighed. each farmer's contribution is computerized. these people are the owners of the quo that are a active. 80% of the cost price to the consumer goes back to the farmer. i would i can't's milk production is set to increase according to government figures in the next 12 months. india is seen as a possible global provider after recent contamination scares in china and new zealand. >> i expect next five queers, it is encouraged because of good price. we expect 5% increase in

production and by 2020, our milk production should increase 400 times. i'm very sure. >> the strength of the indians milk industry is farmers prefer to organically raise their herds, advanced meek nication for the collection and processing of milk has made the product safer for production in india and abroad. >> india's milk production has increased three fold over the last 30 years. it certainly has the capacity to produce milk for its own people and export market. if there is a contamination outbreak elsewhere in the world, india could welcome to the rescue. >> although europe as a whole produces the most milk from cows in the world, the u.s. is still the margest milk produce i can country. india culls in second, followed by china, bringing up third. >> as that dangerous cold stretches across the country, officials in some places telling people to stay inside at all costs. we'll tell you how the freezing

temperatures are causing problems on the road and airports. >> these pro testifies of he elections in bangladesh turning deadly while hubs of polling stations were set on fire. >> thousands of african refugees saying the israeli government has left them in legal limbo. >> it is the showcase showdown in college football, famous jameson an seminoles taking on destiny for the state title. we'll have that later on in sports. >> you are looking at a foggy skyline of new york city. the snow started to melt, the temperatures hit 53 this morning and it left nothing but fog and a miserable morning commute. >> 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

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. in case you haven't been outside just yet, it is brutally cold in parts of the nation. forecasters say it's a massive arctic blast known as the polar vortex affecting 140 million people across 25 states. officials warn conditions are not only dangerous, but could become deadly. that we have the details. >> a bitterly cold wake up for millions this morning as an arctic front causes temperatures to drop to record lows. thirty to 50 degrees blow average in the midwest, 25 taits with thermometers sitting at zero and below. in indiana sunday, up to two inches of snow fell every hour throughout the day, the mayor of indianapolis warning res diddents to stay indoors. >> we will have temperatures that are potentially deadly or certainly life altering. >> in st. louis, snow and high winds made it nearly impossible to see. >> pay attention to your neighbors and take care of them. >> schools are closed in chicago

and in minnesota, the first public school closure there in nearly two decades. officials are pleading with people to stay off the streets. already, there have been problems, from black ice covered roads in maryland and pennsylvania. >> it's a sheet of ice, cars just spinning out. >> to the runways in new york, where a plane slid into snow at jfk international sunday. nationwide, thousands of flights are canceled or delayed, officials expressing great concern about the elderly or homeless, saying frostbite can happen within minutes of exposure. cities have out reach teams to help people find shelters. >> move the people into houses, temporary rehab, which may be an empty bus. >> it's assistance that may prove life saving as the brutal winter weather gets even more extreme. >> to give you an idea of how cold in atlanta, temperatures

will be seen temperatures colder than alaska. alaska are experiencing a heatwave. look at that as of 6:00, this morning, only five degrees. it is the northern most city in the u.s., residing within the arctic circumstance that. 11 degrees in fairbanks and unseasonably warm 32 in anchorage. >> german chancellor angela americaical suffering a fall cross country skiing in switzerland will be in bed roving from a pelvic injury. all her meetings are canceled. she canceled trips to warsaw scheduled to meet luxembourg's prime minister. >> the colorado girl declared brain dead has left children's hospital in oakland. she was taken on a private ambulance to an undisclosed location. no word of where she is now, but a facile in long island said it is now ready to care for her. a family attorney said the girl was attached to a ventilator but

without a feeding tube when she was reds, a judge ruling that she could be removed from the hospital if her mother assumed full responsibility for any consequences. >> federal investigators are finding out more about what caused that small plane to crash in colorado. the private jet was trying to land in aspen sunday when it veered off the runway and burst into flames. the co pilot was killed in that crash. two others were injured. officials say the flight originated in mexico and all three onboard were mexican citizens. >> a busy new york expressway became this landing strip, the single engine plane on a sightseeing flight when it lost power. it went down making a landing on an expressway north of manhattan. the pilot remained to stay calm during the entire ordeal. >> i'm on a flight less than 1,000 feet. >> 1,000 offensive to has guard i can't. >> i'll never make it, where do

i touchdown? i'll never make it, where do i touchdown? >> i'm not sure where you touch down. >> authorities are saying a quick thinking transportation worker might have preconveniented a disaster, able to block traffic with his vehicle before that plane came in for that emergency landing. >> the ruling party in bangladesh propping set up a new government after winning an election mar bid violence. protestors there running for cover as police fired on demonstrators. 21 people dying in those clashes between activists and police. more than 300 polling stations were set fire in an attempt to disrupt the voting. we are joined live from the capitol and the elections are over, but the opposition says they are going to continue their

strike until wednesday. what do they want? what are their demands? >> well, the opposition saying this election was not free and fair, you know, i mean, they were demanding from day one that it takes place you understand a system called caretaker government, which is in a interim government, which it was selected between all the opposition parties and ruling party, something acceptable to everybody, but the ruling party on the other hand says that under the constitution, which they amended last year, that it has to take place under the present government, and this was the key contentious issue, which has divided both the political party and since january of last year, the clashes, general strike, blockade, have killed over 400 people according to local media. last night, this morning, from the election, at least 23 people died and the prime minister in a die if ant speech to the press said that the opposition is promoting terrorism and

violence, which is why the election was very low turnout, according to election commission statistics, 38 to 4%, hardly the usually, we have 80% in a normal election. most people on the ground will tell you, average person that they want inclusive collection including all the parties. only 12 party along with the ruling party took place in the election this time. >> what challenges does the prime minister face in setting up this new government there? >> well, the main challenge is to come to an understanding with the opposition, so there could be an inclusive election down the road. right now, rhetoric doesn't invite must have, still criticizing the on that oh significance for terrorism and violence, yet there is no ground for compromise in the horizon. general population is tired.

they are tired because of blockade and the excess of police and the economic i am pack this poor country has. considering all those, peen the americans, the u.n. and e.u. have tried to mediate you the, failing. we have yet to see what comes down the road. we are walking into a lower escalation con flick down the road. >> joining us live from bangladesh, thank you very much. >> aljazeera is still demanding the release of oh you are colleagues still held in egypt. the producer and correspondent now held for nine days, two facing further questions today. egyptian prosecutors say they are held on suspicion of joining a terrorist group and spedding lies harmful to state security. aljazeera said those allegations fabricated than sense. >> pope francis making plans to travel to the holy land during his weekly address sunday, visiting jordan, jerusalem, the

west bank and bethlehem in may. that trip coming during renewed attempts at peace between israeli and the palestinians. he plans interfaith meetings during that visit. >> in tel aviv, a planned three day protest underway, demonstrators demanding better rights for activists. >> several thousand people gathered outside tel aviv city hall to vent grievances. they've come from sudan and other sub sahara countries, escaped war and economic hardship. this man arrived three years ago from darfur region of sudan. >> we have many problems here. we come here to protect this country. >> the israeli government caused the 50,000 migrants who crossed into the country through egypt

infiltrators. though not deported, the government refuses to grant them reef gee status i don't most live in a legal limbo, subject to one year administrative detention or working illegally under what the government calls conditional release and very few entitled to any social services. >> the prisoners, we ask to check our asylum requests in a fair way and give the human rights. >> i have nothing against them, but we have so many problems of our own. the poverty in israel is very great. >> a new generation of migrant children is growing up and being educated in israeli. their hope is to be granted a secure place in a country built by refugees. aljazeera, tel aviv. >> the united nations refugee agency is blasting israeli's treatment of african migrants.

a desert facility is described as a detention center from which there is no release. >> just by way of numbers, there are roughly 50,000 african migrants in israel, most from sudan. to help stem the flow, israeli has made it tougher for them to get visas and built a fence along its border with egypt. >> president obama coming back to a chilly washington, d.c. a2 weeks vacation in sunny hawaii. the president on saturday saying he he is ready to tackle his agenda for 2004. at the top of that list, pressing lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits that expired last week, the president saying denying families that security is just plain cruel. he goes on to say:

>> congress also getting back to work today, 2014 an election year shaping the agenda. senate democrats will try to raise the minimum wage and a vote on extending those jobless benefits until march is expected later today. republicans will continue their focus on the president's affordable care act, also known as obamacare. >> that big issue still on the table, immigration reform. jim wallace is the founder and president of sojourners, join us this morning. all eyes on immigration reform, but in your opinion, this is a battle you believe should have been settled long, long ago. why no. >> well, change happens slowly. you have a political system very broken, but two out of every three he americans now favor fixing this very broken system. a majority in all the parties, i'm very hopeful this new year

will be a good year for fixing and healing this broken immigration system. >> jim, a new pugh survey may have given wiggle room to boll parties. 55 of those surveyed don't want to live in fear of being deported. 35% say they prefer a pathway to citizenship. does this in your opinion provide wiggle room for both sides? >> well, people are living in the shadows, afraid of their families being separated. this is a moral issue, not just a political one. that poll probably shows how hopeless people have become, but i think hope is really alive now and people should be able to do what they would like, if they want to move back and forth, that's fine, but there are people living here for decades, young people who have never lived anyone else. we don't want a second class system in this country. that we have to fix the system and over the long material, people have to have an earned path to citizenship, long

material, that's part of what we have to do to fix this thing. >> i didn't mean, as we look back in history on this particular debate concerning immigration reformal, is this a moment in history that we will look back on with regrets a as a dark chapter in american history? >> well, del, look at it this way, immigration reform is going to happen. this is an example of movements outside a system changing what's happening on the inside. the faith community is united about this. business allies, revivals, badges understand business we call it. this is a movement now that will change what's on the inside -- >> everybody behind i, all of those particular movements behind it, why is congress so slow to act? >> because the system is very broken and they're not responding to democracy. they're in fact blocking democracy, so my feeling is this shows how you can changes things on the inside from the inside.

this will pass. the only question for lawmakers is how many more families will have to suffer, be separated by most poning this. every day we postpone it, more suffer, it hurts our economy and fabric as a society. that this will pass, it's how many families will be hurt until it passes. that's what lawmakers now have to ask themselves. >> washington is a city based on compromise, so which reforms should be given the number one priority? >> well, we have to get people out of the shadows approximate we have to -- they're living in fear without the health care they need, without protection and long material, have the path to citizenship. this must be a fix of the whole system, not just parts. we finally have to fix the whole thing. we can do that. this year, i'm very hopeful that this year is now the first half of this year is the year we're going to phillie this broken immigration system. the whole country wants this. finally politics have to respond to what people want and believe

in. the time has come to fix immigration reform. >> joining us live from washington, thank you very much this morning. >> switching gears, i've got my chips, my dips, number one versus number two, ending the college football season, all of it on the line. >> that's right. we've got the stage set now, it is the showcase yet on who's going to be crowned college football's best, undefeated florida state led by their freshman quarterback taking on an auburn team some call destiny. ross shimabuku previewed the game and talked about you that 29 day layoff both teams had. >> notre dame last year just flat did you not show up. you go back to ohio state as a big favorite in 2006 and it was beaten soundly. that some teams handle it well, some teams don't. from the outside looking in, both teams seemed to be pretty much on point, but we won't know until kickoff. >> florida state has dominated

the competition. they are 13-0, average margin of victory, closest game against d.c. by 14 points. if it's a tight ballgame, do you see that being an issue for them? >> could be. it would be unfamiliar territory. they haven't been in a situation where they had to play for their heavy in the fourth quarter and auburn has been in that constantly. that has been their modus on mos operandi. the coach said we will feel comfortable in that situation. i'm not sure it will be close. >> florida state heavily favored in this game. when you look at the matchup, what do you think could be the x factor. >> if there's a differentiation for florida state, it's the passing game against the defense. auburn's a little susceptible. missouri through it on them very well. they've that had some people who have exposed their secondary and we're talking about not just the

heisman trophy winner, but the number one pass efficiency quarterback in the nation, probably the best receiving corps in the country, three guys going to the nfl, i think that could be the area that is the biggest advantage for the seminoles. >> are you believing the hype that auburn is the team of destiny no. >> no, i'm not. they all had destiny on their side getting to this appointment, but i think destiny hits a brick wall against a really balanced, strong team that's good on both sides of the wall, can throw, run, top the run and stop the pass. >> final word, prediction please. >> florida state to end the scc string. i think it's time for new blood at the top and the seminoles i think are going to win by maybe even two touchdowns, i would say 41-28. >> all right, we'll see who's right, i'm going for auburn. if you thought the nfl season was tough to predict, the postseason is going to drive you

nuts. the wildcard weekend flipped the script. let's take a look. here's how next weekend rounds out. seattle seahawks hosting the new orleans saints who marched into philly beat the eagles on their own frigid turf at 4:30 eastern time saturday afternoon. sunday, the panthers host the niners who tack would lambeau field and pumped their ticket to the game. that one is a 1:00 p.m. kickoff. the a.f.c., the chargers nubbing into the playoffs and proceeded to handily beat the bengals on the road for a date with top seated denver next week, that slated for 40:30 p.m. sunday. the other game is going to feature the new england patriots who host the indianapolis colts who had to overcome a 28-point deficit at home to beat kansas city. that game is going to be at 8:00 p.m. eastern time saturday. charlie strong going to be

introduced as the new football coach for texas today, becoming the first black head coach of a men's program. back in 2003, i remember the first s.e.c. >> and one of the toughest college football programs in the country. you got to wish him well. >> it is home to more ms. universe titles than any other country, but the search for beauty can have fatal consequences. how women are risking everything, their lives, just to get a better body. >> three kings day celebrated in spain. why this year's parade had strict new rules. >> we're dealing with rain and fog. i'll have the national forecast. >> speaking of arctic cold, this is indianapolis, indiana, the temperature right now, the real temperature minus 19 with wind chills of feels more like it is minus 41. bundle up. that

>> welcome back to aljazeera america, just ahead, beauty, a

multi-billion dollar business in venezuela. why the search for a better body is causing some women to risk everything, clodding their lives, but first lets found out where it will rain and know across the country. >> we're seeing snow in some places that don't usually see it. clear skies behind, without that cloud cover, that allows temperatures to drop down. that's par of what we saw this morning. moisture well to the south, even a couple of flurries in places like atlanta, where we don't typically see a lot of snow and all the moisture that's now moved to the northeast. ahead of that cold a ir, there's been warm air, 50's and 60's on the coastline. that not only melted some of the know on the ground, but then also the cloud cover and then the rain coming in, so clouds and fog, very big problem this morning at our airports, made commutes slow this morning. you can see on the backside,. ♪ when we get on the backside of that, lake affect know is going to crank up.

lake affect areas of new york could get three feet over the next coming days. >> book your flights, while the northeast and midwest dealing with that deep freeze, conditions couldn't be nicer in florida. jacksonville, blue skies, bright temperatures, topping 70 degrees, but the sunshine state will soon get its own dose of this winter weather misery, temperatures from the 70 to get upper teens tonight. in madrid, the city celebrating the parade that marks the visit by the three wise men who traveled to see the baby jesus. there were strict rules for participants, madrid for bidding throwing candy to i don't know lookers. in one city last year, a 6-year-old was killed chasing down that candy thrown on to the street. >> venezuela is home to seven ms. universe winners including 2013. that makes it more than any other country, except the u.s.

that beauty cull comes a the a y high cost. >> these are some of the most beautiful women in the world, coming to compete for the title ms. venezuela. winning the crown is a dream for many in this beauty obsess country where people spend up to $2.5 billion a year to look good. >> after oil, the beauty trade is the second most profitable industry in venezuela, but it comes at a high price. just ask leonardo, who's 29-year-old daughter died this year while getting liquid silicone buttocks. she went to an unlicensed clinic without telling her parents and died within 24 hours. >> it's shameless, these people kill for 75 to $125, to inject

someone. my daughter died for $125. >> now he and his wife are raising their twin grand sons. he believe that is peer pressure pushed his daughter to risk her life. >> the government is not in forming venezuelan women about the risks. that these procedures are deadlier than cancer, because they kill within 24 hours. >> genesis is a world destination for plastic surgery. that nearly 4,000 people go under the knife every month. the silicone that is used for buttocks is illegal here, but many buy it on labor go to unlicensed clinics. >> the patient is lucky enough to survive, he or she could have chronic pain in buttocks, chest, by accepts and face, discoloration of the skin or throughout the body. >> despite the health risks, venezuelans are still injecting

themselves, nearly 2,000 people per month, according to the association of cosmetic surgeons. a clear sign that many here are willing to pay the ultimate price for beauty. aljazeera, crack cuss venezuela. >> the annual woman in venezuela spends 20% of her annual salary just on beauty products alone. >> more headlines in two and a half minutes. you can check us out 24 hours a day at aljazeera.com. that if you are headed out, remember 140 million americans going to be affected by this deep froze, so bundle up. it is going to be brutally cold outside. stay warm.

consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the government shutdown. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> we've heard you talk about the history of suicide in your family. >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but, what about buying shares in a professional athlete?