this is "al jazeera america" live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. dangerously cold temperatures affecting as many as 140 million americans. so cold you can get frostbite in less than five minutes, and it's not over yet. new fighting in iraq fueling fears that the country could be slipping back into deadly violence. congress is back to work today. will they provide relief for more than 1 million americans who lost their unemployment benefits in the new year?

okay. so let's walk through this together. from the midwest to the east coast, people are told to stay indoors as dangerous cold moves across the united states. as many as 140 million americans are affected by the freezing temperatures. the effects are widespread. minnesota's governor ordered all schools to be closed today, and jetblue is reducing operations at airports in boston and new york city as it repositions crews and aircraft after days of bad weather. diane estherbrook joins us live from suburban chicago. diane, good to see you. if you would, just how bad are conditions where you are? i'm glad you're inside, by the way. >> reporter: i'm very happy to be inside, because i was out for most of the day today. it is very, very cold still. we know that there have been four confirmed deaths so far from this storm. those were heart attacks due from snow shoveling, but the big

concern right now is the cold air, hypothermia and frostbite. those can happen to somebody within five to ten minutes if they're not properly covered. >> minus 15 on the thermometer feels like 41 below. >> reporter: the coldest day on record in chicago wasn't fit for man or beast. mary beth wainwright bundled up herself and blondie when nature called. >> she's wearing two layers and a boot on each foot. >> reporter: does she mind it? >> she doesn't mind coming out as much as getting dressed. >> reporter: a weekend storm blanketed chicago and neighboring indiana with roughly a foot of snow, temporarily shutting down major interstates. emergency crews rescued more than 600 stranded motorists in illinois alone. governor pat quinn activated the national guard to help emergency crews. indiana's governor declared a state of emergency in 27 counties. the arctic blast that followed the snow forced school closures in illinois, indiana, wisconsin,

and minnesota today and tomorrow. on the streets of chicago, volunteers searched for the homeless hoping to encourage them to seek warm in shementers or warming centers. volunteer bush gooden says many refuse in temperatures like this. >> there's an issue of bedbugs and violence in the shelters around chicago. >> you encourage them to go to shelters? >> absolutely, or warm center. >> they're repairs for cases of frostbite or hypothermia, but by midday the emergency room physician had treated more victims of the flu than the weather. >> we haven't seen much frostbite cases or hypothermia cases. those be later on today i imagine. it seems like a lot are staying indoors. >> reporter: not everyone stayed inside. this runner was one of several spotted jogging along chicago's lakefront. >> this is difficult, and i enjoy it and have fun.

yeah, it's real fun for me. >> reporter: these dangerously frigid temperatures will continue until about noon tomorrow and we'll get a reprieve by about wednesday. tony. >> diane, appreciate it. it's all fun and games. you see that guy, i love it and enjoy it. until your eyeballs start to freeze. we heard this term "polar vortex," and i wanted to bring in rebecca stevenson to explain what it is. give us a look at temperatures across the country. >> we know what kwl polar" is right? we feel that outside, and you think of vortex and that's a fast spinning downwards and that's what we call the temperatures. a very fast spin downwards as we look at what's happening across the u.s. most of the rain and snow is moving out of the picture. front is well now offshore. we're not dealing with the snow and ice issue anymore but the brutal cold weather. now, polar vortex, we always

have one up over the poles, it's just that the polar at the north pole, this gets stronger in the wintertime. that's very thick, dense, cold air. it begins to sink southward because nature is all about balance, and it's trying very hard to balance the temperatures from the north pole to the south pole, but we have that equator in between. that throws a wrench in things. so what happens is that very thick, dense cold air starts to sink down, and we create a wind. it's a very strong wind, too, because warmer air is very light and very fluffy. it just rides up over that very cold, thick air. so our temperatures right now below zero by 12 degrees for both indianapolis and chicago add in the very strong wind. it feels like 51 degrees below zero. that's where the danger comes in, tony. that's where we start with it. you stand in this kind of

weather, and it just removes the heat from the skin. when we talk about frostbite and the hypothermia and the tissue dies quickly in that kind of cold weather. >> jacob ward will join us later, our science and technology guy. he will walk through the various stages of how bad the body reacts to this kind of cold you're describing there. it is pretty scary stuff. >> think of being in a freezer or refrigerator and how it removeses the heat from the items in there. that's what happens in this. >> okay. rebecca, appreciate it. see you a little later. new violence in iraq. that could actually signal a move backwards for the progress that's been made there. iraq's prime minister has called on residents of fallujah asking them to trooif out terrorists. they're battling government forces to control the cities in anbar province. we have the report. >> reporter: fighters prepare

for an assault on fallujah by pro-government sunni tribes. with guns and rocket-propelled grenades they're ready to face any challenge. elsewhere in the city are the effects of a shelling campaign carried out by iraqi forces. troops have circled the city and are supported by local tribes. >> translator: there's been an agreement between the tribes to withdraw the army from the cities and go towards the islamic state in anbar desert. this is due to some information about the isil control over the desert there. the isil rebels are trying to bring the battle to cities of a ra ramadi and fallujah. >> reporter: there's indications the attack could come soon, but how did we get to the stage? the sunni tribes in anbar

province protested, and the biggest demand for the release of sunni prisoners. maliki took notice of the grievances and tried to push it through. they were blocked by both parties. this was a provocation to the sunni tribes. now in anticipate 2013, the isil was formed, taking advantage of the political power vacuum and waging a bloody campaign across the country. it formed safe havens across the border and played on sunni fears of shear domination. they unofficially accepted that presence, and last month they killed over 20 iraqi soldiers. by then maliki had had enough and sent the army into anbar. sunni tribal rivalries came to the forefront, and now maliki is urging the fighters to take on the isil fighters themselves. will it bring peace to the region in perhaps not when al

qaeda and other groups supporting it are squeezed they disappeared and regrouped in other areas. >> since the united states left iraq two years ago, there's a power vacuum in the country's west. al qaeda filled that void. we will send surveillance drones to help iraq's fights, but new affiliates are growing threatening to undoon so much of the work americans fought so hard for. >> it's been years since iraq has seen this kind of fighting. the big focus again is on anbar province. it's a sunni stronghold. they are minorities that feel marginalized by the shia prime minister. the big towns of fallujah and ramadi sound familiar to a lot of american. back in 2004 four american contractors lynched in fallujah. that sparked the major offensive. america's bloodiest battle since vietnam were fought in anbar.

1300 americans died. that's more than a third of all u.s. soldiers killed in iraq, but the tide did turn. in 2007 it was called the awakeni awakening. the u.s. paid tribesmen to switch sides and fight al qaeda. it worked. now there's real fear that work is being erased. a new group is rising called the islamic state of iraq is an al qaeda affiliate. it now controls part of fallujah and ramadi. the iraqi army has a hard time fighting back, partly because of three parties at work. you have the iraqi government and the prime minister and you have that al qaeda group and in the middle you have the local tribes. they're like the swing vote, unsure of who to support. some many say. prime minister must reach out more to minorities there, but he worries about losing power. what's clear is even with the country in damage of moving backwards, the u.s. says this is now iraq's fight.

the obama administration says the fighting in anbar province iraq's issue, some critics claim some insurgent groups in the region ratchet up the turmoil knowing the u.s. doesn't want to get involved. mike viqueira is in washington for us. good to see you, and happy new year. some say failures in u.s. foreign policy are at least partly to blame for the situation in iraq. >> well, that's right, tony. today there's plenty of finger points and blame to go around about the deteriorating situation in anbar province. the bottom line truth is this tony. american combat troops are gone and not coming back. that leaves the obama administration with no good options to deal with iraq and this new insurgency. today the white house scoffed at critics who say that american military forces would make a difference in the fight for fallujah. >> there was sectarian conflict,

violent ask tarn conflict in iraq when there were 150,000 u.s. troops on the ground there. so the idea that this would not be happening if there were 10,000 troops in iraq, i think, bears scrutiny. >> critics like john mccain blame a failure by president obama to not have a deal with the iraqis. in a statement mccain says many predicted it would be filled by american enemies and emerge as a threat to u.s. national security interests. sadly, that reality is now clearer than ever. that brought a strong response from the white house. >> if americans suggested there should be american troops fighting and dying in fallujah today, they should say so. >> reporter: the last combat troops left in iraq in 2010. 4,486 americans died in the iraq war. a recent poll asked was removing

saddam hussein worth the cost of american life. only 36% said it was, and 49% said no. john kerry made it clear on sunday no american troops will be sent back in. >> this is a fight that belongs to iraqis. that's what the president and world decided some time ago when we left iraq. so we are not, obviously, contemplating returning or putting boots on the ground. >> they're speeding up arms shipments to iraqi government. the pentagon says there's an effective tool in wipes out safe havens. it could have implications for afghanistan where president hamid karzai is playing hardball in talks to allow a u.s. counterinsurgency force to stay at the end of this year. >> if the united states and internationaled community leave afghanistan, the taliban have a very good chance of ko coming back to power. if they come back to power,

president karzai's entire legacy and his own personal security and that of his family are at risk. is that really a danger that he's prepared to tolerate? is that really a risk he's prepared to run? >> tony, we heard from them, and they're reporting and it's a big concern among administration policymakers in washington. how much of this and a lot is a spillover from the war in syria where al qaeda and military forces are waging war in anbar province. >> mike viqueira, thank you. here to talk more about president obama's middle east policy is a professor of international relations at nyu. it's great to see you, my friend. happy new year. >> thank you. my pleasure. >> you're a bit critical of the president as well as the middle east. before we get into specific states, give me your basic critique of the way the president's five yeerdz years

in office has handled the middle east. >> i think in general one can say there's a lack of understanding of the mindset. i would say the psychological damage of these various conflicts. we have never been able to actually understand how these people this, why they think the way they think, where they want to go, and what causes all this turmoil. we have basically applies a rather superficial approach to trying to resolve these major things. >> we probably agree it could apply to a couple of presidents in recent history, correct? >> absolutely. i always say president bush threw his caution to the wind. president obama kept his caution and i think the result is basically the same in terms of american credibility in the region. >> let's talk iraq. we just had a couple of pieces on iraq, and there's clearly a

situation unfolding in anbar province right now and that sunni stronghold. there was an opportunity for the americans and prime minister al maliki to reach an agreement on status of forces agreement that would have kept a u.s. military presence on the ground. that didn't happen. how do you see the problem in anbar province as its developing now and how it's rippling out around the region to syria? >> i don't believe that even if we were to leave 10,000, 15,000 american troops we could avoid what is happening today. what we are not looking into is that the conflicts in iraq and that the conflict to the government in syria have one single damage. it's a war between the sunnis and shiites. so you're not going to resolve this conflict by applying this

method. this war between the two sexts going on. >> how does the administration handle a situation like that? >> it's nearly impossible for the united states to do anything to change the dynamics of iraq. >> nearly impossible. how about syria? again, sectarian strife. >> syria is a much worse situation even, because had we intervened much earlier, two and a half years ago -- >> you said that to me a few times. >> yeah. i say that again only because we know now the result. i think the mushrooming of these very radical groups might have been avoided if we intervened earlier two and a half years ago. that did not happen. i don't believe that -- if it's going to happen, it's going to produce my political solution because it would be impossible to satisfy all the players throughout the region and syria itself. >> let's talk about a country that many feel could help the united states and western powers in iraq, in syria, and that's

iran. there is a -- well, an interim deal on iran's nuclear program that's been signed that still has a lot of work to be done in terms of implementing it. how do you look at iran and u.s. relations moving forward? >> you know, i think it's tenuous at best. to think iran can be helpful, i doubt that very, very much. iran is the culprit both in iraq and syria. iran has major ambitions to be the head of the region, and it's not going to be doing it unless there's an immediate interest. it's an illusion to think iran would be helpful in the long term. >> on the short term on this interim nuclear deal? >> here again, they made agreements to make certain concessions because they have been hurt economically. once they feel the relief, they

will go back to where they were before and resume full swing their nuclear program. >> all kinds of shuttle diplomacy going on here with secretary of state john kerry in the middle east in terms of the israeli/palestinian conflict. you see his work there bearing any fruit? >> well, you know, diplomacy is necessary in any and all circumstances. but diplomacy that does not have a clear angle is not going to work. for example, this the radical palestinian conflict it's admirable for the united states to advise a framework for a peace agreement. that won't work unless the united states puts its foot down. >> what does it mean? >> it means that if you do not accept the general par peters, you're going to suffer the consequences. >> what consequences? >> consequences, for example, iraq could be politically isolated. the united states is the only country that provides israel

with the kind of political shield israel needs desperately with the international community. they're seeing a tremendous amount of financial and political support from the arab straight, from the united states. what you need to do then, you have to make them understand coexistence is never tabl. you have to find a formula for it. >> could the u.s. president be as touch as you suggest without getting a huge backlash at home? >> he would get a huge backlash, but then again, without leadership, without courage and without vision, you won't achieve the results that you want. >> it's always great to talk to you on campus and off. good to see you. >> thank you. >> and happy new year. the u.s. supreme court has stepped into utah's same-sex marriage fight, and at least for now, gay couples will not be allowed to get married. details are next.

you the most. >> household debt has been slashed. >> then, what real people are talking about in real-time with the stream. >> all of our communities lightin' up twitter tonight. >> and stay with us for live, breaking and in-depth news. real reporting, this is what we do. al jazeera america.

>> an america tonight exclusive. mortgage fraud. how one woman spoke up and made a difference. >> i had seen a couple of the girls making up documentation at a copier. welcome back to "al jazeera america." today the u.s. supreme court

stopped same-sex weddings in utah ats least for now weeks after a federal judge ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. david schuster is here with more. >> the supreme court called a time-out. they didn't rule on the merits over gay marriage in utah. instead the supreme court issued a stay until it winds its way through the court system. nearly 900 couples have been married since the district judge ruled in december that the state ban violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process, but utah argued that each marriage was an affront to the definition of marriage. they denied the stay, but the supreme court issued the stay this morning without comment. these celebrations and ceremonies in utah have stopped at least for now. now, for a lot of viewers maybe somewhat confused because they may think, what is this? the supreme court issued rulings

last spring supporting gay marriage. they said federal benefits can't be denied to same-sex couples. they found california's ban unconstitutional, but the supreme court made that california ruling on procedural issues and avoided a decision as to whether state bans like utah are unconstitutional. most legal experts expected the issue over state bans would come back to the supreme court, but the speed with which this issue is moving through the court system is surprising. 17 states and the district of columbia have legalized same-sex marriage. the issue focuses on state laws including utah's that ban it. >> this is something to watch this year. thank you. the deep freeze in the midwest and parts of the northeast that we have been talking about has a lot of folks thinking about heating and the energy needed to create it. ali velshi is back. he's going to talk about it.

i got all jumpy there. talking about this and much more on his program, "real money," at the top of the hour. what is the energy landscape in this country? >> it's very, very dynamic. over the past five years u.s. oil production has surged more than 50%. the u.s. now produces 8 million barrels of oil per day. the energy department projected it will increase by about 10%. 800,000 barrels annually through 2016. it's reaching the 1970 high of 9.6 million barrels a day. a lot is in large part because of hydraulic fracturing, which is fracking technology. drillers blast water and sand into shale formations. a lot of them in north dakota and texas. so that's where we get the oil. it's not traditional drilling but fracking. >> what is all this oil into the u.s. supply, what's it done to the economy? >> it hasn't really lowered oil or gas prices, but government

data shows that jobs have been created. they have jumped from 120,000 people employed ten years ago to 199,000 in november. the american petroleum institute, they talk about the broader impact of the oil and gas industry, and they say that it's responsible for 9.8 million jobs. that's the latest number from a couple of years ago. 9.8 million jobs, and we know it's grown from that. that was 5.6% of total u.s. employment. that's a lot. more oil and gas production brings a lot of problems, as you know. we talked about it for the environment. a lot of people don't like fracking, and there are problems with infrastructure. we don't have the infrastructure to move it around. it you complain about fracking contaminating the well water and some can light their taps on fire. some blame earthquakes and there's more traffic accidents as trucks go through the roads. the bill deal here, toeb ton toe

trains used to transport oil. we saw the big one in quebec earlier last year where 50 were killed when that train carrying oil exploded. >> you know, we also hear -- i guess it must have happened in the last hour or so. janet yellen has been selected to replace ben bernanke as the head of the federal reserve? >> she's the first woman to get the job and first democrat since paul volcker. i expected ben bernanke would get to the end of the term, and they would start this tapering. ben bernanke started the tapering. it means our interest rates are probably going to start to get a little bit higher over the course of the next year. >> can't wait to see your program. ally ali is back. top of the hour. the national weather service is warning about potentially deadly cold temperatures. coming up, we look at what the cold can do to a person. it's not pretty. also, hundreds of thousands

of americans who lost their unemployment benefits could get a bit of help if congress can find some common ground.

welcome back to "al jazeera america." i'm tony harris. here's a look at your top stories. ira iraq's prime minister called residents of fallujah to drive out what he calls terrorists. rebels from a group called islamic state of iraq are battling government forces to control the cities of ramadi and fallujah. the supreme court put same-sex marriages on hold in utah. the court agreed to a request from state officials there to stop weddings while they appeal a different court decision from last month. hundreds of couples got married in that time. the legal status of those marriages are now in doubt. deep freeze, posing serious

threats to much of the country. people are told to stay inside. the windchill in some areas making it feel as cold as negative 60 degrees. right now there's a bitter cold and freezing temperatures are working east and south. in atlanta, for example, where folks there are just not used to this kind of cold. the salvation army has set up a shelter for people who need relief from the temperatures. robert gray is there, and robert, you were inside earlier and you're outside and i don't know how smart that was. you can give us a better sense how cold it is. how rare is it for atlanta to see weather like this? >> reporter: tony, very rare. in fact, tonight they could see a record low. it depends on exactly how cold it gets. it's in the teens right now as the polar vortex has made its way to this pocket of the south. like you said, we're at a salvation army makeshift center. a warming center, if you will, for people out on the streets that have nowhere to go. it's bad enough for people in

homes town here with perhaps poor insulation not like the north. let's step inside. i want to show you the inside of this center and look at the conditions of where people will stay tonight. i want to try to get in here. you can see the mats down below. these are where peel are going to be brought in here tonight. there are crews out on the streets as we speak looking for the homeless. people that perhaps don't know this exists to bring them in here or coerce them to come in here so the dangerous temperatures don't grab them throughout the night. they expect the possibility of negative 30 windchills here, and let me pull in one of the gentlemen who will stay here tonight. he is a retired air force veteran, mark hopkins. sir, you are going to sleep on these mats tonight. what brings you here, and how thankful are you for this? >> we're very thankful. with the temperatures being as low as they are, there have been cases in the past where people have unfortunately passed due to the cold weather.

they've froze during the course of the night. what the salvation army is providing for us tonight is red shield and saving lives. >> reporter: they're feeds you guys and dpiing you shelter. this will be tonight and tomorrow night. tomorrow night is supposed to be pretty cold. what would you do if you didn't have this right now? >>le with, actually, i think pretty much our hope would be gone. we'd look at other options, but not all agencies are looking to provide the same type of services that red shield is. it's kind of difficult, especially with the resources being pretty much exhausted and having to walk and pretty muff va trers the streets to find a location. being here is truly fortunates and very thankful. >> you can see, tony, perhaps some people have started to come in. the main thrust of people will come in in the next few hours. there are folks here trying to get coats earlier right before we went on camera. there was a foopd line earlier. this is not normal for georgia or alabama or tennessee or even

tallahassee, florida, which has a windchill warning tonight. very rare as the vor technical swoopes down through here. as we know about the south, in a few days on saturday we're going to see temperatures near 60. so if we can get through the next 48 hours, should be good, tony. >> i think that's the case for a lot of the nation. if you get through the next 48 hours, the temperatures will start to improve a little bit. boy, minus 30 windchill possible tonight in atlanta? that's not breaking records. that is smashing records. i don't know that that city has ever seen anything quite like that. >> and let me just add this, tony. this morning i was listening to one of the local weathercasters on the radio and he said i've been at this for 40 years, and i can't say it's ever come out of my mouth, negative 30 windchills in atlanta. serious stuff. >> robert, good to see you. robert gray in atlanta for us. this kind of cold can have immediate and dangerous consequences for your body. our science and technology

correspondence jacob ward has more. >> reporter: the temperatures that the united states is experiencing right now can bring about the danger of hypothermia. it's the loss of core body heat such that your body drops from the typical temperature of 98.6 down to something lower. mild hypothermia is between 95 and 90 degrees fahrenheit. at that point the body is shivering and there's some confusion, but the real give-away is diuresis. the body getting rid of water through the sudden need to urinate or excessive thirst. in the 80s you are shivering violently and the mind is confused and the extremities begin to turn blue. lips, ears, fingertips while the face is pale. then severe hypothermia is the edge of death. that's when the body gets into the 70s. at that point the mind function is pretty much gone.

it's almost impossible to use one's hands. the heart rate, the respiration, all those slow. the paradoxical thing about the final stages of hypothermia has to do with sudden undressing when the body releases heat all of a sudden in a last-ditch effort to get warm. it's called terminal bur rowing. they find them under cars or behind beds to get warm in a desperate way. alcohol is the last thing you want to drink. at that point your body is giving away heat in a way that's very, very dangerous. becoming dehigh rated and being out in the cold won't help. to washington now where the weather is taking a toll on capitol hill. some senators weren't able to make it in for their first session of 2014 due to the weather conditions. some democrats are pushing to restore long-term unemployment benefits for 1.3 million americans. that vote has been postponed

until tomorrow. libby casey is following all this. what's the latest on this unemployment bill, a vote not likely until tomorrow? >> reporter: that's right. you saw a handful of senators take to the floor with rosy cheeks and just came in off of planes. they're trickling in because of the bad weather. before the vote was about to take place, republican john cornyn from texas said we're missing a handful, 17 members. let's wait until more folks are here and have a vigorous debate. majority leader harry reid took that to the rest of the body and no one objected. they'll revisit this tomorrow. an intense issue, and democrats need five republicans to join in with them to get these long-term unemployment benefits extended. whether the vote is tonight or tomorrow morning. so far they have one republican vocally supporting reigniting these benefiting, dean heller, republican of nevada. a state with high unemployment. senator reid explained earlier

today why emehe wants to see th benefits reinstated. >> instead of celebrating being in the new year on january 1st, more than a million americans including 20,000 veterans and about 20,000 nevadans were left wondering how to feed their families and make the mortgage payments while they continue to look for jobs. we have never had so many unemployed for such a long period of time. >> reporter: republicans are pushing back. some are opposed to it and others say it has to have a pay for, tony. one is jeff sessions, republican of alabama. he said the way to help the unemployed is bring down the doubt and stop spending. >> this nation is struggling economically for a number of reasons. one of them clearly is the size of our debt. we've got to get our spending under control.

we have to do that. we cannot continue every time we have a desire to do something good to borrow the money. >> reporter: now, democrats say there's no time to look for the pay fors, because unemployment benefits have lagged. december 28th was the last date. tony, more than a million americans without these benefits now. >> what's that number, 1.3 million? janet yellen has just been confirmed as the first woman to ever lead the federal reserve. >> that's right. despite the fact that it wasn't a full body, the senate was able to confirm janet yellen a short time ago. the vote was 56-26. about the 18 senators not voting, most of them because of the weather. we know that for sure. she was confirmed. this is something that was picked over before the break. they didn't get to it. this is the first order of business as they return today. expect her to take her seat

probably february 1st. ben bernanke's term expires at the end of month. she's the first woman. >> libby casey on capitol hill for us. thank you. let's expand on the unemployment program and the long list of other issues congress faces. jan -- ginger gibson is back with us. let's dive in here. this proposed text tension of the emergency unemployment program, democrats really want it. another three months here. do you see ha happening? >> it's going to be a tough fight and a difficult vote through the senate. the vote has been delayed until tomorrow. you know, we heard senator cornyn saying he wanted to have a debate on this and wanted everyone to get here, but it's also a very tight vote. my colleagues talking too members as they head into vote for yellen were told that some had been -- senator kirk muches

contacted by the white house but did not talk to the president. they're still trying to rally the votes for this in the senate. the house republicans have been clear with no paid for, it's a no go. this is a big stretch for the supporters to get through congress. >> wow. is that potentially a wedge issue that can be used as we get farther along into this year and start talking about the midterm elections? >> there's a number of things that come up in the next year, and this is one of those things that democrats think hurts republicans at the voting booth. 1.3 million americans lost their housing -- lost their employment benefits at the end of the year. more are losing them, and it doesn't take long before people know someone even if they're not personally faekted. >> this is an emergency program, and if you're a republican looking at this. if you don't have the pay fors, this is an emergency program set up during the bush administration.

you're wondering when does the emergency end particularly when we look at unemployment at least coming down a tick or two? >> that's what we hear from a lot of republicans. it stopped being an emergency situation and to continue the program it needs to be paid for. they say that it can -- unemployment continues to fall, but democrats point to the lodge-terminate of this. there are a lot of people that have been out of work for months instead of weeks getting into more than a year year, and these are the people using that program for them and it's still a emergency. >> clearly a laundry list of other things to do. spending bill. does congress pass the spending bill by january 15th. >> they passed this bubt deal at the end of year, and that outlined how the spend legislation would be done. it's expected to move very quickly, but never bet on anything to be easy when it comes to congress. there's still a lot of hiccups

that can come out. those lawmakers crafting the spending bill like you said, they have to pass by january 15th to keep government open. they say there's still a couple of sfiking points. >> february 7th we need to revisit that whole debt ceiling debate. we need that raised, right, by the 7th of february? >> by february 7th, and this is ramping up to be a potentially a large fight in congress. >> really? >> republicans who thought they gave away too much on the budget and the spending legislation are looking for a place to fight with the legislation. there's no leverage at noint other than this bill for them to use on some of the things they want to see get done. expect to see republicans making a fight of this one. this is a more difficult battle going into early february. >> that's crazy. one more quickly here. will there be something on immigration this year? >> that one is more difficult. there's starting to be some signs that house republican leadership could allow something

to move, but it's really difficult for the supporters to get anything that looks like the senate bill passed through congress before election day. >> ginger, good to see you. thanks for your time. thank you. fears over the future of south sudan's vast oil industry has its biggest client, china, stepping in and calling for an end of the violence with south sudan's neighbor and parnt. enter the fray today in juba. they visited the president, and both discussed a joint security force for their shared oil feed. sudan wanted to stay neutral through the violence. that brought them to the brink of civil war. peace talks began on saturday, but the two sides have not met face to face yet. a landslide win for bash la der derby's rules party. the capital, 19 people were

killed on sunday. bangladesh's prime minister says the ruling, pardy, was fair but the opposition disagrees and boycotted the vote. there's a nationwide strike. the army has ordered the government -- the government ordered the army to protect until tuesday. they came to a country founded by refugees looking for piece. tens of thousands ofmy grapts in israel are considered illegal immigrants. nick has the report. >> reporter: the for the last decade african migrants in israel say they felt voices. they're not willing to be silent anymore. they come to sudan to escape genocide and dictatorship. he arrived from darfur two years ago. all he wants is a secure home. >> we have the genocide. we ran from the war, and we are

looking for the safe place to save me and my life. >> reporter: he fled darfur six years ago. he thought israel would provide him asylum. he said so far israel has refused. >> we do believe we share the same values of the jewish people and the people who suffer have the survival of the genocide and much of it as a human being. >> today thousands protested outside the u.s. embassy by the beach and u.n. because they say israel is trying to run them out. new laws allow israel to imprison migrants without trial for one year and keep them in this open facility indefinitely. at the same time israel has beefed up the border fence for futuremy grants. >> translator: i would like to emphasize these are not refugees but people breaking the law and whom we will deal with to the fullest extent of the law. >> reporter: objections to the

migrants aren't also about legal status but because they're not jewish. >> we want to protect our jewish nation. >> reporter: in the middle is the u.n. they livendz patiently and promised to push israel to live up to the treaty that requires all countries to consider asylum applications. >> it is time to really forget some of the policies in the past, because in the end we'd like to see israel living up to the spirit of the 1951 convention. >> until today they tried to avoid controversy living in this neighborhood in south tel aviv. they worked hard. >> it's not when you use it for innocent people in your home asking to safe them or to protect them. >> reporter: immigrant advocacy workers says attacks on migrants are increasing. he's felt that personally.

>> everybody in the streets, at work, in the public, transportation. they have the result, and they say, you are in. >> they hope this three-day strike pressures israel to change its policies because they have nowhere else to go. >> everybody that left sudan to come to israel, if you go back, there's no security. what shall we do? shall we come shirtless. >> they're no longer willing to be silent anymore. selfie pictures have already about become a big part of online cultures, so it's not surprising that people have kurned and really madison turned into a competition. we'll tell you about the selfies olympics. that is next. kicking it live at the rose bowl in pasadena, california. this is the play to be seen.

overnight 7 thousa,000 fans wil the house. we'll tell you why one head coach is fighting for something bigger than a bcs title. radioactive water, leaking into the pacific eververyday? >> join america tonight's michael okwu for an exclusive four part series, as we return to fukushima only on al jazeera america

the stream is uniquely interactive television. in fact, we depend on you, your ideas, your concerns. >> all these folks are making a whole lot of money. >> you are one of the voices of this show. >> i think you've offended everyone with that kathy. >> hold on, there's some room to offend people, i'm here. >> we have a right to know what's in our food and monsanto

do not have the right to hide it from us. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> watch the stream. >> and join the conversation online @ajamstream. this is the biggest night of the year for college football. florida state against auburn, and it will be the last time the winners will be decided by the controversial bcs championship game. ross is at the rose bowl in pasadena. what a location with a look at one of the coaches in the big game. good to see you. >> reporter: good to see you, tony. it's a nice and comfortable 79

degrees in pasadena. florida state head coach jimbo fisher brought them back into the national championship spotlight. they dominated the competition this season with a perfect 13-0 record. fisher is fighting for something much bigger than a bcs title. after his first season in florida state in 2010, life was good for jimbo fisher who led the seminoles to a 10-4 record. soon thereafter? >> there's a situation and it hit me because we came off a great season the first year. everything is great and all about ball. it made me get back to reality to understand what is important. >> fisher's son was diagnosed with a rare blood disease that has no cure. >> as a father and as a husband, to me those are the most critical things and i hope the examples i set as a coach will help these guys and show them life's not fair. life doesn't care. i don't mean it to be, to be rude about it. life throws things at you.

you let it control you or you control it. i love my son more than anything in the world but it won't control me. >> ethan is eight and gets his blood tested every three months and they created the kids first fund to find a cure. >> i'm going to do everything in my power to help other children. i think god gave us a platform to speak not just for eat than but the other kids who don't have this platform and raise money for this. hopefully i can develop players and save lives on top of that, i don't think there's a greater calling. >> reporter: fisher and his wife candy have raised nearly $2 million to fight the disease while his son is here at the ball game. on the field all eyes are on heisman trophy quarterback jameis winston celebrating his 20 lt birthday.

remember when you were 20? on the other side, the auburn tigers are looking to complete the big turnaround in college football history. they went 3-9 last season and did not win a single conference game and 2350 fired their head coach. now the tigers are in the championship game. here's the deal. this is what they play for, the crystal ball, the coach's trophy. fyi, this crystal ball costs $30,000. i'm not go to touch it or get near it. if i fall on it or knock it down, it will be on my tab. should be a good game, tony. >> appreciate it. for the millions of us who aren't talented enough to get an actual invite to the olympics, there is a competition where we can compete. it involves scores of people trying to outdo each orion line

by taking outrageous selfies, so you know this is ridiculous, right? maria is following the story for us. >> leave it to me, tony. the hashtag is selfie olympics. the goal is to take the most outrageous bizarre pictures of yourself. this is true strange. this is a guy on top of a door. this one takes some acrobatic skills. the rules are simple. you have to take the selfie inside a bathroom and need a prop. some people have had themes to theirs, like this one is a sports theme. this guy is next to jamaican sprinter you usain bolt. she's in a hospital bathroom, and this one is the stay at home dad. then you've got other ones with just require a lot of setup like this one. this is a girl that's on a beach. you've golt a guy in a safari,

and you've got a guy mowing his lawn and gone fishing. >> who has lost his mind and has too much time of their hands. appreciate it. rebecca stevenson is back with more on the bitter cold weather, and then it is "real money" with ali velshi on the top of the hour. >> coming up on "real money," the fracking boom means more u.s. oil and gas and more jobs, but america's infrastructure is showing some dangerous signs of strain. i'll explain. plus, a top conservative economist argues against extending benefit for the lorning-term unemploy and a look at retailing and what the brave, new topic means for you. all that and more on "real money."

>> and now a techknow minute...

bitter, bitter, bitter. a dangerous cold forcing people to stay inside in much of the country right now. we need to get the latest on this arctic blast. rebecca, what is that behind you? >> temperatures right now are -- it's terrible to be outside. in canada down into the dakotas

down into illinois and even into indiana. yes, we've got warnings to just stay inside for indiana, even over into ohio. temperatures here, it's not just the cold temperatures that are well below zero that's the problem, it's adding in the gusty winds, which takes your windchill so far below zero it only takes about five minutes in some places near canada to have that wind just remove all the heat from your body. that's a problem. as we look at the temperature change here, you can see we had a 35-degree drop for new orleans so far in the last 24 hours. that cold air coming in, we're pretty soon going to talk about the orange crop for florida as temperatures now have dropped down into the teens for some spots in the southeast. our low temperatures whim go into the single digits in places around tennessee. now it is 14 degrees below zero for fargo and temperatures continue to drop.

this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories, arctic freeze taking ahold of most of the country right now. making it feel in some places like 50 to 60 below. folks are being encouraged to stay inside or go to a shelter if they need help. the senate is back to work, they confirmed janet yellen as the next head of the feds. the u.s. supreme court has put a temporary stop to same-sex