on the hour only on al jazeera america millions of americans are shivering through a historic cold snap. the mercury plunging into negative numbers across dozens of states. iraq e-army and al-qaeda-linked fighters could have a show down in fallujah and giving help to iraq including drones and help fire missiles. from legal bliss to limbo, same sex marriage is on hold in utah. and cambodia marks the 35th anniversary of victory day when forces toppled the ruthless regime. ♪

good morning and welcome to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy. the deep freeze spreading across the country is now impacting 187 million americans in 26 states. many places are experiencing record-low temperatures usually found in the north and south poles and the monday temperature was minus 37 in minnesota. records for the day were set in chicago where it was 16 below. and tulsa, oklahoma where it was minus two. all of the temperatures don't take the biting wind into account which makes it feel even worse. we have live team coverage of the dangerous cold weather and erica is in new york which dropped 40 degrees over the last 24 hours but we begin with tonya mosley in detroit where right now it's 13 below 0 and she is outside. good morning, tonya. >> good morning, it's hard to describe what sub zero

temperatures feel like. the only word i can think of is painful. as i was heading out this morning, i tried to open the front door and it was frozen and once i got outside it wasn't much better. that is what i dealt with on the roads, a sheet of ice. and it seems the people all across the country are dealing with the same issue. this morning parts of every state in the continental u.s. will be hit with sub freezing temperatures. this is no ordinary winter storm. this is a brutal biting and potentially deadly arctic blast. >> i never felt this cold before out here. >> 6 or 7 shirts and two jackets and two or three pairs of pants. >> reporter: the impact from a cold system calling a polar vortex brings wind chills and breaking records. >> the temperature kept dropping in the house and my son was very concerned. >> reporter: public officials

around the country are urging people to stay in doors especially in the midwest and minnesota they suffer from the coldest air in nearly two decades and life threatening wind chills and 50 below shut down schools and businesses across the state and indiana an elderly woman was found dead outside in the bitter cold and police think she was trying to clear a path in the snow. indianapolis ordered all cars off the road except for emergencies. governor mike declared a state of emergency in at least 27 counties. driving conditions are also treacherous with reports of hundreds of crashes and blaming the called for at least 11 auto-related deaths. >> it's not only the cold weather but the combination of black ice and drifting on our roads makes things very, very dangerous. >> reporter: in chicago residents have a new nickname for the windy city, chi-buria. they set a new record on monday,

minus 16 with a wind chill of minus 41. and the southern states are shivering and mississippi with sub 0 and parts of georgia are covered in snow and enenveloping the northeast and cuomo has declared emergencies including buffalo. there is a blizzard wednesday morning and the first time since 1993 that happened. winds are expected to gust up words of 60 miles per hour which could drop visibility down to near zero. >> look for you later on tonight and stay warm. >> reporter: and this weather is particularly difficult for the homeless. this couple was found living next to the mississippi river in minus 24 degree weather. and schools are closed for a second day here in detroit as well as many municipalities.

just to give you a sense, when we hit sub zero temperatures you cannot clear the ice with sand or with any type of other clear of salt which many people use. you have to use brian. brine and many places don't have that, only airports and they are asking folks if you don't need to be out, don't be out. stay in. stay warm. stay safe. back to you. >> that makes a lot of sense today. tonya mosley reporting for us from a frozen detroit and it's taking a toll on air travelers as well and the boards are filling with cancellations and erica what is the scene there? >> this place is hustling and bustling and many of which are filled with people who are stranded, many here overnight, waiting so long just to try to get yet another flight and

people have cancellation after cancellation and no air mrien is spared from united to american to jetblue, nearly 4,000 flights cancelled nationwide and that was just yesterday. thousands of flights cancelled and ticket counters and hubs are crowded even in the wee hours and the same for waiting hours, packed with people trying to catch some shut eye any way they can. >> exhausted. >> reporter: some exhausted traversers got lucky and getting a cot on the second floor. >> that was a nice thing and i was sleeping on the seat last night and the guy said we have some cots up stairs so we ran. it was really nice. >> reporter: the rows of cots are a welcome sight for sore eyes because many passengers have been stuck for days with no wear to sleep like brian from virginia and [from vacation and going to d.c. and has had four

flights cancelled. >> they flight got cancelled and brought me here and could catch it at 5:00 and that got cancelled and another one i was looking at late last night and nothing was happening so i'm hoping to get out of here this morning sometime. >> reporter: he wants to get home to toronto after to long days in new york city. >> i hope it will not cancel because they were all cancelled yesterday. >> reporter: one airline jetblue having such a hard time it had to cancel all flights in and out of new york, new jersey and boston and said they will try to get some flights gradually backup and running by 10:00 this morning with a hope that by 3:00 this afternoon they would be fully operational. >> they are dealing with a backlog thereand erica reporting from laguardia air part and faa is not reporting any delays because of the weather, taking a look at the flight tracker,

plane finder.net and 800 flights over the u.s. how far is the cold weather spreading? let's bring in metrologist nicole mitchell for the complete picture and good morning. >> good morning. the cold air covered almost the entire country and well to the south. we talked about it yesterday. we had the polar vortex and much colder than we usually see and have not seen in years. now this started to move across the country all of that has spread both eastward and southward as the front has moved through and that is what we have been watching through the case today. the temperature change, we were just talking about this with erica but new york over 40 degrees since yesterday at this time. philadelphia, remember the warm air that came in the northeast and philadelphia made it in the 60s yesterday morning and with the temperatures dropping over 50 degree temperature change from what you stepped out

yesterday and versus what you step out to this morning you really feel that heading out the door. it has spread to the south and already starting to set record-low temperatures this morning and a few of these, the savannah and jackson are ties and atlanta all the way to birmingham and mobile and charlotte and places already setting records and the temperatures are still dropping this morning and are not the final records for the day but some of these records go back in the 1800s is how cold the air has been as it has moved across the region. some other temperatures across the region. and into orlando 49 versus miami 70 so that air has moved southward and southern parts of florida set record highs yesterday, that is not the case as we get in the rest of the day today. then with all of that, with the high pressure in place it's allowing a set up for a little bit of moisture into portions of florida. with the winds coming across the great lakes heavy snow. we will see that in places like buffalo and they have a blizzard

warning in effect because of the combination of wind and snow reducing visibility and a system in the northwest and we will have more on that and a close look at the temperatures coming up, stephanie. >> reporter: we will continue to follow the weather and we have other news to tell you about, a deadly blast at a police station in iraq this morning. a suicide bomber ramp his truck in the building and two people were killed and another 37 wounded. the explosion was so powerful it shook nearby buildings. the iraqi army is now preparing for a major offensive in the city of fallujah and reenforcements enter anbar province getting ready for a battle that could be launched within days and last week al-qaeda-linked fighters took over the sunni city and neighbors and says the prime minister is urging residents to drive out militants and avoid further blood shed. >> fighters prepare by

progovernment sunni tribes with guns and rockets they say they are ready to face any challenge. elsewhere in the city are the effects of a shelling campaign, the fighters say was carried out by iraq army forces but it's prepared for the attack and troops circled the city and supported by local tribes led by this man. >> translator: trying to bring the battle two cities of fallujah because there is no security there and know they will be thoroughly defeated in the desert. >> reporter: no time scale for the attack but all the indications that it could welcome soon. but how did we get to this stage? for much of 2013 sunni tribes in anbar province protested and big demand is release of sunni prisoners and the prime minister took notice of grievances and tried pushing through a series of reforms but blocked by sierra

and sunni parties and this was by the sunni tribes. the isil was formed taking advantage of the political power vacuum and waging a bloody campaign across the country and it had safe havens across the iraq border and plays on sheer domination. the anbar tribes unofficially accepted their presence and last month fighters killed over 20 iraqi soldiers and by then nouri al-maliki had enough and sent the army in and tribal rivalries camp to the fore and encouraging the fighters to take on isil by themselves. will they have peace in the region? per laps not and they have been squeezed and disappeared and regrouped in other areas. i'm with al jazeera. >> reporter: now the obama administration is taking heat from some high-profile republicans including senator john mccain who blamed the u.s. troop withdraw for the

escalating violence in iraq but white house spokesman jay carney is pushing back. >> there was sectarian conflict, violence sectarian 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. >> reporter: u.s. speeding up arm shipments to iraq and includes 58 surveillance drones and help fire missiles and the pentagon said they can wipe out save havens in western iraq. a resent cbs news poll asked americans if they thought removing hussein from power was worth the life and cost of attacking iraq and 36% say worth it, 4% believe it was not worth the effort and 14% unsure.

opposition groups in syria are starting to fight each other, rebel on rebel clashes moves to the largest city in syria, rocka and controlled by the al-qaeda-linked group in anbar, iraq and say isil is too extreme and accused of torturing and holding public executions and estimate about 100 fighters on both sides have been killed since friday. and that same group with ties to al-qaeda is a common foe for the u.s. and iran, both the u.s. and iran are sending military aid to the iraqi government and both countries said they will not put boots on the ground and u.s. secretary of state called the isil the most dangerous players in that region. the nation's highest court stepping into the battle over same sex marriage in utah, why gay unions are now on hold there. [chanting] fighting for their rights, african migrants living in

israel say they will not keep quiet any more and avoiding hypothermia and how to protect yourself in the cold. the title game was in sunny pasadena, california last night and i'm jessica and will have highlights for what some are calling the game of the ages later on in sports. >> reporter: it's not pasadena, california here, looking live at the time and temperature in new york city where the wind is blowing and it's very cold out there. ♪

♪ good morning and welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm stephanie sy. just ahead the soup court ruling that put same sex marriages on hold in utah but first let's get a look at what temperatures we will see across the nation today and metrologist nicole mitchell is back. >> we are almost embarrassed to talk about temperatures like these, it's not our fault i swear. in the midwest we see a little improvement and minus 13 for minneapolis, that is improvement based on what we saw yesterday. but it's the east coast and the south so we definitely started to see some changes. now, really where we have seen

improvement minneapolis and feels like temperature and wind chill impacts your skin minus 21, bitterly cold and better than yesterday where we had those wind chills in the negative 40s and 50s. in fact, the temperatures have been nudging up a couple degrees overnight. over all today it's going to slowly improve. where it has gone down hill not only is the cold air moved in but wind gusts in the 20s and 30s made temperatures in some cases in the single digits in the northeast feel like minus 22 both philadelphia and new york minus 48 in toronto and brutally cold and temperatures in the south today well below average. back to you. >> reporter: thank you. a new era has begun in boston and they have a new mayor, marty walch is vowing to cut the violent crime rates and improve the school system and the former state representative said he wants to create a more transparent government. >> we are in this together,

every neighborhood. we are in this together, every race and religion. we are in this together, every man, woman and child. for our seniors and our students for rich and poor and for everyone in between. we will expand opportunities so it reaches every person in every corner of our city. >> reporter: and he replaces thomas who took office back in 1993. he was elected five times and was the city's longest-serving mayor. a federal judge ruled chicago cannot ban the sale of firearm ls. the ruling states that the city's law is unconstitutional and goes too far in limiting federal rites to gun ownership. chicago currently prohibits the sale of handguns and gifting of weapons among family members within city limits and allowing the ban on assault weapons to stay in place and last year chicago had more homicides than any other city in the u.s. the supreme court has stepped into utah's same sex marriage

fight and couple also not be able to wednesday in the state and we get you up to speed in the legal growing battle. >> reporter: ceremony and celebrations in utah are on hold. on monday at the united states supreme court the justices without comment issued a stay on same sex marriages in the state while the litigation winds it's way through appellate courts. >> going forward i can say that we feel we are on solid ground because the stay is in place. >> reporter: fearly 9 ll ll ll 900 have been married since the ban was unconstitutional and state officials appealed and argued it would be difficult to unwind the marriages at the end of judicial process if the supreme court did not grant the item tarry stay now. >> by issuing a stay hundreds of people in a state of legal limbo and confusion about marriages with the stay, everybody holds on, we wait until the legal

process resolves itself. >> reporter: last spring the supreme court ruled on the federal defensive act and doma denying the benefits to same sex couples was unconstitutional and a lower court ruling up holding gay marriage in california but the high court made that decision on procedural grounds and legal experts predicted the narrow ruling would say the issues by state bands would eventually return to the supreme court. there was no indication today that the justices are eager to jump into the issues again but they are clearly not ready for same sex couples to take the plunge in utah until the litigation over the ban in that state is over. david with al jazeera. >> reporter: utah was the 18th state to allow gay couples to wed including california and hawaii and not sure if the marriages taken place are valid

in utah. jahigh was moved but in bad shape after tonsil surgery and a lawyer for the family said she arrived at a new facility where her family can take better care of her and not saying where the facility is located and says the 13-year-old is not doing good because of poor nutrition during her hospital stay and the mother is fighting to keep her on life support even though do doctors said she was brain dead last month. 4,000 people sued the league for repeated blows to the head and proposed how to split up the money. the big payment also go to players younger than 45 because they would need the most care. individual awards will depend how long the player spent in the league. the federal judge has to still

approve of the plan. this is how the 750 million will be divided, awards could reach $5 million each for athletes with lou gehrig and one caused by brain trauma and $3 million for those suffering dementia and the national title game lived up to the hype last night and jessica taft is here with more on that one. >> it was a blowout and woke up and it was not and it ran deep and a team of, destiny and taking on undefeated florida team and by the quash -- quarterback and winston came up with the plays late in the game to pasadena where tigers had a 14-3 lead in the second and kept their foot on the gas. nick marshall hanging on and scored for four yards out and 21-3 lead and seminals get it

going in the fourth and whitfield went end zone to end zone and return and the seminals' crowd goes nuts as they take the lead, 27-24 and less than 2 minutes to go trey mason, he will bounce this one right off the right side, take it 37 yards for his second touchdown of the game. auburn back on top, 31-27 with 17 seconds less and calvin benjamin and had 21 in the fourth and florida state is your national champion and we have more from the rose bowl. >> florida state is california dreaming because they rallied back from 18 points in the second quarter and thanks winston who celebrated the birthday with to touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and the winner with 13 seconds left and florida beats auburn 34-31.

>> i'm so excited for our guys, man. it's not really about me. it's about them. i mean, all i can say now is we are champions and that is me and my birthday and i can care less about that, man. but the heisman if i didn't have him i wouldn't be in the predicament any way but the championship means a lot to me. >> and it effects everybody on the team with attitudes and abouts and make everybody better and a group that will be remembered in my heart i promise. >> the 16th and final bcs goes to florida state and goes to the championship since the 1999 team and goes to a four-team playoff, in pasadena, california i'm with al jazeera. >> reporter: what a way to go out. the seminals breaking the sec drought and that was last night's bcs title game and last one for them before it's replaced for by a four-team

system and next year is decided by a 13-person committee and choose the four teams and members are rice and former ole-miss quarterback and head coach tom osborne and more on how the system will playoff barry olvariz who is part of the committee and sports explain. >> we are ushering in a new era and it will be a little more fair and i think we will see a lot more teams have opportunities to play for a national championship. and people have been clambering for a playoff for a long time. so i'm interested to see how a playoff works out and how we organize the top four teams to get there. >> yeah, i think we will have a truer champion with four teams. getting more people involved, i think you have a truer champion so i am a proponent of that. i wouldn't want to see it go any further and wouldn't want the

season to elongate any more but i'm very pleased the way it is. >> reporter: and let's look at sports and winston and gets the heisman and the championship on his birthday. >> jessica taft thank you. the bitter cold is leading to dangerous conditions across the country. what you should know about the causes of hypothermia and frost bite and how to stay safe in sub zero temperatures and cease fire talks begin between sudan and opposition fighters and oil pipelines are playing a role in the negotiations. danger on the rails, transporting oil by tankers could be dangerous and what is being done to change that. the sun is starting to peek out over the new york city skyline and it's 6 degrees here. ♪

>> 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 al jazeera america. a blanket of cold air is over the entire nation this morning and metrologists call it a polar vortex from the north pole and most call it brutally cold and tracey potts has more on how people are coping with the temperatures. >> reporter: it's warmer in minneapolis this morning, 33 below zero with the wind chill. minnesota has some of the coldest temperatures in the nation today. the midwest frost comes on top of record snow that closed indiana's major inner states and several counties there are in a state of emergency and milwaukee and crews are in it trying to keep the lights on. >> do your job, that is what we are there for. >> reporter: the polar vortex dipped in the deep south causing power outages in dallas. >> get it back on. 12 1/2 hours. >> reporter: and snow in georgia. >> i've been out here sweeping

and just kind of cleaning some of this off of my car. >> that is pretty funny to see people here all bundled up. >> reporter: sheltered opened in atlanta. >> there is no way to survive in a tent with this kind of cold weather. >> if you had to sit in a chair with a blanket you are out of the elements and stay warm. >> reporter: almost 2000 cancellations already today, levi has been stuck in denver's airport for three days. >> stay up all night, 24/7 and wait and hope i get out of here and hasn't happened yet. >> reporter: jetblue is hoping to get in the air after shutting down completely in new york and boston and all over the u.s. it feels like mother nature left the refrigerator door open. this kind of cold is not just making life inconvenient for millions of americans, it's also presenting hypothermia and frost

bite and we have a person to talk with us about how to stay safe in this cold. and thanks for being with us this morning, first of all what is hypothermia and how can you tell if you are getting it? >> it's technically what happens when the core body temperatures drops below 95 degrees. now, what happens is as a person is exposed to direct cold, either directly from things like cold water or the ground, or from exposed extremities like hands or feet and exposed skin on the face and neck the core body temperature starts to drop. as that happens one can develop hypothermia. >> reporter: does this lead to frost bite and does one happen before the other? >> frost bite is different than hypothermia and hypothermia is core body temperature and frost bite is direct exposure to cold like extremities and skin and you have death of cells and death of the tissues in the hands, feet or skin on the face

or legs. >> reporter: there is a bit of overlap in the sense you should stay covered is the best protection. let's talk about protection against hypothermia if you are someone who has to go in the cold today. >> reporter: protect yourself from hypothermia or frost bite is cover up and people can wear warm boots. >> reporter: what kind of boots should you wear? >> the types of boots we are looking for are not only warm and layered but waterproof because as people walk in the snow and move from cold air to hot air environment. >> not the fashion boots but plastic boots and gloves and hats, does it matter? >> gloves trap a pocket of air that heats up allowing the air to protect the fingers. >> reporter: we lose a lot of head through our head, is that true? >> not exactly. the army field manual itself published about 45% of the body's heat is lost through the head and hazard we have done more experiments that is

propositional to the rest of the body and it's important to cover up the head and face it's not as important as maybe your mom told you. >> reporter: in the temperatures you should cover up the face too if you are out there more than five minutes i would say. >> reporter: frost bite is direct exposure to cold and important to protect the skin on the face and it's disfingering on the nose or ears and keep it covered if you are out for 5, 10, 15 minutes. >> reporter: let's talk about what happens to your body if you have hypothermia, can it effect your heart? >> absolutely. the body tries to compensate for the cold temperature by increasing metabolism and the heart starts beating a lot harder and when that happens with people predisposed to cardiovascular disease you can see a heart attack. >> what are other things that happen with hypothermia. >> as the heart beats harder and hearter and the lungs compensate

for that and start to breathe a lot harder. and you see there might be changes in the body as the blood starts to cool down, some of the cells in particular those in the nerves don't work as well. so what you might see is loss of coordination. the first sign of hypothermia and doesn't mean somebody will have it is shivering, that is the body's response to being intensely cold and starts to metabolize on its own. >> reporter: are there mental symptoms you start to see after a while? >> they are dangerous and the brain is one of the most finally tuned organs in the body and what it will do is it has a very narrow range of temperature which it can metabolize effectively. as it starts to cool down, the cells just don't work as well and so you start to see things like confusion, lethargy, bad decision making and that can be one of the most dangerous consequences of hypothermia. >> reporter: do you need to be outside for hypothermia or can you be inside without enough heat? >> you don't necessarily have to

be outside particularly in the elderly and children. exposure to colder temperatures that may not be as extreme as you and i need for hypothermia and exposure to that even in doors can lead to hypothermia in 2-3 days. >> reporter: do they need to be careful with extreme heat? >> they don't have the mechanisms to deal with the cold like you and i do and so they have to be really careful and keep layers on even inside and watching for frost bite on hands and feet and exposed skin and making sure to get inside periodically. >> reporter: all right, from columbia, thanks so much, great advice. >> thanks for having me. >> reporter: have a great morning and stay warm. >> will do. >> reporter: thousands of migrants are protesting in israel for days, more than 50,000 migrants have crossed into israel since 2005. israeli officials say they are infiltrators and want to send them packing and al jazeera's nick spoke to some protesters

who say they have no where else to go. >> for the last decade after the migrants in israel said they felt voices and not willing to be silent any more. they have come from sudan legally to escape genicide and dictatorship. and he arrived from darfu two years ago and wants a secure home. >> genicide from the war and we are looking for all safe place where to save me and my life and have protection. >> reporter: and he fled dorfu six years ago and thought the country founded by refugee it could have asylum but israel refused. >> and people who suffer most and survive genicide and respect it as a human. >> reporter: today thousands protested outside the embassy by

the beach because israel is trying to run them out and laws will imprison them and put them in this facility indefinitely and they beefed up the border for future migrants whom it labels infiltrators. >> translator: i would like to emphasize these are not refugees but people who are breaking the law and whom we will deal with to the fullest ex tents of the law. >> reporter: objection to migrants are not about legal status but some are because they are not jewish. >> they want it to be all citizens country and we want to protect our jewish nation. >> reporter: in the middle is the u.n., today the head of the refugee agency listened patiently and promised to push israel to live up to a 60-year-old treaty that requires all countries to consider asylum applications. >> it's time to really revisit some of the policies in the past because what we would like to see is that israel lives up to

the spirit of the 1951 convention. >> reporter: he tried to have convertroversy and live here inl aviv and work hard. >> not aware you will use it for innocent people whom they come in your home asking to save them. immigrant advocacy group say tax on migrants are increasing and he said he felt that personally. >> in the street, at work, in the public transportation, people raise this and say you are black. >> reporter: so they hope the three-day strike pressures israel to change its policies because they have no where else to go. >> everybody who left sudan and come to israel, if you go back so what shall we do, what shall we do? really we are stateless. >> reporter: they may feel stateless but no longer silenced

any more, tel aviv. >> reporter: the demonstrations will not help. he is determined to expel everyone who migrated there before they closed the border. in south sudan there is a new effort underway to stop the fighting and peace talks kicked off in ethiopia between rebel fighters and government including negotiations for a cease fire. the diplomatic effort end three weeks of fighting which brings the country to civil war and we are at the capitol of south sudan duba and tell us more about the cease fire deal that is being proposed. >> well, two sides are currently meeting in the capitol of ethiopia and the main issues are find a way to stop violence and of course to talk about the fate of the political detainees and that is where the sticking point is and government officials are not pro paired to release critical detainees because they are accused of having a coup.

now the former vice president said they are all false allegations and the people are victimized and said any talks to move forward detainees need to be released and they are in duba meeting with the president and discussing this very issue and we could know about the fate of detainees, will they be released or remain in police custody, stephanie. >> reporter: caught in the middle is south sudan's oil pipelines and how is that playing a part in the peace talks? >> and i think in terms of the talks directly behind the scenes it definitely is. the president of sudan bashir was here yesterday and the key issue is they discussed is the issue of oil and there is a joint force to protect the oil fields and both countries rely on the pipelines and oil flows

to keep functioning and not just oil humanitarian and worried and stretched and barely managing to cope and the camps are full and stretched to capacity and need to open new camps but where do they do that? water sanitation, food for the people, protection for civilians trying to turn away from the particular crisis and civilians are leaving the country and going to ethiopia and sudan and kenya and putting pressure on and hope the talks in ethiopia bear fruit because more people will be displaced. >> reporter: more at stake in the nation and we are reporting from south sudan and thanks. to business news this morning samsung mobile device business is under pressure, they expect quarterly earnings to fall for if first time in two years as

sales slow and sees profits in 2013 falling 6% to $7.5 billion and has the weakest growth since it started making them in 2007 and apple will challenge the dominance in the chinese market when it makes the iphones available on january 17 via china mobile and samsung kicking it off in las vegas with curved screen tv and the 105" ultra high definition tv set. the maker is hoping by quadrupling they will be interested in up grading their hd-tvs and janet yellen made history and the first chairman of the federal reserve and begins the firm on february 1 replacing ben bernanke and vice chairman of the feds since 2010 and her big test is over seeing the end of the bank buying program and boosting the economy. the next policy meeting is later

this month annual street will open higher after starting this week in the minus column and they are posting gains at this hour, the dow is 16425, s&p is 1826, nasdaq is 4113. in asia markets ending the day mostly higher but japan fell fore the second day in a row. european markets are higher after germany unemployment fell, the most in two years. u.s. has been working to be less dependent on foreign oil, one of the pitfalls of using domestic oil is transporting it from place to place and many people don't want new pipelines in their backyard and as we report means pushing oil on rail cars and is stressing the nation's aging system. >> this jumped 44% in the summer months of 2013 compared to a year earlier according to the association of american

railroads. the u.s. rail ways transport 10% of the crude oil out put or 800,000 barrels per day and the extra traffic has increased the likelihood of rail accidents in both the u.s. and canada. in july a 74-car freight train derailed and the explosion killed almost 50 people and destroy stroyed 30 buildings and luckily no one suffered injuries here but 11 cars burns to a crisp and in late december a 110-freight train in north dakota transporting oil back derailed near the town of castletown and caused a fireball and caused people to be evacuated from homes. the oil by rail has overwhelmed

smaller branch lines which are not as well maintained as main rail lines and tankers used to transport the oil is aging, with thin metal skins that pierce easily during derailment and oil by rail is not only more hazardous to the public, it's more expensive than pipelines on a price per barrel basis. with the appetite for pipelines in question, that extra oil has to be moved somehow and rail is picking up the slack. >> reporter: that was real money's allie and they are carrying more than 2009, cambodians mark victory day and 35 years since the end of the violent rouge. ♪ how the young and old view the current state of the country differently. and it's not just the cold we are dealing with this morning, lake effect snow including a blizzard warning, i'll have your forecast coming up. ♪

♪ welcome back to al jazeera

america. just ahead cambodians mark 35 years since the fall of pole pot in the rouge but let's see where the snow and rain may fall around the country and nicole mitchell is here. >> we have it coming down and the arctic air left us a couple lingering side effects out here, one is the areas of lake effect and buffalo under the blizzard warning for gusty winds and heavy snow and places come get 3 feet what we had yesterday combined with today and tonight and the wind driving that around, making it very difficult to see so you can see this and then the rest of the region of course the rest of those are the wind chill and cold weather warnings but the front is lingering through parts of florida and temperatures dropping too this morning. we have a couple isolated rain showers and not too much but making the cold air feel colder if you get the cold rain with it. to the northwest and another system pushing in and we are

starting to see more rain today in seattle and will thicken up in the day tomorrow with more moisture coming in this region. the cold air is a big story and more on that in a few minutes and back to you. >> reporter: cambodia is defending the crack down on antigovernment protesters and striking garment workers on the same day the country remembers one of the darkest periods in history and scott is in the cambodia capitol where victory day celebrations marked the 35th anniversary of victory against the communist regime. >> reporter: ruling parties celebration for what it calls victory day, the 35th anniversary and first time we heard from a high-ranking official addressing what is happening over the last several days and including a violent crack down on striking workers on friday that killed several people and then also a crack down on opposition supporters, opposition party supporters clearing out a park where they were staging a big protest that was supposed to take place on

sunday. he said referring to not the opposition party but other certain political forces out there that they are working to deceive the public here in cambodia and disrupt public safety and spreading propaganda and speaking about the opposition party he said that they are disrespecting laws saying that these demonstrations have been illegal and that is why the government cracked down on them. also, accused the opposition party of defaming elected officials and they the opposition party are calling for new elections and saying the elections back in july were legitimate. the high-ranking government official said they will continue a dialog with opposition party continuing negotiations and trying to get the two sides to come closer on middle ground and opposition party as of friday when the violence took place out by the garment factories called off negotiation until the government stops violence against striking workers and opposition party supporters planning to go out on the

streets. >> reporter: scott hidler from cambodia and thousands of garment workers return to work today ending a two-week pay dispute. chinese are stepping up efforts to stop the illegal ivory trade. it's the center of china's ivory market and they set up a display of more than 6 tons of ivory tusks and statutes and crushed them and it's worth $1,000 a pound on the black market and animal activists say 35,000 elephants were killed last year by ivory porchers and to months ago the u.s. had a display d destroying it. a self proclaimed socialist is a counsel member and the first for the city and she attended the swearing in ceremony. >> moving in day and getting things in place for her next phase of political activism,

this time inside government. >> we have one computer up. we will sync with your calendar soon. >> good. >> reporter: she is a community college economics teacher who calls capitalism a dirty word. >> the american dream is dead so, in fact, what we are witnessing here is a part of a historic change in american politics where people are starting to speak up and demand an alternative. >> reporter: the socialist alternative party member beat an incumbent for one of nine council seats and the beginning of something bigger she says. >> waves of change and this is only the first wave of the storm you are going to see where people are starting to reject business as usual and demanding a change. >> reporter: she called on boeing workers to cease the factors if they ship jobs out of state, supported nationwide fast-food workers protests and strikes and made a city wide $15 minimum wage a major campaign issue. >> the city is capable given the wealth and productivity and

advancement to fight our rights. >> reporter: supporting public transport and expanding affordable housing. >> life is unlivable because wages are too low and rent is too high. >> reporter: it has press coverage around the country and she was named one of the year's top political heros with pope francis. on her first day in city hall a documentary film crew shadows her steps. she sounds more focused on broader social issues than filling pot holes or playing city politics. >> the question is not whether i can work with the city council, the question is can the city government recognize there is something enormously different happening this year with a socialist, an out and open socialist being elected to city council with a mandate of nearly 100,000 votes. >> reporter: what she calls a mandate was a narrow 1 1/2 percent points win and barely

out of 183,000 cast and a slim margin critics note. >> to say this is some kind of tidle wave is ridiculous and they can afford the luxury of a socialist councilman. >> and michael based in seattle says the $15 minimum wage might just pass but doubts any one can force major social change. >> when cities are in economic trouble they don't turn to crazy academic leftists like this person. >> reporter: meanwhile the new council member is not afraid to proclaim the socialist revolution is here and doesn't hesitate to talk about classic american political rhetoric to tell her story. >> we have to do this. >> reporter: we are reporting from seattle and monday was a historic first in seattle politics and ed murray was sworn

in as the city's first openly gay mayor. an iowa high school science teacher did a fast-food experience and ate mcdonald's for three months and lost weight, 37 pounds and he had the students choose meals based on nutrition and ate less than 2000 calories a day and started walking everyday and wanted to prove if you count calories you can lose weight no matter what you eat and he was inspired by the film super size me and we are joined with a look at what we are following the in the next hour. >> dangerously cold weather is spreading across the united states at or near record temperature have closed schools in states and cancelled flights. they say alaska die fighters took control of the city in neighboring areas last week. talks are underway in south sudan and rebels fighting for control of the country. they are trying to come to a cease fire agreement.

in the next hour we are joined by the former head of the u.n. al-qaeda and taliban monitoring team to talk about how vulnerable iraq's government is now and if the withdraw of u.s. troops played a role in the violence. returning to fukushima and the struggles families face if they decide to go back to the site of a nuclear disaster. >> reporter: i'm nicole mitchell and this arctic out break has records shattering this morning, i'll have the frigid forecast. >> reporter: and al jazeera continues and thomas and i are back with you in just 2 1/2 minutes. ♪

>> millions of americans are shivering through a historic cold snap, the mercury plunging into negative numbers across dozens of states. >> a showdown in if a luge. >> as the u.s. accelerates help to iraq, including drones and missiles. >> i started thinking that this is it, i'm done for. >> returning to the fukushima disaster, aljazeera's exclusive look at the areas surrounding the nuclear facility, and efforts to bring a ghost down back to life. >> how california has become a top that producer of caviar.

>> good morning, welcome to aljazeera america. >> good to have you with us. let's talk about the big chill, dangerous out there. more record low temperatures are expected to impact 187 million americans today as the deep freeze continues to spread across the country. >> many places are battling frigid elements usually found in the north and south poles, but this polar voluntary tex is gripping the united states and nowhere saw lower temperatures than minnesota, the thermometer a bone chilling minus 37. >> not even the south is immune from the winter blast. from oklahoma to georgia, freeze conditions threatens crops and livestock, but all of those temperatures don't take the biting wind into account, which makes it feel even worse. >> we've got live team coverage

of the dangerously cold weather. erika is in new york city. >> but we begin with tanya in detroit, where write now, it is 13 degrees below zero. have you ever experienced anything quite like this? >> well, tom, i've never experienced anything like this, and i was born and raised here. detroiters under 40 have neve experienced temperatures this low. it can take less than five minutes to suffer from frostbite on exposed skin and it's dangerous on the roadways, too. here behind me, you can see all of this ice on the roadways, it blankets all of the streets in detroit and it's the same story throughout the country. >> this morning, parts of every tate in the continental u.s. will be hit with sub freezing temperatures. this is no ordinary winter storm, this is a brutal biting and potentially deadly arctic blast. >> i never felt it this cold before out here.

it's freezing. >> six or seven thirst, two jackets, and two or three pairs of pants. >> the impact from a cold weather system called a polar vortex brings below zero wind chills, breaking records. >> the temperature kept dropping in the house, and my son was very concerned. >> public officials around the councountry are urging people to stay indoors especially in the midwest in minnesota, life threatening wind chills more than 50 below zero shut down schools and businesses. in indiana, an elderly woman was found dead in the bitter cold outside. police think she was trying to clear a path in the snow. indianapolis ordered all cars off the road except for emergencies, governor mike pence declared a state of emergency in at least 27 counties. >> driving conditions are also treacherous with reports of hundred was crashes.

authorities blame the cold for at least 11 auto related deaths. >> it's not only the cold weather, but the combination of black ice and drifting on our roads makes things very, very dangerous. >> in chicago, residents have a that nickname for the window city, chiberia. the city had a wind chill of minus 41. even the southern states, mississippi has had 60 straight hours of sub freezing temperatures. that parts of georgia are now covered in snow. now, this winter blast is enveloping the northeast. new york governor andrew cuomo declared a state of emergency in 14 counties, including normally winter ready buffalo. the city is now under a blizzard warning through wednesday morning. it's the first time since 1993 that's happened. winds are expected to bust upwards of 60 miles per hour, which could drop visibility down

to near zero. >> we'll look for you later on tonight, ok? >> ok, then. >> all right, eddie, stay warm. >> ok. >> this weather is particularly difficult for the homeless. this couple was found living next to the mississippi river in minus 24-degree weather. >> hospitals in the area are bracing for patients coming in with frost buy and hypothermia. as you can see, it's hard for me to talk in this weather. it is cold. we also want to let you know that several schools are closed for the second day in a row because of this weather. in some counties outside of detroit, they are using brian to clear the roadways, salt just won't the do. officials are saying if you can, please stay indoors today. back to you. >> minus 13, it is just too dangerous. don't to have tell you to try to stay warm. tanya reporting from detroit. >> amazing she's not shivering. the deep freeze is taking its toll on air travelers.

erika is at laguardia airport. are the boards filled with cancellations? what's happening this morning? >> absolutely. good morning, the airport is packed, and pretty much with people who actually spent the night here, and everyone seems to have a very similar atory, not just one flight cancellation, but a few. in fact, really no airline is spared from united to jet blue to american, nearly 4,000 flights canceled nationwide. that was just yesterday, already today, another 2,000 canceled. >> ticket counters are crowded even in the wee hours. the same goes for most waiting areas, packed with people trying to catch some shute any way they can. some exhausted travelers got lucky, landing a cot in the corridor on the second floor. >> that was a really nice thing. i was sleeping on the seats left foot night, and a guy came down and said we've got some cots

upstairs, everybody ran. it was also really nice. >> the rows of cots are a well cull sight for sore eyes, as many passengers have been stuck for days with nowhere to oh sleep. ryan back from his vacation is heading home to washington, d.c. but between j.f.k. and laguardia has hat four flights was not creeled. >> that flight was canceled, brought me here to catch a flight at 5:00 and that got canceled, as well. there was another i was looking at for late last night and nothing was happening, so i'm hoping to get out of here this morning sometime. >> indicate humphries is crossing her fingers to get home to toronto this morning after two long days in new york city. >> they were all cap creeled yesterday. >> now jet blue did something no other airline has done, in fact, it canceled all of its flights in and out of new york, new jersey and boston. it's hoping to have some of its

flights back up and running this morning and hoping to be fully operational by 3:00 this afternoon. >> passengers can't be happy about that. erika, thank you. >> there's no place like home, justify trying to get home, right? for more on these dangerously low temperatures, let's bring in nicole mitch. we need some relief here. >> i hope that's not something we're expecting soon. the larger map, we had that shot of cold air make its way across the country. i'll try to find a couple of glimmers of hope, but as the cold front that eventually moved through the east coast and through the south, we have records left and right shattering this morning up and down the east coast and especially in the southern tier of the country with the colder air coming through. as we get in play, we're seeing moisture lingering with us, be that is causing us some problems, too. look at the temperature change. you remember the east coast wasn't quite getting it, yet yesterday morning when you were stepping out the door, some

temperatures were in the 50's and 60's along the coastline, philadelphia making it into the 60's. the front came through, such dramatic cold air dropped temperatures over 50 degrees from yesterday to this morning. walking out the door, you really feel that difference. then you add the whipped into awful it, and wind gusts easily in the 30-mile per hour range, so that takes those temperatures that are in the teens and single digits and drops it to what it feels like on your skin to minus 40 this morning, in cleveland or minus 19 in montreal. that's colder wind chills than we have in some parts of the midwest right now. then with that continued skirting across the great lakes, heavy snow piling up today in places like buffalo with the wind whipping it around, making it difficult to see. the air spreads to the south. i'll talk about the cold air in the south and west in a few minutes. >> egypt muslim brotherhood has filed a complaint to the

international criminal court, asking for an investigation into deaths of hundreds of members in clashes since president mohamed morsi was deposed last year. they also accuse the military of staging a coo to remove mothers as i from power. >> one of three aljazeera journalists detained in egypt has been interrogated by state prosecutors. he has been in custody for the last 10 days without being form ally charged. two are also detained accused of spreading lies and joining a terrorist grube. aljazeera maintains the allegations are fabricated and continue to demand their immediate release. >> the iraqi army is preparing for a major offensive on near the city of fallujah for a battle that could be launched within days. al-qaeda linked fighters took control of much of fallujah and nearby areas. >> the white house is speeding

the delivery of drones and missiles to the iraqi government. the republicans are blaming the u.s. troop withdrawal in iraq for the escalation of violence there. >> as in is your jees make gains in iraq, the white house scoffed at critics who hey american military forces would make a difference in the fight for fallujah. >> there was sectarian conflict in iraq when there were 150,000 u.s. troops on the ground there. 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 president obama for leaving a counter terrorist force behind. in a statement, he said:

>> that brought to strong response from the white house. >> if members were suggesting that there should be american troops fighting and dying in fallujah today, they should say so. >> 4,486 americans died in the iraq war. a recent poll asked was removing sadaam hussein worth the cost of life. it was clear no american troops will be sent back in. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraqis. that is exactly what the president and world decided sometime ago when we left iraq, so we are not obviously contemplating returning, not contemplating putting boots on the ground. >> the u.s. is speeding arms shipments to the iraqi government including drones and hell fire missiles, the upon the gone saying they are an effective tool for wiping out

al-qaeda havens. >> if the united states and the international community leave afghanistan, the taliban have a very good chance of coming back to power. if they come back to power, president karzai's legacy in afghanistan, not to mention his personal security is at risk. is that really a danger that he's prepared to tolerate? is that really a risk he's prepared to run? >> the u.s. will be providing intelligence to iraq to 100 military based at the embassy in baghdad. >> that same group with ties to al-qaeda is a common foe to u.s. and iran. both are sending military aid to the iraqi government, but both countries have said they will not put boots on the ground. u secretary of state john kerry called the isil the most dangerous players in that

region. opposition groups in syria are now starting to fight each other. the rebel on rebel clashes moved to the largest city in eastern city, the city is controlled, again, that same al-qaeda rebel group operating in iraq also in syria. the rebel certifieders say the group known as the isil is too extreme, accused of holding public executions. 100 fighters on both sides have been killed since friday. >> a coalition of opposition groups are in turkey to discuss upcoming syrian peace talks to take place in geneva. in istanbul, the syrian national coalition is meeting to discuss whether or not they will participate in the peace conference scheduled for january 22. good morning. so what are the arguments for and against bunk part of these talks? >> >> the once who have misgives and arguments getting more and more heated by hour say they

haven't been given the assurances and guarantees both from the international community and also from the syrian government itself, who were meant to be their negotiate in partners in this meeting. they wanted to see some kind of assurance that the protocols of geneva one that talked about a ceasefire, withdrawal of military forces, those sorts of things were implemented before peace negotiations begin and also an undertaking for a transitional government to be in place, too. we're not seeing that happen ahead of geneva two on the 22nd of january and that's why their arguing over whether it is morally right and politically possible for them to go as representatives of the syrian people at all. so bad has the discussion got, difficult it has become that a block of 39 or 40 members of the syrian national coalition is in the process of resigning from the coalition rather than in

their words be railroaded into discussions they feel they can't take part in. >> so no clearances an whether they'll take part. did they make any other progress during this meeting? >> they've reelect would the new president, reconfiguring their vice president, always reconfiguring their structure. it's been an enormously difficult process getting here already. they've split and reconfigured dozens of times, fallen out and gotten back together dozens of times. the isn't the political on that pigs the people or fighters want at all, but it is the one that the world has and is at the moment the only address that anyone has to represent what the syrian political opposition voice is. >> ok. thanks for that update.

reporting from istanbul. >> turning our attention to south sudan, there's a new effort underway to top the fighting. peace talks kicked off between rebel fighters and the government, including negotiation for ceasefire. the diplomatic effort is aimed at ending three weeks of fighting which has brought the world's newest country to the brink of civil war. the president of sudan was in juba monday for talks with south sudanese president discussing combining troops to end the battle against anti-government forces. also entering the dialogue is china, the biggest investor in south sudan's oil fields. >> this morning, we learn the president of new york's metro north railroad is expected to retire. the announcement comes one month after a derailment in the bronx killed four passengers and injured dozens more. he served as the railroad's president since 2008 and worked with metro north since it started in 1983. last month's accident was the first fatal accident involving passengers in the country's

history. reports say he informed staff he will step down at end of january. >> a girl is moved to a new facility with you in bad shape. the california teen was declared brain dead after surgery. after being released from a hospital, a lawyer for the family said the girl arrived at a new facility where her family can take better care of her. he is not saying where it's located. the 13-year-old is not doing well because of poor nutrition because of her hospital stay according to the family. the mother is fighting to keep her on life support even though she was declared brain dead last month. >> the supreme court stepping into the fight over same-sex marriage again. >> what does ma teen more gay couples in utah who already tied the knot? >> janet yellen making history, what's in store for the first woman to head the federal reserve. >> $2,790,000,000,000, it's our very big number of the day, how

it plays into the cost of staying healthy in the u.s.

>> today's big number, $2,790,000,000,000, be that was the amount of national health spending in the u.s. in 2012. it's the first time in more than a decade that health care spending grew slower than the economy, according to a published report by the journal of health affairs. the news has the white house taking credit for the slowdown. president obama says the affordable care act reduced fees for hospital services and reduced inflation in national expenditures. >> you better believe they'll be dissecting that number in washington. , to aljazeera america. >> california is making headway in an industry once dominated by russia and iran, we're talking about caviar. the delicacy is helping to reel in big bucks for the state. >> first, the deep chill across the nation today. nicole mitchell is joining us

once again. good morning. >> good morning, this is record setting, this isn't just the cold weather we expect in the month of january. this has been phenomenal, new york city right now setting a record at five degrees and some of these records that we're shattering this morning go all the way back to the 1800s. that's just to tell us how cold it is. minneapolis, minus 12 is a warm up. a couple of minutes ago, thomas was can go me for good news out here. believe it or not, the midwest, this is good news, wind chills, the wind is starting to subside and some temperatures going up overnight, so a wind chill of minus 14 in minneapolis versus negative 50 yesterday, we have seen improvement out here. all of these temperatures, charlotte, best of my memorying ham, those are records this morning into the south but at least tomorrow warms up a little bit. >> the supreme court has stepped into utah's same-sex marriage fight and for now, gay couples will not be allowed to wed in

that state with a stay on marriages while an appeal winds through the appellate courts. for 17 days, utah was the 18t 18th state to allow gay couple to say we had. no decision has been made if marriages are legally valid. >> chicago cannot ban the sale of firearms. the rule states that the city allow is unconstitutional. chicago currently prohibits the sale of handguns and gifting of weapons among family members within city limits. the assault weapons ban is allowed to stay in place. last year, chicago had more hopple that sides than any other city in america. >> looking at business news, the consumer electronics show in las vegas shifts into high gear today. audi's self driving car debuted last night. even though it was a show stopper, industry watchers are eager for more details about

audis alliance with google. >> the idea a android is now part of the operating system of the vehicle, that's a huge shift, and it's going to create a lot of opportunity and potentially an entirely new economy around that development for vehicles. >> research group gatner reports that the number of smart phones and tablets shift with google's and droid operating systems will top the 1 billion mark this year. >> if you think that's impressive, get a load of this, samsung unveiling a line of t.v.'s, including a 105-inch ultra high-def things t.v. set. stephanie's going to upgrade. they hope by quadrupling the resolution, consumers will update. >> i want that t.v. quarterly earnings are expected to fall as sales of smart phones and tablets slow.

samsung is down 6% to $7.8 billion. samsung is bracing for its weakest smart phone profit growth since it started making the devices in 2017. >> the head of the national organization for women is hailing the confirmation of janet yellen as first woman to head the federal reserve. terry o'neill said she can make a difference for women trying to get to be jobs in the financial world. the senate approved her appointment yesterday. her biggest test will be overseeing the feds end to the bond buying program. >> the dow up after other major indexes finished lower. the s&p stands at 1826, the the nikkei fell for the second day in a row.

european markets are higher after unemployment fell. >> california known for movies and wine country now the golden tate has a fishy new business bringing in some big bucks. we have the scoop on the states bustling caviar industry. >> from the outside, you'd never know they're making a new kind of california gold in these buildings, but here, there's money being made in dozens of huge tanks, swarming with sturgeon. sturgeon's briany eggs are the exquisite delicacy long consumed by czars, movie stars and the queen of the caviar company. >> a lot of people don't get to say they eat carary for a living and i do. >> it is a booming business with the state's sturgeon farmers profiting from the down fall of

caspian sea caviar, russia and iran produced 70% of the caviar. >> there was rampant poaching, the money didn't support the has shery system, and so they over fished the caspian sea to the place where it's probably functionally extended. >> sturgeon have been swimming aren't on earth for 250 million years, long before the dinosaurs appeared on the planet and much longer before human gourmets developed a taste for their deelectable eggs. >> how long do they live?

>> nobody knolls how long they live. that there's no question they'll live 80-100 years, but there are some scientists that think 400 years, 500 years or beyond. >> 800 kilograms is what one weighed, as much as a volkswagen beetle. farm sturgeon are picky about the quality of their water, which must be carefully filtered, pain stainingingly purified and monitored. each tiny jar of sterling california caviar sells for about $300. here's the big question. how does it taste? >> mmm, that's very good. >> caviar lovers, bon apetit. aljazeera, california. >> california's farmed caviar

industry has taken off thanks to a freeze on exports of wild is it yourian, a move that has helped save the fish from near extinction. >> going on the attack in fallujah. >> iraqi troops are preparing for battle with al-qaeda fighters. >> the former chief will discuss the uptick in violence. >> angry at israel, the demands african images are making. >> trying to brick and end to the fraud case of an indian diplomat arrested in new york. >> the u.s. is gearing up for the fast approaching winter olympics. how one american snowboarder has overcome amazing odds looking to get back to the winner's podium in sochi.

(vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news.

>> as the chris mat carol goes, the weather outside is frightful. the bitter cold is expanding cross the u.s. >> in new york city, temperatures in the single digits with wind gustings 30 miles an hour. detroit, it feels like 30 below zero. >> the deep freeze is taking a heavy toll on air travelers, arrival boards across the country, including new york's laguardia airport are filling with cancellations. good morning, if you can say that and welcome back to aljazeera america. hopefully you're inside warm. >> it's still a good morning. we'll have much more on oh the cold in a. i, but we're keeping a close eye on iraq. an al-qaeda linked group gained a foot hold in anbar province, a hard fought area won by u.s.

troops. the u.s. is speeding arms shipment to say iraq and have the former united nations al-qaeda chief here in the studio to talk about what's going on here. >> talking about u.v. involvement. african mike against the are expected to protest government policy and demand better treatment in israel. what they are asking international leaders to do to put pressure on israeli. >> we've got apexclusive report approaching the third anniversary of the nuclear disaster in japan. we are getting a look at once populated areas that have become virtual ghost towns. >> a lot of people making difficult decisions should they stay or should they go. first a blanket of cold air is consuming the entire nation this morning. the polar voluntary tex from the north pole, but most people just call it brutally cold. how people are coping with these

frigid temperatures. >> it's warmer in minneapolis, 33 below zero with the wind chill, minnesota's got some of the coldest temperatures in the nation today. the midwest frost comes on top of record snow that closed indiana's major interstates. several counties there are in a tate of emergency. >> up milwaukee, power crews are out in it, trying to keep the lights on. >> just got to do your job. that's what we're here for. >> the arctic hurricane known as the polar very tex dimmed into the deep south, causing power outages in dallas. >> back on, 12 and a half hours. >> and snow in georgia. >> i've been out here sweeping and just kind of cleaning some of this off with my card. >> it's funny to see people down here all bundled up. >> she willers opened in atlanta. >> there's no way you can survive in a tent in this cold weather. >> even if you to have sit in a chair with a blanket, you're out

of elements and staying warm. >> almost 2,000 cancellations for flights today this have been stuck for three days. >> stay up all night 247 and wait and hope that i get out of here and it hasn't happened yet. >> jet blue is hoping to get back in the air today after shutting down completely in new york and boston. all over the sufficient, it feels like mother nature left the refrigerator door open. >> once again, that was tracy pots reporting. these record low temperatures are expecting to impact 170 million americans today. >> an american called jihad jane is sentenced to 10 years in prison, found guile of a murder plot tied to al-qaeda. she agreed to kill a swedish artist who offended muslims by painting the head of the prophet muhammed on the body of a dog.

>> the u.s. is speeding arms shipments to the iraqi government, including 58 surveillance drones and 100 hell

fire missiles. the weapons can be used to wipe out rebel safe hanks. >> for more on the response in iraq, we're joined by richard barrett. good morning, thanks for being with us. fallujah was hard fought and hard won by u.s. troops. i was reporting from iraq during that battle. what's really at take in fallujah today and an bar province. >> the integrity of iraq is at stake, because here's a battle between the sects. as a result of some improved policies, feel more engaged with the whole future of iraq. i think this will go on and

they'll be looking to sort of even possibly create such a state. >> but there are the sunni tribes and then there is this al-qaeda linked group. that's how we've been describing it. when americans hear al-qaeda, they think of 9/11, bin laden. does this group operating in iraq and syria have anything to do with the group that we knew as al-qaeda back in the 9/11 days? >> well, if you remember, the origins of al-qaeda in iraq, when you were reporting were very aware of the leader, killed in 2006. essentially transformed local frustration of what was happening in iraq into this sort of more global agenda that was presented by al-qaeda and the current isil are doing the same thing. the fight and community is local. >> the end game essentially is the same.

that doesn't mean they are taking orders from a leader like him now. >> they had a active withal doeo zawahari. >> how big some group? >> the foreign minister estimated the other day that both in syria and iraq, they had 12,000 members, so let's say half of them are in iraq. >> do they have the support of the sunnis in anbar? >> although many tribes are still fighting al qaeda there, there is sufficient sympathy for the al-qaeda, for them to be able to survive in fallujah. >> they're not happy with the central government in baghdad. you've been hearing the senate republicans talk about the u.s. troop withdrawal from iraq, which took place in 2011 and if

only we had left a contingency force of some 10,000 troops, maybe we wouldn't be seeing this sort of sectarian instability in iraq. what's your opinion on that? >> i agree with jay carney, it wasn't possible with the troops to completely eliminate al-qaeda with 10,000 troops and wouldn't necessarily know he. it's not about fighting, killing these people, it's more persuading the vast majority of sunnis not to support them and if they didn't have any support, then they would disappear. >> who can leverage sort of the political situation here, the political solution clearly needed? iran has now offered support to the iraqi government, the u.s. sending articles, where does the military solution come from? >> al-qaeda has the ability to combine all people against them, even traditional enemies, but the military have to be involved

obviously to did he say stray their arms and drive them out, but ultimately, it's a political solution. >> in lebanon, a teenager has been identified as the person responsible for a deadly car bombing last week in beirut. aljazeera got reaction from his family. >> this border town is in shock. one of their own has been identified by authorities as the bomber who blew up a car in a shia neighborhood in beirut. for people here, he was just as much a victim as those killed in the attack. >> they stole his mind and used his body. they filled him with sectarian hatred. they are telling him for example, the shia are your enemy.

er extremists. >> thursday's bombing were that claimed by the islamic state in iraq, supporters of hezbollah have been repeatly targeted in retaliation for the armed political groups decision to militarily support the syrian regime. his remains were found near the car and so was his identification card. >> how is it possible that his body was burned and not his i.d. no we have many questions concerning the operation, even the claim of responsibility was made 70 hours later. those who carry out such attacks are usually proud and immediately announce it. >> he was last seen by his family five days before the bombing. there are those who say this young man had extremists tendencies. >> his family and friends say he was not an extremist. he may have ban supporter of syria's opposition, just like the people who live in this region, but people here say that

does not mean they are ready to kill fellow lebanese over political differences. >> but five lebanese were killed in the attack. he lived just a few kilometers from syria's border. the conflict there deepened sectarian divisions here. his family does acknowledge that sectarian incitement has radicalized many lebanese. >> the situation in syria have led to a lot of lebanese being brainwashed according to the programs. >> tribal elders from this mainly sunni region have not only con determined the bombing, but say he was used in the bombing. that may be little comfort to the family of those killed. aljazeera, northeastern lebanon. >> last thursday's car bombing marked the first tile the al-qaeda linked islamic state in

iraq has claimed responsibility for an attack inside lebanon. >> thousands of migrants in israel are demanding better rights, flooding the streets of tel aviv for several days calling on israel to recognize them as reef gees. migrants have crossed in from 2005, many from sudan illegally to escape genocide and dictatorship. we are live in jerusalem speaking with the protestors. how is the government responding? >> sternly and without any ambiguity. good morning, stephanie. israel makes no secret that it wants all of these protestors, migrants out of the country, and wants to prevent any future migrants from coming in. from the israel point of view as you put it, they think these people are here illegally. they think these people here around escaping violence but

here to improve. speaking to anyone he can again and again, the prime minister doesn't give a single inch into any of their demands and does not reduce his state of desire to push all of them out. >> i want to make clear that demonstrations and strikes will be of no use. just as we've stopped illegal in filtration, we're determined. >> from the migrant point of view, this story is very different. israel is kind of like the united states was over a century ago to millions and millions of i am grants, simply the only place in the region where they feel safe, so they're here saying they're escaping violence and genocide, begging for some kind of asylum, some kind of ref fee status. that they point out israeli was

founded by refugees and should be more kind to people looking for a stay of place to stay. some say the same thing responding to israeli criticism, yes, we are taking jobs here, but we're going to leave as soon as we can. they're on a three day strike trying to get israeli to change poses, but no sign that israeli is planning on doing that. >> all right, reporting from jerusalem, thanks, nick. >> the start of the sochi limb pucks is one month away. jessica taft is here with the story of one american hopeful looking for gold. good morning again. >> good morning. we're obviously just a month away from the winter olympics and snowboarding is one event certain to grab the public's attention. ross shimabuku takes a closer look at the athlete considered the face of women's snowboarding going for gold in sochi. >> with tricks and aerial displays, snowboarding has become one of the most popular winter sports around the globe. the united team is considered

the greatest. gretchen belier is ranked third in the world. >> i have the best case scenarios and worst case scenarios, but then i have the younger girls, you know, pushing me and then hopefully i'm also an example to them. we're each other's biggest competitors, because there's four spots for the women and i would say there are seven plus girls who should be on the team representing the u.s. in the olympics. >> in the 2006 winter olympics, she hit the pinnacle of what was already a storied career winning the silver medal. in june, 2012, she overrotated kneeing herself in the face on a trampoline, make got the jury back an almost impossible one. >> i shattered my eye socket, broke my nose and got a severe concussion. it's just an amazing journey,

the things we learn along the way, the ups and downs and object steek kills and triumphs, a lot of god life lessons. >> she has persevere road and has a agree chance to get back on the podium in sochi. >> i always work hard as an athlete and if something doesn't work, i work harder. this is not the case. i kind of had to just take a step back and accept where i was, and not compare myself to where i was the year before, because it was kind of a different version of myself, and i had to just kind of start over again that. >> after winning four gold and a silver medal at the winter x games and the olympic medal, belier is considered the face of olympic snowboarding but has a different view of her standing in the sport. >> so many women have made this sport and that's another cool part of it. everyone has their strength and everyone has sort of brought snowboarding into a different light to the public and to the, you know, audience that you wouldn't have normally watched

the olympics before. that there's so many different characters, and i think that's what's appealing about snowboarding. >> ross shimabuku, aljazeera. >> we've been talking about dangerously cold temperatures, warm weather in sochi could disrupt the winter olympics. temperatures reach 63 degrees, rarely dipped under 30 and country has been stockpiling snow, making sure they will have it, covered with insulated blankets. they say there is no way they are going to run out of snow. >> how ironic is that? [ laughter ] >> thank you. >> fallout from the fukushima nuclear plant. >> efforts are underway to clean the area. >> we're going to meet some who had they're lives turned jump side down by the disaster and learn about the difficult decisions they've had to make.

>> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. >> it's been nearly three years since the fukushima nuclear disaster in japan. coming up, we'll get an exclusive look at residents living near the plant who have been faced with a very difficult question of whether to stay or go. >> first, let's get a look at where the snow and rain are falling across the u.s. today. meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. >> our big story has been the cold temperatures, so most of the oranges use that on this

northeast hazard map are wind chill advisories and warnings out there, it's so brutally cold. right next to the great lakes and areas in pink is a blizzard warning for places such as buffalo and we are going to continue to see the snow come down because the same wind making that wind chill feel so cold is cranking up the know. we additionally with the boundary of the front have a little bit of moisture in the south and more moisture pushing in from the northwest, too. back to you guys. >> nearly three years ago, an earthquake and tsunami led to the fukushima disaster. many have left because of radiation fears. the massive clean up process could take years to complete. we met with a few hold withouts, in this aljazeera exclusive. >> a life long rancher and his cattle his life, was buying supplies a the a hardware store

with the earthquake hit. >> there was a huge shaking. i rushed out into the parking lot of the store, and there, heard reports of a three-meter tsunami. i was worried about my cattle, so i rushed back here. >> that's where he first heard about the trouble at the nuclear power plant, just miles from his home. he lived close enough to see it through binocular. >> there were explosions at reactor two and four. that's when i started thinking that this is it, i'm done for. >> the multiple explosions blanketed his farm, and wide areas with radioactive particles. after seeing other farms abandoned, he simply couldn't bring himself to leave. most people heeded the

government's evacuation order and fled in waves, leaving ghost towns in their wake. we ventured into towns inside and around the exclusion zone, which remain empty today, eerily silent and frozen in time at the moment the residents fled. many expected to return once the dust settled and waters receded. instead, even long time residents have stayed away, afraid of what many call the invisible enemy that haunts the hundreds of square miles around fukushima daiichi. refugees urged to come home. >> no good comes from agonizing over the past. i justify focused on how to move the city forward into the

future. we have led evacuees know that we are doing decontamination and working to reduce their worries and anxieties. >> to reduce the radiation, all the top soil must be scraped away and eventually replaced. contaminated shrubs must be pruned, trees cut down and removed. >> the contaminated soil is dumped at hundreds of sites like this. to give you a sense of the scale of the operation, the bags here were taken from only 400 homes, but the city has plans to decontaminate 20,000 in all. >> she was living in fukushima city with her children and husband when everyone was ordered inside. >> when her husband ignored her fears and refused to leave fukushima, she filed divorce.

it's so common these days, the japanese call it nuclear divorce. >> i felt like if i stayed with him, i wouldn't be able to keep my children from harm and that's how i got here. >> here is the city, far from fukushima, from the worries of radiation. >> was it worth splitting the family? >> i don't know if it was the right choice. i don't know. but the best thing about being here is seeing my children outside playing laughing. to not worry and to be able to see them like this makes me very happy. >> this evening on america tonight, a rare glimpse at conditions of the workers in japan's decontamination industry and the criminal organizations trying to take funds from the cleanup effort. that's going to be tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern.

>> del walters is joining us with a look at what we're following this morning. >> good morning, dangerously cold weather spreading across the u.s. at or near record low temperatures have closed schools and canceled thowlses of flights. >> the iraqi army is preparing an offensive in the city of fallujah. >> fighting for the control of sudan, the two sides trying to reach a ceasefire agreement. >> del will be back with you in two and a half minutes. >> have a great morning.

>> 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

>> millions of americans shivering through an historic cold snap, negative numbers across dozens of states. >> iraq's army and al-qaeda fighters headed for a showdown in fallujah. from wedded bliss to legal limbo, the supreme court putting same-sex marriage in utah an hold. >> china's air pollution, what the country is doing about it's growing smog problem. >> good morning, and welcome to aljazeera america.

i'll del walters. that deep freeze spreading across the country affecting 187 americans in 26 states. a lot of places experiencing record low temperatures usually found in the north and south poles. monday's low temperature was minus 30 february degrees in minnesota, records for the day also being set in chicago, where it was 16 below zero. in tulsa, oklahoma, it was minus two degrees. now all of those temperatures don't even take into effect the biting wind, which makes it feel even worse. we have live team coverage of the dangerous cold weather out there. in new york city, records have been broken. in detroit, it is now 12 degrees below zero. >> so, we typically keep our refrigerators at about 40, 35 degrees, well, it's much colder than that out here. i was trying to think of a way to describe how it feels, the only word that comes to mind is painful. you can get frostbite in less

than move minutes on exposed skin and it's also very dangerous. you can see the roads here behind me, much of the roads in this area are just a sheet of ice. it's really much of the same story all throughout the country. >> this morning, parts of every state in the continental u.s. will be hit with sub freezing temperatures. this is no ordinary winter storm, this is a brutal biting and potentially deadly arctic blast. >> i never felt this cold before out here. it's freezing. >> six or seven thirst, two jackets, and two or three pairs of pants. >> the impact of a polar voluntary tex brings records. >> the temperature kept dropping in the house, and my son was very concerned. >> public officials around the country are urging people to stay indoors, especially in the midwest. in minnesota, they are suffering

from the coldest air in two decades, life threatening wind chills shut down schools and businesses across the state. in indiana, an elderly woman was found dead outside in the bitter cold. police think she was trying to clear a path in the snow. indianapolis also ordered all cars off the road, except for emergencies. governor mike pence declared a state of emergency in at least 27 counties. >> driving conditions are also treacherous with reports of hundreds of crashes. authorities blame the cold for at least 11 auto related deaths. >> it's not only the cold weather, but the combination of black ice and drifting on our roads makes things very, very dangerous. >> in chicago, residents have a new nickname for the windy city, chiberia. the city set a record, minus 16 with a wind chill of minus 41. the southern states are

shivering, mississippi had 60 straight hours of sub freezing temperatures. parts of georgia are now covered in snow. now, this winter blast is enveloping the northeast. new york governor declared a state of emergency in 14 counties, including formally winter ready buffalo. the city is now under a blizzard warning through wednesday morning. it's the first time since 1993 that's happened. winds are expected to gust upwards of 60 miles per hour, which could drop visibility down to near zero. >> we'll look for you later on tonight, ok? >> ok, then. >> all right, eddie, day warm. >> ok. >> this weather is particularly difficult for the homeless. this couple was found living next to the mississippi river in minus 24-degree weather. >> hospitals throughout this area have seen an in flux of patients suffering from frostbite and hypothermia. schools are also closed for a second straight day.

many of the outlying areas are using brian to clear roadways. that's the stuff that they use at airport to say clear the runways. salt just won't do. officials in this area are saying if you don't need to be out here, stay safe, stay warm, stay home. back to you. >> dan i can't in detroit, incredible images, thank you. >> the deep freeze taking its toll on air travel, as well. talking to travelers at new york's laguardia ain't, describe the scene for us there. >> it's certainly a bustling morning. overnight it was pretty busy, because there were so many stranded passengers having to sleep at the airport overnight, some for a couple of days. let's set the scene for you here. yesterday, about 4,000 flights canceled nationwide, today an additional 2,000 flights canceled. >> with thousands of flights

canceled, ticket counters in hubs like new york city are crowded even in the wee hours, the same goes for waiting areas, packed with people trying to sleep. that some exhausted travelers got lucky, landing a cot in the corridor on the second floor. >> that was a really nice thing. i was sleeping on the seats last night. some guy came down and said we've got cots upstairs, so everybody ran. it was also really nice. >> the rows of cots are a welcome sight for sore eyes, since many passengers have been stuck for days with nowhere to sleep. like brian heading home to washington, d.c. has had four flights canceled. >> that flight got canceled, brought me here, said i could catch a flight at 5:00 and that got canceled, as well. there was another i was looking at for late last night, and nothing was happening, so i'm hoping to get out of here this

morning sometime. >> kate is crossing her fingers to get home to toronto after two long days in new york city. >> i'm hoping this one's not canceled. they were all canceled yesterday. >> jet blue canceled all of its flights in and out of new york, new jersey, and boston. that's some 300 flights right there. now, they say that the reason is to really give their crews a rest, as well as also give some tech operators the opportunity to service some of the planes. they hope to get some flights back up and running around 10:00 this morning with the hope that by 3:00 this afternoon, jet blue will be fully operational. hopefully, that brings some good news for some of these stranded passengers, dell. >> live at new york's laguardia, thank you very much. checking the skies at this hour, the f.a.a. not reporting any delays because of the weather. take a look at flight tracker,

plane finder.net, there are more than 2,000 flights in the air. is polar vortex part of your new lexicon? >> a lot of questions over that polar vortex thing. i explained how that cold air from the arctic and the system that is set up there every once in a while can shoot that energy southward. that's what we're dealing with. now it's moving to the east coast and through the south. that has been dropping temperatures. as the low has who have had along and the boundary of the cold air moved southward, even all of florida covered in cooler temperatures, so most of the country at least felt some impact with all of this. one of the most dramatic places feeling it today versus yesterday, yesterday on the east cove, we had temperatures near the coastline that shot into the 50's and 60's with warm air ahead of the boundary, then you get the extra cold air coming in, some places like philadelphia, the temperatures when you walked out yesterday

versus walking out the door today, 50 degrees colder. you certainly feel that when you go outside, and with the winds in the 20 and 30-mile per hour range, those wind chills, sub 20 in some cases into toronto, minus 48, so it's really brutal. you want to be careful as you head outside. as we head southward, this is all wait southward and all of these cities are new record low temperatures, some of these are the coldest setting records that went back to the 1800s. it really has been brutal out here and it's going to stay on the chilly side for the rest of the day. this isn't very well insulated, so you look at pipes bursting and things that have nature. we'll have more on the temperatures, coming up. >> congress back in session after the holiday break have a full plate of things they need to get done. with a mid term election this year, that could be easier said than done. aljazeera keeping an eye on things in washington.

the senate set to vote in a few hours on that long term unemployment insurance for 1.3 million americans. what are they saying on both sides of the argument? >> we expected to see the initial test vote, but it got postponed because so many senators weren't able to make it back to the capitol, giving both sides more time to push their perspective. it's going to be a tight vote. dealts are supporting reinstating expired unemployment benefits. they ran out december 28. these are long term benefits created when the recession hit so americans could have more time to look for work approximate republicans are not convinced that this program needs to be extended, some of philosophically opposed to it, others want to see how it will be paid for. they say we will support it if you show us where the money's going to come from. five republicans have to join with democrats, two on record right now, saying they will support it. dean hiller of nevada and susan collins of maine, collins is a moderate and hiller comes from

nevada, the high unemployment tate. the question is will a couple of other senators that have experienced high unemployment in their constituencies jump on. we are watching the vote. it's going to be tight. >> are the white house involved and what do they have to say? >> the white house was making calls yesterday to try to get republicans onboard. the president will have an event this morning in the white house where he'll push to try to get unemployment benefits reinstated. he's also going to be joined by americans who have benefited from them in the past or are upset because they've just run out. that's part of the p.r. push the white house is doing. once again, the republicans are saying we'll talk, but how are you going to pay for it? will democrats come up with numbers? a lot could unfold later today. this first crucial vote will be this morning, even if it passes the senate will have an uphill battle in the house. >> what else might we find on

the senate agenda today? >> the big thing is how these spending bills are really going to get hammered out. before the congressional break, before we had the holiday recess, we saw the big spending bills passed, the big overall numbers. now it's the work of watching the appropriators deal with the details, so those numbers have to get finalized we're looking at this week because they've got to the middle of the mount to get things down on paper and through congress. that's the big push on capitol hill right now. >> libby, thank you very much. >> elsewhere, opposition groups in syria are now tarting to fight each other. rebels clashing now moving into the largest city in syria, controlled by the same al-qaeda linked rebel operation in anbar iraq. the isil have been accused of torturing and holding public executions. human rights activists estimate 100 fighters have been killed

since friday. >> the city of i fallujah is readying for a battle that could take place in days. iraq's prime minister is urging residents to help drive out the militants and avoid further blood shed. >> fighters prepare for an assault on fallujah. the effects of a shelling campaign the fighters say was carried out by iraqi army forces. troops have circled the city and supported by local tribes. >> the isil rebels are trying to bring the battle because there is no security there and they know they will be thoroughly defeated in the desert.

>> there's no time scale for the attack, but all indications are that it could come soon, but how did we get to this stage. >> the sunni tribes protested and the biggest demand the release of prisoners. the prime minister took notice of the grievances. he did try pushing through a series of reforms, but they were blocked by shia and sunni political parties. that this was seen as a provokation to the soon any tribes. the isil was formed taking advantage of the political power vacuum and waging a bloody campaign across the country. safe havens were across the syrian border and played on fears of sheer domination. the anbar tribes unofficially accepted their presence and fighters killed over 20 iraqi soldiers. the army was sent into anbar, but june any tribal rivalries came to the foreand now the

tribes are encouraged to take on the isil fighters. will this operation bring petition to the region no perhaps not. in the past, supporters have been squeezed, dispatched and regrouped in a year areas. >> the obama administration taking heat from some high profile republicans including senator john mccain. he blames the u.s. troop withdrawal for that escalating violence in iraq. the white house spokesman jay carney pushing back. >> there was sectarian conflict, violent sectarian 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. >> the sufficient is now stepping up arm shipments to the iraqi government, including 58 surveillance drones and 100 hell fire missiles, the pentagon

saying those can be used to wipe out al-qaeda safe havens in western iraq. a poll asking americans if they thought removing who seep was worth the fight, most said no. 36% say it was worth it, but 49% believe it was not worth the efforts. 14 percent remain unsure. >> the battle over same-sex marriage in utah. why gay unions there are now on hold. >> ceasefire talks between the south sudan government and fighters, how the oil pipe lines are playing a role in negotiation. >> from super sizing to super slimming. losing weight by eating nothing but mcdonalds.

>> welcome back. straight ahead, we're going to tell you about the supreme court ruling that put same-sex marriage in utah on hold, but

first let's look at the freezing temperatures across the nation. >> this cold arctic blast has moved across most of the country, especially most of the eastern half of the country feeling this. we've had squares while the east and south have gotten colder, of improvement into the midwest. minneapolis, minus 12 now, we were in the negative 20's yesterday. some of these temperatures have gone up overnight. rapidity warmed up 40 degrees over the last 24 hours, so it's really feeling a lot better out here. i'll tell you, having been from this area of the midwest, you know, once it gets warmer after that deep freeze, you might see some tee shirts out there in the next couple days once temperatures get above zero. >> minneapolis, rapid city feeling like 15, a lot of wind subsided so you're not seeing that dramatic wind chill. where the temperatures have dropped into the southeast, savannah 40 degrees cooler than yesterday morning at this time, and that is a record at

19 degrees, a lot of these areas setting records or just close to it, a very brisk morning, back to you. >> nicole, thank you very much. i don't think about tee shirts to tell you the truth. >> federal judge ruling that chicago can't ban the sale of firearms. the ruling said the city laws are unconstitutional limiting the right to own a gun, chicago prohibiting the sale of handguns and gifting of weapons among family members within city limits. the court is allowing the city ban on assault weapons to stay in place. last year, chicago had more homicide than any other city in the u.s. >> the supreme court stepping into outshame sex marriage fight. at least for now, gay couples won't be allowed to we had that in state. david shuster has more. >> the celebrations in utah are on hold. the litigation winds its way

through pellet courts. >> going forward, i can say that we feel we're on solid ground because the stay is in place. >> nearly 900 couples have been married since a federal judge ruled that a ban an same sex marriage was unconstitutional. it was argued that it would be difficult to unwiped the marriages at the end of the process if the court didn't grant the temporary stay. >> by issuing the stay, hundreds of people in the state of legal limbo and confusion about their marriages. with the stay, everybody holds on, we wait until the legal process revolves it. >> last spring, the supreme court ruled on dome in a, declaring the denial of federal benefits to same sex couples was unconstitutional. the high court made a decision on procedural grounds and legal

experts predict would the narrow ruling would eventually return to the supreme court. >> there was no indication today that the justs are eager to jump into these issues again, but they are clearly not ready for same-sex couple to say take the plopping in utah into the litigation over the ban in that state is over. david shuster, aljazeera. >> an estimated 900 same-sex couples got married when it was legal for those 17 days in utah tak.>> amy how was the editor oa blog written by lawyers, law professors and students and she has argued before the supreme court. good morning. >> good morning. >> clearly the legal community is abuzz by this decision. what are they saying? >> they're really wondering, i

think we had the sense after the court's decision that at the end of june of last year that the supreme court would like to wait five or 10 years before they finally had to decide whether or not same-sex marriage was constitutional, and decisions like these, you know, in the lower courts in utah really increase the chance that same-sex marriage is going to be back at the court and back very soon. >> amy, as you heard just a second ago, when that ban was lifted, more than 900 gay and lesbian couples tied the knot in utah. how do you unring the wedding bells in this case? >> that was one of the state's arguments in asking the court, the court to put the lower court's decision on hold. those folks really are right now in a state of legal limbo until the appeals are resolved. that has enormous significance not only personally. they want to know that their marriages are recognized by the states, but also practically, for things like health insurance benefits and tax season coming up very soon. >> amy, is the supreme court

supposed to decide the law of the land or what the americans want? i want to show you a poll, 52% of americans saying they are in favor of same-sex marriage, but 43% are opposed, and also those poll numbers soft as those on the other side don't want to be heard. what does the supreme court do to strike a balance? >> it's a really interesting question, because the supreme court of course sees itself as deciding not what the american people want, or what they think is right or wrong, but what the constitution says. on the other hand, a lot of people have studied the court say that the supreme court doesn't like to get too far out ahead of public opinion, and so, that was why you really do get the sense that they'd like to wait and see which way the winds are blowing, and many believe that they will ultimately strike down bans on same-sex marriage and roomed that there's a right to same-sex marriage, but that they'd like to wait until

there's more public support. right now, only 17 states and the district of columbia allowed same sex marriage, so they'd be overturning a lot of bans if they ruled right now on same-sex marriage. they'd like to wait and perhaps see more momentum and public opinion really is changing quite quickly, when the case was filed in california, there was a lot of concern that the country wasn't ready yet for the supreme court to rule and a lot has changed since then. >> will the courts get into the thorny issue of telling churches what to do when it comes to marriage which violates the separation of church and state no. >> i think that's a separate question. right now, what they're ruling on is whether or not states have to issue marriage limes. whether or not they can tell churches what to do is still a long ways off and i think that most justice would be very, very reluctant to do that. >> joining us from washington, d.c. this morning, thank you for being with us.

>> taking a look at business news, several gas pipeline operators warning of tight supplies today. the bone chilling cold kenning the need for heat soaring. research says demand reached an all time high yesterday. right now, futures are up more than half a percent. >> there is no relief in sight for landlords, raising apartment rents in a lot of sufficient cities. real estate research firm report thank rent rose .8 to $1,083 a month in the fourth quarter. strong demand and limited supply giving landlords the upper hand. >> 2013 was a big year for the auto industry, good news for the wallets of american auto workers, reports saying that the combined profit sharing bonuses for big three employees will jump to about $18,000, making it an all time high. the court is likely to lead the way. last year, workers got bonuses that averaged $8,300.

>> samsung expecting quarterly earnings to decline as sales start to slow. profits seen in the last three months of 2013 fall 6% to $7.8 billion, that company bracing for its weakest smart phone profit growth since beginning to make those devices in 2007. >> the dow up 67 points, starting at 16,425, the s&p at 1826 and nasdaq at 4,113. in asia, the markets ended the day higher, but nikkei fell for the second day in a row. european markets are higher after germany's unemployment fell in the most in two years there. >> record cold on top of record snow, how that polar vortex is taking travel woes across the country to task. >> the first city to ban fracking, how lawmakers are

crocking down on those powerful energy companies. >> a new study reveals how much time we spend using social media. the writer behind the research sharing some very surprising results. >> speaking of social media, plenty of opinions blasted all over the internet after last night's's b.c.s. title game. i'll have that story and more later in sports. >> looking live right now at the windy city where they hope the wind does not blow today. it is 10 below zero and that reporter is bundling up. how one woman spoke up and made a difference. >> i had seen a couple of the girls making up documentation at a copier. real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america, a blanket of cold air is covering most of the country this morning. you can blame that polar vortex from the north pole, but most of you just call it brutally cold. tracy, there aren't enough words to describe just how cold it is

and how cold it feels. >> it absolutely, and what you said, del, is really important, because how cold it feels is really what's most important to people. we woke up here in the district with temperatures in the single digits, but it's felt like five, 10, 15 in some areas around d.c., 20 below zero and even that is nothing compared to the midwest. it's actually warmer in minneapolis this morning, 33 below zero with the wind chill. minnesota's got some of the coldest temperatures in the nation today. the midwest frost comes on top of record snow that closed indiana's major interstates, several counties there are in a state of emergency approximate in milwaukee, power crews are out in it, trying to keep the lights on. >> just got to do your job. that's what we're here for. >> the polar vortex dipped into the deep south, causing power

outages in dallas. >> been out 12 and a half hours. >> and snow in georgia. >> i've been out here sweeping, and just kind of cleaning some of this off of my car. >> it's pretty funny to see people down here all bundled up. >> shelters opened in atlanta. >> there's no way you can survivor in a tent with this kind of cold weather. >> even if you to have sit in a chair with a blanket, you're out of elements and stay warm. >> almost 2,000 cancellations already today. levi has been stuck in denver's airport for three days. >> stay up all night 24/7 and just way and hope that i get out of here and hasn't happened yet. >> jet blue hopes to get back in the air after shutting down completely in new york and boston. all over the sufficient, it feels like mother nature left the refree agent rarity door open. >> these bone chilling temperatures mean a lot of kids

may be out of school today, but not here in d.c., d.c. schools are open and so is the federal government. >> joining us live from washington, thank you very much. and stay warm, thank you. >> baton rouge farmer isn't taking chances with livestock, using a special liquid on the cow's you haars to help protect them. it helps prevent that frostbite. the most important thing is plenty of water. that farm has 150 water tanks to hydrate the cows. it takes 125-gallons of water each day for each cow. >> in south sudan, there is an effort underway to stop the fighting, peace talks kicking off between rebel fighters and the government, including negotiations for a possible ceasefire. diplomatic evident is same at ending three weeks of fighting there which has brought the country to the brink of civil war. we have more from south sudan's

capitol of. >juba. >> people have concerns, knowing that the forces, he defected from the army, came back, rebelled again, came back. the question is can he be trusted? the other rebel leaders are forces loyal to the former vice president. people want to know what is the government going to do to deal with that element, because as long as that element is still there, there will still be violence. there are regional ministers coming in to meet the president, so we know there is a diplomatic push to try to get peaceful negotiations to end this crisis. the humanitarian front, aid workers worried, saying the number of workers coming in are unbearable. they are struggling to cope. the camps are already too full.

once you found a site and given water, sanitation, protection for the people, attitude, as well, so big concerns for people here. another concern from neighboring country, some leaving going to kenya, ethiopia, sudan. as long as the violence drag honest, the more people will be displaced. >> that was reporting from juba in south sudan. one of three aljazeera journalists detained in egypt has now been in they were gated by state prosecutors, in custody for the last 10 days without being form ally charged. two others are also detained, accused of spreading lies and joining a terrorist. >>. aljazeera maintains these accusations are false and we demand their immediate release. >> a landslide win in bangladesh. 21 people were killed sunday during clashes between police

and activists. the prime minister of bangladesh saying the victory was party was fair with, but the opposition disagrees. they boycotted the vote and extended a strike now for two days. in response, the government ordering the army to secure the streets until thursday. >> a new era underway in boston for the first time in 20 years. that city has a new mayor. marty walsh is vowing to cut the city's violent crime rates and improve the school system. the former state representative wants a more transparent government. >> we are in this together, every neighborhood. we are in this together every race and religion. we are in this together every man, woman and child. for our seen years and students, rich and poor and everyone in between, we will expand opportunity sue it reaches every person in every corner of our city. >> outgoing mayor who took office in 1993, he was elected five times and was that city's

longest serving mayor. >> a gas station attendant in massachusetts lucky to be alive after hit by a car and surviving this, and explosion. he was pumping gas on monday morning when a car plowed into him, knocked over a gas pump and sparked a fire. the attendant was flown 30 feet, taken to the hospital, but is expected to be ok. the 83-year-old driver said his foot struck the gas pedal when he tried to hit the brake. >> fracking has been a booming business over the last decade, allowing the u.s. to become more energy independent and generated a lot of money for energy companies, but critics argue the procedure is dangerous, poisons the earth while tapping natural resources. we have a report from pittsburgh, where it is decided to ban fracking. >> for environmentalists, this is an bottom nation, hair partially concealed by a shady grove at the cemetery in western

pennsylvania, the tanks and pipes defrack the shale. a drilling bonanza is underway with the vast stores of natural gas. that there is a hollow amid the wells. the city of pittsburgh, here, fracking is banned, and in 2011, thety passed its toxic trespass ordinance that asserted there was sufficient evidence that the chemicals used in fracking are harmful and that corporations and local and national government will be held liable for chemicals and chemical cool pounds found to be trespassing on the bodies of residents of the city or into the eco systems within pittsburgh. doug shields introduce that had legislation, because there seemed no way for citizen to say stand up to the lobbying cash of the energy companies. >> i know what it feels like to

be a resource colony, whether it's nigeria or third world country being exemployeded by multi-national corporations. >> a study here found that the fracking surrounding the city is changing the composition of the allegheny river that supplies pittsburgh with its drinking water. >> will the city sue? the politicians backing the energy companies don't seem concerned. >> do you know how many times we get sued? every day. we get sued when people walk up the steps and trip when it reaction. >> state senator has introduced a bill for a moratorium on fracking while its impact is to died. he said the lure of revenue in hard times is simply too much for his state's politician to say resist. >> a majority of the republicans, the governor, are owned lock stock and barrel by the industry, and they're not about protecting the public's interest. >> pittsburgh's ban on fracking

was in part a result at the outrage at the leasing of mineral rights on cemeteries within the city limits and fear of consequences. that hasn't stopped the municipalities surrounding from collecting from the industry. >> computers tablets, smart phones taking more and more of our time. there's a no report find thank we spend most of our time on the social network, facebook, twitter, instagram. >> your research found social media taking up most of our time. 56% of the people on facebook, 27% on you tube, 22% on twitter, 17% on google. why? >> well, i mean, i think it's just where people are going for, you know, to get their dose of what's happening with their

friends, what's happening in the news. it's increasingly becoming how people consume their media, so i think that it's becoming sort of an essential part of the day for a lot of people. >> when we say they're media, they are not finding out about the war in iraq, they're finding about who went on vacation and who went to the prom. >> that's true to a large extent. twitter is a site where people are distributing a fair amount of news links and such, but essential, you know, people's vacation experiences and all that have is a part of it as well. >> are we that narcissistic that we're spending that much time looking at ourselves. >> we're looking at others, too. it has created a lot of self involvement, but people are still looking outward. there has been a lot of movement on these networks, facebook,

twitter's already taken this, of making the publisher content more a greater part of the news stream, because they think that's what people actually do want to see. >> we are looking at our receivers and others a lot. i'm looking at this graphic, the time spent object line, on facebook, social media, 114 billion minutes a month in the sufficient, 18 billion minutes a month for instagram, most of that time for facebook, that's a lot of time. >> yeah. what's surprising, i think is that instagram has already surpassed twitter in the amount of time people are spending there. even though it's a newer network and you hear people talk about twitter more often, but it shows how big photo sharing is, that's definitely something people want to see. >> i gave too much time to instagram, 114 billion minutes a month for facebook, so why facebook versus she's other social media? >> i think facebook does have the reach component, you know,

so, you know, most people on some of these other sites tend to be on facebook. it's the backbone of people's social media usage, so they are spending time on these other sites. they come back to facebook once, twice, who knows how many times a day to get caught up on the social activity. >> you indicated that one of the reasons facebook is so hip is because it's young people, but now older people are starting to get on facebook, i'm talking people over the age of 22, by the way, so we spell that out. is it a concern that it's always the next big thing and after the older people catch on, no longer hip and cool. >> there has been talk about that and about teens leaving facebook for sure, but it's a little overblown, because facebook is still the number one social network across all age goose. its reach is so great and so many people reaching it every day, it's still far from there's

not going to be this mass exodus. these are driving engagements, getting users, but people are still using facebook as their primary social network. >> thanks for being with us this morning. you are the senior research editor for business insiders intelligence, lots of numbers to digest. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> speaking of numbers, take a look at the social numbers coming out of the winter olympics in sochi, 2014, games are kicking off in about a momentum. the russian city already on lockdown with extra security at airports and trains and a crack yob on any public rallies that aren't related to the already controversial games. in moscow, this is shaping up to be one of the most expensive olympics in history. >> $51 billion spent already.

the final countdown before the game starts, most of the olympic facilities are up and running. apparently, there are entertainment groups already rehearsing in the auditoriums. they'll be performing in them. most dramatic i guess the security clampdown which they're calling a ring of steel, a zone 60 miles long and 25 miles deep, and it will be completely enclosed under total control and surveillance by all possible means. there are like about 30,000 special police, uniformed police, unknown numbers of plain clothes cops, about 10,000 interior troops and 30,000 regular troops to patrol the perimeter. that inside, there will be all manner of electronic surveillance. every single electronic device you bring in there will be

monitored, listened to, recorded. there are -- there will be fighter planes patrolling the air around the zone and patrol boats, special anti saboteur patrol boats with teams of frogmen ranging up and down the coast. in short, it is like an island which the russians hope will be like 100% secure. >> joining us live from moscow, thank you very much, again, the games now just one month away plus. >> the nfl and thousands of former players are ironing out it is details of that $765 million concussion settlement. 4,000 players suing the league for hiding the dangers of repeated blows toette head. on monday, lawyers for the players proposing how to mitt that main. the large evident payments going to the players younger than 45, because they need the most care. individual awards depend on how long a player's been in the league. a federal judge still has to approve that have plan. here's how that $750 million

will be divided. the awards could reach $5 million for each athlete suffering from lou gehrig's disease, $4 million for a death, and $3 million for those suffering from dementia. >> college football, national title game, living up to the hype at last. what a game that was last night. >> that's going out with a bang when you consider they have the new playoffs next year. the story lines ran deep and auburn was a team of does in any having the cinderella season, taking them on, last night it was the seminoles who came up with the miracle plays late in the game. the tigers had a 14-3 lead late in the second and kept their foot on the gas. here's nick marshall, keeping this one to score from four yards out, 21-3 auburn in that one, but the seminoles get it going in the fourth.

whitfield went end zone to end zone on the kickoff and the crowd goes nuts as the seminoles get their first lead of the game, 27-24. auburn would answer in the final two minutes. tray mason going to bounce it off a few people and then go 37 yards, his second touchdown of the game. auburn back on top, 31-27, 17 seconds left in the game, winston hitting benjamin in the end zone, florida state rallying score 21 in the fourth. they are your national champs. here's ross shimabuku with more. >> florida state is california dreaming, because they rallied back from an 18-point deficit in the second quarter and can thank their birthday boy who celebrated his birr day with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including the game winner. florida state would beat you a bun 34-31. >> i'm just so excited for our

guys. it's not really about me. it's about them. i mean, and all i can say now is that we're champions. that's all that matters to me, my birthday, i couldn't couldn't care less. this championship means so much to me. >> this group is unbelievable. they affect everybody on the team with attitudes, ability, they make everybody better. it's a group that will always be remembered in my hard, i promise. >> final b.c.s. title to florida state, who captures their first national championship since that 1999 team. remember, starting next season, college season to a 14 team playoff. ross shimabuku, aljazeera. >> as ross shimabuku just mentioned, the seminoles are the last to win the national title in its current state, replaced by a system next year.

a 13 member committee will choose the four teams, the committee including condoleezza rice. >> the bulls are expected to trade luol deng for bynum, exspecksed to that one of the biggest centers in the game has produced drama for every nba team he played for. >> an iowa high cool science teacher deciding to do a fast food experiment, eating mcdonald's for three months loft weight doing so, 37 pounds. he had his students choose his meals based on nutritional

value. he ate less than 2,000-calories a day and started walking. he wanted to prove if you count your calories, you can lose weight. the system said he was expired by super size me. >> major pollution problem, what's fueling record levels of smog in one part of china. >> the visibility there, wait until you see the visibility around the great lakes. we have winter storm warnings up and even blizzard warnings for the snow coming down.

>> you're looking live right now at the roads in indianapolis, indiana, where the temperature right now is 13 degrees below zero, and it is anything but 500, more like the indianapolis five-mile an hour drive. welcome back to aljazeera america. straight ahead, we'll tell you about the problem of air pollution increasing in china and why winter weather is not helping one of the most polluted

cities. first let's find about the rain and snow across the country. >> we're looking at that shot of indianapolis, a lot of places, your car may not start. we're seeing moisture with this testimony, as all of that and the wind chill brought ally cold into the northeast, the lake affect moisture picking up, redepositing it. we're going to see lake effect snow including buffalo through today and tonight, could be a colt of three inches. watch for that. the tail end of that front that brought the cold air, a couple showers especially in south florida this morning, and more moisture pushing into the northwest, difference system, but still wet, nonetheless. back to you. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> in northern china, air pollution sadly is becoming an every day part of life, as aljazeera reports, it's especially true in winter. >> halfway through a hard north china winter, with several more

months to schiffer through, cities like harbin are shoveling on the cold. that from its partition to say domestic furnaces, even down to its aging taxis, they look like little steam trains, exempt the burners inside don't provide propulsion, they stop the people inside from freezing. >> i have to do it to keep myself and the passengers warm. >> combines with other airborne polluters, it has suffered record levels of smog. in october, the city came to a standstill and it is air pollution reached three times the level considered dangerous by the world health organization. it still has people talking today.

>> it's never been this polluted. i'm sped, and it's the worst i've seen it. >> it's getting worse and worse. you can see many chimneys and factories around this area. >> even in china, there seems to be a growing awareness of the problem, and it coincides with greaters efforts at monitoring with double the number of cities now producing daily air quality readings. >> 161 cities now publish data, a figure that will double next year. it helps to fuel the debate dealing with the pollution from the fuel of choice is still a long way off. >> today, the government is warning people in northern and central china to stay inside as a heavy layer of smog blankets that region. china's national environmental monitoring center rating the level at six, the highest on the scale. >> a fleet of green catamarans

is part of rio de janeiro's pledge to clean up, they call them echo boats that collect trash. they promised to clean up the bay where the olympic sailing and wind surfing are to take place. some are worried about athletes who come in contact with the water and damage to the boats themselves they will be competing in. that's going to do it for this edition of aljazeera america. there is more news straight ahead. in this case, just two and a half minutes. i'll see you then.

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