welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. it is the latest tell all and the talk of the town in washington. a new book written by former defense secretary, robert gates. a u.s. military hospital crashing in england. and later one big show in las vegas, where there are no high kicks involved. ♪ taking aim at president obama former defense secretary robert gates criticizing his old boss in an explosive and candid new book, but the hardest attack

involves vice president biden. writing . . . our white house correspondent mike viqueira is in washington. mike how is the white house responding so far? >> well, dell, this is really remarkable when you consider the former secretary of defense, he is a republican, and served both republican and democratic administrations, but the scathing sworn for congress just soaked through with sarcasm in this book. gates himself has written an op-ed in the wall street journal, just remarkable how much he had to say. you mentioned that quote about joe biden. that's certainly gathering the most attention this morning.

gates also accusing biden of poisoning the well between the civil leadership and the military brass, and the white house today has a response to that criticism in particular, it reads . . . and to that very point, del, very interesting today, the white house has opened up the weekly luncheon to still photographers in an effort to demonstrate that the president stands behind his vice president. that has never happened in the history of the administration. president obama does not escape sworn as well, particularly with his attitude towards the afghan serbs. writing that the president

doesn't believe in his own strategy, for him it's all about getting out. the white house has a response to that, and the white house at least publicly now taking the high road in response to these criticisms, saying the president appreciated all of the options, and helped enhance the policy with afghanistan. but this is far from over, del. >> and mike, gates being a holdover from the george w. bush administration, it might be that these future revelations might make future presidents from having a cabinet of quote equ equals. >> yeah, or at least from the other party. i was thinking during the clinton administration and this administration ray lahood went over to transportation.

but gates had a reputation at not such a partisan, more a low-profile, get the job done, nuts and bolts serious kind of guy. this isn't necessarily seen as partisan, but when you look at the fact that this is being released during the sitting administration that is being criticized, well, that is gathering a lot of attention, del. >> mike thank you very much. >> okay. an investigation is underway into that deadly u.s. military helicopter crash in the united kingd kingdom. four u.s. air force members were killed when the helicopter went down. it is not clear yet what caused that accident. the polar vortex continuing its icy grip on the nation again today. even the deep south saw sub-freezing conditions. erika pitzi reports.

>> reporter: the arctic air may be easing slightly, but that is little relief for nearly 190 million americans suffering through it, especially those who need to be outside. >> just wore a lot of layers, good shoes, and just trying to stay warm. >> reporter: he is just one of many braving the whipping winds, and bone chilling cold that has shattered temperature records nationwide. like new york city where it fell to 5 degrees a record low not seen since 1896. and just north of the city, whiteouts conditions, stranding drivers and closing highways along a 130-mile stretch. in indiana hundreds of truckers forced to pull over on roads

deemed too dangerous. black ice got the better of this car in minnesota as it toppled over a bridge. as for airports, a third straight day of delays and cancellations. crews continued to take on what looked like a losing battle of deicing plains and clearing runways. inside the terminal there is not much relief. on the streets a challenge for the police getting to the vulnerable homeless. >> absolutely there are people under bridges and they will be there all night. >> we have been calling a lot of places all day long. >> running here, running there. >> running there, running here, trying to find a place. it has been a long day. >> reporter: overnight in minneapolis the temperature got down to minus 3 degrees. and furnaces failing in areas where some of the coldest

temperatures in the country have been reported. atlanta saw 6 degrees and it was below freezing in some parts of florida. beach goers ditching bathing suits for sweatshirts. >> we're not used to it at all. so we're not prepared. [ laughter ] dave it is getting warmer but all things are relative in this case. >> right. so you can't take this map behind me out of context. but 15 degrees that's a little warmer, still that breeze out there, to the wind chill values are still down into the single digits, but one or two places below zero. this is the temperature combined with the winds. it's not nearly as cold. that cold air lifting slightly and moving out, and warm air is returning, but that comes with some moisture. you can see on the radar, plus

the clouds we have rain in the pacific northwest, and here is some rain moving into the colder air. winter weather advisory in effect in missouri, look at the radar on what to expect in that area coming up. the trial of mohammed morsi has been postponed bad weather to blame. morsi's lawyer speaking out accusing the court of delaying the trial for political reasons. that trial is now scheduled to take place in february. and al jazeera still awaiting the release of our three colleagues who have been detained since december 29th. >> reporter: through of al jazeera's egypt-based staff are still being held in custody.

mohamed fahmy, peter greste, and baher mohamed are accused of spreading lies harmful to state security, and joining a terrorist organization. al jazeera rejects this. >> this is outrageous. there is no justification whatsoever in continuing to lock up our team. >> reporter: al jazeera english maintains its cover of the situation in egypt has been fair and balanced. here is one of peter greste's last reports from cairo, talking about the government's decision to declare the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization. >> so overall, if what the government was trying to do in this decree was to try to create order and stability, to try to clamp down on what they see as acts of terrorism, then i think it could well have had the opposite effect. >> reporter: peter greste is an

award-winning correspondent who has recorded across africa. >> this is a stage in this process. >> reporter: he previous i will worked for the bbc. mohamed fahmy has reported for cnn, the "new york times" and is an author. and baher mohamed is a free lance producer who has always worked with a japanese television channel. >> once again, we're calling on the egyptian authorities to release them immediately. >> reporter: al jazeera english has consistently covered both sides of the egypt story. a street campaign which called for former president mohammed morsi to resign, and in the square on june 30th when millions of egyptians protested against morsi. since then it has always looked at the growing popularity of the head of the military. on the other side, al jazeera

english has also covered the ongoing demonstrations by people opposed to the coup and the crackdown on the muslim brotherhood. >> since the removal of the president last july, the egyptian authorities have systematically repressed every media that they regard as muslim brotherhood supporters, and al jazeera is seen as the main target of this harassment campaign. >> reporter: but two journalists have been detained for the last five months, a verdict in the case against one is expected on thursday. the staff from al jazeera english are being held separately. they have been interrogated by state prosecutors, but they have not been charged. nicole johnston, al jazeera. thousands of african

migrants have been protesting in israel, demanding working rights and better treatment. nick shiftrin was at the protest. >> reporter: this is unprecedented protest in the heart of the israeli capitol. there are some 10,000 people right in front of the israeli parliament. one in six african migrants are in this park behind me. they are asking the parliament aryans to consider them as refugees israel says that is not true. what you are here to do is actually improve your work status, you are economic migrants. and the language they use is that they are infiltrate fors. benjamin netenyahu has been very

outspoken saying he is not giving out to any of these people's demands. for years these people have stayed silent, but they decided enough is enough. israel changed the law that all allows officials to throw these people into jail for up to a year. and they say all we're here to do is ask for refugee status, and they are promising to continue this strike and protests until the israeli government changes its policies. coming up on al jazeera america . . . ♪ these are just some of the items at this year's consumer's electronics show. we'll go to vegas to check out some of the items.

show, good to see you, enjoy yourself out there in vegas. >> time now to see what's trending on aljazeera america's website. >> a new report out today by the american cancer society points to a 20% drop in can senior death rates, over a million lives saved in the last decades due in large part to a smoking decrease. not much attention is paid to lung cancer, but it accounts for more than one in every four cancer deaths. a big headline is progress among middle aged black men. from noon 91 to 2010 cancer death rates have declined 50% among black men in that age

range. death rates are still higher among black men than white men 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. taking a look at business news, blue chip stocks having a tough time building on yesterday's rally. investors are holding back ahead of the federal reserve minutes due out this afternoon. microsoft says it is close to naming a new ceo, but it won't be ford's alan mu lally. they are now down to a handful

of candidates. more spending but fewer shoppers. shopper track reporting that sales were up 2.7% from last year. that is a bit higher than estimated. a lot of you shopping on. the lineup -- online. and a lot of people looking online for the next big thing, which is the same story in las vegas this week. it is now the destination for nerds and non-nerds alike. jacob ward is at ces in las vegas, and any incite on the next high-tech craze coming out of vegas? >> reporter: good morning, del. yeah, there is really a lot to see here. this show was established by the big tv makers that you would recognize, back in the '80s, they would get together have a few drinks and make a few deals.

but now crowd funding sites like kick starter can do all kinds of things without the infrastructure that an established company needs. this is called the qb cube. a kick starter project that will go live on january 28th. and it's a $99 camera. you buy several of them to basically network them together as a sort of supplement to let's say your go-pro foodage, something like that. i have here the kind of footage that it is going to shoot will give you the opportunity to set up multiple cameras in multiple locations and allow you to stream it through your phone and allow it to be your own cinema taug graer, in the future, you can stream through something like this in order to do your

own broadcast down the line. >> okay. jacob thank you very much. what, though, is the biggest surprise that everybody is talking about? >> reporter: you know, there's been several surprises here. one of the big ones is how much money the car companies continue to poor into this show. they are really rushing in to fill up space. we have seen announcementments from google and audi, which audi is going to be the new marketplace for android apps in their dash. and a fuel cell vehicle. so this has almost become an auto show in a sense. they are trying to get in on the game in the way that the

electronics industries used to. >> thank you very much, jacob. for many the american dream includes a job that pays the bills and provides a car. but there is now a widening wealth gap. >> reporter: this is the america that u.s. poll fissions like to talk about. >> the wealthiest nation on earth. >> reporter: but 50 years ago then president lyndon johnson has a different perspective when he declared a war on poverty. >> we shall not rest until that war is won. [ applause ] >> the richest nation on earth can afford to win it. >> reporter: that was five decades ago when 19% of the nation lived in public

defender's officerty, but then the war was working, the rates started to fall, down to just about 11% in 1973, but since then it has climbed now back to 15% of the population. that translates into 46.5 million people who struggle for the basics of life. including 16 million children. this is one big reason for those numbers, according to richard wolf. >> by far the most important has been the decision of major cap olist employers in the united states fundamentally to leave the united states, to go to other parts of the world where they can pay much lower wages, where they don't have environmental rules and regulations that they have to subordinate their activities to, where they can get to be blunt, better profits than they can here. >> reporter: over the past decade the incomes of the richest americans, the so-called

1%, have grown by 86%, while the incomes of everyone else has grown just a little over 6%. the wealthiest reaping the benefits of growing corporate profits and a booming wall street. but on main street wages have barely increased. president barack obama will try to change that by proposing an increase in the minimum wage. he has promised that before without success. he'll try again. another small battle in a 50 year old war yet to be won. pope francis is once again breaking vatican tradition touring st. peter's square, waving to the faithful, and hugging babies, and then there was this that happened. the pontiff ordering his guards to summon a priest. after a quick embrace he invited him on the pope mobile. he is said to be an old friend

of pope francis. next on al jazeera america, millions of people living paycheck to paycheck. we talk to a family as we continue our series, the war on poverty. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america and in those cases where formal education isn't feasible because

of the security situation in

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are today's headlines. an investigation now underway into the deadly military helicopter crash in the united kingdom. four air force crew members were killed when their chopper went down on tuesday. thousands of african migrants protesting outside of the israeli parliament today. israel says they are simply economic refugees. the trial of mohammed morsi has been adjourned until february 1st, the lawyers and supporters speaking out against the delay. this week al jazeera is

highlighting the issue of poverty in america an issue that effects 50 million living below the poverty line. for many the hope of a better life grows further and further away with each missed paycheck. natasha ghoneim went to florida where the sun shines on just about everything but their future. >> reporter: supporting a family of five on 1600 to $2,000 a month requires a financial shuffle. >> it's just a little bit of income leaves, then where are we at? will i be out the door with my kids? >> reporter: this 32-year-old is a single working mom. she can't find work in her field, so she is waitressing, earning $4.33 an hour, plus tips. >> it takes me feel discouraged sometimes, but when i look at my

kids, i can't get discouraged, so i have to do something. >> reporter: she pays $130 a month for her public assisting apartment. wilson didn't grow up in public housing. she doesn't want this to be anything more than a brief pit stop on the way to a better life for her daughters. they live in one of the poorest and dangerous neighbors in miami, florida. it's also a neighborhood full of families with similar dreams colliding against the harsh realities of their surroundings and circumstances. sill cilia is a cymbal of what is possible. he is broke the poverty cycle. now she runs the miami children's initiative. she says 50 years after lyndon b. johnson declared a war on poverty the battle rages on for

far too many. >> people don't have the will to address the challenges of these urban communities. we have allowed ourselves with being okay with saving some and not all. >> reporter: in the last year, the initiative built a play grown and pushed the city to repave a main road and plant trees. this block by block approach is designed to show people they matter, and ensure that kids get that ticket out of public defender's officerty that she did. >> if every community challenges that, and says on our block on these streets and this community, our children are going to be the future, not the ones at the bottom, i think we would saw a dramatically different world. >> reporter: shortly after our interview, alicia's hours were

cut, unable to afford the gas, she was forced to quit. back to those bitterly cold temperatures. >> it can't stay this cold forever. this cold polar air has to warm up slowly, and that is what is happening. these are the actual wind chill temperatures. so not nearly as cold, but it's not quite -- it doesn't have as much of a bite as it did yesterday. still cold out there, and we still have cold air across the lakes, so lake-effect snows. easily over 30 inches of snow in western new york and close to buffalo, close to 30 inches of show with this bitter-cold air. look at these temperatures now. it will continue to climb today and not get nearly as cold tonight. so the warmup is underway. the warm air isment doing back from the south, these are low

temperatures across the southeast atlanta, and alabama, 58 in orlando, so not as many areas below freezing. the temperatures are still below freezing in minneapolis, but the war air is coming back across texas and the southern plains, it comes with moisture coming up from the south, that's rain falling into cold air, so now we're starting to see that mix, sleet or freezing rain. this area could be pretty slippery on the roadways. after the evening rush hour, could wake up to some wintery weather there, as the temperatures still remain below freezing, so that's the one area we are watching. and we'll be close to 50 year in new york over the next few days. del. >> dave daf thank you very much. and thank each and every one of you for watching al jazeera

america. "inside story" is next. and check us out 24 hours a day by going to aljazeera.com, where the news never stops. him in a battle to give every citizen an escape from the crushing weight of poverty. did it work? and is this country still willing to put government to work against poverty. that's the inside story. hello, i'm ray suarez. in 1964 the university of michigan president lyndon johnson used soaring words to commit america's great wealth