>> new jersey governor chris christie trying to distance himself from a growing political scandal. emails suggesting his staffers orchestrated traffic jams on a bridge as part of a political vendetta. >> the white house circling the wagons after a scathing book from robert gates. the white house taking aim at robert gates. >> congress trying to compromise on unemployment benefits. what is holding up the vote that would help a million out of work americans. >> i was talking myself into believing it was okay, it's just marijuana. >> a serious draw back to legalize the pot in colorado.

some suggest it's easier for kids to get their hands on the drug. >> hi everyone, good to have you about us. i'm thomas drayton. >> new jersey governor chris christie is involved in a local political scandal ruffling his image. emails suggest chris christie's top staffers were involved in closing access lanes to the george washington bridge in september, causing massive traffic delays for days. as david shuster reports, it could hurt chris christie's presidential ambitions >> emails released shows a top aide to chris christie instigated lane closures at the approach to the george washington bridge, one of the busiest in the united states, to punish a democratic mayor who refused to endorse chris

christie: >> the email went to a david wildstein, a friend of chris christie's appointed to an agency overseeing bridges and tunnels: >> one month later the agency closed several lanes as part of what it called a traffic study. for several days the amount of time it took to cross the bridge stretched to four hours. in a text message about the traffic jams another chris christie aide expressed delight: >> two weeks ago chris christie insisted the lane closures had nothing to do with his office. >> because press runs around and writes about it here and nationally, i know why it is, and so do you. >> the prospect of christy's team settling scores by inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of people has proven irresistible to new jersey

democrats. >> the documents published are shocking and outrageous. the governor has a lot of explaining to do. >> with chris christie considering a presidential run in 2016, national democrats seized on the controversy. >> patrick leahy is demanding a federal investigation. >> commuters are torn. >> i think people are upset. i don't know how it will be felt. >> whenever traffic lanes are shut down, it won't be a good thing. what can you do. >> late wednesday, after cansling an event governor chris christie issued a statement declaring it outrageous and inappropriate. now the question is whether the aides chris christie is blaming agree with his version or not. >> we should point out that george washington bridge is among the world's busiest

carrying 300,000 cars. the lane closures lasted four days. the white house wasted little time firing back after an unexpected attack against farmer defense secretary robert gates. he lashed out over his leadership during the war in afghanistan, and had harsh words for vice president joe biden. the administration responded quickly. >> he served both republican and democratic administrations, known as a confident and low-key leader, an adult in the room. a memoire by former defense secretary robert gates hit like a bombshell. highly critical of vice president joe biden, and president obama while the troops are still in the middle east. >> read any good books lately? >> sarcasm from the per cent's spokesman. the allegations in duty, the

upcoming memoir from robert gates were know laughing matter. vice president joe biden is the subject of scorn: accuses him of: >> wednesday, for the first time in five years the white house allowed a photo op of the weekly lunch the president had with joe biden. it looked like a show of solidarity. jay carney insisted it was in response to the book and he defended the vice president. >> vice president joe biden is a key advisor on national security matters and domestic policy and other matters for the president. the president greatly values the council he provides, that's a fact. >> robert gates loves barack obama in places, such as the decision to go an bam re which gates called, "one of the

courageous decisions i have witness", but describing a meeting, he describes the president as a reluctant worrier in afghanistan, suspicious of the the military leaders: >> resentful for having been backed into a corner in ordering the afghan surge, president obama was: >> spokesman jay carney said the president made his goals in afghanistan clear from the start. >> he thought it was important to ensure we had a withdrawal date. even after we surged our forces as part of refocussing the mission and bringing pressure on al-qaeda central, that we would also begin the drawdown. after that begin the drawdown. that is the commitment he made and is keeping. it's what the american people expected him to do.

>> jay carney played down concerns the president's dislike of hamid karzai will complicate negotiations over the future of american forces after their combat role ends this year. >> the issue here is not about parliamenties, but policies. >> robert gates served as defense secretary at the ned of the bush administration. president bush does not go unscathed, he comes in for criticism. diverting resource, choosing to invade iraq, it was an opening for them, they were on the battlefield, that brought about the surge that came about under president obama's administration. back to you. >> mike viqueira in washington. >> robert gates is taking heat from former white house colleagues over the book. william daly, the white house chief of staff said robert gates should have published the book, or shouldn't are published while president obama was in office.

former advisor afl said he was surprised brie the back because gates had a good relationship with the president. >> the obama administration is asking public schools to drop a zero tolerance approach, releasing new discipline policies in creating safer schools. the zero tolerance policy disproportionately affected minority students, and it called for the suspension or expulsion of those involved in weapons, drugs and violence. public schools should only use law enforcement as a last resort. >> another setback for gay marriage in utah. the government's office says the state will not recognise same-sex marriages performed. it announced hundreds of newlyweds will not be acknowledged in the state. a lower court will consider

whether gay couples have the right to marry in the states. >> low temperatures will not be nearly as cold as they have been the last several mornings. slowly but surely we are moderating temperatures. the air mass was so cold that we are sitting with the chilly air temperatures around minneapolis and chicago, and the teens and 20, and parts of new york, mid to upper 20s. florida, they are concerned about the citrus crop. below freezing in places. further into northern florida, up to atlanta, who starts at 27 degrees. as we get through the day. a warming trend, and high temperatures will be warmer than on wednesday. >> showery in parts of the west. go and pack the chains in the

trunk if you go past modern passes in the west. for parts of the east we'll have showers. there may be slippery spots in the roads, around nebraska, and further down towards ohio. as we look at the forecast. we can see showers to the west, mountain snow, cascades to the rockies, down to the depp ver rockies, northern texas will have a bit of light rain. that'll be stretching to parts of oklahoma, but we do not expect the freezing temperatures to impact the slippery roadways. as we get into saturday i want to point out as we look towards the weekend there'll be snow, but boy do we have heavy rain coming in for the east coast. it is rain. >> thank you. the u.s. military is investigating its second deadly helicopter crash in two days. the search continues for the fifth member of a navy chopper that plunged into the ocean.

four others were pulled from the water. two died. the navy said the helicopter was on a routine training mission when it wept down. >> a freight train carrying crude oil derailed after brakes engaged unexpectedly. 17 of the cars came off the track. no one as injured, but the accident raises concerns about transport by rail. trains carrying crude oil derailed in july, and many were killed. >> aid being brought back for jobless americans. >> gabby giffords - taking a leap of faith. the unique way the former congress woman marked the anniversary of the attempt on her life. >> and why african migrants in israel want to be heard.

>> welcome back, the trial of egypt's deposed president mohamed morsi has been delayed. he has been charged with inciting protesters. the trial was postponed because fog in the city of cairo. prosecutors charged mohamed morsi in three strait cases, accusing him of wide-ranging conspiracy to destabilize egypt. >> thousands of africans are continuing their protest, demanding recognition as refugees, and opposing state policy of detention. the demonstrations are one of the largest outside the israeli parliament. >> moussa abdul has lived here for six years, it no longer feels like home. he fled violence in the central african republic. >> there's no hospitality, no government, banks, no

activities. completely friendless. you are at risk of being killed at any moment. >> at first the quiet community outside of tel aviv was welcoming. he got a job, but he heard nothing back from the government. now he feels the state is trying to push him out. >> it made our life miserable. now it explodes. >> it's unprecedented progress. 10,000 people boarded buses for the trip to jerusalem. this is their version of the march on washington. >> i hope our voice will be heard by the government of israel, and that they'll change their mind. >> when they got there, they filled the park overlooking the israeli parliament or knesset. in front of parliament the protest leaders showed up for an appointment with politicians much one blocked the entry. >> we come from our country

because we don't have anyone to hear our voice. >> liberal members of the opposition heard their grievances. >> no one take any single request. this is really inhuman. >> for years the migrants tried to keep a low profile. they did not raise their voices. they have no choice, because they feel that the israeli government is trying to throw them into prison. >> new laws allow them to throw migrants here indefinitely. the vast majority don't qualify for asylum, because they are here with jobs. >> we are talking about illegal work migrants who infiltrate illegally, and we are determined to punish them to the fullest extent of the law. >> moussa is determined to change the government's mind and continues protesting. he has nowhere else to go. he wishes he could return to the

place he still calls home. >> when you look at the photos, do you miss your family. >> when i can see them again, be reunited, happy, surrounded with my loved ones. >> you can't go back to them? >> i can't. >> that's why he continues to fight to stay here. >> in recent years tens of thousands of migrants from eritrea and sudan came from israel looking to flee conflict. the center for disease control released a report recommending doctors talk to their patients about alcohol intake. 38 million americans drink alcohol excessively. many are classified as binge drinkers. binge is defined as five for men, four four women in a two hour period. it costs over 200 million to the

economy because of health care. >> even though holiday sales were up. macey plans to cut jobs. it will save $100 million by consolidating in the north. macey says it plans to close brick and more tar stores while increasing in the online decision. >> the senate will vote on a bill to extend unemployment benefits. lawmakers are haggling over the details. >> while a majority of senators support reinstating long-term benefits, the republicans have concerns about how it would be paid for. it cost 6.5 million to reinstate unemployment for six months. those that voted want a chance to offer amendments. one is the republican of new hampshire, wanting to make sure

anyone without a social security number, people working in the u.s. illegally cannot claim a child tax credit when they file taxes. she says the billions that would save could in part go towards paying for unemployment insurance. so far she has not gotten a chance to get her amendment voted on. >> i can't understand why i wouldn't be able to get a vote on the amendment. so, you know, like senator portman and colins, i voted to proceed. and it seems to me why wouldn't you want to allow a vote on this. >> the majority leader harry reid, says demonstrates dismissed proposals in the past and don't think it's serious this time around. >> go after children, children. with the child tax credit. those are the two pay-fors, scary, i would think. i'm waiting, we are waiting for

republican suggestions how to pay for the extension of unemployment. let's hear from them, how we want to pay for it. let's hear what they want to do. >> the proposals floated by republicans include rolling back the bulk of the federal healthcare law, the mandate by a year, as a way to pay for unemployment insurance. that's a non-starter, that's why they are not allowing the amendments to move forward. regardless of the insurance in the senate the house is a much steeper climb. that's because house speaker wants to see how it will be paid for and elements added to it to jumpstart of the economy and get more jobs out there for the american public. democrats, for their part in the house say time is of the essence, they want the benefits reinstated because they ipp spired in december 28th, and they want to act fast. >> wednesday marks the third

anniversary of the attack on gabby giffords and others in arizona. [ bells toll ] >> the mayor of tuscon rang a bell 19 times in honour of 19 injured and killed three years ago. 100 gathered outside the university of arizona medical center for a reading of the names and a moment of silence. gabby giffords survived being shot in the head. her injuries forcing her to resign from congress in 2012. no one would have complained how she marked the anniversary in grief, instead she skydived over southern arizona with a friend. her husband met her on the ground tweeting: >> a big pot pushback in colorado. why some fear easier access to marijuana could have a huge impact on young people. in the inductees for the 2014

baseball were announced. we look at who made the list and some of the stars that didn't make the cut.

>> >> after not voting a single player into the baseball hall of files, the baseball writers association of america association sent three to ko cooperstown. greg maddux, joined by tom glavine, winning 305 games, winning 10 trips to the all star over his 22 seasons in the big leagues. is and the final member, 2-time american league most valuable player, more than 1700 rvi

during his career. >> this class is notable for the names that didn't make it. including roger clemmens, barry bonds, martin mack gir and sammy soso and raphael palmiero. >> the texas elpass coe mens team was shaken up after a tip some players had been betting on their own games. federal bureau of investigation was notified. the result of that investigations were announced wednesday. >> it's been determined that three men's basketball players, crosgile, moore and raglen participated on betting on one or more sporting event. to date there has been, and there is no indication of any

point shaving involved. let me repeat that. to date we have no evidence of point shaving involved. however, gambling is a serious n.c.a.a. rule infraction. >> all three players have been kicked off the team for the season, and sports betting carries a loss of one year elegibility. all three players are upper classman, their careers are over. they can no longer play college basketball in any division. >> texas quarterback januariy menzel will forego two seasons of ineligibility and enter the draft this year. >> evacuations continue in indonesia after a volcano shows no signs of calming down. mount sinabung erupted hundreds of times over the past few days, sending cloud and ash into the

sky. damaging property and farms and poisoning animals. >> colorado residents can purchase marijuana. all they have to do is show id. critics worry it will make it ease your for teens to get their hands on the drug. >> around age 12, 13, i wanted to feel different. >> like that, recovering addict paul scudo says his 30 year struggle with marijuana was underway. smoking once a week became once a day. he was hooked. >> i did the bare minimum of what i had to do to get buy. studies show that teens who smoke early tend to smoke more, and more often. also one in eight teens who try pot will be addicted. and the brains of heavy users can develop abnormally. the big question now is colorado's new retail weed regime sending teens a dangerous

message. >> there's a concern that if young people get the sense that it's not a big deal, they don't see any reason to not use. >> dr christian hopfer says yes. >> more and more kids are viewing it as harmless. >> mason tvert a leader of the legalization campaign, says the problem is not new laws, but the old laws everywhere else. if the goal of the prohibition policy is to keep marijuana away from teens, and 80% say they can get it easily, it's a sign of a failed policy. >> in the 1930s, americans freaked out about reefer madness, but with poll after poll showing a majority favouring legalization, they are in tune with dazed and confused. >> say, have you got a joint.

that worries dr christian who sees problems. >> the truth came out about a connection with cancer with cigarettes. i think something will happen with marijuana. >> paul scudo is today a rehab support specialist. he lost his old job, home and marriage before he finally kicked his habit. i was talking myself into believing it was okay. it's just marijuana. >> experts say we don't know enough about the effects of marijuana on the human body. that could be about to change. state lawmakers are back in session and they'll consider up to $7 million for marijuana research. >> that'll do it for it edition of al jazeera. "the stream" is coming up next. news at the top of every hour,

and log on to aljazeera.com. thanks for watching. hi, i'm lisa fletcher, and you in the "stream." online gambling is now legal in some states. we ask if online gambling is a bet worth making. ♪ wajahat ali is off tonight, taking the rains is our i digital producer. glad to have you here to do this >> always fun. >> when we start talking about