>> this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. >> a big step forward as iran pledges to start freezing its nuclear program in eight days. >> in an effort to stop the deadly civil war in syria top diplomats pressure rebels to join ceasefire talks. >> former defense secretary robert gates doesn't regret anything he wrote in his new book >> i'm here in rome. i'm ask whether this is the beginning of the end of italian opera. austerity measures here take their toll.

>> eight days and counting. that's when iran says it will halt its nuclear program. word came in the u.s. administration. leading up to january 20th iran will begin enrichment. >> as this agreement takes effect we'll be extraordinarily vigilant in our verification and monitoring of iran's actions. and that is an effort to be led by the international atomic energy administration. it will be a tough negotiation, and we are clear about what will be required in order to be able to guarantee to the international community that this is a peaceful program. >> al jazeera's patty culhane has more on the ins and outs of

today's developments. >> well, the steps all involve the centrifuges. one of the things is they have to get rid of some technology allowing them to go from 5 to 20% i with is -- which is more concern to the nuclear programming. a lot of people believe you don't need 20% to do medical or peaceful uses. it's easy to go from 5% to 20% for a nuclear weapon. president obama highlighted steps that certain centrifuges will not be operating. it begins january 20th. it won't happen in one day. as is 6 month to 10 month negotiation agreement. they'll take a step and more sanctions will be relieved.

another step and more sanctions. there's a lot of room for miscommunication in there. what the ultimate goal is to give them breathing room so they can sit and come up with thornier issues of whether or not iran gets to keep a nuclear program, that's the basis of the long-term negotiation. the agreement says a deal should be done by november this year, 2014. >> patty culhane in washington. >> to syria - 700 people died over the past nine days. it's the worst infighting since the civil war. fighting will continue in syria, that's the message from secretary of state john kerry and several leaders, who are in paris to press the opposition to meet with the government. john kerry says diplomacy is key to ending syria's war. >> there's no military solution to the violence that has

displaced millions, and taken more than 130,000 lives. there's no other alternative to ending the violence and saving the state of syria than to find a negotiated peaceful outcome. >> but it's not entirely clear syria's main opposition group will take part in the peace talks. >> it was a last-ditch attempt to persuade the syrian opposition to talk to the regime. after three years of fighting in syria, they say the only way ahead is a negotiated solution. >> translation: we have renewed our full support for the syrian national council at a time when the syrian people are facing difficulties, following an extensive discussion we have

adopted this text, presenting our conditions. we request the geneva ii take place following the timetable. >> the syrian political opposition is as fragmented as the armed opposition on the ground. one thing the different groups agree on are the demands that bashar al-assad leave the political scene. >> the aspect of today's meeting is that we agree to say that bashar al-assad has no future in syria. they have no future in syria. >> the syrian opposition is under strong and conflicting pressures. its international partners are adamant that it take part in peace talks. fighters on the ground reject formula that could enable bashar al-assad to hold on to power. >> so the meeting ended without a clear yes or no from the

syrian national coalition. the americans and partners want the geneva talks to take place in 10 days. it's difficult to see how that would happen with an empty seat at the table. >> joining us now to discuss the situation in syria is james traub , a contributing writer for the "new york times" magazine. what do you think the chances of the rebel group attending the peace talks? >> nobody knows. if i guess they'll show up, showing up for the reason your reporter made clear, that the guys depend on the international backers. they want them to come. if they don't come it would be a huge illiation for the united states. the regime will be there, they won't be there. they'll have no interest in peace. on the other hand, if they go there, they could be forced to an outcome they can't bear. >> they don't sit in a good position. >> no, the analogy i heard, i

heard it from a member of the coalition is they feel like a goat on a short leash led to a butcher with a long sword. they have to go. they feel like they'll be slaughtered there. there are some possible outcomes that are less bad than others. let me enumerate one, which is what the u.s. wants, to have the coalition come as a united force. that's hard enough in itself, and to present a possible alternative government, a transition government that would no longer involve members of the regime who have blood on their hands, but would involve alawite, bashar al-assad's group and outsiders that it might be acceptable to the alawite community more broadly. if they did that they could show they were making an attempt to solve the problem >> is that something that is evenly likely, possible, especially since bashar al-assad

made it clear he has no intention of letting go of power. >> no, the thing that is possible is to present the list. that would be a way of putting pressure on bashar al-assad. bashar al-assad is in the cat bird seed. he is the one winning. who is beginning to make ipp roads in aleppo and other cities that have been largely under rebel control. he is the one enjoying the sight of the rebels and the group known isis. he's in a strong position, backers in russia and iran see no reason to make the sacrifice of stepping down. he will not do so >> let's talk about long term. if the rebels come to the table and reach an agreement, does it matter considering how fractured the group is. there may be one group sign on, but there are others. how do you get everyone behind?

>> we can say for certain that the foreign jihadists, fighting under the banner of isis, they repudiate talks and syria. they want to go back to the muslim calafat. outside of that, the rebels fighting under the banner of the free syrian army, which is the so-called moderate groups have been to disgusted over time with the syrian national coalition, the political grouping because they haven't supplied them with wednesday and resources. they don't pay intention. in the unlikely event that an agreement be reached, it's by no means enforceable. the long-term is not going be about getting an agreement now. it's not about enforcing it now. it's about what's if the tide of battle turns to the rebels and against the assad regime. go further. you do not think it's likely

there'll be a peace agreement. >> one of the things that wasn't talked about. say there would be 130,000 people killed. an estimated 50,000 are government soldiers. of. all: of alawites. because the government doesn't trust sunnis to fight on its behalf. the alawite population of syria is 3 million or so. 50,000 people is an incredible amount of carnage. it's imaginable and astonish that that has not broken the will. it's imaginable that if this level of carnage continues, there would be pressure from the alawite community to find a way of forcing out assad. these guys fear that if they force out bashar al-assad. they lose. if you have a government they fear a revenge, which they have good reason to fear. >> friday is a deadline for the

rebels to make a decision, make up their mind to join the peace talks. >> james traub , a writer for the "new york times" magazine. >> israeli dignitaries and members of the public said goodbye to ariel sharon, his coffin stayed in state before his funeral at the family farm tomorrow. tom ackerman was there. >> an army convoy brought ariel sharon's body to the knesset. a small, steady stream of people paid their last respects. they came from all walks of life, from a cross section. >> he was a here. he had courtroom. he had a great sense of humour. he live minute by minute. he believe in himself. >> despite his warrior imim --

image, he took important steps in peace. >> to go out of gaza. if he was alive israel would be in a better place. god took him too early. >> in another part of jerusalem, near the separation wall that split the city, arab relatives had a negative assessment of the legacy. >> after the wall has been built, it's working on 20%. it should be working five times what it's working now. >> on monday officials will deliver ooul onlyies to ariel sharon, among those attending vice president joe biden, and tony blair, heading the middle eastern negotiation quartet. then ariel sharon will be taken to his resting place, a grave site beside his wife, on the family farm in the south of israel. >> earlier we spoke over the phone to a former senior advisor to ariel sharon from the midg

90s, and raanan gissan gave us an indication of what israel would have looked like. >> israel would have been different. he would have returned to office. i think you would see greater progress in the relationship betweenst -- between israel and the palestinians. as the prime minister, they would have reached a full scale peace agreement with the palestinian. i believe that the whole process and understanding of the issue would have been much more successful with palestine, and i believe some form of non-belijerancy would have existed, had he continued in what he started and what he stopped actually.

in 2006 when he went into a coma. >> speaking for the first time since excerpts of his book was released. he was trying to provide a look at key issues in washington, says robert gates. he slams president obama on the war in afghanistan, how it was handled. he talked been c.b.c. sunday morning talking about his time. he emphasised he agreed with president obama's decision on the war, but questioned his commitment. >> it's one thing to tell the troops you support them. it's another to work it, making them believe that you believe as president that their sacrifice is words it. the cause is just, that what they are doing is important for the country. and that they must succeed.

president bush did that with the troops. when i was secretary. i did not see president obama do that. >> he said the obama administration voiced skepticism about working afghanistan president hamid karzai, and tried to oust him four years ago. gates wrote: >> as al jazeera jane ferguson reports, this confirms the fears the afghan president often expressed. >> it was an accusation dismissed as paranoia. during his re-election campaign in 2009 afghan president hamid karzai accused the u.s. of trying to get rid of him. >> there were a lot of stories in the british and american media of the plans in washington and london to bring a change into the structure of governance

in afghanistan, to weaken the central government to afghanistan and to go to the strong daylight in afghanistan and to put resources through them to afghanistan. >> now excerpts from then u.s. defense secretary robert gates new book say it was true. gates writes about president obama's special envoy at the time, richard holbrook's attempts. saying richard holbrook and others extended support to many of hamid karzai's challenges. the presidential challenges deputy spokesperson reacted with an i told you so. what secretary gates revealed in the book reveals the righteousness of hamid karzai's claims that there were deliberate efforts to disregard and manipulate the genuine votes of the afghan people. >> but hamid karzai was also accused of foul play at the time. evidence of a campaign to rig

the vote in his favour was widely reported. >> now allegations of interference by the president obama administration could further discredit the election, leaving the afghan people unsure who to trust. >> they don't believe anybody. the people of afghanistan have been mislead so many times by so many players, that sometimes they have lost - at times they don't have the self-confidence that is sufficient for a nation to act on in their own interests and it's dangerous that we have depleted a nation from its self-confidence. >> revelations about possible us interference in the last presidential elections here come a few months before afghans go to the polls to vote for their next leader. president hamid karzai warned against foreign manipulation, a warning that seems to hold more

weight. >> still ahead - the fascinating story of a creature from the poker-nose having an effect in the middle east. >> haiti after the earthquake >> images that women are capturing of the chaos of the middle east.

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>> in south sudan disheartening news. a rebel leader says despite international efforts they are no closer to a ceasefire deal. south sudan army recaptured a key city loyal to forces with the vice president. haru mutasa is in bentiu with more. >> we have been coming in and out of bentiu since 2010. it's been a busy bustling town.

markets and businesses have been thriving. look at it. the place has been decimated during the fighting. we told the division commander when the fighting started, he defected from the army joining the forces loyal to the vice president riek machar. they were in control of bentiu. government troops moved in and pushed them out. they think the rebels are heading to bor, where there is fighting in jonglei state. thousands have been displaced. civilians and soldiers have been killed. civilians that run away from the fighting are sleeping at the u.n. base. they are too afraid to come back into the town >> meanwhile nearby in the central african republic tension remains high as a new government takes shape. widespread looting and attacks in bangui left 13 dead. ousted president michel djotobia reportedly living in exile. barnaby phillips reports joy

over his departure gave way to violence. >> in the backstreets of bangui fires are smouldering. an armed mob came into this mosque in daylight, smashed it up, wounded several people and took whatever they wanted. they promised to come back to ransack it a second time. to the people that live here, they say they will not run away. >> translation: where would be go, we are staying because we have nothing else. we can't afford to build another place. we are from here, from the central african republic. >> around the corner christian youth destroy a car, saying it was driven by a general from the muslim led seleka militia, saying it's not over yet. >> we understand that on this occasion the people inside the car managed to get away safely, you can see yourself how the

central african republic is caught in a vicious cycle of revenge sectarian violence >> these young men feel in the ascendency, the christian anti-balaka militia, some well armed, some relying on charms and amu let's which they think been deflect bullets. in this bleak situation there are voices of san itty, like mohammed zarif. last month the seleka came into his hospital, murdering at least 10 people. is abdel-karim zakaria afraid to come to work? >> translation: being human is natural that i'm afraid. being a muslim could cause problems here, but i'm a health worker by profession. that is the job i chose. i help people in distress. >> the government has not paid abdel-karim zakaria or his staff for months. the hospital functions because of help from the aid group save

the children. it's guarded around the clock by afghan peacekeepers. pity the people of this country where the sick lay in fear of attack. >> now to a report about a dozen female photographers who listed the veil on the arab world. their work is shown in an exhibit called "she who tells a story," kilmeny duchardt discovered the images give a provocative and surprising glimpse of an unknown world. >> on the surface the bedroom looks like a teenage girl's room in the u.s. that's the point. this teenager's room is outside the lebanese capital of beirut. the portrait is the work of photographer rania matar. >> it's a picture throwing people off. people argue, "no, this is not in lebanon", i'm, "i promise you the picture is taken in lebanon." for me she has a similar life in lebanon that my daughters have in the us - okay, despite the

fact there's a car bomb here and there. >> the project "a girl and her room", was inspired by one of rania matar's kids. it captures rooms in the middle east and u.s. to show similarities. she was excited with the sunglasses. she said, "i want to wear my sunglasses." she sat looking out the window with the sunglasses with the stuffed animals behind her, like leaving her childhood behind, looking out the window what is next. photographer rula, a palestinian, is drawn to scenes of conflict. >> i started my career as a photo journalist. i did well in photo journalism but i had a problem. i could never put my feelings on the side. the story was part of me, and i was part of story. >> she photographed the aftermath of israel's offensive in 2002.

>> the only people in the streets were dead or arrested. army, tanks. i couldn't recognise the stits. >> halwani once saw images as negativ negatives. >> i took pictures everywhere, until i hit in man he was in ramallah. i said, "oh, my god, not this guy." i knew the guy. when i saw him dead on the ground i thought, "what peace are we talking about? settlement is increasing, land is vanishing." >> halwani's photos are alongside rania matar. they use the photographs to show people of the middle east are ordinary people in ordinary place trying to live their lives

in difficult circumstances. >> i love it when people could go and see something else is coming out of there, that is beautiful, artistic, intelligent. cultural. i love it that it is done by women. i feel that a lot of things happen in the middle east are not the woman's doing. women in the middle east, if they ran it it would be a better place. >> the museum of the fine art of boston are planning to send the exhibit to san francisco, and other cities across the u.s. >> fascinating look there. still to come - [ ♪ music ] >> ..are the curtains coming down on opera in italy? >> after women airforce service pilots, the rising concerns over chemicals getting into our water supplies.

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>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top

stories this half hour >> iran will freeze its nuclear program in over a week. the announcement came today. for the first time they'll eliminate a stockpile of higher levels of enriched you uranium. >> kerry, after meeting with top diplomats in paris is confident that syria's main opposition group will attend peace talks in geneva. if they show up they'll meet face to face with the bashar al-assad government. israeli officials and public streamed past the casket of ariel sharon today. he'll be buried tomorrow at his home in southern israel. >> in a matter of hours, federal investigators will be in west virginia. it's the scene of a chemical spill. 300,000 people are living without safe tap water for drinking or washing. there's no word on when it will be back. dozens have gone emergency news for nausea, four have been

hospitalized. testing is continuing for m.c.m.h., that leaked from a storage tank. >> we have to work through a process to develop protocols and methods to assess this nonregulated chemical that did not have an existing set of protocols. >> contamination levels are falling and rain flushed out the spill. the national guard says they need consistent evidence that contamination is low enough to allow people to use tap water. >> if the numbers are found o be below one part per million, we may not have to flush the entire area. the systems are working, trends in the right direction, and we are hoping that we keep going in that direction, and don't see a reason why we won't. >> female re brought 370,000 gallons of water to charleston and surrounding counties. >> many are wondering who is in

charge. m.c.m.h. we have sheldon krimsky from boston, a professor of environmental policy at tufts university. thank you for being with us. what use in the industrial system >> why do we know sotrol act an the act there's no requirement that industry has to demonstrate the safety of a chemical that it introduces into their commercial system. >> so talk about the regulations over plants and chemicals like this. who overseas this and who is in charge of keeping it in check. >> usually the states have a lot

of regulatory authority over holding tanks in plants. the epa's regulatory authority covers gas stations, for example, the storage tanks in these facilities. >> do you think they particularly sensitive ecological place. that is number one. number two, that the emergency crews really know little about the chemical, because it's never been adequately questioned. that's true with tens of thousands of chemicals used in our industrial system.

implications here. just how much lack of oversight and the chemical is a solvent, part of the alcohol family. it's a solvent for cleaning up coal. so it wasn't a production facility for the chemical. production facilities are where the chemicals are produced, probably have more oversight because of ocia regulating the workers, but this was a storage facility for the use of the chemical in cleaning up coal. i'm not clear in my own mind whether the state or the federal government has the prime responsibility. >> meaning that it's unclear generally or you are not sure who has primary information,

no toxict of people.

sheldon krimsky thank you for your time. >> you are welcome. >> a preacher from the

poker-nose in pennsylvania was named an influential person of 2013. he is said to be linked to a corruption scandal in turkey. >> turkish car dealer is expecting business to drop 20% in 2014 thanks to luxury taxes and a government corruption scandal sending turkey's currency to new lows. >> translation: i work hard to make a living and follow all the laws and there are those people who don't, and make money easily. >> he is not the only unhappy citizens. thousands of turks called on the government to resign after millions in cash was found in the homes of three ministers sons and the head of the central bank. the prime minister recep tayyip erdogan went on the offensive, firing hundreds of prosecutors and police officers investigating the fraud. >> the turkish prime minister

accused foreign forces behind behind the scandal. including the involvement of a people's movement. the head of the movement moved to the united states in 1999 and remains in exile. his followers described his work as a multifaith organization committed to education, dialogue and supporting the poor. it was seen as a power base for the prime minister and the ake party. this journalist was gaoled after writing a book about the gollan movement's involvement in turkish institutions. it's been described as a secret organization, whose followers ipp sinuated themselves into influential positions. >> translation: they claim they are an ngo. they are in the police and judiciary. they just want power.

>> supporters deny that. >> in turkey and outside, if we had a hidden agenda it would come out. we couldn't hide it for 50 years or 150 countries where we work. >> in the overwhelmingly muslim country with a modern secular heritage, there's suspicion about the government and the golan movement, about what each side wants and where the rift between them might take turkey. >> so just who is it, and how did preachings take him to "time" magazine's influential people. we have an correspondent who has had an interview with him. >> what was it like meeting and speaking with him. he rarely grants interviews. >> that's right. the interview was five years in the making i've been trying to get him to talk to me five years

or so. it's interesting to see him at the compound in the poker-nose, the families that follow gollan go and do retreats. where he lives is spartan. but it's a big compound and a lot of the areas are not lavishly decorated, but he has a lot of gifts from a lot of people from all over the world who sent him everything from extremely elaborate expensive swords, korans, and it's interesting. >> a lot of his followers, do they live on the compound with him? >> there's two buildings and on any given day there's a dozen people. he teaches every day and is surrounded by people. >> he puts a lot of sermons online, which is why he has a huge global following from

turkey. he's in the news because the prime minister is accusing him of basically trying to overthrow the turkish government from afar. >> he, if you put this to him in person, which, you know, i have, he would tell you that his influence doesn't reach ta far. if he says anything the people that listen to him act on their own without a push from him. he has global reach from his place in the poka-nose. >> why are his followers loyal to him. >> that's a great question. i think that because when he had sort of come up and he was preaching in turkey before he left the country, you know, turkey was almost secular. he talked about not being able to practice being a muslim in turkey, and there were a lot of muslims in turkey who identify

with that and everything that he's trying do. >> it's interesting because at one point he was working with the counter turkish government. they seem to be friends, but there's a rift between them. >> i'm not sure what happened. i know for recep tayyip erdogan, the golannists are a power base for him. if they want to hurt recep tayyip erdogan, he can tell his people not to vote for recep tayyip erdogan. so that would be quit interesting to see what happens then >> do you think that's a possibility now? . >> the way they are speaking now it doesn't seem like they are good friends. >> how much influence does he have within the turkish government. there was a video in 1999 where he encouraged followers to move through the arteries of the system without anyone noticing until you reach the power centres. it sounds scary, i would think to the turkish government.

it sounds like a conspiracy. >> supporters tell you and they claim the video was doctored, he wasn't talking about that per se. it's complicated. the thing i learnt talking and listening to people that follow him or detest him is he inspires extreme fear or love. in spite of the black and white, when it comes to him and his part in turkish politics, it's grey. >> all from the poker knows. a compound in pennsylvania, having a role in politics half a world away. thank you for your time. >> you're welcome. >> secretary of defense chuck hagel spoke on the phone with egypt's abdul fatah al-sisi. they discussed the referendum in egypt. chuck hagel urged abdul fatah al-sisi to allow observers to the vote. abdul fatah al-sisi said this

weekend he would be interested in taking the job of egyptian president after the vote. he ousted mohamed morsi in july. the military has been crocking down on mohamed morsi supporters and members of the muslim brotherhood. >> it's day 15 for three al jazeera journalists held in custody in europe. prosecutors accused them of spreading lies harmful to state security and talking to a terror group. sentences have been extended for another two weeks. egypt holds five al jazeera, one for five months without due process. >> right about now, four years ago, an aerth quake devastated haiti. many are struggling to rebuild their lives, we go to a tent city in port au prince. >> susan has lived here for 3.5 years. it's not her home. that was destroyed in the devastating earthquake in 2010.

she moved into a tent city in port au prince with 14-year-old daughter and granddaughter. >> conditions were not good. it was a difficult life. mosquitos all over, the heat killing us. it was bad. >> when offered a $500 voucher to move into an apartment it was a relief. she took the money, like thousands of others. that yellow building across the road is where they process money transfers. it's open five days a week and people line up for hours and wait patiently for what they have been told is a way out of tent cities they are living in. >> the money comes from the haitian government and aid groups. once someone accepts the voucher, they have three days to destroy their tent and move in. >> translation: we pay the represent with the money they gave us, and now we have no money to eat. it doesn't make sense. >> this is an organization

fighting for the rights of 300,000 people living in tent cities. it claim $2 billion spend on helping them has gone to nongovernment organizations instead. >> translation: ngos intend a lot on cars and big salaries because foreigners are working far from their country, it's about equipment, salaries it and maintenance. >> there are problems at the camps. limited access to toilet and drinkable water, violence is increasing. amnesty international and the international organization for might rights claims the haitian government evicted maybe people. >> after a rental subsidy ran out. this woman moved to a tent city hours from the city. >> it's isolated.

i don't have a choice. we hear about the authorities, but don't know about the government. no one visits or talks to us. >> it's not the life wanted more this woman or her family. it's the only future she can imagine. >> celebrities in hollywood for the golden globe awards spent part of the weekend raising money for haiti. youtube had a benefit put on by sean penn. it helped raise more than $6 million. >> in a different part of the world the financial struggle for opera houses across italy and rome, the premiere opera house is in debt. we have a report that the financial crisis threatens to bring the curtain down on opera. [ singing ] >> they are the heart and soul.

they are the chorus of rome's famous opera house. pava rotty and others performed here. the opera house is in trouble. it owes around $50 million. management can receive a bailout, but only if they cut jobs. >> translation: the opera is one of italy's prestageous cultural institutions on a par with the colosseum or painting. it should be protected by the state. our constitution guarantees that. >> the financial crisis in italy is forcing the government to slash funding for the arts. the government has to save billions of dollars in the next few years. theatres and opera houses are state funded. some have no choice but to cut performances or close down. >> this is one of rome's oldest theatres founded in 1727. the last official performance

here was in 2011. campaigners are trying to raise money to keep this place open. the italian government spend more than a billion a year on culture. much of the money goes to restoring ancient sites like the collo si um. the minister of culture insists opera will survive the financial crisis. >> translation: they have to manage the administration more carefully so the tradition can survive for many years. it is my duty above all to respect the profession of these people. it would be difficult to imagine a future where culture is not at the heart of things. >> rome's opper awe -- opera house, a performance of "swan lake", the orchestra last month

were replaced with a cd track. the performance must go on - it's not clir for how long. >> a week after the deep freeze a new york town is dealing with an icy threat. >> coming up, a museum with the collection of comics and cartoons.

>> cartoon comics are no longer on the funny pages in the paper. is now snoopy, calvin and hobbs found a home.

we visit the largest cartoon art. >> perched above ohio's landscape is a new temple for cartoons. >> and this, for example, is from 1798. it's a cartoon "congressional puj lift" and features a fight that took place in congress. >> ohio state billy ireland cartoon lebrary and museum streets cartoons and comics the way the u.s. library of congress treats thomas jefferson and geoffrey chaucer - seriously. >> now cartoonists know that they can give their collection of papers and art to a higher state and they'll be preserved, exhibited and made accessible to researchers. from classic to political. >> here is a fantastic franklin delano roosevelt by baseill wolverton and then we have richard nixon. it's one part cartoon, one part university, where scholars study

light literature. there's so much scholarship on novels. this is the material everyone had. these are important visual artefacts of an era that need to be taken seriously. >> you came all he way from hanover area. >> yes. >> housed in the shelves of a temperature controlled volt are 25,000 books of cartoons, 67,000 journals, the largest collection of cartoons and comics. in 1843. british satirical magazine "punch" records the modern use of the cartoon. there's the calvin and hobbs collection and the strips of charles m schulz. >> i like "peanuts", it's timeless. the way it was drawn. the captioning. it's timeless. >> in chester gould's drawings of dick tracy. the election includes 300,000

original works of art. there would be more, but the originals were tossed out after being photographed and reprinted for the newspaper. now a standard original by an artist like charles m schultz may be worth tens of thousands. an early one is priceless. >> the collection illustrates historical stereotypes. >> you can see from this there was a different sensibility in terms of how we portray monerities. >> and controversies drawn together in a new home. >> what history there. the archives housed thousands of sketches by jim borgman, the pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist. >> last week a polar vortex was stirring up trouble in upstate new york. crews are working on breaking up an ice jam, there's fears the

water will overflow the banks. nearby residents are sandbagging. >> i have never seen ice so thick. there would be a freeze over where we'd ice skate. >> roads around the creek are closed as the crews use machinery to break up the ice. >> kevin corriveau is back next with a look at the forecast. city with us.

>> as mentioned we are looking at a threat of ice jamming across new york, vermont, new hampshire is and maine. the rivers iced over, it warmed up and rained. those are the temperatures, we saw the rain on the rivers helping to melt them. we have an ice jam, normally the pieces of ice flow down the riff, normally they are horizontal, they go vertical, and then they start laying out

as a natural dam. and if the water can't actually go through the dam, it will go over the banks and be held up and burst the dam and cause flooding. that's why it's a major problem. the flood watches are in effect and the blood warnings far outline of the new england states towards rowed -- -- rhode island. there's no rain in the forecast, but the textures are staying above freezing as a low tomorrow. for albany, down to 33, highs will be higher than that. boston at 40, and portland a view of 37. temperatures to continue. rain in the forecast. it will not be heavy for many places. towards the north-west there's a mess. rain, snow as well as a possibility of avalanches.

>> you're watching al jazeera america live from new york. i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. iran will begin to freeze its nuclear program in over a week. in return it will start to get billions in funds that will be blocked. the first $550 million will be paid february 1st. secretary of state john kerry says he's confident that syria's main opposition group will come to geneva to attend talks. john kerry met with top documents in paris to pressure the rebels. israelis by the thousands pay last reports to ariel sharon in jerusalem. after a state memorial service he'll be buried in southern