>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. these are the stories we're following for you. 300,000 people still without fresh water in west virginia. the governor says he now sees a light at the end of the tunnel. plus an historic constitutional fight over the balance of power between the president and the senate. a-rod swinging back at his critics. lawyers for the yankee slugger alex rodriguez plans to fight his year-long suspension in federal court. >> west virginia's governor is expected to speak shortly on the

water situation in his state and we'll bring you that live when it happens. residents may soon be able to use their tap water again but contamination levels aren't low enough to lift the ban on drinking and washing. jonathan, i guess my question if not for drinking and washing, what can the tap water be used for? >> really the only thing they're allowed to use the water for is flushing. that's the only thing the officials say its safe for. at this point we're expecting the governor to give us an update soon but as of this minute the word is residents are not supposed to use their tap water. the good news there is water available. there is a lot of bottled water and there are a lot of tankers like the one you see behind me full of water. the hospital providing water. as this goes into yet another day and another hour a lot of people are frustrated.

elizabeth fraser and her daughter dora have not showered in three days. a case of bottled water is the only clean water they have. >> we've been heating up water and washing off with like we're camping. it's very much like going camping. when you don't go camping you don't have a shower. >> reporter: for the fourth day nearly 300,000 west virginian are told not to use tap water. nine counties are under state of emergency after a chemical spill into the elk river. >> everybody wants to know when. when will we have water? what do we do when the water comes back? >> there's no clear timeline for when the tap water will be safe to use. state officials say they're flushing and testing the system hourly. the latest results show the chemical are declining and undetectable in some areas. >> i believe we're at a point where we could say that we see

life at the end of the tunnel. >> reporter: west virginia's governor said when the ban is lifted it will be done in phases. there is a 24 hotline residents can find out when their neighborhood is in the clear. in the meantime the federal emergency management agency is trucking in cases of bottled water. while she's frustrated elizabeth knows she's fortunate as a librarian she's able to work. the worries about others whose jobs are being affected. >> i'm more concerned about the long-term ripple affects for the lives of people i know who this is a big deal. it's hurting their businesses. they work part time. >> reporter: jonathan martin reporting. we're going to listen in on the governor, and right now he's speaking in west virginia. >> these specific areas flushing can begin. we've made a lot of progress, but i ask all west virginians to continue to be patient as we

work to safely restore service to the affected areas. now some of the speakers after me today will be giving specific guidelines, and i think it's very important that you follow these guidelines so not to overtax the system and cause a breakdown. so the water will be coming back on, but it will be done in a systemic way. at this time i would like to introduce general hoy er who will be giving information on the tests conducted overnight. >> over the period of total time that we've been involved with this situation we've collected 692 samples today. we've analyzed 264. please don't take that to mean that we have a serious of samples that were that backlogged on. there is a series of things that go on relating to splitting

samples and samples that don't have to be tested because otheroutlying area needs to be tested but we've analyzed 264 samples today. as the governor stated based on the inter agency teams assessment we believe it is appropriate in conjunction with public health and the american water company to begin to lift the ban by zone. in a moment mr. mcintyre will explain specifics about that. because of the trending of the results and the effects that we have seen as well as an assessment of the hydrology of the system it was determined in conjunction with the fact that we had tested last night and officially analyzed and sampled samples from taps at each of our hospitals in the area that at 10:15 this morning secretary bowling coordinated with the ceos of the hospitals to begin the flushing process.

the reason that was done prior to any official announcement being lifted is to ensure we have the appropriate level of pressure, and we have the appropriate level of time for our key emergency facilities to begin to start the process of coming back online. at 1200 today the system has gone live, and mr. mcintyre will explain to you the process for the zones as they begin to come up. the other key thing the governor asked me to point out we still have outlying areas that we must continue to test. we started from a center point from the water facility and we are working our way out the system. please, if your zone has not been called to be open yet please do not open and follow the process. we're trying to manage both the contamination and insure its flow out of the system, but we're also trying the water company to manage the appropriate level of pressure in the system to make sure we do

this effectively and do not cause any problems throughout the system. at this time we'll turn it over to mr. mcintyre about the process as it has gone life. >> thank you, general hoyer, i'm with west virginia american water. i have important information. if you have pencil and pen handy it will be useful in the next few minutes. the ban is being lifted in a strict methodda methodical manne sure that waters is not overwhelmed by excessive demand. zones have been established based on the flow of water from the treatment plant throughout the system. if all the customers in the entire system or even in small zones opened all their taps at the same time they could use 10 to 20 times the water than we can produce in a day. they will effect critical health

infrastructure and have an affect on our industry in the area that not only need water quality, it needs water pressure and water volume. we're asking strict adherence to the protocols. west virginia water along with inter agency teams are creating lift zones in a variety of sources. customers can enter their home and business addresses and see their water status. we encourage all customers with access to the website to use this tool first. this map is accessible at www www.westvirginiaamwater.com. customers are encouraged to regularly visit the map for updates. yesterday i indicated the calenders for the map were red for you're under a ban, do not use. and green for you're okay. it's actually blue.

we changed it to blue because some people who are color blind cannot distinguish between red and green as well. in addition to the website lift zone information is being sent out by media. it will be launched in coordination with lift zones. we'll make automatic calls to the zone baseed on telephone numbers we have. the hotline has been established. the number for the hotline is 855-390-4569. the hotline is for the exclusive purpose of helping customers and board areas gain clarification or for those who do not have access to the internet. representatives will not be able to provide any other information other than the lift locations. all other questions should be directed to the customers service center, and the number for that location is 1-800-685

1-800-685-8660. customers and lift zones will need to flush their home plumbing systems. west virginia american water is providing flushing guidance villa it's website, media and call center. only customers located within the zones that have been lifted should begin flushing. if we have problems with pressure in the system we will not be able to open up additional zones until those pressures are restored. you'll extend the time of recovery if you flush too early you'll cost yourself money and you will waste your effort because you'll be doing it before the water is safe. you may at the end of the flushing protocol which requires 20 minutes of flushing still have a slight odor. but all test results in the lifted zones are below the health risk levels determined by the center of disease control,

which is one part per million. offering officers a credit of 1,000 gallons which is more than will be required to flush the average home. the average home uses 3300 gallons per month. west virginia american water thanks all its customers for their patience and cooperation during this event and we thank the governor for the inter agency team. it helped us recover much quicker than we could have on our own. thank you, sir. we remind customers until the zone is announced water should not be used for any purpose for any purpose other than toilet flushing or firefighting. alternative sources should be used for bathing, washing, preparation of food and baby formula. i would also like to take a few extra minutes while i could, while we've been dealing with with this situation in charleston, there is also the material moving down through

from the elk to the ohio river. so i would like to provide an update on the huntington facility. west virginia american water is aware of and prepared for other potential impacts resulting from the chemical spill migrating down stream. we've been working with the state and federal officials. the ohio river valley water sanitation commission to model the plume to track the spill along with the spill that occurred in belfry, ohio, earlier this week. we have worked with our representatives to review water test results to detect any evidence of chemical. we expect ther there will be di di restitution in the rivers, and we're alexandri regularly testing water.

late test results indicated .031 parts per million at the intake, and 0.006 parts per million in the finished water. both results are below the 1 ppm determined by the center for disease control. we brought additional chemists in the area to help with laundering. along with the comment spill unrelated to the charleston event it happened 120 miles up stream of the hunting ton water treatment intake. we continue to track and monitor performance. we're confident that our treatment existing treatment barriers are effective and experts are also prepared to increase treatment if deemed necessary. >> you're watching a live press conference from west virginia. the governor saying that they're going to begin lifting the ban

methodically in certain zones, and that people can start using the water at least for flushing, and firefighting. jonathan martin joins us again from charleston, west virginia. jonathan, what did you hear out of this bless conference, do residents, the 300,000 residents that are affected do they have reason to be hopeful that soon they will be able to use the water? >> certainly. this is a news that they wanted to hear. the government said all along that this would happen by zone. no one really expected for the water to just be deemed safe across the board all together. as you mentioned they'll do it by zones. some of those zones have already been told that they can lift the water ban by this time. they've been told to go through a 20-minute flushing process and they'll get credit for that water, and they can flush out their system. they're doing several things. setting up an interactive an line map so people with see if

their zone has been lifted. >> the water company does not want to be overwhelmed, jonathan martin we'll keep updates, thank you. the supreme court is looking at a potentially landmark case. the high court will examine whether or not the president overstepped his authority when he unilaterally declared the senate was in recess and appoi appointed thre three new membero the international relations bill. is the balance of power at stake here? >> reporter: it really is. we're looking at the power of the executive branch represented by the president. the judicial branch as the senate-wield branch and then the senate branch. the big question centers around whether the president was in the right when he made his appointments to the nlrb two years ago.

typically stephanie the president nominates people for positions to serve in the executive branch either as judges or to run federal agencies. then it's up to the senate to confirm them. the one loophole is if the senate is on recess. two years ago when the president pushed through these confirmation the senate was not in washington. they were technically in session but not here in town. the white house said that's the key. if the senate is not here they're recessed. the senate republicans have a very different interpretation. they say the recess only happens once a year in between legislative sessions. just because congress is not in washington does not mean that the president can move ahead. this is clearly a political fight. the white house upset bus senate republicans have blocked nominations. it has broader implications. >> obviously some really big stakes, libby casey reporting from capitol hill. thank you. coming up after a year of

strong sales car makers are gearing up for the first day of the international auto show in detroit. those stories and our business headlines when al jazeera america returns.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. new details surrounding the biggest doping ban in baseball history. lawyers for alex rodriguez are head to go federal court to overturn his season-long steroid suspension. john henry smith joins us with more. what the latest? >> on 60 minutes bio geneticist said he personally injected

rodriguez because rodriguez was to afraid of needles to do it himself. and he would take gummy lozenges called trokies before games. >> he would put one of these trokies in his mouth te 10 or 15 minutes before game time. a player could take it right before game time, and by the time they get back into the locker room after the game and there was any possibility of testing, they would test negative. they would test clean. >> strong words by tony bosh. he had that and plenty more to say. that doesn't make a-rod's case look any better. >> does his appeal stand a chance? >> we've heard over legal minds and the consensus is probably not. number one, judges apparently

aren't quick to overturn judgments made--rulings made by arbitrators that would defeat the purpose of having arbitration in the first place. secondly when a-rod signed up with the players association he agreed to go by the arbitration process to settle disputes. this time it did not work out in his favor. but since he made the initial agreement it doesn't look good for ani' peel going any appeal. >> john henry smith. thanks for that. >> all right, we've got a quiet day for stocks to start the new week. the dow currently trading down 28 points. well, street waiting for earnings news from a number of key companies including big banks that are coming this week. a huge deal in the liquor industry, the making of jim bean

bourbon is being bought for $16 billion. sanori is paying $83.50 a share for the firm. bean produces several brands. it makes santori the largest maker of distilled spirits. ford motor company unveiled its new f 150 and core vet stingray won the car award and the truck it's silverado. we're joined live from the auto show. how big is it for gym to get both these awards? >> this is really, really really a big deal for general motors. right now growth for the auto market is slowing a bit, so this is a huge plus so it can

generate sales for g.m. what we're seeing is the resurgence of the american auto industry. u.s. auto sales have rebounded. plant are hiring again and the global appeal for american-made cars is growing. last year automakers exported more vehicles than ever, 2 million, and 15.6 million vehicles were sold in the u.s. these figures are a vast impro improvement compared to just four years ago when the recession hit vehicle sales dropped to 10.4 million. >> the auto industry has come back to fight another day. dr. john taylor is a business professor in detroit. he recalls the days of 2009 when general motors, chrysler and ford were running on empty. >> it was quite a mini depression. >> reporter: vehicle sales plummeted. the u.s. government under the obama administration bailed out both g.m. and chrysler and ford

found financial relief in federal loans. >> that had to happen to help extricate themselves from some of the problems and the problems were made on both sides. they were made by management and they were made by union organizations. >> reporter: next, major restructuring which included job losses, plant closures and union concessions. gone were the days of generous health benefits and $25 an hour factory job. >> i think people at the time thought it might be the end, people on the street, but people in the industry knew there would be another day. >> i think it's a comeback year, and i think its just the beginning. >> reporter: in a dazzling display of hot wheels and new innovation the north american international auto show is kicking off it's 25th year in detroit. >> today's marketplace is different from when we were young. i grew up with the big three, and you look around on the auto show there is hyundai, mercedes,

bmw, honda, all of these brands are all american brands now. >> reporter: he says there is a new energy driving this year's event. >> the automakers would not be investing to build in any of these exhibits were the business not there, and you can feel the confidence. you can feel the optimism. it's actually a very exciting time. >> reporter: they're just now back on the road to recovery, but in a short time the u.s. auto industry has traveled far. about 50 vehicles will be unveiled right now i'm standing next to the 2014 ford fiesta. this comes with a voice activation system, so you can have a conversation with your vehicle. if you have a question or a demand, it will respond. some are calling it the car of the future. >> i'll expect to you check out the core vet because i heard

that's amazing this year. thank you, bisi onile-ere reporting from detroit. and our ali velshi also at the detroit auto show where he'll be talking with some of the biggest names in the ford industry. you can see that on real money at 7:00 p.m. eastern time right here on al jazeera america. a war hero to some and a war criminal to others. the life of former israel prime minister ariel sharon. activists show the

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy here are today's headlines. secretary of state john kerry and russia's foreign minister meet in paris. the two diplomats discuss two

good will gestures. they're proposing prisoner exchanges sending aid and ultimately a cease-fire to end the fighting in syria. and taps are opening again in some parts of west virginia. the state is allowing residents to flush tainted water in their plumbing. the ban was in place since thursday after spills from a chemical storage tank. dignitaries around the world are in israel paying their respect for former prime minister ariel sharon. the political leader decide said after spending eight years in a coma. nick, i want to get to the memorial service, of course, but first there have been rocket attacks out of gaza today. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: yes, stephanie we're here at sharon's ranch eight miles from the board of gaza, and this

afternoon the funeral procession left at 4:00. 20 or 30 minutes after that two rockets came over the border from gaza and landed five or six miles here according to the israeli military. in response to that the israeli military, the israeli have attacked gaza. two sides inside gaza, two empty training camps have been attacked. so those rockets sit in an empty field in israel, and israel responds by hitting empty training camps. it's that kind of tit for tat even when there is no war at all from gaza and israel and where actually it's peaceful right now. so stephanie that, kind of violence continues. but today it was all about ariel sharon. people trying to remember this man. people here remembered as king arik, many who consider him a

war hero. many inside israel or outside of israel consider him a war criminal. there are a lot of people who are criticizing him today even as israel celebrates him, >> we're following several weather stories, we'll zip through parts of the west, this is where we're getting snow stretching across north dakota, minnesota, and also in towards michigan. so we have winter storm warnings in effect, but also some powerful winds for the west. we'll have more coming up on the winds and talk more about the earthquake that happened early this morning north of puerto rico. >> thank you. and thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. "the stream" is next.

for news updates throughout the day head to our website, www.aljazeera.com. >> next we consider sacrifice and whether saving some members of endangered species is worth others. africa's black rhino population, less than 5,000 in the world today. the largest number remain in any mi ni nimibia, a very unlikely source a group of hinters in texas who say they want to help the black rhino by killing one.