>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. widespread cheating in the air force. dozens of officers stripped of their retentions accused of giving answers to tests on how to operate nuclear missiles. a new report on the bengahzi attackish that points the negligence to suprem security c. and the vatican meets with the united nations in full disclosure of child abuse cases. a massive cheating candle in the air force involving 34

launch officers. some of them accused of giving each other answers to tests on how to operate nuclear missiles. others accused of knowing about it and looking the other way. david shuster is following the investigation for us. >> reporter: tony, the pentagon had a news conference in which the air force secretary and chief of staff reveal that officers used text messages to help one another pass a monthly proficiency exam. 16 of the officers cheated and another 17 knew about it and did not report the violations. there is another person stripped of their responsibilities because of alleged drug use. here's what debra lee james, secretary of the air force, had to say this afternoon. afternoon. >> this is absolutely unacceptable behavior and completely contrary to our core values in the air force, and the number one core value for us is integrity. i'm profoundly disappointed in

the airmen involved in this, and i've directed immediate actions take place. >> reporter: including stripping those officers of their access to classified information, removing them from the missiles silos. furthermore the investigation goes into drug use. it was the drug use that started the investigations. there was allegation that there was drug use in the air force in montana that spread to five other air force bases. 34 officers at maelstrom air force base was found in the cheating investigation. general mark welsh, here's what he said. >> reporter: cheating or tolerating others who cheat run counter to everything. everyone at every level will be held accountable.

>> they're doing more fest to go make sure the remaining officers have not been tainted. by thursday all of the remaining thursday in the missiles silos will have been retested on monthly examples. furthermore the military insists despite 5% of the nuclear officers who oversee the force now tainted by the scandal insist that it has not been compromised. >> david, appreciate it. more to add to this. this is not the first scandal dogging the air force. in 2007 there was an incident in which six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles were mistakenly flown. and there were charges of sexual abuse, and lastly the failure of

a security inspection, and 17 personnel were removed from their jobs all this amid reports of low morale and what one officer called rot in the force. a senate intelligence committee report blames the state department at the pentagon for failing to protect the u.s. consulate attacked in bengahzi. today's report said that security might have stopped the september 12 attack that ambassador chris stevens and three others. trevor joins us live from los angeles, trevor, tell us why this report is significant. >> what is significant about this report is that it supports much of the reporting that al jazeera's investigation did in september. in september we obtained a state department report, and they found that the state department had not responded to worsening

security situations in bengahzi. to understand how this fits into the most recent report, it's important to note that the facility in bengahzi was two buildings. the first one was a special mission, which was essentially a consulate, and the second one was an annex building operated by the c.i.a. the significance of the intelligence report is that it shows the c.i.a. acted on the intelligence of worsening security conditions and beefed up security at the same time the state department did not. >> why not? did you hear me? >> reporter: i'm sorry. >> no, i was curious why the consulate why it didn't upgrade its security particularly when the c.i.a. facility got the same information and decided to take measures to upgrade security there? >> reporter: the facility in libya was designated a special mission which meant it was exempt from security standards that were adopted following the

beirut embassy bombings. in this case the exemption requires the approval of the higher members of the state department. meaning that it was exempt from the security standards. it could have taken appropriate measures once it new of the intelligence that security conditions were worsening, but what our previous reporting found and what this senate report found that this did not do so, it did not increase security at the mission. >> so it mentions 15 people killed. tell us why this is significant. >> reporter: it's a fascinating aspect. you know, what we know is that 15 people who were associated with the investigation were killed. and that's increased the fbi's difficulty in investigating what happened here. the fbi has jurisdiction over the death of americans, american officials in other countries. not only has the libyan

government been a problematic force in the fbi conducting of this investigation, mysteriously 15 people connected to the investigation have died. the report does not specify if they were killed in connection to this investigation or due to just worsening security conditions in libya. >> let's take this on. the administration, and specifically national security adviser susan rice heavily criticized for the response to this attack. people alleged that they withheld information, a. investigations, did the report give us any insight into that aspect of the story? >> reporter: right, following the bengahzi attack susan rice made a number of statements based on talking points that went through a series of drafts through the white house and the intelligence community. the republicans were incredibly hostile towards rice, alleging that she had toned down they are comments in order to make this

seem less bad for the administration. among the things she was criticized for was calling the attackers extremists instead of terrorists and removing the reference to al-qaeda. this was not rice's choice. it was not even the white house choice. it was made by the fbi and the intelligence community. the reason for that was in the day of the attack, the fbi could not determine if it was the attackers were associated with the terrorist groups or al-qaeda. the fbi removed the terrorist. >> trevor, the investigative report who are did a lot of work on the bengahzi story. thank you. the u.s. hopes to raise $6.5 billion to help syrians caught up in today's bloody civil war. delegates from dozens of nations

pledged more than $2 billion in aid. bernard smith was there. >> there has been extraordinary numbers bantered around not least the 4 million syrians that are now dependent on u.n. aid inside syria. kuwait kicked off the pledging offering some $500 million. i spoke to the u.n. representatives earlier on and they say they now have got 80% of the money that was pledged last year. they're obviously knocking on doors and chasing up the outstanding funds because the thing is it's all very well pledging the money, but the u.n. needs that cash in hand now. it needs that cash to buy emergency relief supplies, to buy food, aid, to give to the syrians. but one of the other major challenges that the u.n. faces, and it was touched on by u.s. secretary of state john kerry

and by ban ki-moon, it is very difficult to get aid in when the syrian regime is not allowing the aid to get in. there are a lot of besieged towns and cities that are preventing aid from getting through. again, john kerry accused the regime of using civilians as pawns in this civil conflict, and he's appealing to the syrian regime to allowed aid to get through. >> earlier we spoke to john mccain about the humanitarian aid. >> there are now 130,000 people who have been slaughtered, millions have been displaced. children everywhere in these refugee camps. it's an ongoing tragedy that is destabilizing the region. we are going to use some of your tax dollars and some of your

engagement in the middle east not only from a humanitarian standpoint, but this conflict is bound to spread. sooner rather than later the united states is going to pay a heavy price for our non-involvement. i think it's very obvious that throughout the middle east america is declining in influence and on the wane, and people are making their own accommodations for the departure of the united states. >> and for much more from majority john mccain catch the interfere on our newscast at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. with john seigenthaler. the polls have closed on two days of voting in egypt. the new constitution is expected to pass overwhelmingly since the government has cracked down on the opposition. it clears the way for presidential elections later this year. 11 people died in clashes with

security forces in iraq, and half dozen car bombs across baghdad, mostly in shia neighborhoods. a suicide-bomber killed many. al-qaeda linked groups took control of two cities in anbar province. police fight to retake the territory from al-qaeda linked fight whose old fallujah and parts of ramadi. scathing new report from the catholic church and how it has handled sex abuse. a british charity said the church is not fully disclosing cases of abuse, and deny accountability. we go t to the report.

>> reporter: peter was abused at the hands of the catholic church, and so was miss mike, for mike it led to a life of drink and drugs and early death. >> most survivors are not particularly interested in compensation. they're interested in seeing change. they're interested in knowing what happened to them is not going to happen to future generations. having said that compensation i think is entirely appropriate when it comes to people whose life--whose childhoods have been stolen. >> reporter: the vatican has a new pope. he's popular, and he's made big promises. pope francis wants openness and a new transparency even on this toxic issue. he set up a new committee of his own to look into it. thursday's appearance by his emissaries before the u.n. is overdue. the extent to which they engage seriously with the u.n. will be a test of francis' papacy, and of whether he can deliver on the issue of sexual abuse and the

allegations of cover up. a new report details how widespread the accuse has been. the authors have little optimism the church will change its approach. >> we traced back over the sort of last two decades all the promises that they made versus what actually happened. and there have been many promises in the past, with very little that has happened concretely and everything that has allegedly happened has happened in complete secrecy. >> reporter: the u.n. is asking for answers. >> if the church acknowledges it's many failings, then i like many others will, as you say, will have some form of closure and some means of perhaps moving on. >> reporter: the vatican is coming to geneva because it signed the u.n.'s convention on the rights of the child.

it says it takes its treaty obligations reseriously although it's action or inaction over the issue of child abuse might suggest otherwise. this is a good opportunity for the church and for pope francis to finally signal they're going to do something about it. simoal jazeera. >> it has been more than a decade since the catholic church sex abuse scandal really exploded. john terrett with more. >> reporter: we have two things going on. you have this proper from the british organization, and then tomorrow, the vatican is being hauled in before this committee on the rights of a child. they have to do it because they signed the convention in the 1990's. it's their obligation. there will be five very senior members of the vatican there tomorrow. we thought we would look at the statistics around the abuse of children by priest in the

catholic church here in the united states. according to the u.s. conference of catholic bishops plus independent studies commissioned by the bishops, 6500 catholic priests have been accused of abuse. that's approximately 5% of all the nearly 110,000 u.s. priest who is have been active in this country over the past 0 60 year. 16,463 alleged victims have been identified to date although there is no national david beckham available. and the catholic church has spent $2.5 billion, that's billion with a "b" in settlements. in fact, it's much more than that. that's the latest figure i could find. they've spent it on settlements, therapy bills, attorneys fees and costs for the care of priests who have been pulled out of their ministries between 2004

and 2011. now www www.bishopaccountability.org say 3,000 lawsuit have been filed, and they say as a result of that 37 suits have come to trial. meanwhile, the website says 22 bishops and 3,303 names have been named although little is known about the location of though priests, and they're launching an international effort to find out where they are. >> i appreciate it. i can't wait to see what comes out of tomorrow's meeting. >> reporter: it will be an historic event. a lot of people who were abused in this country are looking forward to what is said. just how fourth coming they'll be. >> a disturbing new video may provide some clues as to what happened in a deadly plane crash in california.

the asianic flight crashed, and it shows emergency workers with the 16-year-old on the ground before she was hit by the fire truck. her family is suing the city for gross negligence. >> controlling healthcare costs. now one state is about to try something new and controversial. that is next. also the government wanted to hear what americans thought about using sell phones on planes, and there is plenty. a lot of people are not very happy.

>> maryland is about to put into place a system to cap it's medical costs. the state hopes to save hundreds of millions of dollars. critics say it will negatively effect the quality of healthcare at hospitals. lisa stark explores the impact of maryland's medical

experiment. >> an runnel medical center. now along with every other acute care hospital in the state it faces new challenges. >> these are ideas that had never been tried or tested thon scale. >> reporter: the idea is to hold down hospital costs to force hospitals to live on a fixed budget that encourages hospitals to spend dollars morse wisely and keep patients out of the hospital bed. >> under our current system, the fee for service system, the mover you do, the more you get paid. this model is trying to change that to the better you do the better you get paid. >> reporter: massachusetts and vermont are experimenting with

reining in hospital costs but maryland is the only state which sets rates for hospital services with the help of an independent commission. every patient gets charged the same whether they have private insurance, no insurance or medicare. it's been that way for nearly four decades under a deal with medicare and the federal government. the new plan goes further. hospital spending will be tied to the state's economic growth over the next decade, will not be allowed to increase more than 3.5% over the next five years. >> healthcare costs are a real problem. our ability to afford healthcare is the critical issue. >> reporter: this is also about improving care. hospitals must reduce the rate of infections that people can acquire while in the hospitals, and reduce the readmission rate that's when people get discharged but have to come back within a month for the same

problem. can hospitals lower costs and improve care? at a hearing on the new plan some state lawmakers were skeptical. >> when you go to a hospital that is an emergency situation. where your grand pop, your mom, your child is at risk and to reduce the quality and the access i think it's the scariest thing. >> reporter: but regulators say hospital also have to meet a host of quality standards and set up standards to help patients outside of hospital walls. >> they'll see their hospital is their quarterback of care. >> reporter: no one thinks reaching the goal line of happy healthy patients and reasonable healthcare costs will be easy. lisa stark, al jazeera, annapolis, maryland. >> medicare serves 21% of

healthcare spending of 2012. john joins me now from boston. he is the director for the public health leadership. we've got a full screen here. we need to shift away from our near exclusive focus on treating illness and move to a balanced approach that encourages prevention and wellness. such a shift will reduce costs for families. i'll jump out of the quote there. is the governor right when he tells us that? is it time to focus on wellness, and would such an approach really reduce costs? has that been proven? >> well with, it may or may not reduce costs. what it can do is reduce the rate of growth of costs. in the healthcare arena, we're trying to slow down and prevent,

and this is opportunity is. in another way and switzerland and germany, for over $1 we spend they spend $0.67. and they have better outcomes than in the united states. i think business communities, labor unions and healthcare policy and the important thing is to do it in a smart way. this plan puts maryland out front in navigating and working their way through this. >> these hospitals are now will

be living on a fixed income. take a moment and explain what that really means, and what maryland wants to accomplish in doing this? >> reporter: it changes the terms of how they behave. the awards of the system we're still in for a hospital the more procedures you do regardless of how needed they are, the more financially well off you do as an institution. the new incentives that we're moving towards, which there is broad agreement, the better you keep people healthy, the better you will do. that does not mean just treating people with unnecessary procedures. that means making sure that care is coordinated so when an individual leaves a hospital they don't get readmitted within a couple of weeks or months. we've seen through the affordable care act which has that incentive built into the medicare program that it's actually working. we've seen this significant and steady over the past year decrease in the rate of hospital

readmission, and it's because of changes in these financial insensitivincentives, and maryls talking about ramping it up in a much more aggressive way, and people who understand what is going on, they understand that that is a necessary, important step, and it's great to see a state leapfrog ahead. >> we talk abou talk about all . are there any models of this being tried at all, i guess shades of this is happening in vermont, and switzerland and germany are doing this. has this form been tried before, and is there any information on what kind of results come out of it? >> all around the world in advanced nations except for the united states healthcare

providers, hospitals, physicians, and the system as a whole live on a budget. they live on an expectation of what they'll be getting. it's only in the united states where the sky is the limit. and i think there is a recognition that that is a formula for a lot of financial trouble economically. so we are experimenting, but other nations are moving in that direction. they already have fixed budgets and they're moving very aggressively to award providers to do a better job keeping people healthy so they don't end up in the hospital. we have experiments around the country that are very encouraging that say this could work. we will see what happens when a whole state takes on this challenge. >> john mcdonough, director of the center for public health leadership at harvard university, john, thank you. president obama says when it comes to the economy he won't wait for congress to act. he has plans for the coming

year. and five years ago today a flock of birds caused the plane crash that has been known as the miracle on the hudson. how experts are trying to stop it from happening again.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top story. the air force has 34 nuclear launch officers have been implicated in a cheating scandal and stripped of their certification. some of the officers apparently texted each other answers to the monthly test of their knowledge of how to operate the missiles. the cheating was discovered during a drug investigation involving 11 new air officers. the u.n. blasts the catholic church of how it handled child sex accus abuse case, and this s

as a committee has been set up by pope francis. and a long awaited report blames the state department and pentagon for failing to protect the u.s. consulate attack in bengahzi. it said that better security might have prevented the death of ambassador chris stevens and three americans. most states are not giving help after six months of unemployment. that means 1.3 million people who have been unemployed for under six months lost their benefits by june 2014. that number jumps to 3.2 million people, and by the end of the year nearly 5 million people will be without government assistance. these numbers are the worst-case scenario, but the president is not backing down.

mike viqueira is at the white house in washington, mike, the president keeps calling this citizen year of action. what is that going to mean for the country? >> reporter: i think its triumph of hope over experience. instead of being mired in the same sandbox throwing sand at each other, the president is in some cases is taking matters in his own hands. in the cabinet meeting he said i have a pen, and evidently he's not afraid to use it. using it to sign executive orders for what he touted today in a quick trip down to the raleigh-durham, north carolina talkin,talking about zones, frem zones, targeting federal health through public partnership with private industry and public

constitution. this on the manufacturing side. he talked about a semiconductorrer program that is starting there. he has done this with an executive order. he has done three of those. but he has plans for 45, he'll knee congress to sign off on those. there is a limited amount that he can do, but the president is putting positive signs on the economy. we've seen them over the five years of the administration. this time he believes it's going to stick. here's what he had to say. >> we've made progress. that's what i mean when i say this could be a breakthrough year for america. the pieces are all there to start bringing back more of the jobs that we've lost over the past decade. >> he's going to need congress, and to that end right to the white house, the entire democratic caucus sitting down with the president for a meeting mapping out their strategy, not only legislative immigration reform but also political now heading into an election year

where 21 democrats are defending seats. >> mike, mike viqueira for us at the white house. appreciate it. thank you. president obama has been accused of legislationing using executive orders or mandates that carry the force of law without getting approval from congress. but how do his executive orders stack up with past presidents. president obama has made 166 since he took office in 2009. during his first five years in office president bush made 120 executive orders and president clinton made 154 during his first five years. the house of representatives passed $1.1 trillion for spending programs for the next few years. today's vote also avoids additional automatic cuts, the vote by the senate is expected on friday.

the trial is underway for four somali nationals charged in the attack of the kenya's westgate mall. they're charged with helping the gunmen who open fired in september. those gunmen killed at least 67 people. somalia's sal shah babb moveme t has claimed responsibility for the attack. heavy rain over the weekend caused the city's river to rise, last year similar flooding killed 11 people and cost the city $170 million in damages. it was five years ago that the miracle on the hudson unfolded. to commemorate the anniversary pilots and passengers from u.s. airways took a ferry to the exact spot on the river where the plain made an emergency landing. they made a toast to life because everyone on board that flight survived. a flock of geese flew into the

engine and caused that jet to go down, now airports have put safety measures into place. jacob ward is at the san francisco airport. jacob, good to see you. can you explain to us how dangerous birds are to aircraft? >> reporter: well, the technical term is "bird strike" and it happens all the time. anywhere from 7,000 to 9,000 bird strikes a year. a plane that weighs several tons impacting a 30-pound bird may sound innocuous, but it's incredibly dangerous. the internet is full of images and footage of the type of damage the birds can do. they can pearce the fuselage, come right through the window and do incredible damage do engines, which is what happened to that jet that sullenberger

flew. it will fire pul poultry throug, and it's an incredible problem. airlines have really had to response. >> what new safety hours have airports put in place since the hudson landing to prevent this? >> reporter: traditionally the idea was just to scare the birds off. that was the original instinct, but in the five years since this landing airports have gotten in tune n harmony with birds. they tend to employ wildlife biologists at airports like san francisco international, which you can see behind me. most airports situated right on the water have an incredible amount of attraction for birds. they tend to roost there. they want to hang out in the standing water. they tend to bring in things like falconers and wildlife biologists to consult on the design of runways and to bring

in special simulators to make the sound of birds and even employ drones to scare off the birds with sort of hawk-like sounds. so we're seeing a really--just a slight drop off now but it's just getting the sense that we're beginning to get this problem under control, and it is a serious problem. >> jacob ward at the san francisco international airport. the fcc voted to consider allowing cell phones during flights, but some folks are none too happy about this. maria is here. >> reporter: yes, the fcc already received 413 comments on their website, and virtually all of them are saying that they do not want people yapping on their cell phones on the planes. only four people said yes, go ahead and lift the ban. it's been in place for all these years. but these are some of the comments that they received.

cynthia wrote, no, no cellphones on planes. linda wrote so many conversationalists feel the need to shout into their devices like can y'all hear me now? calling it intrusive and embarrassing. and you can't move away from the obnoxious bore because you have an assigned seat. another wrote i have no problem texting on planes but conversation will be cruel and unusual punishment of innocent fellow passengers. would there be interference with ground equipment if they use cellphones? southwest and delta have already said they will not allow cell phone use on flights. the department of transportation could decide if calls on flights are fair to consumers. >> let's take a look at what's

happening around the united states, including the search for a missing navy pilot after a chopper crash. >> reporter: we're going to start in virginia where it's been a week since the military helicopter crashed off the coast of norfolk. today the navy said the body of the pilot has been recovered. they found the body of the 39-year-old after locating the helicopter's cockpit. two other crew members died in the crash, and two survived. the cause of the accident remains under investigation. and roswell, new mexico, doctors have upgraded the condition of one of two students who was shot this week in a middle school gym. now up graded to satisfactory continue, meanwhile the 11 boy remains in critical condition. a classmate fired at the class with a sawed off shotgun.

an adult talked him into dropping the weapon after he fired those first few shots. today, "the new york times" reported the problem has been solved in part because the national security agency has implanted surveillance software in nearly 100,000 computers arounaround the world. according to the national security agency, it has been using this technology for six years and allows the agency to track information even if the user's computer is not connected to the internet. it comes in advance of a major speech president obama will give on nsa guidelines on spying. rand paul announced he's joining snap chat. it has become one of the most popular messaging platforms for younger people.

senator rand paul plans to send his first senate shot tonigh sn. it will allow the user to send thto viewers knowing that the snapshot will only last ten seconds. hmm, i wonder what problems that could bring to politicians. the new york sometimes has published a cross word puzzle created by bernice gordon who turns $100. she said she could not live without them. >> anthony weiner, you might wonder if he would have had the ability to erase or have them automatically erased. >> let's hope that they don't

regret to decision. >> when oil companies remove products it replace it is with a ncareplaces it with anasty prod.

>> new information is emerging about the chemical company whose spill contaminated the water supply for nearly 300,000 west virginians freedom industries moved chemicals to a facility that has already been cited for safety violations. chemical used in coal processing spilled from a freedom facility on the elk river near charleston. it happened last week. about half of those affected by

that water ban has now been allowed to use their water again. and it is called pet coke. that is sport for at the petroleum coke. that is the by-product of oil refining. it's pretty dirty and has a pretty bad smell. now illinois wants to change the way the black sooty substance is handle and stored. ash har quaraishi is here with more on the move that is spurring controversy. >> reporter: absolutely. the debate over the storage of pet coke has started to heat up. if you driver near the cal the t river you can see it in the air. the residents downwind of these sites say laws don't go far enough. >> reporter: this is a

by-product called petroleum coke or pet coke. [ booing ] >> reporter: this week this small but fired up group came out to voice their concerns about pet coke's storage near they are home. >> east side is not your dumping ground. it is the vibrant community with family and children. >> reporter: residents have complained that the soot drifts and permeates their homes, making it difficult to breathe. >> this is a fellte filter from 109th and mackinaw. this is not your standard household dust. this is not what you should see on a filter that is filtering the air of a house. >> reporter: now state officials are proposing resolutions aimed at preventing the fugitive dust from impacting neighboring

communities. some of the proposed guidelines include requiring large companies to build enclosures for the piles, conveyers and chutes restricting processing outside. requiring tarps on trucks, and making companies maintain devices to continuously monitor air quality. last month indiana company removed pet coke files because of lawsuit. according to a company executive, they are no longer in the pet coke business. another pet coke storage company controlled by industrialist charles and david koch, said it recently invested $30 million for improvements including $10 million in a new dust suppression system. >> with your 69 samples of various areas and collected in late november and early december. the samples showed no unusual levels of dust particles that could be associated with pet coke and coal. again our systems are working. >> reporter: residents and commune activists remain

unconvinced. >> if they spend $30 million, i showed you a filter from within a resident's home, and that millster was full of oily dust. the reason why i know its oily is because i could not wipe it off my hand. >> reporter: while they may not want the pet coke near their communities it appears with these new regulations companies will be allowed to continue storing it. the major difference now is that someone is watching. emergency rules that the governor invoked in this case called for mandated dust suppression systems, the facility owners must take additional steps to prevent storm run off washing into waterways. the outdoor enclosures would be expensive and burden some is an in the guidelines for the next two years but it must be approved by the illinois pollution control board. >> of this you've been to the homes closest to the storage facilities. what is it like?

>> you open the windows and you can see the black dust. it has a different texture. it sticks to your fingers and you have to watch it off, and you taste it in the air. >> you taste it in the air. >> reporter: you feel a little bit of chalkiness, bitterness, and that's just within a few minutes of being outside. >> that's very nasty. ashur, thank you. olympics in sochi, russia, hundreds of threats are getting ready to go to the games, and one colorado team will have a lot to be proud of when the athletes march to the olympic stadiums in sochi during the opening ceremonies. paul beman is live for us in steam boat springs, colorado, where a lot of people are dreaming of gold. >> reporter: they sure are. steam boat springs is a little town of 12,000 people three hours from denver in the northwest part of the state. may be one of the best kept parts of the state this townsend

more olympians to the politics than any other town in the country. forget football. this is how they do friday night lights. the kids line up and launch themselves into the darkness. saturday morning it's time for speed camp. and saturday afternoon a cross country race. for all of these kids this is base camp, the steamboat springs winter sports club. it's a place to play, meet, and compete. >> i'm at the top of the hill, and it may be humble compared to steam boat across the valley, but this they say it's built out of dirt and dreams.

>> reporter: they've been quietly cranking out olympians for a hundred years. but winning is not what it's all about. >> first and foremost, it's a place where kids will have fun skiing. >> at vancouver olympics he became the first in orderic medal. >> he is the sports club produ produces so many athletes because kids are having fun. you cannot be successful in any sport unless you enjoy what you do. >> this is the history of ski town usa. >> and this is the man who started it all. >> he started the club in 1914. 96 olympians and counting. >> a large majority of those come back and settle here and they become coaches. so your mentors are olympians.

>> reporter: club kids all grown up are on their way to sochi. mom said it's much more than medals. >> it's a community gathering spot to come here, train, and to learn sportsmanship, their morals, their ethics, their goals in life. >> reporter: but make no mistake these boys and girls have visions of olympic glory. >> my heroes are the women ski jumpers because it's the first year that they're getting to jump in the olympics. >> you guys dream of having your own flag in this room some day? >> yes, that would be cool to see your name on the flag when you go to the olympics. >> reporter: in this room each flag represents an olympic appearance by an athlete. proof that olympic dreams really do take flight. >> reporter: tony, you can see

behind me there are hundreds of kids gathered for after school programs. they're also going to be training. there is a jumping competition tonight. the olympic conspiracy alive and well getting more excited as so many of these folks prepare to go to sochi. >> paul, you're getting photo bombed like crazy, but it's all in good fun. it's fun. paul, appreciate it. kevin is up next with a check of the forecast, and then it is real money with ali velshi. >> reporter: coming up on ali velshi. hope on the horizon for americans who were trying to buy a home but couldn't get a loan. how that might get better in 2014. trouble on the assembly line. they increased the demand for factory workers. all that and more on real money.

>> meteorologist: goods evening. here across the northwest we do have snow over here towards new york. i don't think we'll see too much accumulation, but take a look at pictures that we had earlier. fog really came in to this city.

jfk is having a problem with an hour and a half delay at jfk. but it was a beautiful sight for many people. less than quarter of a mile visibility. we expect that fog to stay in until a ban of snow showers. this is the forecast. thursday morning you see that it's going to be 35 degrees. what at a means is it could be coming down. it's definitely not going to stick and have accumulation problem there. over the weekend that will drop down. 39 degrees is the high but not too much, we should have plenty of sunshine in the forecast there. now a bigger problem that we're watching is up here towards the united states. this is a repeat of what we saw last week.

>> of course they are talking about wind chills that are much colder than that. of course if you're on the roads it will reduce advic visibilityd that's a safety problems. there are winds, minus 5 degrees. this will get worse all night. if you get towards the west you notice the big warm up if you want to call it that in bismarck, 26 degrees. for minneapolis, monday, this is not the right forecast, but let me tell you it will be extremely cold for many places around the area. we do expect to see wind chills way down to about minus 20. that's a look at your weather.

>> this is al jazeera america, i'm tony harris with today's top stories. the air force has 34 launch officers have been implicated in a cheating scandal and others have been implicated in a drug probe. the officers operate the nation's nuclear missiles. the u.n. blasts the catholic church for how it has handled sex abuse cases. a charity says the church continues to harbor perpetrators and deny accountability. the house of representatives approve a bipartisan deal. the