to attend what is known as the geneva 2 talks to at teb, and describing this process as the only road to a better outcome in syria. let's bring in pattive culhane. pattive some strong words there, particularly to those who were trying to muddy the waters. what is he trying to say? >> we all thought he was going to come out and talk about syria accepting the invitation. and at first it seemed like he was trying to send a message to his russian counterparts and the iranians, but i think what we got is with the critical vote he was trying to send a message to them, and clarify the u.s. position and by doing so, trying to say it is also the position of the rest of the world. in essence question is do these

negotiations mean that bashar al-assad will be able to stay in power. obviously the opposition don't want that to be the case. and secretary kerry said both sides have to agree, which means that assad won't be part of the government. but the agreement says there will be a transitional government. it doesn't spell out who will be a part of that government. a very unusual mood on the secretary of state trying to put pressure out, but it seems to me they know this is a critical vote. if the groups do not agree to come and take part in this geneva conference, the secretary may lose some credibility on the world stage, but more than that, i think the question will become what can they actually do about it? this >> he also say we too are deeply

concerned about the rise of extremism in syria. presumably this is come reference -- we have had a leak of the letter from the syrian government suggesting they are just funding terrorists as they put it. is this trying to put an end to that? >> no, i think it was a point to the u.s. congress. if you look at the american psyche, especially when it comes to politicians, the one thing they have consistently said they are concerned about is that al-qaeda, and al-qaeda-linked groups will be able to find some land where they can operate freely. this has become a concern for american politicians when they talk about syria. it used to be just that bashar al-assad would stay in power and they will have no relationship with him. and now the fear is he won't

stay in power, and they will have access to whatever chemical weapons have not been taken out of the country yet, and also a staging ground, and they will tell you possibly launching attacks on the u.s. homeland and region. but you have seen the u.s. congress unwilling to step into the fray. they did not want the president to launch a limit strike on the syrian government. and they have cut back onment some of the funding. so that is why you saw the u. u.s. -- put so much pressure and work into this peace conference. because there does seem to be a stalemate, and either of the fears could come true. hello, i'm del walters in

new york, we're going to break away from doe ho, because we're following several stories right now. there is a wildfire burning out of control outside of los angeles. >> we want to restore the essential promise of opportunity and upward mobility that's at the heart of america. also a short while ago, president obama vowing to knock down barrierers making it easier for young people to go to college. and an unprecedented story coming out of the vatican. officials under fire by the un over its record on sex abuse. and the syrian government saying it is going to send a delegation to the peace talks in

geneva, but expressing deep e-reservatio e-reservations. ♪ and one of the stories that we have been following involves breaking news coming out of georgia. the u.s. military reporting that one person has been killed two others injured at an airfield in savanna. it was an army helicopter that was forced to make a hard land. one death, two injuries being reported. we'll bring you more as details develop. and the president and the first lady meeting trying to make sure that low-income young people have a chance to go to college. mike viqueira is at the white house. mike the president telling those gathered that he has three years now to get things done. >> that's absolutely right and the president is trying to put his foot on the gas by doing as

much as he can by executive order, but on this issue of college, dell, it's no secret the president has talked about it, anybody with a teenage son or daughter or nephew or niece knows that the price of college are breaking their backs. the president came out with the first lady, talking about that, and more specifically about lower-income americans who may get a lot of help with some of those college bills in order to go to college, but simply don't grow up in an environment where going to college is something that is encouraged. one representative said he wants to connect more low-income students to colleges that are right for them. changing the attitude within

these lower-income communities and families trying to get them to start thinking about college. application fees every time you apply to a college, getting some of these universities on board to erase or cancel that fee. the president used some brood classically american themes about getting ahead in the middle class, about equal opportunity, and applied it to this particular problem he's talking about today. let's listen. >> we have to make sure there are new ladders of opportunity in the middle class, and the wrungs on those ladders are solid and accessible for more people. >> the president once again the theme he struck, he said he has a pen, a phone, and he is going to use them as much as possible to get around a congress that has blocked many of his initiatives, dell. >> mike, thank you very much.

massive wildfire in california happening outside of los angeles. and the fire is still growing. the flames were first spotted about five hours ago in the hills about 25 miles from l.a. jennifer london is at our last ain -- los angeles burrow. what is the latest? >> reporter: i'm on top of the al jazeera los angeles building, and you can see behind me the thick blanket of smoke covering the city. the kobe fire broke out about 25 to 30 miles northeast of los angeles. and to give you an idea of how quickly this fire spread, at 8:30 am we received a report of 125 acres had burned, by 10:00 am that number jumped to 1700

acres. two homes we know have been destroyed. mandatory evacuations are in place and all schools have been closed. and we understand -- we have a helicopter flying over right now -- but we understand that they have three people in custody that are being questioned with regard to how this fire may have started. it is certainly a fuel and wind-driven fire, we have a b in of conditions that make it ripe for fire season, which it is not right now, but we have extremely dry conditions, and we have the santa ana winds, they are hot, dry winds. they had wind gusts up to 20 miles an hour this morning. but the biggest story here are the extreme dry drought-like conditions throughout the state. 2013 has the dubious distinction of being the driest year on record here in california. to give you an example of how

little rain fell in 2013, right here in los angeles, average rainfall is around 15 inches a year. 2013, the l.a. region saw 3.6 inches, and that is the story up and down the coast and inland. we have extreme dry conditions and a wildfire burning out of control. >> jennifer thing you very much. and as you heard jennifer say it has been a very dry winter for parts of california. let's check in with dave warren to fine out if the firefighters will catch a break? >> it does not like any break. we should be seeing snow really start to accumulate, and we're not getting that, which means that that snowy will eventually melt we're not going to have that moisture here in the next few months. the drought monitor has now expanded. but it is the snow that is the big problem. this is a little bit of snow in the mountains. this is the visible satellite.

just a little bit of snow. if you compare that snow to april 1st which is normally what they compare it to, 4% of the average snow you see on april 1st, northern part of the state, 8%, 10%, not much snow and that means we won't have much moisture in the next few months unless the weather pattern changes. today representatives from the holy seat testifying in front of a un committee in geneva, investigating that the church allowed child abuse to happen and even protecting pedophile priests. >> reporter: this was a very public forum. the session opened with a statement from the vatican delegation. >> the results of the combined action taken by local churches

and the holy seat presents a framework that when properly applied will help eliminate the child abuse by clergy and other personnel. >> reporter: it didn't convince many. the questions came think and fast. >> translator: what is the holy seat doing with regard to article 39 of our convention, which refers to compensation psychological and monetarily. what steps have been taken for punishment of clerics who have engaged in inappropriate conduct? >> reporter: most were disappointed they wanted to know more about what was being done to report abusers to the police, and give the children more of a

voice. >> let's just say the holy seat gets it. >> reporter: it was at least an admission they got it. but many didn't like the tone nor the attempt at humor. >> they are sitting in a room inning front of people who have been through hell and back, and they sit there being evasive and colluding with each other, and actually joking at one point. >> reporter: this has been an uncomfortable session for the vatican, they were asked for more disclosure and asked to start taking greater responsibility, but they didn't really deliver either. that was simon mcgregorwood reporting from geneva. john, too types face-to-face but

will anything happen? >> i think the take away is that what you're seeing here is historical. this is something which we have not seen before, because we have the vatican dragged into the committee by the un in geneva. they have to go because they are signatories to the rights of the child, but as you saw in simon's report, it was very, very uncomfortable for them. there was a moment of humor that did not go down too well. but when you have these seniors sitting there, this is a very, very serious affair, and something we have not seen before and probably won't see again for a long time. we turn to david lorenz from snap to get his opinion.

as you'll see he thinks it's a good idea on the face of it, but ultimately there is no backbone there. >> there's no force behind this committee. they can embarrass them, but they can't really force them to do anything. but they certainly can expose the truth, and i think when people start to see that the vatican has hidden all of these charge there is going to be some backlash. >> sex crimes victims in the united states are very angry was the vatican was asked only in november to hand over a great tranche of its internal investigations and it refused to do so, and there's a request for an archbishop to be extradited from the vatican to poland and the vatican don't do that. >> people like pope francis. but will he get anything done? will he change the climate?

>> if you talk to the people from snap and other people who say they have been abused by priests in their lifetime, they say they welcome the pope. he is a breath of fresh air, so they welcome that, and they like him. but regarding the interest they have, i.e., child abuse within the church, they said he has done some tinkering around the edges, but at the end of the day he has done nothing to protect children or get rid of priests or bishops who have been found guilty in some sayses and still operating within the church. >> when you look at what he has done in the issue of child abuse, you come to the conclusion he is just like the other ones. he hasn't required any bishop resign for hiding pedophiles. i don't think francis has done

much in changing the tone on -- or -- or changing the dialogue on child sexual abuse. he hasn't made any children safer or removed any bishops or priests, and that's sad for me. i'm sorry to say. >> the conference of catholic bishops say there are 6900 cases of abuse, and almost 17,000 identified victims, spent $2.5 billion on the record so far trying to clear this up. >> john thank you very much. just moments ago secretary of state john kerry calling for cooperation on the eve of the syrian peace talks. those talks, by the way, the talks preceding the talks expected to take place tomorrow. dubbed geneva 2 kerry calling on an end to the ongoing crisis in syria. a place he is describing as a magnet for terrorism.

>> the united states for these reasons urges a positive vote. we do so knowing the geneva peace conference is not the end but rather the beginning, the launch of a process, a process that is the best opportunity for the opposition to achieve the goals of the syrian people and the revolution, and a political solution to this terrible conflict that has taken many, many, many too many lives. al jazeera has obtained a letter from the syrian foreign minister to ban ki moon accepting the invitation to at ten the talks, but says . . . bays has more. >> this letter is i think

important. it shows the syrian government saying yes, we're coming to geneva, here is a list of our delegations, but -- and it's a big but -- we have reservations about some of the details of the whole process. the idea is for both sides to sit around the table to come up with a transitional governing body to take control of the syrian government. it seems now syria has reservation about that, the syrian government. remember the opposition still haven't decided if they are going to attend these peace talks next week. there will be some in the opposition who will seize on this letter, and say it shows the syrian government is not serious about making concessions. there are others who say the

opposition should attend, because that will expose the position of the syrian government and force the syrian government to actually negotiate. egypt's state media now saying more than 90% of the voters are approving the new constitution. this is the first poll since former president mohammed morsi was ousted in july, that vote seen as crucial for the military backed government. meanwhile our three al jazeera personnel are still being held. al jazeera continues to deny the allegations, and we should point out who other journalists are now being held for five months. al jazeera continues to call for

their release as well. it is being called a medical break through. still ahead on al jazeera america, how scientists say a virus can reverse some stages of blindness. and he said what's more importantish the taliban or the collapse of the soviet empire and liberation of europe in the end of the cold war? using to create national security, how can the u.s. be sure that money is being used in its best interest? david pollock, no guarantees? >> no, there are not any guarantees, but i agree on this point, speaking

of the u.s. track record is quite good. there are some examples of there's a new study out pointing to a possible break lou to what was once thought to be an incurable eye disease. emma hayward explains. >> reporter: many of us take our eyesight for granted, but in you live with this disease you can eventuallily with blindness. >> the peripheral vision shrinks and shrinks and shrinks, and

eventually i left with a small portion of eyesight >> reporter: it's linked to a mutation in a gene, and it causes the lines of the retina, the back of the eye to degenerate. scientists injected the retina with a modified virus which is made safe. it halts the disease and can improve the eyesight. six months a third of the patients could see further down on the lines chart. >> we're genetically modifying people, but i would say we're genetically modifying them in a positive way, because we're putting back a gene that is missing. we are simply correcting an

underlying gene defect. >> reporter: the sample study was small, but it has helped participates think more positively about the future. until then there was no real hope, and what the fantastic thing about this trial is, is it has given me and people like me real and tangible hope that the -- as i call it the awful inevitability of the creep of blindness is not going to happen. >> reporter: it should offer new hope for sufferers, and may eventually help in the treatment of other eye conditions. and coming up on al jazeera america, we have had some nice weather here in new york, but some parts of the country looking at snow. your national forecast and headlines straight ahead.

>> while that attack happened as the trial began of four men

welcome back to al jazeera america.

i'm del walters. here are your headlines at this hour. a fast-moving wildfire now burning just outside los angeles, started this morning and now covers more than 1700 acres. flames are already consumed two homes. the police say they have arrested three people in connection with what you see there. president obama meeting with more than 100 college and university presidents today, all of them trying to make sure that low-income students have an equal shot at getting into college and succeeding once they get there. vatican officials asking -- being asked some tough questions about the sex abuse scandal in the catholic church. it's the first time the vatican has had to publicly address its handling of pedophile priests. and i'm dave warren. fire-weather warnings issued in southern california and all the

way up through central california. the weather pattern just not giving a lot of snow to the area, that's a big concern. los angeles will, and there is the fire. the santa ana winds continuing to gust out of the northeast. the weather pattern tracking well into canada. high-pressure dominates the weather, and the pattern showing that all of the storms are heading to the north going down into canada, the great lakes and the northern plains. they just continue to go through the same area like a pin wheel, going over the same region. each time one of these goes through, it gives a little bit of snow, gusty wind and a shot

of light snow. on saturday and sunday here comes the next disturbance, the area moving to the south will be followed by a blast of cold air and the temperatures will be dropping. the current one moving through is giving wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour in only areas. blizzard conditions there in the red and the bluish area is just a winter weather advisory. the disturbance now pushing to the south, bringing in colder air. these temperatures have dropped to 14 in minneapolis. 4 in fargo. this cold air will slide east and not dive to the south, what if that will be followed by another disturbance this weekend. we're watching this weather pattern hoping for a change out west and maybe warmer temperatures here in the east. del?

this >> dave thank you very much. i'm del walters. thank you for watching. "101 east" is next. and remember you can check us out 24 hours a day on aljazeera.com. ranked the freest country on earth. but this south pacific nation has the second highest imprisonment rate in the western world. a tough stance on law and order has seen the jail population double in just two decades.