>> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. president obama announced changes to the nation's security programs. but it may not be enough. information from the vatican thavatican. and we have a shooting in pennsylvania. we'll have the latest on the gunmen and the victims. >> changes are come together national security agency and the

electronic surveillance progra programs. >> the changes come after a barrage of criticism followed months of revelations about the nsa's activities. >> we have a responsibility to our constitution, and while i was confident in the integrity of those who lead our security, it was apparent to me that there need to be changes to the safeguards currently in place. >> i got to tell you talking to people on the earlier program today that it's clear what the president announced today is not going to be enough to silence his critics. >> reporter: i think the one weathers are charitable reacting to it, including allies on capitol hill say it's a good

first step. the president wants to complect that meta-data that has been so controversial. he just doesn't want the government to collect it or store it. he's suggesting a third party or consortium, and there are hurdles in both those options. he'll kick it over to congress to see how to do it. there are steps he's taking. the 215 program, the section of the law that covers it. two steps he's taking. first judicial review for the request that the intelligence and law enforcement agencies have when they want to access that data. there is no judicial review now. the president said they'll have to go to that secretive fisa court. also whereas before the limit was three steps from the terror suspect, someone that they suspect of being affiliated with

terrorist organizations. you could not go further than three steps through that data and look for information limiting it down to two. overall the president trying to strike a balance. between national security and privacy. here's a little bit more of what he had to say. >> the whole point is to obtain information that is not publicly available. but america's capabilities are unique. and the power of new technologies mean there are fewer and fewer technical constraints on what we can do. that places a special obligation on us to ask tough questions about what we should do. >> tony, let's give you a couple of the bullet points. remember the germanys and the french, with a stillish did brazilians on down the line regarding the information

gathering. and another thing folks are talking about, and perhaps disappointing to critics, a national security letter is a tool used by the fbi to go directly to a private company, present this letter and say we want information. we want data many folks wanted an extra step in their judicial review of that process. the president said he's going to make it less secret. he's going to allow those companies to divulge information, but he's not going to add that extra step that has some folks disappointed. >> the changes that president obama announced were largely driven by a leaks revealed over the past several months by former nsa contractor edward snowden. >> reporter: there has been no immediate reaction from edward snowden to president obama. but supporters would say changes

would happen. edward snowden former nsa contractor, released documents just seven months ago. stating that the national security agency had-collecting the phone records of verizon customers. and then details of an internet surveillance program. nine couples had been giving nsa direct access to all user data. a defiant president obama said the math was simple. >> you can't have 100% security and also then have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience. >> reporter: a new days later snowden took to the airwaves and identified himself fueling the now public debate. >> i sitting in my detective

certainly had the authority to wiretap anybody even if you're not doing anything wrong you're being watched and recorded. >> reporter: and everything could be held indefinitely. >> the storage increases every year. >> reporter: revelations kept coming. in late june the british version of the nsa had intercepted communications of world leaders at a summit meeting in 2009. another guardian story reported that the gsq was working with the nsa to track data around the globe, and the nsa was secretly help to go pay for it. in august the "washington post" audit showed the agency had broken its own privacy regulations more than 2700 times. president obama announced a new review of the nsa but insisted that edward snowden was no patriot. >> mr. snowdon has been charged

with three felonies. he can come here and appear before the court with a lawyer and make his case. >> reporter: the embarrassments for the obama administration continue. in october a german newspaper reported that snowden documents appeared to indicate the listening of calls by angela merkel, and then yahoo and google and the ability to spy on tech powerhouses without their knowledge. at the end of the year snowden told the "washington post" that he had already won because his many leaks created a public debate. snowdon took a thousand pages of classified documents that he plans to keep feed together media to keep the pressure on the government going. >> earlier i spoke with journalist glen greenwald, the first to receive the trove of

info from edward snowden. i asked him what he thought about president obama's reforms of the metadata program. >> there were some proposals in the speech, but in the face of scandal and public outrage over official actions to pretend to reform a system that has made americans so angry while in reality seek to make only the cosmetic changes t to placate te public anger and preserves the core essence of the nsa that makes so many people angry, that means people around the world will have their information monitored without a shred of suspicion. >> glen, i know you well enough that you did not expect the president to end this program with this speech today, did you? >> no, of course not. the fact that he felt compelled to give a lengthy speech which

is the first time at a president has proposed real reforms to the national security agency sinc since 2009 9/11. it's the public pressure and those companies who feel threatened, i think we'll see the process and we're far from the end. >> we're going to amend, adjust the program, we're not going to end it. what did you see in terms of what you just said a moment ago, decent proposals? >> reporter: i think it is significant that the president has said that the nsa should no longer possess and control the data from communications. he didn't say who should control it and there is a big question mark hovering over the proposal, but the fact that they shouldn't in his review i think is significant. >> and there are some legal and

privacy considerations, aren't there, regarding who would ultimately, and he didn't outline who would store this information, but regardless of who stores it, and i think its pretty clear now that the phone companies don't want to have anything to do with that. >> right, although i think the only way that anybody can envision this happen something that the nsa ceases to control the meta-data, the tel telecomse required to keep everybody's phone records, and it's assumes that if congress enacted an end to the meta-data, meaning the nsa would no longer hold it, they would require the phone companies to hold it for five years, which presents a whole set of other concerns, but why should the u.s. government be keeping everybody's meta-data whether it's in the hands of the nsa or the phone companies. why does the records who we talk

to, who we e-mail, why does that need to be preserved if we've done nothing wrong. there is no legitimate reason for the state to be keeping it or requiring that it be kept. only people who have done anything to be wrong should be monitored for surveillance in a healthy and democratically running system. >> that's the heart of it. that's the balancing act that you've been talking about, that we've been having discussions about. we understand that the people who advocate for this program do so telling that's they're doing this to protect americans from terrorists, and the other side of this is a security and privacy issue for american systems who need their security protected as individuals. >> exactly right. there are dangerous that come from people who want to do violence, but as history shows there are very serious dangerous as well to allowing the government to surveil people.

it poses a serious danger as well. another point that is worth underscoring, a lot of reporting that we have done is about spying that has nothing to do about terrorism. but if the government is collecting everybody's communications rather than just terrorists it becomes much harder to discover plots, and to discover people who are really doing dangerous things than if you're doing targeted surveillance. even if you're someone who believes security is the most important thing you shouldn't want the government's resources going to spying on everybody, it should be targeted on people who are posing a threat. >> we're talking about the ability to--we're not talking about or are we, listening to the actual calls. we're talking about or reading the e-mails. it is collecting the time of the call, the destination, the

length and date of the call, isn't that what we're talking about here? >> we're talking about both. the nsa does both. the nsa collect meta-data and content of both foreign nationals and american citizens. they read millions of e-mails and text messages and listen in on telephone calls every single day continuously all the time. but the thing about meta-data, it can be more invasive than living to calls. if you call a suicide hotline, drug clinic or abortion doctor, or if you are contacted by an informant, collecting meta-data allows the government to know all of that, and it's extremely invasive of how you live your life, information that the government has no business knowing about. >> greenwald went on to say that the obama speech was not enough and it was meant just to stifle the debate. another school shooting happened today.

it is the second one this week. this time it was at the delaware valley charter school in north philadelphia. they're listed in stable condition. the shooter is described by a boy by the associated press was caught at hi home. the gun has not been recovered. pope benedict xvi reports defrocked priests for child abuse. john, is this the first time we've seen these figures in this way released in this way from the church? >> it is. it is the first time we've had any figures. they've always talked about the accusations but they never put a figure on it. here comes the meeting followi e

way they treated whit child abun the past. there is the figure. 400 priests defrocked which means they can't give out the sacrament, rites, effectively sacked by pope benedict xvi. >> isn't that part of the revelation, that it was that pope. >> he was the pope between 2005 and 2013, and his entire pontificate was dominated by the child abuse scandal, and there are lots of allegations towards him that he allowed cover ups to go on. he became the first pope in 600 years to resign. he is a very theological man, a

theologian and academic, he's not warm and cuddly like pope francis is. a lot of people really blamed him fairly squarely for being at the head of the church. he was the pre-effect for the congregation of the doctrine of the faith. the enforcer. >> because of his long tenture at the vatican a lot of people blame him for covering up child abuse at the church and claimed that he knew long before it came public. and for him to be the guy who defrocked 400 priests is surprising. >> put that number in context when you put it into the large scale of things.

>> reporter: you have to remember this is in two years. we don't know what's happened before that or, indeed, what has happened so far this year under francis. but 400 priests being defrocked that compares to 6,900 cases that the cardinals know about, accusations that have been made against their priests. 17,000 victims known about in the united states identified. so when you look at that 400 priests it is not very many. nonetheless it is new, it is fresh, we have not seen these figures before, and i think 400 being defrocked in two years although it's not very many in the grand scheme of things it is quite significant. >> j.t. thank you. john terrett with us. 16 people were killed in a taliban attack. a suicide-bomber blew himself up at a restaurant very popular with foreigners in the capitol city. >> three attackers targeted the

restaurant close to 7:30 on a friday night when it was likely to be at its buzzies buzz busie. the first was wearing a suicide invest blowing it up allowing the other two to enter the restaurant with automatic weapons and open fire on diners. al jazeera has obtained footage shot very soon after officials arrived and entered the restaurant. it's unclear if any of the diners managed to escape. we return from the area where they're still taking bodies away. this restaurant was extremely popular with diplomats, u.n. staff and high ranking afghan officials because it was considered to be one of the few safe restaurant in the city. it had reinforced steel doors, a lot of security there, and it's also in the heart of the city, very close to western embassies. so it was considered to be safe as well as the area that it is

in. clearly not safe enough. >> that is jane ferguson reporting from afghanistan. russian president vladimir putin said gay people don't need to worry about going to the olympics but he still made controversial marks involving kids. that's next. and the chemical leak in west virginia has gone under, what that means as some people are still waiting for clean water.

>> every sunday night aljazeera america presents gripping films from the worlds top documetary directors. >> everybody's different here... >> for students at the esteemed international high school at lafayette everyday is a fight to suceeed >> it was my dream to get a high school diploma >> but a failing grade can mean loosing it all... >> i don't know how my life

would look, if i would get deported... >> will they make it in america? >> i have a chance... >> i learn america >> syria's main oppositions that delayed a vote whether they will meet face to face. international powers pushing for both sides to meet. the syria national coalition is still deciding. secretary kerry is saying a meeting is still in place. >> they can bluster, they can protest, they can put out distortions.

the bottom line is we are going to geneva to implement geneva one. if assad doesn't do that he'll invite greater response in various ways from various people over various time. >> we have that report. >> reporter: when isolated locations is an hour's drive outside of istanbul where the delegations are met to meet. those are the ones who think they should participate, and those who have withdrawn their support from the syrian coalition. but they can't have the sort of discussions about they want to have a vote. many have left this hotel to go back to instal istanbul to try o broker an agreement.

it's all about the numbers. if the efforts to go to geneva fail, then they should fail for noble reasons. but do they have the numbers to make a credible decision, either a yes or no. and then the umbrella group representing a broad base opposition from the military right through the opposition. would it fail in representing the needs of the syrian people. >> it's important to note that the various al-qaeda groups fighting in syria fight independently. they're not bound by any agreements made by the assad government. hundreds of ukrainians aim to stop the rallies that have rocked the capitol the last two months. the president signed it into law despite harsh criticism from

western countries. riots began when president victor yanukovych chose not to sign trade agreements with the european union. >> president putin said it's okay if you don't tell anyone one can feel relaxed and ease but leave the children in peace. >> gay rights have become a ton ten shoes issue at the olympicsa contentious issues. >> ail this week we've been telling you how the economic recovery may not be as solid as it seems. "real money" ali velshi is here.

great to see you. what's happening now doctor? >> it's confusing, it's mixed signals. we know we have a strong stock market. house something strong. but we have the consumer sentiment index, and it shows that things are down consumers are not feeling as strong about this economy. we're not yet entirely shower exactly why we saw some weaker shopping we saw the top line and the revenue, but they did not make as much money on that. things are going a little mixed. >> the discounting, it's been a mixed back. you're able to get the people in the stores, but they didn't buy as much stuff that wasn't on discount as many had hoped. >> reporter: and the worse thing the retailers can do is end up

having inventory because you don't sell that stuff in january, february and march. when they saw it wasn't moving, they discounted. even ups, you know a lot of people didn't get to people by christmas because ups is overwelcomed. this is ups's own fault. this is ups's bad planning, but they were overwhelmed because people were waiting so late to buy things but they knew they would be discounted. resulas a result ups's earningse come in lower. but the recovery has been weak. >> what else are we going to talk about. >> we're going to talk about technology. >> and where are you going to adabos. >> i'm going on the weekend. half the time i'm going to be doing interesting things. the other half i'm going to be taking grief from people who say why are you in the ski lodge in the alps in the middle of

winter. it will be an interesting meeting. >> terrific, terrific, i've always enjoyed reporting from there. ali velshi, "real money" coming at the top of the hour. the president said the government will change the way it holds and collects information, but phone companies won't have to change a thing. we'll look at that and what kind of data is being collected. deadly shooting at the colorado high school could have been prevented.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at your top stories. documents show that pope benedict xvi defrocked 400 priests in over two years from molesting children. this comethis comes when when tt

with the u.n. about child abuse cases. authorities say 16 people have were killed and taliban has taken responsibility for the attack. president obama said he's makes changes to the government collection programs. but the president did not announce that the program would end entirely. he talked about why he made that decision. >> what i did not do is stop these programs wholesale. not only because i felt that they made us more security, but because nothing in that initial review or nothing that i've learned sense indicated that the intelligence community has sought to violate the law. >> with us director of civil

liberties, it is good to see you, jennifer, thanks for the time. the president said these are major changes, did you see it that way? >> i don't see these as major changes. these are changes of the rules under which the bulk collection and use is happening. but the information being collected on people, americans and non-americans without any suspicion whatsoever. it's a "dragnet" that is pulling in to the government information from people who are of no threat. >> why is such a "dragnet" is necessary? why so many americans are having data swept up in the system?

the president and the review group has taken a look at these programs. the idea is if you have all of this information you can use very powerful data mining tools to extract valuable information who terrorists are calling inside the united states. that theoretically makes sense. every independent expert who has looked at t including the president's review group, has said there is no beneficial intelligence that has come out of that david beckham since we've had it. there is a three receiptcal possibility but in reality these tools have not help fight terrorism at all, does that

represent a step forward. >> i think it is a step forward because then you have independent entity that checks to see if the government has the proper legal authority to make inquiries of the data. and there will be a review of what the queries would be? >> what are your thoughts in that? >> i'm very in favor of having an independent court take a look at the queries before they go in. that stops abuses like people spying on their former husbands and wives and other kinds of abuses that we've seen i think these are steps forwards. but there is the underlying questions whether or not the government should have access to bulk income about the phone calls that every american is making when none of us are

involved in anything that's detrimental. >> here's the question in a post 9/11 world is it possible in your mind to get the balance right on personal privacy and national security? >> i think its possible. not every privacy harm leads to a commiserate increase in security. privacy harms can hurt our security, and privacy harms can help our security. we need to figure out which is which. i don't think we need to do master balance, suspicionless "dragnets" in order to security or fight terrorism. if we're looking at needles in the haystack, the way to find those needles is not to build

more haystacks. all this additional information does not help us find the bad guys. there was a study whether looking at these mass collection programs have been useful. what it looks like it's the traditional kinds of spy craft that helps find someone who is dangerous out there, sharing information and paying attention to things like when russia tells us to keep an eye on the people who eventually were involved in the boston marathon bombing. >> jennifer, appreciate it. thank you for your time. jennifer, the director of civil liberties a. a good weekend to you. the word metadata has been tossed around. so what is it? imagine you're making a phone call from new york to somewhere in los angeles, the government says your call won't be recorded, but other information actually could be. for example, where you're

calling from, your phone number and the number of the person you're calling and how long you speak take that and multiply that by hundreds of thousands of calls or text messages, and it's easy then to paint a picture of where you go and who you speak to. today's announcements by president obama will not affect data collecting done by private companies. we should point out that some firms monitor people's activities in ways that the nsa never could. al jazeera's screeal jazeera's d technology recorder jacob ward. >> they do every day to collect data about you and i than anything that nsa could ever accomplish. they track our behavior and moment to moment decisions we make in every room of our lives. edward snowden's leaks revealed

the scope of the surveillance state. bugoogle bought a company that makes an internet device that can tell when you're home and it will turn the heat on and off, and they say they'll only use the information to improve their services. but if this came with a nsa logo on it, you would probably drown it in the bathtub. tech companies are what make the nsa activities possible, and. >> most of our privacy protections haven't been updated since the mid 1980's. companies have been able to collect as much information they want and the government is able to reach into this treasure trove of data with very little

oversight. >> reporter: they make their money by collecting and using this information. think of google and facebook selling ads tailored to you. but each new product can pose a risk to their relationship with their customers. >> they fully understand that they have a covenant with their customers a relationship that is based on trust. if they exploit that trust, the customers are going to leave. >> dooling's meetings with the white house and their public statements about their desire to protect their customers' privacy but they have steadfastly opposed the new laws that seek to enforce transparency. one of those proposals was california's "right to know" act. it was based on european union laws to require companies like google to reveal what data companies collect and how it is used. the proposed law died last year in the face of overwhelming opposition from the very tech

companies that objected so seasonnously to--objected so strenuously to the nsa behavior. >> their business model and to keep the customers' trust without help from the government. >> reporter: it was after the telephone was teched that the laws caught up to the technology threats it took an act of congress to bar law enforcement from recording phone calls without a warrant. now the laws are behind again with technology that will track wherever we go and whatever we do. this is the really the first time that the commercial sector has been ahead of the government when it comes to surveillance. they collect things that we could never have imagined doing so on a national security basis. this is really the first time this has been the case. >> such necessary perspective jacob ward, appreciate it. big news about the company

blamed for tainting the water supply for hundreds of thousands of people, it has filed for bankruptcy. robert ray is in west virginia for us. what are you hearing about this company, freedom industries? >> reporter: good evening, tony, from a snowy charleston, west virginia, we know this, that earlier today freedom industries held a meeting with their folks here in charleston. they decided to file for bankruptcy. clearly they've probably been talking about this all week. but let me give you details from the paperwork earlier today. this is what we know. they owe $2.4 million to the irs. freedom also owes about $3.6 million to its top 20 creditors. on top of that they owe over 90,000 in property taxes to the county here. then you put the chemical spill last week and you have over two dozen lawsuits that have been filed against the firm, and you have a recipe for disaster.

we also know this, on decembe december 31st a company new closed and purchasing this company freedom industries, now the soul owner of freedom industries owns this company, and so we're wondering where that stands, how will that affect the bankruptcy proceedings going ahead, and how will that effect all the lawsuit filed by the department of justice. >> robert, we also understand that there are lingering concerns about the safety of the water. >> big concerns. a lot of doctors don't feel that the water is safe. this is what one doctor had to say. >> i'm just wondering the precaution should be extended to

young babies who by proportion of their bodies manically water, their diet is mainly water, so as opposed to older kids and adults who eat solids, baby's body mass is mostly water and they would be at higher risk. >> so the chemical leaked that created 300,000 people to not be able to drink water, take showers, put them at risk in many thousands of people still not able to do that, they're in waves, telling people that they can start drinking and showering in this stuff. the main thing about this chemical is that there is not a lot of data or scientific testing that has been done according to the doctor that we just spoke it, and he feels that there needs to be more. most of the tests that have been done on this chemical has been done on animals, not people.

so the risks are unknown at this point, tony. >> robert ray in west virginia. thank you. california has declared a drought emergency as the state deals with the worst dry spell in decades. this comes as a huge wildfire rages towards los angeles. thousands of people are still being kept away from their homes. forecasts show no immediate end to the drought, increasing the danger for more showers. >> hopefully it will rain eventually, but we need to do our part, make it easier to transfer water from one part of the state to the other so farmers, particularly those from the crops can keep them alive. >> governor brown urged residents to reduce their water use by 20%. the emergency declaration allows california to seek help from the federal government to battle the drought. less than a month ago carl

pearce shot and killed one student at arapahoe high school in centennial, california. california--colorado. we have more in denver. what's the latest. >> reporter: that's right, the security guard is speaking out saying that the school could have and should have done more to prevent this tragedy back on december 13th when carl pearson stormed the school with a shotgun and fatally shot claire davis. he took his life 80 seconds later just after the incident began. the security guard and coach's name is cameron rust. in a lengthy post on the facebook page he said the following. he said adjudicate such as carl pearson was a known threat for a long time and he shouldn't have gotten help and the appropriate resources should have been involved. he also said that he has overheard statements by school administration officials who

said we'll read about that kid in the news some day. it just won't be at arapahoe. he said the administration needs to be held accountable and we need to demand change here at arapahoe high school and be part of the solution to protect children going forward. so pretty strong stuff from this coach and security guard. >> what is next? >> well, right now he's on administrative leave. that is raising a lot of questions here. we've spoken with some students and parents here outside of the school. all of the other security guards are back on the job. cameron rust is off the job, and parents and students are saying they don't know why. and they wonder if the administration is withholding information about his status, what exactly is going on. it's dividing the community a little bit. >> paul beban in colorado. david shuster.

>> reporter: tony in mississippi, a former martial arts instructor who tried to sign poisoned letters to president obama and other government officials pled guilty. he appeared in court today. he seemed to choke up when confirming the deal that will send him to prison for 25 years. prosecutors say he tried to frame a long-time enemy and elvis impersonator, who was initially charged and jailed in the investigation. community negotiations are begun in new jersey over the lane closure scandal. a state panel issued spokens to 17 people and three government agencies involved. david wild steen who helped carry outs the efforts said he will share information if he is granted immunity from prosecution. prosecutors will make the

ultimate decision on immunity deals. right now they will not comment. the breakthrough comes from the tech giant google. the contacts would replace the finger prick use to measure blood levels. it is expected to be on the market in five years. and it looks like chicken. it tastes like chicken but it's made from plants. this is your tease. >> no, no, why don't you finish it. next up, the company that is trying to find a substitute for meat, and also coming up, probably the biggest, strangest ice fishing event you've ever seen. there you go. now we've got moving pictures. we have the technology for that. the big winter festival coming up.

this is what we do. al jazeera america.

>> so when the average meat eater hears the words vegetarian, alternative, or meat substitute they may think of things like slimy tofu or veggie burgers that taste like cardboard. but as our "techknow" team shows us, one company is trying to change that perception. >> reporter: the united nations estimate that meat consumption will rise 75% by 2050. the rising trend has triggered a new crop of meta meat alternatio ease our reliance. here in cal we have a small town

with a cosy feel. >> i had a calling internally to do something, the welfare component, the climate change component and human health. >> the ceo of beyond meat. >> i started looking at technologies that allow us to enjoy meat but it's plant matter. we take plants and instead of running it through livestock, we create something that is truly reminiscent of meat. we're not totally there, we're 73% of the way there. but you can look at chicken breast and our product, and say i can't tell the difference. >> it's one thing to say that your product looks and tastes like chicken, and it's another to put it to the test in a texas barbecue. >> we picked up a pulled chicken

sandwich that has no chicken in it. >> it does taste like chicken. >> are you ready to give up your beef brisket for a sandwich like this? >> honestly not yet but this is good. >> so you are a self described, self proclaimed meat labor. how did that lab chicken taste? >> tony, it tasted remarkably like chicken. >> o come on. >> it did. what is cool about this, is it looks and feels almost indistinguishable, from a meat lover, i'm telling you firstha firsthand. >> in the piece you pointed out that the meat production industry is really growing now. what kind of potential environmental problems does this pose? >> well, meat production is far more resource intensive.

it uses up a lot more land, and emits a lot more pollutants and greenhouse gasses in production than plants. so alternative beyond meat is trying to put out in the market are really great potential for reducing that environmental impact. >> meatless mondays is a popular hashtag on the twitter, and more people are embracing it at least partly. >> what is exciting about this product and distinguishes it from the other alternative meat products on the target, they're targeting people like me. they're targeting meat eaters. they're not targeting vegetarians. meatless monday as an

alternative is tremendous. it might make an impact. >> good to see you. what time are you on the air? >> we're on 7:30 eastern 4:30 pacific tomorrow and sunday. >> thank you, appreciate it. >> thanks, tony. >> a pretty impressive sight in south korea. people sitting side by side ice fishing. we have a look at this winter tradition. >> reporter: january is ice fishing season, and not just for a few hardy enthusiasts, tens of thousands come every day with each his or other individual fishing style a couple of hours drive from seoul. >> it's fun. this is my third year here. sometimes we come here twice a year, the whole family. there is the fun of eating as well. >> the common factor for the hunt of the prize, the trout

rewarded with the fish. each day three to eight tons of farmed fish are added to the river. when fish rise it's all about being in the right place at the right time. >> this is my first time i have three of them already. >> of course, if that's not enough of a challenge you can always try this. i can tell you it's cold enough dressed like this, let alone dressed like these guys. >> the object is to catch the fish by hand. and success means the wet fish down the front of your t-shirt. the fish can be consumed roasted, raw, or for the brave, still wiggling. it's all a boon for this town, the festival in its 12th year becoming more and more important to its economy. >> this year 1.4 million people are expected to come.

each tourist is expected to spend $50, we're talking about $60 million for the local economy. crowd, for many this civil is a perfect way to spend a bone-chilling season. >> rebecca stevenson is up next with a check of the forecast and then it is real money with ali velshi. >> clashes of middle class shoppers and how they could affect america's economic recovery. and helping new york becoming a technology hub. all that and more on "real money."

>> meteorologist: trdry, hot, ad the santa anna winds ease up.

records are breaking in california with 70s and 80s, and we had a few temperatures highs near 90. well, no rain in sight at all for california. it will be a dry one. when we start talking about the greatest number of days or consecutive days with no rainfall, 44 for sacramento is your record, and here we are at 40 now at this stretch. if weed an on a couple more days we're going to have the all-time record set in the rainy season. the temperatures right now are maybe warming for los angeles. in the east chicago 16 right now. you're going to see it move its way, and we'll have snow with gusting winds in the upper midwest tonight.

. >> this is al jazeera america. i'm tony harris live in new york. president obama announced changes to the nsa spying. 16 people died in an attack on a restaurant in kabul, afghanistan, it happened in a neighbor that is home to several embassies and foreign consulates. the tell ban has claimed responsibility. a document shows pope benedict xvi derocke defrocked 0 priests