>> >> this is al jazeera america live from new york. i'm jonathan betz. after much stalling and pressure from the u.s. syria's main opposition group finally agrees to attend peace talks. lingering questions about the safety of water in charleston west virginia as the owner of the company responsible creates another company after filing for bankruptcy. >> hurricane sandy relief money held hostage. >> what is done to put the dream of going to college within reach of more students?

>> the syrian civil war has killed more than 130,000 people and displaced millions. the leading rebel group today finally agreed to sit down and talk peace. it will be the first face to face meeting between the assad regime and the syrian national coalition since the war broke out. we have the latest from istanbul. >> it was a vote that ripped the syrian national coalition apart. members pulled out, more committed to resign after it. after days of discussion the umbrella government voted yes to going to switzerland to take part in talks with a delegation from the assad regime. after the vote the president of the coalition addressed the syrian people. >> we have travelled a hard road and you made sacrifices for your freedom and we have reached a critical point that we'll cross together.

we are termed to end the suffering that the syrian regime imposed on you. >> because a decision was so divisive discussions and consultation ran overnight, including members of moderate rebel groups fighting inside syria. without their indoorsment there was no confidence that the coalition could deliver on anything. the same fighting groups want to be in the unnamed 15-member delegation going to switzerland. >> they have to be represented within the team. we have not discussed what would be the road, but definitely they would like to be part of the consultation and decision making. >> the green light for the fighting groups came as a surprise. none of this was enough to bring back a group of 44 members who withdrew from the syrian national coalition because they didn't think the agreements made in geneva had backing.

unless geneva ii focussed on bringing about a transitional government in syria, it wasn't worth attending. who will represent the syrian opposition in switzerland is supposed to be decided in the next 24 hours. they face, directly or indirectly a high level team for the team in damascus, which does not acknowledge the team and barely recognises the existence of an opposition. >> when it comes to destroying syria's chemical weapons, there has been a delay. security challenges have been blamed for shaping down the shipment. the group overseeing the process says the weapons should ensue. they'll be transported to an american ship and be destroyed at sea. >> voters approved a military-backed government in egypt. the event was widely boycotted by islamic groups

>> egypt's new constitution is passed. and the commission says it got a high amount of support. >> the total number of voters is 20,613,677. the voter turn out is 38.6% of the population. the yes vote 98.1%. 1.9% said no. this is a higher voter turn out than the vote for the last constitution. >> the military-backed interim government says the people's support was given for overthrowing mohamed morsi. now that the government had the yes vote, the next step is to set a date for more elections. the anti-coup alliance, including the muslim brotherhood scribed the vote as a sham. the group hailed what it called the historic boycott by the egyptian people, including the youth, indicating that a majority of the people reject the coup and the constitution.

>> different groups are call on supporters to increase the protest to ended coup despite the crackdown on this end. >> egypt is facing tough tines, and analysts say that is unlikely to change soon. >> i think we have patrons and when military coups against elected officials take place, you are faced with poor outcomes. the military domination of politics. that's a scenario or civil uprest. the plan is to try to legitimate what happened on july 3rd by a new constitution, or elections but the procedures never had strong positions.

>> egypt is divided and struggling. next week will mark three years since a popular revolution removed hosni mubarak from power. as egyptians marked that occasion, the only thing that is certain is more elections. >> meanwhile, three al jazeera journalists continue to be detained in egypt. mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed, and correspondent greste have been held since december 29th. they are accused of spreading lies harmful to state security and joining a terrorist group. al jazeera denies the allegation and continues to demand their immediate release. two other journalist from our sister channels have been in prison for five months, abdullah al-shami is a reporter and mohammed badr is a cameraman. >> nine days into a chemical spill many say their water smells like chemicals. pregnant women are told not to drink it. freedom industries, the company

blamed for the spill has declared bankruptcy. robert ray is in west virginia with new information about the bankruptcy filing. >> you can see over my shoulder those are the tanks of freedom industry. chemicals came out of some of those into elk river, affecting 300,000 people in west virginia, a week or so ago. on friday, freedom industries filed for bankruptcy. there's more information. on december 31st. company was bought by j clip ard forest. yesterday a new company was opened by j clip ard forest, calledman an ear funding llc, created to provide funding to freedom during the bankruptcy loan. we believe that that company was opened up so that j clip ard

forest could shield away major claims and liabilities, lawsuits and protect the $20 million purchase. the question is as to why would someone purchase a company with so much massive debt. >> let's tip down this. they owe $2.4 million to the irs. they owe 3.6 million and have 200 creditors. they owe over $90,000 in property taxes. the amount of questions around the bankruptcy and the purchase of this company are absolutely extraordinary. on top of that, in the meantime we spent most of the day, saturday on the ground speaking to residents as to whether they think the water is safe. we did independent water testing. here is what we found out. >> it's been a week since 7500 gallons of toxic chemicals used

to clean goal spilled into the elk river. 300,000 were under a strict do not use ban. many of the bans have been lifted. residents are concerned as to whether the water is safe. >> inside the cooler is testing materials for the water in this woman's house. how long does it take to get the results? >> five to seven business days. >> jennifer is nine months pregnant. >> we haven't consumed the water. it didn't taste or smell right. >> after the centers for disease control issued a caution, she was confused. >> we got the thumbs up that the water was safe on monday night in my community here. so for 48 hours to go by and knowing that the public is consuming the water, that's really concerning. >> with very little data or scientific study on the ch

chemical, it's not clear how it could impact people's health. because of the abundance of caution recommended by the c d.c. al jazeera america hired an environmental consulting company to take samples from jennifer's home. >> not only is mark taking water samples from the home we were in, but on the river here in charleston, he's taking water samples, he'll test these for the mix of chemicals going into the river system, and we'll have results next week. >> according to federal environmental data for decades chemicals and waste have danted waterways and groundwater supplies. doctors were concerned and want testing to continue. >> especially in the case of pregnant women. we don't know the effects on an unborn child, a developing

foetus. >> for others, the theme of environmental disasters reached a boiling point. >> nobody has jurisdiction. what needs to happen is for just overarching legislation to make sure that the companies aren't responsible for policing themselves, because they are not. if you don't have to, you won't. if there are no speed limits, i'll drive as fast as i can in my vehicle. >> inspectors discover that freedom industry, the company blamed for the disaster had not taken action to stop the leak for report it to the authority, according to the environment protection agency. and there are no regulations governing inspections and maintenance of the storage tanks that held the chemical known as mchn. >> so in nine days after the spill most people in charleston are wary as to whether this water is safe. i can tell you this: as we have

been standing here across the river from freedom industry, the smell of candy and liquorice is prevalent. everywhere has been smelling it. one of the symptoms that emergency rooms and doctors that people are complaining about itchy eyes throat and burny sensation. i can tell you now this eye in particular has a huge burning sensation and has been like that for two hours. the situation is fluid and a lot of questions out there still. >> robert ray in the middle of it all in charleston. >> the still in west virginia is the latest incident of pollution. the environment protection agency says coal plants are responsible for 50 to 60% of toxic water pollution in the united states. loopholes and laws allowed the contamination of wells to go unchecked or decades. a discharge from coal-fire power

plants is more dangerous than the chemical that leaked into the river. >> the chris christie administration is alleged to have withheld hurricane sandy relief funds because she wouldn't back a democratic project. >> the governor came and pulled me aside and said i know it's not right, and these are not connected and if you tell anyone, i'll deny it. >> they have been approved for $70 million of $171 million requested. >> a new allegation the distraction that chris christie wanted to avoid. he's campaigning for rick scott. the trip comes after 20 subpoenas were issued to get to the bottom. george washington bridge scandal.

they are investigating whether four days of days of lain closure were politically motivated. >> the importance of a 4-year degree and the difficulty of paying for it.

>> i want to make sure that students believe that they have what it takes to succeed beyond high school. >> the first lady spoke at the white house college opportunity summit this week, she and the president announcing an initiative to make four year degrees a reality for more families. >> schooling in this country has come a long way. in 1970 only a quarter of americans had completed some post high school education. by 2007 it jumped to two-thirds. the u.s. was not the only

country sending kids to college. in recent years the number of minister attaining four year degrees had stalled going from first in the world to this - 12th overall and in danger of slipping further. meanwhile, the share of jobs requiring college education has doubled. according to a study by george down university, 60% of all jobs by 2018 will require a college education. it will be important in the north-east. getting an education doesn't just help you get a job, it helps you make money. among 30 to 35-year-olds those with a degree made more money over time. research shows for those born to lower income families, a degree increases chances of upper mobility. half of all people from high income families get a batchlers

by 25. only 10% of those from poorer families do the same. >> president obama and michelle obama came from modest backgrounds but got ivy league educations. college costs rose by 500%, putting higher education out of reach for many americans. at a white house college opportunity summit the president and mrs. obama brought together leaders. >> i'm doing this because the story of education is the story of my life. i want them to know it can be their story 2000. >> kevin wade watched the summit and was thrilled when president obama mentioned the program he is part of. imentor match spends four years guiding people for a process guiding in college.

>> my younger brother had a chance of going to college, but they went down the wrong rode. i thought if i had guidance i might be on the right track. my mentor picked me up. we went over everything. it was like a burden off my chest. >> navigating the fag road is full of mine fields, deadlines and someone who is excited to go to college may miss the window of opportunity if not familiar with the various papers and deadlines he has to meet. >> now his phone is filled with as that wade is getting. i mentor is one program that is being pushed for and another

identifies children from urban backgrounds helping them attend colleges and giving them extra support. >> the summit at the white house was important because it shone a spotlight on this issue of poor kids, of kids from the lowest economic group not getting connected to college opportunity, even when they are ultimately qualified. >> booel says programs like hers is critical. the middle class is being squeezed out. >> it is more and more middle class kids denied the opportunity to get the kind of education not only that they deserve, but that this country needs them to have, if they fill the jobs in the workforce and make this is a vibrant economy, a healthy economy. >> some quick maths showed deborah booel was right. saving for college.com offers a calculator. if you had a child and wanted to

send them to challenge that costs $25,000, assuming an annual average increase of 5% and 6% earned annually, you could need to save a quarter of a million, for $561 a month for the next 18 years. if the college cost $50,000 a year, which provide institutions do. plan on needing half a million, or $1,121. that's not chump change. whilst the obama administration doubles investments, a lot more needs to be done. >> back to you. >> a lot of money. >> for more we turn to sharon hurstburger a president of a college and at the summit. and rory with the young invincibles. a not for profit. welcome to you both. sharon, you were at the summit.

what did you take away from his words? >> the president and the first lady were inspirational, both in their personal examples, and in their motivation to get this country moving again in terms of aappreciates of the call u of the education. >> do you think you'll make changes to your university. >> yes, we have joined the president's campaign, and we are focussing on two initiatives, one is to reach out to local high schools, expanding mentorship programs, and helping the students get to college, and the second initiative is to expand partnerships with area community colleges, and community colleges outside of our area, to encourage the very talented students starting their education at community colleges,

to transfer to the best colleges and universities that they can. >> rory, if you had to pinpoint a reason why so many low income american children are not going to college, what is it? is the the costs, strict admissions? what is it? >> the cost will be the big factor. we hear that from young people across the country. the cost of a four-year public university has gone up by 84%. there's eight out there. there's a lot of qualified low-income people looking at the sticker price, shying away from the skills they are qualified for, and can get help for. it's a problem called undermatching. what we need to do is get more information out there to young people, so they have an idea of their opportunities. >> why is college so expensive, i think your college charges 40,000 a year for tuition.

why is it pricey? where is the money going? >> first of all, college is a personnel-driven enterprise, and so the quality of the education is tied to the cost. the quality is high touch. you need a very small proportion of students to every faculty member. that's a reason why college is expensive. more important than that is the fact that as a country, we have retreated from the notion that education is a public good. so while we used to believe that we should support and subsidise students going to college through grants and through

direct supports to educational institutions, we really cut back on that as a nation. and we no longer have the ethos. that means that the subsidies are declining or going away. colleges are needing to raise the cost of the education through tuition increases. that means it will be past on. >> does some of the responsibility lay with the colleges and trimming expenses. there's a lot of concern that the colleges waste too much money. >> i know there's a lot of concern. if you look into it, it's rarely the case. i know that they are wonderful stories out there from colleges that put up climbing walls, and, special housing units. i invite you to take a look and see the bare bones way to

operate the institution, and put so much money into the real academic enterprise. >> rory, i heard the debate about whether it's worth it in this day and age for young people to go to college, that maybe they'd be better served to start their own business, going into their own business. do you think it's a reasonable idea at this point. >> absolutely, it's worth it to go to college. it's an important message. a typical 4-year college graduate makes 80% more than someone with a high school diploma. it has gotten more significantly. a good decision to go to college. what we need to do is give young people the information to know what major is more likely to make money, so they can compare that to the amount of debt they want to take out and make a decision that is right for them in the long term.

>> i want to clarify that. you think it's lies considering how expensive and how many students take on debt after college, and how many oftentimes don't get the jobs they were after. you think it's wise to push for everyone. >> it doesn't have to be a 4-year course. someone with a grad utility earns many millions more. it could be a 2-year degree and credential. anything beyond high school that gives the young person a credential in the right field. it's essential for economic security. >> is there an end to this. are we resigned to the fact that the cost for college continues to go up or do you see a trnd of costs going down. >> i don't see costs going down until energy costs go down,

health insurance costs go town, until people invent other mechanisms to keep the cost down. i do thing that it's critical that as a nation we figure out how to make sure that we subsidise more of the cost of education for the great bulk of people that we want to see get a college degree. that will keep the individuals costs down, but it will benefit the communities that those college graduates are going to serve. it will benefit our nation in making it more competitive economically, and more innovative. >> meantime the president hoping to expand higher education. thank you both for coming in

together. we appreciate it. >> thank you. >> sick at sea - still ahead on al jazeera america. crews passengers are talking about a vacation that is cut short. two days after it sparked up a wildfire, the update on the battle next. >> coming up in sport the x games meets the winter games. here about the new event at the winter olympics.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top stories this half hour. syria's main rebel group will attend the peace conference. 75 members voted in istanbul. the majority favoured to attend the talks. the first face to face meeting

between the bashar al-assad regime. >> another new jersey mayor is aaccusesing chris christie's office of retaliation, demanding that she approve a reality project in order to receive money for hurricane sandy. >> information behind the company involved in the toxic spill in west virginia: >> high and dry. the wildfire that began two days ago in the foothills of glen dooric. firefighters managed to stop the flames from spreading. there is little that they or anyone else can do about the draught that left the state parched. >> california's governor

declared is a drought emergency, allowing the state to seek federal aid and eases rules about pumping water from one part of the state to another. napper valley needs the help, the wine country. it is where melissa chan is standing by live. how concerned are growers out there? >> well. the wine growers are very concerned and are taking a close look at it. they have a bit more time than the other farmers in california. the vines are in the dormant stage. we are about halfway through the rainy season. you know, people are very concerned but they are hoping that there'll be rain in the coming months. we are here at the vineyards, they produce kav sav and they put everything in a bit of context. >> if the conditions change, then, you know, i think we'll be okay. as a whole, no, it's really,

really - you know, worrisome, the conditions and the lack of rain. we need water. i mean, it's been too many years in a row where we had marginal rain fall >> what happens if there is no rain? what they say is that they depend on the rain during the season not for the dormant vines, but to collect in reservoirs and wells. and they'll be used in july, august, september for irrigation. that's why the drought is important for wine makers. they are worried about what can happen now in the future. >> it's not just the wine makers, how concerned are the other agricultural industries in california. >> there's a lot of things beyond vineyards, and one thing that is interesting in the states, in that part of the region, central california is a lot of farmers moved their crops

from seasonal, such as tomatoes alfalfa and moved to almond trees. they have gone up. there's an incentive for farmers to plant the trees. these are long-term project. they are not seasonal or annual. when there is a drought, the formers face a challenge, because they have to think long-term about what they are going to do. now we understand that a lot of farmers are not concerned about the crops, they want to keep the trees alive. >> melissa chan live from the napper valley. >> rebecca is here with more on the drought. a lot of people in california, whether concerned about the drought or the wildfires hoping for rain. >> it's been two years straight that we had drier weather. we had rainfall across the state. sadly, we have about a third of

the state that is at the lowest point of the percentage of normal. here is some places that have that. l.a. - only 24% of normal. normal you would have far more rain than what has fallen in southern california. even burbank and the national weather service is reporting the low amounts of rain fall. california and nevada the greatest areas of real estate are being hit hard much the all-time low rain fall for the calendar year. some of these, with barely over 3.5 inches of rain. camorillo with barely three inches of rain. we talk about the water concerns, and as we move forward in time when we need to drain the reservoirs, they are below where they should be for this time of year. we have places like trinity

lake. the capacity is 48% of capacity, and when it comes to historical averages of rain, they only had 68%. high temperatures continuing to hid record highs as temperatures 20 degrees above normal continue along with the dry weather. we'll touch more on where we are getting snow and cold weather. >> sick at sea. dozens of people on a caribbean cruise ship caught a virus. more than 60 were sick. they are believed to be infected with an oral virus, turning their dream vacation into a nightmare. >> spending the night on the toilet. >> we have medication, and make sure we are more cautious. >> royal caribbean said the ship has been scrubbed and disinfected. the cruise it offering sick

passengers an opportunity to reschedule their trips. >> some olympic athletes are flipping for. john henry smith is here, new olympic sports coming out. >> it's exciting to have something new to root for. it used to be that you had to tune into the x games. athletes in the sport of free kating will be able, for the first time, to compete for olympic gold. jessica taff got up to two of our hopes. >> for free-skiing athletes, this is an opportunity of a lifetime to showcase talent. >> we in no idea this would be an olympic sport. a lot of us, childhood dreams were about the x games, not the olympics. that was the olympics up until sochi. >> known for his flawlessly

executed run, the indiana native started skiing at the age of five. >> i started to do it flips on my skis at the age of 11. i grew up 5 minutes away from a 350 foot hill that i skied on every day after school and on the weekends. >> the sport is a costly one. nick had to get creative to continue to ski. >> my families unstable. they weren't able to support me with all my skiing endeavours. i had to take the initiative and go out and finance my career. i was an entrepreneur back then and went to my mum and gave her an idea that i had. she supported it and we went to the store and bought candy bars in bulk. i would ride the school bus with candy bars and sell them to my friends for a dollar on the way and back from school.

>> for the pittsburg native he yet its his parents for getting him started. >> they wanted to get me out of the house in the winter. i fell in love with it, the speed, the air, the snow. everything about being on skis was amazing to me. i stuck with it. like any sport there's an element of danger. >> fear makes it exciting. the adrenaline rush going out and trying the tricks. there's so many sports. this one looks crazy. i swear we are calculated. what we do is dangerous. you fly high and grind metal rails, and the fear factor. i'd say it definitely is nerve-wracking and makes you think twice. it elevates the amount of fun on the skis. >> he took home the gold at the x games. >> taking a medal at the x games

was my childhood dreams coming true. it was the accumulation of hard working sacrifices and dedication to skiing from a young age. >> walsh won his f.i.s. title in 2013, and is called one of the most electrifying skiers. >> jessica taff is reporting. joining us now to talk about prospects in the winter olympics , is our contributor amy burke. news exciting. how much enthusiasm did you detect with the inclusion of ski halfpipe and snow pike as sport. >> there's tremendous excitement. this is high-flying high-stakes tricks. it will be really fun. >> i bet if -- it will be.

is it safe to say these sports have been included to lure the younger viewers. >> definitely, and a lot of athletes in these events are young themselves. that makes it a sport of the future. >> qualifying has been going on this weekend in utah. we got to know nick geoffer and thom wallace. are they on track to make the team? >> only three spots - you can calculate them on paper. there's a fourth discretionary spot which if no one meets the criteria, a five-member panel will make the decision. the team is expected to be nominated tonight. >> rumour had it that wallace had trouble out there in the slopes in park city. if he doesn't make it does he have a chance as a discretionary pick. >> he has a chance.

i wish i could predict, but it's cutthroat. >> and tim is a chance. >> giant slalom is his best event. he proved to be a three medal threat, three out of five events on the men's. watch for that utah native. >> a knee injury will keep lindsey vonn out of the socially games, who does that leave as america's best hope. >> lindsey vonn was not the entire team. there's julie vancuso and has always been in the shadow. the day lindsay got injured julia got a medal. you turn the spotlight on her, she does well, she's in the money. and michala, mentally tough and

smooth. she won the world championship title in slal om, and won the season-long crystal globe, and this year she could win two medals, proving herself in giant slam, the event that liberty does well. >> we have 25 seconds left. here is the question we are asking on maddison avenue. which athlete would you vote to be america's darling when the games are done. >> micale aschiff ron and casey gold, full of charisma. >> amy burg our contributor for the winter olympics. thank you for sharing your thoughts. >> that is sports for this hour. coming up at 11 we'll have reports from ross shimabuku and jessica taff on the championship games. the excitement has been building. >> a gay russian protestor was

arrested for unfurling a rainbow coloured flag, he displayed it as the torch past through his home town. he was detained by olympic security personnel until the police arrived. vladimir putin signed a law in june forbidding what the government called homosexual propaganda. >> a breeding ground for international hackers. we'll go inside the private it school attended by n.s.a. whistle belower edward snowden. they adopted two children from the democratic republic of congo, but an american couple can't bring the children home. the details on the big hold-up ahead.

clayton j. adams

>> the u.s. condemned an attack on a restaurant in the afghan capital of kabul. 21 died, including three americans. half those killed were foreign nationals. the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. a suicide bomber blew up the secured entrance allowing gunmen to enter and start shooting. the restaurant owner died in that assault. >> south sudan's army says it recaptured bor, the last state capital under rebel control. hundreds have been left dead and thousands forced from their homes. the conflict raged for weeks between the president salva kiir and former vice president riek machar. >> a husband and wife are right to bring back their adopted children from democratic republic of congo. it has suspended foreign adoptions leaving parents with little to do but hope and wait.

>> alaina carol has everything ready for their two adopted boys. their room is filled with shirts and shoes and a cute stall. no one is here to use them. >> it breaks my heart. i want to adopt as many as i can. they have nobody to love them. >> jason carol left for the democratic republic of congo in november, thinking he would come home with their sons. months later they are 7,000 miles from home. elaina asked to hide the boys faces. justin has missed a lot. the biggest change, their new daughter born bon november 25th. she doesn't look the same. she's two months old almost, and is changing and growing. she's out of her newborn stuff. it's getting hard. here is the problem - last year the democratic republic of congo suspended exit permits for families with adopted congolese

children, even those that earlier met the criteria. >> it has nothing to do with adoption and everything to do with international politics. >> this is a nashville lawyer specialising in adoptions. >> using adoption as a foil, as a tactic, spending adoptions as a tactic to achieve diplomatic win - no, it does not work. >> the motive for stopping the adoptions is unclear. the state department says applications for exit permits are being held up. drc authorities said it was over concerns about abused for abandoned children or some children were sold to homosexuals. whatever the reason, elaina and her husband have no choice but to communicate through skype. it's the only way she can see the boys and dad can she his new

daughter. justin said they do feel safe. >> with a country like democratic republic of congo there's a chance something can happen. >> elaina says she'll keep the christmas decorations up until they come home. >> years before edward snowden made global headlines for leaking documents, he went to india to learn hacking. he's among thousands that have done that. >> hacking is not confined to toes with high-end computers or computer geniuses. hacking, whether done to improve security or steel data can be done with a laptop or being in the right place at the right

tim. >> with simply hacking people can break into companies and do damage. with complex hacking you need skills. >> they are easy to find at the private it colleges, which is what attracted edward snowden, the former contractor for the u.s. agency. >> edward snowden if he didn't come here, he could have gone elsewhere to learn. >> the number of foreigners attending classes sets this school apart. >> in india, because we are a global source, we get students from all over the world. we are running the courses. >> what edward snowden learnt probably helped him to get his job, and the lure of upgrading it skills pushed the industry to grow by five times in the last

five years. >> new delhi attracts thousands of foreign students taking crash courses. most students return to their countries with an upgrade to current positions. some worry that it could be better used. >> the cyber lawyer specialist says a lack of regulation over the schools made it a free for all, and there should be guidelines stating who can take potentially dangerous courses. >> there has to be a structured approach on how the institutions can become arsenals of growth, rather than be ammunition. >> it's argued that any education can be misused. >> there may be hundreds of professionals who learnt skills with us.

>> india has no plans to regulate it schools, so foreign students come to enhance their skills before deciding how to use the skills when they return home. >> and there's a lot more ahead on al jazeera america, including colorado's pot laws. how it's effecting the state's business ahead. >> sunscreens in baj , it's not the kind you may be thinking of. the answer to the thick smog that covers the city. that is next.

>> well, it's not just the scenic view attracting tourists to marijuana. now customers can buy marijuana for fun. is it boosting overall business? we take a look. >> the call of wild, the rush of white water and the excitement of the slopes - just a few of the things attracting droves of tourists to colorado. now there's a new reason people are making the trip to the rocky mountain state. some say the pot tourist rush

means big bucks. others worry that weed will tarnish the reputation. >> people expect to enjoy a family friendly vacation on a save and beautiful terrain in colorado. >> most of colorado's restart towns, like steamboat springs are allowing pot outlets to open. steamboat voted to improve retail weed by a large ermargin, but are concerned that they will not allow retail pot-shots. if you want to buy pot, have you to go outside of town. >> rocky mountain remedies sits in a drab industrial park on the outskirts of steamboat. ryan fisher showed me the long list of rules. >> three pages long. >> it has everything from storage, cameras. >> to cash registers. >> while you may be able to buy

weed, there's not a lot of places you can smoke it. besides a private residence. >> we saw in line people that couldn't smoke at the hotel room. so someone said, "come back to our place to smoke." lighting up in public will not be allowed. >> there's no one walking down the sidewalk drinking a beer, they shouldn't walk down the sidewalk smoking a joint. >> you are very secluded here in your little enclave. >> near not so secluded mile high stadium, the pot shop is getting fired up for the showdown between the broncos and the patriots. sales spread. >> 25% new england fans, and 75% broncos. >> the patriot fans from out of town will not be able to take

their weed home. broncos fans hope they won't go home with a win. >> well, a different smoke cloud in china. blinding air pollution in beijing, a blanket of smog darkened the skies. with the help of technology, there's a way for people to enjoy technology. giant screens beaming out images of tyne men square, part of an adcampaign inviting visit scores to enjoy china. it's a contrast to the air crisis. several airports were shut down. residents asked to wear masks. cole use was asked to be cut. that's the show tonight. thank you for joke us. more news at 11:00 pm eastern. a quick look at your headlines

is next on al jazeera america. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz with tonight's headlines. syria's main rebel group will attend a peace conference in switzerland. 75 coalition members voted in istanbul. the majority favoured attending the talks. it will be the first face to face meeting between the assad regime since the civil war in 2011. >> a new jersey mayor is accusing chris christie's office of retaliation. demanding that she approve a real estate project for her city to receive millions in aid after hurricane sandy. chris christie's office denied the claim. >> information about the company behind west