>> welcome to aljazeera, i'm del walters, and these are the stories we're following for you. an emergency session of parliament and a truce in the ukraine after clashes with the police. iran's president on the syrian war. and our continuing series on education in america. how some schools could be a gateway to prison.

at this hour, the violence in kiev is on hold. there's a fragile peace in place. the president announcing that he's calling for an emergency session of parliament. there are just two hours between the police and the protesters. the prime minister calling their demands unrealistic. he said what happened here is an attempted coup, and giving 24 hours to call for elections. thousands of people have taken to the streets, and three of them are now dead. jennifer glass is in kiev, and the clock is ticking on what appears to be a very, very fragile truce. >> reporter: that's right, del. just two hours to go for the truce, and the opposition leaders are back today trying to

meet with prime minister yanukovych. just as we speak, the demonstrators are going to pass behind me in just a second. and the people have not lost hope. they will continue to demonstrate. there is a truce on, and they're heading into the square for a demonstration. it is quiet over in the area where there have been clashes. quiet for now, but it doesn't mean that the people haven't stopped preparing. there are barricades, and reinforcing the barricades behind me, they have been filling with snow all day and digging up the pavement and getting rocks ready for any possible attack. so while it's quiet, it's at a standstill for now, and it really depends on what happens with the politicians in the president's office. >> jennifer, two questions, first of all, are you safe and do the protestors want a

diplomatic solution or do they want the president gone altogether? >> the protesters would like to see change. and they want the president gone altogether. there's a lot of mistrust here, and del, a lot of concern for draconian laws. the president and the parliament, he basically controls it, and it went into effect this week. these are laws that basically ukrainians say make a dictatorship. they have been proud of being a democracy in the 22 years that they have been independent. and it concerns them that president yanukovych doesn't seem to be listening to their demands. and they feel like he's not listening to them at all. and many ukrainians said they didn't think that he would go this far. he didn't. they have been on the streets for two months, and its snowing and bitter cold. and they have been living in a

tent camp in independent square behind me, and on sunday, the tensions broke out into what we have seen. the protestors setting fires to barricades, and protestors fight with the police in the street that leads to the square and the parliament. running battles with the police, and they're wondering if there can be a diplomatic situation, but they definitely want to see change. >> jennifer glass, stay safe. there's word today of a ceasefire in south sudan. the government and the opposition leaders agreeing to stop the violence with talks in neighboring ethiopia. thousands of people have been displaced because of the violence, and more than 1,000 people have been killed. the iranian president is seizing the opportunity to talk about the growing problems in syria, and the peace talks set to take place tomorrow. the free elections are the only

solution to the syrian crisis. >crisis. [ speaking foreign language ] >> iran believes that we should stop the fighting and bloodshed in syria and to push the terrorists in syria. the best solution is a free election in syria. no government or outside power can make decisions for another country and for the nation of syria. >> ali velshi is live right now in switzerland meeting with oil companies and leaders, and ali he's taking advantage. >> i haven't seen this kind of push from a country for long time. netanyahu from israel is here, and he's meeting with everyone who will meet with him. i spoke to carlos goen, he's the ceo of nissan and renault.

and iran was the 10th biggest automobile market in the world. it was a very prosperous country. and these sanctions have really hurt. i spoke to carlos goen, and asked about these sanctions and here's what he told me. >> even with the sanctions, the local government defectors figured out how to produce and sell 600,000 cars a year. we still make it the largest market. i think with the sanctions, i'm expecting this to double. that this market will go to 1 ha1.5 million cars a year for my years to come. >> 1.5 million cars a year. and to give you perspective on that, last year in the united states, 15 million cars sold. so this could make up 1/10 of the cars that we sell in the united states. that's one example. and there are many like that

with ceos very excited about the prospect of iran sticking to the obligations and it opens up for business. as you know, del, one of the iranian ministers said that the white house is misrepresenting the deal, and iran has not given up as much as they say they're going to give up. there's a lot brewing on that side, and the iranians need a stronger line for the domestic audience that's being put out in the audience. so he's the charmer. >> we're seeing conflicts breaking out in a lot of places, and in the u.s., $7 trillion in holdings that a lot of businesses are sitting on. and how are they concerned about that gap between the wealthy and the poor? >> income inequality is a major topic here. it's the third year in a row

that it has been determined to be a global crisis. when you're here, when it costs $20,000, it's only rich people here. it is the 1% of the 1% of the 1% attending here, but many are global leaders, ceos, the head of the international monetary fund and they're all here. and they have identified that while the world is projected to grow faster in 2014 than in 2013, the idea of unemployment, youth unemployment. and highly pressured middle class and disparity and inequality is the world's problem. they say if we don't solve these problems, it will lead to unrest. we're becoming a world of haves and have notes, and that's not something that symbolized the developing world historically, and it's symbolizing all of our world. >> i know that they will be

talking to you, ali. you can see "real money" with ali velshi on aljazeera america. five men who were made famous in the film, good fellas, have been rounded up by the fbi. >> a raid at kennedy airport. >> always keep your mouth shut. >> the robbery was one of the biggest capers of all time. $6 million in cash and jewels stolen from the airline's cargo site. this morning, five alleged crime figures all arrested on charges linked to the heist and all unsolved murders. they are believed to be part of new york's bonano crime family. phone records from the u.s., the surveillance program to stop saying that it's ineffective and

illegal. didn't the president just say that he supported this type of activity? >> well, he did, and the president proposed ending the collection of billions upon billions of phone records. and he didn't want to end it altogether, but he wants the phone companies or some sort of a third party entity to undertake that task, but he said there are severe problems with that, and he kicked it over to the attorney general and the department of intelligence to work with that. you call it a watchdog group, and there's something significant about this report today. but it's a federal agency, right now for 2007, it took the obama administration p. and the bush administration to point members to it. it's called the privacy and civil liberties board, and they're assessing the so-called 215 program. and that's the collection of

metadata, it's so controversial in the weik of the edward snowden leaks, they are saying that it should be shut down. we had the federal judge in response to a case brought saying that it had not solved or.net prevent any attacks, and then we had the president's own advisory commission that he appointed saying that it did not prevent any attacks, but they should go forward. the president is very much in limbo. his spokesperson, jay carney saying that it should go to the review and everybody is trying to find a way out of this. but here we have this agency pointed by the federal government saying that the program is illegal. we'll wait for the white house later today to deal with this report. >> mike, thank you very much. and meanwhile, edward snowden, the man behind this controversy, in a live web chat today. it will be head on the snowden website at 3:00 eastern time. he is expected to address

changes to the national security agency. the gop laying out its strategies and goals in the year to come. so far the party leaders are keeping tight-lipped, and lisa, do the leaders believe that the house and senate are in play in 2014? >> well, del, they absolutely do. they call the plan the way to victory, and they plan to keep the house and the senate. and there are a number of races where they're quite competitive. what they will be discussing are the tactics for winning the term and the 2016 presidential elections. he has made it clear that he needs to build a big ground game, and he has hired 8,000 precinct captains, and reaching out to minority communities, especially the hispanic community. and he's using technology to keep track of those potential

gop voters. and also today, they will be discussing the whole primary process for the presidential election. and to have tighter control of the rules of the primaries, and they will be looking at move up the convention date for the republicans for this summer to give any candidate a true running start. so a lot going on at the meetings, del. >> and lisa, after the elections and the government shut down, there were beliefs that the republican party was out of touch, as you mentioned, with hispanics and women. but is there any indication that beyond what they say, they actually plan to change course? >> well, as you say, after the last election particularly, the presidential election, there were a lot of calls that the republican party truly did need to change course, but so that are we have not seen that. a number of republicans in congress have blocked

immigration reform as high on their must change list, and abortion is a key issue for republicans. the way they set up this meeting was to allow attendees attend that right into life march yesterday in washington, and many of them did bus people over there and back to the meeting. and also, they will be discussing here a strategy of silence as they call it. they do not the candidates who oppose abortion to stay silent. and they need to strike back at the democrats who are claiming that the republicans are waging this war on women. they say by only strong opposition they will be able to win votes. and the big issue, the affordable care act, that's issue number one, and that, republicans see as the key issue. >> same-sex marriage could soon be legal in virginia. today the attorney general said his office will no longer defend

the state's ban on marriages, calling it unconstitutional, and saying that he intends to have that entire law struck down. a fire in a nursing home leaving three people dead, and three residents said to be missing. the fire happened in the small town in quebec. 50 people lived inside of the home and most had alzheimer's and couldn't get around on their own. it took about five hours to put the blaze out. from school to prison. students headed to jail. and one community is calling for change. and no one likes the commute. but now some americans are commuting from mexico to san diego, spending hours in their car just because the cost of living is cheaper.

>> it all started out as a fight. eight students ask a parent all arrested at a high school last may.

sarah in her special series on education. it airs this evening on america tonight. >> i got arrested and put in handcuffs. >> i went to the detention center. >> they said they were going to arrest midwest. >> we sat down with two juniors at a high school and asked how it turned to such mayhem. >> i was there to pick up my daughters, and i was in the carpool lane, and i saw a lot of police presence, and i went inside and was going to check my daughter out and that's when they told me, it was a senior day prank. >> that's right, a massive water balloon fight is what had triggered the 9-1-1 call. the raleigh police dispatched 24 officers. >> he was a big guy, and he grabbed me and i got away from him and he turns me around and

grabs me by my neck and slams me on my back. >> i saw gabrielle being picked up and slammed to the ground and handcuffed by a raleigh police officer. very very disturbing, it was very very graphic. >> the first thing that went into my head, i can't believe i'm getting arrested. i won't be able to walk my sister home. >> morris wasn't arrested but robert brown was, charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. >> he grabbed me from behind, and he said you threw a water balloon, and i said, no, i didn't. and they took me to a conference room and told me i was arrested. >> eight students were arrested that day, along with parent, kevin heinz. heinz said that after witnessing what happened to gabrielle, he entered the school to alert the

principal. >> two officers got me and threw me against the wall. and they said tase him. and i said for what? he said trespassing, and i said i have daughters here. >> cops had no idea what they were walking into, and they got calls and it was hectic. >> the senior prank is supposed to be fun, and nobody is supposed to get hurt. i haven't seen anybody get hurt by a water balloon. >> just a little water, but for these families, a life altering impact. >> i want people to know, we're not bad kid, thieves, murderers, we were just put in a bad situation. >> you can see the rest of her series on education, talking about schools that send too many students to prison. that's at 9:00 eastern time and

6 p.m. pacific. stocks are taking a hit in early trading today on wall street. the dow down right now, 163 points. disappointing earnings, and a worrisome report coming out of china. fewer of us are eating at mcdonald's because of a drop-in customers. in the u.s., sales fell 1 and a half percent. mcdonald's said it's partly due to the bad weather, calling 2013 a challenging year. the high cost of living in the u.s. has sent many a perspective homeowner to mexico. hours and hours stuck in traffic. many taking the road less traveled to work. >> feed the dogs, pour the coffee, grab some breakfast. and before the sun's up, linda

juet is out the door. she has a substantial commute to work, but it requires more strategy and planning and patience than most. to understand why, i joined linda on her drive. >> good morning, linda. >> good morning, jennifer. >> sometimes if it's a holiday, i can be in downtown san diego in 40 minutes to 50 minutes. and other days, it's hours. >> but it's not so much the normal rush-hour traffic that slows her down. every day, linda drives across this, the world's busiest land border. >> i live in tijuana, mexico and work in san diego. >> and so does mario lopez. he's an american citizen working in the mayor's office in downtown san diego. and just like linda, he lives south of the border. on this night, his border crossing back home to tijuana wasn't easy. >> it's the situation this week because the waits are so long.

usually, i just would take the freeway. >> the occasional border backup, they say living in mexico and working in san diego is a lifestyle choice, based on simple math and the desire for a better life. >> i found a beautiful home on the beach. and owning a home on the water is an amazing thing. very special thing, and i could never afford to do it in california. > >> reporter: a move to mexico can cut living expenses 30 to 40%, which is why thousands north of the border are choosing to go south of the border. tijuana is evolving into a cultural seen with a middle class. >> there's a craft scene and a

wine scene, and i think that it has more things to off to locals. >> new residents say that tijuana is safer than it used to be. >> the police have improved in the city and the security trends are very positive. and in fact, tijuana as a large city does very well with homicide rates. >> reporter: the u.s.-mexico, he said that the trend is likely to continue and that's a good thing. >> san diego benefits, and tijuana benefits, and the businesses on the border benefit too. >> it feels like i could live the rest of my life here and be comfortable and take care of myself and be very happy >> reporter: cross border commuters finding the american dream south of the border. aljazeera,ty wan a. mexico. >> coming up up on aljazeera, artifacts of the 20th century in

peru. and then ebay.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters, and here are your headlines at this hour. in the ukraine, there are just two hours remaining in the fragile truce between the police and the protesters, and calling it an attempted coup. iranian president, hasan rouhani in switzerland, saying that iran intends would work with the international community and has no desire to have nuclear weapons. >> . >> a federal watchdog group saying that the nsa should stop collect being phone records, calling the program ineffective and illegal. >> a chill in the air as we have cold air moving in from the north.

it's going to be bringing a little bit of snow in a few spots, where we're seeing light snowfall in parts of the colorado rockies, but we're developing a difficult situation for texas. when we talk snowfall, we have had so much snow come down in the last storm that came through, that when we look at our current snow amounts compared to the average, we're way above normal for chicago, pittsburgh, washington d.c., detroit, boston and new york. all of you have exceeded the snowfall for the year up-to-date. impressive. temperatures right now, cold and below 0 for minneapolis, and this cold air is working its way farther into the southeast with 23 right now in memphis. not something that you normally hear about, but we'll stay on the cold side through the southeast for friday before you get cold air working its way into the area. low temperatures tonight, be

prepared for a real chill in the southeast. houston, down to 27, and atlanta will signal to 20° by the early morning hours. those are the temperatures, and here's texas. we have the cold air in place to the north. and a little bit warmer in the south in houston, so it rains in the north. but the temperatures that you see, snow to the north, like oklahoma city for instance, 18°, but when you have the warmer air farther south, we'll have spots of icing with freezing rain. and we're looking for that impact. houston and san antonio, as we get to tomorrow tonight and the morning. otherwise, we'll have more on the chill coming up. >> rebecca, thank you very much. 47 artifacts, all smuggled back in peru. the items ranging from textiles, fossils to maps in the 16 hundreds, some dating back to the 12th century from all over the world. but then one exception, an

ancient doll found on ebay. the items were returned from private citizens all around the world. i'm del walters, and "inside story" is next. check us out 24 hours a day on aljazeera.com. the americans, the russians, the syrians, the iranians, have all set out their bottom lines for syria's future. it can't all happen. the bloody civil war and the peace conference in was switzerland are the inside story. ♪ hello,