>> it's digging deeper it's asking that second, that third question, finding that person no one spoken to yet... >> you can't tell the stories of the people if you don't get their voices out there, and al jazeera america is doing just that. good afternoon to you, and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. syria talks in geneva are on and off as they try to get both sides working on humanitarian aid in the city of homs. they are digging their heels in. demonstrators in ukraine reject the president's offer and vow to keep on going. a gunman that shot and killed two mall workers before shooting himself has been identified. unfortunately, the super

bowl is being plaid in new jersey, unfortunately. >> there you have it, folks. the battle line has been drawn, and that line is the hudson river. new jersey wants the world to know the super bowl isn't happening in new york. just moments ago the united nations mediator gave an update on the ongoing syria peace talks in geneva. he says he will meet jointly with two of the syrian parties on monday. let's listen to what he had to say. >> in the morning we had discussed humanitarian issues. we talked a great deal about heal health. you know, that the center of the city has been under siege for a very, very long time, and now i

hope that we're approaching a solution for at least the civilians in homs. what we have been told by the government side is that women and children in these besieged area in the old city are welcome to leave immediately. the other civilians are also welcome to leave, but the government needs a list of their names first. so we're going to inform our people in damascus -- we have already informed them about this. so hopefully starting tomorrow women and children will be able to leave central -- the old city in homs. >> al jazeera is live in geneva,

switzerland where they're meeting. nick, he said he doesn't want to rush into a solution that could cost them in the end. do you think the rest of the international community agrees on this slowly but surely approach, or are they really looking to have something happen more quickly? >> reporter: morgan, we have just seen a significant development. this is the first time in three years the two sides have afwreeed on anything, and we've seen in the city of homs such horrible destruction. two years of destruction. we were talking to somebody on skype earlier, and he was showing how he's eating bark. these people are absolutely desperate. about 1,000 families inside the old city have been without food and water and medicine for some eight months, and so if bahimi has secured the deal and women and children are able to leave in the morning, that is a significant step. sure, the u.s., the u.n., even the russians, perhaps even syria itself wants this conflict to

end and want him to do a big peace deal. want him to pull a rabbit out of the hat and find a miracle solution and they want it to happen fast. no one thinks it's real or possible. the fact that women and children leave homs, that is a very significant development after three years of war. >> nick, really, how likely is that? he's probably got the hardest job in the diplomatic world right now, and he just said the government asked the opposition to give them a list of people in detention. they said, look, we'll try. how likely is it it will happen as early as tomorrow? >> well, i think we're talking about two different things. it's easy to let people walk out of the city. that city is besieged by the government, bethe regime forces surrounding it for a long time. as one official put it today to

me, all they would have to do is snap their fingers, and that government cordoned around the city would release. for the government if it has agreed to allow women and children it's easy. the opposition inside the city is united inside the government. all the government has to do is open up and allow the women and children out. the prisoners as you rightly suggest is a different issue. there are four major opposition groups throughout syria whether inside homs or outside, they have lots of prisons and prisoners. there's a lot of regime fighters in those prisons. it's not clear who is holding whom. it's not clear if there's a list of anybody in the prisons. that is a much more difficult, much more long-term solution. what we're liking to see in the prisoners case is some kind of exchange involving women and children over the next week or so. if this happens in homs tomorrow morning, women and children walking out, that will be a very dramatic step. even if it's just one small step

in a country that raet needs a lot of big steps toward peace, morgan. >> nick is live for us in switzerland. meanwhile, protesters in key geoff are standing their ground after rejecting the president's offer to join the government. the unrest has stepped up in recent days in the ukrainian capital where demonstrators vow to continue the protests until the president steps down. al jazeera reports from kiev. >> reporter: at the seat of power, a chain gang of protesters clear away the ice formed by water cannons during saturday night's attack on the convention center. the aim? to take the 200 police inside hostage to bargain the freedom of detained protesters, but the police managed to keep them out despite repeated attempts to set the place on fire. events last night escalated into

a much more violent confrontation. the wall they're positioning as klitschko stepped in to organize safe passage for the police officers to leave. a former heavyweight boxing champion advocating peaceful resistance. klitschko told the thousands in independence square that president yanukovych had not agreed to all their demands. >> translator: our clear position is to receive this, full stop. our demands are to hold presidential elections this year, and we are not stepping back. we are holding our position in the region. >> reporter: the leaders have been offered top government jobs, but janning yanukovych was to stay on as president, sp in independence square that's a deal breaker. >> translator: he has to resign. i can repeat this.

resign, resign, resign. that's as much as i can say about him. >> translator: we're not asking for anything unreasonable. we simply want a normal life, but he's bargaining for his own money and safety. >> reporter: the protesters believe the concessions offered show the president is rattled. one of his own advisers believe it's because of growing unrest outside of the capital. >> translator: when it was just kiev, he felt more secure. he didn't take it seriously. they would calm down and go home, but this regional support is playing a huge role and destabilizing him. it's blurring his vision, and he's unsure what will come next. >> reporter: the leaders and president agreed to resume negotiations. the protest erz believe the president has blinked first. >> we go to jennifer glasse live in kiev following the protests from the very beginning. jennifer, why didn't the opposition accept the government

post? what's in it for them by staying outside of the current political structure? >> reporter: well, the leaders said it themselves here in independence square last night. when they came from the presidential meeting, do we trust viktor yanukovych? no, we do not. he has promised things before and not delivered them before. the fact he promised so much so quickly, a prime ministership in deputy prime ministership a week after trying to push through laws basically criminalizing freedom of speech here shows he's on his back foot. the opposition thought it was too little too late. they thought they could get more concessions, and what they want is early elections and they really want him to step down. >> jennifer glasse live from kiev. thank you for being with us this afternoon. meanwhile, there's still no word on a motive, but police have identified the gunman in yesterday's maryland mall shooting.

>> darin agular is the shooting. we haven't found a relationship yet. >> he shot two workers in a store called zoomies before killing himself. the victims are 21 breeian nan benolo and 20-year-old tyler johnson. they found crude homemade explosive in the backpack. one of thailand's most senior opposition leaders have been shot dead in his car just moments after giving a speech. this followed days of large protests where demonstrators have been blocking access to polling stations trying to stop early voting in thailand's upcoming elections. scott hyler has the story. >> reporter: he was gunned down after he and other protesters finished their assignment of the day. the protest leader was in a pickup truck when he was shot. >> translator: when we turned the car, they shot us several

times. bang, bang, bang, they shot us. >> reporter: several other protesters were injured in the shooting. the concern is, yes, this violence, but what it could mean for the general election that's slated for february 2nd. the protesters were successful in shutting down most of the advanced polling positions on sunday. >> translator: in bang cog out of 50 districts the election commission stopped votes in 45 districts, 33 districts in central bangkok and 12 districts in western bangkok. >> reporter: so the concern here is that more violent confrontation will take place if the general election is held next sunday. the election commission wanted it postponed. the protesters are demanding the resignation of the governor and the prime minister the opposition is boycotting the election. the government is standing firm

saying the only way they postpone is if the protesters end their shutdown. they will hold talks on tuesday buzz there's no indication either side will change their stance. former contractor edward snowden says national security isn't the nsa's only purpose. he said that the nsa collects data to help u.s. corporations gain a competitive advantage. >> they spy on siemens and other successful german companies, for example, to prevail to have the advantage of knowing what is going on in the scientific and the economic world. >> i don't want to preempt the editorial decisions of journalists, but what i will say is there's no question that the u.s. is engaged in economic spying. if there's information at siemens, it would be beneficial to the national interests, not the national security of the

united states, they'll go after the information and take it. >> the interview was conducted at an undisclosed location for german tv. meanwhile, a russian lawmaker told panel members at the world economic forum that moscow plans to extend the offer of asylum to snowden beyond august. we have a preview of what to expect from president obama's state of the union address this tuesday. the white house released an e-mail to supporters on saturday saying the president will lay out a set of proposals to strengthen the middle class. mr. obama will push the issue of immigration reform and three words sum up the president's message, opportunity, action, and optimism. after the state of the union speech on tuesday, the president is slated to go on a four-state tour to push his middle class agenda. he'll visit prince gorges county in maryland, pittsburgh, pennsylvania, milwaukee wisconsin and, of course, down south to nashville, tennessee. still ahead on al jazeera america, tensions mount in central african republic as

peacekeepers try to put an end to the violence. the story of a father from tennessee refusing to leave the democratic republic of congo and now waiting to briz h-- bring hs adopted sons home. someone leaves their home searching for a better life. >> two hours in, we come upon a body. >> now, in a breakthrough television event, al jazeera america takes you beyond the debate. experience first hand the tragic journey of these migrants. >> a lot of people don't have a clue what goes on until you live near the boarder. >> six strangers with different points of view... >> i don't believe in borders. >> our government is allowing an invasion. >> ...get to experience illegal immigration, up close and personal. >> its very overwhelming to see this many people that have perished. >> a lot of families that don't know where their babies went. >> i want to make sure that her life, its remembered. >> what happens when lost lives

are relived. >> the only way to find out is to see it yourselves. >> on borderland. only on al jazeera america. >> any of you guys want to come to the united states?

french peacekeepers are struggling to control violence in the central african re. . many christians have been driven from their fighters, but the minority muslim community is also under attack. we've been following the story and we have a report from the capital of bangui where muslims are forced out of some of their neighborhoods. >> reporter: in a muslim neighborhood on the outskirts of bangui people are hostile to the fren u.n. peacekeepers. we don't want you here, he says. don't come closer. many people here are armed, but they are also frightened. they say the french have killed

some of their people while making no effort to disarm the christian anti-balaka militia that hide in the hills nearby. they say they've had enough the french just standing by. all of these muslims camped out on the edge of bangui want to escape the capital and head north as soon as they can arrange transport and feel it's safe. some of them say that the central african republic should be divided, and that muslims should take over the north. it seems that these peacekeepers are struggling to hold this country together. just a stone's throw away a christian neighborhood. i walk there to ask them what they think of the french. we like them, they say. they're doing a good job. the french patrol bangui tirelessly, but they move through what is now a city of stark contrasts. many christian areas are busy, and the french well-received.

muslim areas tend to be quieter. the people don't seem so happy. the french say they don't take sides. >> translator: we disarm the anti-balaka just as we disarm the ex-seleka. we're impartial to the two groups. there's also self-defense groups trying to protect themselves. we treat them exactly the same way. >> reporter: in the central mosque the mood is tense, and the imams say the french are complicit in christian attacks on muslims. >> translator: how can the french disarm somebody carrying a knife or personal weapon and then just leave them at the mercy of the hostile crowd? that crowd will then steal all his belongings and kill him as soon as they leave. >> reporter: we have seen the french take weapons by force from both sides. here they disarm a christian youth. the french try to win hearts and

minds, and in this christian area they succeed. if they're not careful the perception they're more comfortable with one side than other could become reality. the farther things drift in these dangerous waters. a tennessee couple is among dozens of americans desperate to bring home their adopted children from the democratic republic of congo. there are thousands of orphaned children in the african nation, but the government suspended foreign adoptions leaving the parents with little to do but sit and hope and wait. jonathan martin reports. >> reporter: elena carroll has everything ready for the two adopted boys. their room is filled with shirts and shoes and a cute stool to sit on. no one is here to use them. >> it just breaks my heart. i want to adopt as many as i can because they don't have anybody. nobody to love them or take care of them. >> reporter: justin carroll left for congo in november thinking

he'd come home shortly with their sons, but months later they're still 7,000 miles from home. elena asked us to hide the boys' faces in the photos for security reasons. justin has missed a lot in those months. the biggest change, their new daughter born on november 25th. >> she doesn't look the same she did when she was first born because she's 2 months old almost. she's changing and growing and out of her newborn stuff. it's getting hard. >> reporter: here's the problem. last year the democratic republic of congo suspended exit permits for families with adopt adopted congolese children that earlier met the criteria. >> it has nothing to do with adoption but with international politics. >> he's an internal lawyer specializing in adoption. >> use adoption as a foil, as a tactic, suspending adoption is a

tactic to achief some other kind of diplomatic win, no, it does not work. >> reporter: the motive for stopping the adoptions is unclear. the state department says applications for exit permits are held up because of concern about falsified documents. the rc authorities have said it was over concerns about abused or abandoned children or that some children were, quote, sold to homosexuals. whatever the reason, elena and her husband have no choice but to communicate through skype. it's the only way she can see the boys and dad can see his new daughter. justin told us even though it's an unstable and possibly violent situation, they feel safe. >> with any country like the congo, the instability, something can always happen. there's that chance that, you know, you could wake up one day, and it be a very, very unsafe day. >> reporter: eilelena says she l keep the christmas decorations up until they come home from

africa. then she can see them in person, and a dad can see his daughter for the first time. jonathan martin, al jazeera, nashville. egypt's interim president says the country will hold presidential elections before its parliament polls. today's announcement comes after a violent week of protests where at least 49 people were killed in clashes over the weekend between supporters of the military-backed interim government and those still loyal to the ousted president mohamed morsi. the general is expected to run for president. still ahead on al jazeera america, although the super bowl is taking place in new jersey, a lot of people still have a new york state of mind.

anti-government protesters besieged a police station in

good afternoon to you, and welcome back. i'm morgan radford live from new york city. here are today's headlines. in geneva mediators meet with the syrian government and the opposition trying to bring humanitarian aid to homs.

plus, demonstrations in kiev heat up after protesters attack a government building with police officers still inside. protesters rejected the president's offer to join the government vowing to continue their demonstrations until the president steps down. police identify the gunman in the maryland mall shooting yesterday as 19-year-old darrion marcus aguilar. he shoot two workers before killing himself. there's no word on a motive yet or if he had any ties to the victims. it's a chilly start to the day across the northeast, and we don't like the cold. i'm telling you, it's going to be very cold over the next couple of days. i'm telling you that cold air pushing in out of the north central plains across portions of north dakota where we have blizzard warnings because of the wind. the wind will crank up the next couple of hours. we're talking wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour.

that's going to blow some of the snow around. alberta clipper here swinging across the ohio valley, and it's on its way to the i-95 corridor. if you trafr there, take it easy out there today. snow pushes into western portions of pennsylvania into upstate new york in the next couple of hours. we'll see that snow push through the new york state throughway, so be careful on the roads. winds blowing around here around 14 miles per hour in cleveland, but when you factor in the wind with the cold, it makes it feel chillier. it feels 3 degrees in new york city despite the fact they have sunshine out there. blizzard warnings are in effect across north and south dakota in iowa and western pourings of minnesota. be careful on the roadways. these winds are already cranking up quite a bit in the windy city, right about 14 miles per hour blowing and drifting snow along i-94 and i-90. take it easy today. another thing to note is the cool air can be very dangerous. in fargo it feels like 11 below

zero right now. very cold weather out there. that snow is going to continue to push south and east. now, this is the trend just as it was very cold at the beginning of january, it's going to be very chilly across much of the country down to the gulf coast as we track into tuesday. morgan, back to you. >> thanks so much. the super bowl is just a week away, and as fans get ready to watch the seahawks and broncos, there's some confusion over exactly which turf they'll be playing on. al jazeera has that story. >> reporter: the official logo says nynj, new york, new jersey. ask people across the country where the big game is played this year, and they'll likely tell you -- >> new york. >> it's being held in new york. >> new york. >> the big apple. >> new york. >> unfortunately, the super bowl is being played in njew jersey, unfortunately. >> reporter: that's the problem, isn't it? there's the city over there, gotham, the big apple, the city

that never sleeps, and it is a hell of a town to be sure, but the game is going to be played over here, one state line and a couple of rivers away in east rutherford, new jersey. so new jersey iets within sight of but so far from the center of the super bowl universe across the hudson can be forgiven if they're a little miffed. >> everything may be directed at new york, but the game will be held in new jersey. >> if you look at the ticket itself, it just showing manhattan and show jersey city with a little circle like that. i don't think that's fair. >> reporter: super bowl advertising is new york centric. look how the nfl is promoting the game. all over manhattan you find super bowl reminders, including 12 blocks of broadway through times square that have become super bowl boulevard. not to be sidelined on this issue, jersey city's columbus drive will be known for one glorious week as super bowl drive. also, both teams are staying in

jersey city, and the circus that is media day will be held in newark. certainly, some of the hundreds of millions of out of town dollars will be spent here, and none of this comes as much of a shock to the garden state. >> we appreciate all of the accolades and all of the advertisement and all that. we appreciate all the attention, but the game is being held in new jersey. >> reporter: so for jersey, the whole thing is a bit of a familiar cold shoulder from the first cold weather super bowl in nfl history. al jazeera, east rutherford, new jersey. and you're looking at live pictures now from geneva where mediators meet with syrian government and the opposition trying to bring humanitarian aid to homs. the united nations mediator, mr. ba he brahimi gave an updat and will join with the two syrian parties on monday. i'm morgan radford, and "the

stream" is up next. for news updates all throughout the day, head over to aljazeera.com.