>> we've heard you talk about the history of suicide in your family. >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but, what about buying shares in a professional athlete? ♪ dangerously cold temperatures are freezing the nation's midwest again and the cold snap heads south where they are not used to snow and icy cold conditions. >> we have not been able to verify any type of relationship at this point between him and either of our victims. >> reporter: police have identified the gunman in a maryland mall shooting and what remains unclear is his motive for murder. a small sign of hope may be

dashed. the concession syria's opposition says it never agreed to about a city devastated by war. the unrest is spreading in ukraine despite concessions from the country's president protesters are taking to the streets in a growing number of cities. ♪ good morning and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. another major blast of winter weather is sweeping the country this morning. a crippling blizzard in the midwest on sunday is followed by sub 0 conditions in many of the same states and areas like chicago already covered in snow could see an extended cold spell of 48 hours or more below 0 and the arctic air is moving into southern states where they are not used to the conditions and normally mild states like texas

and louisiana could see snow and a temperature plunge of 30-40 degrees! andy is live in chicago where schools are closed because of the deep freeze and andy good morning and how does it feel out there? >> cold, stephanie. we are just now starting what could be a 60-hour stretch of sub 0 weather in chicago. a lot of businesses are closed and closing early and tomorrow could be even worse with wind chill of 40 below by tomorrow night. this will not go down as the longest stretch in chicago but that is cold comfort. the arctic cold which blasted the midwest last week is about to get even worse and bringing with it wind chill that will plummet between 30 and 60 degrees below. >> it keeps coming down. >> reporter: today the dangerous air closed schools in chicago for the second time this month. monday's high is 5 degrees at midnight and sinking and schools

in minnesota will be shut down and it will feel like 43 below with a brutal wind chill. over the next two days 18 states will be in the deep freeze of the grip and to add insult to injury much of the midwest is digging out from blizzard conditions this weekend. indianapolis has not seen this much snow in january since the civil war, nearly 30" has fallen and crews have been forced to work everyday this month, wiping out the state's snow removal budget and the rush is on to clear as much of the snow as possible before it turns to ice. >> get the slush, off and this is a very hard freeze and it doesn't matter what you put on it, salt or whatever it's not going to move. >> reporter: salt is precious in towns like ohio and wisconsin. >> and the town used its entire allocation of salt for the 2013/2014 season. >> reporter: that relentless polar air is not sparing the country and mild states like texas have been battered by ice

and snow and bracing for more. >> just trying to stay warm tonight and may leave the water running in the bathtub and sinks. >> i did not bring a jacket and the first i heard of it and stepped out of the truck and said why is it cold. >> reporter: the emergency command center normal will i staffed only for hurricanes is now active. >> 290 west road. >> reporter: in atlanta the severe cold caused a major water main break, workers scrambled as water shot 20 feet in the air and turned to ice. >> it puts a strain on our system. >> reporter: baton-rouge where salt trucks are sell done needed saw ice shut down highways and more is coming. >> we got stopped with the weather, it's pretty term but everybody is suffering right now. >> reporter: homeless shelters here in chicago are being kept open 24/7 because of the cold. also train travel is a big deal here in chicago but it will be

slow today because of the cold weather as it was two weeks ago. there have been over 300 flights cancelled at chicago's two airports, midway and o'hare and so you know, stephanie, the longest cold stretch ever of sub 0 weather in chicago happened in december of 1983 when we went 98 hours of sub-0 weather so by comparison it's not quite as bad, stephanie. >> reporter: interesting and andy in chicago, andy thank you. metrologist nicole mitchell is tracking the storm and good morning and where is it and where is it heading? >> well, you know, it's not a huge storm in the fact it had a lot of moisture with it yet, it's the cold air we have got on the side of it. as we move across the country already the front extended all the way to the south and all the way through the east coast. right now the east coast is mild but these temperature also be dropping and temperatures in the south will develop as the front presses through and we are not seeing a lot of moisture as this moves in yet. but as the front lays across the south, that is what we are

concerned about, it will pick up enough moisture that especially into the day tomorrow we will see this area develop and with the cold air that we have and the cold intersecting warm air could be freezing rain and concerned about this and not used to the dealing with this in the south and driving skills it also could cause power out adjusts because it weighs it down and snaps them. combination of snow and ice mix and a mess tomorrow and that is why we have all the advisories across the region. that is more into tomorrow. you can see places like houston and temperatures dropping and usually indicates fog but we have a combination of chances for snow and freezing rain and into the day tomorrow but you can see how the temperatures dropped from where they are at now. on the backside of this with cold air move in and the wind it's feeling like minus 41 in

minneapolis and the schools are closed and not wanting the kids out in the brutal wind chills, across the country and while this is going on we are dealing with dry conditions out west and the continuing drought, so it's really the haves and the have knots, i will talk more about the temperatures coming up, in a few minutes. after a shooting at a skate board shop left two dead the mall plans to open for business this afternoon and they swept the mall in baltimore for explosives following saturday's attack and there will be two memorials for the victims one outside of the mall and one in the complex. this is police trying to figure out what motivated the young gunman and we have more on the investigation. >> place say 19-year-old darion marcus aguilar was dropped off at 10:15 and heavily harmed with

ammunition and backpack full of explosives and an hour later he entered a skate board shop on the second floor and opened fire on two people, killing both before turning the gun on himself and trying to understand why aguilar took the life of tyler johnson and brianna benlolo and both worked at zumiez, the skate shop. >> there is nothing between him and either of the victims and we cannot establish there is one and cannot establish there is not one, that is an open question. >> reporter: little is known about the victims and the shooter on what appears to be her facebook page, one of the victims brianna benlolo is a mom and assistant many manager at the store and five were injured and one was shot and all released from an area hospital and police are still searching for answers, a memorial facebook page has been posted for the two victims.

and i'm with al jazeera. >> reporter: investigators say darion aguilar had no previous us run ins of the law and the shotgun that he had was purchased legally. the life of a pregnant, brain dead mother came to an end this weekend and marlise munoz was taken off the ventilator and now her husband eric munoz has the difficult task of raising their one-year-old son alone. >> i walk in the door and he is waiting for mom to show up somewhere. you know, that is the hardest. >> reporter: despite her husband's wishes, doctors at the fort worth hospital kept munoz alive for two months stating pregnant patients alive if their unborn child could be saved. it carried out an air strike against a leader in somalia on

sunday and the target a leader affiliated with al-qaeda and al-shabob and it was just air strikes and there has been others against al--shabob with the attack that killed 67 people last year. signs of progress out of the peace talks in geneva and u.n. said on sunday an agreement had been reached allowing women and children to leave the city of homs, it was one of the first cities to rebel against bashir al-assad regime but there is a new development with the deal and i bring in nick with the latest, good morning, we are hearing now a different story from opposition leaders today regarding the homs' agreement. >> yeah, stephanie, we heard from brahimi from syria yesterday and he spoke to the

entire press core and said what we all thought was a deal for holmes and he said he hoped it alleviated the suffering of women and children but opposition is speak out this morning and talking to me how this was not a deal but a unilateral decision by the government and what we wanted to focus on was a humanitarian on the city for food and water and i spoke a few minutes ago and what she fears that this deal is actually a poisoned chalise. >> we feel it's the regime setting up the civilian population for slaughter and what was on the table in the negotiation was humanitarian assistance being allowed in, a shifting of is siege so the 12 trucks could get in and start distributing medical supplies and food to people who are starving and instead we heard that the regime would like to have people leave, women and children leave the area and begs

the question why would they leave if the food is being allowed in? >> reporter: and what the opposition is continuing to say is that they want to alleviate the suffering off all the people in syria and there is no where that suffering is most acute than what to be syria's third largest city homs and homs simply no longer exists. for two years it has been pounded by bombs and mortars and artillery, and they tried to crush it from the ground and from the air. almost everyday the terrifying sound of jets and the horrifying plume of smoke rising above a neighborhood. the city's population was once a million. today more than half the housing

have been destroyed. residents forced to eat greens picked off the side of the road. those greens are the only substance for this man and via skype this afternoon he spoke to us from the homs country side. >> translator: this is what we eat he says. it's been 11 months, nearly a year. he says he has no fresh food, no electricity, no water. and just 20 minutes into our conversation the first distant rumble of war. [gunshots] and then less than a mile away on the hill above him, we stay with him as he shows us rocket strikes on a neighborhood that is controlled by the opposition. these strikes he says happen so often he barely sleeps. in geneva, 2000 miles away

saving homs was the main subject for the syrian peace talks. >> homs suffered along for a long starvation siege. >> reporter: the syrian opposition pressured the government to stop the homs blockade and the government responded by blaming the rebels. >> they are the ones who give nothing and they are the one whose are shooting at the humanitarian assistance. >> reporter: and i asked him after our interview whether he wants to stay. he smiled and he said he still loves syria but said the regime, the government has destroyed it and stephanie 20 minutes after we hung up the bombing started again. it shows the re-councsiliance os and need food and water and quickly and it's not clear if they are actually going to get it. thanks from the perspective inside syria and reporting from

geneva. egypt reader said they will pick a president before voteing on parliament and a change in plan originally laid off after the ouster of president mohamed morsi last summer and two weeks after a constitution was adopted saying a vote must be held within 90 days and presidential election will take place in july. a spokesman said five soldiers have been killed in an attack on an army helicopter. an al-qaeda group shot it down in the northern sinai regions and people were killed in government forces and those loyal to morsi and this weekend was the third anniversary of the arab spring up rising in egypt and three years after he has been out of office they have a new constitution and the first since january of 2011, the start

of the arab spring and the national constituent assembly passed the constitution sunday with 200 out of 216 votes. assembly broke out and agrees to the wording on the new constitution friday including dropping references to islamic law. a caretaker government will be put in place until new elections are held there. protesters in ukraine reject an offer from the president. and now the demonstrations are spreading. outside of the capitol kiev. president obama gives his state of the union address tomorrow night, a preview of the core scenes and the warning he is issuing to congress. if you are feeling sluggish this morning you are not alone, how the dread of returning to work is giving people the sunday night blues. >> i'm ross in sports, they are here, the broncos and seahawks arrived in new jersey for souper bowl 48 and we will have all of

your sights and sounds in just a bit. >> reporter: and you are taking a live look at time square where broad way is turned into superbowl boulevard ahead of the game with games and concerts and a toboggan run as part of the festivities. ♪

♪ protests are spreading, throughout ukraine after opposition leaders turned down concessions from the country's embattled president and demonstrators in the city of kiev took over two government buildings on sunday including the justice ministry and she will call for a state of emergency if the protesters refuse to leave and we have jennifer glasse here and protests across the country where path yanukovych has popularity and kiev is asserting their presence and what is the next move for the government? >> well, that is the big question, stephanie. in the east where protesters

tried to take over government buildings met with a lot of resistance, a lot of times the police have gotten in their way. so not an easy road to hoe and very inflammatory words we are hearing in the country south, very much a pro-russian stronghold and called the demonstrators here terrorists so a tense standoff there. justice minister calling for a state of emergency if people don't leave her ministry. the justice ministry and took that over here in kiev last night. it's only about a block away from here. no deadline has been set and we understand stephanie the council of ministers is meeting to discuss the situation but it has been spreading over the last days of the president yanukovych must be clear by now a lot of the population stands against him. >> reporter: jennifer, these protests have seen violence in the past few days and yesterday there was a big funeral for one of the protesters that were killed in kiev. does that energize the movement, the turn out for a funeral, does

he in some ways become a symbol for this movement? >> i think he certainly has, stephanie. there wasn't enough space in st. michael's cathedral for the mournels and thousands outside. when it turned violent and when protesters were killed only wednesday, it is bringing more people to the streets i think. the sense of outrage here is palpable. on the square behind me there is a shine for people who have been killed and they were shot and who shot them and with what ammunition and the police deny they were carrying live am nation but i don't think it matters and brought people out in large numbers and protest has spread beyond here and beyond the protest we saw the area of conflict and spreading around the country and certainly people are outraged and very proud of

their democracy, only 22 years old and very determined they are going to protect it. >> reporter: jennifer, the parliament is said to hold an emergency session tomorrow. and i understand there is a chance that some of those stiff restrictions on protesting that were passed earlier this month could be rescinded. would that be enough to send outrage among the opposition? >> i don't think just that would be enough, stephanie. they want those laws rescinded altogether, the laws are very sweeping and very restrictive and impose jail terms of 15 years for taking part in a riot. the police get to decide what a riot is. some of them aresh the ukraines consider ridiculous and wearing helmets or masks during a confrontation with police. they want the laws rescinded and want early elections and right now they want the president yanukovych to step down and the eyes are on the parliament tomorrow to see what will happen.

the parliament in resent months and years has been in favor of president viktor yanukovych but one of the parties is showing and waivering that it may be the president no longer has a clear majority there and anything can happen in parliament tomorrow. what they choose to do and whether it will be enough to take the people off the streets i'm not sure and opposition is clear the people are really the leverage and really the power and the people at this point who invested so much in the past few months are not willing to leave lightly and the president would make huge concessions and one in agreement for early election stephanie. >> jennifer glasse is reporting from kiev, thank you. protests in thailand are deadly and they blocked early voting sites in bangkok ahead of next week's disputed election. police confirm that one of the protest leaders was killed, shot in the head and chest. president shinawat called the

election in hopes to strength her grip on power and tie land's election commission has been pushing to delay the vote and a senior official says 45 of the 50 polling stations in bangkok for early voting have been shut down because of protests. dangerously cold weather is creeping south. metrologist nicole mitchell has a look at the temperatures we will see there as well as across the nation today, nicole. >> we have seen it sink in a few places and houston the 60s will go down through the course of the day and mild and new york in the 30s, that is a warm up of 20 degrees from yesterday but that too is a temperature that will be dropping. let's get to the midwest where temperatures are negative and the wind chill is 20 and 30 below and some temperature changes adjust omaha yesterday at this time 48 degrees. this morning one, that is pretty

dramatic and feel it as you head out the door. more cold air today and sinks southward as we get into tomorrow with 30s and more freezing pipes and more problems and more on the radar coming up, back to you. >> reporter: the superbowl teams arrived in new jersey and we are here with the details. good morning, russ. >> stephanie things are heating up in new jersey in terms over excitement and not the weather. we have two touchdowns for superbowl 48 and the broncos and seahawks landed in jersey yesterday and prepare for the big game, the seahawks flew in last night and having issues because their 12 man flag which represents the fans got stuck on the plane and ripped a hole in the flag. the seahawks franchise has the second superbowl appearance but none of the current players have any superbowl experience and both teams are staying and practicings in new jersey versus new york and the distractions, coincidence? i think not because let's face it a championship is on the line

and seattle has experience because back in december they hammered the giants 23-0. >> focused on winning this football game and do everything we can to play a great football game against a great football team and the broncos and a great practice week and looking forward to being here and obviously be in new jersey, new york again. we are hoping this would come true and sure enough it has. >> it's an extraordinary challenge and we know we have a good defense and good guys and understand what we want to get done and see how the match up goes and have to play us too and we will see how that works out. >> reporter: now the denver broncos got in before seattle and making their 7th appearance in the superbowl and of course all eyes are on payton manning looking to get the second superbowl title and a lot of speculation if denver wins the superbowl at payton at 38 years young will call it a career, what do you say payton?

>> i enjoy playing football and feel a little better than i thought i would at this point coming off that surgery. and i still enjoy the preparation part of it, the work part of it. everybody enjoys the games. everybody is going to be excited to play in a superbowl. but i think when you still enjoy the preparation and the work part of it, i think you probably still ought to be doing that. >> reporter: surfs up in hawaii, i'm getting home sick stephanie and 80 degrees for the probowl and spiced it up and dion sanders and the teams and they picked up a bit with team mates going against one another and check out jj-wat getting to the aloha spirit and this is the celebration and he is paddling out and stand up and catch the waves and ride the waves and the game is tied at 14 and sanders going prime time with the rainbow connection and take this

and team rice would rally back to win it 22-21. the weather was a bit cooler in new york and we see with the superbowl a week away we have a spotlight with the stadium series and they hit saturday night and on sunday the new york rangers and the devil's at yankees stadium and delayed for 90 minutes because of a glare on the ice by the sun and when it went away the rangers were shining and beat them 7-3 and 50,000 fans braved conditions and a chilly one once again on wednesday night because they are having a game at the stadium between the rangers and islanders and in the teens. >> it's chilly in the south except for in hawaii and miami. >> president obama has a warning for congress in his state of the union address, why he is

threatening to use his executive order powers to break the deadlock and they are selling gum and workers in mines and one government facing serious poverty is stepping in to protect kids. >> i was one of them. >> i was one of them. >> reporter: hundreds of people sick on a caribbean ship after they board it to investigate the illness.

al jazeera america. we understand that every news

story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capital. >> we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. >> and follow it no matter where it leads - all the way to you. al jazeera america, take a new look at news. these are the top stories at this hour, millions of americans are dressing in extra layers as temperatures plunge across the country and school cancelled in chicago and minnesota dealing with sub 0 temperatures and mild states like texas, georgia, alabama and louisiana could get

snow and freezing temperatures. a memorial service will be held today at the maryland mall where a gunman killed two workers and police learned more about the shooter who took his own life and still do not have a motive for the attack and syria opposition is denying it agreed to a deal to have women and children leave the city of homs and 8 convoys are on their way to the city and allowing women and children to leave and set up remaining people for slaughter. as president obama prepares for his state of the union address tomorrow night we are learning more of the message he is delivering to the american people and some of president obama advisors hit the sunday talk shows saying he will work with congress when he can and use executive powers to advance agenda when necessary. >> he is not going to tell the american people he is going to wait for congress and he is going to move forward in education on his own to try to restore opportunity for american

families. >> reporter: with fall elections coming up, those around the president say there is no reason to believe there will be by partisan support for some issues he wants to support like raising the minimum wage and pre-kindergarten programs and we are joined with lisa, good morning and rand paul from kentucky says this approach sounds vaguely like a threat and also said there is a certain amount of arrogance is his quote and what can the president expect to gain from the tactic? >> he is trying to figure out ways to move agenda forward and has a year of action approving it dba year of action but he does take some risks and let's look at the minimum wage and in his last address to congress in the state of union talked about raising the wage at $7.25 an hour and nothing happened on that. some say the president could

take action on his own and could direct federal agencies to give preferential treatment to contractors who pay their workers way above the federal minimum wage, so that is one thing he could do. there are also some 200 environmental moves supposedly that he can make on his own. so the president has opportunities open to him and he is looking forward to his legacy and he wants to get things done, so he is making either this threat or promise, depending how you look at it. >> he has three years to go and they say this is the president's best option considering the problems he had with the divided congress since taking office. >> well, he has to walk a fine line and you mentioned what senator rand paul said and called it a form of tearney and if he goes too far down the road of executive orders he risks not being able to get some of the

things he wants to get done through the divided congress. >> reporter: after the state of the union the president is planning to go on a tour and traveling to maryland, pennsylvania, wisconsin and tennessee, seems like he is trying to get grass roots support for some items on his agenda, will this help him put a little more pressure on lawmakers? >> the presidential road trip and they love it and get out of washington and standard after the state of the union and get out into the communities and try to drum up support and certainly it may help a little bit but not likely to transcript plate into real momentum but this is what the president will be doing and he will be putting forth his sort of three-headed philosophy he will talk about during the state of the union which is opportunity, action and opposition man take it to the people and hope the message gets across. >> lisa stark in washington and to preview the state of the

union more joe watkins a former aid to former hw bush joins us from philadelphia and mr. watkins it's always great to see you. >> good to be with you. >> reporter: you heard us talk about the executive order ahead of the state of the union and top advisors emphasize that president obama will take actions without congress. when needed. let's listen to what white house press secretary jay carney had to say. >> work with congress and bypass congress where necessary for folks who want to come up in the muddle class. >> reporter: rand paul said this is kind of a threat, what do you think? >> well, of course, not the best way to talk about what you might do in the year 2014 which is a mid term election year and important mid term election year with congress and i think for the most part this really under

scores the president's frustration with what he has been able to do in the past and had a tough time getting the measures through with the exception of the affordable care act and has not gone as planned with the president and talking about taking advantage of executive privilege that is executive orders to get measures through. i don't know this is going to sit well. >> reporter: to what extent can the white house get things done with the congress? >> he can use executive order to get things done and some resorted to that but at the end of the day you have to talk to people on the hill and democrats and republicans and side and agree with you on the legislative agenda you have and then you have to get them to move forward on it and calls for old fashion horse trading and you have to give them something in exchange for something that you want and this president has not been willing to do that and tennessee has been to go out and give speeches after he talks

about some of the legislative item he wants to get out there and that is just not worked well and i don't suppose it's going to work any better this coming year and republicans will be delighted to share that over and over again. >> the state of the union last year focused on gun reform and minimum wage hike and more, are the big ticket items, what do you think the emphasis will be tomorrow? >> income inequality and the gap between have and have not and americans say, gee, the affordable care act is part of the reason there is this inequality and the middle class is having a tough time in the sluggish economy and both parties looking for ways to address it and the president will address that by way of talking about the minimum wage and education and other things and republicans say it's not just a matter of the issues it's how about making them happen and the best way is to say the strength of the economy is to

make sure business owners have a chance of less of a tax burden and more jobs and not create a bigger government and more taxes. >> reporter: 2014 is an election year, mid term elections and how will that play to get major legislation through congress? >> it will have a huge bearing on the president's ability to get things done and have senate seats and the democrats control the chamber and in 21 of the seats that are up are democrat seats and so republicans will be working hard to see the they can increase their numbers in the senate, if the republicans take control of the senate and retain control of the house as most people expect they will they will contend in the year 2015 with a republican controlled house and republican controlled senate and they have to be careful and cautious and try to support the president but all politics are local.

they care about getting reelected in their state or district and looking to what the people many the local district have to say first. >> reporter: and chair watkins former aid to president hw bush and always a pleasure to have you on the program. >> thank you. >> reporter: we will will live, in depth coverage of the state of the union address beginning tomorrow at 9 eastern. 1.6 million out of work americans have been going without unemployment benefits and calls for congress to do something about it when they return from a break today and republicans say fixing that problem is not a priority. >> when she lost her job six months ago she had to move in with her sister while she searched for work and manageable because the u.s. government was paying her a monthly allowance to cover some expenses and her unemployment insurance checks simply stopped.

>> congress cut it and went on a vacation and went on a recess and while they are enjoying their lives the american people are suffering. >> reporter: despite some of the worst long-term unemployment numbers in a country they let benefits run out, for years those benefits were automatically renewed until december. so mckinley took frustration directly to u.s. lawmakers to let them know millions of unemployment americans that the failure to extend the benefits was morally wrong. >> shame on them. i will repeat that again, i say shame on them. >> reporter: on this day only democrats seem to be listening to that message. >> in a way i'm very sad. we should not be at a press conference. we should be on the floor of the house voting to extend unemployment compensation. >> reporter: but republicans and the house of representatives

say they cannot extends it unless it has a plan to pay for it and that is where the two sides cannot seem to agree. so mckinley and her supporters delivered half a million signatures to the top republicans in congress to press them to work with the opposition democrats towards a solution. >> we are here on a peaceful group of people on behalf of voters and here to deliver petitions we think the leaders of congress need to see. >> not how things get delivered. >> reporter: on that day none of the republican leaders were willing to speak with her and 4 million americans out of work for more than six months and mckin will is convinced the politicians have no idea of their suffering. >> we will see turmoil on our own streets. when we sent troops to keep peace in other countries we should bring them back because they are needed here, that is the desperation level.

>> reporter: it's a level of, desperation that will get worse and bickering over a program that americans were once able to count on, al jazeera, capitol hill. >> reporter: democrats are pushing a plan that would temporarily extends them for three months until a more permanent deal can be reached. business news and investors on edge today after last week's sell off and futures higher at this hour and two days off of big losses and this is where we stand, the dow at 15879 and lost almost 500 points the last two sexes and s&p is at 1790 and nasdaq is 4128 and one government report scheduled for release today, the commerce department reports on new home sales for december this morning. in asia shares are sharply lower and hong kong both down more than 2% and european stocks

following asia lead trading lower as well. apple tops the earnings calendar and carl said the company is under valued and pressuring the company to boost stock value by buying back its own stock and others may be growing impatient with apple. >> hit a wall with regard to programming and intel sold to verizon and apple never got theirs off the ground and the end result is we don't have a follow-up for the i pod cycle that is now following off. >> reporter: apple will release the earnings after the bell and waiting to hear from caterpillar and u.s. steel and the economy is expected to give a lift to the auto industry. the dealers association forecasts more than 16 million new vehicles will be sold this year, that is a 6% increase from last year. the optimism stems from rising employment and increased home values.

bolivia has 800,000 child workers and tried to raise the worker age to protect them but children protested the move and they say they have the right to work and help support their families. >> and he is 7 years old and washes cars for a living and he is one of an army of child labor in bolivia and sell bus tickets and alcoholic drinks and pollish shoes and do what they can. >> translator: we should not have to work unless we want to work. >> reporter: he started work when he was 8, now 14 he sells chewing gum and sweets the street outside clubs and bars on weekend evenings and has on his face what he called a work accident. >> translator: there is discrimination sometimes from the authorities and police come and sd what i do at night and should be sleeping in my house and take my money and say i'm a

criminal. >> reporter: the campaigns for a dignified population and government and opposition are trying to update labor laws raising the minimum wage which children can start work to 14. >> translator: a child alone the street cleaning shoes or selling sweets is easy prey to the host of sexual to the chaotic. >> reporter: thousands of child workers. and children are so integrated in the workforce that when you have been here a while you hardly notice they are here. they are very much part of the bolivian reality and the children are fighting to take control of their own destiny. and he belonged to a children's organization that last month protested against the government proposals. they were beaten by police but then invited to president with the president, himself a former child worker. >> translator: we will give up

school to work but it's not like that, you have to understand the reality here, it's probably not like this in other countries but we still have to protect children because we are future. >> reporter: he is 12 years old and working since he was 7. like most child labors he works out of necessity because his family is poor. >> translator: there are some clients who are a bit strict especially if you stain their socks and then there are some who clear off without paying. >> reporter: the government recognizes the mental and physical health and dignity of the children is at risk and the children know it too. but they also know that bolivia cannot cage overnight and in the meantime they are demanding protected and more dignified working conditions. al jazeera, bolivia. >> according to the u.n. there are over 14 million children between 5-14 working in latin

america. and gays are fighting for their time to wednesday. instead of this is my partner or life partner, this is my wife would be gratifying. >> reporter: the latest state being suit over right to merry. >> and white outs and snow to the northeast, i will have your forecast coming up.

welcome back to al jazeera america, ahead same sex couples fighting for the right to marry in fla -- florida and we will look at the weather. >> we have problems to monitor and the same cold system bringing the cold air causing problems through the midwest with the wind creating some of the white out conditions and dangerous on the road and all the moisture is hitting the

northeast. so along the coast we have mild temperatures and could see some rain but as the temperatures drop and this moves in areas of snow and this is predominately light and now where the frontal boundary will lay on the south we can feel moisture but we are in the day tomorrow and picking up moisture and could be so we goat to freezing rain and cause big problems for tomorrow and back to you. >> thank you. and in 2008 voters in florida approved a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage and now as christine reports six gay and lesbian couples are challenging that law in court. >> put socks on you earlier. >> reporter: 3-year-old blake has two fathers, todd and jeff, over the last 11 years they built a life together and even taking on the same last name but now they want to get married. >> it's one piece of society and community we have not been allowed to participate in and we want that opportunity and the time is now. announcer: they have rings on

their fingers but want the paperwork to make their union more than symbolic. >> for us when you get married your wedding band is worn on your left hand. and so until that happens it will be worn on the right hand. >> reporter: they are among six same sex couples named in a lawsuit filed by a civil rights group and challenges the constitutional ban against same sex marriage. >> we stand here for those applied by marriage licenses and faced humiliation of being denied. >> reporter: same sex marriage is discriminatory and violates the u.s. constitution by denying them the legal laws afforded to couples and others recognize same sex marriage and last summer they overturned parts of the marriage act meaning federal benefits can no longer be denied to same sex couples and they

have not considered it since 2008 when they voted to maintain the position against gay marriage. gay activists in florida say since then public opinion has changed. opponents of gay marriage disagree. >> this lawsuit is a cheap publicity stunt and millions of florida voters voted to respect marriage as a union of one man and one woman and it's troubling and disturbing there are people out there with this hate and this intolerance and this bigotry against the will of the people of florida. >> reporter: still, couplings like green and farbre who have been together 25 years are hopeful. >> instead of saying this is my partner, this is my life partner, this is my wife, would be very gratifying and we feel the time is now. >> reporter: if the state chooses to fight the case it's likely to take years for the courts to settle it, al jazeera,

miami. >> reporter: armed with last year's historic supreme court ruling gay marriage bans are under attack in states nationwide, same sex marriage is legal in 17 states now, it is currently banned in 33 states. but there are also at least 40 lawsuits pending in 20 states challenging those bans. health officials are trying to determine what sickened hundreds of passengers on board a cruise ship and health investors boarded royal crib crayon explorer of the seas in the u.s. virgin islands and set sale from new jersey on tuesday. >> a terrible experience. i have been on this boat before. we had an amazing time when we were here this time. it's been awful. >> reporter: able 300 passengers and crew have been suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea and will come home early from the ten-day crews and should be back on wednesday.

if you are bummed about going to work today you are not alone and 3 out of 4 people suffer from the sunday night blues and the depressed feeling you get when the weekend is over and the workweek awaits and we have tips on how to avoid it. >> by sunday night this is over. this is looming. >> there is a sense that the good times are ending and tough times are coming. >> reporter: like working adults who dread the grind on monday morning you are stuck singing the sunday night blues. ♪ the informally coined term apparently applies a lot of people. 78% of respondents to a resent monster.com said they translate the blues. >> a lower mood, increase in worry or anxiety and irritability as well. >> reporter: psychologist says plan an activity for sunday evening and make a big family dinner or watch a tv show you

dvr. >> involving the kids or family in some group activity that keeps us engaged with each other rather than intrusive thoughts about the work or school week. >> reporter: unplug and it brings calm and never giving them an opportunity to recharge their brains fully. and packing lunches for the next day are usually saved for sunday night but the prep work can be done during a time that is a little easier like sunday morning and this way the rest of sunday can be a true day of rest. ♪ and another study says 50% of people are late to work on monday. it also found most people don't smile on monday for several hours and that people most likely to suffer adults between the ages of 45-54. independent wrap duo macklemore and lewis were the big grammy winners this year.

♪ numb to what we say macklemore and lewis took home through and a wrap awards and a fourth for the album of the year and 33 couples got married after the duo performed what has become an anthem for same sex marriage. for the robots from france international dance music jazz punk won record of the year forget lucky and album for random access memories. these are the stories we are following next hour. >> in the next hour a country at war, why one group in the central african republic says the forces are taking sides. 8 years after hurricane katrina and what he is accused of next. a brutal arctic blast and brewing ice storm for the south and i'll have your national forecast. >> reporter: and al jazeera news continues and morgan and i

are back with you in just 2 1/2 minutes. ♪ al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america.

>> a small sign of hope in the syrian peace talks may have fallen apart. a deal to move women and children from a city devastated by war now up in the air. >> unrest spreading in ukraine despite concessions from the president. protestors say the fight not over yet. >> dangerous cold in the midwest again, then it heads south where they're not used to icy cold and

snow june you're tired of looking at a bad rug. want to throw it out. >> he made headlines during hurricane katrina, knew former new orleans mayor charged with corruption. his trial begins today. >> welcome to aljazeera america. i'm receive stie. >> i'm morgan radford. i seemed there were signs of progress in the syrian conflict, an agreement reached allowing women and children to leave hard hit city of homs, a welcome relief for starving families. >> there's been a new development rewarding that deal. the opposition is condemning it saying they did not agree to what was announced. we are joined now from geneva. we are hearing a different story rewarding the homs agreement

from the opposition. >> opposition says not only was this a unilateral decision by the government but said let's think about this. if you're a woman or child who's been living in the city, would you really trust the regime to walk out? would you believe that they would allow them to actually just walk out and live a normal life or do they fear any kind of reprisal. the opposition points out people have left cities in the past have disappeared and been forced out of the country. they say what about the people left behind, what about the men inside that city? the opposition told me this morning that they really feel like those people are being set up for a slaughter. instead, what the opposition wants to focus on is humanitarian corridors to help the entire country that needs food, water and medicine. so many people in syria don't have that. there's no one who needs all of

that more than homs. >> most of homs simply no longer exists. for two years, it's been pounded by bombs, mortars, artillery. the assad regime has tried to crush this city that was the cradle of the revolt against his rule from the ground and from the air. almost every day, the terrifying sound of jets and the horrifying inevitable plume of smoke rising above a neighborhood. the city's population was once a million. today, more than half the houses have been destroyed. >> residents forced to eat greens picked off the side of the road. those greens are the only sustenance. via skype this afternoon, the

this man spoke to us from the countryside. >> this is what we eat, he said. it's been 11 months, nearly a year. he said he has no fresh food, no electricity, no water and just 20 minutes into our conversation, the first distant rumble of war. [ gunfire ] >> and then, less than a mile away on the hill above him. we stay with him as he shows rocket strikes on the naked controlled by the opposition. these strikes, he says, happen so often web barely sleeps. in gentlemen they've is a 2,000 miles away, saving homes was the main subject for the syrian peace talks. >> homes have suffered a lot from a very, very long siege, starvation siege. >> the syrian opposition pressured the government to stop the homs blockade. the government blamed the rebels. >> they are the ones kidnapping,

shooting at the humanitarian assistance. >> the u.n. announced some would be able to leave. >> what we are told from the government side that is women and children in the besieged area in the city welcome to leave immediately. >> that falls well short of what the opposition wants and men are still stuck. we asked him after everything he's seen where he still loves syria. >> i love everything about syria, he says, but the war and the tools of injustice from the army and the litership, they've destroyed syria. he wants to stay in homs even though 20 minutes after the first attack, the bombings started again. >> the u.n. said that it has trucks waiting outside of homs full of water, food and medicine

that the city hasn't had in over eight months, but the government has not yet allowed them in. it's not clear when the people of homs will get any alleviation from their suffering. >> does this hamper the peace talks at all going forward, this latest development? >> well, i think what you have still is while the u.n. is calling this a deal or calling it hopeful hi that it alleviates some of the suffering, the opposition doesn't feel that way. if the goal of the peace talks is to build confidence building measures, create local peace treaties, or humanitarian corridors, that is not happening. the coalition feels the government is pulling the wool over the international community's eyes, the government is fighting back at the coalition. if the goal is to get them closer together, it's not working. the adjustment envoy immediate yeaing this hope the two sites

can get to an agreement and alleviate the people of homs but it's not clear when that is going to happen. >> thanks, nick. >> the u.s. mill attorney carried out an air strike against a militant leader in somalia in southern somalia sunday, targeting a send year leader affiliated with al-qaeda and al shabab. officials have not confirmed whether the target was killed but the strike involved missiles only and no american troops were on the ground. the u.s. launched several strikes against al shabab in recent months, the group behind the nairobi mall attack that killed 67 people last year. >> a military spokesman said five soldiers were killed in an attack on an army helicopter. the army shot down the helicopter in the northern sinai region. 49 people were killed in clashes between government forces and those loyal to mohamed morsi. this weekend marked the 30 anniversary of the arab spring

uprising. >> the country will pick a new penalty before holding parliamentary elections. this marks a change in the transition plan established after president mohamed morsi was kicked out last summer. the announcement comes two weeks after a new constitution was adopted which said a vote must be held within 90 days. the election is now expected before the end of april and a parliamentary vote should come before the end of july. >> thee ears after its president was removed from office, lawmakers in tunisia have adopted a new constitution. it's the first for the country since january, 2011, the start of the arab spring. the national constituent assembly passed the new constitution sunday with two out of 216 votes. assembly members broke into song with the announcement. they agreed to the new wording

friday. >> protests are spreading in ukraine after apposition leaders turned down concessions from the embattled president. two government buildings were taken over, including the justice minute city. the minister of justice will call for a tate of emergency if those protestors refuse to leave. aljazeera's jennifer glass is live in kiev. this started out as a pro e.u. versus a russia wrist, but has it turned you into something more since it began? it has, the president sent his security forces against them in two violent clashes in late november and early december and that just brought more people out on to the streets and this has since become more about the

freedoms of ukraine. the people here say they can't believe their president has gone so far including passing sweeping laws that limit freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly here and that brought more people out on to the streets because they are consented about their fragile democracy, so as they face more and more adversity, it seems the protestors just become more determined. >> there wasn't enough space in kiev st. michael's cathedral for the man they call a hero. he was killed in clashes with police on wednesday, one of the first fatalities in a growing rebellion. anti-government protestors cleaned up one of the latest government buildings they seized. this used to be a museum to lennon, now a headquarters of those defending democracy here. in independence square, the game has changed. the president is listening now. opposition leaders rejected his

offer to share power. they think they can get more. >> the opposition has made a lot of progress in one week. for two months the president ignored demonstrations here on independence square. after protests started spreading around country, he was ready to come to the bargaining table. now the opposition feels they have the upper hand, because they say they have the people on their side. >> including ukrainian mothers, who came to the capitol to show support for change with a message for the president. >> we want him to resign so that we can peacefully move toward europe and live like european and have decent salaries and live happily like the rest of the world. >> the people heeded opposition calls to come out and did even in the country's east, normally a presidential strong hold. in independence square itself, there's now a sidelin shrine ton

killed. >> we haven't heard from the president in the past 24 hours with that we don't know what he he's planning for an emergency session of parliament scheduled for tomorrow. we understand there's a draft how to scrap measures he passed last week that limit freedom of expression. that is only one of the demands of the opposition. they would like to see early elections. all eyes are on the parliament and president to see what he comes up with to assuage what many across ukraine are demanding. >> jennifer glass reporting live, thanks so much for being with us this morning. >> anti-government protests in thailand turned deadly, demonstrator blocked voting sites ahead of next week's disputed election. one of the protest leaders was

shot in the head and chest and killed. protests have continued and tie land's election commission has been push to go delay vote. a senior government official says about 45 of the 50 polling stations set up in bangkok for early voting have been shut down because of the protests. >> another blast of winter weather is sweeping the country. there was a skipling blizzard in the northwest sunday and now that arctic air is sweeping south. in chicago, the schools are already closed because of the bone chilling freeze. what does it meal like out you there, and they? oh, freezing as you might imagine, stephanie. even by chicago standards, this is getting dangerous. homeless shelters in chicago are now kept open 24/7. the department of family services is now going out to scout reach to people in their homes to check on them, and the wind chills today could reach 20 below zero.

wind chills tomorrow night could reach 40 below zero. as far as the actual air temperature, it could be 60 straight hours before we finally get back above zero. >> the arctic cold which blasted the midwest last week is about to get worse, bringing wind chills that will plum melt to 30 degrees to 60 degrees below zero. >> it keeps coming town. >> the dangerous air has closed schools for the second time this month, five degrees before midnight and sinking. schools in minnesota will be shut down, where it will feel like 43 below zero. at least 18 states will be in the freeze's grip. much of the midwest is digging out from blizzard conditions this weekend. indianapolis hasn't seen this much snow in january sips the civil war, nearly 30 inches has fallen. crews there have been forced to work every day this month, wiping out the state's removal budget.

the rush is on to clear as much of that snow as possible before it turns to ice. >> get as much slush off the streets, because it's going to be a hard freeze. i doesn't matter what product you put on it, it is not going to move. >> salt has become a precious commodity in towns in ohio and wisconsin. >> the town has used its entire allocation of salt for the 2014-2014 season. >> that relentless polar air isn't going to spare any part of the country. states like texas have been battered with ice and snow. >> just trying to stay warm tonight, might leave the water running in the bathtub and sinks. >> i didn't bring a jacket. we stepped out of the truck going wow, why is it cold. >> normally staffed only for hurricanes, the command center is now active in houston. in atlanta, the severe cold caused a major water main break. workers scrambled as water shot

in the air and turned to ice. >> you have extremely cold temperatures that we've had, it puts a strain on our system. >> baton rouge, where plows and salt trucks are seldom needed has seen ice shut down highways and more is coming. >> we just got stopped with this weather. i mean, it's pretty terrible, but everybody's suffering right now. >> and trouble is suffering, as well. only thee hundred flights at chicago's two major airports have been canceled today and train travel has been show because of stress on the tracks and problems with switching. a couple of freight trains derailed in wisconsin last week because of the cold. last night, i was on a train that was stuck on the tracks for about an hour, because the snow which at that point was blowing sideways actually got stuck in the motor of the engine and gum would it all up, so nobody gets off the hook. >> not even you. andy in chicago, thank you. for more on this arctic blast,

let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. good morning. >> good morning. yes, another round of this. it seems like it's getting a little old this january, even though we expect it to be cold in can. already with the cold air that's moved in and then the wind added to it, we have wind chills as much as 45 below zero in minneapolis. you get those in the 30's and less, that's when your skin can start to freeze in only 10 minutes or so. be careful in those conditions. some schools are canceled today and that's why we have so many michigan advisories in effect. of course the system brought the know over the weekend that brought all the problems. here's that as it went through. it is making its way into the east coast through the south. a lot of places that are mild this morning are going to see temperatures falling through the day as we get to those two regions and with that front laying across the south, not only snow through the northeast today, but today and tomorrow, this is what we're worried about, the cold air hitting the warm sets up a scenario for

freezing rain. they are not used to dealing with it with the snow plows. people aren't used to driving in this weather and enough rain could possibly weigh down trees if it freezes on the trees, that snaps branches and power lines. we're very worried about this into the day tomorrow and wednesday, not quite starting up today, but you can see all those advisory areas. otherwise, still dealing with snow in the northeast. we'll talk more about this and the temperatures coming up in just a bit. back to you guys. >> thanks so much, nicole. >> a two month battle in texas over the life of a brain dead mother that finally ended. we have the emotional conclusion that determined whether a mother would be kept alive to save her unborn child. >> gone are the cameras, the lawyers fighting to keep the woman on life support after doctors declared her brain dead. the hospital took her off life support and released her body to

her husband, eric. >> eric munoz didn't wish to speak to the media. his attorneys issued a statement saying: on friday, a judge ruled j.p.s. hospital in fort worth texas had to remove her from life support, which her husband said she would have wanted. the family had asked a judge to have machines turned off. the hospital countered arguing texas law wouldn't allow it to take that action because she was pregnant. the case has generated a great deal of attention from groups on both sides of the abortion debate, with some anti abortion activists arguing munoz's fetus deserved a chance to be born. >> demonstrators stayed outside the hospital. >> we're very disheartened that the hospital pulled the plug and the 22-week-old unborn baby.

>> j.p.s. issued a statement saying that the hospital did not decide the law. munoz faces the challenge of raising a young son who is a little over a year old. >> i walk in the door and he's waiting for mama to show up, you know, that's the hardest. >> people close to the family now say they almost find the strength to complete what has been an unbearably long journey. aljazeera, dallas. >> the fort worth hospital had until 5:00 p.m. today to remove life support but hospital officials announced sunday that they would in fact comply with the order. >> that's a heartbreaking story. >> president obama is set a lay on you the road ahead for his upcoming agenda. >> he is prepping for his annual state of the union address tomorrow night. >> the goals he's looking to accomplish with or without the help of congress. >> new accusations against the n.s.a., edward snowden opens up

about who's next in the agencies cross hairs. >> the big financial hole one government agency is trying to fill. why that could end up costing you money. gadhafi two years ago and they finished a dialog

>> now to today's big number. it's $5 billion. that's how much money the u.s. postal service said it lost in 2013. now in response, they're going to charge a few pennies more for stamps. the post office said stamps are going up 3 cents starting today. that means the price of a stamp will jump from 46 cents to 49 cents. that is in fact the highest stamp increase in a decade. the last increase was a year ago from 45 cents to 46 cents. the postal service said it's considering ending its saturday delivery. can you believe it? good morning and welcome back to aljazeera america. president obama will try to bring new life to his jen did with his state of the union address tomorrow. he's looking to do whatever it takes to comic his agenda goals.

>> first, let's get a look at temperatures across the country today with meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> it's funny, when i came in the door this morning, everyone was like thanks for this morning, but we're probably not going to thank you tomorrow. up and down the east coast, warmer than yesterday, still mild in the south, but temperatures will be falling through the day. by tomorrow morning, it's going to be brutal which is what we see in the midwest where temperatures have already started to fall. yesterday morning in omaha, you were living i have the. at this time, it was 45 degrees. that sounds balmy, this morning zero. we've had significant temperature changes. you really feel it if your going outside at all this morning pap lot of people are trying to stay home. into the day, negative highs into the midwest and the day after, more of that cold air, tomorrow settles into the south. back to you guys. >> all signs say the president and republicans will come head-to-head again over the nation's debt ceiling. the next deadline is the first

week of february when the seventeen trillion-dollar u.s. debt will hit its limit. the government would essentially be unable to pay those bills. both sides are digging in, mitch mcconnell said there will be no deal unless the president gives up something major. obama's advisors say that's not likely to happen. just last october, the government shut down for 17 days because the two sides couldn't agree. >> the debt ceiling will likely be one of the topics the president will touch on in his state of the union address tomorrow night. let's brick in lisa stark joining us from the nation's capitol. what can we expect from the state of the union this year. >> president obama's aides say it will focus on three things, opportunity, action and optimism. the senior white house advisor said the president will lay on you concrete proposals to grow

the economy and also to strengthen the middle class. he's trying to jump start his presidency, which took a big hit after the disastrous rollout of the the affordable care act. the president has been very frustrated by his inability to get any proposals through congress. this week on the sunday talk shows, white house spokesman jay carney said the president may in fact talk during the speech about going it on his own. >> the presidencies this as a year of action to work with congress wreck and to by pass congress where necessary to lift folks who want to come up into the middle class. >> taking executive order action like that, that's what the president may be talking about there. well, that is not sitting well with republicans, as you can imagine. senator rand paul of kentucky has said that this sounds vaguely like a threat. we'll have to see what president obama says during his speech

tomorrow any, but we will expect him to talk about some very concrete propose also especially with rewards to income inquality. >> lisa, how much can the president really get done, using his executive orders? >> well, quite a hot, apparently. there was a group that came out recently and said that the president could take about 200 actions on his own when it dealt with environment and economy, but he has to be very careful and walk a very fine line, because major initiatives will still need congressional approval p.m. needs to make sure he doesn't go too far in one direction that he can't get congress to work with him in one direction. stephanie. >> thank you. aljazeera will have live in-depth coverage of the state of the union address beginning tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern. >> edward snowden delivered yet another blow to the n.s.a. this time, former contractor is accusing the agency of economics buying. he made those statements to a

german t.v. station, saying the n.s.a. engages in industrial espionage, grabbing intelligence from foreign oh companies even if the information wasn't relevant to national defense. he said the german engineering firm stevens was just one company in the agencies cross hairs. >> investors are on edge today following last week's major selloffs, futures are higher at this hour, stocks coming off two details of big hosses. here's where we stand this morning, the dow losing almost 500 points the last two sessions. the nasdaq opens at 4128. the commerce democratic reports on new home sales for december this morning. in asia, shares are sharply lower, both down more than with it%. european stocks following asia's lead, also trading lower right now. >> on the earnings calendar, today is apple.

the company is undervalued and it is pressured to buy back it's own stock to boost value. one an lift said entering the chinese market main over optimistic. >> it's over what most folks in china can buy, it won't penetrate to the degree its penetrated in the u.s. >> stephanie, apple will release earnings after the bell today. >> a deal covering patents to be filed over the next 10 years as well as existing patent comes as samsung is locked in a range of patent disputes with apple. >> a new weapon in the battle against cancer. >> it may be an alternative to traditional chemotherapy. what exactly that means for the patient. >> he led new orleans during hurricane katrina and now is

going on trial. the charges he is facing and what residents have to say. >> peace keepers face resistance in the central african republic. >> in sports, the seattle seahawks are flying high with their head coach. what will it take to win a superbowl ring? we'll discuss that in just a bit.

al jazeera america. we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capital. >> we put all of our global

resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. >> and follow it no matter where it leads - all the way to you. al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> welcome back to aljazeera america. >> the trial of former new orleans mayor ray nagan will get underway today. >> the u.s. will decide whether to put sanctions in place against the south african

republic in response to silence between muslims and christians. we'll look at the ongoing struggle. >> there may be a medical break through in leukemia. we'll talk with a lead researcher that suggests a method without chemo therapy. >> ray nagan become a familiar face during hurricane katrina but is charged with taking money for city contracts. his trial gets underway this morning. he was a national figure in the aftermath of hurricane katrina but now is facing possible jail time. how did it even get to this? >> it's a very interesting road that he's traveled. 12 years ago, ganin came into office vowing to fight corruption that had been rampant but this week begins to fight his own corruption charges.

>> within a few days after hurricane katrina, it seemed the entire world knew of new orleans mayor ray nagin. >> he had one shining moment where he said mr. president, get your ass down here. he was cheered. >> he was soon criticized for his decisions and lack of follow through. now on trial for corruption, the former mayor is ready to put his fate in the hands of a jury in a place where many still blame him for crippling their recovery. >> a lot of people could not people that the rebuilding was going as expeditiously and smoothly as they liked, and it was a difficult process. >> with the city still in shambles, nagin made a speech calling for new orleans to return to a "chocolate city." >> what he did in 2006 was play the race card. the issue became about the right to return and that really

resonated with african-americans who had been displaced. >> the people have said they like the direction we're going here. >> but by 2011, six people with city contracts from nagin had been convicted or pled guilty to bribery and corruption charges involving the former mayor. >> this corruption took hold. it might have had its roots in the first four years but really took hold in the second four years with when all that money started coming in and shady contractors started coming around, sleazing up to him. >> you've got the ability to let contracts for the city and so for a certain fee, i'll give you this contract. >> last year, he was indicted on 21 corruption charges alleging he took money and favors from city contractors who are now set to testify against him. >> what he's going to have to do is convince 12 jurors that rough hi a half dozen of his former friends are now lying to help

themselves. >> that may proof tough in a town where wounds haven't healed. >> they're tired of ray nagin. you're tired of it in a way you're tired of looking at a bad rug and you want to see it taken away by the trash guy. people are tired of ray nagin. they want to see him pay for what he did. >> it won't be in dollars, it will be in days, months and years in prison. >> even if ray nagin is only convicted of one or some which the charges, the action of his co-conspirators could affect his sentencing, making it even harsher. it is expected to begin in about three hours. >> keeping us posted, thanks so much for being with us this morning. >> secretary of state john kerry is considering sanctions against the central african republic that he was deeply disturbed over reports of leaders

supporting attacks between muslims and christian groups. the country could be the target -- >> french peace keepers there are trying to control the violence. many christians have been driven out by muslim fighters. barnaby phillips is in the capitol city where people are being forced out. >> the muslim neighborhood, people are hostile to the peacekeepers. they are armed but they are all citizens. >> all of these muslims camp out

on the edge to escape the capitol. as soon as they can arrange transport and they are safe to head out on the roads. some say it should be divided and that muslims -- it seems that these peacekeepers are struggling to hold this together. >> we like them, they say. they are doing a good job. french patrol move through. many christian areas, french well received. muslim areas are quieter. the french say --

>> they are trying to protect themselves. >> in the central mosque, the mood is tense. >> at the mercy of a hostile crowd. this happened many times. >> have seep the french take weapons -- both sides.

>> this violence comes just as a new transition took office last week. >> note korean and south korean relatives separated by the war, north korea agreed just last week which hasn't happened -- earlier this month, north korea rejected --

>> accusing the government of not being serious. the government has launched counter offensives, even as it holds out the option for talks. pakistan's resuming dialogue

with the u.s. washington has long accused pakistan of a dual policy, that it's kept listening to both the americans and taliban. some argue it hasn't gained anything. >> pakistan has been a net loser and the u.s. a net gainer. they guard to support the american destruction. they guard the bases to fly all the sortes. they have the people from pakistan they wanted. >> the government disagrees, insisting the relationship with the u.s. is based on mutual trust, but admits the drone campaign has been out of its control, despite calling it an attack on its samplety. >> we have a point of disagreement between two sides is the doctor caused of helping the c.i.a. get sam bin had's

d.n.a. >> the doctor is kept in the jail behind me. despite the optimism being brand issued by diplomats from both sides, unless deep rooted mistrust is addressed, strategic dialogues will not resulting long term solutions. >> pakistan's recent military strikes well welcomed by the u.s. the u.s. has pressured pakistan to launch a full scale offensive for years now. >> a fire at a retirement hope in quebec, the death toll may climb to 32 people. rescue crews are still search forego 22 people still unaccounted for, but 10 are confirmed dead. authorities suspended the search on sunday due to poor visibility and freezing conditions. canadian officials say many residents were older than 85, most suffered from alzheimer's. >> being diagnosed with cancer

at any age can be tough. teens can be helped by writing and making videos. it gave them a boost and helped expression emotions that may have otherwise gone unspoken. it helped their families. when researchers helped their families, they said videos helped them express themselves. >> 48,000 new cases of leukemia and 48,000 died. cll accounts for 16,000 of those new cases and 5,000 deaths. a new study in the new england journal of medicine suggest a couple of pills a day may take the place of chemo for many patients with this time of leukemia. joining us to discuss the study is dr. richard furman.

thanks for being with us this morning. in this study, patients were given either one drug or aical bow of two drugs. the findings were pretty significant. >> absolutely. so one of the things that's important to remember is that we've always had pills to treat patients with cancers, but these pills were always chemo therapy. it's more important to recognize not that this is a pill as compared to chemotherapy, but it is not chemo at all. it inhibits an enzyme very, very important to the cancer cells, absolutely dispensable for the non-cancer cells. it's able to achieve the treatment effect without any toxicity. >> it's ail to sort of target the cancer cells is another way to put it without damaging healthy cells? >> absolutely. >> which as we know chemo, sometimes the treatment is actually worse than the disease.

that's what we hear over and over. >> that's all the more important dealing with chronic leukemia where patients respond very nicely for a period of four to five years and then relaps. patients then get treated again with chemo, this time respond for one to two years, then rehappens and then need treatment again and are unable to get it because they are too sick or their disease doesn't respond. with a pill like this, where you're able to continually take the pill, and have the they areputic benefit without the accumulation of toxicities, the whole bid is that these periods of relaps and remissions will be basically resolved and patients will just stay on the pill hopefully making c.l.l. just like high blood pressure, taking a pill a day for the rest of your life, just to control the disease. >> who does this apply to? who will be able to take this combo of pills? >> this pill itself works

particularly well in all forms of low grade lymphomas. these are slow growing cancers of the immune system. the disease that we studied in our paper reported on in our paper was chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is a form of non-hodgekin's lymphoma. >> are there side effects? an increase in the liver enzymes between weeks four and 8p it's asymptomatic and something that is totally reversible when we stop the bill and we've been able to start the treatment without the eni am. >> increase a second time. sometimes patients develop diarrhea. it could be mild and controllable or severe, requiring discontinuation of the pill.

>> ok. important to know, a possible break through? >> absolutely. what's missing is the long term toxicity that really prevents patients from getting chemotherapy again and again and again. with a disease like c.h.l. where the lymphoma keeps coming back, it's not curable with chemotherapy, having the patient around to get around round of treatment becomes very important. >> doctor, thanks so much for that. >> thank you. >> the broncos and seahawks have finally arrived in new jersey for the big superbowl. that one of the biggest story lines is actually seattle's head coach. less shim is here to explain. >> he has done a fabulous job. that they say a team takes on the personality of their head coach and that's been the case for the seahawks, because just like pete carrol, they are competitive and have that swagger to him. he has won a college football title, but can he win a superbowl title?

jessica taft has more on passionate pete. >> the seahawks are going to the superbowl! >> when pete carrol began coaching in 1973, it was his energy and charisma that was an enigma. 41 years later, not much has changed as carrol prepares to lead his seahawks to superbowl xlviii. >> magical. yeah, we're getting, moving along with it now. we already have to start talking about the plans and what's going on and what this all means. we're still very grateful. >> this is not the 62-year-old's first nfl gig as he once held the head job for the jets and patriots, both ending in quick exits. he was able to turn the page though and go back to the collegiate level, taking over the university of southern california in 2001. in his time at southern cal, he led the trojan to say two national titles and and 82-9 record over seven seasons. >> there's a reason people want

to play for a guy like pete. it's the same reason he had success in college and also the same reason he's beloved here. he loves the game just as much as his players and his open minded approach has guys able to be themselves. >> when they say like we let them be themselves, i told them we don't let them be themselves, we celebrate them be themselves. our approach is to let our guys be the best guy they can be, figure out how they can perform at their very best. some guys have personalities that would fit some places and not other teams. in our situation, we're pretty open. i've got no problem with guys that have personalities that are jaw going. i don't have any problem with guys that are quiet. >> his pop heart in the league and amongst his own team might be because he gets it. >> i think he has the system down that is very thought out, and very effective, and it's vermetteed tical. i think he works it perfectly. he designed it, he works it.

i think on top of that within the system, he brings a certain energy and a passion and makes it a fun place to play and a fun place to work. that kind of atmosphere i think really does create a winning atmosphere. >> now pete carrol is looking to join barry switzerland jimmie johnson as the only coaches to win on the collegiate level and a superbowl title. >> you take note of being a young kid watching these games and thinking that you'd hike to be a part of it someday. i picture playing, not coaching, but we all have those kinds of dreams. we need to take note and recognize how special it is. >> it's hard to believe, but at 62 years young, pete is the second oldest head coach in the nfl behind tom coughlin. he looks like he said still in his 40's. he's like peter pan with a lot of energy and passion. >> he's got that spritely

energy. >> music's brightest stars coming together to celebrate. >> awards were happened out at the 56 annual grammys. >> the big winners and the one performance that took a big social stand. >> a great debated, how long has the grand canyon actually been around? we'll tell you why researchers think it may be a whole lot younger than they thought.

>> every sunday night, al jazeera america presents...

>> the music industry's top artists were out in force for the grammys with that we'll look at the winners. >> first we'll look at rape and snow across the country today with nicole mitchell. >> the font is dropping all the temperatures but has brought the

snow to the midwest that caused problems through the weekend and more moving to the northeast. toward the coastline, you can see rain, because temperatures are still mild. as temperatures cool, more of that is switching to show. on the south side of all this, where the front will bring more moisture tomorrow, combining with the cold air, freezing precipitation is likely into the day. so tomorrow, we'll want to watch that closely. back to you guys. >> nicole, thank you. geologists have debated the age of the grand canyon. it is 6 million years old when the colorado river carved into the gorge. there's an older part believed to be carved back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, 70 million years ago. >> talk about a lucky night, today's biggest music makers gathered in los angeles last night for the 56th annual

grammy awards. taking home the golden statues were an unlikely rap duo from seattle and a pair of helmeted did this's from france. we have a wrap of last night's star-studded festivities. >> random access memories best song. >> five awards sunday any, including album of the year. >> they are generous of spirit. >> the helmeted frenchman who don't speak in public performed their hit song get lucky with stevie wonder, then claimed record of the year. >> the robots would like to thank... you know, honestly, i bet france is really proud of these guys right now. >> royal! >> song of the year went to new zealand team lorde who took home best pop solo performance. >> this is the one thing that i

did not expect the most about tonight. >> hiphop duo mclemore scored gram areas including best new artist. >> i want to thank our fans, the people who got us on this stage. >> they performed their gay rights song same love joined by queen latifah, madonna and several couples. that was one of the many memorable performances on the night. husband and wife beyonce and jaycee started the show. >> that was rafael reporting. the night had a few big losers, as well, taylor swift was shut out of her four nominations, as well as drake nominated for five. >> at the end of our second hour, stephanie has a look at the stories we are following this morning. >> the deep freeze is moving through the midwest into the

southeast. >> syrian opposition leaders are denying any agreement to allow women and children to leave the city of homs, saying it would be a set up for a slaughter. we'll be right back. >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news.

>> dangerously cold temperatures are freezing the nation's midwest again. then the cold snap heads south where thief not used to snow and icy cold conditions. >> we've not verified think type of relationship at this point between him and either victim. >> police identified the gunman in a maryland mall shooting. what remains unclear, his mowsive for murder. >> a small sign of hope in the syrian peace talks may have tallen apart.

a deal to remove women and children prom a city devastated by car is in jeopardy. >> a photographer who went from taking pictures to immortalizing the world of dance in an exhibit called from bum lets to ballet. >> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. major weather is sweeping the country. a crippling blizzard in the midwest is followed by sub zero conditions in many of the same states. chicago, already covered in snow, could see an extended cold spell of 48 hours or more below zero. the arctic air is also moving into southern states, where they are not used to these conditions. normally mild states like texas and the louisiana could see snow and a temperature plunge of

30-40 degrees. by tonight, we are live in chicago where schools are already closed because of the deep freeze. good morning, andy. >> good morning. we have just entered that possibly 60 hour stretch where tops don't rise above zero here in chicago. wind chills today could reach 20 below zero, wind chills tomorrow night could reach 40 below zero. businesses are closing early, as well, and when it's all over, this won't wind up being the longest stretch of sub zero weather in chicago, but that is cold comfort. that. >> the arctic cold which blasted the midwest last week is about to get even worse, bringing with it wind chills that will plummet to between 30 and 60 degrees below. >> today that tang dangerous air closed schools in chick for the second time this month. monday's high, five degrees at midnight and sinking. schools in minnesota will be

shut down, too, where in minneapolis, it will feel like 43 below zero with a broughtal wind chill. 18 states will be in the grip. much of the midwest is digging out from blizzard conditions this weekend. indianapolis hasn't seen this much snow in january since i the civil war. nearly 30 inches have fallen. crews have worked every day this month, wiping out the state's removal budget. the rush is on to roof that snow before it turns to ice. >> get it off the streets because it's going to be a very hard freeze. it doesn't matter what product you put on it, it's not going to move. >> salt has become a precious commodity in ohio and wisconsin. >> the town has used its entire allocation of salt for the 2013-2014 season. >> that relentless polar air isn't going spare any part of the country. normally mild southern states

like texas have been battered and are bracing more. >> might leave the water running in the bathtub and sink. >> i didn't bring a jacket. that's the first i heard of it. we stepped out of the truck going wow, why is it cold? >> a command center staffed normally for hurricanes is active. in atlanta, the severe cold caused a major water main break. water shot 20 feet into the air and turned to ice. >> you have extremely cold temperatures that we've had in the past couple weeks. it puts a strain on our system. >> baton rouge, a city where hows and salt trucks are seldom needed have seen ice already shut down highways and more is coming. >> we just got stopped with this weather. i mean, it's pretty terrible, but everybody's suffering right now. >> suffering is right. home there is shelters in chicago are now open 24/7 because of the cold. the department of family

services is sending teams to do checks on people in their homes because of the cold, as well. we just got over a 36 hour stretch when the temperature did no the rise above zero a couple of weeks ago, but the grand daddy of them all, the one everybody remembers was back in december of 1983, when the temperature didn't rise above zero for 98 straight hours. this by comparison might be better. >> i guess it can always be worse. reporting from chicago, thank you. >> meteorologist nicole mitchell is tracking the storm. nicole, where is it and where is it heading? >> it's obviously already made i through the midwest where we had the blinding snow over the weekend and the temperatures of settled in with that colder air. what we're going to see now as it heads to the east coast and south, behind it this is what's happened. with the combination of temperatures below zero and still the wind, we have wind chill's 40 below zero, minneapolis, fargo, 40 below

zero. chicago, 20 to 30 below zero righty now. you can get frostbite quickly. we still have the advisories in effect because of that cold weather. many people are staying home today and many schools off. more of that snow is into the northeast. it will move through quickly. we are not expecting significant accumulations, but the front is going through the south. temperatures will drop today. we have the snow moving through quickly in the northeast but tomorrow, with more cold air intersecting with the warm air, it will give us a set up for freezing rain. through tomorrow, and up until tomorrow night early into wednesday, the deep south could see some really significant problems with this moisture, and that's why we already have a lot of these advisories up, but things like roads becoming very treasurous, trees heavy with ice so we could have power outages and things breaking off. not a part of the country we are

used to that type of weather being so far south. the west coast will stay very, very dry. i'll have more on the temperatures coming up. >> the u.s. military said it carried out an air strike against militant heard in southern sow malia, the target a leader affiliated with al shabab and al-qaeda. it is not confirmed whether he was killed. it involved missiles only, no american troops on the ground. al shabab was behind the nairobi mall attacks that killed 67 people last year. >> it seemed the warring sides in syria reached a small break through to law women and children to leave the city of homs, one of the first cities to rebel against president bashar al assad's regime. there has been a new development

rewarding that deal. the opposition today condemning it saying they did not agree to what was announced. nick shiffrin joins us from switzerland with the latest. nick, we are hearing a different story rewarding this homs agreement. >> that's absolutely right, stephanie. we heard from the u.n. special envoy to syria. he specifically said that this was a deal and he hold it alleviated some of the suffering to allow women and children outside of homs, but the opposition said there was no deal, this was a unilateral government decision and the opposition wants to focus on gettng that humanitarian aid, food, water, the basic necessities that that city simply hadn't had. >> we feel that this is the

regime setting up the civilian population for slaughter. the negotiation was humanitarian assistance allowed in so trucks can start distributing medical supplies and food to those who are scarfing. instead, what the regime would like to do, have women and children leave the area. why would they leave he if the food is being allowed in? >> the pressure on them to allow u.n. trucks which are right outside the city of homs alleviate some of of the pain and suffering people there are suffering. nowhere more are the people suffering. >> it's been 11 months, nearly a

year. no fresh food, no electricity or water, and just 20 minutes into the conversation, the first distant rumble rumble of war. [ gunfire ] >> and then, less than a mile away on the hill above him. we stay with him as he shows rocket strikes on the area controlled by the opposition. these strikes, he says, happen so often web barely sleeps. >> homs have suffered a lot from a very, very long siege, starvation siege. >> the syrian opposition pressured the government to stop the homs blockade. the government blamed the rebels. >> meetings are focusing on it is transitional government.

what are we hearing from both sides on that? they're supposed focus on the transitional government, all the sides, the parties agreed to something called the geneva one communique, a document, letter that says that we can all talk about a transitional government that would be without assad. the regime itself agreed to that just as i am my by coming here but now put out a letter saying no, we haven't agreed to that. they released a statement coming out of the meetings this morning from both the syrian coalition and government with the u.n. and that statement by the syrian government is that we're not talking about a transitional government, not only that, but we want to talk about the sponsors of the opposition, the sponsors of the people who are fighting the regime. we tall them terrorists. we believe saudi arabia and the united states, qatar is actually funding these people and funneling weapons. the opposition said we are here to talk about the regime,

transitional government and what happened to that, it's not clear what's going happen, the two sides are so far apart. we'll hear whether the two sides were able to talk about you what they were supposed to talk about today, the transitional government. >> nick, thank you. >> egypt's interim leader said the country will pick a new president the before voting on parliament. that's the change laid out after the ouster of president mohamed morsi last summer. the announcement comes two weeks after a new constitution was adopted saying a new vote must be held within 90 days. the presidential election is now expected to take place before april, a parliamentary vote before the end of july. >> a military spokesman said five people were killed in an attack on an army helicopter. an al-qaeda group said it shot down the that chopper saturday in the northern sinai region. at least 49 people were killed

this weekend in clashes between government forces and those still loyal to president mohamed morsi. this weekend marked the third anniversary of the arab spring uprising. >> three years after its president was removed from office, law make is in tunisia have adopt a new constitution. it's the first for the country since january, 2011, the start of the arab spring. the assembly passed the constitution sunday with 200 out of 216 votes. assembly members broke into song as the results were announced. they agreed to the wording friday after the governing party granted concessions, chewedding dropping some references to islamic law. that a caretaker government will be put into mace until new he hexes can be held there. >> prosecutor tests are spreading throughout ukraine after concessions were turned down from the countries

president. demonstrators in kiev took over two government buildings on sunday. apostate of emergency will be called if protestors refuse to leaf. >> prosecutor tests are taking place across the country now including areas where the president has enjoyed strong popularity, and demonstrators in kiev assert their presence. what's the next move for the government? >> everyone is watching and waiting to see what will happen in an emergency parliament session. the protestors who took over late last night are standing guard outside the believe, saying if they don't get what they want from parliament tomorrow, they'll go back inside. it's a very, very flexible

situation. courts are now release in protestors they've been holding more than a month. lawyers defending protestors under arrest saying there's no legal basis for them being held, the opposition would like to see laws that were passed just last week and went into effect this week that restrict freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, they want to see that law scrapped altogether in the parliament session. they're also calling for the president to call early he hen, or to resign. of course, the president must be feeling pressure right now. these protests, the civil actions, the takeover of government buildings has spread far beyond kiev to 21 of the countries 27 regions, including those in the country's east, which are presidential strongholds and while protestors are meeting resistance this, they are out in large numbers in the thousands in areas that where once they would never even consider challenging the president, so we really could be on the brisk of a revolution

here in ukraine. we've got tens of thousands of people cross the country who want change and are demanding change and want to see their government give them change. >> of course there was a revolution not too many years ago in ukraine. these protests have gotten violent with four killed in the last week. that yesterday there was a big funeral in kiev for one of them. has this man now become a symbol for the opposition in ukraine? >> i think he has had. one of four protestors who have been killed in direct clarks with police, i think has become a symbol because people of ukraine see him as every man, saying he could be me. down on the square behind me, there is a shrine to him where he used to chop wood and give out food, like so many other thousands have done here for the past two months. outside his funeral yesterday,

there were thousands of people because there wasn't enough room inside for those who wanted to pay their respects. when this all turned violent, people came out even in more support, so the more resistance they face, the more determined the protestors here become. >> anti-government protests in thailand turned deadly, demonstrates blocking early voting sites in bangkok ahead of next week's disputed election. one was killed in the head and chest. pro-tests have continued and tie land's election commission push to go delay the vote. 45 of the 50 polling stations set up in bangkok for early voting have been shut down because of the protests.

>> a busy maryland mall influence reopen for business later this afternoon after shooting. police swept the mall for explosives following saturday's attacks. there will be two memorials for victims, one outside the main entrance to the mall and the other inside the shopping complex. this as police try to figure out what motivated the young gunman. we have more on the investigation. >> police say the 19-year-old took a cab to this shopping mall, dropped off at 10:15 a.m. he was heavily armed with a is not gun, ammunition and backpack filled with homemade explosionives. an hour later, he entered a skateboard shop and opened fire on two people, killing both before turning the gun on himself. police are trying to figure out why he shot the two.

both victims worked at the skate shop. >> we are not confirming any relationship between him and our victims. we have not established there is or is thought. that is on open question. >> little is publicly known about the victims and the shooter on what appears to be her facebook page, one of the victims brianna said she's a mom and an assistant manager at the store. five others were injured at the mal. only one was shot. they have all been released from an area hospital. while police are still searching for answers, memorial facebook page has been posted for the the two victims. aljazeera. >> investigators say the man had no previous run-ins with the law and the shotgun he used was purchased legally. >> a two month battle in texas over the life of a pregnant brain dead mother came to an end. she was taken off a ventilator sunday morning after a judge ordered the hospital to remove

life support. now her husband begins the difficult task of raising their 1-year-old son alone. >> i walk in the door and he's waiting for mama to show up somewhere. that's the hardest. >> despite her husband's wishes, doctors at the fort worth hospital kept maria alive for two months. >> some gay couples say now is the time to tight for their right to we had. >> instead of having to say this is my partner, my life partner, this is my wife would be very gratifying. >> the latest state being sued over the right to marry. >> president obama gives his state of the union address tomorrow night, a preview and the warning he's issuing to congress. >> why medicaid is blamed on a doctor shortage in one of the largest states in the country.

>> good morning, welcome back to

aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> coming up, same-sex couples fight to marry in florida. >> first, temperatures across the nation today with meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> either you have the cold air already or it is coming and temperatures are dropping with the exception of the west coast. as we see the midwest, already negatives, mild this morning. temperatures 10 or between degrees this morning in places like new york city versus where they were yesterday morning. you're thinking ok, this feels great. well, it is coming, this air spreading. this is yesterday at this time, places like omaha. in 24 hours, we've dropped 45 degrees, but it's been closer to 50, because yesterday morning, we were up towards almost 50 degrees in the morning, now sub zero. that air will spread south ward. our highs were in the morning and tomorrow you'll definitely kneel colder air. i'll have more on the precipitation coming up later. >> in 2008, voters in florida

approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. now six gay and lesbian couples are challenging that law in court. >> 3-year-old blake has two fathers, todd and jeff dellmay. they've built a hive together, even taking on the same last name, but now want to get married. >> it's one piece of society in the community that we've not been allowed to participate in and we want that opportunity and the time is now. >> they have rings on their fingers but want the paperwork to make their union more than symbolic. >> for us, when you get married, your wedding ban is worn on your left hand. until that happens, it will be worn on the right hand. >> they are among six same-sex couples named in a lawsuit filed by a civil righties group challenging florida's constitutional ban against same-sex marriage. >> we stand here for those who

have applied for marriage lies and faced the humiliation of being denied. >> the couples say florida's ban on same-sex marriage is discriminatory and view lathes the u.s. cops substitution by denying them the legal protections afforded to hetero sexual couples. 17 states and washington, d.c. already recognize same-sex marriage and last summer, the supreme court overturned key parts of the defense of marriage act, meaning federal benefits con no longer be denied to same sex couples. >> florida voters have not considered the issue since 2008 when 62% voted to maintain the position against gay marriage. activists in florida say since then, public opinion has changed. opponents of gay marriage disagree. >> this lawsuit is a cheap publicity stunt, millions of florida voters voted to respect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. it's very troubling and disturb that go there are people out

there with this hate and this intolerance and this bigotry against the will of the people of florida. >> still, couples hike summer green and pamela farber who have been together for 25 years are hopeful. >> instead of saying this is my life partner, you know, this is my wife would be very gratifying. we feel that the time is now. >> if the state chooses to fight the case, it's likely to take years for the courts to settle it. aljazeera, miami. >> armed with last year's historic supreme court ruling, gay marriage bans are under attack in states nationwide. same-sex marriage is legal in 17 states. it is currently banned in three thee states, but there are at least 40 lasts pending in 20 states challenging those bans. >> taking a look at what's making news in the financial

market, on edge today, after last week's selloffs. tocks are coming off two days of big losses. the dow at 15879 lost almost 500 points the last two sessions. the s&p is at 1790 and the nasdaq opens at 4128. there is one government economic report scheduled for release today, the commerce department reports on new home sales. in asia, stocks are shortstop hi lower, tokyo's nikkei down more than 2%. >> european stocks trading lower right now, as well. >> apple tops the earnings calendar today, activist investor said the company is undervalued and is punishing the company to boost tock value by buying back its own stock. analysts say other investors may be growing i am patient with apple. >> apple and in tell hit a wall with regard to programming, in tell had to sell their operation

to verizon,al pell never got theirs off the ground. we don't have a follow up for ipod cycle that is now falling off. >> apple will release earnings after the bell today. >> the improving economy is expected to give a lift to the auto industry. more than 16 million new vehicles are forecasted to be sold this year, a 6% increase from last year. the optimism stems from rising employment and increased home values. >> the average price of gasoline has been dropping the last two weeks. according to the survey, the average nationwide for a gallon of regular is $3.31. the lowest is $2.94 in billings, montana. >> president obama has a warning for congress in his state of the union address, why he is threatening to use his executive powers. >> hundreds of people sickened

on a across ship. what the cruise line is doing after health officials boarded to investigate the illness. >> he went from bullets to ballet. why a photographer turned his focus to dancers after spending decades capturing conflict on his camera. >> taking a live look at a fiery wreck in fall river, massachusetts. a tanker truck there has crashed and overturned.

>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america >> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm stephanie sy and these are our top stories a this hour. millions of americans are dressing in extra layers as temperatures plunge across the country. school has been canceled in chicago and minnesota where they're dealing with sub zero temperatures. normally mild states like texas, georgia, alabama and louisiana could get snow and freezing

temperatures. >> a memorial service will be held at the maryland mall where a gunman killed two. police learned more about the shooter who took his own life but don't have a motive for the attack. >> syria's opposition is denying it had a deal to let women and children leave the city of homs. eight convoys are on their way to get the city and allowing women and children to leave would set up the remaining people for slaughter. as president obama prepares for his state of the union address tomorrow night, we're learning more about the message he will deliver to the american people. his top advisers hit the sunday morning talk shows warning he will work with congress where he can and use his executive powers when necessary. >> he's not going to tell the american people he's going to wait for congress. he's going to move forward in job training, education, manufacturing on his own to try to restore opportunity for american families. >> with fall elections coming

up, those around the president say there's no reason to believe there will be bipartisan support for increased minimum wage or expanding kinder garren programs. are people saying it's a-wise move for the president to move forward on executive orders? >> well, stephanie, the president is clearly frustrated at his inability to get any measures through congress and calling this the year of action. he's promising or threatening depending how you look at it to use executive powers. he's done so in the past in 2012. he was frustrated on immigration reform. he used his executive orders to stop the deportation of many illegal immigrants who had been brought here as children. you may remember it was called the dream act, but that didn't get through congress, so the president took action on his own. he can do some things with executive orders for really, really big measures he needs

congress to go along with him. >> what else are we expecting to hear from the penalty during his state of the union address tomorrow night? >> his aides say he is going to oh focus on opportunity, action and optimism. i expect to hear a lot about in come and equality, the middle class, jobs and how the president will help that segment of the population. he will outline the differentlies between democrats and republicans in rewards to helping the economy grow. >> after the speech on tuesday night, the president planning to go on tour, travel to go married, pennsylvania, wisconsin and tennessee. will that help him pressure lawmakers on both sides of the aisle with grassroots support for his agenda? >> yes, the road tour. we see this after the state of the union. it's become the thing to do. the president will go to these areas and try to build momentum for his agenda. they hike to get out of the bubble of washington and out you with the real people.

it's great pictures but doesn't tend to build a lot of momentum on capitol hill. >> thanks, lisa. >> aljazeera will have live, in depth coverage of the state of the union address beginning tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern. >> california's medicaid program is preparing for a major expansion under the affordable health care act. the state has struggled with the shortage of doctors willing to accept low income patients. one medical school might have the answer. >> >> jennifer has always wanted to be a doctor. she's a first year medical student with a strong desire to serve. >> ultimately one of my major goals going into medicine was hopefully worked with more underserved communities. >> in the american system of for-profit health care, medical school tuition is hugely expensive and requires students hike her to get big loans. >> we are acquiring a lot of

debt, $40,000, $50,000 per year, so close to $200,000 or more. >> she studies at the university of california riverside in an area of state facing a severe shortage of doctors. dr. richard olds: >> because 40% of the doctors look like me, 50 years of age or older, we will have a $5,000 deficit in 10 years, no matter what anyone does. >> the looming shortage is particularly severe for family doctors and pediatricians. they earn far less than specialists like cardiologists or orthopedic surgeons. many doctors choose lucrative practices to pay off debts. you see riverside as trying a bold experiment. certain students who choose primary care and agree to practice in the local community

will get full collar ships. >> we basically give them medical school for free. at the end of the day, if they are a primary care doctor in southern california for five years, the deal's closed, they get med cool for free, emerge debt-free. we basically reverse the financial incentives to try and get the result that hour area of california and society in general needs. >> it's not just california that's facing a looming doctor shortage. >> according to a recent report by the american association of medical colleges, there could be a nationwide shortage of 90,000 doctors before the end of the decade. >> the main reason for the doctor shortage is that the country is getting older. >> over the course of the next 20 years, 10,000 americans a day turn 65. they're the ones that use the majority of health care services. >> the u.s. will need a lot more innovative programs like

riverside's and a hot more dedicated students like jennifer hawn. >> there are roughly 30,000 physicians and the state that 37 million people. health officials are trying to determine what sickened passengers onboard a cruise ship that set sale from new jersey on tuesday. >> it was a terrible experience. i've been on this boat before. we had on a amazing time when we were here. this time, it's just been awful. >> about 300 passengers and crew have been suffering from symptoms. the ship is set to return home early from its scheduled 10 day cruise, back in new jersey on wednesday. >> former new orleans mayor ray nagin became a familiar face

during hurricane katrina, now faces charges for accepting money from city contracts. his trial gets underway this morning. nagin obviously a national figure in the aftermath of katrina now facing possible jail time. how did it get to this no. >> it's a very strange case. it's been a strange case for him since he's gotten into office. this stands to be a very strange trial. there's a lot of head scratching going on among political insiders about this case. six people have been convicted or pled guilty to charges related to former mayor ray nagin but he has decided not to take a deal with federal prosecutors and instead take his chances with a jury. now, nagin faces 21 corruption count, accused of doling out contracts for money, favors, free trips to hawaii, chicago, vegas and even cell phones for his family. in a few hours, attorney for

both sides will question potential jurors from 13 surrounding parishes. this entire region is still working to recover nearly eight years of a the storm. many of them blame nagin's managements for the slow recovery since then. >> bears the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. he's going to have to convince these 12 jurors that rough hi a half a dozen of his former friends are now lying to help themselves. that's a tough road to hoe in any case, particularly this case given documents corroborate much of the temperature of these co-conspirators. >> even if neigh begin is convicted of only one of the charges, the actions of his co-conspirators could factor into his sentencing, making it harsher. jury selection is slated to start in two and a half hours

from now. >> reporting from new other means, ben, thank you. >> after 30 years of photographing some of the world's most violent hot spots, award winning photographer sebastian rich turned his lens to a very different subject, the world of dance. his exhibit from bullets to ballet will be on display as part of the 42 annual dance on camera film festival in new york city this week. sebastian rich is joining us this morning. mr. rich, thank you so much for being with us. >> good morning, thank you for having me. >> three decades as a news photographer, much of that time spent in conflict steps to, what is the worst you've seen. >> that's polite of you, but it's actually four decades. it's been good and bad seeing the worse that man has to offer each other in conflict. ballet and dance is the best that we can offer each other. it all started by i had an

exhibition last year in washington for united nations all to do with war and con flicks. i kept hearing people say these photographs are beautiful and somehow war does have a certain beauty, you have an afghan woman with a veil but the baby's dead, so there's always a terrifying back story. after that, i thought i want to take pictures where there is no other story, you look at the picture and say it's beautiful and nothing else. >> that's what led to you ballet you. write in the article that photographing dancers saved your sanity in the nick of time. how did it do that? >> it's only us, me be with you be the media, we tend to think the whole world is falling apart because we tend to focus on the very, very bad things, because it's sensational, but it's only five to 10% of the world in conflict. the rest of the world has

wonderful things going on. i decided i needed to photograph beauty, i found dance and did. >> there is something cathartic. this specific picture, the gnarled, bruised toes of the ballerina is not pretty. >> that was the first ever picture i shot to do with ballet. that when i arrived, i didn't know what to do. i had no idea, and then two girls who had been row hersing came and sat next to me and they undid their point shoes and there was blood and bandages all over the place. i strangely, oddly could relate to that. that's the first picture i took of ballet and it progressed from this. >> something you said is that something in the mangled foot of that ballerina did remind you of things you had seen in war zones. >> very much so. it put me for a while back into my comfort zone, so i was able to get out and start photographing.

>> it wasn't always therapeutic. i understand that after this exhibition you go back to syria. >> i was there a few weeks ago. >> you clearly haven't retired from being -- >> no, no, not at all. this is what i do for a living. this is to pay the mortgage. if only ballet would pay my mortgage, i'd get out of it. >> is it hard being, you know, in those places and seeing this type of human suffering and pain? >> yes, of course it is. up until a few years ago, i thought it wasn't affecting me, but it obviously had been affecting me, because i needed to photograph something else, and just be around people who had nothing to do with my industry, nothing to do with these back stories of terrible pictures i've been taking. >> does being behind the lens offer sort of a protection from experiencing what you're seeing? >> the camera, my camera's like a metal knack jacket. strangely enough, if i wanted to

remember something in great detail, i don't use the camera. i just use my own eyes and remember the scene, so if i want to -- there's something terrifying going on in front of me, the camera comes up and i shoot it and try to forget it. >> and yet you don't feel hike you've really forgotten it. >> no, because it seeps into your subconscious. how can it not? >> for now, we can enjoy some truly beautiful pictures. >> well, thank you very much. >> of ballerinas. combat photographer, his bullets to ballet exhibit is featured in new york city running through february 8. mr. rich, thanks for being with us this morning. >> thank you very much. thank you. >> music's brightest stars coming together. the big winners from the emmy's and one performance that took a social stand. >> snow and freezing in the northeast. this s the only place. i'll have your forecast.

>> i'm ross shimabuku. in sports, we'll tell you what got even the coaches throwing punches.

consider this: the news of the

>> welcome back. just ahead, the big winners from last night's grammys, but first where the rain and snow may fall across the country today. nicole. >> we are starting to see problems and more on the way with the system, the one that gave us all of that cold air as it moves from the northeast to the south, creating more hazard.

while it's not heavy in a lot of places, moderate to lighter snow, the winds are cranking, so that is reducing visibility. we're also as it intersects with warm air, maces like connecticut starting to see feeing precipitation, so that's always a problem. that same interaction with all that cold air intersecting with the warm and getting reverse in the pattern, this we see through the south as possible rain today as temperature change could become freezing precipitation tomorrow, and become a very icy, messy and even dangerous mix. watch for that tomorrow into wednesday. back to you. >> ok, nicole, thank you. >> edward snowden delivered another blow to the n.s.a., accusing the agency of economic spying. he made the statements to a german t.v. station on sunday saying the n.s.a. engages in industrial espionage, grabbing intelligence from foreign

companies. he says they did this even if the information was not relevant to national defense. snowden said the german engineering siemen's was one agency in the cross hairs. >> the president is preparing for the state of the union. a lucky few will be seated alongside mitch she will obama, including boston marathon bomber survivors and a 16-year-old intern from the tech company in tell. >> the weather has been the hot or cold topic for superbowl forth eight. now the focus has shifted to the teams. we have the details. >> things are starting to get real. we are kicking off superbowl week. the broncos and seahawks both landed in new jersey as they prep for superbowl xlviii. the seahawks went to newark

airport last night having issues because their 12 man flag got stuck on the plane. the franchise is making its second appearance in the superbowl, but none of the isn't players have superbowl experience. denver got in before seattle and they're making their seventh appearance in the superbowl. all eyes will be on peyton manning looking to capture his second superbowl title. both teams are practicing and staying in new jersey versus new york city and all the distractions. coincidence? i think not. a championship is on the line. >> we're focused on winning this football game. we've got to do everything we can to play a great football game against a great football team in the denver broncos. we had a get a week of practice. we're hooking forward to being here object obviously to be in new jersey and new york. >> i still enjoy the preparation part of it, the work part of it. everybody enjoys the games, everybody's going to be excited may go a superbowl, but i think

when you still enjoy the preparation and the work part of it, i think you probably still ought to be doing that. >> surf's up in hawaii, 80 degrees for the pro bowl. hall of famers deion sanders and jerry write picking the teams, teammates going against one another. j.j.watz, his surfing celebration is a hit. catch the big one. oh, yeah. in the fourth quarter, game tied at 14, going prime time as nick foles with the rainbow connection to cameron. rice would rally back to win it 22-21. time to follow the bouncing ball, but in college hoops are three teams. arizona trailed utah by 10 points early on where the wildcats would man up behind

their freshman sensation gordon. check out the move. the kid had 10 points, grabbed 12 boards. 20-0 is their best start in school history. >> the x games, danny davis getting his groove on like you would not believe in the snowboard superpipe. he was flipping out with mctwists and double mccork moves. davis would win the event. over in the slopestyle, nick gepper catching serious air. he captured the gold medal and now is heading to sochi to represent the red white and blue in the olympic debut of slopestyle skiing next month. >> college hockey, fight, r.p.i. knocked out their rival in number threedown but after the game, look at this, union tried to knock out r.p.i., dropping

the gloves and to make matters worse, union's head coach started throwing punches at r.p.i.'s head coach. it was an ugly scene all around between these two rival schools but cooler heads would prevail. after the game, both coaches apologized at their press conferences. >> ross shimabuku, thank you. >> talk about a lucky night. today's biggest music makers gathered last night for the 56th annual grammy awards. taking home statues, a wrap duo from seattle and d.j.'s from france. >> random actions memories best song. >> five awards, including album of the year. >> we're sailing on a ship called generosity. >> the helmeted frenchman who don't speak in public performed

"get lucky" with stevie wonder, minutes later collected record of the year. >> the robots would like to thank... >> you know, honestly, i bet france is really proud of these guys right now. >> royal! >> song of the year went to new zealand team lord, who took home best pop solo performance. >> this is the one thing that i did not expect the most about tonight. >> hiphop duo scored four grammys, including best rap album and best new artist. >> i want to thank our fans, the people that got is on this stage. >> they got on the stage again to perform their gay rights song "same love" joined by madonna, queen will teach if a and several couples for an in-show we hadding. that was one of many memorable performances on the night.

jay-z and beyonce opened the show and the celebration of the beatles arrival in america was celebrated. >> taylor swift was shut out of her four nominations. so was drake, nominated for five. thanks so much for joining us. another news update is just two minutes away. 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?

>> here are the top stories we're are following. jair's opposition is denying it agreed to a deal to have women and children leave the city of homs. opposition leaders say aid

convoys on their way to the city and allowing women and children to leave would set up the remaining people for slaughter. >> the u.s. military carried on you an air strike in somalia, the target a senior leader affiliated with al-qaeda andal show bob. >> millions of americans are dressing in extra layers as temperatures plunge across the country. school's been canceled in chicago and minnesota, dealing with sub zero temperatures and normally mild states could get snow and freezing temperatures. >> a memorial service will be held at the maryland mall where a gunman killed two workers. police learned more about the shooter who took his own life, but still don't have a motive for saturday's deadly attack. the mall where the shooting took place will reopen for business later this afternoon. >> a two month battle in texas over the life of a pregnant brain-dead mother came to an end. she was taken off a ventilator

sunday morning two days after a texas judge ordered the hospital to remove life support. >> taking a live look in you at a fiery wreck in fall river, massachusetts where a tanker truck has crashed and overturned. those are the headlines. "consider this" is up next. >> an american sailor among dozens suing because of terrifying effects they blame on the fukushima meltdown. why can't u.s. military win wars outright? >> an endangered species. here's more on what's ahead: >> >> i don't understand, a ship inside of a carrier into a nuclear plume and expect there