♪ . >> this is al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm stephanie sigh with a look at today's top stories. president obama just hours from laying out his vision for the country, in his state of the union speech. and he may be by passing congress to push his agenda. what we already know the president will use his executive power to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors. and that is already drawing criticism. the cheating scandal there the air forces nuclear missle launch is growing. nearly twice as many people now implicated. and a storm that's threatening

to bring storm, ice, and sub zero temperatures to the south where people are not used to those conditions, nationwide thousands of flights are already canceled. in a matter of hours president barack obama will deliver his fifth state of the union address. and he has been to the address facing some of the lowest approval ratings he has ever seen. 46% disapprove of his work, that's according to a washington post poll. so with those numbers the president has some convincing to do. libby casey is on capitol him, libby, what can we expect to hear? >> we will hear him talk about things he cares about, including income and equality. minimum wage as you mentioned one issue that falls under that. he will also talk about immigration reform, and don't

be surprise if he does bring up the affordable care act, he has center stages the national attention, it is an opportunity for him to sell the american public owhat has been a rookie roll out. these last few months and he will touch on a range of other issues including foreign policies, the war in afghanistan, it is a chance for the president to try to gain some energy and some momentum, heading into what's really a crucial year. this is a year when he can make some ground before the midterm elections after that believe it or not, we start turning our attention to the 2016 presidential race. so it is an important time for the president. >> libby, the president hasn't even spoke yet, and he is already getting push back. from republicans. >> absolutely. well, this started even a few days ago. with rhetoric talking about tonight, and what we expect president obama to say. speaker john boehner spoke to reporters and he pushed back specifically on this minimum wage raise for federal contractors. here is what the speaker had to say.

this effects not one can't contract. it only effects future contracts with the federal government. so i think the question is how many people will which actually help? i suspect the answer somewhere close to zero. >> now the white house says it is not only about the federal contractors but about gaining momentum, and they hope that congressional support for raising the minimum wage, something the president talked about in his speech last year, that hasn't gone anywhere on the federal level. >> well, libby, another thing that happens is that guest are invited by congress and the white house, can you tell us more about this year's state of the union guests in. >> we talked yesterday about some of the president's guest, but we are also hearing now of members of congress and who they are choosing to invite. he is the american who is

being detained in north korea. he was arrested back in november, while giving a tour. the north koreans accused him of activity and sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor. his mother and sister will be in attendance tonight. and then the first lady will have special guests in her box, they include survivors of the boston marathon bombing. jeff bowman who lost both of his legs but was able to help authorities identify the perpetrators and also carlos her plan doe who helped jeff bowman in the aftermath. the two of them became a symbol of survival. we will also see jason colins nba player, the first one to come out as openly gay. so way will be watching the president tonight and the reaction, and jeff else in attendance, but also for those special guests. >> and some clear political statements there, all right, libby casey joining us, thank you. the president layed out some big plans in his last state of the union.

jonathan best here with a look at how far those went. >> yes, some describe 2013 as a year of disappointment, but it did not start that way. including overhauling immigration, here is what he said. >> the time has come, to pass comprehensive immigration reform. now is the time to do it. now is the time to get it done. >> well, it didn't get done. the senate did pass a bill, but reforms to create a path way to citizen ship stalled. there is hope it may happen this year. and then there's the economy. >> a growing economy, that creates good middle class jobs, that must be the north star that guides our efforts. >> and ink deed, the economy has been growing. the unemployment rate fell last year, yet, income inequality remains at it's widest in generations and other ideas like raising the minimum wage, also stalled. but there were some successing. >> so tonight i am announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing homes where businesses will partner

with the department of defense, and energy to turn regions left behind, into global centers of hi-tech jobs. >> it took a year, but that promise was kept just in time. the president announced the first of those manufacturing hubs in north carolina, this month, is to help struggling towns that have seen jobbed go overseas. the president also announced a few weeks ago, five promise zones across the country, where federal agencies will focus to create jobs and improve schools. now, another big push last year, was gun control. >> overwhelming majorities of americans, americans who believe in the second amendment. have come together around common sense reform. like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun. >> that was two months after the sandy hook school shooting it seemed to be the year for gun control, but the idea is like expanding background checks and banning assault weapons failed. congress did not pass any sweeping gun laws.

>> the leaders of iran must recognize now is the time for a diplomatic solution, we will co do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon with. >> meanwhile, there is a lot of movement on iran. it agrees to scale down it's nuclear program, it is a her testic first step. in other issues like gay marriage, only got a passing mention, and it too turned out to be a big victory, overall, though, even the white house admits progress last year, on a lot of it's ideas was certainly modest. >> jonathan, in last year's state of the union, president obama also said america's war in afghanistan would end in 2013. but more than 12 years after the sent 11th attacks, prompted the u.s. led invasion, there is on going violence and questions about the future of the presence there. paul brings us up to date. >> by the end of next year, our war in afghanistan will be over. that was last year, meanwhile

in afghanistan, the war ground on with the afghan people increasingly caught in the cross fire. there were about 60ty 8,000 troops now there are about 36,000. the combat mix ends but they haven't decided what size force if any may remain. afghan president has refused to sign a security deal. former u.s. ambassador to iraq, says that the u.s. can't just up and leave. to some extent we are there because we have soldiers that gave their lives and to just turn our backs is to turn our backs on the accomplishments. >> that is not how he sees it, a marine that serves two tours and was wounded when an i.u.d. hit his vehicle, he saids the time for the troops to come home. >> it is the right thing to

do, and for us to lose any more people, that would be more of adipis service to them. recent polls have shown that fewer americans support the war, most say it wasn't worth fighting but ambassador hill says the president won't be looking to the polls for guidance. >> i think the president is weighed by this kind of issue. i don't think he wants to look at history books and state the decline by the time of these years. >> the motion that afghanistan is where empire goss to die, he doesn't want to see that on his watch. >> that's very true. but at the same time, these are tough issues. >> tough issued made even more difficult by a taliban energized by the prospect of a withdrawal, as well as the recent resurgence in iraq, raising questions about whether the u.s. left there too soon. but one thing is certain, the

u.s. is looking for the exits from afghanistan. al jazeera. >> al jazeera america will have full coverage of the state of the young i don't know, it begins tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern. syrian peace talks broke up early today. the talks are at an impasse. while thousands in the city of hopes await food, and medical supplies. our knicks is in geneva, nick, good evening why was the session called off today? >> well, stephanie, we knew these talks would be difficult and tense. and we are holding this morning is the most tense of all the sessions they have had. so the u.n. special envoy who is the mediator, he looked at both sides and said look, you are way too hot, we need to take the afternoon offer. he has talked peace in iran,

in lebanon, in afghanistan, and he spoke to the press a few hours ago, and he urged us all to be patient, he said look, the goal here is very simple, we need to keep them from walking away. >> we have not achieved any break through. but we are still at it. and this is good enough as far as i'm concerned. >> and he has kept both sides a t the table, and he says that both sides will be at his negotiating table tomorrow morning. >> so the transitional government remain as sticking point, but any movement at all on the humanitarian aid for homes? >> sadly, stephanie, absolutely none. and rightly point out that holmes is the place that needs it the most. i have been talking to residents inside holmes for the last few days and they say for the last eight or nine months they have had no fresh food, no water, and no medicine.

it is a place that needs desperate help. in part because of the impasse here, the government doesn't want to take about the humanitarian access, and it's representatives here,n't ways instead to talk about the fighting and what they say is terrorism, we heard a little while ago, the deputy foreign minister, and he said the problem was the opposition wasn't listening and that the u.s. was not only supporting the rebels inside, but funding them as well. we were again disappointed that a statement on behalf of the syrian delegation was prepaid, and read out during the morn session. suddenly, the other party said they don't agree with such a statement, and that they support the united states' steps to arm terrorists groups. and to provide them with all kinds of weapons. >> now, that statement that

united states arming the groups well let's just say that the u.s. has not taken that lightly, behind the scenes we have seen a lot of u.s. statements forwarded to all of us, journalists here, this afternoon, after fazele made that statement, eddie vazquez the state department spokesperson came out very strongly, and he said look, innocent women and children, and men are dying in syria on a daily basis from preventable diseases and malnutrition related causes. it is unconscionable that the regime would block the work that are ready and able to save those lives. the problem is they are not even agree hogen what to talk about, they are actually talking past each other. and meanwhile the fighting and dying continues. >> i understand the talks do continue tomorrow, with the latest from geneva, nick, thank you. a cheating scandal is

widening. the number of members involved with cheating on nuclear missle launch tests has roughly doubled from the 34 service members initially sited. the investigation is on going. people in the deep south are p somewhatting their sun screen for shovels today, an arctic blast is bring snowing, ice, and sub zero temperatures. louisiana and south carolina have declared states of emergency. live in new orleans, ben, how rare is it for this area to see this kind of weather? >> stephanie, you know, this is very rare, as a matter of fact, this is kind of the height of tourism season here in new orleans. you wouldn't think it by looking at the weather right now. it's been icing for the most part of the day. the problem is we have a lot of humidity still. it is a little bit different than up north, so we have this ice coming down and kind of

sticking to the ground, it is about 32-degrees in the city right now, so that's a big problem. but yeah, not something that happens down this far south that often. i can tell you that mayor mitch landrieu has said they expect this storm to be the worst in ten years and possibly even 25 years. >> ben, how is it effecting commuters? >> it is a real troubling situation, state officials are trying to get people to stay off the roads. that's a 24-mile bridge that connects the north and south shore from minderville and covington, down here to the city of new orleans. that's completely closed. a big problem, a lot of people work in new orleans, and they can't get home. so, again, state officials highway officials trying to get people to heed theiren wayings, stay home, stay at work if they can, but they expect this to last until thursday, until it falls out. >> i imagine people really

aren't using to driving in this type of weather down there. this is the second time the south has seen an arctic chill so far. are we seeing any problems due to this bizarre weather? >> you know, there are a lot of problems. it is a mild weather. a lot of people come down here to enjoy some lovely 60-degree weather, and certainly that is not happening. now we are looking at natural gas prices. so people are going to see a little hitting their walt et as a result of this. >> all right, ben reporting to us from a cold new orleans, thank you, ben. the impact of this storm stretches from texas to northern new jersey. dave. >> yeah, and it's a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain depending on where you are, and what the temperatures are like. ice accumulation, a big problem, can see a half inch of that in some areas where the temperatures are down below freezing, now, these are

the current temperatures at the surface. when you look at the atmosphere as a whole here, you have 40 degrees temperature at 1,500 feet, they are falling into air which is down below freezing, that is the big problem. you have snow melting, falling into that cold air. that's where you get that sleet or freezing rain. >> dave lauren, thank you. >> coming up on al jazeera america, a new kind of loan that lets you borrow through your employer. plus, your health insurance may help you buy googles latest gadget, and remember folk legend and activist pete seager. a key part of so many

protests. >> two years ago. it has momentum behind it, you

chances are you have heard of payday loans they are short term, high interest predatory loans and they come with high default rates and high fees. because so many people who need them have trouble paying them off in time. >> the payment is deducted from their paycheck, but they don't come without concern. >> last november, melissa jones a single mother of three boys moved her family from kentucky to tennessee to accept a job as an account manager at medical billing company patient focus. >> the move hit me financially at the wrong time of the year. and said there really wasn't a lot of time to save.

melissa learned her new employer offer add benefit called workplace loans. >> i borrowed $700 the took me six months to pay them back, and they took it out of my payroll every two weeks. >> hundreds of large and small employers like them mes a are offering workplace loans. industry workers say that can grow to more than 10 million. proponents say work force loans are proponents for low and middle american americans. more than 30% go outside the banking system for loans. >> it is individuals increasingly who are in the income ranges of $50,000 annual household income or above. >> here is how it works.

you fill out an application online, and share how long you have worked your salary and information about your credit history. lender verifies your employment, and checks your credit history to help determine how much you can afford to pay. loan sizes range from 150 to $10,000. most like melissa's are in the 7,000-dollar range, in payment terms are between four and 36 months. once the size and rate is determined you get the money, usually within a day or two of applying. repayment is set up with the human replace department. all of our loans are credit billing which means we report the positive repayment history to help repair and build the credit. >> critics say buyer beware, workplace loan carry an average rate between 36 and 165%. that's at least half the cost of those payday loansboroers can still get into financial trouble.

>> any time you are carries 100% interest rate annually, it very quickly become as burden that people just can't carry. that it gets you into a debt trap that you can't get out of. >> but most importantly to people like melissa the loan provided short term relief. while allowing her to keep her dig nitty intact. >> that needed to borrow money at a cash advance place, i didn't feel that way at all, and that meant a lot to me. >> it also meant a lot to her that her lender looked at her overall budget, and would not allow here to borrow $700. >> i am curious, why we don't ever hear of big main stream financial firms that do offer short term loans to people that need it. >> they don't go into these communities because loans are not profitable and they are under a lot of scrutiny.

so it is interest tock see these solutions emerge for low and middle class that don't fit into the main stream economy. >> yeah, another option perhaps. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> on wall street the big losing streak is over, the dough rallying after five straight days of declines the blue chips gaining 90 points. the s&p 500 also finishing higher. helping boost investor confidence today. consumer confidence a new survey finds consumer attitudes about the economy, are at the best levels since august. and opt mitch about conditions since months from now also higher. they are now offering prescription leneses for google glass, it will cost $220 more than the regular

version, which is priced at $1,500. google also made a deal with the nation's biggest opt 8:00 health provider to subsidized the frames and leneses. this is still the beta version, it is set to be released to the public later this year. >> let's bring in dan, he is the global business editor of the daily beast. it's always better for consumer confidence to be higher than low. >> sure. people feel better about things when people aren't threatening to blow up the economy. >> is that's a good sign. >> it's more a symptom of a fact we are getting steady job creation. but the consumer confidence

number is not a thing that should make you very excited about the stock market. >> it doesn't translate into consumer buying more? >> what people say they feel, and what they actually do can be two different things. what we need to look is a retail sales, home sales, those are all still coming in pretty good. >> let's talk about this news out of honda. they are more vehicles that are built from the united states, than cars out of japan, how big of a deal is that? >> i think it is a really big deal, and it shows our snapshots of how we think the global economy works. because many years ago it was all about japanese cars, built in japan, the imported here, and hurting the american economy. >> right. >> what has happened is over the last ten or 15 years honda and i do that, and bma, they had put a lot of industrial capacity in the southern u.s., and they are making millions of cars each year. they are making them to sell to american consumers, but

what they are discovering is we are very good at making cars here for a very cost effective price -- >> and certain types of cars. the kind of cars we drive, bigger cars stuff like that. >> sure. there's demand for those in places like mexico, and latin america, where economies are booming and it is easier to ship a vehicle from miami to columbia or costa rica, than it is from japan. >> i wayn't to get to this google glass prescription. which is a big insurance provider. that do you make of that? i will have to look and let you know. it is fascinating. prescription glasses are something that haven't been disrupted in ages. we keep inventing these new great medical technologies. whether it's mris or hip replacement, and they are very

expensive, so when they say we will start to cover that, and doctors start to prescribe them, it pushes up the cost, of insurance which is something we have a problem with with. >> you are predict we with may see rising premiums. the opposition, show nothing signs of waiverring. and after a two year excavation project, the remains of 55 boys found at a notorious reform school in florida, the finings of who those boys were and how they died.

the congress to hopefully shed line on immigration reform as a path to citizenship. for the center of american progress, he's in washington d.c. this morning. and good morning, mr. fietz. >> good morning, del.

>> are you confident that this year immigration reform passes and are you sure why it pass it's. >> i'm confident that the president will be talking about the importance of find of bipartisan agreement with this congress, and this is obviously the issue that seems more teed up to have the senate has passed a bill by a bipartisan super majority and now it's up to the house to pass it. and we know that the pass republican conference is meeting in a retreat this week, and one of the things they will be discussing is how to move forward on immigration reform. ♪ welcome back to al jazeera

america, here is a look at your top stories. the mediator at the syrian peace talks cut the session short today, because the syrian government is angry the u.s. is providing aid to the opposition. they want the u.s. to ensure that aid won't reach what it is called terrorist groups. this is the fifth day of negotiations. of whether the president will step down for a transitional government. the number of air force service members imcomplicated in a cheating scandal has nearly doubled. approximately 30 more airman have been implicated in an investigation into cheating on proficiency tests. no word if they participated in the cheating or were involved in some other way. southern states are experiencing another arctic blast today, the threat of snow and ice is stranding travelers across the country, nationwide nearly 3,000 flights have been canceled. tonight in prime time, president obama gives his fifth state of the union

address, he has spent the year trying to make good on. pros he made during his last state of the union. but it has been a struck tollgate those accomplishes. mike is at the white house for us. >> the white house hoped that the bright spots we see in the economy now will give the president abortion, as he embarked on this new theme. of course extending unemployment, raising the minimum wage, will be part and parcel of that immigration reform, expected to be a big part of this, there are signs now in the house of enter arives that republican leaders are expected to go forward at least in a piecemeal fashion. it is bound to be very controversial as well as tea party conservatives. there will be the laundry list at becket with the president presents tonight. there will be foreign policy, the hot spots will be touched upon. of course, syria, egypt, iran, we all know what is going on there, he will also likely talk about china and east asia. remember they want to have a

rebalance, and towards east asia, although that's not going quite as smoothly as they had hoped. overall, it is expected to be a wide speech, and the president walks into this now a lame duck, nervous democrats afraid they may lose the senate, come november in elections there, they have many democratic seats that are defending in red states won by mit romney. the house of represents expected to stay republican. so a number of political and policy cross currents as the president walked into the chamber this evening and it is bound to be a fascinating speech. >> speaker of the house says the plan may work, but raising the national wage would hurt low income workers in the long run. still it is unlikely the president will pack away from the issue. >> hi, stephanie, you know raising the minimum wage is a theme that is really percolated throughout the

obama years in the white house. let's go back to 2013, he proposed the idea of increasing the minimum wage for federal workers, remember, all the time hoping it would not cook to private employers too. to the $9 per hour. and he sited the extra $1.75 that people would get, as the difference in many cases between groceries or the food bank, or rent or evictions. pretty dramatic stuff, also last year, a group of democrat introduced the fair minimum wage act. and here it is, now this proposed raising the minimum wage to $10, and 10 cents behour. now of course in the event all of this went absolutely nowhere, because of the do nothing congress, in 20 think teen, we heard so much about, hate it passed the economists estimate that a full time minimum wage worker would see a bump in their annual pay from around $15,000, to $21,000. not a huge amount, but you know that is enough to lift a

family of three above the poverty line. not out of poverty completely, but above the line. now 28 million workers, might have seen their pay raised that according to the left of center economic policy institute. you know, pressure to increase the minimum wage is building outside washington, d.c. as well. and voters in c tack, which is tiny little place around the airport out in seattle washington state, they also voted to raise the minimum wage there to $15 an hour. and then on january 1st of this year, 12 other states and three waged the floor as well.

now that's interesting because their party line is that raising the minimum wage drives up business costs and therefore puts more workers on the dot, on the unemployment line. that minimum wage is not necessarily a living wage. for that, economists estimate you need to earn somewhere between 12, and $25 per hour. and that depends on how the city that you are located in. >> john, thank you for that. now joining me with more, political contributor michael sure. michael, good evening. >> nice to see you. >> is president obama's action he is taken action on minimum wage a shout across the bough to send a political message? >> in a sense it is, but i

think you can only look at that message so much. if you are not going to give me things that are essential both to my agenda and what they need and want, i am the president. i can use executive order, as i have shown you before, i can use a recess appointment to get around a congress that isn't on these issues. but you can only do so much. the president won't go crazy, certainly this president won't either, and go through a laundry list, like mike was alluding to of executive orders. he is going to set congress with things he wanted them to do. if you aren't going to do them in important ways. >> the recess appointments are the subject of a supreme court case, and conservatives say the president is overstepping his bounds. is he? and is this going to further impede his ability to work with with congress on bigger issues? >> i actually don't think there's any way in the world to have his ability to work with with congress impeded any more than it is. so i think it is a no lose situation for the president.

the other side of every recess appointment of every executive order is always fed up with it, we will take it to court, we will stop it. it rarely if ever works and it also doesn't gain any traction with with the american people with the voters. people get upset with and it then it fades because then you have another president and congress deals with the same things. the labor groups must be feeling excited, will we see p.m. make more of these moves and how strategic this? given that midterm elections are coming up. yeah, stephanie you hit on something, if you talk about the strategy here, and the midterm elections this is essentially the kick off to election season, and the president is kicking off. and i think what he is doing is putting republicans in congress on the defense, he is going to put them on the defense for that piecemeal legislation they want in immigration, he may even

demand one single bill rather than a series of bills. you butt people on the defensive or you defend yourself, like he is going to defend obama-care today. he is going to defend immigration reform, you put president on the defense, he can mount a pretty rigorous defense, and that's what he is going to do. get back to what you are saying how important is it. he sees the democrat in trouble, he knows that winning the how is a long shot, what he is doing is arming them with as much as he can tonight, so when they go out into their districts and he goes out, he will have a lot to talk about. >> al jazeera america's political contributor michael sure, i am sure we will be seeing more of you, al jazeera america will have full coverage of the state of the union. it begins tonight at can p.m. eastern. for more than a century, a florida reform school was plagued by allegations of brutality and child abuse.

noriegaers have found the remains of 55 people buried on the campus. $trying to figure out who they were and how they died. when the school closed in 2011, the state put the property up for sale. about their long deceased loved one. >> absolutely. >> for 73 years they have wondered exactly how her brother died and where he was buried. in 1940 at the age of 14, her brother george ran out to fulfill his dreams to perform at the grand ole oprey, instead he ended up here. in the florida panhandle town. a year later the reform school sent a letter says his body was found under a house. the witness at the time told her family, her brother may have been shot. >> my brother was running across the pasture, and there was three of the deputies from the school shooting at him.

so you have to jaw your on conclusion. >> they are one of 11 families looking for answers. for the last two years a team of arc i don't thinks from is university of south florida have been excavating the campus, using ground penetrating radar and canine jobs they found the remains of 55 people in individual graves scatters around the grounds. 24 of those bodies had never been documented in school records. >> this project has always been about fulfilling a fundamental human right, for families who like all of us have a right to know what happened to their loved ones and are entitled to bury their relatives in a manner which they deem proper. >> no criminal investigation is planned, but investigators with the local sheriffs department are asking for the public's help. they released the names of four boy whose died between 1914, and 1952, they are hoping their surviving relatives will come forward and offer dna evidence so they

can try to identify the remains. they are also using artifacts found in the graves such as a marble in a boys pocket, shirt buttons or a belt buckle to help narrow the date of their deaths. researchers admit they have unearthed many questions they can't answer, such as who, when, and how the boys died. these questions are as important to adding to the historical record in florida as they are to bringing peace to families who want these boys to have a final resting place, they choose. it would be the answer to many long years of hopes. >> if they match the remains discovered, she hopes to bury her brother george next to his mother and father. >> an analysis is underway. the team will return to the school to continue looking for additional bodies. al jazeera, tampa. >> vice president joe biden is urging the president of ukraine to find a compromise to the growing crisis in the country.

over the last two months there have been massive protests against the government, parliament repeals unpopular anti-protest laws today, and the country's prime minister resigned, but the opposition says that's not enough. they are urging demonstrators to stand firm. our jennifer glass has been covering this, good evening, so the protestors are going anywhere? >> they are not, they are near the the square behind me, on the next block, and it is very very cold here as it has been for most of the two months that they have been demonstrating, while they have seen progress, the vice president biden congratulated the president on the progress today that saw the repeal of unpopular laws that criminalized many aspects of freedom of speech. vice police department buyen asked the president to sign those laws.

they want to see concrete action, not just repealing something they didn't like, they want to see anybody who has been arrested or detained because of demonstrating freed immediately. they have accepted their resignation, that means that a new government needs to be formed. they have asked the prime minister to stay on, people will be watching closely to see who has chosen in that inner circle, but mainly they would like to see the president go. whether he resigned immediately, or calls early elections this year, ethey are of those things would satisfy the opposition, but we aren't seeing any indications that they have any indication -- has any plans on doing that. >> meanwhile, everyper, we understand that the president is meeting with the european union today. any signs that ukraine will strengthen ties?

>> well, stephanie, that is something that vice president biden urged. we do have the european vice if the here tomorrow meeting with the president, and it was this that started it all. the president was supposed to sign a trade agreement with injury in november. when he failed to do so, people kate out ton the streets. people think that trade union will help bring out more european laws will help them come to prosperity here, corruption is a big problem here. and they are hoping that a closer ties with europe will offer them more opportunities. and perhaps strengthen their economy. and so that's what many of these demonstrators want. but now it is about much more, it is about freedom, and the democracy here, the strength of the democracy, and the continuation of the democracy

here. >> jennifer glass reporting, where protests continue, thank you. outed egyptian president was back in court today, morsy is accused of being a part of a mass jailbreak during the 2011 uprising. more than 20,000 inmates escaped. a defiant morsy protested being placed in a metal cage. his case has been postponed until next month to allow lawyers time to prepare their cases. in other news, police have a suspect in custody after a school shooting in hawaii. maria ins in is here with that, and other headlines around the country, good evening. >> thank you so much. in hawaii a police officer shot a 17-year-old run away in the wrist, after shots were heard this morning and a high school was put on lock down. no other students were hurt at roosevelt high school. police have release nod additional information on what happened. police are searching for a

shooter who sprayed a church playground with gunfire. one child is in critical condition, and four others were treated and released from the hospital after the shooting. also a san francisco firefighter is suing alleging that she was falsely identified to the media as the person responsibility for killing a 16-year-old airline crash survivor in july. elise accused the fire department of discriminating against her, because she is african-american and a lesbian. it shows her rig was the second to roll over. and in colorado a denver court has sentenced two cantaloupe farmers to six months home detention. the farmers were tied to a 2011 tis tier yeah outbreak that started with melons grown on their farms. that outbreak caused 33 deaths and sickened dozens of people across 28 states. the farmers have also been ordered to pay $150,000 each to the families of the victims. and the reputed boss of the

philadelphia mob walked free today, joseph beat two racketeering trials his indictment detailed loan slackerring and gambling operations. he spent 2 1/2 years in prison, the justice department decided not to take him to trial a third time. thank you so much. well, rolling stone mag gene is famous for its photos but check out the latest cover. it features a smiling pope francis. last month, the pope appeared on the cover of time magazine,s it's man of the year. coming up, we will take you to media day, hear from the seattle sea hawks who spark add nationwide debate. and remembering pete seager the folk icon who has been a key figure through every american protest movement since the 1940's.

♪ we shall overcome . ♪ some day we shall overcome. that is one of the most iconic tunes from american folk singer. he has died at the age of 94. family members say seager died in his police at new york's presbyterian hospital. he has been a central figure since the 1940's. seager sang for civil rights and in opposition to the vietnam war. he testified in front of congress, on suspicious of communism, and walke walked with protestors as part of the accompanied picture wall street movement. earlier i spoke to ray swarez the host of inside story, he talked about how the death of

pete seager changes the worlds of both music and public dissent. >> he was deeply emmersed in all the challenges of his times. and i say times because he started performing at a time when people were fighting for the right to uninice in the late 30's, when beam in the united states were worried about the rise of franco's dictatorship, just before the beginning of world war ii, and he ended his active concert career at a time when we were sending spaceships around the earth, and routinely bringing them back with with their cruel board was music as an instrument of social change something that helped them usher in. we see that a lot today? >> he harkened back to that idea. that any time people raise their voice in song, they became musicians.

he saw that everywhere he went in the world. whether it was workers in russia. the first time i heard south africa worker songs is when pete sang them in concert in the 70's, when americans were first started to pay attention to the scorch of apartheid. so he had a broad global vision, he listened to what people sang, and what they liked to sing, and then brought it to the next place he went. >> what drove pete seager? >> in the brief time i got to spend with him, one on one, i came away both times impressed with a man who was both passionate, and energetic. but also, at peace, with himself, and the world, a gentle soul, a person with a great sense of humor, and a tremendous memory. one of the things you would always hear him say, both on stage and in more intimate

moments is how things you would have a conversation and he would say well that reminds me of a song, and he would talk about a song that people sing in one place or another in the world. >> ray swarez will have more at the top of the next hour. an estimated 100 million people worldwide will watch sunday's super bowl. before the seattle sea lucks battle it out for the nfl title they took on the media, michael eaves is here with the latest on media day. >> yeah, the two biggest events the game and media day. now, it is called media day, but it is applied very losely. as nfl admits more than just traditional sports writers to the event. seemingly there's no limit to what you may see from models as a result, the legal issue as record 6,329 credentials for this year as event, as far as legitimate questions were concerned the two biggest attractions were seattle seahawks talking about the fall out from his post game

interview, and payton manning discussing his potential legacy as the greatest of all time. >> last week hasn't been too tough with people trying to discectomy life, because i don't have anything to hide. i don't have any bad things in my past, that i'm like oh man, they are going to find that out. iniomi live my life, and try to be a good human being, and try to help as many people as i can. the more people see that, i think the less they will judge off the 20 seconds of rant. very humbling to be compared to mo hamed ali because of all the serious ridicule he went through, the serious racial degradation, the stereotypes he had to fight against, he had to stand his ground, and almost go to jail. so i think his situation was a lot more grave and serious than my situation is now, obviously. and he had to deal with a lot

more scrutiny, and just headache, and criticism. but it's a blessing because he is one of my biggest idols and a person that i look up. >> i have been being of course asked about my legacy since i was 25, which i'm not sure you can have a legacy when you are 25, or even 37, i thought you had to be like 70 to have a legacy. >> both guys very entertaining as well, of course the game is coming up on sunday. >> sherman has a lot to say. he got a big applause. >> last night. >> michael thanks a lot. a look at the day's top stories when we return, on al jazeera, america. there's more to finical news than the ups and downs of the dow. for instance, can fracking change what you pay for water each month? have you thought about how climate change can effect your grocery bill? could rare minerals in china effect your cell phone bill? or, how a hospital in texas

could drive up your health care premium. i'll make the connections from the news to your money real.

the state of the union on al jazeera america. join us for complete coverage of the issues facing all of us from health care and immigration to the economy an national security. we're talking with those affected most. understanding where we are, taking a critical look where we're going. >> there is much progress to report. >> immediately after stay with us as we get your reactions live from around the country and across the globe. don't miss special state of the union coverage as only al jazeera america can deliver. right here on al jazeera america. >> this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. w a look at today's top stories. in hawaii a police shot a sen teen-year-old run away in the wrist, after shots were heard this morning and a high school was put on lock down.

no other students were hurt at roosevelt high school, police have release nod additional information on what happened. president obama heads into his fifth state of the union address with a low job approval rating. the president's speech is expected to focus on education, healthcare, immigration, and the economy. al jazeera america will have full coverage it begins tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. eastern. vice president joe biden is urging the president of ukraine to find a compromise to the growing crisis in that country. he need add second phone call to the ukrainian president, he is giving into some of the demands this morning parliament repealed those unpopular anti-protest laws and the country's prime minister resigned. a deadlock in geneva concerning syria's peace talks. the afternoon session was called off. the sticking point remain whose will make up a possible transitional government. meetings resume tomorrow. and the dangerous cold that's gripping much of the u.s. is spreading a number of states in the midwest are already

dealing with sub zero temperatures. this arctic blast is now moving south to tradition nally warmer states like texas, louisiana, and florida, all of which could see snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. the severe weather may cause widespread travel delay those resident the headlines. >> pollution, racism, the struggles for an union. the lives of poor people. pete seger sang about all that and more and believed deeply in the pow of art to change the world. seger's work and whether that spirit survived today is the "inside story."