>> we'll wait for that. malcolm gladwell, thank you for joining us and thank you for joining us on

>> a system ran through hire. they upped their snowplows to 40 and spreaders to 30. maybe they'll look to do a better job the next time around so that atlanta, one of the biggest cities in america, does not go into a complete paralyzed

mode. >> but here's the thing, robert, you're there now. i spent a number of years in atlanta, you can get a heavy thunder and rain event in atlanta, and it can shut down the city. officials had to know with this forecast that an inch or two of snow in atlanta would be more than enough to shut down the city. >> exactly. exactly. and it's topography should say it all. that really is it. the hills, if people are not familiar with the atlanta area, it's rolling hills beginning with the appalachians in this part of the country. you just can't around with snow and ice, especially ice, one to three inches in spots on some of the enter state interstates lasd into the morning, which is what caused my situation here this morning. so yeah, i think that perhaps government officials need to take a good hard look in the mirror and start making--

>> that's the deal. let's call some names. the governor is nathan deal and kasine reed. >> both of those gentlemen made the point this is not our decision. this is up to the schools. yet fulton county in atlanta and stretched up to where i am in alpharetta, that's fulton county. you would think that they would have a meeting and they had no snow, but they prepared. they were ready. just in case. so lessons learned here in atlanta, and i can tell you right now the folks we talked to last night and today don't want this to ever happen again. >> that's a mess. robert ray for us. robert, thank you. >> i spoke with andre lindy a

work in atlanta who was stranded for 24 hours before making it home an hour ago. >> i left atlanta 2:00 yesterday. sat in an intersection fo goingn i-20 west there were trucks skidding down the ramp, and they couldn't get it moved until this morning at 8:00. >> so take me through the range of emotions, andre, as you're trying to make your way home for 25 hours. >> well, where are the people that they promised? the mayor consistently talked, he had all these people who are coming out, but there was nobody. some civilian people, there was

no help. >> could you believe this? could you believe this was happening to you in a major u.s. city? >> no, i couldn't. >> okay, we'll get the latest on the storm, the forecast to the south and we'll check in with dave warren. >> we're still looking at this front that came through is off the coast now but it stalled out right over the southeast. so we still have winter weather, ice coming down. not over atlanta but farther south. high pressure keeping that cold air in place, but this is where the front has stalled out. over the cold that is the rain falling into the air below freezing, so this is the mixed area. look how it slowly works its way south an then it stops and fills in, and works its way back north just a little bit. an area of low pressure moving

along keeping this moisture in place, keeping that rain, snow and ice continuing to fall there across the southeast. the rain will move through florida, just off the coast. still some moisture coming down. maybe some nicks coming down south carolina, and it continues to push off the coast through the evening. the temperatures in the evening anything that is melted could easily refreeze as it drops down overnight. here are the numbers that we're looking for. it's not until tomorrow afternoon. temperatures climbing in the 40's, and they stay in the freezing mark until thursday night and friday. >> thank you. i got to tell you people have been turning to social media to get help during the storm. maria has more on that for us. >> reporter: tony, snowed out atlanta is a facebook page where thousands of people have been

posting where they need help, where they've been stranded. matthew posted this picture. his pickup truck got pinned between these two trucks, but he's okay. people have been posting images overnight. this one says please people help me find my mom. she was on 400 trying to get 285 west. if you see her. she has no food. her cell phone battery is dead. this was posted two hours ago, tony. folks have been out there handing out food and water. this is the national guard as well as just regular folks going out. gene says we walked two miles along i-75 to pass out snacks. and angela went out earlier to hand out supplies. take a listen. >> all right, this is highway 92. we're handing out water and food. there are tons of people that

need water and food. if you can go out there help somebody. >> and tony, take a look at this map. 511 ga.org . you've got the worst right here in the atlanta area. you've got some areas that say icy lanes, all lanes blocked, icy conditions reported. you've got areas on the eastern part of gentleman. georgia. >> what is that, the major inter states. >> exactly. 78. >> yeah, yeah, yeah you would imagine people--i wish i had a better sense if there are people still stuck. i heard something earlier that there were still plenty of people who were still trying to get home trying to make their way home even 24, 26 hours later. >> there are a lot of cars there on the road.

>> babieabandoned in many casesn out of gas and they left the cars. >> yes. >> thank you. >> a small sign of progress in the syrian peace talks today. the government opposition leaders have agreed to use a document that lays out a possible political transition as the basis for negotiations. nick schifrin is in geneva for us. nick, this sounds significant. walk us through this. >> well, this is i would say a small step toward the two sides actually reading from the same page, tony. what we've got is something called the geneva ii communique. they talked about the political transition and a few other steps. the syrian government even though they're here and technically they agree to the document never officially and publicly endorsed it until today. that's a good sign. however, they said they want to walk through this document step

by step. they want to walk through it from the beginning. and to stop the violence inside of syria, and to stop the terrorism. that violence and terrorism is not going to stop any time soon. the opposition is saying this is not a real offer. we heard from louy the spokesman for the opposition just a few hours ago, and he said the government was being two-faced. >> the problem, of course, with us is that the regime said one thing, and does something else. today the regime has bombarded the city o using barrels, 20 of them were dropped on populated area. we believe this is count productive. anyone who would like to start political process for reconciliation and for change should stop killing the citizens of syria.

>> and so the violence inside syria continues. the conflict here in geneva continues, and the man in the middle, the u.n. special envoy to syria said everybody, relax. calm down. this is going to take a long time. the ice is beginning to thaw, but the ice is really thick. >> the two parties seem to be willing to stay on and to talk, but the gap between them. >> so bra h there are talks that they're committed to in be ten days. >> president obama is on the road today drumming up support for goals outlined in his state of the address.

he made stops in maryland as he promised last night. he said he'll take action this year with or without congress. >> the u.s. steel has not stood still. i'm not going to stand still. wherever i can take steps to expand opportunities for more families regardless of what congress does, that's what i'm going to do. >> thiwe will restore opportuniy for everyone who is willing to work hard and take responsibility in this country. that's what i'm willing to do. >> bisi onile-ere joins us in pennsylvania. bisi, the president mentioned a

new retirement plan. can you tell us more about that? >> reporter: yes, that's right. the president did talk about my ra. it's set up to encourage more americans to set up their reti retirement. it's set up more for those who are working but don't have retirement with their employer. the president had more details, take a listen. >> we're calling it my ra. not ira but my ra. it's a new type of savings bond that we can set up without legislation that encourages americans to begin to build a nest egg, and it's simple. >> and mentioned from the sounds of it, it's really trying to encourage, the my ra is trying to encourage people to save

more. the president made it very clear that the focus is heavily on expanding the economy for the middle class. >> all right, bisi onile-ere for us in west mifflin, pennsylvania. a rough day for the dow. the dow falling triple digits down 189 points on news from the fed. and an inside look at the effects of the income gap. we'll go to new york city's chinatown where many immigrants are forced to collect bottles and cans to make ends meet.

>> we'll probably see some stabilization. >> let's jump on the facebook story. the breaking news is that, boy, the prophets for facebook soaring, soaring revenues that we're talking about in the fourth quarter, talk to us about the facebook story. >> i don't know all the numbers, but what's going on with facebook is some people said it has had a terrific run in the stock price basically since july, could this be overplayed, you hear these reports that teenagers are losing interest in facebook. facebook is not that cool any

more, yet look at what is happening, the revenue is going up, and the profits are going up, and facebook is doing something that most tech companies are not able to do, which is make a lot of money on mobile devices. that's a nut that most companies know they have to crack. facebook is doing it. let's say it does lose it's cool with teenagers a little bit, i think it's safe to say that is happening, who has the money to spend in this economy? everybody wants teenagers because they represent future buyers, but guess who has the money, older consumers. facebook may be playing down the age of their average user is going up, but that's who has the money. that's turning out not to be such a bad thing for facebook. >> rick newman, senior writer for yahoo finance. good to talk to you. >> thank you. >> this programming note, ali velshi will have a report on the middle class all next week. you'll see rebuilding the dream

right here on a al jazeera america. president obama has called income inequality one of the defining issues of our time. it is a drama that had a is playing out on the streets of the nation's largest cities. new york city's manhattan bureau has the third highest income inequality in the entire country, and people are doing whatever they can to survive. we have more. >> the face of the income gap. spending hours a day collecting bottles and cans. >> i don't even want to, but it's a way to make money. >> 1,000 cans, $50 a day. new york state and others state have deposit laws to discourage

people from throwing bottles and cans in the track. but the deposit laws stayed on the books. the fact that he can redeem cans for cash help to keep him and his wife alive. simon shou said it's a growing trend among the elderly in chinatown. >> immigrants who came years ago who are unskilled and don't speak english are stuck in this trap where they have no other means of employment. chinatown is getting too expensive for chinese people to live in. >> reporter: it may be peculiar to chinatown but it happens all over the city. >> too many pemployed and too many people collecting bottles. >> it's a bigger problem when machines break down and collectors are forced to store what they salvaged. manhattan ranks the third highest in income inequality in the country. almost 15% in new york city live below the poverty line.

collecting cans ted makes $12 a day in the summer, $10 in the winter. it's not just about beer bottles. it's about carrot sticks and celery. it's about the fight for pennies. on any given day 40 people show up at the hong kong supermarket to buy day-old produce at a discount price. >> a dollar for a bag of cans. >> 1,046 pieces. a day's work that gets you $52 and $0.30. al jazeera new york. >> and coming up on al jazeera america, a man who raises money for al-qaeda, expanding his operation and new information about al suri and now he's now

recruiting operatives in syria today. and dogs as detectives. how these pooches are used to sniff out high dollar items like elephant ivory. 12 musicians have been inducted in the hall of fame. including peter frampton, and this guy, legendary blues man.

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 south paralyzed by snow. helicopters searching for stranded drivers as teams of police and national guard troops trying to get children who are

stranded at school home. authorities still working on getting water, food, gas blankets stuck in their cars. six people have died in traffic accidents. a west virginia state officials can guarantee some residents are breathing in the carcinogens after the chemical spill. ththe the chemical that leaked into the water can break down into formaldehyde. res per store cancer is the biggest risk. >> the syrian talks in geneva retired. he has been wanted by the u.s. government for years. now officials in washington are renewing their calls for the public to help capture the

al-qaeda financier al-suri. roslind is here with more. what happened is al-suri that has made the government died to publicly revisit his case. >> it's not just that al-suri has been operating out of iran for some years, but he has expanded into the syrian civil war. >> reporter: this is al-suri. he has been wanted by washington for financing.

now he's bringing operations to his home. >> he's responsible for overseeing al-qaeda experience organizing and maining routes by which new recruits can travel to syria through turkey assisting operatives to the west. >> alexandrial-suri has been wot of iran with that government's consent. washington officials could not explain why iran would harbor an operative for al-qaeda, but it would not be the first time. at least six suspected al-qaeda operatives have been in iran since september 11, 2001. it put al-suri on its terrorist

list and offered a reward up to $10 million for his capture. iranian officials then arrested al-suri but now he's back out on the street, and more active than ever. all the more reason to highlight his case. >> he's an al-qaeda operative, we know that he's moving money and extremists for al-qaeda element there is. >> at capturing al-suri would effect al-qaeda but would not stop al-qaeda. >> they say that because of the extent of his operations, an operation they've been trying to bring down for years they say it's not too far up the mark to suggest that al-suri has blood on his hands.

>> roslind jordan live for us from washington, thank you. the nation's top official wants edward snowdon to return the rest of the documents he took before fleeing the country. james clapper said that snowdon has caused profound damage. snowesnowdon took thousands of documents. the new program bill is a compromise since republican voted to trim $40 billion from the program. the bill removes $5 billion in so-called direct payments to farmers whether they plant a crop or not. food stamps help nearly 50 million americans. the president vowed to reject any bill cutting the program, but this compromise is expected

to pass through the senate and become law after next week. ukraine's parliament has voted to try to end two months of mass protests. demonstrators will be cleared of any crime if they clear public areas within the next 15 days. thousands have taken the streets of kiev calling for a change in government. and bring us the latest on this law. >> this isn't the deal that the opposition wanted. they get to keep the demonstration o on the square behind me. until they clear buildings, protesters will remain in jail. the opposition leaders have just. [ coughing ] >> have just left parliament. we're coming to--i'm sorry,

they're coming to consult with people in the square. >> jennifer, don't worry about it. take your time, if you can't go on, let me know. i'm going through the same issues here in the studio. are you okay? do you need a second? we can move on and come back. >> are you better now? >> i'm fine. [ coughing ] i apologize, i'm fine. >> why don't we do this. let's give a moment to clear you out. i'm going through the same thing here in new york city. let me just try this. and if it works if not we'll move on. better yet take a moment. we'll come back to you. jennifer glass in kiev. jennifer, appreciate it. thank you. the thai government said it will put 10,000 troops on the streets this sunday during a controversial parliament collection. protesters want the prime

minister to step down and protests have turned deadly in recent weeks. our al jazeera colleague peter greste went to court to appeal his detention. his appeal was denied. he and four other al jazeera staff members continue to be held without charges. they have been detained for a month. two other journalists from our arabic channels have been detained for almost a year. their family and fellow reporters have called for their release. >> for a great nation like egypt to treat people who are doing their jobs as journalists, which is an ethical decent job, for any country to treat journalists this way is a shame. >> a spokesman for al jazeera said that the journalists have

not been notified of their cas cases. they go on to note: >> david shuster can with a look of other stories around the nation. >> reporter: tony, we're going to start in minnesota. this has been something of a disappointing day for some victims of church. authorities at st. paul announced they will not charge church authorities curtis wayn waynemeyer pled guilty and is serving five years in prison. prosecutors said it was insufficient to charge those officials for not removing him

sooner. in new york, a young boy who apparently saved six relatives from fire was laid to rest. they prayed tribute to the nine-year-old. he woke up his family relstives when fire broke out in the family home. relatives were able to get out but the boy was trapped while trying to help a grandfather. a grandfather and great grandfather also died on the scene. they were buried together. ththe explorer of the sea as the ship is called is now known as the diarrhea and vomit on the high seas that affected the passengers and crew. this is a line picture of the ship. it's docked, and investigators

boarded the ship when it was in the virgin islands, and they have not been able to confirm what caused the outbreak. the cruise line said most of the guest who is are were on the ship, who are now departed, most of those guests are feeling better. in california police in santa ana say they've arrested a man in one of the creepier animal cruelty cases. the officers found snakes in the man's home. how many snakes, nearly 300. >> oh, comen. >> some of the 300 snakes were found alive slithering around the floor and in boxes. other snakes were dead. the police searched the house after neighbors complained about an unusual smell and stench. in washington, d.c. a congressman who threatened to break a reporter in half and throw him off the balcony has now jude. republican michael grimm was interviewed about the state of

the union. and at the end of the interview the congressman was asked about a campaign investigation regarding his finances. he first walked away and then came back and went nuts. >> i was wrong. it shouldn't have happened. i called him, he accepted my apology, and we put it behind us. >> the reporter said that the congressman first called him and personally apologized, and is, of course, representative grimm issuing a public apology. >> i want to hear it. >> watch.

>> you're not man enough. if you ever do that again to me i'll break new half and throw you off the balance con. that balcony is 30 feet. >> you can't do that. >> the reporter is taking the high road and the congressman is offering to take this reporter out to lunch. and if you're going to do this lunch, make sure that it's the restaurant ground floor. >> nice. >> not the balcony. >> nice, nice, i'll break you in half like a boy. >> like a boy. >> oh, boy. david, thank you. >> like a boy. >> i enjoyed that way too much. man's best friend has seen his or her role change to be sure. they are known for their good noses on law enforcement teams, more and more are sniffing for more than fugitive drugs or bombs, they're on the hunt for

high-dollar items like elephant ivory. we're introduced to these wildlife detecters. >> good, man. that's a good man. >> jammer has an exceptional sense of smell and will work hard for food. a couple of months ago he was in a shelter. now he's being trained to work with federal agents. >> we have the dogs employed to catch those people who are smuggling. >> this u.s. department of agriculture center atlanta was already training dogs to sniff out agriculture products. now they're teaching them to smell out high-price product. illegal trafficking in wildlife and both wild animals and parts is pushing some species near extinction. >> the demand for these dogs is

increase going wing. >> yes. >> he's looking for things that is smuggled into cargo areas. >> the dogs are stationed at international airports in the u.s. along with fedex and ups centers and a variety of ports around the country. agents say dogs help them search large numbers of parcels quickly. >> it's alarming the statistics that come out. if it's never been monitored before and you start monitoring it, you're getting a baseline of statistics that are really high. there are a lot of interceptions going on. >> the dogs are trained for 13 weeks. they go through extensive temperament and medical screenings, and they must stay in shape. while the work can be rigorous, there are real benefits for the dogs themselves. >> what did you find? >> 98% of our dogs probably come from shelters. it's an challenge life saving

moment for them. they come out of the shelter and they're willing to do anything for us as long as they have a great food drive. they actually love their jobs. >> helping to save time and the population of some species through their sense of smell. jonathan martin, al jazeera, georgia. >> and coming up next they have served their country and have been injured along the way, but these veterans have not lost their competitive spirit. we will talk to one of the wounded warriors taking part in a football game with former pros ahead of the super bowl. and we will take to you super bowl boulevard with john terret. this will be fun. complete with lombardy trophy, and that, the toboggan run.

>> no doubt about it, innovation changes

>> so we told you earlier about some new health concerns in west virginia after last month's chemical spill. state environmental officials say, quoting now, guarantee some residents are breathing formaldehyde when they shower. now that is a potentially cancer-causing agent. we just heard from west virginia american water. they say that official is being misleading and irresponsible because he doesn't have all the facts. they say procedures for water analysis are, quote, carefully prescribed and certified. the water company says it is working with official agencies and will make any health risks known to the public. j just over an hour from now a group of wounded warriors will gather together taking on a group of nfl players and first responders at a flag football game for charity. joining me now from west orange,

new jersey, captain of the wound wood war years amputee football team. are you ready for some football. >> yes, sir, i am, thanks for having me on. >> what a pleasure. i wish i could be there to watch the game. let's start here. tell me where you served, and how you were injured? >> i served with gulf company 22224 back in 2014. i was injured thanksgiving night, november 25, 2004. i was severely injured and two other marines were injured as well, and returned to duty. >> you're in new jersey to participate. >> well, it was absolutely my pleasure. >> so you're in new jersey to participate in the wounded warriors football game. >> yes. >> i got to ask you about the

program. how has the wounded warriors program helped you and veterans like you? >> this is put on by the amputee football team. this is a very small non-profit that started up not that long ago. chris visor with fox sports saw what softball was doing and decided to replicate it with football. we have double amputee, triple amputees, and i'm a single amputee. we grew up watching them saturdays and sundays, and we emulated them, now we're out here with them having a great time and living out a lifetime experience. >> are you going to be out there with some former nfl stars. >> yes, and rooney family

extended him an extra time so he could train and get ready and get back into the nfl game. he's--what a great inspire ration he is. and to hear his stories and how he recovered at a much different time in this country with veterans returning home. we're trying to make it better for this generation and generations to come. i wish i could say that we wouldn't have any more conflicts. >> that's not the world we live in. >> no. >> have a great time tonight. and score a couple of them, all right? >> i will, i'll do my best. thanks again, tony, really appreciate it. >> appreciate it. thank you. i'm just pumped up for that. that's fun. new jersey is hosting the big game, new york city is holding what may be the biggest super bowl related event. we have more on this. >> super bowl boulevard.

>> that's what they call it. you can to toboggan down broadw. it's going to be fun. we're trying to make this a national story, then we just can't be bothered. get over it, boston, los angeles, where else you are in the country, the nfl, the super bowl is coming to new york, and everybody here is loving it. >> reporter: aah broadway, the theaters, the stars names in lights, the make up. all that is giving away to a whiff of locker room and chea is being transformed into super bowl boulevard. >> super bowl xlv, right? >> no, 48.

>> and you can't even believe it. every window has a flag in it or poster and people are honking each other. strangers hugging in the streets, really, we haven't seen anything like it in a long time. >> reporter: security is tight, if you see something say something, but the fans are having a ball. these two make a 700-mile trip every week just to support the seseahawks back home. >> coming here is easier than driving 12 hours for every game. >> hey love new york, too. >> it's great. we don't know when this will ever happen again. it's great. everybody is having a good time. the streets are packed.

>> reporter: the big attraction is this, the one chance you'll probably ever get to toboggan down broadway. >> it was great. >> it was awesome. >> reporter: formerly when the nfl hits town for the super bowl this sort of shin dig goes on saturday to saturday. but this year it's from now until saturday. the game itself on sunday takes place in new jersey. new jersey is very keen to make that clear. if you're coming to town for the big game do stop by midtown for a few thrills and be prepared for long lines and a word or two from the locals who will want to engage in conversation about the game. [ yelling ] >> i did try to warn you.

[ laughing ] >> you were right at home, weren't. >> you well -- >> you enjoyed yourself. >> it's my kind of thing. they wouldn't let me go tobogganing, though. >> you were game? >> believe me, i'm game. you know that. there were so many paying customers. but good news, if you're coming to jersey for the super bowl, the game is-- >> sunday. >> it's on sunday. no snow. we were very concerned, very, very concerned that nfl had picked the only winter city without a roof. >> hello. >> so far it looks as if it's not going to snow, good news. >> thank you. a look at the day's top stories when we come back. this is al jazeera america.

primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> only on al jazeera america. real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> al jazeera america's top stories. good buy to yet's rally. the dow losing 189 points. worries about the health of the

emerging market, economies surging stocks down at the opening bell. snow and ice storm hit the ice really hard. children were forced to spend the night in schools when buss were not able to reach them. people attempted to get home in the middle of the storm. some people were stuck in their cars for over 14 hours. the governor has called in the national guard to assist. president obama is hitting several states selling his state of the union message. in mifflin, pennsylvania, a town that reinvented itself after an economy bust 30 years ago. he heads west tomorrow. they will use the 2012 geneva i document as a framework for negotiations. it outlines transitional government but the government is balking at calls

for president assad to step down. this round of talks is scheduled to end on friday. there is no date set yet for the second round of talks. those are the headlines. i'm tony harris in new york. "inside story" is next on al jazeera america. >> recreational use of marriage legal and production for recreational use. but authorities still consider both a crime. the careful walk through the new legal landscape is the new inside story.