you online at aljazeera.com/ajamstream. >> good evening everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. >> if i don't get home to my parents i'm going to like freak out! >> a frozen nightmare. students stranded at school. drivers on gridlock on highways after an ice storm paralyzes parts of the south. running dry, in california, weeks away from running out of water, steps taken to deal with the drought. human trade, the sex slavery and forced prostitution, we'll hear

from cindy mccain who is are raising awareness. also, smartphones can be password protected. why not guns? a million dollar offer to make guns safer. >> whose house? >> seahawk. >> and the super bowl open for business right in the middle of the big apple. >> we begin tonight in atlanta. this has been a long 24 hours for the people of that city because of ice and snow. but this story is not just about the weather. it's about how government reacted or failed to react to the storm. tonight there are tens of thousands of complaints. robert ray has been following this story and joins us tonight with more. robert. >> john, good evening. it is a very cold night here in atlanta. expected into the teens. any kind of tha thaw that occurd

here in the metro area is likely to go away as the ice will happen again overnight. now people in the atlanta met pro area are convinced that they never want to be in gridlock traffic like they were the past 24 hours and they never want to see their kids sleeping in buses and in schools ever again. atlanta, paralyzed by only a few inches of snow that turned quickly into dangerous ice. >> all the ice on the road people were trying to drive up and down the roads still and they just couldn't make it. tires were losing traction and everybody hit each other. >> over a million commuters and schoolchildren trying to go home nearly simultaneously, tuesday as the storm bore down. the result a colossal region-wide traffic jam. many people driving if you can call it that for over 16 hours marking their progress in inches. some stranded overnight. forced to leave their vehicles and walk to makeshift shelters

in freezing temperatures. some others, sleeping in store aisles and in restaurants. >> if we had not had everyone exiting at the same time, and going en route to pick up their children, then i don't believe we would have had the kind of gridlock that has resulted. >> on wednesday the state's top leaders faced questions over whether their decisions to send workers home early and when to let schools out brought metro atlanta oa standstill. >> what could we have done to avoided that? we can't control mother nature. just as we could not make better predictions, neither could school superintendents. that's why the schoolchildren were in the situation they were in. >> governor nathan deal also said more students spent the night in their schools because buses like this idle on many of the roads couldn't move because of the hills and the ice.

students, teachers and principals tried to make the best of it. >> we have kids that have never been away from home overnight. so our younger kids our five-year-olds we gave them the opportunity to call their parents, last night and this morning, so that called their fears. >> atlanta, the busiest airport in the world is now facing the consequences of not being prepared with snow and ice that had been forecast well in advance. >> i have lived on this street all my life and i have never ever seen anything like this. >> the city is shut down, schools are closed again and residents are looking for a way to put the blame on someone. 10,000 school kids in the metro atlanta area spent tuesday night in the school bunkering down waiting for their parents, or waiting for a ride home. also some other numbers. nearly 300 kids spent the night on school buses, that is sleeping on school buses.

so lots of questions, looking for answers here, in atlanta, people wondering, why school was not cancelled. on tuesday when it was cancelled just three weeks ago for cold temperatures, and people certainly john, never, ever, want to see a situation like this again in a city that is 6 million plus it is unacceptable according to residents. john. >> it's a good question. robert ray in georgia for us tonight, robert, thank you. it was an enormous problem, people stranded in their homes and their schools. richelle carey, is here. >> i'm stuck on that number. 10 thows kids. for a storm that delivered a small amount of snow, it delivered quite a punch. look at these pictures. motorists simply had to leave their cars behind on i-75 in atlanta, georgia, officers

handed out food and provisions, classmates and teachers just like thousands of other kids who were forced to spend the icy night away from home or on a bus. stories have hellish commutes have been widespread. our guest nicole harris took 27 hours to get from norcross georgia to douglasville gentleman. a 50 mile trip that usually takes an hour and a half at the most. nicole are you there? >> i'm here. trying to recover, richelle. >> let's talk about this. when you left work to try to get home at 1:00 p.m. yesterday, were you anxious at first? >> i was excited about the snow to get home with my children, with the potential of trying to build a snowman. i thought if i left at 1:00 i will beat the crowd.

>> that obviously didn't happen. take me through the trip. >> i left at 1:00, it took me an hour to get five blocks to the freeway. it took me ten hours to get to the next destination. the freeways were shut down. it was gridlock. accidents everywhere. and at some points, it was just a parking lot. and we didn't know what was happening. there was no communication. i didn't see anyone coming to help us. i just felt like i was on my own. >> i'm going to be honest. were there moments when you felt like crying? >> let me tell you richelle, i tried to be optimistic up until the 24th hour and i almost lost it. i had friends on facebook trying to encourage me, offering me scriptures or anything. i felt like i was going to lose it. i felt there was no escape. >> at least one time your car spun out or was it twice? >> it away was twice and i felt

like i was going to die. i felt like it was the end because the cars were so close. i just didn't think i was going to make it. it was unbelievable. >> there was one point you pulled over and you spent your night in the car in a parking lot. how terrifying was that? >> i was terrified. i called my husband and he said stay somewhere where you could at least have a race room. there was a race track gas station that was well lit so i felt somewhat safe and i was there with other people but i jokingly say i slept with one eye open. you can't really sleep in a parking lot. there were a lot of pedestrians, people walking by. i at any time know what was going to happen if i went to sleep so i think i slept for a total of 30 minutes last night. >> all told it ented up -- ended up being 27 hours, two spinouts and probably some spinouts along the way. you made it home to your two children. i'm about out of time.

who are you the most upset with? >> i'm upset with the local government and primarily richelle because they are not taking ownership. they are not taking responsibility for this. and it is time for them to really as we call it man-up, take responsibility, i want a public apology, i'm outraged. >> thank you for sharing your story. we're certainly glad you maird it home -- made it home to your two children. people still in the atlanta and alabama areas. >> i can't imagine spending 27 hours trying to get home. thanks a lot richelle. you pet. >> after hurricane katrina, russell honore, told me the preparations were not nearly enough. >> why did they not close the school when they had fair predictions it would be up to two inches of snow?

it's hard to realize why they didn't go ahead and close the schools. once they closed the school it was a clear and present warning to everybody that something's coming. >> our technology is better. we understand most of the time when these storms are coming in or we have a pretty good idea. doesn't me that the weather forecast -- mean that the weather forecasters can't be sometimes fooled. but a lot of people look at this, there are plenty of complaints in atlanta, people are saying how can something like this happen? >> their decision cycle was about 18 hours too late in putting out the warnings, and standing up the emergency operations center, and getting the national guard prepositioned. because all the predictions were there that the ice and snow was coming. so one of the issues that these states are struggling with is, when it's an event like snow or ice that they have to deal with, most of them don't have cash

reserves on hand to pay enormous amount of overtime that's required, the extra money to hire contractors. so many of them will delay until the last minute before they go into the emergency mode. well we will see that the city will, and the state will pay a lot more, because they did not start earlier, by bringing people on duty, by starting to work the roads with the little bit of equipment they had, they will pay dearly. not only in terms of human suffering that has occurred but their own reputation of the leaders will be questioned from here on out. people sign onto this government because the number 1 purpose of that government is to keep people secure. and sometime they lose a focus that they should be doing things to keep people safe. and they make decisions based on the economy as opposed to keeping people safe. >> don't they do practice

drills, don't they prepare for moments just like this? >> well, yeah and i've participated in some of those and most of them are done normally without the principals even being there, the governor or the mayor or something that the staff does. and i do think this event will be a big learning event and a teachable moment for both that governor and that mayor. and the surrounding communities. you know when people talk about atlanta there's two atlantas. the one that the mayor controls. then you got the greater atlanta municipal area which is composed of multiple counties and multiple small cities, all of them having their own elected government. and each one of them independently making decisions. and then the school systems in each county is run by a separate

body. so you've got a decentralized government. my recommendation to them, in long term, is to look at centralizing the government much like the city of new york has. so you have one person the mayor dealing with the governor and one person that making decisions that affect 8 million people. >> we'll see whether or not they'll listen to your recommendations. general honore, it's good to speak to you. >> good day. >> kevin corriveau, how long do you think these conditions will continue? >> the freezing rain as well has moved to the south. let's go back 24 mowrs. first of all let's look at the extent of the storm, all the way on the gulf course and towards the carolinas. it was atlanta that had the most problem with the storm. i want to tell you here on the i-1020i-10, 200 miles are the hy

are closed. hard freeze warning out here towards west. temperatures in atlanta 25°. so what that means is anything that melted today is going to refreeze overnight because those temperatures are going to be plummeting as we go through the rest of the evening. notice about 16° is going to be the lowest. tomorrow morning when you wake up the streets are going to be very, very icy. maybe not on the highways, those have been cleared off but in your neighborhoods i would suggest staying at home until the afternoon, john. >> kevin, thank you very much. president obama is taking his state of the union message on the road. this morning the president spoke at costco in maryland. he said he's willing to side step congress to narrow the income gap in america. >> america can't just standstill if congress isn't doing in. i'm not going to standstill either. wherever i can take steps to

expand opportunity for more families, i'm going to do it, with or without congress. >> mr. obama then traveled to pngz pennsylvania where he spoke to a steel plant near pittsburgh, a program which would allow americans to create their own retirement accounts when the employer refuses to do so. al qaeda is training to attack the united states. >> tremendous opportunity for these extremists who are attracted to syria, engage in combat, get training and we're seeing now the parents of to train people to go back to their countries and of course conduct more terrorist acts. >> nick shifrin joins us from geneva where peace negotiations are taking place on syria.

and nick, give us an idea, how successful are these extremist groups in recruiting fighters? >> john, u.s. intelligence sources say, some 7,000 of them from 50 countries are now inside syria and this is exactly what the government representatives here are arguing. they say that they have to stay in power. the assad regime has to stay in power in order to fight these radicals. we went recently to the turkish syrian border how they perpetual the assad narrative, how they are increasing inside syria but also syria's neighbors. in this turkish market, right next to the clocks, you can buy material for your own syrian union form. there is a matching set of dagger and holder.

behind the nervous owner are flags thrirchgd oa linked to al. inside those propaganda videos flying the same flag. they are the most lethal and successful of all the armed groups and they're popular. in turkey we met jamil who facilitates and supports islamist fighters. >> translator: the islamic state fights robbers and the thieves he says, that's why the syrian people support them. and the islam ick state isn't only fighting assad, they are fighting opposition fighters for border crossings. the fight isn't only inside syria it is right here at the border and control of alt thee supplies that are going into syria. it is extremely volatile.

until recently, this area was controlled by forces the u.s. would consider moderate but until two weeks ago, it was taken over bit radicals. >> those radicals, staying in power, but the opposition say that's an excuse. they argue assad' assad's brutay open the door for radical pls. >> the democratic transition which we are fighting. >> he argues without more american weapons the rebels can't defeat assad or the radicals. >> translator: the united states of america, he says, has let us down. and. >> and so those radicals aren't

going anywhere. which means in geneva the two sides will continue to disagree and in syria the death toll will continue to mount. and here, at these talks, one good bit of news, the two sides are at least reading from the same page. the assad government for the first time publicly endorsed the document that requires them to talk about a political transition. but said they would only do so if they could go step by step and the first step is fighting terrorism. so long as the fighters remain in syria, the government will talk about terrorism, the opposition will talk about humanitarian access. the people in syria continue to suffer and the death toll continues to rise. >> nick shifrin, thanks very much. next, bone dry, 17 communities in southern california could soon run out of water. what cities are doing to

preserve their supplies. plus, making guns safer, your cell phone has a password for protection. could guns be next? oaa o oa .

>> it is the dryest year on

record in california. as the are situation gets worse, the state lists 17 communities in danger of running dry. lisa is in healddsburg. now the city has mandated 20% drop in water usage for the folks here. i am standing in the middle of what is usually the flowing russian river. you can see the buoys are resting on the ground. and you can walk to the other side almost without stepping in any water. all of this because we've had months and months with no rain. so after the governor here declared a drought emergency it freed up some funding and some of these communities were able to now think about drilling more wells, hauling in water and

sharing. they're all scrambling to figure out a way to deal with this crisis. in san francisco, the public utilities commission is going to ask on friday that their 2.6 million customers voluntarily reduce water usage there by 10% all in an effort to conserve. and the leaders of all these utilities tell me that they are extremely anxious, this could be the worst drought the state has ever seen. >> 1977 is kind of the benchmark year for when california was in extreme drought condition. and the precipitation levels for this year are even lower than what it was during that period of time. and so that's why every utility is taking it very seriously as we go further into the winter season. >> and to give you an example, he is giving away for free, to all the san francisco puc customers, these low flow

earators, you would put these on your shower head and these on your kitchen sink. this would tell you if your toilet has a leak. they are very concerned about leaks, they don't want any wasted water right now. they are trying everything they can to reduce the water usage and conserve. john. >> all right, very serious situation out in california for us. lisa bernard, thank you very much. the justice department is now investigating the target data breach. hackers stole credit card information from about 40 million customers during the holidays. the names and addresses of about 70 million more customers were also stolen. attorney general eric holder told news people that they are committed to finding the mackers with the stolen data. now there's a push in sloven to create technology that will make it impossible for anyone

but the owner to fire the gun. our jacob ward reports. >> whether it's the key to luggage, the pin code open your phone or the lock on your car, there's almost nothing you own that doesn't come with technology that allows, 25% of the firearms it requires from criminal gun trafficking cases are stolen. that's in part because nothing in the gun itself prevents the thief from using a stolen gun. but now some are trying to change that. >> i have a gun and the only thing that stands between me and making a terrible decision is my conscience and the fact that this gun isn't actually mine. it's designed by a company called armatix. it's locked, that's what this red light means. it is useless, a piece of metal

in my hand. >> purpose built, only guns under that brand are linked to the watch but the technology inside might be a contender to one4 million challenges, started by silicon valley investor ron conway, he's trying to spur gun intelligent technology. >> we're going ofind that entrepreneur who wins this context and build that idea into a huge company. >> a device made by a company called yardarm fits into the back of existing glock pistols, and can alert the owner when the firearm is being handled. >> we can do location tracking and time stamping. >> the national rifle association didn't have a stairmt ready by our broadcast.

and walmart, but gene hoffman, chairman of a 30,000 member state gun advocacy group, believes it won't work. >> this is like all door locks, they keep dishonest honest, turn it back into a regular firearm. >> what could the objection being to coding the gun so the gun owner so go ahead, own your gun but it's your gun, it's specific to you. and it can't fall into the wrong hands. that would be a very good thing. >> pressure on the electronics industry made companies like apple and samsung, not the same pressure on gun makers but perhaps with the help of this $1 million prize it will some day be impossible to fire a gun that doesn't belong to you. jacob ward al jazeera, san francisco. >> just ahead, antitrafficking,

cindy mccain participates up with governor chris christie. my conversation with her next. plus cruel and unusual, why some states are looking to new alternatives to executions. forced to flee, many to

neighboring coun

>> welcome back to al jazeeraam. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. and coming up in our broadcast tonight we'll trawk to cindy mccain about why he's working to race awareness about human trafficking. an event to celebrate the nation's wounded warriors. and a huge celebration on broadway in new york. richelle carey with a look at our top stories. >> thank you john, atlanta are reeling, reeling, with a lot of snow and a little bit of ice. causing a lot of problems. thousands of people stranded on the road for hours. talking about more than a day

actually. and many children stuck at school overnight! that has the city and state leaders facing criticism about their response to this storm. >> we're going oclose state government tomorrow. again. we think that's the right thing to do because the weather conditions today even though it is sunny will not be warm enough to melt the ice and the snow that we're having to contend with. >> yes, schools will also be closed again on thursday. president obama has been on the road today trying to drum up support for the goals he spelled out in last nightly's state of the union address. he stopped at a costco in maryland and a steel plant in pennsylvania. he spoke about savings plans for retirement for americans. >> america hasn't stood still, u.s. steel hasn't stood still, i'm not going to standstill.

regardless of what congress does, whenever i have the opportunity to expand possibilities that's what i'm going odo. because i am determined to work with all of you and citizens all across this country on the defining projects of our generation and that is to restore opportunity for every single person who is willing to work hard and take responsibility in this country. that's what i'm committed to do. >> it's been called a small step forward in the syrian peace talks in geneva. the syrian opposition has agreed to to saying yes to using the geneva 1 resolution, before they head home on friday. of course we'll keep you posted on that. john. >> richelle thank you very much. human trafficking sex slaiftion anslaves andprostitution is a gg

problem. according to the nonprofit group free the slaves, there are as many as 30 million worldwide. earlier i sat down with cindy mccain, i asked her how big a problem it is here in the united states. >> we have right now, there's no real data, hard data. we think we know. we know it exists. we don't know how many. the estimate right now is over 100,000 little children, little girls are being moved around just the united states. it doesn't include the women that are of age but are trafficked against their will. it doesn't include the little boys either or the men that are involved in this from a labor trafficking standpoint. it's much -- i think once we have hard data from this we're going to find it's bigger than we think. >> and why target the super bowl? >> it's not targeting the super bowl but the super bowl is a catalyst for a large uptick, the

100 mile limit they are away from their families and things happen. the super bowl is a catalyst. the super bowl is not the end-all. this is something that is long term and our intent both here and in arizona and around the country is to stop it for good. >> you got the nfl involved in this right? >> yes -- well, yeah. well, it's not that i got them involved in it. i just wanted them to step up to the plate a bit and we had a very good meeting with them in washington, d.c, myself and senator clobachar. i just came from an event with governor christie. he showed me the command center and all that's going on out there. they're doing a marvelous job. he has been a very good advocate on this issue. >> how can you help people who

have been trafficked? >> a lot of people don't even know it exists. that happens not in my neighborhood, just overseas. if they see something there's an 800 number that we're post posting all over arizona. if they see something they can report it. that doesn't mean you're being a vigilante here, it's being good that you don't understand that you saw that might be trouble. >> local governments, do you think they can do more to get involved as well? >> our own state of arizona, when i approached our governor she never hesitated, she immediately appointed a task force and we have legislation that is going to pass right away. >> she'll talk more about this tomorrow. the supreme court has denied the appeal of a missouri death row

inmate. her better smalls will be -- herbert smawls will be executed. >> this evening, herbert smals, is going to be executed by lethal injection. at issue was the composition and origination of the pharmaceuticals used to carry out his execution order. in 2008, the u.s. supreme court ruled that kentucky's three drug protocol does not amount to cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th amendment but with pharmaceutical companies refusing to allow their compounds gulfed leel at injection, states are struggling to find an alternative. a combination of drugs that handy hasn't been tried before. it took twiks minutes for this man to die. his family is suing calling it torture.

>> are these inmates entitled to a pain free death? >> the constitution doesn't guarantee a pain-free death but our evolving sense of decency would preclude that infliction of capital punishment. >> missouri state representative rick bratton introduced legislation that would add a five man firing squad. >> these coldblooded murderers turn into the victims here. they're not the victims. they're paying the price for a crime they committed against an innocent person. so no, this isn't a step back. this is just you know putting to rest a horrible situation. >> of the 32 states that currently have capital punishment all use lethal injection as their primary method execution.

three by hanging two by firing squad, in 2010, the state of utah executed ronnie lee gardner by firing squad, a method he requested. the claim that putting somebody to an electric chair and attaching electrodes to their head and hands and inducing 2,000 volts is somehow, the firing squad is whether they go as planned. the problem with lethal injections is, they are not going as planned. >> each have their own problems and each is challenged. stretching the fine line between what is cruel and usual and what is just.

ash-har quraishi. al jazeera reporting. >> this is yasin al suri, one of al qaeda's top financiers based in iran. the syrian native has been wanted by washington since 2011 for allegedly moving money and equally ope operatives. a u.s. state department official tells al jazeera: >> as head equally facilitator in iran, operatives and leaders from pakistan and syria, organizing and maintaining routes, and assisting in the movement of al qaeda external operatives to the west.

>> alsuri has been living in pakistan since 2010. iran a majority shia country would hire an operative for al qaeda which is a sunni affiliated organization. at least six suspected al qaeda operatives have been in iran since september 11, 2001. the state department says it put alsuri on its wanted list in 2001, iranian authorities then arrested alsuri, u.s. officials say alsuri is back on the street. >> he is an al qaeda operative, we know he is moving money and extreme is into syria for al qaeda affiliates there. i think you can draw that conclusion.

they say they're under no illusions it would destroy the network. rosalyn jordan, al jazeera, washington. >> ukraine's parliament, the measure comes with a catch. demonstrators must clear public areas within 15 days. protestors are now occupying several government buildings in kiev. the demonstrations have been ongoing since november. they are demanding the government step down. al jazeera is calling on the egyptian government to release five of its journalists held without charge. news conference in london an lawrence lee reports. >> the three staff, baher mohamed, mohamed fahmy and peter greste have been held more than a month. mohamed badr 200 days.

and abdalla al shami. and the british number, its commitments to a free press. >> for a great nation like egypt to treat people who are doing their job as journalists, which is an ethical, a decent job which all decent societies need, egypt of all countries to treat journalists in this way is a shame on that nation. >> while this was happening in london, egypt's prosecutor general has been considering peter greste's fate in cairo. while being held in prison conditions considered harsh. al jazeera arabic abdalla al

shami. while it may be the case that large section of the international media and human rights organizations are genuinely worried, as to what's happening in egypt at the moment, it is an open question as to the extent to which all that is shared by politicians particularly in the west. on tuesday night the british foreign office for example issued a statement saying it was quote concerned on attacks around cairo and elsewhere. in diplomatic terms language like that is really quite mild. >> countries in alliance with egypt are in a bind. they're in a moral bind because they have been rather equivocal in their response to a military coup and a very violent crack down against the muslim brotherhood and the supporters who fold. they have been less quick to condemn that than there have

been lesser abuses by other regimes elsewhere in the middle east. >> as an obvious point egypt's detentions of al jazeera staff may be seen on a political revenge against the government of qatar which bank rolls the organization. the muslim brotherhood does not imply sympathy by the military rulers of the egyptian government. lawrence lee, al jazeera, london. the royal sea, the explorer of the seas arrived back at port in new jersey today. nearly 700 passengers and crew members became stick with a stomach bug. centers for disease control is looking for cause of that illness. super bowl week is more than just a buildup to the league's championship game.

it also provides a platform to promote charities. michael eaves joins us more. you can really feel it in the city, as we get closer or closer. >> regardless where it is, sports and charity have long gone hand in hand. and since the first gulf war, athletic events provide a forum. former nfl players are helping some of our country's biggest heros, ross. >> the game. the big game on super bowl sun. amputee football team as 9/11 first responders, this game benefits the wounded warrior project, which was created to help our injured men and women. this game is getting as competitive as it gets. >> the wounded warrior football team has meant a lot to me.

it gets me you back in physical condition to play with these competitive athlete. >> dan is a true hero, earning the purple heart award for his service in the marine corps. >> 9/11, i was sworn in, april 2004 i was severely injured, losing the leg below my knee. >> first of all it makes me feel very small, i'm in awe of these incredible heroes, the incredible sacrifices, more courage in the top half of their pinkie finger than all of these guys in the nfl. >> it was a rough journey, you prepare to die or come back. >> b. arej. medically retired, in total he endured 23

surgeries. he admitted, adjourn back into real life was tough. >> i had a lot of help from a lot of organizations like the semper phi organization. >> some of the service men and women serving now, what is the best advice you have for them? >> reach out and accept the help. it is hard for us. we are prideful and taught to adapt and overcome but this time it's serious and better to ask for the help early and receive it and work through it than let it build up and make that piece of and i sand in your shoe, turo a huge blis blister. >> what do you say to your three children? >> it's the small things, doing the right things not bullying in school, voting, paying attention to the political landscape and

doing your civic duty. i just want to teach them to live right and do what's right for everybody else. >> touchdown! >> some great vice from d.j. ganham. this game just wrapped up and the wounded warrior football team went on to win 35-14, believe it or not, they are a perfect 6 and 0 against the nfl alumni. they are a perfect record. some great camaraderie overall. a big game before the big game on super bowl sunday. >> they definite deserve to stay undefeated. ross shimabuku, thank you for time. it's not just raising money for wounded warriors, but when you leave sports you miss the camaraderie, being around guys.

this is therapy for guys, like ptsd. >> next broad way gets a super-makeover. we'll have that whether we come back.

>> well, we're still going to be dealing with lot of freezing cold, necht we haven't talked about what is going on. but we used to have a ridge of high pressure. that is what kept that area dry for many weeks. actually, it's allowing all that moisture to flow over the top, meeting some cold weather from the north. let's look closer in about what's happening. you can see snow across the

cascades, idaho, wyoming, in some cases we expect to see 18 to 20 inches. look here towards california, this state really needs the rain. it's not going olast very long and it's not going to bust the drought situation that's going on there. tell you want to be very careful. the winter storm warnings, the areas in blue, really the higher elevations in the region. temperatures, spokane is going to be down near 47 and seattle, 41. that's a look at your national weather. news after this.

>> when the super bowl gets underway sunday it will take place in new jersey. but new york city is hosting the biggest super bowl related event. our john terrett has the story from super bowl boulevard. >> ah, broadway, the theaters, the star names the lights, the

makeup. given the way for the locker room and cheap after-shave. broadway has been transformed to super bowl boulevard. >> super bowl xlv right? >> no, 48. >> everyone who's anyone in the world of football is here. fox sports has a stand, so does espn, even the local station, komo has turned up and they are missing the party back home. >> you can't believe it. every window has a 12 flag or a poster, people are horning on the streets. we haven't -- honking on the streets, we haven't seen it this way for a long time. >> people are having a ball. these two make a 700 mile trip every week just to support the seahawks back home.

>> 750 miles. >> so 3,000 miles is nothing, right? >> lot easier than a 12 hour drive. >> and the broncos aren't being outdone. they love new york, too. >> it's great. we don't know when this will ever happen again. it's great. look, everybody is having a great time, the streets are packed. >> the bik attraction is this, the one chance you will ever get to toboggan down broadway. >> what was it like? >> i.t. was awesome, it was an energy rush, it was great. >> it felt like -- >> it was great, awesome. >> normally when the nfl hits broadway, the shin dig goes from saturday to saturday. so for this year, it's from now until sat. >> all this entertainment taking

place from mid down manhattan, the game takes place in new jersey, engine very keen, we make that clear. >> if you are coming to town for the big day, do stop by midtown for thrills but do expect for long lines, and the locals who will want to engage you in conversation about the game. >> yah yah yah yah! ha! >> i did try to warn you. john terrett, al jazeera, new york. >> coming up tonight on al jazeera america 11:00 eastern time. caught open camera and plunging to earth, what knocked out a sky diver and what was done to save his life. plus 300 years old and worth millions. the story behind a strad stradis violin that was stolen and the leads investigators have. every night we try to select an image, a picture that catches

our eye, we like to share it with you in a segment we call freeze frame. tonight it's this picture from our areas top stories. home to dozens of shoppers who came off treacherous highways covered with ice and snow to get a little rest. many others weren't so lucky, they spent last night in their cars waiting hours and hours for the roads to clear so they could finally head back home. our headlines are up next.

>> welcome to aljazeera america. a city crippled by a few inches of snow and a lot of glys, still trying to get back to normal. entire highways in atlanta

paralyzed for hours. and thousands of children had to spend the night at school. officials are blaming th the ciy for the response to the storm. both sides using a document from the first rounds in geneva in 2012 as the basis for the first round of negotiations, but the mediator said that there's little chance that it will end before the end of the week. the u.s. government is searching for an al qaeda official he loved money and al qaeda operatives to pakistan and the west and syria now. president obama took his state of the union message on the road to maryland and pennsylvania. and he spoke of narrowing the income gap. the justice department is investigating that target data breach. the information of 40 million customers and names and addresses of 70 million more

were stolen by hackers over the holidays. "america tonight" with joie chen is up next. you can get the latest from aljazeera.com. >> on "america tonight," frozen out. atlanta immobilized by a blast of nature. >> how far have you gone in eight hours. >> a mile. >> so you've been in this traffic jam since 1:30 yesterday? >> how humans managed to make it a disaster. and also tonight, from international fugitive to noble prize nominee? can edward snowden ever come home? and is it time for the u.s. to make a deal. >> we