this al jazeera america live from new york. this is is a look at top stories. aacademy award winning actor phillip seymour hoffman has died. a somber time in montana for the roman catholic diocese. don't shower longer than you need to. urgent warnings for californians as the state faces a historic drought. and across the country americans prepare for the commercials, the halftime show and of course the actual game of super bowl xlviii.

>> academy award-winning actor phillip seymour hoffman has died. he was found by a friend in his new york city apartment this morning. there were reports he suffered from a drug overdose. here is the latest. >> academy award-winning actor phillip seymour hoffman was a stand out on the silver screen and on stage. earning more than 20 awards including an oscar for his role in the film capote. >> my name is truman capote. but better known for his breakthrough performances in boogie nights and the talented mr. ripley, magnolia and almost famous. >> i'm just grateful for the parts to come my way. >> on broadway, hoffman received two-toney award nominations for best actor. he also directed countless plays. but he had a public battle

against addiction. last may he entered a rehab facility for substance abuse. on sunday police found the 46-year-old actor dead at his new york city apartment. hits family released this statement. >> >> sea mother hoffman grew up in fair port new york and attended tisch school of arts. leaves behind long time partner and their three children. >> and joining us now for more on the death of phillip seymour hoffman. bill, such a huge loss for so many in hollywood. quite a career and resume. talk about his rise to fame.

yeah, absolutely, not just in hollywood but new york specifically, the new york film community and the theater community as well. one of the -- one of the things phillip seymour hoffman was the face of the independentie film world that rose. and when you look back to not magnolia but his second boogie nights, he played a minor character, a boom operator in the porn industry and he was gay. but somehow or another he walked away with the film because he created a bit of humanity in the midst of the other chaos and that is what we kept seeing in his roles. >> how would you describe his acting style? >> unobtrusive. he wasn't a conventionally handsome man. he was shy. seemed to be inward. but he seemed to embody longings and emotions and fear

and sometimes anger in these roles. and he took a lot of daring roles. he was in flawless where he played a drag queen. he played a home nurse in magnolia and of course scottie in boogie nights. >> what was it about his acting and his personality that made him -- made him such a star? as you mentioned have these minor roles in some of the movies yet he overshadowed so many actors around him. he really did. i think it was lucky for him that this industry really grew in the years after the famous movie sex, lies and videotapes. a lot of the indie movies became more popular and started taking over the academy awards as well. you have to give him credit for a movie for capote. it a very small mincing, efem gnat man. he was a big hulking guy yet somehow he managed to embody this very strange character and just walk away all the acting accolades that year. >> and there was a side of hoffman that a lot of people

were not familiar with despite being open about his addiction to alcohol and heroin abuse. >> it was sad. he had issues in his 20s. he said he had been clean for 20 years. he was frank last year when there is this euphemsim, he was snorting heroin a year ago when he went to rehab about that. this one, shooting heroin is a much more serious thing. it just seems to be a really tragic accident and boy it is a warning for anyone who is playing around with all sorts of substances, but also another one of the sad things we have seen in the entertainment industry as well. without question, a big loss for many people tonight. bill wyman, thank you for your time today. >> thanks, jonathan. for the first time in history drought is forcing california to cut off tour millions of customers. the regions will have to rely on local reservoirs. from south pasadena, hear here is more on this. what are they doing in the face of the shortage?

>> well, among other things they are praying. versings since the governor declared a state of emergency for the drought, catholic churches throughout the state have been including a weekly prayer for rain in their services. including this one in south pasadena. the california conference of bishops in california asked for this to be done in all the churches. and it is being done every week until there is rain perhaps or even beyond because this drought could go for a while. some other faiths are doing the same thing. this is an age-old tradition, praying for rain. and it is often done in the face of perilous drought. >> the picture is relentlessly bleak. reservoirs running near empty, snowpack at record lows. parched farmland. faced with a drought of historic proportions, california water officials are taking historic measures. >> this is the first time in

the 54 year history that projected water supplies for both urban and agricultural users have been reduced to zero. that's right, zero. the state has cut off water shipments to localing as that serve 25 million californians. >> farmers and water districts will be forced to find their water elsewhere and some are actually prepared to do that. the metropolitan water district that serves los angeles and much of southern california has been preparing for this kind of emergency with water storage and conservation. the agency has no plans to impose mandatory water restrictions this year. but it has called on citizens to conserve water. >> governor jerry brown is also calling on californians to voluntarily cut their water use by at least 20%. >> don't flush more than you have to, don't shower longer than you need to and turn the water off when you are shaving or brushing your teeth. >> but are californians listening? and how are they to measure that 20%. >> i have been cutting back on

my lawn watering, i have been cutting back on the time i have been cutting back on my shower time but that's so little. i don't want to conserve any water. i want to enjoy what i have. >> people weren't in a crisis mentality until it affects their lives. people in america are oblivious. >> a two minute shower would be a crisis for a lot of people. >> it be for me. >> oh, yeah. i'll cut mine in half. i'll make it pretty short. >> which will be what? >> five minutes, tops. >> i can't do it. we will take a shower together that always helps. we should suggest that to more people. but it is no laughing matter. voluntary conservation doesn't catch on, nature may force the state to take tougher measures. we know going back in history there have been some very, very long droughts, which they call mega droughts, and we might well be in one of those. the forecast calls for light rain this week. but in california, that amounts to less than the

proverbial drop in the bucket. >> meanwhile the faithful will continue to pray for rain. the catholics even offer up a prayer for the state water officials saying grant them the wisdom and strength to balance the many needs of people and commerce. jonathan. >> hopefully the prayers are answered. thank you. another roman catholic diocese has filed for bankruptcy to settle lawsuits to sexual abuse victims. the 11th american diocese to go bankrupt in 10 years. they are all linked to child abuse cases. here is more from montana. this makes the archdiocese of helena the 11th in the country to go bankrupt after enormous settlements. it goes back to the 1940s through the 1970s. 362 victims were identified. they reached a celtment of 15 million, most of which is going to be paid out of insurance.

the archdiocese itself has to come out with about two and a half million in cash. most of which they don't really have. they were in financial trouble long before the settlement came. the idea that our future uncertain is hard. it is hard to talk about. but, the thought about some of these horrible things that have gone on in the past and how can we engage them and how can we help with what's been done is -- >> this may arroyo a means for that. >> so there is hope about it. is there a chance this diocese could go under? >> i couldn't say. other diocese have. this is something that has gone on very quietly within the legal world and the archdiocese for years. most of the 362 victims never came forward to the public. if people know who they are, they are not say, is. and some of the parishioners say it is not a big matter of discussion but is settled now although the victims and the parties have to vote on this settlement and approve it.

>> brian rooney in montana. well the controversy is growing. this morning the assemblyman leading the investigation appeared on face the nation. he says chris christie may have known lanes were deliberately closed. >> i have skepticism about the governor's statement. i haven't r haven't said that the governor has responsibility for this. i haven't said that the governor knew when this was happen. that what i stead governor made a statement about when he knew and i said that i have my doubts about that time line. he could have known at any time but i have my doubts about what he said. >> in an e-mail to supporters, christie fired back at a former ally who accused him of lying about the scandal. he said david wildstein will do and say anything to save david wildstein. a key figure in the ukranian protest has left the country after he was beaten and tortured. a court dropped all charges. the government neither ordered

or knew about his kidnapping. here is the latest. heading on to the runway at kiev airport the activist free at last from his tormenters and the threat of arrest. he says his kidnappers nailed him to a door, mutilated him with knives and beat him for eight days. now he will receive more treatment for his wounds in lithuania safely inside the european union. >> i think we have just saved his life. i think after what they wanted to do with him, arrest him, put him in prison, his life was in great danger and we wouldn't have had a single chance to investigate the torture he was subjected to. so i think one life was saved today. and we will be doing that to everyone arrested. we won't leave anybody without our attention. this might seem like a significant concession by the president, yet another one. but in fact, if a police investigation had been launched into the kidnappers, it might have revealed too much about the shadowy

organizations, tried to torture, intimidate and kill the protesters into silence. >> earlier in the day in kiev's independence square, tens of thousands of protesters gathered to call for the resignation of the president who returns to his desk on monday after being treated for a respiratory infection. u.s. secretary of state john kerry has pledged to help supporters in their fight for democracy. sunday prayers were held in the square for the future of ukraine. but as the stalemate continues, the fears of violent confrontation are growing. right wing groups are splintering away from the main body of protesters. who have been determined to keep the demonstrations peaceful. some of them were out on the streets of kiev being trained in tactics in close quarter fighting with the police. for al jazeera, kiev.

and meanwhile the president of ukraine is expected to return to work tomorrow after taking sick leave. jennifer glasse is live in kiev with more on that. a lot happening. how do we expect this to impact the protest? >> well, jonathan, we have -- the president going back to work this week. parliament coming back to work on tuesday. the protesters are going to watch closely to see if anything changes. that is the key here. they say they are not going to go anywhere. they are here on independence square. they are on a road leading to parliament. they will watch and see what the president has to offer, whether the parliament relooks at the amnesty. they pushed through the amnesty law last week. they revoked an amnesty law basically telling them thattest frommers have to leave government buildings in order for those people detained to be released. protesters say that amounts to the government holding them hostage and they want to change that. they will try to do that in parliament on tuesday.

the question is does the president have a majority there? at least one member of his party was here in independence square saying he left, he hopes that people will forgive him for past mistakes. the question is whether more of the president's supporters will switch over to the opposition or not vote in his favor in parliament when it convenes on tuesday, john. we also heard secretary kerry support the opposition movement there in ukraine. what about the russians, are they speaking out about this? >> the russians are very unhappy with secretary kerry's statement of support as well as europe's state of support. they say that it basically rewards violence on the streets in the russians words. the russians are exerting what pressure they can and they have a lot of it jonathan. 15 billion in aid they promised ukraine now on hold until they see what the new government looks like. and on the borders of russia and ukraine, ukranian exports,

ukranian trucks are stopped, inspected thoroughly. many of them stalled on the border. 70% of industrial exports head to russia so russia has a lot of leverage there and it is using it to try and pressure the president to do what it wants. a tug of war without question. jennifer glasse live in i kiev thank you. president bar acobama says many americans are struggling and he wants to raise the minimum wage. here is an in depth look at the struggles facing the middle class. on monday, al jazeera america starts a conversation on america's middle class rebuilding the dream. nine out of 10 americans describe themselves as aspiring to be in the middle class. but all americans agree that they feel squeezed after years of slob job losses, rising costs and stagnant wages. today's middle class is under pressure. >> i feel like i'm on a treadmill, like i'm sweating, and there is nowhere to go. >> one little setback here and

you are both going to sink. >> only 44% of americans today say they belong to the middle class. that is down nine points from the pi 3% of americans who identified themselves as middle class in 2008 when the recession hit. millions of middle class families who built their wealth through their homes founder themselves underwater on their loans or facing foreclosure. >> millions more discovered that a college degree isn't always enough to guarantee prosperity in the future. soaring student debt makes it harder to move up the economic ladder and bolster the middle class. >> we called our local bank and they said with how much student loan we had we wouldn't be able to refunds at a better rate. >> american's middle class is made up of households of total incomes between 40,000 and 100,000 a year. >> will you come help me with this? >> based on our analysis. the middle class insists -- consists of middle income

families who have similar dreams and as myrrhations. a secure job. owning a home. access to good healthcare and college education for their children. add to that, some time off for vacations and ability to save enough to live comfortably during retirement. >> for many middle class families, these things are becoming harder to achieve. >> achieve the american dream right now it is very difficult. >> it turned into a nightmare. i mean, actually. >> rebuilding the dream is crucial for all of us because the most important part of a robust economy is its middle class. spending by middle class families creates strong consumer demand and desperately needed tax revenue. >> without a strong middle class, america's committee will falter. we are kicking off our coverage monday on real money with a special hour long show. i'll be joined by secretary robert riesch, teamsters union president james hoffa and personal finance expert suze hormann, a mixed bag but is

worth watch. you can watch america's middle class rebuilding the dream here monday at 7:00 p.m. eastern. and when we come back, preparing for the big game. >> i'm john henry smith where mother nature has delivered a great day for some championship football. coming up, i'll be back with a preview of super bowl xlviii. in east rutherford new jersey, we are predicting the results of the super bowl. who is going to win? >> the seahawks? >> denver. >> and daniel. >> denver. >> all unbiased opinions. join us back here for the super bowl party near the stadium in a couple of minutes. >>

going to say one thing today and do tomorrow am

>> well michael i thought this day would frankly never come. enough of a buildup right. too many interviews and parties, let's just get to the game? >> exactly. we have got a game to play later. with each year, every super bowl is compelling. but there is always some interesting underlying stories

as well. for example, broncos quarterback peyton manning is looking to become the first quarterback to ever lead two different teams to a super bowl title. he thread colts to a win over the bears in super bowl xli. this game also represents the first time since 1990 that the top-ranked offense will face the top-ranked defense. in the previous meetings it was the giants defense that prevailed over the bills. and you might want to bet at your super bowl party with this tidbit. each of the last eight super bowl champions played the patriots. the broncos lost to new england week 12 but avenged the loss in the title game two weeks ago while seattle did not play the patriots this season. for more on how the two respective coaches are preparing for this game, let's head out to metlife stadium in east rutherford new jersey. john? >> well, michael. the two head coaches have taken different strategies for preparing their teams. the broncos switched team hotels last night in an effort for maximum privacy.

the seahawks stayed in theirs. broncos head coach john fox, well, he has had his team practicing outside for much of the week to get his team ready just in case the weather gets inclement where head coach pete carroll has his team working inside much of the week. we will see in a couple of hours which of these coaches has best prepared his guys to make championship winning plays tonight. >> but at the end of the day it is a team game. and you know, obviously your star players have to be great in championship games have not been very championships that won in any sport. you know, where your big players didn't play big. but, there always seems to be the unknown guy. all right that makes a critical play. whether it is in the kicking game. lord knows where it is going to come from. >> john said you know, we coach them and it is their day. and we kind of live to watch them do what they can do. it is exciting to see them come together with the opportunities and try to max

out this chance for them. so, it is pretty exciting. it is interesting to see how different we can be in the make-ups of our teams. >> broncos back-up lineman is the only player on either team who is too hurt to play tonight. everyone else is healthy including the dynamic return man percy harvin who will be playing just his third game of the season. from east rudserford, new jersey for al arizona. >> kick off come coming up at 6:30 here on the east coast. for fans tailgating, had to make an adjustment this year. the traditional pregame party has been gonion all day, john. looks like a festive atmosphere. >> absolutely. i wish you were here, mike. you would love it here. there is no tailgating where john is. but they are tailgating big time here in east rutherford. they are making up for the fact that you can't tailgate at metlife stadium.

about 6,000 people came. they can't believe it. i think it was helped by the good weather because we were expecting snow and precipitation and stuff like that. it has always been in the cards. in the end it has been a lovely afternoon. it has been almost balmy to be honest with you. want you to meet somebody who is dressed fairly inconspicuously. this is my new friend all the way from denver. and you have a terrible story because you had a ticket that got stolen? >> yeah, i was stupid and left my car open. and i gas idaho and it is gone. >> you have come to east rutherford to make up for that? >> yeah, i wanted to make it up. i was thinking if it was like the west coast you could get another ticket somewhere. but some guys at the stadium got arrested by undercover. i said no. if i don't get a ticket, i get to enjoy it with these fine folks. >> i have to say, your photograph is much in demand.

which team are you supporting by the way? >> ahhh, broncos! >> you guys don't have a chant. seahawks say who's house, sea hawks. you don't have one? >> oh, yes, we do. when russell wilson starts throwing the complete passes the announcer should be saying what kind of pass was that? and the bronco fans will go in-come-pleat. , no serious. on a serious note. i know you are a partisan fan. most people here seem to think that broncos can do this and they are putting their weight behind peyton. >> yeah, a lot of people putting it behind peyton. but remember when the whole thing went down the seahawks were the favorite if you look in vegas it was a couple of points and then it swung to denver. we have i think four or five guys that have previous experience. it is really going to come down to -- the weather was

supposed to play in. but it is not. it will come down to how peyton plays and the receivers. if we can get our running game going. if we can keep russell wilson and marshon lynch off the field it will be a positive. people are going well august they won 40-10, august is pre-season, please. >> well the seahawks are not a bad -- it won't be a walkover. no, it won't be a walkover. and i think the seahawks are going to give us everything they have got. >> yeah! >> it is going to come down to the last two or three minutes a game. we will be down by 2. peyton will drive down. we will put the ball in the hands. >> when are you going back to denver? >> probably tomorrow or the next day. i'm not really sure. i'm enjoying it here. i had nothing but a tremendous experience. you know, in the west coast you hear all these negative things i have yet to have one negative experience on the east coast. everything has been positive. >> well, everybody here has been delightful all afternoon. you have been delightful.

thank you for letting us take your photograph. sorry about the ticket. >> no, it is all right. go broncos. and go seahawks. >> back to you in the studio. if you can't be at metlife stadium, not a bad place to enjoy the buildup. that's the scene out there that we all across the country. there is always some kind of party atmosphere. super bowl sunday is an unofficial national holiday here. >> and can't think of another person to be covering it than a brit. >> well over in the memphis zoo they are picking the winner of the super bowl. the panda is picking a favorite, peyton manning. the zoo hung up the team flags. look at this. the bear then pulled down the broncos banner. rolled in it. and loved it right there. well, there is your sign, folks. >> still ahead. troubling developments in thailand's elections. and the elections in salvador

where the focus is on curbing violent crime. we will see a lot more of this in coming years. unmanned aircraft systems or drones. we well see have impact on all of us coming up.

past weeks of violence is that it is not only effected 863,000 people who have left their homes, and indeed over 120,000 of them have gone across the border into countries such as kenya, or uganda, but it's the impact of the fighting on markets, on economic collapse, on the fact happen people can't move their livestock, marsh lands, they can't fish, and they are unable to hunt, and the results of that is 3.7 million people in acute need of a assistance. >> i suppose the big question is are you able to provide that? >>

welcome back to al jazeera america. our top story, award-winning actor phillip seymour hoffman has died in new york. he was found in his apartment. medical officials have not confirmed the cause of death. hoffman made his name in the 90s for films like boogie nights. polls have closed in thailand's election but many were unable to vote. the prime minister who called the election to calm months of protest is likely to win. but official results aren't expected for months. here is the latest. >> in her north bangkok

neighborhood, the prime minister arrived just as the polls opened. setting an example she hoped millions of thais would follow on sunday. as thais, it is up to us to exercise our right to vote. we must support the election process. >> but in other parts of the capital, there were problems. >> this is one of the positions here in bangkok. now even though the leader of the protesters vowed not to prevent voters from coming in, his followers have stationed themselves right outside this polling position. now the organizers here opened the polls on time at 8:00 a.m. but closed them at 9:00 a.m. because they are worried about voter safety. more than 400 poll centers were closed in bangkok. some blocked, somer in got paper bollots and some have no workers. >> myvite to stand here and make sure there is reform first before voting. >> but 93% of the polling

centers were able to open in the capital. and around 90% across the country were accepting voters. but because of the disruptions, the exact number of the voters who wish to exercise that eeck tolerates would not be made known. and that is most unfortunate. but it clearly shows that the protesters are in the minority. >> in the din dang district, they squared off near a polling center. effects there shut down voting. >> later, the anti-government protesters pulled back and a group of people denied their votes marched to the municipal building. >> i'm disappointed. this is a democracy. but people can show they support the election. >> they broke through the front gate and demanded that they be allowed to vote. >> but they will have to wait until special elections are scheduled for the thais who could not vote on sunday.

with no clear definitive results expected for weeks, there is little chance the election will soften the divisions between the tie thai people. and nor will there be progress in mending the political divide that paralyzed the government. >> and presidential elections have begun in el salvador. the country has one of the highest murder rates in the world making security one of the biggest issues for voters. let's go live now to the capital of san salvador. so, how is the voting process today? what have you seen? >> >> we were at a polling station this morning. you could perhaps still beet hear the drums beating. both the flags from the fmln party and the rivals were out in force. we saw the opposition leader come to vote. but the biggest thing on people's minds here is crime and security. there are 60,000 gang members here. and even if you are middle class and live behind a gated community you are still

concerned about it. as are the poorer voters who are run by those gangs. as we found out, it may be a problem too big for either candidate to solve quickly. in el salvador the missing are being unearthed. crime is a daily occurrence here. but it is a rate at which bodies are being discovered is cause for alarm. remains are painstakingly reconstructed haven't been this busy in years. in the last month forensic scientists discovered 31 bodies in 21 different sites. that is just in one neighborhood controlled by one gang. two years ago, a truce was declared here. but despite that, the list of missing el salvadorances grows. the attorney general's office says it is a matter of resources being diverted to the upcoming election, but this forensic labs director says that is not true.

>> we feel frustrated because we are scientists who help to solve crimes and for reasons that have nothing to do with scientific work we have had to stop. we are disgusted all of this is only for statistical reasons where the aim is to show fewer deaths and fewer missing than there actually are. >> the truce between 18th street gang and their rivals ms 13 has been credited with reducing the murder rate in programs like this bakery have been successful. there have been accusations of conclusion between politicians and gang members to keep the real numbers of murders down and some say the truce is simply propaganda. >> they talk a lot about us. they say things about a truce. but it's a lie. just listen to the president and you know he's lying. he is making things up. >> there are people here trying to make a difference. antonio rodriguez is a priest who works with the youth who are in constant danger of

being forced to join gangs ordeal drugs. >> i want children and young people to have dreams and in this country, there are no dreams. i wish for the young to warrant to live. bull all they want is to die. to live or to kill. >> but his efforts haven't gone unnoticed by gang members and are is told he is now a marked man. for his own safety, father antonio is leaving until the election is over. a sign of just how powerful and unchecked gangs here are. >> now both candidates are offering very different solutions to solving this problem. the fmln party want to encourage gang members into educational programs where as the arena party are talking about the iron fist. they want to perhaps deploy the army to solve the gang problem and use military courts. that is the issue that the voters are casting their ballots on and could decide the entire election. >> i'm curious to know how

many hopes they have that any of the candidates will make a difference on the big issue of security. >> well, i think that is the one issue. and people here frankly fed up of two-year-old truce between ms 13 and the 18th street gang, which is supposed to have been carving the murder rate here. but we have seen evidence that the killings are continuing and in some cases maybe even being hidden because of the particularal ramifications, if they are revealed. so it is up to the voters to decide whether they think the approach by the fmln encouraging gang members into the programs will work or they want to see arena's more disciplined approach and less compromising approach which could result in a bloodbath. either way there is no easy solution to the problem of gangs in el salvador. we hope to get the election results tonight. >> thank you. let's bring in jason mark sack, the deputy director of

the latin american center of the american council of washington, d.c thank you for being with us today. >> hi, john, that. how are you? in i'm great. the big question i have for you is how critical is this election for sal el salvadoran? >> it is incredibly critical. they say security is their top concern and the fmln and dat have two different approaches to how to fix the security situation. we see that there has been a gangtution in effect since 2012, has brought down killings from 12 a day to about 6.8. but there has been an uptick in the last few months. the fml wants to continue with the gang truce and invest more money in education and other types of programs to give youth other opportunities. where others see militarization as the approach. he has changed his tactics. about six months ago he was in support of a gang truce, but

his viewpoint has changed to be in support of a more iron fist policy. and are either of those candidates plans promising? >> well, you know, i think that as i said, there are two different perspective. i think that the perspective of investing in youth and investing in education and in kind of the economy and fundamentalal pillars that prevent potential truth going into gangs is more viable long term solution. i think that we have seen militarization can be one component of that, but you need to provide opportunities for youth so gangs don't become the only thant is available. what do you think is a realistic expectation for whoever wins this presidency? >> well, you know, i think realistic expectation is you have to -- this is not going to be a situation that is going to be solved in the next few months nor in the next year. you know, the violence in el

salvador has been a problem that has been festering for years. el salvador is one of the highest homicide rates in the region. and latin america but also in the world. and this is a long-term solution that requires economic investment. it requires el salvador is one of the lowest rates in the region. the gdp growth continues to be nominal. so i think that you have to tie in the security situation with economic growth solutions solution. and that means more investment. encouraging business. and that means going young beyond the gang truce. and we are where one of the big problems has been is that extortion continues. kidnappings continue. as we saw in the report, extortion is a big challenge insofar as being able to open up viable businesses. >> all right, thank you for your time today. >> thank you very much, jonathan. well, he lived in america for almost two decades but his

heart remained south of the border. now one man has returned home and finds himself in the fight of his life. david mercer has more. >> he raps about life in his town, battling the drug cartel and how their fight, however dangerous will never be in vain. after living in the united states for the past 20 years, he returned to rural michoacan and found himself in the middle of a war. instead of fleeing, he and his brother fought back. >> it is our town, our place, our home. why are we going to leave, man? >> his mother fears that every time her sons are called on the radio to patrol it might than be the last time she sees them. >> i give them my blessing and i say to god take them but bring them back home. don't let them be captured because they won't just kill

them. they are cowards and were torture them like they did to my brother. >> hennessey along with his father and brother are part of a 20,000 strong vigilante movement to combat the drug cartel. for years heavily armed cartel mechanics have controlled hundreds of towns extorting, kidnapping and killing. >> the family used to have a successful business like this one behind me. but the cartel started demanding 10,000 a month in protection money and everything changed. >> now their sawmill looks like this. after years of building up the business piece by piece, they were forced to abandon it. >> hennessey's brother says it is hard to look back at how things used to be. >> we had a lot of jobs. a lot of work. we were doing good. and had more than 15 people working. you are giving jobs to people who need it.

>> this past week vigilante groups agreed to a government plan to incorporate them into a rural defense force. ry cardo and hennessey say they are happy they no longer have to stand alone and hope this is the beginning of the end of a war that has already gone on far too long. david mercer, al jazeera, mexico. a volcano is erupting in ecuador to receive three big -- and three big explosions. tourists were allowed to stay. the volcano has been active since 1999. >> very comfortable evening across portions of the northeast. i'm telling you gorgeous conditions out there. you can see plenty of cloud cover making its way into the northeast because of a front that continues to usher

plentiful amounts of moisture out of the pacific. right now we have plenty of moisture across portions of oklahoma down into north and central texas. we have seen severe thunderstorms popping up across portions of mississippi and will continue to have to deal with that through the night. a lot of instability in the atmosphere across portions of mississippi. we could see dangerous damaging winds and even a chance for an isolated tornado or two. we did have a severe thunderstorm warning earlier on in the evening. right around newton county. which is east of jackson, mississippi. right along i-20. we will continue to deal with that the next couple of hours. now, across texas. northern texas into south and central portions of oklahoma. we had snow push on through. in addition to that mixed precipitation, freezing rain across dallas and fort worth. if you are traveling out there tonight, particularly along i-35 between oklahoma city and dallas, temperatures right now right around the freezing mark, below freezing in

oklahoma city. looking at slick travel conditions out there on the roadways tonight as we make our way towards the northeast, i think conditions will be good for the game. but then i think we are going to have the snow move into the i-95 corridor. we will see slippery travel as we check in late tonight after the game into tomorrow afternoon. and temperatures are going to fall quite a bit. we have an area of low pressure tracking out of the south and east. out there along i-80 and the new york state throughway. we are talking about quite a bit of snow. we have winter storm warnings and advisories in effect from philadelphia all the way back into the portions of the ohio valley. if you are on the roadways, take it easy throughout. >> street parades are in full effect in rio de januaryero. this is an important test for the infrastructure ahead of the world cup in june. last year the festival drew hundreds of thousands of

people from all over the world. in the wake of a cheating scandal involving air force officers, we will take a look at the culture of cheating in the united states. plus drones under development. >> rio

>> a gesture of measure from the u.s. defense secretary. he made a rare phone call in montana. more than 90 service members there were caught cheating on tests. the group handles nuclear missiles for the air force. the secretary tried to boost morale of those not caught in the scandal. let's bring in from los angeles david callahan. he wrote the cheating culture. more americans doing more to

get ahead. do you think that america has a cheating culture? >> well it is hard to think otherwise. just look around. we had massive cheating scandals in business in wall street in the past 15 years, big scandals with steroids in baseball, lance armstrong, look at our schools between two-thirds and three quarters of high school and college students cheat. i mean, it is just about everywhere. and of course we see it unfortunately in the military as well. >> and do you feel that more people, more americans are cheating now than in years past? >> i do because there is more pressure now on people. the middle class is struggling. people are worried about keeping their heads above water. that is an incentive to cheat. and then the temptations are very lucrative for the people at the top. the guys on wall street or the top athletes the huge rewards, final financial rewards for cheating. and meanwhile you have the watchdog sleep. government not keeping an eye on wall street. or major league baseball turning a blind eye to

cheating. mix all that together and you get a lot of rationale incentives to cheat and have a cheating culture. >> i know we hear about the stories whether on wall street or the football field. but how do you quantify cheating. how do you measure whether more people are cheating now than in years past? >> it is hard to measure because cheating is meant to go undetected. but, they have done surveys with college students for a a long time been consistent over time and has shown an increase. and just look at the business scandals. i mean, again, we didn't have those kinds of huge business scandals that keep coming and coming back in the 60s and 70s. this is relatively new because of deregulation the huge bigger rewards that are available on wall street. and ditto in sports. i can't remember -- you know, there weren't these scandals in sports in the 60s or 70s. >> maybe we didn't hear about them. maybe they were cheatling we just didn't know. >> revelations were that between 40 or 50% of baseball

players were using steroids in the 1990s. that was not going on in the 70s or 80s. the intensives with the massive pay packages are just much greater now than in the past. that is a big big rational reason to cheat when you can get that much more money. do you feel that successful people who are successful, i want to point out, operate under different moral guidelines? >> i do think that there is a certain arrogance at the very top. very is a sense of hey, you know, i'm not going to get caught. i mean, just look at what happened, we had this huge real estate boom. we had all the scandals on wall street. subprime mortgage security packages and selling. and the ways that were downright shady and criminal. not a single major bank executive or wall street person has gone to jail. and what signal does that send? the signal it sends is that there is no great punishment

for cheat. ask the question again. this is what i'm wondering about. >> do you feel like people cannot be successful at that level, especially. you are talking about unless they cheat. >> i think that there is a lot of very successful people in this country who have gotten there without cheating. it depends what sector -- it depends what sector you are in. some sectors have a lot more corruption in cheating than others. and certainly the financial industry is one of them. >> david callahan, great conversation thank you for your time. >> great to be here. >> well, congress wants to figure out how to manage drones in the nation's skies by 2015. right now universities in six different states are researching drones. mark schneider visited one site near dallas. >> reminiscent of a kid's remote control toy it is anything but. the contraption can change based often the hand movements, no joystick needed. scientists can also program

this drone to follow things. this unmanned quad rotor as it is called has been trained to recognize that logo. so wherever it goes, the drone goes. you can see where it is going. at some point it will learn to recognize faces. programmed drones might be able to track a person with dim ensha who has a tendency to wander off. or be used for street surveillance. >> for example, following a high speed vehicle. you could have a quad runner following an automobile around. transmitting information to the police for instance. >> but the development and implement aches of this emerging technology also raises new questions about privacy. >> as any technology becomes utilized more and more. there are going to be opportunities for some people to misuse the technology. they misuse the technology, they need to be held accountable. >> it is a matter of regulation, a matter of people feeling comfortable with it. unmanned ground vehicles are

being tested here as well. this one carries a gps system, laser and camera. thelationer tracks the white lines of this zigzag course so the vehicle doesn't veer off it. the camera spots the orange barrels and avoids them. they are also trying to develop a relationship between the drones in the air and vehicles on the ground so they can talk to each other, adapt to changing situations and even problem solve. plans give first responders a heads up to what a disaster it looks like from above. or help farmers. >> the crops don't mind if you watch them. you can find out the health of the crops and make sure you are applying the right fertilization or technology needed. >> with already cloudy skies, much of the research will focus on air safety. you want to make sure the drones don't crash into each other or us. for al jazeera, fort worth, texas. >> well, you have got to take a look at this. drones were already delivering beer to ice fishermen in

minnesota. they were flying 12 packs to fishermen camped out on frozen lakes if you can believe it. faa stopped the program a week after it began. agency says its rules do not allow drones to be used for commercial deliveries. a big defeat for the fishermen. i would not complain if i saw one of those drones flying through the study here. that's our show. thank you for being with us. i'll be back in an hour with more news. and of course there are always stories on line on al jazeera.com. have a great sunday. >>

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>> no doubt about it, innovation changes our lives. opening doors ... opening possibilities. taking the impossible from lab ... to life. on techknow, our scientists bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life. on al jazeera america in you are watch can al jazeera america live. here are the headlines. award-winning actor philip seymour hoffman has been found dead in new york. the medical officials have not yet determined a cause of

death. hoffman made his name in the 1 990s in films like boogie nights before winning the oscar for best car in his portrayal of truman capote. the nfl's biggest game kicks off in a few hours. the denver broncos against the seattle seahawks. temperatures for the game could reach close to 50-degrees by kickoff. overseas voting has begun for a new president in el salvador. the country's vice president is among candidates. but he is not expected to win the over 50% needed. most likely will send the election into a second round in march. a man at the center of the ukranian protest leaves the country after claims he was beaten and tortured. the ukranian court has dropped all charges against that man who says he was kidnapped either with the knowledge or at the request of the government. a volcano in ed wa dor has released three big explosions and stream of action ash on

saturday. it is southeast of the capital of quito. those are the headlines on this sunday afternoon. america tonight week send up next. of course more stories online at al jazeera.com. >> we begin with a storey that divided a community. a student body is missing outside on an educator after he was forced to resign after marrying another man. this raises questions about the doctrine