>> safeguarding consumers personal financial information - what the federal government is doing after a series of security breaches at major retailers. >> seattle fans celebrating a super bowl victory - how they plan to welcome the players home. >> one little set back and you'll both sink. >> the struggles middle class americans are facing as they are

squeeze the by the changing economy. newly released video of an amazing free fall from space. >> good morning and welcome to al jazeera america. i am stephanie sy. we begin with breaking news out of russia. a teenager in moscow entered a school, killing a teacher and a police officer. he reportedly held more than 20 students hostage in a classroom. police say he's been disarmed and detained. the shooting sent dozens of students running out of the school. the incident coming days before the winter olympics is set to begin in sochi russia. >> data security is a hot-button issue after millions had information swiped. it will be the focus of a subcommittee hearing on capitol hill.

ocicials from banks, the secret service and trade groups will testify, on the heels of major breaches at a few of the big retailers. target was hit the hardest, 110 million people had information stolen, including credit, telephone numbers and addresses. neiman marcus reported breeches and michael's said it is investigating its breach of store credit cards. >> lisa stark joins us from washington dc. what are congressal members hoping to accomplish. >> today's hearing is the joys of two. it's the first chaps lawmakers will have to hear about what happened and try to figure out if they could pass legislation to prevent it in the future. it's an enormous problem.

lawmakers will hear that there have been about 600 security breaches in 2013 alone, and that is a 30% increase over 2012, and the breach at target, it was among the biggest ever. >> massive security breach at target, the third-largest retailer could not have come at a worse time - during the busy holiday season. up to 40 million customers deb the and credit card records stolen. the online hackers at large. it happened again a few weeks later. this time at neiman marcus, data from a million customers compromise and michael's, the largest arts and crafts store announcing it may have been hit by hackers. attacks on customers' information caught the attention of washington. and it is there that hearse will be held to try to figure out who is responsible for protecting consumers from cyber attacks and

how. expected to testify at the senate hearing, titled safeguarding consumers financial data is the secret service, on the case hunting down those responsible for the breaches. backing up the secret service, the justice department, which announced that it is stepping in too. i can confirm that the department is investigating the breach involving the united states retailer target. and we are committed to working to find the perpetrators, and individuals and groups that ex-plate that data. >> retail federation lobbied congress for use of computer chips and pins. it will replace the stripe on the backs of credit and dep it

car cards, a likely source. >> when you put a chip on credit cards, it makes it impossible for hackers to reintroduce the cards. >> a pin debit has a lower instance much fraud than signature debit. chips and pins are used in asia and europe. some countries saw credit card fraud declinely more than 70%. >> in the future hack ares will not be able to take a data theft. this will prevent that. >> and the u.s. is moving towards the chip and tin technology. it could be two years before it's implemented. the committee will hear from experts saying it is not foolproof. consumer groups urge consumers

to check banking records and credit card statements to hake shower they are not a vic im of having information stolen. >> on-sunday night seattle seahawks won the super bowl. so began the celebration in the pacific north-west. thousands of fans danced and blared their horn after the seattle seahawks blow-out 43 to eight win. it's the first super bowl victory and first major sports championship since 1979. they are expected back in seattle this afternoon. john henry smith is joining us live from met life stadium in east rutherford. you would have thought this was a home game the way yes dominated the broncos. >> absolutely right. in the sport of football which

pits 11 men on 11. seattle seahawks like to call themselves the 12th man. during super bowl week the 12th man had broncos fans badly outnumbered on the streets of new york. the 12th man seemed to help the seattle seahawks out number the broncos football team on the field, literally, on the opening play from scrimmage. the center player says he couldn't hear peyton manning's signals because of the roars from the 12th man, causing him to snap the ball early, and that led to a safety for the seattle seahawks, and a 2-0 lead that they would not relinquish. the seattle seahawks center pierre says he recognises the power of the 12th man. >> it's surreal. words can't explain it. we are very blessed right now. i'm thank: >> reporter: did anyone give you a cans outside the locker

room. >> yes. they were backing us up. i think a lot of people were with us. a lot of people believe in defense. most of the team cut off the outside noise. i don't watch the news or anything in the past few weeks. >> you know, it's interesting that broncos head coach john fox pipes in crowd noise to his practices when his team is preparing for a road game. this week he turned the volume down thinking that a super bowl crowd would not be as loud as a road crowd. he'll be the latest to pay for not accounting for seattle's 12th man. >> john henry smith, thank you so much. we'll have all of your super bowl highlights in a few minutes. >> president obama was on defense sunday night. the commander-in-chief made a live pre-super bowl appearance with bill o'reilly on fox

sports. they sparred over the affordable care act, and the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. the president accused fox news keeping controversies alive long after they were resolve. >> detractors believe you did not tell the world it was a terror attack because the campaign doesn't want out. that's what they believe. >> they believe it because that's what folks like you tell then. >> i'm asking you. >> i'm saying it's inaccurate. >> president obama granted a super bowl interview every year he was in the white house, and used a football metaphor to apologies for obamacare, he says he chose not to focus on the fumbles but the next play. hillary clinton tweeted: >> thailand went to the follows choose a new government.

tensions are high in the bitterly divided nation as anti-government protesters continue to call for the president to resign. scott heidler has more than thailand's political stalemate. >> a day after elections there are few answers on who will lead thailand or how it will be governed. >> what is known is the number of people who came out to cast their ballots. >> there was a 46% poll. one in 10 polling stations were closed. protesters and the opposition party boycotted the polling. in the strong hold 26% turned out to vote. thousands of would be voters filed complains, saying they were blocked from casting ballots. >> we spoke with their leader as he was about to set off on a post election mark.

>> supporters share the same principals. none tried to disrupt the voters. we schedule a picnic protest. >> they'll maintain the description on the streets of bangkok. the protest leader said they'd continue with a role to move the government. they are dismantling some of the stages they set up last month. >> post elections some see the protesters playing a role moving forward, but only a supporting one. >> they have been very important element before the february 2nd election. third february onward they need to be there to create a simmering atmosphere for solution to come. they are not the direct solution giver. when the polls closed on sunday it did not end the political crisis. yesterday's election gave us

protection that we asked, the power of the people, who legitimize it by participating without violence. we knew the next step has to be a by-election. >> a quorum cannot be established until all elections are completed, and that means no permanent government can be established. until it happiness the government and people of thailand are in political uncertainty. >> voting officials say anti-government demonstrators forced one out of 10 polling stations to go. the top two vote getters in el salvadors election is heading for a run off. the current vice president salvador sanchez cren is leading in early returns. with 49% of the vote he missed the mark needed to avoid a

run-off. for voters the main issues were a sluggish economy and reducing gang crime. >> in costa rica they are battling corruption allegations. >> anti-government protesters are stepping up the calls for the ukraine's president to step down. president viktor yanukovych is back on the job today. his office says the president was on sick leave while fighting a respiratory illness. 30,000 demonstrators jammed central square urging the president to resign. opposition activist dmytro bulatov arrived in lithuania for medical treatment. he said he was abducted, tortured and left for dead. jennifer glasse is it kiev. president viktor yanukovych back on the job, but facing increasing pressure from the opposition and outside the country. what is he saying today.

>> good morning. president viktor yanukovych is back at work. we have not heard from him. it's a big week for the president. with him back in the job, he can start - restart negotiations with the opposition if he so chooses, tomorrow we have a sessionful parliament that the opposition - the opposition would like to see that session used to release 160 or so prisoners and supporters who are in gaol, arrested or detained by the government. the opposition ace they are held hostage by the government until the demonstrators get off the treat. they'd like to see the constitution revised. and want to go back to the 2004 constitution taking some of the powers away from the president. after days of sick leave president viktor yanukovych has a lot to deal with. >> dmytro bulatov left a hospital by ambulance and is in

lithuania. opposition leader was glad to see him leave the country saying it may have saved dmytro bulatov's life. >> translation: i think we just saved his life. after what they wanted to do with him, arrest him, put him in prison, his life was in danger. we didn't have a chance to investigate the torture. one life, i think, was saved. we'll do that to everyone arrested. we won't leave anyone without our attention. >> tell us a little more been dmytro bulatov and his impact on the protest movement. >> he has long been a thorn in the side of the ukrainian government for weeks before he disappeared in january. he had organised protests, going to ministers' homes and putting pressure on the government. he had disappeared for eight years. when found he was bloodied and

beaten. the opposition pointed to him to say look, this is what is happening to supporters. this is a case of people who have been abducted, beaten and intimidated. 35 people are missing in ukraine, and 160 still in gaol, all opposition supporters. the government, for its part doubted his claims from the beginning, the foreign minister told al jazeera that he had a scratch on his cheek. they dialled back from that. the government does not have a good record of investigating the human rights abuses. in europe, centrals burg the european commission will support a committee looking into humans rights. >> jennifer glasse reporting from kiev. >> a grieving mother speak about her young son's death. >> he cared about people. and he had such a joy for life. >> the stand your ground defense in the trial of his admitted

shooter. >> i'm on the treadmill, sweating, there's nowhere to go. >> al jazeera investigates how job cuts, wage freezes and rising costs are squeezing america's middle class in the real money series on rebuilding the american dream. >> breath taking video of a death-defying jump from space that reached speets of 812 miles an hour. taking a look at the world champion seattle seahawks hotel. not a lot of activity, but the snow is falling.

>> jury selection starts in a case that puts stand your ground laws in the spotlight. 47-year-old white man is facing a first degree murder charge in the death of a black teen. the accused man, mike al-dunn is using the stand your ground as a defence, drawing similarities

with the zimmerman case. >> the teen was killed nine months after trayvon martin. good morning. yes, the victim is 17-year-old jordan davis. his mother tells us after george zimmerman was acquitted he was fearful. in letters he wrote that his attorney says he has a stronger case of self-defence than george zimmerman, if he was acquitted it would bode well for him. >> lucy mcbeth sits in her son's room to feel dozer to him. >> people used to say jordan was my shadow. he had a good heart. he cared about people. and he had such a joy for life. >> the life of 17-year-old jordan davis ended in an s.u.vl in 2012. he and three friends were at a gas station when 46-year-old michael dunn pulled alongside

them. he was a tourist. during an interview with police he said he politely asked the teenagers to turn down their music. they complied. the music comes on. i'm like live and let live. don't need trouble. >> thinks escalated. . >> dunn told police he pulled out a gun, because he thought the teenagers had one. >> the guy went down on the ground and comes up with something and says "you're dead [ bleep ]", quick as a flash i had a round claimer and i shot. >> dunn shot into the s.u.vl eight times killing davis, and drove to his hotel, ordered a pizza and drove home. police never found a weapon in the teen edger's possession. dunn is using the stopped your ground law to fight the charge. we spoke with roy black,

attorney, about the case. >> under the law they don't have to have a weapon, but reasonably appear to the defendant that they had a weapon, and they were going to shoot him. davis was killed nine months after george zimmerman killed and shot trayvon martin. the case drew comparisons. >> he shot into a car with four youths in it. this is different to george zimmerman. he is not injured. i think it's a much more difficult case. >> when george zimmerman was acquitted davis was upset. he told his mother he felt young black men had to be on their guard. >> he said, "i'm going to run, mum." nobody is going shoot mean. i'm going to be okay. mcbeth is feeling anxious as the trial starts, especially as to how the defense will portray her mum. martin's mother gave advice - "you know the truth, you have to stand firm."

>> as the trial begins, jordan davis's parents are committed to protecting his image and legacy. part of that is repealing stand your ground laws in the state of florida and cross the country. >> 16 states have enacted stand your ground laws, but another 19 states have imposed laws which say a person cannot resort to deadly force in defense and is required to retreat. >> well, time for a check of the temperatures nationwide. meteorologist nicole mitchell is here. >> a lot of people saw mild temperatures, i know emphasise appreciated for the super bowl. so the having the cold air that we had in parts of the north-east. as we look up and down the coastline, it is lingering. temperatures are dropping. atlanta 60 after 74 yesterday, and into the north-east. this is important, this 33 degrees.

earlier this morning it was still mild enough, highs in the 50, that the precipitation started as rain. now with temperatures dropping it switched to snow. the cold air in the midwest. single digits, negatives like chicago, temperatures down over 20 degrees, and it's going to be a brisk day. i want to mention at least we are starting to get to a milder time of year. more on that and where we see the snow. >> okay. thank you. a report claims the u.s. abortion rate is approaching its lowest level since 1973. the authors believe the decline is linked to a drop in pregnancy and birth rates. not because of restrictions on abortion. in 2011 there was 16.9 abortions for 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. it is below the peak of 29.3.

between 2008 and 2011 the rate fell 13%. the study comes as a new set of regulations are about to come into effect. critics are accusing the state of trying to stop abortions by piling on restrictions. >> we are all tired. everyone is tired. >> maria raup an obgyn ginnic in new orleans offering services for wim n, including abortions. >> the clinic made money if the patient had the baby, but it's the patient's choice, not mine. >> last year state health officials forced her out of business by terminating medicaid and operating licences for two clerical areas, a missing signature and a blank medication dosage among thousands of documents. >> i was told i wouldn't get an efficiency. they were there to find

something, no matter what. >> in november the louisville added regulations under an emergency order. the new rules would go in effect in april. they are scheduled for discussion at a hearing on tuesday. the new rules include unrealistic requirements, including mandating the clinics triple the size of rooms. no operating facilities has a clinic that large or that is close. there's no medical necessity for that. it's bigger than the state now requires for ambul atory centres, where far more complicated procedures are performed. >> abortions are just as complicated and the new regulations are vital for women's health and safety. they don't want women to know they are having an abortion. will they report problems.

>> most probably not. it's the state's job to make sure vulnerable women are protected. there may be other motives. >> we do not want apportion done in louisville, that is the standing law. the supreme court said that a state can treat abortion differently. >> is this an effort to stop abortion clinics. >> inevitably. it was behaviour this. this is an attempt by the administration to do a back door ban. >> the louisville did not respond to a request for an interview. >> louisville's abortion rules were passed in november. a public hearing on the regulations will be hold on tuesday in baton rug. >> french conservatives flooded the streets to voice opposition to an attack on family values.

over 100,000 people took part in protests in paris and leone, angry at the french government for legalizing same sex marriage. they urged the government not to let same-sex governments have children. >> chris christie on the offensive. spending super bowl sunday defends itself. more than 9 million people have been it's placed about syria's civil war. the high level meeting in rome to deal with the humanitarian crisis. >> a look at metlife stadium. in the 50s for the super bowl. this morning it's covered in snow.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy, these are the top stories. the senate is holding a hearing this afternoon to investigate who is responsible for protecting american consumers from cyber attacks after a series of data breaches at major retail chains. secret service agents, bank executive, public interest groups are expected to testify. >> ukraine's president is expected to return to work. tens of thousands of anti-government protesters packed the main square on sunday to call for his resignation. 10% of the polling centres were forced to close because of anti-government protesters. no permanent government can be established until all elections are complete. >> the bridge gate scandal in new jersey will not go away. another member of the chris christie's group has resigned.

new documents will be turned over to a committee investigating the scandal. erica pitzi joins us now. >> the committee has subpoenas to 20 groups and individuals, which could mean thousands of documents. on super bowl weekend the governor was on the offense against someone he called a friend and ally. chris christie is turning against david wildstein, the one that allegedly authorised the lane clorm. instead of spending super bowl in his state enjoying the super bowl, he was defending himself. all thanks to david wildstein, stirring up the scandal alleging that evidence exists that chris christie lied about what he knew wh when he knew it. in an effort to discredit his friend the governor wrote a memo saying:

>> he harkened back to their high school days when chris christie referenced how a social studies teacher: >> the governor's bottom line: into chris christie still stands by his statement that while members of his str staff engineered the lane closures at the base of the bridge as part of the political payback, he knew nothing. >> i had no knowledge of this, of the planning, the execution or anything about it. >> fellow republicans are standing behind him. >> here is what it is. >> it's an offer from a guy that says he has evidence, hasn't given it. you have to take that in context. this is a lawyer who is writing for a man who wants someone else to pay his legal bills and can't pay them. >> while some are calling for chris christie to resign. new jersey democrats are not going that far yet. >> that's up to the people, the

state of new jersey was to whether he continues or is going to - it's up to him. >> those republicans who may run against him in the 2016 presidential bid says that chris christie should stick it out. >> i don't think he should step down. nothing has been proven. you always give a person the benefit of the doubt. >> in the latest show of support for chris christie. the conservative action conference asked him to speak next month. the governor took a different tone than he did a couple of months ago when david wildstein resigned. chris christie called him a tireless advote kate for interest at the port authority, saying the resignation had nothing go with the bridge closure that had not become a full-blown scandal. >> here to discuss the latest on the new allegations, tom doherty, forker senior advisor to new york gore george pataki. happy day after the super bowl.

i know it wasn't easy to get in here. i couldn't help but notice you were laughing. you think the scandal is laughable, why do you think that? >> i don't think the lane closing is laughable. we have moved past that. the government spent two hours in front of national media saying "i knew nothing about this. friday we had knews that someone had documents saying he knew. well nothing came out. >> we have not seen documents or prove. >> this is the media's way of, "we're bored on a friday and let's trick the american people in saying we have something knew", i lot of us spent hours searching for the documents. >> david wildstein claimed to have evidence, we have not seen that proof. david wildstein was appointed and approved by chris christie. in this email that chris christie came out with over the

weekend he talks about deceptive behaviour when david wildstein was in high school. how do you read that. some may view it as petty. >> at some level you need to go on the offensive. when you are in administration at high level, and i served at a high level, you take on some responsibilities. and the responsibilities is that at the end of the day whether you want to dive on the sword or whatever the case may be, you kind of go away. you don't pin it on the boss, and go after the governor, they made it clear "i knew nothing about if, i said i knew nothing", if david has something, he should give the information out. you don't go back, it's not the way that high-level government officials, if you have something to say, put it out there. we'll listen to you. it's a death by 1,000 cuts is unfair to a politician. >> prominent republicans stand

by chris christie. you heard from gooley arny, and let's see what paul ryan said. >> i consider chris christie a forehand. he's a fantastic governor. all we know is one person's word against another, and you can't base a conclusion on such a thing. >> paul ryan saying fantastic friend. is there a risk at all to republicans allieding themselves with christy. the risk is for republicans not to align themselves with one another. it's the way this we is done business is the way that the new york times has treated republicans, is that people like ryan and gooley arny recognised that we need to stay together. we have seen similar fates. the good guys monday afternoon are out to get us. that's the way it is. president obama is certainly treating much differently by the american media. >> the "new york times" article aside there's an investigation

going on into chris christie's staff. another aide resigned over the weekend. that does cast a longer shadow over visity, it is his office. >> it comes down to one thing. chris christie said, "i knew nothing about it, i never knew about this", if it comes out that he did, that is the end. until that moment, people can resign, they don't want to be in government. that's the end of it. either he knew or didn't. his allies and friends are behind him. those that don't will go through the investigation because they had political motivation. the democrats in new jersey will want to knock him down. we get that, that's politics. if you don't thing the governor or his administration should fight backs, they need to do that. you think they are doing it in the right way. it's. >> it's the way to do it. you want to focus on education

and crime. for the short term he'll need to fight back and say "i knew nothing about this." good to have you in, thanks. >> 100 people have been killed in the syrian did i of aleppo, government forces attacked the city from the air with deadly barrel bombs. the the syrian observatory for human rights say dozens of children are among the dead. the use of barrel bums were denounced. a second round of talks was expected to take place later this month. >> a conference on syria is under way in italy. the u.n. for humanitarian affairs says there's little progress, when world powers called for all sides of the civil war to grant aid workers greater access. >> opening the conference, the

italian foreign minister called the situation in syria the greatest humanitarian tragedy. according to the united nations scenario planning, they are specting it to get worse, specting continuing violence and persecution and displacement of people. at the moment, 2 million refugees in lebanon, jordan, iraq, turkey and egyptment the number is set to rise to over 4 million by the end of the year. >> now, the humanitarian response falls into two areas. inside syria, where it's estimated 9 million people are in need of help. and in particular there are fears of a polio epidemic. and the need outside. and for a growing refugee population, not just the refugees, but the communities

that are osting them. of course, continuing questions about why western developed nations are not doing more to sholter a vary of the burden. >> jacky rowland reporting from outside the conference in syria. >> a devastating drought is taking a toll on california. the state is dealing with its driest year on record. reservoirs are running near empty. snow pack is at record lows. governor jerry brown declared a drought emergency, calling on the residents to cut water use by 20%. >> most of the country is dealing with cold air, we are getting past the worst of it. for more on the forecast. let's bring backmeteorologist nicole mitchell. >> we have had a mild winter, but have had brutal cold snams. we are seeing it in -- snaps. we are seeing it in the mid

west. minus 4 in california. winter officially hails in the shortest days of the year, which are in december. the least amount of sunlight and heating. because the ground is a little warm, for that to catch up the coldest days lag back into january. these are some of the cities that we've had cold snaps in. chicago, minneapolis, new york and atlanta. these are the average daily temperatures on the right. we turned the corner the averages are nudging up. doesn't mean we won't have cold snaps, it's that time of year, but we are on the upward side of the temperature curve. chicago, another cold snap later this weekme. the other thing we have is cold

up and down the south. the next system is dropping temperatures, that means place that is saw rain, like parts of new jersey and new york, are starting to see snow. a corridor can get six inches or more. more on that later. >> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> it was a first for the seattle sea hawks. super bowl 48, john henry smith is in new jersey with more on the blow out victory, good morning. >> super bowl week seemed to set up as a coronation of sorts pore peyton manning as the popular sentiment seemed to assumed that he was destined to cap off a record-breaking season with a super bowl ring. the seattle seahawks turned coordination that devastation. seattle seahawks fans yelled to loud that broncos center snapped the ball before peyton manning

was ready. the result was a safety, and a 2-0 lead for seattle. 12 seconds into the game, the quickest score in super bowl history. manning was forced to throw a duck that richard sherman talked about during super bowl week into linebacker malcolm smith, he ran it back the other way, 69 yards for a score. seattle led 22-0. surely the broncos would rally. percy said wrong. taking the kick-off of the second, 87 yards for the touchdown that broke the broncos back and their will. the seattle seahawks win the super bowl 43-8. >> i told the guys why not us. it's only my second year, but i believed in the guys that we had, in the coaching staff and got it so good. they brought me a long way.

it's surreal, i'm thank for everything i have given. >> the coach gave a great statement saying let's get lost in the game. let's go out there, get in the zone and never come out of it. let's play the best took. >> well this was not the way things were supposed to turn out for peyton manning. after a season in which he said n.f.l. records for a passing yardage or touch downs. he set a record with 33 completions. he did not have a good game. peyton manning drops to one and two lifetime in super bowl competition and post-season record dips to 11 and 12. a disappointing night for the future hall of famer. >> it was disappointing for the entire team. we are thrilled to get to the point, overcame a lot of obstacles to be here, put in a lot of hard work, did good

things to have this opportunity. so - but certainly to finish this way is disappointing. it's not an easy pill to swallow, but eventually we have to. >> well, if you recall, denver's unfortunate first play, ramirez said fans yelleded he couldn't hear the call. seattle fans, the so-called fourth man. they made their presence known. >> for all the kids and all the families and the people that waited for this opportunity and put their heart on the line to get it done by the way they followed and supported their team. this goes to them. they deserve it. they are the whole north-west are world champions, not just us. every step of the way, anyone that followed us. connection with fans on the

road. it's incredible. that connection is so obvious we absolutely owe this to their following. so it's their championship. >> so seattle wins its first championship of any kind since 1979 when the supersonic won the n.b.a. ground. i'm john henry smith. >> thank you so much. well, prayers for the home team as sochi russia prepares for the winter games. [ ♪ music ]. >> at a russian orthodox mass held on sunday near the olympic park parishioners prayed for the success of russian athletes. others offered up prayers that socchi would be secure. opening ceremony s will take place on friday. taking a look at business newless. janet yellen will be sworn in as the first woman to lead the federal reserve. she began her term on february

the 1st, replacing ben bernanke. her biggest test will be deciding when to raise interest rates. >> stock futures point to losses. the dow is at: >> in issua the nikkei lost earlier 2% after china's factly out put fell. >> european stocks start the week with losses. we'll look at the auto industry. they'll release sales figures for january. economists expect the arctic weather to hurt auto sales, but not prevent the industry preventing its rebound. january is a slow month. sales have been the lowest of the year. a new twist in the suit wars.

joseph a bank in talks to buy eddy bower. news of the team amid a 5-month battle between joseph a bank and men's house. >> rates for family plans are cut. plans with 10 gigabytes of data shared with two or more phones on a single account. savings $10 per month, per phone. this is an total to get customers to pay more overall. nine out of 10 americans identify as a part of the middle class or aspire to be. after years of economic recession many families are squeezed after job losses, stagnant wages and rising costs. we look at the struggles facing america's middle class. >> today's middle class is under pressure. >> i feel like i'm on a treadmill. i'm sueding. there's nowhere to go.

>> one little setback and you are both going to sink. >> 44% of americans today say they belong to the middle class. that's down 9 points from 53% of americans who identified themselves as meddle class. millions of middle class families found themselves underwater on loans or facing foreclosure. millions discovered that a college degree is not enough to guarantee prosperity. soring debt makes it harder to move up the ladder, bolstering america's middle class. >> we called the bank. with the student loans we couldn't refinance. >> america's households are made of of incomes of $40,000 to $100,000. based on our analysis the middle class consists of middle income

families with similar dreams or aspirations - a secure job, owning a home, access to good health care and a college education for their children. add to that time off for vacations and the ability to save enough to live comfortably during retirement. for many these things are harder to achieve. >> to achieve the american dream is difficult. >> it turned into a nightmare, actually. >> rebuilding the dream is crucial for all of us. the most important part of a robust economy is middle class much spending by middle class families creates strong demand and needed tax revenue. without a stloping middle class america's economy will falter. >> that's ali velshi recording. you can watch "real money" special series "america's middle class: rebuilding the dream" all week, beginning this evening at 7:00 pm eastern. >> the entertainment world is

mourning the lose of oscar-winning actor philip seymour hoffman. a look back at his career and what police believe is behind his gath. >> and a skydiving free fall above earth. >> the weather held out for the super bowl. it's downhill already this morning. i'll have your forecast.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. looking back at the life and car oar of oscar-winning actor philip seymour hoffman. first a look at the snow and the rain and where it may fall. meteorologist nicole mitchell is back. >> we had both. it held out for the super bowl. i want to mention - see the system coming into the west. this is a developing system that

will cause problems into tomorrow for the midwest. the central plains and the east coast. we have a couple of rounds coming. in this morning has temperatures dropping. some places starting off rain, going to snow. we have a corridor. those are some of the winter storm warnings. some places could get six inches or more, parts of pennsylvania into new jersey. you cap see the heavy core with places like new york getting the snow as we head through the rest of the day. >> back to u >> taps of oscar-winning actor philip seymour hoffman are mourning his death. he was found sunday morning dead of a drug overdues. -- overdose. >> we look at his career. >> philip seymour hoffman was is a standout on the silver screen and on stage. earn 20 awards, including an oscar for his role in "capoate."

>> the actor is better known for breakthrough performances in "bogey mights", "the talented mr. ripley," "magnolia," and "almost famous." >> i'm grateful for the parts coming my way. he received two phoney -- two tene awards. he battled against prediction. last may he checked into a rehab center for substance abuse. he was found dead in his new york city apartment on sunday. his family released this statement: dump dump >> philip seymour hoffman grew up in tair port new york, and

attended the tisch school of art. he leaves behind partner mimi o'donnell, and their three children. >> after trouble with drugs and alcohol early in his life philip seymour hoffman reportedly remained sober for more than 20 years. >> it was a record of breaking feat literally out of his world felix baumgieter break the free fall record. it makes your head spin. he pulled off the stunt in 2012, where he fell from earth 24 miles up from the stratos sphere. top speed of 843 miles per hour. now a look at the stories we are following. >> a senate committee holding a hearing about safeguarding consumers after breaches at several stores. >> ukraine's president returns

to work after sick leave. protesters call on him to resign. >> seattle face a super bowl blow out. beating the broncos 43-8. >> i'm meteorologist nicole mitchell, we went from a mild sunday to a snowy monday. more in the forecast coming up. al jazeera america. we open up your world. >> here on america tonight, an opportunity for all of america to be heard. >> our shows explore the issues that shape our lives. >> new questions are raised about the american intervention. >> from unexpected viewpoints to live changing innovations, dollars and cents to powerful storytelling. >> we are at a tipping point in america's history! >> al jazeera america. there's more to it.

>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america >> safeguarding consumers' credit cards and other financial information. what the federal government is doing after security breaches at major retailers. >> ukraines president heading back to work. his return could create more problems for that country. >> seattle fans celebrating a superbowl victory, how they plan to welcome their champs home. >> it was blood, sweat and tears, day and night, looking at

absolutely everything. >> the high cost of putting on a global athletic competition. the lessons learned in vancouver and what they can tell sochi about hosting the olympics. >> good morning. welcome to aljazeera america. >> data security has become a hot button issue after millions had information stolen during last year's holiday shopping season and the focus of a senate hearing on capitol hill this afternoon. >> officials from banks, the secret service and several trade groups will testify. it comes on the heels of major data breaches at a few of the nation's biggest retailers. we are joined from washington, d.c. lisa, what do congressional members hope to accomplish with today's hearing? >> what they're looking at is how they can minimize harm that

comes from these potential breaches, the harm to the banking industry, consumers, retailers. they want to know if relaters are doing as much as they can to safeguard consumers financial information. the breach at target one of the largest ever, but it's part of a growing problem not just for making purchases on stores, but also on line, also making health care transactions. this target breach has clearly hit a nerve. >> the massive security breach at target, the nation's 30 largest retailer could not have come at a worse time, during the busy holiday season. up to 40 million customers debit and credit card records stolen, the on line hackers still at large. a few weeks later, it happened again at niemann marcus. data from about another million customers compromised. now michaels announcing it may

have been hit by hackers. the recent wave of attacks on customers' information has caught the attention of wash tong and hearings will be held tailed to try to figure out who is responsible for the protecting consumers from cyber attacks, and how. expected to testify at the senate hearing, titled safeguarding consumers financial data will be the secret service, which is hunting down those responsible for the target and niemann marcus breaches. backing them up, the justice department, announcing last week it's stepping in, too. >> i can confirm that the department is investigating the breach involving the united states retailer target. we are committed to working to find not only the perpetrators of these sorts of data breaches, but also any individuals and groups who exploit that data via credit card fraud. >> also last week, the nation's retail federation lobbied congress for wider use of

heavily encrypted computer chips and pins, replacing the current magnetic stripe on the back of cards, the likely course of the recent data breaches. >> our system is old and insecure. when they put a chip on these credit cards that makes it almost impossible to reproduce the cards by hackers. >> the card user would enter a pin. >> pin debit has a much lower instance of fraud than signature debit. >> the new safeguards, the chips and pins are already being used in asia and europe, where some countries so you credit card fraud decline by more than 70%. >> in the future, when chip cards are required, hackers won't really be able to take a simple data fest and turn it into credit cowards used for fraud. this will prevent that. >> chip technology isn't foolproof but here's why it works better. with the chip technology, the card creates a new code for each

new transaction, makes it much tough tore counterfeit those cards. the u.s. really dragging its heels compared to the rest of the world on this, but this target breach may change that. stores now will be stepping up. they have to change every single one of those individual terminals and libby, the credit card companies want the stores to have all those new systems in place and the new cards out to everyone by the end of 2015, so we're still a couple of years away. >> lisa stark reporting from washington, d.c. thanks, lisa. >> in russia, a teenager under arrest after going into a school, killing a teacher and police officer there, holding 20 students hostage, that shooting sends dozens of students rung out of the school, coming just days before the winter olympics are set to begin in sochi. >> anti-government protestors stepping up their cause for ukraine president to step down. he is back on the job today.

his office said he was on sick leave. 30,000 demonstrators urged the president to retine. meanwhile, opposition activist has arrived in lithuania for medical treatment, saying he was abducted, tortured and left for dead last week. the president back on the job today, but facing pressure from the opposition and outside to step down. what is he saying? >> that's right, del, the president back at work today, monday morning. we haven't heard anything from his office yet except he is back on the job, a big week for the president. with him back at work. he could restart negotiations with the opposition. also, the parliament meets tomorrow. the opposition wants the parliament to pass a law to free the more than 160 pro opposition activists who are currently detained by the authorities, being held hostage, they say, by

the authorities until people clear streets and government buildings. they'd like to see the parliament change the constitution. that would take some powers away from the president. he had the constitution in 2010 give him more pours. a big victory for the president and also for the opposition. >> last night, opposition activist left a hospital in kiev by ambulance, taken to the airport. he is now in lithuania. the opposition leader was glad to see him leave the country. take a listen. >> i think we've 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. i think one life was saved today and we'll be doing that to everyone arrested. we won't leave anything without our attention. >> tell us if you would a little about his impact on the protest

movement there. >> he's really become kind of the poster child for the opposition movement. they point to him to say he is living proof of the kind of oppression they've been receiving from police and security forces. an independent monitoring group said there are 35 missing here connected with the opposition and that also there have been lots of intimidation. there's been lots of trouble for those activists here. the government does not have a good recording investigating these things and that's why the human rights commission in mistakesburg this week is going to investigate human rights abuses here. >> jennifer, thank you very much. >> thailand went to the polls to choose a new government. anti-government protestors are continuing their call for the

penalty to resign. 10% of thailand's polling centers were forced to close sunday because of anti-government protestors. they disrupted voting in 69 out of the countries 375 electoral districts. no permanent government can be established until all elections are complete. voting officials say that could take as long as six months. >> the top two vote getters in el salvador's presidential election heading for a run off, the current vice president is leading in early returns but with only 49% of the vote missed the mark needed to avoid a run off. the main issues are the sluggish economy and crime. >> voters also headed to the polls in costa rica, the country's ruling conservative party is battling corruption allegations. results show both candidates have 30% of the vote, 40% needed

to avoid a second round of voting in april. >> the head of the palestinian authorities wants a nato force in his state. he proposed that to secretary of state john kerry. he wants nato troops positioned throughout the palestinian territory, at crossings and the border with jerusalem. he said soldiers could remain in the west bank for five years. he called for them to stay for just three in an earlier proposal. the israeli's prime minister's office did not respond to the plan. >> israeli angry as american insistence that peace talks move forward. >> another flare up of tensions between the u.s. and israeli on saturday at the annual munich security conference. john kerry warned israeli faces a growing threat of boycott if

peace talks with the palestinians fail. israeli prime minister mention minute netanyahu called boy colts immoral and unjustified. >> first, it entrenching the palestinian's position of always refusing and therefore pushing away peace. secondly, any pressure will not make me give up the vital interests of the state of zeal, foremost, the safety of the citizens of the state of israel. for these reasons, the threat of a boycott on the state of israel will not achieve their goals. >> israel's minister of intelligence had harsher woods for kerry. >> the state of dial cannot be expected to negotiate with a gun to its head when we are discussing matters most critical to our national interests. >> israeli's criticism sparked a sharp response from the state department saying:

>> some european officials warned israeli could face deepening economic isolation if it pushes forward with the construction of jewish settlements, a major sticking point in the peace negotiations. this began with an article two weeks ago. kerry's efforts to broker the peace negotiations as misplaced obsession and fervor. the state department fired back that time, too, calling those comments offensive and inappropriate, especially considering all that the u.s. is doing to support israel's security needs. the defense minister later apologized for the remarks, claiming he believed they were off the record. >> juan carlos molina, aljazeera. >> israel has also been at odds with the u.s. over iran's

nuclear issue, calling that deal a historic mistake. >> iran will get some relief from economic sanctions as part that have deal today. the country will receive $550 billion of international funds previously blocked in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. secretary of state john kerry met with iran's foreign minister in germany sunday. they discussed the next step to say reach a final deal to limit iran's nuclear capabilities. >> it would be foolish for either side to break away. i think the opportunity is there, it is a historic opportunity. we need to seize it. if we don't, we will regret it in the days and years to come. >> the iranian foreign minister said an agreement is possible within six months if there is good will on owl sides. the next round of talks will take place later this month in vienna. >> folks in oklahoma dealing with nasty winter weather, hit with heavy snow and ice sunday.

tulsa got about three inches of snow, but it could have been worse. the forecast called for 10 inches and a quarter inch of ice. remember what that did to atlanta. slick roads caused numerous accidents, but there were no serious injuries reported. >> another cold snap is moving in across the country, but brighter and warmer days are ahead. for more, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. >> we've had some cold air this winter and yesterday, of course, the groundhog, that very scientific groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter. i think a lot of us could have said that without the help of a rodent, but we definitely have more cold air moving in. a lot of people are like we're sick of it, let it end. well, we're at least on the upward trend this time of year. doesn't mean we won't get more cold snaps, but these are our cities that have had cold snaps. the first temperature is our coldest average through the winter. the date that we finally start getting past that and what are average, and this is daytime and

nighttime, our high and low average together. we are starting to get out of that trend, atlanta 43, now up to 45 as an average temperature for the day. so, you know, we're getting a little better, 45, and it's going to improve as we get through the next couple months, at least. as we continue out leer, new york, we're back to average versus the cold snap last week. doesn't mean we're still not going to get some of that winter weather. today, one system hitting the east coast and another starting to pull out of the southwest, that's going to be a big player into the day tomorrow. so, already, with temperatures falling, rain has switched to snow in parts of the northeast. for tomorrow, it's the midwest, the central plains that gets another shot of snow. that all right starts to hit the northeast as we get into wednesday and thursday, so it's still going to be a very wintery week for us. >> a volcano in ecuador sending lava toward a tourist area, a

series of eruptions sending lava 500 feet in the air. it blocked the way into a resort town. that was 85 miles south of the capitol. >> another volcano in indonesia has rescuers searching for survivors. 16 were killed when it erupted. the blast happened a day after officials allowed thousands of villagers who had been evacuated to return. it has been active since september. >> they say that offense sells tickets and defense wins championships. last night, the seattle seahawks proved just that on their way to their first superbowl victory ever. john henry smith joins us from met life stadium. you would have thought this was a home game for seattle the way they dominated and the also the way the fans reacted. >> that was the case all week. the seattle fans were dominant in new york city, just the way the team was dominant at met

life stadium. seattle defense leading the seahawks to the franchises first o. ever superbowl win with sound tackling and creating turnovers. head coach pete carrol calls every thursday seattle practice turnover thursday. it's a day where the defense concentrates on creating turnovers and the offense con concentrates on not giving the ball away. four takeaways for seattle superbowl sunday, no giveaways, seattle players say it led to a lombardi trophy on sunday. >> whoever wins the turnover battle wings the game. it's almost statistically proven, 90% on that, you know, and we're able to get the ball off of peyton manning. that was the biggest thing, and we were able to protect the ball. >> the normally sure handed

seahawks had an assist from mother nature in holding on to the football sunday night, as you can see, the snow that everyone feared was going to fall on the superbowl waited until well after the final gun to finally come down. >> john henry smith at met life stadium in new jersey, thanks. we'll have highlights coming up later in the hour. by the way, superbowl xlviii now a wrap, fans in denver and seattle waking up to very different headlines this morning. the seattle times headline simply says superbowl champions. >> in colorado, the denver post chose to go with seasick, saying the broncos suffered from stage firefighter. the caption said the team panicked, which resulted in humiliation. >> governor chris christie on the defense, working to undo comments by a former friend. >> the claims that friend is making about what the governor new about the bridge scandal and

more importantly, when he knew it. >> california is dealing with devastating drought, pushing water levels to near empty. the preventative measures the state isn't take to go protect its dwindling supplies. >> $2 billion, that is our big number of the day. it is the big savings one airline is hoping to make. how flyers though could pic picp the tab.

flies out for treatment. >> humanitarian efforts about to

>> to today's big number of the day, it's $2 billion. that's how much money united continental airlines will cut in spending by 2017. >> a major part that have includes dropping cleveland as a hub for connecting flights. the move will result in 470 jobs lost. united said the average daily departures will shrink by 60% come june. >> welcome back to aljazeera america. >> new documents are said to be turned over in the bridge scandal surrounding new jersey governor chris christie. >> first let's find out with temperatures across the nation today. for that, we always turn to

anymore mitch. >> we have the warm air from the south to the northeast. a record yesterday at 74 in atlanta. we deserve that after the ice and snowstorm last week that crippled the city. we have the cold air in the midwest. chicago, temperatures have dropped from yesterday at this time, but are already rebounding. as the front goes through, they cool and warm up nicely. what we have on tap for the rest of the day, you're going to see temperatures up and down the east coast lower than what they are at right now. that's because we are seeing some falling, not too much, but with that front coming through, that's going to be a problem for us. in the day tomorrow, definitely cooler temperatures. back to you guys. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> a devastating drought taking a huge toll on california, the state dealing with it's dryest year on record, a drought emergency there. the governor wants residents to cut water use 20%.

that means shorter baths and showers for 38 million people. >> the picture is relentlessly bleak, reservoirs running near empty, snow pack 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 of the state water probable that probabled water supplies for urban and agricultural users have been reduced to zero. >> that's right, zero. the state has cut off water shipments to local agencies that serve 25 million californians. farmers and water districts will be forced to find their water elsewhere and some of actually prepared to do that. >> the metro water districts serving los angeles and much of southern california has been preparing with water storage and conservation, the agency has no plans to impose mandatory water restrictions this year but called on citizen to say conserve water.

>> the governor is also calling on californians to voluntarily cut 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're shaving or brushing your teeth. >> are the people of california listening and how do they measure 20%? >> i have been cutting back on my lawn watering, and on my shower time, but that's soments. >> i don't want to conserve any water. i want to enjoy what i have. >> people work on a crisis mentality, won't until a crisis happens. people are oblivious. >> a two minute shower would be a cries for a lot of people. >> it would be for me. >> i'll cut it in half. >> which would be what? >> five minutes. >> we'll take a shower together. that should help.

>> lits no laughing matter. nature may face the state to take tougher measures. >> going back in history, there have been some very, very long droughts, which they call megadroughts and we might well be in one of those. >> the fact calls for light rain this week. in california, that amount to say less than the proverbial drop in the bucket. >> that zero allotment policy will be reassisted month to month. the also of available water could increase if the weather patterns change. >> the $80 billion farm bill takes one step closer to becoming law today, the senate expected to debate the legislation until early evening. majority leader harry reid will call and end to the debate and if more than 60 senators agree, the bill moves forward to a final vote. the house passed a bill last week which cuts some funding from the food stamp program. >> thousands of documents will be turned over to a new jersey

committee investigating the so-called bridge gate scandal. >> another member of chris christies administration has resigned. all of this is going down as the governor's state hosted the superbowl. >> the governor on the offense, and really against someone he used to call his friend and ally. david wildstein, a high school classmate of christie's was the port authority official who allegedly executed the bridge close ir. he said last week that evidence exists christie lied about what he knew and when he knew it. in an effort to discredit his former friend, the governor wrote a momentum mow to supporters ultimately making this point, saying: >> christie stands by his statement that while members of his senior staff engineered the lane closures as part of political payback against a democratic mayor, he new

nothing. while some democrats doubt the governor, fellow republicans are still standing behind him. >> here's what it is. it's an offer from a guy who says he has evidence, hasn't given the evidence yet, however you to have take that in context. this is a lawyer writing for a man who wants somebody else to pay his legal bills and can't get them paid unless the governor is responsible. >> i haven't said that the governor knew handle was happening. i said the governor made a statement about what 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. >> christie's memo went deeper to undercut wildstein personally saying that he create add culture of fear in the port authority, that he had a controversial tenure as mayor. christie referenced how a social studies teacher accused wildstein of deceptive behavior. >> does the tone of this memo go

against what the governor said when wildstein resigned? >> back then, christie called him a hireless advocate for new jersey's interest at the port authority. >> republicans are standing by their man. high profile event next month. >> the conservative political activism conference just asked christie to speak next month. >> in business news, wall street looking stronger this morning after a rough start to the year. dow futures have turned positive, now up 11 points. it was a tough january for stocks, the dow losing more than 5% at 1,506,098. the s&p is at 1782. the nasdaq opens at 4,103. in asia, japan's nikkei lost

nearly 2% after chinese factory activity fell to a six month low in january. markets in hong kong and shanghai were closed for the new year holiday. >> automakers will release monthly sales figures for january. economists expect the arctic weather to hurt auto sales but not prevent the industry from continuing its rebound. historically january is a slow month. in 19 of the last 20 years, sales have been the lowest of the year. >> janet yellen to be sworn in today to lead the federal reserve, beginning her four year term this morning, replacing ben bernanke. her biggest test will be unwinding the stimulus bond buying program and raising interest rates. >> a new twist, buying eddie

bauer, news of the possible deal coming amid a five month long takeover battle jen joseph a. bank and men's warehouse. >> ali velshi looking at the financial challenges facing the middle class. you can watch it here all week long on aljazeera america. >> ukraine's president feeling the pressure. >> he is going back to work after a brief sick leave. >> what growing support for the opposition will mean for his control over the country. >> getting desperately needed humanitarian aid to syria. how world leaders plan to help those caught in the crossfire that have countries civil war. >> final preparations are underway for the sochi olympics. what it takes to put on a memorable competition for the world. >> i'll tell you how the seahawks build a championship team out of overlooked and often unwanted players.

robust economy is middle class much spending by middle class families creates strong demand and needed tax revenue. without a stloping middle class america's economy will falter. >> that's ali velshi recording. you can watch "real money" special series "america's middle class: rebuilding the dream" all week, beginning this evening at 7:00 pm eastern. >> the entertainment world is mourning the lose of oscar-winning actor philip seymour hoffman. a look back at his career and what police believe is behind his gath.

>> and a skydiving free fall above earth. >> the weather held out for the super bowl. it's downhill already this morning. i'll have your forecast.

>> if you are trying to figure out what exactly this is, it is jersey city, new jersey right now saying farewell to the seahawks and broncos who played host there last week to all of those superbowl festivities in new jersey. good morning. >> ukraine's president is set to return to the job after taking sick leave while protestors filled the capitol. we'll look at whether his time in office may be running out. >> we'll also talk about the humanitarian talks in italy, talking about getting aid to syrian refugees. we're going to focus on some of the road blocks that are still standing in their way. >> the seahawks are heading back to seattle at superbowl

champions. john henry smith will join us for a full recap of their dominating win over the denver broncos. >> ukraine's president back to work today, returning from medical leave for respiratory problems. it comes amid growing calls for him to join the countries prime minister and resign, protestors holding one of their largest rallies on sunday, 30,000 demonstrators calling for victor yanukovych to step down. a protestor arriving for medical treatment in lithuania. this were concerns he would not be allowed to leave ukraine. >> heading to the runway, free at last from his tormentors and threat of arrest. he said his kidnappers nailed him to a door, mutilated him with knives and beat him for eight days. he will receive treatment in lithuania safely inside the

european union. >> i think we've 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. i think one life was saved today and we'll be doing that to everyone arrested. we won't leave anybody without our attention. >> this might seem like a significant concession by president. if an investigation had been launched, it would have revealed about protestors being mistreated into eye lens. >> tens of thousands of protestors gathered to call for the resignation of the president, who returns to his desk on monday after being treated for a respiratory infection. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry has pledged support to

demonstrators in what he calls 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 grow. right wing groups are splintering away from the main body of protestors determined to keep the demonstrations peaceful. some of them were out on the streets of kiev being trained intactics in close quarter fighting with police. >> the deputy director of the american institution in ukraine joins us this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> the ukrainian prime minister and his entire cabinet resigning, but will that be enough for those insisting on the resignation of the president, viktor yanukovych? >> i don't think so.

one thing about secretary kerry stating full support is it encourages them to go for all the marbles, that they will settle for nothing less than his resignation. having a democratically elected government forced out of office from the streets is really just a recipe for further turmoil and a very bad precedent. it seems to me that what ukraine really needs is some sort of a political compromise that can help the country move forward with some kind of a rule of law on a more peaceful basis. >> i want to show you what secretary kerry had to say saturday. he says: >> has he given the opposition legitimate footing? >> i think that seems to be his intention by saying that but

ms. reads the situation. ukraine has been a very, very divided country, and to simply dub one part of the country the people or democracy and seemingly to dismiss the views of the other 30, 40, 50% of the population is not right, it seems to me. in america, we have divided red states and blue states. no one can say the american people all want this or all want that, but that's what we're seeing in ukraine. it's counter productive to a peaceful settlement. >> what's fascinating is at first the united said everyone should stay out, and then got involved. is it an in to answer where they are not doing what they say they should do. >> i think that's right. the odd thing in terms of who has a dog in this fight, it seems the united states least of all compared to the europeans

and russians. it is a very serious business for them and for ukraine, the relationship with europe and russia is one that they need to balance, given they're geographical and economic circumstances. ukraine has to have a relationship with europe and russia. frankly, i think that's what mr. yanukovych was trying to do, but could have been handled better than it was. why the united states would pour gasoline on this fire i just don't know it. >> seems to have backfired on ukraine and another area in which russia has free-throwsen the $15 billion financial aid package that he went to moscow to secure and came back celebrating, so is this not only making things worse? >> i think it is. i think the russians have been clear that their investments in ukraine, not necessarily with mr. yanukovych. he turned to russia after talking up the european deal for a very long time and ultimately

when the europeans would not put money on the table and the russians would, he made on its face what was a reasonable decision. now that things seem to be falling apart, russia has to figure out their next move. >> the last question, is there anybody that is stepping up that is going to take over should they succeed in getting the president to step down? >> no, and that's part of the problem is that the opposition itself is very divided. the opposition leaders don't control the people out in the streets and one of the iranic things is if there are new elections, polls show that mr. yanukovych and his party might actually do quite well. if that's the case, would the opposition accept that, would some of the western countries like the united states accept that. we could be right back where we are now even after new elections. >> thank you for being with us this morning.

>> car bombs in and around the iraqi capitol killed at least 10 people. a parked car exploded near a local council building in the town. another followed at an outdoor market nearby. that blast killed six people and injured 15. eye. >> iraq has been fighting an inis your gent for several months. >> 100 people have been killed in aleppo this weekend. government forces attacked the city again from the sky with deadly barrel bombs. the syrian observe atory for human rights says dozens of children are among the dead. the use of barrel bombs was denounced by western powers at last week's talks in switzerland. a second round is expected to take place later this month. >> meanwhile an international humanitarian conference underway in italy. there has been very little progress since october, when

world powers called on all sides that in civil war to grant aid workers greater access. aljazeera's jacki roland is at the conference in rome. >> opening the conference, the italian minister called the situation in syria the greatest humanitarian tragedy of our times. according to all the united nations scenarios, they are expecting it to get worse with continuing violence, persecution and displacement of people. at the moment, just over 2 million refugees from syria, mostly housed in lebanon, jordan, iraq, turkey and egypt. according to predictions, that number is set to rise over 4 million by the end of the year. the humanitarian response forced into two main areas inside syria where it's estimated 9 million people are in desperate need of help. in particular, there are fears

now of a possible polio epidemic. then there's the need outside for this growing refugee population, not just for the refugees, but for the communities hosting them which are put under a lot of stress and of course continuing questions about why western developed nations are not doing more to shoulder a share of the refugee burden. >> that is aljazeera's jacki rowland. >> the presidential campaign in afghanistan is officially underway. as jane ferguson reports, there are concerns elections could be canceled because of fears of violence. >> people in kabul will have these faces staring down at them for the next two months, men with powerful aspirations. as presidential election campaigns kick off, the candidates are finally allowed to put up posters across the capitol. several front runners held large gatherings in the capitol,

hoping to compete with big turnouts and rousing speeches, but there were problems. at one candidate's followers fought with those of his deputy over men and women playing in a band together. while keeping the peace inside individual campaigns may be tough, the threat from the taliban is greater. >> it is one of the issues for the elections. we do know enemies, the taliban is trying to disrupt the election, this time, we are well prepared. we have very good experience of the past elections. we are big in numbers and in capabilities we are much, much better this time. >> campaigning outside the capitol will be important and potentially more vulnerable to ethnic and trial influences. some worry the countries ethnic divide could be exploited. >> that's a concern, that people

might be using ethnic groups, religious grabs and tribes in order to get their words. we are trying to stop that at a national level and provincial level, talking to supporters. >> the numerous threats to afghanistan's presidential elections are so grave that some believe the vote may not take place, but despite concerns over the country, sunday's launch of the campaign is a crucial start. aljazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >> most can't dazed are expected to focus their efforts in kabul to win over women and young people, but violence in the countries captain oh roll is at its highest level in five years. >> the seattle seahawks claiming

their first championship in franchise history. january henry smith joins us from new jersey. this team actually built in an unconventional way. >> i hear rumors the champagne is flowing somewhere nearby. usually nfl teams, as you alluded to with the unconventional way that the team is built, usually want to build championship rosters through signs high-priced fre free agenr drafting very, very high versus second round. the seattle seahawks have taken more of a money ball approach, looking for unheralded low cost players to fit their system and other teams have overlooked. 21-53 players on the roster went unselected in the league's annual player draft, and then 16 other were drafted in a third round or later, including

russell wilson, cam chancellor and which charged sherman. >> to summarize, it appears that the seattle seahawks have gone above and beyond and found players that other teams completely did not want and they built a roster that really is one of the youngest in the nfl, has an average age of 26.4 years. it's got a real chance of having longevity in the league. they could be a dynasty in the making. you never know, but certainly the seahawks have as good a chance as any. del, back to you. >> what do the players have to say about how quickly this team managed to turn things around? >> well, you take a look under four years with pete carrol,

they've gone to the playoffs. in four years, they've turned this into a superbowl roster. it has been a relatively quick turnaround. for some players, like averil and miller, the tight end, the turnaround for them personally has not been quick. they toiled with losing teams for years and years before finally reaching the nfl's mountain top. here's zack miller talking about that. >> i think it makes it all the better, being through what we've been through and to have the success now, i think, you know, that hard road traveled makes this all worth it and feels great and even better, i think than if you had success your whole career. >> zack miller certainly caught more passes with the raiders. he took a lesser role with seattle seahawks, but look where it's gotten him, to the nfl's mountain top. >> live at met life stadium. if you can see it not snow. john, thank you very much. i am a little lighter in the wallet this morning follow that

game last night. that's all i'm going to say. >> it's the final stretch. >> there are now four days left until the winter limb knicks in sochi, preparations underway. >> how another host city was able to put on a spectacle without breaking the bank. >> the acting world losing a star, remembering the life and work of oscar winner phillip seymour hoffman. fugelsang

al jazeera america. we understand that every news

>> you're looking at a live shot of a snowy new york city on this monday morning. >> the countdown is on with that friday the winter olympics kick off. we're going to talk about another host city pulling it off without a hitch.

i'm not rooting for team u.s.a., because everybody i have cheered for this year has lost. >> a broncos fan, obviously. >> i'm going to root for team canada this year. >> we're looking at rain and snow across the nation today with anymore mitch. >> i think del is just mad at canada where the cold air happen coming from. >> we definitely have a system that's taken over the east coast, held off just in time to get the superbowl off to really cooperative conditions. we have another weather system in the west that's pulling out, so these are the two we're going to watch. a couple quick-movers, this moves out by later today, but the next system through the day on tuesday into it is plains and the midwest and by wednesday and thursday, impacting the northeast once again and the mid atlantic. we're going to have a couple rounds in this week ahead, not the brutal cold snaps we've had

with some previous systems, but enough to make things messy a couple different times. you can see places like d.c. rain north of that. it was rain switch to go snow now that the temperatures are dropping and the corridor of this could see place witness six inches or more, so it is going to be a mess. >> i have just heard from all my friends in canada, by the way. prayers for the home team as sochi prepares for the winter games. ♪ >> at this russian orthodox church, mass was held near the olympic park, some operating for the success of russian athletes in the upcoming games and operating that everyone remains safe and secure. >> security remains a major concern, as well as the high cost of the games. in contrast, the winter olympics four years ago were financially modest but successful. rob reynolds takes a look at how

the last host city, vancouver, canada, pulled it off. >> the flames no longer leap from vancouver's olympic called ron, but the city has trankable reminders of the winter games four years ago in the form of several sports stadiums, a new rail line for the city's airport, housing and community centers, vancouver's cost about $6.2 billion, a fraction of what russia is spending on sochi. john furlong said his team scrutinized every penny spent. >> it was blood, sweat and tears, day and night looking at absolutely everything. we simply went into every single account to get our project over the finish line. we simply had to deliver the games with the budget we would. >> when the russian president pitched sochi to the international olympic committee, he promised to spend $12 billion.

since then, the cost has ballooned to an estimated $51 billion. >> according to investigations by russian activists, opposition political figures, and even a senior member of the international olympic committee, much of the enormous cost of the sochi games is due to corruption. >> various schemes involved where they inflate the price of some of the projects and then pocket the difference, or, you know, contracts end up running over what they are anticipated to be, so it's been far and away the most expensive olympics that's ever been. >> these olympic medals on display at the vancouver convention center are a reminder of canada's national pride hosting the games. robert van winesberg at the university of british columbia who studied olympic financing closely said the games have become nationalistic spectacles spiraling out of control.

>> these are becoming massive showcases for entire nations. we're seeing it with rio, with sochi, we saw it with beijing and now the world cup is becoming like this. the games are just a platform upon which you build an international image. >> as that trend continues, the relatively modest games held here on canada's pacific shore may prove to have been the last of their kind. >> brazil's world cup in june is also likely going to finish up well over budget. those games were set to be completed for under $1 billion, but cost overruns are already close to $3 billion, and they're not even finished yet. >> fans of philip seymour hoffman are mourning his unexpected death. he was found dead from an apparent drug overdose. he won the oscar for his role in

"capote." several actors have posted on twitter: >> at the end of our second hour, del has a look at the stories we're following this morning. >> a senate committee holding a hearing about safeguarding consumers after major data breaches at stores over the holidays. >> ukraine's president returning to work after four days of being sick, protestors still calling for him to resign. >> seattle celebrate thank blowout superbowl win for their seahawks, winning 43-8. >> jury selection underway dealing with florida's controversial stand your ground

law. the charges of a white man for killing a black teenager. >> del is back with you in just two minutes. have a great morning. but don't worry. i'm here to take the fear out of finance. every night on my show i break down the confusing financial speak and make it real. al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america.

real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> a joy for life. >> florida's controversial stand your ground law testing the scales of justice once again today. a white defend says he was justified in killing a young black man over loud music. >> it is called death with dignity, outrage over a new law allowing terminally ill children to end their own lives.

>> an international incident on the high seas. why japan is fuming over this crash, all caught on tape. >> celebrations from the big apple to the emerald city, why stealth may have to call an audible on trying to get out of new york. >> good morning. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. jury selection beginning in a case putting the stand your ground laws back in the spat light. in jacksonville, a 47-year-old white man facing murder charges in the death of this young black teenage per that michael dunn is using the stand your ground allow in defense. that is drawing comparisons to the case with george zimmerman.

we are live in jacksonville. the teen in this case was killed just nine months after trayvon martin. >> good morning, del, yes, nine months. i should point out that dunn killed 17-year-old jordan davis, he was in an s.u.v. with three other teenagers. they are expected to testify. we don't know if dunn will. in letters, he wrote that his attorney says he has a stronger case of self defense than zimmerman and if zimmerman was acquitted, it would bode well for him. >> lucy sits in her son's room to feel closer to him. >> people used to say jordan was my shadow. he had a big heart. he cared about people and he had such a joy for life. >> the life of 17-year-old jordan davis ended in this s.u.v. in 2012. he and three friends were at a jacksonville gas station when

46-year-old michael dunn pulled alongside him. he was a tourist visiting the city with his girlfriend. during an interview with police, he said he politely asked the teenagers to turn down their music. they complied at first. >> the music comes back on. i'm just like live and let live, and then, you know, don't need any trouble. >> things escalated. dunn told police he pulled out a gun because he thought the teenagers had one, too. >> this guy like goes down on the ground and comes up with something. i thought it was a shotgun, and he goes you're dead [bleep] >> quicker than a flash, i had a round chambered, and i shot. >> dunn shot into the s.u.v. eight times, killing davis. then he drove to his hotel, ordered a pizza and drove home the next day. police never found a weapon in the teenagers' possession. dunn is using florida's

controversial stand your ground law to fight the murder charge. >> under the law, they don't actually have to have to weapon. they just have to reasonably appear to the defendant that they had a weapon and they were going to shoot him. >> davis was killed nine months after george zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin in sanford, florida. the cases have drawn comparisons. >> he shot into a car with four youths in it. this is different than what zimmerman. he is not injured in any way. i think it's a much more difficult case. >> when zimmerman was acquitted, davis was upset. he told his mother he felt like young black men had to be on their guard. >> he said i'm going to run, mom, nobody's going to shoot me. i'm going to be ok. >> she's feeling anxious as the trial starts h especially as she thinks of how the defense might portray her son. martin's mother gave her advice. >> you know the truth and you

just have to stand firm. >> the trial begins, jordan davis' parents say they are going to fiercely protect his image and his legacy. they hope that ultimately, jordan davis' legacy is repeeling the stand your ground laws across the country. >> you talked to attorney's on both sides of this case, they say jury selection is always crucial. what types of juries are both sides looking for? >> well, this is what we've been told. if you're the defense, you're looking for jurors who own guns, who are very committed to this idea of self defense and maybe have conservative political views. if you're the prosecution, you're looking for your typical housewife and mom who's never laid eyes or even touched a gun. >> natasha, thank you very much. 16 states now have passed similar stand your ground laws, another 19 imposing laws saying a person cannot resort to deadly

force in self defense and instead is required to retreat. >> well, they say offense selles tickets and defense wins championships. on sunday night, the seattle seahawks proving just that. >> the seahawks are world champs. >> thousands of fans dancing and honking their horns after the blowout win over the broncos. seattle's first superbowl victory ever and the city's first major sports championships since 1979. that team expected back in seattle this afternoon with a victory parade set for wednesday. john henry method is at met life stadium. john, you would have thought that this was a home team, the way that they dominated the broncos at a time when really everybody was picking the broncos to win. >> certainly you would have thought this might have been a home game for seattle. their fans were raucous and celebratory before opening kickoff, sort of a reflection of this team's head coach.

one consistent theme we've heard throughout superbowl week from the seahawks players is how much they enjoy playing for head coach pete carrol. they talk about the loose atmosphere he for theres around the team, the way he lets the players be themselves, play their own music, the way he makes the game of football fun. his youthful demen nor belies the fact that at 62 years old, he's the second oldest coach in the nfl. whatever he's doing, it must be pretty good. in just four years, he's led the seahawks to the franchise's first superbowl victory. with his win sunday night, he has become the third coach ever to win a lombardi trophy and an ncaa national championship. he did that during his stint before he got to seattle with the university of southern california. all of this from a guy who was considered a failure as a head coach in the 1990's, fired from stints with the new york jets

and with the new england patriots. pete carrol has certainly come a long way to the spot he is in now, a person looked upon at perhaps the best coach in the national football league. i'm john henry smith, aljazeera. >> john, thank you very much. of course we'll have all the highlights coming up in about an hour. we'll see you then. >> a new report claiming the u.s. abortion rate now approaching its lowest level since 1973, believed to be a drop in the overall pregnancy birth rates, not because of new restrictions on abortions adopted by several states. in 2011, there were 16.9. >> boringses for 1,000 women. they say that is well below the 1981 peak of close to 30 per 1,000. between 2008 and 2000 level, the abortion rate fell 13%. >> french conservatives flooding city streets voicing opposition

to what they consider an attack on family values. more than 100,000 people taking part in protests in paris and leone on sunday. they're angry at the french government for legalizing gay marriage and a new abortion law. they oppose new sexual equality lessons in schools, saying not to let same sex calls have children. >> an elderly woman backed her car into a group of people in a church parking lot in florida, injuring several people. that happened sunday morning opinion the 79-year-old woman was backing out of a parking spot, but didn't stop when she hit the crowd. the driver thought she had the car in drive, not reverse. she sped through some small trees, ending up in a canal. the driver has not been charged. >> there has been a deadly school shooting in russia's capitol, a teen entering the school with a gun killing a teacher and police officer. he reportedly held more than 20

students hostage inside that classroom. police say he has been disarmed and detained. that shooting sent dozens of students running out of the school. the incident comes just days before the winter olympics is set to kick off in sochi. >> blasts in the city of peshawar. >> the crowd of around 100 people had been watch ago late night film when the attack happened. police say two grenades exploded. the crowd panicked and authorities say many of the injuries happened in the crush as people tried to escape. >> we were watching the film at the time and suddenly, it stopped. after some time, it started again. as it started again, suddenly,

the blast occurred, and we tried to run outside. as we reached outside, another blast occurred and we rushed toward the hospital. >> no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. police say the cinema had been threatened. the region is no stranger to violence. the government and the pakistani taliban have agreed to start talks. the group has denied carrying out this attack, but analysts warned that some groups would be unhappy with the planned negotiation and try to sabotage them. the taliban shut down cinemas when they were in control for the two years after 2007. they still appear to be a highly symbolic target. >> the pakistani government recently announced it's formed a committee to hold talks with the pakistani branch of the taliban. >> in belgium, protestors are

angry about a law making it legal to euthanize young children. >> euthanasia is legal for people over the age of 18. the law would allow children to take their own lives if they suffer fatal diseases. parents under 18 would have to consent, the doctor will have to sign off. >> a conference for syria is underway in italy. there has been little progress since october when world powers called for all sides of that civil war to grand aid workers greater access. aljazeera is outside the conference in rome, italy. >> opening the conference, the italian foreign minister called the situation in syria the greatest humanitarian tragedy of our times. according to all the united states scenario planning, they're expecting it to get worse, expecting continuing

violence, persecution and displacement of people. at the moment, just over 2 million refugees from syria, mostly housed in lebanon, jordan, iraq, turkey, and egypt. according to predictions, that number is set to rise to over 4 million by the end of year. now, the humanitarian response forced into two main areas inside syria where it's estimated 9 million people are in desperate need of help. there are fears now of a possible polio epidemic inside syria. there is the need outside for this growing refugee population, not just for the refugees themselves, but also for the communities that are hosting them, which are being put under a lot of stress. of course, continuing questions about why western developed nations are not doing more to shoulder a share of the refugee burden. >> that is aljazeera reporting.

>> don't put away your snow shovels just yet. looking live at new jersey, where it is starting to snow. we're looking at snow coming up the northeastern seaboard. for more on your national forecast, we turn to nicole mitchell. >> it's bringing more of the called air. >> ow. >> we've got the double punch. not as cold as recent blasts out here. the front went through portions of the midwest, bringing temperatures back to right around that zero-degree mark, and yesterday, we had record temperatures places like atlanta at 74 back into the 50's today, so in some cases easily cooling 20 degrees, but of course that was because yesterday it was exceptionally warm. we are getting at that time of year with the coldest days of winter and you finally see those averages nudge up. this is highs and lows combined, but there's a period in january, chicago, minneapolis, new york, atlanta, where these are our temperatures, minneapolis at one

point, the day time average down to 15 degrees. we start getting out of that, minneapolis, january 22, starts to hit the upside of new york city on 29. this is averages, currently what it is, minneapolis 18 is our daytime average. we'll take a couple of degrees if we can get it. here's chicago, after a chilly start this morning into the 20's, a couple chances for snow this week. we're already seeing one of those on the east coast today. we have the next brewing system in the west that will pull into the midwest tomorrow. here's how all of this plays out. the one system moves out pretty quickly, in the meantime, snow in the northeast could be six inches in a few spots. the next system tuesday into wednesday through the midwest, and again into the northeast wednesday and thursday, it's going to be a busy week for us. del. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> well, she said it happened decades ago, but also says the scars are still fresh. allegations from woody allen's

adopted daughter. what she is saying about the winning director. >> dying young, reaction from nation and hollywood stars after the passing of actor philip seymour hoffman. >> the idea that our future is uncertain is hard. it's hard to talk about. >> a catholic diocese in distress. why the future is uncertain for this house of worship.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. up next, new allegations from woody allen's adopted daughter dylan farrow. first, let's turn to nicole mitchell. >> cooler temperatures in the midwest. these will rebound fairly reasonably. we've had the front go through with snow in parts of the northeast. it's going to be a messy commute. look what happened to some of our temperatures, places like chicago, indianapolis versus yesterday, 10 degrees cooler. that's where the front went through a little more recently, places that had already had it

go through are starting to rebound. rap to do city for example has started to judge warmer once again. we had really warm air east coast through the south, records set yesterday. that was great news for the superbowl. the one place cooler recently has been the west coast where we are well above average, so this is back into normal territories. >> a dramatic and disturbing open letter penned by woody allens adopted daughter dylan farrow said she suffered abuse at his hands back when she was a child. farrow now questions why hollywood is turk a blind eye to the allegations. >> an explosive open letter written by dylan farrow is reopening old wounds and allegations of abuse. in her own words published on "the new york times" website, she details claims she was sexually abused by allen in an

attic when she was seven years old. >> according to what dylan told mel, she truly is terrified of woody allen to this day. she can't bear to even look at one of his pictures in a magazine. >> claims the award winning director has always strongly denied. >> certainly, i never, ever abused my daughter. there was no sexual abuse that ever took place. >> the accusations were investigated by police in family courts but allen was never charged with a crime. >> a six month exhaustive investigation, there was no evidence from their view to support that the 7-year-old had been sexually abused. >> dylan now 28 said she felt compelled to speak up for herself after watching hollywood's lifetime achievement award, writing: >> her brother also criticized the celebration, tweeting during the golden globes:

>> that tweet set off an on line fire storm with margaret lions saying: >> dylan doesn't stop there. she takes issue with celebrities who have remained friends and worked with allen, including dyan keaton and several members of the latest film, cate blanchett nominated for the best act stress oscar for her role responded: >> allen's attorney release in a statement blaming mia farrow, saying:

>> from broadway to the big screen, philip seymour hoffman one of the most ambitious actors of his generation was found dead in his new york city apartment on sunday. police say the award winning actor was unresponsive and lying on the floor of the bathroom. tributes from fans and celebrities pouring in from around the world. >> it's a shame because who knows what he would have been able to do. >> after trouble with drugs and alcohol earlier in his life, he remained sober for more than 20 years. there were reports out suggested he died of an apparent drug overdose. >> it has been a week since a catholic diocese in montana filed for bankruptcy part of an agreement to settle sex abuse cases from several decades. that leaves the diocese almost broke. >> the cathedral stands high on a hill over the city. the diocese covers most of the 23 counts, it has 50,000

operationers and 200 employees. now, it's the 11th u.s. diocese to declare bankruptcy in the wake of a intercept abuse settlement. >> the idea that our future is uncertain is hard, hard to talk about. 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. this may provide a means for that. >> two lawsuits against this archdiocese claims priests abused children from the 19 tournament's to the 1970's and that the diocese shield the priests who were a known threat. victims were abused at school, play grounds, during camping trips, even in their own homes. bishop george leo thomas said in a press conference, i want to say i'm sorry and we're sorry as a church. a victim's advocate posted on a

website that churches settle because "their biggest fear is having to sit on that witness stand and dare to tell the truth and to have their secret archive documents subpoenaed." the archdiocese says it has been forced to look back at an unhappy history and mistakes its leaders made. >> when somebody would be caught doing this or suspected, it would be treated as an isolated incident. a really strong sense of remorse would be to think that this won't happen again. >> the u.s. bankruptcy court in montana will be responsible for distributing the $15 million to 362 identified victims, two and a half million dollars will be set aside for victims who might come forward later. the archdiocese must publicize the name of all the priests found to have been involved. few of the victims have been publicly identified and some operationers say the whole issue has not been a big topic of

discussion. >> we generally don't talk about it, you know, not because we're trying to hide it or anything like that. it just doesn't come up, it seems. >> empty offices are evidence of cutbacks that have already begun. most of the settlement will be paid by insurance, but the archdiocese must come up with two november $000,000 cash. the creditors will to have vote to approve the deal. >> that agreement has to be approved by the bankruptcy court and the victims. >> in business news, we begin with breaking news, a huge start for 2014 for chrysler, the carmaker now saying sales soared 8%, its best january in eight years, led by jeep, which had a massive 28% increase. january is usually a slow month for automakers and the bad weather thought to keep buyers away. the reports from ford and g.m.

come out later today. dow futures are up, right now at 15,698, the s&p at 17 ate two and the nasdaq opening at 4,103. in asia, nikkei losing 2% after chinese factory activity fell to six month lows in january. markets in hong kong and shanghai closed for the chinese new year. >> european stocks are higher today. >> joseph ax bank shares are lower before the market opened, the men's retailer in talks with eddie bauer. news which a possible deal coming along a five month takeover battle. >> janet yellen set to be sworn in today as the first woman to lead the federal reserve. yellen begins her four year term this morning replacing ben bernanke. her biggest test will be unwinding the bank's bond buying stimulus program and deciding

when to raise interest rates. she makes her first report to congress next week. >> we take a look at the financial challenges facing the middle class in a series of special reports. we invite you to watch "america's middle class, rebuilding the dream" right here on aljazeera america. >> a volcano in ecuador sending larva toward a tourist area, sending ash five miles into the air. it sent larva into a nearby ravine, blocking the way into the town. that is southeast of the capitol. >> the credit card crisis, tens of millions of shoppers had data stolen from major american retailers. what congress is doing this morning to protect your personal information. >> i said i have skepticism about the governor's statement. >> what did he know and when did he know it? a document dump today could dig a deeper hole for governor chris christie in the bridge gate

scandal. >> the secret service arresting a man accused of threatening to kill george w. bush. what they found in his car and what it had to say about the former president's daughter. >> i'm john henry smith live at met life stadium. did the right guy win the superbowl m.v.p. award? we'll pond their question and other superbowl questions coming up in sports. families creates strong demand and needed tax revenue. without a stloping middle class america's economy will falter. >> that's ali velshi recording.

you can watch "real money" special series "america's middle class: rebuilding the dream" all week, beginning this evening at 7:00 pm eastern. >> the entertainment world is mourning the lose of oscar-winning actor philip seymour hoffman. a look back at his career and what police believe is behind his gath. >> and a skydiving free fall above earth. >> the weather held out for the super bowl. it's downhill already this morning. i'll have your forecast.

>> data security has become a hot button issue after millions had information stolen during last year's holiday shopping season. it's going to be the focus of a hearing in capitol hill this afternoon. it comes on the heels of major data breaches.

target, 110 million people had data stolen. niemann marcus also reporting a major breach, saying the information of 1.1 million of its credit card users were stolen. craft store michael's saying information was taken, as well. lisa stark in washington, d.c. what does congress hope to accomplish today? >> the hearing today will focus on are stores doing enough to protect consumers and also what harm can be reduced for consumers, the banking industry and retailers. the banking industry is expected to testify today that they want a national data breach standard. right now, 46 states and the district of columbia all have their own standards on data breaches, when consumers need to be notified, what protection consumesser have. the banks industry says this is way too complicated.

we need a national standard. the consumers group u.s. purg said some state standards are really strong. if you pass a national standard, we don't want to weaken the standards that some of the states have. that's going to be one battle they'll talk about today. everyone agrees this is a major problem. since 2005 there have been 4200 different security breaches, del, involving more than 600 records, so clearly something needs to be done. >> there is supposed to be new technology coming out that will protect consumers. how soon will that become available? >> this is called chip technology. if you use a credit card or debit card you have to magnetic stripe at the back of the card, that is an easy way for hackers to get your information. if you have the chip technology, it's more difficult, because a new code is generated every time you make a purchase. it's hard tore counterfeit those cards. the u.s. is way behind the rest

of the world on this. europe, 81% of the cards in europe already have this technology. this target breach will give a big push to get it here in the u.s., but even so, we won't be seeing it for probably a couple of more years. >> lisa, thank you very much for being with us this morning. >> also this morning, there are no documents out that are set to are turned over in the bridge gate scandal in new jersey. another member of governor chris christie's administration resigned. we have the very latest. all of this happening as new jersey hosts the superbowl. >> absolutely. the governor must have had a busy weekend. first, let's talk about this committee investigating the scan d.l. twenty individuals and groups could mean thousands of additional documents. the governor is on the offense against someone he used to call his friend and ally. david wildstein was the port authority official who allegedly executed the september bridge closure.

now, christie is turning against him. >> instead of spending superbowl weekend in his state focused on being a good host, chris christie was busy defending himself as a good governor, all thanks to david wildstein who last week stirred up the scandal alleging evidence exists that christie lied about what he knew and when he knew it. the governor reportedly wrote a momentum mow saying wild stephen create add culture of fear in the port authority. he hearkened back to their high school days when christie referenced how a social studies teacher publicly accused wildstein of deceptive behavior. the governor's bottom line, david wildstein will do anything to save david wildstein. christie stands by his statement that while his senior staff engineered the closure as part of the political pay back against a democratic mayor, he knew nothing. >> i had no knowledge of this,

of the planning, the execution or anything about it. >> fellow republicans are standing behind him. >> here's what it is. it's an offer from a guy who said he has evidence, hasn't given the evidence yet, however you have to take that in context. this is a lawyer writing for a man who wants somebody else to pay his legal bills and can't get them paid unless the governor is responsible. >> while some are calling for christie to resign, new jersey democrats heading up the investigation are not going that far just yet. >> i think that that's up to the people of the state of new jersey as to whether he continues or is going to -- it's up to him. >> even republicans who may run against him in a 2016 presidential bid say christie should stick it out. >> i don't think he should step down, because nothing has been proven, and you always give a person the benefit of the doubt in those kind of situations, in my judgment. >> in the latest show of support for governor christie, the conservative political action conference just asked him to

speak next month. >> a lot of people are saying that the tone that governor christie is using this time is a little different than when he addressed the press for two hours. >> a little bit different when it comes to wildstein. back when wildstein resigned from the port authority in december, christie had called him a tireless advocate for new jersey's interest when it comes to the port authority, now changing his tune. back then, both of them denied that the resignation had anything to do with this bridge scandal. >> thanks for being with us this morning. katey glick joins us this morning from washington. good morning. >> a lot of people talking about the tone of the email specifically and also say it seems to suggest that the christie administration is in damage control mode. >> you know, the email that came from governor christie's administration that we've been talking about that was sent over the weekend, it was sent to a smaller group of friends and

supporters. it certainly struck a much more aggressive tone than the sort of toned down statement he offered friday. both sort of served to indicate that he is standing by his story, sticking with the same narrative that he put forth in that press conference right as this bridge gate story began. >> a lot of people think the tone of the email suggests me thinks you protest too much. they say even if he didn't have prior knowledge of the lane closures, it does seem to indicate that bullying attitude that a lot of people accuse chris christie of having. >> you know, there's been a lot of scrutiny of governor christie, of his administration and perhaps a culture within his administration, sort of even aside from that details of how much he knew and when he knew it. you know, he doubled down on the narrative he's been putting fort in that public statement on friday and much more aggressively so in terms of tone in this letter that was sent out

over the weekend. >> we keep talking about the tone of the letter. he says in that letter, bottom line, david wild 17 would do anything and say anything. could that statement right there be something that comes back to haunt him later on? >> you know, it's very interesting as you kind of see how this has played out. some people are inclined to be supportive of the governor, many going back to that initial press conference said if no more information surfaces, if it turns out that the governor didn't know anymore than he says that he knew at the time, perhaps he should be able to make a comeback from this. if in fact more information does surface, maybe that's a different story for him and his political trajectory. i think this letter and the statement before that does underscore that he is standing very firmly by the narrative he has put forth, raising the stakes on that front. >> i know those of you down there at politico make a living

reading the political tea leaves. what does this suggest for him? >> this has come at a very interesting time in the governor's political career, because, of course, this all comes right as he's come off a resounding reelection in november where he was very competitive with groups where republicans typically tend to struggle, their man of the governor's association and riding high until this scandal. this certainly at least changed what the narrative about governor christie has been so far in terms of shifting that focus. a lot of political observers on both sides of the aisle say his next political steps hinge in part on how this develops. >> politicos katy glick joining us live, thank you very much. >> a new york man arrested for threatening to kill george w. bush. benjamin smith professed his love for the former penalty's

daughter. officials say he was found sitting in a car with a loaded rifle, ma chety and container of gasoline. >> anti-government protestors are stepping up for the president to resign. 30,000 demonstrators jamming kiev sunday, urging him to resign. meanwhile, opposition after visit has arrived in lithuania for medical treatment. he says he was abducted, tortured and left for dead last week. jennifer glass is in kiev right now. the president back on the job today, but still under pressure to step down. >> >> he is, del, a big week for president yanukovych. back at work, he could restart talks with the prime minister. he has a name a new prime minister. he fired him, but it wasn't

enough, there are still protestors on the streets around the country. tomorrow, they hope to press for constitutional reforms limiting the president's powers. they would like to see a general amnesty for supporters who remain in jail. a very, very busy week for president yanukovych. >> last week, the act visit left a hospital in kiev and taken by ambulance to lithuania. the opposition leader said he was glad to see the man leave the country, saying it may have saved his life. take a listen. >> i think we've 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 that he was subjected to. i think one life was saved today, and we'll be doing that to everyone arrested. we won't leave anybody without

our attention. >> tell us about the man and the effect he is having on the opposition movement there. >> del, he has really become a poster child for the opposition here. he, they say, is a living example of how the opposition has been bullied, abdugouted, beaten, anyone who supports the opposition here. 35 ukrainians are still missing. we've seen a number of pro opposition cars torched over the past few nights here in ukraine and more than 160 people remain in prison. he is not the only activist to have left the country. another who spearheaded the taking of government buildings in the last week and a half or so has fled the country for london, the head of european rights commission is on his way here to ukraine tomorrow to investigate those allegations, because the government, it says hasn't done a good job of

investigating. >> people in thailand going to the polls on sunday to choose a new government, but tensions there remained high in that bitterly divided nation as anti-government protestors continue to call for the president there to resign. we have more on thailand's political stalemate. >> one day after national elections, there are still few answers on who will lead thailand or how it will be governorred. what is known is the number of people who came out to cast their ballots. the election commission says there was a 46% voter turnout, far less than previous elections. one in 10 polling sections across the country were closed by anti-government protestors. protestors and the opposition party boycotted the polling and in their strong hold of bangkok, only 26% turned out to vote. thousands of would-be voters filed police complaints saying they were blocked by brought

testers. we spoke to their leader as he was about to set off in his post election march. >> supporters all share the same principles. none tried to disrupt the voters. we are peaceful protestors and we held a picnic protest on election day and we did not disrupt anyone. >> they maintain their addition reputation on the streets of bangkok. >> the protest leader said he's going to continue with his goal to remove the current government, but are dismantling stages they set up during their shut down bangkok campaign last month. >> post election, some see the protestors still playing a role moving forward, but only a supporting one. >> they have been very important element before february 2 election. third february onward, they need to be there to create a similar atmosphere for solution to say come, that they are not the direct solution giver. >> the government admits when

the polls closed sunday, it did not end the political crisis. >> yesterday, election give us a little bit more of a protection that we ask this power, sovereign power of the people who legitimized it by giving us -- by participating without violence, but we know the next step ha has to be by election. >> a forum cannot be established until all election are completed. that means no permanent government can be established. until this happens, the government and the people of thailand remain in political uncertainty. aljazeera, bangkok. >> the top two vote getters in el salvador's presidential election heading for a runoff. the current vice president is leading in the early returns, but he managed to capture 49% of the vote, mitting the mark needed to avoid a run off. that will take place in march.

the issues are economy and crime. >> in costa rica, the current leading party battling charges of corruption. >> in case you haven't heard, the seattle seahawks claiming their first superbowl victory in franchise history, defeating the denver broncos. john henry smith is at met life stadium. >> good morning to you, del. i start the question about last night's fantastic game. superbowl xlviii, proof positive that defense wins championships? >> absolutely. how can you not deny it? you've got 16 times a number one defense has played in the superbowl, they've won 13 of those 16. when you look at defenses that have played in the superbowl, you've got to say was this the best ever in the history of the envelope? some would say yes, because they

speedy a legend yesterday, 51 times peyton manning dropped back to pass and only six times the seattle seahawks blitzed. tells you how great that defense is. really they're the reason they won yesterday. >> a defender won the game m.v.p. ors, but did the right player win? yes, the linebacker malcolm smith had a great game, but i submit to you that cliff averil or cam are more deserving. >> defense wins championships. they had to give to it somebody. looking at the stats, 10 tackles, a pick for six, a fumble recovery. >> he doesn't get that pick for six without averil's pressure. >> no, but he made a good pick on the ball. you had to give it to a defensive player, and because he had the goudie stats, i think that's why they gave to it him.

>> we've been talking defense, but of course the quarterbacks are always a focus of attention. you had old school peyton manning versus the new school russell wilson and we've seen a passing of the torch with russell wilson's big win. >> i want say this game we saw the passing of the torch. we saw collin cammer nick, cam newton made it to the superbowl, i think we're going to see maybe a change in money where maybe you're not going to pay the quarterbacks $20 million, maybe spend the money on defensive players, because defense wins championships. one thing we might see is because of how well russell wilson did, maybe this opens the door for johnny manziel might go number one oh the houston texans. >> i like johnny manziel a lot. do we have a dynasty in the making in seattle? >> i think we do. the seattle has he hawks is about the second youngest team in the nfl, average age is 26.

they draft extremely well. 21 of their 53 players went undrafted. that's how great their suits are in the talent they bring in. >> they are going to have to pay russell wilson at some point. we'll see when the bill comes do whether or not they can maintain that high level of excellence they've settled in seattle. thank you very much for your time and that's a wrap from met life stadium. john henry smith, aljazeera. >> john henry smith, neat that marks, thanks very much. >> more and more states are legalizing pot, but you don't to have smoke it to get high. some are calling for new food safety regulations to make sure edible marijuana is safe to eat. >> the police and the bureaucrats of this country want to destroy everything. >> this elderly farmer taking on the canadian government in a fight to save his land. that is a farm by that the way

that has been in his family for 250 years. to achieve. >> to achieve the american dream is difficult. actually. >> rebuilding the dream is crucial for all of us. the most important part of a robust economy is middle class

>> al jazeera america is a

>> you're looking -- well you're not going to be looking live at jersey city. welcome back. just ahead, we're going to tell you about a farmer's fight to save his land from the canadian government, first let's find out where it's going to snow across the country today. oh, there is jersey city, jersey. hi, nicole. >> this picture kind of says it all. we lucked out with the superbowl. i will be honest. not only were temperatures above average, but precipitation held off and overnight, it changed. the weather system came in. it started as rain, then the cold air switched it to snow. it's going to be a slow go this

morning. here's the broad look. we've got rain extending into the south. as we get into the northeast, this moves out pretty quickly today. another system that's already moving from the west into the midwest in central plains tomorrow and back into the northeast as we get into wednesday a little bit, a little bit more thursday, but it's going to be a very active week for us, not the brutal cold, temperatures will drop, but here's where we have all of this this morning. so definitely some moisture out there that people will be dealing with. some places could get over six-inches of snow. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> there it is right there on camera. that collision between two ships now turning into an international incident. japan is blame ago dutch anti whaling group. no one was injured, but it is the latest incident involving japanese whaling ships and

environmentalists. >> food made with marijuana, big business in legal states, but some want regulations on food they say is laced with pot. they want to make sure the packages doesn't indicator kids. those rules would make it mandatory for marijuana food producers to have them tested at independent labs. >> a canadian former refusing to leave his land. canada's ministry saying it needs his farm to build a new air base. we have the story of a man's fight against the system. >> tractor meals crunching throughizey snow, 85-year-old frank myers drivers around land that's been in his family for 215 years. >> 798, he fought for the british. >> one of his ancestors fled what is now the united states during the american war of independence. the myers family has farmed here ever since. no more. canada's exercised its legal rights to buy the land for an

adjoining air base and force him off. he says he won't go. >> i'm working for the people of this country so they'll have food for generations to come, but the bullies and bureaucrats of this country want to destroy everything. >> 34,000 likes on our facebook page. >> running a social media campaign, his supporters gathered in the site won't leave until the government gives back the farm. >> frank probably nose every inch of that farmland in and out. easy worked it so hard, so long, and it's an emotional tie to the land. you've got to love the land. >> silence is a terrible thing, and, you know, be constructive, speak up, stand together, you know, unit for a good cause and have each other's backs. >> for now, they've delayed demolition of farm buildings. on a nearby hill top, heavy equipment is waiting to roll in again when the orders are given. in canada, the government can appropriate land for public

projects so long as they pay fair compensation. >> this legislation is harsh and firm and meant to allow municipalities and provinces and the federal to get things done. >> an 18th century land title is being defended with 21s 21st century tactics, combining social media with protests. remnants around with one family's history and generations of farming given to them before this nation even existed. >> one man versus the canadian military is certainly a compelling story. the government is determined to proceed with what it calls a done deal, whatever frank myers or his supporters may say. aljazeera. >> more news in two minutes. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america

>> these are the top stories we're following for you at this hour. the senate is holding a hearing to find out who is responsible for protecting america from

cyber data attacks. >> that massive $80 billion farm bill one step closer to becoming law today. the senate is expected to debate the legislation until early evening before harry reid calls and end to the debate. if more than 60 senators agree to end the debate, it moves to a vote. >> in russia, a teen under arrest after entering a school. he held 20 students hostage inside a classroom, and killed a police officer and police officer. >> could you rains president is expected to go back to work today after four days on sick leave. tens of thousands of anti-government protestors called for his resignation. people in thailand going to the polls on sunday to choose a new government, but 10% of the polling centers were forced to close because of anti-government protestors. no permanent government can be

established until all of the elections are complete and that could take up to six months. those are your headlines at this hour. "consider this 88 is next. you can also catch us 24 hours a day by going to aljazeera.com. nominated look at whether the war on terror is creating more enemies for america. >> pro football hall of famer mike haines on technology to protect kids and pros from brain injuries. should college football players unionize? welcome to consider. here is more on what is ahead. >> a former u.s. sold we are was accused of spying. >> they have poor judgment.