>> before these lanes were closed i knew nothing about it. i didn't plan it. i didn't authorise it, i didn't approve it. i knew nothing about it. >> firing back new jersey governor chris christie goes on the offensive after allegations he knew about the so-called blidge-gate scandal >> winter weather in the north-east grounds hundred of flights - the worse may be yet to come >> protecting your personnel information. what congress is calling for in the wake of the megadata breach

at the nation's largest retailers. >> this is not people that i was interacting with, these are people i considered friends. >> an american veteran on a mission to help the people of afghanistan. his solutions to their economic problems - goats. >> hi, welcome to al jazeera america. good to have you with us. i'm thomas drayton. chris christie is standing firm on the scandals surrounding lane closures on the west virginia. the embattled new jersey governor made it clear that he has done nothing wrong, as several of his top aides face subpoenas to find out what the governor knew and when. david shuster has more. >> appearing on a new jersey radio program governor chris christie hit back at critics and

an appointee. >> what is going on now is a game of gotcha. when did i first learn about this or that. well, the fact of the matter is i've been very clear about this. before these lanes were closed, i knew nothing about it. i didn't plan it. i didn't authorise it. i didn't approve it, i knew nothing about it. >> over the weekend david wildstein, who engineered the lane closure said the governor knew about it when it happened, not after as chris christie insisted at his last news conference. chris christie said he may have read media reports, but is not sure. >> if i read it or someone said something to me about traffic issues, it wouldn't have been meaningful to me. i didn't know there was a problem. chris christie sees a problem with david wildstein. on saturday, in the midst of super bowl appearances, a 700

word memo was sent to strat gifts and media to discredit david wildstein: >> donors told al jazeera chris christie assist memo was embarrassing and lame. the governor did not address that criticism, chris christie tried to underscore that david wildstein's allegations did not undermine a central point. >> the most important issue is did i know anything about the plan to close these lanes, did i authorise it, did i know about it, did i approve it or have knowledge of it beforehand. the answer is still the same - unequivocally - no. >> in addition to the federal and state investigations the governor is looking forward to an internal investigation he has

authorised. chris christie made no mention of presidential politics or campaign aspirations which are hanging in the balance as the controversy plays out. >> the scandal began when lanes connecting new jersey and new york were closed last september, causing a gridlock for days. >> a convicted killer who broke out of a michigan prisoner is back behind bars. michael david elliott was captured at a petrol station. he was convicted of killing four. bisi onile-ere has the details. >> 40-year-old michael elliott wasp apprehended by indiana police. his arrest marks an end to a search. authorities in indiana spoke out

about how they were able to track him down. >> the sheriff's department engaged in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle. the vehicle spade -- sped away. the vehicle was pursued. i don't know how long it lasted. the driver was michael elliott. she in custody. >> elliott escaped through a fence, it is supposed to carry an electric shock. that didn't happen in this case. they are trying to figure out how it filed. >> there's an ongoing investigation at that prison. there was a major sell-off on wall street on monday. the do you closed down 326 points, the biggest dip since

last june. slow numbers in manufacturing industries has been blamed. weak factory activity has been recorded. jer jer jerry levy says it could represent an opportunity. >> i had a call interest my father asking if he should be jumping out of stocks. it's a time to reset, maybe buy more. look at your portfolios and investments, and make sure you are well diversified. for those not in the stock market. don't panic or freak out. it's a good time to buy stocks, at least over the long period of time. >> the next big test could come on friday, with the release of a january jobs report. >> recent security breaches at target and other retailers has americans concerned about the safety of their personal information. as john terrett reports the issue was front and center on capitol hill on monday. >> whatever high standard exists

in the marketplace readily available in technology is one that we would want to have companies follow in order to ensure the security of millions of americans private information. >> congress takes on cyber security as the large number of threats to corporates hit new highs. the senate banking community heard from the secret service. threats have been rising over the last decade, costing business billions. >> the cyber criminal world is using the russian speaking, in the fact that they are using the russian language was an operational security. that is the piece that the criminal underworld is using to hide from u.s. law enforcement. >> white lodging corporation, running hilt, marriott and star hotels is the latest firm to disclose that it is being

hacked, saying it's investigating breaches at 14 properties between march and december last year. monday's hearing came weeks after data was sold from michaels, maneiman marcus, and target, where 100 million americans had information compromised. the target breach is one break-in, but two thefts. 30 million may have had credit cards and information stolen. another 70 million americans could have interreacted with target at any point in their lives, not necessarily over the holidays. >> if a business withholds that information because it's in the hart of christmas shopping season, it may affect the bottom line, they need to be hung out to dry. >> consumer groups pressed congress to penalize companies that failed to notify authorities if they suffered a

data breach, or firms that don't have sufficient application. >> we have tools to address data security failures by companies. it would be extremely helpful to have a federal law requiring data security, not just notification with civil penalties. the senate heard while cyber criminals are developing new ways to hack corporate and government systems, the technology exists to reduce card fraud dramatically. so-called smart cards combined a microchip with a pin number, and are in use in asia and europe. congress is looking at setting a smart card security standard. card companies want to see it in place in years. >> you have to have a pin and chip system. monday's hearing is the first of several into cyber security. on tuesday the chief financial officer will testify before the senate judiciary committee.

>> secret service officials are pushing congress for new legislation. there's no federal standard in place to determine how and when businesses should report consumer theft to the public. >> after several days of wild weather, monday's snow storm pummelled the area. it made for messy commuting and travel, and stranded thousands of super bowl fans trying to get home. it is just the beginning. meteorologist kevin corriveau tracking the next big storm. >> we are seeing a lot of stormy weather push to the atlantic as we go into tuesday. the storm bringing between 6 inches to over 12 inches of snow out to pennsylvania. you can see as it made its way through it caused a lot of problems, delays as well as cancellations. as we go to the north-west we

are dealing with temperatures below normal for this time of year. you can see a little snow and rain across washington, as well as into oregon, as we go towards tuesday, most of the snow will be out here towards wyoming in the higher elevation. temperatures highs of 36. you are only going to get up to 14 degrees there. notice the temperatures getting down below freezing every night. and by the time we get to the end of the week it will be rain in your forecast. >> to the south-west we saw snow pushing through parts of arizona, in the higher elevations, with phoenix seeing a high of 62. as we go towards tewassaul. san francisco 55, and the weather for los angeles. you will not see 70. all the way through it will be to the '60s. into the mid 40s. >> here across texas, mostly the clouds. we have been dealing with

temperatures - well, 56 will be the high on tuesday. for dallas a lot of snow and rain. as we go towards thursday, a high of 32 degrees. it will be the mix, dangerous on the interstates, with an overnight low. 18 degrees, and warming up slightly on friday to 39. >> thank you. the winter blast in the north-east is taking its toll on air travel. a report out says the winter blast led to 49,000 flights cancelled in january, twice as many as grounded by superstorm sandy. the airline industry suffered a loss, from 75 to $150 million. >> still ahead - the quest for clean, green energy, hitting a roadblock in the aloha state. >> when they started going up and in it was like oh my god. >> why native hawaiians are

throwing caution to a windfarm in their backyards. >> goats - the solution to the economic problems plaguing war-torn afghanistan. an american's mission to help the people he calls his friends. and facebook turns 10 years old. why it may not be a happy birthday for the original social network.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. no big secret. living in paradise not cheap. electricity costs in hawaii are three times the national average. because the islands are completely dependent on imported oil. as jennifer london reports the alternative energy sources are raising concerns. >> big waves. beautiful beaches. scenic overlook. picture postcards from oahu's famed north shore. now something out of place comes into view. >> well, in your heart it hurts.

>> kent fonoimoana lives in the rural neighbourhood of kahuku. in 2011, 12 wind turbines were erected close to his home. >> i'm opposed to the proximity and the look of the beauty of the hawaiian islands. so is kathleen pahinui, who chairs the north shore neighbour hood board. >> when they started going up and in it was like oh, my god. people were freaked out. very, very upset. >> travel down the road and you'll find 30 more lected in the waimea valley value, making the 42 turbines the largest windfarm in the state of hawaii. as you enter the waimea valley, you see the turbines. many north shore residents say it's not the problem. the wind farms are more than an eyesore. they say they have been built on

land that is psych red and has been in the hawaiian culture for more than 700 years. >> i thought it was a blatant disrespect and desecration of the valley. >> many, and myself on a personal level, would prefer from the valley, not to be able to see windmills. >> mark glick, the energy commissioner, would prefer to break hawaii's dependence on oil. the island state imported more than 46 million barrels of oil, 36 barrels for every person living in the state, according to hawaii energy.com. >> keeping our sights on the true goal, which is to rid ourselves of imported oil, which is creating a stranglehold on the economy. >> it's estimated the north shore wind farm will provide power for 14,000 homes. there are plans to build 15 near that elementary and high school.

kent fonoimoana has grown weary. >> we've done our part. >> the energy plan in hawaii includes generating 40% of electricity from renewable windsources. wind farms are part of the energy future and the view. >> facebook is celebrating its 10th birthday. the social networking site started in a harvard college dorm in 2004 and attracted 1 billion members. it's used by 57% of adults in the u.s., and half the global population with internet access uses the site. facebook may be losing the cool factor with teenagers. >> the way where everyone can get a hold of you no matter what, they know everything about your life. i don't like it any more. >> mark zuckerberg says the

biggest social network is moving to mobile and plans to tap more than 900 million smartphone and tablet users. facebook uses a crowded market of competitors, included instagram, snap-chat. >> some economic problem solutions have been ground, and this man's plan involves goats. ashar quraishi has the details from iowa. >> from his dining table ltcol rick burns is formulating a plan to help the afghan people help themselves. >> i have personal relationships with afghanis. these are not people that i interact with, these are people i consider friends. >> he spent three decades in the army national guards and reserves as a civil service officer. he says he has seen the problems of waste, fraud and abuse first hand. >> we have not gotten it right when it comes to the development

piece of this thing. we think if we spend enough money, we'll fix the problem. we spent a lot of the problem and haven't fixed some basic problems. >> as of september the u.s. aappropriated 96.6 billion since first call year 2002. another 6.5 billion has been approved for first call year 2014. >> lieutenant burns is looking for a solution to a complex problem, and believes he may have found it in the form of all things, goats. >> burns nonprofit the karata profit aims to give two dairy goats to 15 families. >> the simplicity is the beauty. take an afghan family with nothing and give them two goats. you gave them an increase in nutritional value and a revenue stream.

it will set up a facility with milk training. inspired by the project students at the high school got involved, raising money through bake sales. >> instead of things they'll use up and not have anything to live on, this way it is sustaining. they didn't have a lot of opportunities to enhance their way of living. the goat project would be good. >> 7,000 miles away from elk horn is the city of afghanistan, where ltcol burns' partners are prepping for the coat. it's a drop in the bucket, but every little bit helps. >> he said whatever you do will never be enough. it's enormously important that you do it. it's important that the efforts are enormously important. >> important, sustainable and for lieutenant byrne's friends on the other side of the globe,

life-changing. >> so far rick burns raised more than $10,000 for his project. >> still ahead - they say they feel like outsiders in a place they call home for generations. two communities, side by side in ha town, the struggles of ethnic vietnamese living in modern day cambodia. and why the internet giant is forced to put his top-secret barge in dry dock.

>> with the super bowl in the rear view mirror the spotlight turns to other major sports. michael eaves has a recap of monday's actions. >> thanks to a best start, sarah cues entered topped number one. the orange men received 65 votes by the polsters, making it the first unanimous team in three years. sarah cues was the first team to hold the number one rank, after

its record was on the line against notre dame. the same team that beat syracuse, the last time it was defeated and marked number one. there'll be no repeat. a career-high 33, 9-3 corners as serra cues improves its record to 22-0. now to hockey, after serving a 15-day inspection for trying to fight his way to the opposing team's locker room. vancouver's head coach was back apologising for his actions, calling his behaviour yav for him, and the team. the canucks lost six games, they were in detroit. it was not a triumphant return for the coach. only two goals scored. the red wings hand the canucks

four straight losses. 2-0 was the final. >> in addition to a ring, a trophy and a car, do you know what else the most valuable player of the super bowl receives - a trip to disneyworld. it was received by seattle seahawks player. monday outside orlando florida your smith received a hero's welcome at disneyworld. this is the first time that a defensive player made the trip to the resort for the parade. by the way smith is the third linebacker named super bowl mvp. that's the look at sport. >> there have been massive prodemocracy protests in cambodia. demonstrations brought out a darker side to the country. alongside cries for greater government transparency and less corruption, some shouted

anti-vietnamese slogans. we have a closer look at the tense relationship between the two countries over the years. >> this community along cambodia's river is celebrating the start of the vietnamese new year. the leung family has been here for decades and gathered to commemorate their ancestors, as vietnamese tradition dictates. they are preparing the food. she says she doesn't feel vietnamese. >> translation: i live in cambodia and feel cambodian. i have no problem with other cambodians. they do things their way and i do things my way. it's not that simple for most ethnic cambodians. it is estimated there are some one to two million vietnamese people living in cambodia, many in fishing committees. there are no official

statistics, because the border is porous. living side by side, the two societies have long been interconnected. there's a complex history of animosity. >> vietnam helped to topple a regime over 30 years and put the current ruling party in place. the leaders are unpopular and it doesn't help that they are seen to favour the migrants out of a sense of debt. for some an unfair accusation. for the vietnamese that lived here for a long time, they are the same as others, helping and participating in developing cambodia. >> the government has been given controversial landright to some companies. it fans anti-vietnamese sentiment. >> unless countries in vietnam and cambodia change their mind-set to have a coexistence

for better benefits, mutual benefits, then they stay that way. >> as far as many in the community are concerned, changing the mind-set is not impossible. it is proof that animosity and identity are not set in sustain. >> fierce anti-vietnamese policies were adopted in the 1970s, creating paranoia that the vietnamese were spies. >> google's mystery barge is being forced ashore. the 4-storey structure was never authorised. permits were not submitted for work and google could face fines much the structure made up of cargo containers has been floating in

san francisco bay. it must now come ashore. the latest news at the bottom of every hour. lock on to aljazeera.com. thanks for watching.