nominated. the show may be over but the conversation continues. we'll see you next time. ... tonight, the cost of america's extreme weather. the lynching, perhaps the most disturbing images yet from the central african republic. soldiers at a ceremony for unity turn against one man. statute of limit assess. the teacher accused of

molestation on youtube. sense of touch, the bite onic hand that allows people to feel again. there are families without heat tonight from the growing shortage of propane. there are families in the dark tonight from the downed trees and power lines, and there is not enough salt to melt the ice. resources are dwindling. the suffering is growing through this unbearable winter. paul beban is more on the latest storm to hit the northeast. >> good evening, jonathan. the temperature is dropping and all of the slush and water on the streets will be turning back to ice on roads throughout the region, making this evening commute all the more treacherous. people being asked to take public transportation if they can, be very cavern on the roads but the big question for thousands of people on the region is when they do get home,

will the power be on?thousands region is when they do get home, will the power be on? >> across pennsylvania, 750,000 people are without power. more than half a million of them, holmes and businesses in the suburbs of philadelph i don't. the cause, downed power lines, dragged down by heavy snow and freezing rain. pico, the major power supplier for the area is warning it may be days before the power is turned back on. they have requested some 500 line crews from neighboring states to assist them. state emergency management officials are meeting with local leaders to see what's providnee provide food and shelter for those in the dark. they are keeping a sharp eye on another storm forecast for the weekend. in new york, the second storm made driving treacherous. the governor told the reporters the seemingly relentlessly low budgets to pay for the winter

clean-up. >> we are $66,000 over budget because of the storms this year. in connecticut, daniel maloy is urging residents to stay off of the roads completely. >> it is messy out there. it is a heavy snow. it's packed in places and local roads are in terrible shape. >> travel by air isn't much better. in the northeast and economchic flightaware.com noted 5,000 flights delayed and 3,000 cancelled. the storm will dump up to a foot of snow in new england. for some, it's a welcome treat and a day off from school. but as the cold of night sets in, many pennsylvaniaages and others in the region are wondering where to go, how to stay warm and how soon their power will be turned back on. >> local officials across the region asking people to check in on their friends and neighbors, particularly if they are elderly. also, announcing that schools and community centers across the region are going to be opened up as warming centers if people need that resource, if they are

in an area where the power is out. so, a tough couple of days ahead here in the dark and cold. john? >> paul beban in imagine hatten. kevin korveiu, more on the brutal weather and the snow in the east are connected. >> i want to follow up on what is happening now. a lot of the snow you see here on the radar has ended for many locations. let's go closer in. you can see just a few spots now, mostly in massachusetts. they saw quite a bit. of course, the roads are a problem. temperatures right now are just about freezing here in new york, but many locations, especially to the north and to the west are below freezing. so the snow that has fallen, the ice, even the melted snow is going to refreeze, making it very slippery on the highways. here in pennsylvania, we expect those temperatures to drop, and those are the people that are without power. philadelphia, 23. pittsburgh 12. factor in the middle. we are talking about 18 degrees in that location. so, why are we in this situation that we are in right now? it's all because of the atmosphere.

we are talking about a trough in the east that has been there for quite awhile. a ridge in the west. what that means is stormy, cooler weather, normally out here towards the east, dry, normally warmer weather here this has been locked in place for the last month. normally, we see the atmosphere, you know, like waffes going back and forth. ves going back and forth. we don't see the change happening anytime soon. what we need to see is warmer conditions out towards the east, cooler conditions and rainier conditions toward the west. but like i said, john, we do not expect to see this situation changing any time soon. some good news, though, in the short-term. we expect to see rain showers coming into parts of california. actually, some locations, five inches in the next three days. back to you. >> kevin, thank you. tonight, there is no relief in sight to california's drought. having a rippel effect across the country, especially with one of the state's largest food exports. melissa chen explains >> reporter: seven years ago,

bill lortelli switched from growing corn to planting al monday orchards. a sensible decision at the time. trees require less labor than other crops and the price of almonds was soaring. trees are an investment. you can't switch out the crop year to year. when a drought hits, the water must still flow, at least to keep the trees alive. >> we still have a chance for some rain. so we are hoping. i have scene march become very, very wet in the valley. so we are hoping that, you know, we can get a little reprieve from it. so... >> bill may not be in a panic just yet. but when almonds have become the dominant crop in a county that means many others are drawing water. without the former option of letting a crop lie fall 0, it makes the water crisis urgent. over the past decade am monday orchards have replaced land for cattle in this rural land for california driven by the new

global demand for the nuts. california's al monday industry produces over 80% of the world's supply, much of the demand driven by overseas consumers in china and india. canals used to bring water down for the farmer's use. in the last few years, people have taken to drilling wells themselves? >> this we will was drilled to about 250 feet down. >> the county has seen a spike in application for drilling permits while environmentalists worry about the impact on ground water. one group has filed a lawsuit against the county in an attempt to stop the drilling. the drought has also had an impact in a city of modesto, the cou county seat? >> from how often can we water our lawn to how many loads of clothes should i economically do a week? someone needs to know what's going on or we are going to run out of water. for bill, this entire water crisis could have been avoided

if the state had planned ahead. we are going to have to think about maybe, you know, building more reservoirs for when we have the snow, we can capture the water and store it rather than just let it go. >> one solution but not a project that can happen in time to save this season's farming. melissa chen, al jazeera. >> the drought forced john garamendi to sale a third of his cattle. i asked him what could be done to save the agricultural industry withere and why he is getting rid of his lifestock? >> there is no grass. the cost to feed is so high it doesn't keep the herds. >> will have a long term effect. it will take us a while to rebuild the firm to what is an appropriate number for the amount of land we have and for the normal grazing conditions.

not unknown. this happens all the around the world. i was recently with some ethiopians. we don't have a famine but we have a bad drought in california. it will affect everything that goes on in the state. how much longer does this drought continue before you will have to sell off more of your catt cattle? >> we are planning already. question going through our herd looking at those animals we would want to sell. you sell your older animals first, try to keep your young ones as lodge as possible. i don't think we are ever going to be in a position to have to sell the entire herd. we may reduce it all the way to 50%. it depends upon the rain. we are heavily dependent upon the rain. if it ranges in the next week and we don't have a -- if it ranges in the next week and we don't have a cold spell, we may be as far as we have to go. if it's a cold feather.

>> you have heard the predictions. if this goes on, the impact on the state of california could be catastrophic and long-lasting, even if you get rain in several months. what do you say to that? >> well, california is a very resillient place. this is a third year of the drought. we are deep into it. there have been cutbacks. there are still water supplies available. people are going to cut back. they are going to son serve, ag culture, urban and homeowners.

>> scat light technologies and ground sensing devices to save as much as a third of the water that's used on row crops. >> that's maybe a million acre feed of water or more. we need to be wise. we need to be thoughtful and pull together as a community, stop fight can and looking towards cooperative arrangements to share the water that is available and to build the systems that we need for the near term as well as for the future. >> in the meantime, we will all be praying for rain for california. congressman, it's good to see you on the program. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> the president took action today to try to help the agricultural industry to adapt to extreme weather conditions. president obama is creating what he is calling private hubs and our white house correspondent, mike vaquiera has that story >> reporter: the latest in a

series of actions that the president is doing around congressn to enact part of his agenda. >> the administration announcing the formation of seven so-called climate hubs designed to help farmers affect with the climate change. >> officials point to the ongoing three-year drought in california, a blizzard in the dakotas that wiped out livestock herds and livelihood of ranchers and millions of acres of distressed trees. a bark beetle is the thriving because of milder winters. the idea here is for the hubs to partner with the nonprofit sector, land grants and for more efficient way to see conserve water all in the name of helping farmers cope and reduce risks and adapt to climate change. secretary of agriculture, tom vilsack appeared in the white house briefing room to announce

the plan. >> when you look at the intensity of the storms we have seen repeatedly recently and the frequency of them, the length of drought combined with these snow storms and the sub-zero weather we have experienced, the combination of all of those factors vis me that the climate is changing and it's going to have its impact and will have its impact and is having its impact on agriculture and forestry. >> this plan like the other executive actions the president is taking will have limited initial impact, but there are bigger plans in the works that are bounds to be even more controversial. the epa is now drafting regulations that will limit carbon pollution from coal-powered power plants around the country. it could result in the closing of hundreds of those plants. those are expected later this year. >> mike vaquiera in washington. we have been caovering the crisis which central sfra tonight. we have brought you stories from there that no one else has. tonight, we have one of the most

shocking and graphic stories yet. it's about a lynching in broad daylight in bange, one that was photographed, one that speaks to the horror that is unfolding there. we warn you that what you are about to see may be disturbing, but it is important to know what is happening in our world. >> it begins with pomp and circumstance at a ceremony for the country's new interim president, katherine sombapanza. she addresses the crowd and calls for national unity. the president waves and leaves, and it is then that the violence erupts. moments after her exit, in full view of photo journalists troops in uniform turn against a man suspected of belonging to a rebel group, a group that led a coup last ma. a photographer from "time magazine" says the man's mistake was to be named hydras and be

muslim. he becomes the victim of a tidal wave of bashrism. one person is heard shouting he will kill him with his own hands. without any warning shots, without any chance to escape, the man is helpless. the soldiers stab him, kick him, and hit him with concrete blocks. one man try to see intervene but is whisked away when his life is threatened. in the end, a man who attended a day of unity is no more. what is left is his body on the street. his death, one of just thousands in central african republic, a country torn apart and one that appears to be plunging deeper in to chaos. >> the shocking violence is sure to raise concerns about the national army's ability to protect its citizens amid the divide between the christian majority and the muslim minority. up next, the face of heroin, a soccer mom tells her story of addiction. plus by onic intervention and

invention, a sense of feeling for those who don't have it. io invention, a sense of feeling for those who don't have it.

>> every sunday night, al jazeera america presents... award winning documentaries >> revealing secrets... >> taking chances... >> everyone that was involved in the movement, had a code name. >> al jazeera america presents every sunday night,

the airlines and how it pertains to toothpaste. the reports are that airlines are being told to be on the lookout for the possibility of explosives using, yes, that right there, toothpaste tubes. this applies to airlines with direct flights to russia, including some flights coming out of the united states. according to these reports, john, the possible threat was detected through intel gins being monitored, of course, ahead of the winter games that are going to be happening in sochi. the department of homeland security did not confirm any specific threats but said it regularly shares relevant

information with domestic and international partners. security inside russia has you can imagine has been beefed up following threats from sep rattist fighters. there are two. let's talk about the other one. this is about hacking. the statement department issued a warning to people headed to sochi that they should expect to be hacked, their computer, their smartphones are at risk for local criminals, but, john, they also say a threat from the government there. a threat from local criminals and the government. >> how is that? >> that is because the law there, that agents can hack into anybody's information. >> includes people that are visiting, which, of course, includes americans. >> you hear this from a lot of current trees in journalists and others who travel don't use their computers there, don't use their smartphones there. >> exactly. >> our own jake ward said basically whatever you bring, bring something that's cheap

that you can throw away and destroy. >> don't bring your real iphone? >> no. >> or your real smartphone? >> absolutely. >> we will talk later. tonight, many continue to mourn the pass of phillip seymour hoffman. broadcast marquis lights were dimmed. the he was found dead in his apartment on sunday. we learn that the autopsy of his body was inconclusive. the new york city medical examiner said they need to do more tests to determine exactly what killed him. police have been investigating this as a suspected drug overdose. today they arrested four people on drug charges possibly related to hoffman's death. it has cast a light on a spike in heroin deaths in the united states, especially in ver montgomery where the government calls it a full-blown crisis. cath turner has this story >> reporter: this is what drug addiction looks like. >> see a doctor. >> the hungry heart is a new

documentary which focuses on the devastating affects of opiate abuse. the film is centered around former ped trix fred holmes. >> if you are taking care of somebody or trying to take care of somebody with addiction, there are no roadmaps. there are no guarantees. there is no expected define outcome on past experience. it just gets really difficult. >> the heroin epidemic made national headlines when the governor devoted his speech to drugs. 625,000 is the population but it has the highest rate of i will is it drug use. >> the important of vermont says since the year 2,000, the number of people for opiate addiction has increased by 770%. the drug's problem here in the state and in this region reflect a national trend.

>> figures from the dea show in a knife year period starting in 2008, the number of americans using heroin has almost doubled. so, too, the number of heroin overdoses. bob bick has been treating opiate addicts for 40 years. he said changing attitudes is essential? >> we need to address it as a health issue. it can't and shouldn't be treated as a criminal issue. we need to dispel the staereotye and the prejudice and the stigma that exists toward individuals. >> rena louwell was 30 when she took her addiction to pay killers? >> i felt like i had found a solution, you know, to being in this world. >> vicodin addiction gave way to heroin and crack cocaine. she went to rehab and on thursday, she will celebrate three years of sobriety. but every day, she worries about her children's future. >> you know, i wish that there was something that i could do to

guaranty that they won't have to live that pain. you know, and i am fully aware of the fact that, you know, i am one of the lucky few that made it out. >> but as any addict will tell you, making it out is one thing. staying out is a life-long struggle. cath turner, al jazeera, vermont. as we have been reporting, heroin does not discriminate from celebrities to high school students. there are addicts everywhere. tracy helton was one of them she used heroin. her struggled was featured in black tar heroin. >> i heard about heroine. i just didn't like to be something interesting to do as a life experience because i always said i wanted to try to do everything once. >> tracy health on joins us from san francisco, the mother of three and has been drug free for the past 15 years. tracy, welcome. >> thanks for having me. >> how did you become addicted?

>> well, i think i was a typical teenager. i was interested in trying or experimenting with marijuana and alcohol, but when i was 17, i was given vicodin for when i had my teeth extracted. and i think that mayrijuana didn't necessarily appeal to me and alcohol didn't necessarily appeal to me. but that feeling that i had from the opiates, it just blew my mind. and so it took many years. i wasn't a heroin addict right away, but i would say that years later, after i had different struggles, a bad relationship in college, i had decided i was going to seek out opiates again and then it took awhile to actually find heroin. it wasn't as wildly available in the early'90s as it is now, but when i tried opiates and i tried heroin again, i just found some kind of comfort, relief in them. >> when you hear the stories of

phillip seymour hoffman and the 22 deaths in pennsylvania, what's your reaction? >> well, i am profoundly sad because i think about the fact that when i agreed to do the film, "black tar heroin," that could have been me. i think about how the united states has so far to go in terms of harm reduction, in terms of availability, in terms of evidence-based practices that are available for opiate addicts. i think about the fact that there is a lack of information that's out there for users. i come from the just say no generation. so, i wasn't really aware of what opiates would do to me because i wasn't receiving accurate drug information. so, i think that there is so much more that we can do in this country to educate people so they can make smart choices about drugs and so they can stay where -- hopefully they can get to the point where i am at where they have user drugs and they are safe and now they get an opportunity to live a life without them.

>> so hoffman said he was clean for 22 years. what does it take to go back? and were you ever attempted? >> well, i think any addict suffers with the craveings to use. it's not the same craveings that you have initially in every recovery where you think about throwing away everything away and going back to using. but i think there definitely have been stressors in my life in the past 15 years where i have thought about using drugs. and the thing is, the thought is not necessarily the action, and you have to surround yourself with people who help you if you are having those thoughts not to take that action. and i am sure in his circumstances, he was surrounded by, he was under such a microscope. he had so many stressors in his life. and for people who have had long-term abstinence, there is so much disappointment and shame and guilt when a person has relapsed. frequently, a person goes off and use did in secret which is the worst thing they could possibly do because there is no

one there to save them. >> congratulations on your recovery and 15 years being clean and also thank you for sharing your story tonight. we appreciate it. >> thanks. thanks for having me coming up, the accused, a closer look at the law and the new allegations against woody allen. plus kicking the habit. why a huge drugstore chain is putting an end to cigarette sales.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i am john seeing seeing in new york. we have a lot more to tell you about this half hour n one of the biggest drugstore chains is pulling tobacco products off of the shelves. how russia law, so-called non-traditional sex law is affecting gay people in the olympic host city. how this bionic hand is

restoring the sense of touch. richelle carey is back with the top stories? >> weather. we always talk weather. >> satellites? >> it matters a lot right now. the storm has dumped snow and ice all the way to maine has left about a million people without power. pennsylvania was the hardest hit. 750,000 power outages there alone. some areas have received a foot or more of snow from this latest storm system. new jersey, new york, and several others, several other states, that is, have declared states of emergency. fear in the form of toothpaste. reports say the department of homeland security has warned airlines to be on the alert for explosives hidden in toothpaste tubes. it applies to direct flights. the open ceremony for the games takes place friday. some competitions start earlier, on thursday. >> the autopsy of actor phillip seymour hoffman is inconclusive. the new york city medical examiner says they need to do more tests to determine what killed him.

the award winning actor died of a suspected heroin overdose. new york police have arrested four possibly related today hoffman's death. >> we will see you then. t the united nations says the roman catholic church must remove child abusesers from its ranks. the church claims the u.n. didn't consider measures it has taken. simon mcgregor woods reports. >> the report is a devastating crittik of the 1r59 can's performance in dealing with child sex abuse. it says it is not willing to recognize the scale of the problem or take responsibility for it. it accuses it of a cover-up. >> the preservation of the reputation of the church and the protection of the perpetrators above children's best interests. the report lists many failings and has many recommendations.

the church is still moving guilty abusers from parish to parish to avoid prosecution. >> must stop. there is still a code of silence when it comes to reporting abuse. >> must stop, too. all known and suspected abusers must be removed and reported to the police wherever they are. the church must pay compensation and provide rehabilitation to its victims. this ongoing crisis continues to playing the credibility of the catholic church and its new pope. fran situation has set up a new commission to deal with it. the schmidt says he must call on outside help and everything must be made public. >> the credibility. church will always be at stake unless there is possibility of having total zero tolerance for its pred attors protecting children to the hilt, all of the protection that they need and deserve. the report's tough stanchion will be welcome by victims of abuse worldwide. the committee numbers them in the tens of thousands.

>> for so long, we have been disbelieved. for so lodge we have been criticized because the church said that we were only after money or we are uncatholic. >> this is a clash of cultures between the sglufrn determined to uphold the rights of the child and the vatican, a higher arkansascal institution used to keeping its business secret. it's a challenge to pope francis. can he turn the new language and atmosphere of his papacy into a change in the secretive culture of the catholic church. in some situations, child sex abuse cases are dropped because too much time has passed since an alleged crime. richelle's back with what happens when the statute of limitations runs out. >> john, i don't want to be too legal but there are some things we have to put out there. the statute of limitations is meant to protect the accused. it sets the maximum time after

an event that legal proceedings about that event can begin. this week, one high-profile case made the headlines again when the alleged victim spoke out even though time has legally run out. it's a new twist in a story that's more than 20 years old. film director woody allen may legally be off of the hook from allegations from 1992 that he sexually abused his adopted daughter. dylan made her first public comments about what she says happened to her. but he got away with what he did to me that you wanted me as agrew-up. i was stricken with guilt that i allowed him to be around other little girls. allen said she was brainwashed. >> certainly i never, ever abused my daughter. >> the prosecuter says the statute has expired. the case played out in the t tabloi tabloids.

the original investigation never went to court. the stories has echoes of another one unfolding on youtube. here 28-year-old connell front a former coach, records the call and confession and posts it online. >> i was only 12 years old when i met you. you realize that you brainwashed me and you manipulated and that what you did was wrong? >> yes. >> and i regret it. >> within hours, the video goes viral and a second alleged victim comes forward. the teacher resigns from her job as an add mitt straighter at a california school and police launch an investigation. what makes these cases different is that in california the charges include aggravated sexual assault which does not face a statute of limitations and while this one started with a huge online audience, it will end up in court. on monday, the former coach, andrea michelle cardoza was

charged with 16 counts of child sex abuse and faces possible life in prison. jamie says it's vindicating and liberating even 16 years after the abuse began. it's cases like this that make some experts wonder if there should be any statute of limitations at all in cases of child sex abuse. in that case, in california, jamie said in that youtube video she thought her case would never see justice. she thought the statute of limitations had run out. her kayes has helped a second accuser come forward. pretty powerful stuff there. interesting legal questions here. >> yes. >> thanks very much. joining us to talk about some of the issues in this case is aattorney a ariba march tinge. wealth. >> hi, john. >> talk about the most important legal issues when it comes to cases like this. >> i think we have been, you know, talking about it in the piece and that's the issue of the 1259 50u9 of limitations. how long after an incident occurs can a prosecuting office,

a a district attorneyfy charges? what we see in the california case is because it's aggravated sexual assault against a minor, the statute of limitations doesn't apply. even though this happened to this young woman over a decade ago, the state has still filed these charges for aggravated sexual assault. very powerful, and i think what's also very important is that other victims have come forward. and as much as we have heard about the, you know, dyla dylan farrow matter, i think it's always good if a victim is willing to talk about what happened to them because it does relief or remove the stigma and cause others to come forward. >> different states have different laws. why was the statute of limitations put in place in some states to begin with? >> well, the statute of limitations are designed to prevent people from being forced to go into a courtroom situation, you know, after years have passed, you know, evidence gets still, you know, witnesses' memory start to wane.

it's difficult to the defend yourselves against charges that are five years, 10 years old, but it's also interesting to note in connecticut where the farrow matter they have since eliminated the statute of limitations for axvated sects annual assault against a minor. >> is the burden of proof high when it comes to these cases? >> you know, the burden of proof in a felon case such as this case, these cases, is going to be, you know, beyond reasonable doubt. can the prosecutors prove that the as did, in fact, happen? so, one thing that is going to be really importantly is the defendants can't come on in to court and say the victim consented because they are minors, they can't consent. what we are going to see in cases like this are defendants saying i didn't do it. the victim is not credible. and if it did happen, it was someone else. >> are child abuse -- child abuse cases are hard to prosecute? aren't they? >> very difficult because you are dealing with such sensitive

issues. imagine the trauma that these young kids go through when they have been sexually assaulted. we heard the california woman say she was brainwashed. now to go, to actually, you know, have to sit on a witness stand and to recount those facts, that can cause so much trauma, you know, so much emotional distress is very, very difficult. and often, we have, like in the woody allen case, you know, the accused, the defendant denies. now, interestingly, in the california case, the coach has come forward and admitted to the, you know, the acts of sexual molestation, although there is some dispute about when it started and when it stopped. often, you have two people, you have the accused and the victim and the victim is very young. >> r i have a martin, thanks. it's good to have you on the program. >> thank you, john. >> one of the nation's largest pharmacy chain will not sell cigarettes, cvs nearly 8,000 stores nation w50i8d said it will end the sale of tobacco

products. it could cost the company over $2,000,000,000. jong teret reports from washington. >> a landmark decision from the nation's second largest pharmacy chain. cvs has 7,600 stores in 43 states. it's decision to stop selling all tobacco products this year could be a retail game changer. >> when we asked ourselves where we expect to be in the future as a healthcare company, it became clear that removing tobacco products from our stores is the right thing to do. >> cvs says its decision will cost the company money, around $2,000,000,000, shares slipped on wall street with the news. cvs same account for $125,000,000,000 a year. cigarettes, a small piece of that. reaction to the news was swift and surprising. the president of the united statessponding with a written statement: today's decision will help my administration's efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths, cancer and heart disease as well as

bring down healthcare costs. the first lady tweeted, now, we can all breathe a little easier. and the health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius under the spotlight for her handling. obamacare website said today's cvs's announcement helps our country closer to achieving a tobacco free generation. >> tobacco companies said we value our relationship with cvs. at the lung cancer alliance, the news was greeted with a cheer? >> bravo, cvs. bravo. just tan extraordinary and powerful statement that will build on exciting momentum that we have to really reinvigorate our war against needless tobacco deaths. >> now that cvs has made its decision, what will happen next? wallgreens says it's been thinking about doing the same

thing for some time. a company spokesman said it is re-evaluating the place tobacco has on its shelves. john teret, al jazeera, washington. today has been set as a global day of action against the anti-gay associatei olympics. the russian government has been under pressure because of it's negative view on homosexuality. but that's not the only criticism it is facing. rory it challenges reports. >> a met he can lus hour and a half. the 26-year-old performs as a drag queen at one of sochi's two gay clubs. under a highly controversial law, he can be fined if he is judged today have promoted his homosexuality to children. he says, so far, life hasn't changed much. >> some think at this like the style in here that gaze are being shot.

no, it's not like that. we live peacefully. the law can't ban us from loving something. what these people are afraid of is that after the olympics are over and after the international media and the cameras are gone, they are going to get hunted down. such global support is welcomed by the owner of sochi's club myak. but he seems a little bemyselfed? >> there is no gay propaganda in

russia. gays aren't concerned with holding praised but i hear every day on t.v. that we request to register our marriages. it's not true. politicians are trying to gain points and have artificially created a problem. also, it's a way to distract citizens from more serious things. they blame gays but they aren't mentioning the economic recession or the devaluation of the ruble. ♪ >> reborn, timor and his drag partner take to the stage. ♪ >> there are many countries in the world where being gay is illegal and clearly, russia is not one of those. there are plenty of gay men and women here in this country who are hopeful that their government curbs enthusiasm for legislation that is anti-homosexual.

>> if sochi's visitors get board with the sport, they can come to a different kind of show. al jazeera sochi. >> david beckham is bringing professional soccer back to miami. his investment group which reportedly includes rebron james brought expansion team to the city. the twice, $25 million financed entirely by the investment group. beckham isn't sure when his team will start playing. he admits there will be many challenges ahead? >> i said to have something successful, you have to work hard. there are going to be challenges along the way and bumps along the way. but we are aware of that, you know, it was an important announcement today, the fact that we have announced we are coming to miami, you know. i think people maybe were hoping we were going to have a team name. we were hoping we were going to have the stadium locked down, you know, those things take time. >> while david beckham is looking to use soccer to change the sports scene, another group

is using the game to change lives. michael eaves. >> sports has been one of the more welcoming aspects of our society. it can be helpful as well. this is a good example. it's called street soccer. it's helping homeless men and women in 20 cities across the country get back on their feet through the game of soccer. jong henry smith has the story >> reporter: you may not think of a face like this as the face of homelessness. but that's just what the alisa gonzales was? >> i was homeless about three months. it was horrible. the shelter, itself was a shelter. so it was somewhere to go but there were a lot of random people being there. >> she attended high school and tried to get back on track. >> that's where a teacher told her about street soccer u.s.a., a program created by rob cann and his brother, lawrence? >> you see things pam in people's lives whether they are homeless from their own mistakes or just bad luck or whatever the circumstances were, you know, we

found people that, you know, they really could use something like sports, you know, because they needed add positive community. with that in mind, the cann brothers created a program that uses the power of soccer to help transform the lives of homeless men and women. participants in the program are expected to set three, six, and 12-month goals. >> through the practices, we worked on things like showing up on time. so, if we had practice at 7:00 o'clock at night, you were there early, getting your gear on and ready to play and kind of leaving whatever was going on your life behind and really being tuned in mentally. >> if we stay organized and work for each other, we can definitely win this game. >> in soccer, you have to be able to work with your teammates well. in the gem job force, you have to work with co-workers. you don't always have to agree with them or even love them but you have to be able to make it work. we create this bond where we are here to play soccer. nothing else matters outside. and we are like having fun and

once the game is over, it's like, hey, you know, do you need help? they always give us job updates or, hey, there is a job openings here or they are trying to help us. it's not just about soccer but the community, itself. >> the players with street soccer u.s.a. say that they learn more than soccer skills out on the pitch. they learn life skills, too. >> that's something that organization founder rob cann says the game of soccer is uniquely positioned to teach. >> i think soccer is great, especially in the united states, because a lot of people in the inner city have not played it before. it's sort of a fresh start for fem. >> one, 2000, three. ? >> i like street soccer does a lot of skills in the field you can actually apply into your life. >> according to the program founders, 75% of street soccer players see their lives change for the better within a year. the program connects them to jobs and housing as they complete a rehabilitation program or further their

education. >> i stopped doing drugs i was doing before street soccer. what street soccer taught me is to help others out while i am still trying to better myself. >> step up, allie? >> there are teams in 20 american cities from coast to coast. the best players compete for the street soccer u.s.a. national cup. for the alisa gonzalezes of the world is nice but having a future off the streets is the biggest win of all. john henry smith, al jazeera, san francisco. >> another example of people wanting a chance to belong to something and when you belong to something, you have a greater chance to make your circle bigger and improve your life. >> that's good example. >> it's a great idea. are all of the people homeless? >> no, the street team, itself, is compromised of people who are at risk or homeless. the other teams in the league pay a fee to play against this team and against the other teams an the proceeds from those teams

go towards the outreach program. >> let me switch gears on you because i was getting e-mails and facebook posts from friends out in seattle. a very big day there? >> they are a huge soccer town there but the seahawks rule that town and after winning the super bowl, they got a heroes' welcome back. 70,000 fans they estimate came out in the streets or in the stadium when the team welcomed there today. get this. i saw this. >> this doesn't -- it doesn't always rain in seattle? >> that's right. 51,000 students in seattle. 25% of them called in sick today, but 596 teachers also called in sick today. i think they are out there in the crowd somewhere. >> i bet it's okay? >> it's okay. congratulations to the seahawks. >> coming up, our picture of the day, plus what a feeling, the new bionic hand that actually restores the sense of touch.

things are looking better along the eastern snee board.

great lakes, that's moving toward the northeast. we will keep you informed on this. >> that's a look at the national weather. john has your news right after this. imagine an artificial hand that let's amputeas feel objects. it can sense the shape and stiffness of things even when the am pew tee is blindfolded.

jake ward has the storyputee is jake ward has the story? >> the effort to connecticut the human body directly to machinery is a huge and richfield. science translational medicine shows we have made an enormous leap. a man who lost his left hand in a fireworks accident was fitted with a prosthesis directly connected with the remaining nerves in his upper arm. wearing a blind fold, he was apparently distinguish between a baseball and a mandarin original and could press with light, medium or firm pressure by thinking about it. it's the first true robotic since of touch. without it, people who have lost limbs must watch their artificial hands to make sure they have a good grip. a true sense of touch could restore the unconscious grace of human limbs. the machine interfaces typically move from the brain outward. a joint project between the department of veterans affairs,

harvard medical school and several other universities allowed a paralyzed woman to control control a rob on theic arm and bring a drink to her lips. someone fitted with a brain wave coloradoer controlled a finger across campus and a flying drone with brain waves alone. this sort of invisible control was until now the cutting edge of this technology but the idea that you can now send information the other way, from the artificial prosthesis back into the nerves essentially fooling them into feeling what your missing hand used to feel, that's the sort of milestone that will allow people to not just do functional things like pick up keys off of a table but run their hands over soth cloth, hold their children's hands and get back what they have been missing all this time. >> thanks to jake ward for bringing us another fascinating story from san francisco. thank you, jake. now, to our freeze frame. it's our image of the day, and it is this, tonight here in new

york, a candlelight vigil for phillip seymour hoffman, remembering the academy award winning actor who died at 46 from an apparent drug overdose. look at our headlines after this.

>> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america welcome to al jazeera america. i am richelle carey. the storm dumped snow and ice from the midwest all the way to maine has left about a million people without power. pennsylvania was the hardest hit, 750,000 power outages there

alone. some areas have received a foot or more of snow from this latest storm system. new jersey, new york and several other states have declared states of emergency. danger in the form of toothpaste. there are reports of threats against people traveling to russia for the winter games. the concern, explosives could be smuggled on to planes using toothpaste tubes. the warning applies to airlines that have direct flights to russia including some flights originating from the u.s. a shocking display of violence in central african republic after a presidential address, soldiers and recruits attacked a muslim man they suspected of being a rebel. he was beaten, stabbed and dragged through the streets in public view and the press was there as well. mourners in new york are remembering phillip seymour hoffman, the academy award winning actor died on saturday from a suspected drug overdose. the medical examiner's office

says an autopsy did not reveal the exact cause of death. cvs ends the sale of all tobacco products by october 1st. keep it here on al jazeera. >> >> on "america tonight" - enforcing the law or breaking it. our indepth look at crime and punishment. new york city's controversial tactic and why the new mayor is putting a halt to the fight against stop and frisk. >> it can be stig mattizing. you are viewed as a criminal because of how you are and the way you look >> a terror alert ahead of the sochi olympics. airlines on the look out for