movies all over the country. the show may be over but the conversation continues. you can reach us @ajconsiderthis. we'll see you next time. >> security concerns in sochi as the winter olympics gets under way. a unique way explosives can be smuggled on the plane. >> the death of actor philip seymour hoffman setting light on hollywood's heroin epidemic. we hear stories of those struggling with the addiction. >> a damning report about the sex abuse cover up by the vatican. the agency demanding action against priests that molested children. >> bravo c.b.s.

bravo. >> and the drug store chain c.b.s. praised for removing tobacco products from its stores, even though that move is likely to cost the retailer billions. >> hi there, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton, good to have you with us. >> it's been a rough 24 hours for a lot of folks. the latest snow and ice knocked out power to more than a million people. as paul beban tells u the long winters are starting to put a strain on resources in many states. >> as night falls the temperature is dropping and all the slush and water on the streets is turning back to ice on roads making the evening commute treacherous. people are asked to take public transportation, be careful on the roads and the big question

for thousands of people is when they do get home, will the power be on? across pennsylvania more than 750,000 people are without power. more than half a million of them, homes and businesses in the suburbs of philadelphia. the cause, by and large, downed power line, dragged down by snow and freezing lane. peco, the major power supplier, warns that it may be days before the power is turned on, requesting 500 line crews to assist them. state emergency management officials are working with leaders to see what is needed to provide food and shelter for those arrested in the dark. they are keeping an eye on a storm forecast for the weekend. in new york city a second storm in a week left the sidewalks clogged. >> the governor told reporters that the relentless succession of storms left new york city's salt reserves dangerously low.

and budgets low, to pay for the clean up. >> we are $66,000 over budget because of the storms. >> in connecticut governor daniel malloy is urging residents to stay off the roads. >> it's messy, packed in places and local roads are in terrible shape. >> travel by air is not better. in the north-east and chicago flight aware.com reported 5,000 flights delayed and 3,000 cancelled. the storm will likely dump up to a foot of snow in new england. for some, it's a welcome treat and a day off from school. as the cold of night sets in, many pennsylvanians and others wonder where to go, how to stay warm and how soon the power will be turned on. >> locals asked to check on residents, and schools will be open up as warming centres if

people need the resource if they are in an area where the power is out. a tough couple of days in the dark and cold. >> well we have a little bit of a break from the weather. we may see more as we go towards the weekend. as you can see on the radar and satellite most has pushed off into the atlantic. we had ice and snow. central park 4 inches. upstate new york about 15 inches of snow there. that will stay on the ground because temperatures will be cool. what is happening up to the north-west and the west coast is we are about to get much-needed precip from many locations. this is a drought-stricken area. snow, oreggon, and other areas.

rain in the lower elevations. that will be a good thing. temperatures below average for this time of here. seattle, you are not getting above freezing for the next day. it will go up throughout the weekend, but we expected to see snow on saturday. here in california, notice wr picking up rain -- we are picking up rain at the end of the loop. it won't break the drought. it will help, but we expect it to last for the next three days, thursday, friday, saturday. a few showers to the south. that will be a sprinkling. los angeles at 61, las vegas at 55. cool for los angeles, and like i said on thursday, it will not be too much in terms of rain. it will mostly be a cloudy day for you there. we see snow coming into parts of texas. it will be an issue if you are driving. oklahoma, texas, dallas, a cold

day for you, highs of 30. updates throughout the morning. an unusual olympic terror warning. airlines told to look out for deadly toothpaste. the department of homeland security said tubes could be used to smuggle explosives. american officials are not citing specific threats, but say the warning is based on intelligence. a pair of u.s. navy warships staying close to sochi. the uss "mt vity" and "taylor" are on stand by in case of an attack. >> an international reporter says security is tight. canada's cbc radio has this report. >> one is caught in the juxtaposition of feeling overwhelmed by the security and

military personnel and not wanting it all around. at the same time taking solace and safety from that. i mean, quite frankly the fact that it is not like london. it's not a big city that has an underground and tunnels built hundreds of years ago. they plotted a bunch of buildings on a peace of land, and completely unscientifically. to me is seems easier to secure this area than a city like london. you know, i think some of the threats are probably legitimate. i don't feel particularly unsafe, and i feel like one thing that they do seem to be on top of here is a lot of security. >> human rights groups are calling for a day of action ahead of the olympics. protests took place in st. petersburg, paris and london. the russian government has been

under a lot of pressure because of its negative view of homosexuality. but it is not the only criticism it has. >> transportation takes an hour and a half. this drag clean works at a gay club in sochi. he can be fined if he is judged to have promoted his homosexuality for children. he says so far life has not changed. >> some think it's like the stalin era. gays are shot. it's not like that. we live peacefully. the law can't ban us from loving someone. >> day people here are as aware as everyone else that the blocks are in town, and the games focussed international attention on russia's so-called antigay law. protests that the russian government repeal it, took place

on wednesday in several cities around the world. rights groups say being gay in russia is becoming dangerous. >> it's like being bullied by your classmates, being harassed. these are the things that people are confronted with. what the people are afraid of is after the olympics is over, and the cameras are gone, they'll get hunted down. >> such global support is welcomed by the owner of sochi's club. he seems a little bemused. >> translation: there's no gay gays are not concerned with holding love parades. but i hear on tv that we request to register our marriages. it is not true. politicians are trying to gain points and artificially created a problem. it's a way to distract citizens from serious things. they blame gays, but are not mentioning the economic

recession or the value of our currency. >> reborn, timor and his drag partner take to the stage. >> there are many countries in the world where being gay is illegal. russia is not one of those. there are plenty of gay men and women in the country, homeful that their government's enthusiasm for legislation perceived as homosexual is a temporary one. >> if sochi's visitors get bored with the sport, they can come to the cabaret for a different show. billie jean king's trip to sochi has been delayed. she was picked to represent america.

she announced she can't make it because her 91-year-old mother's health is failing. >> action for the vatican - the u.n. calling on the church to turn over paedophile prast priest. >> the death of philip seymour hoffman highlighting heroin addicts in america - struggles to remain clean and sober >> bravo c.b.s. >> a chain is snubbing secrets. why it could cost in more ways than one. iranians iranians

>> the united nations and the vatican facing off over paedophile priests. the holy sooer accused of the protecting the reputation of the church over children. a report says the report -- a representative says the report is bias. we look at the crit stix.

>> the report is a critique of the vatican's dealing with child actual abuse. it abuses the church of policies amounting to a cover up. >> the holly sooer consistently placed the preservation of the reputation of the church and the protection of perpetrators above children's interest. the report lists failings. the church is moving guilty user from parish to parish. there's a code of silence when it comes to reporting abuse. that must stop. all known and suspected abusers must be removed and reported to the police. the church must pay compensation and provide rehabilitation to its victims. >> this ongoing crisis plagues the credibility of the church in its pope. francis set up a commission to

deal with it. the committee says he must call on outside help and everything must be made public. >> the credibility of the church will always be at stake unless there's a possibility of having zero tolerance to protecting children to the hilt, all the protection that they need. the report's tough stance will be welcome by victims of abuse worldwide. they are numbered in the tens of thousands. >> for so long we have been disbelieved. for so long we have been criticised because the church said that we were only after money or anti-kath olic. >> this is a clash of cultures, the u.n., upholding the rights of the child and the vatican, used to keeping its business secret. can pope francis turn the

language and atmosphere of his papacy into a change in the secretive culture of the catholic church? >> we should point out the u.n. has no way of enforcing its recommendations. >> the results of an autopsy on actor philip seymour hoffman is inconclusive. more time and tests are needed to determine the cause of death. police say it looks like philip seymour hoffman died of a drug overdose. >> the great white wave paid tribute, the lights dimmed on broad way in his honour. philip seymour hoffman's struggle with addiction had been documented. his death ships a light on heroin abuse. some states are calling it a full-blown crisis. >> this is what heroin addiction

looks like "the hungry heart" documentary set around fred holmes, doctor. >> there are no road maps, no guarantees, no expected to find the outcome on the basis of past experience, it's difficult. >> the heroin epidemic make headlines when the governor devoted his entire annual speech to the state to drugs. the population is 675,000, but has the highest rate. . >> the governor of lamont says $2 million are trafficked into the states, since the year 2000. the number of people using treatment has increased by 770%. the drugs problem here in the state and this region reflects a trend. figures from the drugs enforcement administration, the

dea shows that in 2008 the number of americans using heroin has doubled. so, too, the number of heroin overdoses. bob vick has been treating opiate addicts. >> 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 stereotype and the prejudice and the stigma that exists towards individuals. this woman was 30 when she tubing a pain-killer -- took a payne killer for back pain. >> i felt i could dream and took a solution. >> her addiction gave way to heroin and crack cocaine. she went to rehab, thursday she'll celebrate three years of sobriety. >> i wish there was something i could do to guarantee they won't

have to live that pain. i'm aware of the fact that i'm one of the lucky few that made it out. >> as any addict tells you, making it out is one thing. staying out is a life-long struggle. >> very difficult road to recovering. 10 to 20% of addicts stay off drugs after leaving rehab. >> one of the the nation's largest chains will top selling cigarettes. the company is receiving high price from people in high places. >> a landmark decision. c.b.s. has 706 stores in 43 states. its decision to stop selling tobacco products could be a retat game changer. >> when we arrived ourselves where we expect to be in the future as a health care company,

it was clear that removing tobacco products from our stores is the right thing to do. >> the decision will cost around $2 billion. shares slipped on wall street. but c.b.s. sales account for $125 million. cigarettes a small piece of that. reaction was swift and surprising. the president of the united states responded with a written statement. the decision will help my administration's effort to reduce tobacco related death. the first lady tweeted: the health and human services kathleen sebelius under the spotlight for her handing of the obamacare says: >> the tobacco i have is less than pleased, a spokesman saying distinguish we value our relationship with c.b.s. and

respect their decision. >> at the lung cancer alliance the news was greeted with a cheer. >> bravo. just an exterior and powerful statement that will build on despiting momentum that we have to really rein vigorate or war. >> now that c.b.s. made their decision, what will happen next. >> walgreens says it's been thinking about doing the same thing for some time. >> it is re-evaluating the place tobacco has on its shelves. >> more encouraging news, about 19% of adults smoke, down from 40% in the 1960s. police may be closer to figuring out who stole a rare and vul uble strat stratavar. >> us violin.

three were arrested and accused of using a stun gun. the strata varyius is missing. police believe the instrument? the area. >> from the most famous soccer player in the world to the most famous owner. david beckham buying a team from miami. why it may be a while before they play a game in south beach. >> a bionic arm that gives the patient a sensation of touch.

>> since he first burst upon the international snow board scheme, sean white has tried cutting edge tricks. that's a reason he won and

winter games medals, and x games medals. he injured a wrist and felt this course is too ricky. >> definitely concerns about the course. i have seen how it developed. i guess the big question is if it will continue to change. every day they have a meeting, they have feed back and sometimes there's changes, sometimes there's not. after the news inference, it was announced in a statement they were. he said: >> as far as the course is concerned. check out this video. a competitor went down the course with a go pro camera on his helmet. the issue is the right and slope of the jumps on the course. since the competitors started

the training run, some adjustments have been made including reducing the heights. the danger is there. one skier said the course was unnecessarily risky. another snow border said it felt like jumping out of a building. earlier on wednesday mark adams tried to downplay the dangers of the course. >> you want to win one, you concentrate on that. in winter sports there's a possibility of an injury. if you want to concentrate on one, maybe there's a chance, and he decides to take it. maybe he's taken the decision that there's about thor ways to concentrate on that. >> adams was referring to shaun white competing in the halfpike, where he's won the gold medal. >> to soccer - david beckham and bringing professional soccer to miami. his investment group, which

includes lebron james. the bris $25 million financed by his investment group. david beckham is not sure when they'll play, but admits there'll be many changes. >> i said to have something successful you have to work hard and there'll be changes and bumps along the way. we are aware of that. it was an important announcement, the fact that we have announced that we are coming to miami. people were hoping to have the team name, the stadium locked down. those things take time. if you get the discounted price because the contract with l.a. galaxy included a clause that he could buy it for $25. >> a bionic hand allowing amputees to feel objects. the artificial hand can sense the shape and stiffness of

items, even when the user is blindfolded. the effort to connect the body to machinery is a rich field. a paper shows that we made an enormous leap. a man who lost his left hand was fitted with a prosthesis connected with the remaining nerves in his upper arm. wearing a blind fold and headphones he was able to distinguish between a bottle, baseball, mandarin and orange. he could press things with light, medium or firm pressure. people that watch limbs must watch the hand to make sure it has a grip. a sense of touch could restore the unconscious great of human limbs. my machine interfaces move from the brain outward. a projects between the

department of veterans' affairs. the harvard medical school allowed a paralyzed woman to control a robotic arm and bring a drink to her lips. and another controlling a person's fingers from across campus. chinese have allowed a drone to be controlled by brain waves. this was cutting edge technology. the idea that you can send information the other way, from the artificial prosthesis back to the nerves, fooling them into feeling what your missing hand felt, that's the milestone that will help you do not just functional things. they'll run their hands over soft cloths, hold their children over hands and get back what they've been missing. >> the next step for researchers is to shrink the size. eliminating cables, that will do

it for this edition of al jazeera news. we leave with the parade for the seattle seahawks. hundreds of thousands of fans stormed streets to celebrate. >> i'm lisa flesher, and you're in the stream. we ask if the city is setting a course that could end racial profiling in america. >> wajahat ali is here bringing all the social media throughout the show. er