program of colleges and universities. thank you for all our guests for that discussion. until next time, we will see you online. >> >> good evening everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. the ukraine tapes, the leaked recordings of diplomats using undiplomatic language about the crisis in ukraine. struggling, without a job. why the senate can't find enough votes to move forward with jobless benefits for almost two million americans. in the dark, hundreds of thousands of winter storm victims without power and may be for several more days. plus... >> i'm not a politician. i don't ever want to be one. >> we will ask an idol tv

contestant why he decided to run for congress. >> we begin tonight with espionage and angry accusations. the obama administration accusing russia of leaking a secret recording of a diplomatic phone call. the lan wanting was blunt and crude. mike viqueira has been following the response out of washington. mike, an embarrassment for the u.s. >> no question the united states and administration has struggled to deal with the crisis in ukraine. it continues to escalate. the violence in the streets in the city squares there between the opposition and the government. but today a glimpse behind the curtain of american diplomacy turned out to be an embarrassment. the assistant secretary of state victoria neulander.

she may be familiar to viewers. she was a spokesperson for hillary clinton when she was secretary of state. she was evidently eavesdropped on and recorded a conversation she had with the ambassador to ukraine. they were trying to cook up a plan to ease the crisis in kiev. some sort of power sharing arrangement between the opposition and the government there. it was posted, this conversation this audio posted on the account of a kremlin aide. that has white house and state department officials very upset as well. >> he has now gotten both to agree that he could come in monday or tuesday. >> okay. so that would be great, i think to help glue this things and have the u.n. help flew it and you know [ bleep ] the eu. >> exactly. >> oh and so very undiplomatic language there. the state department was somewhat embarrassed today.

spokeswoman essentially not confirming that it was not victoria nuland but a what she says next leaves doubt. >> she has been in close contact with higher representative ashton. let me convey that she has been in contact with her eu counter parts and has apologized. and we think this is a new low in russian trade craft in terms of publicizing posting. >> she used the term trade craft for code word for espionage. and they attributed to the russian government. so at the end of the day, they posted a tweet to the ambassador of the ukraine. looking at this original audio and laving about it. the administration going a long way to laugh this off today but it is a sign of escalating tensions between the united states and russia, which accuses the obama

administration of meddling in the crisis in ukraine. >> after all this talk of the united states spying on foam calls of overseas and other leaders, now it appear has the u.s. had its phones tapped by maybe the russian government? >> and that is one of the ironies here. there are a couple of ironies. back in january when the president made the speech he scoffed at the notion that other nations weren't doing the exact same thing perhaps more of what the nsa was doing as far as surveillance of foreign leaders. he says they are constantly probing our resources in this country. we should also point out that the president is making a trip to the eu summit in march. his first trip to that summit in brussels as president. >> should be an interesting conversation. thank you very much. >> now to capitol hill where congress still can't agree on extending unemployment benefits for the long term unemployed. 1.7 million are hoping for some relief. this afternoon, the senate

failed to get enough votes to move forward with a three months extension of long term benefits. and john as has that story. >> in the end, the vote won't bear the benefits. for a while it looked as if it might invoke. they, now had this second amendment to the unemployment extension bill gone through today it would have offered a three month extension to long term unemployment insurance. they would have paid retroactively when the do nothing congress of last year did nothing and didn't reup this particular bill. the democrats promoting it say that it is paid for. republicans never put their name to anything that decrease the deficit. but look, under the bill employers can row e row back on their pension costs. in the end though the vote simply weren't there. after the vote came in at 2:30

eastern majority leader explained how close things are. we support this on this side of the aisle. right now one republican vote standing between 1.7 million americans and the lifeline they need to make ends meet. >> and jack reid from rhode island who is promoting the bill is deeply frustrated. but nothing compared to the frustration of millions of americans. now we don't know when the bill may be represented, harry reid voting no at the end. that is a technicality that keeps it alive. if it does come to the senate again, then they will have to vote to avoid. and they will get a 30 day discussion period. and there will be two more votes, one to finish it off for final passage. then this bill will have to make its way to the republican controlled house. >> tomorrow is a big day in economic news. the job numbers will be

released in the morning. ali velshi says investors will be watching closely. the range of estimates for the job report is 175,000 and 1 88,000. there are some outliar estimates that goes as high as 225,000. now that is more in line with the second half average in 2013. we were creating 200,000 -- 2,000 jobs a month. are we still going to stay on the low end or back to the normal average? the weather was an issue in december. we are trying to figure out whether weather is going to be an issue. it probably will be in january. will it have hurt hiring again or will january see a rebound from december. >> so i would assume based on recent history that all this uncertainty is not helped by the fact that the u.s. hits

borrowing limit on friday. >> understand this, the u.s. debt ceiling doesn't limit government spending only limits what the federal government can pay of the bills it is already rung up. congress has not passed a new budget in five years. we still have old spending priorities. they passed a budget deal but based on old priorities. the dent limit is 72.2 trillion. after the date, the treasury will still be able to use extraordinary measures to delay some payments to pension funds to keep the debt under the limit. it is not going to work for long. the treasury secretary says by the end of february the nation's borrowing authority has either got to be raised or the united states will risk defaulting on some obligations starting in march. >> all right. how important is it for congress to resolve the issue for the economy? >> well, here is what i think. it is unclear about how the debt limit generally affects

people. it could raise interest rates. there is never a good time to threaten not to pay u.s. bills. but at this point we have got an economy that i'm describing as like humpty dumpty. it could go over the wall. we have seen some weakness in this economy. it is totally irresponsible for congress to be the entity, the body, the force that will cause our economy to call down again by leaving this matter unresolved. so, i think it is -- you know, americans are uncertain right now. they are looking to congress to say can you please not hurt the economy. it would be nice to help the economy. so, i think we are in a tenuous time this is a bad time for this debate to be coming up again. >> we both will be watching. thanks very much. >> we will have live coverage of the jobs report tomorrow at 8:30:00 a.m. eastern time here on al jazeera america. leading republicans say don't expect much progress on immigration reform. house speaker boehner says the white house is to blame. because it issues like the affordable care act makes it

difficult for congress to trust him. >> listen, there is widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws. and it is going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes. >> the white house was more optimistic saying republican leaders realize that immigration reform is needed and needed soon. now to syria. evacuation could soon get underway in homes. the united nations is now there bringing aid and agreement to let 200 civilians leave the city. thousands of syrians have been trapped with no food or medicine. rebels have accused of. the evacuation is expect to take several days. after months of question about security and whetherish would be ready for the 2014 winter olympics that are just about to get underway.

several qualifying events were held today in snowboarding, skiing, figure skating. the opening ceremony will happen tomorrow and organizers say that 66 world leaders will be attending the games. live pictures from sochi, russia. but president obama will not be among the leaders. there will be nearly 3,000 athletes competing in sochi over the next two weeks. hosting the games is costing russia about 50 billion and some say corruption is inflated that price tag. and that big investment could be the risk of security incident. joining us now to talk about it is kimberly martin. kimberly, welcome. thank you, john. i'm delighted to be back. what do you think are the biggest security problems facing russia? into well, there is a terrible problem of an insurge incy coming from the north cabbing cusses. there are some islamic extremists who have been threatening terrorist attacks starting in july actually against the olympic games. and the russians are doing a

great deal to try to prevent that from happening. they have 40,000 special security forces. identity checks, monitoring every e-mail and every cell phone call that goes out from sochi. but there is still real risk. is russia competent enough to handle the security operation though they have 40,000 people security guards there? >> well, the united states offered to give them some additional assistance that they did not accept. so there is less outside support for the security situation than there have been at past olympics. the biggest fear is if they managed to lock down the actual sites of the sports events that they may not be able to control what happens in the immediately surrounding areas, much less the rest of the country since they have such a security presence in sochi that leaves the rest of the country vulnerable. >> there is a lot of talk about corruption. could that have an impact on security? >> well, i'm not sure that that particularly on the construction would have an

impact. we do know in the past when there have been terrorist attacks in russia it has been because police forces have been bought off by people who have gotten through cordons paying bribes. but the corruption in itself has a risk also to what is happening in domestic politics in russia. when putin feels threatened he tends to get nastier in the international system. and what looks like a big corruption scandal is hitting russia. it is going to get worse as the olympics close and there is a reckoning afterwards. that could mean that putin has a strong incentive to make himself feel stronger. >> so he is embarrassed by bad press. >> very embarrassed. >> these are supposed to be his games. he is demonstrating his strength. it is an odd site. to have the olympics, a summer resort hosting winter olympics. it is very hard to get to. and horrible cost overruns. but his reputation is on the

line. so if something goes wrong's he will have to take that out on somebody. unfortunately that may be the western world and the united states. concerns about snow, complaints about hotels. security questions. do we think we will see vladimir putin playing a big role in the olympics? >> he already has. he visited a leopard installation so he is trying to make himself very much a part of what is happening and is emphasizing this was his personal project. so yes, i imagine we will be seeing a lot of him. >> it strikes me that the publicity over the last couple of weeks has been damaging to tourism when you talk about you know average americans or people around the world traveling to russia. so that could have an impact on this as well, right? >> well, i don't think that's news. i think for a long time, people have known about the problems in sochi. and i guess that the tour hoists intended to go to sochi thought of it as being

adventure travel. so that is perhaps less of an issue than just the fact that there is a rile security threat. we have limitation on flights from the united states. they can't have any liquids on board because of the concerns that the u.s. homeland security has about russia. the corruption scandal could become something that hurts the putin administration and that in turn could lead him to be nasty towards us. >> the picture of sochi, it is clearly lit up like a christmas tree tonight. whether or not they are ready, the games will begin tomorrow great to have you on the program again. >> great to be here. in jerusalem a confrontation between police and protesting ultraorthodox jewish men. the men were protesting a government decision to cut

service. they have been granted military exemptions. but in 2012, the supreme court struck down a law granting extensions. police used water canons on the protesters and arrested some of them. >> just ahead. power problems. nearly half million people in pennsylvania still in the cold and dark. and this. >> i'm interested in how the country runs. i'm interested in how the country works and what i see is the country not working and the country not run. >> the political aspirations of former american idol contestant clay aiken. >> s

>> for most americans there are no golden tickets. here in north carolina we have suffered more than our share of pain. >> of course that was clay aiken the american idol finalist who has set his sights on politics. he is running for congress and joins us now from raleigh. clay, welcome. thank you very much for having me. >> i guess you get this question a lot. why does a singer from american idol decide to run for congress? >> well, i do get it quite a bit. and i think that is a reasonable question obviously. but the people of this state

are the people who actually gave me the opportunity to have a platform in the first place. they put me where i am. and i kind of look at it like i looked at my foray into special education when i wanted to become a special education teacher years ago. i saw a population of people of children at the time who weren't being advocated for. who weren't being spoken for. and i wanted to work with them and to help them. and i see a population of people now here in this district who aren't being spoken up for. you are an openly gay entertainer who has become an openly gay candidate for congress. talk about your stand on gay marriage. >> you know, i don't think my stand on that issue is undocumented. i think it is pretty well documented. i will say though that as you asked earlier, i don't think it is an issue. it is not the primary issue in this race in north carolina. it is settled law. and congress doesn't really have much regulation over marriage. it is a state issue. in this district it is not an issue that is on the forefront

of anyone's mind. when i talk to people around this district, they are worried about getting a job that pays well. they are worried about being able to pay to put their kids through school. those are the things i'm going to be talking about for the next 10 months. >> northerly cases is known for its tight restrictions on abortion and proposed legislation that was struck down by a federal judge would have made women who wanted to get an abortion have to get an ultrasound first. where do you stand on that? >> the trawl sound issue was struck down i think because the courtsviewed it as a violation of a woman's privacy and decisions made between her and her doctor. certainly as a man don't feel that i'm in a position to be able to dictate to a woman what choices should be made between her and her doctor. >> i just want to go back to gay marriage for a moment because congress did have to deal with the defense of marriage act and voted on that in congress, which did have an impact on gay marriage through

all the states. so it could be an issue that you do have to deal with. well, again like i said i think there is no lack of document aches. i think people are perfectly clear on my position of that would be. if that is a place where i differ with someone, then i'm probably not their candidate. that said again it is not an issue that affects people in this district as some might like to believe it would. some might like to press the issue. >> i listen to you speak about the issues and i have to say i'm surprised at your depth of knowledge about some of the things you talk about especially in the state of north carolina. where does this come from? >> well, apparently low expectations have plagued me for quite a while. >> well no -- >> i don't think that i'm people who know me would be surprised. >> you have been interested in politics for a long time? >> i'm interested in how the country runs. i'm interested in how the country works. and what i see is the country

not working and the country not running. and that is why i jumped into the race. i have always been an avid follower of what goes on in my world. as a citizen i want to be informed. and i think as people become more and more informed about what hasn't gone on in washington and how dysfunctional it is, i think that they will see that we need to change the culture out there. you know that some of the races can turn into a mudslinging fest and yours might. are you ready for that? >> i have spent the past 10 years in the public eye and i'm no stranger to criticism. i don't think that politics and the world i have lived in for the last 10 years are the same. politics can't be more cutthroat. i have a thick skin. it will take me more than mud. >> a second act for clay aiken. interesting discussion. we will be following your race. thank you. >> thank you very much.

police have tracked down a violin worth millions of dollars a week after it was stolen. the 300-year-old strat various was discovered in an attic in wisconsin. police say the thieves used a stun gun to steal it. three people are now in custody. he has been called the japanese bait hoven a he is apologizing. he admitted hiring someone else to write his most famous works. caitlin has that story. >> after 18 years behind the scenes, it was finally time for him to stand in the limelight on his own. the part time university professor admitted that he was the author of classic music that has been credited to the man known as japan's

beethoven. i had been aware he was publishing by deceiving the world. i conned to compose the music. in this way i'm an accomplice. >> he wrote a powerful hiroshima symphony. it was the winter olympics that made him spill the beans. >> i knew figure skater takahashi will be using the music i composed during the sochi olympics. if i let the situation be takahashi would become part of my lie. the story has become front page news in japan. because he is believed to have lost his hearing before composing some of his greatest works. but even that is in doubt, as his ghost writer says he saw no evidence that his alter ego was unable to hear. he has apologized for his music betrayal to his fans. his lawyer saying he was in too unstable an emotional state to appear in public.

the composer hopes to continue composing and performing in his own right. for al jazeera. still ahead, helping the homeless with a holy harley-davidson. plus you have seen them spar on capitol hill. now harry reid and john mccain join forces for a shared cause. >>

>> welcome back. we have a lot to cover. thousands very still without power after an ice storm. flongs a box. new technology keep lungs breathing outside the body. and hot wheels for charity. the pope's harley sells for big bucks on the auction block. but first today's headlines.

>> i have some pretty good stories too. listen to this. a u.s. diplomat in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. in a phone call that appears to be the voice of assistant secretary of state. victoria nuland is heard using profanity. the comments surfaced as she is visiting kiev. the state department says it suspects russia is behind the leak. frustration tonight for 1.7 million americans hoping for long term unemployment benefits. supporters in the senate were unable to find enough votes to move forward with the bill that would extend long term benefits. the vote was 58 to 40. just two shots shy of the 60 needed. white house called the vote disappointing. house speaker john boehner says it will be an uphill battle to make progress on reform this year and is blaming president obama. president has made it

difficult for republicans to trust him and says it will be tough to move any immigration reform legislation forward until that changes. i have a number for you, john. there are nearly 20 million undocumented workers living here in the u.s. so clearly this is an issue, that will have to be dealt with at one time or another. >> 20 million. all right. >> thank you. >> you bet. >> talk about the where the. wednesday's winter storm pummeled parts of the u.s. one of the hardest hit states was pennsylvania. a day later nearly 400,000 power outages in the philadelphia area. some of those outages could last for days. the philadelphia based energy company calls it the second worst storm in the state's history. only super storm sandy left more customers in the dark. maria, what is the situation in westchester pennsylvania tonight? >> well john utility crews are working throughout the night trying to restore power. as for the people, they are coping with a low temperatures

and no power in their homes in different ways. some people told us they would be graving those temperatures inside their homes. bundled up in blankets. the lucky ones have generators. but many others would be going to hotels or staying with family and friends in different parts of the state or shelters, john. >> so we know you know what storm sandy did and how long it took for people to get power. how much progress is being made there tonight? >> well, i'll tell you, today they were able to bring back power for about 100,000 customers. but they still have so much work to do. and they are receiving help from utility crews that are coming in from out of state as well as from the national guard. here is what the governor had to say earlier today. >> the first 24 to 48 hours the health and safety is what you look for. number of different hospitals. you are looking at those. looking at nursing homes. you are looking at the grit

itself. the communication water and sewer to get to those facilities to get back up and running. >> and with those being the priorities in neighborhoods like this one are further down on the list, john. yeah, and there is more winter weather expected. this could be a 1-2 punch. how are the residents feeling about it and what are they doing? >> well, they are just taking it one day at a time they are just trying to deal with the situation at hand. i'll give you an example. today i spoke to one woman ha was staying at a shelter. she can't even imagine if more bad weather comes this way. >> maria in westchester pennsylvania thanks. the string of winter storms has some cities scrambling to replenish supplies of road salt. the shortage could be a good thing. here is the story. >> at the port of milwaukee another 50,000 tons of salt

has arrived to replenish dwindling supplies in wisconsin and illinois. but multiple snowstorms and heavy accumulation, salt is a precious commodity. 22 million tons of road salt is used to clear snow and ice from the nation's roadways annually. it makes the roads safer but comes at an environmental cost. chloride is soluble in water and will remain soluble in water. as the snow melts as the salt laden runoff washes down to our streams and lakes, that will find its way down to our water resources. >> researchers say the salt concentration in streams lakes and groundwater has been increasing over the last 50 years. according to the u.s. geological survive, many streams have chloride levels toxic to aquatic life. >> experts like tom tidens says that it has damaging

effects on plant life. particularly when used in excess. >> the sodium component which are the ions will rob water from the plants and help desiccate the roots. so in the springtime they will look like they are under drought stress. >> in addition to environmental affects, it is corrosive to brimmings, metal and concrete, causing millions of damage each year. >> it is an example of how the taxes we have in our day-to-day life have unintended consequences in the environment. >> cities are looking to less harmful substances such as organic de-icers. sugar beat juice is being used in conjunction with rock salt. this is more effective at lower temperatures and echo friendly. >> in the cold temperatures, rock salt stops working at 15-degrees above 0. and with the addition of the

organic sugar beat juice it drops that temperature range down to ten below, which is 25-degree swing. and it also allows municipalities to reduce sodium chloride they are putting into the environment. for now alternative de-icing methods are more expensive. for al jazeera, chicago. from snow to the drought out west. farms in california produce half the country's fruits and vegetables. but the severe drought is expected to leave half a million acres running dry. that could cause billions of dollars in economic damage. jennifer london joins us live from a farmer's market in pasadena where there could be food shortages if the drought continues. today though the rain is just beginning to fall. jennifer, does that mean that relief is on the way? >> john, we are seeing rain here in southern california. it is a welcome sight indeed. but the reality is it is not

going to make any measurable difference. the reason, california is so dry according to the department of water resources california would need to see heavy rainfall every other day from now until may just to reach normal levels. certainly we know that is not going to happen. and the lack of rain, despite what southern california is seeing today is really starting to punish the local farmers. >> this farm in camarillo california 50 miles north of los angeles has been in phil's family since the late 1800s. we are one of the pioneer california family farmers here. >> and he has seen it all. wet years, dry years. but nothing like this year. >> we are doomed here. i mean. we have got to have water or you know, you need water, soil and sunlight to grow a seed. and if you are missing one of those it doesn't happen. when is happening, summer crops like tomatoes are

growing in the winter. >> tomatoes in february. >> while winter crops like these strawberries are struggling to survive. which means so is phil mcgrath. >> this is my livelihood. that is what i do. this is what i have done all my life. if we don't get rain this year... >> too distressing to say out loud. it sis the same story for farmers up and down the state. there isn't enough water to produce milk, beef, fruits and vegetables. and it is estimated 500,000 acres of the state's farmland will go unplanted because there isn't enough water to grow the crops. >> what happens in california definitely does not stay in california. the state is the largest producer of food in the country. and as more and more farms like this one feel the effects of the drought it means food prices are going to rise. and that impacts everyone. >> the reality is you are not going to get the fresh crops you depend on from california.

>> he is a field crop expert at the university of california at riverside. he says overall food prices could rise by as much as 10%. >> crops that you really see a big increase in cost are ones where we grow all the country's produce in. that would be art chokes. asparagus is another one. avocadoes is a big one. so the reality is there is a big drought in california. it is not going away. and it is likely to persist for years. >> everybody turns on a tap and water comes out. they wash hands, drink water. no problem. the day that doesn't happen is the day they will be as worried as most of the farmers i know. that is where i feel we are at right now. >> as california prepares for what could be the worst drought in modern history and the country prepares for higher food prices. fallers like phil mcgrath can only watch as the family business dries up right before his eyes.

>> what can be done to help the farmers in all of those in the food chain affected by this drought like the locale senders? usda has announced it is relee releasing 20 million in aid to help farmers. but what they need more than money right now is rain. >> and more of it. jennifer london in california. thank you. three more west virginia schools closed their doors today after workers complained of strange smelling water. the same problem forced two other schools in the charleston area to close yesterday four weeks ago a chemical spill left 300,000 people without water. the water has been declared safe to use but officials say they didn't want to take any chances. time now to head to washington, d.c joie chen standing by to tell us what is happening on america tonight. good evening we cap off our four part series on crime and punishment with a story about solutions from an unlikely place. hawaii. beyond the picture perfect

beaches thousands are being put behind bars for methamphetamine and property crimes. but one judge has an innovative probation strategy that is working. >> on regular probation you can fool the system, fake it, do whatever you need to do and still get by and then get early release because they never detected anything. >> america tonight's adam may brings the story of the judge's zero tolerance for bad behavior has brought hawaii hope in the form of probation. that is coming up at the top of the hour. see you then. >> thank you. a california school is under fire over a planned black history month lunch menu including fried chicken, cornbread and watermelon. the principal at the school for girls is now apologizing. she said please know that at no time did we wish to perpetrate racialster oh types. she said the items have been taken off the menu and the school will be holding an

assembly on diversity. spores and politician can be a volatile mix when that mix includes both democrats and republicans. mike lee joins us now with the story of a congressional effort is going to give a certain group of athletes a healthier life once their competitive days are over. >> contra costa men areutioned to fighting now they are joining forces on a good fight. boxers with padded gloves, hand-to-hand combat with the goal of knocking your opponent unconscious can lead to serious, immediate and long term issues. but a bipartisan effort on capitol hill is looking for ways to improve the overall health of professional fighters. >> on april 12th, manny pacquaio will have a shot at redemption and will involve him taking several shots to the head. which should be a concern for the 35-year-old boxer who will

be stepping into the ring for the 63rd time as a professional. and who was knocked unconscious two fights ago by juan manuel marquez. and results such as that one has brought together two u.s. senators from opposite sides of the aisle. former amateur boxers mccain and reid have solicited boxing and mixed martial arts organizations to add $600,000 to a funded study. >> the study is much called for particularly in boxing and mma. i'm an old friend. as is harry of one of the greatest boxers who who ever lived, mohammed ali. all of us would agree that his present condition is at least partially or to some degree attributable to the sustained blows to the head that this great, great great, wonderful athlete sustained.

>> nearly 400 fighters are already participating in the study conducted by the cleveland clinics center for brain health in las vegas which hopes to determine early warning signs of trauma and seeks reactions to various head injuries. >> it is good we are studying all this. it is extremely important. it is important so that we cannot only determine what the long-term effect of these activities are but also as the doctor and the team he put together also find out if some people should stop doing what they are doing at an earlier rate. >> yes, we chose to sign up for this. but it is also y'all entertainment. we have a deal without having a deal. >> every fighter who steps into the ring or the octogon knows there is an inherent risk of injury. but to what extent has been lost on most fighters. , the addage that you think about getting hurt, you likely

will. the fact remains, professional fighters have higher risk of developing alzheimer's, parkinsons, depression and other neurological problems. the damage starts not actually at the fight. it is accumulation in the gym. >> we owe it to the future of the sport and to the future of the men and women who now engage in it. so coming together today, i want to thank the cleveland clinic and all who are a part of this effort to make sure that boxing, a very tough sport, is made as safe as possible for those who choose to participate in it. >> the doctor tied to the study made it clear that head injuries do not necessarily produce a brain injury. but some head injuries produce a brain injury that starts is the process that ends i being parkinsons or alzheimer's. >> john mccain has had this issue on his agenda for a long time so, what are the

ramifications for sports other than fighting? >> it is actually tied to a government study. some other studies they are hoping that this can be tied to other traumatic brain injuries caused by attacks in iraq and afghanistan. so soldiers who go to war and suffer same injuries, they can see the early signs to treat the long-term effects. >> a mystery buyer now the owner of a harley-davidson briefly owned by the pope. it sold at a paris auction house for $327,000 today. more than 20 times its estimated pre-sale value of $16,000. it was a gift in the grandson of the company's co-founder. all proceeds are being donated to a catholic hostel and soup kitchen. and how to keep the lungs

functioning outside the human body. a global effort to free our al jazeera colleagues in egypt. >> 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

>> we have been looking at a nice break in terms of no precipitation. it is still messy across the city of new york on the sidewalks as well as on those curbs. it hasn't melted too much. today we saw more melting but the temperatures are going to be going down as we go through the overnight hours. you can see here for new york, 24-degree says what we will be

starting at next hour. let's put this into motion tonight. and you can see how they are going to go into the teens for many locations. tomorrow though we do expect to see a nice warm-up. maybe philadelphia at 33-degrees. new york is still not getting above freezing for tomorrow. now, across parts of pennsylvania we are going to be seeing the temperatures still -- a lot of people are without power. we don't expect to see any weather. that will behind terr people getting out there and fixing the power lines. this is what we expect to see in terms of precipitation over the weekend. of course a lot of talk about this storm right here. so on saturday some snow across parts of virginia, rain down here along the coastal regions. let's go more into the future. our next storm system coming into play on sunday. we think that will bring one to two inches. that is a look at the national weather. dow. for instance, could striking workers in greece delay your retirement? i'm here to make the connections

to your money real. transplant surgeries have become increasingly common.

now innovation may have changed the proffers. i'm talking about keeping organs alive outside the human body. here is a chance to witness the process up close. victoria bloomfield desperately needs a lung transplant. she is probably got less than a year left to live. but a new device could mean the difference between life and death for patients like her. >> there is a donor shortage. and unfortunately you see many people die on the waiting list. >> is this machine going to change that wait time? >> that is what we hope. it will make more organs available for people waiting. >> the technology keeps donor lungs warm and breathing outside the body. it has the potential to improve the function and availability of donor lungs. victoria eagerly signed up for the lungs in a box trial. but will she get them? >> i'm too early to put out to

pasture. >> just got off the plane. jumped in the cab and are heading over to the hospital where vicky is waiting for her double lung transplant. >> now it is -- you know. you do realize it is a big operation. while victoria's surgeons prep for surgery, there is one more critical player yet to arrive. >> we are waiting for the organs to come up in the system. and it is quite nerve-racking. >> are those the lungs? into yeah, those are the lungs. >>

>> techknow phil torres joins us. seeing the lungs outside the box is amazing. explain a little how it works. >> john, i could not agree more. it is really remarkable technology. what they are doing is instead of taking the lungs, they take the lungs and the donors blood, combine that, pump in oxygen and they are able to have this technology that is hard to believe exists. >> and techknow has profiled the heart in the box. you got to touch a beating heart. how does it compare to the lungs? >> i did. it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life to be able to touch one of these beating hearts. technologies are similar. the biggest thing that stands out to me is the fact that this is a 50 year leap in technology. for the last 50 years doctors have been putting these organs on ice. now we have these incredible machines. so it is like going from a telegraph to an iphone 10. >> i didn't realize this.

but 80% of donor lungs don't make it. how can this device change those odds? >> absolutely. 80% is a huge number. and i think the biggest issue for donating organ says the distance between the donor and recipient. that takes a lot of time if you are going across the country. this allows for the organ to stay warm and breathing and not dying during that time so now, a lung can make it from miami to l.a. which greatly expands the donor base. >> this is a great program. an interesting story. we will be watching. thanks very much. be sure to tune in to techknow this sunday. it hats been 40 days since egypt's interim government detained three al jazeera journalists. they are accused of spreading false news. today al jazeera held a news conference in toronto demanding the immediate release of its journalists.

here is our report. >> canadian filmmaker john gracein is now comfortable in the media spotlight. he was arrested last year. held for 50 days. his imprisonment publicized. >> the fact that petitions were being signed by in our case ben affleck and charlizi theron our cell mates said who? but they were impressed by robert deniro. steven harper has stayed silence. who along with others are all in prison in egypt. the editor of the leading up in believes he knows what is behind the different treatment. unfortunately, i think this has been dismissed as a case that is not involving a full canadian, which we have editorialized against.

he has full rights as a canadian to consular support. he was speaking at this press conference hosted by al jazeera to bring attention to their imprisonment and the harsh conditions two were living in. >> we have had to cope with particularly appalling conditions. they have been held in times and cells with no access to light, little food or water. cells infested with insects all the while being forced to leap on floors without blankets or pillows. the three employees are being held in a cell together. but the message from this group it isn't enough. >> journalism is not terrorism. >> most canadians don't know about the story, it hasn't gotten a lot of media attention. which is why the network hosts these events hoping the people will pressure their governments to say something. they are hoping that the average person will weigh in with this simple sign. >> these pictures are spreading on social media,

sending a powerful message from the mostly powerless. they are not politicians or celebrities but their message is clear. free the journalist, free speech. al jazeera, toronto. and in alaska, the only road in to valdez is open again. the city was cut off for 12 days after a series of avalanches buried the richardson highway. avalanches blocked a river by the highway and created a half mile long lake. crews worked around the clock to clear the roadway. now alaska's department of transportation has declared the road safe again. >> coming up tonight on our 11:00 p.m. eastern broadcast, reducing the risk of ovarian cancer. the one pill on store shelves that doctors say may help. plus, deteriorating health. after claiming to be lost at sea for more than a year, a setback for the cast away. those stories and more coming up at 11 eastern.

now for our freeze frame. tonight it is a photo of pope francis. him on the left. on the right a life sized statue of hills. made out of chocolate. took about one and a half tons of cocoa to create the tasty likeness which was presented to the pope yesterday. the chocolate statue was created by an italian chocolate artist who had help building it from 20 of his art students. took about a month to bring the chocolate pope to life. that is our picture of the day. today's headlines in a moment. >> has tonight's exclusive report. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight

next only on al jazeera america

take a new look at news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. here are tonight's top stories. a top u.s. diplomat is in ukraine to defuse the political crisis but under a cloud of controversy.

in a recording linked online she is apparently heard using profanity to criticize the efforts. she has apologized. frustration for 1.7 million americans looking for long term benefits. supporters were unable to find enough votes to extend the benefits for three months. 50 to 4 -- 58 to 40, two votes shy. the top republican in the house is warning americans not to expect much progress on immigration reform. republicans have little reason to trust president obama because of how the white house has handled issues like healthcare in nearly 400,000 in philadelphia are without power. the outages occurred wednesday during a strong winter storm and could last for days. more snow is expected this weekend. and a violin crime. has been solved. authorities have recovered a missing stradivarius worth

millions of dollars. they found it inside a suitcase in an attic in milwaukee. three people are now in custody. those are the headlines. america tonight is yoie chen is up next. check out our win site al jazeera.com. >> on america tonight, the licorice smell in west virginia's drinking water is back. schools are closed. and patience is running low. also ahead, six more weeks of this? the bitter cold heavy snow and the powerless. is your community ready for what's next? >> i'm ready to pack up and move somewhere. but everybody is getting snow this year. so it is like even in warm states. >> and paying the price in paradise. our in depth look at crime and