♪ welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are any stories we are following for you. another disappointing jobs rorpt. straight ahead a conversation with the secretary of labor. president obama signing that farm bill into law today, but the food stamps program taking a hit. and a ceasefire in the city of holmes allowing for humanitarian aid to get in and letting some people get out. >> we didn't know about ed sullivan. >> and looking back at this day,

the beatles in new york 50 years ago, ringo star sharing some fond memories. >> we begin with another lackluster jobs report prompting some to say the nation's employment picture is still disappointing. 113,000 jobs added last month. the unemployment rate coming in at 6.6%, ticking down a bit from december, and the number of americans looking for work or actively working right now, moved up to 63%, but these are still levels we have not seen since the carter administration. perez said one reason we haven't seen a big comeback in job growth, he says hundreds of thousands of government workers

have been laid off over the last few years. >> if we had just kept go jobs flat, our unemployment rate would be probably something like 6.2% right now. it's unfortunate, a number of really self inflicted wounds. >> more on that interest tonight on "real money with ali velshi." wall street doesn't seem to be too upset. the dow up 99 points. some say they believe the fed right rethink its plans to cut back on the stimulus program. president obama headed to michigan to sign the new farm bill into law. the senate passing it on tuesday. the bill cuts $8 billion from medical nutrition programs the president is trying to keep, and keep the focus on how it will help farmers. bisi onile-ere is live in detroit, and michigan one of those states hard-hit standing

to lose that money under the arm bill. how are people there treating the president's visit? >> reporter: well, reaction as of now has been mixed. i'm inside up with of the largest food banks, and they tell me they have seen the need for their services grow. so with these cuts on the way, and with food stamp reduction a certainty, they are certainly going to feel any squeeze. 28-year-old caw kacia works part-time at this diner, and to help make ends meet she recently took on a second job. and she said that's still not enough. >> something like food, it's just -- it adds a different level of stress. >> reporter: she is among 47 million americans who depend on food stamps, right now $200 a

month buys groceries and peace of mind, but with the passing of the new farm bill, old fears are setting in again. >> it's going to be really hard. >> reporter: here is why, the law will take away $800 million in food stamps every year, that could her benefits nearly in half. she is among 850,000 households that will see their food stamps reduced by as much as $90 a month. the new bill eliminates what some lawmakers called a loop hool that allowed states and d.c. to increase benefits. >> any reduction in services for food stamps or hunger relief effort is going to be very tolling on us, because of the fact that we're already serving more than we can serve.

>> she heads the food bank of michigan. she says it will hurt the most vulnerable, the elderly and children. she said food banks will have to find ways to serve even more people. kacia is weighing what few options she has. >> i can't imagine not just for myself, but for my friends that have families to feed too, like trying to stretch the budget even further. that is bisi onile-ere from detroit. now despite the successes of the farm bill, the days of republicans and democrats getting along may be over. thomas drayton takes a look at some of the major pieces of legislation. >> reporter: after passing the farm and budget bills in congress, other big issues appear to have stalled in washington. issues that effect millions in

the u.s., and threaten the economic well-being of the country abroad. first immigration, after signalling he would seek immigration reform this year, house speaker john boehner is retreating a bit. >> i never underestimated the difficult in moving forward this year. >> and the biggest obstacle, says boehner is the president. >> listen, there's widespread doubt about whether this administration can be entrusted to enfours our laws. >> reporter: that charge reject by the white house. >> the president has an exceptional record of improving border security on his watch. there are more agents on the border now than ever consistently. >> reporter: another reason for the potential gridlock, the president's promise to act alone when congress won't. >> wherever and whenever i can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more american families, that's what i'm going to do.

>> he is talking ariel castro his phone and his pen. and he is feeding more distrust about whether he is committed to the rule of law. >> reporter: as for extending jobless benefits -- >> the motion is not agreed to. >> -- republicans shot down the latest proposal by democrats who are vowing to keep up the fight. >> we all support this on this side of the aisle. and today the country reaches its debt limit but runs out of money at the end of the month. republicans say there is time for a deal, but the white house wants action now. >> we're not going to pay ransom. >> reporter: an old battle waged again with another washington dead lock in deadline. thomas drayton, al jazeera. they are back in court in florida today where a bail hearing is now underway for a man accused of killing another man inside a movie threer last

month. it all started over an argument regarding texting. natasha ghoneim has more. >> reporter: del this is a bail bond hearing. the defendant has been in jail since january 13th when he meant to a mat ta nay. he got upset because 43-year-old chad olson was texting. olson said his two year old daughter was at home with a baby sitter, and he cot a message, he was texting to find out what was going on. the two exchanged words. if you hear what reese has to say, an you tape was played moments after the shooting. reese says he is an old man, has arthritis in both hands and a bad back, and he felt very

scared. that olson stood up on his chair and threatened him. >> he kept on hollering, and i'm not sure what he said to be honest with you. he led me to believe he was going to kick my [ censor bleep ]. so i'm leaning all the way back in my chair as far as i can to get away from him, and suddenly he's virtually on top of me. suddenly my head was to the right, so he hit me with something >> reporter: reeves says that his left eye was hurt that day, but police say there was no sign of injury. we're now in day two of this bail bond hearing for mr. reeves, at least he hopes,

to get out of jail, because if he doesn't get out of jail, it could be another year or two until there is a trial. the prosecution wants to keep him in jail. we're expecting to also take a look at surveillance video from inside the theater that day. >> is it true that both of these gentlemen has military backgrounds? >> reporter: they are both navy veterans, but the defendant is actually a retired tampa police department captain. >> natasha ghoneim thank you very much. former new orleans mayor is back on the witness stand. prosecutors set to continue cross examination at his corrupt shun trial. ben please set the scene for us. >> reporter: well, del, ray was indicted last year on 2 21-corruption-related charges.

accused of taking kickbacks and benefits. right now prosecutors are presenting evidence that the jury has already seen. the reason for that is that six people have been tied to this case, either convicted or pled guilty to charges involving this case that ray is now standing trial for. they have admitted to the same crimes and evidence that he is now denying. so they are talking a lot about many of the contracts. a lot of this surrounds his son's granite business and money that flowed from people who has city contracts to that business, and prosecutors aledging that those were shady and poorly masked corruption schemes.

>> he became a household name following the days and months of hurricane katrina. so how is he handling this? >> he has been pretty calm. he has walked in very confident, kind of joking with reporters as he walks into court. and even on the stand, every time his defense attorney asks him questions, he deliberately makes a gesture towards the jury and answers very confidently. when prosecutors have been cross-examining him, he has even been joking. one of the prosecutors was standing near the witness stand, and the judge asked him to step away a bit, and ray said it's no problem, i like this guy. don't you? so he has been trying to give good body language and tone. so we'll see what happens. >> he seems to indicate that

this is all a big misunderstanding, that he was simply trying to speed up a process following hurricane katrina. >> yeah, he says this was my effort to expedite the effort to get this city rebuilt. you had houses, an entire major american city trying to rebuilt. people were fighting with insurance companies and the federal government, so he says i was just trying to do my job the best i could for the city. the winter games are now underway. the opening ceremonies starting within the past hour. police and security are everywhere. washington issued heightened travel warnings for those headed to the games. paul beban has more from sochi. >> reporter: you may be able to hear the helicopters over my head, you could have seen the fireworks over my shoulder,

because the opening ceremony is well and truly underway now. it's russia putting on a show, trying to draw away from the controversy, and paint russia in its own terms. expects lots of history, russian music, and sporting prowess. we don't know who is going actually light the olympic flame, but there's one thing that we do know and that is that the controversy [ technical difficulties ] >> -- will grab all of the headlines temporarily, and not take away from the controversy about venues costing too much.

the legacy of the sochi games is still very much in question. >> paul beban covering the games for us in sochi. a ceasefire in syria now allowing for humanitarian aid to get in to the people who need it the most. >> i am obviously not going to comment on private diplomatic conversations. >> and after a very candid conviction about negotiations in ukraine, a top white house official holding her tongue. ♪

>> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. she is caught up in a four-letter flap, and here is how it happened. she was talking on the phone about the crisis in ukraine and said some choice words about the european union. now she is trying to down play the leak. >> it was pretty impressive trade craft. the audio was extremely clear. what i would say with regard to

us-russia relations, you know that they are very brood, they are very deep, they are often complex. >> for its part in aid, the russia prime minister saying it was not behind that leak. the syrian government and the opposition have all agreed to a ceasefire. thousands have been trapped with minimal access to food and medicine for nearly two years. the rebels are accusing the syrian government as using starvation as a weapon of war. >> reporter: these are some of the most war-weary residents of holmes. for more than a year and a half they have been trapped in the city without regular access to food or medicine and have some under daily shelling. their evacuation is part of the

surpri surpri surprise deal brokered between the united nationsed, the government, and the opposition. it is estimated around 2,500 residents remain under siege hungry and malnourished. it has been a battle groukd since 2012, when many of its neighborhoods fell under rebel control. but the government has steadily recaptured most of the areas, leaving a pocket in the historic center. ah -- the plight of residents trapped in the old city was thought to be so bad, it was included in the agenda of last

week's long-awaited peace talks in switzerland. negotiations broke out without hope for agreement on access for relief supplies, the move to allow some residents to evacuation comes as the government confirmed it will join new peace talks next week. the former british foreign secretary is now president and ceo of the international rescue committee working to get more help to syria's residents. good evening. >> good evening. >> the deal over holmes is a promising sign, but where do we stand now? >> i would describe this as a crumb of comfort. 2,500 people have been trapped in dreadful conditions, but it is estimated that about 2.5 million syrian residents are trapped in areas around the country. i think that the great fear is

that their situation will continue to worsen, because while people talk of military stale meat, the conditions on the ground are getting worse every day. >> we have been broadcasting these images for three years, we showed the images of chemical weapons, starvation, we have shown the people and children being shelled. why is the world so slow to act? >> i think the world is divided and confused and that is what is blocking any kind of humanitarian help even in the context where the war is continuing. it's one thing for dishth countries to support different sides in a war. there is no excuse for the kind of flagrant abuse of national humanitarian aid that has been taking place. and that's why many people say it's time to back up the words

calling for unimpeded access for food and medical aid. because at the moment the people are paying a price. >> let me ask you this question and ask it this way. it is time for the -- diplomatic community to stop being so polite, and say you are not doing enough, you are not doing enough. >> i think it is bell past the time for people to stamp their feet. civilians, pregnant women can't walk across lines for fear of being shot by snipers. we know children have been executed or tortured. this is now a regional crisis. there is a threat to regional peace and stability.

and frankly, the syrians that we are helping -- the ioc is present delivering aid, and those syrians are saying to us, does the world care? and they are not getting the kind of answers that they deserve. >> so what is next? >> i think the next step is the conscious of the world to be pricked, by the united nations resolution on the humanitarian situation alone. there is a lot of talk about international unity around the soesh inch olympics. that needs to be extended to defending human life. >> david miller, the ceo of the international rescue committee, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. >> we'll be right back.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are your headlines at this hour. the labor department saying 113,000 jobs were added to the economy during january, but that was far below expectations, but they say the unemployment rate dipped to 6.6%. in a couple of hours, president obama set to sign the farm bill into law. the signing will take place at michigan state university. the $1 trillion bill will fund the food stamp program and crop subsidies for farmers. ♪ i'm meteorologist dave warren, a big weather pattern change, a needed change here especially on the west coast. this is the overall weather pattern, not nearly as amplified as it was here. it was normally going well up into canada off of the west coast and then dips down, but now it's a little flatter, and this pattern brings all of this moisture right from hawaii.

the latest satellite picture shows this. a lot of rain coming down around los angeles, but also where we need it, which is northern california. a little too much snow in some areas here. causing come problems on the roadways in oregon and washington, but it makes it as far east as wyoming. you can really see this on the radar, plus the satellite that stops here, because you can't go into the ocean. so it continues to push to the east, and we're seeing a lot of rain and snow, especially in the mountains. we need to get that snow amount up, because after april 1st it starts to felt. well below average needed snowfall. the temperatures in the southern plains down into the teens and almost the single digits. bismarck is at 2. wind chills well below zero, so

that bitter cold arctic air is here. >> dave thank you very much. it was 50 years ago today that beatle mania took over america. al jazeera's michael shure got the opportunity to sit down to talk to ringo star one on one. >> reporter: when the beatles landed at jfk airport, ringo star could feel how badly america needed the beatles. >> new york was jumping, and we were jumping that we had landed in new york. that we were in america. >> reporter: they had a singular and spectacular look at america. >> we were number one, and living in the plaza, the whole floor. and we didn't really know about ed sullivan. he saw us coming from sweden,

and booked us. we had no records here, but when we got here, it was up. ♪ oh, yeah, i tell you something ♪ >> reporter: what the country saw was one of the most memorable tv appearances in history, and from the ed sullivan show it was on to dc. >> the first live gig was in washington in the round -- or the stage went round, it was a boxing ring. and i had to jump off and do it myself to get it going. i'm playing here, and the band was going around here. so -- i could just see them doing that now. >> reporter: yeah. >> i'll fix it. >> reporter: he says it is the songs that is at the heart of the beatles, not the hype. >> for me it's the music. not the air cuts or the boots. the music is still out there, and it's still great. ♪ >> reporter: ringo's youthful

charm remains on display for stream. ajunct professors fight for a living wage. how their working conditions could impact the quality of higher education. >> our producer is bringing all your live feedback through the show.