♪ >> this is al jazeera america live in new york. i'm jonathan betz. another victory for same-sex marriage. the justice department extends more rights to gay couples. aid teams attacked in syria. they are now trying to help civilians as they come under fire. violent protests in turkey over an a new internet law that would let the government block websites and track users. and firefighters battling the affordable care act. how it could cripple a lot of

fire departments. ♪ >> we begin this saturday night with a major move towards equality in about one hour, the attorney general will announce historic changes in the way the justice department. eric holder will direct d.o.j. to give same-sex married couples full and equal recognition to the greatest extent possible under the law. here's what he's exactly proposing. it applies to gay couples legally married. they will not be compelled to testify against their spouses in federal cases. it's a privilege enjoyed by straight married couples. this applies to states where gay marriage is not recognized and they will be able to file for joint bankruptcy and in

prison. holder will announce all of this at a human rights campaign gala in new york. courtney keeley has more from this event. >> reporter: it's big news. people here already have smiles on their faces and they are gearing up for a big party this comes off the back of the supreme court declaring it unconstitutional to deny federal benefits to same-sex couples last june. this is just a continuation of the obama administration rewriting rules to lessen discrimination against same-sex couples and general holder has been behind this. he's quite the gay rights champion. you will be seeing a big, packed ballroom. >> courtney keeley. we will have more on our show at 8 p.m. eastern time tonight. a dangerous mission to help civilians caught in the cross fire. aid workers faced bombs and gunfire. the team from the united nations and the syrian red crescent was able to make deliveries but not without

injuries. >> reporter: it took most of the day for the aid convoys to get into the besieged old city of holmst, only to come under fire as soon as they arrived. tens of civilians were injured. so were some of the members of the syrian red crescent team. a mortar shell reportedly landed near one of its vehicles, and another was shot at. >> we got two trucks of aid and one car and some other cars for the u.n. team. mortar shells started to fall near the place where we supposedly were asked to deliver the aid. >> reporter: the syrian government says so-called terrorists inside the old city were responsible. some say it's the work of syrian regime loyalists. it's hard to confirm who is responsible for this but it

appears the fragile cease-fire was broken. it was agreed the truce would be in place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for three days but throughout saturday, it did not hold. >> parties should refrain from hindering the humanitarian deeds like that and should not fire or put in jeopardy the humanitarian workers who are just -- their only aim is just to come and help those people inside. >> reporter: the long-awaited humanitarian mission is facing an immense challenge. it was hoped that this operation would be manageable after the agreement was brokered by the united nations with pressure from the u.s. and russian on the syrian government. 83 civilians were evacuated from the old city on friday, to receive hue plan tearian -- humanitarian relief under the agreement. but 2,000 are still inside. the plan was for more to make their way out on dark but --

saturday, but the pictures coming out of the city show just how difficult this mission is. iran said the warships will come close to u.s. maritime borders for the first time. this is in response to america's naval presence in the persian gulf and it comes as iran supreme leader spoke out against the united states. the ayatollah said the u.s. would overthrow iran's government if they could. >> the americans say in some of their comments they are friends of the iranian nation. they are lying. they are lying. you can see this through their actions. they threaten iran and then they expect the islamic republic to reduce their defense capabilities. this is not funny. this is ridiculous. at the same time while threatening us, they say you must reduce your net threat capabilities. no. with the help of god, we will increase their defense strength every day.

the supreme leader spoke at an event to mark the 35th 35th anniversary of the 1979 islamic revolution. police in istanbul have fire tear gas and water cannons protesting a new internet law. it allows the country to block any website within hours. it provides internet sites to keep data on users for two years. we have the latest report from istanbul. >> is stan ball -- >> reporter: istanbul is the scene. the protesters are angered by what they claim is further attempt to curb freedom of expression by the government. what is at the center of this contention here is the latest internet legislation, a law passed by turkish parliament a few days ago. and essentially, the protesters say this this legislation curbs freedom of expression and is further sign that the

government is trying to control the public through legislation. the government says it will not curb the freedom of expression and it will protect it, and it's done in order to ensure that the internet is not misused in order to either expose people's private lives or used as a form of -- a place form for libelous accusations. innocence the riot police arrived, they dispersed them quickly and ensuing small battles took place in the side streets adjacent to the square. another sign that there is a segment of turkish society that isn't in favor of the way in which the government is doing business here, however, the prime minister, who spoke to

al jazeera earlier today seems unphased by these challenges and is confident that he enjoyed large popularity across the political spectrum. >> jamaal ishmael. violence in bosnia has calmed for the moment. it's the worst scene since the war 18 years ago. >> reporter: the anger here is still growing. mainly aimed at politicians who the public blamed for the country's economic crisis. >> i had enough. for the past 20 years, 25 years, we are suffering from our government. we are not doing anything. we just -- oh, my god, we are living in a bad country but nobody is doing anything. >> reporter: unemployment is at a record high, the worst figures in the balance balkans, while neighboring countries have made economic progress,

bosnia has stagnated. violence erupted. the targets were government buildings and factories, which laid off thousands of workers in. central sarajevo, the protesters were out on the streets again on saturday, this time demonstrating peacefully. sarajevo has not seen violence like this since the end of the war in 1995. some of these buildings have stood since the austro-hungarian empire. some politicians admit that the public has been led down by an unwieldy system of government. >> this is an outcry of the people of bosnia, no matter where they live, to basically bring the judgment over the politics that has been -- that has produced all of these problems over the last 20 years, and this is basically --

this has a revolutionary connotation in terms that people are really dissatisfied. they want changes and they are aware that if they don't go out on the street, and basically do something physically about their destinies, that these politicians won't do much for them. >> reporter: the government has called some of the protesters huley begans -- hooligans, but even those who did not take part in the violence say they can understand why it has happened and pressure is growing on ministers to somehow revive the country. tim friend, al jazeera, sarajevo. we talked to a sarajevo think tank. he said the anger had been slowly approaching a break point. >> well, its come from accumulated frustrations after many years of political crisis, which had a terrible impact on economic and social situation,

and especially since the last elections in 2010, when especially in the federation, the political scene disingrated into an all out war. >> political in-fight has derailed efforts to reform the constitution there and kept the country from joining the european union. more protests are planned for monday. the first full day of events in sochi have come to an end. your olympic update is just ahead. and why some say the affordable care act is hurting firefighters' ability to do their jobs. that report next.

fire departments across the country are fighter more than just fires. many are battling the affordable air act. it requires employers with 50 or more to provide health insurance, who work more than 30 hours a week. that's challenging to departments that have tight budgets and rely on part-time

firefighters. jim huly explains. >> reporter: michael haney is trying to keep his driveway clear. even when he's working his second job, constructing websites, haney would rather be here. he's one of 12 part-time at windsor firefighter rescue. >> if michael ainley his druthers, i would be here all the time. >> reporter: for haney, firefighting is his dream job. he used to work 50 hours a week but starting in 2014, the part-timers had their hours cut to less than 29 hours a week. if they work more than that, they would be classified as full time under the affordable care act and the department would have to pay their health insurance. >> this is our apparatus bay where we keep the equipment here in station one. >> reporter: chief herb brady says they don't have the budge tote cover additional insurance

costs on top of the $400,000 it already spends. >> and we would supply health insurance to all of our employees if we could. if we were asked to bring on another 12, for example, that could cost us around $76,000. >> reporter: charlotte colton is a benefits expert for the payroll company amcheck. >> how do they get the money? the excess funds are not in the budget. it's not like they just find the money and have it. it's restricted. >> reporter: what is really hurting the fire departments is the traditional firefighter shifting, 24 hours straight. counting hours is driving schedulers crazy. >> this is a big challenge. in fact, it's a daily challenge. it's not a monthly challenge when we are setting the schedule. it's every day. >> chief brady says the unpredictable shift schedules to impact public safety. >> either we have to reduce the

service level or put off the purchase of fire engines and ambulances. >> my cash flow is cut in half. >> reporter: michael haney believes it will be a struggle to pay all of his bills. >> i would rather be at the fire house. i have said it before. it's a rewarding job. it's -- it's a career that will change you. >> reporter: fire departments want congress to approve waivers for part-time employees before they have to change the level of service they provide. jim huly, al jazeera, windsor, colorado. moving now to west virginia, where many are still nervous to drink the water, that's despite assurances that it's safe. the water still smells. andy roshen reports. >> reporter: despite the odd smell of licorice, it doesn't rise to the level of being unsafe. meantime, the demonstrators are

shifting their anger away from the company that caused the spill, to the one that's cleaning it up. last month, they were furious at freedom industries for causing the chemical spill, which shut off access to water for 300,000 charleston residents. but, today, they are protesting the water company, accusing it of not providing enough compensation for the expense of losing their water. the organizer of the rally says that after 14 schools were closed, just a couple of days ago because of smelly water, there is no confidence the problems have really been fixed. >> who do you trust is the community question right now and we get u.s. -- such contradictory things. i was told and took a shower, when it was said to be safe to take a shower, and i had eye infections and or things. >> reporter: and it's starting to affect the politicians. >> marches like this will hopefully show them that

industry may be their gravy train but there are others who want to be here and want to do a good job for our state. >> reporter: and these folks say the protests will continue. those demonstrators are mailing a list of their demands to the water company in these envelopes which include a piece of black licorice. andy refreshen, al jazeera, charleston, west virginia. water concerns in west virginia. different water concerns in california where they are seeing a major drought. >> boy, are they taking a piece out of that drought. but jonathan, it's not just the last few days. we are expecting the next couple of weeks to continue to see rain coming down heavily in california, but it's a completely different story if you head farther north in the west. i will focus all of our attention here on the west coast, as you can see, heavy rain coming down from northern california, and then you jump up towards the columbia river gorge, hitting portland and southwest washington, we are getting snow.

we are getting ice. in fact, right now we have an ice storm warning in effect for the center and southern willamette valley. it's really easy to have problems in western washington to the south, and r9 -- northern oregon when we get the very arctic cold air built up east of the cascades. it's coming over to the west side and keeping it cold enough that around the gorge, we are getting in the snow and ice. and farther to the north, it's rain in seattle and rain for parts of oregon. this is a thin river of moisture way up near the jet stream and it's being funneled right into the west coast. it will vacillate to the north and to the south, and, in fact, in the last three days, we have got 20 to 40 inches of new snow in north oregon cascades. now here's the balance. you know where we are having our winter games this year?

sochi. look how much snow they had! i'm thinking we have had the olympics in the in the. here's the cold air shooting through the gorge, 36-mile-per-hour gusts in portland. you will get a whole other round of snow overnight tonight and more storms on the way, jonathan. >> portland olympics. maybe some day. thanks, rebecca. well, getting ready for the winter games in russia, means getting rid of the stray dogs. the animal advocates say the animals should not be killed. olympic officials say only sick and dying dogs are being killed. they say others are being sent to sanctuaries. a lot of controversy around these olympic games, ross, but so far the events are going off pretty well. >> off the ice, they are getting dogged but on the ice it's unbelievable. first medal awarded. first gold medal went to an american snowboarder. oh, it's got to be shawn white, but he actually pulled out of the slope style competition because he called the course

intimidating. ever hear of sage gottenberg. he's the golden boy the olympics. it's making its olympic debut. when he qualified, he treated... whoa! how random is this? i made the finals of the olympics. not only did he make it. he captured a gold medal and he did so with a trick that he never did before. it's the holy crail. he decided to do the holy krail halfway through his run. he celts i do random stuff all the time. that's who i am. i don't think stress is in his dna. katzenberg said, wow, i won the olympics bringing back the first gold to the u.s.a. love seeing the support from everyone. you rule! 9 -- the women's hockey team,

hillary knight scored the first goal for the red, white and blue as the americans win it 3-1 against a very good finland team who captured the bronze medal four years ago. team u.s.a. will qualify against switzerland. anna kearny was the defender in 9 -- the mow gig you you will -- the moguls. all right, into heavy medal. norway leads the medal count in four and the u.s. is in fourth place. it is early. ever since the winter olympics started back in 1924, norway has the most medals with 307, while the americans are in second place with 255. as they say, more money, more problems. the sochi games the most expensive winter olympics ever. $51 billion is the price of all the previous winter olympics combined. many consider these games a showcase of modern russia, and

all it can achieve. >> in the cool wooded hills above sochi, starlings are nestled out of site. the most fearsome ruler came here when the pressures of moscow got too much. vladimir putin has such a soft spot that he chose it for the winter olympics. >> it's a great honor for me to address you today and to present a bit of sochi to host the olympic winter games in 2014. >> his vision is now a reality. but one that has come with a price tag of $51 billion. the most costly olympics after. -- ever. why such eye huff -- eye-watering sports event, this kremlin insider has an answer. >> the olympic games are so

important for the russian public because this show that russia finished the social coo coo -- catastrophe of the 1990s and now russia is able to conduct big international events on a very high level. >> reporter: in short, this is about brand russia, and the way countries try to make themselves look attractive on a global stage has a wildly used new name, soft power. this magazine has an index of soft power around the world. >> we are living in a world where soft power has become increasingly important, where the way that people view you is just as important as the threat that you can pose. so a lot of countries don't

necessarily want to use military mite. they want to use other things to influence other countries. >> reporter: much reported stories of corruption, human rights abuses have doubted the reputational benefits of sochi, but it's much too soon to make that assessment. >> it's difficult to know for sure, but it's likely that this man here would have been just as enthusiastic about the sochi games as vladimir putin is, but times have changed and, of course, russia has changed too. in many ways, that's exactly what these games are more. they are an attempt to convince the world we are in a modern, confident russian era. >> reporter: this country may still like hard men as its leaders but in today's world, even hard men have to know when to be soft. rory challenges, al jazeera, sochi. another hot topic is about

the awful, awful hotel conditions from yellow water and door knobs that don't open. american bobsledder, johnny quinn had to bust out of his bathroom because apparently he got locked in after taking a shower. he decided to go incredible hulk and break out. he played football in the nfl and cfl and hopefully he will be good to go when the bobsled competitions start on february 16th. >> when you think about it, you know sometimes when the shower and the steam starts going crazy and then the door starts getting all warped -- that's the sports producer theory. it actually makes sense. >> i'm sticking to sabotage. >> the other members of the team locked the door? >> thanks, ross. al qaeda's leadership is distancing itself from a group of fiders -- fighters in syria deemed too violent. and authorities in the u.k. go after alleged celebrity sex

offenders. why some say it's nothing more than a witch hunt.

>> fault lines, hard hitting... >> they're blocking the door... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here. >> truth seeking... al jazeera america's breakthrough instigative documentary series. over a year after the bengazi attacks, chaos in the streets... unspeakable horrors... >> this is a crime against humanity >> is libya unraveling? >> there's coffin after coffin being carried into the cemetery.

>> fault lines libya: state of insecurity only on al jazeera america welcome back to al jazeera america. this is a look at your top stories this half hour. a big step in marriage equality. in a matter of minutes, the attorney general will announce gay married couples will be treated like straight couples in the federal court system. this applies to gay people in court, filing for joint bankruptcy or visiting inmates. in syria, an aid convoy helping civilians in homs has come under fire. syria's government and the opposition blame each other for the attack. iran's supreme leader had some stern words for washington. he says the u.s. would seek regime change in iran, and said it was lying when they said they were friends to iran. it came during a speech to mark

the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. and there's been attacked by the taliban. more than 500 of them children. jane ferguson has more now from kabul. >> reporter: it's people like this who bleed the most in convict. civilians, shot, blown up by two warring sides. a teenager was simply standing too close to a suicide bomber last week. >> this was an explosion. it threw me and i was unconscious. i fell down again. i couldn't see. >> reporter: he's part of a growing number of civilian casualties here. according to a u.n. report released on saturday, 2013 saw an increase across the board of si will will civilians being injured or killed compared to 2012.

most of it was caused by antigovernment forces. the taliban say they don't target civilians and reject the findings. when civilian casualties increase, that includes children. children like syma here, around 11 years old, injured in a bombing in the province where she's from. in this ward, even younger than syma is fareshta. we think she's around 2 years old. she's one of the very young fick i ams of afghanistan -- victims of afghanistan's war. those in charge of this hospital in kabul say women and children are tying more because the war has changed. once a game with foreign forces, as they leave, the taliban is confidentially engaging afghan forces and the intense battlegrounds are flanked by villages, farms and schools. assassinations are also on the rise, says the u.n. >> targeted killing of

civilians. these are anybody who is not directly participating in the hostilities, is a very serious thing. it may amount to a war crime under hue plan -- humanitarian law. >> reporter: to them, life is trying to survive the relentless march of this war. jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. al qaeda cut ties with the islamic state in iraq and labonte. it became increasely independent and violent. many believe al qaeda's leader, is trying to reassert power within the group. al qaeda has changed a lot since september 11th when osama bin laden organized it. he had called muslims to kill

americans and added to the fbi most wanted list. in the same year that they attacked, more than 200 people were killed. now in 2000, two al qaeda suicide bombers blew a side in the u.s. s. cole, 17 sailors died there and on september 11th, , 20 01, members of al qaeda used hijacked airlines as weapons. nearly 3,000 people died that year. may 2nd, 2011, navy seals killed osama bin laden at his compound in pakistan and that's when al saturday -- zarqawi took over. >> reporter: its base firmly centered in pakistan, al qaeda has branched out into franchises and some of the most volatile places on earth. somalia, yemen, iraq and northern africa. >> but in some ways, you could say there's never been more members of cal -- al qaeda and

there are so many groups who claim a tie to al qaeda. >> reporter: this is a counterterrorism expert. he says there's no longer visible training camps or financing for the al qaeda mini bases. instead of the u.s. drone has isolated the top leaders. >> osama bin laden had a particular charisma. he had been in afghanistan and gave up great wealth to live simply. >> reporter: the death of osama bin laden did not finish off the organization, but al qaeda's new top leader, al-zarqawi. >> i think the biggest weak point is his relevance. >> reporter: many experts degree that al-awahiri. he ordered the leader of isil to stop operating in syria and

to concentrate on iraq but he reportedly refused, directly challenging the al qaeda leadership. >> i don't think that the split between isil and al qaeda crenellerral has any impact on the young jihadists they will carry out these separations on their own. >> reporter: obama administration officials are worried that some radicalized attackers will launch attacks in the u.s. >> why syria matters is there are at least 7,000 foreigners from 50 countries fighting in syria today. this is according to u.s. intelligence officials. they are going to go home. >> al-zawahiri, is more than an organization. it inspires some home grown terrorists like the boston bombers. >> i think what we have learned is you can't kill them all. that's not the best way to deal

with terrorism. >> the way to deal with it is to work with local leaders in local communities. >> is it just a matter of a generation or several generations. i think a lot depends on how the arab awakening goes. morgan ratford, al jazeera america. let's go deeper with this. this is now a fellow at the new america foundation. doug, thanks for being with us tonight. >> good evening, jonathan. >> okay. so how much of a threat do you think al qaeda, its core, still poses to the united states? >> well, i think what we have heard over the last year or two that al qaeda corps is severely degraded and simply we have killed too many of them through drone strikes and chasing them

down and cut off their financing. al qaeda corps is much weaker. >> is terrorism a major issue? >> the core is weaker but now it seems the per periphery is getting stronger. >> how does the united states handle these different groups especially with isil and others that are warring inside syria? >> well, i think the united states is going to have to look at each of these small franchises as we call them differently. some of them in the middle of africa. they are concerned about local events and they just want to transform their little area. others, including alnusra and isil may well have designs on europe and even the united states. >> go further with that. why do you think they may have designs on the united states or europe or other western targets when these groups, especiallies the ones fighting in syria,

they seem to be distracted with the war they are facing currently. >> well, particularly in isil's case, they are much more concerned about holding territory and building legitimacy for themselves in these areas, building bases and they may decide that from there, they can project power into europe or even the united states. likewise for nusara. >> do they have the sophistication and 9 arm -- the arms to carry out an attack like that. >> they may well. they are getting a lot of money. one of the events ever syria is it's legitimized to goes like isil and funders that wouldn't normally give to an al qaeda franchise because they are fighting against assad and turn a blind eye to some of their more extreme tendencies. >> even if the core is we weakening, is the branding, the message of al qaeda very strong? >> what is interesting about

isil, they think they may be bigger than al al qaeda. and 9 leader of isil leader doesn't care about that. >> as they were kicked out of the club, as you say, i read somewhere in the world of -- this world, it makes them pretty bad people if al qaeda casts you aside. what does it say about isil, do you see them being more of a threat than al qaeda was in the late '90s, early 2000s. >> it's not the same type of threat in that we are very aware of it. what happened to us -- it's very well known that up until 9/11, lots of agencies turned a blind eye to the threat that al qaeda presented. i don't think we will ever be in that type of situation again, but isil is very dangerous. it's well funded and it has lots of foreign money and lots of foreign fighters and it's so geographically close to europe. it's easier to get from syria into eastern europe and then

from there to wherever you want to go. >> you know, doug, if the u.s. is not turning a blind eye any longer to these groups, do you feel the united states government is being aggressive enough in trying to take down groups like isil? >> i don't think it's any secret that no one has been able to figure out what to do with syria in general and i think because of that, he would have trouble figuring out what is happening with the al qaeda franchises in syria. i don't think that will last too much longer. >> well, what about drone strikes? you say it works so well in other parts of the world. what about drone strikes in syria? >> that's a good question. we may see that soon. >> do you think it's a possibility? >> i think it's a distinct possible. we are seeing this is -- we have a same type of sanctuary for is il, as al qaeda had in afghanistan. it seemed we were probably not going to tolerate it in syria. >> it seems to be growing in power too.

doug with the new america foundation. thank you for your time today. >> thank you very much. to the ukraine where people fed up with months of antigovernment protests confronted some of the protesters. the two sides faced each other at an antigovernment barricades at kiev city hall. the protests continue through a third month. and speaking of demonstrations in brazil, the protesters storm the main rail station. they are outraged over the proposal to raise fares by 10 cents. the protests began peacefully but they escalated. tear gas was used and several people were arrested and several hurt. anger is growing ahead of this summer's world cup. the protesters prefer the money be spent on schools. a giant bolder derailed a train in the alps. you can see 9 force 69 -- you can see the force of the falling rock. the train was on a three-hour

trip from nice. a program in the u.k. aimed at catching celebrity sex offenders is under criticism following a series of high-profile cases. they are trying to differentiate between legitimate cases and false accusations. >> reporter: the much loved soap star bill roche left a courtroom a fee man after a jury acquitted him of multiple charges of sexual assault dating from decades ago. there's now a very public debate about a series of sexual abuse cases. roche is the third not guilty verdict that the british police have brought to court with operation you tree. the launched in 2012 following the revelations that the deceased british tv star jimmy saval allegedly assaulted hundreds of children for year, shocking the nation. the eccentric deejay was beloved by many and knighted by

the queen. a sociologist said the police investigating a select group, celebrities under the auspices of sexual offenders is nothing but a witch hunt. >> they are looking for crimes that have not been reported. they are looking for criminals that have not been detected. o the cases which sparked all of this were reported for years, but police and saval's employer, the bbc never followed through with them. further complicating them is the passage of time and fading memories. but as a u.k. bar barrister, there's no statute of time on these issues. >> i think for many people, it's quite hard to get to grips with allegations from so many years ago, to think about where

was i in 1974 is quite tough. the only way i can explain it to you, if you were in a bedroom being abused, you might remember more than whether you were playing football or going swimming. rose -- >> reporter: the bbc is paying out to victims of the saval cases. the youngest just 5 years old at the time. scotland yard says operation you tree has more evidence on cases against some very high-profile stars who abused their status for years. jimmy saval got away with this for years and spurred the police into action. the concern now is now to balance justice, both for those legitimate victims and for those public figures falsely accused. phil itner al jazeera london. for the first time a member of spain's royal family has appeared in court in criminal

proceedings. involves the corruption and money laundering case against her husband. princess kristina has denied the allegations. we have the story from spain. >> reporter: no royal fanfare for the duchess as she approached the court on saturday morning. princess christina appeared calm, almost cheerful as she entered the courthouse greeting the press on her way inside. on the other side of the building, there was little sympathy for her plight. republican demonstrators gathered outside this is one scandal that has fueled antimonarchy in the country. >> we are being defrauded by the monarchy. we need food and jobs. >> we as citizens need to take some responsible because corruption is a symptom of society's failure to deal with this. >> reporter: this is the outcome of a second attempt to question the duchess about her finances. she is suspected of tax fraud and money laundering at the

company she co-owned with her husband. he in turn is accused of using his nonprofit organization to embezzle public funds. the investigators have allegedly uncovered a series of personal expenses billed to the company. they include refurbishments to their barcelona mansion and dance classes at her home. her lawyers say she was looking forward to this day to prove her innocence. >> reporter: this is one of the most high profile corruption scandals in the country. it's been a blow for the monarchy. even though the royals have tried to maintain a distance, there's no doubt that the damage has been done. and it would take an enormous amount of time to try to reverse that. >> the rub pick doesn't toll -- public doesn't tolerate corruption, and all of this is focused on the duke of palmer. this is why it has left the public disenchanted with the

royal family. >> they have highlighted that not only royal figures are immune from corruption scandals in spain. the financial crisis has affected the lives of ordinary people. that members of the royal family were allegedly involved in such cases has only increased the disillusionment with the country's establishment. some american lawmakers now on a humanitarian mission to cuba. the congressional delegation, was visiting allen gross. they also toured guantanamo bay. have you ever wanted to live like a gangster? we will show you how next on al jazeera. not all the winter games are in sochi. a competition of ice and snow right here in the good old u.s. of a. that's next.

after more than a week of medical tests, former chicago mayor richard daley has been released from the hospital. he was rushed to the i.c.u. on january 31st. he had just returned to chicago after falling ill during a seminary in arizona. he left the hospital today with his family. details of his condition have not been released. he served as chicago's mayor for more than 20 years. been a bitter winter, but while some are enduring the snow, others are enjoying. ash-har quraishi. >> reporter: the competition is heating up in chicago. 27 teams both foreign and domestic are taking part in the

snow sculpting competition. >> we have a number of teams in warm weather climates. they practice with sand. it's pretty amazing how they practice to get prepared for this event. >> reporter: each of the 15 professional and 10 amateur teams. >> we have to chop it up like you see we are doing here and we use the other can to compress it and we continue that over and over and over. >> reporter: the better the know compression, the easier it is for the sculptors to work with. from there, they begin the process of chipping away at the snow block. some use small clay models to guide the painstaking process. everything from monsters to the abstract. while a balmy 32 degrees fairen -- fahrenheit. >> normally 10 degrees is good for us.

last year we were at about 32 degrees and we had a collapse the day before judging and we had to rebuild it. this year mike and his wisconsin team are faring better, with their death moth sculpture which some might recognize from "silence of the lambs." for these snow sculptors, this is a drastic change from their hometown in mexico. >> yes, we are moving and the sun is shining and everything is okay. >> reporter: so for these artists with a competitive streak and a pension for the frigid, it's all part of the fun and with palm trees in the middle of winter, who could complain. ash-har quraishi, al jazeera, chicago. tomorrow is the anniversary of the beatles appears on the ed sullivan show. they arrived in new york city to about 5,000 screaming fans. new york city is hosting a series of event to mark the event that changed american

culture, like this one at jfk where fans sing along to a cover band. and when the beatles arrived, vinyl records were king and while the music business went digital, vinyl never completely went away. it's even making a small comeback. are jonathan reports from nashville. >> reporter: it's the largest vinyl record plant in the u.s. for more than 60 years. united record pressing in nashville has been making and haven'ting -- pressing vinyl all over the world. >> it seems like magic, but the whole process is a bit of a science and a skill, as well as an art. >> reporter: cds all but killed the l. p. industry 30 years ago but vinyl sales have turned a corner. l.p. sales increased by more than 30%. of course, while the trend is up, the number of vinyl albums sold is still a tiny fraction

of music sales and for what's behind the resurgence, audio files have always said music just sounds better on vinyl. >> you would debate it's the best sound experience. >> reporter: but there's also a revival of the appreciation of the object itself, from the cover to the inside sleeve, albums put art at the forefront of the musical experience. >> those people who prefer having something tactile and want that optimum listening experience are the people would have gone back to vinyl. >> jack white's solo album which came out in 2012. it was the highest selling vinyl l. p. that year. >> reporter: for jack white, focusing on l.p.s is nothing new. white started his label third man records five years ago and since the beginning, albums have been a key component. >> it's always been on vinyl. so we have never stopped. this is not new for us. >> reporter: what is new is that while album sales are climbing, digital music

downloads are diving. in 2013, for first time since the dawn of itunes, digital sales fell, online streaming an a much smaller degree, vinyl all contributed to the decline. vinyl is so hot and the albums are moving fast, grammy's record store just expanded. it's not just records that are nighing off shelves. turntables are becoming hot commodities too. >> it's fairly addicting. i find once i sell someone a turntable, they are in here every week. >> reporter: most comwith a -- most come with a digital component. showing that vinyl has staying power to keep on spinning through generations to come. jonathan martin, al jazeera, nashville. keep on spinning, indeed. well, a florida once owned by al capone is up for sale. the 10,000 square foot property is one of the most famous pieces of real estate in miami beach. it was built back in 1922 by a member of the anheuser-busch

brewing family. capone bought it for $40,000 in 1928. what a steal, hmm? current owner asking for $8.5 million. after having bought it just six months ago, for $7.4 million. we'll see who bites that, trying to live large like a gangster in south florida. that's our show tonight. thank you so much for joining us. i'm jonathan betz. i will be back with more news at 8 p.m. eastern and 5 pacific. a quick look at today's headlines after this very short break. with the most interesting people of our time. >> i've always been a huge fan of space >> the world's not enough for you... >> he's creating an environment where the greatest minds... >> i don't care where you went to school, what you've ever done

before... >> ...can invent , profit, and change the world. prizes could spur innovation in extrodanary ways... >> ex prize founder, peter diamandis talk to al jazeea on al jazeera america

so many money stories sound complicated. but don't worry. i'm here to take the fear out of finance. every night on my show i break down confusing financial speak and make it real. ... you are watching al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york with a look at today's top stories. a big step in marriage equality for same-sex couples. in a matter of minutes, attorney general eric holder will announce policy changes within the justice department. the changes will apply to gay

couples who are legally married. the proposed changes include allowing gay couples to decline testifying against their spouse, also same-sex couples will be allowed to file for joint bankruptcy. and in federal prisons same-sex married inmates will be granted the sail rights as heterosexuals. in syria, an aid convoy helping civilians in the old city of homs has come under fire. some aid workers were hurt when they encountered gunfire and shelling. syria's government and the opposition blame each other for that attack. police in istanbul fired tear gas and water cannons fired water cannons at people who are protesting against internet. the four day of protests in bosnia has ended with no violence. small numbers of people gathered in the streets of sarajevo pressing for action on unemployment and reform. 200 protesters and police

officers had been hurt since those protests began on wednesday. well, those are the headlines on this saturday night, "real money" with ali shea is up next. have a good night and a good weekend. ... america's job market got off to a slow start this new year. we will look at the good and bad spots. a new report seems to brand obamacare as a job killer. hold on. it's not that simple. i will break down the numbers in question. plus many people are now convinced that twitter can help them make money in the stockmarket. we'll explain. i am ali velshi. this is "real money."