>> welcome to aljazeera, and i'm morgan radford. a california meat company recalling diseased meat. and in kabul, uncovering the lebron james that the taliban used. u.n. aid workers vowing to evacuate 600 people from homes, despite attacks on their

convoys. and beatle mania descending, marking the first fab four's visit to the united states. need regulators have issued a major meat recall, and inspectors found meat from one california plant shippedded without inspection. >> federal regulators found that meet was sent out from here. the rancho feeding corporation here in northern california. that came from animals that are unfit or diseased over the course of a year. we're talking about an extremely large amount of meat here. 8.7 million pounds of meat is being recalled from this rancho feeding corporation. that's a huge difference from

january when only 1,000 pounds was recalled. it was shipped to california, illinois, and texas in the first week of january. so far no one has reported getting sick on it. i spoke to a safety inspector who said that the inspectors came here after the first two week last month, and what they found perhaps was animals sick and not walking or on the ground. and they had not been here when those animals were slaughtered, but it's quite possible that those were the animals that were "unfit or diseased. now that same food safety expert said that it's interesting that no one has gotten sick, but it's possible that this is industrialized food. and it may not be in the supermarket. but it could be in freezers all over the country, so he said it's quite possible that with this recall, they can get all of the meat back, and that no one

will get sick, and he tells me that this is certainly one of the largest remains in the united states in the past several years. >> joining me for more on the meat recall, is bill marler, publisher of food safety news that publishes food safety. mr. marler, this company has already had two recalls this year, so what is going on at this plant? >> well, clearly what happened, they were not inspected. and they put animals through the system that were unfit, and unsound for human consumption. whether the inspectors were not there at the time. and whether they were in another part of the plant, the bottom line is, animals that should not be going into the human food supply were being utilized in january, and apparently because of the recall, it now stretches back to a year, january, 2013,

it clearly is something that has been going on for quite awhile. >> which of course raises the question, why would a company ever willingly use diseased cows for its products? aside from endamaging the public, isn't there a huge cost to the company company? >> i'm always amazed at what they will do. the cost to the company is going to be profound. we hope that nobody is sick, but the cost of the company, several million pound of meat, the cost to get that back, and they have to people they sold it to and it's going to be incredibly expensive. certainly not worth the risk, and the government missed some of this because it's nonsensical to make that kind of a risk, but clearly, this company was playing with fire.

>> and though you describe it as nonsensical, is this kind of recall rare? >> these do happen. most of the time, when you hear of a recall, there has been a positive test for bacteria, or unfortunately, there are people who are sick. it's very rare to see a recall because of the realization of diseased animals. that's just not something that you see that happens. usually, the combination of good practices, in the slaughter facility and government oversight catch those things. but clearly, there has been something that got missed here. and they were putting animals through the system that shouldn't be utilized. and the government inspectors, for whatever reason, didn't catch it in time. >> all right, bill marler, publisher of food safety news, thank you for joining us today.

and meantime, flu deaths are rising louisiana where state health officials said they received reports this month of two children dying from the flu. there are deaths in the current season, including four children. hundreds of people have already died of the flu louisiana since october, and the flu season continues on to april fetch. >> and a major milestone for gay rights. the american justice department plans to recognize same-sex marriage. >> on monday, i will issue a policy memorandum, and for the first time in history, it will give same-sex marriage full and equal recognition to the greatest extent possible under the law. [ cheers ] >> reporter: attorney general, eric holder, received two standing ovations during his speech with a fundraiser for a human rights campaign.

they called it a victory, calling holder a crusader for human rights, and comparing him to robert f. kennedy. >> this means that in every courthouse, in every place in the department of justice on behalf of the united states, they will strive to insure that same-sex marriages receive the protections and rights as rights as opposite sex marriages under federal law. >> the new policy will protect same same-sex couples from having to testify against their spouses in federal court. will have spousal visit rights and other rights that they have. they have to be legally married, but they will apply them nationwide, even when they're being held in states that don't

recognizes gay unions. >> the shift in policy doesn't come as a surprise. it follows changes set in motion last year, after the supreme court declared that it was unconstitutional to deny federal benefits to same-sex couples. and it builds on the promise that president obama made last year when congress can't or won't act. aljazeera, new york. >> there's more concern about how easily edward snowden managed to download security. there's common reports that he used common web crawler software that raises questions about how the nsa protects it's secrets.

and it's not just the nsa that's monitoring online activities. companies are using the internet to obtain personal information to promote their products, but how is a question. >> reporter: the retailer, officemax, knew not only that mike's daughter was dead, but how she died. >> it said daughter killed in car crash or current business. why would they have that information? why would they need that? what purpose would it serve anybody to know that, and how much more information would they know that? how do they use it, and what do they use it for? >> these are all questions that congress has been investigating. >> last month, a senate committee said that millions of dollars are being made each year by the data brokering industry, selling the information taken from each of us by online and offline sources, and moreover, there's no comprehensive way to find out what that information

is, where it came from, how accurate it is, who is buying it, and what inferences are being made from it. of concern, vulnerability based marketing, these documents, who would be interested in such lists and why? rachel thomas lobbies congress on behalf of data brokers for preserving self regulation. >> i think that consumers are smarter than perhaps you're giving them credit for, and i think that consumers understand generally that we all live data driven lives today. our economy is data driven, and our days are data driven, and information is constantly flowing in different directions and here we're making sure that it's only flowing in responsible directions for responsible uses. >> the federal trade commission is to stop information from being used.

when there are no requirements for transparency. it violates law. >> only products that we might need, cellphone technology, and mobile apps now provide an unprecedented knowledge of movement and lives. vast stores of information, all being held by technology companies. but up to now, only the government's access to that has been debated. and not the existence of protest databases. aljazeera, washington. >> iran is allowing an extended probe into some of its nuclear facilities. the national atomic energy agency will handle the investigation, and it has been installed for years, but they believe that iran is working on nuclear arms. this is different from the

agreement that iran made with six world powers late last year. syrian workers are trying to reach people in the city of homs. organizations are trying to get food and medicine into the city, but so far 600 civilians have evacuated and this is video of residents running to safety to the united nations convoy. >> citizenconvoy. >> boys under 15, and men over 55. and women and children. some of the men between these ages are actually coming out and the syrian army has taken them away. we do not know, to an undisclosed location, but the u.n. determined to continue with this operation, and we're hearing reports from different

activist groups, saying that there have been incidents inside of the old city. reports of gunfire and civilians have been killed as they're waiting to be evacuated. this all points to this being a very difficult operation to carry out. the u.n. determined that they will execute in there with armored vehicles, escorting the civilians out. and then we have the syrian red cross waiting on the other side to provide much -needed medical aid and food and water. >> an attack on a cia compound in kabul.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america, i'm morgan radford. to afghanistan aljazeera

continue independently verify when the video was taken. >> reporter: this is not the training exercise of a convention of military. >> the cia and americans think and say they are ruling the world through technology, but this is not true. we entered the compound, it's time to destroy them. >> reporter: they are referring to the attack that happened in june last year, but we can't independently verify when the exhibits were shot. taliban said that the target was the cia headquarters in kabul, and they planned if for months. the propaganda says they are capable of planning sophisticated attacks.

they have fake i.d.s, and they look like solers with official looking vehicles. the fake licence plates, they were to enter the highly secure area. they were able to pass through multiple checkpoints without any trouble. these scenes were filmed independently. it appears to be the same video in the taliban video. but the taliban pictures appear to contradict the police chief's statements after the attack. >> a landcruiser, a man using a car with a fake i.d. came to the date. while they were being asked to show i.d., they came out of the car and it exploded, killing all the attackers. >> this video shows extensive planning and training. he said that they stole the u.s. gear and buy some of it on the black market. >> they are very effective, and

they believe in themselves,and they can move complex operations. across the world, we need to look at this video to see that within a span or four, five, six years, these people have a lot of information and dovetailed this together. the lesson, don't ignore their confidence. >> this is what a u.s. official told us there. the taliban has made no secret of its efforts to attack u.s. and coalition forces. the number of attacks, and they spoke to the meticulousness of the group's planning. the taliban said that it was launched in retaliation to their flag being taken down. >> we are fully prepared to to achieve retaliation.

>> it happened asked to revive talks between the taliban and the afghanistan government. some say that this is propaganda, but it shows the evolution of the fighters in the mountains who are launching complex attacks. these schemes are a concern for international troops who are handing over security to the afghan army. and for those taking up the challenge to secure the country. >> in washington with more, rockland, if this video shows more than it claims, does it raise concerns about the isa's assessment of how capable these taliban fighters are? >> it does. the u.s. released a report that said that they don't are a strong set to measure the

strategic capabilities as well as the day-to-day capabilities of the afghan forces. when you're dealing with a military that essentially has cobbled together from scratch, has no experience in working in a military framework, you're going to see these sorts of problems. u.s. officials are of course taking a look at this video, and they're trying to figure out whether or not this is a sign of perhaps more dangerous situations or challenges to come. >> and rockland, you mentioned it the danger. is security a concern as the u.s. troops pull out this year? >> well, security is always a concern, and it's usually based on the season when it's wintertime, and it's a very snowy and cold place, and it's quite difficult for taliban fighters and those sympathetic to their cause to engage with forces. talking about a spring and

summer fighting season, and certainly this year is going to be one that they have to worry about. however, what they also have to take a look at, if you look at what was contained in this video, is really the security of all of the ancillary operations that coalition forces take part in. the making of i.d. card, and disposal of military weapons. they have to make sure that these sorts of things are not falling into the wrong hand, aren't turning up on the black market as you want to see during wartime. >> all right, aljazeera's rosalyn jordan from washington d.c.. 30 years after the british invasion by the beatles, we take you to the english port city where it all began

>> good afternoon, and welcome

back to aljazeera america. i'm morgan bradford, live from new york city. here are today's headlines. food regulators have issued a major meat recall. they have found millions of pounds of beef from one plant shipped without inspections. and the city of homs is evacuated as aid workers come under more gunfire, but the u.s. says that it will not be descouraged. and protesters march today where thousands fight in kiev against their resident, victor yanokovych. we have had major weather events taking place around the world. and for that, we turn to julie. >> we're looking at quite an inferno across portions of melbourne, and you can see that kangaroo trying to get out of there. thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes due

to an area of high pressure. we have had very little rain. and while the fires are still blazing on, we're looking at footage of that there, and devastating flooding in portions of bolivia. as we make our way around the world, several feet of water piling up in the streets. folks trying to get around. hundreds of thousands of cattle trying to get out of this mess, in fact, 10% of bolivia's economy based off of agriculture, so this is a devastating blow to them. and they will have to deal with this through mid march. in addition to the rain and the wildfires, we have quite a bit of snow in japan. in tokyo, over 10 inches of snow fell. that is a 30-year record. and people are trying to get around in portions of japan. and unfortunately, due to car accidents, seven people lost

their lives. people trying to get on the roadways in the western portion of the united states. where we have had a winter storm trying to get help, there were multiple car accidents reported yesterday. how slippery the roads have been, 78 inches of rain reported in some areas, and today we're still under a winter storm warning. we'll attack you back to the maps, and this is the diamond ski club in eastern california. they have received 36 inches of snow in the past 24 hours. that is great news for them. they have been dealing with devastating drought throughout the year, and right now, we have winter storm warnings in the sierra until 4:00 this morning. take it easy. it's a steady stream of moisture, the pipe angle express from the hawaiian island.

all the way from wisconsin to minnesota, down to the central plains, we have snow on i-80. you can see the impulse that brought 2 and a half inches of snow to chicago yesterday. here in the northeast, 70,000 people without power. chesterfield, a high of 32. so be careful if you're out there on the cold. back to you, morgan. >> all right, it was 50 years ago that the beatles made their first live u.s. tv debut on the ed sullivan show. the band broke broadcast records with 73 million viewers. back to the place where it all began. >> reporter: it is from this northern england port city from liverpool that the legend that would be the beatles began. the river that runs through the town is characterized by multiple harmonies and lots of guitars. fewer than half a million people

live here, but more number 1 hits have come from liverpool than any other city in the world. 56 so far, according to the guinness book of records. billy kinsley used to play the tavern club, alongside of the beatles. he says that the merchant sailors and the nearby american military bases imported the sounds that influenced them all. >> it's a combination of all of the sounds we have, all the bands in britain, plus the association with all of these people going back and forth to america, bringing us these great records that no one else in america had. >> reporter: but the seaport is all but dried up, and liverpool is facing hard times. luckily, the beatles are a big industry here. a british government analysis shows that liverpool gets $400 million a year from music tourism.

from all around the world. >> this is the place where paul mccartney met 17-year-old john lennon. >> reporter: for 7 years, jay johnson has been showing it to people. and without his city, the public would never know penny lane or strawberry fields. >> we say that it was liverpool that made the beatles, and not visa versa. >> reporter: but there's little doubt that the beatles changed the city profoundly. it's clear from when you step off the plane to when you check into a hotel, this is beatle's territory. they may have traveled, conquered america and changed the pop landscape forever, but in this hearty england town, they are firstly four local lads who made good. aljazeera, liverpool.

>> the florida mansion where notorious gangster, al capone died, is back on sale. it's going for 8 and a half million dollars, even though the current owner bought it just 6 months ago for $7.4 million. thank you for watching, and stay tuned for aljazeera. 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." this is "real money." you are the i