and go behind the scenes to aljazeera.com/"techknow." follow our contributors on google, facebook, twitter and more. ... this is al jazeera america. i am jonathan betz in new york. questions about meat inspections. millions of pounds of tainted beef, sick, slaughtered but never inspected. hundreds escape one of the most violent parts of syria as officials arrive in geneva for another round of peace talks. a controversial death. why a zoo decided to kill a perfectly healthy giraffe for all of the lions to watch. a bold confession from an all-american college ball star.

you could look at the n.f.l.'s first openly gay player. ♪ tonight, an investigation into a major meat supplier in the united states, a california company has recalled nearly 9 million pounds of beef. federal inspectors say the slaughtered animals were sick and had not been inspected. lisa barnard has more from california >> reporter: inspectors first took a look here last month and ordered a much smaller recall. and then, the usda says upon further investigation, they found this company, the rancho feed corporation had been processing meat from animals that were decisived or quote, unfit," and that's when they ordered a much larger recall, one of the largest in years.

>> operations at a standstil in pedaluma, california. federal regulators recalled 8.7 million pounds of meat sent to retailers in california, florida, illinois and texas. the usda said the company processed diseased and unsound animals. the agency says the processing center wasn't fully inspected. >> well, clearly what happened was 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 or at another part of the plant, the bottom line is that animals that should not be going in to the human food supply were being utilized. >> when federal inspectors were here last month, they recalled nearly 42,000 pounds of meat. after that, they took a closer look at the procedures here. >>, usuall usually /* usually t

combination good practices in the slaughter facility and government oversight catch those things of clearly, there has been something that got missed here 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. >> so far, there are no reports of anyone becoming ill from the tainted meat. >> you know, most of the time when you hear a recall, it's because there has been a positive test for bacteria or, unfortunately, there are people who are sick. it is very rare to see a recall because of the utilization of diseased animals. you know, that's just not something that you see that happens. >> given that the bad meat has been in the food supply for over a year, it's not known how much of it remains in processed beef products, restaurant or consumers' freezers. the usda suggests comparing lot numbers on packages of beef with the numbers on their website. >> rancho feeding corporation

has not hansed our calls looking for a comment. this is the only slaughter house in the bay area. so ranchers that bring their cattle here will now have to travel two to three hours to the central valley to process their meats. jonathan? >> lease a barnard in california tonight. behind the scenes look at a taliban attack. the group seems to be getting more sophisticated. al jazeera looked at how the group pulled off an attack on an american compound last year that killed three local guards. osama bin javaid has this exclusive record >> reporter: this is not the training exercise of a conventional military. these pictures have been shot by taliban fighters in afghanistan. they say they are planning an attack on a u.s. compound in kabul. >> translator: the cia says they are ruling with advanced technology. we entered into their compound in the same uniform and vehicles which they are using.

nobody noticed. now, it's time to destroy them. >> they are referring to an attack which happened in june, last year. but we can't independently verify when these pictures were shot. the taliban says the target was the cia headquarters in kabul, and they planned it for months. this highly produced propaganda am video shows they are capable of mounting sophisticated attacks. they have fake u.s. ids, equipment which makes them appear like foreigners. they allowed to enter the highly secure area. the film shows them pass through multiple security checkpoints without any trouble. these scenes of the incident were filmed independently. it appears to be the same area shown in the taliban video. but the taliban pictures appear to contradict the police chief's statements after the attack. >> a land cruiser car using a fake id came to the gate. while the guards were asking them to show the id, two or

three people came out from the car, and the car exploded. the guards killed all of the attackers. >> a national security analyst. >> this is huge. >> he says the video shows extensive planning and training. he thinks the fighters stole the u.s. gear and likely bought some of it on the black market. >> very effective. their belief in themselves and their organized and they can do complex operations. >> i think state actors across the world need to look at this video to see that within a span of four, five, six years, these people have learned to assimilate a lot of information, dovetail this together into what they are doing over there. the lesson learned is: don't ignore their incompetence. >> this is what a u.s. told al jazeera: thetab taliban has made no secrets of its efforts to attack u.s. and coalition forces in afghanistan. the number of attacks in which

operatives have briefed speaks to the meticulousness of the planning. the taliban says the attack was launched for being ordered to take down its flag in doha. we are fully prepared to take revenge and retaliation and will teach them a lesson. >> the attack on the compound happened when the u.s. special envoy, james dobbins was in afghanistan to revive talks between the taliban and afghan government. experts say this video is a form of propaganda but add it goes to show the evolution of fighters in the mountains who are now launching complex attacks. these elaborate schemes will be a cause for concern for international troops who are handing over security to the afghan army and for those taking up the challenge of securing one of the world's most volatile countries. al jazeera, islamabad. . >> american officials say that video raises questions of whether afghan forces are ready

to protect their country. more from that on washington >> reporter: u.s. officials are reviewing this propaganda individual produced by the taliban. however, one u.s. official says that it's not surprising because it has seen in the past that the the taliban has tried to attack u.s. and coalition forces numerous times during the ongoing war in afghanistan. this is raising new questions about whether afghan security forces are indeed performingas as collision forces should be eight or nine before all coalition forces are supposed to end active combat duty inside afghanistan. the questions of whether or not afghan security forces are skeptical enough as they try to carry out their security duties is certainly something co cal list forces and civilian leaders will be discussing in the week to come. >> more than 600 people trapped in syria for more than a year

are free tonight. rescue teams took advantage of a three-day cease fire to get them to safety. the agreement allowed women, children, and the elder to eve the city of holmes. stephanie decker has more >> reporter: captured on video, the help they didn't believe would come had come. this was the moment when the first u.n. cars arrived in the old city of holmes. these people have been living under siege for a year and a half. this finally, their way out. a rare moment of happiness in a war that has brought nothing but suffering to those caught in the middle. among those are priests, part of a few christians left inside the old city. >> they are hardly smiling. they are exhausted and starved. they are crying. we are crying in their support, too. we want to see all of our people happy. every citizens has the right to live and lead a dignified life >> reporter: this is a glimpse

into how it has all unfolded: discussions about who was already left and those remaining waiting for a way out. this has been an operation with great challenges. earlier sunday, activists reported casualties among civilians. this day is hailed as a success. most who left are children, women and older people. they are being received by governments representatives and humanitarian organizations. we managed to together come the challenges we face in the morning and the humanitarian operation will continue >> reporter: this was supposed to be the last day of a three-day u.n.-brokered hecease fire. it has been extended by another three days. sundayts evacuation could be called a humanmanitarian breakthrough but it's a small victory in a three-year war that has left millions of syrians exhausted and strike that for an end.

stephanie decker, al jazeera, beirut. >> the rescue comes as the opposition prepares for the another round of peace talks in geneva. >> when the first round of these talks got underway over two weeks ago, the whole issue of humanitarian access was right at the top of the agenda. >> that's when the deal to get aid to holmes was first discussed. the mediator said two weeks ago he had a deal for holmes. obviously it has taken a lot longer and what's happened on the ground is now, itself, controversial. the issue was supposed to be a confidence-building measure. now, it's just one of the issues which are dividing the two sides as they meet here around the table for a second round of talks. of course, the key issue that divides them is the future role of president assad, his family and those around him. that's something on which there is no agreement between the sides as they start here, their second round of talks. >> the two sides are expected to begin that next round of

negotiations tomorrow morning in geneva. let's turn to rasha, our contributor from inside syria. for security reasons, we cannot reveal her exact locate or last name. we have kept the room from which she joins us dark. rasha, thank you for being with us tonight. i want to get your thoughts first off on these evacuations we saw this weekend of several hundred people in holmes being ushered to safety. how encouraging do you think that is? >> well, it depends who you ask just like anything else in syria. loyalists, a lot of loyalists within the government and even government officials are quitely not happy with what's happening. they prefer to, to adhere to the government's unspoken policy of starvation until submission. a lot of the anti-government people, especially people who were still under siege in areas around damascus say this is just a publicblicity stunt. it's great that several, you

know, few hundred civilians have left the besieged area to have, you know, access to much needed medicine and food. but the question remains: what happens to these people? anywhere you go in syria in government-controlled areas if you have an id from a rebellious area, you are something of a second-class citizens. you -- go ahead. >> let's talk about the city of holmes there as you said, the second class citizens to these rebel-held area. what do we know? i know it's extremely damaged but how many people do you think are still in there? and what do you think they are facing? >> reporter: well, i think maybe close to a thousand civilians, but it's difficult in the beceased areas.

food is scarce. people are thing. you see it right away when you go in. no one has a pot belly, for example. and if you spend two or three days in there, you will start to feel hunger. this is not the sort of hunger where you are hungry. it's the sort of hunger you know there won't be food available later in the day. you might come across two eggs. and that's actually, you know, when they still had some poultry running around. for weeks if not months, people have been trying to sustain themselves soup of grass. >> all they have to eat. i am curious to know, rasha, when you look at how many people have been killed, how long this war has dragged on, do you get the sense that within the country, people are ready for

the war to end at the government level? i am curious to know what expectations are. is there hope that something will come from these talks? >> reporter: if you talk to people in rebel areas there is not much hope hanging on the geneva talks. they don't feel they are well represented in geneva and they don't trust the government. they don't trust that this current government could possibly come through to product their rights. as these civilians are being evacuated, barrel bombs are falling on some areas in aleppo, killing random completely randomly among civilians. and at the same time, the government has been tightening

the noose around besieged areas the site of the chemical weapons attack. if you ask the rebels, they say, no, we are going to keep on fighting because, you know, unless we hear something, some feel the government comes across as unwavering. within the government, itself, there are a lot of people who feel this is last their last chance to quell any areas that participated in the uprising and stick to the starvation until submission, unspoken policy. >> rasha live for us, our contributor there. thank you for your time tonight >> reporter: thank you. >> efforts to release an american from north korea have hit a road blocking. the communist country rescinded an offer to discuss kenneth bay's detention. no reason was given for the

change of heart. the north has objected to upcoming military drills. bay was convicted of trying to ov overthrow the north korean government. still ahead on al jazeera america, a college ball star comes out. why he may make history during the n.f.l. draft in may. plus the west virginia chemical spill one month later. >> i am robert ray in charleston, west virginia, where residents are still worried one month after the chemical spill into the elk river. i will have that story coming right up.

>> al jazeera's investigative unit has tonights exclusive report... >> from coast to coast... >> people selling fresh water for fracking... >> stories that have impact... >> we lost lives... >> that make a difference... >> senator, we were hoping we could ask you some questions about your legal problems... >> that open your world... >> it can be very dangerous... >> i hear gunshots... >> the bullet came right there through the widdow... >> it absolutely is a crisis... >> real reporting... >> this...is what we do... >> america tonight, only on al jazeera america. ross, america is learning a lot about michael sam. >> a land mark moment. he came out to espn saying he is gay. the the 24-year-old was an all-american at missouri and the defensive player of the year. he came out to his teammates in august. the 6's 2" sam is expected to be

a mid round pick in the n.f.l. draft in may. if drafted, he will be the first openly gay player in the league. on a team building exercise, the coaches asked the players to say something that nobody knew. >> that's when sam decided to come out. >> i am not afraid of who i am. i am not afraid to tell the world who i am. i am michael sam. i am a college graduate. i am african-american, and i am gay. >> the n.f.l. issued this response: we admire michael sam's honesty and courage. michael is a gall player. any player with ability and determination can succeed in the n.f.l. we look forward to welcoming and supporting michael sam in 2014. sid siva, we will speak to him live from los angeles to get his take because he was part of that inner circle of michael sam's coming out party. >> this is an interesting indicates because he is not yet an n.f.l. player, but you say he

is highly regarded and has a very good chance of getting picked up by the n.f.l. ? >> he is the defensive player of the year and eight of the last 10 sed defensives went in the first round. >> normally, if he was not gay, odds of getting into the n.f.l.? >> yes. we will have more later in the show. >> thank you, ross. a month after a chemical spill, people in west virginia still don't trust what's coming from their taps. this weekend, protesters marched outside the water utility. they say their water still smells and they want to be compensated for their troubles. robe robert ray has more from charleston >> reporter: it's been a stressful month in west virginia. >> this is a place worth fighting for. >> frustrated citizens took to the streets this weekend protesting the 10,000 gallons of cleaning chemical called mchm that spilled into the west virginia water supply on january 9th affecting 300,000

people. >> many people in neighborhoods like these in the capital city are still not drinking the water, even though the centers for disease control andference says it's all clear to do so. most people are smelling the chemical in their homes and, in fact, last week, some of the schools closed down because some teachers and students smelled the oddors and became nauseous. >> reporter: in their hillside home above charleston, michelle buckner and her daughters are boiling the tap water to bathe, using bottled water to drink and brush their teeth and wondering when the chemical smell will go away. >> it's highly stressful. it's so emotional and mentally exhausting. you don't know what to do because we have had such mixed messages. >> buckner has spent over a thousand dollars in water supplies and medical bills experiencing the nausea and itchy eyes so many people have reported. >> i have gotten sick. i have been on antibiotics for

two weeks. >> she blames the odor from the chemical, that smell like licorice for making her feel sub sill sick. >> we are all still smelling it strongly in our system. it took three or four times, your ing it to try to get rid of it, and you don't trust it. >> feeling pressure from the public, the governor said state agencies will be testing house pipes for the chemical mchm making sure nothing has been left on any coating or inside sumps. buckner is wondering why that wouldn didn't happen sooner? >> they are more concerned about the industry than the people. i don't know that that's ever going to change. >> with an uncertain future and the cost of water supplies mounting, this resident has decided to take her children and leave the state. >> you don't know that this isn't going to cause cancer in us or in 20 years, we find out that we are really sick. >> a long, hard winter in west

virginia, but perhaps a warmer, more certain life ahead for richelle buckner and her daughters. robert ray, al jazeera, charleston, west virginia. >> revisiting libya. still ahead on al jazeera america, the u.n. considers sanctions against that country two years after its revolution. >> that's next in our week ahead segment. >> fury over the killing after healthy jer after in denmark. why a zoo says the animal had to be put down.

welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at top stories this half hour. more than 600 people trapped in syria were able to escape. a brief cease fire allowed rescue user to save a group of women, children and elderly. a california company has

recalled millions of pounds of beef. the department of agriculture said diseased and unhealthy animals were slaughtered. it's the largest recall of meat in years. >> an all-american college ball standout says he is gay. at the university of missouri lineman, if he is picked, michael sam could be the first openly gay player in proceed ball. he came out in an interview with the "new york times" and espn. this is quite a big moment for the sport and gay rights activists. >> it's a landmark moment. sid seeingler joins us live from los angeles and, sid, let me ask you this. you are a part of that inner circle of michael sam's coming out party. what the impressed you most about the michael sam, the person? >> you know, how ready he is for this this. this is a guy who grew up in bad conditions in texas, you know, a broken home, a bunch of siblings, mother raising everybody by herself, abused by

many of his older brothers, witnessed two of his siblings being shot and killed or witnessed and experienced them getting shot and killed, and, you know, he always looked to ball and said, i am going to get out of this place, and i am going to use football to do it. all of those struggles growing up really are show with him and his poise and his strength of being able to do this, coming out to his team before a big season in the sec and doing it publically before the draft. what a special strong kid this is. >> sid, by michael coming out, is he the first domino to fall for other n.f.l. players to come out? >> well, the first domino to fall was dave copey in 1975 when he required from the n.f.l. and said he was gay. that was the first domino. michael is another one and jason collins was one. robby rogers is one. every athlete continues to add

to the growing chorus of people who acknowledge that homophobia is virtually dead in sports and all of these people who are -- it's offensive that these n.f.l. scarfs are saying his draft stock will drop because of the media circus that this might draw. >> that's disgusting and offensive. if an n.f.l. team cannot handle a couple of days of some media because they have a gay player, then those general managers in front office, they should all be fired. every n.f.l. team tries to get to the biggest media circus in the world, the super bowl every year. if they can't handle some questions and a couple of extra cameras at some ota did or training camp, then those people should go and replace them with people who can handle that. >> now, c yd, what about the locker rooms? are they ready for a gay teammate. >> in 15 years of running out sports. we have told the stories of a

couple hundred athletes. everyone says the same thing, high school college proceed back to. middle tennessee state, soccer, baseball, basketball. before they came out, they heard a lot of homophobia in the locker room. when they came out, all of their teams and coaches embraced them, and the ones who were the most homophobic were the first guys to apologize and stop the language. the locker room is very ready. even guys who think they are going to be uncomfortable will not be. michael was openly gay for a 12 and 2 missouri team the entire season he went on -- they went on and won the cotton bowl. it did not affect the team at all. if the university of missouri players can do it, so can the seattle seahawk players and houston, texas answers and everybody else. cyd seeingler, thank you for your time as well as your insight. jonathan, hopefully, this kind of story in the near future will not be a story. >> we will see what happens.

interesting to see the point he made about whether his stock might drop there. we will receive what develops. the week ahead segment, sanctions against libya and we look at its future. we start with an update from our courtney key ling >> reporter: more than two years after the killer of moammar gadaffi libya's future remains uncertain. the government is weak. the country is now split along regional lines, each area led by a variety of tribal groups. >> all sorts of different people are in charm in libya. and what's worse is that there is different configurations in every single little hamlet you go to. >> a correspondant from the financial times has visited many villages and found that surprisingly, many areas are under control. >> these militias are just trying to basically maintain.

they don't think of themselves as fighting a war against an ev evil. >> it has not been the case everywhere. last week, 12 children were hurt in benghazi when someone toss add bomb over a school wall. in tripoli, gunmen slashed at the headquarters stealing guns and vehicles before getting away. on september 11th, 2012, the attack on the compound in benghazi left chris stevens, another diplomat, and two security officers dead. the attack raised questions about how aware the obama administration was about the deteriorating conditions in benghazi? >> i think it was sort of a boomer ang effect and sobering wake-up call for many in the obama administration. this ground, as well of anti-american sentiment. it came so quickly. >> it's a stark contrast from

sentiments expressed shortly after gadaffi's fall in objection of 2011 when hopes ran high that democracy would soon take root. >> the european union lifted most of the sanctions they had imposed on libya but with the country's path still slow and uncertain, some remain in plates. >> this week, the security counsel is scheduled to review those measures, a former travel ban on top officials and a freeze in assets. >> i don't think these have anything to do with anything on the ground. >> reporter: a more important topic is how finally, to unify a fractured company. the next best test is due on february 20th when voters will e select a new constitution. >> libya remains violent and unstable. he elections in july, 2012 created add parliament with few liberal or secular panels. muslim brotherhood earned only 20 out of 200 seats but many

brotherhood candidates ran its independent progressives and they won. some voters believed they were tricked. the result is a political infighting and a failing economy. >> has helped the most conservative members recruit. u.n. security council will consider that this week as it reviews those sanctions. weighing in all of this is pj craw e from george washington and men soar elkihia in san antonio. i began by asking about the instability inside libya. >> this is normal. it is going through a crash course of self governance. they will see problems like that. slowly it will get better. i am sure of this. >> this is acceptable, the kind of violence we are seeing right now is okay? >> no. no. i am not saying it's acceptable. it's not -- no violence is acceptable but this is expected. i mean this issue over here, you

have a number of factors bringing about much of this violence. the central government, yes, it is week, but the east does not have too much tribal problems. it has problems with the muslim brotherhood, yes. but with africa, all over is a problem with the muslim brotherhood. libya, this is a vacuum because the united states has forgotten about libya. >> do you agree with that idea that this is part of the revolution. these attacks we are seeing? it's not necessarily a result of after weak government. this is just what happens when you try to reform a country? >> yeah. in libya, when gadaffi fell, he never allowed any institution to gain enough capability to be able to potentially challenge him. libya, to some extent, was starting off, you know, from scratch. it lacks the single most important impairitive of a national government, a monopoly on the use of force. every political constituency in

libya or many are heavily armed and, in some indicates, potentially a combination. they will gun the central government. it's going to take time. i think the professor is right. region by region and pocket by pocket before, you know, this stabilizes. >> let's talk about february 20th, that big date there where they start this process, hopefully of writing this new constitution. mansuer, how much stock do you put in this, that this will actually help the country? >> you have to start from zip, build the state in the first place. basically, it was a great schooechlt to first of all have an assembly of 200 members elected with 39% of those women for the first time. i mean we had demonstrations in the streets yesterday and day before yesterday, day before that. the people don't want the parliament to continue. they said they have been there too long. this is healthy to me. al non-violent demonstration. this is healthy for the first time. libyans are saying we want you

out. we want the government that really can help us. now, this newest constitutional schmidt made up of 60 members. they will be elected on the 20th of this month and they are supposed to have six or seven months to continue to write the constitution. i don't believe it can be done. i told them this. i said you can't have a constitution done in five months. you have to have as much time as we need. if you look at the 1951, libya constitution was really made by the united nations. fantastic constitution that was developed by the greatest minds in the world, american, egyptians, syrians, lebanese british, french, fantastic. they used libyan input in there. now, they are trying to do the reverse. they are trying to do that. i think this is quite stupid in my mind. >> i am curious to know, pj, do you still feel like the nato intervention in libya considering how much violence the country has seen and how

much infighting the government has, that the nato intervention was a success? >> well, the nato intervention achieved the objective. it was under a u.n. resolution calling for military action to protect the libyan people that happened. as it e involved, you know, nato very significantly supported, you know, the national transition council that became the interim government after the fall of gadaffi. that was successful. i don't think anyone thought that libya would have become self ordering and become a stable representative government overnight. >> has not happened. >> this is going to take decades. i mean plural, decades. >> decades? >> perhaps 50 years where you get the, you know, new habits, new expectations, the idea that a fractious society like libya, very tribal, can actually find -- come together and create

something, you know, larger than the tribe, itself. >> mansuer, i want to get final thoughts on this. i know you are involved with the current government. how convinced are you that the leaders are on the right path? >> very much like to see a task force made up from countries not neighboring libya but arab countries going to help the government get over this and establish new e elections. new e elections needed within five or 6 months. >> mansuer, with george washington university. thank you for your time tonight. we appreciate it. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> thank you. before we wrap up here are a few other event did coming up in the week. monday, the french, all tomorrow talks resume and tuesday, the new fed chief, janet yellen faces congress for the first time. okay, a zoo in denmark is getting a lot of remarks after it decided to kill a healthy giraffe.

it's how it killed the animal. the zoo is getting threats. al jazeera has more. we warn you some of the content is graphic and viewers may find it disturbing. >> visitors at the copenhaguen zoo got a surprise sunday after officials killed the giraffe and if he had remains to other animals. parents decided whether their children should watch what the zoo called a sdpornt display of scientific knowledge. >> many think it is terrible even to take the life of animal. where animal is born, animals die too. >> the stoat chose to put down a giraffe with a pistol and if he had it to lions, poliar bears ad tigers. it was announced yesterday among animal rights activists in denmark. it prompted online petitions to serve the giraffe with 30,000 signatures. the zoo explained it couldn't keep them because of rules on animal genetics.

they needed to kill the giraffe before it was capable of mating. >> we have to manage our animal population in a proper way. this means when we allow it, we must also be aware there may be a surplus now and then. this is the case here it is emotions that come into play definitely. >> emotions running high because the zoo turned down offers from other zoos to take mauruos, an individual willing to pay $680,000 to buy the jury aft giraffe. people protested and the zoo has received threats? >> they talked about that they would burn the zoo. it's also threats to me and my family. this is an area we have become far beyond what you can accept. >> an autopsy was performed also open to the public. >> it is graphic. it is controversial.

we've got to talk about this with jason goldman, a science writer in los angeles. jason, thanks for being with us tonight. first off, is this really that big of a deal or really that uncommon for zoos? >> it certainly depends upon the zoo, but in many european zoos, they do do carbus feeding where they will feed, you know, a piece of an actual carcass to animal instead of just processed meat. >> is this acceptable? is this something that a lot of zoo did embrace? >> again, it depends, you know, it depends, varies from zoo to zoo. and it also depends upon whether you are asking about the question of the carcass feeding versus the youth anizing of the animal. >> as you look at this zoo in copenhaguen, i have to get your thoughts, the fact they killed this giraffe and cut it apart in front of visitors and fed it to

the lion. what do you think of that, first off? >> you know, i think if it was done properly, with good educational components and things like that, i can see there being some educational benefit. there is certainly some scientific benefit from better understanding some of these an mals. but it would have to be done very carefully. >> what is the benefit in this? you say the educational benefit because a lot of people do not understand, especially since that giraffe could be taken in by other zoos. there were a lot of offers to save that giraffe. a lot capital understand why the zoo was so adamant on killing it. >> we have to gauge the needs of the population and the needs of the individual. one of the things zoos have to do, as they said, is to limit overpopulation and to control in breeding and there are a few ways to do that.

you could use contraception and prevent these so-called surplus animals from being born as best as you can, or you could allow animals to breed that perhaps didn't get a breeding recommendation, and then you are faced with this issue of what to do with this animal before it can, itself, breed. >> i understand the concerns about inbreeding it but killing it and cutting it apart, i think a lot of people do not understand the value in that. >> so the argument is part of what zoos try to do is allow animals to express their complete range of their natural behaviors. those behaviors include reproductive behaviors, mating behaviors and parenting behaviors. so the argument would be for the welfare of, in this case, the parents, they need the opportunity to do those things, to have those experiences. and that depriving them of those

opportunities would reduce it. >> you could also say why not release the giraffe into the pen with the lions, let the lions kill it, themselves. >> well, it is humane top youthnize the animal humanely than to allow it taken down. >> they are trying to help animals, show how nature works, that's a part of it. how is it any different than cutting it apart in front of visitors and feeding that to the lions? >> you know, these instances in which carcasses have been used in the past and when there is not a ton of data, people report it's be it's been an interesting experience. certainly parents can choose whether or not their kids are ready to see that sort of thing.

but it certainly can be an interesting experience to watch, you know, the natural, in this case, natural sort of predatory behavior of the cat. >> interesting is one word to describe it. jason goldman thank you so much for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> the head of aol is apologizing for comments he made about why the company was making major cuts to its retirement benefits program. tim armstrong said last week in a townhall meeting the internet giant was changing it's 401 because two women with distressed babies were driving up the cost of healthcare. armstrong issued a statement this weekend and said on a personal note i apologize for my comments last week at that town hall which i mentioned specific healthcare examples in trying to explain our decision-making process around our employee benefit programs. >> armstrong called the two women and apologized personally. deanna's child was born three

months premature. the medical cost was in the thousands. >> it was sort of impossible to process that he was take talking about my daughter, who was home with me at that time, to hear her labeled a distressed baby and to me, there did sound like at a time implication that somehow we were greedy consumers of healthcare benefits that we had kind of gobbled up more than our share of the pie. he has spoken in very heart felt ways about how badly he feels for having caused us this hurt. and i accept that. >> armstrong announced the company was keeping the plan in plates after all. much needed rain in california this weekend. it will help ease the drought. rebecca stenson with the forecast next. plus... ♪ >> a major milestone in history,

the beatles invasion, 50 years after it all began.

>> 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 people in the u.k. are being warned the weather is going to get worse before it gets better. large parts of southwest england are getting slammed by heavy flooding. one road remains open into a village. all of the roads are cut off. it remains the highest risk of continued flooding. >> japan is struggling after it saw its heaviest snow in 45 years, tokyo had more than 10 inches. at least 11 people died in weather-related accidents and more than a thousand people have been hurt. a lot of folks slipped on the

ground or fell while shoveling. meteorologists say more snow is headed. more snow in japan? more may california? >> it's a global wchange in the way the jet stream is moving. when we talk about the weather patter changing in the last few years, remember how we were so-called and we kept getting hit with big storms, the coldest wettest winter for colorado up to chicago? that weather pattern changed all right. now, it has been focused on the pacific northwest and into california. it has been intense storms that are just in position from washington to oregon to california and that is the weather pattern that looks like it's going to stay in place through february 25th. won't see a lot of change. storm after storm. you will get some breaks in between. some periods of 12 hours dryer

weather. but nonetheless, good for the snowpack. good for the water as we get into the summertime. the east coast moved through pretty fast, a couple of inches accumulation in places. it slowed down the traffic. now, it's a whole new problem we are addressing. an inch, north of san francisco in tahoe, over the course of the last several dawes are reporting rainfall focused. we had flood watches, flash flood watches north of san francisco, getting mountain snow. this does not make a dent in the drought. however, by the end of the next two weeks, with the storm system or this storm track, i should say, tapping in to all of that moisture on the southwest near hawaii, a lot of people call this a pineapple express.

it will start to vas late nor northwa northward. lilt continue to bring washington state rain tomorrow and we will get more rain to california, too. the storm brought record snow to seattle yesterday, now bringing snow to oklahoma, texas and just to the south of that, an itsy mix. the problem is we are going to see this develop in some of the southeastern states to atlanta. it will take its time dropping snow across north texas. dallas as we get through the day tomorrow and tomorrow night, watch out for the icy mix. it will move across louisiana and the northern portion of alabama, too. the forecast for monday, a lot of mountain snow for the west. again great news for our water year. we will stay icy in the central areas. jonathan. >> the storms keep coming. thanks. 50 years ago today, the beatles put on a show that changed america.

♪ oh, yeah. >> fans relived the moment there at the ed sullivan theater tonight. kimberly duke hart was there. >> patty touchy came to relive beatlemanian. it was 50 years ago when she saw her first look at the beatles. >> i was with my sister on the floor getting all excited and watching them come on t.v. in the first two minutes, i completely fell in love with paul mccartney and i have been in love with him for 50 years today. >> a record number of millions watched john, paul, george and ringo perform live on the sullivan show. their first appearance on u.s. television. i remember taking a camera, taking a picture of the t.v. as they were performing. you know, it was an awesome thing. you had to wait a week to get them developed.

>> who knew when we were sitting. >> the half century celebration has reignited beatle mainian. at straw booherfields, fans took pictures and beeped bought rememberances of things passed. rememberances of things passed. the capitol records tower, paul mccartney and ringo starr relived their magic moment in a nationwide t.v. appearance. >> it paid compare today that name nature? >> i didn't think i would ever be in this spot, at age 11, on the 50th anniversary. i can't believe i am that old. >> the beatles went on to perform on the sullivan show. seven of the songs they sang on that stage became number 1 hits.

kimberly dukehearted, al jazeera, new york. >> still classic. finally, flowers can make any valentine's day special. some people may not get deliveries this year. warehouses in southern turkey have flor shipment because of a shortage of travel permits from bulgaria. a dispute has caused the nations to close borders to each other's c cargo. >> you have to find excuse to get flowers. i will find the headlines after this quick break. we leave you with a shot where the olympics are in their full glory tonight and it looks like in the morning there in russia. norway is leading the pack so far. have a great night.

you are watching al jazeera america. i am jonathan betz in new york. college football star michael sam announced et cetera gay in an interview with the "new york times" and espn.

>> i am not afraid of who i am, not afraid to tell the world who i am. i am michael sam. i am a college graduate. i am african-american, and i am gay. >> with those words, sam says his teammates and coaches at the university of missouri were supportive when he first came out then. if picked in the draft in may, sam would become the first openly gay n.f.l. player. >> millions of pounds of meat recalled. diseased an male were slaughtered. it's the largest meat recall. more than 600 syrians were we have been rescued from one of the most dangerous areas. the city of holmes. >> officials are arriving ahead of the syrian peace talks. north korea had a change of heart, rescinding an offer to a u.s. official. the state department says it was the second one to withdraw its

offer. the north has objected objections to joint drills between the u.s. and south korea planned for later this month. the headlines on this sunday, al jazeera presents the toughest place taxi driver. wallahs in the indian megacity of mumbai. >> whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. big bus, big bus, big bus. what have i got myself into here, eh? >> he'll have to come to grips with some unusual driving conditions... >> jesus. oo