in washington, i'm ray suarez. ♪ >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del wall certificates. here's are the stories that we're following for you. an all-american football player if drafted will become the first openly gay football player in the nfl. and we'll look take a closer look at the complex relationship between the u.s. and france. >> it's highly stressful. it's so emotional and mentally exhausting. >> demanding answers on what caused that toxic chemical spill in west virginia, the rare move

congress is make to go trying to get to the bottom of things. and facebook founder mark zuckerberg has a more new friends, and it doesn't involve social network. >> he's an all american college football stand out and he is a gay man. michael samuel who placer at the university of missouri came out in an interview with "the new york times" and espn because a lot of teams are looking at sam in the up coming nfl draft, it also means he could become the first openly gay player in pro football. >> i came to tell the world that i'm an openly, proud gay man. >> with those words michael sam if drafted has set himself up to become the first nfl openly gay

player. in interviews with espn and "the new york times" the 24-year-old all-american defensive lineman said he came out last year to his teammates and his coaches. >> they rallied around me and supported me, and i couldn't have asked for better teammates. >> sam, afc co-defensive player of the year said he wanted to tell his story. he said a story it shouldn't make a difference no matter which team he i understand up playing for. >> if i work hard, make plays, that's all that should matter. can he help us win games, is he a team player, that's all that should matter. >> reporter: a coming question should fox on whether the nfl locker room is ready for a gay

teammate. >> if the university of missouri players can do it, so can see hawk and houston and everybody else. >> that sentiment echoed by the envelope coming out with a statement of its own saying quote: . supply. >> the stand out defensive lineman will find out soon if he'll get a chance at the roster spot. but for now he seems content to be who he is. >> i'm not afraid to tell the world who i am. i'm michael sam a college graduate, i'm african-american, and i'm gay. >> al jazeera. >> so for more on this story, o michael sam coming out, and

coming out before the michael draft, what will happen. >> on credentials alone, the kid can play football, he's projected to be a third round pick, but a mid round pick. it will be interesting to see how they project out because a lot of people are saying he's making a transition from defensive linemen to linebacker and some team scouts are going on the record now that the announcement has come out saying he might not even be drafted. but the telling point they're not attaching their names of what teams are saying that he won't be drafted. michael sam has attached his name to coming out, being an openly gay player but none of these team have come out saying he's fouling off the draft board because of this announcement. >> the fact that we're talking about this indicate that the nfl is a different beast in terms of the gay rights. >> you hear a lot of people will support him, but it's naive to think that everyone will support

him. on the flip side, coming out from the new orleans saints, i don't want people to assume we're all homophobic. it will be interesting to see how that goes. but the nfl has amended the collective bargaining agreement where they have put an anti-discrimination clause saying you cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation. >> but that's the law, but you have general managers speaking and general managers not speaking. what does that say about homophobia in the nfl. >> he has a lot of courage. he understood this, he has been dealing with this his whole

life. the team and coach accepted it and they have kept it a secret all through the season. missouri had an unbelievable season and supported him throughout this whole process. it will be interesting to see, for the record the new york giants owner came on record and supported michael sam. here's what he had to say in an interview with tmz. michael sam is a gifted athlete and courageous man, i hope any nfl team would not hesitate to draft michael if he is right for their team. it will be interesting to see how he tests out because he's making the transition from defensive line to linebacker and the draft is in may. >> he can play. >> yes, bottom line. >> attorney general erik holder said effective today legally married same-sex couples will be treated the same as any other married couple no matter where

they live. his comments follow last year's supreme court ruling which said the federal government cannot refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. >> on monday i will issue a new policy memorandum that will for the first time in history formally instruct all justice department employees to give lawful same-sex marriages full and equal recognition to the greatest extent possible under the law. >> the move means same sex spouses won't have to testify against each other in federal cases and effects bankruptcy proceedings and visitation procedures in prison. at this hour a congressional hear something being held in wyominwestvirginia regarding thl spill that effected 300,000

people for ten days. what is the latest from the hearing room? >> reporter: good morning, you can see this courthouse where the congressional hearing took place this morning started at 9:00 wrapped up about an hour ago, and i can tell you a lot of different things that were said this morning will tick down those, but an overall theme that came from the room and the officials this morning was that this could happen anywhere. that the regulations on above ground water, tanks and chemicals in the united states have not been refitted or readjusted in years. anywhere in the state, the 50 states this could happen. people should be concerned. now, freedom industries, the company that is to blame for the chemical spill in the elk river january 9th was a no-show. folks here did not appreciate that. one official saying that the company had no courage. another one said that there is a foul odor surrounding charleston in the area of licorice and it's not coming from freedom. there is another odor coming

from that company that was cause for this. senator joe mansion came out and said there was an overall distrust of the system, the water system here in west virginia a month after the spill. he also went on to say that the regulations are iffy at best. live to some of this that he said a few hours ago. >> we thought that all above ground storage was being tested and checked, but not knowing there was no laws on the book, it was not a hazmat material, it didn't have to be. the chemical safety improvement act which would for the first time in 4 years, 1976 is the last time we were trying to find out what chemicals we're using and how it effects humans. >> delinquent, the water department saying today they understand the lingering concerns because of the smell of licorice and their work to solve that problem. they're going to be looking into the pipings and homes, the epa is researching that.

senator mansion also asking the board is the water safe? pretty point blank question that we've all been asking, no one really gave him a definitive answer, so he moved on very quickly. >> robert, why did congress hold the field hearings here in west virginia? >> well, interesting question, and according to senator joe mansion he wanted people to get out of d.c. and get on the ground here, to start talking to folks who have been living through this nightmare for the past 30 days, and not read it in the newspaper or watch it on television. they're going to spend some of the day out in the field, as he says, and hopefully push this forward so it never happens again anywhere in the country. but in the meantime people still not trusting the system and not drinking the water, just amazing. >> inside that hearing room did the members of congress drink tap water or bottled water? >> they were drinking bottled water, tap water not available,

and if it is, not quite sure anyone wants to touch that. >> robert ray for us in charleston, west virginia. thank you very much. closing arguments are under way in corruption trial former new orleans mayor ray nagin, charged in a scandal that dates all the way back to hurricane katrina and the rush of contractors after the storm. what is going on right now? >> reporter: the defense attorneys are recapping their counterattack against prosecutors who have said that the former mayor ray nagin were taking bribes and money in return for giving out lucrative contracts. six people have been convicted in charges related to this case. they testified saying, in fact, that they bribed the former

mayor. prosecutors breaking out paper trail, contracts, bank statements, piecing together a puzzle that they say shows the mayor was corrupt, and, quote, sold his office. nagin has denied all those allegations, and defense attorneys hoping that they can convince this joy today by recapping their kay that these people were lying to save their own skin. they're all in prison or face prison time. we'll see what happens with that. >> what is the mood in new orleans? i guess the question has to be asked, is the big easy on edge? >> they certainly are. you got to think about the fact that this is a city that has been looking for closure from this storm for eight years. even out here outside of federal court people are riding by rolling down thinks windows saying, hey, what's going to happen?

>> ben lemoine for us. thank you very much. president obama is set to meet with. french president françois hollande in a few hours. >> a familiar landmark in an unfamiliar location. it's often forgotten that the statute of liberty is one of a pair. a gift to the americans from france, which helped them win their independence. the old alliance between the u.s. and france has had it's ups and downs over the years. but now under obama and hollande former policy interests are lining up once again. this was françois hollande in timbuktu a year ago after french troops pushed back al-qaeda al-qaeda-linked rebels.

the war or terror, started by the united states, was now pursued by hollande, he has been a key ally. >> he has been an ally for obama, the french have fought deeper ties, north africa, french-speaking west africa, mali, iran, where the french never cut diplomatic relations. >> hollande and the president has worked side by side putting pressure on the syrian government for peace talks. >> american comedians have jokingly referred to the french as cheesy, but the relationship between the countries has changed. when airstrikes against syria looked emanant last year it was the americans not the french who got cold feet first.

>> trust has shakenned about i spying scandal but france does not seem to have been as badly effected as germany. there have been no reports of president hollande's phone being tapped. >> we never got real satisfy toe answers that politics is politics, and they have common interests to show that they are close to each other and that they understand each other. >> reporter: and so the old alliance between france and the united states is evolving into a new partnership. one based on pragmatism and shared global interests. jackie roland, al jazeera, paris. >> when we come back a second chance to end nearly three years of bloodry civil war in syria. negotiators back at the bargaining table in geneva. >> it was sort of impossible to process that he was talking about my daughter.

>> the mother singled out by the head of aol accused of driving up the cost of the company's healthcare. why the ceo is now changing course. >> and facebook's mark zuckerberg topping the list of the 50 biggest zoners, when al jazeera returns.

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>> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. primetime news. >> i'm john seigenthaler in new york. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> it's like a brawl here in the waters around monterey. >> only on al jazeera america. >> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. talks to end syria's blood which civil war has stalled again. at issue getting aid into the city of homs. >> the violence that surrounded the evacuation of the old city of homs is one the factors that has soured the atmosphere here. even though things were bad in the first round of talks, it is possible that they are worse than they have been before.

and that may explain why the mediator cho is chair in these talks trying to find common ground but there isn't much common ground and we heard angry attacks from one side and the other when they briefed the press earlier. >> there has been another set back for kenneth bae the american held in north korea for more than a year. north korea took back its invitation to discuss the release of bae. meanwhile, donald greg the former ambassador t. u.s. meanwhile saying those up

coming military exercises with south korea aren't linked to kenneth bae. the drills, are, quote, an exercise of war. north korea has threatened to cancel reunions for families separated by the korean war. >> reporter: well for some weeks north korea has been opposing the annual exercises carried out between the united states and south korean forces here in south korea. two sets of them. the first known as key resolve computer simulations of various scenarios involving thousands of troops. the second, drills in the field again involving thousands of troops. 7500 troops. this year north korea is linking these exercises to the prospects of family reunions. reunions of those families separated by the end of the fighting in the korean war in

1953. the president here in south korea offered to resume those reunions as soon as possible. they've been suspended sinc since 2010. north korea initially rejecting that offer saying that that could not happen at the same time of the exercises and then appeared to change its mind agreeing to a date for those reunions, february 20-25th was agreed between the north and south. but the very next day north korea coming out with a strong statement saying dialogue and military exercises could not go hand in hand. now the ball is very much back in north korea's court. >> those military exercises by the way are scheduled to begin on february 24th. >> wall street seals to be in a wait and see mode. testimony before congress tomorrow it will be the first for janet yellen the dow down 22

points after 50' posting it's bt week this year laugh arsenal week. mcdonald's say the bad weather taking its toll on u.s. sales which fell 3.3% but global sales were up 1.2%, better than expected. gains in europe and china offset the weak sales of the big mac in the u.s. hasbro earn eggs fell to $130 million during the last three months of last year. the company blaming weak sales in north america and sales of its toys that it targets to younger men. the postal service is trying to cut it costs thinking about offering financial services. reports suggests the agency could generate as much as $9 billion a year by offering services normally found at banks. among those things being considered pre-paid money cards and small loans. the idea is to open under served communities. consumers are paying less at the pump.

the average price of a gallon of gas falling 00 $.2 over the last two weeks. the cheapest gas can be found in montana where gas sells for $2.99 a gallon or as we well know, $3. aol is apologizing, reversing changes to its 401k after a controversial comment that sparked a entir firestorm. the ceo said it was changing its plan because of two babies that were driving up of cost of healthcare. the mother of the child said her child was important three months prepremature and medical bills e in the thousands. >> it was impossible that he was talking about my daughter who was home with me at that time. to hear her labored as a

distressed baby. to me it did sound like the implication that some how we were greedy consumers of healthcare benefits, that we had kind of gobbled up more than our share of the pie. he's spoken in heartfelt ways about how badly he feels for having caused us this hurt. and i accept it. >> aol now is keeping its original 401k plan in place. when we come back $1 billion and counting why facebook founder mark zuckerberg has so many new friends.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. here are your headlines at this hour. the congressional committee is holding a hearing at charleston, west virginia, investigating a chemical spill that tainted the

water supply of residents in west virginia. attorney general erik holder is giving gay couples widespread rights from courts to prison. the u.s. cannot refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. president obama set to meet with french president fran sunny hollande in a couple of hours. the french leader is flying to the u.s. for a state visit. climate change will be one of the topics that the two will cover. >> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist dave warren. these are winter storm warnings in the pink, adviserries and watches. now this is over the same area that had that snow and ice that caused a lot of problems on the

roadways. this was a last storm. this is how people are getting ready for this storm, heading to the gorgery store, stocking up on everything, breads, egg, milk, toilet paper, that's how it goes. that's what we're watching for the next few hours. we'll see the light rain and snow continue but it will really start to fill in across the southern plains, and then move east as this warmer air moves in up over the cold air you're seeing this rain falling in the cold air. this is where it will be by tomorrow morning and then pushing east into the northern georgia, south carolina and north carolina tuesday night. there is a little break and then the next storm develops that will impact the mid atlanta, although not until thursday. talking about today, there is this rain and snow you'll see this mix. the area snow will push east tomorrow so the snow moving west to east. the west coast dealing with beneficial moisture in california and causing problems

with freezing snow, sleet in washington. there are winter advisories and blizzard warnings because the wind is picking up east of the rockies. the snowfall and the know pack in the mountains, look how it expands after the recent storm. not breaking the drought. we'll take a look at that. lincoln is at 7, so the cold air is here, that will move east and devil with this storm off the coast, but this is thursday. the storm will be moving up the mid-atlantic. there is rain, snow, and sleet, we'll watch how this develops in the forecast. be are the for that on thursday. >> dave warren, thank you circumstantial evidence. now you can say that facebook is not the only thing that mark zuckerberg has given to the world. he and his wife were named the most generous philanthropist f for 2013.

giving facebook stock to silicon valley valued at $9 million. for education. i'm del walters. the stream is next. one, and do their characters have the power to influence society? you might be surprised. our digital producer, rajahad ali is here, giving us feedback, and we have max brooks. >> comics are not just for kids anymore. as you know, i'mav