story." in washington, i'm ray suarez. ♪ welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. thousands of flights have been canceled already as another major winter storm slams the south. >> we're pretty confident that we will win the vote. a landmark labor vote taking place in tennessee. and casting doubts about mammograms, we'll hear from the lead author of a controversial new study. and the president using the pow o'er -- power of his pen to

raise wages for federal contract workers. ♪ the deep south is back in the deep freeze another winter storm slamming the southeast right now. so far we're not seeing what we saw in january when ice turned roads into parking lots around atlanta. but the roads aren't the only problem. more than 200,000 homes and businesses in that region already without power. the freezing rain, snow, and ice are still coming down. robert ray is live on interstate 75, robert. >> reporter: yeah, good afternoon, del. this is a bridge that goes over i-75. big chunks of ice is wherever. so much ice you can see where it says only turn left here -- this

is about an inch below here, it's pure ice. totally unsafe to come on these roads, and that's why no one is out here. one of our producers took a spin around the area earlier. if you can roll some of that video, you can see what it is like to be on the roads now. this is where there was gridlock just two weeks ago. we can take a look at the interstate overhere. this i-75 where hundreds of vehicles found themselves stranded. you can see the ice forming on the fence. ice all the way on the cement here. come 34r50e9ly unsafe for anyone, but the state of georgia, and the governor of atlanta, clearly lessons learned in the past two weeks, the national guard is out making sure the roads are clean, shelters are open, people are hunkering down, no one is at school, work, and no one is on the roads, dell.

word that nearly 200,000 people in the surrounding areas of atlanta, georgia, about 6 million plus people are out of power, trees are starting toment come down because of the wind, and the heavy precipitation laying on electrical lines, snapping them below. i got a picture from my wife about a half hour ago that showed a 70-foot pine in our backyard snapped at the bottom ruined the kids swing set. so just one tragedy happening right now in this area taking its way up to you guys in the next couple of days, del. >> because people stayed home, you don't see the highways turned into parking lots, and there will be those that say it wasn't as bad as the forecasters predicted? >> yeah.

i can tell you it is better to be safe than sorry, and anyone that says the forecasters had it wrong, they are completely wrong. look at this ice. this is slushy ice, and the temperatures are dropping, starting to go into the mid-20s, and it's completely unsafe to be on the roads, so i would say to anyone that has that opinion probably needs to have a few things checked up here. [ laughter ] >> robert ray joining us from on interstate 75 in georgia. if you plan on flying you might want to check ahead first. there are more than 3,000 flights that have already been canceled across the country. flight aware.com saying there have also been more than 3,000 flights that have been delayed. this is exactly what you called for. >> yes, we had the sleet and now

the ice. the ice could be close to an inch, and that is enough to bring down power lines, so that's the big problem. now we have to watch where it is headed, but still have to get through the next 12 hours at least where you are getting rain falling into the air below freezing. 28 in charlotte, 31 in atlanta, but it does warm up above freezing just south of that. look at the radar, though, now the storm intensifying, it has been investigated, and we're looking at all of the new datament doing in. it's starting to intensify and bring up all of this moisture from the south, it goes into this cold air as rain and will continue to accumulate. here by 4:00, 5:00, this entire area, very heavy ice and sleet with very heavy rain to the south of that. it's cold enough for all snow in north carolina, but still coming

down as freezing rain and sleet, and by 10:00 finally the back edge is moving through, it then pushes north. that means a storm for the northeast. >> dave warren thank you very much. there has been a major recall by toyota, a software problem could cause the prius to stop while being driven. the recall affects 1.9 million cars, making this the largest recall ever for that company. a landmark labor vote taking place right now in tennessee. workers at a volkswagon plant deciding whether to join a union. jonathan martin is live outside the plant. and a lot of people are watching this vote. >> reporter: that's right, del, there has been a lot of political pressure, a lot of people campaigning from outside

groups so much so that volkswagon is not allowing any visitors on-site today. this is being watched closely by a lot of politicians, business leaders, because if the uaw gets a victory, it could signal a change in other foreign-owned auto companies. john wright works in quality assurance, test driving cars at the volkswagon plant. he is happy with his pay and benefits but feels he has no voice in key decisions made by management. that's why he supported the united auto workers plan to unionize the plant. they would set up a council that give workers a say in things like work hours and training. >> it would help us have more open communication with management for improving

anything on the lines or anything the employees may discern is important to them. >> reporter: 1600 hourly employees are voting this week by secret ballot. if the uaw is successful in unionizing the plant, it could lead to a push in other foreign-owned plants. >> i feel like they are ramming this down my throat. >> reporter: mike works in the plant's body shop. he feels a union would create more red tape and hurt his work hours. >> they [ technical difficulties ] >> -- instead of six days a week, and we have a three-day

weekend every week. let's not mess that up. >> reporter: the united auto workers has declined requests to speak about the specific plan. while volkswagon has said it is staying neutral, some outside conservative groups are weighing in. the center for worker freedom has rented billboards in tennessee, blaming the uaw for detroit's financial troubles. tennessee's governor has always said a union would hurt the state's chances of attracting new manufacturers. >> they have said if the uaw comes in there, we are going to be much less likely to locate a plant close to chattanooga. >> reporter: the uaw has said a solid majority of workers want to unionize. they are counting on a victory to bring a new labor model to the u.s. and new momentum to their organization. this vote has been facilitated

but the national labor relations board. workers will be able to continue to vote through friday. so the results will likely come in late friday evening or early saturday. >> volkswagon says it is staying neutral, but not everyone is buying that. why? >> reporter: a lot of workers say vol -- they believe volkswagon is siding with the uaw for two reasons, because they haven't come out opposing the uaw, which we have seen in the past when unions have tried to come in. and we are also hearing because they have allowed the uaw to come in and pass out flyer and have access to the plant. >> jonathan martin, thank you very much. in washington president obama says he will make it official, a minimum wage hike for federal contract workers. in a couple of hours the president set to sign the

executive order raising their minim minimum pay to $10.10 an hour. about 250,000 federal workers would be effected. republicans wanted to tie the debt ceiling bill to m met -- military pensions. a new study on mammograms could be a game changer. we'll talk to the lead author. >> translator: every time the phone rings, my heart sinks. >> plus this heart-breaking story, while thousands maintain their loved ones aren't getting the care they need behind bars. .

welcome back to al jazeera

america. i'm del walters. for years people have been buying cars, art, even houses online. now it seems you can bid on a doctor for health coverage if you want. >> reporter: zach foster will be the first person to admit that he doesn't go to the doctor very often, but when he wasn't feeling well a few months ago, he said a new website made finding affordable health care and a new doctor too easy to resist. >> it allowed me to determine how much i would spend on the visit and how much i would have left. >> reporter: zach is one a growing number of patients who are turning to about a half dozen online marketplaces to stop around for health care the president a non-profit fair health says these sites are helping to shift the conversation from coverage to cost. >> we're entering a new paradigm where consumers are asking questions about costs. and providers are thinking of

different vehicles by which they can provide that information. >> reporter: will are a few different models, snap health which is used by more than 20,000 doctors works like an e-commerce site. you get to go online, shop for the service or type of doctor you are looking for and compare prices. once you found your match, you pay out of pocket. your insurance company does not come in to play at all. this doctor in texas who's on snap health says the direct-payment model cuts out at least 50% of his overhead by reducing paramedic work and insurance costs. >> this frees up my staff to actually help the patients. this frees me up to take care of the patients and not the paperwork. >> reporter: others include medi bid where thousands of doctors

and patients square off in an auction service. or this site you put in the procedure you are looking for, and they find a doctor near you. >> there will be a lot of different models that will be tried. some will have staying power, some will not. >> reporter: these sites are not just changing the health care game for consumers and doctors, they are also changing the game for employerses some are beginning to offer these sites. zach says the medical care he received has been life changing. >> i was able to incorporate that advice into my daily life. >> reporter: stacey tisdale, al jazeera, new york. tom brokaw has cancer.

he was diagnosed in in august with a cancer that effects the blood cells and bone marrow. he says he will continue to work for nbc while being treated >> there is a new study out on mammograms that finds that annual exams do not save lives. now to be clear the benefits of mammograms have been debated time and time again, but as erika pitzi shows us this study takes thing to a new level. >> guidelines for women have changed quite a bit in recent years from if you are 40 get a mammogram every year, to no need until you are 50. now this is being called one of the most comprehensive studies ever done on mammograms following 90,000 women over 25 years. the bottom line, there was no benefit for the women who were randomly selected to get mammograms compared to those who

were not. researchers compared canadian women 40 to 59 years old. there were about 45,000 separate women in two groups. yearser both has roughly the same number of women diagnosed with breast cancer, of those in the mammogram group, 500 women died which was virtually the same as those who did not get the exams. one in five cancers detected by the mammogram were harmless, and did need to be treated at all. and 1 in 400 women who had mammograms ended up undergoing unnecessary cancer treatment. >> the american cancer society responding to the study saying it's data shows that mammograms reduce breast cancer deaths for women who are older by 20%. earlier i talked to the lead

author of this study. doctor miller are you saying then that women should not continue to have mammograms? >> this is what our study shows; there is no benefit in an era where we have modern treatment for breast cancer, chemotherapy, hormone therapy to use ma'am mog grafy. >> is there any use for a mammogram from this day forward based on what you found? >> i believe the only use now for ma'amography is as part of the diagnostic process. many women are able to detect breast cancers in themselves by being aware of their breasts, by taking usual precautions over examining themselves, and when they do that, and when they attend a physician who

understands the signs of early breast cancer, then modern treatment will give them the best chance of survival, and will avoid the excess abnormalities found by ma'amography and what we call overdiagnosis of breast cancer. ♪ wall street hitting a be it of a bump today after yesterday's big gains. stocks are mixed with the dow down right now. the federal government out with new guidelines to help companies protect themselves from hackers. the recommendations are aimed at preventing data beaches. firms can use them to measure the effectiveness of their protocols. bitcoin under attack. it says that hackers are using

mutated line of computer code to disrupt trading. they aren't stealing bitcoin just preventing transactions from taking place. john deere is reporting a good profit. the world's largest farm machine maker, though, forecasting a 3% drop in sales this year. it says its sales are also being effected by what it calls the unfavorable foreign currency market. about 150 palestinian prisoners in the west bank are critically ill. we went to one family that wants their loved one to be released. >> reporter: this 62 year old's son is in an israeli prison. palestinian officials say he is close to dying. in 2006, he was given a 20-year sentence for his involvement with an armed group. two years into his sentence he

fell ill. an illness he hid during visits with his mother. >> translator: i was crying on the bus back from our visit. the woman asked why, and i said he isn't well. they started asking if i was a doctor. but i know. i'm his mother. >> reporter: she was right to be concerned. he is suffering from intestinal cancer. >> reporter: these are his medical records from 2009 to 2013. the israeli authorities won't release his records from 2006 to 2008 when his deterioration began. and when his family asked why, they were told those files are a secret. his family believe the authorities want to hide negligence. but the prison service tells al jazeera that he is in stable condition. physicians for human rights believes the family has ever right to be concerned.

it says palestinian prisoners suffer from prejudice and abuse inside the system. >> you see a diagnosis like a follow-up, like seconding to further investigation and diagnosis. >> reporter: the group says sick prisoners are released only when they are in their final stages or when they become a burden to the system like the december release of this man who suffers from motor neuron disease. >> translator: i'm leaving behind people who are suffering, go see for yourself. go see the living dead. go see the half men. go see the open abdomens. >> reporter: as for this woman she goes about her chores, but the fears of a mother always creep in. >> translator: every time the phone rings or seasons they have news from the prison, my heart sinks. >> reporter: and every now and then she allows herself a mother's moment.

as many as 6 million americans can't vote because they have been convicted of a felony. eric holder says he wants to change that. he says preventing convicts from voting after their release makes it harder for them to re-enter society. he says he can't change the nation's laws, but hopes to spark the debate. closing arguments are now underway in the case of the florida man accused of shooting an unarmed teen over an argument about loud music. dunn claims he was concerned not only about his own safety but that of his fiance as well. >> no, i -- i was -- i was in fear for my life, and i was probably stunned. >> reporter: dunn fired ten shots into the suv. he says he has hearing loss in one ear making him more

sensitive to their music. a court date has been set in the boston marathon bombing case. the trial will start on november 3rd of this year. he is accuseded of planting bombs at the finish line of last year's boston marathon. prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in that case. coming up an update on the massive winter storm bringing snow, ice, and hazardous conditions all across the ice. and the star of the show will tell you who the top dog was that took the top prize in one of the world's top dog competitions. ♪ ♪

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this is where we bring together the fastest internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are your headlines at this hour. a landmark labor vote unfolding in tennessee. workers at a volkswagon there decides whether to join the

united auto workers union. a dangerous winter storm slamming southeast us. snow and ice already causing major problems. more than 200,000 homes and businesses without power at this hour. and the storm will be heading up the coast. >> it will be moving north. the actual track depends on who sees the most snow, but that's what we're looking at. high-pressure keeping the cold air at the surface. it will redevelop as the storm moves across the southeast, then we're getting gulf moisture and atlantic moisture together. here is the actual track. you see how it redevelops here by 1:00 in the morning. this is bands of heavy snow coming in. this looks to be all snow from philadelphia to nigh a even i-95

down to baltimore and washington, d.c. then a change could happen as warmer air gets pulled in. then back to snow as the moisture wraps around and the cold air approaches from the west. it won't end until friday at around 3:00 in the morning. the heavy snow band by 6:00 in the morning, then mixing from baltimore up through philadelphia, washington, d.c., up through new york then snow to rain in boston, and then back snow by 11:00. so a lot of snow the farther west you go. >> finally, a wire fox terrier taking the top prize at the westminster job show. >> at this 138th westminster kennel club show, best in show this evening is a wire fox terror. >> the ginger and white dog no

stranger to success. he has 129 blue ribbons for best in show. i'm del walters in new york. thanks for watching. "the stream" is next. >> hi, i'm lisa fletcher, and you're in "the stream." is it time to reset the conversation about motherhood and success? we ask if feminism and science and pop culture have led women astray. you're digital producer, rang raj is here, to bring your feedback tonight.