is coming up upon us and the show is going to be over. geoff, good luck in the dumpster. you had your dumpster warming party today. best of luck. keep us posted on how it goes. >> we have a spot for you in april. >> thanks. have a great night. sif "saturd night live" good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. deep freeze - power cut off, drivers stranded, flights grounded. the latest on the crippling winter storm grinding its way up the east coast. gay rights reversal, kansas door makers denying service to same-sex couples. >> disappearing act, a fleet of core vets swallowed by the

earth. jacob ward joins us with the science of sink holes. >> he was a ground breaking force. we remember the life and legacy of sid caesar. . we begin with the winter storm sweeping across the south. now it's moving to the east coast. live pictures from washington. 122 million in its path. mass power outages in georgia and the carolinas, dangerous ice paralyzing the communities, forcing drivers to abandon their cars. fatalities and deaths contributed to the dangerous whether. our coverage starts with erica edwards in charlotte, north

carolina. >> it is windy and cold. the snow has turned to rain. cars stuck along a major highway. it is cleared, but other cars are stuck along the roads as well. >> as the sleet conditions officials are worried about ice. half a million are without power across the south-east. people have been told to stay home. schools are closed for thursday. >> erica edwards reporting. >> one resident was stuck in the storm five hours and had to walk five hours to get home with the kids and joins us on the telephone. sue, welcome. >> thank you. >> tell us what happened? >> i left my kids home, they didn't have school. i was popping out for a short job. the weather just came up very suddenly. it went from the first couple of slicks to dangerous driving conditions within 10 minutes. were you worried about the

warnings that you weren't supposed to go out. >> yes - well, i was aware of the storm coming, but had checked the forecast and it seemed like i would have time to go out do this and get home. >> then what happened. >> i miscalculated. >> what happened? >> well, i drove as far as i could and was stuck in a gridlo gridlock. roads were closed down because there were hills, they were icy. >> traffic stopped. >> yes, traffic was stopped in all directions. >> you left the car then, huh? >> well, police walked up and down letting drivers know what was going on, that the roads were closed ahead, and i told them that i would - if they could help me off the main road to a side street i would walk home. they did that. and they did that for several drivers. >> you had to walk five miles

home? >> i did, yes >> slippery, cold, snowy. >> very cold, yes. yes, i had my - a blanket in my car. i was bundled up in a blanket, was frozen to the blanket. my son had to detach me with a hare driver. >> what are the conditions tonight. >> right now it's freezing rain. it looks like there's three to four inches of snow. now it's getting freezing rain on top. >> glad you are home safe tonight. >> thank you, me too. >> maybe stay home until it gets better outside. >> kevin corriveau is here tracking the storm and joins us with more on that. >> that's right, we have been watching this for days. we knew it would happen, and the amount of ice. this is what it looked like 12 hours ago.

we have some good news. atlanta is ready to break out of the event. snow to the north-west, ice to the south-east. for the most part atlanta will be better. we are dealing with the carolinases all night long. they'll see snow. freezing rain. that will continue. cooeping up -- creeping up still across the region, making its way across parts of southern new jersey. and will be in new york, if not earlier. it will get heavier. if you notice the colours of the blue, it gets darker, meaning it will be heavier. the commute to new york - it will be quite bad. if you don't have to get on the roads, i wouldn't. later in the afternoon it will turn to rain. >> joining us on the phone is

mike sprayberry the director of emergency management in carolinas. what is the situation like? >> travel conditions across the state of north carolina is poor. luckily most of the folks are off the roads. we did experience, you know, a short period of four or five hours where we did have - there were a lot of - some gridlock that we experienced in the urban areas. but they were cleared away at this point. the streets are relatively empty across the state. the transitioning from snow in most of the state to freezing rain or rain, except for the western parts, where it will continue to snow. >> we know people heard some warnings from the authorities in north carolina. apparently they didn't listen, right. >> do you know what, if you look

at all things considered, a good number of people did listen. what happened is we pretty much have, you know, throughout the state there's some big roads. all of those cities that they are apart of closed the school systems, they are well prepared for that. we didn't have school buses or schoolchildren out. when we had that happen, that means the parents are home with the children. that took a number off the roads. we had a lot of businesses closed. there was a fair amount of folks on the road. >> mike, i'm looking at pictures here of awfully crowded highways. we talked to a woman named sue keep. she ran out, knew there was a storm, thought she could get back, but it came up so quick.

>> it did. in charlotte it was snow. two inches of rain, an inch or so around here. it was very quick. we were all warned about it. sometimes it gets some people unawares. it was aggressive, the highway patrol, the roads were well prepared. we had the national guard folks, highway patrol, dot crews out in checking for stranded motorists right now. all things considered, we experienced traffic jams for four or five hours. every once in a while you'll have an accident. >> wish you luck. mike sprai brie of the emergency management of north carolina. thank you. this is not over, the storming

is climbing up the east coast. here is a look at the white house. all federal officers in the nation's capital will be closed. john terrett is on the job in washington d.c. what is it like there? >> as always. it's been snowing for four hours. it's just before 11. we were trying to work out how much has come down, maybe an inch and a half, maybe two. we are outside union station, a landmark. in washington d.c., they are expecting between two and nine inches. further out, away from the city center, it could be more than that. here in the center of d.c., the local government called a snow emergency. there are routes in and out of the city where residents. if they park their cars, they will be towed. the federal government will be

closed on thursday. the president is cancelling an event on thursday. they are sending fema representatives to 22 states up and down the eastern seaboard likely to be affected in some capacity, and janet yellen, the new chair of the fresh was due to testify before the banking committee, that's been cancelled. at the moment i judge by saying, "not as bad as we thought." there's more time to go. it will be snowing for another 12 hours. >> the storm is having a huge impact on travel. >> there's a story. this is union station. amtrak say nothing is going south on thursday. the busiest route is a limited service going north to baltim e baltimore, philly, mark and merrylands, metro north, train

lines and others are reviewing the situation by the hour. so many flights were cancelled on wednesday, 3,700 already cancelled, before the storm hit this part of the world. it will have a knock-on effect. the airplanes were in the wrong place, it will take the airlines a while to get back. that's the big issue. on the roads, people told to stay off them. >> i'm looking at the roads behind you. it doesn't look like there are many cars out tonight. >> there has been plenty of warnings for the storm, the roads were gritted. they are passable. you're absolutely right. just as it was in new york a couple of weeks ago, you have a major urban center in what is effectively the north-east, here, we are south of the mason dixon, there's hardly anybody around. it's wednesday night after 11.

>> no matter where you live, the weather is having a ripple effect on the economy. after the brutal winter season, the financial impact will linger, randall pinkston has that story. >> winter weather is taking a toll on the nation, with travel disruption, closed stores, schools and government offices. more than inconvenient, it is costing consumers and businesses - economists can't say how much. it has been said: >> but some trends are already apparent. in the areas hit worst, outdoor construction, and the jobs that come with it are frozen. airlines forced to cancel thousands of flights are counting the cost of lost ticket

revenues. automobile dealers say slushish sales are caused by the weather. energy heating will be more. the federal energy information administration estimates the cost of fuel is 39% higher than a year ago. propane prices are edging higher in the north-east by 14%. across the saying natural gas users are also feeling the pinch, with prices 4% higher than last year. >> retailers are blaming the weather for sluggish sales. heavy snowfall and treacherous roads are not conducive to shopping. a former chief economist of the u.s. department of labour redicts the weather -- predict the whether will do no long term harm. >> there are problems with the individuals, but if we look at the total economic growth, a storm causes areas to spend more

on snow removal and ice removal. there's increased spending. >> for those taking a hit now, that means waiting out the storms, and hoping things heat up in the months ahead. >> of course, we have been talking about the bad weather here, but as we have been reporting it's taking a toll in britain. parts of england are under water after more than two weeks of severe flooding. now authorities issued high risk warnings for north-west england and wales. the military says 2,000 soldiers are available to help if needed. next - now doubts. a study that says mammograms may not save lives after all. culture clash. religious freedom verses the rights of same-sex couples in kansas.

>> for decades doctors urged women to get mammograms for early detection of breast cancer. for years it's been in question the. a new study says the screenings may not be saving lives. jennifer london has more on the

findages. >> in is research conducted on 90,000 women over the course of 25 years. the findings are sure to renew the debate and confusion over the evocation of mammograms. death rates from breast cancer were nearly the same from those who got mammograms, and those who didn't. here is the breakdown. >> when you look at the number of women who received mammograms, 500 died, compiered to those who did not have the screening and were diagnosed, 505 died. the numbers are nearly the same in terms of death rate according to the study. women with mammograms were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, which is a good thing, according to researchers, that can lead to the overdiagnosis of breast cancer. researchers conducting the study concluded that 22% of cancers discovered during the screening

process was overdiagnosed. one out of 424 women screened received treatment that was deemed unnecessary. based on the findings, dr anthony miller said women shouldn't get mammograms as part of annual care. >> there's no benefit in an era where there's modern treatment, chemotherapy, hormone therapy to use mammography. >> dr miller says the primary issue with mammograms, the machines are unable to determine whether the cancer is slow growing and may not be harmful or whether it's fast growing and needs medical treatment like surgery. he believes it should be a tool after breast cancer has been detected. the debate has gone on for a number of years, after it was recommended most people under 60 could skip the screening.

67% of women here had a mammogram in the last two years. earlier today i spoke with the american cancer society. they recommended women aged 40 or older have mammograms every year and should continue to do so as long as they remain in good health. they will review guidelines every five years, and say they'll take this study among others into accounts and may update guidelines. >> joining us now is dr malika michaels, an expert in internal medicine and paediatrics. great to have you on the program. what is your reaction to this study. >> wow. my reaction is i feel really bad for women out there trying to make sense of it all. i'm a physician, i get a lot of information, i understand the studies that are out there.

when i talk to my doctors they don't agree what to recommend to me. i think it's an impressive study by its size and scope - i mean, nearly 90,000 women studied over 25 years. it's a comprehensive study that's been done on the issue, and people will have to take a serious look at the outcome. >> the suggestion is that women should have a mammogram after breast cancer has been detected. how do you detect it? >> yes, well you know, that's the question. mammography is fairly good at detecting breast cancer. the question is is it worth women having the test every year when there's no mortality benefit. there'll be people that will criticise the study saying the technology is more sophisticated than it was in the early '80s,

the women may not have been randomized into the two arms. people might dismiss the study saying we need to continue to regularly screen women with mammography. there'll be other people saying "we doubted the usefulness of mammography, and the study affirms what we have been thinking all along, and maybe women don't need to be screened as early and often as some groups recommend. >> let me put you on the spot. when a woman comes to you saying, "doctor, what should i do do i get a mammogram or not." i tell her sit with an obgyn and i talked to most. i'm a woman of average risk and i said what do you recommend i do? like i said, my doctors didn't agree and they said it's up to me. women need to exercise themselves and talk to a

physician and come up with a plan until we have more information. fortunately in medicine, we are researching and studying and keep coming out with all the conflicting advice. in the end, we'll teas this out and when you figure it out what he needs to recommend it. >> there are a lot of organizations who raise money to get women to get mammograms. where does it leave the charities in their suggestions about what women should do. >> it sounds really confusing. >> it is very confusing. there's all this information swirling around women. i think we would say - we are not telling women not to get mammograms, let's be clear. there may be changes and recommendations. in the meantime do what you do, and keep your physician in the

loop. a lot of people will say maybe we shouldn't focus all our attention on mammogram and doing screening, but perhaps we need to spend the dollars on trying to figure out what causes breast cancer and coming up with better screening tools that will end up with the mortality benefit in the end. >> thank you for making assistance of this. we appreciate it. >> thank for having me. >> a prominent doctor has been stripped of his licence. new jersey state medical board said he performed back surgeries without training. that's the beginning. richelle carey is here with more. >> he practised in a lot of different place and i tried to outline this for you. it's dr richard col jips, practicing more than in new jersey. he has actually practised medicine around the world. through his charity he operated on patients in ethiopia, and the

democratic republic of congo. this imaging of dr kaul as a phillan throughist clashes wh what we here from new jersey. the state's attorney-general said this: >> dr kaul owned a practice. recent allegations, they are not the ones that he faced. he had his medical licence in 1986 and practised in england as an annas thesiologist. in 2001 a court there convicted him of negligent manslaughter in the death of a dental patient. that year, he came back to work in new jersey, and did not disclose anything about that conviction. it did catch up with him. in 2003 the medical board found

out and suspended him for six months. the next year dr kaul practised again, and kept doing so until 2012, after patients complained about horrible problems after surgery. okay. the accusations eventually cost dr kaul his licence. >> what is the dr 's response? >> he denied wrongdoing and said the new jersey medical board is corrupt. that's what he's saying, and that he might appeal the decision. he still wants to practice medicine. >> thank you very much. >> federal contractors earning the minimum wage will get a wage. the president signed an executive order increasing the hourly wage by $3, from $3.25 to $10.10. the president had a message for congress. mike viqueira explains. >> president obama took to the east room to volo on a prom --

follow on a promise made in the state of union address, to ras the minimum -- raise the mipium age to $10.25, but comes with kav yets. doesn't come in effect until january 2015, and only new contracts. the white house is not saying how many workers will be affected, perhaps a few hundred thousand. it's part of a campaign to get congress off the mark and supporting a bill that was going nowhere in the house or the senate to raise the minimum wage up to $10.10 nationwide. here is a little more of what the president had to say. >> let's get it done. raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10, not just for minimum, but for about 28 million americans. it would lift millions of americans out of poverty

immediately. >> we heard the president say he has a pen and a phone. it will be a year of action. he'll go around congress. all part of the program. if he's getting significant things done to help people across the board like raise the minimum wage or extend the long-term unemployment, it doesn't appear that the initiatives are going anywhere. >> next, the ice storm stranding drivers, cutting power scrks it could get worse. that sinking feeling. the earth swallows up some expensive sports cars.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. a lot coming up this half hour. legalizing discrimination, that's what a kansas lawmakers calls it, a new bill allowing

businesses to deny besides and services to gay calms. out in the cold, a nebraska bans undocumented citizens of renting homes. the passing of sid caesar. 60 years after the "your show of shows." first richelle carey with the top stories. >> i don't think anybody will forget this winter. my goodness it hits us and hits us. >> right in our face. >> catastrophic winter weather spreads across the u.s. hitting the carolinas hard. heavy snow fell making travel dangerous. officials warn residents to stay off the road. as you can see, some ignored the warning and were forced to abandon their cars. >> power outages were an issue. a nam of cities left without spour, trees napped.

officials warned residents about safety, asking drivers to stay off the roads. thousands of flights cancelled because of the storm. some airlines grounded flight for tomorrow. the hardest hit so far, charlotte and atlanta, those two account for more than half of the 4,000 cancellations so far. that number will continue to pick up, of course. >> thank you. all federal officers at the capital will be closed because of the storm. john terrett is live in washington d.c. coming down in washington, rite. >> absolutely. old man winter in your face, as richelle carey was saying. it's been snowing hard now for four hours. it started almost on the dot of 7 o'clock this evening. the thing about the storm is when it comes it hits you like a hammer, it starts and you are in the middle of a storm. we have about two inches on

ground. around the city there'll be a lot more snow. if you are watching us north of washington d.c. at the moment, this is coming your way in the overnight hours. the local government declared a snow emergency, showing there are routes in and out of the city. anyone with a vehicle will find it is towed overnight. this is union station. the capital building is over there. first to the white house, what a beautiful shot. the white house never looked better when it is snowing. how lucky they were when the french state bank wet wasn't tonight. if the weather came earlier, they would have been in a pickle. what is going on is the federal government is closed on thursday. lots of things were slated to happen, will not happen. the last time a storm of this size came through was four years ago. the city was closed for six days

and they hope it doesn't happen that time. >> all over the country gay rights have gaped momentum -- gained momentum. kansas lawmakers turned back the clock, passing a bill allowing businesses and government employees to deny service to same-sex couples. hotels, restaurants, stores refusing service based on religious principles. government clerks could refuse to sign same sex marriage principles. i spoke to barbara bollier, and she cold me why she voted against the bill. i read it multiple times and spent a deal of time praying about what it means, and what is this about, and came to the conclusion that it is about denying service to people, which to me is not a religious issue.

no religion that i know it advocated to deny service to people. >> you broke from your party. the republican party in the state. what did your colleagues say about that. there are a number of us in the republican party who are what i would call moderates or traditional republicans. we are pragmatic and think through things, not frequently, but occasionally differently to the rest of the republican party. >> what about the republicans that disagreed with you. >> no one has spoken to me about why they disagree or that they did. or why they might not choose to vote for the bill. >> your constituents? >> i have received positive feedback and thanks for helping

kansas try not to be a place known for discrimination now. but my vote was not enough. >> do you think it could be dangerous. >> i had a thoughtful caring constituency, who support my thoughts, considerate vote. i don't see anybody that - for a vast number of people in my district, who would be actively seeking discriminatory behaviour. the bill was about preparing for possible federal action related to recognition of gay marriage in this country. and people in our state before the bill, want to be sure that

they have every right to expression, condemn and be against gay marriage. >> where do you stand? do you have a position? >> i believe that marriage is about uniting two people who are in love, whatever that means to them. i am fine with different churches having different stances on it. but as far as a right, people in this country, i believe it's - absolutely they should be treated equally, and all people have the right to love and be married. >> thank you for talking to us. we appreciate it. >> it's been nice to speak with you. >> joining us now is sandra meade, the state chair for a gay rights group based in kansas city. what is your reaction to the bill? >> it's a terrible bill. the lawmakers are trying to

enshrine discrimination in our laws beyond what it is. they are anticipating that the federal courts are going to overturn and declare their counter gay marriage bans unconstitutional. they are trying to put another stop gap bill, trigger bill, in place to protect, offer government employees and others the right to discriminate even after the full court declares that the gay marriage bans are unconstitutional. it's terrible. >> the state constitution represented that it go through fast. has there been much rehabilitation to the gay rights community. >> we are outraged. it's unbelievable. we had 10 join the kansas city chapter. we had 10 people join after learning of the house action in passing the bill. it's gathering a lot of negative

attention. we are speaking up loudly. the fight is not done. we'll do what we can to stop it. if federal courts allowed gay marriage what impact could the bill have on gay marriage in kansas. >> it has no effect unless the existing gay marriage bans are struck down. it's a trigger bill. it has no effect whatsoever. gay marriages are not legal in the state of kansas, and the bill would not go in effect until the full court struck down the gay marriage bans. >> i believe you criticised democratic lawmakers who did not speak out against the bill. why were you concerned about that. >> it's frustrating. we had a lot of democrat. speak out in opposition to the

antigay direction, that this administration or conservative direction is going. there was a republican, who stood up and tried to get an amendment through to remove the language allowing government employees to pick and choose which marriages they want to consider legal, and representative hill stood up and amended the language to remove that. no one else stood with him. no one stood with him. it's frustrating when we are told and then when they don't, when they stand by and allow bills to pass. we get frustrated. >> for the second time voters in nebraska city would improve a law aiming to stop renters from improving homes.

the rule has the community deeply divided and paul bennan has the story. >> fre mont nebraska is the agricultural town you see over the midwest. it's a scarf community with a couple of commercial strips and a sleepy downtown. as voters went to the polls, emotions ran high. jennifer bix by, president of the city council voted yes to throw out the 2010 law. >> it pitted friend against friend, neighbour against neighbour. you drive down the street you'll see a vote no next to a vote yes. >> paul von behren says fre mont welcomes immigrants as long as they are in the u.s. legally. >> this is not to do with racism. the frustration is the word illegal. >> undocumented immigrants are driving up the cost of education, health care and law enforcement in fre mont.

city leaders dispute that. what is clear is the number of latinos in fre mont soared from less than 200 in 1990 to more than 3,000 in 2010. they are mostly hear for jobs in meat packing plants like this one. that, some say, is the real source of the debate in fre mont. some, like reverend scott jensen says latinos are an easy target. >> the spanish, latino community are becoming a scapegoat, a case could be made for that. >> juan garcia voted yes to repeal the law. he's been a citizen since 1998. >> it's racist. you can feel it, you know. [ singing ] >> valeria marquez, a preschool aid and aspiring singer said

there's a part of fremont that doesn't welcome new ideas and faces. >> a lot of it has to do with fear. a lot of people are scared that we are taking over. >> fears that people like valeria marquez who wanted to overturn the law. 60% voted to uphold it. both say supporters will push the council to implement and enforce the law. they are starting a recall effort against the city council. on the other side the town will learn the hard way how bad this will be for the down as businesses and families look elsewhere. >> another note. we talked to someone from the american civil liberties union, and they'll watch implementation of the law to make sure it does not violate federal fair housing rules. >> big news. business news that is. comcast plans to acquire time

warnerable in an all-stock deal worth 45.2 million. the deal is set to be announced tomorrow. it's a friendly merger of the two largest cable companies and will have to be approved by the fcc >> the weather outside may tell us it's february. a look at college basketball makes it look like march madness. jessica taff is here with a wild finish. >> there's nothing more exciting when it goes to the wire. syracuse showed everyone why they were number one. check out the finish. this is why the orange - they hang on the roots. look at them, tyler innis from 35 out beats the buzzer. tyler innis a freshman. syracuse undefeated. they are the best team in the country, but arguably the best player resides in omar al bashir

nebraska. >> i sat with caighton's doug mcdermott. last season caighton's doug mcdermott was the cream of the crop. he showed the rest of the nation what blue jay fans knew, mcdermott can play. most athletes would have left for the n.b.a., mcdermott chose to return for his senior year, the 6 foot 7 forward picked up where he left off from last season, including a pay-back win. >> the win explained it all. i wanted moments like that this year. definitely have gotten some. got off to an incredible start. being able to be with the guys, on the floor. enjoying college. i'm enjoying the senior year. it's the main reason i wanted to

come back. >> doug's coach who played the role of dad, had to wear two hats. when doug met to inform his coach he'd return. >> i shoot him out before he changed his mind. >> i was prepared to be happy if he began his professional career. i was excited and happy to have an opportunity to coach him. doug mcdermott is determined to go out with a bang, caighton moved to a tougher conference but his averages are up. >> it's incredible to sit back and help doug develop and reach the heights he's reached. it's been more rewarding to watch him grow was a person, watch him stay humble, focused, and be caring for everyone around him. it's incredibly rewarding.

>> the mcdetermine ots faced tough opponents. the biggest one came off. in 2008 doug's mother was diagnosed with cancer. for a family that lived and breathed basketball they used the sport as therapy. >> at that point in our lives it was a welcome distraction, not just for us, but to teresa. she as vowed and determined that she was not going to miss the northern ireland games that i coached or mick or doug's junior high games. it provided a little bit of a respite for her so to speak to do something else and not think about what she was doing at that point in time. >> at the time i was young. it was hard. playing basketball, mum in the stands, and she has a wig on. there were tough days when she didn't cook dinner and a family friend made us food. i'll never forget that. the family grew a lot tighter

during that time. >> and the mcdermott's enlisted the family in the fight against cancer. caighton held a pink out to raids money and awareness for a cure, ensuring the mcdermott's reach extends beyond the basketball court. >> he may be the best walk on. he gave up a scholarship when learning grant gibbs was granted a year of eligibility so he could have a spot on the caighton blue jays. talk about class. long-time captain announced he would be in his final year in the pip stripes. it was a station two decades in the making. the 39-year-old short stop, making 13 all star appearances and the only yankee to reach the 3,000 hit mark says 2014 will be the final series. it's great, of the great players he's the only one to do it.

>> we had moriano and derek. >> the last of the core four. >> thank you. coming up, the picture of the day, and the passing of a comedy legend. sid caesar, and the comics whose careers he launched.

it is has been a mess across the south-east and the eastern sea board. we'll see an improvement going through the overnight hours across many of these states, alabama, georgia, florida. let's look at the forecast as we go toward tomorrow. big improvement. across much of the app ill eightses and eastern areas, that is where the problem will be. temperature wise, a major improvement. for atlanta 43 will be the high. a lot of know will melt. it will begin to melt rapidly. we expect to see the sun coming

into the forecast. atlanta 43. by the time we get to the £, it will be like it didn't happen. temperatures warming up to 66. unfortunately, that is not the case as we go up towards most of the eastern area, the north-east as we go on thursday. heavy snow falls between 6-9 inches. here in new york it will be snow, rain and back to snow. >> that is a look watt at the national weather. news up after this.

they are rare, historic and you would think they'd be protected. the national corvette museum. a sink hol suddenly swallows up several of the classic pricey cars. eight core vets consumed into a 40 foot wide hole, 20 feet deep. no one was at the museum at the time.

there's science behind sink holes. science and technology correspondent jacob ward explains. >> the earth is not solid ground. much is made up of caste landscapes, places where a lair of rock or material has been washed away, forming caves or tunnels. in kentucky more than half of the state sits on a layer of limestone. rain water carries acid, eating away at the rock, allowing conduit its to form, from small tunnels to big caves. it grows to a size where the surface can't support the weight of a building. that's when a sink hole forms. human intervention can create sink holes. as we build and dig on the earth we can create them by accident. when underground plumbing or sewers burst it washes away soil

leaving a hollow space that gives way. that was the case in a 2012 snipt in china caught by a security camera, in which the paving gave way. mining can create sink holes, as was the case with this collapse in louisville. mining in a salt cavern beneath a town seems to have been the culprit. a year later the sink hole grew to cover 24 acres and was 750 feet deep. we expect a certain reliability from the earth. for the ground to be truly solid it has to be that way deeper into the earth than we probably realised. >> jacob ward reporting. >> sid caesar studied music at julliard, it was not music where he made his marks, it was television and comedy. sid caesar died in los angeles, at the age of 91. he leaves a legacy behind him.

>> you come back to me. >> he perfected sketch comedy decades before "saturday night live." his eye for young comedy talent led him to mire mel brooks, woody allen, neil simon, and ryan , he was the undisputed king of comedy. ground breaking, irreverent and an inspiration to generations of comedians. he was one of a kind. in the 1950s, his series "your show of shows" was among the most popular tv programs, watched by millions. it peaked fun at celebrities. >> doris, that's what you call asleeping. >> the punch lines and performances made him a fortune. in his early 30s he earned a million a year.

he faded from the spotlight after the show, and young requires became famous. sid caesar made people last but battled depression and addiction. he appeared as a coach in "grease." >> put the putt down. >> from late night host to sitcoms to comedy clubs, his touch and gift for spotting brilliant writers led a legacy. as carl reiner said, "sid caesar set the template for everywhere." >> from sid caesar to the humour of jon stewart. he used al jazeera's coverage of the french president's visit to the u.s. to make a point about the meed yax. >> the two hoped to talk about strengthening economic ties and working together. >> sorry, i'll have to interrupt. we accidentally played a clip from the al jazeera channel. that was threatening to get inappropriately indepth about

foreign policy. obviously al jazeera america is new here and don't know how we do thing. let me show you how american american networks do it. >> francis hollande arrives in the u.s. >> francis hollande is flying solo. >> the french president is coming stag. [ laughs ] . >> jon stewart on "the daily show." now to the photo of the day. it's from today in doraville georgia. the man is ley mar louis, scraping ice on his car window, a ritual played out across the states. i am sure it will happen tomorrow morning on the east coast. headlines coming up next.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. here are the top stories. >> historic winter weather stretching from the gulf coast to main, 22 states and 100 million people at risk. the storms started in the south

and made its way to the north-east. hundreds of thousands of people will not have power after snow, ice and rain. the weather is expected to continue until friday. parts of england are under water after two weeks of flooding. authorities issued high risk warnings for north-west england and wales. 2,000 soldiers are available to help. >> the debate has been revived. studies suggest that it does not lower a risk of a woman dying of breast cancer. a study was published in the british medical journal. >> former new orleans mayor ray nagin was found guilty of corruption charges and faces 20 years in prison. he's the first man in city history to be convicted of corruption. >> federal contractors signed an executive order increasing the

hourly wage by $3, from $7.25 to $10.10. that change takes effect in january. those are the headlines. "america tonight" is up next with joie chen. you can get the latest on the website aljazeera.com. the flooding, t drought right now. >> on "america tonight," the ice, the snow, the flooding. extreme weather of every kind. why all of this could be our our new normal. >> the next 48 hours will be tough in the carolinases. >> extreme whether is too common and frequent. >> also, from upstart performer to a raft of corruption convictions. in a city well-known for political implosion, the verdict