♪ america live there new york city. the winter weather continues it's onslaught. snow, sleet, and rain. from the south through new england. air travel a major airports along the eastern seaboard, also at a standstill. a big cable hook up, time warner and comcast announce a megamerger.

the storm is blamed for at least 18 deaths so far. crews are trying to restore to over 845 now homes and businesses. the storm shutting down some of the country's busiest airports. about 6400 flights have been canceled. stranded skis were even employed to get around washington, d.c. which was paralyzed by eight inches of snow. in north carolina, eerily similar to what we saw in georgia just a couple of weeks ago. in new york city, once again on the defensive over the city snow removal efforts during a midday news conference. he also said saddation crews struggled to keep up during the morning rush. >> use salt in advance, be uh you can't start plowing until there's a certain level of accumulation.

he was also criticized by the teachers union for keeping them open during near blizzard conditions. what are the conditions like out there? >> say it isn't snow. we have a mixture. we have some snow, what i'm standing in which is this slushy watery mix of snow deep puddles and we can see a graveyard of umbrellas. and sure it is winter, and snow is expected but by any standard, by any measure, the snowfall this season is far beyond what is expected.

far expected what is normal. noon 1/2isms fell in central park. he has increased to 60%, this money will go towards maintenance supplies equipment to not only deal with this snow, but to deal with future storms because we are still very much in the throes of winter. scleras closed in boston, in massachusetts mast, the national guard is on stand by in case they are needed. you mentioned air travel. the airports aren't fairing so well, more than 6,000 flights have been captionled.

just to give you a little perspective, consider what is p haing in russia. in sochi, the winter olympics tony they don't have enough snow. >> yeah. >> while this country is spending millions to try to get rid of it, her spending millions to make snow. so just a little bit of perspective. but keep in mind, there is more snow coming tonight. >> yeah, they can have all the snow we have here, take it. sochi. some of them are probably taking this in stride, but i would imagine at this point, after my guess is what three significant storms recently, a lot of folks are pretty fed up with this? >> there seems to be a good sense of humor, and in fact, right before we went live, we talked to some gentlemen in the car.

they this think fantastic, they are happy to see any kind of precipitation. >> government offices shut down today. in and around washington, john is there once again for us, good to see you. you were dry yesterday, not so much today. >> no, i know. yesterday was a breeze. seriously, we are going to get soaks any second. it is raining now. sort of an iresy snow. some hailstones at the diplomat, which is basically being closed down, there's nobody here. because of the snow, is

building behind me is empty. that was cancelinged. the white house press briefing was canceled today, and all around this city there are a few hearty tourists but most people that work have stayed at home. they are working under restrictions can have been broadcast on the local radio stations. remember if you are working from home, do impose all the rules imposed on you. one bit of good news, we have heard that the international airport, just south of d.c. is open again, it is still closed though at ragan international airport. traffic delays will go on for a very long time. the snow emergency has been lifted but as you can ski, the rain is coming down, and it is going to turn to snow we are told again. >> any fun to be had

today? >> well, you know, there is. we want to take you to dew point circle. quite a ways from where i am standing. but it is a meeting place in the summer when it is really hot here, people spend the evenings there talking and chatting and getting to know people, a lot of my clubs around this area. and bars and things. look what is going on today. federal workers -- i don't know if you can see it yet, but they have been making snow people, include agnone version of president obama. complete with a tie. and also a button. it is an auponble snow man. there was -- thank you, thank you. you have been a great audience, i will be here until next week. making other figures as well, and talking about sleeting and skating and skiing as well. so that's dew point circle. where i am, it is pretty

quiet, frankly. this is the federal district, of course, no one here. >> appreciate it, see you back here. meteorologist has been watching this storm closely, and dave what request we expect. >> the next few hours is just like they have been saying. that is the dry air coming up, heavy know and then the break. the back edge will be coming through, the cold air is coming back around, with the moisture. this is called wrap around snow, and it can increase the accumulations. inches more, still yet to come. and that will be coming in overnight tonight. but this area is having cold air come in. these are hop showers because the air is so cold. maybe even a thunder

clap. as that cold air moves in, it changes over to snow, in addition one to two-inches around washington, d.c. they just stay in the same area, they follow the storm out. so an additional three to eight-inches and that changes any type of rain or sleet back to snow. this will be overnight tonight, and it eventually will lift out, be uh the computer forecast here, picking up these heavy bans. so it is on the ground by tomorrow morning. three to eight inches and then it is even colder so it isn't going anywhere any time soon. >> yikes. dave, appreciate it, thank you, sir. >> it is what it is, i suppose. >> the storm is moving away from the south, from where it left behind a real mess. cars were finally towed

away. national guards man -- some places got as much as 15isms of snow, wow, atlanta is slowly returning to normal. after the storm dropped snow and ice, people started venturing out of their homes even engaging in some snowball fights. officials still urging people to stay off the roads so that crews can do their work, we have mike on the line with us, he is the director of emergency management. and he joins froes raleigh with a update on the situation, good to speak with you again. give office update on where things stand right now, we mentioned that you in some areas of the state, you received as much as 15 inches. when is the last time you saw that much snow in north carolina? iter's been quite some time. and basically. i think that those levels of snow we vex fencerred in the western part of the state butly say that in the west, and the mountains, those folks are pretty much equipped to handle the snow.

they didn't have much power loss, and were starting to demobilize the resources and so they are calming down out west. our big issue is the central part of the state. >> your biggest issue? >> the central part of the state. >> i see. >> where we received snow, and then it was followed by freezing rain, and then we got some more snow slamming on charlotte today. that about twoisms per hour, and then we got snow here in raleigh. we are basically saturating the area with four wheel drive vehicles from our wild life, our nation guard, highway patrol, and go up and down roads to make sure we don't have folks that are stranded.

by the way, as we went out, we found one person, they were okay. >> just one person? >> right. >> and they didn't even want our askis tans, so there you have it. our grid lock, if you want to call it that, lasted maybe five to six hours and then it was over with. so we couldn't -- i think a lot to all of our major school systems. being shut down, as well as our dot being well prepared and having prepared the roads. >> how many people are still experienced a power outage in your state right now? what's the estimate on that? >> right now, we have 125,807. and so that's what is being reported, but as you know, that probably changed while i was talking to you. and so it goes up and down, but if you think

about all of the winter weather we have had over the last couple of days that's a good number, and we have a large amount of utilities that are staged right here in the state, with extra crew. in fact, over 3,000, almost 4,000, and they are really pushing hard to address these issues as they come up. >> you know, mayor, here in new york city, said he was surprised by the intensity, and how deadly it came upon the city. as i remember yesterday, you said something similar, right? and that the storm really hit and it hit quickly. did you share that with me yesterday. >> offer governor was very forceful, and saying this would be the winter storm of the decade. and i think a lot of people -- again, i think a lot of people came into work, and maybe what they did is may said as soon as it starts to snow we will leave. >> right.

>> and so then it starts going at the rate of an inch an hour, when that happens there's things start to slip and slide. but again, with the work and the transportation, and highway patrol, we have things working, in short order. i mean five or six hours that's not bad. >> yeah. >> i can tell you traffic comes around here lasts one or two hours so i was pretty pleased. >> yeah, absolutely. all right, mike, appreciate it, thank you for your time. he is the director of emergency management, in north carolina. joining us with that update, thank you. robert, i guess we can say at this point, that the city -- wow, it looks so nice down there. certainly learned its lesson, would you agree? >> it toly. peedmont park behind me, you know this place well.

it's beautiful. in the lower 40's right now. the streets are clear. we have joggers that have come out. thank you,sy. we have people out running, walking their dogs. atlanta is getting back to normal. although georgia still has a couple hundred thousand power outages and georgia father, and the other power entities around the state, tell us earlier today, that that could be throughout the weekend. that they get those up and running because a lot of those power lines have snapped because a lot of trees went down. speaking of a casualty of the storm, turn the camera here, tony, this is midtown atlanta, where we are at. this house was bought a couple of months ago, and you can see the entire top of the house, and the back end of the house, fell in because of the heavy snow, ice, and winds. so an old house that

probably would have fell anyway, but unfortunately, the storm created havoc on it. tony. >> well, it looks great down there. so much the snow is already gone. peedmont park that's a great spot. robert, good to see you, thank you. people are posting what conditions are like in their areas and much more. maria is following that for us. >> yeah, tony, plows on the streets of new york city. that's what you are seeing. and robert writes this is how you clear snow, a convoy of plows, new york city, salutes you. and over here you have also workers that are working on the platform for the subways in new york, you have subway platforms above ground, and also below ground. and a lot has been this debate about whether new york city schools should have been open today or not. why does new york city have school? yes, new york city public schools should have been closed however, no one is

forcing parents to send their kids to school. cops won't track you down. and take a look at this, this is peedmont dupont circle. under a few inches of snow, empty streets as people enjoy eggnog at home, i presume. and what you are shown earlier. >> skiers out there, innovative ways to get around, and this is in blacks burg virginia. rachel writes casualty skiing down the streets. and tony, look at this. >> what is that? >> this is a time lapse video from brian. he is in norton, virginia, they got about seven-inches of snow there, and they are going to get more later, and it looks more than that, though, but perhaps it is the wind there, and also you have this facebook page that was started in charlotte for people to get help, megan writes my huhs and two-year-old daughter are stuck at charlotte airport, he is concerned about running out of diapers, food, etc.

and you also have people having some sympathy for the people that -- >> yeah. >> get the mail every day. >> snow, sleet, rain. >> our mailman stay warm out there, and she has some hot cocoa for them. >> then you have this video. announced they don't have school today, dare a listen. >> . >> ♪ ice ice baby . >> oh, my. >> more boring emails about school that was vanilla ice, 1990, for those of you that know that song. >> yeah, david chuter, yeah, we -- yeah, we were around, we remember it.

big news today for cable customers. the merger could change many people's t.v. and internet services. tone nip, these two companies do not compete in the same region, and their portfolios are different, since comcast owns content providers, still a comcast purchase of time warner would give the company access to the top media markets of new york and los angeles, also create a situation where one single company creates a chunk of the content, americans watch, and also owns the platforms on which even more americans watch it. here are the numbers. comcast is close to 22 million subscribers. tomb warner cable has more than 12 million subscribers. so the new company would have more than 33 billion subscribers.

dwarfing other companies. analysts fear a kale subscription company this large can limit their options. as michigan professor told us neither company has a great track record when it comes to keeping consumers happy. >> you have one companied americaning with one of the most joked about for customer service, hard to imagine how this will put a smile on customer's faces. >> comcast would com more than a third of the u.s. paid t.v. market, and they would control more than half of the u.s. triple play market for voice, and internet service. are demanding the government block this merger, we will have more on what the deal and the fight over it will mean for consumers tonight, that's at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. >> all right, a big one, isn't it? >> thank you. >> coming up on al

jazeera, america, hard to see the type of energy that fuels the sun and star as power supply with no waste, and no greenhouse gases. massing a stunning law that gives children the right to opt for euthanasia. and a prison release, and some f may have killed afghan civilians and u.s. troops. but first, a look at the capital building. snow covered in parts. it's adorning the building wouldn't you say? and the lawn. and the stairs. the federal government shut down as the strong storm continues it's trek up the east coast. this is al jazeera america, we are back in a moment.

the dough bouncing back, after yesterday's declines. the blue chips up, it is the first time the dow has closed above 16,000 since january 23rd. joining me now to discuss

the top business stories of the day. i asked her a moment ago what the folks at home, what is absolutely? what is this absolutely return magazine. >> we are a division of constitutional investors. people controls the billions of dollars. >> beings of dollars. there was talk of charter being a player. >> so this 45z been an on going saga. comcast swooped in at the last minute and. ed their deal together

for a much bigger number. >> stunning numbers, so i guess the question, what will this mean? i have a cable bill every month. >> sure. >> i hear this news, will i be smiling when i get that next bill that first bill after the merger? >> probably not immediately. comcast is promised that it won't raise prices -- i don't know if we should exactly believe that it isn't going to raise prices. simplingly they will be the bully on the playing field. they are the two biggest providers. so certainly, they will have more influence, particularly when you talk about things like the cvs blackout. >> yes. >> over the summer. >> and that was pretty nasty. >> cbs and time warner going back and forth. >> we lost some championship golf tournaments. >> sure.

>> and other things as well. >> everyone got scared over football. >> that's right. >> exactly, so -- analysts think that with the bigger company, they will have more leverage when they talk to content providers. >> what do you think? number one, combining forces will it fly i don't know. they have come in and said we will be under 3 million subscribers. we will do two other things to provide some low cost services. >> right. >> and also do a better job of connecting the rest of the country that will be nice. >> for the most part, neither of these are known for great customer service. so on that count, it will all be the same sort of thing. >> she talks to hedge

fund guys all the time. the u.s. is working to decrease it's depend on fossil fuels now a new source is on the horizon. rob reynolds has our report. sign fists say it is a major step. reported in the journal may sure, scientists at lawrence liver moore lab produced more energy out of fusion than was contained in the fuel used to create the reaction. uncertainty like physician which is used in power plants fusion producing energy by forcing them together, rather than splitting them apart. physician is the power that fueled the sun and stars. it does not create an

explosion, leaves behind no waste, and produces no greenhouse gases linked to global warming. fusion's fuel source is try do general. the lawrence liver more experiment employed powerful razors in billion of a second long pulses. scientists kit not reach the bray through point they callic in addition, a reaction that produces more energy than was used in the entire process. researchers say they have a long way to go. >> they reach that goal. al jazeera, los angeles. >> and what could be a road to nowhere the back and forth over the future of syria, negotiators struggle to find common ground as violence rages and a cell phone selfie, we will explain.

al jazeera america. we open up your world. >> here on america tonight, an opportunity for all of america to be heard. >> our shows explore the issues that shape our lives. >> new questions are raised about the american intervention. >> from unexpected viewpoints to live changing innovations, dollars and cents to powerful storytelling. >> we are at a tipping point in america's history! >> al jazeera america. there's more to it. >> al jazeera's investigative unit has tonight's exclusive report. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight weeknights 9et / 6pt only on al jazeera america

the deadly winter storm that hit the south is continuing it's trek north, and it is coming in waves. nearly 1 million homes and businesses are without power in several states. the nation's capital has been shut down, the federal government is closed for the day. thousands of flights have been canceled and well the storm is dropping rain along the coast, freezing temperatures will return, meteorologist dave warren is here with a look at what we can expect, wave. >> another wave coming through, right out of my textbook in college. >> typical storm. >> the dry air coming in and the moisture that is wrapping around. so that's what we are seeing now.

if it is cold enough it can be a snow burst. so more snow expected. these bans will swing around, and these are created very heavy snow, with two to three inches per hour, just seeing these bands continue impressive snow amounts likely to come out. right through philadelphia, it did worm up a bit, it will change back to snow, as this cold air returns. you can see the temperatures dropping to 19, 30 in chicago, above freezing but the cold air is coming back, so we are getting that snow wrapping around. an additional three to eight-inches is expected but lit be clearing out by tomorrow. then we see a little break. four hours before we could see more snow, just a little more. just a weak gi turbans moving through, but additional snow is expected.

what that additional snow, and the slush it can freeze. >> that's the forecast. so let's go beyond the maps. jennifer london in new york. at the city union score, what skit like out there now, jennifer? >> well, right now what with are seeing is a lot of people making their journey home. we are seeing a lot of people trying to navigate what is really kind of a mess here, because you have this combination of what was snow earlier today, that is melted now into kind of this really obnoxious if you will, slush. and a lot of people crossing here, trying to avoided slipping and the stray from the cars passing, and the forecast is calling for 100% chance of precipitation later. so it isn't a question of if there will be more snow, we are seeing out, just a matter of when. and just to give you an idea of how much has fallen here, by 10:30

local time, central park had 9.5 inches of snow. since october, the city has seen four point five inches of snow. but it isn't just new york that is getting hit with this latest storm. pennsylvania, in philadelphia, the schools are closed for the fifth time this year, schools are closed in boston. and massachusets has the national guard on the stand by on the ready in case they are needed. hey, jennifer, anyone that watches our channel knows you are based in los angeles, how are you holding up. >> you know, it is interesting you may have heard me saying yesterday, that oh, it would be so great if there was snow. >> be care waffle you wish for. >> now we have snow, we have some rain, you know, this is fun for me. but lit be nice to go back to sunny california where i think it is about 85 degrees right now. >> no. you haven't heard, your travel plans have been changed because oof the

snow and the ice and the messy stuff on the ground. jennifer, appreciate it. >> you are going to be here a while. >> britain is struggling with it's own severe weather with little relief in sight. the u.k. is expecting more to add to its flooding woes. southern britain is on high alert. areas along the river, are underwater after it goaf nows earlier this week. the prime minister has promised to give homeowners up to $8,000 to rebuild. this is the wettest two monos for the u.k. in 250 years. the u.s. military is upset about the release of 65 prisoners in afghanistan. question despite demands they say the release is of no concern to the united states. >> the government has

insisted for a week, it will release dozens of prisoners. we couldn't provide any evidence that 65 -- afghan law to keep them in the prison, and there's -- for the period they spent inside the process and the joe all process was illegal. >> the prison background base was set up and run by the military, but handed over to the afghan government last year, the president has called it a taliban making factory. saying independent men enter the facility, and leave despising his government. nonetheless, 65 prisoners were set free on thursday morning. they received cash and instructions then they went home. >> the u.s. says the men are all dangerous taliban fighters responsible for

civilian casualties. >> these individuals are dangerous. they pose threats to safety and security of the afghan people and the state, which i would say in terms of the threat that they pose. there is information relating them to terror crimes. which is the largest killer of afghan civilians. >> but none of them were tried in court. a review board set up looked at their cases and said there was not enough evidence to hold them. this is the latest fat between the u.s. and president karzai, who refused to sign a security packet, allowing the military to stay in the country, after 2014. once allies relations between washington and kabul continue to stumble from one argument to another. jane ferguson, al jazeera. >> and joining us now. a lecturer at stanford university, she helped develop u.s. policy

towards at dwarf stan as a special assistant to the u.s. state department. good to see you. >> thank you. >> can i ask you a very basic question here, you helped develop the policy the strategy here. 24 have been people very committed to the long term stability of afghanistan, and that includes both the bush administration and the obama administration, unfortunately, there's been a lot of recriminations between washington and kabul. it makes us lose sight of what is important, looking beyond, and beyond the election. and it's -- making us lose site of all the important gains. you never hear about the 8 million children in school, and those things

are also critical. >> those are dually noted but what is important to keep in mind when looking to the future? >> in about two months you have a historic election in afghanistan. and while there have been some reports already of potential election rigging overall, i think it's quite promising that a number of very thoughtful techny crafts are running for president, is a number of people who have great experience, and i think there is real hope when you look at how engaged the afghan public is. on one hand, many of those released were caught with bomb making materials on theirnd has, and on the other hand, the u.s. turned that prison over to the

afghans which means they run it, where do you come down on this decision from the afghan government to release these prisoners. >> i think when we made the decision to turn over the prison, they now have sovereignty. as much as we may disagree with them, afghanistan needs to learn to stand on its own feet. >> why do you think president karzai made this decision? it's hard to tell. he has said that he thinks some of these folks are innocent, and i think you reported that he also believed that you create taliban by locking people up. >> right. >> in his view. there are a lot of reports of karzai negotiating with the taliban over the last -- >> so could this have

been a bone tossed to the taliban as both sides are working out the relationship that the taliban will have in the new afghanistan. >> absolutely. that's quite possible. of course, it is speculation. not knowing precisely what president karzai was thinking. >> do you think the push for -- i'm trying to get at the rub and the tension, and the relationship, do you think that the push for a sign status forces agreement with the president and that government was a mistake by the obama administration given how karzai has rejected it? >> i think it is important to have a signed status of forces agreement. i think moving forward the administration if i were advising them, i would say focus on afghanistan beyond april after the presidential elections. plan as if you had a signed agreement, which i think our military forces

are quite capable of doing. and allow some opportunity to climb down from the branch he has put himself on by emphasizing all of the positive things he has done. >> good talking to you. she is a lecture erat stanford university, joining us from san francisco. two geneva switzerland where the government and opposition could hold their time meeting tomorrow. met earlier in the day and promised to help end the deadlock. the opposition had said more talks were off the table, but after meeting u.s. under secretary of state the opposition agreed to meet the u.n. envoy one more time. belgium's parliament has adopted a law allowing assisted suicide for terminally ill children.

there are still some here that would never allow it. among the protestors we found a father, who has paid a harrowing price by standing by his convictions. he still has pictures on his mobile phone of the son he watched dieing from a brain tumor. tristan loeed playing the piano, he loved the sound of waves, but the cancer took away his eyesight, and his ability to walk, and then it took his life. he was just eight years old. he was brought out of hospital to die at home with his family. his father's last words to him, tristan, it's time to go. >> what kind of question

crosses a child's mind, will it please by parents if i die? will it be for their good. >> a child's request will have to be approved by a medical team and the child's parents. the child must also understand first what euthanasia means. and supporting legislation, describe it as the ultimate gesture of humanity, those opposed say it is insanity. it's here the first case may be carried out on a child. under the present law, patients have to be 18 before they can ask to dry. >> as a doctor you hope they will never ask you this question. because even if it is legal, it is still

difficult to carry out. certainly minor institutions or hospitals all the time, with other minors that have the same condition. is they have seen several minors in their condition die in a horrifying way, and they ask you, doctor, don't let me go this way. >> to be or not to be, is that a question that can ever be asked of a child? it seems it will be in belgium. >> am al jazeera, brussells. >> and in france, parliament has pass add law, rying restaurant menus to say if the food is home made, really home made. a report last year found that nearly one in three meals served there were actually frozen or ready made dishes. and in a recent poll, 97% of people say they are concerned about being served frozen meals. morgan ratford is leer now with a look at other stories making headlines. good to see you. >> you as well. that's right. in montgomery alabama a

gay man is launching a federal lawsuit after his husband was killed in a car crash. alabama doesn't recognize the marriage, which was performed many massachusets, so paul says he is suing backer husband he is not recognized as the surviving spouse, and what's more, he said the hospital staff refused to speak to him, and his husband's death certificate says he is unmarried. talk about your worst nightmare. imagine finally getting the courage to go sky diving and then your parachute malfunctions. that's what 16-year-old mckenzie says happened to her. which us caused her to fall 3,000 feet to the ground. the texas narrative says she was sky diving causing her to pan zych then blackout. she doesn't even remember hitting the ground. now she has damage to her spleen, shoulder, wrist, and her teeth, but she is expected to fully recover.

authorities are say that the snow may have saved two people's lives. a couple was driving along the pass when their car lost control, toppled over the guardrail, and then plummeted 120 feet to the ground. landing upright in eight feet of snow. rescue say the snow probably saves their lives. talk about a selfie gone wrong. a man burglarized a church, and then took a photo of himself at the crime scene. >> oh, come on. >> police say 26-year-old adam how broke into a church, making off with $10,000 worth of goods but then again, he left his selfie ridden cell phone behind. they recognized the trees and then they managed to arrest him just five-miles from the church. he admitted to the crime, and is scheduled to appear in court, get this, the minister says he wanted to lay hands on him. good do see you,

appreciate it. see you back at 6:00. some are selling for as little as 1 dollar. detroit is now hosting a nonprofit organization that will give away three homes this year. one catch, you must be an aspiring writer. the details. >> these three houses in detroit, may not be much to look at. they are old, abandoned structures, eyesores to many in community. but when tony and his friends came across these properties they saw room for growth. >> there are plenty of people taking apart homes but there are not a lot resoaring homes. >> two of the houses were sold to them at $1,000 a piece. they acquire as third through a donation. the plan is to renovate and then give them away. it is called the write a house project. >> mr. you a novellest,

there's a lot to write about it, and a lot of inspiration. >> in a city with 80,000 structures more housing are being torn down in detroit, then there are being built. once word got out about this project, the news spread fast. not just locally, but worldwide. >> shannon lowell has worked and lives here all of his life. >> is frying to put the seoul back into the skeleton of a neighborhood. i think it is a good thing. >> as you can see, there's still a lot of work to be done. it will cost between 20 with five and $50,000. and once the work is complete, the selective writers can move in. the only cost to them will be to pay property taxes and insurance. barlow believes it is a concept that could literally hit home. our hope is that it

inspies people to do something different. we are focused on writers but there is no reason you couldn't bring teachers, or say to the fire department, or the police, hey, how would you like to have a house? >> after money is raised a nonprofit that teaches youth cap personry will begin work. with hopes of making a difference, in detroit. one house at a time. still to come, changing that facebook will definitely have some users chatting.

>> with al jazeera america. this. you don't have to describe yourself or male or female on facebook any more. the website now lets you

customize your gender with 50 different options. maria. >> yeah, facebook said it works with lgbt activists to come up with options for the new profile. so take a look at my profile for example. here i am. ifield fie myself as a female, let's say i want to go custom, and i press let's say -- so i have these different options, female to male, male to female, trance male, transman, transperson. also you can select which pronoun, wish her a happy birthday, or him, or them. now facebook says that the changes will officially cover the company's 159 million users here in the u.s. for a lot of people this will really mean nothing, but for the few this means the world. so i want to show you some reacts progress.

and meradeth writes so i think facebook's new gender option just gave me an a crisis just looking at them. >> jack writes i think it is so awesome that facebook has announced a custom gender for people that identify differently. >> a surprise at the sochi games today. one of russia's stars said no when it was his time to perform. let me come might you on your russian. let's get to the report, the reports are many in russia believe super star figure skater to be too injured after 12 injuries and too old to win more olympic medals but rather than step aside, he came to sochi and help lead to gold and team figure skating earlier this week. but his luck rolled out this morning.

he let it know that he had hurt his back and withdrew. once more, he aunderstand nod that he was retying from skating as he had promised to do after the short program was done. he retires as the only modern era figure skater to medal in four different games. he was russian sha's only men's scare, so no medal in this event for them this time around. well, rucks men's hockey is a favorite, but so is team u.s.a., in their only warm up for the show down, they made surprisingly short work of a team laydened with talent. and this morning josh christian son won gold, he had nothing but red, white, and blue. one teammate he took the

silver, another teammate, he took the bronze. it is the third sweep for the united states in the winter olympic history. first time since 2002. norway as you can see leading the way. russia has 11. germany has 10, but 7 of those are of the gold variety. that's a clean sweep on the podium. >> hey, have to love it. >> a look at the day's top stories when we return, this is al jazeera america. iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony...

>> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america

al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america. blamed on the storm, that has raged from the southeast and is now sitting over the northeast. in georgia and the carolinas.

hundreds of thousands are still without power, over 200,000 are waiting for the lights to come back on. more than 6,000 domestic flights have been canceled. comcast has announced it is buying time warner cable for $45 billion, the combined company would have about 30 million subscribers making it the biggest cable system in the wrights, comcast says the two do not serve the same market, but the mergeser likely to face questions from congress. afghanistan has released 65 primners despite strong objections from the quite, the pentagon said many are violent who targeted coalition soldiers and civilians, afghan president said there wasn't enough evidence to justify keeping them behind bars. the united nations mediator reaffirmed the united states and russia's commitment to the syrian peace talks today. this coming after the two powers collided on proposed u.n. resolutions, russian's to the u.n. security

council, after the united states hat hit one in, however, one thing all sides still do agree on, and that is more humanitarian aid for the region. i'm tony harris, inside story is next on al jazeera america. the number one and two cable -- you are of waying this program over at cable, is is this bad news, good news, or to be determined? that's the inside story. hello, i'm raywa