>> and on this day that he's passed he hasn't gotten as much credit as he deserves. bill wyman, thank you for joining us. the show may be over, but the conversation continues. we'll see you next time. br >> buried in snow and it's still falling in some places. the winter storm that has nearly crippled all of the eastern u.s. >> a gay rights battle playing out in the heartland - laws that some say is the most homophobic in the nation. >> the health of the united states -- the united states must stop harassing afghanistan. >> tough talk from afghanistan president karzai telling the u.s. to butt out as dozens of

prisoners considered a danger to america are set free. >> in a program in detroit that will somehow survive the struggling city - one that will give away some homes for free. hi there. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton. good to have you with us. we begin with a winter storm. delivering one last round of snow and sleet before warmer air moves in on friday. the extreme weather is responsible for 21 deaths, and hundreds of thousands are dealing with power outages. 49 of the country's 15 states have snow on the ground. as jennifer london reports, the storm paralyzed. of the north-east. >> there has been snow coming down and coming down fast. sometimes at a rate of two to three inches an hour.

the north-east walloped by the latest blizzard to blind the coast with snow totals on par with 2010's snowmageddon. hundreds of schools were closed across the state of massachusetts, where the storm is dumping heavy snow still. some areas could see as much as two feet. in new york, commuters slid through snow, but city schools were opened, to the frustration of parents and teachers. >> new yorkers handle the challenge with fortitude and strength. people went to work, like usual, all over the city. we, unlike certain other cities in the country, don't shut down in the face of some adversity. >> a pregnant woman died, after being struck by a snow plough, her baby delivered alive by emergency c section. the new york governor declared a state of emergency and neighb r

neighbouring new jersey is under a state of emergency. the city has broken a 130 year record in new jersey for the most 6-inch plus storms. >> i personally like it, but i know a lot of people are tired by it. >> in many parts of the east, a steady rain turned many streets to slush. as temperatures dropped, the slush will harden into ice. jennifer london reported that many states are struggling with power outages, whipping wind, snapping powerlines. 750,000 homes are in the dark, mostly in georgia. the carolinas, new york and new jersey also in the dark. >> well, this morning we'll see a lot of snow across much of the north-east. if you are driving on 95 things will be treacherous, especially with the visibility coming down.

expect this to be a problem really through the whole morning on friday. take a look a bit closer and you can see things have improved across georgia. we see the rain and the snow across the mid-atlantic state. for atlanta, thingser better, going up to 64 degrees, as we go towards monday. across the morn plains, snow showers are passing through. one of those waves could merge later on with the storm here, and cause incredible amounts of snow, over 2 feet, three feet of snow. we are looking at flooding across the north-west. that in conjunction with the snow across the cascades. we are looking at flood warnings in effect. high in seattle. rain in the forecast. we don't expect much of a change, maybe on sunday the sun will shine through a little bit. it will be warm, 82 degrees. if you want to get out of the

snow, that's the place to go. temperatures staying about moderate as we go through the next couple of days. texas - clouds coming in from the north, and dallas a high of 69. >> we could use a break. >> the relentless winter is testing officials nationwide. from georgia to new york mayors and governors under fire. randall pinkston, al jazeera's has that story. >> with each storm elected officials think they have a plan, only to discover that sometimes they are not match for mother nature. >> it was no match. >> one mayor explaining why he kept schools open. >> we were convinced kids could get to school. so many families have to go to work. they don't have a choice, they need a safe option. >> before the first bell some parents and teachers blasted the

mayor's move. >> the mayor believes it's dangerous enough for people to stay off the street, yet he has children under the age of 18, mind you, many of them, to go to school. >> retired army lieutenant general russel honore agrees saying bill de blasio made the wrong call. >> the idea of opening a school so people can drop kids off so they can go to work and you kapt get through the streets. that's wrong. that's a popularity contest. >> new york's mayor bill de blasio is the latest official to catch grief from the public for the way the authorities are coping with the storms. >> the governor of the georgia and major of atlanta were blamed for a traffic jam that left citizens stranded for hours, and schoolchildren unable to get home. north carolina's mayor made an appeal for drivers to stay off

the road. >> don't put your stupid hat on at this point of time. protect yourselves, your families or neighbours. >> clearly many didn't hear the governor, or did not pay attention, like cara. >> i didn't learn a lesson from atlanta, i didn't think it would be that bad. >> solution. >> close the roads through the interstate, the cities, and the state. they closed the state roads, block the roads off. >> it's a fine line when a city shuts down and a storm doesn't happen, politicians are blamed for overreacting. >> back to new york city, the public schools have closed 11 times for snow sips 1978 -- since 1978. it has had a huge impact on air travel. thousands have been stranded.

atlanta, and philadelphia among those hardest hit. >> still snowing. travel across the 22 states affected by the storm has been extremely difficult indeed on thursday. the biggest problem in the air, where 6,700 flights were cancelled. the aircraft from in the wrong place. it will take a while for the airline to get them back. delays spected into the weekend. on the railways, we saw nothing travelling south of union station in washington d.c., except the chicago train, it goes south to virginia before turning north to turn at illinois, arriving 24 hours after it leaves here. what about on friday? well, already at this hour there are around 900 cancellations in the air, and although airports in the washington d.c. area, like vwi between here and baltimore, and the local airport, the

runways are all open. once again, even though they are open, planes are in the wrong place, delays must be expected. little on the railways headed here >> virginia. the north-east corridor - they are talking about running a service, including the keystone train to harris berg. with the weather as bad as it has been, all will have to be reviewed by the countries every hour. >> it will be a rough couple of days. storms costing 13,000 cancellations nationwide. it means more than 75,000 flights around the country have been cancelled this year. >> don't forget to stay with al jazeera for coverage of the storm and the aftermath sure to last a few more days. in other news. despite vocal a.b.c.s from the u.s. -- objections from the u.s., afghanistan released dozens of prisoners. some of the released men are

responsible for attacks upon american troops. >> the afghanistan government did what washington asked it not to do, releasing 65 taliban members from bagram prison. hamid karzai accused the u.s. of trying to meddle in their internal affairs. >> afghanistan is a sovereign country. if the afghan official societies decide to release a prisoner, it is of no concern to the u.s. and should be of no concern to the u.s. i hope that the united states will stop harassing afghanistan's procedures and judicial authority and i hope that the united states will now begin to respect afghan sovereignty. >> for weeks the u.s. and n.a.t.o. were campaigning to keep the men locked up. afghanistan should put the men on trial for dozens of roadside

bombings and attacks on military targets. >> on thursday, even though the federal government was closed because of a snow storm, the obama administration criticised the government. >> we are urging the government make every effort to make sure the releases do not convict new acts of violence and terror and bring to justice any who would. none of the men were tried in court. a review board looked at their cases saying there was not enough evidence to hold them. >> the guards said the men left quietly. >> they have been taken out of the prin, holding clothes in their hands. they received cash and instructions from a cleric. then they all went home. even though the afghan military ran the prison, hamid karzai called bagram a destabilising force, turning incident men into fighters. the prisoner release

is the latest spat between the president and hamid karzai, who refuses to sign a security pact that would let troops stay in the country since 2014. it raises concerns about whether kabul is taking its country seriously. >> there is more concern that the u.s. military says some of the prisoners released thursday are likely to make a quick return to the battlefield. >> still ahead - battle lights drawn into a gay rights fight in the heartland. they are called the most homophobic in the nation. the man behind it says it's about protecting rights. >> a scientific breakthrough that could change the way we create energy. it could supply endless power and not produce wa. >> a merger of comcast and time warner cable. would it be good for customers?

>> welcome back, a surprising arrest in the case of an elderly tennessee couple killed by a package son. their son-in-law richard parker has been charged with murder. police say he planted the explosive device in their home. >> it is an ongoing investigation, but we do feel like we have the single person responsible for committing this crime. >> police say parker lived next door to the in-laws. his father-in-law died on monday during the explosion. his mother-in-law passed away two days later. both in their 70s. richard parker was convicted of ars ni in 1993. a state judge in virginia struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. as many increased the rights of gay couples, others are making news that could restrict them. we report on one state's fight pitting freedom of religion against the freedom of

sexuality. >> in the push for same-sex marriage, one state is resisting. kansas may have one of the controversial laws on the books, and what some consider blatant discrimination - a new bill, controversial within and beyond the conservative state, giving businesses the right to refuse services to gay couples. on wednesday the kansas state house approved the bill, 72 to 49. it's headed to the state senate's judiciary committee. the legislation protects people in business from government sanctions if, based on religious beliefs, they turn away same sex couples. critics are attacking the bill as state-sanctions homophobia. a republican charles macheers who sponsored the law defends it saying: he said:.

>> john seigenthaler. there are currently 17 states that allow same-sex marriage. >> general motors is recalling nearly 780,000 cars. the recall affects chevy cobalts, and pontiac g5 made between 2005 and 2007. gm says a faulty ignition switch can shut engines at high peeds and shut electrical components. according to gm, there has been 22 crashes where air bags failed. at least six people died. >> comcast reached a deal to acquire time warner in a $45 billion deal. it will make comcast the largest provider in the u.s. if approved comcast would have

control over a third of tv and comcast services in the u.s. >> by any measure comcast's proposed bid to take over time warner cable is huge. there's the $45 million price tag and the reach. by buying the second-largest cable provider, comcast would have 33 million survivors, cementing its place as the country's largest cable company. >> to put it in perspective, when chase bought jpmorgan, it was a 33 million deal. this is a large merger. >> the deal was unexpected and comes after comcast became a major comcast producer by finalising its purchase last year. here is how it stacks up. paid tv providers, comcast is the largest with 22 million subscribers. satellite providers and dish

network. what can consumers expect? one analyst covering the cable industry says changes for consumers will not be dramatic. >> consumers who are in comcast markets won't see any change at all. consumers in time warner cable will see subtle changes to their services. some sorts of improvements over time. that will take a while to implement and integrate. but relatively subtle over time. not inconsequential. >> a difference - comcast is seen as being aggressive than time warner cable with tv everywhere products, allowing contents on mobile devices. another difference, comcast has more on demand programming. comcast calls the deal p proconsumer critics think not.

>> of 19 of the 20 largest cities, there's one choice, comcast as the local cable monopo monopoly. that means second class service at high prices with no option to choose anyone else. >> the deal is expected to come under scrutiny from regulators. comcast says it will shed 3 million subscribers. observers expect concessions will be needed. >> we should add comcast says it will follow rules for net neutrality, treating all online traffic equally. >> researches in california say they made a breakthrough in an effort to develop a new source of energy. the work could lead to an

endless supply of energy, with no waste. >> scientists say it's a major step towards the holy grail of clean energy. nuclear fusion. in a lab rattery experiment reported in the journal nature, scientists at the lawrence livermore lab produced more energy as was contained in the fuel used to create the reaction. unlike nuclear fission, fusion forces parts together, rather than splitting them apart. fusion is the power that fuels the sun and stars. it does not create explosions, leaves behind no radioactive waste and produces no greenhouse gases linked to global warming. the fuel source is hydrogen, the most plentiful in the universe.

it deploys 192 lasers. scientists did not reach the breakthrough point they call ignition, a sustained fusion reaction producing more energy than used in the entire process. researchers say they have a long way to go before reaching that goal. >> researchers say nuclear fusion could be used to develop safer weapons systems >> digging up history in egypt. archeologists discover a mummy dating back thousands of years. >> there's not a lot of restoring happening. this is a great opportunity. >> giving away homes for free in detroit. how one organization hopes to bring back the struggling motor city.

>> it is the end of an era for figger skater, russian superstar that many thought should not compete at the age of 31, and too injured, he led russia to cold in the team figure skating. he could not go the distance. when he was introduced to the cloud he skated to the referee and informed him he hurt his back and withdrew from the event. shortly after he announced his retirement from skating, leaving the sport as a figure skater to medal in four games. plashanko was the only skater in the short program. no medal in the event for team russia. >> men's hockey, team usa - a couple of favourites to take hotel the gold in sochi meeting on saturday. in the only warm-up, the americans made short work of a slovakia team loaded with n.h.l.

talent. jonathan quick turned away 22 shots. it was red, white and blue in the men's slope style skiing. josh christiansen won the gold: it marks the third sweep in winter olympics history in the united states since 2002. >> so here is your medal count thus far: >> seven of germany's medals of of the gold variety. that is a look at sport for this hour. >> hollywood mourning another loss. long-time actor ralph waite died. he was known to millions as the fath are on "the waltons" in the 1970s family drama set in the great depression. he acted in the c.b.s. crime

drama "n.c.i.s." as seen in this photo. his manager did not reveal the cause of death. ralph waite was 85. >> because of its struggles, real estate in the bankrupt city of detroit was happy. some homes selling for $1. free homes are being given to aspiring writers for free. >> the three houses in detroit may not be much to look at. old, eyesores. but when toby barlow and a few friends came across the properties, he saw growth. >> there's a lot of people tearing down homes, but not a lot retoring them. >> two were sold at $1,000 a piece. they acquired a third through a donation. the plan is to renovate and give the homes away to three aspiring writers for three.

it's called the writer house project. >> it's a city that needs and deserves writers, whether you are a poet, writing essays, whether you are a novelist. there's a lot to write about. >> in a city with 80,000 abandoned structures, more houses are being brought down than there are being built. once word got out, the news spread fast, not just locally, but worldwide. shannon lowell worked and lived here all of his life. >> we are trying to put the soul back into the skeleton of a neighbourhood. >> it's a good thing. >> as you can see, there's a lot of work to be done. it will cost between 25 and 50,000 to renovate each house. once the work is complete the writers can move in. the only cost to them will be to pay property taxes and insurance.

>> toby barlow believes it's a concept that could hit home. >> our hope is that it inspires people to do something different here. we are focused on writers. there's no reason you couldn't take the model and bring teachers or say to the fire department or the police, "how would you like to have a house?" >> after money is raised to support the projects, a nonprofit, they'll begin work. they'll welcome applications in the spring, with hopes of making a difference in detroit, one house at a time. >> detroit's population lost more than 1 million residents since the 1950s. >> ashing yolss in e -- archeologists in egypt uncovered an ancient mummy over 1,000 years old. it dates to 1500 b.c., found in a wooden coffin. scientists will study the

remains to learn more. that'll do it for this edition of al jazeera. i'm thomas drayton. thanks for watching. "the stream" is coming up next, and we leave you with another snowy look at new york city. have a safe morning. hi, i'm lisa fletcher, and you are in "the stream." we'll break down the trans trans-pacific tonight. ♪ our digital producer wajahat ali is here bringing in all of your live feedback. this trade agreement while like