wahlstrom thank you. if you hav want to learn more go to www.aljazeera.com/consider this. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories that we're following for you. glitches on the last day to sign up for affordable care act. plus the rain stopping for now making it easier for workers at the deadly mudslide in washington state. and coming out slinging on new rules of collisions.

>> today is the deadline to sign up for insurance under the affordable care act, but people saying they've already had problems. many heading to healthcare.gov was greeted with error messages but now it's up and running. >> the white said it's routine maintenance that happens every night. that was not unusual. but the down period lasted far longer than it usually does and on a crucial day. it was down at 9:00 a.m. eastern time and there are a few social media course that the government is directing people to sign up for healthcare. folks were contacted after the site was back up and running so they could sign up but it's crucial hours before the typical workday started that folks were not able to sign up. >> i get the feeling that republicans wasted no time

ramping up their attacks on obamacare. >> reporter: this is an ongoing fight that has been going on. obamacare is expected to be a crucial point of whether they like the obama administration. the democrats, or whether they'll vote for republicans and opt to put more of them in the senators which is really the big deal heading into 2014 midterm. now the fight over the federal healthcare law played out on the sunday talk shows as it has been for many months. giving the pros to healthcare.gov and affordable healthcare over all. >> this law is working. i think the republican playbook of repeal obamacare, repeal obamacare gets tougher and more and more people get healthcare. >> i think they're cooking the books on this. >> reporter: you see, the

majority of americans do not actually favor repealing the law although they do think there are real problems with it. the proof will be in the pudding. how many folks will they be able to sign up by the end of the day, and how many people will be able to get healthcare over th. >> libby casey, thank you very much. there has been a break in the weather for crews working in washington state who are sifting through the mud and debris easier today. allen schauffler in arlington, washington, how are the search and rescue efforts going today? >> reporter: well, they'll be out doing the same nasty work they've been doing for the last nine days. but they'll get a little bit of a break with conditions more benign today. more remains have been identified. the official number of dead from this massive landslide now

stands at 21. the dog teams that have been so important this past week are getting a bit of a break. they'll have a two-daybreak to rest after the long wet weekend. but the human shifts are back at it. they're back at work. >> reporter: for the tenth day emergency workers will slog through the mud and debris, 17 feet in places. they're still finding bodies and acknowledge that many of the victims may never be located in the jumbled mess that was once a rural neighborhood on the snow can yoon thesnoqualmie river. >> you have everything out here. >> reporter: a service road finished over the weekend links the east and west side of the

debris field making the p.o. of personnel and equipment easier. it's not open to public traffic, and there is no official timeline for when the stayed highway buried in the mud will be cleared and repaired. >> people are resilient. people are ready to do what they need to do to help and move on from here. >> reporter: they should get a break for the next 48 hours or so with drier weather predicted for the region, making it difficult and gruesome job a little bit easier as so many families still wait for answers. >> people see a mudslide and they see all the aerial photographs, but they don't see the people who lived there. >> reporter: we've heard a lot about the generosity that this disaster has produced in this area and around the country. two more examples. united way of snohomish county has raised $500,000 so far. we just had breakfast at a cafe

here. they have a jar out on the counter. like so many businesses do in this area. they brought in $2,000 in the last couple of days. >> good to see the sun behind you. any idea how long this weather is going to last? >> reporter: i'm sorry, del, you cut out, if you're asking how long this is going to last, i don't think anybody has put an end to this thing. i don't think there is any timeline for uncovering and repairing the highway, and the amount of debris that is out there to be moved, the amount of things that have to be sifted through, i'm not sure that anybody at this point is putting an end date. rescuers are still operating as if they believe they can find someone alive out there. it's not logical to think that will happen after nine days, certainly, but that's how they're progressing, they're maintaining their intensity. >> allen schauffler live for us

in arlington, washington. thank you very much. in texas the oil spill in the houston challenge may spread. the authorities say they're responding to oil sightings about 200 miles southwest from where the spill first originated. crews working to clean up tar bulls that have been spotted in nearby beaches. no. new mexico a protest over police shootings in albuquerque have turned to riots. there have been shouts of anti-police slogans. this is social media that captured the scintillate into the night. it stems from 37 police-involved shootings. no parts of the world are immune from climate change and it will only get worse. the governments are not doing enough to cut greenhouse emissions. scientists say climate changes will lead to widespread hunger

and drought. another risk is rising sea levels and coastal flooding. that seems to be in the case on an island in bangladesh. they say their island is slowly disappearancdisappearing and itr decades in the making. >> they never thought it would happen. for years he watched as the rivers swallowed homes of his fellow residents, but he always thought that his family would be safe. a year ago the river was miles away. but the water has broke through. this used to be the room where the family would eat. now they eat out in the open. ithis is the home where he was born. >> this used to be the garden

that belonged to the family. just ten years ago it used to take two whole days to walk from here to the river bank. stretching out from here there used to be a dozen villages. today they're all gone. according to experts climate change is to blame for the island's disappearing act. rising sea levels and a river has crashed down on the shores thanks to erratic rain. >> it is that countries are responsible and they have to take response seatbelt the bangladesh government has created villages but there aren't enough of them. >> demand for houses is much more than supply. there are so many people who lost their homes. the demand is too much. >> reporter: even some of these villages have been lost to the encroaching waters. so far half a million residents

have been displaced. the rest fear it won't be long before they share the same fate. al jazeera. >> more than three weeks after the missing malaysia flight disappeared, still no clues of what happened to flight 370. an australian ship has joined the search. australia's prime minister said there is no time limit and he vows to continue the search. north and south korea exchanging fire this morning. the two neighbors launching artillery shells following live drills. the north fired 500 shells, the south fired back with 300 shells. there are no reports of any injuries. coming up on al jazeera america it is called modern day slavery some workers in the united kingdom are being abused.

and the citrus crisis hits lime lovers smack dab in the middle of their margaritas.

>> the man who fired shots at the white house could face up to 27 years in prison. os scar are a measure row hernandez be will be set to be sentenced today. he fired shots at the white house. he was first charged with attempting to assassinate the president but dropped those charge in a plea deal last mon month. the cries in ukraine continues this day. russian foreign minister is meeting with his french counter counterpart today after discussions with secretary of state john kerry.

talks between lavrov and kerry failed to come to resolution of the crisis in ukraine. >> ththethe extent of modern day slavery in u.k. is shocking. the focus is on filipino workers. the sponsorship system has been allowed employers to seize their passports and effectively enslave them. this woman took after overdose. >> i took pills and went to the bedroom. my employer came to see me. she said are you crazy. what you did is dangerous. i said i want to die. >> what is extraordinary about this slavery seems to be happening in the wealthiest parts in parts of london.

rich arabs from the gulf employ servitude transport their rules and staff to london on the assumption they can get away with it just as easily here. but this is not the only thing set hyped th behind tying the vd worker and it means filipino staff have left with no rights. >> you don't have any chance to change any employer. what will happen is they will stay in the house being abused, not being fed, not being paid because you know if you go, if you runaway from your employer you will become undocumented. >> the home office is standing by its visa rules. abusive overseas workers is unacceptable, it said, but it has access to protections under

u.k. employment laws and are provided of a letter informing them of their rights in the u.k. and where to get help if needed. human rights said of this report this thanksgiving the system is not working. >> there is no way to check on workers once in the u.k. some have said that employers told them to sigh in the visa placing saying we're going to pay our workers £1,000 a month, instead they're paying £200 a month and that is sent to the philippines so they don't see any of that money. >> they will not cover abuse of domestic staff. their rights appear to be solely in the hands of their employers with few checks on their welfa welfare.

al jazeera, london. >> well, street kicking off the last day of the quarter with the rally of the dow up 101 points, but it's been a rough three months. the dow was down 1% for the quarter and on the flip side, the s&p now up about 1%. investors embracing for comments from janet yellen who said there is still room for the fed to help the economy and they'll keep their interest rates low for quite some time as the job market is tougher now than any other recession in history. mary barra will respond to the company's delayed reaction to the deadly switch problem. g.m. discussed two situate fixes but didn't do anything. the house hearing comes after g.m. added more calls to its recall list. apple an samsung back in

court in their lawsuit. applsamsung claiming apple stolo of its ideas for use of its iphones andy pads. lime's in mexico called green gold, a shortage leaving the prices to soar and changes the flavor of life. >> reporter: in mexico it's hard to think of life without lime's. this little citrus is a staple of daily living. lime's used for food, warding off illness. >> i put lime on everything. the only thing i don't put lime on is milk because i can't, otherwise i would. a salad is not as good if it doesn't have lime on it. there is not good tequila without lime. lime is part of our lives, it was, and cultures. >> reporter: but lime's are a luxury item.

prices are soared, production is down and consumessers are unhappy. >> customers come and asked how much for lime's. you tell them and they call you crazy and leave. >> the lime groves have been hit by disease and bad weather. something called yellow dragon plague means these groves are producing less fruit. some talk of growers hording their products until price gas up. but others say they're just making the best of a bad situation. a cartoon of a millions as a way to get through the crisis. >> we mexicans laugh our worries. it definitely has an impact on our families and economy. there are other things that we

cannot afford but we laugh through all of it. that's how we cope. >> reporter: the impact of the shortage is global. the time being high-priced lime's are leaving a bitter taste. al jazeera. >> that means getting ready to shell out $5 for the lime's today. it's here, opening day for major league baseball, but america's pastime is undergoing changes to protect the players. people in indonesia celebrating. [♪ music ] we'll tell what you all the fuss is about in just a few minutes. stay with us.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are your headlines for this hour. today is your deadline to sign up for arreste affordable healt. many people have already done

so. 1.2 million people visiting the websitwebsite this week alone. crews in washington are trying to find survivors there. signs of climate change can be seen across the globe. we could be looking at global hunger and drought if nothing is done it fix the problem. it's opening day. baseball and football and hockey trying to protect it's players. there is a new rule on high profile injuries. >> it's been called the most sacred part of the game. it's where every hitter and base runner wants to end up and it's the spot that every catcher protects in earnest. this year they've added a new rule so that players who protect the plate will be protected. >> it you shouldn't be vulnerable. it gives a clear path, and i

think should not initiate contact. you know, the intent is to try to protect against head injuries and other injuries from the sport. >> i think when you look at different sports, football, hockey, they're all taking measures to protect these guys, and not just now, but in the long term. >> reporter: with support from a former catcher, rule 7.13 was introduced to eliminate unnecessary collision at home plate. the rules state a base runner may not run out in direct line in order to initiate contact with the a catcher. and the catcher may not block the pathway of a runner to prevent score unless he has possession of the ball. >> it eliminates the malicious collision. if the catcher is not set up on

top of the plate, it does not allow the run for run through them. >> one thing we're finding with our catchers, they're wanting to understand the rule more explicitly, yet from the defense side nothing has changed. it's consistent with every other place base on the field. >> it will take some time for umpires and players to adapt to the rule even though it's not drastic. >> we used to block the play, we used to get a hit. >> it will take away the aggressiveness of a catcher. it's a different base. it's not first, second or third base. it's home run. >> anything that is for keeping guys healthy and on the field i'm for. it will take time for everything to get worked out. >> not everything is perfect, and sometimes ther there will be

contact. that's fine. that's part of the game. but the ones where the catcher doesn't have the ball and the runner goes out of his way, i think that's one to look at. >> home plate collisions have always been a part of the game back in may, 2011, a young start buster posty observed a crushing blow on this plate. the giants' all time catcher suffered a fractured leg and missed the rest of the season. but his manager maintains this new rule is not about posey. >> i am not going to put this on buster. he's not the guy responsible for this. to see gary bennett laying there, i thought he was paralyzed. >> concussions are a potential by-product of home plate collisions, and it seems as though major league baseball is looking to get ahead of its problem. >> now that we have everything

that we know about con discusseconcussions,that's why s being more cautious. >> if you watch me walk you'll say, man, it looks like he took some home plate collisions. i, back, hip issues, part of it is catching and that goes with the territory, but when mike talks about his concussion issue, and how he turned from a 30-year-old man into a 60-year-old man because of getting hit in the head, it's time to make some adjustments. >> that's michael yves reporting. the new rule goes into effect this afternoon. pittsburgh hosting the cubs for today's first game. >> we have a lot of storms to talk about this opening day. this winter weather that we're dealing with, it's the rain that's caused the problem around

the northeast. take a look at what has happened. this storm was given three to four inches of rain. this is a sinkhole in washington, flood warnings in effect on top of all the rain coming down. with the cold air coming in, you could see the rain turn to snow after that storm clears out. that's a look at the radar. here is the next area of concern. this is the northwest but the storm moving south getting a little break in washington and parts of oregon. that will last for several hours. big storms developing. this is an area of big pressure. that cold air with gusting wind and snow coming down. so we have blizzard warnings in effect. wind gusting over 50 mph with reduced visibility over the entire area. look at these temperatures, 66 in omaha, that's where the low is pulling the warm wear up from the south and cold air from the

northwest and that gusting wind will create blowing and drifting snow along with this heavy band here one to two inches of snow per hour and the storm will slowly move out. one storm, high pressure in the middle. the next storm in the northern plains, an active weather pattern here. as this storm clears out you see the cold air come in behind it. high pressure will give us a break between this next storm which will continue to move in over the northern plains. look at the temperatures moving up from the south and east of the storm. the storm track moving up over the great lakes so it will bring the warm air up over much of the mid-atlantic and northeast over the next 24 hours. >> the indonesia island of bali bringing in the new year, parades, and even cockfighting filling the streets this weekend. the hindu new year bringing

introspection. i'm del walters for al jazeera. for more go to www.aljazeera.com. >> it's been 300 years how jener figured out how to oh smal stop small pox. this is "inside story."