al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... emmy award winning investigative series... the fight for native families only on al jazeera america this is al jazeera america. ferguson on thanksgiving day. boarded up business owners who worry about their future. british embassy personnel tar gelled. and deadly attacks in kabul. and the mexican president pledges to step up the fight against widespread corruption. ♪

and we begin with ferguson, while protests have thinned out there, demonstrations have grown in other parts of the country. in new york city demonstrators tried to disrupt the macy's thanksgiving day parade today. police arrested several people who were protesting a grand jury's decision. hundreds of protesters blocked streets in los angeles and cleveland, california last night. some broken windows reported in the cleveland demonstration. and in ferguson, the national guard remains in watch. john terrett has more from ferguson. >> reporter: rodney is a jock of all trades, sawing ply woods for the windows of his antique store. >> the way it is going right now, i don't see it stopping. i mean this is going on all over the country, you know?

people rioting everywhere. chicago, atlanta. >> reporter: before and especially after monday and tuesday's rioting, store owners all over ferguson have done the same. if rodney is a jack of all trades, antonio is the jack of trades. his auto repair business is just outside of ferguson, and he hasn't boarded up, good thing too, as boards keep customers away. >> i feel for them. it's like taking food out of their kids mouths. they got to eat. i feel for them, and i also feel for the people who is out here going through it. >> reporter: some insurance companies have told some businesses their policies may not be honored if they don't board up. at max's chicken store. they are listening. >> besides wanting the safety. you didn't see what is womaning. >> reporter: linda says the plan is to keep the boards in place

for the rest of the week. >> if everyone has their windowed boarded and you don't, then possibly you are the target. >> reporter: the weather has been grim in ferguson, but some signs of hope. this opt tigs that has been looking after ferguson's eyes since 1965. now they can't see through their windows. darcy is cheering the storefront up. the trees a symbol of strength and family, just like ferguson she says. >> i don't have the skill set to solve all of the problems we're facing, but i wanted to do something. it's a very, very small thing, but at least, hopefully it is a little bit uplifting for people to see some artwork instead of boards. >> darcy is not the only one. peace art is springing up all over the town. a sign of hope in a holiday season blighted by violence.

a homeless shelter in st. louis is putting extra emphasis on friends and fellowship this thanksgiving. they are trying to help the local community heal. diane this community has certainly been through a lot the last few days, how are people celebrating thanksgiving there? >> reporter: you are right. happy thanks giving, tony. and like a lot of people around the country today, people here are spending the holiday at home with their families. a lot of the protesters have taken a break from their demonstrations. but there are others spending the holiday trying to mend this community. trading his hammer for a spoon, this carpenter dished up thanksgiving dinner with other volunteers at a st. louis homeless shelter. for him it was a small step in healing his community. >> there is too much negative in the world.

too much negative. the need to be positive come out of everything. >> you are here for a nice dinner. >> reporter: at the center, there was no sign of the racial tension that has ruptured st. louis since a white police officer shot and killed a black teenager last summer. here 500 blacks and whites dined together. >> reporter: everybody is really nice and friendly. >> reporter: and work together to make the homeless feel at home. >> happy thanksgiving folks. >> reporter: more than 200 volunteers seated guests, bussed tables, and pulled kitchen duty. jacqueline volunteered with 50 members of her church. it was her first time here. she admitted michael brown's shooting has ripped the community apart. >> it's good to see it's a black or whitish you, it's a very real

human issue of being homeless, or not having what you need for general activities of daily living. food, water, shelter. >> reporter: larry rice says he was stunned by the number of vokts. he has been hosting these dinners for four decades, and said he has never seen so many eager helpers. he said he only hopes this goodwill will last longer than a day. >> the surgeon has opened up the cancer. i want to see healing. i vant to see violence stop, but i also want to see healing take place. >> reporter: a lot offing volunteers admit this is an area that is rm hurting right now, and it could take a long time for the area to heal. tony? >> diane for us. happy thanksgiving. three rounds of explosions and gunfire in the afghan capitol of kabul will taliban

fighters staged attacks. this after a suicide bomber rammed a car into a british embassy vehicle. charles stratford reports from kabul. >> reporter: afghan security forces race into the road. another suicide attack along a highway that has become one of the most dangerous places in kabul. the car bomber targeted a british embassy vehicle. >> translator: when the explosion happened i was standing there. i saw dead bodies in the road. some had no arms. it was a land cruiser vehicle. both cars came together and the explosion happened. there were foreign casualties. >> reporter: the force of the blast through the vehicle across four lanes of traffic. security forces and foreign troops sealed off the area. >> translator: there were lots of wounded and dead. i saw a mini van with passengers

that were wounded. the police rushed the injured to the hospital. >> reporter: the taliban claimed responsibility saying they targeted what they described as foreign invaders. the suicide bombing happened just behind me. the authorities have removed the vehicles, but they are saying they have seen massive rise in attacks in recent weeks. there have been numerous attacks over the last few months. the majority of nato forces are expected to leave afghanistan by the end of this year. the taliban threatened to step up itself attacks against foreigners after the afghan president signed an agreement in september that allows some foreign troops to remain and train afghan forces. it seems nay are keeping their word. charles stratford, al jazeera, kabul. there is conflicting information coming in from the united states and yemen's government as to what exactly

happened in a secret u.s. commando mission earlier this week. the raid killed several al-qaeda fighters and rescued several hostages. it happened at an al-qaeda safe haven in yemen's rural region near the board we are saudi arabia. according to a report in the "new york times," the us was looking for an unnamed american journal list, but he had been moved before the raid. u.s. officials say they still managed to save eight hostages. mexico's president is responding to citizens angry about 43 students who disappeared in september. the government says corrupt police handed them over to a drug gang who allegedly killed them and burned their bodies. now the president is proposing a new justice strategy. monica has more. >> reporter: well the disappearance of 43 students

here in iing voila was really the last straw for many in mexico. and put so much pressure on the president to announce reforms that forced him to come out on the air waive -- waves. >> translator: mexico can't keep waiting. this monday i'll send congress an initiative for congressional reform to create state police forces. this implies a new police model that will be quantitative and qualitative change to move from 1800 municipal police forces to 32 solid bodies of state security that will be more trustworthy, more professional and more efficient. >> reporter: and it took the president two months to address this political crisis, and finally he is promising he is going to tackle the security

situation and fix a broken justice system. but people are skeptical because the levels of violence in mexico because of drug cartels and drug wars are still very high. there are mass graves that are found almost every week for the last month and tens of thousands have disappeared that have not been accounted for. the world health organization says sierra leone will soon have more cases of ebola than hard-hit liberia. this comes after the national institute of health reveals a new vaccine. >> researchers say a trial of their vaccine show promising results. if it works it would be a break through in efforts to fight the spread of the deadly virus. research ehs in maryland have been working on an ebola vaccine for years. as the virus has spread in recent months, they stepped up their efforts.

the scientists gave varying amounts of the vaccine over 20 months. >> the results with the higher dose were really quite favorable. >> reporter: ebola kills about 70% of the people it infects. the current outbreak is the worst yet. it has taken 5500 lives so far. sierra leone will soon displace liberia as the worst-hit country. experimental vaccines is the first tested on people. the research will continue to test it internationally like at this clinic in sw switzerland. >> it is safe for the volunteers to manipulate their biological samples. >> reporter: they also plan to expand their research to help health-care workers in liberia starting in january.

>> we are hoping to start this much, much larger efficacy trial in first liberia to determine if it actually works. >> reporter: the scientists will face big hurdles. the vaccine needs to be kept at 112 below zero in a country with an unreliable power system, but the scientists are optimistic. >> maybe by the mid-to end of the summer of 2015 hopefully we'll get enough good data to be able to determine if the vaccine works or not. galaxosmithkline is manufacturing the experimental vaccine. it's based on a cold virus found in chimpanzees. it says it can produce 1 million doses a month by the end of next year. tony? >> thank you. oil prices plummeted today after opec members said they will not cut production levels.

the price of crude has fallen 30% since june, making it difficult for some of the 12 countries in opec to balance their budgets. jonah hull reports from vienna. >> reporter: not all of opec's 12 members can afford to see oil prices fall for long, but with deeper pockets in an increasingly competitive marketplace, saudi arabia holds sway here. it and the other gulf producers said no change. >> in the interest of restoring market equilibrium, the conference decided to maintain the production level of 30 million barrels aday, as was agreed in december of 2011. >> reporter: before the meeting some members were hopeful like iran shackeled by sanctions over itsdz nuclear program. >> i'm sure we will do it. auz opec, as i said have faced many, many problems like before

and has managed it. >> reporter: many oil producers have little else to sustain their economies. they have come to rely on the high prices of recent years. >> it impacts many of our economies. >> reporter: but the saudi oil minister new something they didn't. he was tight lipped. >> get the hell out of here, and go there, okay? >> why is that sir? >> i don't want to talk. okay. go. >> reporter: analysts say the decision is good news for consumers. >> as long as opec continues to produce at current levels, and without a change in dynamics, it is very, very hard to see how crude oil prices can do anything other than slide further, and we'll get a taste on that on monday when the u.s. markets return from the thanksgiving holiday, and yes, it looks as if lower oil prices are here for

sometime to come. >> reporter: the message seems to be no panic. the market will correct itself. but the risk for opec is that it may be seen as a hostage to market forces that it can't control, far less of a potent influence than it once was. the supreme court justice, ruth bader-ginsberg has been released from the hospital and is resting at home after heart surgery. she had a heart stint implanted this week to clear a blocked artery, she was rushed to the hospital after feeling discomfort in her chest after exercising. she is expected to be back at work on monday. the space race has gone global. the "real money" team shows us how more countries are getting into the game. and the fight over the future of california's wine country. >> they have to remember, that whole valley is riddled with the

bones of my ancestors, and those grapes are being fertilized by my ancestor's bones. native americans battling it out with vineyards in napa valley, worried that recognition could lead to a casino. we're back in a moment.

california's napa valley is known for its wine, but some people who live there are worried that that could change and very soon. a native american group in the area, fighting for tribal recognition, and some locals say

a casino could end up in the heart of wine country. >> reporter: 30 years ago janet's mother bought some land on the steep rocky slopes. she dreamed of creating a great cab bernier sew venn i don't know. >> i'm second generation, and essentially what we call our community and what we embrace is everything that you see behind me. it has pretty much looked the same since it was a little girl. >> reporter: it's an enclave that lives by a strict set of rules. in 1968 leaders in our community established the first agricultural preserve in the united states. and it had very rigid land-use laws, so you couldn't even put a small four-room bed and breakfast without the voter's approval in the country. ♪

>> reporter: so when vineries learned a casino like this one might be built, napa valley paniciced. >> it's not good for our community. >> reporter: so far no one has even announced plans to build a casino here, but this is the man who might. >> i'm kind of sick of hearing about these things. our tribe was wrongfully terminated. and deserve its status restored. >> reporter: is he on a campaign. he says he main goals are access to special education and housing benefits. >> i don't want to waste any time on what if you build a casino, what if you build a casino. i can't answer those questions. >> reporter: the burrow of indian affairs is considering changes federal guidelines to make it easier for native american tribes to gain official status. any rules could have a potential

impact on what is happening in napa. in the 1950s they lost their tribal status during a time when the federal government was trying trying to dissolve tribes. >> they have to remember, that whole valley is riddled with the bones of my ancestors, and those grapes are being fertilized by my ancestor's bones. and they think they -- they came to that valley, and they made it this precious valley, but before that it was unique in its own way. >> reporter: the battle between the vineries and the tribe has gone for years, but with the possibility of changes at the federal level, some changes may be just over the horizon. ♪ you know the united states has the most developed private commercial space industry in the

world. and the biggest government space program. okay, which camera? okay. but other countries are making the expensive leap to join the space race. mary snow has our report. >> reporter: the european space agency erupts into cheers and hugs as history is made. a european spacecraft lands on a speeding come met after traveling 4 billion miles over the last decade. it's aim? to collect information about the earliest days of solar system. it was a social media bonanza as the head of the european space agency made it clear, score one for europe. >> this is the best of the world, because we are the first to have done that, and that will stay forever. thank you very much.

[ applause ] >> reporter: not so far off from the global interest that was sparked in 1957. >> all over the world people are tuning in to the beep beep of the satellite. >> reporter: the russian satellite launched into orbit and launched the space race. >> in an age where the race to concur space as become a all-income peszing factor. >> but it was fought with political tensions. now it's what people in the space industry call co-op tigs. >> this is an example of multiple countries coming together from all across the globe to work on a collaborative project. the most complex engineering feet that we have ever attained requiring the efforts, labors and investments of multiple

nations. >> reporter: but as a result of tensions over ukraine, the u.s. announced it was suspending all cooperation with russia, except for the space station. nasa still relies on russia to send american astronauts to the space station, paying around $70 million a seat for each astronaut. china is also working on building its own space station, and it has set its sites on landing on the moon and collecting lunar samples, perhaps to compete with u.s. companies looking to fine there. the united states still pumps the most money into its space programs at $42 billion in 2013. europe and russia come in a lose second with around $5 billion, followed by china at about $3.5 billion, and japan at $2.5 billion. india has one of the smallest

budgets at $1 billion, but it hasn't deterred the country from making huge leaps. >> liftoff! >> reporter: india launched a mars orbit for in 2013 on its first try and on shoe string budget of $75 million compared to nasa's $671 million for a similar mission. >> the success of our space program is a signing symbol of what we are capable of. >> reporter: mary snow, al jazeera. and tonight on "real money," ali velshi, and his team are dedicating the entire hour to the emerging commercial space economy. tune in at 7:00 pm eastern for the business of space. a new record for the record industry. more than 1 million vinyl records have been sold in the u.k. this year. before itunes and digital downloads, helping to fuel the

retro resurgence, pink floyd became the fastest selling vinyl release in 1977. but music industry insiders say vinyl will remain a niche. coming up, we'll look at what replacing chuck hagel could mean. and we'll take you to the cranberry bugs of washington state where some growers are worried about the future. we'll explain. ♪ >> tomorrow. al jazeera america presents. >> this is it. >> oscar winner alex gibney's "edge of eighteen", thanksgiving marathon. >> oh my god! >> intense pressure. >> if i said that i'm perfectly fine, i would be lying. >> tough realities. >> i feel so utterly alone. >> life changing moments. >> in this envelope is my life. >> if you don't go to college

you gonna be stuck here... i don't wanna be stuck here. >> catch the whole ground-breaking series. "edge of eighteen". thanksgiving marathon. tomorrow. 9:00 am eastern. only on al jazeera america.

>> we're following stories of people who died in the desert. >> the borderland marathon. >> no one's prepared for this journey. >> experience al jazeera america's critically acclaimed original series from the beginning. >> experiencing it has changed me completely. >> follow the journey as six americans face the immigration debate up close and personal. >> it's heartbreaking. >> i'm the enemy. >> i'm really pissed off. >> all of these people shouldn't be dead. >> it's insane. >> the borderland thanksgiving day marathon. on al jazeera america. >> the u.s. military is operating in dozens of countries, both openly and

secretly. secretary of defense chuck hagel says the u.s.'s approach is worldwide, but he is leaving his post. he has faced criticism for the operations in the middle east. the taliban bombing in the afghan capitol today is just the latest attack. violence has been escalating across the country and the u.s. and other nato forces are gradually withdrawing. analysts say the climate there is the worst it has been in years. earlier i spoke with james boys from london and asked him about the current instability in afghanistan, despite the u.s. military drawdown and a security agreement in place. >> there is a new leader in afghanistan, and that is to be welcomed, because quite frankly anybody other than hamed karzai will be a good thing.

the leadership in afghanistan is widely debatable. you can put a ring of steel arpg the capitol, but as soon as you get out in the countryside, the taliban and remnants of al-qaeda come up again. and that's why the american administration is having to leave the best of 10,000 troops there in country. but it certainly isn't where this administration wanted to be when it came into office six years ago. >> absolutely. to chuck hagel resigning clearly under pressure, and under a cloud of criticism for among other things the u.s. policy on isil, on isis, but is there concern that this is exactly the wrong time for a change in leadership? >> it is remarkable, isn't it? as you quite rightly phrase your question. did he walk? was he pushed?

it's impossible to tell at this point. he managed to get into a fight with susan rice someone who seems to be able to get into a fight in an empty room quite frankly. changing leadership and suggesting that his leadership for the strategy is quite remarkable. it is interesting that president obama is changing his strategy at exactly the same time that george bush did when donald rumsfeld left. so what can a new secretary get done before he or she is forced to leave office when obama leaves. >> clearly when there are so many challenges abroad, a shrinking military budgets, and conflicts within the country, it's about the direction and policy moving forward.

military budgets, and moral. how does any new person tackle all of that? >> well i don't think they do. i think the problem you have ultimately tony is the pentagon is an unmanageable beast in many ways. and the secretary of defense reports to the president. he responds to the president and ultimately it's the administration headed by the president who will decide where the budget lies. the defense secretary can petition and lobby for as much of the cut of the pie as they can claim, but the president and the administration has to make decisions about where to give allocations. and both this defense secretary, and two predecessors before that wasn't putting sufficient strength behind america's fighting men and women. >> james do you think the

taliban -- getting back to afghanistan for a moment -- do you think the taliban will continue to try to seize on this moment? and see it as an opportunity to take back control of more of the country? >> well, i -- i fail to see why they wouldn't. in every conflict you can constantly looking at what your enemy is up to and trying to expose weaknesses. the electoral time scales, however, are set in stone. so the taliban know this. they realize obama has only a certain amount of time left on the clock, and 12 months from now, we'll be looking for new hampshire and iowa, so the focus will be off of foreign policy. so there are weaknesses to be exploited in the time scale and the departing administration. >> that was james boyce. hundreds of people protested in central india today, demanding the ruling bjp party

step down. they want the government to take responsibility for at least a dozen women who died during mass sterilization earlier this month. in india 97% of people sterilized between 2012 and 2013 were women. faiz jamil takes a look at why. >> reporter: these are loving parents to their children. but they decided that five children were enough for their family, and samad understanding went specialization. the idea of her husband beingsterrallized was quickly ruled out. >> i thought about it, but i'm a working man. i already have pain in my back, so i decided not to have the procedure. >> reporter: 95% of sterilization are performed on

women. just this month 14 women died and dozens more were left in critical condition after being sterilelized at a temporary government family planning center. these incidents consider despite the fact that male sterilizat n sterilizations are done by a simple procedure. >> i'm living a very happy life medically, physically there are nothing -- nothing happened. whatever i have heard about that people will have some tiredness, or they will not be able to do the hard work. there is no such problem. >> reporter: but men like this are increasingly one of the few being sterilelized. in 2008 more than 800 men attended a yearly sterilization center here in new delhi. but that fell to 160 last year. across the country the male

sterilizations continue to fall. this surgeon says while attitudes will have to change to get more men sterilelized more effort has to be made from the health community itself. >> it also has to do with the service availability and service provision. we could work harder to get men forward for sterilization. we need to inform them. clear the misconceptions. >> reporter: his sterilization was successful, but could have carried risks. until word is spread women will continue to bare the burden of india's ambitious family planning program. and tomorrow we will take a look at burkina faso and the contraceptive device available there for just $1. there are other stories making headlines across the country toda

today. >> 300,000 homes started the day today without electricity across new england. nearly 200,000 homes lost electricity in new hampshire, and another 80,000 were in the dark in maine. >> i always like to keep it at a couple of hours at the most. maybe get it back on here shortly. get some refrigerators working again, and some electricity would be great. >> crews have been working to repair lines, but yut lilty companies say it could be a couple of days. a roadway in hawaii closed by flowing lava is open again. officials say they hope drivers will not stop to look at the lava. a 9-year-old girl in the town of utah was honored for rescuing her mom after a car crash. they were on their way to school

when another driver hit them from behind. mom fainted and lamar swung into action. she even gave her mom juice from her lunch box and helped revive her before police came. >> she buried her head in my chest, grabbed ahold of me and was kind of crying. kind of broke my heart. i have been on the job for 15 years, and never had an experience with a little kid like that. >> her mom was a diabetic so she learned what to do before. >> we need that engagement more. >> yeah, good story. >> happy thanksgiving. cranberry farmers will soon be getting a helping hand from farmers. there is a huge crop this year, which means prices are dropping.

as alan reports that could be a big problem for farmers. >> reporter: a sparkling fall day perfect for a good harvest. vines with flooded, the berries shaken off and pushed into a loading machine. but there are too many berries this year, and the prices farmers can demand are dropping. >> its costs about $0.30 a pound to grow cranberries. >> reporter: growers who belong to the huge cooperative ocean spray, should be okay. prices are prearranged, smaller independent farmers could take a holiday hit. >> they are struggling. they are trying to find alternatives. there is only so many niches out there. >> here is one example. pure unfiltered juice from washington's only commercial

organic operation. >> it is good. >> we are the farmers, we produce our own juice. >> reporter: part of the young couple's survival strategy is a narrow target market. they sell to bars and restaurants where the tart juice is mixed into high-end cocktails. but 2014 could be a bitter harvest for others. >> these small family farmers that are sort of the salt of the earth on these rural communities, and there are hundreds of them out there, are going to be hurt a lot. >> >> reporter: he says the shakeout might last several years. power politics coming up. political contributor, michael shure has its picks and pardons for this year's political turkeys. and an exciting year in

college football. michael eaves is here with a look at how this weekend could be pivotal to how it all works out. ♪

politicians have a lot to be thankful for this year, especially republicans, right? but there were also some huge gaffes. political contributor, michael shure offers up his take. >> the presidential turkey pardon is now as much a part of our american holiday as traffic and football. it's so erroneously attributed to harry truman, they have issued a statement that it is due to george bush. we want to extend holiday warmth. we offer our own set of pardons for this year's political turkeys. may they roam free this

thanksgiving. at least most of them. for iowa's candidate for saying things like -- >> if you help me win this race, you may have someone with your background, your experience, your voice, someone who has been literally fighting tort reform for 30 years, or you might have a farmer from iowa, who never went to law school. >> there's no towel service, and so we're doing our own laundry down there. and we pay a fee to belong to the house gym. >> what is so strange about this story is it's an example of where when someone else's animals are in your yard, you are the bad neighbor. >> we give you congressman our first power politics political turkey pardon. even if it was your neighbor's pet chickens not turkeys that almost caused you to take action number to vance mcallister, to

whom the voters gave him a fourth place finish, we give a full power politics turkey pardon and a kiss good-bye. to former virginia governor, the state gave him indictment on charges of campaign fraud and bribery, and we offer him a pardon only because our pardon won't hold up in court. to the michigan g.o.p. who came up with this ad. >> dark clouds are gathering, and gary peters is in the eye of the storm. wounded by a convicted fallen, connected to a loan shark ring, run by an international gangster who also contributed to peter's campaign. [ burp. ] >> gary peters, loan shark nato, coming soon to a voting booth near you. >> we offer a full and free power politics turkey pardon.

and to alison lundergan crimes who fought so hard for a seat, but wouldn't tell us who she voted for in the 2012 election. >> our constitution grants here in kentucky the constitutional right for privacy at the ballot box for a secret ballot. you have the right. every kentuckyian has that right. and as secretary of state, i'm tasked with overseeing and making sure we're enforcing all of our election laws. >> we voted to pardon you for being a political turkey. to scott brown who moved states to run for the senate again, and actually forgot where he was -- >> i have heard from republicans who are thankful i have been around here for a year helping them raise money, helping them raise awareness as to the issues that are effecting people here in massachusetts -- in new hampshire, but also in massachusetts as well. >> we offer this turkey who lost

a senate race in two states, a pardon. for our esteemed vice president, this year we offer a turkey pardon for a comment he made citing the two countries that were quote the biggest problems for the united states in dealing with islamic states. those countries, the united arab emirates, and, well, turkey. and we grant a turkey pardon for that. and we also had a turkey with fans this year. former governor charlie crist gets a pardon for combining cool air with the hot air that floridians thought he had this year. >> governor chris has asked to have a small fan placed underneath his podium. the rules of the debate that i was shown by the scott campaign say that there should be no fan.

somehow there is a fan there. >> and finally even though she showed no such mercy with another species on the farm -- >> i grew up castrating hogs on a farm. so when i get to washington i'll know how to cut pork. it's time to force washington to live within our means. i'm joni earnst and i approve this message, because washington is full of big spendingers, let's make them squeal. >> we offer joni earnst a political pardon, and while his tweeting about politics made donald trump a real turkey, including this one telling kentucky that mitch mcconnell may be the next speaker of the house, even though he was running for the senate, listen to this, why would they want a

rookie senator, they have mitch who may be the next speaker and bring dollars to kentucky. unfortunately we ran out or pardons, donald. for that pardon us and have a happy thanksgiving. >> michael shure with us. when a rocket bound for the international space station exploded, it caused more than just problems for the station. that's next and then "real money with ali velshi". >> american businesses shoot for the moon and beyond. we look at the money fuelling a modern day space race. it's the business of space coming up at the top of the hour.

for the first time ever, the top division of college football will hold a playoff to determine its national champion, and this holiday weekend could determine

which teams advance. michael how was this year's system different from last year's? >> if you think about last year, we have the bowl championship series. well that took the polls into play, and computer rankings into play, and took a fancy formula to get number one and number two to play against each other. it worked for a while. people still want an actual playoff. they want teams to play in a tournament format to determine who is the best team. they had that this year. they had a 12-member committee to decide who are the best teams to play in the playoff game. >> let's say the playoffs actually start this week, how does it look now? >> some of the best teams are at the top of the rankings. let's show you the tournament

bracket. oregon would play number three, florida state. at the bottom of the screen, we put those there to show you which two teams have the best chance to jump into the top four. but if it started today, michigan state, and oregon state, the winner of those two would play. the difference now is the fact that for the first time since the ranking came out the teams did not move. the top seven teams stayed in the same spot. all of the strength if you will of those teams remain the same. so the committee feels very strongly that these are the best teams in the country right now. >> florida state, right -- >> yeah. >> won the national championship last year. >> uh-huh. >> ranked third this time

around. behind teams with losses. >> yeah. >> how does that figure? >> they are the only undefeated team on top of the rankings. but they haven't played well. people look at their strength of schedule and any teams they played hasn't been very impressive. and jameis winston has been under a lot of pressure this year. >> yeah. >> and the team maybe -- maybe as a result -- maybe an indirect result has not played well. they have not been impressive despite winning all of their games. and the committee members feel -- they just feel that the other teams are better than florida state. >> how important are the games this weekend? there is a big iron bowl game. >> this is huge this week. this is rivalry week in college football. we'll show you the schedule of games coming up this weekend, and why it's significant, especially for alabama. last year's iron bowl was huge,

because auburn upset alabama, and went on to play for the national championship. in those games you see the win/loss records on the right side of the screen, and you are like those teams should have a pretty good chance to move on. but in rivalry games emotions play and the records don't really matter. there is one caveat for mississippi state. they will not have to play a championship conference game. so they would pretty much be guaranteed to play in the national championship game without having to play an additional game. >> how great is this weekend of football going to be? >> i'm looking forward to it. >> michael thank you. >> absolutely. >> engines at 108%.

>> so last month a nasa rocket burst into flames right after lift off. it destroyed the spacecraft and dashed the dreams of four young iraqi refugees. they had a science experiment on board, but now they are getting a second chance. bisi onile-ere has the their story. >> five, four, three, two, one . . . we have ignition. and we have liftoff. >> reporter: when an unmanned nasa rocket launched from virginia last october, the dreams of these iraqi refugees living in detroit took flight. >> i was so excited, like our experiment is in that rocket, and it's going up. >> reporter: and moments later, disaster. the rocket explodes just after takeoff. in it commercial supplies and

over a dozen science experiments, one of which belonged to the eighth graders. >> somebody told me it blew up. and i said no we just can't see it. and then i started crying. >> reporter: they developed a tool that can test the effect that iodine tablets can have on e. coli bacteria in zero gravity. and now nasa is offering them another chance. >> they want to improve the world. they want to give back to their country. >> reporter: over a year ago, the girls fearing religious persecution fled iraq with their families. they have witnessed death and destruction, life experience that became the catalyst for their science experiment. >> when i was in iraq, we didn't

have clean water. like -- it's -- it wasn't clean that much. like maybe sometimes people get sick or some of them die. >> reporter: madson's superintendent says that there is a lesson in this experiment for everyone. >> to see what the results of possibly cleaning water could have for their lives personally, that's a big deal, but also for our school community to say science, technology, engineering, and math, those are really big and important things for this generation of students. >> this school make me a better person, and maybe my future will start from here since this experience. >> reporter: they hope to make a difference and believe that the sky is the limit. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. and finally thanks giving with a view, crew members are celebrating the holidays 260 miles above earth on the

international space station, and on the menu? smoked turkey and freeze-dried green deans. and thermo stabilized cherry, blueberry cobblers. "real money with ali velshi" is next. ♪ the business of space, a new age is dawning for space exploration, a new commercial space age. >> we're democratizing space. it's about you and me, not just some massive government program. >> private american companies racing to advance the technology that will challenge our concept of space. they call it