>> i think that what needed to be done was done. i think we were perfectly justified in doing it and i'd do it again in a minute. >> former vice president dick cheney on defense standing behind the c.i.a. on the torture after the 9/11 attacks. >> increased tension in the middle east, a palestinian government official is laid to rest overnight as israelis and palestinians disagree on what killed him. >> the bone dry west coast facing its strongest storm

system in five years. the drought stricken states confronted with flooding and mudslides. >> getting tough on bad behavior. nfl commissioner roger goodell laying out a personal conduct policy for players accused of domestic violence. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walterser. as criticism mounts in the u.s. and abroad about the c.i.a. tactics, the agency is defending what it did. >> bush administration is blasting the investigation by senate democrats. dick cheney found their findings deeply flawed and directors of the program say the policy saved american lives. some pretty strong words from former bush administration officials, especially cheney. >> well, cheney's just one of the bush administration officials pushing back hard against this senate intelligence committee report, both former and current c.i.a. officials

also claim that the techniques used were authorized, they were legal and they were effective. >> widespread condemnation and calls for accountability in the wake of an explosive senate report detailing the c.i.a.'s interrogation program. >> real actual people engaged in torture. some of these people are still employed by the c.i.a. and the u.s. government. >> governments abroad, including china, iran and afghanistan are also taking the american program to task. >> all accepted norms of human rights in the world and american law have been violated by a number of c.i.a. agents and their contractors. >> prosecuting anyone involved in the enhanced interrogation techniques is highly unlikely. the justice department looked into allegations of prisoner abuse in 2012 and chose not to indict. >> it's bad enough not to prosecute these officials, but to reward or promote them and risk the integrity of the u.s.

government to protect them is incomprehensible. >> current saying director john brennan and his predecessors are firing back insisting no one lied about the use of harsh techniques and no one then including president gorge w. bush was kept in the dark in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. >> in all these activities, the president authorized them, the congress was briefed without objection, and we carried them out. >> former c.i.a. director james polsey sharply credittized the is not for not interviewing anyone at the saying. >> this is about as distorted a job as i've seen come out of capitol hill in 35 or 40 years. >> former vice president dick cheney vigorously defend the program. >> we asked the agency to go take steps and put in place programs that were designed to

catch the bass starteds who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 to make sure it didn't happen again. that's exactly what they did and i'd do it again in a minute. >> in that interview with the former vice president, he also disputed any of these enhanced tech meeks amounted to torture. he said the justice department attorneys were brought in to make sure they knew where the line was and insisted that the techniques did not constitution torture. >> there's also this question, members of congress, at least a handful of them were briefed repeatedly about this program back when it was happening in 2002. did congress hold itself to account in this report at all? >> there's a little dispute about how detailed these briefings were. the c.i.a. did brief more than two dozen times. leaders of the house intelligence committee, house and senate, bob graham and

richard shelby and congressman porter goes and nancy pelosi were told about some of these interrogations within a month or so after they happened. the question is what kind of detail were they actually provided and did they raise any objections at the time. there's no indication that they did, so some critics are saying congress is not holding itself accountable for its oversight function. >> this morning, one of the alleged torture centers described in the report has been shut down. wednesday, u.s. officials seizing the center in afghanistan. they say they have turned over the last two remaining prisoners to afghan authority. both had been in c.i.a. custody since 2002. >> brazilian president broke down in tears over a report about human rights abuses and torture in her country. hundreds of people were killed and thousands tortured from the 1960's to the 1980's.

she herself was tortured herself when she was a guerilla. she hopes the report helps brazil put their dark history behind it. >> palestinians are pouring into the streets to mourn the death of a palestinian cabinet member who died with a confrontation with israeli troops. we can live to nick schiffron live in ramallah. there are conflicting reports about how he died and now differing opinions on the autopsy itself. absolutely, he said, he said when it comes to how he died. he was buried just a few hours ago and we saw a real outpouring just a few miles from here. thousands of people coming out, mourning a man who was popular not only because he was a senior member of this government, but he for years led resistance against the israeli occupation and was in charge of resisting

against settlements and wall that divides israeli from the occupied west bank. in the last few hours, a real difference of opinion on either side. palestinians have insisted from the beginning that he died because he was struck in the chest and the neck by an israeli border police officer. a statement from a palestinian pathologist said the death was caused by a blow. the israeli autopsy said: saying indications of light hemorrhaging and pressure was found in his neck. that is the only thing israel will admit to, that the border officer did choke him. they say he he died of a heart

attack, the palestinians say he would not have died if not struck by the border officer. >> how is this affecting already tense relations between the israelis and palestinians? >> for the last few months, we've been saying tensions have been simmering, the tensions could boil right now. this is not just another attack, not just another death of a palestinian by an israeli soldier. he was a senior member of the government, and so it's really less about the reaction among palestinians protesting against the israelis during traditional clashes or normal clashes, if you will, it's about the palestinian government, what they will do. their talk is already about stopping security coordination with the israeli government. those have been low-level ministers saying that. the top of the palestinian authority that not said that. that would be a real sea change. any language from the palestinian authority urging

protests might also push people on to the street, but we just don't know. the key here is how will the palestinian government respond to the death of one of its own members. >> nick schiffron live in ramallah, thank you very much. >> an al jazeera correspondent has been killed in syria. he died covering battles in the southern -- southwestern part of the country. three journalists from orient news were killed in that same area in recent days. he reported for arabic network and al jazeera.com. colleagues at the website called him daring and courageous and never afraid to put himself in danger for a story. >> congress up against another deadline to pass a spending bill or face a government shut down. the bill is teeters. >> john, what is holding up passage of this trillion dollar plan? >> congress is holding up passage of this plan as we have seen so often in the past. i warned if we will have a midnight deadline tonight.

a few last minute snags crept into the system with democrats now at odds with republicans. late tuesday, negotiators finalized the huge spending bill to keep the government running through december. a few things crept into the bill. one involves a provision dealing with derivative trading. >> they want the american taxpayers to subsidize it's risk taking, they'll take the profits if it works and push the losses on everyone else if it blows up. >> she called the provision a real stinker. another measure allows political parties to collect bigger donations from their wealthiest backers, by 10 times more. democrats are not happy with those two provisions and another that affects school lunches. republicans need some democratic

votes to pass this bill. it will be an interesting day. as somebody who has covered three of these midnight deadlines, let's hope it doesn't come to that. >> russian president vladimir putin is in india today meeting with the prime minister in new delhi. putin has agreed to help supply nuclear power to india for the next 20 years. >> ukraine's president is urging russia to withdraw its troops, petro poroshenko saying it's the only way to bring peace to the region. the separatists in donetsk are backing off. a ceasefire appears to have held there. it's unclear if peace talks will be held next week. >> police are clearing the streets this morning in hong kong. >> that is what it looked like del, earlier home run month. all of that has come to an end as police unceremoniously dismantled the protestors main camp near the city's financial

district. this is a live look at what's happening on one of the main streets of hong kong right now. those who refuse to leave are in many cases being arrested. sarah clark is there. >> they have forcibly removed remaining protestors taking part in a peaceful sit in. there were 100 ahead of me. this includes legislators arrested, taken away one by one, put on a police bus and removed. we've seen the last lot of protestors, about 600 protestors left this area once it was declared illegal. once they left, details were taken, they were recorded by police and they may be charged down the track. you may be able to see behind me. it looks more like a construction zone. 74 days of occupation has gone, everything is being removed. there are 2,000, 3,000 police here tonight clearing the sites. they want this clear tonight, want the roads reopened by

midnight. at the pace it's happening behind me, as you can see, that will happen. the students have vowed to continue their acts of civil dice obedience. there has been a huge amount of public support in the beginning, but that has waned over the last month as some question the methods being used. this is a highway that entered the central part of hong kong, it's been choked for two and a half months. i think the people want the streets returned to normal. we did see he a number of signs around here today from students saying they will be back. there's one sign about a kilometer from here that still is occupied and authorities have yet to say when they will clear that site, so that site will remain occupied. >> there was a complaint from the hong kong bus company saying protests have disrupted

business. >> protests ever taken place, 150 people marched on the university of california berkeley campus last night over the police deaths in ferguson and new york. they shut down an event and moved through city streets into oakland. one person was arrested. >> in london, dozens of people were arrested as protestors held a die-in at a shoppings center, hundreds gathering inside that mall shutting it down. a breakaway group assaulted security staff and damaged property. 76 people were taken into custody there. >> both coasts are being so could by powerful systems. >> people in the bay area of bracing for the kind of storm system they haven't seen in years. >> that's true. this storm is expected to dump record rainfall on the area. in fact, city leaders are so concerned, the school district in san francisco and oakland

have already canceled school. it's the first time the entire bay area have kept kids home since september 11. >> powerful storms are battering both coasts. the west coast getting soaked by the so-called pineapple express, a massive storm from the pacific, creating relentless rain and whipping winds. the western wall already delivering its first punch everyone washington, rivers and roads flooding. 13 inches of rain could foul by the end of the week. ago the coach, beach erosion swallowed two homes and is threatening more. >> the house just went. it's devastating. >> the storm is moving quickly into california. it's been under a state of emergency all year long due to one of the worst droughts in a century. up to eight inches could fall within 48 hours. >> we're trying to stay on top of it so it's not so bad. >> san francisco is in full on treppe mode, sandbags are running low.

rain is not the only problem for the west. a rare blizzard warning has the mountain areas in nevada bracing for snowy conditions it's not seen in 30 years. >> we could be seeing near white out conditions. it's a heavy snow and with winds blowing that snow around, we could be seeing near zero visibility at times through the passes which will make it very doing rouse. >> that won't measure up to the heavy wet snow already falling in the northeast. upstate new york has seen two feet of snow that shut down parts of the major interstate near syracuse for hours. in boston, sidewalks suffered with black ice, on the streets causing a 15 car accident. >> couldn't stop the car, it was sizy. >> winds are causing big power problems on both coasts. tens of thousands of people in new york and washington state are waking up this morning with no electricity. >> nicole mitchell's been tracking this storm system and where is it now and is it over?

>> yesterday it was hitting the northwest more, now shifting more northern california get that go today. as this was hitting washington, this is a place called wash away beach, very appropriately where in this area, the closer you get to the water, the less expensive the houses are, because it is eroding so quickly there, people could lose their homes at any time. storms like this churn things up erode things faster as the sea eats away at the shoreline. you can see that moisture, the pineapple express means this connects almost to hawaii if you know he will go in and targeting northern california, shifting farther to the south, heavy amounts of rain today and tomorrow. all the orange is high winds. we have wind gusts easily over 60 miles an hour, some places it could go hurricane force. here's how that moisture spreads. the northern part of california getting the most, widespread

areas getting at least six inches. mountainous terrain where it pools up could get close to 10 that in moisture terms that means a couple of feet of snow. widespread flooding and the concern is you could get the rain that soaks in and makes the moisture loose in the ground and the wind topples trees. that's why you are seeing to many power outages. >> potential loss of property and life, it's a serious situation out there. >> the ups and downs of the c.i.a. >> the torture just the latest in a long line of criticism of the intelligence agency. we'll look back at its history. secretary of defense joins us to discuss the report. >> there are claims that the rolling stone got it wrong about the alongside rape story. some say parts of the magazine's account just aren't true. >> survival at sea, one man's

story of how he went 12 days stranded off the coast of hawaii. >> our big number of the day, the new worry that the oceans are filling up with trash.

>> that's a big one. today's big number, 5,250,000,000,000 is how many pieces of plastic garbage is now floating in the oceans. >> that study says they found plastic in every corner of the globe from australia to the mediterranean. >> the trash is estimated to weigh up wards of 269,000 tons, most larger than 4.75 millimeters. anything smaller seems to disappear beneath the waves. >> supporters of the c.i.a. have been defending its methods. its under fire for radio what senators are calling brutal conduct. >> this is not the first time its actions have been taken. we look back at its history. >> at the c.i.a.'s private

museum, the pro fees on display highlight triumph haves. like osama bin laden's personal rifle, captured when he was killed by u.s. commandos. their recruitment ads make it look glamorous. >> be part of the national clandestine service. >> president harry truman created the c.i.a. in 1947 to act solely as its intelligence gathering service. it failed to predict the adomic bomb. the agency recovered by developing the world it is first spy satellites. it acquired new roles, including the overthrow of elected governments in guatemala and iran. >> we helped the shaw to return to power in 1953, because as a result, iran received about 25

years of reasonably good leadership. >> the agency also spectacularly failed in covert operations like the attempted 1961 invasion of cuba. that and a number of tries to kill fidel castro, among other targeted world leaders led to a missile nuclear showdown with the soviet union. the c.i.a.'s expansion among secrecy has critics, like patrick moynihan. >> intelligence community has five times the budget of the state department. what it mostly does is pass around misinformation. >> misinformation like its analysts flawed estimate that sadaam hussein ped weapons of mass destruction, the justification for america's invasion of iraq. >> we believe we understood that story. history, his own record of deception and denial, his previous use, all of these things factored into how honest

men and women did their work. >> the c.i.a. says many of its successes must stay secret and if its conduct warrants condemnation, then so do its presidents it takes orders from. >> let's go to larry korb now, a senior fellow at the center for american progress, joining us this morning from washington, d.c. as always, good morning to you. what concerns you the most, the release of this report or the pushback from the c.i.a. against the people its supposed to be answering to? >> what concerns meris the pushback, because basically this report shows what we knew and it also shows what kind of country we are, when we make mistakes, we admit them and we want to move on. these people pushing back are trying to justify rectal feeding? my goodness, what kind of country are we? >> in a the wall street journal, several directors said: is that

a red herring designed to deflect attention -- >> oh, yeah, these other countries are more concerned with right now is what are we doing to deal with isis, particularly in syria and what are we doing to deal with putin in crimea. that's their concern. they do this a you will of the time and go back to the pentagon papers, whenever we release anything, they talk about how it's going to hurt us and you can't disprove a negative. the real thing, i think is what senator mccain said, this is not who we are and unlike dick cheney who avoided military service, senator mccain was tortured. >> i want to ask you a question particularly about the former vice president dick cheney. is it your opinion he is simply

trying to set the record straight, saying this is what was needed to protect the country in the days or weeks after 9/11 or a man trying to save his own hide because he may have gone too far. >> now that we know and as i said, there's all kinds of techniques that they talk about, but to me, the one most abhor rent is this rectal feeding and he's trying to justify this. again web said well, look, we didn't have another attack. the report makes clear that there was nothing that was done that really prevented it, and in fact the report also talks about we tortured one guy and to stop the torture, he told us sadaam was getting weapons of mass destruction which colin powell used for the mindless, useless invasion of iraq. >> do you think they felt the need to hide this from colin powell, a decorated man and a

republican. >> that's true. again, what they did is they violated, which is supposedly the standard, which is the army field manual that tells you what you can do and general powell being a career army officer would have known that this, you know, this violated it and given who he is, i doubt if he would have even stayed if he knew this was happening. >> before we let you go, colorado democratic senator udall said the c.i.a. director should resign. should the agency be overhauled and if that happens, what would that achieve. >> he should, he was there, he was a deputy when all this was going on. when senator feinstein first came out and talked about this and the fact that they were actually, the c.i.a. was trying to undermine the report, he credit sides her publicly, then of course, he had to back off. you need somebody from the outside to go in there and who was not part of this culture to make sure that this doesn't

happen again, because the people running it knew it was going on and they basically didn't do anything about it. it's not even clear much they let president bush know about what was happening. >> former assistant secretary of defense, larry, thank you very much this morning. >> we are going to hear about the other side that have debate in our next hour. let's get another check of the forecast now. some warm temperatures across the midwest, meteorologist nicole mitchell is back with that. >> we've had a storm on each coast, a little bit of good news, it is december and very warm. cool temperatures are kept in here. where it's more pleasant, the central plains. we've got a flow right from the south shooting temperatures northward. some are these 10-25 degrees above offering. rapid city 60 degrees. billings at 56, atlanta, 52, you

are warmer in montana. >> lawmakers trying to pass a new budget to fund the government. >> billions of dollars are being ear marked for defense spending. some say that money is being misspent. a look at the weapons being bought that the pentagon doesn't even want. >> the nfl says its added teeth to its domestic abuse policy. league observers are happy, but the players union is not. >> one dad sets off an internet fire storm. >> the reaction that happened when he posted a picture of his toddler daughter painting his toe nails. that's one of the stories caught in our global net.

>> this is another live look at hong kong where police are taking apart pro democracy demonstration camps. we'll talk to a journalist on the ground there, a can't-miss interview. good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. ahead in this next half hour,

what the obama administration is doing to get an ebola vaccine to market. >> nfl owners agree to a new code of conduct for players. the players union is taking exception to the new rules. >> changing the rules for excuses in one state where what happened to the death chamber could be kept secret from the public. >> let's get a look at our latest headlines, northern california bracing for a major storm today, several inches of rain are expect in san francisco and public schools there are closed. officials say potential flash flooding and power outages could put students in danger. >> proponents of the c.i.a. interrogation program are defending it. dick cheney called the executive summary deeply flawed. several former c.i.a. directors said the tactics actually saved american lives. >> the house is set to vote on a spending bill that would keep the government running, but democrats are raising their opposition, objecting to

provisions they say would weaken financial regulations and allow the wealthy to send more money to political parties. jami mcintire is live on this. one other bone of contention here, defense spending. why is the pentagon unhappy? >> this one dollar and one cents trillion spending plan has almost half of the resources devoted to the pentagon, $554 million. you think the pentagon would be happy, but this bill contains things the pentagon didn't ask for and doesn't want. >> air force pilots love the low slow, an attack jet for it's survivability. the air force hates it for its fiscal survivability. the cold war relic has survived every attempt by the pentagon to kill it because it has powerful backers in congress, especially from the state where many of the

states where they are based. >> the air force has fought congress to retire the a10. why they weren't focused on other important issues, i don't know. >> the air force would argue the four billion-dollar cost of maintaining the a tens is an important issue in these tight budget times, but it's a tiny fraction of overall pentagon spending. the add have a kaz groups citizens against government waste that exiled pork products and unwanted weapons. $90 million to up grade a tank which is opposed by the pentagon, $60 million for alternative energy research, including annal. >> i bio fuel that costs $400 a gallon and $25 million for the star based youth program, which teaches science technology engineering and math to at risk youth. that's moby anti-stuff compared to the $350 billion the c.e.o.

estimates the pentagon will spend on nuclear weapons to maintain 100 times the destructive capability of world war ii atom bombs. diane fine tine argues it is unsustainable and that reducingsar nothing could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year. what's really bugging the pentagon now is it can't take money for things it doesn't want and spend it on things it does, because the so-called seek west reaction rules imposed by congress bars when the pentagon thinks would be common sense trade-offs. >> sequestration would literally render it impossible to maintain the defense strategy. >> the pentagon says it could save money closing unnecessary bases. it estimates that one in five

u.s. military bases is unneeded, but congress won't allow it, because it turns out every one of those bases is in someone's congressional district. >> which means jobs and all sorts of other things for those congressional districts and their communities. you outline what the pentagon is getting that it doesn't want, what are the things that it does want that it won't get? >> it didn't ask for as much money for the f35 fighter american as its getting. it's getting additional $240 million, that will buy four more planes. it's a very pricey fighter jet, but is something the air force wants. >> and something they've been using, thank you. >> al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula targets u.s. forces in yemen, firing missiles at a yemeni air base. unclear how many people were injured. that attack is seen as retaliation for the u.s. raid to try and rescue an american

journalist. luke somers was shot and killed before he was saved. >> laying to rest a palestinian cabinet minister, thousands turning out for the funeral. this amid a dispute over how he died. an israeli autopsy said his heart was in poor condition when he clashed with israeli troops during a protest. palestinians say those troops were to blame. we are joined now by palestinian journalist joining us from jordan. he is a columnist for el monster. how is the autopsy being received? will they accept that he had a heart attack? >> well, no. palestinians don't really get into these details. the man was carrying out a non-violent protest and all the pictures individuals show israeli soldiers trying to choke him, using violence to stop him

from doing a non-violent act, planting olive trees. whether this caused the heart attack or not, of course most people feel that he is a martyr, a person who died while defending the land and is a hero for most palestinians. >> i want to get into that more, but before we get into that, the israeli press is reporting that there was not violence against him, that he was shoved, that there was pressure put on his message. what did he represent to the palestinian resistance? there is a big argument, what is the best way to end the occupation. some say by violent means, military means. the palestinian rearedship and the p.l.o. and fatah says through popular struggle, through non-violent protests

like the one that he was killed trying to do. there is a big fight or struggle i should say about this. i think by doing what they did by causing him to become a hero, i think the israelis helped the palestinians in a way in basically formulating the martin luther king-like, gandhi protest, the key is what are the soldiers doing there, what are the settlers doing there, this is palestinian land that should be allowed to create the palestinian state. 47 years is a long time in which israeli military troops are stopping palestinians from living in a free country. whatever they did to cause the heart attack is seen as part of the problem, not part of the solution. >> what are your hopes that this incident will mean? will it the tensions between israeli settlers and palestinians as you just mentioned or will it lead to an

escalation of violence? >> no, my hope is the hope of i think the whole world, is that as the occupation ends a understand the settlement, which illegal action stops and that the world would say this is people that deserve and have a right to live in freedom and independence, and as a result, the best way to do this, is through the negotiations, but negotiation in the past have produced no results and maybe some kind of protest like this, a non-violent protest can encourage israel to realize that they are going in the wrong way by refuse to go adhere to the palestinian and the world demands that there should be an independent palestinian state and end to the israeli occupation and the settlement issue should not be part of the equation, because it's an illegal action. it's taking away properly

palestinian property -- ruled the settlements are illegal, the wall is illegal and the settlers should not be there. >> sir, thank you. >> time magazine naming the people fighting ebola as their person of the year. it comes as sierra leone ordered a two week lockdown to stop the spread in the country. we'll talk to nancy writebol about stopping the virus and the magazine decision to name those fighting the virus as its person of the year. >> the trial of james homes, accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70 others opening fire at a colorado movie theater in 2012, on wednesday, the judge denied a defense request for more time to review evidence in the case. jury selection is due to get underway next month. >> new questions about an alleged rape at the university of virginia. three students dispute details that were reported in rolling

stone. they tell the washington post the victim did not want to go to the police. several people at the fraternity where the rape allegedly happen dispute the magazines report. rolling stone apologized for not taking to or talking to all sides of the story. >> the nfl going on the offense when it comes to punishing players accused of committing domestic violence. >> team owners approving new rules pitched by roger goodell. >> we have more. these are some significant changes, i understand. >> scandals this year involving ray rice and adrian peterson drew attention to the fact that the nfl didn't have a clear conduct policy. in fact, no player before this year had ever received more than a one game suspension for domestic abuse incident. all of that changes now. >> nfl commissioner roger goodell thinks his new league abuse policy gets it right. >> the policy is comprehensive, it is strong. it is tough. >> under the new policy, anyone

in the league form ally charged with violence will go on immediate paid leave. the league will push first time offenders without pay for violations involving battery and various forms of domestic battery and sexual assault. two can result in bob issuement for the league. >> policies not just about discipline, it's about education and training. >> a key part of the new policy is who serves as the nfl's judge and jury. commissioner goodell has had that sole power in the past. now a new special council will decide and oversee investigations. >> this will be a highly qualified individual with a criminal justice background hired as soon as possible. >> while goodell still has final say over appeals, players say it's good the commissioner no longer has all the say. >> i think it's better that we go through a higher officer

rather than everything being run through goodell. >> i think it's good. obviously when there's a jury, per se, if that's the process, it's going to be more beneficial. >> the player's union criticizes the new policies because they did not have a chance to weigh in. >> we hope they don't challenge it. this is a policy really to the benefit of players and to the entire league, so it's one where we've repeatedly -- >> the nfl's abuse policy was ratified by nfl owners. the rules go into effect immediately, covering all league and team personnel, including players and team owners. >> a boater is recovering this morning after spending 12 days stranded off the coast of hawaii. the 67-year-old was alone on his sailboat on thanksgiving when a big wave snapped his mast. a coast guard search was called off after five days. tuesday, ingram was able to send out another may day call and he was rescued.

without water to drink, he had to improvise. >> i was out of water, but i hydrated on finish. i caught finish and that's what -- wasn't as good as a sushi bar, but that's how i hydrated. >> he kept his sense of humor. he is now preparing for a family reunion. he's going to meet up with hess estranged son. the two have not spoken since the 1990's. >> let's look at other stories caught in our global net. mcdonald's is struggling to hold customers so is slimming down its menu. it is nixing eight items. >> please tell me the sausage biscuit is still going to be there. >> mcdonald's wants to change the perception that it only serves junk food but is getting rid of extra value meals from 16 to now 11, but the big mac survives. >> wisconsin governor scott walker may be getting a he brew-english dictionary this

holiday season. walker seems to have mixed up the words mazeltov with molotov, a homemade grenade. his parting words in a letter to a jewish constituent said thank you again and molotov. let's hope it was auto correct. >> reddit posting a media storm. a man showed his two children with one on the couch with him and another painting his toe nails. some thought he was awesome, others thought he was ignoring his kids. almost 2,000 responses, but as the father of two daughters, i can tell you. >> i thought maybe you were going to say that the comments were about how the color didn't match. >> that's exactly what i was going to say. i will never tell you that i fell asleep during the rugrats

movies. >> some lawmakers are angry about a top treasury post, banks would have free reign over taxpayer minor. >> these two handsome young gentlemen. >> the legal fight that could bring same sex marriage before the supreme court. >> a dinosaur you could have stuck in your pocket is one of today's discoveries. >> egypt mismanaged it's gas industry >> taking the country to the brink of economic ruin >> this is because of a corrupt deal to an assigned to basically support two dodgy businessmen an israeli one, and an egyptian one... >> al jazeera exposes those who made a fortune betraying an entire nation >> you don't feel you owe an explanation to the egyptian people? >> no...no.. >> al jazeera investigates egypt's lost power

on al jazeera america

>> it's time for one of today's discoveries, say hello, that's that tiny horned dinosaur, relative of the try as her tops.

that scum is believed to be the only fossil ever found of this species. >> a battle is brewing over the appointment of a cabinet member of the treasury department. the president wants to make him the number three. senator leg bet warren and others are questioning that. some say the financial incentive is inappropriate. here to talk about it is the senior president at a financial firm. thanks for being with us. tell me about these deferred compensation packagion and what exactly do they entail? >> deferred compensation packages sometimes known as par chutes put in place for c.e.o.'s at companies if there was a change in ownership, they would

be paid out. that allowed them to have a free hand to do what's best for the business. they've morphed into other things for other reasons over the years. today it's common on wall street and other industries, as a negotiation, piece of a negotiation on employment contract when an employee comes in at a high level, that's part of the package. >> if i have $21 million sitting in an account at my old firm, there's a good chance i'm going to answer the phone when they call. >> probably so. that's the inherent problem with appointing not only wall streeters into treasury jobs, but attorneys into the department of justice or any one of the other cabinet posts or cabinet departments that you have. it's the conundrum any administration faces is that the experts in those particular cabinet democrats come from the industry that they're tasked with regulating and that is the case here. the issue with mr. weis is the headline is getting great

applause but the package for mr. weis, he was going to receive that wherever he went. >> listen beth warren suggest they create the resolving door between washington and wall street. is that right? >> i would dispute that. the pay packages are prevalent in all industries. what i think needs to happen if senator warren has real concerns about conflict of interests is put more checks and balances into his actual duties. he is proposed for a very important job. one of the biggest things is handling the debt restructuring of the u.s. government, very important job. you need somebody with a lot of experience. >> what do you say to those who say this only makes washington more out of touch with mainstream. one of the reasons you're supposed to go to government

work that pays so little is it's supposed to be. service. is it public service if you have a multi-million dollars package waiting for you? >> it is. the reality of the matter is antonio weiss is worth many millions of dollars. he was going to receive this whether he left or stayed. i do agree from the standpoint with he need more diversity in these jobs. perhaps they should force him and assistanting to meet with community banking groups -- >> keith, thanks for being with us this morning. >> legal analysts say the supreme court may take up the issue of same-sex marriage soon. adam may introduces us to a couple who's case could be the one the justice decide to take

up. >> teaching your child to drive is a milestone memory for any family, but this father and son are not a legal family. at least according to the laws of kentucky. >> greg, actually kicked in the gut is the term he's used. >> michael and greg, fathers of two kids recently lost their lawsuit seeking marriage rights. they sued the state of kentucky and its governor. >> when we started this, we didn't they we would be a case going to the supreme court. we thought that would be played out long before us. sure enough, all the other circuits ruled in favor of marriage equality exempt the sixth circuit. we're shocked. >> the 60th circuit is called unpredictable. they lost their appeal. the federal appeals court upheld the bans in kentucky, michigan,

ohio and tennessee. >> it's been a challenge over the years, even before we had children, we had to go to extraordinary means to simulate a marriage in terms of liam rights, but with children, it goes to a whole different level. >> the big thing for us is to be able to put both our names on the birth certificates as their parents. >> because you don't have that. >> we're prohibited from doing that. >> that's really what's motivating us. these are things important to us. >> in typical teenage fashion, isaiah backed up his fathers. >> i just want to jump in here for a minute. >> you want to talk? >> about what? whatever this guy wants to ask. this is adam. >> what's it like to have two dads in the state of kentucky? >> kind of awesome, two awesome dudes have been parenting me since i was three years old, and everything that i am, the reason why i am the man today is because of these two beautiful hand some young gentlemen.

>> opposition to same-sex marriage in kentucky is fading. 50%, according to recent polls. if the supreme court does not legalize same-sex marriage, kentucky advocates may have to go back to the voters. there's mounting pressure on oh the supreme court to take up the case. pleas from governors in kentucky and louisiana, a formal request from 30 major u.s. companies including apple, and new appeals from other couples in four states, including greg and michael. >> we end up going to washington, then that's going to be something that might be a challenge for us, but we're prepared, we will be ready. >> you can watch america tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 p.m. pacific, weeknights here on aljazeera america. >> google shutting down searches in spain. the law allows spanish companies to charge for searches.

>> let's get another check of your forecast with nicole. >> a couple storms out there. i'll have more on the west coast coming up in a few minutes, potent and dangerous system. we've had the system into the northeast. the main crux of that moving through on tuesday, but lingering moisture behind that, a lot of places woke up to a dusting of snow in the northeast, even this morning. now with that wraparound behind the system, more where we'll see it. some of it from the system itself will have enhancement around the great lakes. places like buffalo could see a few more inches as this kind of winds down and gets a little more spotty through the course of the day. the other system as i said, out to the west, this one is a whopper. i'll have more on that in a few minutes. >> ok, nicole mitchell, thank you. >> coming up in our next hour, ebola survivor nancy writebol is back with us. she is part of the group of health care heroes now honored by time magazine as the people of the year this year. >> we'll look closer at a new

food additive that makes you feel full. it accounted reverse the obesity epidemic. >> here's a live look at hong kong. we're still following these protests.

>> beyond the verdict and on the streets >> there's been another teenager shot and killed by the police >> a fault lines special investigation >> there's a general distrust of this prosecutor >> courageous and in depth... >> it's a target you can't get rid of... >> the untold story... >> who do you protect?

>> ...of what's really going on in ferguson >> they were so angry because it could have been them >> fault lines, ferguson: race and justice in the u.s. one hour special only on al jazeera america >> fire back at the report on the c.i.a. torture practices, former vice president dick cheney blasts the report. >> hong kong police taking apart sites as pro democracy demonstrators refuse to give up the fight. >> congress is facing a midnight deadline to pass a spending bill to keep the government open.

controversial measures that could cause a government shut down. >> honoring those on the front lines fighting ebola, the time magazine o names them man of the year. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. proponents of the c.i.a. interrogation practices are calling foul. >> the in seelings committee findings blasted. former vice president dick cheney called the investigation deeply flawed. this as the men in charge of the c.i.a. at the time argued it did save american lives. >> we are in washington. the language from these former officials really makes it sound like they feel personally attacked by these findings. >> former vice president dick cheney is just one of the former bush administration officials pushing back hard against this report.

former and even current c.i.a. officials describe the senate intelligence committee report as essentially one-sided, the case for the prosecution without ever acknowledging the arguments of the defense. >> widespread condemnation and calls for accountability in the wake of an explosive senate report detailing the c.i.a. interrogation program. >> the c.i.a. is lying. this is not a problem of the past, but a problem that needs to be dealt with. >> we'd like to see the full report and prosecutions p.m. accountability is the firmest and surest way to ensure this never happens again. >> prosecuting anyone involved in the enhanced interrogation techniques is highly unlikely. >> there was a career federal prosecutor who was assigned to this case and that this individual conducted an extensive inquiry, and upon looking at the facts in evidence, decided not to pursue an indictment. >> that's doing little to

silence critics of the c.i.a. >> there's no sense in doing this confession in public and saying we've confessed, but we are not subject to the law like everybody else. >> current c.i.a. director and predecessors are firing back, insisting no one lied about the use of harsh techniques and no one including president george w. bush was kept in the dark about what was going on in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. >> we thought we were doing the nation's will, and in fact, having lived through the period, and even looking back on it now, i think this was indeed about the nation's will. >> former c.i.a. director who surfed under president clinton sharply criticized the intelligence committee for not interviewing anyone at the c.i.a. >> i think this is just about as distorted a job as i've seen come out of capitol hill in some 35 or 40 jeers. >> former vice president dick cheney vigorously defended the

program he says helped save lives. >> 3,000 americans died on 9/11 because of what these guys did, and i have no sympathy for them. >> in that interview on the fox choose nan he will, former vice president dick cheney said he had no knowledge of the technique called rectal rehydration described in the report, but insisted all of the 12 authorized enhanced techniques were legal and did not cross the line into torture. >> the report says the exact opposite. how is it that these individuals who the report says did overstep, how is it that they have escaped prosecution or indictment? >> well, they make the argument and whether you agree whether this is torture or not, the argument they make is that it was approved at the time. it was judged to be legal and the people who are conducting these interrogations were following the guidance that they were given, and so, while

looking back on it now, a lot of people including president obama say that this was clearly not in line with u.s. values. it's hard to make a case, a legal case to prosecute them. >> jami macintyre in washington, thank you. we're going to talk with a former c.i.a. station chief who was on the front lines in afghanistan after the september 11 attacks. we'll get his reaction to the report. >> an attack targeting adjustment forces in yemen. al-qaeda firing missiles at a jointly and yemeni air base. unclear how many people were injured. that attack seen as retaliation for the u.s. raid to try and rescue american journalist luke somers. he was shot and killed before he could be rescued. >> an al-qaeda correspondent has been rescued in syria. he died covering battles in the southwest part of the country. three journalists from orient news were killed in the same area in recent days.

he reported for al jazeera.com. colleagues in the website call him daring and courageous and never afraid to put himself in danger for a story. >> in hong kong, police have been putting an end to those two and a half months of pro democracy demonstrations, but after hours of peaceful work now face resistance from protestors on the streets. any protestors who refuse to leave are being arrested. andrew, describe what is happening on the streets behind you. >> what you can see right now is police clearing the last of the hard core protestors lying on the ground, linking arms. the police are prying them apart one by one and packing them into wheelchair to say take them out or carrying them out face down to take them to buses to be arrested and perhaps charged. >> after two months plus on the streets, are those protestors simply leaving or walking away empty handed? >> a lot of them packed up and

left earlier on today. if they didn't want to get arrested or charged, they were out of here. i saw them leaving between 9:00, 10:00 this morning, but the hard core is holding on. what you see behind them is them packed out one by one, it's hard to see the protestors for the police. they are going to hold on the last minute. they haven't gotten what they wanted but want to stand the last minute to show determination and i think they'll be back. >> you have had your finger on the pulse since day one, right in the thick of it again. how is this going to end today, with the demonstrators leaving peacefully or get worse? >> the ones that are going to leave peacefully are long gone. they are still peaceful, but they're going to need to be carried out. this is their way of saying we are not going out unless you take us out one by one, you've got to carey us out of here and that's what they're

doing. these guys are determined. across the highway, they cleared three lanes in one direction. they just opened the traffic for the first time in 75 days, but i think the students will be back. >> what are you hearing from the student leaders? is it going to be the end of it? >> i don't think so. i think once cleared out of here, after their business at the police station tonight, they will then have the time and mental energy to try and figure out the next phase of their plan. they'll have time to come up with something creative and try again to get more democracy for hong kong. >> andrew work i go the editor of the times on the streets of hong kong. >> the clock is ticking on capitol hill. congress must pass a spending bill today to keep the government running. >> deja vu all over again. there are last mile an hour snacks. john tracking those and joins us with the latest. >> the last minute snags are basically last minute provisions that have been tucked in and now

threatening the entire bill and once again, how many times have you heard this in the past, if lawmakers can't figure this out by midnight tonight, there could be another government shut down. >> it looked like the congress was going to pass a one dollar and one cents trillion budget keeping most of the federal government funded through next september, avoiding a shut down and lawmakers were patting themselves on the back. >> we're talking about here is a monumental achievement. >> i'm proud of the work they've done. >> the deal includes $490 billion for the pentagon, $5 billion to fight isil. $948 million for the care and relocation of unaccompanied immigrant children crossing the u.s. mexico borders. $5.4 billion to fight ebola and 1 billion to beef up the f.d.a. when the bill came out be, some lawmakers were surprised and angry when they learned about the details.

>> this is a lousy way of doing business. >> we are very, very concerned. >> some democrats threatened to pull support because of a last minute measure to alter campaign finance moves allowing big donors to give big money and cutting staff at the e.p.a. the most controversial is the plan to roll down a current plan an taxpayer bailouts for big banks involved in high risk investment the. elizabeth warren said she won't support a bill that's soft on wall street. >> this is about reckless behavior. it is about a giveaway to the largest financial institutions in this country and it's up to us to say no. >> the government technically runs out of money at midnight. look for a short term spending bill to buy time. the president's new immigration policies mean that the proposed bill only covers homeland security until february. republican tom coal of oklahoma said:

>> are you placing bets on this? this is going to pass, right? >> short term, i'm betting, yeah. >> john, expert on all things bar fight. >> that's truer than you know. >> detroit is now officially out of bankruptcy. mayor mike dugan took control of the city at midnight following the resignation of the state appointed emergency manager. the city sold more than one monday in bonds. the money will pay or creditors, improve. services and refinance municipal debt. >> russian penalty pledging closer cooperation with india. he met with the prime minister in new delhi. he announced that russia will manufacture a new military helicopter in india and agreed to supply nuclear power for 20 years to india. >> saying goodbyes to a top

official today, the palestinian died during confrontation with israeli troops wednesday. today he was laid to rest. let's go live to nick schiffron in ramallah. this morning, the autopsy report, the preliminary autopsies releases, there are conflicting reports on how the minister died. can you explain this to us? good morning. we saw thousands of people coming out for this man. he was popular not only because he was a senior member of the government, but he was really a leader. he led protests against the israeli occupation, especially against israeli settlements and more recently, the wall that divides the west bank from israeli. we saw thousands of people in the president's house here in ramallah as well as at the burial site. everyone's talking about how exactly he died, kind of a he said-he said between palestinian and israeli doctors.

the palestinians insist that his death was not natural causes, the quote is the cause of the death was a blow and not normal causes. that's a reference to israeli border police putting his hand on the minister's neck. in response, israeli doctors who were in the exact same room during the same autopsy says the immediate cause of death is a heart attack but do admit in a statement that there are indications of hemorrhaging, light bleeding and localized pressure in his neck. they did say the bleeding that led to his heart attack could be caused by stress. this was a relatively large protest in the occupied west bank yesterday when he died. two different stories about how he died, but the narrative is still very much there, regardless of what these doctors are saying, a lot of anger among palestinians here, and israelis simply trying to keep the tension as calm as possible. >> it's the same autopsy report, but a matter of interpretation.

nick, go into more who he was and why he was important to the palestinians. >> he was important because he was leading a lot of the efforts against the israeli occupation. not so much he was the most senior political figure, not at all, but for years, people have seen him literally on the front lines, leading protests, frankly like the ones that he died at yesterday. many years ago, also, he played a large role in the first in the fad da, second was sentenced to life in prison by the israeli government, actually a u.s. prison for a while being extradited back to israeli and he was reds in a prisoner swap. palestinians see him as a leader of their movement. his death is a shock, but again, the facts of that, we are debating over how he died, perhaps is the reason why there isn't a lot of protests out on oh the street today, tomorrow we

will see the palestinian authority respond. whether they for example cut off security coordination with israel, they've got lots of other options, that is the key as to whether this death will lead to a larger protest. >> rain has been tricked in san francisco and oakland. schools have closed doors, officials saying that flash flooding and power outages could put students in danger. >> that doesn't happen there often. for more, let's bring in meteorologist nicole mitchell. good morning. >> good morning, a little earlier this morning, we mentioned the pineapple express. this moisture, you can pick out the brighter greens are more moisture, the tap goes all the way back to hawaii and funneling the moisture in, california getting it now. yesterday, you can pick this out on the satellite, too, all the moisture coming into the area, yesterday it was more into the

northwest, places like washington, now the heavier bands shifted into northern california and tomorrow southern california will get a bit more of this. in the meantime, high winds and when you combine high winds and rain, that can be a power outage nightmare, because the soil system, the trees are able to topple over once wet and you have to wind. the higher elevations, the pinks, that is heavy snow. here's the moisture as it spills in. northern part of california looks like they will get the most widespread areas, a half, a foot, some places six to eight-inches, as you get towards the mountainous terrain, so flooding in general, but especially mountainous terrain that is landslide-mudslides. >> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> keeping secrets in capitol punishment cases, the move by ohio lawmakers raising flags and concerns that methods used in potential botched executions could be september secret from the public. >> trying to remove its stain,

actor mark wahlberg looking to clear his name. some say not so fast when it comes to rewriting his story. >> the skyline of dubai on flight. daredevils and other videos captured by our citizen journalists around the world. >> nancy writebol's reaction to time magazine's awarding ebola fighters their person of the year.

>> time for votes captured by our citizen journalists. this is video from a hotel room of police working to keep demonstrators to enter the shopping district in dublin. >> a laser weapon system being tested. the system was deployed in the persian gulf earlier this year. >> talk about taking a walk on the wild side. people in dubai got a preview of a performance by wing walkers set to take place this weekend over the city.

>> legislatures in ohio set to go vote on keeping executions private from the public. >> it comes after botched executions. the details of those would never have been known were it not for the witnesses. >> it was father lawrence hummer's first execution, but he knew something was going horribly wrong. >> he, after two minutes, began to gag audibly and literally gag. you can see his stomach begin to bloat. this was simply monstrous as far as i was concerned and it was contemptible. >> the lethal injection of dennis mcguire lasted near a half hour. it was ohio's fourth botched execution. european drug makers refuse to supply the toxic cocktails for executions. some doctors refuse to participate. ohio has come up with a plan popular in the state capitol. make the details of executions

and many of the participants secret. >> we think when you're talking about something that is essentially the ultimate punishment, it's deserving of the most transparency, not the least, and it's already a very secretive process to begin with, and what they're doing is saying more secrecy is the key here, not more transparency. >> legal analysts are calling it the most extreme execution measure of any death penalty state in the u.s. if ohio's governor signs it into law by the next scheduled execution on february 11, almost nothing about the state killing of child murderer ronald phillips would be accessible to the public, not the drugs used, who made them, not the identity of the doctors in the room. unlike other states, ohio's law would bar even the courts from knowing what happens inside the execution chamber. >> politicians say don't blame them, they say it is law enforcement officials who insist this is the only way to get the drugs a understand medical staff

needed to end the lives of the most dangerous criminals. >> the whole purpose of this legislation, mr. speaker and ladies and gentlemen of the house is to meet the requirements of the attorney general so it can be done in the most efficient and human way. >> one of the bill's chief sponsors matt huffman initially agreed to talk to us about it. >> five minute, 10 minutes. >> absolutely. >> minutes later, he said he had to rush to a meeting. father hummer said he knows why politicians have been elusive. >> they're trying to make it easy to execute people in the state of ohio by hiding the information from necessary parties. they're afraid somebody might know what they're doing. that wreaks to me of sort of a secret society that i don't want to be part of. gracious sakes. >> if the measure passes, the law could become tied up in

court battles as a long line of men on ohio's death row continued to wait on news of their fate. >> lawmakers hope to get that bill passed before phillips' scheduled execution. prosecutors say it is unlikely it will go forward in february. >> the rolling stone report about the incident, have some saying they were at the fraternity where the rape allegedly took place and dispute the magazine's reporting. rolling stone has apologized for not presenting all sides of the story. >> bill cosby faces a third lawsuit connected the to sexual taught allegations. a defamation suit was filed on wednesday. the woman said he raped and drugged her in the early 1970's and said every time she went public to the accusation, cosby and his lawyers defamed her by

branding her a liar. >> a group calling r. calling on the government of massachusetts to deny mark wahlberg's request for a pardon. >> he went to jail for assault. he is now in his 40's and wants the government to clear his record? >> we're talking about a two time oscar nominee here. he said now that he's a role model web wants a pardon for the crimes he committed while young. you probably know him from the departed and the fighter. in boston when he first 16 web attacked a man with a piece of wood while trying to steal alcohol outside a convenience store. he spent a month and a half in jail. now 43 years old and father of four, he says he's deeply sorry for his actions. >> every day, i wake up trying to be the best person that i can be, and no way, shape or form was i trying to use my celebrity or success to say i feel entitled to get this because of the fame and fortune i've earned.

i've tried to be really hard for kids growing up in communities like mine to try to provide an opportunity for them to be successful. that's why i'm doing it. >> the asian american group 18 millionrising.org said the hollywood millionaire has done nothing to atone. he screamed absentees while assaulting his seat in a police victim. they are trying to get the request denied for a pardon, adding asking for a pardon disrespects his vicks. this comes as wahlberg is promoting his latest movie that cups out this month. governor patrick made it easier in massachusetts for people to apply for pardons, including those who do not pose a risk of reoffending, as well as having showed extraordinary contributions to society. >> that's fair enough. if he weren't a celebrity, would

he get a pardon for that crime? >> there were protests overnight in the u.s. and abroad, the continuing anger over police involved deaths in ferguson and missouri. 150 people marching at the university of burke lie in california last night. they moved to the city streets and into oakland. one was arrested. >> in london, dozens were arrested at a shopping mall. they stage add die-in, shutting down the mall. police say a breakaway group assaulted security staffer and dozens were taken into custody. >> parts of the plains states will be getting an early holiday present in the form of warmer weather. >> we've had a lot of grim forecasts lately. >> give us good news. >> places like the northeast with that last system, that flow behind that is cooler. where do we have a warmer flow? you have to get to the midsection of the country right now and with winds out of the south, that is really change offing those testimonies up

10-25 degrees above average in some cases. rapid city at 60, billings in the 50's today, very warm air. if you put that in context, bill ins at 56, warmer than atlanta at 52, so very comfortable. as i said, the northeast running a little on the cool side, still with temperatures in the 30's thanks to a little bit of lingering snow. >> now we're ready for snow. >> i'm not. >> you don't want to put any sweaters away, because it's going to flip in a few days. >> nicole, thank you very much. >> did the c.i.a. go too far in interrogating terror suspects. more on the fallout from that explosive senate report. former chief weighs in on whether it was essential to release findings. >> a hotbed of violence, mexico looking to end the never ending bloodshed in the country, al jazeera going around with a ride as police try to win over locals. >> the price of oil continuing to plunge. that may be good no, sir for the

pump, but flying the friendly skies, not so much.

>> we are not trying to make you seasick. this is a live camera looking out at the oakland bay bridge in california, some bad weather heading there. the bay area, much of california expecting the strongest storm in five years. that camera was shaky because the winds have kicked in. ahead, we're talking with ebola survivor nancy writebol, what does she make of time magazine naming her and others fighting the virus as person of the year. >> scaling back our growing waist lines. newt ingredient that may curb our appetites. >> first a look at the headlines this morning. police have cleared the streets of hong kong, trying to end the two and a half months of pro democracy protestations in the streets. anyone who resists is being arrested. the protestors pledge to continue their fight.

>> the house is set to vote on a one dollar and one cents trillion spending bill to avoid another government shutdown. some democrats aren't happy, object to go provisions that would weaken financial regulation and funnel more money to political parties. >> members of the bush administration in power when the c.i.a. interrogation prom was put in place, dick cheney blasting the program report, calling them deeply flawed. some say the tactics saved american lives. >> part of that investigation describes two psychologists believed to be the architects of the interrogation program. the executive sum rip said the psychologists were hired to come up with new ways to inflict pain on detainees. we got a chance to speak with one man accused of being were you ever those psychologists. tell us about this conversation,

and i understand he didn't even really admit that he is the psychologist. >> that's right. he said he couldn't. i reached him by phone yesterday. he said he couldn't confirm or deny he was one of the psychologist, but he criticized the report and praised c.i.a. interrogators saying they did the best they could do to protect americans. >> the senate report refers to two psychologists who helped the c.i.a. initiate a program in the use of brutal interrogation. the report says they deadvised the enhanced interrogation techniques on suspect, including nudity, waterboarding and slamming detainees into walls. it identifies two contractors using pseudonyms. their real names are reported as two former filter psychologist. in a phone interview, mitchell criticized the senate staffers who prepared the report saying

they weren't there in realtime and the men and women in the c.i.a. without confirming or denying that i was part of a interrogation program gave their live to say support the u.s. he refused to confirm he was one of the architects of the program, saying people think i am. i'm not acknowledging it one way or the other. in a rare on camera interview with vice news, mitchell talks about the benefits of waterboarding, for example on detainees. >> does wore boarding constitute torture. >> you can do it in a way that helps a person shift their priorities so they experience less abuse later on. it's like every tool in the tool bag, you can over use it, you can under use it. >> the chief interrogator threatened to quit because additional techniques might push him over the edge psychologically. the report said other prisoners were still withholding crucial information and applying enough pain would force them to

disclose it. the report said the two psychologistists had no experience use i go interrogation techniques. mitchell said he has experience and said the men and women in the c.i.a. did the best they could do, so i applaud them. >> we reached mitchell on his home phone in florida. he said his phone has been ringing off the hook. the two psychologists formed a company and the c.i.a. paid that company ate $1 million. >> why is he still refusing to say whether or not he was the person that was the architect behind this program? >> he kept telling me that he wanted to talk about it, but he was under obligation by a non-disclosure agreement that he couldn't talk and say anything about it. he's referring to this agreement that was imposed by the c.i.a. and department of justice. i asked how long this is going to last, it said it could be the end of his life.

he is afraid of litigation if he does speak out. >> it becomes clear that this is the right man to talk about this. >> it seems so. >> a former c.i.a. station chief who's had a three decade long career in the c.i.a., gary bernsen joins us from tampa, florida. you have been very critical of this report and you were on the front lines when the u.s. was nabbing al-qaeda suspects and trying to prevent another attack on this country. does this report feel like a personal attack own and your work? >> well, i think that the attack is an assault on the clandestine service. the work i did, i was involved in the invasion of afghanistan after 9/11 in driving the taliban out. i wasn't involved in an interrogation program. when we captured individuals in 2001, there was no framework for doing interrogations. we interrogated no one. we 2002, the administration department of justice and agency then created the program, the

enhanced interrogation program that you're talking about today. i don't feel personally assaulted by this. i don't think the report was fair. i think it was senate democrats and i found the report to be a hit job on the agency. they didn't interview any senior agency officers, they didn't interview the interrogators. they said they saw documents. a lot isn't on paper -- >> they also didn't interview any of the suspects that had been through these harsh tactics. i want to play for you something that larry core said earlier. take a listen to judge what concerns me is the pushback, because basically this report shows what we knew and it also shows what kind of country we are when we make mistakes, we admit them and move on. these people pushing back are trying to justify things like

rectal feeding. my goodness, what kind of country are we? >> he brings up the norm issue. even if the factices work, some wonder whether you can justify rectal feeding morally. >> i'm not here to defend each of the specific things that they did, but i'll say this. we live in a world where small numbers of individual can leverage technology for cat frock effect. in the 1990's, you had the russian soviets attempt to go blend ebola with anthrax for a bio weapon. what are we going to do when we capture such a weapon that can kill millions? we need something more than the second amendment and army's field manual, itch the u.s. government has not addressed. we need to have something that we can deal with really extreme cases, and it's possible many of those subjected to this program maybe should not have been in that program, but the argument i want to make, weaver not

addressed the new age of terror where small numbers of people can kill millions -- >> -- arbitrary fashion, there was so much fear following 9/11 and some people understand how techniques were approved in that moment. do you think these tactics should continue? >> when we in voided afghanistan in 2001, the war went so quickly, i don't think we expected to, i as quickly as we did so there was no plan for handle of prisoners. they came up with the idea for gitmo. there were a lot of things that came out very fast, because the u.s. wasn't prepared. secretary rumsfeld told george bush it was going to take six months before we could assemble forces or an invasion and then so i was handed the ball and said do it now and we did it in six weeks. this thing was accelerated, went fast and there was no body of experience in this type of interrogation other than the structures that the u.s.

military had -- >> you were on the front lines. bob woodward's book i believe this describes you, here's what he says, he says you led the first critical wave of president bush's war against terrorism and here's the excerpt. self times in his career, gary had stuck $1 million into his backpack so he could move around and pass it to people on other operations. this time, he could dole it out pretty much at his discretion. is allowing c.i.a. operatives discretion when they are operating on the field as you do part of why you defend these interrogation tactics? >> well, you have to provide people with flexibility when they're deployed into hostile environments where events are moving very rapidly. you don't have time in the field to be second guessing your operatives on the ground. we all do know when we've

signed, taken an oath to support the constitution, i knew the law, i knew what the presidential finding was and i was operating within those parameters. of course, this program, where you're talking about where the interrogation program was something completely different, because you had the president signing off, the department of justice signing off, there was control over these things. i just wish there would have been a balanced approach to this report, because we need to have the argument on how we handle going forward cases where we have w.m.d. threats. i don't support torture of anybody, but what are we going to do when we find that first nuclear weapon coming in and are there more, more people involved in. it how do we defend the nation and yet retain the core values that it was established on, that's the issue, that's the thing, and this report's not helping us. >> there were no recommendations in this report. former c.i.a. station chief gary bernsen, we appreciate your perspective this morning. >> we're following breaking news

out of afghanistan. there has been a blast at a prestigious high school in kabul. the explosion occurred at an event during the school that students were attending. we are live in kabul this morning by phone. jennifer, what is happening? >> this explosion inside the auditorium at the french high school, we're not exactly sure what event was going on. it is evening here in kabul, so the students have all gone home. this is one of the few places in the afghan capitol where you can hold events like concerts. i've been to concerts a understand art exhibits and launching of different exhibits here, so it is a very popular place because it is considered secure. you have to go through check points to get in there. usually to get in, your name has to be on a list. we're not sure what the event was, but we've seen pictures from inside the auditorium where

a suicide bomber did manage to get in and detonate a bomb in that auditorium. no word yet on casualties. i have to tell you, this is a very, very central part of town, very close to the city's only five star hotel, a couple of hundred yards from the foreign ministry right across the street from the education ministry, so really, really the heart of kabul. >> who are these blasts targeting? in other words, who are the people behind the blast mad at when the united states entered afghanistan, we are seen as the enemy, the occupying force, but now we're leaving, so who is the target of these blasts? >> there have been a number of targets. the taliban started to escalate attacks after the agreement was for troops to stay beyond the end of the year. the attacks have been against

anyone that they feel is connected with the americans, supported by the americans and that includes the afghan military. >> jennifer, thank you very much. >> in mexico, the government is trying out a new tactic to fix the country's high crime rate. thousands of federal police will be deployed. >> on the ground, some of that help will go to guerrero state where the 43 students disappeared earlier this year. >> this is operation hot land, a region known as mexico's hotbed of violence. in iguala where 43 students were attacked by local police and handed over to drug traffickers, the security forces have been replaced by a new, better trained and better paid police

force. the french and colombian trained officers seem highly motivated going house to house offering help and protection even in the poorest villages. >> if there's anything you need, you can count on us, just call. >> rebuilding confidence in mexico's institutions is not that simple. >> here, nobody wants to talk. we're afraid if you say something, they'll come and kill you. >> with what's happening, we trust no one, not even ourselves. >> after the positive identification of the charred remains of one of the missing 43 students, most assume the rest of dead, yet the new police commissioner tells us his mission is still to find them. >> right now, as we speak, i have men in the mountains looking for the students with some of their parents who believe they may have been taken by traffickers to work in the poppy fields. >> the next morning, we find

officers at a school trying to win the hearts and minds of the locals. >> even if the new police force turns out to be everything it promises, there are simply not enough of them for all of mexico. as part of operation hot land, the government has called out another armed force, which has a far less stellar reputation. >> the army's presence is more discreet mainly at road blocks but people are wary. the institution has been tied to rights abuses, including the summary execution of 22 people in june. >> we don't know who to trust to protect us. >> after two months, this is the first day anita gomez returned to sell her flowers at this market. fear, she says, is still keeping everyone else away. al jazeera, mexico. >> more than 100,000 people have been murdered in mexico since 2006. >> airline profits are soaring as the oil prices continue to

drop. the industry is expected to rake in $20 billion, about double last year's profits. they are saving a lot of money on fuel, the largest expense for the airlines. some analysts say the lower costs could trickle down to lower ticket prices. could. >> as obesity rates continue to surge in the u.s., design activities are testing ways to curb eating habits. >> a report on a key ingredient for shrinking our growing waistline. >> our waist lines are now a weighty economic problem that will cost the u.k. as much as smoking and war. nearly 30% of the world's population is overweight, in 15 years, it will be almost 50%. imperial college, scientists are working on a food ingredient to suppress our growing appetites to be added to our daily bread. after 24 weeks of eating it, volunteers showed less fat in their stomachs and lives than

the control group. >> we are interested in the natural molecule in the intestines. if you can maximize or produce more protein eight in the gut, it leads to positive health outcomes. people wouldn't have to change their diets and lifestyles in any way, it can be added to what they normally eat to have a preventative effect. >> an increase is shown in the hormones that make us feel full. >> this is where the molecule is mixed into the food. it's a white powder that doesn't smell of anything, but tastes a little sweet. it's taken scientists four years to get it to this stage. these are the food products they put it in, smoothies, and bread rolls. if eaten on a regular basis, it could curb how much we eat by 10-16 percent a day just enough

to stop us from becoming obese. >> a coach motivates others to achieve their goals. >> what's the reason that you want to make this change? >> when she applied her techniques to herself. she lost weight. she says her problem wasn't with her large appetite. >> for me, it's about your mind and mentally thinking about why you are eating, because very few of us eat because we're hungry. we just eat unconsciously. >> modern life that many of us reaching for convenience foods. experts say there is no single solution to the problem. >> these can stretch from physical measures such as taxation to reformulating measures which are improving the quality of fooled to weight loss measures to drugs, pharmaceuticals. >> this research has food companies excited, but it will be some years before it moves out of the lab and into our lives. al jazeera, london.

>> according to the centers for disease control, more than one third of all american duties are obese. 78.6 million people. >> honoring those taking on a potentially life ending mission. >> time magazine selecting ebola workers as its person of the year. ebola survivor nancy writebol will join us for her reaction.

>> the people trying to stop ebola received a major honor, time magazine naming them the person of the year. >> a person may be singular, but the magazine recognizing people involved in the fight. >> these are the faces of the ebola fighters, selected by time magazine for tireless acts of courage and mercy. >> we really wanted to draw attention to the people who from the very beginning were being

ignored by bureaucrats and government officials, decided this is a potential danger. those are the people who are the ebola fighters and we wanted to tell their stories. >> among on res, dr. kent brantley, a physician. he talked about his selection. >> i think it's fitting that we acknowledge that most ebola fighters and certainly those who paid the highest price for their service are themselves west africans. it's an honor for me to be considered part of the group. >> he stared death in the face trying to save people. back in july, the doctor became the patient as he contracted ebola. he was medevaced from liberia to emery university hospital in atlanta and treated with zmapp. he survived. dr. jerry brown, the liberian surgeon turned his chapel into one of the first ebola treatment

centers where many of his patients are now caregiverrers. he said working with victims of the virus was challenging, but rewarding. >> coming out of the unit smiling, have the courage to go back. >> two survivors, a caregiver with doctors without borders and an ambulance supervisor along with a volunteer. ebola has taken a steep toll on west africa, claiming more than 6,000 lives. according to the world health organization, 622 have been infected, 346 have died. yesterday each time the disease breaks out, they are among the first responders. >> we are joined this morning by ebola survivor nancy writebol, infected in liberia. she has donated her blood to other patients since recovering. good morning. how you are feeling?

>> good morning, it's a privilege to be with you and i'm feeling great, thanks. >> time magazine as we are reporting, naming ebola fighters as their person of the year, what was your reaction when you heard the announcement? >> i was very honored to be considered to be part of that group, and honored that for our west african doctors and nurses, ambulance drivers, for hygienists and those serving on the front lines, even for scientists, and researchers who have been just really working hard to help this crisis come to an end. >> we understand that you're going back to emery university for a routine checkup. describe the recovery pros. have you had a cold, do you have a cough, and if so, what goes through your mind if you even start to feel bad when you get up in the morning. >> well, thankfully, i have felt

for the most part really pretty great and no coughs, no colds, and it is a routine checkup, and so i'm grateful that i'm able to get up every single morning. i thank god that we have doctors and nurses, even at emery and doctors and nurses who served with s.i.m. in liberia that are able to help patients who have ebola. >> although the situation has improved, the fight is not over. the world health organization reports that ebola has killed throws to 6,400 people, just under 18,000 cases have been reported, almost 400 of those cases just last week in sear lobe, three times more than guinea and liberia combined. i talked to a friend of mine who just came back from liberia and they said the problem was poverty, still happening in places where the poor have no

escape. is that your feeling? >> part of the problem is that there are not centers, isolation centers to help them and there's not enough medical workers to help in the units that are there, so i think that there's problems in many ways, not being able to get the help, not having enough medical doctors and nurses there to care for ebola patients, and then there's still the fear of if i go to an isolation unit, will i survive. also, the problem of people sometime waiting too long to go to isolation units. >> are you going to go back to liberia? >> well, it's very possible that we are going to be going back to liberia. we're not quite sure when, but we are hoping that and there is the possibility that we will be returning, yes. >> if you do, take our cameras with you, ebola survivor nancy

writebol joining us this morning from little rock. we are going to continue to follow the story and continue to follow one nancy for everything that you do. thanks for being with us this morning. >> coming up in two minutes from doha, more on the deadly suicide attack hitting a school in kabul. we are learning of at least one fatality. >> a conversation with a one time hacker for anonymous. he became an f.b.i. informant. that is tonight right here on aljazeera america. >> that's it for us here in new york. >> we invite you to have a great day and these are images of the day. the president and first lady handing out toys. >> part of the toys for tots program. >> have a great morning. we will see you back here thunderstorm morning at 7:00 a.m. don't skip a beat.

>> thousand us attend the funeral of a palestinian minister who dated after confrontations with israeli troops. >> you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also on the program, taking the fight to lebanon, the army is battling isil and other armed groups. >> hong kong's police clear the last big protest camp, arresting those who refuse to leave. >> i'm in london where scientists are developing a molecule to be added to the food to shush