the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news. >> the murders of two new york city police officers causing tension between police, the city's mayor and even the president. why some are blaming their comments for the attack as we learn new details about the shooter. >> north korea threatens strikes in retaggation for being accused of hacking sony. president obama considers his next move. could he put pyongyang back on the list of state sponsors of

terrorism. >> pakistan arrested several who may have been behind a deadly school attack. officials warn the taliban could take aim at civilians again. >> snow in the west could be the start of trouble for travel this christmas week. mother nature could interfere with your plans to get home for the holidays. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. >> this morning, police departments across the country are on alert following the shooting deaths of 2nypd officers over the weekend. >> they're looking for potential on line threats against the police after the postings in instagram before the shooting in new york. the witness talked about it just before he hoped fire. >> the head of the largest police union in the city places blame on new york city's mayor, others are calling for the mayor's resignation. we have more.

♪ >> last night, a vigil was held in brooklyn paying tribute to the two new york city police officers killed in the line of duty. >> we all mourn together. >> hundreds of people held candles, laid flowers and left personal notes at the spot where the officers were murdered. >> i hope and pray that we can reflect on this tragic loss of life that has occurred so we can move forward. >> the police officers were in their car when the shooter came up to the window and opened fire. >> shots fired, shots fired. >> the man headed to a subway station. this cell phone video shows the chaos as police closed in and the gunman killed himself. in baltimore earlier in the day, police say he shot his former girlfriend. she survived, but he posted on

instagram, i'm putting wings on pigs today. he wrote they take one of hours, let's take two of theirs. #ripper i can something else garner. baltimore police warned the nypd, but the fax arrived just minutes before the two police officers were shot. >> they were quite simply assassinated. >> minutes before the police officers were ambushed, the shooter spoke with two men on the street. >> he asked them for their gang affiliation, asked them to follow hill on instagram. >> the head of the police officer's union in new york said these killings could have been avoided, blaming the mayor for supporting the protestors in the choking death of eric garner. >> we tried to warn it must not go on, it cannot be tolerated. that starts in the office of the mayor. >> the tension between the

police union and the mayor front and center as as far as turn their backs to him as he entered the hospital on saturday night. on sunday, governor andrew cuomo visited the slain officers' families. >> they lost their hero, and it's for no reason. >> officer lew is a seven year veteran of the force. he was married just two months ago. officer ramos leaves behind two children. >> let's go live to john tarret in brooklyn. this suspect had many previous run-ins with the law. >> he most certainly did. good morning to you, good morning, erika, as well. he has a long rap sheet with the police, including for weapons offenses and also robbery, and his family members say that he also had a long history of undiagnosed mental illness. well of course on saturday, he ruined the christmas of two new

york cop families in the week just before the festival. the issue of the mayor and the police is playing big in the city at the moment. mayor deblasio is not saying much at the moment, but a spokesman said that it is unfortunate that at a time of great tragedy, some would result to overheated rhetoric that divides people. the mayor is going to appear at a luncheon organized by the police athletics league, a charity that tries to bring together police and children. we are told that the mayor is going to always the issue of strengthening ties between the police and the community and also the tensions between him and the nypd. >> john, live in brooklyn, john, thank you. >> president obama is pledging his full support to new york city police commissioner bill bratton. the president spoke with him sunday and condemned the

shootings, saying: >> former new york city mayor rudy giuliani is blaming the president in part for the shootings. he said it follows anti police propaganda. >> the politicians with this propaganda, separating the community from the police are doing some shameful and they have to stop doing that. the vast majority of police want to help and the politicians rhetoric should reflect the truth, not propaganda. >> giuliani says the current mayor allowed anti police protests to get out of control, but also defended against those call for deblasio to step down, saying a lot of police officers were killed under a lot of other mayors. >> police departments nationwide are reacting to the shootings,

the boston police on high alert. officers in new haven and pittsburgh won't be working alone for a while, ordered to double up while out on patrol. in los angeles, police are wearing black bands to show support for the two officers in new york city. the police chief announcing the move on twitter says our hearts go out to the entire nypd family as they mourn the tragic loss of two brothers. >> coming up at 7:20, we'll speak with the former sure i have about what police can do to prevent these attacks. in florida, police are investigating the deaths of one of their own. an officer was killed near tampa. tarpon springs police officer was shot and then run over by a man trying to evade an arrest warrant. >> when i open the door, because my immediate thought was if i could help, help. >> absolutely. >> before i could even do a

thing, there was another officer there, and he was like he's not breathing, and i knew to just back away from the situation. >> the suspect was arrested after crashing his car into a pole and striking another vehicle. he was wanted on a parole violation. he had spent two years in jail. >> a new threat from north korea, kim jong-un's government called the u.s. government as being behind "the interview." is the white house taking threats seriously? >> this is the kind of statement the u.s. government is

accustomed to seeing out of north korea. motor of the time it is bluster. the white house has called what happened over this move view "the interview" a national security threat. the white house is taking it seriously. the white house at the same time saying that north korea has a history of denying responsibility for many of the acts that it takes against the united states, against south korea, threatening its neighbors, a very unpredictable regime. the president gave an interview with another network before leaving for hawaii and talked about the nature of the threat from north korea. >> had they talked to me directly about this decision, i might have called the movie theater chains and distributors and asked them what the story was. >> the president says it is not an act of war, but cyber vandalism. they are looking at a

proceduressal response and looking at a possibility of returning north carolina to the state sponsors of terrorism list that's kept at the state department. >> now there is word that sony may release this film after all. do you think obama's critical tone on sony's decision played a part in that decision? >> you have to look at this fire storm that has engulfed sony and almost have to feel sympathy for them, the president calling their decision to withdraw it from movie theaters a mistake, saying he wished they had called him, which strikes me as kind of an unusual circumstance, let's pick up the phone and call the president of the united states. sony is backtracking somewhat. they have fingered the movie theaters as a posed to annularly decision by sony, saying they couldn't show the film for fear of customer safety. >> the u.n. security council is holding a meeting on north korea human rights abuses.

what's pyongyang's take on that meeting? >> they have decided they're not going to be at the u.n. for it but are concerned about it. a referral of the united states to the -- he to the united nations i should say is on the docket to the international criminal court. this is something that has north korea concerned, implicating kim jong-un, the leader personally. they have reacted variously by trying to for example releasing american hostages over the course of the last month to currie favor with the united nations and international community and their trademark statements teamed with both of those together. the u.n. apparently is going to move forward, north korea concerned and some concern in the international community about reaction to this. >> south korea is launching its own drills to see if they can handle a cyber attack, involving a nuclear power plant. designs and manuals of the plant were reds on line.

the leak did not compromise core technology. >> coming up, we'll speak with cyber security expert about the cyber attack and the u.s. response should the u.s. take north korea's latest statements seriously. >> pakistan is stepping up operations against the taliban in the wake of last week's deadly attack on a school. officials may have killed the mastermind of the attack with an air strike. they've arrested several men involved in the siege that left more than 140 people debt, most of them children. pakistan believes the group will possibly carry out another attack on civilians. >> bail has been revoked for the romantic partner of the sydney siege gunman, taken into custody after a hearing today. she and he were out on bail in a murder case when he took 17 people hostage inside a chocolate shop and cafe. the gunman was killed along with two hostages.

>> kurdish authorities have recaptured villages in northern iraq. isil fighters have controlled some of that territory for months. the peshmerga are bringing in food, water and other supplies for thousands of yazidis there. >> a german reporter spent 10 days embedded with the group. he posted these images on social media. he said isil is stronger and more dangerous than anyone in the west realizes and said the fighters are more zealous he's seen in other war zones. >> most countries that were part of the arab spring four years ago are still in turmoil. tunisia, the birth place of the revolution, people headed to the polls there to freely elect a president for the first time. we are in the capitol city, tunis. good morning. exit polls are pointing to a winner. was the voting process largely

peaceful? >> >> indeed it was, very smooth, peaceful, no report of violence or irregular hearts, although the turnout was roughly aren't 60%, which when you compared to all the democracies like the u.s., even, it's not bad whatsoever, however, there was a hope that maybe considering that this was the first time for millions to vote that there might have been a higher turnout, but it's important to note this is the 30 time they vote in some election in less than two months, so it was a few of them taking to the polls again. >> often cited as the only success story to come out of the arab spring, what's the country done differently to make that possible? >> so far, the military to the delight of the pro democracy movement here has stayed away from politics, unlike for example, egypt and the different

political parties, liberals, have been able to come together around a table and discuss their differences. there is a bit of fear now, because exit polls are indicating that the old statesman, 88 years old, is going to be the winner. the reason why there's a bit of fear that he used to serve in the old regime under the dictator, so people are worried that if these exit polls turn out to be true and he wins, then maybe some of those freedoms they managed to secure through the revolution might be reversed. >> under the new constitution, the new president will have restricted powers. what exactly does that mean? >> well, tunisia's new constitution, which was hailed by many across the world as it was voted in a popular

referendum earlier essentially tries to put checks and balances, so it didn't give anyone complete powers, the parliament like the congress in the u.s., the president and so forth. it tried to limit everyone's power. however, the party that controls the majority in parliament is the expected winner. end very well have most of the power. >> all right. thank you. >> corruption charges are moving ahead for the sister of spain's king. a court ruled this morning that the princess will face trial along with her husband. he allegedly embezzled millions in public funds. no member of spain's royal family has ever been put on trial. >> oklahoma will go ahead with four executions planned in the new year. the state prison chief said they have the drugs they need, using

the same combination involved in a faulty execution early this year. a judge will rule whether that presents a risk of cruel and unusual punishment. >> colorado dealing with snow this morning. these pictures are from clear creek west of denver, drivers finding it difficult to get around last night. the snow was falling at about two to three inches an hour. two feet could pile up by the time the storm moves on. >> holiday travel not looking good for a lot of people this week. >> let's go straight to nicole mitchell for more. >> you guys were talking about the snow. there's a rain side, a wind side, this is a very potent system, the same one moving interior now that was hitting the west coast very hard the last couple days. you could see that flow that was pretty consistent now a little bit of a break for the northwest, a brief break. there's still enough moisture here that we're under flood concerns, because so much came down and the then more are will be on the way, a little more getting into that tomorrow. now everything is moved interior. in fact, parts of colorado,

there's deep, deep pink, blizzard warnings, what do you need for a blizzard? winds sustained 30 miles an hour, snow coming down and at least three hours where you have the reduced visibility. all of this movers along. for parts of the plains, still high winds, winds gusting up to 60 miles an hour with this snow and blowing snow and some of these areas could get three to six inches easily as this moves along. this will continue, so this is into the day tomorrow and then this continues more toward the east coast as we get into wednesday, but already by tuesday, some of that rain will have moved in. there's a definite rain side of this, as well. i'll talk more about those totals, including the risk for severe storms, coming up in just a couple minutes. >> for hall day travel, maybe tuesday instead of wednesday. >> depending on which part of the country you're in. >> all right, thanks nicole. >> we are learning more about the man who killed two new york city police officers and the

messages he posted on line. >> were warning signs missed and did weeks of nationwide protests fuel his anger? >> board member of the national sheriff's association joins us next. >> lightning strikes outside an nfl stadium hitting a parking lot and sending fans to the hospital. >> a unique to mark the holiday season. this decides play now sits outside a state capitol building. >> 34 million is the big number of the day. >> major shipping companies new system for handling its biggest day of the year.

>> today's big number is 34 million, that is how many packages u.p.s. expects to deliver today. >> the company has never delivered that many packages on a single day. it's also a big test after major failures last year. >> 2013, many people got their christmas deliveries late, you'll recall, so u.s. spent about $500 million to update its

system. >> they can move 15% more packages every day. each hub can process 47,000 packages every hour. >> calls for peace in new york city after the fatal shootings of two police officers. protestors gathered sunday night for a silent marsh in harlem. >> the silent night candle invite vigil remembered all victims of violence. organizers say there is no conflict in honoring eric garner and the two officers killed saturday. former sheriff in new jersey joins us. let's jump right into these new protocols. nypd is the largest police

department in the country. detectives usually going out in pairs are going out in teams. they set the tone with the nypd for police departments across the country, is this something other forces should consider? >> they're already doing it. since this rhetoric ramped up over the past six months, we've been talking about these issues of police community relations. unfortunately, the worst fears have been realized today. what we have expected, unfortunately has occurred here in the united states, where when law enforcement is under attack, our very fabric of freedom is under attack. if you can't protect the protectors, who can you protect? >> who do you feel law enforcement is under attack by? by whom? >> by the rhetoric, by the failure of our leaders not only here in new york city, but in the white house for not only calling for calm, but having a

plan to deal with the community relations and some of the perceptions that are out there. unfortunately, the attorney general, the president, and even the mayor of this great city have fanned the -- and fueled the discontent across america. >> but a lot of people would say this was a crazed criminal who shot these police. he had nothing to do with those peaceful protests that happened in the wake of the garner decision or the michael brown decision. >> you would think not. peaceful protest is one thing. taking to the streets and having your voice heard, we all support that under the first amendment, but when it goes to the next level where people feel it's ok to attack police officers, like the two lieutenants that were attacked on the brooklyn bridge recently, as well. that's where you have to draw the line and say law and order comes first, your free doom of speech is second to ensuring the safety of our communities.

>> you talk about the rhetoric fanning the fire, but what about patrick lynch the head of the police association here? how much responsibility does he have to not fan the fire? he comes out and says blood is on the hands of the mayor here. >> those are strong, strong words, but you have to understand that we have felt under attack for these past six months because the narrative has not gone the way it should have. the narrative should be law and order comes first, we have to decide how we want to live on a daily base. is anarchy what we seek? if it is, then disband law enforcement, suspend all laws. that's not going to happen in this country. we have to support law and order and the rule of law. even when there's a grand jury decision that doesn't go the way you respect it to go, you have to respect the process. >> there is that balance between law and order and excessive

force which we've talked over and over about and hopefully that's at the center of the debate. thanks for your time, sir. >> thank you. >> officials say a man shot at a busy border crossing between the u.s. and canada was not holding a real begun. he confronted border control agents on the ambassador bridge, connecting detroit with windsor. they shot the man and he is recovering in custody. >> a sheriff is asking a federal judge to stop the president's executive actions on immigration. he says letting 5 million undocumented immigrants stay in the country will increase crime. the white house calls his position unsubstantiated. >> new jersey's governor is calling on president obama to ensure a fugitive returns to the u.s. from cuba. she first convicted in the 1973

killing of a state trooper, but escaped prison and has been living in political asylum in cuba since 1984. her return should be a condition of any diplomatic deal with the castro government said mayor deblasio. >> lightning stuck as the bucks-packers game ended sunday. witnesses say the lightning appeared to have first hit a car in the stadium parking lot. >> it was a flash bang, that fast, you know what i mean, it just took you to your knees. you looked around to see who got hit, because you know it was close. >> the people taken to the hospital ever minor injuries. no one was struck directly. >> heavy rain and severe weather could snarl holiday travel in the south. >> let's bring in nicole mitchell now with more. nicole. >> this is a massive system. if you're under it, it is a two day event in a lot of places. the midwest is more today and

tomorrow, the south and east coast, a little more tomorrow and wednesday. weaver already had a disturbance through the south bringing rain. that continues in part today and some moves northward, could be a little freeze be rain moved in. as the system moves along and the front comes down, that is going to tap into more july moisture. the heaviest core of rain is really looking like the southern states, possible georgia. now. this is that four to six corridor inch it is, but all the way up the coastline. we could see places easily seeing two or three inches, so busy airports, atlanta to new york a problem. also could see isolated officer weather tomorrow. >> big names in the sports world coming out to support police officers now backing program after two were gunned down in new york city. >> crowds of protestors are still taking to the streets. why these people were marching over what they call racial

profiling and police brutality. >> a driver mows down people in france, targeting pedestrians in five separate incidents. what police are saying about the suspect's history. >> an orangutan and a basic human right is one of the stories caught in our global net. stay with us.

>> looking live at the capitol building, this monday morning, it is quiet there. welcome to al jazeera america. ahead this half hour, we're going to chat with a cyber security expert about the attack on sony. north korea is making new threats against the u.s. >> a lasting reminder of the deadly tsunami, debris still littering the world's oceans. >> why vinyl is making a big come back. >> kurdish fighters are making

gains on isil territory. they've managed to recapture several villages in northern iraq. the peshmerga are bringing in food, water and other supplies for thousands of yazidis there. >> executions in pakistan in the wake of the school attack. several pakistani taliban are behind bars today. pakistan thinks it may have killed the mastermind behind the attack. more than 140 died when a school was hit, mostly children. >> police across the country are on high alert this morning after two officers were gunned down in new york city. witnesses say the suspect told them to watch him moments before he opened fire. the police union leader is blaming the mayor in part for creating an environment of anti police anger. >> the sports world is expressing solidarity with police in new york, expressing cocondolences.

>> while most of the support for fallen officers was symbolic, one of america's most famous franchises offered to open its wallets. the new york yankees through the silver shield foundation pledged to pay for the he would occasions of officer ramos's two kids, one already in college and one just 13 right now. the other officer had no children. sundays other sports franchises took time to remember the two officers. two other men went a step further. tom coughlin wore a black strip on his racket to show support and a player wore an nypd baseball hat. after the game, the player was quoted as saying i wasn't angry, just sad thatted. the fact that those guys sitting in their car didn't know it was coming, thinking of their wives,

their kid, it must be tough. i'm sad for them and their families. i've wanted to do something for them. he is thinking of auctioning off the hat to raise money for the officer's families. >> a difference scene in philadelphia where demonstrators shut down streets on sunday, more than 1,000 people marched through the city, angry over what they called police brutality. the protestors repeatedly chanted black lives matter and carried a banner reading fight hate with love. >> it's a good thing, because we should be talking about race relations. i think that it's a huge problem in the united states right now that people aren't raising, and i think the peaceful protests need to make a stand for over violence. >> this is when you know america is changing, when young white people are standing up saying black lives matter. >> at one point, protestors tried to mover on to a busy highway but were turned away by

philadelphia police. officers say there were no arrests. >> crowds marched through cleveland on sunday, protesting the fatal shooting of 12-year-old tamir rice by a police officer. police blocked them from reaching quicken loans arena before the tip off of the cavaliers game. protestors were eventually allowed to get close to the building. a cameraman was assaulted during the rally. >> we'll go back live to john in brooklyn for much more on the reaction to the shooting and the fresh tensions between the nypd and new york's mayor. >> in france now, police arrested a man accused of driving into a crowd of people while yelling "god is greatest" in arabic. it happened in five different parts of the eastern city. at least 11 people were injured. the motive is still unclear. police say the suspect has a long history of mental health problems. >> in egypt, the trial is on hold for 26 men accused of

public debauchery. the men are being prosecuted for alleged homosexual activity at a. bat house in cairo. they were arrested in a raid filmed by a local t.v. journalist. egyptian law does not ban homosexual conduct but the footage has drawn widespread attention in egypt. >> three of our aljazeera america colleagues have been held in egypt, they were sentenced in june to seven years in prison. one was given a 10 year sentence. they were accused of helping the muslim brotherhood and spreading false news. al jazeera continues to demand the immediate release of the journalists. >> gas prices in the u.s. have hit another low, regular is now down to $2.39 a gallon. >> leaders from arab petroleum exporting countries are meeting to talk about boosting oil prices again.

>> the united arab emirates is taking heat for the price drop. >> saudi arabia is the largest exporter of crude oil, nearly 10 million barrels are produced in the kingdom every day. falling prices dented the profits. at a meeting, saudi arabia blamed non-opec countries for the fall. it said i will with it not cut production levels if others do not do so first. >> we do not know what can happen in the future, but what we know for sure is that those who have the most and best production will control the market. >> this decision could hurt other members of opec. countries like venezuela need to sell their oil at $118 per barrel in order to balance the budget. the current price is fluctuating aren't $60 a barrel. >> we are not at a disaster. this happened before. this happened before.

we're just at a short term of over supply. this will be fixed, because the market is strong. >> some analysts say another factor in the volatility of prices is the rise of shale gas. >> what's clear is that the increasing concern in the gulf about the rising levels of u.s. output from shale gas and concern that they will increasingly lose market share and the united states will become oil independent. >> shale gas currently represents around a quarter of u.s. gas production, but such is the demand, that figure is expected to double in the next 20 years, leading opec members from the gulf say they will ride out this current storm in oil prices, but that could cost them around $350 billion a year. >> crude oil is $50 a barrel.

>> north korea will skip out on a united nations meeting today on the country's human rights record. the security council is encouraging kim jong-un to the referred to the international court. u.s. officials accused north korea of hacking sony picture in retaliation for the film "the interview." for more on the threats and recent sony hack,er, joined by a cyber security expert. thanks for joining us. i don't want to dwell much on this rhetoric out of pyongyang, because there's nothing abnormal about that, it's almost comical. how hard is the evidence that the f.b.i. has that north korea was definitively behind the hack attack against sony? >> there's pretty good certainty there. if you dig in deeper, what has been revealed so far is looking at some of the internet traffic, and some of the specific servers, it traces back

definitely to north korea. >> the u.s. has carried out cyber attacks. we know that because of the leaks by edward snowden. what makes this attack beyond the pale? >> tougher to say. it's a little bit more focused, what they're trying to accomplish here. its up against the government and it's a specific u.s. corporation here, so it sends a very different message and a different tone here. fortunately, nobody's been killed or hurt as of yet. it's possible, but unlikely. imagine if they did go to the movie theaters and the it was blown up or something. this would be handled completely different. it's borderline, is it a government issue, a corporation issue, that's a tough call. >> the president has said in interviews, he wish that is sony had called and let him know as though sony somehow had this direct line to the president to tell him we're under attack in cyber warfare. should they have involved the government? should sony have done that or is this a private matter? >> i think it's a government matter now, because it really

upped the ante when the public safety became paramonth. it's a federal matter, because it's really a cyber threat, the public is at danger. the government has to step in and take action. they haven't done anything specific yet other than saying they're going to do something soon. what that is, we don't know. is it cyber retaliation? probably not. >> what else could they do? most of the citizens of north korea don't have access to the internet. the other question is the fact that a country as small, a rogue regime, really, north korea can pull off a cyber attack like this, does it mean that in cyber warfare, there is sort of a level playing field? >> certainly there is, but keep in mind, too, this happened actually out of north korea, probably more likely originated in china. where does all the communication happen, really, it's all ported through china. >> the u.s. is asking china now for help? >> exactly.

that's the irony of it. all the internet traffic for north korea is routed through china. there's been training centers based in china in the past that have been uncovered. you can see the close ally there and concern. that's probably why the u.s. reached out quickly to china. china condemned the actions and both sides have been accused of cyber crimes back and forth. it's a very awkward situation. >> all right, thank you for your expertise this morning. >> stay with us. we're going to go back live to mike viqueira in washington on how washington is respond to go north korea. >> we're approaching 10 years since a devastating tsunami hit southeast asia. 230,000 people were killed in 14 countries, today, there's not much evidence of the construction it caused. some debris left behind was

contaminated. authorities say their unsafe disposal will impact the environment for the long term. >> a female survivor is unitedding women, her decision that grown into a social movement. >> sitting where her home once stood, she remembers the moment the sea swallowed her beachside village, as the scale of the destruction caused became clear, help began to arrive, but not everyone was taken care of. >> men were given preferential treatment by the government and aid agencies, women struggled with everything from relief and medical support to counseling. women shouldered the responsibilities of the home but back then, no one helped them. >> she decided to take control,

helping many women to get the support they needed to rebuild their lives. what started as a call for unity during a disaster turned into the national coastal women's movement with 10,000 members. >> the goal was to help women to deem with the trauma the tsunami caused. ten years on, she is address be problems that she says have long been a source of shame. >> once women recovered from the tsunami, they were emboldened to tackle consistent problems like alcoholism and domestic violence. this 32-year-old mother of three turned to the group for support. >> i told her i couldn't handle my husband torturing me anymore and i wanted to separate from him. they protected me and helped me find a new home. i now live peacefully with my children, free from violence.

>> she has worked with thousands of women and while many people in this male dominated society admit that domestic violence is a problem, most say it's not surprising. >> everyone here is poor and uneducated. men are frustrated and drink a lot. that's why there are so many family problems. if our children don't get a good education, these problems will continue. >> these waters have been both a blessing and a curse. she says they have taken away so much, but given her the chance to make a lofting difference. >> india lost nearly 10,000 people in the tsunami. >> florida state quarterback james winston has been cleared of violating the school code of conduct. a panel looked goo allegations that he sexually assaulted a student in 2012. no criminal charges were ever filed and heisman trophy winner

denied accusations. he will play in the rose bowl. >> a spectacular implosion at texas a. and m. university, the football stadium taken down, to be replaced with a $500 million reconstruction project. the school said the renovation should be complete in time for the 2015 season. >> in lansing, michigan, a start of a new tradition, this is a snake wrapped around a cross with a pent gram at the top. the temple calls it a snaketivity scene. >> let's look at other stairs caught in our global net. in argentina, this decision could pave the way for animals to have rights we associate with humans. the buenos aires herald said a court ruled in favor of a

captured orangutan's basic human right to freedom, sandra is being transferred from the zoo to a sanctuary. >> go, sandra, go. >> since the spring, japan's been singing the butter blues. >> they can't get butter? >> apparently not. they've had a ration it because of a shortfall of milk production. there's concern there won't be enough for popular holiday cakes exchanged as gifts. they're trying to get emergency shipments in so they can put out these beautiful cakes. >> was that a bear made out of but the officer last week we reported on the absence of french fries because of a strike. >> nasa's latest projects involves humans floating among the clouds and not in a plane. they want to make a floating city above venus.

they're looking at these sort of floating cities and they're going to of course test these with robots. >> that's a good idea. >> that's the future of space right there. >> i don't know, you want to go? >> i'd go. let's go. >> we're on our way. >> shining a spotlight on homelessness in america. >> what's being done to get people off the streets and put roofs over their head. >> a drug being used to treat osteoporosis may be effective in treating cancer. >> this santa claus came through the front door in a christmas miracle down under.

>> early studies found drugs helped reduce tumors. nitrogen is the key ingredient. >> the issue of homelessness often comes to the forat holiday time. more than 600,000 people in the u.s. are forced to sleep on the street. activists are trying to change that. >> how many nights did you spend in this park? >> countless. >> for six years, this is where this 29-year-old often used to sleep. when rent got too expensive, he lost his home and ended up here. >> it's almost as if my life was in danger. i thought it would never happen and next thing you know, oh, man, you know, i'm living in boiler rooms, sleeping in parks. >> fortunately, he's sleeping better now. three weeks ago, he qualified

for subsidized housing. he worries about the friends he left behind. in washington, temperatures go below freezing, across the united states, more than 2,000 have died, most from exposure to extreme temperatures. that's why homeless advocates stage add silent memorial to remember those who lived and died on the street. >> it hasn't always been this way. homelessness is a mostly modern problem of cash strapped state local and federal governments. shrinking budgets meant there is less money for the addicted, the aged, the mentally ill and those who just couldn't catch a break. >> the u.s. homeless population is down from the 1980's and 1990's, but not enough say protestors. the chronic lack of basic services is costing lives. doctors say hypotherm i can't can kick in when temperatures foul to just 10 degrees celsius,

but shutters don't open unless it's minus three degrees celsius. in wisconsin, minus six and baltimore, it must b minus 10 degrees before the homeless are given ref final. >> this advocate said homelessness persists because local governments are more likely to fund projects they expect will bring their cities revenue. >> the one thing every city mayor or commissioner can do is make it a priority. people get all excited about a new soccer stadium or a baseball stadium. let's have the same enthusiasm and commitment for housing. >> reggie said affordable housing is critical for ending chronic homelessness in the united states. >> it is in humane for people to have to live on the streets. it's in humane for them to have to die there. it's in humane for them not to have supports.

>> he said r. says even the most challenged homeless person isn't looking for a handout, just a hand up. >> al jazeera, washington. >> officials say homelessness rose 1% in major cities last year. the number of veterans sleeping on the streets has steadily declined. >> stephanie, a protest overnight at the vatican, a man lowered himself on to the facade of st. peters basilica, angry over an italian law that prevents him from renewing the permit to his business. he is demanding to see the prime minister. in march, he lowered himself on to the giant dome. >> ski resorts in the french alps have gotten fewer russian reservizations. in past years, the resorts made a big push to draw in russian tourists.

>> the world's biggest lottery kicked off in spain. some were in costume to watch the drawing. unlike megajackpots in the u.s., the winnings will be distributed to thousands. the top prize is $490,000. >> one of mother nature's most amazing sites is back on display. the waterfall in yosemite park are flowing for the first time since june. they dried up during california record breaking drought. recent rain means there is enough to keep the fountains going. >> speaking of that, let's check in with nicole. >> the drought monitor, for the first time in months, we saw a slight improvement. yosemite is one of the places that has at least parts of the park a slight chance for a white christmas. let's look at that. as we get northern, the lighter colors and prider purples is

where you have 50% or better. weaver lost a lot of snow the last few days because of temperatures all above freezing for our day time high unless you get to the higher elevation. we went from 40% snow cover to 25% now. the next storm system, the one good side of all of this is that it is going to -- here's tuesday -- bring some more snow cover, same thing for wednesday in time for christmas. a lot of holiday travel troubles, but people love their white christmas. >> absolutely. thank you. >> a few nights for the faithful to celebrate hanukkah. in rome. >>ish people lighted this huge menorah. it marks a miracle when a single possibility of oil burned for eight days. today. >>ish people honor that by lighting the menorah and sharing gifts. >> a group of firefighters handing out treats to kids dropped everything to rush to a burning home.

one firefighter who was dressed like santa helped pull an unconscious man to safety. one neighbor called it a true christmas miracle. >> iconic singer elton john got married over the weekend, officially wed his long time partner. the couple shared the moment with their two young sons and posted photos on instagram. elton john said he was proud of england for legalizing same-sex marriage. >> former in synch member married his partner. they got mix at a hotel in los angeles. his one time band mate, and other members were there. the wedding will be broadcast in february on the e network. >> the horrific mass shooting at

a pakistani school having a ripple effect across the country, impacting jobs and increasing poverty in an already poor region. >> more reaction to america's changing relationship with cuba, coming up. >> television icon norman lear >> we hoped we were delivering real characters... >> creator of "all in the family" "the jeffersons" and "good times" talks race, comedy and american culture today... >> you're taking me to a place in this interview, i haven't been before... >> i told you this would be your best interview >> ...and it is... it's the current one... >> every monday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera, only on al jazeera america

>> a crisis on the border... >> thery're vulnarable... these are refugees... >> migrent kids flooding into the u.s. >> we're gonna go and see josue who's just been deported... >> why are so many children fleeing? >> your children will be a part of my group or killed... >> fault lines, 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... fault lines no refuge: children at the border only on al jazeera america >> threatening violence on washington, the obama administration weighs its response after north korea ramps up rhetoric. >> the city divided, new york cities mayor and the obama administration facing criticism following the murder of two officers. the public displace of anger as we learn details about the man who pulled the trigger. >> oil ministers pointing

fingers this morning as gas prices here in the u.s. hit a new low. >> brake out your old record create, vinyl is seeing a researchence as more fans ditch the ipod in favor of the turn table. >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. harsh words from north korea, kim jong-un's regime is snapping back in the u.s. for accusing it of hacking sony pictures all over the movie "the interview." it says it will target what it calls the citadels of the u.s. government. >> the president is talking about the possibility of putting north korea back on a list of state-sponsors of terrorism. >> senior washington correspondent joins us now. all this unfolding as the president begins his family vacation in hawaii. how is the white house handling these threats from north korea? >> president obama says he's still considering how to retaliate, even as he and sony pictures are still at odds over the decision to pull that movie

from movie theaters. >> president obama responding to north korea's hack attack on sony says it was not an act of war. >> it was an act of viber vandalism that was very costly, very expensive. we take it very seriously. we will respond proportion atly as i said. >> that response could be putting north korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. it was removed by president george bush in 2008 when he tried to negotiate a deal for it to end its nuclear program. >> we have clear criteria what it means for a state to sponsor terrorism. >> it's a tougher stance that republicans want from the president. >> it's more than vandalism. it's a new form of warfare. >> this was a nation attack on the united states. >> while president obama mulls over his options, north korea

threatens overnight to take action against the white house, pentagon and u.s. mainland. it accuses the u.s. of recklessly spreading rumors about the sony cyber attacks that it denies it orchestrated and that it was the obama administration behind making "the interview." >> hello, north korea! >> a comedy about a plot to kill kim jong-un. >> you want us to assassinate the leader of north korea? >> sony pulled the movie scheduled to be reds christmas day only after theaters decided not to carry it, something president obama has called a mistake. >> had they talked to me democraty about this decision, i might have called the movie theater chains and distributors and asked them what the story was. >> over the weekend, sony said it was the president who was mistaken, but says now it's done playing the blame game. as for whether the world will ever see the comedy at the

center of an international incident, sony said count on it. >> sony has been fighting to get this picture distributed. it will be distributed. how it's going to be distributed, i don't think anybody knows quite yet, but it's going to be distributed. >> as for that criticism you heard from representative mike rogers, the chairman of the house intelligence committee that the president shouldn't have jetted off to hawaii in the middle of all this, the white house said that the president may leave the white house but in terms of intelligence brieferrings, communications and staff, the president is being kept fully abreast of developments. >> north carolina now says they're going to skip out on a meeting today at the u.n. that accuses the country of human rights abuses. should web surprised about their absence? >> north carolina is known for unpredictability and has been very concerned about this deliberation at the united nations, a possible referral of north korea to the international court of criminal justice over

alleged human rights abuses, well documented abuses in north korea. over the course of the last several weeks, weaver seen the typical response from north korea, vacillating between appeasement, releasing american hostages for example and some of the heavy-handed tactics they're known for. >> unpredictable indeed. mike viqueira in washington, thank you. >> a nuclear power plant in south korea is testing its ability to thwart a cyber attack. last week equipment manuals and design plans were released on line. the company said the leak did not compromise any core technology. >> this morning, new york city is still reeling from the murders of two police officers, and its exposed a major wrist between new york city mayor pill deblasio and members of the police force. union leaders are blaming city hall for the death. the officers were gunned down by a mentally unstable man.

we are live in brooklyn. strong words from the police union leader saying the mayor has blood on his hands. why is he blaming city hall. >> that's right. good morning, erika, good morning stephanie, as well. look, the issue is that the mayor has been a very vocal supporter of the demonstrations that followed the deaths of michael brown in ferguson, missouri and eric garner on stanton island. the nypd was upset tort way he handled the protest, that followed the grand jury decision. plenty of roads in new york city were blocked for many, many nights. the police were told they could take a stand back and lost control. there is upset over the criticism of the way they handled the death of eric garner on stanton island. that's led ma many to think that this lack of support from city hall is what led the shooter on

saturday to act on his instincts. >> there's blood on many hands tonight. >> the president of america's motor powerful police union calling out america's most powerful mayor. >> that blood on the hands starts on the steps of city hall in the office of the mayor. >> patrick lynch, head of the new york city policeman's benevolent association said the mayor is to blame for the shooting of two officers gunned down saturday. >> when these funerals are over, those responsible will be called on the carpet and held accountable. >> echoed by rank and file officers, whose silent protest spoke volumes. dozens turned their backs as the mayor walked into a news conference on the killings. his office later responded, saying:

>> that divide has been brewing since deblasio pledged to end the nypd's controversial stop and frisk program and reform the way they interact with communities. >> someday he will be stopped. >> married to an african-american women with two bi-racial children, he in vokes his children often. >> weaver had to literally had to train them as families ever all over this city for decades in how to take special care in any encounter with the police officers. >> after those comments and deblasio's handling of the demonstrations that followed, union leaders circulated a letter allowing officers to request that the mayor not attend their if you know release should they die in the line of duty. >> a flashback for some to the crown heights riots of the early

1990s, the nypd clashing with the city's first african-american mayor dinkins after he proposed an independent port to oversee civilian involved deaths. sunday morning, the mayor was front and center at st. patricks cathedral, the cardinal playing for the two fallen officers while giving a nod of support to the mayor, saying we pray for our leaders, as well. >> there is a new survey, a petition calling for the mayor's resignation. there are already more than 50,000 signatures, but i think it's worth pointing out that this is a city of 8 million people. this has 50,000 signatures on it, but there is a real question mask over whether the mayor can get back into the good books of the nypd, where the two sides can make up. erika and stephanie. >> other outspoken new yorkers

are weighing in on this, as well. what are they saying? >> we've got some graphics to illustrate this beginning with george petacchi, the former governor of new york state, he is saying: >> former commissioner of the new york police department says: another former commissioner saying: >> the mayor is not hiding all of this. he's going to address the police athletics league at luncheon today, expected to discuss these issues raised. >> powerful words on both sides of this debate.

thank you. >> some state lawmakers are calling for bullet proof windows now on all police patrol cars in new york. the two officers were sitting inside their car when they were ambushed on saturday. two state senators say money from the state's $5.1 billion budget surplus should be used to pay for the upgrade. >> kurdish authorities ever managed to recapture northern iraq villages. isil fighters controlled that territory for month. the peshmerga are now bringing in food, water and other supplies for thousands of yazidis trapped there. >> manning a check pointed in afghanistan, in the north, the taliban has intensified attacks against the afghan government as most foreign troops prepare to withdraw from the country. >> across the border there, government officials are stepping up operations against the pakistani taliban less than

a week after that deadly attack on a school. pakistan arrested several fighters involved. >> many say that while that attack was the most brutal in recent memory, it's nothing new. al jazeera reports on a people who say living in fear has become a way of life. >> located 60 kilometers away from the afghan border, this area is in the middle of the war torn tribal belt, home to legal smugglers and the pakistani taliban. the people are paying the price. >> because of these terrorists, the people are not able to work freely as they are afraid to be killed or to be object deducted for ransom. they are trying to shift their businesses from here to the safer parts of the country. that's why there are less jobs and more poverty. >> this man has seven children and is unemployed. east of iting neighbors to celebrate his brother's wedding,

but the mood is grim here and across the city. evidence of poverty is everywhere and there's not much to do even if you have money. cinemas have been converted into bazaars and the few public parks aren't safe. in many ways, this is as conservative as any taliban controlled area. schools offer one of the few ways out. that is why people are so oary about the taliban attack. >> these terrorists are having guns in their hands and want to impose their agenda on us. they want to snatch the pens from our children and give them weapons, but they will not succeed. >> for a moment, the taliban appeared to be getting their way. many schools will remain closed for weeks. some young school graduates say they plan to leave pakistan forever. there are signs of growing resistance to the fighters and their aims. >> as you can see behind me, the

military government schools walls are being raised higher. this is the most symbolic act of defiance against the objectives of the taliban. >> despite attacks and setback, there is still hope that one day peace will prevail over war in this land. >> the united states gives more than a billion dollars of aid to pakistan's military annually. >> oklahoma will go ahead with four planned death row executions in the new year. it has the drugs to carry out the locate that will injections. a judge will rule today in a case charging one of the three drugs presents a risk of cruel and unusual punishment. >> another new low for gas prices, triple-a said the nationwide average price for a gallon of regular is now $2.39 a gallon. we could see gas as inexpensive

as $2.25 by the new year. >> a sharp decline in oil prices, some nations are meeting today. >> they want to figure out what they can do to stop the slide. we have more. >> saudi arabia is the world's biggest exporter of oil and accounts for 13% of the world's supply. six months of falling prices have dented the profit margins. at a meeting of oil ministers in abu dhabi, saudi arabia has blamed non-opec countries for the fall, saying oil producers outside the block lack cooperation and are oversupplying the market driven by greed. >> we do not know what can happen in the future, but what we know for sure is that those who have the most and best production will control the market. >> gulf ministers are confident the market will stabilize again and soon, but a refusal by opec to drop its current supply of

oil of 30 million barrels a day could hurt other economies, even those inside the block. it has dropped from $111 a barrel to now $61. venezuela, who release heavily on oil revenues are struggling to balance the books. >> we are not at a disaster. this happened before. this happened before. we're just at a short over supply. this will be fixed, because the market is strong. >> some analysts say another factor in the volatility of the prices is the rise of shale gas. >> what's clear is that there's increasing concern in the gulf about the rising levels of u.s. output from shale gas and concern that they will increasingly loose market share and the united states will become oil independent. >> shale gas currently represents around a quarter of u.s. gas production but such is the demand, the figure is expected to doubling in the next

20 years, leaving opec members from the gulf saying they will ride out the current storm in oil prices, but that could cost them around $150 billion a year. >> some analysts expect oil prices will rebound next year, but first the slide may continue into next month. >> heavy snow making driving tough in colorado. these pictures are from clear creek west of denver, the snow is expected to pile up this morning, falling at a rate of two to three inches an hour. there could be two feet on the ground by the time it's done. >> a major storm system is expected to create major headaches for travelers this week. >> more on people that could be getting hit by the system. we're looking at the whole east coast. >> it will be a shorter list to say who won't. we were talking about the snow in colorado. watch the earlier flames and you can see it was almost like a garden hose of moisture coming into the northwest. now that system is moving interior, a little bit of a gap

in the clouds, so a little bit of break for the northwest and we need it here, because we still have flood conditions after all of this coming through especially as you get closer to the coastline. now the moisture moving interior, we saw california, just one of many places under the different winter weather advisories, but portions of colorado even have blizzard warnings, meaning we have high winds that's going to be blowing the wind around and we get a blizzard. this is today and then moving into tomorrow. you can see the widespread areas that will get the snow, more northern parts of the plains now, northern parts of the midwest in addition to the mountainous terrain, and this is on the move, so more of the midwest and east coast starting tomorrow. most places that see this, it will be a two day event and there's going to be a stormy side, too. >> the upside is for christmas.

>> new york city mayor bill deblasio facing backlash over the killing which two of the city's police officers. we will discuss the suggestion that the mayor is partly to blame for their deaths. >> the findings by a school probe into a football player's sexual assault allegations. >> the threat from the on going lava flow in hawaii.

>> a large fire in an industrial complex, a drone captured the footage. nearby residence had to be evacuated. >> residents in indonesia head to go higher ground due to flooding. >> new footage shows lava from hawaii's colvin know is two miles from the main road and should hit a shopping center in about a week. >> the killings of 2nypd officers are brought into focus tensions between the police

force and the new york mayor. police turned their backs on him when he arrived at the hospital fowhere the fallen officers were taken. >> jason, thanks for your time. you have probably heard this connection that everyone from former new york governor petacchi to the head of the largest police union is making between protests and deblasio acknowledge tragedy. what do you think of that? >> i think it's incredibly irresponsible and any police officer making conclusions about who was at fault before an investigation was finished should have their job questioned. what we had here is a mentally disturbed man who shot his exgirlfriend, jumped in a car, got on instagram and then randomly shot two police officers in new york city.

there is no connection between that behavior and any of the protests anymore so than there's a connection between people who say that abortion is murder and someone who goes off and kills an abortion doctor. it's very irresponsible for the policeman's union or any politicians to suggest that these are connected to the mayor or the protests. >> after the ferguson decision, deblasio said he had fierce about his own son's treatment if he were to encounter police. does the mayor have his own bias that has kept him from addressing originaller problems between the police department and the community? >> i don't think that's unique to mayor deblasio. you have to step back and realize how incredibly difficult it is for big city mayors to do anything with police departments. i don't think it's bias because his wife is of a american or son by racial. police unions are incredibly powerful in chicago, los

angeles, new orleans, new york. any discussions of improvement in police departments which happened with mayor good in philadelphia in the 1980's, there's always going to be resistance. what he's facing is pretty common historically. >> there's supposed to be this unwritten contract between police and the public they serve. it seems to have been breached in a lot of places. does this attack pole rise the police and the minority communities more or possibly serve to bring them together? >> i don't know. i think that contract was always written with invisible ink, because there are a lot of people in this country who have never felt like they had a relationship with the police department. lots of minority communities, poorer communities have always felt like they were treated like occupied territory as opposed to simply following the law. i say this is very important to take into consideration. being a police officer is a differ job, you're dealing with the worst elements of society every single day, but the

concern here and the reason that this wrist widened and continued is there's a concern on the part of many americans that police aren't held accountable in the same way school teachers, doctors and everybody else is. until that is addressed, this tension is only going to get worse. >> i want to show you video of a protest friday by police officers who actually some of them were wearing tee shirts that say we can breathe. it says i can breathe, that is of course a retort to protestors that were shouting what garner shouted 11 times when he was being succumbed by police when he said he couldn't breathe. how much of that picture is an illustration of the divide that exists right now in this country between police and the communities they serve? >> i think that picture is a classic example of poor public relations and a lack of community policing. let's be honest. by wearing that shirt, what the police officer is doing is they're actively provoking the

protestors. the truth of the matter is the vast majority of police officers are hard working men and women who want to do their jobs. they rather than protesting inappropriate behavior and cop using an illegal chokehold, they should be the loudest ones saying we don't want bad cops in our department, trigger happy cops in cleveland or st. louis. this is a real failure on the part of the police department to not address that there are some bad cops and extinguish them from the good ones doing their job in the toughest areas of this country. >> new jersey's governor says cuba must return a fugitive to his state. she first convicted of killing a new jersey state trooper in 1973. she's been living in cuba since 1984 as a guest of the castro

regime. chris christie said her return should be a condition of any diplomatic deal with havana. >> president obama is preparing to nominate the new deputy attorney general. officials say sally yates would become the second highest ranking official. she is the federal prosecutor in atlanta. another u.s. attorney has been nominated for attorney general. her confirmation hearings are slated for next year. >> florida state's quarterback has been cleared of wrongdoing, a school panel made the finding. florida state will play or gone in the rose ball for a chance to compete for a national championship. >> let's turn to nicole mitchell for news on a major storm system that will saws trouble for holiday travelers. >> rain, wind, hurricane force winds near the mountains is the system already plaguing the

south, a frontal boundary coming through. as the next system merges with that and ahead of the front manages to funnel in even more gulf moisture, this is going to be the part of the country where we see the heaviest rain totals. some places over the next couple of days easily four to six inches, especially the core of this tomorrow. you can see heavier rain spreads northward, so parts of the northeast, two or three inches not any of the question, same thing indiana into michigan, could see another core of heavy rain there and with enough warm air moving in with all that potent atmosphere, could even see a slight risk for severe weather, meaning hail, high winds, even an isolated tornado. >> ok, nicole mitchell, thank you. >> the sports world reacts to new new york city police officers. john henry smith is here with how athletes are paying trick to the officers and helping their families. >> citizens in the birth place of the arab spring casting ballots in the countries first free presidential election.

we'll go to the capitol for more on the historic vote. >> say the anists put ago nativity scene of their own on display.

>> president obama's move to restore ties with cuba set to bring big changes to the island nation. the role the country's young will play in shaping the future. >> new improvements coming to one stadium following this implosion. >> north korea threatening violence against the white house and pentagon over accusations that it's behind the massive hacking of sony that led the studio to delay the release of the film "the interview." the united states is considering putting north carolina back on the list have state sponsored terrorism. >> kurdish fighters making gains on isil, recapturing several

villages. the peshmerga are bringing in food, water and other supplies for thousands of yazidis. >> police on alert this morning after two officers were gunned down in new york city. the suspect told them to watch them moments before he opened fire. the police union leader is blaming the mayor for creating an environment of angry police anger. >> let's bring in john now live in brooklyn. the mayor facing stiff resistance from nypd rank and file, some want him to resign and the union penalty said the officers' blood is on his hands. >> the relationship between the mayor and nypd has been going south since he campaigned for office when he talked about ending stop and frisk, something that has now happened. hit got bad after the grand jury decisions were handed up, the

nypd unhappy with the way the mayor handle the the protests that followed here in new york and also criticism that he had of them and the way they handled the death of eric garner in stanton island. the mayor has been low key about this, but his spokesman said it's unfortunate that at a time of great tragedy some would resort to irresponsible overheated rhetoric that angers and divides people. the mayor is out today attending a luncheon being given by the police athletics league which he is expected to address these issues. >> let's talk about the suspect here. before the deadly shootings, what are we learning about his past. we know his family has said he is not mentally stable. >> that's right. we know a lot more about the shooter now, thanks to the nypd who has given a news conference

within the last news cycle. according to them, he shot his former girlfriend in an apartment block in baltimore maryland early saturday morning. he telephoned her mother to tell the mother that he hoped the former girlfriend would be ok. she has survived, by the way. she was shot in the stomach. he posted antipolice violent messages. he then took a bus to baltimore city, hung around the barclays center. before shooting, he spoke to people and asked their gang membership and said to them allegedly, apparently, watch what i'm going to do. it was at that point the officers were shot here at this very spot and as we know, died instantly. thank you, john. >> just as some did for eric garner and michael brown, athletes are showing supported for the two fallen police

officers. >> motor of the support was symbolic. were you ever america's motor famous franchises pled to open their wallet. >> athletes around the country express condolences for the slain officers, the responses here in new york city were particularly poignant, this crime both figuratively and literally hit the new york sports world very close to home. >> in a scene repeated at home games for the new york rangers, the brooklyn nets and the new york jets, new york sports team and their fans took a few quiet moments to remember the fallen officers. two men went a step further to remember the officers, new york giants coach tom coughlin wore a black strip on the left shoulder of his jacket to show support and jets center nick mangold came on to the field wearing a

nypd baseball hat. he was 80 as saying: mangold is thinking of augusts off the hat to raise money for the families of the two fallen officers. the new york yankees through late owner george steinbrenners silver shield foundation pledged to pay for the educations of the officer's two children, one already in college and the other just 13 right now. the other officer had no children. espn reporter used this occasion to criticize the on and off field protests of the eric garner and michael brown killing by police sweeted: >> one new york jet sheldon richardson who has been sharply critical of law enforcement said

this: >> >> we saw lebron james wear that shirt on the court and it became controversial. this decision to support the nypd doesn't seem controversial. >> it is and it's not. it's been controversial in the sense that there were a lot of tweets sent out right after the offense happened over the weekend saying i belt you the millionaire that's won't come out with nypd hats on now. >> some did.

>> kareem abdul-jabbar tweeted out. a message, so definitely a conversation starter. >> sierra leone is clamping down on unsafe burials, saying they may be responsible for up to 70% of new ebola infections. the virus has killed more than 7,000 people, more than 19,000 people have been infected. >> the ebola outbreak has caused senegal to close its borders with guinea. the government feared the virus could come into the country. >> senegal is getting involved with stopping the spread, allowing the u.n. to use the country as a base for supplying aid. >> going to the front line of the ebola crisis, doctors, nurses, and engineers all getting ready to board a special u.n. flight. it will take them right to where the virus killed the most. working in logistics, this man

will spend the next months without physical contact, constantly checking his health. >> we understand how the situation has to be implemented to protect our receivers and to protect others. >> more than 7,000 people have died of ebola and the virus continues to spread, traveling to treat the sick is dangerous and difficult. commercial flights to affected countries are restricted. >> we've told senegalese authorities we would not transport passengers with symptoms or any blood samples with the virus. >> it action to months of negotiations for the government to allow passengers and cargo to fly in and out to ebola infected countries. there were conditions to this humanitarian corridor. >> one of the requests from the senegalese government was to build a new airport terminal specifically made for this ebola response. this is something the united nations had never done before

until now. >> it's called terminal h. for humanitarian, this is where passengers, goods for building hospitals and ebola vaccines will transit. inside is a small medical unit and isolation unit. construction is expected to end in late january. >> thanks to this, we will multi-our ability to respond to the cries. we now have military cargo support from the french, germans and americans. >> hundred was soldiers have set up camp next to the terminal. the response is unprecedented. still, the u.n. suffer from a shortage. more than 19,000 people have been infected with the virus, many medical and aid workers, confronting ebola is a dangerous job. not enough of willing to risk their lives to save others. >> the next phase of trials for an experimental ebola vaccine begins in february.

the trials will be held in senegal, cameroon, nigeria, ghana and mali. >> boko haram showed the group killing dozens of captives. we are choosing not to show that video. the setting in that video appears to be in a school tomorrow atory. many victims appear to be adult men. the militants have repeatedly targeted schools for attacks. boko haram believes education, especially for women is sinful. >> in tunisia, we report from the capitol. >> another historic day, as the people here essentially march closer to completing their dream of a democracy post the 2011 uprising and revolution, which ousted the dictator. voter turnouts, there have been

a steady stream of people. it's not expected to be hugely large in terms of the in connection here. it will cross the 50%, at least that is expected. this is the third time the people take to the polls oh in less than two months, so there is evidence of fatigue amongst the population. aside from that, there is a bit of a security concern in the country that foster isil posted threats on line saying they were going to essentially conduct what they called a bloodbath and tarts polling stations and headquarters of the electoral commission. that's led the authorities to dispatch thousands of soldiers across the polling stations to ensure that this voting pros is safeguarded. so far, that has been the case. it is going to be a tight race between candidates who people say one is from remnants of the old regime, someone known to essentially favor a stronger,

harsher way of ruling the country. they point to the fact that when he was top security official, many years back, there was a lot of political oppression. his opponent, a former humanitarian rights activists is build as the choice of the revolution. it's a tight race and we're waiting to see how it unfolds. regardless of the result, people hope that this is another step forward for the fledgling democracy. >> it stands apart from other arab nations involved in the arab spring. it's transition to democracy has been largely peaceful and it is often cited as the only success story from the arab spring. >> the diplomatic break through between united states and cuba has prompted many different reactions. >> for some, there is mistrust, others hope the relationship means a new beginning. >> kids being kids, not a worry in the world in havana.

watching from the sidelines, they wait in line for their chance to play. even at their tender age, they have a view an changes that could be coming to their country with a promise of better relations with the united states. >> without this blockade, we won't have to bring everything from china. maybe our school lunches will get better. everything will be more modernized. >> most don't have internet at home. this boy hopes that will change so he can do things other children in the world take for granted. >> i think it will be better, because we'll the power to communicate with people that are abroad by internet, connect with them, to send emails, like to my father, who has been living in the u.s. >> cuba for decades, big important decisions have been made by a small group of leaders like fidel and now his brother raul, now in his 80's.

it is they who have shaped cuba into what it is today. >> the children, those so young, they have no historical context of where the country has been could gain most in the long term with the relationship with the united states especially if the blockade is completely lifted. either way, they will be the first generation that could be growing up in a new cuba. >> that's if they decide to stay. look everywhere around havana, you'll see signs of americana in unusual places. for kids, it's not a political statement, just a fashion trend at the moment, but now more symbolic than ever, the decision to leave or stay. >> ok. >> for sure, i want to live in the united states, because it's better for my future. >> i want to visit the u.s., but i still want to continue to live here in cuba. >> as the sun sets on the famous city boardwalk, kids catch the last rays of afternoon sun. even the youngest knowing full

well that their country is entering unchartered waters. al jazeera, havana. >> since the 1959 revolution, about 1.5 million cubans have left the country. >> a daring one man protest at the vatican, a man lowered himself on to the facade of st. peter's basilica, angry over an italian law that prevents him from renewing the permit for his business. back in march, he lowered himself on to the giant dome. >> detroit's satanic temple is marking the holiday season with this display in lansing, michigan. it's a snake wrapped around a cross with a pent gram at the top. they call it a snaketivity scene. >> north korea issuing threats following the hacking of sony.

we talk about the backlash over "the interview" and the possibility audiences may still get to see the film. >> the return of the record. the resurgence that vinyl is enjoying among music lovers. time now for our big quote, north korea issuing new threats over accusations of its role in the sony hacking. >> a u.s. leader firing right back at pyongyang, saying: who had that to say, next.

>> who said if we set a precedent in which a dictator through another company: >> our big quote from president obama speaking in an interview

about north korea's role in the sony hacking. >> north korea is throwing blame at the u.s., saying the obama administration made "the interview" and says the goal was to recklessly spread rumors about their leader. the film editor at crave on line joins us from los angeles. thank you for joining us. you've seen "the interview." is it your opinion, is it worth all of this hype? >> well, no. i mean, i've seen it. it's kind of funny, it's no brilliant social satire, but it is kind of funny. there is -- it's a little offensive, and it does have an interesting message about the power of propaganda to control people and the power that humanizing a leader can have to

free their people. that deserves at least to be seen. >> the president said sony made a mistake pulling the movie. in the face of security threats, what options did sony have? >> doing the right thing is tricky in the situation. it's easy to say what the right thing is when you don't have anything at stake yourself. sony has to balance safety concerns, the balance of their information from future hackings. what was the right thing to do? sony said they were willing to let anyone who wanted to screen the film screen the film, but then there were theaters willing to screen the film in los angeles that wanted to book screenings and weren't allowed to. i think allowing anyone who wanted to take the risk to screen the film would have been great for their p.r. and hopefully would ever opened the flood gates for more theaters taking a chance in the future. now, they could release the film

in the future, obviously they're hoping to still let it go wide, but it could go to video on demand, could go on sony's own instant screening crackle. there's options available to them. >> president obama said he wished sony executives talked to him before pulling the movie, saying he may have stepped in and talked directly with theater chains that reversed to show the movie because of this threat of violence. is there a possibility that this movie ends up in theaters after all? could that happen? >> absolutely it could happen. it could happen once people feel the threat has been allayed, once a major theater chain decide to say screen the film and sony realizes that now would be the time that people are comfortable taking what is perceived as a risk. you know, sony is a corporation. they're in this to make money. that's their goal. "the interview" cost a lot of money, so they're going to try to make that money back however they can. once the opportunity arises, i

think they'll take it. the question is will they feel comfortable doing it in the environment. >> i sort of want to see the movie now. do you think no matter how they release the film will send floods of people to see the movie that otherwise wouldn't have seen it. >> i'm pretty sure opening weekend would be do well. but people are going to see it and say that's what all the fuss is about and that might hurt word of mouth down the line. >> thank you very much. >> from the movie business to the music business. an old trend is making a serious comeback. we remember these. sales of vinyl records are soaring. >> yes, and even though the technology may seem outdated, some love how it sounds. >> once upon a time, before these, before these, before these, there were these, the snap crackle and pop of the

record was the sound track to many a life, and it is making what is for some a very welcome return. record sales passed the 1 million mark last month. retailers say you take into account the christmas season, it's the first time weaver hit seven digits since 1996, the year we first heard about the spice girls. what happened to them? it is nothing compared to vinyl's hey day in 1981. that year, 1.1 billion records were sold. >> if you look at the charts and you see which records are performing really well, you'll see that it's not just the established artists of the world, but there's a new wave of artists who are bringing this in this new generation of music fans here exploring it for the very first time. >> of course it is an acquired

taste. you need bulky equipment, but the enthusiasts never tire of it. >> it became more small scale but still there. when that happens, often then at some point becomes quite trendy again and it starts to see again more into the mainstream, because people are looking for what is happening maybe in the sort of underground or independent or what may be younger people are doing. >> for some, vinyl borders on art, case in point, this studio in london which uses original 1950's equipment to press classics the old fashioned way. business has gone through the roof with international orders for records costing in some cases thousands of dollars. >> food is a good analogy he, the vinyl consumer is the person who enjoys maybe a good wine, maybe good food, a certain lifestyle. the digital consumer is much

more of that fast food animal. >> vinyl in 2014 has more competition than the vinyl of the 80's, downloaded c.d.'s and so on. for some, nothing comes close. this return is quite literally music to their ears. al jazeera, london. >> the largest record plant in the u.s. is nashville is running 24 hours to day to keep up with demand. it pumps out 40,000 records every day. >> we're seeing this trend from digital back to analog in other areas. i still read real books. >> no kindle. >> a spectacular end to part of an iconic stadium. that's texas a and m., controlled explosion taking down part of the stadium. it will be rebuilt with a host of upgraded facilities. they are spending $85 million to

update the field to be done in time for the start of next season. >> let's get another check of your forecast with nicole mitchell. even though it's not looking good for holiday travel, there might be a silver lining here? >> the next dice will be a mess for a lot of the country. temperatures have been running slightly above average. that has been chewing away at the snow pack. 40% of the country had snow on the ground, now 25%. look how widespread this area is tomorrow, but snow behind all of that for tomorrow and wednesday and things clear out more just in time for christmas day. in terms of people that love the snow on the ground for christmas morning, this system will bring a lot to a lot of people. >> yes! >> thank you, nicole. >> coming up in two minutes from our newsroom in doha, more from tunisia wrapping up its first democratic elections following the arab spring. >> tensions exposed between

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only on al jazeera america >> claiming victory in a landmark election. welcome to al jazeera. also ahead, human rights watch says hundreds of muslims are trapped in central african republic. we go underground to a homeless community living in sewers and tunnels. and ten years on from the indian ocean tsunami we're hearing from