arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... award winning investigative documentary series... opioid wars only on al jazeera america they have done nothing wrong because indeed they have been just doing their jobs. >> after a more than a year wrongly imprisoned in egypt, three al jazeera journalists are granted a retrial. crews in indonesia resume the somber task of searching for victims. jeb bush moves another step closer to declaring his candidacy for presidency. and the difficult road ahead

for chicago. champ down on violence and build trust between residents and police. ♪ this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm tony harris. we begin with new developments in the case of our three al jazeera colleagues jailed in egypt. the families of peter greste and mohammed fahmy say they have asked egypt's chief prosecutor to deport them to their home countries, australia, and canada. all three will stay in jail until they are retried on charges of supporting the outlawed muslim brotherhood. that trial could get underway within a month's time but it is not clear how long it will last. al jazeera is calling for the process to begin as soon as possible. >> our call is to the egyptian

government to the egyptian authorities to make that a fast process. it shouldn't take months and months and months. everybody around the world can see these guys should be released. they shouldn't have even been released for one hour never mind one year. >> roxana saberi is here with more. we just heard reaction from the state department on today's decision. >> that's right. the state department says it will keep urging egypt to release the journalists. it said obviously we recognize the court's decision that the ridge decision was flawed: many supports say they never should have been arrested in the first place. after a full year in prison the three al jazeera journalists start the new year behind bars.

egypt's top court doered a retrial for peter greste baher mohamed, and mohammed fahmy. it also denied them bail. outside the courthouse their supporters expressed disappointment. >> it's hard to -- to see your loved one in prison behind bars for just doing his job. i hope that -- i believe that it is a misunderstanding and it needs to be corrected. >> i was expecting, yes, a retrial, but i was expecting with that a release today. >> figures from 2011 show -- >> reporter: greta was a veteran correspondent. >> the first trial was most unfair and -- and unjust and there is nothing that can be

guaranteed about even for a retrial. >> reporter: the three journalists were sentenced to seven to ten years in prison. they are accused of supporting the now banned muslim brotherhood. but an attorney for mohammed fahmy said there is no connection. >> if you work for al jazeera although matticly you are a member of the muslim brotherhood. that is not true and it is illegal. >> reporter: the imprisonment has sparked an international out outcry. on thursday the united kingdom's said: >> and press rights groups are reiterating thattal journalists never should be an jailed in the first place. >> we would have liked to see the three completely free.

but we see this retrial as the opportunity for the court, for the egyptian judicial system to recognize that they are innocent. egypt's president has said he is considering using his power to release the journalists, but he also said the legal process has to run its course. peter greste's brother plans to hold a press conference in about an hour. >> and we will carry that right here on al jazeera. joining us now a middle east and north africa coordinator. so we have got a retrial ordered by the court, but i'm wondering, are you disappointed that the case was not dismissed out of hand? >> yes, i think we have more expectation that this case would be resolved right away and the combination here it should be more of a political interference because everyone understands, including the

president that this was a politically motivated case and should have been resolved politically. the [ inaudible ] of political and criminal courts should not be the topic of discussion here. we are happy that of course the decision has overturned the verdict, and that's important not just for those journalists, but for every other journalist who would like some freedom in the system. and it is also coming from the courts of [ inaudible ]. so we had hoped that they will continue to play a better role in order to help put the political motivated trials -- >> gotcha. >> -- on hold. >> before we get to that -- i want to get to that whole idea this being a politically

motivated trial, but does this decision for a retrial make it more likely in your estimation that at least peter and mohammed will be deported? >> yes, i think for the case of peter for sure because he is not an egyptian national, so there is no question about whether implementing the recent legislation about pardoning and handing over foreign defendant on trial, so for the case of peter, he is australian. his government and his family have asked for him to be deported, so there is no issue there, i think within a few days, max couple a few weeks, the prosecutor general would be able to implement the law and hand them over. for the case of baher mohamed,

there is still a debeet whether he qualifies for that treatment or not. i think the optimistic interpretation that he could be -- if the government could continue to push for his release -- >> what abba -- about bahar? >> i think he would benefit from -- during the trial a release on bail. that is because the fact that the court has sent this case back to criminal court, it means there are flawed argument, legal procedure that has been overlooked. and any impartial judge can make a decision for releasing him on bail. >> let me ask one more question before i run out of time. are there real signs here of a thawing of relations between egypt and qatar?

and is that the reason we're hearing more hopeful expressions about the future of the men? >> absolutely. i think the reconciliation efforts and the fact that [ inaudible ] the egyptian [ inaudible ] channel is significant because it gives president sisi and his government a good gesture -- a welcome gesture that they can save face in terms of addressing their own constituency in egypt and saying that are not -- you know shutting this case without compromise. and i think they -- they can now implement this while having -- and ahead of them very important dates in february and march, which is the legislationive election and the egypt support economic con freens -- conference. >> i hope you are right? saying that at least two of our

colleagues will be released in the coming weeks. appreciate your time. thank you. the palestinian authority has formally applied to join the international criminal court. senior palestinian negotiator gave the application to a u.n. official today. they hope to eventually bring war crime charges against israel. >> palestine is a [ inaudible ] palestine committed to international law, to all of the obligations emanating from the convinces and treaties we have signed. >> the move comes after the u.n. security council rejected a resolution tuesday that would have set a time line for eel's withdraw from the occupied territories. benjamin netenyahu cruised to an expected easy victory. we won 75% of the vote. he is running for his fourth

term as prime minister in march's elections. it is 6:00 am in indonesia, and rescue teams are getting ready to resume the search for victims of the airasia airplane crash. john, a difficult start to the year for the families here. >> it is so shocking how quickly the euphoria on new year's eve can switch to the realities of life, which is that life is so fragile. good evening i'm afraid the stormy weather has rather hampered the search for the aircraft, we have had reports of 9-foot waves getting in the way of the divers today. a few bodies and debris were found near a giant island along with a suitcase life jacket and emergency slide. but tonight more than 150

families are still waiting for news. indonesians started the new year holding candles and prayering for the passenger and crew. >> translator: i hope the families left behind can stay strong and hopefully the search and rescue teams can find all victims as soon as possible. >> reporter: this morning a somber ceremony as the first victim is identified and returned to her grieving family. other bodies recovered from the java sea arrived today at a military base. the coffins marked with numbers, indicating the latest victims taken to a police hospital. now the painstaking process begins to try to identify the dead. indonesian red cross workers are going through fingerprints and other records. 162 people including 17 children

were on board. the search continued today in the java sea. teams battled bad weather on wednesday, but the skies cleared overnight for a short time. >> we are working hard trying to recover the black box. that's the latest activity. >> reporter: there were reports that sonar may have detected part of the plane, something the ceo of airasia disputes. >> nothing is confirmed yet. there are lots of rumors going oing around and until we have official confirmation, what you heard is all speculation. >> reporter: the navy released photos of an evacuation slide. it is unclear whether it was deployed or activated on impact. as drivers and crews prepare to go back out, i'm afraid stormy weather will continue to hamper their efforts for the rest of

the week. and the black boxes have still not been found. black boxes are of course not orange, but they are almost indestructible. but if the pings aren't being heard, that could be a big problem. the only way we're going to know what happened is if we find the blacks boxes. >> thank you, john. that region is also dealing with another tragedy, some of the worst flooding in decades. we'll have more on that later in the program. the u.s. and coalition nations have conducted nearly 3 dozen air strikes on isil targets in iraq and syria over the last 24 hours. fearly 50 isil fighters were killed in fighting with iraqi forces. 2014 was the bloodiest year in iraq since 2007. relatives of 36 people killed in

a new year's eve stampede in shanghai are demanding answers. people rushed to grab coupons tossed of a balconies because they looked like dollar bills. police say that did not cause the rush. >> translator: we were downstairs and wanted to move up and those who were upstairs wanted to be move down. we were pushed up down by the people coming from above. all of those trying to move up fell down on the stairs. >> reporter: officials say this was the worst disaster in shanghai in four years. the ib investigation into the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy by police could soon be handed over to an independent agency. the thought the toy gun he was holding was actually real. cleveland police officials

continue to collect evidence and conduct interviewed. protests in southern california this week have centered on the case of a 25-year-old unarmed black man killed in a fight with police. the investigation is not over but the autopsy released this week shows he was shot three times, once in the back. america tonight's michael ohcue reports. >> reporter: protesters hitting streets of los angeles. >> no justice, no peace! >> reporter: angry about the shooting of a 25-year-old black man shot and killed by police in august. >> a shot in the back calls for a real serious investigation by the police department and i think that in this case for ford not releasing the autopsy report since august we're in the end of december now, i thought that was very unnecessary.

>> reporter: ford was well-known in the community, he was mentally ill. he had been walking in this tough neighborhood he called home when two veteran officers approached him. police say ford continued walking and made suspicious movements. they say when the officers reached for them ford tackled one of the officers to the ground pinned him down and tried to grab his gun. the officer's partner then fired two shots striking ford. >> at about the same time the officer on the ground while on his back grabbed his backup weapon reached around mr. ford and fired one shot at close range. neighborhood -- neighbors offer vastly different accounts of what happened. >> they wrestled him to the

ground, one shot went off, and two seconds went by and another shot went off. and then the officer shareholder him to shoot him again. >> reporter: the long awaited autopsy report provides no narrative of what happened nor does it make any judgment. it simply says ford was shot three times, his right arm, right side and back. according to the report the gunshot wound on the back contained a muscle imprint suggesting the round had been fired at close range. >> there is nothing in the coroner's report that is inconsistent. >> reporter: officials say the investigation is expected to last for months. and up next on al jazeera america, jeb bush gives us a better idea of his plans in 2016. and news of another hacking at a

u.s. company. ♪ moms at?” [[vo]] one year legal. >>i'd try chem 4, alien dog, and girl scout cookies. [[vo]] and it's become big business. >>the state of colorado is profiting immensely off of this. [[vo]] now, we cut through the smoke and find out what's really going on. >>we can show marijuana is leaving colorado. [[vo]] the highs and lows of a year on pot.

♪ >> okay. new signs that jeb bush may be clearing the decks for at presidential campaign in 2016 an aid says the former florida governor resigned from all of his memberships and businesses just last month. he is seen as an early favorite of the republican establishment. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> wait a minute look the republican primary was always going to be a racous thing, right? even thinking about the people who might get in but haven't

declared -- you put jeb bush into that mix, he becomes an immediate target as an establishment candidate, right? >> absolutely. >> so -- so how fiery does the primary season become for republicans? >> it is going to be very racous firey, and big. >> big how? big what? >> i think we're going to see eight nine candidates. it will get whittled down after a while, but i think we'll see eight or nine candidates. >> jeanie look a jeb bush candidacy would expose the deep riffs within the republican party. this is a man who agrees with the president and wants a path to immigration -- right? and more compassion at it approach to immigration reform than a lot of people he may be running against, correct? >> yeah, absolutely and this i

think is the big issue that divides republicans. i mean you are throwing people out. eric cantor got thrown out in part because of immigration. so this is going to be an issue of jeb bush. his stance would help him if he gets into the general -- >> but he wants a pathway to citizenship for -- what is it 11, 12 million people in the country illegally right now, right? >> that's what he wants. and he is no liberal. jeb bush is a conservative guy, but he's being painted by the republican party at least on the right as if he's some kind of liberal. >> genie what is the fuss over the common core education strategy? >> yeah, this is an issue that has really caught fire. we saw it this year in new york with the gubernatorial race. republicans -- that has become a

lightning rod for republicans. anybody in favor of the common core is pushed out of the party. >> and jeb bush is in favor -- he says the rigor of the common core state standards must be the new minimum in classrooms. is that going to cause him a real problem? >> it is going to cause him a real problem again in the primaries. and this is where they are going to be battling it out, especially in the states where there is a concerted effort to get rid of the common core. this could really hurt him. >> what do you think about john boehner in support of congressman skalece? >> he spoke to david duke's group, admitted it but said he didn't know he was speaking to david duke's group, which is odd, and not only that he has

maintained contact with members of the group -- >> can he survive this? >> i don't think so. you cannot have somebody stating those positions, doing those things still as majority with in the house. that's a big problem -- >> so why did the speaker come out in support of him so quickly? >> i think he made an error. i think he wants to get into the session, the new congress and work on all of the issues, i think he was trying to get grimm and scalis out of the way. i think on grimm he made the right decision but with scalis he has got to go. >> genie -- >> no felons in the republican party in the house. >> anything else -- before i let you go. we had a quick conversation and you think this could be a cycle, in 2016, where governors for republicans have a chance of

actually -- a republican governor might actually come out with the nomination? >> absolutely. i don't think they are going to go for a senator, particularly a one-term senator. >> that's your 2015 forecast, your prediction. >> yes hold me to it tony. >> a republican governor and not a senator -- >> somebody with credentials who has been working hard at the state level. >> and why? >> because i don't think republicans want to make the mistake that they said the democrats made with barack obama, a one-term senator. it is going to be hard to say that, and then repeat it in 2016. >> will republicans put forward a come pre -- comprehensive immigration reform. >> i they'll take a piecemeal approach. >> that was fun, genie, thank

you. lots of energy. lots of everything. chicago officials touting a drop in violent crime, but not everybody is excited. >> people don't want to help the police become successful because they feel the police don't respect them. the cost of a cure break through for hepatitis c that very few can afford and most insurance companies won't pay for.

♪ it is january 1st, and that means millions of minimum wage workers will soon see larger paychecks. 21 states have raised their minimum wage. washington, d.c. has the highest, washington state is

next followed by oregon. minimum wage workers in the nation's capitol will earn even more when d.c. raises its minimum wage again in july. other states will also raise their minimum wage this year. several states will have minimum wage increases based on inflation and other measures. chicago begins 2015 with plenty of work to do to curb crime while murderers and overall crime were down last year shootings were up. it highlights the problem with illegal guns in the city. diane eastabrook has our report. >> reporter: chicago closed another violent year marked with crime scene tape arrests, and 7,000 confiscated illegal guns. but the city says it got safer in 2014.

>> right now we have the fewest murders to date since 1965, 49 years ago. overall crime is down 12% from last year and down 27% from two years ago. >> reporter: still, police superintendent admits chicago faces challenges while there were fewer murders in chicago last year there were over 300 more shootings, and some parts of the city got even more dangerous. the austin neighborhood is actually seeing an increase in violent crime. the number of shootings and murders are up 15% this year over last and some residences say they are afraid to even leave their homes. hesch's barbara shop is in the middle of the war zone. >> you see those guys on the corner. >> reporter: gun violence is a common topic of conversation. >> now it's like any moment you have got to know that somebody can come out and just start

shooting. >> times are so different now, you are having parents at a much younger age as opposed to when i was growing up. >> reporter: and solutions. >> there should be a much better and more cordial relationship. >> reporter: this man represents the neighborhood and sits on a violence-prevention task force. he says police need to build more trust with residents to slow the flow of illegal guns and shootings. >> people will call the police if they like the police and they want to help them be successful. but people don't want to help the police be respectful because they don't feel they respect them. >> reporter: police superintendent says the answer is tougher gun laws. with chicagoans fed up with scenes like this they will have their say on whether the new

crime-fighting strategy is working. city-wide elections are coming up in the new year. challengers are using the numbers to unseat the incumbent mayor. joining us is the new york representative of blacks and law enforcement in america. happy new year. >> happy knew year. >> what does this mean moving forward in chicago, in new york city, which we'll talk about in more detail. what does that mean moving forward, 2015 and beyond. >> law enforcement, law enforcement management being stakeholders in the community. >> commissioners, chiefs? >> yes. >> politicians? >> politicians, policy makers legislators all being stakeholders through what they call community policing but you also have to have a community

aspect and have police from the community that know the community. and that's not the case everywhere in the country. >> no it's not. >> how difficult is it going to be to get back to the standard of knowing the community, particularly when frankly there are probably a lot of police officers that don't want to actually live and raise their families in the communities that they are being asked to police. >> and that's why they are not stake holders, and why there's an us against them attitude and that's why you see people not wanting to trust the police. >> yeah. >> that are from the community. >> what is your view of the current controversy right now? between the union leaders, and what is happening with the mayor? >> i think the mayor should stay strong. >> there are calls for him to apologize.

>> i don't think he should apologize for being concerned about his black son. every black and brown or minority mother or father is concerned about their children. even black law enforcement, we are concerned about our children encounters with police and other black law enforcement having encounters with police. >> wasn't there always going to be this kind of tension between the police and this particular mayor who ran on a platform of reform? >> yes he got elected -- 70% of his vote came from people of color. so, you know, i think pat lynch stepped overbounds by having -- >> he is a union heard -- >> yes, at the center of this conflict with the mayor. >> yes, he is. he stepped overbound -- >> tell me why you say that? >> the mayor is the chief of the city. the commissioner works at the will of the mayor. if they are in uniform and

turning their backs on the mayor, they are actually turning their backs on the people that elected him in office. they are turning their backs on the taxpayers that pay their salaries. you cannot be so disrespectful. but why are you disrespectful? are you disrespectful because he voiced his concerns of his black son and having encounters which makes people and law enforcement upset? >> which would enhance the divide -- >> yes. >> -- not just between the police and the mayor, but the police and the community. >> and the community. and what have pat lynch done to address these issues? has he gone into the black community and do programs? what do you do when stopped by the police. >> which is part of what you say needs to happen. >> yeah. it's part of what we do go into the schools, and do classes,

what do you do when you are stopped by the police. even when black law enforcement has been shot at or killed by their white counterparts. 27 incidents and it never happened in reverse, where a black officer shot a white cop. what has pat lynch done? the last one was omar edwards. what has pat lynch done to bring any type of solution to that when under governor patterson they had a police on police shooting task force. one of the key findings was racial bias place a role in a police officer to shoot or not shoot the suspect. >> what kind of a policy is a black police officer in at this particular moment? >> well some of them are speaking out like we speak out. and some of them are being quiet, because of the, quote unquote, blue line and being caught up in the culture of policing.

>> wow, damon jones, new york representatives blacks in law enforcement of america. thank you for being here. officer wynn jun blu will be laid to rest sunday. the vice president attended the funeral of the other officer last weekend. jury selection is set to begin monday in the boston marathon bombing trial. he faces 30 counts. the judge rejected motions from his attorneys to delay the start of the trial. he is accused of setting off two bombs at the 2013 race. each year only about two dozen drugs get approval by the fda, and many are tough to get because their prices are too

high. alan shofer will has our report. >> reporter: at seattle's hep tie sus foundation education, where this man has gotten a lot of help he shares a victory. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you. this is like a new life. >> yeah, absolutely. >> so now i have to figure out what to do for the next 25, 30 years. >> reporter: just a few days ago when we met him, he was living with a lingering death sentence. >> there was a time when i came to the conclusion that i would probably die with liver disease and liver cancer. >> reporter: he asked his health insurer for a new drug. following the advice of his doctors he hadn't tried earlier treatments because of depression and anxiety. it has a 95% cure rate and

eliminates those concerns. >> we have denied coverage or payment under medicare part d for the following prescription. >> reporter: rejected. fred was furious. >> that season -- someone would tell me that i don't have the right to do whatever is necessary to save my life. >> our position is everybody deserves access to that cure no matter what. >> reporter: in the u.s. the drug can cost up to $100,000 for a full course of treatment. different insurers and healthcare providers set different criteria. >> how are we going to finance this? >> reporter: lou garrison teaches healthcare economics at the university of washington school of pharmacy. he believes drugs like this demand our attention, because poorer patient populations might be priced out of the growing market for life-saving drugs.

>> when we're talking about 4 million people and $300 billion that's a big number. we're at a point where it's time to reexamine how we do this. >> reporter: but he cautions pharmaceutical research and development is hit and miss and extremely expensive. the company that owns the rights to the drug sent us a statement saying: >> they are talking about economics, and i'm talking about my life. >> reporter: fred appealed and won. his drug delivered in that little brown box. his chance for life $3.36 while medicare pays the rest. >> i'm celebrating my victory, but there are thousands of other people -- millions of other

people out there that haven't enjoyed a victory like this before. it may seem unbelievable that one pill could cost a thousand dollars, but we spoke to an infectious disease physician this morning who said it is not unusual. >> all too often in the united states it's really about what the market will bare and how to maximize profits. this new medicine is a combination of two grad new drugs. the doctor said a single payer health insurance systems have better luck getting drug prices down. the egyptian government was able to negotiate a $900 price for a 12-week coarse of a similar drug. chick-fil-a may be the latest target of a breach.

they said if a breach did happen customers will not be held responsible for charges. beginning today in california internet companies can no longer charge people a fee to remove their mugshots. a lot at some other new laws now in effect in this new year. and many say discrimination in cuba is still rampant. we'll take you to havana next.

♪ the flood waters are slowly receding in malaysia after what many officials describe as the worst flooding in decades. our correspondent travelled to a hospital in the region hardest hit by the floods. >> reporter: this is the main hospital here which is the capitol of the state, one of the worst-flood affected areas in malaysia. now the south say that they had prior warning that the floods were coming their way, and they were able to take measures to

mitigate the -- the damage. they evacuated this low-lying building, which is the orthopedic -- the pediatric from the dental wing and moved patients to a multi-story building that wasn't affected by the floods. this room is where new mothers would come to breastfeed their babies. the cleaning crew hasn't managed to come here yet, so you can see the absolute damage that the floods have caused in this room. this is the director of the hospital. doctor can you tell me -- you were here for the 2004 floods. how does this compare? >> this is more serious, the flooding is worse, and cost more damages. >> reporter: so the -- you tell me sir, that -- your pain priority is to get the hospital up and running again. how long do you think it will take? >> well we thought to operate

by yesterday, but couldn't do it because of the limited water supply that comes to our hospital. >> reporter: so the main priority, of course, is to make sure that services are up and running again for patients. now this may take a few days but as you see the hospital staff are working long hours to ensure that the hospital is back up on its feet. brazil's president was warn in for a second term today. vice president joe biden was among those attending. a scandal involving the state-run oil company, and she vowed to confront the challenges. >> translator: to make power more democratic increase the means to energetically combat corruption, which offends and humiliates workers and businessmen, as well as honest brazilian. we will prove we can make adjustments to the economy

without revoking the rights concurred. she narrowly won reelection against a conservative rival in october. the captain of the ferry that caught fire says he is not a hero speaking about what happened for the first time. he says he wishes he could have gotten everybody off of the ship. 477 were rescued after the fire broke out, but 11 passengers died. some are still missing. today marks the 56th anniversary of the cuban revolution. one of the driving forces behind the revolution was the desire to end discrimination especially against afro cubans, but decades later cuba's black population is still bearing the brunt of

racism. >> reporter: they are proud of its african heritage, about 1 million slaves were brought to the island from the 16th century until 1866. about 60% of cubans have some african history. >> translator: in our religion and culture, we are all equal. we are all the same. whites are even practicing our african religion. >> reporter: the official line written into the constitution is that all cubans men and women, black and white, are equal. ♪ >> reporter: and there's no doubt that many afro cubans have thrived in politics media, and the art, though the manual labor is still mostly done by black cubans while there are a few managers in the tourist industry, or the new foreign financed enterprises the

government has enticed to the island. this campaigner says centuries of discrimination have left her people with low self esteem. >> translator: it's a social process that needs time and space. i feel this is not just a black person's fight. i feel it's society's fight. the fight for the group that has the right to be full citizens. >> reporter: more than 50 years after the triumph of the revolution, a revolution that promised equality for all, the wealthier neighborhoods are still predominantly white, while neighborhoods such as this one are still predominantly afro cuban. fundamental change can be a long time coming. it was only when this housing project was renovated that the lifelong resident felt that she and her neighbors began to be accepted by the rest of cuban society. >> translator: it was because we're black. the problem was because we're black. they saw us as uncultured but

not now. >> reporter: the problem is also exacerbated by the aftermath of the very revolution that sought to liberate cuba's black population. it was predominantly wealthier white cubans who fled to the united states and now send money to their family members who stayed behind. >> translator: one of the mistakes was to say we're all equal. if we had recognized the situation, we could have done something about it. we are equal, but some are more equal than others. >> reporter: the revolution promised an end to racism and discrimination, a promise that some here feel has only been partially fulfilled. when al jazeera america returns, kenya cracking down on athletes who cheat. the push to criminalize perform-enhancing drugs. and the new year means new laws on the books across the country, find out how one state

is getting creative when it comes to prevents teens from skipping classes. >> are we prescribing an epidemic? >> the last thing drug companies wanted anybody to think was that, this was a prescribing problem >> fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... award winning investigative documentary series... opioid wars only on al jazeera america

>> i'm ali velshi, 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 first ever college football playoff is underway, and this picture explains a lot about why it's such a big deal for many people including those at the maternity ward at the ohio state medical center. they play alabama in tonight's second semifinal. that's good stuff. and florida state and oregon in the rose bowl. before the game there was the iconic tournament of roses parade organizers tried to correct an ugly part of its history inviting the woman who was denied back in 1958 because of her mixed-race heritage. and by the way the score of the rose bowl game second rankedor or leads florida state, 18-13.

we don't have a graphic for this? the winner goes on to play the winner of the sugar bowl tonight, alabama or ohio state in the national championship game. in that takes place on january 12th. the new year brings together some tougher penalties for athletes found guilty of doping. the world anti-doping agency doubled bans from two to four for first offenders, and those found guilty again will be banned for life. we have more from kenya where many elite athletes train. >> reporter: they all want to compete on some of the world's best tracks one day, and bring home gold medals. kenya is world famous for its marathon runners, but these young athletes know a wary wary -- worrying image is

hurting the country, doping. so far this 20 year old says he hasn't been tempted to cheat. >> you know taking drugs is something like a shortcut. a shortcut. so i think it's not good. >> reporter: the coach knows he may not be able to protect his athletes. over the years high-profile kenyans have been caught using banned drugs. this member of parliament is trying to change that. >> so what i want to do is criminalize doping so we can bring more fear to the people that are going to use it that if you get caught you go to jail or be penalized. and that will help us -- the second part of the bill is to helpous to force the athletes who have been caught with the doping to reveal where they got the -- the stuff. >> reporter: there is no effective anti-doping drugs in

kenya. and some drugs are relatively easy to buy. >> clinical conditions is a medicine used for treating patients with kidney conditions or dialysis patients. with athletes this medicine by -- it's very nature of increasing the production of red blood cells, allows them to run and run without getting tired. that's why it has become a very attractive medicine for athletes. >> reporter: a lou criminalizing drug use in sport could be a deterrent, but until it is introduced, some countries try to convince athletes that natural talent is the only way to win. if they can't stop illegal drug use, it could hurt kenya's impressive sporting reputation. the first day of a new year brings more than a party hangover, a slew of new laws have taken effect today.

some have made headlines, but others are easier to miss. >> reporter: a new rule in california aims to alleviate overcrowding on farms. it mandates bigger cages and pens for egg-laying chickens breeding sows and calfs. and another law addresses the laws of the modern family. birth certificates will include apparent category. some new laws concern the nation's teenagerers. in louisiana 16 and 17 year olds are now allowed to register to vote, although they still can't do it until they turn 18. a nevada law gives new meaning to the term student driver sb269 ties driving privileges to attendance at school. teens who skip classes will see their licenses suspended, even revoked. in massachusetts they are cheering a vintage performance from drew bledsoe, the retired

quarterback turned wine maker successfully lobby the state legislator to end its ban on wine being shipped to people's homes. in new york it's illegal to toss electronic devices into the garbage. the new e-cycling law covers cell phones televisions and pretty much anything that contacts to a computer. you risk a hundred dollars fine if you don't get rid of them properly. another law in new york anyone who wants to pose for a photo, with a lion tiger, or leopard, may have to hurry. come february posing for a selfie with a big cat will be against the law. oh my. stay with us we're going to drive to brisbane australia, we'll hear from the family of peter greste, one of our

colleagues wrongfully imprisoned in egypt. i'm tony harris. stay with us. ♪ a retrial is ordered for three al jazeera journalists jailed in cairo for over a year. hello there, i'm live from al jazeera's headquarters here in doha. a floral tribute to those killed during a deadly stampede in shanghai. and afghanistan's president says it is now up to afghan troops to resume full responsibility for their country.