rr where [ explosion ] state of emergency. evacuations in west virginia, after a train carrying crude oil derails and explodes into a massive fire. tonight, the desperate effort to stop the blaze and the oil leak homeland security standoff. the fight over immigration threatens to shut dhs. the warning as a deadline for the deal approaches. >> scandal in chicago.

a prominent muslim cleric accused of sexual assault. >> winter worries - ice, snow and bitter cold impacting much of the country good evening, i'm antonio mora this is al jazeera america. shelters are open tonight in wirge, where officials are trying -- west virginia where officials are trying to get a handle on a fire. it started when an oil train derailed into a river. john terrett joins us with more. i've rarely seen a fireball like that one. >> i think you are absolutely right. this is a benefit of having cameras everywhere. look at the pictures coming in from west virginia. this derailment led to an incredible fireball. 14 tanker cars burst into flames. the flames jumped over at least one home nearby destroying it but luckily no one was inside at the time. the governor of west virginia declared a state of emergency in canawa and fay et counties near

the town of booma. >> is that coming over here? >> reporter: a massive explosion engulfs the sky. on the tracks below, the remains of an oil tanker after a train derailed this afternoon. the inferno forced the evacuation of two towns. in two counties west virginia's governor declared a state of emergency. >> there was a rerouting, a police officer said there was an explosion. >> with one tanker falling into the canawar river. state officials told al jazeera that the fire is somewhat contained and they shut off water treatment plants. >> we are not sure how much the crude is in the water, or

whether it poses a threat to those water supplies. out of an abundance of caution they are on reserves. >> reporter: the csx train had been hauling the train from north dakota. efforts to contain the blaze are hampered by bitter textures and snow. the accident comes two days after a canadian national railways train derailed in northern alberta, it was from the oil sands. and the fire is burning still today. by far the worse train crash was in july 2013, 47 people died in lat ma gan teek in quebec province when a train derailed exploding, insin rating much of the downtown distribute. >> let's hope it doesn't turn into an environmental disaster. >> part of the problem is the oil is so flammable if anything

goes wrong, we get this. >> thank you a political debate is raging in washington obvious how to keep the department of homeland security operating. funding runs out in 11 days. so far the house and the senate can't seem to come to terms on a new budget deal. >> if the house and senate don't come to an agreement over a budget for the department of homeland security. it faces a shutdown at the end of the month. house speaker john boehner races that has a possibility on fox news sunday putting the possibility in the hands of senate. >> we make it clear that the house has to do its work and the senate theirs. the house has acted to fund the department and to stop the president's overreach when it comes to immigration and executive orders. >> it's true the department of

homeland needs funds. it would roll back actions on immigration. they are allowing millions of migrants to stay in the country without fear of deportation. there's enough democrats in the senate saying it's a non-starter. they will not support the bill. the house and senate are locked in a standoff. some republicans say the house needs to act and the standoff is unacceptable. >> we need to sit down and work this out. there are ways we can address what the president did was unconstitutional. it's not through shutting down homeland security. congress has until february 27th to resolve this. if they can't come up with a budget deal some department employees will stay on the job. the work is considered vital and necessary. the department of homeland security does a range of things from guarding the borders to

fighting cyber crime. >> well congress battles over immigration, a federal court in texas is set to weigh in. a judge is expected to rule on whether the president's executive actions are constitutional. 26 states are challenging the president's plans, which would problematic millions of undocumented immigrants. heidi zhou-castro is in texas. >> good evening. brownsville is on the border. this is the border and behind it is mexico. texas is leading a group of 26 states that you mentioned. in a claim that obama exceeded constitutional authority, and that border states will suffer increased price of illegal crossings due to president's actions. bill scans the horizon. here 50 miles north. >> the last three months i had

15 of them within a mile of the house. i had five of them trying to break the front door down. calvin showed them his kun and called border patrol. he saw more migrants since president obama announced 4.9 million undocumented immigrants could qualify for relief and work permits. calvin calls it amnesty. this is the land of milk and honey. they come over. the minute they across the boarder, they are on easy street. >> rhyl lives in a mobile home and works six days a week waiting tables and playing music at a nightclub. he crosses the border and lives with his family near dallas. two of his children are citizens. the longer we stay we have a place to live. >> his wife and eldest daughter

is also undocumented. back by the border kelvin is unconvinced, saying the tax payers are giving the undocumented a free ride. >> my mother came from scotland. she consistent come from the united states for years, she was on a waiting list. all my life i heard that crime doesn't pay. if you are illegal, that's a crime. you came over illegally and crime does pay. >> the moment that either of you across the boarder you earn the title of illegal in many people's view. do you receipt that.

for that the silvers say they live with fear. and hope obama administration puts a stop to that fear. even if it leaves the country they live in divided. we expect them to rule on the executive action some time tomorrow. in vans of the executive action first round being accepted wednesday. rest assured, whatever the decision may be it's almost assured that it will be appealed to the swourt. >> thank you. >> now to the fight against i.s.i.l. egypt is calling for the coalition to sets its heights on libya. it wants the air campaign expanded behind iraq and syria. egyptian plains carried out their open strikes. this weekend the group released a video that appears to show the murders of 21 coptic christians,

one of libya's competing governments condemns the tricks the others support them saying susan shaprio jets will strike i.s.i.l. tomorrow. the state department is urging russia and separatists to stop the fighting in eastern ukraine. a fragile truce appears to fall apart. they continue it face off over a key town. >> reporter: ukranian military spokes people say there's no way they could withdraw the heavy weapons, blaming the separatists for ongoing attacks, especially around the hotly disputed town of debaltseve the town that is of strategic importance to both sides. if the separatists take control of it it would give them a rail link to russia. we spoke to separatists around that town. they said they had no intentions either of withdrawing their troops, they seem to be digging in. we heard incoming and outgoing

shelling in the area. we are hear reports that fighting is ongoing there today. this announcement from the ukranian military will not withdraw forces or heavy weapons from the area has huge ramifications for the ceasefire and a long-term political settlement to the conflict. >> some memorials for the victims of the deadly shootings in copenhagen. thousands gathered to remember two killed when a gunman opened fire at a free speech conference and then at a synagogue. the country's prime minister calls the attacks acts of terrorism. the gunman died in a shoot out with press. nick spicer nick spicer went to the spot where it all ended. >> this is a man shot dead by police. some danes are laying flowers.

authorities say he was probably not part of a cell. but he was part of a community. >> we said hello, he was a regular guy. it's sad to see what happened. >> was he reliagious? any way. >> not at all. he was not like that. if i expect something like this. i expect it from other people. young men who didn't want to talk to the media came to take the flowers away. one said they weren't appropriate. >> another struggling community. the jewish one, since a synagogue guard was shot in the second of the attacks. on sunday binyamin netanyahu reacted to the news. saying danish jews should mo to israel. a top rabbi in london said it wasn't going to happen.

>> i want to use the opportunity to send a message from here to around the world. we will not let terror dictate our lives. we will not. we will sustain living here in denmark and everywhere else in the world. their goal is that we will go around and be afraid. >> that message was repeated by the country's prime minister. and the gunman appeared to have acted as a lone wolf. >> this is a young man, 22. a danish citizens. he was known by the police for several criminal acts including severe violence. and he was also known to be linked to a criminal gang in copenhagen but i want to make clear that we have no indication at this statement that he was

part of a cell or that took him to where he was now. where the country is now is a moment of grief or reflection on the way forward, as at the mem brands ceremony monday night. a discussion on free speech was taking place. it was a ceremony of remembrance. it was a ceremony for danes to stand together if they were to come out stronger. >> coming up allegations of sexual assault against a prominent american muslim leader. dating back decades. we hear from two women who abused them and tell you why they waited so long to speak up. >> a deep freeze is creating dangerous conditions for tens of millions of people. o

much of rhode island is digging out after an unseasonal snow. tonight an icy storm system is bringing a freeze in the south temperatures will be 25 degrees below average. this will occur further south. nash victim overtowards

knoxville, we have a warning in effect for ice accumulations and snow coming down on top of that. we have a number of incidents reports along interstate 40, but we have concern in north carolina and southern carolina. we are getting sleet and slippery weather. here is where the ice is. the greatest stretch is eye long the border and stretching into virginia. now i know where i'm looking i'll direct the conversation about the snow stretching across the area. washington d.c. we have ice and winter weather warnings. across the area in parts closer to southern new jersey and also the peninsula. temperatures will not warm up. as soon as the snow and ice

exits, it looks like we'll have a hard freeze in the south tonight. >> bad for the poor people in new england. a prominent american muslim leader is under investigation. he was custody on sunday. police are not confirming that. two women who claim the imam abused them spoke on camera to lisa stark. they asked us to shield share identities. >> i thought you know what this is a revered man, maybe this is what he's saying or doing. he loves me: >> reporter: sandy says she was 10 or 11 years. he is an imam at a school in chicago.

it's a boarding and day school for students aged 10-17. >> can you talk about what happened. >> after i went several times, he touched my hair told me where to put my fingers, and it moved to where he moved my scarf and kissed me on the checks. and then from there he touched me, and then my breasts. >> the alleged abuse helped at home. >> we were in close prom imenty, we -- proximity, we shifted to the bed, me touch his private part. i knew that it was wrong and

disgusting. >> in the devout muslim community, they never breathed a word. >> this is so taboo. i have never seen my parents hold hands. there's no public display. p.d. a is not heard of. everything is behind closed doors, it's hush hush. >> do you feel he abused his power. >> absolutely. he knew what he was doing. >> they say that was more than 30 years ago, and they are finally talking now because of a recent allegation by a woman in her early 20s who worked at the school. chicago attorney said he will file a civil lawsuit on behalf of the alleged victims. >> these allegations cover four decades, starting in the 1980s, and as recently as april of 2014 when the adult 23-year-old

secretary at iie was abused by him. >> according to mr deny when the latest accusations came to light, a local muslim scholar arranged a meeting. it reportedly signs a document that states: belgium police confirm they have opened an investigation into sexual abuse. there were reports that salim left for his native country. we went to the school. the woman promises to call someone for us in a few minutes the older son drove up.

where is your father? >> i don't know. >> is he in the country? >> yes. >> he is in the country? >> yes. >> what are your responses to the charges? >> i'm not talking any more. >> she drove off. we were told to leave. >> we have been kicked off. they asked us to leave. we are walking off now. thomas told us that he and the school are conducting an internal investigation and that: as for the pending lawsuit he says . the allegations against salim rocked the community, and the man who heads the organisations launches his own investigation. >> during our own conversations with other people we came

across that this is not an isolated incident. there were other incidents that have happened prior to this which were not publicised. this group offers support, opening a dialogue about sexual health and abuse. >> there has been a lot of anger and devastation around it and sort of this urgency to do something about this and to start having open conversations. >> conversations that these women say are critical to protecting young women now and in the future. >> as far as the community, i want them to know that there should be a zero tolerance policy. yes, we are muslims, we are pious. because we are muslims doesn't make us not immune to this activity millions of dollars worth of

goods are stored at western ports. u.s. labour secretary is stepping in. the latest on the slow down next. >> the tour guides at the washington monument will have to change part of their routine. why the obbel isk is a little shorter today.

singer lesley gore has died. she rose to the top of the charts with that song "it's my party", in 1963, and was nominated for an oscar for "out here on my own." in 1968 a labour dispute is causing conflict. ships are unable to dock at 29 term unanimous. there's a huge economic impact. melissa chan is there. >> reporter: the annex, a shipper of coffee receives 20

shipments a day. now it only sees four. shipments from around the world are stuck at the port. >> it is affecting our business dramatically. we are about 75 to 80% down on our production. >> reporter: across the bay, there's two shipments waiting to ship to south korea. neil can't deliver. >> we are an organic business. we are small, still getting the wings. >> across the state and country, businesses big and small have tough decisions. or wait for a break through. they might pave the way for the smooth exit and entry of goods. >> they are a crucial part.

in the global local economy. without them we can get our product to korea. >> reporter: meanwhile the trucks wait outside port every day, drivers wasting time and losing money. >> they are waiting 3 hours, four hours that pays 120 bucks. they have families they want to get home to. they are frustrated sitting there. not doing anything. perishable its ship this time of the year through china, south korea and japan. the citrus entry worries about the market. claiming that fruit may be rotting on docks. the economy recovers the last thing needed is a shutdown bringing billions ever dollars to a halt. washington sent a mediator to

work. that did not help with the union accusing the port operators of not showing up to the table to talk. meanwhile a market lock out over the weekend has hit union workers. negotiations have gone on for nine months, it's incredible. i remember standing in oatland with the port saying there should be a deal done with the union and port operators. that was months ago. a federal mediator was brought on board. no progress, so president obama decided to send the labour secretary here. we are hoping to see a resolution soon. >> the iconic washington monument is shorter. government surveillance say it's stands 554 feet 7 inches, 10 inches shorter than what has

been on record. it doesn't mean it's shrinking, but construction and a plaza raised the ground level. i'm antonio mora head to aljazeera.com. "inside story" is up next hello, i'm ray suarez. on the subject of law enforcement, the director of the fbi speaks with one of the biggest megaphones in america. and james comey says the country's police officers sometimes do their jobs in a way unduly influenced by racial bias. >> at many points in american history law enforcement enforced the status quo, one that is often brutally