>> this is al jazeera america, i'm randall pinkston in new york with a look at today's top stories. russian air strikes against i.s.i.l. in syria intensified this weekend. on the eve of the scheduled united nations talks on ending that country's nearly five year civil war. thousands digging out after the near record-breaking blizzard that pounded the east coast, the storm leaving at least 25 people dead. presidential candidates

converge on iowa with just eight days left before voters make the first choice of who should be the occupant of the white house. nationwide fight over voting rights. in tonight's the week ahead, we look aa court case over highly divisive voter identification laws. we begin tonight with the war in syria. secretary of state john kerry spent the weekend trying to shore up the peace talks. meetings were scheduled to begin tomorrow in geneva but a diplomat close to the negotiations now says it is unlikely they will get underway before wednesday. delegates say kerry is pressuring them, so they can negotiate a halt to the air strikes, a precondition to their

meeting. russian air strikes have killed 1500 people in syria since those air strikes began in september. during a meeting with gulf leaders secretary kerry tried to give assurances for meeting a political solution. >> we are confident that with good initiative in the next day or so, those talks can get going. and that the u.n. representative special envoy stsme staffan de a will be convening in proximity talks that will be the first meeting to begin laying down the process to try very hard to implement the geneva communique. >> while kerry was at work on the peace talks the fighting in syria persisted. videos from social media show i.s.i.l. fighters clark with

syrian forces yesterday with in aleppo and today with help of russian air strikes, syrians converged on a spot in the west. al jazeera's jerald tan prorpts. >> they gather to search for bodies, to search what's left of their homes. villages in the country side of deir ez zor, said air strikes killed ordinary citizens. this man could only muster a prayer, calling on god to help his people. this isn't the first time. dozens of civilians are reported to have died in days of bombing over deir ez zor. russia launched its military operation in syria last

september at the request of syria's president bashar al-assad. since then, russian air strikes have measured 5700. moscow continues to insist that its campaign is directed at i.s.i.l. and other armed groups. it's also rejected claims that aircraft have hit civilians saying instead it uses planes to drop humanitarian aid to those living in besieged areas. >> translator: i think today there is not a single army in the world that would talk about its facts and numbers like russia had in syria. i'd like to stress it is an operation against international terrorism in this region. >> reporter: i.s.i.l. controls most of deir ez zor province. it's kept the remaining pockets of government-held areas there under siege for the past year.

this week it's been on a push to capture those areas. the russians say the intensified aerial bombardments are to counterthat push by i.s.i.l. fighters but the people here say it's all been at their expense. jerald tan, al jazeera. >> joining me from norman, oklahoma is joshua landis, director of the center for middle east studies at the university of oklahoma and the author of syria comment. thank you for joining us. >> pleasure. >> about geneva, what is your understanding of what has apparently delayed the talks? >> well, there's a lot of dispute about who is going to be in the talks. and russia has asked that the kurds be represented, they're about 10% of the syrian population, and they have carved out a rather independent state in a northern strip along the

turkish border. and the regime is quite favorable towards the kurds pched and the opposition, the rebels are not. so that is complicating things. they have also asked that hifan menam be part of the delegation. he is sort of a moderate opposition person and the saudis and the opposition men in r riyh don't want either of these to be included in the delegation. it's not fair for the russians to be able to say who the opposition are. >> given the fact that russia has obviously apparently helped the situation on the ground, helping assad's forces gain a better position on the battlefield what's your best analysis of what can come out of

the geneva peace talks in whatever form they take place? >> well, you're absolutely right to point to the balance of power. and the balance of power has shifted very dramatically in assad's favor since the russians extent in, in the end of september, and are bombing with a very advanced air force. and this is causing to lose a considerable amount of land since they entered in. avia is the last big town that the rebels held up in the province of latakia. the next province will be idlib, the home turf of the rebels. this makes it very difficult for the rebels to make any demands. the assad administration or the government has said we're going to go to geneva to listen but not to negotiate. we're going to make no concessions so it's very difficult for the syrian

opposition to get anything out of these negotiations. >> is u.s. involvement in the peace talks helpful, hurtful or iinconsequential? >> the rebels are very angry because kerry has told them they've got to be flexible. russia holds the cards and kerry wants to get the talks off the ground, moving. because if they stall now and collapse, a great deal of increase has been put into them. the united states doesn't have a great number of cards to play. president obama made it very clear on september 30th when he said the united states is not going to get into a proxy war with the russians over syria. so kerry has got a limited amount of cards. the saudis, the saudi foreign minister when he met with the syrian opposition in riyadh, opened the meeting and said there is a military solution if

president assad does not agree to step down. and i think that the syrian opposition are counting on the saudis. they've gone to these talks because the saudis insisted they go in order to please the americans but the saudis have given them backbone saying there are military options. the syrian opposition is going to be looking at the saudis to see what kind of military options are there for the opposition. >> if the u.s. doesn't supports a military option, can the saudis be expected to engage in a military option because the saudis are close to the u.s. is that true? >> that's correct. the saudis are bogged down in a very bad situation in yemen. saudis are giving providing most of the money, we saw in the new york times story today, that most cia money that has gone to the rebels last been supplied by

saudi arabia. saudi arabia has been supplying the toe missiles -- tow missiles, and the weapons they have used favorably. i think they'll turn to the saudis and say you have got up the number of weapons and money, we need to be able to face this air force. of course they're going to want antiaircraft missiles and that's what turned things around in yemen for the arab fighters and the mujahideen in yemen, and so far no one has supplied the rebels with antiaircraft weapons. >> thank you for joining us on al jazeera america. >> a pleasure, thank you for inviting me on. >> now, to the deadly blizzard that paralyzed much of the northeast this weekend. we are learning tonight that at least 29 people have died as a

result of the storm which left some areas buried under more than two feet of snow. air travel remains paralyzed with thousands of flights cancelled. john terret is in washington, d.c. but we begin our coverage with roxana saberi in new york city where subways are up and running and children will be heading back to school tomorrow. >> reporter: snow from saturday's blizzard plus wind and rising tides flooded towns up and down the jersey shore. in pennsylvania, people are cleaning up. and dealing with damage like this church that collapsed under the weight of the snow. >> opened up the door to the auditorium and looked up and just a gaping hole in the roof. some 60 foot by 60 foot, the firefighters told us. >> reporter: saturday's storm dumped up to 40 inches of snow on the east coast, paralyzing air and rail travel and culting power to 200,000 people. in new york 30 inches of snow fell in some areas. >> this storm was the second

largest snow storm in terms of accumulation in the history of this city. >> reporter: mayor bill deblasio lifted a one day ban on driving put into place on friday so the crews could get the roads clean. howard and his crews took six hours to shovel the walkways. >> i'm 56 years old. this is one of the worst storms i've seen in a long time. >> the city advised how to do it safely. richardson told me how. >> you don't want to use your back so much. use your knees. just like that you're a professional already! you're already a professional! >> i'm from north dakota, i should know how to do this. >> i should say. >> across the city people emerged from their homes and tried to unbury their cars.

>> i have been in the city since 1978. >> and you haven't seen the snow this deep since then? >> i haven't seen as big a dig-out, as big a burial, no. >> for olsons in central park the day after the blizzard was a day of fun. >> i love it, it's fun, snow festival, play all day, it's fun. >> i was having a snowball fight with my brother cus. >> who won? >> he won. >> the three main airplanes around new york city are opened but hundreds of flights have been cancelled so airlines are advising travelers to check with them first. roxana saberi, al jazeera, new york. >> and now to washington, d.c. where it's still below freezing. al jazeera's john terret has more on how the capital is digging sissment itself out of e

government. >> randall, good evening, the capital will be closed tomorrow, a rare event and the mayor wants the streets to be cleared ois the sanitation workers can get rid of the snow. >> we want to have tomorrow to continue to keep cars off the road. so that we can clear those major arterials and also clear the places where many people who come to our downtown would normally park. >> so federal government d.c. government shuttered tomorrow, then. also to the north in maryland, larry hogan has cancelled the state's business for tomorrow and in virginia, the governor has done the same, which had the most snow, a good strong 30 inches or more. what you have now is key roads which are possible because there are banks and bank abouts of is

snow either side of them. and some of the roads where people live off and away from the central area those haven't yet be cleared and they may not be until tuesday. so i think it's going to be a very strange commute. also metro doesn't really come back tomorrow with a full service as had been hoped. if you remember they kept all the trains in the tunnels okeep them nictokeep them nice and tod that's good. but they are not getting all the lines back in operation, it's a limited metro service. the one good thing though, it's going to be free tomorrow! so anyone who does have to come into the downtown district, they don't have to pay a penny for it and that's very rare let me tell you. >> john terret in washington. some were awakened by a large-magnitude quake yesterday. a wormer at an airport terminal cargo center in alaska captured

this footage. but ruptured gas lines forced the evacuation of at least a dozen homes. the alaska earthquake center said the epicenter was located near the cook inlet, and could be felt 160 miles away in anchorage. israeli officials are speaking out after an incident leaving a palestinian girl dead. as she allegedly came at a guard with a knife. one israeli cabinet member says the attempted stabbing was motivated by anti-jewish sentiment. >> the real problem is that palestinian children, unfortunately, from children acknowledge they are being told that jews must be exterminated. the jewish are evil creatures, that must be rid of. >> another minister said that an

attacker's age is insignificant and that, quote, terror is terror. up next: reaction to drurchl's commentdonaldtrump's l supporters. >> i could shoot somebody and wouldn't be questioned. >> up next, the federal court case over controversial voter identification laws coming in the night's the week ahead. and the military veterans are entitlemented to free health care for the rest of their life. but keeping that promise is a problem for veterans in rural areas. we'll explain.

>> the u.s. supreme court will hear a case determining if president obama's executive actions on immigration are legal. the president unveiled plans in 2014 to keep more than 4 million undocumented migrants from being deported but federal courts blocked the proposals. as al jazeera's heidi zhou-castro reports meantime the millions remain in limbo. >> reporter: it's been a roller coaster of high hopes and

low expectations, for maria and her family since president obama announced his action he on immigration in 2014, it looked like she could live and work here, she had plans to fr finish her degree often dental knowledge hygiene in the united states. they may have qualified because they have u.s. born children but the president's program known as dapa never took effect, halted buy lawsuit filed by texas and republican-led states, claiming president obama lacks the authority to take such action. we had already prepared documents for the plans, she says, but suddenly, it disappeared. we are still hoping it will

happen. that day may come by the summer if the court sides with the administration. the texas attorney general is applauding the court's decision to hear the case, he cannot unilaterally rewrite congressional laws and circumvent the people's representatives. meanwhile, the obama administration's recent raids targeting central american women and children for deportation has sent mixed messages to the immigrant community. >> ice officers have entered the bedrooms of sleeping children to put them in these jails. >> i'm worried they'll knock on my door, she says. i'm scared they'll take me away from my daughter who was born here and deport me. if the supreme court rules in the white house's favor at best the obama administration would have seven months to put its immigration plan into action.

all of which can be undone with the stroke of a pen by a new president. heidi zhou-castro, al jazeera, dallas. in the race for the white house, the boston globe is throwing its support behind churl. hillary clinton. the influential new england based newspaper, only eight days remain until the start of the iowa caucuses. on the republican side, florida senator marco rubio is taking aim at president obama's executive action he. >> when i get to the oval office i'm going to repeal every single one of barack obama's unconstitutional executive orders. this selection has to be about reversing the damage barack obama has done to america because if we can do this then i am telling you this and i hope you believe it. despite all the problems we now have if we can turn this around america's going to be better than it ever has been.

>> the 44-year-old continued his nine day sprint across iowa. tomorrow rubio will campaign with joanie ernst. bill deblasio responded to donald trump's comments. >> where i could stand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters, okay, it's like incredible. >> mayor deblasio questioned his statements. >> for someone who says he wants to be president to say that shows he's just not presidential and it's incredibly arrogant, too, to suggest his voters would be with him no matter what he does. another reason to believe donald trump is not ready for prime

time. >> mayor deblasio is a major supporter of hillary clinton. the candidates are responding to the news that former new york city mayor michael blookber bloomberg is cg a run for the white house. democratic front runner clinton dismissed the possibility. >> he's a good friend of mine. and i'm going to do the best i can to make sure i get nomination and we'll go from there. glue you'rthere. >> so you're not worried about him getting in? >> what i read was, if i didn't get the nomination, he would consider it so i'm going to relieve him of that, so he doesn't have to. bernie sanders also spoke about a possible bloomberg run. he says he feels it would add to

his appeal. >> if mr. bloomberg throws his hat in, you will have two multimillionaires running against me. >> bloomberg has reportedly told associates he would spend at least $1 billion of his own money on his campaign brut he won't make a decision until march. >> chris christie headed to new hampshire. christie used his state's handling of the storm as an example of his ability to make people feel safe and secure. running for republican nomination acknowledge he says, he's mad enough to, quote, burn down washington because it's so ineffective but then christie asking, who's requesting to rebuild it? ohio governor john kasich is

also skipping iowa. kasich is second in a number of recent polls, donald trump still holds a strong lead among republicans. president obama says he does not envy the candidates vying for presidency. he told cbs sunday morning that he would not run for athird term even if he could, noting least looking to getting out of the constant bubble of security presence. >> the bubble is the hardest thing about the presidency. and i don't think that anybody with sense ever gets used to it. it's the thing that makes me happiest about my tenure coming to an end. >> president obama added that he is ready to turn over the keys to the white house, because he feels confident about the progress he has made as president.

up next: the highly charged national debate over voting rights. we look at the federal court case of a divisive voter identification laws. this edition of the week ahead. and later, the first oscar nomination ever, for small european territory of kosovo.

>> welcome back to al jazeera. here's a look at your top stories. the northeastern united states is in recovery mode as millions of americans dig themselves out of a historic blizzard. the storm left at least 29 people dead as some areas were buried under three feet of snow, many governments are going to stay shut down through monday. secretary of state john kerry spent the weekend trying to assure peace talks in syria. meetings were scheduled to begin

tomorrow in geneva, now a diplomat close to the negotiations says it is unlikely talks will get under way until wednesday. a 7.1 earthquake in alaska, after shocks could continual for weeks. it is sunday night and time for our regular look at the week ahead. north carolina's voter i.d. law will be challenged in federal court in a hearing that begins monday. the voter verification act this is beeact hasbeen in place sinc. requiring voters to show specific forms of i.d. the naacp is suing the state saying the i.d. provision is unfair to for young and minority voters. the law was challenged last summer.

this week the court will hear arguments in favor of the original more restrictive law. the case will be closely watched because the push for stricter voter laws has become one of the country's most bitter partisan divides. necessary to preserve fraud and and the authority of the electoral process. al jazeera's robert ray has more with the about the north carolina case with national implications. >> we are less than two weeks from the presidential primaries beginning here in the u.s. starts with iowa and the caucuses, new hampshire, south carolina and florida. but six weeks from now it will hit north carolina where a controversial new law will require all people going out to vote to have an official government i.d. >> it is cynical hurtful wrong a form of political violence. all of america should be ashamed and we have to fight here in

north carolina because if this becomes the precedent in the l law, then they could spread this all over the country. >> but there are many that do not agree with the naacp. one of them, the governor of north carolina. >> let me be direct: many of those from the extreme left who have been criticizing photo i.d. are using scare tactics. they are more interested in divisive politics. >> make sure you are registered. >> reporter: voting rights advocates will be out and about across the straight at many of the polling booths, six weeks from now when the voting begins they will be there to answer questions about the law, and booklets to hand out to voters to answer many of these nuances. robert ray acknowledge al jazeera, raleigh north carolina. joining me, thank you very much for joining us mr. fund,

first question to you, until about 2003 as you know most states did not require any form of i.d. in order to be able to vote. what happened after 2003 that caused this sudden increase? many of the states are being challenged. >> many required if i.d., and te was an incredible focus on how states, george bush became about the because of 531 votes in florida. so even the smalls possible disparity or fraud or inconsistency or miscounting can affect an election. and the 2000 election brought that to bear. >> but that had to do with counting the votes, not identifying people who voted. >> oh no no, on both sides there were disputes. there were people who claimed in palm beach county that the

ballot had been mislabeled and people had been denied right to vote. there were people who claimed that felons who were not eligible to vote, voted. that was part of the controversy, i covered it. >> ms. clark, i suspect you have a slightly different take on that issue. >> i don't think mr. fund was wrong, that people's attention was turned to electoral integrity. that was extremely important. one of the issues he brought up the concern over potential persons with criminal convictions voting, the best way to combat something like that is not through something like a strict photo i.d. law but through making sure that our nation's voter registration rolls are as clean as possible. i think everybody agrees that should be the case and the best way to get there is by modernizing our voter registration system. >> to what extent and either of you can take this question, is there any quantitative proof

that america last had a massive problem with voter fraud or impersonation? >> i'll give you an example. in 2008 it was shown that 1200 felons who were not eligible to vote did vote in the election that al franken won by about 300 votes in minnesota. he became the deciding vote to pass obamacare. so that election had consequences. just here in new york city, in 2014, the new york city department of investigations, the official investigative form of new york government send out 63 officials to see, they succeeded 97% of the time, if there had been a voter i.d. law in place that poirnlt would have been way down. >> there obviously have been some problems. would you agree that there needs to be some fort form of identification for people to

exercise this all important right? >> voter rights are extremely important but as mr. fund said, elections can be very close and it would be awful for an election to be stolen by fraud. but what's trooulg awful and wes disenfranchisement acknowledge and all eligible voters need to get to the polls and cast a vote that counts. >> let's talk about this north carolina case, by the way is brennan and intervenor in the case at all? >> we are not in the north carolina case no. >> spell out for me the situation of the north carolina case? >> the law that was passioned in 2013 in north carolina was an omnibus, huge election bill that not only did it impose voter i.d. requirements that at that

time were very strict on, but it also cut back a week of early voting, it also eliminated same-day registration. and has been shown by those who are challenging the north carolina law, those were two methods to vote that were used disproportionately by african americans in north carolina. you need to take a step back and realize that the north carolina law is notoriously one of the most restrictive laws in the country and it doesn't stand alone either. it is part of a nationwide trend. since 2010 there are 21 states that have restrictive voterrer registration laws on the books that didn't have them in 2010. now for the first time in elections, voters will be faced with those obstacles. >> if you look at what happened before and what happened since do you accept mr. fund that the decision is the liberalization

of voting rights resulted in an increase in minority voting and now to reduce that you reduce -- you change the rules? >> except the facts completely belie that. georgia and indiana have laws that are strict or stricter than north carolina. our oldest voter i.d. laws. minority turnout has gone up in both of those states. even when barack obama was not on the ballot. there is evidence that anyone's vote is being denied here. the brennan center for all the good work that they do came out with a preposterous study the other day in which they said 25% of african americans lack a government-issued i.d. do you actually agree with that conclusion? >> so the -- in terms of statistics and people who do lack i.d., you spoke about the

north carolina i.d. law. there is also a law in texas that is as strict or stricter than the laws that mr. fund discussed. that i didn't know -- i sat in the courtroom when people were testifying in texas and there are certainly people who do not have i.d. because they lost their birth certificate and they're unable to get the i.d. that's required. so there's certainly i don't think anybody is sitting here and saying that i.d. in and of itself is the issue. the issue is that these are a very small number of it's and there are people out there who don't have them who are eligible voters. >> but 25%. >> hold on just a second please. voter it's as we have been discussing very widely across the u.s. but most states, people are required to identify themselves in some way to cast a ballot. nine have restrictive laws requiring photo it's.

just 17 states require no identification to vote. now, back to the point of north carolina, and the difficulty, mr. fund, that some people may indeed in finding voter i.d. we know the case of a 94-year-old african american woman that has been voting for 74 years. she remembers the poll tax where you should to cite certain provisions from the u.s. constitution, onerous provisions that were eliminated with the voter i.d. law. but with this new i.d. law this lady has had to travel back and fort from her rural residence, getting reconciliation between her driver's license and her voter registration which is something a lot of people have to do to make it difficult for them to vote. i suppose it is not a matter of whether i.d. is necessary but what form of i.d. is necessary and how difficult should it be for someone to get it and whether they have to pay money to get it?

>> well, certainly if there are provisions in the north carolina law that don't count for people who were born flour years ago, when records weren't kept as well, the i.d. is free, by the way all of these i.d.s in all of these states are free, and if you need to get a copy of your birth certificate for purposes of voting, that is free as well in texas, there is no cost. in some states if you just declare you can't afford the fee, it's waived. >> civil rights advocates say that the laws have virtually flog to do with fraud and everything to do with suppressing the increase in the number of minorities who tend to vote democrat. >> but none of the states that you reference has seen a decline in minority turnout. they have seen increases in minority turnout. if you have counter-examples please give them to me because they don't exist. >> the government accountability

office nonpartisan arm of the government published a study last year i believe that took a look at this exact question. and they did find in tennessee and in kansas city that after voter i.d. laws were strict voter i.d. laws were passed that required one of a small number of documents that turnout did go down and that increase in turnout was disproportionately among poor voters minority voters and voters new to the rolls. there are certainly examples. and in the texas case it is not a one example here and one example there. there have been three courts now that have reviewed texas's strict voter i.d. law and all courts have agreed it discriminates against african american and latino voters. >> give you the last word sir. >> you need to show an i.d. from cashing a check to applying for

medicare. if people don't have an i.d., let's help them get a valid i.d. if you are in new york city if you have to get married gay or otherwise, this is a list of verification that you have to get married. it is all government-issued i.d. >> thank you, we will be watching this north carolina case, i suspect will be going up the chain of resolution soon. and before we go, here is a look at other stories we'll be watching in the week ahead. iranian president hassan rouhani will make his first trip to the vatican, meeting with pope francis. an alleged senior member of al qaeda, abdul hak al iraqii will appear in court from

guantanamo bay. military veterans get free health care for life after their service to their country. but that can be a serious problem if they live in rural areas. up next, country doctors, hard to find. find. also kosovo makes oscar history.

>> by now, it's no secret that the water in flint, michigan is contaminated. not only did officials find dangerously high levels ever lead poisoning, they also found legionella bacteria. they have gotten a dose of star power with a call. comedian and host of the tonight show jimmy fallon posted in a tweet, happy sunday, i'm donating $20,000 to the cause. how about friends amatch me? >> soldiers at arlington national sell tray were on duty at the tomb of the old soldier, the old guard has watched over

the tomb 24 hours a day 365 days a year since 1468 regardless of the weather. when americans enlist in the military they are entitled to free health care for the rest of their lives once they have finished their assigned service. but often that care is difficult to find. al jazeera's carol mckinley reports from california's remote san luis valley. >> all across colorado's san luis valley people are starting the work week but dr. bob rice his week begins and ends today. it is his last day at the veterans affairs clinic in alamosa. dr. rice resigned after just four months on the job. he says the caseload was overwhelming, and support from veterans affairs far too little.

dr. rice is the third doctor to come and go at the a.m. mowsa clinic in threalamosaclinic. , it's difficult to retain doctors nationwide. but in a place that has some of the highest concentrations of veterans in the united states, the lack of access to quick steady medical care impacts many. 10% of the nearly 50,000 residents served in the military. for more involved care residents have to travel hours. >> you must be mike. >> mike. >> i'm carol. >> carol. >> they travel to denver, a five hour trip there and another five hours back and that's in good weather. veteran marvin zeke ward knows this road well, he traveled it

to get fitting for hearing aids and now he has a hernia. the usually round trip drive can last far longer. >> i play have misjudged the severity of the weather, it took nearly nine hours to get to denver. >> wow, for to get a stress test? >> i think that was the stress test just getting there. >> mike atwater also served in vietnam. he volunteers to drive veterans to appointments that are promised. >> states four year service to the country, you will be given health care for the rest of your life. that is not being fulfilled today. i like dr. rice. i felt like i got very good attention from dr. rice. you know he examined me and he put the need for surgery as

urgent. >> i'm angry about some of the stuff. >> dr. rice says he's worked up to 70 hours a week almost twice the time that his contract called for. he says the clinic needs two doctors. 1132 vets were being treated by dr. rice at this clinic. that might sound like a lot of patients for just one doctor but the va says dr. rice's caseload is actually 128 patients less than what is required before they even consider bringing in a second doctor. the va's new regional manager for southern colorado says the search for dr. rice's replacement is on. >> so when i see a gap in coverage that really pains me. and i continue to find ways to recruit because the veterans in san luis valley they deserve a full time md. my only goal is the continued treatment of the veterans at san

luis valley. >> the system moves very slowly. there is no isn't of utters. >> veterans in the san luis valley went six months before dr. rice came on board in september. the appointment wait times dropped significantly. whether he took over in september almost 27% of appointments took longer than 30 days to schedule. the most recent veteran affairs data from december 15th just three months later show a significant drops in wait times to just under 17%. but those at alamosa were far less than the national average. >> should they expect? >> they should expect things to be done more promptly by and large. >> and i think this day and age with the kind of health care that's available to the masses, that it shouldn't be anything less for the people who served

our country. >> as for a permanent replacement for dr. rice, it will likely take months. according to the va's regional manager for southern criminally there is an interim doctor that al jazeera america wanted to talk with but the va refused to allow it. carol mckinley, al jazeera, alamosa, colorado. storming a blockade at frees'atgreece's border with tu. they have been angered by the sinking of a ship. want to lift border restrictions and allow people to travel to grease by land. greece by land. in poamed dozen poland, dems rallied outside the headquarters

of a company. hollywood's biggest night the academy awards are almost two months away, but celebrati celebrating, from kosovo, al jazeera's paul brennan has the story. >> the moment the oscars nomination was confirmed, cheers, tears, and celebrations in prstina. and recognition of the story. the story's 13-year-old stars are being recognized at the moment. >> translator: everyone here knows about the nomination. when i go to the shop, they say they are proud of us. >> the story is about two boys pushed to the limit during the

war in 1968. >> with the help of my parents and the crew who told me what happened i.t. got much easier. >> the film reflects his experiences of how albanian speakers were treated. >> translator: i remember trafg by boss, they asked me in serbian, to show my i.d., i didn't have an i.d. and didn't speak serbian. i knew the policeman spokality e albanian. >> just making the film is a major achievement but being nominated is an achievement to other film makers. >> translator: this is the first time ever that kosovo was nominated. it may increase interest in hollywood and europe about making films about kosovo.

>> use he a cast of local actors. it's just 21 minutes long but win or lose next month, this short film is set to have a lasting impact. paul brennan, al jazeera. >> thank you for joining us. i'm randall pinkston in new york. stay tuned for third rail, coming up next on al jazeera america. good night. good night. >> from the time i was 3 years old, music was what i loved above all else. >> grammy winning artist moby talks about his work outside the studio. >> what led me to animal rights activism, is every animal wants to avoid pain and avoid suffering. >> and the future of the music industry. >> maybe i shouldn't admit this but i don't really buy music anymore.

remain republicans? i will ask one who resigned disappointed with his own party. in your panel should you be able to protect your property from drones that might be flying over head. students that go hungry every day in third world countries in the world. i'm adam may and this is third rail. the g.o.p. is in turmoil with establishment candidates for president running well behind