i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. >> put politics aside for one minute, come together, and address the needs of our military families. >> the budget battle wrapping up on capitol hill right now. >>> the strong message president obama is sending russia. sending billy gene king to the winter olympics. >>> on amazing story of survival. we'll tell you how a blind man's guide dog could have saved his life when both fell in front of this moving subway train. ♪ >>> that bipartisan budget deal on the brink of passing the senate any moment now. after sailing through the house last week, the bill passing a key hurdleavoided any threat of a filibuster. libby casey is on capitol hill. and libby what is defense side half in non-mesic programs. but it also reduces the deficit by $23 billion, and watching for passage this afternoon in the senate is. >> libby as we watch this particular bill, what does it include for realize somebody has to pay. the one getting the most attention right n

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. president obama sitting down with the nation's top high-tech ceos, talking about the hot button issues inside the white house. >>> it was three years ago today that that uprising known as the arab spring bedan in tunisia, now the people there are working to stabilize their government. >> how do copy me? >> reporter: and capturing the final moments of those 19 arizona firefighters doing what they did best last summer. ♪ >>> some of the biggest names in technology are visiting the white house today. the heads of .al, facebook, google, and twitter among those set to mete with president obama. that session coming a day after the federal judge else dealted a blow to the national security surveillance program. mike viqueira is in washington. miovernment surveillance. they are in there as far as we know, dell, the ceos, titans of technology, speaking with the president. two in particular have written the president and members of congress seekin

i'm del walters in new york.ber, you can check us out 24 hours a day, just by going to aljazeera.com. is money the secret to happiness? we'll explore what makes us happy, and why. >> lisa fletcher is out today, but we have our man as cohost. with all of the tweets and facebook messages, and omar, does more bling make you happy? what did they say? >> they have different ideas of whether obtaining more wealth brings happiness.

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you: barrel bombs raining down on people caught up in syria's civil war - women and children among the dead. >> the house goes home, the senate trying to wrap up their voting >> china on top of the world, first-ever photos from the moon students have been evacuated. we'll follow the story. >> the northern city of alaska has seen some of the worst violence. this week's attacks are no exception. barrel bombs dropped an aleppo. police are searching for survivors in the rebel, nicole johnston has the story. >> no child should have to experience war like this boy. he's clearly in shock. many people in aleppo will feel that way after a raid on the city. in the neighbourhood bombs fell on a garage here. traps traps they call us >> translation: they call us terrorists. they are the terrorists. our cars were burnt with women and children inside. >> this is what is left after what activists say is one of the worst attacks on the city. 11 districts were

i'm del walters. here's are the stories we're following for you. more than 90 world leaders are expected to attend nelson mandela's memorial. efforts to keep them all safe and secure in south africa. >>> car pile ups massive air delays. >>> and major technology companies joining forces to battle the nsa. >>> president obama is on his way to south africa. he is heading the u.s. delegation honoring nelson mandela. the president leaving on air force one just a few hours ago. former president george w. bush and his wife laura are also on board joining first lady michelle obama and the president. president's clinton and carter will attend the service scheduled for tuesday in south africa. george r. h.w bush is the only former president that will not be there. >>> alan is near johannesburg. he has more on how the people of south africa are remembering nelson mandela. and he's a father figure being honored in cities large and small 1234 absolutely, del, and people here and in nelson mandela square in the rai

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. unplugged, top technology leaders meeting today with president obama. >>> three years after the arab spring started in tunisia, people are still working for a stable government. >>> and from innate to college grad, we'll tell you how one prison is changing lives. ♪ >>> some of the biggest names in technology set to visit the white house today. the heads of apple, yahoo, twitter and at&t will be those meeting with president obama. it comes a day after the federal judge dealt a blow to one of the surveillance programs. mike viqueira is at the white house in washington, and mike is this meeting somehow related to that president. but letter was written by them telephone surveillance program in violation of the fourth amendment, dell. >> and mike, when mightng publi recommendations after the first of the year, dell. >> mike, thank you very much. >>> on capitol hill the bipartisan budget deal has now cleared a major hurdle in the senate. libby casey is on cforward. senator marie spoke befor

i'm del walters, these are the stories we are following for you. a compromised budget bill expected to come before the senate today. >>> people fleeing the violence in south sue sdan, looking for refuge. >>> a diary from hitler's inner circle recovered and turned over to the holocaust museum. ♪ >>> that bipartisan budget deal now on the brink of passing the senate sometime today. the bill passing a key hurdle in the senate and avoiding any threat of filibuster. lisa let's talk specific about this bill. what is in it and what is not? >> this is a two-year budget bill. this would increase spending $63 billion for defense and domestic programs now and there would be $23 billion in cuts down the road. how would that be paid for? reduces benefits for military retireries currently under 62, raise airline fees, and decrease pension for future federal workers. it is expected to pass the senate, the question is how long will republicans want to debate it before the bill takes place. we are expected to vote possibly about 4:30 this afternoon. >> lisa what ar

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. hackers target target. >>> a senior u.s. official warning of travel and traveling to the central african republic. >>> plus more fire power for security officers here in one georgia school district. ♪ >>> the secret service is now look going the security breach at target. over the last month thieves broke in and stole the debit and credit card information of 40 million of its customers. it continued all the way up until this past sunday. hackers lifting data from cards as they were swiped at cash registers. >> that is a huge breach. >> i had my identity stolen last christmas. it was a pain. they had a great christmas on me. >> target's ceo putting out a statement saying . . . it's unclear how much money may have been stolen. no arrests have been made. >>> support from the nsa coming from an unusual source, the president of russia, saying the surveillance program is needed to fight terrorism. but he also once headed the th program be limited. mike a tight rope for importantm president

i'm del walters. here's are the stories we're covering for you. >> russia changing its amnesty laws. and drought conditions hitting some california farmers hard. it could be mean higher prices for you at the supermarket. ♪ >> bipartisan budget deal passing the senate today after sailing through the house last week. it passed a key hurriel o hurdln tuesday and avoided on the non-c spending. that will be restored. we're going to see $23 billion reduction in the deficit over 20 years. if you add those up the money has to come from somewhere. people who fly will see an increase in ticketing fees. >> it appears we are having problems with libby casey's live shot coming out of the nation's capitol. we'll try to re-establish that live shot for you and talk to libby on the back end. >>> a stunner coming in from the federal reserve. ben bernanke and the other policymakers announcing that the economy has no now improved enoh to ease back on the long running stimulus program. economists feared that the fed would

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. president obama set to speak in a couple of hours. his end of the year news conference before he headed to hawaii. >>> and a robot challenge, scientists competing to create androids that can help out when disaster strikes. ♪ >>> it has been a long year from gay rights to health a even that super secret spy program at the nsa. has president obama delivered on the change he promised? in just a out. and hear what he president had to sayeat on a key bedrock principal of the affordable care act of course know as obama care. he appeared at the podium behind me last month offering an apology saying if you like your health insurance policy, you can keep your health insurance policy. now you don't have to have insurance at all if you did lose your insurance as a result of the affordable care act. this is something that is a care.ck principle. they got the web problems fixed and now a lot of issues will come about this latest deve policy front, yo

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. >>> a former lebanese minister and ambassador to the u.s. is killed in beirut. >>> a court ruling that favors the nsa spying program. >>> and a punk rock band that says it won't be quiet about russian politics. ♪ >>> we continue to follow the developments stemming from the assassination today in beirut. a car bomb killing a former defense minister and five others. the united states and un security council already condemning the attack. >> reporter: a daring attack in the heart of the posh downtown area. the car bomb killed former finance minister, mohamad chatah, his bodyguard, and four others. he was a close aide and top advisor to former prime minister, rafiq hariri. the explosion took place just a short distance from the residence of rafiq hariri. that's where he had his office. >> translator: we were inside and felt glass breaking and coming in, and an explosion happened. we waited until it was all broken and then went out and saw th

i'm del walters in new york.e stream" is next. >>> our digital producer, wajahat ali is here bringing in all of your live feedback. waj our staff was so excited when we told them which viral stars we were going to have on the program today.

i'm del walters, these are the stories we are following for you. breaking news coming out of massachusetts. police investigating a security scare at a prestigious university. >> this explosive attack in aleppo, syria, leaving dozens dead, including many children. syrian army helicopters dropping so-called barrel bombs on the city. >> edward snowden - rattling washington - unclear on how many he knows. now there's talk of even giving him a deal. >> we begin with breaking news in massachusetts. police there investigating a security scare at one of the nations prestigious universities. harvard university place are looking into reports of explosives inside four buildings on the campus. they have been evacuated. students are on campus, and are there because they are scheduled to take their final exams. we continue to follow the story and will bring you more developments as they warrant. >> the northern city of aleppo has seen some of the worst violence since the civil war broke out. women and children in syria among more than 100 dead after government t

i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. a second bombing in russia in volgograd target again. and in russia security is number one. >>> israel prepares to release a group of palestinian prisoners. >>> and a california family dealing with what could be the last days of life for their daughter. >> there have now been two deadly bombings in two days, in the southern city of volgograd, russia. they're raising concerns for a new wave of attacks. volgograd is 400 miles northeast of sochi, the site for the olympic games which begin in just six weeks. peter sharp is in volgograd. >> reporter: the twisted gutted remains of a trolley in volgograd. russian investigators say a male suicide-bomber is responsible for the attack. it's the second in the last 24 hours. on sunday 17 people were killed by a suicide-bomber in volgograd's main railway stati station. security controls at the end of the station prevented even more deaths. >> the explosive device was the equivalent of four kilograms of tnt like the bomb at the train station, it wa

i'm del walters and inside story is next.et it is likely you haven't heard much about it, the tpp is the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray swarez. two of the world's three biggest economies rising industrial powers some of the world's biggest natural resource ex-porters, 11 pacific countries in all, including the u.s. have

i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. money and guns. congress working around the clock on the budget and extension of a firearms ban. >>> world leaders now travel to go south africa. they're there to attend the memorial for nelson mandela. >>> and americans around the country are digging out following this latest blast of ice and snow. >> battle over the budget congress on the verge of a new spending deal as lawmakers spe e the bill before leaving for the holidays. it contains some things that the house does not like. >> this is it for this session this year. they're off for the holidays whether the farm deal is not, whether the budget is done or not. whether a whole host of items are normally no brainers for congress. they're having trouble, as you might imagine, as is in surprise getting it done. you heard of a grand bargain. this isn't even a baby grand bargain. this is keeping the music playing to keep the government from shutting down. this deal that has not yet been inked that is likely to come as we understand has done everything

i'm del walters. here are today's deadlines.te on the bipartisan budget bill could come tomorrow. it was drafted by congressman paul ryan and senator patty murray. the president said that he will sign it as soon as it reaches his desk. >>> in kiev police are batons and bulldozers are pulling back where protesters are gathered in the ukrainian capitol. >>> thousands are waiting in line to pay their last respects to nelson mandela. his body will lay instate over the next three days and then his body will be taken to his home village where he'll be buried on sunday. >>> snow and winter bringing concern for refugees, that now total more than 3 million. here is more from beirut. >> we apologize for the fact that we seem to be having technical difficulties with this scene's package. dave warren has more, what is the situation, and why are they getting so much snow. >> meteorologist: it is one big storm, and it is just beginning. it's coming off the mediterranean and bringing in the moyes and a lot of cold air. not only will snow be a

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. once thought to be impossible, republicans, and democrats getting something done on capitol hill. a vote on the budget agreement could come tomorrow. >>> thousands of people lining up to pay their last respects to nelson mandela as his body lies in state. >>> and new york moving closer to legalizing marijuana as one country down south has already done just that. ♪ >>> the do nothing congress has finally gotten something done after months of inaction and delays. a bipartisan committee reaching a deal. the plan now going to the full house and senate for approval. libby casey joining us live from capitol hill with the latest. the fact that we're talking about congress doing something is interesting in itself. >> and it really just took two members patty murray and paul brian. and they finally announced a deal last night. in in a case of rare bipartisan agreement, aimed at averting another government shutdown a new budget deal is on the tabl

>>> welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. let's make a deal. bipartisan budget deal coming together. final vote could come as early as thursday. a major security breech at the national memorial service for nelson mandela. a gaffe so big it has security experts scratching their heads. >>> and surviving an avalanche. the life saving device that kept a skier from being buried alive. ♪ >>> the house could vote as early as tomorrow on a new budget. the drift bill being unveiled just last night. the spending plan now has to be approved by the full house and senate. libby casey joining us live with the latest. libby, tell us about the devil in the details. >> it's actually about a trillion dollars spending package, but it does maneuvering with things like sequester cuts. people in in washington have not liked these cuts because they have heard from americans that they have not been received well. things like head start cuts. programs at the nih for health, and military programs. so both members of the house and senate were eager to

i am del walters. these are the stories we are following for you: a suicide bomber striking at a train station in southern russia. at least 15 people now dead. >> in south sudan, military maneuvers that could jeopardize a possible cease fire in a conflict that has displaced tens of thousands. also, it was once one of the most glamorous prices ski in the world. the efforts to put iran back on the tourist map. >> with big games in college football, a look at the most valuable team in the ncaa. >> at least 15 people now appear dead after a suicide bombing at a train station in the southern russian city of ogerad. reports indicating a female suicide bomber detonating explosives as she atrochoapproa the station's metal detector, six weeks before the winter games in sochi. our details >> reporter: the chaotic aftermath in bolgrad. a body lies on the ground as the emergency personnel struggle to treat survivors. they say a female set off the blast. the blast captured on camera. the station was packed with tho

i am del walters. "real money" is next. go to aljazeera.com where the news continues 24 hours a day, seven or days a week. we will see you then. manufacturer. plus how shamalon got schooled. the education gap in america. i am david shuster in for ali velshi and then, here is "real money." >> this is real money and you are the most important part of the show. for t for the next half hour on twitter at

i am del walters. a prom noontide throb knees politician something dead, killed in a powerful bomb blast in beirut. this move will help his school, a former dallas cowboy. how this move will help his school. we begin in beirut where a car bomb has killed lebanon's former finance minister and at least five others. dozens are also said to be injured. it happened in an upscale business district. the united states condemning the attack: >> the investigators are not pointing the finger toward anybody. they are trying to look for all of the includes possible that they can find. i am going to step out of the shot, and our cameraman is going to zoom. first to get building under construction. that, under that buildings, where the car bomb was parked, and then the cameraman is going to take you to another car. you see the remain of the metal, the remain of this car, that is the car of the min sistminister the car flew and landed in in this spont. he was a leading figure for the future movement. he was a close ai

i'm del walters. "inside story" is next. . >> the u.s. seeks a renewed relationship with the philippines, still hurting after a major storm. recovery and the pivot towards asia are the "inside story." >> welcome to "inside story." i'm ray suarez. for more than a months the specific island nation of the philippines have struggled to recover from the worst national disaster that it's ever known. typhoon haiyan. there are still people missing as the storm scoured towns and villages from the land. aid workers will be helping the millions of people who survived but lost homes and shelter for a long time to come. now the united states is promising a new package of military aid to the philippines, $40 million, as geopolitical tensions in the region rise after provocative decisions made by china. we'll get the latest on storm recovery and face off of the south china sea on this edition of "inside story." but first some background. >> secretary of state john kerry traveled to the philippines tuesday. he met wi

i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. the president is holding his end of the year news conference. >>> fear in south sudan as hundreds try to flee the violence. >>> and a robot faceoff in florida. teams trying to create robots that can help out in a disaster. ♪ >>> for the president it has been a long year from gay rights to healthcare and even a spy program. last year the president was elected to serve another term in his promise? mike viqueira is live at the white house with what we might be able to expect. mi services, and once against it's about affordable care act, obamacare. it has been decided that if you had your insurance canceled, you ares ares a -- exempt at least temporarily from the individual mandate the insurance industry is very much against this move. this comes just four days before the december declaring the almost orwellian nature of the metadata collection system. and the president council saying they know of no terrorist plots that were foiled awe'll hear frn about three hours, dell. >> mike thank y

i'm del walters and inside story is next. yet it is likely you haven't heard much about it, the tpp is the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray swarez. two of the world's three biggest economies rising industrial powers some of the world's biggest natural resource ex-porters, 11 pacific countries in all, including the u.s. have been negotiating a free trade deal called the trance pacific partnership. the negotiations have been carried in secret, but largely shielded from public oversight. on the've of the 20th anniversary of the north american free trade act, are americans hungry, and removing barriers to the u.s. market, still the world's richest, the new treaty would govern trade between all the country as new handbook for their economic relationship, the negotiators meeting had hoped for a big announcement this week. >> there was disappointment in singapore tuesday, negotiations for the trance pacific partnership, or tpp, finished without a signed deal, talked will likely continue into the new year. >> we have decided to contin

i'm del walters from new york. "inside story" is n. amidst the nelson mandela tribute, the story of apartheid on "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez. the world said goodbye and thank you to nelson mandela in an emotional memorial service in a stadium in johannesburg. southern africa, home to some of the most important mineral deposits were racked by civil war pitting sides against each other. murdering political opponents at home and in exile. what south africa follow angola and mozambique in civil war with its large population and decades of bitterness, it created the potential of being the most dangerous of all. on this edition of "inside story" we'll be discussing nelson mandela and the process of negotiation that kept south africa from tearing each other apart. dignitaries, family, friends, and south africans of all color, thousands of mourner poured into the soccer stadium to celebrate the life of nelson mandela. >> to the people of south africa, people of every race and every walk of life, the world thanks you for sharing ne

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. the people of south sudan hoping for peace as word comes for talks against the go and rebels. >>> federal investigators are trying to determine what just caused this. >>> ringing in the new year-round the world. new zealanders celebrating just a few hours ago. >>> rebels in south sudan now capturing the city of bor, the center of fierce fighting in the oil rich area. the violence coming as both sides have agreed to discuss a ceasefire. >> reporter: both sides of the conflict have agreed to send delegations to talk about how to bring the current conflict to an end. it took a bit of pleading with the president by un officials and diplomats for him to agree to send delegation from his end because this is not what he had wanted. he wanted a ceasefire before he held talks with his opponent and former vice president. so far it has been the former vice president who has been insisting that there should be no talk of a ceasefire until proper negotiations have been done. the government also co

>> welcome back to aljazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. security breach at target. credit card users are affected. >> a growing and disturbing trend in public schools, armed security officers with military style assault weapons on campus. >> europe launching this powerful satellite, its mission, mapping out the galaxy. >> the secret service now looking into that security breach at target. target saying that over the last month, thieves broke in and toll the debit and credit card information of as many as 40 million of its customers. the retailer saying it all began november 27, the day before thanksgiving. they say it continued until this past sunday, hackers lifting data from cards as they were swiped at cash registers. >> that's a huge breach. who's going to pay for it all? >> it makes me not trust the company. >> i had my identity stolen last christmas. it was a pain. they had a great christmas on me. >> target's c.e.o. said: still unclear how often money may have been stolen, no arrests h

i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. >>> senate on the hill taking up presidential nominations on a budget deal and some americans about to be cut off. unemployment benefits running outs in days. i. >>> we begin with breaking news coming from massachusetts. police there investigating a security scare at one of the nation's most prestigious universities, harvard, explosives. four buildings are being evacuated, one is still being searched. three are cleared after being searched. students taking final exams. we'll have more information as developments warrant. >>> aleppo, women and children the more than 100 dead after government troops dropped barrel bombs filled with explosives on that city. people are now searching for survivors in the rubble. nicole johnston has the details. >> reporter: no child should have to experience war like this boy. he's clearly in shock. many people in aleppo will also be feeling that way after an intense bombing raid on the city. in the el hadari

>>> welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters, these are the stories we are following for you. >> we will never see the likes of nelson mandela again. >> remembering nelson mandela, leaders from around the world paying tribute to a global icon as south africa says good-bye to the father of a nation. >>> showdown in in iran, a bipartisan group of senators pushing for tougher sanctions as secretary kerry is on the hot seat. >>> an historic announcement at an auto maker as the nation's first female ceo is tapped to run the country. ♪ >>> tens of thousands of people gathering today at a johannesberg soccer stadium to stay good-bye to the father of modern south africa. but the stadium wasn't filled to capacity. it rained. it rained hard. mandela's statute was always recognized. dozens of world leaders past and present joining to pay tribute. the man who planned the event says this is exactly how nelson mandela would have wanted it. >> we were not able to stop the rain, but this is how nelson mandela would have wanted to be sent off. these are blessings in an african tradition, when it

i'm del walters. guns in america, al jazeera's in depth investigation into gun violence in the u.s. and resettling syrian refugees. forecasters are saying a big snow storm headed our way again. this is a scene that could play out in several states. ♪ >>> tomorrow marks one year since the sandy hook shootings. 20 children and six adults murdered inside a elementary school in newtown, connecticut. today we take a look at violence and gun control in the wake of the massacre. we begin in georgia, where for more than 30 years that town has required each and every household to own a loaded gun, and it claims it is helping to lower crime. robert tell us more about this law. >> reporter: yeah, good afternoon, dell, from kennisaw, georgia, the only place in america that has a law on the books saying that each household has to own a loaded gun. there are some exceptions such ooze mental conditions or religious reasons. there are a few places around the country that have tried to enforce the same law, up in in massachusetts, utah, and a little town called nelson, georgia not far from here, the

i'm del walters. here's are the stories we're following for you. more than 90 world leaders are expected to attend nelson mandela's memorial. efforts to keep them all safe and secure in south africa. >>> car pile ups massive air delays. >>> and major technology companies joining forces to battle the nsa. >>> president obama is on his way to south afr

i'm del walters. time is ticking for congress. on a laundry list of items. including that new spending bill. the bill would avoid another government shutdown. the house is scheduled to close for christmas on friday. >>> central african republic, african force he will be air lifted by american forces, they will also air lift equipment into that country. sectarian violence has engulfed the central african republic since march. >>> preparations for nelson mandela's funeral are taking place in kunu, scheduled to stay place on sunday. >>> as the world leaders gather in south africa, many have extraordinary stories to share about nelson mandela. earlier, i talked to the former ambassador to south africa, delano lewis. first of all, your reflections back on the man. >> well the reflections i must tell you, i was honored to be there as united states ambassador. i called on him shortly after i arrived. i gave my credentials to president umbeke but mandela had just stepped down as president. so i called on him and introduced myself and my reflections are not only as a

i'm del walters in in new york, thank you for watching.stream" is next. ♪ >> how deeply does the you income gap affect your every day life? >> our digital producer is bringing you ive feed >> how deeply does the you income gap affect your every day life? >> our digital producer is bringing you live feed >> it is the size of the gap, the numbers are stunning.

i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. security tightening in russia following two bombings in volgograd just weeks before the winter games. israel preparing to release palestinian prisoners. how one woman is reacting. policing the favelas. ahead of the world cup. >>> the white house and the u.s. olympic committee now expressing concerns over those two deadly bombings in two days in the southern city of volgograd, russia. volgograd is about 550 miles from the capital city of moscow and 400 miles northeast of sochi. that is site for the olympic games which begin in just six weeks. peter sharpe is in volgograd. >> the twisted gutted remains of a trolley bus in volgograd. bodies and debris are strewn across the street. russian investigators say a male suicide bomber was responsible for the blast. it is the second in the last 24 hours. people were killed by a sue sierd bomber in volgograd's main railway station. security at the entrance prevented more deaths. >> the explosive device was the equivalent of 4 kilograms of tnt, it

♪ ♪ >>> welcome to al jazerra america, i am del walters, these are the stories we are following for youdeadly blast, all sighed by bomber targeting a train station in southern russia killing at least 15 people inside. pulling out and putting a nation at risk. new insight in to the impending troop withdrawal in afghanistan. >>> i think it's really nice, the weather is so much better then in germany. >> and boosting the average of leisure travel inside iran. ♪ ♪ >>> at least 15 people are dead after a suicide blast at a train station in the southern russian city. reports indicating a saw side bombing detonating explosives as they approached the station's medical detect door. it's about 550 miles from the capitol city of moscow. today's blast happening six weeks before the winter games in sochi. peter sharp has the details. >> reporter: the chaotic aftermath of the attack on a railway station. a body lies on the ground as the emergency services scramble to treat survivors. regional officials say a women set off explosives near metal detectors near an entrance to the main train station. the

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. the year in review, president obama set to speak shortly. we'll carry his comments lye when the president takes to this podium. the senate getting ready to wrap things up as well. we'll talk about some loose ends they have to wrap up. and robot games a challenge to create some helpful androids. ♪ >>> for the white house it has been a very long year from gay rights to healthcare and even that secret spy program by the nsa. last year the president taking office reelected to serve another term, but has he delivered on the change he promised. this is live right now, where any moment the president will come to the podium and talk to reporters in his year-end address. mike any hint as to what we might hear? >> i think you will see two things. you will see the president give an opening statement where he doubts the achievements of his administration this year. the economy seems to be improving. gdp grew at a 3.6% rate, that's breakneck compared to what we have seen in the last five years. on

i'm del walters in new york. and remember, you can check us out 24 hours a day, just by going to aljazeera.com. is money the secret to happiness? we'll explore what makes us happy, and why. >> lisa fletcher is out today, but we have our man as cohost. with all of the tweets and facebook messages, and omar, does more bling make you happy? what did they say? >> they have different ideas of whether obtaining more wealth brings happiness. we have elizabeth saying: >> for those of you at home, we want you to be part of this conversation. and let us know what makes you happy and what the connection is between money and happiness. >> a wife and jacked up truck. happiness, it's the most valued human emotion, for some, it's a strong sense of wellbeing, and for others, they think that more money will make them happy. >> what do you want out of life. >> to be happy. and to live a long happy life. >> what's going to make you successful and happy? what will make you feel successful and happy? >> right now, money. lots of mone

. >>> welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. our prominent lebanese politician is dead. assassinated in beirut. >>> deadly clashes between egyptian security forces and student protesters. >>> and japan approving the relocation of a controversial u.s. military base. ♪ >>> we continue to follow that assassination today in beirut, a

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. president obama set to speak in a couple of hours. his end of the year news conference before he headed to hawaii. >>> and a robot challenge, scientists competing to create androids that can help out when disaster strikes. ♪ >>> it has been a long year from gay rights to health a eve

i'm del walters.follow breaking no, sir out of lebanon. the former finance minister and four others including bodyguards have been killed in a car bomb and dozens of others injured. that blast happening in the heart of downtown beirut just a few you said from the government headquarters and parliament building. there was panic and chaos in the seconds and minutes that followed the blast. troops were deployed. we are there. you may find some of these images disturbing. >> these chaotic scenes are the immediate aftermath of the explosion, a car bomb detonated in beirut's downtown business district. the blast killed the former finance minister, a close aide to the exprime minister and one of the leaders of the future movement. bodyguards were also killed and dozens nearby wounded. the force of the blast blew out windows across a wide area. one retired lebanese general told aljazeera that all the leaders of the march 14 anti syria grew that were due to be in the area for a meeting when the bomb went off.

i'm del walters.these are the stories we are following for you: barrel bombs raining down on people caught up in syria's civil war - women and children among the dead. >> the house goes home, the senate trying to wrap up their voting >> china on top of the world, first-ever photos from the moon.

i'm del walters in in new york, thank you for watching. "the stream" is next. ♪ >> how deeply does the you income gap affect your every day life? >> our digital producer is bringing you ive feed >> how deeply does the you income gap affect your every day life? >> our digital producer is bringing you live feed >> it is the size of the gap, the numbers are stunning. our producer tweeted out the c.o. to average pay worker ratio was 20-1 back in the day, today 273-1. steve replies who cares, what your c.e.o. makes has no difference to address vaning your career. it's like twenties% owns 80% of the wealth. it's up to the american people to insist our legislatures do something about this problem. matthew says what purpose does an unfettered economy serve. >> when it comes to the unequal distribution of wealth, president obama calls income inequality the defining challenge of our time. >> since 1979, our economy has more than doubled in size, but most of that growth has flowed to a fortunate few. the top 10% no longer takes in one third of hour i

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you.president obama sitting down with the nation's top high-tech ceos, talking about the hot button issues inside the white house. >>> it was three years ago today that that uprising known as the arab spring bedan in tunisia, now the people there are working to stabilize their government. >> how do copy me? >> reporter: and capturing the final moments of those 19 arizona firefighters doing what they did best last summer. ♪

. >> del walters spoke with an expert on security, and asked who he thought was responsible for the attack. >> doku umarov has gone public and has called on troops and allies, if you will, to do everything they can to disrupt the socchi olympics, and he's branded them as unholy. you have to assume he has something to do with the attack that happened. >> many americans will think of volgograd as stalingrad, during the old soviet union. why volgograd? >> yes, that's a good question. you are right. volgograd was called stalingrad prior to the collapse of the soviet union and the scene of an historic world war ii battle. there could be any number of reasons why it was volgograd. it was near to the caucasus, but it's not the closest big city. that's an important factor. volgograd has to be in terms of a target softer than, say, moscow. the maximum impact is to pull off on attack in the russian capital. russia is a difficult city to penetrate than volgograd. here you have a combination of a city that is sizeable. volgograd is a big city. it's close to the caucasus and has to be easier to get int

i'll del walters, "techknow" is next. [♪ music ] >> i was really lucky because i got to go to vancouverseattle, and alaska to learn about genetically modified salmon. it's so cool. these fish are just crazy. you got to take a look. this here is a gm salmon that is a year old. >> genetically modified, right. >> yes. >> this king may be facing competition from a fish created in laboratory. >> those fish are hungry. >> reporter: they're called mg, genetically modified. here in vancouver, canada, these trains have been genetically modified to become a super salmon, eating voraciously and growing by leaps and bounds. >> i was throwing feed out in the water and it was a feed ing frenzy. >> they respond dramatically and show a 30-fold increase in growth relative to wild type . >> 10 to 30 times the speed of growth. >> taking science a step further, asking the food and drug administration to approve their farmed salmon for sale in the u.s. and from the looks of things it might happen. the fda has said it is safe to environment. it was first engineered in 1989. it's an atlantic salmon modified b

>>> i'm del walters. the news continues 24-7 on aljazeera.com. set role that you're expecting them to fill, then it causes all kinds of problems. >> well on twitter, sola tweets in, as a child i have kids slants their eyes at me, asked me if i ne accurate karate -- knew karate. , advocacy, i didn't feel crazy for once and finally aaron said, look, these stereotypes are frairvel in some cases. -- favorable in some cases. jenny i'm going to go with you. the ma'am of minority is missed, educated upwardly mobile, you take off your shoes before entering the home. i would love to have these stereotypes. talk to us about how the model minority myth has shared with middle easterners? >> as an active student in coalition with other students of color i've learned that oftentimes we were used as a sort of wedge politics source that we're supposed to be perfect and therefore that makes all the other minorities bad. and i think at a certain point if you decide that you recognize it, as asian americans, we are part of the struggle we have to deny the stereotyp

i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you.the new year-round the world, this celebration was taking place in new zealand. >>> russian president vladimir putin vowing to annihilate terrorism. >>> a fiery train crash in north dakota. how the weather could be a major factor in the cleanup. ♪

i'm del walters.r bombing in the russian city of volgograd. 14 people were killed overnight in an attack on a trolley bus one day after 18 were killed in a suicide bombing at a train station in that same city. volgograd is a city of 1 million people about 600 miles south of moscow and 400 miles north of sochi where the winter olympics will be held in just six weeks. this is the third fatal attack in that russian city in the past two months. the u.s. now condemning the attacks and saying it stands with russia against terrorism. aljazeera's peter shortstop is in moscow with the latest on the train station bombing. >> the aftermath of the attack on a railway station in #-gs, a body on the ground as the emergency services cram belled to treat survivors. officials say a woman set off explosionives near metal detectors at the main train station entrance, the blast captured on camera. the station was packed with thousands leaving on their christmas holidays. >> everything was covered in smoke. there were bod