libby casey. how is it there? >> very windy. we heard the supreme court entertain oral arguments by energy groups who said the epa has overreached in its regulation of stationary emitters. the epa does have authority to regulate moving sources like cars. but epa has orders in place for three years now saying if new plants are built or construction modifications are paid, they have to be modified so they don't emit too much. well, the states and some of the energy groups say that these rules are cumbersome and out of bounds in enforce being them. we heard the arguments today, and it was interesting, both sides of the court had criticisms, more liberal members confident elana kagan and sonia soto mayor. shouldn't you defer to the agency that has the authority, the epa, and let the epa handle all that? on the other hand we heard the more conservative members of the bench, they, conservatives were pushing back and asking and pressuring them as to why the epa would essentially push further than congress in enacting regulations. >> so

libby casey with more on how both sides are taking aim. >> reporter: the affordable care act or obamae has taken steady hits from republicans. 47 repeal attempts and now with the midterm elections approaching attack ads. >> call congressman peters and tell him obama care isn't working. >> it has been a liability for the democrats and i think it's something that they struggled with since it was passed. >> reporter: political science professor says obama care is still the main challenge for democrats. is it the issue for democrats? >> it's not the issue they choose certainly but it is the issue they have to contend with. >> reporter: polls so the american public is down on the law. half see it unfavorably. only a third feel good about it. 16% are on the fence. but ignoring owe bomb care is a bad strategy. she says the election results of 2010 are proof. >> they took huge losses in 2010 as president obama says it was a shellacking. 60% took over in the house. >> reporter: now democrats are trying to take control of the conversation. >> ann kirkpatrick listens and learns and why she blew

libby casey is in washington with the very latest on this for us, libby? >> reporter: good evening, tony. just a decade ago no states allowed same-sex marriage. how times have change: now a third recognize gay marriage. as you mentioned states attorney generals are wrestling with the question of whether they should enforce some of the bans. >> reporter: it's up to the state's attorneys general to uphold the laws. >> we have the duty to uphold the laws and defend the laws whatever the laws that are passed. >> reporter: but hawai'i's attorney general said there are times when an ag sees laws as discriminatory. >> there are circumstances when an attorney general can make the analysis based upon case law that something is unconstitutional. >> reporter: six states a.g.'s all democrats have decided to buck the will of voters and legislatures and refuse to enforce bans on gay marriage. in an unusual move attorney general erik holder weighed in on whether state attorneys general should up hold state law. >> we must endeavor in all of our efforts to up hold and enh

libby casey, al jazeera america. >> in chicago a judge has ruled that same-sex couples can get married immediately and don't have to wait for a state law to take effect in june. bus it extend to the rest of illinois? state lawmakers approved same-sex marriage in 2013, and the law was slated to take effect on june 4, 2014. sips the ruling several couples have sued cook county for the right to marry illegally, immediately. >>> no. california a group of methodist churches are pushing to have same-sex marriage sanctioned by the church. 30 california area churches say they intend to allow same-sex marriages in their buildings. and in arizona governor january brewer must now decide whether to sign a bill that allows business owners to refuse service to gay people on religious grounds. the arizona legislature passed the legislation last week. similar legislation is being debated, but so far this is the only one that has passed oh both the state house and the senate. >>> beijing is known for its pollution, and that choking smog is now effecting citizens' health. for the first time the city has

joining me now, correspondent, libby casey, and she spends a lot of time on adapt hill. and libby, john boehner insists there will be no default so congress has to vote to raise this debt ceiling. this is weird. and we're in the vortex, and john boehner doesn't want it to happen. >> speaker boehner carries a lot of weight, but republicans are not ready to come to the table quite yet. and they're talking about raising the debt ceiling, as they have done before, and they want something in return. so a couple of ideas, tying it to the approval of the keystone pipeline. saying that president obama will vote to raise the debt ceiling if you lift the keystone pipeline, and another shocker, obamacare, and one thing that they're dangling out there, a reinstatement for cuts for benefits for veterans. $6 billion. and that was cut as part of the budget deal just a few weeks ago, but here's the problem, $6 billion, that has to come from somewhere, and republicans don't want to do more spending without showing where it's coming from, and a lot are going to balk at that. and then some

the senate's top republican is now fighting to keep his job, and lib -- libby casey joins us now. >>itch mcconnell is a target for democrats who would love to shake up the g.o.p. by unseating him. he has got a tough reelection battle that is already heating up. >> this is not a very proud day in the history of the sen that it. >> reporter: senator mcconnell is less popular than president obama in kentucky, and that's a low bar. >> they cook up some fake fight over judges. >> reporter: a third of kentucky's republican voters say he compromises with the white house too often. matt bevin is challenging him. >> the people of kentucky are fed up with you fighting to keep your job while people in kentucky are losing their jobs. >> there is a disease of dysfunction in washington, d.c., and after 30 years, senator mcconnell is at the center of it. >> reporter: for three decades mitch mcconnell has represented kentucky in washington, rising to become the senate's top republican leader, but now with his next election nine months away, a poll shows the democrat, grimes four points ahead. washin

we'll be in the studio joined by libby casey on capitol hill.li velshi in new york, and al jazeera reporters around the country and around the world as we wait for the president's state of the union speech at 9:00 p.m. we'll have public response shortly after. >> nogales, arizona. a bus has arrived filled with people being deported from the united states. >> right now we're headed to san juan bosco, a shelter here in nogales where the mexican immigration authorities have picked the people who were just deported, they take them there so they have a place to stay on their first night back in mexico. >> many thought 2013 would be

libby casey is in washington with more. >> the supreme court is hearing oral arguments on the e.p.a.'s ability to regulate pollution coming from water called stationery sources. places like cole fire power plants or chemical facilities or oil refineries. the e.p.a. has gotten the green light to regulate greenhouse gas causing pollution from moving sources, things like cars. they say it's also within the authority of the administration to regulate those stationery plants, as well, because the e.p.a. says that they are the largest source of pollution, therefore the most hazardous to people's health. 13 states, along with energy groups challenging the e.p.a.'s ability. they say the e.p.a. has overstepped its boundaries and they've taken the case all the way to the supreme court. now, president obama has said repeatedly over the last couple which months that he will use his executive authority to go ahead and put forth more stringent regulations, even if congress isn't onboard. so today's case is seen as a test for executive authority. that's why it's being closely watched. it is largely

. >> al jazeera conditions, del walters and libby casey are back with you in 2.5 minutes. hope you have a great morning. >> just hours after leaders call for calm in ukraine, the truce is broken by gunfire and death in kiev. >> i express my appreciation soo the citizens. >> a community in mourning after the shocking murder of a 10-year-old girl. a school coach is charged with kidnapping and killing her. >> three aljazeera journalists detained in egypt for months are set to go on trial this morning. leaders and journalists around the world continue to call for their immediate release. >> it's not just frustrating, it's scary. it's unknown. you don't know what's going to happen. >> crawfish farmers in louisiana have winter put a dent in their harvest of a popular delicacy. >> good morning, and welcome to aljazeera america. >> a truce in ukraine has had no impact on the spiraling violence gripping the country. >> you're looking at live pictures now of kiev. there are reports that at least 18 people have been killed today in clashes between protestors and riot police. >> we're

i'm libby casey. >> i'm del walters. 25 people are dead after police tried to clear independence square in key every, the center of anti government demonstrations in ukraine. >> police entered the scare foods night and protestors battled back with molotov cocktails. the president of ukraine is urged to demonstrate restraint dealing with the demonstrators. the french president is calling for sanctions against ukraine. >> the president delivered a message to the ukrainian opposition. >> the opposition leaders ignored the basic foundation of democracy, power is gained not on streets but in electoral districts. >> aljazeera has the latest from key every. >> the morning after the brutal crush, a city inflamed by violence, both sides refuse to go give up. independence square went from encampment to war zone, a burned out reminder of an area that was for weeks home to activists. the president still blaming opponents for the ruthless crackdown. >> my duty is a guarantor of the constitution is to ensure peace in the country, peac

libby casey is live for us in washington, d.c. good to use, libby. maybe we can start with what's at stake in this case. >> the e.p.a. said it should ever the power to regulate stationery sources of greenhouse gas emissions, they mean non-moving, things like coal fired power plants or chemical facilities or oil refineries. the e.p.a. has targeted large ones, if they're undergoing renovation, they have to apply for a more stringent permit. mom and pop operations or smaller stores or outlets have said that they don't reach the threshold that really needs crucial targets. >> the case made it all the way to the supreme court this morning. we heard arguments really focusing on the question of does the obama administration have the power to enter this realm of regulating stationery sources to the degree that the e.p.a. wants to. we heard a lot of arguments centering around the question of really basically what is pollution and how do you even measure something like greenhouse gases. >> following the supreme court for us today, appreciate it, thank you. >>

i'm libby casey. >> i'm stephanie sy.ted states nations has proof the north regime committed unspeakable crimes. a report will detail the accusations. >> the u.n. wants three generations of the ruling kim family punished for the crimes. aljazeera has more from people who lived through the alleged atrocities. >> it is a place that would make your hair stand on end. no words would help you understand what this place is like. >> kim spent years in the prison camp. from sunrise to sunset, you work. there are no set working hours. you get up at 330 only and work until dark. >> she managed to escape the country, giving evidence to the united nations and south korean capitol seoul to their year long investigation into the regime. according to a leaked summary of the report, it is evidence of torture, widespread abductions and murder. defectors spoke of extermination camps. >> i have escort add father and son to camp 16, then the whole family was sent. the relatives would be sent to camp 11 and that's called exterminating the thr

. >> reporter: and al jazeera continues in two minutes with dale walters and libby casey and i'm leavinghour with more of the end of the lunar celebrations taking place in taiwan. ♪ >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> digging out from a second round of snow, some areas of the northeast dealing with up to 20 inches, that same storm system that knocked out power across the south. >> the philippines working to recover following the typhoon, the strides the country made and challenges that lie ahead 100 days after the storm. >> social and political unrest in bosnia not seen since

. >> and al jazeera news continues and dale and libby casey are back in two minutes.morning. al jazeera america. we open up your world. >> here on america tonight, an opportunity for all of america to be heard. >> our shows explore the issues that shape our lives. >> new questions are raised about the american intervention. >> from unexpected viewpoints to live changing innovations, dollars and cents to powerful storytelling. >> we are at a tipping point in america's history! >> al jazeera america. there's more to it. . >> the dow posting its biggest drop in seven months. how markets around the world are reacting. >> calling for a constitutional change. ukrainian opposition forces plan to weaken the president's powers as the financial aid package is formed to end the country's political crisis. >> the number of collisions on the road, the technology that has u.s. transportation officials and cars talking. >> i said stop resisting, stop resisting. i yell down, i'm in handcuffs. >> an inside look at one los angeles jailhouse where officials are accused are inflicting vi

i'm libby casey. >> i'm del walters. millions of americans once again waking up to another winter headache this morning, a major snow and ice storm hammering the west and midwest now making its way east. >> it is in ohio, west virginia and kentucky leaving a mess in its path. several states have issued winter alerts and warnings with kansas and new jersey under states of emergency. after hit by a storm monday, parts of the northeast are preparing to break out the shovels once again. thomas dayton has a look at this storm wide reaching around the region. >> that all too familiar sound and site is back again. >> this year is kind of terrible. >> i can't remember it being so cold or so much snow for one season. >> another blast of snow slamming over two dozen states with kansas and missouri taking the brunt tuesday, and now the storm is taking dead aim at northeast. blizzard like conditions and near zero visibility in the great plains had every plow and salt struck out on the road trying to stay ahead of a constant snowfall

libby casey is in washington, d.c. for us. what's at stake in this case? >> the epa does have the right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. whether the agent is allowed to regulate moving sources like cars or buses. the question is about stationary sources, things like coal fired power plants. any new plants coming on line the epa says would have to undergo a fairly rigorous permitting process. if they were large in size. well, some states, republican-led for the most part and some energy groups have pushed back against that and the case made it all the way to the supreme court this morning. so what's at stake is actually fairly narrow. it doesn't relate to all plants. it just is relating to these large ones. but it is symbolic in many ways, because it gets to the question of how far the obama administration can push forward with regulations. >> and as you know libby everyone tries to draw conclusions based on the questioning from the justices. what did you hear in the questioning today? >> we really got a sense right from the outset that the court is fa

. >> libby casey in washington, d.c. for us. it is a contingency plan in case the government does not sign the security agreement with the united states. making more likely to get a security because the white house has opened the door for the successor. confusing and mike mckerr rah is here -- talks to afghan president today. according to the former defense secretary. they haven't even spoken since june of last year, and when you consider everything that is on the table, and everything that the united states has invested there, that is truly remarkable. but you are right, the possibility of leaving that over the horizon that residual force in afghanistan, post 14, more likely today than it was yesterday. and you have to have a little context here. they have all been saying that the president has to sign the agreement, that would allow those p toos that would sign the arrangement, all the legal documents to allow those american troops to stay in afghanistan. karzai said he wasn't going to sign it. >> against the clock here. in th

i'm del walters. >> i'm libby casey. just a day away from the opening olympic ceremony and new security threats for american athletes and fans heading to sochi. >> u.s. intelligence sources now saying terrorists may try to smuggle bombs onboard planes using tubes that tooth paste. we're talking about back-to-back threats in this case. >> that's right, del, those intelligence leaders just said in a congressional hearing they're tracking specific olympic threats, the latest a cyber security threat against anyone with a smart phone and then this terror threat about bombs on planes. >> more than 10,000 americans travel to go sochi for the olympics now face another security threat. new intelligence information shows terrorists may try to use tooth paste containers to smuggle explosives onboard planes. >> i believe that it's very specific and credible information. >> the threat does not specifically target americans, but the alert affects flights directed to russia. president putin insists the games are safe, stations 40,000 p

del walters and libby casey are back with you in two minutes. have a great morning. >> winter's wrath returns, expected to be a storm of historic pro pores slamming the south with snow and ice. next stop, the northeast. >> passing doubts about mammograms. why a new study is certain to have women talking about their health. >> mitch mcconnell taking a serious hit from tea party challengers and now the top senator is in the battle for his political life. >> i feel like his support is one of the best things i ever had in my life. i had that outside family that i never had before. >> rooting for a rival, how one teen's story scored a victory with an unlikely fan base. >> good morning, welcome to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm libby casey. much of the south is in the path of a severe winter storm. national weather service is using words like mind boggling to describe it. >> ice is going to be a major problem. driving could be nearly impossible and widespread power outages are expected. >> several southern governors have declared states of

i'm libby casey. >> i'm del walters.torm is sweeping the country, aiming at the southwest and northeast. it's expected to produce thick ice in addition to snow over the next 24 hours. >> the southern states are hunkering down again. alabama, louisiana, mississippi and parts of georgia have already declared states of emergency and this after a rare winter storm just two weeks ago caught them off guard. we have more on the potential impact. >> it's the scene that georgia's governor is vowing will not be repeated, clogged highways, abandoned cars and children spending the night in their schools. >> i think we're certainly ahead of the game this time and that's important. we are trying to be ready and prepared and react as quickly as possible. >> from texas to north carolina, freezing temperatures and significant snow and ice are expected to touchdown wednesday, and this time, no one is taking any chances. >> i got ice melt, i got a shovel, and i got a fan. >> gorge's governor already declared a state of emergency in 40 coun

i'm libby casey. >> i'm del walters. it happened again, another round of snow and ice paralyzing the south, traffic, gridlock and 11 deaths across the region. for the second time in two weeks, atlanta hit with a mix of freezing rain and snow. residents avoiding the gridlock this time around because the streets and highways were mostly empty. >> the storm is taking aim up north. government offices are closed in washington, d.c., in the northeast the region braces for the brunt of the storm. a mix of sleet and rain is expected. >> we have storm coverage up and down the coast. we are standingly biffin philadelphia after a week of storms there caused massive power outages. we are in washington, d.c., but we begin with robert ray where thousands of people are once again without power this morning. good morning, robert. >> good morning, del. snow coming down here in metro atlanta for about the next three hours. which it wasn't occurring, as the 6 million plus people here also would agree, but 340,000 people are without lights

. >> libby casey joins us from washington. what are the real world repercussions of this case? has been in affect for three years. the e.p.a. says any plants, companies that are building new plants or modifying old ones have to limit the amount of air pollution or greenhouse gases. we are talking about coal fire powered plants, chemical facilities, oil refineries, the e.p.a. went narrow on this saying the regulations really only pertain to the larger plants. they could have gone bigger and targeted smaller plants, mom and pop operations, but the e.p.a. said this is what we're targeting, big plans that emit the most. because of that, it has a fairly narrow scope. when we say the supreme court rule, which should come this summer, it will only relate to some plants, not all across the country. that's why people are saying this is in many ways symbolic, because it will be one of these things that both sides can use to argue their point. if the obama administration wins, they can say look, we have some authority. if the republican led states and some of the companies win, then they

. >> and al jazeera continues in 2 minutes with dale walters and libby casey and thanks for watchingt morning. >> al jazeera america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> getting back to the bargaining table with iran, the uphill battle for an agreement to curb its nuclear capabilities. >> tensions boil over in bangkok as clashes between protestors and police leave four dead. violence erupted as the authorities try to break up protest camps in the thai capital. >> bonds usually within 90 seconds where detroit police may not responsibility. >> a police force charged with watching over students now

i'm libby casey. >> some of calling it shades of the cold war era.ted states and russia battling over a leaked phone conversation with two top diplomats with ukraine in the middle. victoria new land was secretly taped making a remark. >> the white house claims the call was recorded and released by russia. this embarrassing disclosure comes as washington tries to broker a solution in ukraine. >> u.s. assistant secretary of state victoria newland in ukraine, meeting with its embattled president. >> this session, all senior leaders of the opposition, united states intends to remain engaged working in lock step with the european union. >> instead of lock step, it's clear she has locked horns with the e.u., a close america ally. in audio posted on you tube, she is said to be talking, appearing to coursely disappear the european union talking with their plan to ease the crisis in kiev. kiev. >> >> speaking for an edge bard state department, it is neither confirmed nor denied that the recording was real. >> she has been in contact with her e.u. counter part

. >> i'm libby casey.we'll talk with the former advisor to the kremlin who thinks the west doesn't understand what's taking place in ukraine. >> the coming mid term elections, some democrats looking to ease it is pain from the rollout of the affordable care act. >> we'll look at the construction of the first new nuclear power plant in the u.s. in more than three decades. >> after days of violent clashes that killed at least 70 people in ukraine, the worst stretch of violence since the unrest began, a peace treaty is cause ago ceasefire, and may be signed. >> ukraine's history with the kremlin is overshadowing its present. >> two neighbors, russia and ukraine caught in a complicated relationship. 46 million are now struggling with the choice, should they lean toward russia or toward the west. russia and ukraine trace the roots as nations all the way back to the ninth century when a collection of tribes found in what is now kiev. after the breakup of the soviet union, ukraine struggled to find a national ide