tough questions to the local water -- >> we're having difficulty with robert ray. one of the things that came out to the hearing robert told us in an earlier report, the members of the congressional committee drank bottled water. >>> the state department saying north korea withdrew its invitation to a official to discuss kenneth bae's release. at the request of bae's family, the reverend jesse jackson traveling onorth korea. accusing him of antigovernment activities. >>> military exercises between the u.s. and south korea set to begin at the end of this month. north korea is calling this a prelude to war and. >> cease fire in homs bir at least three days. that will allow extra time for civilians to get out of the besieged city. al jazeera's james bays reports. >> the violence that surrounded the evacuation of the old city of homs is one of the factors i think that has soured the atmosphere here. i think even though things were bad in the first round of talks it's quite possible now they are even worse than they have been before. and that may explain why the mediator

robert ray is in atlanta. and has atlanta learned anything from that debacle of two weeks ago. >> completely they have? what is interesting is if the debacle had not occurred two weeks ago, the traffic gridlock, the government not listening to the national weather service, people leaving the city all at the same time, perhaps yesterday when this massive storm occurred here in atlanta, maybe it would have been worse. perhaps there would have been a disaster, perhaps people would have went out on the roads and there would have been accidents and injuries, but that's not the case here. except as you see behind me, this historic home from 1911 here that was purchased just a few months ago by someone who wanted to gut it and make it's in again, the ice, snow, and wind collapsed the entire back of this old house here in midtown atlanta. but here is the deal, power is still out for thousands of folks around the state of georgia, but the temperatures are rising and the thaw is beginning. my cameraman can take a look o

robert ray has more from eden, north carolina. >>> these are the muddy banks of the dan river.foam -- green foam is meant to catch up the contaminants from the coal ash that spilled into the river on february 2nd. now duke electric is to blame for this, a leaky pipe underneath a coal ash pond released what they said two weeks ago to be 82,000 tons of coal ash, that figure has now been downgraded to 30 to 39,000 tons, but much of the coal ash is scattered around at the bottom in various spots all the way, 70 miles downstream. duck energy is the largest electricity provider in the nation. and on tuesday a second pipe leaked, spews a - -- arsenic-laced chemicals into the ground river. if we take this cup and go down a foot or so, and bring it up, you can see clearly we have sentiment, leaves, and you can see the dark coal that is here in the mud mixed together. and just this week, federal prosecutors ordered nearly 20 state environmental agency employees to testify before a grand jury coming up. coal ash is not deemed hazardous currently. many environmental groups have for years s

they're not listening and trust to what the scientists are saying. >> robert ray, thank you very much. >>> president obama is set to meet with french president franÇois hollande in just a few hours. climate change along with other topics will be at the top of their agenda. we take a look at the complex relationship. >> a familiar landmark in an unfamiliar location. it's often forthen that the statute of liberty is one of a pair, a gift to the americans from france, which helped them win their independence. the old aalliance between the u.s. and france has had it's ups and downs over the years, but now under obama and hollande foreign policy interests are lining up once again. this was franÇois hollande in timbuktu a year two after french troops pushed back al-qaeda linked rebels. the war on terror conceived by the united states is now being pursued by france, which makes hollande a key ally. >> he is very important for obama in areas where french have deeper ties, historic ties, maybe better intelligence in northern africa, french speaking west africa, mali, iran, where the french hav

robert ray is live on interstate 75, robert. >> reporter: yeah, good afternoon, del.s is a bridge that goes over i-75. big chunks of ice is wherever. so much ice you can see where it says only turn left here -- this is about an inch below here, it's pure ice. totally unsafe to come on these roads, and that's why no one is out here. one of our producers took a spin around the area earlier. if you can roll some of that video, you can see what it is like to be on the roads now. this is where there was gridlock just two weeks ago. we can take a look at the interstate overhere. this i-75 where hundreds of vehicles found themselves stranded. you can see the ice forming on the fence. ice all the way on the cement here. come 34r50e9ly unsafe for anyone, but the state of georgia, and the governor of atlanta, clearly lessons learned in the past two weeks, the national guard is out making sure the roads are clean, shelters are open, people are hunkering down, no one is at school, work, and no one is on the roads, dell. word that nearly 200,000 people in the surrounding areas of

robert ray for us in roswell. robert, good to see you.e've been talking about what is coming to atlanta, but this storm is hitting all across the southeast. hear what they can expect is rebecca stevenson. rebecca? >> meteorologist: we've been watching the storm with the potential to being a catastrophic storm across georgia into south carolina. the reason we ka say that is the amount of ice coming down. once it comes down we'll see it coat trees and also roadways not only causing problems for traffic but the minute we start to get wind gusts coming in it will snap the trees. it's going to bring down all kinds of things, even the potential for some roofs giving way if they've not been replaced over the last decade. right now we're just seeing the development of this storm to bring a rain-snow mix across parts of northern louisiana and arkansas. it's that storm that is going to be crossing over towards atlanta. we are just too warm for any ice, but tonight temperatures fall. by 9:00 for alabama, we're going to see the ice develop. as we get

if you follow the woes of robert ray you know this weekend is his child's swing set. last weekend he lost his car because of all of this ice, and it is a mess out there and to is moving. >> there is ice coming down, and that will be the problem over the next few hours. oh below freezing seeing sleet and freezing rain. the air above that is warmed up. snow is melting, and it fall noose that cold air, so we have ice storm warnings, winter storm warnings for that snow and ice. all snow up in north carolina. we're talking about six to eight inches of snow there. this area year, central georgia, north and south carolina where we see this mix indicated by the pink collar on the radar. the moisture moved out, the storm intensifying. there is heavy rain and now we're seeing heavy sleet and freezing rain across georgia. this will continue. this is not done yet and the ice will continue to accumulate. this large area of mixing, heavy rain in georgia going to heavy sleet or freezing rain. that moves into south carolina and north carolina, and then midnight tonight it is ending.

al jazeera meteorologist kevin coriveaux, i think my team are chattering seeing what robert ray was seeing in atlanta. is it over for them now? >> it is not yet joie but we are close. we have to remember this storm has been deadly here across parts of mississippi and texas. six people have died because of those ice conditions there. let's put this into motion. for atlanta, see all of the ice they had here across the region. as i said, they have about another three to four hours of icy conditions for them. let's put that into motion as well. you can see we still have those effect. >> that's ice storm warnings there. now, i want to put the forecast into motion starting at 9:00 o'clock tonight. you can see atlanta right there in the icing area. as we go through, at about 11:00 p.m., things start to break out for them. the ice, though, take a look at south carolina. look at north carolina. major problem there. so, it's going to be a series of events that happens. atlanta will clear out. the carolinas are going to get the brunt of the storm overnight and as we go towards tomorrow, it will make

robert ray, al jazeera, charleston, west virginia. >> revisiting libya.till ahead on al jazeera america, the u.n. considers sanctions against that country two years after its revolution. >> that's next in our week ahead segment. >> fury over the killing after healthy jer after in denmark. why a zoo says the animal had to be put down. >>> welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at top stories this half hour. more than 600 people trapped in syria were able to escape. a brief cease fire allowed rescue user to save a group of women, children and elderly. >>> a california company has recalled millions of pounds of beef. the department of agriculture said diseased and unhealthy animals were slaughtered. it's the largest recall of meat in years. >> an all-american college ball standout says he is gay. at the university of missouri lineman, if he is picked, michael sam could be the first openly gay player in proceed ball. he came out in an interview with the "new york times" and espn. this is quite a big moment for the sport and gay rights activists. >

let's brings back robert ray in the thick of it in georgia, 30 miles south of atlanta. georgia's preparations may have paid off. >> you are right. they did. the guys were prepared. most of the interstates are fairly clear, as clear as you can be for the amount of precipitation that has occurred. but the problem is that the side roads, and the hilly roads - this is the police department. pulling up to us to see if we were okay. the satellite truck is stuck here. a nice police officer arrived if we needed a to you. we talked. i want to ask him a quick questioning. amazingly you guys have not had anyway car recs since monday throughout this whole thing. >> correct, no accidents. >> as far as the roads go, i live here, i had a problem getting out of my neighbourhood because of the ice, but overall you guys have done a good job. >> the public work services have been working throughout the night and on the state highway, the department of transportation have done that. >> thank you. i appreciate you stopping to help us. come around with the cameras. here is the main issue, po

that is where robert ray is. how are things looking. i see that it's already raining. >> reporter: good morning. it looks like rain, but it's a sleet. the temperatures dropped here in the past couple of hours. the city is literally shut down. ice is ensuing on the roads. i'm at a staging ground for power companies and tree-cutting countries that came from the south and the midwest to hep during the storm. let me show you some ice that has come down. all this came down in the past half hour. it's a dangerous situation. let me walk you into this tent. these are the power crews from around the country that came to wait on standby for when this gets bad and the power out court. i can tell you this: yesterday the hurricane hunters made a rare flight over the northern golf of mexico to look at -- gulf of mexico to look at the weather system. that will create a massive situation here in the south, and all the way up to d.c. and new york. let's take a look and listen about how big the situation is. >> it's what is coming, and it's what has to m

robert ray for us, robert, thank you. >> we got to tell if you you're still looking for work, you're likely having a difficult time. one group really suffering so-called millennials. real money ali velshi has been investigating, ali. good to see you. how bad has it been for this group. >> reporter: i'll tell you, and you know because you've got them in your family. they're roughly defined as people in their 20's and 30's. if you're between 20 and 30 years old one unemployment rate is 1.9%. if you're between 20 and 34, which means you're recently out of school which is what you're supposed to do to get a job your unemployment rate is 11.9%. in this group of millennials, some of the highest educated group in history, is having a hard time getting a job. >> why? >> a couple of things. there might not be jobs for them. there is a perception issue. we polled business leaders, 35% gave these recent college grads a c or lower for job preparedness. 63% gave them c or lower for soft skills like integrity and professionalism. 70% of people in older generations believe these millennials . >> ma

robert ray joins us live from charleston on that. bert, why is the governor making the move and why now? >> reporter: john, good evening. public pressure, heavy public pressure over the past couple of weeks over the smell, the licorice smell of the chemical that went into the elk river. even though many people have flushed their homes out and their pipes out that smell is lingering in the city and in their homes. we al jazeera america field team applied our own pressure on officials and the governor as the governor brought the cdc and epa in front of field cameras. the governor asked as to why they are not looking into homes and the pipes and the fact that the chemicals could be bonding into the pipes, creating the smell. here's what the epa said to our producer david douglas. >> we feel that it's unlikely that this chemical is bonding to your piping. but we understand that issue has been raised. we are working with other technical experts to look at that further. but as i said we feel that that's not a likely scenario based on this c

robert ray is live with us in roswell georgia, outside of atlanta with more. >> jop, this town, a northern suburb of atlanta has gone through the process of shutting the doors. restaurants and businesses over my shoulder shut down. they will not be open tomorrow or perhaps the day after. all of atlanta sort of under a gridlock. everyone hunkering down as over 500 national guards are out waiting for the storm to hit. 2500 power trucks from around the region are waiting for the ice to come in. schools and businesses closed. teams of salt spreaders moving around the interstate. and the governor, nathan deal, giving hourly updates saying this earlier. >> everybody needs to be patient, as prepared as possible and be ready for the next two days. to not assume your normal routine. >> john, 2200 flights have been cancelled in haertsville jackson, airport in atlanta. it's the busiest airport in the world. according to a speaks person, black spokesperson, they can't remember that meaning being cancelled. >> more updates from the governor. what is different from last time? >> two weeks ago, the traff

robert ray is here with more. what happened at the hearing today? >> new regulations discussed. information about the chemical tanks on the elk river. the word safe not being used to describe the water by officials, and residents giving a chance to speak their mind at the hearing, hoping they can get back to drinking the water and life as they knew it. a subcommittee field hearing was held monday morning to see how the chemical was spilled into the water supply in west washington. >> we were on the front end of this. but it's a wake-up call for the country. >> an inspection three months before the spill revealed that the storage tanks did not meet industry standards. they heard testimony that this entire situation would have been avoided. >> in october 2013 at the request of the company, tank engineering and management consultants conducted a review of the tank terminals. the substance stored in tank 396, consisting of hauz ardous materials. >> not in attendance freedom industries. the company blamed for the disaster. one committee member said they had no courage. west virginia

robert ray, good to see you. it looks like there is virtually no one on the roads there behind you. >> yeah, exactly. a couple of cars every once in a while. a snowplow or two. looks like definitely people learned their lesson from two weeks ago here in lappet. it appears perhaps people in the carolinas should have watched that a little closer, tony. here's the deal right now. the temperatures are like swinging up and down in the past hour. it's strange. we'll go two degrees down, two degrees up. it goes from rain to snow though sleettosleet, it's been a winter sandwich all day long. just as th they spoke about in a press conference about an hour ago, we're not out of the clear here. the pine trees keep coming down because of the weight under the power lines. this is interstate 75. this is where the gridlock was a couple of weeks ago. you can see the ice forming, and you can see the lights on the cameras. the sheets of ice on the fence here. the trucker giving us a little honk. mostly truckers on the road today.

robert ray had that story from charleston. >> ask the locals and many will tell that you the place they call home in west virginia is better than known as the chemical valley. >> the risk of having mishaps in chemicals are concentrated because the chemical industry is concentrated here. >> reporter: since 2008, the investigators from the chemical safety board have investigated three dacts in area facilities. the most recent at this dupont plant in 2010. there a worker died when a ruptured hose sprayed him with a deadly gas, and after each incident, they created an oversight board for chemical facilities, and the suggestion fell on deaf ears. >> unfortunately, we heard from the state that they were unable to respond, and it was not possible for them to do it. that's the last word that we got. >> reporter: a spokesperson for the west virginia department of human health and resources said the last word on the issue came june 30th 2011, and at the time, that agency and the environmental protection jointly agreed to approach the legislature to provide funding for a study of successful initia

this is where robert ray was just now. people are sending out pictures of completely deserted highways. look here, no cars, folks are sending out images of their streets, drives ways, and covered in ice. and in raleigh, north carolina, different story. that's where you're seeing a lot of traffic jams. dawson street downtown not moving. and we have pacific all the way to--we have traffic all the way to the right, and she said it has taken her two and a half hours to go three miles in this traffic. also, we've got trees that are down. this one knocked down a transformer in aren't, and the south carolina energy company are telling people to stay away from all the downed lines and trees. you'll see ice on the trees just the way that robert was showing earlier, and also ice on these power lines. you have people who are coming up with innovative ways with the power out. refrigeration items that you must use off and on throughout the power outage. they have the fridge and blocks. >> cinder blocks. >> yes. >> and people are helpin

>> from robert ray. >> a controversial bill proposed by the house representatives here in the state of georgia they are calling it the press -- preservation of religious freedom, who believe that homosexuality is a sin to be able to say we don't want to hire you or we don't want to serve you in our restaurant or hotel. but the deal is that the house bill that was scheduled for a hearing on tuesday and again this morning, those were cancelled, so it is essentially not going to happen this session. but a senate bill, senate bill 377, which essentially mirrors that house bill could go to vote as early as this coming monday. it has already cleared the hurdles of the judiciary committee who looked at it and they seem to be a place in which they are potentially ready to vote. mayor kaseem reed came out earlier with statements. here is what he had to say. >> it took me some time to evolve on this issue. i was a long time supporter of civil unions but i believe in equal protection under the constitution and gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights as you and i have. >> delta airline

robert ray in west virginia for us. what do they hope to learn during the hearing?ng, del. as you said, a rare congressional hearing in the field here in charleston, west virginia. they'll be in the courthouse starting at 9:00 a.m. this is an explore atory meeting as to how the spill should have occurred here ole eming river. they want to find the reasons leading up to that. they want to look at response, why the emergency management, the state, c.d.c. and e.p.a., the current situation, where they are now and how they move forward as far as regaining the faith of the public here so that people are actually safe in drinking the water and bathing in the water. del. >> here's the problem though, the officials from the company responsible for the leak, freedom industries were asked to speak today but said no. who is going to be at the hearing. >> precisely. freedom industries, particular the president was asked to come here today. they have declined. the last time we have seen anyone or heard anyone from that company that has filed chapter 11 and blamed for the spill wa

robert ray is live in atlanta. >> reporter: del, good afternoon, there is a delay.re was supposed to be a hearing this morning, within the six state representatives who have brought this bill to the table. and that is a mix of republicans and democrats, so it is split pretty much down the middle. the reason we're not quite sure. there is some push back from local businesses and businesses in georgia on this bill, perhaps looking at the situation in arizona. they have also said they are looking at new additions to the bill, maybe they just weren't ready to have the hearing. the goal of the bill, brought by a representative here, is to allow any individual or for profit company who believe that homosexuality is a sin to openly discriminate against them by denying them employment or banning then from restaurants or hotels. sam says it is not about discrimination, but religious freedom. >> we have a 20-year legislative history on this issue, and there has not been a case that i'm ware of that that has ever been used and certainly not successfully used. >> reporter: also

. >> robert ray following the situation in eden north carolina.o men have pleaded guilty to the 2011 beating of a fan at dodgers stadium in los angeles. louie sanchez and marvin norwood were given jail time. a lawsuit against the dodgers, alleging lax security is pending. >>> fast food workers in seattle want to raise their wages there. they're getting their word out by the protest, boycott mcpoverty. asking customers not to buy any food. >> supersize my salary now. >> reporter: the fight to wage the minimum wage by more than 30% in seattle heats up again, with what organizers call a day long mcpoverty boycott, a boycott of the big burger chains, wendy's mcdonald's and burgeburger king. >>> i would immediately get off of food stamps, i wouldn't have to go to the food banks anymore and i would have some discretionary income to go to a movie or something, maybe be able to save up and get my teeth fixed. >> we see protesters at 3 william with food workers saying it's business as usual. seattle city council members kshama salwant speaks. >> campaign c

that's the case in georgia, where robert ray reports from roswell, outside of atlanta. >> 2200 flights have been cancelled at hartsfield jackson, the busiest airport in the world. they can't remember that many flights being canningsedly in recent memory. >> two weeks ago the traffic gridlock that occurred, officials took that as a big-time lesson as the country looked at it. the governor nathan deal opened his own emergency committee of 32 members, including meteorologists who are giving him guidance. mayor of atlanta contracting salt spreaders, 32 more, giving them about 60. they are pretreating roads with sand. a lot of lessons learnt from two weeks ago as this maimer swath is about to hit the region. augusta, georgia, which holds the tournalt could take the biggest brunt with size and snow in the next 24 hours. >> i've been tracking snow, freezing ice and glaze across parts of the south-east. in fact, we are going to continue with freezing rain and sleet giving ice accumulation on powerlines and trees. texas to south carolina are coming from the east. behind the storm is wind gusts,

robert ray is where it all started. what is the latest?> reporter: the latest is big meeting on capitol hill this morning that started at 10:00. we are about two hours in. it's the senate committee on environment and public works, they have got a lot of questions that they have for west virginia officials and scientists. but let's get right to some sound. we have the secretary of state natalie tenant who said this about an hour ago. >> one day we're hold that the water is safe, the next day we hear that pregnant women should not drink it. it doesn't add up. quite frankly people are fed up, they are angry, and thigh are scared. i have families telling me that they are melting snow just to be able to give their children baths. >> reporter: also senator from maryland said this to start off the committee mitting at 10:00 a.m. >> yes, the reckless conduct of a private company, freedom industries was responsible for the spill and the failure to report properly, but our system needs to be adequate to protect against all contingencies, and it was

as robert ray reports, residents don't trust the water. [ chants ] >> it's been a dizzying stressful month in west virginia. >> this is a place worth fighting for. >> frustrated citizens took to the streets, protesting the 10,000 gallons of m.c.h.m. that spilled into the water supply on january 9th, affecting 300,000 people. >> many people in neighbourhoods like these are not drinking the water, even though the centers for disease control and prevention says it's clear to do so. most are smelling the chemical and some of the schools closed because teachers and students smelled the odours and became noushous. >> in their hillside home above charleston, this family is boiling the tap water, using bottled water to drink and brush teeth. they wonder when the chemical smell will go away. >> it's highly stressful and emotional and mentally exhausting. you don't know what to do. we have had mixed messages. >> she has spent $1,000 on water supplies. she experienced nausea and itchy eyes. >> i have gotten sick. been op antibiotics for a few weeks. >> she blames the chemical. >> we are smellin

robert ray is where it all started. what is the latest? >> dell, good morning, we're on the elk river where the chemical spill occurred. on capitol hill this morning, starting at 10:00 am, the senate committee on environment and public works has been holding a meeting to try to find out what occurred nearly a month ago. this morning the senator from west virginia came out and said that the regulation in west virginia is soft, and said he is angry upset and embarrassed as we spoke to the panel. some interesting notes as well, the secretary of state of west virginia who just started speaking talked about public mistrust and the fact that the numbers have been changing and no one knows what is occurring. she said one day it is one chemical, the next day it is two chemicals. there's confusion. she went on to say she has gotten notes from residents saying that they are taking snow from outside and bringing the snow into their house so they can bathe in it and even drink the water. center from maryland said some interesting things from earlier.

robert ray is live in washington, louisiana, tell us what the situation is there with the farmers. >> reporter: good evening, del. a lot of farmers, especially small farmers in pockets of the south are very pleased that this five-year farm bill about to be signed. let me tick out a couple of things about the state of louisiana. $29 billion in agricultural exports, everything from cotton, rice, grain, soybeans, beets and sugar cane. joined by antonio harris. how is the farm bill going to benefit you guys? >> we're especially excited about the farm bill because the small farmers in the past we have gotten no funding for technical assistance to improve our pastures, infrastructure, fencing, and even our herd, so that's encouraging to know we can have those doors opened again to get technical assistance. >> reporter: and jobs, you were saying earlier this could promote job growth for you guys. how is that? >> exactly. when you start to open those doors again, you have young people coming out of college that wants -- before couldn't get those jobs through go. i think now with the nrcs, and

tony. >> okay, robert ray for us in charleston, west virginia.you. >>> we told but this new report from the congressional budget office about the affordable care act, we told but it yesterday. it says that the law could lead to the equivalent of 2 million fewer jobs by 2017. we need to sort this out and talk about it some more and what it really means. zachary joins me now from wash dc, he's the washington post white out report, he good to see you. lets me say this to you, big disclaimer here, i read it yesterday and i am not sure what i was reading today i am not sure. keep me honest and set me straight. can we blow past the spin. what is the take from the cbo report. >> the bidder takeaway in the most neutral terms possible is that the affordable care act obama care will have an affect on the labor market in the coming years, now how you want at that actually characterize that effect is difficult. the cbo said, again, in neutral terms, that the affordable care act will reduce the equivalent of 2 million or more full-time workers over a number o

irony that many pictures with their with me one day i hope to feel look back at these pictures of robert ray i'm very good. with alex and t.j. owning and shooting guns from the young ages of twelve and seven the woods will continue to consider shooting a family activity oh rather than spending saturdays playing football they go to the shooting range. why do you like shooting so much. stress. shooting helps the roof stress you know. and i'm sure afraid something happens a children every day and us die because of shots aren't you afraid it happens to you why not because what it would be made to shoot so. and someone else who is trying to or. when you think it's innocent when you with kids involved you think there's not a bullet in there you think it's just like you think everything's safe but it's not guns are never say. and because of that there's a family that's very sad always mr daughter and i'm very blessed that we have you with us. at some kids were there never taught the difference between i am in a real gun i think that's where some of the accidents come into play i mean you were talki

. >> robert ray for us in charleston, west virginia.hank you very much. >>> closing arguments are under way in corruption trial former new orleans mayor ray nagin, charged in a scandal that dates all the way back to hurricane katrina and the rush of contractors after the storm. what is going on right now? >> reporter: the defense attorneys are recapping their counterattack against prosecutors who have said that the former mayor ray nagin were taking bribes and money in return for giving out lucrative contracts. six people have been convicted in charges related to this case. they testified saying, in fact, that they bribed the former mayor. prosecutors breaking out paper trail, contracts, bank statements, piecing together a puzzle that they say shows the mayor was corrupt, and, quote, sold his office. nagin has denied all those allegations, and defense attorneys hoping that they can convince this joy today by recapping their kay that these people were lying to save their own skin. they're all in prison or face prison time. we'll see what

. >> robert ray live for us in georgia. thank you very much. >> it's raining, and that's not a big deal unless you're in california where they are suffering from a serious drought. we go to california 50 miles from san francisco, melissa, you have your umbrella out, and people are smiling because of that. >> reporter: well, it's definitely good news that there is a little bit of rain, and we expect a bit more rain over the next few days. the thing that everyone is telling us is that this is not going to turn the tide in terms of the drought. the drought is still here. they have dairy cows behind me. you can see them, and keys nee d hay, and the cows need rain. >> they said they were going to cut off the tap. it wasn't going to allow them to tap into the federal reserves. even though it may not make much dent in the drought, at least it will water some of the crops there. >> a lot of farms in this area had to depend on drilling hills whether it's for cows or their crops, that's the challenge. a lot of people are wondering wh

robert ray, eden north carolina. >>> ice jams are sending flood waters in to towns in eerie county, iowaowing river has flooded several times and it's an off shoot of lake erie which is one of the great lake, it was practically flows n over last week. rescuers had to use boats to help people escape. >>> unfortunately most of the united states, there is much more icy cold temperatures on the way and our meteorologist i can'jelelah all med is here to l us about that. >> meteorologist: temperatures in the 60s in atlantic city right now. it feels good but don't worry, winter will come roaring back, the warm air helping to melt snow and ice that we have accumulated here this th througe winter and that's the reason the lakes and rivers are rising especially across the ohio valley where temperatures today are in the 50s and to the east coast in the 60s. now the frontal boundary that pushed across the northeast and southeast earlier this week is stalling out no now across ports of the sound with a ton of moisture in the atmosphere, a flourish of showers and thunderstorms later on some of these s

robert ray is there for us in west virginia. what came out that have hearing?>> quite a bit, tony, good afternoon. new regulations were discussed. new information on the chemical tanks that released the substance into the elk river. no one is saying that everybody is safe in the meeting, and they're hoping to drink the water again without being scared. a field hearing was held monday morning to explore how the chemical was spilled in the water supply of west virginia. how the aftermath was being handled, and what needs to be done moving forward. >> we were on the front end of the wake-up call for the country. >> reporter: the inspection before the spill revealed that the storage tanks at freedom industries did not meet industry standards. they heard testimony that this entire situation could have been avoided. >> what is the cause of not acting? we have to make laws to really to really address the soldiers of chemicals in tanks will be a small cost. >> not in attendance treatmen fm industries. one member in attendance said that they had no courage. and it was s

be really afraid of living in this particular pocket of west virginia, stephanie. >> reporter: robert rayorting from charleston, west virginia, robert, thank you. the senate is expected to hold a final vote on the nearly $1 trillion farm bill today. the legislation would make cuts to the food stamp program and extend farm subsidies and set the agricultural policy for five years and it stalled in congress the past two years but this version has by partisan support and the house approved the bill and white house says president obama will sign it. after a weekend of mild weather is northeast is bracing for a triple threat of winter havoc this week and it began monday when a storm dumped heavy snow on the region and new york city had 8" and some areas from delaware to connecticut collected more than a foot of fresh snow and the situation was worst in new jersey. the storm caused power outages, fallen trees and terrible road conditions forces the governor to declare a state of emergency and the storm grounded airlines and stranding fans heading home after the superbowl. nearly 3,000 flights we

robert ray has more on that. [ chants ] >> it's been a dizzying stressful month in west virginia.his is a place worth fighting for. frustrated citizens took to the streets. thousands demonstrating against the coal-cleaning chemical that spilled into the water supply, affecting 300,000 people. >> many people in neighbourhoods like these are not drinking the water. the center for disease control says it's clear to do so. last week some of the schools closed down because teachers and students smelt the odours and became nauseous. >> in their hillside home, michelle and her daughter are boiling tap water, using bottled water to drink and brush their teeth, wondering when the smell will go away. >> it's stressful. emotional. you don't know what to do. we have had such mixed messages. >> she has spent over $1,000 on water supplies and medical bills, experiencing nausea and itchy eyes. >> i have gotten sick, been on antibiotics and blames the odour on the chemical, the liquorice smell making her sick. we are smelling it strongly. we flushed it three or four times and don't trust it. >> f

robert ray has more. >> when toxic coal ash poured into the water from duke energy's dan river site environmental group turned to the governor, pat mccorrey, they waited four days for a site, coming in a tweet. mccorrey is a former duke energy executive, a company he spent 28 years with. one group took issue with that during his campaign. >> john frank is a political reporter, saying pat mccorrey's ties to duke energy raised eyebrows. >> state energy commission regulates duke energy, and pat mccorrey filled his administration with a number of former duke executives. >> a cause for concern after 30,000 tonnes of coal ash spilled into the dan river, leading to warnings about swimming in the river or eating the fish. we wanted a closer look and found signs of the dark ash sticking to foam, placed in the river. >> the coal ash is not at the bottom of all places of the river, you can find it on many banks. 70 miles downstream. if we tip it down a foot or two feet and pull up the muck and get through the leaves and sticks and empty the water, you can see the black sediment. that is some of the coal ash

. >> reporter: al jazeera's robert ray reporting. federal prosecutors are looking into the spill. this week they ordered 20 state environmental employees to testify before a grand jury. a california woman is facing murder charges in a deadly rampage inside a native american tribal office and mrs. roads was attending an eviction hearing and she pulled a gun and killed four people and wounded another person and ran out of bullets and then grabbed a knife and stabbed a woman and they found her running outside the building with the knife and tackled her. a business man wants to divide california into six states and tim draper said it's too big and inefficient and impossible to govern and home to 38 million people, more than any state and he needs 800,000 signatures by mid july to get the measure on the november ballot forming states requires congressional approval. arizona governor jan brewer must decide to sign a bill that let's people go for religious reasons and legislation is being debated in several other states but arizona's plan is the only one passed. fast-food workers want to

robert ray joins us live from a beef and soybean farm there. robert, over to you. >> reporter: hey tony, good evening, with tony harris of washington, louisiana, and his father aaron harris, they have been farming out here for years. over a little over a thousand acres of soybeans. as you can see, 300 head of cattle out here on in cold day of louisiana. it doesn't quite look like louisiana, it looks like the middle of the country, but these guys have been doing this for a long time. tony harris, this is going to even the playing field for you guys? it will it allow to you compete with the big guys in the midwest. >> we'll never be able to compete with them, but there are things that we need and this bill will help with that we need to improve our pasture and help with the cattle. >> this will help rural towns and rural grocery stores. you're a big part of the community here along with your father, how is that going to effect you guys here in washington, louisiana? >> well, if we can get, of course, the assistance that we really need we can again

. >> robert ray has more. >> when toxic coal ash was pours into the water from the dan river site, environmental groups turn their eyes to the governor. they waited four days for a response, coming in a tweet, saying he would visit the site to be briefed on the spill. >> core mccorrey is a former executive. a group took issue with that during his campaign. >> john frank is a political reporter for the rally news. he says mccorrey's ties to duke energy raised eyebrows. the ute ilties commission regulates duke energy, and mccorrey filled his administration with former duke executives. >> a cause for concern after 30,000 tonnes of coal ash filled into the dan river, leading to warnings about swimming in the river or eating the fish. we wanted to get a closer look and found signs of the dark ash sticking to foam, placed in the river to collect the contam nants. >> the coal ash is not at the bottom of all places, you can't find it on many banks, 70 miles downstream from eden. if we dip down a foot or two feet and pum the muck and pull up the leaves and the sticks, you can see the black sediment in he

. >> robert ray for us in atlanta. thank you. arizona governor jan brewer is meeting with supporters of the same bill in her state that would allow business owners to refuse services citing religious beliefs. if it becomes law, the supreme court will likely strike it down. because of this bill the hispanic convention will cancel it's convention in phoenix. it said it was imperative to take immediate action in the presence of injustice. >>> and major league baseball released a statement saying in part, as the sport of jackie robinson major league baseball and 30 clubs stand united behind respect. after a brief taste of spring, winter has returned to much of the country. cold weather has made it's way across the midwest and east. ththe wabash river in indiana flooded sending an icy mess on the roads there. but it's a different story in california where the drought-stricken state is getting much-needed rain. melissa chan where the rain is coming down. melissa, where are you exactly? >> reporter: we're 50 miles out of san francisco a

robert ray from atlanta, appreciate it. thank you. [ chuckling ] >> arizona governor jan brewer is meeting with porters and opponents of a bill that would allow business owners to cite their business beliefs in refusing to serve gays and lesbians. secretary of state john kerry joining in to call on people saying if it becomes law the supreme court will surely strike it down. we have a reporter with the arizona hubble newspaper. those commenting on the legislation, it's not law yet, see it as discriminatory. i want to see how arizona got to this piece of legislation. tell me how this is tied to, and maybe differs from arizona's freedom of religion laws. >> that is an interesting question, how did arizona get to this moment? i wish we could speak to that, but where would we begin. the freedom of religion law passed in 1999 and existed at the federal lovel level in 1993. we inserted a line in this newest incarnation of the bill that talks specifically about a belief being sincerely held. that's where people are getting hung up

robert ray has the report. >> reporter: these are the muddy banks of the dan river, to be specific edenrth carolina. this green foam is meant to catch up the contaminates of the coal ash that spilled into the river. duke electric is to blame for this. a leaky pipe underneath a coal ash pond released what they said two weeks ago to be 82,000 tons of coal ash. that figure has now been downgraded. but much of the coal ash is scattered around the river at the bottom in various spots all the way 70 miles downstream. on tuesday a second pipe leaked, spewing arsenic-laced ground water into the river. 90% of that is clean, and they did not know the pipe was faulty at the time, officials say. officials also say do not eat the fish. much of the coal ash is at the bottom of the river and on the banks. if we go down a foot or so, bring it up, you can see clearly we have sentiment, leaves -- we'll let this out, but you can see the dark coal here in the mud mixed together. just this week federal prosecutors demanded documents and orders 20 state environmental employees to testify. coal ash is current