i'm tony harris.f you would like more on the stories on our website, go to aljazeera.com. >>> "america tonight" with joie chen is next. >> on america tonight, promises, promises. as the president prepares for his biggest annual address, a remindish of how things went after the last one. >> it says a lot about the president's effectiveness. when people look back at history, they look at what they actually accomplished. >> also tonight, the fight for chicago. one year after the president highlighted her story to galvanize america, what has and hasn't changed.

i'm tony harris with a look at tonight's top stories. target said the data breach in december effected more shoppers than first thought. personal information on roughly 70 americans was compromised on top of the 40 million whose credit card information was stolen. >>> a chemical spill left 300,000 people without drinking water in west virginia. >>> new jersey officials have released hundreds of new documents related to the traffic revenges scandal. they don't appear to under mine governor chris christie's claim that he was not involved but may raise questions about why he was in the dark. officials will try to get testimony under oath. >>> the labor department said only 74,000 jobs was created last month. the unemployment rate fell from 6.7% likely because more americans simply stopped looking for work. iraq is trying to take back control from fighters who pushed in from syria. those are the headlines. i'm tony harris. real money with ali velshi is next. >> it's a friday to forget. many americans have given up looking for work. i'll give

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. just an hour ago new jersey governor chris christie used his state of the state address to make another apology over the scandals that threaten to tarnish his administration and presidential ambitions. >> now the last week several has tested this administration. stakes were clearly made. as a result we let down the people we're entrusted to serve. i know our citizens deserve better, much better. >> testifying in front of the senate judicial committee about the nsa program. the group is recommending a number of changes including how the national security agency collects data. president obama will unveil his recommendations on friday. >>> egyptians went to the poll to approve a new constitution. if approved this is the third constitution in three years. president morsi and followers are boycotting the day-two vote. i'm tony harris in new york. "inside story" is next. if you would like the latest on any of these stories on this news hour head to www.aljazeera.com. that's www.aljazeera.co

i'm tony harris. "real money" is next on al jazeera america. ♪ >>> america's energy boom is is causing growth, but putting train on america's infrastructure. plus a doctor makes a case against extending unemployment benefits. and what the brave new retail world means for your bottom line. i'm ali velshi, this is "real money." ♪ >>> this is "real money," you are the most important part of the show so join our live conversation for the next half hour on twitter, and on facebook. all right. the coldest temperatures in almost two decades in parts of the mideast or northeast, have me thinking a lot about heat. so i want .to take a hard look at america'sen by boom and what it means for our country, good and bad. here is what the boom looks like. in the last fy years, oil production has surge to 8 million barrels per day. the energy department predicts that will increase all the way through 2016. that's thanks in large part to frac-ing in which drillers blast water and sand into shale in places like north da

i'm tony harris with a look at today's stop stories. millions of americans are dealing with bitter cold conference as dave just mentioned. 11 people have died and the weather is reaching well into the deep south. >>> the procedural vote is just the beginning, the current proposal is not enough. >>> tougher security measures are in place for the month leading up to the olympics in sochi. russia issuing lockdown on the city. visitors and drivers are required to have special passes to get around the city. talks aimed at ending the lie venezuelviolence in south sudant least 1,000 people have died from the violence that erupted three weeks ago. >>> and the stand off over fallujah is intensifying. officials report that 25 rebels were killed. the u.s. offered missile report but declined to put any troops on the ground in that country, i'm tony harris for new new york. more news for you in the next hour. >> unveiling his proposal for the great society, president johnson asked americans to join him in a battle to give every citizen an escape fro

i'm tony harris from new york. al jazeera is next. have to be universal. >> ira glass hosts a show "the american life," listened to by millions. there are stories covered often with humour. >> we did the funniest hair on gaun tan ammo >> he talks about being an remembered. >> i feel like once i'm dead, the people of the future can... jazeera." >> thank you for having me. >> your show "the american life," explain how it's put together and divided up. >> it's an hour each week. we choose a topic and do different stories. >> often we have writers, serious. >> you call each segment an act. >> yes, we call it act one, act two, act three. association. >> it's funny, the first few months of the show we didn't have that. i wanted a way to communicate to the audience all of this stuff telling one story in relation to another, and that was the shorthand that was able to do it. once we called it f1, f2 and f3, relationship. >> you have one of the most popular broadcast shows of any kind. you get a million pod casts downloaded. how do you do it?

i'm tony harris with a look at tonight's top stories. let's get back to the weather.he snort east preparing for the first snowstorm 2014. forecasters say it should begin moving overnight and then moving into new england. kevin mentioned in some areas you could see a foot of snow. temperatures will also plummet and hover around zero. >>> insurance benefits from the affordable care act are official in effect. they will cover means who purchased insurance through exchanges before december 24th. >>> colorado marijuana sales going brisk anyone older than 21 can buy from licensed storms. >>> the boy scouts of america will now allow openly gay scouts. under the new rules kids can't be banned from troops because of their sexual orientation, but the organization still has a ban in place against gay troop leaders. >>> those are the headlines with tony harris in new york. real money with ali velshi is up next on al jazeera america. ♪ >> the doctor is i in your pock. how smart phones are helping doctors diagnose patients. and high tech education, a computer lab bi small enough to

>> this is al jazeera america, i'm tony harris with today's top stories. the air force has 34 launch officers have been implicated in a cheating scandal and others have been implicated in a drug probe. the officers operate the nation's nuclear missiles. the u.n. blasts the catholic church for how it has handled sex abuse cases. a charity says the church continues to harbor perpetrators and deny accountability. >>> the house of representatives approve a bipartisan deal. the spending measure will approve for the next two years. now it will move to the senate for a vote later this week. >>> a report says the attack on the consolidatonthe consulate id have been prevented. >>> and renewing a $380 million pledge to help syrians affected by the war. the united nations says $2.4 billion has been raised so far. i'm tony harris, ali velshi is next with "real money" on al jazeera america. >> you've got good credit but no luck getting a loan to buy a house. your luck may be about to change. i'll tell i couldn't banks might be in a lending mood. report card time for yo

i'm tony harris with a look at the top stories. the white house is looking at the me memoir from former defense secretary robert gates. in the book he sharply criticizes vice president bide biden's foreign policy instincts. jay carney defends both biden and the president at today's white house briefing. >>> new jersey's governor chris christie said he was not aware of the plans to block traffic to punish a mayor. top officials in christie's office. >>> one person is dead after another missing after a crash of a military helicopter off the coast of norfolk, virginia, five people were on board at the time. the crash comes one day after another military helicopter crash in new england. four crew members died in that crash. >>> the country is warming up a bit but not before the extreme cold killed 20 people and cost the economy an estimated $5 billion. i'm tony harris in new york. "real money with ali velshi" is up next. for the latest on any of our stories head on over to our website. it's www.aljazeera.com. >> new data point a strong

the team in new york led by tony harris. tony?>> the team here in new york wants to weigh in on the economics of the speech tonight from the president and i'm reminded, we have talked about wage and equality and i understand that is a term. it is not testing well and the democrats are saying tap that down a bit. but the president has to address the issue in the state of the union address, one in five children in america, the richest country in the world is living in poverty. >> yes, the politics on the democratic side are saying look this is what we the democratic party are fighting for. he's not going to get a sort of major legislative policy through the congress in terms of dealing with poverty in america, but it is a huge political opportunity for him as he's looking ahead. >> we have seen cody. these are the pictures from earlier in the day. going through the speech and the last edits. with that, we are sending it back to john and joie in washington, d.c. >> thank you, tony. president clinton's former chief of staff is joining

i'm tony harris. here is a look at your top stories.ortheastern and mid-atlantic states are dealin dealing with r storm. this system could dump up to a foot of snow. this storm has already canceled thousands of flights, in russian police are on high alert looking for three female suicide-bom suicide-bombers. police are warning visitors they may already be in the area. >>> the opposition o face-to-fad shows how brutal the syrian government has become. accusing the regime systemic oh torturing and killing thousand people and we should note that al jazeera was founded and owned by katari interests. we have more on what the report said and the ages may be disturbing to many. >> the photographs are alarming. most of the victims are young men. many of them emaciated, bloodstained and showing signs of tortured. some have no eyes and others have been electrocuted. one of the leading lawyers who examined the evidence said it amounted to industrial killing. >> they were reminiscent of pictures of auschwitz after the second world war, and they've

. ♪ ♪ >>> this is al jazerra america live from new york city i am tony harris with a look at today's stories, more criticism for the catholic church over its handling of the priest sex abuse crisis. today a u.n. committee grilled vatican officials over allegations these protected pedophile priests at the expense of victims. and they conceded the church needs to do more to deal with the scandal but denied accusations of a cover up. secretary of state john kerry your honors the syrian opposition today to join next week's peace conference in geneva. this after al jazerra obtained a leaked letter that says the syrian government has agreed to attend the upcoming talks. the goal is to install a transitional government to help end the country's war. president obama is meeting with more than 100 college university presidents today trying to make sure that low income students have an equal shot at getting for nba to college and succeeding once they get there. and police in california have charged three men with setting off a massive wildfire near los angeles. take a look at these live picture

i'm sunn tony harris. those are the headlines. "real money with ali velshi" is next. >> turmoil half a world away is taking a bite out of your 401k. to deal with it you have to understand it, i'm here to help. and how a new farm bill is affecting people who live nowhere near a barn or corner field. plus how the worldwide web just got a whole worldwider. i'm ali velshi, and this is "real money."

i'm tony harris. here's a look at your top stories. ira iraq's prime minister called residents of fallujah to drive out what he calls terrorists. rebels from a group called islamic state of iraq are battling government forces to control the cities of ramadi and fallujah. >>> the supreme court put same-sex marriages on hold in utah. the court agreed to a request from state officials there to stop weddings while they appeal a different court decision from last month. hundreds of couples got married in that time. the legal status of those marriages are now in doubt. >>> deep freeze, posing serious threats to much of the country. people are told to stay inside. the windchill in some areas making it feel as cold as negative 60 degrees. right now there's a bitter cold and freezing temperatures are working east and south. in atlanta, for example, where folks there are just not used to this kind of cold. the salvation army has set up a shelter for people who need relief from the temperatures. robert gray is there, and robert, you were inside e

i'm tony harris. breaking news, a new allegation that chris christie knew about the controversial lane closures as they happened. a big hurdle just cleared for the keystone pipeline. the state department says it has no major environmental objections. a new effort to help millions of americans who have been unemployed the longest and dozens of companies have signed on to change how they hire. >>> a protestor in ukraine claims he was kidnapped, beaten and crucified as the country battles on the brink of civil war. >> and again, we top this newscast with breaking news. the "new york times" reports that the port authority official who personally oversaw the controversial lane closures in new jersey is saying that governor crest christie knew about the closings as they were happening. and he says he has the evidence to prove it in a letter his lawyer released. david wild stein says the orders to close the lanes on the george washington bridge came from the christie administration and says evidence exists,

i'm tony harris in new york city, studying the agenda from income equality to same-sex marriage, to the tomorrow's state of the union speech. leaky phone apps reports that spy agencies are accessing spy data. popular smart phone apps like angry birds. >>> this the northeast, bracing

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. widespread cheating in the air force. dozens of officers stripped of their retentions accused of giving answers to tests on how to operate nuclear missiles. >>> a new report on the bengahzi attackish that points the negligence to suprem security c. >>> and the vatican meets with the united nations in full disclosure of child abuse cases. >>> a massive cheating candle in the air force involving 34 launch officers. some of them accused of giving each other answers to tests on how to operate nuclear missiles. others accused of knowing about it and looking the other way. david shuster is following the investigation for us. >> reporter: tony, the pentagon had a news conference in which the air force secretary and chief of staff reveal that officers used text messages to help one another pass a monthly proficiency exam. 16 of the officers cheated and another 17 knew about it and did not report the violations. there is another person stripped of their responsibilities because of alleged drug use. here's what debra lee james, sec

i'm tony harris.e country's president ukrain ukraine's viktor yanukovych, agreed to scrap measures against the protestors. the opposition wants aid allowed into the city of homs, deadlocked over a transitional government. >>> the midwest is being hit by arctic like conditions. airlines are cancelling flights and emergency teams are mobilizing to clear the roads. >>> federal prosecutors have filed money laundering charges against two men operating a bitcoin operation, accused of selling over $1 million on the black market website silk road. >>> at the time's fifth state of the union. top advisors say he will demand lawmakers take action and is willing to use executive action to advance his agenda when necessary. you can watch the state of the union here on al jazeera america starting at 6 o'clock. "real money" with ali velshi is next. >> right now, your investments are taking a big hit over fears of a crisis half a world away. i'll help you make sense of emerging markets and how they're connected to th

>> this is al jazeera america i'm tony harris. on this date 50 years ago lbj declared war on poverty. but some call it a failure. >>> chris christie taking revenge on a local mayor and now christie responds to the mess. is. >> white house course upo correr us. what did the white house had a have say about all this? >> reporter: there are very few who escape the scorn of robert gates. overseaing thover seeing the scq and afghanistan, but the criticism of president obama, but it was vice president biden who was scorned. saying joe biden has been wrong for four decades and he goes on to accuse biden as poisoning the well both here at the white house and elsewhere and among the broader american public. today the white house is going out of its way a show of support for vice president biden allowing cameras into a photo op, no reporters, just cameras capturing the image. this happens once a week. the first time in five years they've allowed cameras in. also jay carney, the white house spokesman said the president values the experience

i'm tony harris taking a look at today's top stories. chris christie state of the state address begins with an apology. the new jersey governor admitting mistakes were made. and a violent shooting by a student at a middle school in new mexico critically injured two children. the latest on these developing stories. >> the vote is widely seen as a referendum to ousted president morsi. the constitution would solidify government control. right now the control of 15 to 40% of egypt's economy. egypt has been an important u.s. ally in the middle east. but the u.s. cut aid out of morsi oust her. we have more on the vote. >> egyptians certainly are getting used to having to vote. this is the third time they've been asked to approve the constitution in three years. this didn't deter them. they turned out in voting stations around the country. >> it's it step forward and improvement over the last constitution. so i hope that we'll get a resounding yes vote. >> voting in cairo, it's the first real step on military's backed government. a yes vote wil

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. business is brisk at marijuana retailers across the state of colorado. insurance coverage begins for americans who enrolled under the american care act. and 2013 was a big year for wall street. we look at 2014, and we look at our crystal ball to see what 2014 holds for technology. ♪ >> so welcome to 2014. change is in the air. new leaders are being sworn in. there are hopes for the growing economy, and controversial new laws are going into affect. one of those is legalized marijuana. the controversial marijuana law went into affect today. anyone over 21 can smoke and buy pot over the counter from licensed stores. paul, you're in one of those shops now. take a moment and describe the scene. >> reporter: well, happy new year to you, tony. if you're a pot smoker in colorado, it is a very happy new year. a few folks didn't want to show their faces, and that's understandable. there are some still gray areas although not in colorado. if you're over the age 21 and from colorado you can buy a

live from new york city i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. the water is back on in west virginia after a tox irk chemical spill but it could be days before everyone can turn on the tap. >>> new troubles for chris christie, revelations that money from superstorm sandy were miss used. >>> the detroit auto show. >> life is slowly returning to normal in parts of west virginia five days after a chemical spill forced officials to pan people from using tap water. the government says tests indicate the water is safe enough, after chemicals used this in treating coal leaked. people can turn on their taps again. jonathan martin, joins us from charleston west virginia. jopt jonathan, i can imagine ocouple of reactions. it's about time, and sit really safe? >> yes, tony, people have been waiting for five days, some people haven't taken showers for three or four days because of this ban. we have learned from the governor of west virginia that they have lifted the state of emergency, a little more they have been able to turn on their water. they have teste

i'm tony harris live in new york. president obama announced changes to the nsa spying. >>> 16 people died in an attack on a restaurant in kabul, afghanistan, it happened in a neighbor that is home to several embassies and foreign consulates. the tell ban has claimed responsibility. >>> a document shows pope benedict xvi derocke defrocked 0 priests

tony harris is at the headquarters in new york, where he followed both speeches. >> appreciate it. i want to engage david shuster on a couple of points. let me put water on it, cold or whatever it is. seems we saw two speeches, the president's state of union and the republican response that were about as safe as you get for big speeches. you would have to point to me the moment in the speech that moved the media in either direction for either side in the two speeches. i listened to governor richards talk about disappointment over not getting more out of the foreign policy debate. there is not a clean narrative on any of the conflict zones in the middle east, in syria. it's really a palestine peace talks. there is no clean narrative that the president can talk to and say we are getting real traction, we have an opportunity for a win here. to pick up on laura brown's point, it was what it needed to be for the president, and that is a domestic speech about domestic policies. we are dealing with the news and the polls suggesting that americans are job number one for the president is to

time' tony harris.efense secretary robert gates wrote in his book sharply criticizes vice president joe biden's i thin instincts. >>> investigation of two helicopter crashes. the first happened in norfolk, virginia, and the other happened in engla

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. as people in the northeast dig out from the first major snowstorm of 2014 temperatures are expected to plunge. [ protesting ] >> palestinian protesters take to the streets as secretary of state john kerry arrives in ramallah for talks with president mahmood abbas. the u.n. said rebels are marching on the capitol juba. and the battle over birth control. the obama administration asks the supreme court to not allow religious groups to opt out of that provision of the affordable care act. ♪ >> much of the east coast has spent this friday cleaning up the mess left behind after the first major winter storm of the year. people across the region woke up to heavy snow. more than two feet falling in some parts of massachusetts. and when the storm moved out, frigid temperatures moved in. we begin our coverage with richelle carey. she's at columbus circle. can you walk us through this day. i know it was a real pain during the early morning commute, but how are things going in the afternoon? >> re

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. targets' day at a breach bigger than first thought. the information of one-third of americans compromised. >>> chemical spill causes a state of emergency in west virginia. peeled told don't drink the water, don't cook with it, don't bathe in it. >>> hundreds of new documents released by that traffic scandal in new jersey. but does the evidence lead back to governor chris christie? >> the massive data breach at target stores during the christmas shopping season has grown even larger. the nation's second largest data breach, what may be the second largest data breach ever. >> it does seem as though target as they're really called on wall street were really off target in how much of their customers were hacked on last month's cyberattack nationwide. the figure was 40 million it's a, and it was. they were right. but what has happened they found an additional 70 million accounts were seized taking the total to around 100 million. there is a cross over there, you add 40 million and 70 milli

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. a huge storm is blamed for more than a dozen deaths and now dangerous cold will cause more problems. >>> the family of a brain-dead girl and the hospital has compromised. >>> secretary of state john kerry arrived in ramala to talk with palestinian president mahmood abbas. >>> will the new 777 x jetliner be built in the seattle area? >> the snow has stopped falling across the northeast. now freezing cold has set in. the storm that dropped several inches of snow across the region is blamed for 13 deaths and thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed, stranding thousands at airports. we go to richelle carey at columbus circle in new york. look, this cold is nothing to play with. we're talking about a dangerous chill at this point. >> we are, and it's actually getting colder. since we've been out here today. at the park, just in the lat few minutes it dropped to 14 degrees. that's without the wind chill, you know what that means. it's well below zero. of course when the northeast

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories.ew jersey governor chris christie has fired one of his top staffers saying she lied to him this coming after emails were leaked suggesting they planned a traffic jam in an act of revenge. >> i have had a tight knit group of people whom i trust implicitly. i had no reason to belief they weren't telling me the truth. it is heard breaking to me that i wasn't told the truth. i'm a very loyal guy. and i expect loyalty in turn. >>> the president has unveiled his plan to fight the war on

. >> this is anu an al jazeera ama news special with tony harris. >> welcome to al jazeera america, president obama's speech is just three hours away. he has promised to take executive action to raise federal workers' pay. americans made their concerns known. polls show that people want to know more about jobs and improving the economy. >>> record snow blanketing the deep south. in just a few hours president obama will deliver his fifth state of the union dress to the stationthenation. libby casey has more. libby, over to you. >> reporter: expect the president to talk about income inequality, immigration reform and afghanistan. we have heard the president say he plans to use executive forward, some other refrains we'll hear tonight we heard before especially when it comes to the economy. the president spoke about the economy in last year's state of the union. >> create good middle class jobs. that must be the north star that guides our efforts. >> reporter: the middle class once again on his mind, tony, and the economy is doing better now. the best it's ever done during the obama presidency.

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. the massive security breach at target stores grows even bigger. 100 million americans now affected. >> i didn't know it was going to be this chaotic. >> a chemical spill causing chaos in west virginia. people clearing out store shelves after being told they can't drink, cook or bathe with contaminated water. >>> and 74,000 jobs created last month. a look at the disappointing employment report. >> the massive data breach at target stores has grown even larger, the nation's second largest discount retailer said more shoppers than previously thought is impacted. it's as many as 100 million americans whose information could be compromised. john terrett is more with what may be the second largest data breach ever. >> this story just keeps on giving but all in the wrong ways. it look at target a was a little off target, pardon the pun, when assessing how many customers were attacked. originally it was 40 million actaccounts, but then they found there was an additional 70 million accounts th

. >> this afternoon my colleague tony harris spoke with glen greenwald. he said there was no need for government to indiscriminately collect huge amounts of information. >> the real question i think not enough people are asking is why should the u.s. government be keeping everybody's metadata? why does the records of everyone we l talk to and who we speak to and why we e-mail, why does that need to be preserved if we have done nothing wrong? there is no legitimate reason for it to be kept. people who have done something wrong should be monitored for surveillance in a health and well moderated system. >> underscore that nsa surveillance is a serious issue. joining us is joseph l hall, chief of a watchdog group in washington, d.c. joveest, welcome. what stood out to you in the president's speech today? >> most of the proposals were mod eggs if not less than modest reforms. some of the better things were in the secret court that makes decisions about surveillance, having a voice for the public, having a panel of public advocates that they could call on to he

i'm tony harris. here's a look at your top stories.ater ban has now being lifted from west virginia. 300,000 people have been without water for five days. investigating whether new jersey governor chris christie improperly spent hurricane sandy relief money, christie's office says the review is routine. the audit could take several months. >>> arguments for the first tame today over using a provision of the constitution to make the appointments of high government officials while that the is in recess should be allowed. >>> 2013 was a tough year for detroit. declared bankruptcy in july and has been trying to pay off $20 billion in debt. creative ways of getting out of the home, selling off art. but guess what: things are already looking up. jonathan betz is here. this is good news. >> this is creative way to pull up cash that detroit needs. retired workers and its art. several nonprofits including the ford foundation have commitclose to $330 million towards the city's debt. now, this does not solve the crisis but it could soften the blo

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. a bitter clash over bashar al-assad's future that could threaten syrian peace talks. violence in ukraine becomes deadly. protesters killed in anti-government unrest. an attack by al by al-qaeda on . embassy in tel aviv foiled by israel. and chemical leaks in west virginia, some folks still refusing to drink the tap water because of it. >> a peace conference in switzerland did not get off to a promising start today. meeting face to face for the first time since the conflict began, and both sides are very far apart when it comes to bashar al-assad's future. the u.n. mediator said he will meet with each side tomorrow to see if they can sit down for talks on try. nick schifrin from montreux, switzerland. nick, the difference came in sharp focus today on day one. there is a real since a chasm between these two sides. the goal is to create a transitional government to replace bashar al-assad, but assad is talking about running in the next presidential election. given that the two sides are

i really >> this is "talk to al jazeera", and i'm tony harris with the artist j.r. i'm sort of interested in who you are. and i know that there's a beating heart behind the glasses, the hats. who are you, and why are you reluctant to let people into the inner circle that is j.r.? >> you know, i'm still the same kid that was doing graffiti at the time, writing his name. he was behind it. i didn't want to get a fine with it. early with the years. the fine was not the problem. except for some context that i'm travelling to. but more the fact that it's been others. i did that in my early process. it's about others. it's about placing others. i was like what would i gain from putting my face in front of that. you know, i didn't - i didn't see what i would gain, showing people recognising me in the streets. when i take off the hat, no one can recognise me. >> i want to know the moment - what was the moment for you. describe it for me when you came to the realisation that, you know what, i do have something. it may not be fully formed, but i do have something that i think

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. delegates arrive for peace talks in syria.ill it make a difference. the report shows systemic torture and killing of detainees. security throats in sochi. the hunt is on right now for black widows who may be targeting the winter olympics. and a winter storm causing lots of problems already. look at these pictures covering the mid-atlantic and the northeast. >> a crucial

i'm tony harris with today's top stories. the u.s. air force reports that one of its helicopters crashed killing four people. it went down during a training mission on the east coast of britain. millions of americans are dealing with bitter coal temperatures today. at least 12 people have died. the severe weather gripping the nation reaching well into the deep south. president obama praised today's senate vote extending job benefits. house reports say the current proposal is not enough. >>> talks aimed at ending the violence in south sudan

and i'm tony harris with a look at the top stories.resident obama has unveiled the promise zones, aimed at eliminating poverty and creating jaws. eastern kentucky and the choctaw nation of oklahoma are the first five areas, and 20 areas will be chosen by 2013. >>> new jersey governor, chris christie, has fired one of his top staffer s. after she leaked a plan to start a traffic jam near the george washington bridge. >> i had a tight group of peopl

this is tony harris with a look at tonight as top stories. healthcare coverage is in effect for two million americans. and colorado begins selling marijuana. >>> it's an era of boy scouts as the organization allows guys. and the heartbreaking decision of a couple taking care of orphans in the south sudan. >>> so happy new year, and welcome to 2014. change is certainly in the air. new leaders are being sworn in, and there are hopes with a growing economy and private health insurance starts for more than two million americans. but the president's new healthcare law has encountered a legal hurdle. justice sotomayor with a ruling that applies to non-profit groups that have the same health plans. the white house said it is confident the new law does address the objections of religious organizations. the legal challenge won't stop coverage from kicking in for millions of americans who signed up in hawai'i where the president is vacationing. healthcare for the majority of the population is nothing new. jennifer london joins us from honolulu. >> repo

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. officials faced questions from a un committee over how the catholic church has handled clergy who abuse children. they denied allegations that the church protected pedophile priests. >>> the syrian coalition has released a statement saying they find it, quoted, impossible to participate in the peace talks scheduled next weeks geneva. >>> tomorrow president obama will unveil new guidelines for federal agencie

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. vatican officials faced questions from a un committee over how the catholic church has handled clergy who abuse children. they denied allegations that the church protected pedophile priests. >>> the syrian coalition has released a statement saying they find it, quoted, impossible to participate in the peace talks scheduled next weeks geneva. >>> tomorrow president obama will unveil new guidelines for federal agencies involved in intelligence gathering. the new rules have been in the works since ed begley jr. first began leaking details of the nsa spying. three men have been charged with starting the fire outside of los angeles. the campfire sparked the flame. and destroyed at least two homes. >>> president obama met with dozens of college leaders today trying to make sure that low-income students have an equal shot on makes it through college once they get there. "real money" is next. >>> hard times for some of the biggest names in retail casting some doubt on america's economic recov

i'm tony harris. the lawmakers out with their report on the bengahzi attack. it may prove negligence on security concerns. >>> and questions of a 16-year-old killed in the aftermath of this chaos ic plane crash could hav

live from new york city, i'm tony harris. the u.s. supreme court has put a temporary stop to same sex marriages in utah. the nation's highest court says the marriages will come to a halt to give the state time to appeal a ruling that allows the unions. the senate is back to work today, priorities include a bill to raise the federal minimum wage a possible extension of jobless benefits and the confirmation of jahnette yellen as head of the federal reserve. liz cheney is calling it quits because of serious healthy issues in her family. iraqi securityce

i'm tony harris taking a look at today's top stories. christie state of the state address begins with an apology. the new jersey governor admitting mistakes were made. and a violent shooting by a student at a middle school in new mexico critically injured two children. the latest on these developing stories.

those are the headlines, i'm tony harris, inside story is next on al jazeera mentioner. america. >> post soviet russia has been fighting separatists and religious extremists for decades. now the winter olympic games are just weeks away, and terrorist threats are the "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suarez. the olympic games gather athletes, heads of states from all around the world. and it is a tempting target for killers who want to create maximum damage, get the world's attention and make a political point. in the modern age every host city has had to worry as much about security as weather, tv rights, accommodations and traffic. with the winter games in sochi just a few weeks ago and the recent bloody terror attacks just a few weeks ago, president vladimir putin know the threats are high and real and there are a number of groups who would like to put putin's pride and joy in a world humiliation. >>> russian security forces killed islamist leader, a senior insurgent suspected in leading numerous attacks on russian target. >> what has happened in the run up olympics is

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. breaking news, a new allegation that chris christie knew about the controversial lane closures as they happened. and just in, christie's response. a new effort to help millions of americans who have been unemployed the longest. and dozens of companies have already signed on to change how they hire. >>> a big hurdle just cleared for the controversial keystone oil pipeline. the state department says it has no major environmental objections. >> and we are following breaking news about the political revenge scandal surrounding new jersey governor chris christie. the man who ordered the controversial lane closings said christie knew who was happening as it was happening and says he has the evidence to prove it. and moments ago we got chris christie's response. john, this really broke an hour or so ago. all we can do is walk our audience through the sequence of events. so much is up in the air. we don't know what the evidence that david wildstein is. the "new york times" puts on its web sit

hour only on al jazeera america ♪ ♪ >>> this is al jazerra america, live from new york city, i am tony harrislook of today's top stories. ' admission from the vatican today that it needs to do more to handle the global priest sex abuse scandal. new information that the nsa collected up to 200 million text messages per day. and three people in jail accused of setting this wildfire that has forced nearly 2,000 people to flee their homes. ♪ ♪ >>> the catholic church is fighting back against allegations it protected pedophile pri a

. >> tony harris reports on an american family of missionaries, caring for orphans, and were forced tolee without them. >> the campbells and their two daughters are safe in kenya. their hearts and minds are in south sudan, having left their life work, and 10 beloved orphans behind. >> we've been trying to get a strategy for going back into the country and continuing the work that we started. >> they left their home in nebraska in 2012 and headed to south sudan, where they set up an orphanage, part of the work with christian missionaries. fighting with government and rebel forces landed on their doorstep. >> we could hear machine-guns. and the ability to plan a strategy to escape was gone. that moment was gone. we had to deal with the situation at hand. the kids were in the room, under the beds way before any of us - we were, like, what is going on, what is happening. the kids were pulling us under the beds with them. that was crazy, that they knew instinct to do it right away. >> the family made it out of the line of fire to a nearby united nations base camp. >> when we made it to the

i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. breaking news, a new allegation that chris christie knew about the controversial lane closures as they happened. and just in, christie's response. a new effort to help millions of americans who have been unemployed the longest. and dozens of companies have already signed on to change how they hire. >>> a big hurdle just cleared for the controversial keystone oil pipeline. the state department says it has no major

i'm tony harris with a look at the top stories. two-thirds of the east coast hit by the first major snowstorm of the year. now temperatures as dave just mentioned are dropping to dangerously low numbers. planes were grounded, and at least some 2600 flights were affected. new york and new jersey have declared states of emergency. the obama administration is asking the supreme court not to exempt catholic groups from offering birth control under the affordable care act. this comes after a group of catholic nuns asked the high court to block enforcement from the requirement of providing birth control. justice sotomayor gave the nuns a temporary exemption to the rule. >>> civilians in south sudan are looking for safe haven, americans have been told to leave the country. more than a thousand people have died in three weeks of fighting. >>> secretary of state john kerry is meetin meeting with palestinian president mahmood abbas. he's there to broker a peace deal. but hundreds of protesters sa sy he is biased to israeli demands. we have "