here's how weird things have gotten in north dakota. last month, state regulators determined that an energy company has been operating a pipeline in the state of north dakota for two years totally illegally. they had no permit to operate their pipeline. it was a natural gas pipeline. they never bothered to get the proper permits for it. by law, that kind of violation is subject to $10,000 fine. and not $10,000 total, but $10,000 per day, for each day the violation persists. well, last month state regulators in north dakota looked into that violation. they determined that the company was, in fact, running an oil pipeline in the state for two years without a permit, and then they decided that the company will not face any fine whatsoever for doing that. no big deal! don't worry about it. don't worry about it, north dakota residents, nothing to see here. one of the commissioners who made that decision said that fining that company might deter other oil companies from considering future investments in the state. so, go ahead, companies. ope

houston and north dakota -- chosen and north dakota. run comes to an end. they lose 35-7. aere may be what seems like million bowl games. this year, the play on the field will leave them wanting more as evidenced last night. in the third quarter, the buckeyes up. bryant with the play of the day. look at this. 34-29. leads just over a minute to go. miller gets picked off by anthony to seal the deal. 40-35.ers win another bowl to watch. he takes it up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown. murray led by three. heh over a minute to go, picks it up. he is hustling. 73 yards for the game-winning touchdown. it 41-31.es he had 20 points. the raptors have now won a season-high five straight games. wins 101-88. the chiefs lead the colts at the half. kansas lost charles in the game with a concussion. >> >> it will be a busy 72 hours in the weather department. >> up and down and then way down. we will see temperatures around 40 degrees. when the sun sets, temperatures will go up. we could see middle 50's by tomorrow night. after that, a strong cold front moves through. we will see colde

north dakota is the second-largest oil producing state in america. what makes the commodity combustible. >> it produces natural gas liquids, they are liquid under ground, but in atmospheric pressure they are gases. some is shipped separately, some end up with the crude and that may be a reason we have the problems. >> the hope is the safety alert will lead to efforts to protect people and lesson the chance of more kat as trophies. >> that was al jazeera's john seigenthaler with that report. >> years after hurricane katrina, one of the efforts to rebuild new orleans is having unintended consequences. the cuban revolution. a country famous for 1950s cars, gears up for modern models. >> hurricane katrina survivors are facing a new housing problem. they are rotting. actor brad pitt's make it right foundation built the new energy efficiently homes. dozens are falling apart. >> this man lives in one of the 100 homes brad pitt's make it right foundation built for victims of hurricane katrina. after a few years, he says his home is rotting. >> we started to

north texas we have seen a tremendous surge. north dakota as well. would it have a major impact on the jobs created if we didn't lift our ban? >> it could particularly if can certainly put a cap and stagnate what we're doing in the future. so it's not a good thing. get where the energy independent and call us opec have a severe step back. we need to follow through with this. thank you. do you want to comment? >> thank you, senator scott. long we have the difference between consumption and supply here, we're going have a trade deficit on oil whether we export or not. if we export more oil, the crude we have import more oil to make up for the gap. the way -- if one is concerned about producing our oil trade deficit. the number one thing is dramatically reduce consumption. we have new fuel economy standards that get us 54.5 miles per michigan. -- gallon. we could go beyond that and reduce the trade deficit. two things. >> before you comment i would say we can quickly solve the problem our deficit by allowing us to get on the federal lands hundred of yea

dakota where a great north dakota family purchased their year ago. at the time the flood insurance rate on their home was $00 year. they knew that when they bought the house. they said, oklahoma, fine, we've got this extra expenditure in order to meet our mortgage requirements, and they built that into their budget. and this is cofnl coverage for 0 $100,000. seemed like they were paying their fair share. when the policy recent claim up after the changes in the biggert-waters law, their flood insurance rate skyrockets to $ $4,200 a year. $4,200 a year. that's a 375% increase. in an e-mail to me, ali expressed her desire to raise their children in grafton, but they no longer can afford to live there with those rates. in grafton we don't have flood protection and as a result the entire community is probably in the floodplain. you're going to buy a house, get a mortgage and be required to get flood insurance. not only is allison devastated by this nurks the whole community of grafton is now struggling with this increase in flood insurance. in the communi

the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. ms. heitcamp: thank you so much. and thank you for this opportunity to talk about the number-one priority for any senator from north dakota, and that is the passage of a five-year farm bill. when i was campaigning across north dakota, i reminded the constituents of my state that in spite of this wonderful energy renaissance that we have going on in north dakota, over 90% of all the land in my state is engaged in production agriculture. it makes this farm bill so critically important to the economy, not only my state but the economy of this country. 16 million jobs depend in this country on the passage of a farm bill that provides producers with sustainable and risk management opportunities that make their farmwork sustainabled and make their continuation in production agriculture economically possible. and so it is a good week -- it is a good week for north dakotans. today we passed the flood insurance bill, which will prohibit draconian and very dramatic increases in flood insurance prices from affecting my state. b

investigators say may be burning in castleton, north dakota. n.t.s.b. investigators will examine the track condition, try to recover the train's data recorders, and interview the train's crews. a final report about what went wrong may take 12 months or more, but, maurice, if the n.t.s.b. finds something that needs immediate attention, they can issue recommendations sooner. >> dubois: jeff pegues in washington tonight. thank you. the russian city of volgograd resembles an armed camp tonight after suicide attacks yesterday and sunday killed at least 34 people. thousands of soldiers and police have flooded the streets. new year's eve celebrations were called off and residents have been told not to set off fireworks. holly williams is following developments. >> reporter: russian police rounded up dozens of people today during a security crackdown in volgograd, the city rocked by two suicide bombs. in a new year's address to the nation, russian president vladimir putin said the attacks were inhuman and vowed to annihilate the culprits. no group has claimed r

. >>> we move onto that massive train explosion in north dakota, firefighters battling the flames and frigid temperatures at the same time. p tonight we've learned families in that town are just now being allowed at home but with major questions over what that train was hauling. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: more than 24 hours later the massive fire is still smoldering near casselton, north dakota. the flames began after a grain train derailed. >> it rattled the house and the doors and the windows were shaking. >> reporter: with toxic dark plumes covering, authorities taking no chances, urging residents of the town of 2400 to get out. no casualties but this is the third explosion in the last six months involving trains carrying crude oil from in north dakota. in november a 90 car train derailed in alabama and a derailment in quebec last july killed 47 people. casselton's mayor believes the string of accidents raises many questions. >> with that much traffic it's not a matter of if but when. >> reporter: activists question the condition of the cars used to transport oil. >> we'

jenna: poor, north dakota, if everyone goes to north dakota, it will be a highly populated state. right now it is not. people look at north dakota as the answer to all of our problems. michael's point is well-taken. we heard that last couple days. what about relocation assistance and people can't afford to move and get other opportunities? >> north dakota last few days moved down to nashville. but seriously i think relocation is a very good idea. the where i would disagree with michael i would rather than see piecemeal policies, done, this, that and other, i would like to see general broad economic growth policies done for the nation and get the government the heck out of this one, that one, a little did link around here. i see reagan and kennedy if i could. jenna: one of the things you both agree on maybe looking at minimum wage. ands art, you have an idea for minimum wage you think could encourage hiring and involves state government. so what is that plan? >> well the minimum wage makes no sense whatsoever to me. i mean honestly, teenage, black teenage unemployment act, this is

monday's train derailment and explosion in north dakota. the third such accident have many on high alert. why unrefined crude supplies are exploding, which is typically more of a threat after crude is refined. today a government agency issuing an alert the type of crude being transported from the balken region may be more flammable than traditional crude oil. the accidents raise a bigger question. should the focus be on building out pipelines, which are cheaper and perhaps safer means of transport and if so, how quickly can pipelines be built to handle the increased production out of the u.s. and canada? the national transportation safety board leading the investigation into the accidents in north dakota but energy tradering watching to see how the accidents could potentially impact prices. >> it appears traders are anticipating oil prices will continue to move lower through the next few years. certainly, if there were to be some limitations on crude by rail as a result of these safety issues, we could see the back end of the curve move hig

federal investigators looking into monday's derailment and fire in casselton, north dakota, said today they found a broken axel at the scene but it's the soon to tell whether that was a factor in the accident. also today, the u.s. department of transportation put out a safety alert concerning oil shipments by rail. here's transportation correspondent jeff pegues. >> reporter: the fire that followed the train derailment in casselton, north dakota, burned for more than a day. it was fueled by oil. the cargo on one of the trains. now federal officials have ordered the oil industry to "properly test, characterize, and classify hazardous materials when shipping oil." the department of transportation said it would conduct unannounced inspections of rail cars. the oil that burned in monday's derailment came testimony from the bakken region, encompassing parts of montana and north dakota, it's one of the most active oil fields in the u.s., producing almost a million barrels a day. but according to government officials, it's a type of oil that may be more flammable than traditional crude oil. m

residents of a small north dakota town have an all-clear. but alarms are sounding now, we'll have the details coming up. >>> and the california hospital who declared a california teen brain dead after removes her tonsils is refusing to give her a tracheotomy tube. she needs it before she can be transferred to a new york clinic. >>> and researchers say a daily dose of vitamin e gives alzheimer's patients six months longer and helps them getting dressed and making meals. >>> and happy new year to each and every one of you, 2014 came in with a bang as more than a million people crammed into times square, the crowds braving cold temperatures ringing in the new year are with the famous ball dropping. those are some of our top stories on this wednesday, january 1st. >>> happy new year, everybody. happy new year. look at us ringing in the new year together. >> am i not the luckiest man in america right now? >> oh, how sweet are you? i will say if i had to be anywhere in new york city, this is probably where i would want to be, i don't know that i w

it could get down to 25 below in fargo, north dakota and 15 below in indianapolis and chicago. as adrianna diaz reports tonight, more areas bracing for wind chills well below zero. >> reporter: the northeast is suffering through subfreezing temperatures. >> it's so cold, your face is numb, your toes are tingling. >> reporter: parts dipped down to 20 below zero in maine. >> it made my nose feel like it's falling off. >> reporter: now more than half the nation will feel the freeze, from the dakotas down to georgia. the midwest could hit lows not seen in decades. it might get down to 15 below in chicago and indianapolis. 23 below in minneapolis. sunday's playoff game at green bay's lambeau field could be the coldest nfl matchup ever. the wind chill may drop to a bone chilling 30 below zero. in new england, the frigid temperatures hit as people are still digging out from a major snowstorm. a volunteers up in boston called snow crew shoveled out rosemary who's been stuck in her home since the snow started. >> two months ago, couldn't get the door opened. >> reporter: some coastal to

at least, and this is a high wind warning for north dakota. and it goes to kansas. light snow coming in from the north. and that's the gusty wind. the temperatures dropping only to 5 in fargo. when you factor in the gind, it feels like its 30 below in fargo and 18 below in bismarck and only 6 in minneapolis. this is another shot of cold air that will move south and push through the great lakes, and another one this weekend. and that will be accompanied with light snow. can't seem to break out of this weather pattern. >> we thank you for watching aljazeera. usually we take you to "inside story," but we're watching the white house right now, and we're awaiting remarks from president obama and michelle obama. they're talking about opening the door for colleges. we're going to take a short back and be right back with the president. anidous for care of priest who is have been pulled from their ministries. 3,000 lawsuits have been filed >>> welcome back to al jazeera america. we await the president and first lady to come out and address the nation getting all americans in

in north dakota some of the rail cars may be the type the ntsb has sounded the alarm over. saying they are more vulnerable to being breached in a crash. >> there are different type of d.o.t. 111 cars so we will want to be confirming that. >> reporter: critics say oil company have been slow to upgrade the cars. the kind that derailed in quebec this summer killing 47 people. tank cars can withstand impacts at 18 miles an hour. but some say even prooxtd wouldn't protect them going 60, 70, 80. >> you can't physically build a tank that can withstand that kind of impact speed. >> reporter: gary wolf said trains are far safer than trucks. right now the only alternative to shipping crude oil across the country. >> i don't think the average person wants to be driving next to a 75-mile-an-hour rig carrying crude oil down the highway 12 feet away from your able. >> reporter: certainly not. in the last few hours we learned that emergency responders had lifted that evacuation order. now families can go back to their homes. when you peel back the number, they tell a very different story

two trains collided in eastern north dakota yesterday. no one was injured but the massive fireball was the result. first, a grain train he railed, derailed, hitting another train carrying crude oil going the opposite way on an adjacent track. police have advised residents to evacuate their homes because of fumes. there are a lot of trains carrying crude oil in north dakota these days. it is one of the nation's new and plentiful sources of oil. the train that caused the explosion was carrying it from there to minnesota. the fourth major drailment in six months and likely to recharge the debate over the safety of the north american energy boom. the number of crude oil hauled surged from just under 11,000 in 2000 nine to a projected 400,000 this year. the company that runs the train is burlington northern santa fe. that is owned by warren buffett's berkshire hathaway. he is leading the world know he is betting on crude oil ports. they are swapping shares of phillips 66 for full stock. this helps the product flow through pipelines more quickl

and in late december, a 110 freight train in north dakota derailed causing a massive fireball that forced local authorities to evacuate residents from their homes. all of that oil by rail has overwhelmed smaller branch lines which are often not as well maintained. the fleet of tankers is also aging with thin metal skins that pierce easily during derailment. and it is also more expense if than pipelines. but with the appetite for pipeline in question, that extra oil has to be moved somehow, and rail is picking up the slack. rail is hauling 20 times more crude than they carried back in 2000 #, but it is only the beginning according to jeff reubin. he say oil by rail may be in the beginni beginnings. he was one of the first economists to accurately predict soaring oil prices back in the year 2000. he joins us now. good to see you, jeff. >> good to see you. >> oil by rail is just not regulated, and we are piling more oil on to rail cars daily. >> that's right. and i think, you know, one of the unintended consequences of environmental opposition to pipelines on both sides of the border has bee

. >> a toxic cloud of smoke and flames in north dakota. a town in quebec leveled with 47 dead. train derailments involving unusually powerful explosions are on the rise. and they all have a common cargo. crude oil tracked from north dakota. >> all over the united states, that's all they're bringing in. >> kelly graham and her neighbors are fighting to keep the trains from rolling into the bay area. >> there is just too much at risk. >> a company wants to modernize and reactivate an old pge storage terminal in pittsburgh. the plan is to bring the oil in by rail, primarily from north dakota, store it in huge tanks, then transfer it to all five bay area refineries. >> 242,000-barrels a day in and out. that's an incredible and ridiculous amount. >> a draft environmental report admits to significant and unavoidable risk of air pollution, green house gas emissions, spill and accidents. >> now we learn the trains are potentially explosive time bombs. federal investigators say the chemical the oil contains from the process make it even more flammable than traditional heavy crude. >> tr

republican senator of north dakota and joins me now. i will get right to the story of first half to ask what is going on in the northeast. pipelines hatter compromised people liars seeing bills rise and prices are going up how can this be when we have increased production so much ? >> i have been working very hard to get more pipelines not only a crude oil by natural gas and with this extremely cold weather, at the very same time in my state of north dakota and others flare off the gas because we do not be enough pipeline to get it to market. that is why i am fighting to get this illustration to lettuce lay down more pipeline. >> once these folks are to see their bill you will see some complaining. >> we have the energy we need the infrastructure the. gerri: talk about the school lunch program. we have heard a lot of yelling and screaming about this program the government put in place that kids were just supposed to each black beans but now the government is backing off but partially because what you have been doing. what is your role?

and the coldest temperatures are found here in north dakota, minnesota, wisconsin. minus 45 in minneapolis. compare that to l.a. at 54. about 100 degree apparent temperature difference between l.a. right now and minneapolis. >> that sounds crazy. just looking at it, it is almost surreal. dallas, 2 degrees. my parents are freezing. >> i know. >> thank you, bill. >> new overnight, the 13-year-old girl declared brain dead after a tonsillectomy is out of the hospital and back in the custody of her mother. >> jahi mcmath has been taken from children's hospital and brought to a place where we will use had her name, instead of calling her a body and where she can get to starting line instead of where children's left her for the past four weeks almost at the finish line. >> and while the family's attorney would not reveal where jahi is headed, he said the place will allow her to have procedures done as soon as possible. one of those procedures could be to fit her with a feeding tube, something children's hospital refused to do. they argued jahi is brain dead and means she i

the coldest spot on the map, negative 55 windchill in langdon, north dakota. in kansas city, minus 30 in indianapolis. i feel for people in the ohio valley because they had that big snowstorm yesterday. and now they have the life-threatening windchills on top of it, and there's a lot of people without power still. >> that windchill makes a difference. >>> new overnight, the 13-year-old girl declared brain-dead after a tonsillectomy is out of the hospital and back in the custody of her mother. >> jahi mcmath has been taken from children's hospital, and brought to a place where they will use her name, instead of calling her a body. and where she can get to the starting line, instead of where children's has left her for the past power weeks almost at the finish line. >> and while the family's attorney would not reveal where jahi is headed, he said the place will allow her to have procedures done as soon as possible. one of those procedures would be to fit her with a feeding tube something that oakland's children's hospital refused to do because it ruled jahi brai

in north dakota where some of the lowest temperatures are expected people are advised to stay off the roads and at home unless absolutely necessary. >> hold off on getting groceries, if you can hold off without the necessities, don't go on the road, if it doesn't warrant it, an emergency. >> and bundle up football fans! sunday's nfl football game is expected to be the coldest in nfl history. if 49ers will face off against the green bay packers, wind chill of minus 20. fans at the stadium are encouraged to wear at least three layers and drink hot fluids not alcohol. temperatures are expected to last early into the next week. i can't believe it! >> i don't know if i'm ready for it. >> i'm not. >> let's turn now to our are meteorologist eboni deon. eboni. >> this is an area no stranger to the cold air. we've had just a reinforcing shot over the last several weeks and now our lateliest blast, bringing the coldest air we've seen 15 to 20 years, it's been just that long. from the northern tier, we have below the freezing point, teens and twes below zero i should say. north dakota into minne

we had the derailment of the train in north dakota. this week has spurred now the government looking into more safety practices and going to start this whole keystone pipeline debate all over again. what do you think is going on? >> very hard to say. i don't trust a move today as having a lot of a message simply because i think there were these asset class unwinds. one thing about twitter it's not in an index so it can do what it's doing. it doesn't seem to make sense. oil is in that category. i don't know what the trend is in oil. it's sideways. >> absolutely. we started the year exactly where we started last year. gas prices have barely budged even though we're in the middle of this transformation period for energy. peter, what stands out to you about today? >> i'm sorry. >> what stands out to you about the trading activity today? >> i think watching gold act like that today, it surprised me a little bit. i think it's a rotation out of some stocks and into gold. gold had a bad year last year. stocks had a great year. maybe we're sett

dakota. that means tanker training of 80 to 100 cars are more dangerous. 1. 1. 1.15 million gallons of oil was spilt last year. not including the accident last year, which accident killed 47, and spilt 1.5 million gallons of oil that came from north dakota. the alternative is not better. last year there was a million gallon release from a 6-inch pipeline. many go undetected. neither rail for pipelines are risk free. >> oil train accidents can be catastrophic, but they are rare. 11.5 billion gallons of oil travelled by rail. 99.99% of it arrived safely. rare or not, the accident can be deadly, cost billions to clean up and cause massive environmental damage. government and industry experts are looking at a slate of changes, everything from re-routing changes, changing tank car design and the speed of trains. some of those changes are expected to be announced within 30 days. the rules on tougher tank cards are not expected until 2015. >> the battle of the buses is on in san francisco. corporate

it was a train loaded with crude oil from north dakota that went out of control, this happening in quebec, of course, causing a huge explosion that killed 47 people and destroyed a number of buildings in the town, also coming from north dakota. >> and i do have to say we rolled that footage on the explosion. that is one of the biggest explosions i've seen in months if not years. >> yes, that was pretty intense, the fire ball. >>> and air lifting for the crew stuck on ice, on hold right now. the weather is not good enough for the flights. but as we hear from gio benitez, they are still waiting. >> reporter: as we hear the famous tune, old lang syne. creating a makeshift heli-pad for a rescue. >> the chinese helicopter can reach is when the weather improves. >> reporter: this, after three ice-breaking ships like this one couldn't shatter miles through the ice to reach the ship. watch through the time lapse video as it tries and tries again. the latest rescue plan? most of the 74 on board will be flown in groups of 12 to a chinese icebreaker nearby, from there they will be carried to the ice

. >>> peel in a small north dakota -- people from a small north dakota town investigators say a train carrying grain derailed. knocked several cars from a separate train that was hauling crude oil off its tracks. monday's accident sent a giant fire ball and plumes of smoke a mile high. the 2400 people in the town of castleton were asked to voluntarily evacuate. the ntsb is investigating the crash by examing the train's data recorder. >> you can't show up at a town hall meeting when you don't have a car. you can't send in a fema application when you don't have a computer and internet access. >> survivors of tornadoes thatter to through illinois in november disrupted a news conference yesterday to announce disaster relief. they are blaming local and state leaders for communication break downs and a slow response in assistance. about two dozen tornadoes touched down in one central illinois community. >>> a medical facility until new york says it is willing to accept 13-year-old jahi mcmath if her family can get her there. jahi's family wants breathing and feeding tubes surgically implant

minus 57 in langdon, north dakota. this is what's sweeping east. we'll go from the great lakes into the northeast. the forecast highs. high temperature in chicago today is expected to be minus 11. that's significant, brian, because the coldest day in their recorded history is minus 11. that's the kind of records that were near. >> hope everyone is safe. thank you very much. >>> it warms up quickly this week. >> thank you, bill. >>> coming up at the top of the hour, "morning joe," liz cheney is dropping through the senate race. why she is making the move and what it shows us about politics in the republican party when we come back here. we'll huddle around the cooler. some new video of russian president vladimir putin. he's wearing a shirt and also carrying a stick. take a guess. we'll be right back. [announcer] word is getting out. purina dog chow light & healthy is a deliciously tender and crunchy kibble blend. with 20% fewer calories than purina dog chow. isn't it time you discovered the lighter side of dog chow. purina dog chow light & healthy.

a new study shows the states of florida and nevada lost the most millionaires in 2013 while north dakota was the biggest gainer. in trader talk this morning, we are tapping into the trader mind of todd colvin of rj o'brien. good morning and what are you doing with your money? >>good morning. i think a couple thingsi think equities are still a safe place to be. if you didn't get in in 2013 waiting for a pullback, you're kicking yourself so i think a modest percentage of anyone's portfolio should be in equities in the united states. as well as some minor fixed income, i think while we're seeing 10 year notes hover between 290 and 3 percent. certainly not the most attractive levels to get in but not a bad place to be in case there is some kind of a global crisis. i think you also want to have some emerging market exposure. looking out at where we're seeing a lot of money being pushed in 2014 is going to be in japan and europe as those 2 central banks will maintain their push to keep money flowing and their equities should outperform if that is gonna be successful. >>china now holds a record

it hasn't been this cold for almost two decades. 32 below zero at fargo, north dakota. minus 21 at madison, wisconsin. 15 below at chicago, minneapolis and indianapolis. the mayor has raised travel warning to red making it illegal to be on the road except for emergencies or seeking shelter. sarah dolloff is braving the temperatures. the temperature is one thing but the wind chill could drop to 50 below? >> wind chill, veronica, is where the weather is going to get you. it will get you fast. hypothermia and frostbite setting in within minutes. people here haven't seen this type of cold in decades. now officials are warning that the conditions are not only dangerous, they are potentially deadly. >> a bitterly cold wakeup for millions this morning as an arctic front causes temperatures to drop to record lows. 30 to 50 degrees below average in the midwest. 25 states with thermometers sitting below 0. in indiana up to two inches of snow fell every hour. the mayor of indianapolis warning people to stay indoors. >> we have temperatures deadly. >> in st. louis, snow and winds m

people in north dakota must be looking at me, thinking what is he talking about? we go through this ten times a year, and i think that that's very, very true. the thing is about the northeast -- and remember i happen to be many boston, but we have been reporting from all over the northeast, including new jersey and new york where the governors have declared a state of emergency, but this is such a populous area, this is a college town as you know, but you go to somewhere like morris county, new jersey for example, which is only about 30, 40 miles to the west of new york city, there they have 50 fortune 500 companies based. and so that's why the media makes a big fuss about an area like this. and all of the tourism. major tourist centers here. >> and dave warren says it will be minus 52 in fargo next week. [ laughter ] >> well, i hope they don't send me. >> john thank you very much. and now we turn to new york where erika pitzi is live. and the concern there seems to be still about the streets. >> yeah, definitely. the snow has stopped falling and that is certainly

high temperatures on wednesday not even near zero, in fact below zero in north dakota. watch how the storm intensifies, but it will be in the next few hours. >> we are following breaking news. there has been an explosion at an agriculture plafnlt in north dakota, international nutrition plant. 38 employees are said to have been in the building at the time of the explosion. several are still missing and there has not yet been any reports of fatalities. crews are still looking for people who may be trapped inside. we'll bring you more on this story as it develops. in the meantime, thank you for watching are al jazeera america. i'm del walters. "techknow" is next. about innovations that are going to change lives. we're testing the intersection of hardware and humanity. rax is a neuroscientist. she has the invocation of bamboo and carbon. mar inkta davidson is a biologist specializing in ecologist and evolution. and i'm phil torrez. i'm an entomologist. but i'm over america for a very bad ride. how bad is our air? that's our team.

right now it is 20 below in minneapolis and 20 below in north dakota. and 9 below in omaha all the way down to topeka and kansas. one degrees below zero right there. dallas at 22. meanwhile back in the bay area, this is pretty nice as we look at downtown san jose. 42 in concord. liver mother right now at 4 -- livermore right now at 44 degrees. san francisco diving down to 38 degrees. for tomorrow a few clouds in the bay area in advance to the weak trough that will serve us a couple of things. give us more clouds and cool down the temperatures. so we've had the record highs for the past three to four days in the bay area. and probably no more records tomorrow as temperatures, they are turning a bit cooler. here is what's happening. the persistent dome of high pressure that's been beaming the bay area has kept the storm track staying up over the queen charlottes right into british columbia. it is staying north for now. but as the little low pressure trough moves in, it will dip into the jet stream. and that will allow the cooler air to come down for north

dakota is a great example sixty new transport sections put together in tracks for north dakota well part of the tracks are still the old you know business as usual you have industry continuing to externalise all the risk for the american public industry right now is the rail industry is making a ton of money by transporting oil that doesn't mean that they're preparing for the worst these cars for example that exploded that burned for days that put been seen all over that community that cost taxpayers money by way of police firefighters in t.s.b. investigations health investigations all of that fell on the taxpayers' back now the people who transported that that the built that process knew that there were rail cars that they could build that fire would have been put out immediately but they didn't want to spend the money to do that it's the same story that we had something called the staggers rail add in the staggers rail act developed in one thousand nine hundred eighty tom and what it did it was it gave a free pass to the rail. industry to get away with damn near everything they wa

crude oil fracked from north dakota's shale field. >> that is all they are bringing in. >> reporter: kelly graham and her neighbor are fighting to keep the trains from rolling into the bay area. a company wants to reactivate an old oil storage terminal in the pown of pittsburgh. the plan is to bring the oil in and store it in huge tanks and transfer it to all five bay area refineries. >> 242,000-barrels a day. in and out. that is an incredible amount. >> reporter: an environmental report admits to significant and unavoidable risks line spills, accidents, greenhouse gas emissions. now we are learning about greater risks that the trains carrying crude from the oil fields are potentially explosive time bombs. federal investigators say the chemicals the oil contains from the fracking process makes it more flammable than heavy crude. >> transporting it in 100 tanker car trains is volatile and flammable and explosive. it is really dangerous business. >> reporter: diane bailey is with the defense council. she says the chemicals used for fracking is very toxic. >> benzine is associated with

here's more on the deep freeze. >> reporter: the high temperature in bismarck, north dakota, was minus 8 sunday. >> i'm used to the cold, but this is the coldest i've ever felt it. >> reporter: across the midwest millions of people will feel the same bone chilling temperatures for the next three days. >> minneapolis/st. paul will be lucky to get to 15 below for a high, chicago lucky to get to 9 below. >> reporter: emergency management officials warn people can get frostbite or hypothermia in just a few minutes of this brutal weather. >> the cold temperatures we are expecting this coming week are more than an inconvenience. they are serious, dangerous and can pose a serious health risk. >> reporter: road conditions were treacherous when this tractor trailer crashed near springfield, missouri, but the bitter cold did not stop nfl fans in green bay, wisconsin. thousands braved single digit temperatures to watch the packers and 49ers in one of the coldest game in league history. at the airport cancellations stretched across the nation. gordon o'neil is stranded in boston. >> we were suppos

if you're unemployed in midland, you just don't want to work. >> and the same parts in north dakota and absolutely, the boom has taken place despite the government's best efforts. and could lead to the resurgence in the manufacturing area. that is what separates us from others, cheap energy. there are a lot of opponents of that, if they could get out of the way we could ride of pretty far. >> here is my prediction, kirsten powers, you love to tell me when i'm wrong. my prediction for the year, democrats will push hard on class war fare, raising the minimum wage, which by the way only impacts 2.8% of american workers and half of them are between the ages of 18 to 24. the republicans just want to coast on obama care until november 2014. no big ideas, solutions, status quo, what do you think? >> well, i do think the republicans believe they have a winning political issue with obamacare and will ride that all the way to 2014, mid-term electi elections. i guess i would disagree that describing the minimum wage is not substantive. there are a lot of people who would benefit with it being rais

in 2012 north dakota was 43rd and went to 29 in one year. you won't find any beverly hills here, but you'll find natural gas, lots of it. energy in the shale region fueled the rapid rise in pple with a lot of zeros in their wealth. the state's unemployment rate, too, is get this? 2.6%. a new study finds there are more than 50,000 added millionaire households in the nation last year than the year before. add them up? some $6 million. maine was another fast-moverer climbing 11 spots, be don't bet on nevada's economy, that state fell to 29. arizona, florida and michigan also fell. why the drop? it's the economy, the recovery very uneven across the country. the states that jumped in the rankings turned around in their economy. as for nevada, florida and the losers still stuck in the aftermath of the recession. but the top of the list hasn't changed that dramatically. the number one in millionaire households per capita, maryland, three straight years in a row. following close behind, new jersey, connecticut and hawaii. aloha to that! so those sta

and last night the temperature in minot, north dakota, was minus 20 degrees. this morning it's expected to be even colder with the windchill reaching minus 60. jamie yucc aas of our minneapol station wcco has more. good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. the temperature is cold out here. it's 23 below zero. the windchill is 43 below zero. it could get worse before it gets better. as a matter of fact, there are dangerous temperatures as you've been talking about across the country where frostbite can set in in less than five minutes. in chicago, officials warn residents to prepare for heavy snow and brutal temperatures that are expected to last through tuesday. this doctor is chicago's department of public health. >> the cold temperatures this coming week are more than an in convenience. they're serious, they're dangerous, and they can pose a serious health risk. >> reporter: by midday, city residents had closed out nearby grocery stores. >> we did double than expected. it was kind of unexpected. we hung in there. we had all hands on deck and everyone worked

blizzard warnings for parts of north dakota. minnesota and into iowa. >> this winter has been unreal, mike. people at home are going to find this hard to believe. next week even colder. >> that's right. straight in from the arctic over the north part of the united states and check out these overnight lows into parts of minneapolis. we're going to see anywhere between 18 and 23 degrees below. here in boston will drop near zero and atlanta it will be colder than alaska. >> next to a tense scene. last night we showed you the fiery pictures out of ukraine. protesters taking on the government. tonight flaring up yet again. demonstrators angry ukraine's leaders are growing closer to and pulling away from the u.s. abc news hamish macdonald is right there again tonight. >> reporter: pretty chaotic. within the last hour quite a few hundred protesters have convened on this building. it's ukraine house. they seemed to have taken control. they're loading rocks into the building. fire crackers going off as well. occasionally something will f

but it isn't just north dakota, it is in texas and california. we are not seeing it in alaska unfortunately and we will not see the opportunity for exploreation this year. shell is not moving forward because of the decision by the 9th circuit. very troubling to me. let me get back to where i think we will take the conversation this morning. just a couple weeks ago, i addressed the brookings institution and presented a white paper on the energy trade and called for ending the prohibition on crude. i will tell you i have been gratified by the thoughtful responses. it hasn't been a knee jerk we cannot do it, the sky is falling. it is much more considered and thoughtful and i think that is where we need to be with these discussions. i want to prompt further discussion and debate on the issue. the analytical and trade winds are blowing. the architecture of u.s. energy exports must be renovated if we are going to lead the world on issue of trade, environment and energy. the highest profile fact is the de-facto prohibition on crude oil. it threatens rec

the coldest weather, however, can be found in north dakota. this is bismarck where it's supposed to reach 26 below overnight. we begin with jamie yuccas of our minneapolis station wcco. >> reporter: in chicago officials warn residents to prepare for heavy snow and brutal temperatures that are expected to last through tuesday. dr. bech ara choucair is with chicago department of public health. >> the cold temperatures we are expecting this coming week are more than an inconvenience, they are serious and they can cause a serious health threat. >> reporter: by midday city residents cleesed out grocery stores. >> yesterday we did double our normal saturday it was kind of unexpected, to tell you the truth. but we hung in there. we had all hands on deck and everybody worked real hard. >> reporter: hazardous conditions involved a crash involving 7 trucks shutting down a major highway in missouri a a couple tractor-trailers jacknifed on indiana highways. the cause for the extremely cold air, a polar vortex, a counterclockwise rotation of dense arctic a

. >> change one north dakota mayor is calling for following this fiery train explosion. >>> a 2-year-old livermore girl battling brain cancer the way she is her family are spending this new year's eve. spending this new year's eve. stay with us. we'l good. good answer. check it out. learning's fun now. yeah, back in our day, we didn't have u-verse high speed internet to play and learn online. all we had was that franklin fuzzypants. ah, the educational toy bear. remember when the battery went out? [ slow, deep voice ] give me your abc's. all i learned was a new definition of fear. i need some pudding. yeah, there's one left. [ male announcer ] connect all your wi-fi-enabled devices with u-verse high speed internet. rethink possible. yes honey? dad told me that cheerios is good for your heart, is that true? says here that cheerios has whole grain oats that can help remove some cholesterol, and that's heart healthy. [ dad ] jan? ♪ >>> dubai rang in 2014 with a record-setting show. and lights lit up the united arab emirates and now, dubai holds the record for the world's largest fire work