Television pioneer, remembering sid caesar, who paved the way for countless comedians. Hi there, welcome to Al Jazeera America. Good to have you with us. Happening right now another winter storm is paralyzing the south, pounding the region with more snow and ice. For the second time in two weeks atlanta was blanketed with a mix of freezing rain and snow. This time residents avoided gridlock because streets and highways were empty. North carolina not so lucky. Drivers stuck on roads for hours, ignoring pleas by government officials to stay home. Now the snow starting to come down up north. This is a live look at the white house, where you can see the snow is falling this early morning. Government offices shut down early wednesday as the city braces for snow. Offices will be closed again on thursday. John terrett in the Nations Capital with what is happening in the northeast. In washington d. C. , they are expecting somewhere between about two and nine inches, and further out, away from the city center, it could be a little more than that. Here in the center of d. C. The local government called a snow emergency. There are routes in and out of the city where resist departments, if they park their cars, they will be towed. Federal government is taking things seriously and will be closed here thursday. Jay carney said the president is cancelling on event on thursday. Fema representatives are being sent to all 22 states up and down the eastern sea board in some capacity or another. And janet yellen, the chair of the Federal Reserve is due to testify on thursday before the Senate Banking committee. That has been cans e this is union station. Amtrak hours. Nothing is going south on thursday. The busiest route is the northeast corridor, therell be a limited service on amtrak going to baltimore, filly. Mark and merrylands, new jersey transit. Long Island Railroad and metro north are reviewing the situation by the hour. So many flights were cancelled on wednesday, 3,700 cancelled before the storm hit this part of the world. That will have a knockon effect now, through the weekend. Obviously the airplanes were in the wrong place, it will take the airlines a while to get back on the feet. On the roads people told to stay off them until the snow has gone. Well, lets take a look at what is happening across the eastern sea board, a lot of that snow is making its way across virginia into parts of pennsylvania as well. Snowing has begun in new york city at 2am. You can see it pushing through. Well watch this carefully. We think in new york specifically, what will happen is it will snow through the morning and about 11 00am it will turn to rain. It will last for 10 hours, and in the overnight hours on friday, it will go back to snow. That means it will be a messy situation. Temperatures coming up to 43 today. Overnight lows of 27 but it will not last long. Well see a lot of melting for atlanta, and parts of South Carolina as well. Well see a bit of activity across the northwest. Waves of rain are coming off of the passive k and well see pacific and well see heavy showers. Thursday, rain is heavy, especially in oregon. The snow is going to be quite extensive. 52 degrees for seattle and well see rain until saturday. A break on sunday, but rain coming into play was we go towards monday. To the southwest of california, dry conditions for you down here. To the north well have rain. For los angeles, temperatures will go to 79 degrees. Los angeles getting to about 74. Still a Beautiful Day there. Temperatures for los angeles are going to go up to 82 degrees as we go towards friday, dropping down. The rain has exited most of texas and louisville. As you can see, we are expecting to get up to 63 degrees as we go towards thursday, and 75 on saturday. It will be a wintery mess. A winter storm hit the south. 10 deaths are blamed on the storm. Hundreds of thousands have no power. In the carolinas hundreds of drivers who did not listen to warnings are stranded. The governors in North Carolina and georgia did the same. Erica edwards has more on the deep freeze in the deep south. A winter blast had millions in the south facing white out conditions. Heavy snow had officials warned to stay off the roads. Hunker down, stay home. We want to keep everyone off the roads. Theyll just get worse. The next 48 hours will be tough in the carolinases, from the coast to the mountains. Those in charlotte who did not heed the warnings were temporarily stranded on highways. Weve been here on hour and a half, two hours. The storm forced airlines to cancel 2,000 flights, leaving tens of thousands stranded. In atlanta, paralyzed by the last storm, they were ready this time. Early warnings led to empty streets during the rush hour. Salt trucks were out, and fire trucks were ready. Most of the main roads are salt and treat the. Just the back roads. Roads that may fall over. When this freezes, it will be treacherous. Snow day is a welcome treat for some. Its fun being out here. For many others, its a dangerous combination of snow and ice marching up the atlantic sea board. Winter storms are costing americans more than time spent shovelling or stuck in traffic. As Randall Pinkston reports the Financial Impact lingers long after the ice and snow melts. Winter weather is taking a toll on the nation. With travel disruptions, closed stores and schools, government offices. More than inconvenient, the weather is costing consumers and businesses. Economists cant say how much. Charles of the Federal Reserve says but some trends are already apparent. In the areas hit worst, out door construction and the jobs that come with it are frozen. Airlines forced to cancel thousands of flights are counting the cost of lost ticket revenues. Automobile dealers say sluggishan sales were caused by the weather. Analysts predict substantial increases in the cost of energy for heating. In the midwest, where temperatures boost the use of cocaine. The federal Administration Association estimates that the cost of fuel is 39 higher. Propane is emminging higher in the northeast. Across the nation, natural gas users are also feeling the pinch with prices 4 higher than last year. Retailers are blaming the weather for sluggish sales because heavy snow fall and treacherous roads are not conducive to shopping. A former chief economist redicts the weather will do no longterm harm to the economy. Individually there are problems. I dont mean to minimise them. If we look at total economic growth, a storm causes areas to spend more on snow and ice removal. For those taking a hit now, that means waiting out the storms and hoping things heat up in the months ahead. According to the department of Homeland Security storms between 1980 and 2010 have cost are the u. S. Economy 1. 15 trillion. Dont forget to stay with al jazeera thursday for the latest on this winter storm. Turning to other new, good news for federal contractors who earn the minimum wam. Theyll be getting a raise. President obama signed an executive order to increase the hourly wage by nearly 3. It will jump from 7. 25 to 10. 10. The president is pushing congress to do the sax for all americans. Well, president obama took to the east room to follow on a promise he made in the state of Union Address to raise the minimum wage to 10. 10. It comes with caveats. It doesnt go into effect until the beginning of next year. Its for those working under the new contracts. The white house is not saying how many will be affected by this, it will be marginal, perhaps a few hundred thousands. Its part of a campaign to get congress off the mark and support a bill in the senate, going nowhere in the house or the senate to raise the federal minimum wage from 7. 25 where it is now up to 10. 10 nationwide. Here is more of what the president had to say. Lets get it done. Raise the federal minimum wage to 10. 10 wouldnt just raise wages for minimum wage workers, but would lift wages for 28 million americans out of povertiml. We heard the president say it. He had a pen and a phone. Hell go around congress, and the executive order part of the program. If hes going to get significant things done to help people across the board, like raise the minimum wage or extend the benefits, it doesnt appear either of those will go anywhere. We should add republicans are skeptical about raising the minimum wage nationally, because they believe it would force some employers to cut back on hiring. Comcast says it plans to acquire time warner cable. It will merge the two biggest Cable Companies in the u. S. Comcast plans on making the official announcement on thursday. Comcast has about 22 million cable subscribers. Time warner 12 million. Comcast acquired n. B. C. Universal for 17 billion. Ray nagin looking at time behind bars. The former new orleans mayor convicted on federal bribery charges. French president Francis Hollande travels to Silicon Valley. Why he find himself in familiar company, thousands of miles away from paris. This has nothing to do with racism. The people of fremont, i havent detected racial tension. A nebraska town passes a law preventing undocument immigrants from renting apartments. Welcome back, a live look at a snowy washington d. C. The Nations Capital expecting up to 8 inches of snow and ice. The federal government shut down on thursday. That storm heading towards new york city and new england. Stay with al jazeera for further updates on the storm. A man has been executed in florida for murdering a 9yearold boy two decades ago. A controversial drug cocktail was suicide to execute juan carlos suarvez. Before the execution his attorneys requested a stay, claiming the sedative was ipp effective and would violate his clients rights. Floridas Supreme Court rejected the plea. The state has executed four men with the same drug cocktail. Voters in a small nebraska town approved a controversial law banning undocumented immigrants from renting homes. Landlords and renters must ply for permits and verify immigration status. The rule has divided the town. Fre mont nebraska is the sort of agricultural town seen over the american midwest. Its a conservative community with a couple of commercial strips and a sleepy downtown. As voters went to the poll, emotions ran high. Jennifer bixby, president of the city Council Voted yes to throw out the 2010 law. It pitted friend against friend, neighbour against neighbour. If you drive down the street, you see a vote no sign against a vote yes sign. Paul von behren welcomes immigrants if they are there legally. He says illegals drive up the cost of health care and education. What is clear is the number of latinos soared in recent years from less than 200 in 1990 to more than 3,000 in 200. They are here for jobs in meat packing plants like this one, and that, some say, is the real source of the debate in fre moment. Some like reverend scott jensen says latinos make an easy target for a host of ills affecting fremont, including poverty. Is hispanic and latinos becoming a scapegoat there could be a case for that. Juan garcia has been a citizen since 1978. There is racism. You can feel it, you know. Valeria marquez, a preschool aide and aspiring singer says theres a part of fremont that doesnt welcome new ideas or faces. I think a lot has to do with fear. A lot of people are scared that we are taking over. Last night the fearing of people like valeria marquez, who wanted to overturn the law were realised as their effort was defeated. Nearly 60 of fremont voted to uphold it. The fight is far from over. Supporters say theyll push the city council to implement and enforce the law as soon as possible, and are considering starting a recall against the city council, and the town will learn the hard way as businesses and families will look elsewhere. We talking to someone from the American Civil Liberties union, and theyll wash the implementation of the law to make sure they dont violate fair housing rules. Figures show 1,100 noncitizens live in fremont, including immigrants, foreign students and refugees. A guilty verdict for former new orleans mayor ray nagin. He was convicted of accepting bribes and kickbacks. He was the public face of new orleans, when his sit was hit hard by hurricane katrina. He is the first mayor in the citys history to be convicted of public corruption. He will appeal the conviction. Sentencing is scheduled for june. A federal judge shut down a ban recognising marriages outside the state. The state must recognise marriages in other states and counties. It does not force the state to perform gay or lesbian weddings. Two samesex couples asked a judge to temporarily lift a ban. 17 states recognise samesex marriages. The president of france left washington before the snow hit. Hes in californias Silicon Valley, home to a large french population outside of paris. As Al Jazeera Lisa Bernard reports, many are looking for business opportunities. Carlos diaz left paris for San Francisco, when he started a high tech company, helping viewers to interact with their tvs. When you start a company in france, and you say that to friends and family, everyone look at you like you are crazy. He and 400 other french entrepreneurs set up shop in the bay. No one in france really wants to change the world. French president Francis Hollande is seeing if he can adjust the attitude. Hes the first french president in 30 years to come and look at innovation and technology in the San Francisco bay area. On the itinerary a reception at city hall. And the Silicon Valley. Where hell see what is attracting french entre prenures to come here and learn to build a tech appearance. Francis hollande planned to meet with the found are of tessler, and executives at facebook and google. Carlos diaz is a Great Success story. He wants the french government to make it easier for businesses to expand and drive. U. S. Tech companies are routinely under the microscope of european regulators. Francis hollandes tax on the rich could be a further deterrent. He is the french president and is able to embrace entrepreneurials. The executive director of the frenchamerican chamber of commerce says its not easy for french citizens to set up shop in Silicon Valley. You need to come with funds, some money, because starting a business or opening a business here is extremely expensive. Francis hollande is trying to make it attractive to create companies in france and plans to create a tech hub in paris. Internet and the Digital Space is seen as a threat. When we see it, its seen as an opportunity. Symbolically the visit to Silicon Valley is important. Time will tell if it will make france a place for entrepreneurs to thrive. So far more than 300 French Companies have offices in california. Still ahead swallowed up by a sink hole. An unusual ending for historic and pricing core vets. And a look back at the life of hollywood legend sid caesar. A Television Pioneer whose life inspired generations of comedians. It is official, the farewell tour kicks off. Unlike a share of madonna farewell tour, this will be the last one after 2014. The yankees captain thanked fans and said hell hang it up after the 2014 season. Je, tah who grew up in front of our eyes won rookie of the year in his first full season as a yankee. He has five world series wins and is the only yankee player to reach the 3,000 hit mark. Next stop is coopers town. Speaking of new york, that is where the best Basketball Team in the country resides. Syracuse had a perfect record. The final buzzer wednesday night at number 25. The panthers a near 4. 4 seconds left from celebrating an upset. Tyler innis launched a prayer and nailed it. Gamewinning 3pointer at the buzzer. The arrange never going to wave the white flag. They are perfect on the season. Everyone has their mind on gold. American snow boarder caitlin cashed in. The u. S. Woman took two of the top three spots. Capturing the gold in the womens halfpike, and kelly pike the bronze in that event. On the ice, team usa and team canada put on a show. Two thirdperiod goals led canada the come from behind victory. Dont count the u. S. Women out. Team usa and canada meet in the gold medal round. In day six of the olympics the Us Mens Hockey Team hit the ice. They take on slough arkia and on the slopes its the mens free ski slope style. That is a look at your sports for this hour. A giant of the comedy world died. Sid caesar was one of the first stars during the early days of television. His whacky brand of sketch comedy was ippo vative, influential and funny. He had a huge impact on comeed yaps who followed in his big footsteps. You come back to me, you have. He perfected sketch comedy decades before saturday night live. His eye for young comedy talent led him to hire mel brooks, woody allen, neil simon, and ryan. In the golden sage of television sid caesar was the undisputed king of comedy. Groundbreaking, irreverent and an inspiration for generations of canadians. He was one of a kind. His series in the 1950s, your show of shows, was among the most popular shows and poked fun at politicians, and every day lives of politicians. The punch lines and performances made him a fortune. In his early 30s, sid caesar earnt a million a year. After the show sid caesar faded from the spotlight and young riders were famous. Sid caesar made people laugh, but battled depression and addiction. In the late 1970s, he welcomeded ashurmgance. From late night host to sitcoms and comedy clubs, his comedic touch leave a legacy of laughter. As ryan said in his statement. Sid caesar set the template for everyone. John seigenthaler with more on his life. Sid caesar made a name in television, and had success on broadway. Including the epic comedy movie. Its a mad, mad, thatted world. An accident involving rare core vets in kentuckys National Corvette museum. Take a look at this. A giant sink hole swallowed up several of the cars much the whole thing caught on Security Camera in the museum. Eight core vets fell into the hole, 40 feet wide and 20 feet deep. No one was inside at the time. That will do it for this edition of Al Jazeera America news. Im thomas drayton, in new york. Thanks for watching. Hi im Lisa Fletcher and youre in the stream. Is the boycott strange u. S. Israeli relates or just making headlines . Our digital producer wajahat ali is here. Whenever we barely touch israel and