The mouth expensive olympics in history are now underway in sochi russia today. There were qualifies events in snowboarding, and figure skating. The olympic flame also finished its tour a day before the opening ceremony. Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on security is tight as thousands of athletes and visitors attend the games. Despite threats of attacks from militant groups al jazeera has more now from sochi. Some of the preparations here have come down to the wire, with armies of helpers and volunteers putting the finishing touches to russias olympic dream. But on theve of the games an unlucked security development, a warning from the u. S. Government that bomb making equipment could be smuggled on to planes in tooth paste tubes. Russias deputy Prime Minister was quick with his reassurance. This information is being checked, if confirmed this means our Security Services are on alert. And this information that we got today about threats and risk allows us to say that the security of the Olympic Games and the city of sochi will be provided properly. Its been 6 1 2 years since the 2014 host city was announced. To the city of sochi. And russia celebrated. Since then theres been more bad news than good, with details of construction delays, overspending human rights abuses and security concerns. Olympic p. R. Have struggled. Despite this, there is still plenty that remain skeptical about these games. A study this week said that just over half of the russians say that the games was a good idea, where 47 said that the games overspend was due to corruption. Once the sport begins the games do have a tendency to win over those hard hearts. In the beginning i wasnt as excited as i am now, now you can see the changes. The infrastructure has improved the tune is prettier. These vents dont happen every day, i want my children to be proud of the country, and have something to remember. The only airline that flies nonstop from the United States to russia says they will not allow any liquids, jells, aerosols or powders on those flights starting now. Delta says the items can be in czech backs but not carried on. Travelers will also have to check with the representative rather than online. The moves come amido reports that there is a threat of explosives hidden in tooth paste containers. Meanwhile in sochi, nearly 40,000 are protects the games. For the first time in history, the Olympic Games are being held on an active war zone. Near an area known as the north caucuses. When the soviet union broke up in the 1990s, groups in the caucuses region sought independence. Russia, hit back hard. Pulverizing the region in two wars and radicalizing muslims there. In recent years, fighters seeking their own Islamic State have launched attacks and tag stan. And supporter sells have stretched from the black sea near sochi in the west, to the caspian sea in the east. The main russian travel hub to this region is the city in desks this attack on the train station killed 39 people. A group that claimed responsibility is loyal to doca, a militant field commander who has ordered his fighters to do their upmost the derail the games which he described as satanic dances on the bones of our ancestors. The threats as the most extensive Security Operations in sports history. 40,000 police and military officers have established a ring of steel around sochi, that is 60 miles long and 25 miles deep. The Russian Military has deployed antiaircraft missle batteries near the Olympic Stadium and other venues bunched in a circle along the coast. Other antiaircraft missle badried have been placed near the mountain venue to the north. The russian navy has placed new boats along the coast. 230 athletes will be competing and 10,000 american fans are expected to attend. So president obama who just convened his team in washington to discuss safety conditions, has now placed two u. S. Warships in the black sea off the coast of sochi in case of a security breech. The u. S. S. Mountain whitney and the suns. Taylor will carrying fors specially trained to carry out antiaircraft missle evacuation. Thats twice as much as Great Britain spent on the summer olympic as year and a half ago in london. Now that the athletes and fanned have started to arrive, the question is, will all of the security precautions work. David chuter, al jazeera. Russia is responding to all those complaints from journalists. All that from rooms to dysfunctional toilets and surprise fire alarms. The wall street journal reports the deputy Prime Minister fired back, saying that officials have Surveillance Video of people turning on the showers, turning the newsle towards the wall, and leaving for the entire day. And aid pulled him away before he could answer any more questions about that particular piece of Surveillance Video. People in parts oif United States are cleaning up the mess left behind by the second winter storm this week. The storm brought snow, ice, rain, to places from oklahoma to connecticut. Snow and ice snarled traffic, and there have been more flight delays today. Where nearly a foot of snow fell, businesses were closed for a second day, and hundreds of thousands of people are spending another day without electricity, as crews deal with power lined downed by ice. Maria is in one of the yeas hardest hit by the storm, maria, i can see that tree behind you, where are you exactly, and how are things there . Maybe that shot say as lot . Yes, thats right. I am stands in a residential area thats part of Chester County pennsylvania. The hardest hit area, and this road has been closed off, because of that, that tree that came down during the storm, it brought down the power lines, and this same sen is their owe you will see over and over, throughout this entire area. Are without power. Some people will be staying in hotels tonight, others will stay with family and friends and others will see in their homes. Power days were arcing, it was very colorful, and it was relatively scary. Mckaren is one of the hundreds of thousands of people in pennsylvania without power. Power lines froze and were knocked down by trees. Were you concerned that your house was getting beaten up by the branches . Your car . I was worried that my house would be by sected by a huge tree, thats that type of storm that it was. Mckaren and his family spent the night at home with a generator, but others werent so lucky. Hungers down with blankets and candles or seeking refuge at shelters. Robert is a Deputy Director of the Emergency Management agency. He says this was the worst storm since sandy. We have never seen something this catastrophic. Thats had such an impact on Chester County. We seem to be the bulls eye of the storm. Pennsylvanias governor said it was activated and ready to respond, and utility workers are working around the clock. The first 24 to 48 hours the health and safety is what you look for. A number of different hospitals, you look at those, at Nursing Homes and look at the grit itself the communications. The water and sewer, to get those facilities back up and running. Forecasters say another storm is on the way this weekend. And the governor says that several shelters are open tonight, the closest one can hold up to 1300 people. And the folks that are most susceptible with these low temperatures the olderly, and children. Always the case. Good to see you, thank you. The u. N. And the Syrian Government reach add deal for humanitarian aid to be delivered to parts of the besieged cities and homes. Al jazeera has more now from beirut. According to the governor who spoke to al jazeera an agreement has indeed been reached in order to deliver humanitarian aid to the old city. This agreement has been brokered by representatives of the United Nations. Between the Syrian Government and syrian armed rebels in the area. According to this agreement, there will be a cease fire, that begins at 6 00 a. M. Local time, four gmp on friday. Three hours later, at 9 00 a. M. Local time, seven gmt, the civilians will be evacuated. Up to 200 people will be evacuated from several parts of the old city, they include mostly women, children up to the age of 15, as well as men who are over the age of 55. The governor said that they will be receiving medical attention and help as well as food, and supplies. They will mostly be evacuated to a neighborhood which he says was a safe area in holmes. Over the next few days they will continue as the governor says to evacuate more batches of civilians living in the old city and delivering additional aid to the area. If this plan goes through, lit be a break through, because this part of home, the old city has been under a very heavy siege, with very little. As of food, fuel, and medical supplies. Reaching the civilian whose are stuck there and were not able to leave or flee this area. Reporting from beirut for us. Amido new protest in the ukraine. About the country two senior american diplomates. Assistant secretary of state and the u. S. Ambassador to the ukraine, made comments about the European Union and ukrainian p osix leaders. More reaction now from the white house. Well, the incident would be funny if it werent so dire in a life and death situation, victoria is an assistant secretary of state for the european affairs. And he is using some very undiplomatic language and aimed at a very close american ally, the European Union. Evidently they were trying to cook up a power sharing agreement sharing power between the opposition and the sitting government, but she talks about going to the United Nations trying to get their approval to this plan, and going around the European Union although she didnt quite phrase it that way. Lets have a listen to this leaked conversation. So that would be great, i think to help glue this thing, and have the u. N. Help glue it and [bleep] the e. U. Exactly. Many folks may be aware if they Pay Attention that victoria was the Spokes Person at the state department, under hillary clinton, well today the current spokesperson had a lot of questions that she had to answer, about this exchange, one of which was with is it authentic, sackky did not dispute that it was, and secondly who recorded and it who leaked it. They walked right up to accusing russia of doing so. No small ironny, the president in his reform speech defended the practice of overseas surveillance saying everyone is doing it, well, evidently the russians are. Let me convey she has been in contact with the counter parts. We think this is a new law in russian trade craft. Trade craft that is president obama has announced plans to go to brussells to become the First American president to do so. That happens next month. Pakistans government, the two sides held their first initial meeting to work out an end to the insurgency. The taliban said they want to overthrow the government, and install rule. They have been killed since the insurgency began. A crucial day in the corruption trial of former new orleans mayor. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. Ben lemons is covering the trial for us, what did the former mayor have to say from the witness stand today . Tony, today ray told the court that every contract that he gave out on behalf of the city of new orleans, was this the best interest of the city. He also said he never took money or any kind overfavors for those contracts. You know, this was a really bold move for him to go to trial in the first place, considering all of the evidence in the indictment from last year. It was an even boulder move for him to take the stand, in his own defense today. Of course, he had to answer to prosecutors during crossexamine. I can tell you he seemed really calm, this is a guy who is always been known to sort of gap able little bit, but he was calm on the stand, very confident, even joking a little bit, when his defense attorney at 1 point asked him to step away from the stand, and said hey i like this guy, you dont. It seems he is trying to appeal to the jury. But again with the evidence thats going to be tough. What is the case against him . Well, he was indicted last year, on 21 counts of different corruption. There are six other people involve whod have already been either convicted or pled guilty to charges involving him and bribery and kick back schemes. These are Business People that got contracts from the city that are accusing him of taking prescribes from them, either cash, favors, private jet trips to different places, so they are all tested in this case, saying that on the record, to the jury, that they did in fact do this. You know, ben, it is easy to say that a case like this, a trial like this can represent some bit of closure for a lot of wounds. For folks there in new orleans, but what is the reaction there in new orleans to what with is going on there in that courthouse . Yeah, you know thats a good point. These people have been looking for closure for almost eight years. And i think what really hurts the hearts is mayor was reelected in 2006. Promising to carry the torch to continue to rebuild the city, many people were out of they homes. 80 of homes were either damaged or destroyed. It took years and years for people to get back here, and rebuild, and to think the thought that leader of their city was somehow taking bribes and corrupt, while they were in this situation is really tough. Properties cuters have landed a conviction, his boss is a freeman. And that has left some critics wanting more. Also, more than 1,000 people rescued from rafts as they try to escape africa. The latest on europes migrant crisis, next. A verdict today in what prosecutors call the biggest Insider Trading case ever. Found guilty of using confidential information to help his former company make more than a quarter billion dollars but some say the sentence is not enough. Kristen has more. And now a prison sentence of up to 20 years. He worked for the investment company, a firm which is once the envy of the industry. He stayed very close to whatever sources he could find, that could give him an edge on information on what was going on. A day after a doctor passed on confidential information. Began selling off 700 million worth of shares in iran, the two pharmaceutical Companies Involved in the drug tests. When the test ruts were made public, share prices plummeted. But s. A. C. Made millions. Billionaire trader stephen cone faces civil charges by the securities and Exchange Commission for failing to supervisor and seven other employees who have been found guilty of Insider Trading. Steve coen remains an unnamed presence here in manhattan, except for one person testified that it was coen, that investigators were really after coen has not been charged but he remains under investigation by the fbi. H wants to see them going to prison, opposed to get fines or bars from the industry. Do i think the public is appeased. Is it a step in that direction. Can agree to fay a 1 billion fine. They can invest money from outside clients. Way get a highly anticipated reading on jobs and the clock starts running oh no, oh no, for the debt ceiling once again, real money ali velshi joins us, lets start with the jobs picture here. Speak about the debt ceiling it wont be a problem. Maybe it wont be a problem, what are you thinking about jobs in this report coming out tomorrow. So as you know, for the second half of 2013, we were running at a rate of about 200,000 new jobs a month, and then all of a sudden we fell off a cliff in desks creating 74,000 jobs. So tomorrow the estimates are between 175 and 188,000. Theres some outliars that are saying 225,000, which would be more in line. Now one factor, obviously in congestion, was the weather, which probably depressed job creation then, economists dont know if it hurt rying again in january, but i have to tell you, weather did a bad job in desks i dont know how we cant imagine that it did a bad job in january. As far as the unemployment rate, you know, tony, unless somebody pulls teeth, i dont like to talk about it but i will. Why are we talking about the debt ceiling again. I just wish on message it would get out there it would not limit spending. It determines Government Spending congress has not pass add new budget in five years. They extended this budget sort of. The current debt limit is 17. 2 trillion. The debt ceiling is basically suspended until february 7th, now the treasury has to use extraordinary measures. To keep the debt under the limit, the treasury secretary says he request fiddle with this for a little while, but by the end of february, could if it is not extended america could risk defaulting on some of its obligations and tony, this is just dumb. Because this economy is vulnerable right now, as we have seen. The government at best can do no harm, and stay out of the picture, they could do good things for the economy, but to actually sit here and do things that might hurt the economy, is remarkably European Union responsibility. Frankly if you dont want to spend a lot, then get a budget right. Right. But this whole mechanism of a debt ceiling is not very commonly used. The rest of the world i am looking at the story you just did. That is like inside trading 101. This isnt sophisticated this is what you learn in the 6th grade. All right, good to see you, thank you, sir. The federal Aviation Administration says it will independent hundreds of air Traffic Control towers across the country after a lightening strike injured controller, that strike happened at Baltimore