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our viewers on public television in america and elsewhere around the globe. two years after american troops pulled out of iraq, tonight, the country is tense and violent, and the future looks uncertain. they called for residents of falluja to expel al qaeda militants that have taken control of the city center. the white house says it will assist by accelerating sales of guns and equipment, but it has ruled out sending in any american troops. >> the fighting in the province continues. clashes insporadic the provincial capital on monday, where they took control of the city last week. have beene troops

trying to dislodge them since then. police broke up a sunni protest last week, and the deadly clashes erupted across the province. u.s.-led invasion of iraqi in 2003, which wrought shiite control to the country, it became the heartland of sunni insurgency. of the newocus fighting, the nearby city of falluja. and swear brandishing weapons on monday. al qaeda fighters and their supporters are in control of the city center, while government troops are surrounding the city. the commander of an antigovernment group, the falluja military council, vowed to punish tribesmen backing them. >> the revolutionaries of falluja tried to punish those, but there are those that are

linked to the sectarian violence. at the same time, the prime minister, nouri al-maliki, all on the people of falluja to expel the militants, thinking that this way they could avoid an all-out assault by ethnic forces. they also ordered the troops not to strike residential areas. said to be the deadliest time in the province in years, and now that is a challenge the government's authority. how it remains is unclear. this threat of al qaeda in iraq and beyond, i enjoyed by a director of international security and defense policy center at the rant operation. thank you very much for coming in. why are we seeing this, two years after the americans pulled out, with this al qaeda-linked violence now? what i think one reason is that researched, also in

lebanon and in the sinai, so this is part of an organization that is better funded now, better equipped, and is trying to expand. >> how worrying is this? >> al qaeda is not on the verge of taking the cities him including falluja, for very long, but the idea that the government is on the verge of very serious fighting indicates this is some serious concern and that the iraq he government needs help doing this. that is thats america is becoming an energy exporter. it is no longer so reliant on the middle east. can washington afford to take that kind of position? >> no, because groups in this region are exporting terrorism to other areas, and we have seen neighboring syria, individuals who have radicalized, coming to

europe and north america. they are fighting in iraq, as well. it is not just about oil anymore. yet,ve not seen much of it but if we have americans in the region fighting with somebody's groups, there is certainly a possibility they will come back. >> ok, how much of this is being fueled by the broader sunni and shia split? there, but the chasm has widened in the last couple of years. >> there is an ideology that is separate from the sectarian splits, but this segment of al qaeda in iraq and syria as well is the most sectarian. it hates shia more than any other al qaeda segment in the world, so this segment in iraq fueled a little bit more than others by the sectarian split, and a real focus on targeting shia. forward,hanistan going

do you think that if the u.s. had fought harder to keep a certain number of troops in iraq a couple of years ago, what we are seeing today could have been mitigated? >> it is possible, but part of the problem in iraq right now is a governance issue with the government, including the competence of some of the security forces in cities like -- and and romani ramadi. with thehink that challenges in iraq, this might have come about anyway. a would you like to see response now from the white house? >> i would like to see a more robust response in the region. about are talking military solution. it should not just be viewed as a military solution. there is a huge governance vacuum in iraq and the region that needs to be fixed.

they should not just be about hellfire missiles being exported to iraq. >> a governance issue, a good thing to do. thanks for coming in. >> thanks. >> now, it is dangerously cold in much of the u.s., and there is more routable weather coming. is known as a polar vortex, and it is creating havoc, forcing people to stay inside to avoid potentially fatal conditions. the windchill dragged temperatures down to a staggering 47 degrees fahrenheit below zero. our bbc reporter has more. >> winters in chicago are not normally described as steamy, but this is the of that of record-breaking cold temperatures on lake michigan. are being urged to stay inside if possible to avoid this blast of arctic air. schools have been closed, and hospitals have been treating people with frostbite. >> this is quite frigid.

i am not used to this at all. >> a jacket, and walk fast. >> very cold, very cold, yes. saysen mayor in the city plants have sprung into action well, but the coming days will be just as challenging. >> the entire apparatus of the city government is on a coordinated effort, executing a plan that is working well, but working well does not mean i am satisfied or that the people here are satisfied. >> the cold snap may travel treacherous. dozens of accidents have been reported on icy roads across the midwest. 3600 u.s. flights have been canceled, thousands delayed, and there are likely to be more cancellations in the next couple of days. vortex,known as a polar spreading cold temperatures across the country. the cold weather is moving from

the midwest to the east coast. country, of the washington is bracing itself for very cold temperatures. publicizing what could be the coldest temperatures in 20 years. bbc news, washington. >> a day to date out warm clothing tomorrow. we spoke with a meteorologist at abc 7 here in washington. sounds likertex something from a bad horror movie. what exactly is it? >> it is not a new term. it is out there, but it is just the location of where it is now. it is a circulation that is normally up around the north pole and extends thousands of feet in the atmosphere. now, the vortex is further south than it normally is, and that is

pulling in very cold arctic air for the area where millions of people happen to live. >> what are the prevailing theories about why it is coming here? >> we get these variations in weather patterns all of the time, so it may just be an anomaly more than anything else. it happened before. it has been 20 years since we have seen temperatures this cold in this part of the country. >> seeing them more frugally, -- more frequently, some people are talking about global warming. >> you cannot look at one weather event for global warming. it is a long-term cycle. if we continue to see these variations, if they continue to pick up, and it has been 20 years, so it has not been that frequent. >> right. what are we expecting to see here, with washington, d.c., hit i this cold blast tomorrow? what kinds of things are you expecting?

what are you going to be worried about? >> well, you worry about and he but he who is outdoors for any length of time. it does not take long to get your skin frozen or to get frostbite. here as ins bad places like the upper midwest, where she can has windchill factors in the 50's and 60's below zero. here, we will see temperatures down in the single digits in the nations capital tomorrow morning, our windchill factor will probably be somewhere near 10 to 15 degrees below zero. my phone is cold, it does not work very well. in fact, when i am very cold, i do not work very well. at about the set and drop of temperatures in terms of technology and transport and systems? >> well, one of the concerns is that we had rain this morning. a wind could drive some of that off, but any existing more she will freeze up, and that will

cause icy conditions, and sometimes our homes are not that well insulated, so you have to watch out for a water main break or freezing pipes, and then also watch for pets. some areas had freezing rain, and if any of that ice is in the trees, and we get wind at 20, 30 miles per hour, that could bring some of the branches down. >> is it hypothermia that is the biggest risk? >> i would think so, and frostbite, where the skin gets frozen, and it actually kills the skin. >> how long before we get back to more mild temperatures in the united states? >> this cold air is sticking around for a couple of days. it looks like here in washington, d.c., we will not get above freezing until thursday afternoon. >> thank you very much for coming in. is going to be cold, cold,

cold here tomorrow. the two sides in the south sudan conflict have been holding talks in the ethiopian capital, and the first direct talks, as fighting continues, with heavy clashes continuing elsewhere. meanwhile, the president has been holding talks with his south sudanese counterpart, which could lead to the deployment of a joint force to protect the vital oilfields. was involvedn who in a plot to kill a swedish artist has been sentenced to prison. she called herself jihad jane on line and agreed to kill the artist over his series of drawings that a grading the prophet mohammed. has partiallykel fractured her pelvis in a cross country's yang accident in switzerland before the new year. the injury was initially thought to be limited to bruising, but she has canceled a number of meetings and has been advised to

lie down as much as possible for the next three weeks. at is not going to be easy for somebody who is as energetic as she is. now, for a second day in israel, thousands of african migrants took to the streets in protest against their treatment. they want the government to stop detaining foreigners who are there illegally. according to israeli authorities, there are currently about 53,000 immigrants who they say entered israel unlawfully by crossing the border. we have this report. they came in thousands, lining up along the sea front here in tel aviv, in front of foreign embassies. wave after wave joining in protest, and at times threatening to get out of hand. it remains peaceful. most of these migrants are from the sudan and other areas.

theyears, they say authorities have eight nor did the applications for asylum, and they are now trying to round them up as illegal immigrants. far the biggest demonstrations ever held by the african immigrant community in israel, and they seem to reach a breaking point, fearing that the israeli authorities are forcing them into a stark choice, either to remain in detention for long periods of time or even definitely wore to be forced to leave the country. some have already been told to go to a special, new detention center in israel. >> why did i come to israel, ok? known this would happen, i would not come to israel. i would lie in africa. >> they handed over a letter to united states diplomats, requesting the international community pressure israel into changing its policy.

but also along the sea front, israelis, who want the african immigrants to be deported, and there is a government line that the africans are not refugees that are instead economic migrants. clearhink it has been that they have crossed the border it legally in order to look for work. closed theeady border between israel and africa, and we are trying to handle the situation and to encourage most of them to leave. part inet, those taking the demonstrations here insist they are genuine refugees, fleeing persecution and conflict in their home countries. the protests will continue until they are given their basic rights. bbc news, tel aviv. watching bbc world

news america. still to come in tonight's program, a team of former professional basketball players arrived in pyongyang for a most unusual and controversial date on court. year, brazil will host the world cup for the first time since 1950, and according to the president, preparations are not going to plan. he says brazil is the most delay in host since he came to office, but brazil says it will pull off a successful world cup. we have this report from rio. >> the iconic area in rio de janeiro is only one of six palladium -- six buildings that have met a deadline to be ready in time for this year's world cup, and that is only because it had to be ready for last year's confederation cup. it will be played in july in

this adm, but it is other stadiums that are having concern, particularly where the opening game will be played. all of these stadiums are way behind schedule, and that is why they have been particularly critical of brazil, a country that has had more time than any other to prepare for the world cup. what disappoints many brazilians is that the world cup is an opportunity to improve the country as a whole. many of the promised infrastructure projects simply will not be delivered at all or will not be delivered on time, area ofarly around the public transport, not just in rio de janeiro but also elsewhere, and air travel, airports, and roads are seriously below standards, and the brazilian government has been defending its record, saying it has spent onions of dollars of the public money on the tournament.

that is not necessarily untrue. there are many delays and problems. willthey say is that fifa make so much money out of the tournament, if there are delays, if there are problems, then they also must share a lot of the blame. >> right now, dennis rodman and a team of former professional basketball players are in north korea, where this week, they will play a game marking the birthday of the north korean leader kim jong on. rodman arrived there on monday, having told journalists that he wanted to open doors to the north korean regime, but many have faulted him for not bringing up the country's human rights record with the leader he likes to call a friend. on his fourth visit to north

korea, dennis rodman seemed comfortably at home. several members of the nba traveling with him to take part in a match against the north korean national team on wednesday. >> hopefully it will open the door is a little bit around the world, around the world. that is what i hope. and it is not my job. i am not a president. i am not a politician. i am not an ambassador. i am just an athlete. be seen asas come to an unusual and unofficial link between north korea and the u.s., with unprecedented access to the north korean young ruler, but also talking politics has drawn criticism. he for leaving for pyongyang, he said he would not raise the issue of human rights with kim jong-un because the north korean leader was a friend, and they were celebrating his birthday this week. i love him, rodman

said. instead, he said his trip was aimed at improving the image of a tightly controlled company -- country. >> we want to help the nation. you know, for people to come here and say, hey, north korea. they are trying to change the country in a great way. >> the young north korean leader is not only a basketball fan who enjoys being out with sports bars, he also presides over a closed and repressive system, which reportedly runs a network of brutal political prison camps. if rodman were to talk about that, it is hard to know what basketball diplomacy can really achieve. bbc news, seoul, korea. >> what exactly is dennis rodman managing to do in north korea? i am willing to bet that not many of you would describe

yourselves as midi the weapons builders, but yet, it is a real job. after all, someone has to make all of those swords that crop up in fighting in movies, and matthew is one of them. metal into swords in baltimore, and recently, we caught up with him to learn more about this curious craft. >> ever since i was a little kid, i loved star wars, and i have been making swords for 16 years now. are 18 and 21 years older than i am. they were into a lot of role- playing, and as a little kid, watching people fight with swords and armor in your front yard was pretty inspiring. when i was in high school, i i startedob, and sweeping floors and cleaning rusty armor. it was not so cool when i was in school.

iseird guy in the basement what they pictured. nowadays, all of the movies and videogames related to swords, it seems to be a cool thing. they are really well known for the way they sound. they ring, and they resonate really loud on stage. the coolest historical swords are going to be your viking weaponry. they got beautiful patterning, and they were just some of the most talented craftsmen on the earth. job, it is this a fun is also my life. i do a lot of reenacting, but i love being in warm climates. on a ship somewhere. interacting. i was recently asked to be a guest artist on a reality tv show on the web, where he

focused on making whacked out things, and the public chooses what you need. i picture myself making swords for the rest of my life. not, it will be metal related, and i will be making something for the rest of my life. >> michael, a sword smith, and very happy being one, and before i go, here is a new year treat from taiwan, the first giant hand the cub born there. she is six months old, and in her first public appearance, she was seen climbing in the exhibition room under the very watchful eye of her modern. she is more than cute though. she is a diplomat. she is the first cup of a pair of pandas that were donated by the chinese mainland as a goodwill gift to taiwan. she weighs around 14 kilograms, and that is around

28 towns, and she is incredibly cute, and that brings the program to a close. you can carry on watching bbc world news on our 24-hour channel. i am katty kay. the inks so much for watching. i will see you back here tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity and pursuing the common good for over 30 years, and union bank, >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard

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captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: a record-breaking deep freeze sent shivers across a wide swath of the country today. we talk with the mayors of st. louis and minneapolis where wind chills plunged well below zero. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead this monday, the u.s. is accelerating its shipment of missiles and drones to iraq to aid that government's fight against al-qaeda-linked militants for control of two key cities. >> woodruff: congress goes back to work, diving head-first into a fight over unemployment benefits. we hear from the secretary of labor thomas perez and republican economist dou