Propulsion lab. It may sound familiar but what scientists here at jpl are actually looking for are signs of life past and present on the red planet woodruff mark shields and david brooks analyze the weeks news. Brown and we close with a conversation with Pulitzer Prizewinning humorist dave barry about miami, the insane city thats the focus of his new novel. The people come from everywhere, people just weird people are attracted to miami. The wildlife is weird, the weather is weird, its a festering stew of weirdness. Woodruff thats all ahead on tonights newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. Support also comes from Carnegie Corporation of new york, a foundation created to do what Andrew Carnegie called real and permanent good. Celebrating 100 years of philanthropy at carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. And friends of the newshour. And. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Brown millions of people in the northeast and new england battened down for a weekend blizzard today. Forecasters warned it could be one for the record books. By this afternoon, the gathering storm was beginning to whiten the landscape for hundreds of miles, with long hours of snowfall still to come. Fueling the fall, two low pressure systems one from the midwest, the other from the southeast colliding over the northeast and new england. Blizzard warnings were posted in seven states from new jersey on up to maine. At least three declared emergencies, and schools closed in a number of cities. Forecasters predicted new england would get the worst of it with up to three feet of snow likely in boston. Mayor thomas menino. This is a storm of major proportions. Stay off the roads. Stay home. Let the public works crews do their job. Brown the region also braced for winds reaching 75 miles an hour that will pile up drifts and almost guarantee widespread power outages. As ever, the threat prompted shoppers to pack stores, stocking up on supplies. This is panic shopping, so bread, milk, a snow shovel in case our snow shovel breaks. Youve got to plan ahead. A couple feet of snow would shut everything down and, who knows, it could be a couple of days, right . Brown in new york city, predictions called for as much as a foot of snow, and mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city had marshaled an army of plows and salt trucks. The Sanitation Department will deploy Something Like 1,700 snowplows and 65 frontend loaders. It also has 450 saltspreaders already deployed. Brown the storm also focused new concern on the new york and new jersey shore areas still recovering from hurricane sandy. They faced the prospect of being flooded again. We are trying to batten down the hatches here, if any storms are coming. The last one ruined us totally. Brown and long before the worst hit, air travel was in a shambles. Well over 4,000 flights were canceled through saturday, sending ripple effects across the country. The snow also halted amtrak and some Mass Transit Service in the northeast. And for the latest on whats expected tonight and this weekend, we turn to bernie rayno, a meteorologist with accuweather. So what is the latest on the track of the storm and expected snow amounts . Well, i will tell you, the worst of this storm we have been pointing out all week is going to be across southern new england. Two storms as you mentioned, and the first storm across the midwest already producing quite a bit of snow across new york state. But the second storm as it strengthens and moves north and northeast, were already starting to get bands of heavy snow now across new england, into toward boston, providence, hartford, snowing in new york city. And by tonight this storm is really going to start intensifying here. And anywhere in this white, new york city, providence, boston, right up the i95 toward bangor maine, this whole area will see snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour. Were going to see wind gusts between 50 and 60 Miles Per Hour and thats going to produce a lot of blowing and drifting snow, heavier snow accumulations in the blue here across southern new england, any were from 18 to 24 inches and there will be locations that pick up over two feet bses so when you say two storms, what is it that causes a big one like this . Well, theres three ingredients. Number one, arctic air came in across northern new england. That was really the key out of anything. But then the storm system coming across the pas civic northwest came across the midwest. That added energy. And its that southern storm though that added something that we have seen in the last week, gulf moisture. Arctic air, gulf moisture and that energy coming in from the west all funneling into one area, jeff, southern new england. Brown so when you talk about particular areas of concern, of course, a lot of people looking at the areas that were hit by devastate its by sandy wa, with those areas . Well, those areas they going to have problems tonight because there is going to be strong gusty wind as long the jersey coast. We are going to get coastal flooding an beach erosion, mostly from long island all the way up toward cape cod and in the Coastal Maine but across new jersey, long island, long beach island, north h there is going to be about 3 to 6 inches of snow, strong gusty winds but really this storm will target southern new england. Boston, providence and hartford. So for the areas, new york city on south it is a formidable storm, about 6 to 10 inches around new york city but the worst of this storm right up here in boston and new england and it could be historic. Brown well, historic. We talk about, we use that word, we throw that around a bit. How historic. How does this compare to other storms that you have covered . If you take a look at the all time snow records for boston its 27. 6 inches of snow back in february of 2003. That a possibility. It may run just short but that is a possibility. They can break that, providence 28. 6 inches. We could get awfully close to that. Portland may get close to the 27 inches here so this is a storm that i think for many locations in southern new england will be a top five storm as far as snowfall production. But lets remember we have that wind tonight. And this is already shut down travel. And it will shut down travel across southern new england. Youre going to see lots of wild weather, boston, providence, hartford. Youll see snowfall rates 1 to 3 inches per hour, blowing snow, white outs and thunder and lightning as well. That is the kind of storm this is. Bernie rayno of oodruff weve gatheredmuch. F a photos of the snowstorm that youve posted on social media. Find that collection on our web site. And still to come on the newshour deep divisions over syria policy; new information from the surface of mars; shields and brooks; and humorist dave barry. But first, the other news of the day. Heres Hari Sreenivasan. Sreenivasan heavily armed police moved deeper into snow covered mountains east of los angeles today, hunting an ex Police Officer wanted for thre mus. Rrde christopher dormers burning truck was found yesterday near the Big Bear Lake resort, about 80 miles from los angeles. Today, San Bernardino county sheriff john mcmahon said, so far, theres been no sign of dormer himself. We saw the tracks as i indicated last night. We followed those trackings around through the forest am we havent found any new information to suggest the tracks are going any specific area. Were going to continue searching until either we discover that he left the mountain or we find him, one of the two sreenivasan dormer was fired from the la Police Department in 2008. This week, he left an angry manifesto on facebook, in effect declaring war on the police. At least 36 people were killed in iraq today in the worst attacks since november. Nearly 100 others were wounded. Car bombings hit two Outdoor Markets in baghdad, and in the hillah province to the south. A taxi stand in karbala was also targeted. All three were in primarily shiite areas. Amid the violence, thousands of sunnis protested against shiite Prime Minister nouri almaliki. In tunisia, huge crowds of mourners protested as Opposition LeaderChokri Belaid was laid to rest. He was assassinated earlier this week. Tens of thousands converged on the cemetery, with belaids coffin draped in a tunisian flag. Violence erupted as police fired tear gas and demonstrators threw stones and set cars ablaze. Thousands of demonstrators turned out in cairo and other cities across egypt, protesting president Mohammed Morsi and his islamistled government. The crowds defied hardline muslim clerics, who called on their supporters to kill Opposition Leaders. As night fell, Security Forces used tear gas to Disperse Protesters who threw rocks and fire bombs at the president ial palace. Gunmen in nigeria have killed at rmust nine women working to zereni aihiagthn ldt ns polio virus. The attacks today were in kano, in the african nations muslim north. The killers were believed to come from boko haram, a radical islamic sect. Polio remains endemic in nigeria, but some muslim clerics have charged the vaccinations are a plot to sterilize young girls. The British Government today condemned the growing discoveries of horsemeat in what was supposed to be imported beef. Officials said they now suspect criminals are involved. We have a report from chris choi of independent television news. Some of britains biggest brands are on the hook as this meat scandal grows. Now government has ordered thousands of beef products be tested, as companies recall ready meals bought by millions. And tonight this industry is under pressure. It is about food labeling, proper retailing, proper information. And frankly its about customers being letdown. This new wave of scandal started on saturday. A lx em bourg factory warned them of trouble. Dna tests had started even before that. But it wasnt until monday that retailers were told they withdrew its frozen beef on tuesday tests at the began to withdraw their products that came from the same supplier and on wednesday tests confirmed horse meat in the company. But there were signs problem kos go months to august last year. Some shops are only now remove og these products which come from a french firm. Information it gave to fenders on monday is revealed in a letter shown to us. It was that Raw Materials delivered since the first of august 2012 may not match how theyre labeled. In other words, the roots of this alert could go back much further than previously thought. Do we yet know who else was supplied by that french factory. Were in communication with the french authorities to obtain a list. Still at this stage havent got a list. Have you got a list or not. Just a second. After check he told me they still have not had a list from the french. Tonight there was calls for a ban on all meat imports until a clearer picture emerges. Fundirs and the french firm say there is no health risk and are ensuring this cant happen again but tonight as shoppers fear processed meat is not what is labeled and the ingredient increasingly missing from our food chain is trust sreenivasan horse meat is considered a delicacy in france and italy, where it is openly labeled and consumed. The u. S. Secret service is investigating the apparent hacking of private emails from former president s george h. W. Bush and his son, george w. Bush, and other family members. The smoking gun web site reported today that the hacker, known by the alias guccifer, gained access to emails, as well as photos, phone numbers and addresses. Another bush son, former Florida Governor jeb bush, called the hacking outrageous. Wall street finished the week on a positive note. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained nearly 49 points to close just short of 13,993. The nasdaq rose more than 28 points to close near 3,194, a 12year high. Those are some of the days major stories. Now, back to judy. Woodruff we return to the civil war in syria, where activists say rebels clashed with Government Troops in damascus and shut down a highway out of the capital. Meanwhile, in washington, there are new revelations of a split within the Obama Administration about what should be done about the conflict. Ray suarez reports. Suarez it was a short moment in a long hearing devoted to another topic, and it yielded a surprising set of answers from defense secretary leon panetta, and the joint chiefs chairman, general martin dempsey. Arizona republican john mccain asked about a report that president obama rejected a proposal to arm Syrian Rebels last summer. Did you support the recommendation by secretary of state. Then secretary of state clinton and then head of c. I. A. General petraeus that we provide weapons to the resistance in syria . Did you support that . We did. You did support that. We did. Suarez so far, the president s judgment has been that things wont get better with american arms. Instead, hes warned the weapons might fall into the hands of extremist elements, a concern reiterated today by the new secretary of state, who was asked about the deliberations last year. I dont know what the discussions were in the white house and im not going backwards. The new administration, were Going Forward from this point. There are serious questions about al nusra and a. Q. I. Al qaeda in iraq and other violent groups on ground. Suarez those groups are among the most effective fighters against the assad regime. They include jabhat al nusra, which the u. S. Has declared a terrorist organization. But last november, a top rebel commander in northern syria, colonel abdul jabaar al aikidi, told the newshours Margaret Warner the u. S. Reasoning is a farce. translated this is an excuse used by the west not to provide us with any weapons and ammunition. We pledge to the International Community that can help us that these weapons will be in safe hands. The west is directly empowering extremists by not supporting organized parties, like our military councils, so the young men go to other parties who have money and weapons. Suarez indeed, guns and money are pouring in from other sources, as kerry pointed out in his confirmation hearing two weeks ago. There are a lot of weapons there. There are people in the gulf, and you know who they are, who are not hesitating to provide weapons. Suarez he, too, was questioned by senator mccain, whos been urging American Intervention for some time. I think you would agree with me that every day that goes by in syria, it gets worse. I think you would agree with me that, whatever judgments you make, they have to pass the test of whether or not, if you do them, theyre actually going to make things better. Suarez for now, the u. S. Is providing what it calls non lethal assistance. And with panettas departure from the pengoy,n das pto p clintons last week and petraeuss resignation in 2012, general dempsey is the only known remaining advocate of arming the rebels still in a top advisory role. Im joined who served in the Obama Administration state departments and is now dean of the school of advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins university. And andrew tabler, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for near east policy. What were the main schools of thought. How did the camps break down in this argument inside the administration on what to do about syria, andrew . Basically you have a discussion about syria about all the different options. And it really comes down to this. The white house was hedgingment they really did not want to get involved in syria. They have a firm policy to stay out of the middle east and would like to pull back. At the same time the agencies that deal with syria and the problem there, which is growing and mushrooming, the state department, cia and to a certain extent the department of defence all of which were throwing their hands up in the air and saying we have to do something, we have to do something so the interagency got involved and the series of articles we saw this week came out in which hillary clinton, dempsey and also the former hid of the c, a David Petraeus were advocating arming groups in syria which until now now has been a nogo issue for the Obama Administration. This argue inside the administration was kept pretty quiet for a pretty long time, wasnt it . It was. Partly it has to do with the fact that we dont know how serious and how intense it was. The fact that the president was given first an option and was told that maybe its a good idea if we intervene does not mean that this was ever elevated to a status of a real serious discussion. But also all the people who were advocating intervention also knew how difficult syria would be. And therefore i think there never was the kind of enthusiasm we saw either with afghanistan, iraq or libya when it came to syria. And that created a certain amount of confusion as well as a certain amount of reluctance to really explore what might be the possibilities for the United States. Suarez secretary panetta called what we are giving nonlethal aid. What is the United States doing in syria, andrew . Basically the United States is supporting the opposition politically, the Syrian Opposition coalition. But by and large the support is nonlethal in nature. Wha