short-documentaries. >> the show may be over but the conversation conditions on the website or facebook and google plus pages. see you next time. >> president obama putting the finishing touches on the state of union address. the opening salvo in the 2014 midterm elections. syria peace talks are locked in a bitter tug of war. the two sides can't agree on whether bashar al-assad should stay or go. a deep freeze in the deep south. southern states accustomed to warmer weather are stuck with snow, ice and frigid conditions. and drug deaths sky rocketing in pennsylvania. what is behind the increase in

fatal overdoses. >> hi there, good to have you with us on al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton. president obama is preparing for his fifth state of union speech. he'll do so with the knowledge that it's thought the country is not getting better under his watch the the president's approval rating is 46%, up from a low of 42% in november, after the government shutdown. it's his lowest approval rating ever, going into a state of union address. most americans are sour on the beleaguered economy, the direction of the economy and the state of politics. during tuesday's address they'll try to turn the public's tapes to key initiatives, including

early chide hood, increasing the minimum wage and the affordable care act. we'll have coverage of the state of union before and after the speech starting the 6:00 pm eastern, and the president's speech live here at 9 eastern. >> hillary clinton is speaking out about her time as secretary of state and what she could have done differently. mrs. clinton was in new orleans for the national automobile dealers commence. during a question and answer section she spoke about her biggest regret whilst leading the state department. >> my biggest, you know, regret is what happened in benghazi. it was a terrible tragedy. >> she prayed chris stevens who was killed. when asked about plans in 2016, clinton replied, "i have to say

i don't know." syrian peace talks are hitting a road block. the opposition wants bashar al-assad to hand over power, but bashar al-assad's team is refusing. james bays has the latest on a diplomatic tug ofway. >> the syrian government arriving for the latest round of talks. >> while there may be talking about prison, and the regime, our country has been destroyed. our factories, our schools, hospitals, people. there's 6 million displaced syrians. >> why doesn't did bashar al-assad, for the good of his nation and people step aside and someone else take power. his family had power for 44 years, maybe that's long enough. >> you know what is good for the syrian nation or the people.

we are $10,000 years old. we know what is good for us. >> when the two sides met it was a stormy meeting. the syrian government produced this paper. it is a new document. there's nothing new in it. from the syrian government side conditions rather than concessions. >> it's not just on transition whether it's deadlocked. the opposition doesn't trust an offer from the government to let women and children lead the old city of homs. >> we are there because we have experience, you know. for example, people were allowed ought. it was a few months ago. many boys and men - they got kidnapped by the regime once they are out of the city. we don't trust them. >> on sunday the media were told the humanitarian deal in homs was one small breakthrough for the talks. now that issue, like all the others remains deadlocked

>> negotiators are trying to work out the details to bring humanitarian aid to homs that could remove devastated men and children. the military council is clearing the way for the army chief and interim leader to run for president. general abdul fatah al-sisi led a coup overthrowing mohamed morsi in july. the military is the most powerful branch of the deposit and has been in control of egypt since mohamed morsi was removed. an agreement with the justice department will allow internet custodiers to reveal often they hand over data to the government. there are concerns about how much personal information spy agencies can collect from popular smartphone apps. >> the documents that edward snowden turned over seemed to

reveal a trove of information that the n.s.a. is making use of - namely the apps you and i use every day. it seems that the kinds of information they are built to get out of you - your geographic location, the names of people in your photographs, the geotag and metadata that goes with the photographs, and all the information that is generated when you email someone within an app, turning over the contact list, all of that is suddenly available to the n.s.a. for scooping up. now, there are a couple of apps that are specifically mentioned in the documents, a - the 2008 mentioning google maps. it can detect within a couple of feet where you are standing and provide incredibly useful information to a surveillance system. that is a 2008 version of google

maps. since then it's been improved the the map offers up the ability to identify where your home and work are, which means that you'll be conveniently handing that information over, and it tracks your history over time such that you are not only understanding where you are, but where you have been in the last month or so. so your past searches are stored, all kinds of useful information. keep in mind that there has been almost no sense of how impactly they are using the data, just that they are collecting enormous amounts of it. in the private sector a lot of data is coming in. finding a way to make connections is difficult to do, it's unclear how much data they can make use of. >> jake ward in mitchell sanchez. the popular game "angry birds" has been named in reports.

the makers deny knowledge of how spy agencies may have gained access to personal information through the app. >> people in the midwest are suffering through more bitter cold weather. it's dangerously cold in several states. there are subzero readings in a number of cities. the wind chill is making it feel like minus 43. in chicago, it could spend 48 hours or more below zero. schools have been cancelled across the city for a second straight day. the arctic blast is moving to the traditionally warm states. they could see snow, ice and freezing temperatures. it may cause widespread delays and power outages in the region.

cold air blasting out of south-east. there's a storm coming off the pacific, bringing rainfall. we've been in a drought with the west coast. now we have a series of systems bringing up moisture and sagging towards california, who has been getting record-high temperatures for the last few weeks. fresno hitting 70 degrees. they are setting a new record. we'll continue to see that worm erl whether with the rain -- warmer weather with the rain, turning it into snow for the cascades and rockies. when we talk cold, we are talking severe cold. it is coming down rapidly into the south. temperatures are dropping fast. we expect memphis to start out with a low of 14. we'll begin 20 degrees below zero and with wind gusts, the windchill factor will be 40 to 50 degrees below zero, dangerous weather to be outside in.

we have snow and ice headed in to parts of the south-east states. the ice will glaze over. florida, georgia and into south carolina, and the icy mix glazing over the roads and sidewalks, that's what is dangerous with the winter weather. temperatures are dropping. you'll wake up to 32 in new orleans, with a slight risk of ice here, but a better chance of it for birmingham to atlanta. be ready for cold air, windchill warmings. chicago, you are in the top 20 for some. harshest winter records. records kept since 1872. 20.3 degrees and we are staying cold. >> thank you. still ahead - officials in the ukraine looking to bring an end to violent clashes with demonstrators. the steps that the government may try to take to find a

solution. the cofounder of an additional currency bitcoin arrested. why he is facing serious charges. >> in a bad batch of heroin. the uphill battle that authorities face in keeping users safe. >> this is a live look in the capital d.c., where barack obama lays out his agenda for the year ahead on tuesday

>> welcome back. demonstrators in ukraine clashed. a state of emergency may be imposed if the violence doesn't stop. you can see the devastation as the protest conditions. ukraine's president in talks with opposition leaders, in a special session of parliament is set for tuesday.

lawmakers can remove restrictions on public protests. we have more from jennifer glasse. >> after a surprise negotiating session between president viktor yanukovych and the three opposition leaders, a sign of progress. >> translation: the political decision was made to repeal the law adopted on january 16th, revoking numerous discussions. >> translation: negotiations are long and difficult. i'd like to point out a couple of key issues. i think tomorrow we'll have a chance to review them. they are releasing the arrested, offering amnesty. this issue was reviewed. another issue is the cancellation. shameful anti-protest laws of 16th january adopted against the constitution. >> the president says parliament will repeal sweeping laws promising protest and freedom of speech and votes in an amnesty

for voters gaoled, forcing the government's hand. outside ukraine's justice ministry opposition guards stand watch. inside it's eerily quiet. the opposition took over the building on sunday. they are not occupying it because they don't want to provoke the government. >> this is the office the opposition was using for headquarters when they took over the ministry of justice. this is the food they were eating last night. they left, it's peaceful, but they are ready for battle. inside the backpack are fire bombs or molotov cocktails. >> no one here wants to use them. the commander in charge wants to make sure the building and what is in it are safe. people who work here are the same. they don't want to talk about working with the government or under siege. outside the government outlines what the opposition wants. >> all our people who have been

in prison should be freed. in the constitution of 2004, it should be reinstated. what started as pro-european demonstrations in november have become a wider expression of dissatisfaction with the government. after it pass the a sweeping law limiting basic freedom, and protesters were killed in clashes with the police. there's civil unrest in much of the country. protesters clashed with police in eastern ukraine, when the president has substantial report. in the western states, where the opposition is in control, demonstrators blocked the local barracks to keep the security forces being sent to kiev as reinforcements. they'll wait to see whether an extraordinary session of parliament on tuesday will bring an end to the conflict. >> the european's chief of former policy catherine ashton is heading to kiev.

she is calling on demonstrators to avoid violence and seek a political solution noox days ahead of the winter olympics in russia the mayor of sochi says there are no gay people living in the host city. he made the controversial comment in an interview with the b b.c. he went on to address how russia spds homosexual law would affect the games saying: >> the major went on to say gays are welcome at the games as long as they don't impose their habits on others. according to russia's rt newsagencies, there are two gay clubs in sochi. russia's social networks say there are several l.g.b.t. communities in the area. >> a major player in the bitcoin trade has been arrested, part of a federal case involving the use of the digital currency on silk road, the truck trafficking

website. as we've been told it's another blow to bitcoin's image. >> bitcoin may be a new form of currency. the charges filed against the ceo of one bit form exchange company is old-fashioned. money laundering. u.s. federal prosecutors arrested 24-year-old charld seen here promoting the currency prior to his arrest. charged 52-year-old robert fiella, a trader. the two conspireing to sell over $1 million of bitcoins to users of silk road. it was an underground website allowing users to buy and sell illegal drugs anonymously making it difficult for police to attract the trades. those that break the law can't hide behind their computers. >> truly innovative business models don't need to resort to old-fashioned law making.

when bit coins are used to launder and fuel criminal activity we have no choice how to act. >> ross all brict the user of the site was arrested on drug dealing, money laundering, computer hacking and murder for higher, drinkingering a crisis. >> some may have faith in the currency. monday's arrest is another sign in a growing concern. >> despite all the legal rang lings big coin's popularity soars. the price of a single bitcoin is over 5,000% in the last year. >> the mexican government captured a top leader of one of its violent drug car tells knights templar. security forces arrested the man on monday. they say he is the most senior leader of the group to be

apprehended. the military will work with vigilante groups that have fought the cartels. >> officials in pittsburg called it a public crisis, an increase in drug-related deaths. nearly 200 people dyed overdosing on heroin. >> fam lines in pennsylvania have been -- families in pennsylvania have been reached out to. authorities are concerned about a batch of heroin. not in years have so many died from drugs. users call it butt ice but it's heroin, laced with pmentonel. authorities suspect it's killed at least 22 people in western pennsylvania. most in the past week. four overdosed in one day. that's three times as many as formal. if you take it you'll die. last week police caught a

suspect with 9,000 bags of heroin. it's worth $100,000, but authorities fear more remains on the streets. >> we need to get the message out to those in our community that are in recovery, and those addicted. nationally the number of heroin users soared 60% in four years to 620 thoud people. across the u.s. drug overdose deaths tripled. heroin is popular in rural areas because it is cheaper than prescription pills and easier to get. >> a growing number of consumers are pulling the plug on cable tv. >> tackling the growing concussions in football. the program that experts hope will limit the injury. >> and a live look at the empire state building. it's all lit up.

we'll explain the colours on display in the

>> welcome back. concussions are a serious problem at every level of football from pi which leeks all the way to the n.f.l. there's a new program, headcount aimed at monitoring and limiting concussions in youth sport. mark morgan takes a closer look. >> head count is a program designed to prevent and minimise the effect of concussions and hits to the head in youth and high school sports, with special emphasis on football. censors will be placed inside helmets to keep track of a number of hits to the head. >> 1.5 billion impacts to the head in youth and high school football in america every year. it's a big number. of those 1.5 billion impacts, 500 million are unnecessary. 500 million are happening in practice, where they aren't needed to teach the game safely

or athletes how to play. >> head count is ultimately a behaviour change tool. it is about how we can at the team level and even at the individual level look to see is that youngster likely taking an excessive number of hits. >> the importance of head count is as a parent i can't be at every practice, every game. we carpool. that i can know what is going on at practices and games, what is going on with his head. it's a way to help people in the - the coach's and teams and the leagues understanding what is going on, and the impact this can have with kids. >> with information like this, maybe we are moving in the direction where we can get people to say, "hey, do you know what, maybe they can hit only one day a week." and when they do, maybe at half speed. not a full speed. >> officials liken in program to

a pitch count for the brain. it insists that it is part of the process. schools, athletic directors, can be involved in making youth sports safer for athletes. >> new york city is kicking off super bowl week sw a light show. the empire state building will be the canvas for the social media driven spectacle. ev every night verizon is posting a question and it will be displayed on the iconic light show. >> there's a new deputy sheriff in down, danny ackroyd. the actor and comedian asked to join the department. he joined two agencies for 16 years before acting. >> a growing number of television watchers are cutting

the cord, cancelling cable and relying on less expensive sources for viewing pleasure. brian rooney takes a closer look at changing tv habits. >> the television is still there in the living room. it works, but not the way it used to. matthew and his wife took a look at the cable bill and decided to cut the cord. >> i felt like i needed to save money, and that was a cost i could cut. >> the family watches television. they dedepend upon a distribution box and other devices to watch streaming services on demand. they are a growing class. >> we can stream the latest shows. we can see everything we want there at a fraction of the price. i mean, i think we are paying $8 a month. >> the ac nielsen ratings company says people 18-49 that advertisers want to reach are watching on hour less of

traditional television a week than they did a year ago. at the same time they are watching more video entertainment. they can watch on a variedy of devices, on a tab the at the kitchen table. television has come a long way. >> the audience is no longer interested in showing up at 8 o'clock to watch a piece of television. so if that becomes true, more and more content will sit on servers and be offered up to you whenever you want it on whatever device you want, wherever you are. >> the television audience appears to undergo a shift changing how entertainment is delivered. roughly 5 million cable and satellite subscribers disappeared within of the last five years. research firms say television subscrigess dropped 6%, and streaming services grew by 4%. >> americans are abandoning

their linear television for streaming services like hulu, netflix, amazon prime and youtube. >> a growing number of younger viewers never paid for a cable or satellite service and possibly never l. >> they come out of college, they get their first home and decide thet don't need cable and satellite service, they don't want to pay $120 a month. >> for mat, the downside is the lack of live sports and news. otherwise there's a wide world of watching and clever ways to hook it up. he cut the cord, he didn't throw away the remote. >> an estimated 5 million people ended their cable and broadband internet subscriptions between the beginning of 2010 and the end of last year. that'll do it for this edition of al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton in new york. we always have news at the top

of every hour. we have special coverage of tuesday's state of union address, starting at 6:00 pm eastern and the president's speech live at 9 o'clock. thanks for watching. >> hi, i'm lisa fletcher, and you are in the stream. egreats are an unregulated -- e-cigarettes are an unregulated $1.5 billion industry. how safe are they? >> our digital producer is here bringing you the live feed back for the show. there's a lot of good scugs. people are a