is. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. five days but no signs of flight 370 as crews increase the search area. ukraine's prime minister vets the white house as president obama said we stand with ukraine. and a powerful explosion destroys buildings in new york city killing two people.

>> five days after malaysia airlines flight 370 vanished in mid flight there is still no sign of the plane or the 239 people on board. today the search area was expa expanded to 36 mouse square mile36,000 square miles,the siz. with no notes of distress they say they are not sure of the direction was heading in when it disappeared. jonathan betz with more on this massive search effort. >> reporter: sobering news. a lot of contents and a lot of misinformation about this missing jetliner. it was last seen in the gulf of thailand about 1:30 in the morning yesterday the m the maln government said that they picked

up the plane on radar in strait of malaka. the plane could have made a sharp turn over the country. but there is no evidence that have. the strait of malaka picked up radar of the plane but no one is sure if it's the missing jet. if the transponders had been working it would have automatic identified itself to these military radars but it did not do that. and they need help with the information, so the united states is helping to see if the radar did pick up the jet. no one knows. 27,000 square nautical miles roughly the size of indiana now. more than 80 ships and planes have joined in the search. a dozen countries including india began searching at sea but

again confusion and miscommunication are clearly becoming factors in this search. both vietnam and china have expressed frustration in the handling of the search. vietnam so frustrated it has pulled back its search. no one knows where they should be looking. >> i'm trying to understand the confusion and lines of miscommunication. is there is sense that malaysia, the military arm of the government knows more about what is happening here than it's letting on? that is material to this case? >> yes, we didn't know that the military had picked up an unidentified plane until yesterday. families are asking why was that the no clearly identified. there was confusion whether it picked up the missing plane or some other plane, that's still unclear. and in is concern from china and

vietnam that malaysia does not know what it's doing and coordinating the search well. >> just not handling it well in terms of coordination, or the entire effort. >> the entire effort. >> maria? >> reporter: crowd sourcing is when information is gathered by the public, people like you and me. in this case a company called digital clone pointed tw satello of it's slightlie satellites on. you can see this looks like just a cloud and water, but when you zoom in, you may be able to see something that is floating on the water. they're asking people to go through thousands and thousands of and thousands of these tiles and volunteers from all over the world had been combing through these maps. take a look at what some people have found.

so canadian maven writes after tearing astaring at so much oces always a shock to come across something big. this looks like an oil rig. this looks like a ship. louisa said found two boats very close together. now you also have mike, and he found this, and he took a screen shot of what he found. >> what is that? >> this right here, well, some people are todaying it could be boats close together, not quite sure yet. and this is juno looking for missing plane. anyone know what this is? now the company has an algorithm so tags that are close together they'll be focusing on those areas. and then would this be an oil slick? people are tweeting directly to

tom, sending the tags they have been finding. now the object that people spot may not be anything, but at least you're putting more eyes on possible clues, and the website has been receiving over 100,000 page views per minute. >> you know, for me it highlights what a kind of needle in a haystack search. the ocean is so vast and wide that we're talking about here. i don't know. >> reporter: it is. >> it helps to get as many eyes on it as possible, but boy that is a vast area, 36,000 square miles. family members of passengers onn the missing plane say they feel helpless as they wait for any news on the fate of their loved ones. the family of an australian man rod burrows. >> just disappeared off the planet of the earth. if we could just find some wreckage or something, it would be a help, probably. but not this.

>> well, malaysia air ways has offered to fly the passengers' families to malaysia, but they don't plan to go there because there is no point in going there at the moment. the airline said it deployed 94 caregivers to beijing. and another 18 caregivers has since been sent to the chinese capitol. malaysia airlines said it's also paying for costs incurred by families including flights, hotel rooms and meals. diplomatic efforts to end the crisis in ukraine took center stage in washington. president obama met with the ukraine prime minister at the white house, and secretary of state kerry said he'll meet with russia's foreign minister on friday. mike viqueira, was there anything more to this meeting

other than highly visible, highly symbolic support of ukraine? >> reporter: we should not run that down because that is important when given all the geodiplomacy that has been going on over the course of the last two weeks. we will never surrender, dramatic words coming from the ukrainian prime minister yatsenyuk. it was amplified because it did come from the oval office in a bilateral meeting with president obama. president obama said the message to russia is the west will be forced to apply a cost. if moscow does not change course. a lot of saying about that referendum that is happening on sunday in crimea where citizens of crimea will vote to join russia or stay in ukraine. united states has called it illegal as top ally but all

sides pointing to that. secretary of state john kerry announced he'll be going to london two days hence to meet with his russian counterpart sergey lavrov. they said there woul this meetit be taking place if there were not concrete steps taken. here's what he had to say. >> we will offer certain choices to prime minister lavrov and president putin and to russia with hopes, and i think the hopes of the world, that we will be able to find a way forward that defuses this. >> now after his oval office appearance the interim prime minister came out to the white house driveway, answered questions of reporters. his basic message he believes there are chances that russians

to pull back but it's totally unacceptable to have russian boots on ukrainian soil. >> as the ukrainian prime minister made his round, german chancellor angela merkel said that ukraine and the european union could sign a trade agreement next week. and they were able to visit facilities in eastern ukraine. nick schifrin joins us now from si mferopol in crimea, they're having to make day-to-day decisions, stay or go decisions. >> reporter: it is absolutely stay or go time. you talk about the european monitor who is are now in ukraine, finely. they're very important. u.s. said the only diplomatic solution is based on u.n. or

european monitors here. but in reality on the ground a lot of people here are saying too little too late. let's go through the list. the border controlled by russian troops and pro russian militias. the airport controlled by pro russian troops and pro russian militias, and guess who is checking bags at the train station? pro russian militias. people are beginning to leave. we saw huge crowds outside of the train station waiting for the train for kiev. i talked to two young women who said we're crimean tatars, they told me, people whose grandparents were deported by self yet leadership in the 1940s. they came back 30 years ago. this young generation fears that history could repeat itself and they're leaving again. many are deciding to go with the

flow and say well, i used to have businesses that were ukrainian. now i'll get a russian passport and i'll sell to russians. we've seen the tipping point anything we're talking about in washington or europe, frankly people on the ground here believe this peninsula is four days from secession. >> and nick, as we talk about the referendum that is coming up on sunday, that is a forgone conclusion in terms of the outcome of that for the people who are making these decisions to go at this point. they see this as a situation where the vote is going to come in, and there is going to be a closer alignment to russia whether it's as an independent state or as a part annexed, if you will, by russia? >> reporter: yes, as one person put it to me, the referendum on sunday there is a choice. joining russia now or joining russia later. there is a sense that this is already done. whatever the end game is for

vladimir putin, certainly crimea will be in the russian orbit, and people are scrambling to figure out whether to leave or join the crowd and become more russia, even if they don't want to. and that puts the west in a bind. the majority of crimeans are expected to vote to join russia. kiev won't acknowledge it. obama won't acknowledge it. europe won't acknowledge it. they haven't been willing to oust all of the russian troops so far. they haven't managed to figure out any diplomatic solution with russia. russia is playing all the cards right now. on monday morning we'll wake up to crimea having voted to join russia in some capacity, and they'll have to figure out how far they're willing to go to pull that back. >> nick schifrin for us. thank you. more than a dozen people are still unaccounted for after an explosion that leveled a building in new york city. two people were killed and two

dozen more were injured. look at these pictures. morgan radford is at the scene for us at east harlem, new york. what's the latest? >> reporter: that's right, i'm standing now in spanish harlem where you can get a great view of what is happening and the thick smoke in the air. there is plumes of thick smoke behind me. people are wearing masks like this to protect them. they're standing on the corner and calling their loved ones. the families that lived in this building that was flattened at 9:30 by that explosion, they said they could smell it, and they made reports as recently at tuesday and weeks ago about in noxious smell that was in the air. let's take a listen to what some of them had to say. >> a little girl, she is just saying help. she's full of blood. >> reporter: she was full of

blood? where was she? >> she was outside of the body. when the building blew up she blew out of the building. >> reporter: you saw her on the sidewalk? >> yes, we just, with the blanket and everything. >> reporter: now tony, that was alex, who is a construction workinworker who was working acs the street. he heard the boom, scrambled across the street, saved as many as four people. and he had this one little girl that you just heard him talking about. she was covered with blood, and he used a blanket to move her further from the scene. this is a tight community. you have a lot of spanish immigrants, this is a puerto rican hub as well. people are confused, and trying to figure out why weathe what c. fire officials were notified and

some came up to this building and they tried to prop open the roof to air out the building to get rid of this noxious smell. >> you're absolutely right. they've been reporting this smell of gas, this noxious odor, and con edison, the power company that services new york city, was actually en route to the building, but just didn't get there in time. didn't get there ahead of the explosion, correct? >> reporter: that's right, tony. con edison said they didn't hear any reports until today, wednesday, but they said they dispatched a truck two minutes after they received a call, but once they got here it was too late. one was a piano repair shop. the other was a church that had been around for as many as 70 years. there were 33 residential units in these buildings that were five stories high. people are still standing

outside of the corners confused and worried. people who were trying to help the survivors were so shaken up they couldn't speak. >> how far away are you from the worst of the air quality. a lot of people are wearing these masks, and i'm wondering what does it feel like, smell like, and should you have this mask on? >> reporter: i should probably have this mask on, tony, but i wanted to talk to you clearly, so i took it off. yes, air quality is thick. there is a lot of pollution behind me. >> we're done, put the mask back on. appreciate it. >> reporter: all right, i will, thank you so much. >> a strong weather system is making it's way east and with it temperatures will plummet. some areas could see a 50-degree temperature drop in the next 36 hours. dave warren is tracking this system. well, it's been beautiful the last couple of days. >> meteorologist: it sure has. it's not just some areas, it's a huge area that will see this huge temperature drop. there is a front moving through.

68 down to 38. that's the temperature drop. this front is pushing east right through western virginia and north carolina and into virginia. these storms are pushing east damaging wind as they move through, and they're racing. here is the weather system responsible for this. you have the warm air to the south and there is the snow all the way up to new england. now there is the heavy snow. the strong storms we showed you on the radar. they're pushing through from west to east. once this clears out over the next 12 hours you see the wind pick up. that direction changes and that's that cold wind coming in. that pushes the temperatures down maybe as quickly as 24 hours. the storms will track through pennsylvania. it's warmer as the temperatures climb read of this low, but behind it can could quickly drop. and you could see everything freeze quickly. that looks to be possible along new england on top of that you're getting snow coming down.

50-degree temperature drop in 12 hours. when you factor in the wind it could feel like this tomorrow morning. 10 to 20 degrees below zero with the wind chill. you wilyou will feel that. that is a big drop in the jet stream. >> meteorologist: there is a lot going on. >> thank you. coming up on al jazeera america democrats may be getting a little nervous as we get closer to the normal elections. we'll explore why. and president obama said to increase over time pay, but could it actually hurt workers.

>> arizona governor january brewer said she will not seek a third term in office. this was during a speech at a school near phoenix. brewer game governor after janet any pal tanapolitano resigned. brewer talked about how to figure out a way around it. there are fewer than 8 months

until the november elections, the mid terms that will decide which parties control the house, and senate confidence is growing and democrats are becoming increasingly nervous. >> reporter: there was a special election for congressional seat yet in florida. a lot of political analysts across the spectrum suggested this could be because of the money and the impact that a lot of people in this particular district, it could an bell weather for the fall midterm elections and today democrats are depressed, and republicans are feeling exuberant. >> reporter: in a special congressional election tuesday in florida it was not the outcome democrats had expected. >> folks in this room tonight and out there on tv, we want this. >> reporter: republicans david jolly, washington lobbyist and first time political candidate narrowly beat alec sink, a respected lawmaker her party considered strong.

>> i have spoken with him and congratulated him in a hard fought campaign. >> reporter: in this swing district a campaign of bipartisanship and getting along. jolly, recently divorced, put her allegiance to obama. >> she supports obamacare. we need someone to look out for our interests, not president obama. >> reporter: it worked and when there is a good match up and plenty of money, the party may be in trouble. the latest nba news wall street journal suggests 41% approve of president obama's handling of his job.

54% disapprove, and 48% are less likely to support a solid obama supporter. the public perceptions about obamacare. so ever since the state of the union in january the president has been trying to move the focus by luring republicans into a debate over working class wages. >> americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty. >> reporter: on thursday the president is expected to issue an executive order expanding under federal law the number of americans entitled to over time pay. the action will help millions of salaried workers who manage banks, convenient stores and fast-food restaurants. emphasizing wages, obamacare will not be easy. and their election fortune will

hinge on making that pivot. republicans feel confident that they can keep democrats boxed in on obamacare just as they did in florida. >> thank you. >> on wall street stocks recouping losses. the dow falling by the close. but just a little over 11 points. still it is the index's third negative day in a row weighing on investors aminds is the signs of slow down on china's committee. president obama plans to issue an executive order tomorrow forcing companies to pay more over time to millions of employees. rick newman is here to talk about that, a columnist with yahoo finance. good to see you again. the plan here is to raise the pay threshold for over name workers. right now workers paying less

than $450 a week qualify for over time. what is your throughout on this. is it time to raise that thresh old? >> president obama feels it is. he points out this number has not been raised in something like ten years. it has fallen behind inflation. you know, at the same time a lot of people haven't gotten raises. we all know how tough the job market is. the idea is to raise that threshold perhaps double it or maybe even go higher than that, obama has not said what threshold he would choose. that detail will come later. but if you raise the threshold than suddenly a lot of more people willallify for ove will r time. if employer continue to give the same number of hours, that's not a given, but if that continues these people would get paid time and a half when they're getting paid the full time rate right

now. >> if you keep in mind that the original purpose of the over time was to makeover time pay more expensive for companies, thus creating this incentive for employers to spread the work around among more workers. i'm wondering if--when the president signs this, could the impact be that this could be a jobs creator? >> i suppose it could an jobs creator. i don't think that's the intend, nor is the intent to necessarily force companies to pay more, but the intent is to put more money in workers' pockets. but if you own a company, and small business was be more likely to think this way than big business, but if you're a company owner you want to do everything you can to minimize your labor cost. you have somebody on payroll now who works, 55, 50 hours and they work at the regular full-time

rate, they don't get any extra rate for those extra hours. suddenly 10 hours a week goes into the bottom line of the company, you might want to look around and spread this work around so i'm not paying overtime. it may make sense to dial this person back and take on a part timer, there is usually not an one-size fits all answer in the way that companies will enact something like this. it might help some people. they might get more over time pay. some people might get no additional pay, they'll get a few more hours to themselves. we might see more part-time hiring. i don't think this will lead to a lot of full-time jobs. >> rick newman is with us. columnist with yahoo finance. >> thank you. >> a crackdown on protests in turkey. police are using tear gas and

water canons to break up crowds, who want the prime minister to step down. and toxic trouble, word of nuclear waste likes in washington that have the state and federal government at odds.

>> police in two of turkey's largest cities use tear gas and water canons to break up protests calling for the prime minister to step down. prime minister erdogan called to break up the protests. it was because of a boy who was hit in the head with tear gas during protests last year. >> reporter: the protests that

began in june last year that became known as the protests and then became about almost anything other than trees in a park were never resolved. instead circumstances have fed into them because we saw just as we thought the angry over the protests, the protests might have died down, but the corruption investigation that went right to the heart of the government in december of last year, and those who are opposed to the ruling party and it's strong support feel that that corruption investigation has been muzzled and impeded by actions of the government. the fact that this 15-year-old boy has died after nine months in a coma as a result of injuries he sustained in the original protest is just really a lightening conductor for the very, very strong emotions that are swirling around turkey, the

prime minister has said again and again if people object to the way he's running the country, if people have a better alternative, they should take that sentiment and that intention to the ballot box and do it through democratic means. >> joining us now is the acting director of the foreign policy project at the bipartisan policy center. good to see you. >> good afternoon. >> and makand maybe you can make sense of this, but you have two anti-erdogan movements going on. the protest over the scandals, are these movements moving into one large throw the bombs out movement in turkey? >> you're right there are two

issues here. one is really a question of elite begins the rule. it's an attempt by the governing coalition to discredit him, and then the protests. but the one thing tying them all together is the prime minister erdogan and his heavy-handed response in tempt to grab ever more power. when we do see th the the dissee may see more. >> is the threat of erdogan at the moment, the di the the di d. they have information that

they've been leaking about the alleged corruption, and they're the ones who seem intent on pushing him out as opposed to these protests that die up, die down, start up again, but don't have a discrete political alternative that they're pushing. >> so turks are going to the ballot box, the elections at the end of this month. we were talking about the infighting within his party, but at the polls people have a voice in all this. it will start at the end of the month. i know we're talking about local elections but will it tell us anything about public opinions surrounding this government and prime minister? >> only if we see the ruling patriot receive a lower percentage of the vote than we expect. but because prime minister erdogan won't be on the ballot, this won't be about him or his rule.

>> do you think it's the long-term affect inside the party that is causing the threat. i know there is a series of elections coming up. >> reporter: that's right. i think it will start after these local elections. after the elections prime minister erdogan will start positioning himself for presidential election in august, or parliamentary elections if he decides to stay on as prime minister next year. we'll see him cracking down even more. he doesn't like to deal with protesters, and he seems to crackdown. the question is, is he going to be more like vladimir putin or d handle the di dissent or more le viktor yanukovych, running out. >> you hit on something, there have been these bills tracking users and calling on the most recent protests undemocratic, is this a way to try to cap this

growing movement to, try to clip it at the knees here? and in doing so is he confirming the view of many that he's a rising authoritarian? >> that's right. that's the fear that many turks have and many in the european union and washington and those witwatching right now have. it's the crackdown. it was a crackdown on protesters. it's the crackdown now on social media on people who are attempting to attend the funeral of the boy that was killed. >> yes. >> blaze, the director of the bipartisan policy center. thank you. in libya the government said the navy has lost contact with an oil tanker loaded with oil

from a rebel-held port. they deified central government and filled a ship flying a north korean flag early w earlier thi. in syria state tv shows president bashar al-assad making his first public appearance since august. he was shown visiting a suburb of the capitol on the front line of the civil war. he visited shelters of displaced people who lost their homes in the fighting between government and opposition. some refugees forced to leave behind theirs life, building a future is a constant struggle. malcolm web reports from the refugee camp in the d.r.c. >> thesthey now live in the repc

of congo. it's crowded and hard to imagine that they could learn much, but for the community of nearly 10,000 living here this is all they have. the school is basic. the walls are made of bamboo. the floor is made of earth and benches made of wood and plastic sheeting. this is the only education available here. there is no secondary school nearby. the camp is in an isolated location. the first functioning university is five kilometers from here. most of the refugees came from bagui. a thousand of them were studying at the university before the conflict. we met a group of students. they're all frustrated that their degrees and life plans have been disrupted. >> we can't just stay here. we can do nothing.

if we can continue our studies we can get our jobs and help our country. >> reporter: many of them demanded the u.n. send them to universities in other countries. there is simply not enough resources for that. instead the u.n. is building an internet cafe. it won't be the same as higher education, but there is not even a mobile phone signal here. the cafe will provide some connection to the outside world. >> i think the refugees are dreaming to return back to their country, but how they will return back without being well-educated. we are doug our best to provide for them a civil cafe. until the computers arrive there is still no communication here. people with family in other camps cannot contact them. and there are no formal jobs.

people do what they can to make a living. there are fewer opportunities here but it's not safe back home. malcolm web, the democratic republic of congo. >> a nuclear waste dump outside of seattle where two employees were fired. now there is word that it is leaking. >> reporter: that's right. leaking or still leaking, however you want to put it. the cleanup work at the enor husband hanford reservation in eastern washington has been going on for a quarter of a century now. very difficult, tremendous successes along the way. a lot of challenges and still a lot of different opinions of how to handle this stuff, what to do

with it, where to put it. >> reporter: in the wide open spaces where the first plutonium processers were build attention focuses again on one buried waste tank. it has leaked before, and the federal department of energy said it now has found radiotive waste in a new spot. mike geffery knows that tank known as ay 1 oh 602. >> ay 102, if we put it's contents right there, by the start of the interview we would be dead right now. >> reporter: geffery worked 27 year monitoring the waste tanks. he quit after a dispute over what the public was told about the situation. he's not surprised more material has leaked or by reports six

more double walled tanks could be at risk for similar problems. >> we're running out of time. >> this 587,000-square-foot site with plumes of contaminated ground water. older tanks have leaked for years. the biggest concern the health of the colombia river whose waters were used to cool nine nuclear reactors. signs representing cleaned up waste sites hang on a fence proof of progress. and plans to dealing with it has state and federal government at odds. >> to receive a plan that indicates that preparations and pumping would not begin for two years at the earliest is a

concern for us. >> reporter: but federal regulators say there is no current threat to public safety. monitoring has been increased, and they weren't surprised to find more leakage either. >> we're really talking about most likely a stress relief or potential for a stress relief corrosion or weld with a small crack. >> reporter: whistle blower mike geffery sees more problems. >> the inner tank is breaking down. >> reporter: what's the longer time range for this kind of clean up? the government estimation is by 2019 they would have a plant built for classifying the nuclear waste, stabilizing it in glass rods so it can be easily stored and tracked, and by 2047 they would be done with the worst of the waste at hanford, but those dates are very much in question even though the doe

officially is saying they're still trying to meet those deadlines. >> a louisiana man, amazing story here, who was on death row is now out of prison. maria has that and more stories across america. >> reporter: in louisiana an innocent man who spent 26 years on death row is now free. 64-year-old was released from prison after being convicted of killing a jeweler.

according to the security and exchange, he knew bank would fail. rachel has moved back home after having lived with friend and family. last week the judge ruled against the teen's bid for her parents to pay her school and support. in another new jersey court case women ruled that women with block baby's fathers based on privacy. but it was argued over the phone while rebecca was giving birth to her daughter. she wanted to ban the baby's father from being at the birth. she did allow her estranged fiancé to visit with his daughter later on. >> i guess i understand that. if you're estranged.

>> the judge said it could cause stress. >> who is pretty stressed at the moment. >> that's an understatement. >> maria, thank you. coming up on al jazeera america the fda approves what it calls the strongest painkiller yet, but there are some serious concerns that it may lead to abuse. and an influx of new jobs thanks to the marijuana industry. only one man was convicted of the attack >> the major difficulty for the prosecution, that there was no evidence... >> now a three year al jazeera investigation, reveals a very different story about who was responsible >> they refuse to look into this... >> so many people at such a high level had a stake in al megrahi's guilt. lockerbie: what really happened? on al jazeera america

>> legalized marijuana could soon become one of the fastest growing industries in the united states. now that almost half of the states in the country have allowed sales of the drug and including the fact that marijuana use is still a federal crime, there is a growing demand for professionals and entrepreneurs. here is the story.

>> reporter: consider this denver emporium a candy factory for all things marijuana. licensed gonja connoisseurs. elixirs offers more than 100 green edibles for medicinal and recreation use. >> we've been doubling our head count year over year. today we have 44 full-time team members. >> reporter: and it's expected to double again in the next year since colorado began legal sales of recreational marijuana in january business of the elickseelixirsincreased. so-called green rush is

attracting workers like john chambers, a logistics manager who packages all the product. >> i would never have imagined the number of opportunities that exist here. >> reporter: and there are new opportunities popping up every day. since cal first legalized medical marijuana two decades ago 19 states have followed suit. today there are roughly 45,000 full time employees working at dispensaries like this. >> we keep hiring more and more people as we grow. we have different departments that we need to fill positions for. >> reporter: as this dispensary in los angeles the jobs include bud tenners. licensed consultants who advice customers about different marijuana strengths. there are security guards. and sous chef grind up all the

cannabis used in gourmet edibles. demand is so high in these states there are website devoted specifically to the industry. >> when you get in with patients and marijuana and how it benefits people medicinally it's a particular skill set and you have to find people who are educated with. >> reporter: cannabis investors and entrepreneurs say pot sales could reach up to $10 billion in five years and dixie elixirs are preparing for that. they're investing in a new 30,000-square-foot facility to keep up with demand. al jazeera, los angeles. >> the strongest painkiller yet, the food and drug administration has just aproved zihydro. many are concerned about the abuse of the drug. jacob ward joins us from san francisco. jake, we know that the addiction

to painkillers is a problem, but how big of a problem is it? >> reporter: well, it's really quite out of control, and from pharmacies to the street corners this new drug reaches the spectrum of deeper addiction or worse. for johnny lorenz who runs an exchange in san francisco, the difference between heroin and oxycontin is just the difference between availability and cost. >> i know a lot of people who started using oxycontin, but because costs are prohibitive started using heroin. >> food and drug administration approved zohydro, a painkiller ten sometimes stronger than vicodin. this week the medication will begin to reach patients. the centers for disease control

describes prescription opennoid abuse as an epidemic. philip seymour hoffman was originally given pain medication for back pain. >> even though this has been getting worse over the last 15 years the ane analgesic have ben making it easier, not harder, but easier to make these drugs available. >> reporter: in a statement it said: . >> acetaminophen, the active

ingredient in tylenol has been known to cause liver damage. >> there is no need for zohydro, but the truth is we have many opioid formulations already on the market that have no tylenol in them. >> other fissions believe that it can bring life-changing relief from chronic pain. >> it's no more addictive than the current preparations that we have, no more addictive than the other agents that we have, and there are lots of people who for a whatever reason can't tolerate what we have, and for whom hyd hydrocodone works best. >> reporter: but there is concern that a medication that can be overdosed on two only pills.

and. >> there is no more oxycontin being sold on the streets any more. it's the generic. zohydro is a generic and it's in the same family. >> you know, the linear relationship between the rates of prescription for this drug and rates of abuse and deaths makes many wonder why it's on the market. >> is there any way of overturning the fda's approval of this? >> it's very difficult to overturn them. people even in the obama administration are talking about this, and one of the drug's competitors say they're going to release a more abuse-resistant version of this. >> thank you. job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong...

>> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america

the stream is uniquely interactive television. we depend on you, >> you are one of the voices of this show. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> the stream. on al jazeera america and join the conversation online @ajamstream. >> we have a look at today's top stories. developing news in the search for that missing malaysia airlines flight. china says three more images

reportedly show floating objects in a satellite image and they may belong to the missing plane, but no official word on what these images are and what they may show. this comes five days after flight 370 vanished mid flight with 329 people on board. the search has expanded to an area the size of indiana. officials say the last message from the plane was "all right, good night." more on the satellite images as soon as we get it. the first high level meeting between president obama and ukraine's interim prime minister is happening or has happened. they met a while ago at the white house. secretary kerry said he'll travel to london to meet with russian foreign minister lavrov.

and. naval forces from the u.s. bulgaria are running exercises in the black sea and said they won't recognize sunday's referendum on crimea. more news in the next hour. >> the acts ukrainian prime minister is in washington to see the president. what can he ask for in the way of help and what can he expect to get? that's the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez.