welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. the rescue appears to be returning to recovery in washington state. the president meeting with u.s. ally saudi arabia, iran and syria said to be at the top of the list, and the families of those missing on missing airline 370 making a statement by

walking out on officials. it is raining at this hour in washington state and that could complicate the search efforts there. crews continue to dig through the debris. now the victims are being identified, a grandmother, a native veteran, a high school custodian, and librarian. sabrina is in arlington, washington, where a press conference is getting underway. and they are warning everyone the death toll will rise sharply. >> yes, we heard that last night in their press briefing that the numbers could significantly rise, and there is a press briefing underway right now as we speak. the official death toll standings at 17, but, again, more than 90 remain missing or unaccounted for.

this is still a rescue operation, not a recovery operation, so they have held off on digging in big equipment like bulldozers, and instead are using hands and shovels, anything that could sift through the debris looking for any survivors, although officials acknowledge there is a slim chance of finding anyone. meanwhile we are hearing from survivors from saturday's slide. and one survivor described what she heard and saw moments before the slide. >> at first we heard a roar. i thought maybe there was a 747 or something going down. it was so loud. we looked out the window and there was a gigantic wall of mud racing across the valley. i think it must have been going 150 miles an hour, and all i could say was oh my god, and

then it hut us. >> her searcher has been in a helicopter searching, taking part in the rescue operation, and rescued youngblood as well as a friend who was with her. >> we can see the rain behind you, the weather now making things worse. >> yeah, the weather has been quite miserable right now. it's really picked up. it was letting up this morning, hardly anything was falling, but now it's coming down steadily, and forecasted pretty stormy weather including possible thunderstorms throughout the weekend, so this has already been a challenging search with mud and debris. and the weather makes it even more difficult. >> sabrina, thank you.

the president is on the ground in saudi arabia at this hour meeting with the king. they will discuss a number of topics, including the crisis in ukraine, iran and syria. patty culhane hah more. >> reporter: lot has changed since 2009 when president obama received this warm welcome. if of his decisions have since angered saudis. calling for mubarak to step down, negotiating with iran, and then threatening to act against bashar al-assad, and then changing his mind. all leading the saudis to question the president's credibility. the prince said quote . . .

the president's job on this second visit, to restore that trust. experts say although the u.s. is importing significantly less oil, the saudis still have leverage. it's their place in the oil market. because what happens is the audis are the ones who have the app -- capacity to expand and contract production. >> reporter: the saudis feel increasingly concerned about its place in the region. >> the saudis are worried that the united states and iran may have sort of detente, and that iran will take the place of saudi arabia in the middle east.

>> reporter: he president is expected to send the message that the decade's old relationship will still be solid in the region. today ousted ukrainian president viktor yanukovych calling for more parts of ukraine to succeed and join russia. this crisis also has western powers worried about europe's dependance on gas and oil. corporate interests can be out of sync with foreign pollty. patricia sabga reports. the russian president awarding exxon mobil ceo the order of friendship in june 2013. a picture of cooperation that continues dispipe escalating

tensions. since 2011, exxon mobil has substantially strengthened its ties with russia. inking deals to jointly build a liquified natural gas plants, and a joint $3.2 billion project to hunt for oil in the black sea. the majority of the deal financed by exxon, and access to potentially billions of dollars of oil. >> basically exxon is going to russia because of opportunities there. and russia wants exxon, because we believe that exxon can bring something that russia does not have. or russia needs more oil. >> reporter: and it gives them a foothold in the west for exploration rights in the gulf of mexico. the exxon mobil deal are poised

to enhance the relationship regardless of foreign policy restrictions. >> we can disagree on politics, and everything else, but we're here to do business. >> reporter: according to the book, the company's former ceo once said, quote . . . when asked whether the crisis in ukraine would bolster the project, they cold al jazeera quote . . . a public stance that may not support the white house by may make washington's job easier now. so far u.s. sanctions have steered clear of russia's energy sector, but if they were to change the partnership could be in the cross hairs. that's not to say exxon mobil

would necessarily lose out. >> let's say this crisis gets worse that means there is more pressure on engive markets, which means higher prices and more revenue for exxon. to that missing malaysian airliner now, most of the passengers on board are chinese national, and their relatives have been critical of the way malaysia has handled the situation. >> reporter: the messages were personal. one speaks of a mother's cooking being the best. another reveals a waiting marriage proposal and engagement ring. all addressed to missing people who were on board flight 370, and now their personal grief and anger have become a national issue. china, malaysia cooperation

has not only benefited our people but also conducive to regional stability. >> reporter: the chinese president's visit to malaysia last october was meant to strengthen the relationship. bilateral trade was worth $106 billion u.s. dollars last year, and is expected to go up by 50% by 2017. but that is not the only reason the chinese government wants to keep relations stable. >> translator: china will want to keep malaysia as a good neighboring country. >> reporter: but many people here are already calling for a boycott of all things malaysian. chinese tourists are the third largest group of visitors to

malaysia. that number is expected to drop by 20%. they feel the way malaysia handled information showed a lot of respect and understanding not just towards them, but china as a whole. chinese officials allowed a rare show of public emotion. they want the go to do something more to punish malaysia. >> there is public pressure coming from within china itself, and the really revealing thing about this story is not so much the nature of the relations between malaysia and china, but between the governments themselves. >> reporter: it can't be seen not to take the side of its people, but it always doesn't want to risk undermining a relationship with malaysia.

two people were killed in kabul. a suicide bomber blowing through the gates. afghanistan is holding its presidential elections next week. nato is getting a new heard. he will take over in october. the former prime minister of norway will replace the secretary general. many with mental health illnesses are now finding the doors closed. tom akerman has more. >> reporter: kathy says she underthe meaning of helplessness as she watched her son struggle with schizophrenia. >> he felt like i'm doing fine now. i'm taking my medication. i'm doing great. and that's when he quit taking

it. >> reporter: that's when she learned that he could no longer be held against his will. in the state of virginia, such a person must be released within just six hours. >> doors were slammed in my face every which i turned because family members have no right. >> reporter: it partly explains why so many seriously mentally ill people live on the streets. this was how public mental hospitals used to be proer traded and enlightened and humane. >> all gathereded together in a modern mental institution. >> reporter: however accurate the description, the u.s. today has the same ratio of is psych at rick bed to population as it did back in the mid-19th

century. there were only 35,000 beds in 2012 in new york city. this is one of hundreds of hospitals that are no longer in operation across the nation. many must now turn to a network of community mental health centers for their medical, housing and other needs. but after $4 billion in mental health budget cuts those centers are short of psychiatrists, and many critics say they are unsuited to the task. >> they don't handle people who think the fbi is talking through their teeth. you can throw all of the money in the world at those centers, and it is not going to take care of the population. >> reporter: most private facilities won't accept patients without insurance. in the wake of a gunman's murder of 26 school children, many states have begun to restore

money for mental health services. but those fighting for fundamental changes say society musz still learn to deal with illnesses of the mind as it does with any physical injury. and when we come back on al jazeera america, ahead of local elections in turkey, the youth say they will speak out.

"young turks" voting for the first time in sunday elections are still angry about the ban on youtube in twitter in their country. many believe they will express their feelings at the ballot box. >> reporter: these people come from different parts of turkey but they have all moved to istanbul to study at the university. they are activists of the republican's people's party. on sunday they will vote for the first time in their life.

>> i think liberties [ inaudible ]? turkey. >> over6 million young people will be eligible to vote, many of them students. and although under the cur recollect government, the number of universities increased from 76 to 175 and tuition fees strapped at all state universities, some students are still unhappy, a large part of that is due to the government's reaction to the protests last june. >> translator: the youth were united over freedom. it was a movement that started to protect the trees and went all the way to the protection of individual freedom. >> reporter: this is a professor of sociology, she believes the park protests and restrictions on social media sites will effect how young people vote. >> as you look at the characteristics of these young voters they are from the digital

generation, they use digital to interact, and they are well-informed. >> reporter: this park has in many ways become a symbol for many of turkey's youth. it stands testament to how that party has been curving freedoms and liberty in turkey. but supporters say it's an example of how the opposition has been more interested in rioting than economic development. >> amock those supporters are these people. they volunteer in their spare time campaigning, preparing election material, and organizing ahead of sunday's polls. >> translator: in turkey the opposition needs to learn that you can't get anywhere with violence. >> reporter: this is another activist, she says the acquisitions that the government are limiting personal freedoms are goungdless. >> translator: our freedoms are not being limited. we are free.

everyone is free. >> reporter: on the ground, the candidates are trying to win over both young and old. it's a charm offensive, they hope will secure the kind of victory they. but to do that they need the youth singing to the same tune as theirs. ♪ solid gains for stocks after two straight days of losses. the dough claiming to 125 points right now, following encouraging report on consumer spending boosting the market. blackberry reporting a smaller than expected loss in the last quarter. the ceo's company says the company's turn around plan is on track, and expects blackberry to stop losing money by this time last year. the invaes gags has been closed into tesla cars.

some batteries caught fire. officials say the new measures should reduce risks of more fires. gm has decided to stop selling the chevy cruise. gm is not saying why, but stop sales usually have to do with safety issues. toyia also announcing a recall of 119,000 avalon, toyota also warning that seat belts could do the same. toyota says there has been one minor injury, but no accidents that have been linked to the program. and we have a programming note for you. tonight in "real money," ali velshi will be in phoenix looking into immigration and how it effects any economy. that's right here on al jazeera america.

when we come back, the problem of homelessness expanding f expanding far beyond big cities.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are your headlines at this hour. two people are dead in afghanistan after the taliban attacked a building in kabul. a suicide bomber helped the attackers get in. the official death toll in oso, washington still stands at 17. that number, though, is expected to increase later today. it started to rain earlier, and that will only make things worse. the former president of ukraine, viktor yanukovych calling for all of the regions in ukraine to hold referendums to separate

from ukraine and join russia. sabrina kilpatrick has been homeless since she was 15. and she lives in rural maine. he spent a day with her. >> it's basically a transitional living. some people come in here. they are basically a stray dog. they come in long enough to get their wounds healed and then they leave. >> a lot of people here are homeless because of a conflict. and they are being asked to leave their homes or sometimes they choose to run away. >> my mom isn't a parent. she never has been. she's just an unit in mother who should never have had custody of me. i have never actually been through a full year of school. it was just frustrating having

to do all of this stuff, and like worry about where i was going to live the next day also. as soon as i came in here, like i got along really well with her and i realized she really does help. >> she was withdrawn, she would sit and read and her hair would be down and just isolated. and now that she's in here, she is laughing, smiling, joking. doing great in her classes. a traditional student gets 6 credits a year. i think last year she got 10. >> there are places like boston, and new york, some of the bigger ipper cities, and people are aware that there are issues with homeless youth. it gives them time and a safe place to be. they know there are people here who care about them.

and who are going to try to help them move forward. >> sometimes the people that are trying to help you are the ones you should really let help you. because they really want to help. i'm excited to graduate, because i'll finally be away from everything. but it's definitely going to be odd but worth it. you can do so much more with a high school diploma than without one. i don't know what i'm going to do yet. i'll figure it out one day. ♪ i'm dave warren. a few storms that we're talking about affecting the national forecast here. first off in the northwest a lot of rain coming in to washington and oregon right over the area dealing with that mud slide and more rain could lead to some flash flooding as that mad slide, the river that dammed up

would see some flooding. there is that flood warning in effect, along with a flash flood watch right over the same area. inlet a bit, more weather. southeast dealing with severe weather now. this squall line is of the gulf coast now, but gusty wind and threats are the problem now. s now this is the storm that impacted the mid-atlantic and the northeast, really over the entire weekend. you see it's there now with moisture coming up from the gulf first. and here comes the threat later today and this evening. a line developing with some strong isolated severe storms possible. now that's the forecast today. tomorrow things get interesting with this high-pressure over the great lakes. that will keep the cold air in place, the storm moving up into

that, so we're starting to see this rain-snow line develop. heavy storm forecast here, warm enough for all rain across the mid-atlantic and northeast. but a gusty wind with this as well. there is that northeast wind developing, keeping the cool air in place, where it's cold enough, keeping a lot of snow coming down. that is the forecast this weekend, both saturday and sunday, the temperatures are warm ahead of this storm into the 50s and 60s, by sunday cooler air comes back. 48 in d.c., 48 in new york. another storm pulling up and another surge of warm air. del? >> dave warren thank you very much. a painting is back home in the baltimore museum of art. it was stolen in 1951, and lost until just a few years ago. that's when a washington woman

said she bought it at a flee market for about $7 and then she tried to sell it and was sued. it was painted in about 1879. thanks for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. "the stream" is next. ♪ to explain how helping others makes you more successful. looking for a job? you aren't alone. there are roughl