welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. rescue appears to be turning to recovery in washington state as rab delays work opthat deadly mud slide. the president is meeting with officials in saudi arabia .

it is raining in washington state, and that could complicate the search efforts there. crews continue to dig through a pile of debris and mud from saturday's mud slide. now the victims have a face. sabrina register in arlington, washington. what did officials have to say in the briefing about an hour ago? >> reporter: 90 people are still missing or unaccounted for. so certainly quite frustrating for those waiting for word on missing loved ones. that toll is standing at 17. and officials here stress that they are going by procedure and going with what the medical

examiner says. meanwhile you mentioned the weather. it has changed dramatically. at the moment it is not raining, but it has been pouring for much of the weather and stormy weather is forecast throughout the weekend. so it is making a difficult search here even more challenging. >> areas that are dried out are going to become more saturated with water. we'll see some additional water going to those areas. it just makes things slower and more complicated. so we have a hard day ahead of us. >> it's already been a slow, painstaking search, and it is even complicated more by the stormy weather that is expected to last for several days. del. >> sabrina, so many people are missing. officials have warned about the increase in the death toll. when do we expect to receive that information?

>> well, we had thought that we might have heard it this morning. last night they had warned that the death toll could go up significantly. again, 90 people still missing or unaccounted for. the death toll still stands at 17, so we're thinking that the next press briefing, which will be this evening, that we might receive some different news as far as where the death toll stands, del. >> sabrina register in arlington, washington. thank you very much. the president is on the ground in saudi arabia at this hour meeting with the king. their agenda includes a wide range of topic, including ukraine, iran, syria and egypt. but this time next year, the u.s. will be the world's largest producer of oil. >> reporter: a lot has changed since 2009 when participate barack obama received this warm welcome to saudi arabia complete

with gifts of gold. many of his foreign policy decisions have since angered the saudi. the president calling for mubarek 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 u.s. president's credible. the prince a few months ago saying, quote . . . the president's job on this second visit, to restore the trust. experts say although the u.s. is importing significantly less oil from opec countries, the saudis still have leverage. >> it's their place in the oil market. because what happens is, the saudis are the ones who have the capacity to expand and contract production, depending on what the market bears.

>> the saudis feel increasingly concerned about its place in the region. >> the saudis are worried that the united states and iran may have some sort of detente, and that iran make take the place of the saudis. >> reporter: president obama is expected to send the message that the decade's old alliance with saudi arabia is still the center of u.s. foreign policy in the region, and will be regardless of who else he talks to, or the amount of oil his country buys. ousted ukrainian president calling for more parts of kruk to secede and joining russia.

president obama saying the priority is stopping russia from going any further. but for now crimea is part of russia, and whether it still should be is being debated. >> reporter: juke's acting president expressing concern about the right-wing group that amassed outside of parliament in kiev on thursday night demanding the resignation of the interior minister calling it a potential catastrophe for the country. on the east of course are many cities and towns which are eastern-looking with large ethnic populations and who's industries also had russia as a main -- most of their exports, 70% of their industrial exports go to russia anyway. so they have very strong connections there as well. and a lot of concerns about what russia's troops might be.

the easted president saying on the news agency, calling for referendums in all of ukraine's regions so that the people can decide for themselves. he thinks that he remains the legitimate president of ukraine and he, like moscow does not recognize the interim government in kiev, but the referendum was what was used here in crimea as a first step to making crimea part of russia. a lot of concern that russia may be looking for any other sort of pretext to go into the east. more frustrations concerning that missing malaysian airlines flight. most of the passengers are chinese nationals, and they have been sharply critical of the investigation. we have more on the growing tensions. >> reporter: the message as they march to the malaysian embassy 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 on board the missing flight. and now their personal grief and anger have become a national issue. >> translator: china, malaysia cooperation has not only benefited our people but it is also conducive to regional stability and development. >> reporter: the chinese president's visit to malaysia last october was meant to strengthen an already well established relationship. bilateral treyed was worth 106 billion usd last year, and expected to go up by 2017. >> translator: china also has territory disputes with malaysia, but not as serious as with philippines and vietnam.

so china want l want to keep malaysia as a good neighboring country. >> reporter: but many are calling for a boycott of all things malaysian. chinese tourist are the third largest group of visitors to malaysia, and that figure is expected to drop by up to 40%. it's not a matter of sympathy, they say they showed a lot of respect and understanding not just towards them but china as a whole. it isn't enough for these relatives that chinese officials allowed them a rare public show of emotion. they want their government to do something more to punish malaysia. >> the key is the extent of the public pressure coming from within china itself. and to the extent that that is the case, the revealing thing about this story is not so much the relation shuns between malaysia and china, but the

regime in china itself. >> reporter: it ksht be seen to not take the side of its people, but it also doesn't want to risk undermining its relationship with an important ally. in afghanistan, the taliban takeover of a building frequented by foreigners in kabul has ended. two people were killed. a suicide bomber first blowing through the gates of the compound. afghanistan is holding its presidential elections next week. nato is getting a new leader. he will take the reins in october. the former prime minister of norway will replace rasmussen as secretary general. an eboli outbreak has the medical community concerned it could spread to neighboring countries. this is the first time that

eboli has been diagnosed in west africa. >> reporter: taking in the latest warning, one of the deadliest viruses nobody to man has reached their capitol city. news of eboli's spread is striking fear into the residents. >> translator: since i heard about this disease, i have been afraid. everyone has to protect themselves when drinking and eating. >> reporter: people are being told to take precautions, the government banned public funerals for victims to stop it's spreading. >> translator: this is the first time we have had thissi thissing -- this kind of disease in guinea. >> reporter: and detection is difficult. >> translator: you cannot just look at a sick person and say he has it, but systemically if it resembles eboli we'll send them to the infection diseases

center. >> reporter: up to 90% of those affected die and the only coarse of action is quarentining. it can be passed on just by touching an infected person or animal. it is believed this outbrooek was originally transmitted to humans from bats in the forrest regions. the government has now banned the eating of bats and other bush meats. >> translator: you see i'm afraid. i have stopped eating meat. >> reporter: this market normally full of forest foods is now empty. fear of eboli's spread is reaching neighboring countries too. some have strengthened border controls. and liberia and see area leon are invest indicating possible

cases. in michigan has got jobs but also has an high unemployment rate, so where is the disconnect? we'll explain. ♪

♪ brazil has deployed its army to the shanty downs of rio. al jazeera's rob reynolds has our story from rio. >> reporter: brazilian soldiers are on patrol in one of rio's largely lawless shanty towns. the army deployment was approved by the country's president after a surge in gang violences, and attacks on police outposts. larger numbers of troops are expected to be brought in to the operation in the coming days. the government says the show of force is necessary to keep the violence in the slums from spiralling out of control.

>> translator: we have to show them that we are stronger than they are. >> reporter: the government also wants to preclude inbareessment during the world cup starting? june. the people who live here seem more scornful than intimidated by the army patrols. residents say the soldiers ransacked this house. >> translator: they said i had guns in my house. i live here with my daughter. i don't have drugs here. i'm a hard worker. i was so angry, but i couldn't defend myself. every time i tried to talk they told me to shut up. >> reporter: many residents won't speak out publicly for fear of revisal by the government or the gangs. but there is widespread irritation with spending

$11 billion on the cup. >> the government keeps investing in things that don't help us. >> reporter: disturbing images and a simmering under current of violence as brazil prepares to take a turn on the world stage. rob reynolds, al jazeera, rio de janeiro. ♪ ♪ we're seeing solid gains for stocks. and some positive news for blackberry. the smartphone maker reporting a smaller than expected loss for the fourth quarter. the ceo says he expects blackberry to stop losing money by this time next year. the investigation has been closed into tesla cars. the electric tire maker agreed to install titanium shield that

will prevent debris from damaging the battery. more problems for gm, the company is telling dealers to stop selling the chevy cruz. the stop sales are usually for safety reasons. the move follows a gm recall of 6.3 million other cars. toyota is recalling the 2003 and 2004 model year avalons. a programming note for you, tonight on "real money with ali velshi," ali will be in phoenix investigating immigration and its impact on the economy. after hitting a slump in the 2009 recession, michigan's job

market is gaining steam. today there are more skilled labor jobs in michigan than qualified workers. so the state launched a program aimed at closing the so-called talent gap. >> reporter: as north america's biggest car and truck producer, for decades the manufacturing drove michigan's work force. but in 2009 the u.s. economy took a down town. years later the great lake state has a new problem. they have positions available that don't require a college degree, but there are not enough people qualified to fill them. >> employers are saying we need individuals that have experience in welding and other things. >> reporter: they have launched a program called career jump

start focused on training people for careers in the technical and skilled areas. >> it's amazing to take something like a robot and be able to have it make something. >> reporter: kneel craft is among a dozen students enrolled in the new program. >> could you look at this and see what could be wrong with this system? today they are getting a lesson in maccatronnics. >> i know there's a demand in these type of career options, and it really just drew me in. >> it's that connection that michigan is hoping to achieve. career jump start was modeled after the german education system, which at times taylors learning to market demand, and organizers believe what works for the germans will also work

here in michigan. right now michigan's unemployment rate is 7.7%. the governor says closing the talent gap is the single-most important issue, which could bring unemployment down by 1.5%. salaries for these skilled trades jobs can range between 50 to $100,000 a year. for craft the opportunities seem endless. >> that's what this has really done. it has given me an opportunity to see is this something i really want to do for the rest of my life? and so far i'm am very interested. >> reporter: bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. when we return, on al jazeera america, coffee, it is a matter of national pride for

argentinian,s, but how good is the local stuff? r

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are your headlines at this hour. two civilians are dead in afghanistan after the taliban took control of a facility in kabul, a suicide bomber attacked the building, and then a fight between the taliban and the police took place. rain could complicate the task of digging in oso, washington. the former president of ukraine, viktor yanukovych calling for all of the regions to hold referendums to separate from ukraine. the u.s. and eu all condemning russia's actions in crimea. danieling went to argentina

to bring you this story. >> reporter: morning afternoon or evening, the residents here drink coffee. espressos, lataes, with cream or double in a cup or a mug. it's an intrinsic part of daily life, inherited and developed by spanish and italian immigrants. >> translator: more than a custom. it's an excuse for us to meet, to chat for a while. 20 minutes, half an hour. it's a good excuse. >> reporter: the ministry of culture has called to declare coffee drinking a part of their cultural heritage. ♪ >> reporter: along with contain go dancing music. the city has designated more

than 50 of what it calls notable cafes. local landmarks. each with its own history and clientele. there are few finer places in the world in which to drink coffee, to chat, read, write, or stair blankly, but the truth is, the coffee sometimes could be a little better. there is now a new wave of cafes aiming to improve the coffee drunk by the locals. with better beans and drewing methods. >> translator: the reaction has been one of surprise. they have been drinking something out of habit and suddenly they try something delicious and ask themselves, why was i drinking that? >> reporter: the coffee-drinking culture of bane -- buenos aires

is changing. it's something to discuss over a cup of coffee, obviously. ♪ i'm dave warren. more problems out in the northwest. a lot of rain and snow over washington and oregon. there are a number of advisories in effect. ve have a flash flood advisory. winter weather advisories there are the purple, so snow and winter storm warnings coming to parts of the northwest. southeast as the intense line of thunderstorms move through louisiana. the potential for more severe weather today, the area right over east texas, louisiana,

arkansas, and eastern oklahoma. storms will develop and they do have the potential to be receive veer. it's all with this area of low-pressure. one storm is moving out. that brought up warm air and rain. this will impact much of the eastern united states for the next 48 hours. the problem is it will not be all rain. high-pressure to the north keeps the cold air in place. so we get the severe weather today, and tomorrow it will slowly work its way up the coast and keeping the cold air in place, there comes that rain changing to snow. significant snowfall here, warm with rain to the south and east of this storm. call it warm, it's just above freezing. here is this wind developing, high-pressure to the north. a gusty north to northeast wind in place. keeps the cold air in, there is a lot of snow and rain in the

forecast both saturday. by sunday it will start to clear out. followed by cooler weather though. the temperatures warming up into the 50s. as that storm clears out, sunday, thefrptures will cool off a bit. only into the upper 40s. not for long, though, because warm air will turn to the southern plains and that will spread east. >> dave warren thank you very much. this stolen painting disappeared in 1959 and was lost until just a few years ago. a woman bought it at a flee market for $7 and then tried to sell it, and that's when the museum sued. there are a lot of pet shops in the world, but there can only be one cat cafe. customers can enjoy a cup of stae while sitting with a cat in

their lap. but the cats belong to the restaurant. they live there. they are strays that were taken in. thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. and "techknow" is next. check out us 24 hours a day by going to aljazeera.com. >> hello and welcome. i'm phil torres here to talk about innovations that can change lives. we're going to see the intersection of hardware and humanity and doing it in a unique way. a show about science by scientists. let's check out our hard core in other words. coaskosta grammatis. one of day the 3d printer will help save a little boy's nights .