aljazeera.com/consider this or on our facebook or google+ pages or find us on twitter at ajconsiderthis. we will see you next time. kramk >> sna good evening, everyone, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. frantic rescue, the race against time to find hundreds of high school students still missing after a ferry capsized off the coast of south korea. >> battle for control - kiev watches as pro-russian forces seize more ukrainian assets, including several armoured vehicles. winning hearts and minds on gun control. michael bloomberg's $50 million effort to take on the n.r.a.

we look at how much of a difference he might be able to make. >> tearing down the old detroit like an urban etch-a-sketch. tonight what the new detroit might look like. >> our top story - hope fading for dozens of families in south korea. an international rescue team is searching for survivors of a ferry that sank yesterday in the yellow sea. 475 on board, 300 teenagers on a school trip. the death toll is up to nine. here is a look at the route the ferry was taking, leaving the port city of inchon, headed to the island of jeju, and here is where something apparently happened. they reached the southern tip of the peninsula, near the island of jindo. >> the early stages of this

disaster were filled with terror for the passengers as the ferry launched on to its side, but also with some hope. the rescue operation was under way swiftly, survivors plucked from the ship and the water. as they came asheer the government's -- ashore the government's response center said 358 had been saved, 107 missing. for the parents that waved their children off, they were told they were outline being rescued. a terrible revision. fewer than 80 children were confirmed safe, 300 passengers missing. as night fell for the parents waiting on the dock side fear was giving way to despair. the rawness of the weight too apparent. this father saying another parent received a text message from a child alive, still inside the ship. he and the rest of the parents here could only hope that the coming hours will bring them certainty about the fate of their loved ones.

investigators will be looking for answers as to what caused a modern ferry, plying a regular route in calm water to roll over and sink. >> the key complaint is that things are progressing too slowly, for those out to the site and coming back, reporting to their fellow parents that there's little activity. the problem for the rescuers are that the conditions are difficult. they say the entry pointers in the boat is deep, relative to the sorts of currents that are going on as well. one parent, we heard, speaking a few minutes ago saying he'd see a whirling eddy of water next to the boat. it is difficult to gain access. what we are hearing from the ministry officials, who is trying to field the concerns, is that they intend, at about 12:30, in an hour and a half's time, to pump hair into the hull of the boat, under the hull of the boat, to try to raise it up

in the water, and then hopefully assist divers. if they do, they'll try to target the restaurant and the computer games room, which is the likely place where the teenagers would be. >> as the ferry began taking on water, some of the people on board began sending out messages. some children. richelle carey is here with that part of the story. >> there's a desperate, desperate attempt to reach anyone that could have survived. divers are in the water trying to reach compartments of the ferry. we have live pictures of family members on jindo island waiting to hear some news. there are some survivors who were lucky enough to be reunited with relatives, there are some on the mainland communicating with relatives on the ferry as it was going down. those relatives fear the worst. >> as the ferry lunched on to its side, the first moments of the disaster were filled with

terror. also with hope. help got there quickly. >> i held a handrail and moved towards the right of the ferry to get to the helicopter. rubbish bins were floating around me, and the water came up to my neck. >> the announcement told us we should stay still, but the ship was sinking. there were a lot of students that did not get out of the ship. >> as night fell and frightened parents waited on the dark side, fear gave way to despair. >> do you think they are alive now. they are all dead, already all dead. we should recover them. the authorities say search operations are underway. >> according to the south korean forecaster ytn, a student sent a message to his mother:

>> she got no response. another student sent a message to his father: >> and another calling her grandmother saying:. >> the phone disconnected. they were able to speak one more time. the granddaughter said "i have to go", and hang up. >> many of the surviving passengers were told not to move from their seats as the ferry was going dawn. many parents are holding out hopes, as they would. but sounds like the ferry went down quickly. >> now to the crisis in ukraine, diplomats talks continued in geneva. the u.s. is downplaying expectations as tensions in eastern ukraine are getting

worse. >> pro-russia protesters seized government armoured vehicles, as you saw this. and kiev's military operation in the east lacked steam. they are beefing up their military actions. jacky rowland is in the east of donetsk. >> ukrainian fighter jets fly over donetsk. it's a clear message from the authorities in kiev that they control the skies. on the ground, armed pro-russian demonstrators don't seem to be listening. the regional parliament in their hands, they add the city council building to the list of conquests. they have seen crimea breakaway from ukraine, and they want their region to follow. >> we have come into this building so kiev accepts the demands, the demands of the ordinarily people, to adopt a law on a local referendum.

the seizure of the building may be dramatic, but council members insist it's business as usual. despite gun many stalking the stores, still servants get on with searching the city. >> it's not clear how many support there is for those occupying the buildings. here people are divided whether the future lies with europe or stronger ties to russia. >> 100km north of here in kramatorsk. the army appears to have suffered a setback. after retaking control of an airstrip on tuesday, the army lost vehicles to pro-russia militia. they paraded them through town, flying the russian flag. >> the paramilitary made the drive to slovyansk. an area where pro-russian sentiment ran high. a parade and enthusiastic

spectato spectators. there were claims that some soldiers switched sides. >> translation: ukrainian military vehicles which were on the way to suppress the riots were stopped. people arrived us to come, we came and the paratroopers joined the people's army. >> the army denies detections. they sent military yet to underline the point. across eastern ukraine, it still has a fight n its hands. >> now, the united states is weighing its options on how to respond to the crisis. as nick schifrin reports, there's a great deal at stake. >> you crane is -- ukraine is the bridge between the west and east, and it will determine one of the biggest threats it since the cold war. what does russia want? for centuries ukraine was return. in eastern ukraine most speak

russian, are russian orthodox and call russia their motherland. they used to provide a buffer to the we.. when the soviet union broke up the west expanded east. in 1990 n.a.t.o. stopped at germany and added three countries, by 2009, nine more countries, n.a.t.o., on russia's doorstep, unnerved moscow. vladimir putin wants the expansion to stop. >> russia sees ukraine, the territory of ukraine as an area of its national security interests. and vladimir putin has been warning time and time again that this is the red line not to be crossed. >> vladimir putin wants more political influence. the russian troops on the border, and the pro-russian forces inside ukraine helping to ensure the next ukrainian government will change, and be likely to accept russian demands. >> there has to be an inclusive

process that would involve constitutional reform, federalization, giving autonomy to the region, with the majority of russian speaking population. >> why is the u.s. so worried. the brinksmanship brings an end to the cold war. >> countries redrew borders with force. if russia grabbed eastern ukraine, it would give licence to the tactics supposed to end at the end of the cold war. >> in this became the norm, we are in a world in which the number of security problems of potential wars could break out in europe and other parts of the world, really multiples. what can the u.s. do. it's unlikely to go to war. >> it can target russia's main source of revenue. the u.s. can sanction energy exports and help to wean europe off russian oil. that will weaken the economy. >> it's a matter of everyone

coming together and doing it in a coordinated way. it will involve sacrifice, and siring the sacrifices among the powers that have to involve the sanctions. ukraine is a test of resolve, of how countries in the 21st century resolves conflict, and a test as to whether the ukrainian bridge is strong enough to last or allowed to collapse. >> and nick schifrin joins us now from jerusalem. so, nick, based on your time in ukraine, is there a sense that the people there believe that the united states is willing to go to the map to support kiev? >> in a word, no, john. there is no interest in the u.s., of course, to go to war over ukraine, and there's not a lot of expectation from ukrainians, whether from the west or eased, that the u.s. will go to war on their behalf. therefore, they know they have

to rely on their own government to do that, or at least to defend themselves against russian intervention or a possible russian invasion. frankly the government has not proven able to do that. earlier this week it set deadlines that came and went without any kind of actual action from the ukrainian military against some of these pro-russian militants or demonstrators. in the east it set another deadline and is trying to make sure of that. a lot of people in the west say it's difficult to defend ukraine, defend the people of eastern ukraine from a russian invasion if kiev, if the ukrainian government itself, the ukrainian country itself is not able to do so on its own. isn't able to figure out thou bridge the divide within their own country from the eastern path, speaking russian, the west speaks ukrainian, and historic

problems with corruption and a real lack of government services being delivered. until the government itself is able to defend itself, a lot of people in the west are fluxomed by what to do of how to support the ukrainian government, if it's not strong enough to support itself. >> that's nick schifrin reporting. as the four-way talks get under way in geneva, a white house spokesman says talk is one thing. the u.s. is warning of more sanctions to punish russia. i talked to the former ambassador and governor bill richardson, and asked what he thinks russia wants. >> obviously they have substantial designs on the eastern ukraine. they are mad over nato expansion. they want to restore - vladimir putin wants to restore itself as the self proclaimer of new russia, ooethos.

unfortunately, this is creating enormous geopolitical tension in ukraine, in crimea. i think the situation is dire. obviously these militants that are out there are pro-soviet. the russians are pushing them. so it's an unfortunate situation. and diplomacy, i still think, is the answer. >> is this all about vladimir putin's ego. >> this is about - i think the russian country - obviously vladimir putin tapped into a feeling in russia that they lost a lot of their territory and power. this is why he's at 75% popular. a good part of it is his ego, but another part is domestic pushes for russia to regain the strength it had before from its own people. also, within ukraine there's a

substantial pro-russian population that saw what happened in crimea, and thinks it's on a role, and wants the same to happen in eastern ukraine. >> what is the incentive for russia to pull back? >> the incentive is negative sanctions, john, tough sanctions from the united states. from the european union, and the areas of energy, banking, technology. russia is a big global economic power. the sanctions would bite. i believe so far the u.s. and european union have been trying to give russia a chance to back off a bit. i think the meeting will be important in determining whether russia is ready to back off, otherwise the sanctions will happen, and they'll bite, they will affect russia. >> they'll affect russia, but

will they work? >> i believe they feel, in my idea, that what they have done so far in eastern ukraine, and in crime , and eastern ukraine, restored a bit of the glitter that they used to have. he's a progmatist, vladimir putin. i don't think he'll push the european union and the united states more than he has. i think there'll be an end game owes there'll be a lot of economic pain. again, i don't know, he seems to be on a role, heading to an abyss that he may have strong difficulty in getting out of. >> ambassador, good to have you on the program. >> coming up next - rebuilding detroit. the city is tearing council hundreds of houses. tonight we'll get what a brand

new detroit might look like. >> guns and money, michael bloomberg puts is chunk of his wealth on the line to fight gun violence - will it have an impact?

>> in detroit blight hit the

city hard. the urban decay has been insightly and become dangerous. 20% of the city's housing is vacant. 80,000 homes, 60% of the 12,000 fires involve blighted and abandoned buildings. bisi onile-ere is in detroit with more on what the city is doing to get rid of the blight. >> here in detroit dollar thousands aned of abandoned -- thousands of abandoned structures. they are eye scores. the city is looking at getting rid of all of these blighted structures. it's a monumental effort that would change the face of detroit. >> 80,000 abandoned buildings fill detroit's landcape. a result of 50 years of decline. race riots in the '60, a dying

auto industry, and a great recession fuels the exodus. the population down to 700,000 after a peak of 2 million. >> we saw folks walk away. i have folks saying "i can't afford it, i'm leaving." >> neighbourhoods are plagued by crime. the abandoned burnt out, rotted out homes speak to the decline. >> it's tough to see it go down this far. >> we are hanging in there. i will say that. >> these are structures targeted by scrappers, squatters and illegal dumpers. was there a sense of hopelessness with the situation, with the blight? >> maybe not hopelessness, but definitely frustration, frustration with the fact that we are stuck with these homes for so long, no one was maintaining them or taking responsibility. >> they are now, detroit is embarking on an historic effort

to tear down blight. the city is proposing to set aside half a billion to clearing out urban decay, raising 450 -- razing 450 buildings a week, taking five years. >> there's a lot of opportunity for economic development that will come after the blight is removed. >> there is a lot of land to cover. it's estimated that 40 of the city's 139 square miles are vacant. >> the city's biggest challenge after eliminating blight is to begin to assemble the land for reuse. >> the city has begun an online program to auction off vacant city-owned homes. >> for the past seven months of the detroit blight task force removal have been looking at this, figuring out a plan of action. we'll expect the study in a couple of weeks, to provide a

roadmap for how the city will proceed. a lot asked what will the city do with the vacant land. state and city leaders have suggestions, one being urban farming, which is occurring in several neighbourhoods, and that's talk about shrinking the city. >> an organization working to fight flight in detroit is the motor city blight busters. john george is the founder of the nonprofit and joins us. welcome, great to have you on the program. >> good evening. >> tell us about blight busters, and why you decided to start of the organization. >> certainly. i'm a life-long detroiter. when my son was two years old there was an abandoned home in our community that turned into a crack house. we called the city and police, and no one would do anything. one evening it got out of hand with gun fire, fighting and carrying on. i don't - we didn't want our

children growing in and around the negative energy, that's a form of child abuse. the following morning i got together with a couple of neighbours, we spent eight hours boarding and securing the property. cutting the grass and picking up the neighbourhood. when the drug dealers came back, they couldn't get in and left. that's how blight busters started. 26 years ago this june. >> how do you think blight affected the morale of the city. >> blight is like a cancer. if you don't nip it in the bud it spreads. there were 12,000 vacant structures when we started, and as you and we know, there are 80,000 structures. it's a damper, at a minimum, and dangerous at a maximum. it's so important that we come together as a community to not only fight blight, stablilize and revitalize the community, but create ownership in the

housing and business district, where we created coffee shops, art galleries, community centres and urban farms. it's a war we are willing to wagement >> you ran the organization for 25 years, do you believe the number is accurate, or has it begun to decline? >> well, i would say that the numbers is quite accurate, thanks to dan gilbert, our forensic quick at loans and others who put together a process mapping out every parcel in the city. we believe the numbers are close to accurate, there's a percentage of numbers that can be destroyed. we have worked on 1500 properties in the 25 years we have been doing this. we believe the majority of it has to go. there's a percentage that we can save and reuse. >> what would you like to see

done with the vacant land? >> we have an urban farm, known as farm city detroit. thanks to comxast and others, we have been able to clear two city blocks of housing. we have over-10,000 register volunteers that work with us. on the land that we clear, we plant. on everything that we grow we give away. this year we'll expand the garden from two city blocks to two city lots in an effort to utilize the land until development. >> you have a great story, and obviously it looks like a terrific organization. wish you luck with this effort, and with the comeback of the city of detroit. thank you very much. >> thank you so much. i believe we are on the front porch of the greatest urban comeback story in history, watch what we do. >> we will. >> tomorrow, how one man is

making it possible for hundreds of detroit entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground. phil cooley purchased a 30,000 square foot warehouse and is home to the newest entrepreneurs - tomorrow on the news cast. >> next - search for survivors. live to south korea for the latest on the overturned ferry with hundreds of young students on board. plus, life on the bod border - a look at the controversies of america's immigration policies. [ grunting ]

i'm taking off, but, uh, don't worry. i'm gonna leave the tv on for you. and if anything happens, don't forget about the new xfinity my account app. you can troubleshoot technical issues here. if you make an appointment, you can check out the status here. you can pay the bill, too. but don't worry about that right now. okay. how do i look? ♪ thanks. [ male announcer ] troubleshoot, manage appointments, and bill pay from your phone. introducing the xfinity my account app. xfinity watchathon week was the biggest week in televisionhone. history. but just when you thought it was over... what now? with xfinity on demand you can always watch the latest episodes of tv's hottest shows.

good news. like hannibal... chicago fire.... ...and bates motel. the day after they air. xfinity on demand. all the latest episodes. all included with your service. it's like hi-fiving your eyeballs. xfinity...the future of awesome. >> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. a lot to cover this half hour. changing the gun debate. former new york city mayor michael bloomberg pledges $50 million to fight gun violence. will it work. why illinois is giving away

millions to help families buy home. vicious circle. he says an american citizen - he says he's an american sit dispen - why is he deported to mexico over and over? >> richelle carey back with the top stories. >> diplomatic talks begin in geneva on the crisis in ukraine. secretary of state john kerry meet with representatives of ukraine and the european union. n.a.t.o. will strengthen its military presence. it comes as pro-russian militants gain momentum and eastern ukraine. all but eight of the nigerian girls kidnapped from their school in borno are free. officials say they think the armed group boko haram carried out the abduction of more than 100 girls. some were rescued and one of the alleged abductors were captured. >> there are around the clock rescue efforts under way across the south peninsula of south

korea. an international team is searching a capsized ferry carrying 475 passengers. most of them teenagers on a high school trip. the death toll stands at eight people. 290 are missing. >> we hope to get an update. >> now, former new york major michael bloomberg says he intends to spend $50 million fighting gun violence. the money will be used to build a nation-wide grassroots membership to change the national rifle association. the group will work on expanding the background check system for gun buyers at state and national levels. the strategy targets 15 states including texas, montana and indiana. >> this is not a battle of dollars, but the hearts and minds of america, so we can protect our children, innocent people. if you take a look at the number of people who use illegal guns

to commit suicide, and the numbers killed. it's the only country in the world. we have to do something. if you want to know how tough assist, go to a funeral and look at the parents, look in their eyes. you'll see a tragedy. john geer is public policy professor. he joins us at nashville tennessee, he joins us on the program. >> $50 million investment - it's going to make in this organization - what will to do? could this program work? does it take $50 million, does it take more? >> well, probably takes more, but $50 million gets people's attention, probably the n.r.a.s as well. i also suspect that not putting all the money into ads is

probably a good thing. there was a heck of a lot of money wasted in 2012 on political ads. they don't necessarily work in the idea of going grass roots, trying a different tactic makes sense. >> michael bloomberg spent money before on political ads and put money to the effort as well. it seems that it helps the n.r.a. raise money. >> absolutely. i mean, it's not like - some people said well last year the n.r.a. spent $20 million, they can probably spend $40 million if michael bloomberg puts money out there. it gets attention, but it's not what drives it, it's the quality of the argument. a lot of times, in the issue of guns, it boils down to such sim plisties. >> those that are for gun control, after the newtown tragedy, it was difficult to find places where it had an

impact n gun laws, with the examination of the state of connecticut. didn't do much for federal gun laws. right.. >> it didn't. the newtown tragedy did not move public opinion. there was a blip, but it went back to normal levels. the american public reacted strongly to the event, but did not change their minds about gun control. >> i guess the question is when you talk about a political effort, does having enough money make the difference? >> it's a necessary condition, but not sufficient, and that's where at least that kind of money gets it going, and possibly other people join the cause. what we need is not just more money, but to have a conversation. this is an important issue, and people die because of gun violence. at the same time you can't ban

the gun, so there has to be a set of policies that makes sense for as many americans as possible. >> and politicians, are they afraid of offending the n.r.a. >> politicians on the right are afraid. part of what is going on in congress and the state legislatures is there aren't competitive districts, and the only competition comes from an idea logical extreme. you take positions that you may not agree with. you fear someone will come at you from the right, so you protect the flank and take an extreme position when voting in congress or state legislature. >> an interesting issue to watch as michael bloomberg distributes his money. >> good to see you, thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> the commerce department says not enough people are buying home, harsh windows and high prices led to home sales in february. in march construction of homes fell short of expectations. illinois is expanding a program

to bring more buyers through the door. diane eastabrook reports. >> we pulled your credit yesterday, it's a lot better. >> seven months of financial counselling put mayah selli on the path to home ownership by helping her to improve her tattered credit score. >> i went to college. once i graduated i got a bill, but did not pay it off. >> mayah selli's current score is around 620. banks demand higher scores for a mortgage. >> anything less than that, they are asking for a detailed explanation. >> the chicago school teacher may be in luck with support from a new program called welcome home illinois. the state wants to help an simented 3,000 first-time home buyers by providing $7500 in down-payment assistance. illinois housing development

mary kenney says the state is stepping in because many banks have a get-tough attitude towards many home buyers. >> a lot of people are trying to clean up their balance sheet. they are trying to absorb new rules that have come out around qualified mortgages. >> tougher rules coupled with rising home prices and interest rates could be behind a decline in mortgage orange nations in the first quarter. major banks reported a drop of 50% from last year. >> from illinois, getting people into homes is critical. the state has the second highest unemployment rate in the nation. the idea is if people buy homes, they might also buy appliances and furniture. that will boost other areas of the economy. >> the welcome00m illinois program -- welcome home illinois

has rules, applicants must have a credit score of 640 or better, contribute $1,000 to the purchase and go through home-owner counselling. this is not the first time illinois provided home buyer assistance, kenny says the $30 million earmarked for down-payment is the most generous. >> it's designed to provide opportunities to working class families. and if we can add to the recovery, we are happy to have that part of it. >> this teacher mayah selli hopes to buy a home by the end of the year. >> the white house is again blaming republicans for delaying reforms in immigration. in a statement today the president said: >> americans are deeply divided over immigration reform. in al jazeera america's

groundbreaking series "borderland" six every day americans experience what it's like to enter the country. here they write messages on bottles at a water drop. >> i'm trying to understand how desperate someone must be, you know, to make the trip - not knowing whether they'll make it alive or not. >> you come out here, and you look at the terrain, and how rocky and steep it is. a lot of these people, when they are coming across the desert have no idea what they are in for. >> after three hours of trekking the group reached their destination. >> what are the messages on the sites. >> one of the rumours spread a lot is that the water jugs are for tracking. we tried to make it as clear to people as possible that this is not something that border patrol is doing. we have a message something that is appropriate for you.

>> i don't think they are enabling anything by coming out here and helping people survive. they are saving lives. >> leave a message. >> at least leave the date. >> i'll right a date. >> i wrote the date. but what i really wanted to right in bold capital letters is "go back home." >> i didn't want to support, like bringing illegals here, so i didn't know what to write. >> i talked to kishana holland, a participant in this program and asked her how undocumented immigrants affect her life? >> personally it affected by family. we live in nevada, in the myselfle of tijuana and california. i have a 9-year-old in a trailer, in his classroom since we got here, due to an influx of illegal immigrants coming into

the school system. the school system in nevada was not built for 12-15 kids in a household, which are undocumented. my son struggles as a result. his teachers struggle. the system is broken right now. >> here well another point of view is "borderland" participant alex seel, an artist based in new york, and joins us from new york. welcome. >> thank you. >> what were your interests in the issue the immigration, why did you get involved in the program? >> i don't know. i have always been interested in the international community. it's been something in recent years that's been more and more pertinent in my life, in terms of inspiration. the presume seemed perfect. >> i know you all talked to ranchers out west about immigration. can you give us a sense of what - what struck you about the

conversations? >> i think what was specifically interesting about the ranchers is that they were sort of that front line group, and they dealt every day with this issue of border crossers, and it was interesting to hear the first-hand perspective, for sure. as an new yorker i have the immigrant perspective, but never the tront line, front -- front-line, front-border perspective. >> on the other side you spent time with families, trying to get across, or who had made it across. what was your reaction to them? >> i mean, that was tough. i think - what was really difficult about this show was how many people you would meet, how many families we would interact with, and it's all sort of the same story, you nope. just getting here to reunite with a family member or coming back to try to help a family

member or get a job. you know the stories we hear. >> is it what you expected? >> some of it i heard before, but some of it is - yes, totally something that you could never expect. >> what were the things that you heard that you hadn't heard before. >> maybe like this is my third or fourth time coming, and just that faith and struggle that i'm going make it this time. it's going to be my time this time. what was difficult was meeting undocumented or documented people in america that are still stuck in the system. so they have gone through the right process, and they are stuck in this sort of grey area of the system. that was really tough for me, to engage that level as well. >> clearly, it's had an impact on you and others in the program. we'll continue to watch. alex seel, it's good to talk to you. stay with al jazeera america.

after this broadcast you can watch the first episode of "borderland." right at the top of the hour. >> one man has been caught up in the immigration crackdown. he says he's an american citizen, but he's been deported to mexico six times. >> adam raney has his story. >> esteban tiznado is afraid to stand still. he's aware of kidnapping gangs and corrupt police. he says he had to pay them $10 to leave them alone. he wanders the streets of nogales, with no friends, family and little money. he's overwhelmed. at the age of 40 he's forced to start over again. >> real depressed, stressing. depressed. i'm in this position. >> this is the sixth time esteban tiznado has been deported. he's a u.s. citizen, and in 2008 he convinced a federal criminal

court that he had a right to be in the united states. but an immigration judge said he hasn't proved he's a citizen, and with a criminal record, including domestic violence, deporting him was a priority. >> he is one of 2 million people deported under president obama. >> teresa leal champions the rights of migrants saying the u.s. government has a clear strategy for people like esteban tiznado. >> making it so hard that the suffering gets you to bow down and break, and say i can't do it any more. >> it may be working. >> esteban tiznado is questioning whether to cross back, knowing it will mean for gaol time. >> deportees are dropped off in the border city every day. >> migrants dom places like this throughout the day, looking for basic service, showers to make phone calls or eat a meal.

other than the extremely basic things they are giving, they are not given much support here to start their lives over. >> esteban tiznado needs help. so he asks to borrow a gon. nearly out of money, she called his sister in the u.s. she wired him $100. enough for a trip to the coast, hearing there's more jobs on the beech. >> i would like to cross back. i don't want to do time or go to gaol no more. >> unsure where he'll end up, he dreams of somehow being allowed to go home, a dream he knows may never come true. >> next, our photo of the day, and an update on the top story - the capsized ferry off the coast of south korea. live pictures. search and rescue continues.

we'll be back after this.

oi >> i'm meteorologist kevin corriveau. since the beginning of the week every morning we have seen cold and freezing temperatures. freeze warnings pushed from texas, and as we go towards tomorrow morning, the freeze warnings will be in southern new jersey, all the way down to northern georgia. temperatures into the mid 20, and that's going to last until about 9-10 o'clock.

heavy snow fall across the north. the next wave of snow pushing will minnesota, and the up. michigan. we are going to see 12-18 inches of snow falling in the overnight hours there, when you see the purple area. temperatures tomorrow will be considerably cooler and that means the snow will stay on the ground. minnesota 28. fargo 20. bismark 18 there. thursday, we'll see the snow push up to the north and into ontario, behind it the cooler temperatures will remain in place. if you want warmer temperatures. phoenix. 92. news after this.

>> we want to bring you an update on the top story. we'll look at the live pictures from jindo island, off the coast of south korea, this is where a ferry boat capsized more than 24 hours ago.

there were more than 400 people on board, five confirmed - sorry, nine people confirmed dead, but hundreds are missing. harry fawcett joins us now on the telephone. he's on jindo island. what is the latest. >> i'm at the center of operations for the rescue, and where a lot of the relatives have gathered looking out to sea to establish any new news about their loved ones, and it's a traumatic experience for them. there has been a good deal of conflict with members of the maritime industry and other officials. we saw heated exchanges with relatives throwing punches and kicks, saying that every second was precious. they are accusing the rescue workers of not acting fast enough, while it's possible that some of the relatives might be inside the boat in airpockets. the problem for the rescue

workers is conditions are difficult. it's windy, rainy, and more to the point there's a strong current under the water. one parent had been taken out on a boat to see for himself the scene, said there was a very fast moving eddy whirling around near the boat, so what they are trying to do is potentially try and lift the boat a little bit to improve access for the divers. we heard reports that some divers are in the water as of the last hour, trying to establish whether there's anyone alive inside. we are told by the maritime ministry that those divers will try to target the restaurant and the computer games room, because they believe that's where the teenagers, if there are any still alive. are most likely to be. >> thank you for the update, harry fawcett. >> thousands of australians turned out to welcome prince william and his family. they visited the blue mountains,

an area ravaged by fires. pril yams is the next in -- pril yams is in the next in line to the throw, australia is a monarchy, he is like i to be the head of state. it may change before he becomes king. andrew thomas has the story. >> they call this a royal tour, a chance for future monarchs to meet their future subjects. the u.k.'s monarch is also australia's. the country won independence in 1901, australia is a constitutional monarchy, where the king and queen of the u.k. is its formal head of state. prince william will be king william, and baby george will be king george here. >> it's someone to look up to. that's how i was brought up. i want my grandchildren to do the same. >> this is about celebrity and royalty. even so, you will not find many

here critical af austral-- of aa attachment to the monarchy, it's not shared. david morris believes australia should be a republic with a head of state. >> our constitution tells us a baby born on the other side of the world in a palace has to sit above everyone. it's wrong. >> in 1999 a referendum was held on whether australia should ditch the monarchy. >> which way do you want to go? >> people voted against change. australia remained a monarchy. elizabeth ii australia's queen. the queen's son charles made his own trip to australia when his son william was a baby. since then charles's popularity dropped. as he became a man, a husband and a father, support for the royal family rose again. opinion polls showed a slight but growing majority in favour of keeping the monarchy.

>> should australia be a public or a monarchy. >> monarchy. >> republic. >> monarchy, of course. >> with celebrities at the helm, the debate is on hold. >> you'd have to say the british royal family has a fabulous pr outfit, promoting grand britain effectively. we look forward to the day when the british people welcome an australian head of state, to visit britain and promote brand australia. >> this trip they have 10 days in australia. whether william and george come back as kings, it will be up to their family subjects on the other side of the world. >> diplomats from north korea are demanding action from the british government against a hair salon they say poked fun at kim jong un. the leaders face and haircut appeared on a promotional poster in a salon offering a 15%

discount. the british foreign office confirmed receiving a letter from the north korean embassy objecting to the poster. police say no crime was committed. >> we end with an image that caught our attention. coming from the nation's capital. where hundreds participated in a par i had down peninsula avenue. a public holiday in washington d.c. marks the day in 1862 when president lincoln signed the compensated emancipation act granting freedom to slaves in d.c. >> the headlines are coming up next. rir richelle carey will be back after this.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, here are the top stories. the death toll from the sunken south korean ferry boat is up to nine people.

the ascertain for survivors continues. hope so fading for dozens of families. the ship sank off the coast. 475 people were on board. 300 teenagers. diplomatic talks on a crisis in ukraine began on thursday. n.a.t.o. says it's stepping up its military presence. the alliance says the move is about defense and deterrence. only a handful of nigerian girls abducted in borno on tuesday are missing. they believe the group, boko haram, carried out the kidnapping. they are against western education, having carried out attacks on other schools. >> crews are sending a robotic submarine into the indian ocean for the third day in a row looking for the missing malaysia airlines planes, there has been troubles, and it could take months. >> former mayor michael

bloomberg plans to spend $50 million to set up a group to challenge the national rifle association. >> those are the inside. maryland up next. "borderland," you can get the latest news online at aljazeera.com. >> we made border security a top priority. >> it's not really immigration. it's an invasion. >> they're a constructive part of our society.