hi everyone. this is al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler in new york. double dip, oil prices fall again. the stock market follows, new fears about the worldwide economic fallout. lebanon's attempt to keep refugees out. what it could mean for syrians. home grown fears, picking a injury in the boston bombing case. and seattle stand still, a multi-billion dollars project called for more than a year.

the new serious troubles under see -- seattle. ♪ we begin tonight with the price of oil and gasoline, both are down way down. oil prices now at the lowest point in five years. prices at the pump have dropped for 102 straight days. the longest streak ever. that could be a big drain on the global economy. a freefall with no end in sight. the cost of crude now below $50 a barrel. and u.s. energy stocks took a hit. oil is so cheap because there's a worldwide glut. it could wreak havoc and re regeopolitical lines of power.

iraq oil production is at its highest point since 1980 and in the united states output levels are higher than they have been for more than 30 years. meanwhile saudi arabia continued to cut the price of crude oil, fuelling speculation the kingdom is using pricing to wield political pressure in the region. u.s. oil producers are cutting spending, and warned there will be layoffs. according to aaa, the national average gas price a gallon is down to $2.20. that's more than a dollar lower than a year ago. ali let's start with the winners and losers. >> well the winners are those who buy gasoline. this puts more money in people's pockets. and then if you have got more

money to spending for the same thing you buy every week retailers are hoping you will take that money and spending it with them so companies that sell goods that tend to be the kind of thing that people will spend on if they have extra money, restaurants, movies those kinds of companies stand to make money. we also have a problem with the u.s. dollar being particularly high so it makes it hard for companies that manufacture things to sell their goods oversees. so generally speaking there are more advantages to the consumer than not. however, people invest in the stock market. if you invest in the energy market you have seen those stocks come down a lot. places like north dakota have been capitalizing on this frac-ing boom and that is suffering.

that might be the motivation that saudi arabia has because it is taking out the competition. other countries who's economies are very dependant on oil prices are really getting hurt by this. so a lot of winners and losers in this one, but for most americans it's probably a net game. >> how long could the price continue to drop? >> well we have seen oil at this price in the last several years. we have seen actually lower prices of oil. the problem is easy oil -- there isn't that much more easy oil in the world. the kind they get in texas where you drill a hole and the oil comes out. the oil now is in the deep seas or in shale, and it takes energy to create that oil. it takes natural gas. it is more expensive. so a lot of people say without a 6 or 7 in front of the price of

oil, a lot of these companies will start shutting down and then you'll see the price coming up with reduced supply. you can't sustain the type of oil that the world uses right now at 50 or 40 or 30. we'll adjust. a lot of people will be thrown out of work. we won't produce as much energy in the united states but most people say oil needs to be at least in the high 60s probably up to about 80 just to keep people employed. >> how long could it take to rise again? >> most people i talk to don't think it stays low, but it could go lower before it goes up. assuming you think oil will settle at 60 or higher you may have to go through 40 and 30 to get there. there's nobody i'm talking to who says this is absolutely ridiculous and oil is not going to go lower. so it's a mug's game. i have gotten used to not

calling oil prices. but i have talked to people who say it is not inconceivable that it could get to 40 or 30. >> thank you very much. heidi, the white house suggested this is good for the u.s. economy. what do you think? >> it can be good for consumers, because lower gas prices means more money in their wallets. >> name me a company though -- so many companies use a lot of energy you know? and doesn't this impact them? >> yes, it does. >> i'm thinking airlines. >> yes, but the way that airlines use energy is they have hedges ways to prevent price drops from hurting them -- >> i would think it would help them. >> they can help or hurt them

either way they are hedged. that's the miracle of wall street. so this covers them probably until the middle of the year. >> i understand but we didn't see a drop in ticket prices right? >> yes, the prediction is that we will but it will take time. >> what is the impact on the relationship between the united states and say saudi arabia. >> it puts pressure on the united states as well as venezuela, and russia. >> why? >> we are producing over 800 thousands barrels a day more than we need. and those countries depend on high prices -- >> i am so confused. because i have been listening to presidents of the united states for the last 30 years saying we have got to produce more oil. and drill baby drill at the

national convection last year. so which is the good thing? >> frac-ing has given us a new way to access oil. it gives us all new oil supplies and makes the u.s. more oil independent. >> i thought that's what people in the united states wanted? >> it is but be careful for what you wish for. it is not good for other countries, because they depend on oil to pay their debts. venezuela, depends on oil for their revenue. >> and that hurts the united states how? >> oil companies are a big part of our economy. and so those oil economies do most of the business investment in the s&p 500.

matter of a fact about a third of all investment in the s&p 500 comes from the major producers. if we're producing too much oil, they won't be investing in their businesses, and that means a slowdown in the u.s. economy overtime. >> heidi thank you very much. now to lebanon and the refugee crisis. that country has decided to tighten their border. now the lebanese government is making it tougher to cross the border. jane ferguson reports. >> reporter: for 20 years this man hasn't needed to worry about a visa to work in lebanon. syrians like him didn't need one. but now the lebanese government has changed the rules. syrians will have to explain why they are entering the country, and entry is not guaranteed. >> translator: i have been working in lebanon since 1995 and now i am stuck in lebanon. there is no way i can leave now back to syria.

lebanon has been protecting us and now we don't feel safe. >> reporter: many syrians live in the working class neighborhood of beirut. most are confused about the new rules, and came to ask us what is going on. but it is not yet clear what will happen to those already living inside lebanon. who don't qualify for visas under the new rules. not all syrians in lebanon are registered as refugees. many came here years ago looking for work some escaping from the recent war, split their time between the safety of lebanon and visiting inside of syria. now if they leave there is no guarantee of being let back in. >> i have daughters still living in aleppo. now i want to be able to see them. >> reporter: it's not just working class syrians who will be affected by the new rules, every syrian not registered as a

refugee will have to explain what they are doing here. that includes middle class syrians. many own businesses inside of lebanon. now they will need to take a box on the paperwork, declaring themselves students business travelers, tourists et cetera, and prove it. >> translator: the application on the borders is a box to check the reason for the visit. if they are not a refugee, they must produce proof. >> reporter: the border has historically been open. now syrians here fear that freedom of movement is fading. jane ferguson al jazeera, beirut. syrian-american is the cofounder of syrian relief and development, and joins us now from washington. welcome. >> thank you for having me.

>> let me just start with the impact that this could have on average syrian refugees. >> well i mean of course the humanitarian impact of such a law could be very grave if it is not handled appropriately, if there's no coordination between the lebanese government and the international community. you know there is a great mb of syrians in the south that have absolutely nowhere else to go. those in damascus and homs that may be fleeing due to the fighting and really have nowhere else to go but lebanon. the north is too dangerous for them to get to. so it's important that that border remains open for those seeking immediate medical attention and help. >> the numbers are remarkable -- are tragic one in four people in lebanon are syrian refugees. so how is this surge of refugees

impacted the lebanese? >> well of course it has impacted them in very important ways. you know if you compare the population of lebanon, they are a little over 4 million. and you have about 1.5 million syrians there. you compare that to turkey that has a population of 75 million, and has taken in the same number of refugees. in that gives you a little perspective of why the lebanese government may be looking to address this problem head on. the lebanese have been taken quite a hit since the syrian refugee crisis. however, it remains important that that border not be entirely closed and if there are going to be regulations that they are efficient and effectively monitored and that like i said before there is constant communication and coordination with the international

community, and the united nations in specific to ensure there is not an overburdening on the lebanese. >> but don't you get the feeling that lebanon is trying to shut the door close it down? >> well i mean of course there is a lot of political pressure in lebanon. lebanese politics are of course very sensitive. there's -- there's constant tension between the shia the sunni, and christian communities there, and the overflow of syrian refugees is undoubtedly tipping that sort of sectarian divide towards one direction or another, so it's understandable why the lebanese government is trying to manage this sort of flow. but at the same time you know, their schools are over -- you know overwhelmed with syrian refugees. their medical systems are overwhelmed with syrian refugees. the businesses are being bombarded with a new population almost half of their current

population. >> this is personal for you. i'm told you have family in homs syria. what is life like for them there? >> well the lives of those in homs the city where i was born in remains difficult. they remain trapped and surrounded by the syrian government. i have relatives in lebanon who went there in the first year of the conflict and it has been difficult for them as well. they are not quite sure if they are welcome, or if there will be -- as we see now, further restrictions as the syrian conflict continues. and unfortunately it doesn't look like there is an end in sight. >> thank you for sharing your story with us tonight. >> thank you for having me. desperate syrian refugees are increasingly turning to human traffickers to help get

them to europe. the refugees are forced to pay thousands of dollars and risk lives to board ships headed to italy. peter brennan reports. >> reporter: here on the key side you really get a flavor of what the conditions might be like out there in the open water. we're within the protection of the harbor wall here and this is a fer ferocious wind. out there beyond the harbor mouth, you can only imagine the kind of conditions by the migrants who have been coming here from italy. two in very bad conditions in the past week alone. authorities have started to interview some of those migrants one in particular the blue sky m, people talk about paying between 4 and $8,000 to

be below the decks as the ship rolls in very bad conditions hardly any water, very little food. the main route appears to be drying up somewhat perhaps because of the scaling down of the italian navy ships which go look for these people. so the human traffickers are using a route from turkey into greek waters and into italian waters. the european spokesperson on monday said the following. there needs to be more means, more instruments, more money into solving this problem. fierce debates over

immigration are playing out in germany. thousands marched tonight in the streets of cologne to show their support for immigrants. they are speaking out against anti-muslim groups who have been protesting in that country for weeks. >> reporter: denouncing a movement that they say is knee neo-nazi. they gathered to show their disgust at pegida. >> especially in call-- colon. we are proud to be an ininte traited city. >> translator: muslims live their religion here. it happens alongside everything else. parallel. >> reporter: here police kept the counter demonstrators well away from several hundred self

proclaimed patriots. most of them were unwilling to speak to the media. why are you here? >> because democracy and the freedom of opinion are important to me. >> reporter: so which opinion is the reason? >> that is it. >> reporter: in the eastern city of dresden, where the movement started 18,000 people marched. but in the capitol berlin it was the counter protest which far outnumbered the pegida movement. chancellor angela merkel as criticized the organizers of per of -- pegida and she says the public shouldn't be manipulated in to supporting them.

but there is a portion of the public who say they have genuine grievances. in cologne the lights were switched off at the cathedral. and coming up on this broadcast, the accused boston marathon bomber comes face-to-face with hundreds of potential jurors. plus the cdc says this year's flu season is getting worse. ♪

a tragic day for any united states ski team two junior members killed in an avalanche. it happened in austria, the sight of the season-opening

world cup races. no other skiers reported injured. we're learning more tonight about a failed coup in the western african nation of gambia. today the u.s. justice department charged two u.s. citizens in the attack. rob reynolds has more on that story from washington. >> reporter: the two individuals who have been arrested in the united states are charged with conspiracy to violently overthrow the government of a foreign power. that's a very old u.s. law that dates back to the founding of this country, more than 200 years ago. they are two gentlemen -- one of whom lives in texas, the other in the state of minnesota. they are both in custody now. if you look at the documents which were filed in court

earlier, you'll see the description of this coup attempt it does seem rather amateurish. about two dozen people of gambian origin from the u.s. and united kingdom, gathered together in the capitol on the 30th of december. they were armed. they had smuggled in guns into the country. and they came upon the government residence, it's called the state house, where the president lives. but the president was not there at the time because he was out of the country. in any event, they began firing their guns into the air, in the expectation that the troops guarding the residences would simply drop their weapons and run away and then a popular uprising would spontaneously take place which would replace the regime.

that didn't happen. the troops began firing. several of the alleged plotters were killed. the rest to their heels, and two are now in custody in the u.s. and eric holder said the u.s. government strongly condemns such conspiracies. same-sex couples in the united states can now get married this florida. the decision makes florida the 36th state to make gay marriage legal. clerks in some of the state's more conservative counties have stopped all weddings in protest. the state attorney general is appealing. the u.s. flu season is getting worse now, according to the centers of disease control. the highest levels of illness are in those states in red there. the e. the cdc says it's not clear how

bad the outbreak will be this season. the flu kills an average of 24,000 people in the u.s. every year. last month the cdc warned this flu season and its vaccine doesn't protect against one of the common flu strains, but officials say a flu shot is recommended. tensions and the search for answers in the shooting deaths of two unarmed black men why some are calling for an end to grand jury secrecy. ♪

this is al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler in new york. [ explosion ] >> boston bombing the marathon attack suspect in court, we'll look at the risk of home-grown threats. new congress more women, more diversity, but will there be more gridlock. full disclosure, the public

called for an end to grand jury secrecy. and the cutting edge rocket that could save taxpayers billion dollarses. 12 people were decide the faith of the boston marathon bomber. the search for a jury started today. tom akerman reports. >> reporter: in the boston courthouse where the trial is taking place, the suspect showed no expression as the judge asked him to stand. then the first 200 initial jurors were given initial instructions. over the following months the trial testimony will revive memories of carnage, and a city-wide lockdown. >> it will be painful to relive something so traumatic, but i think who could handle it better than the citizens of boston. >> reporter: he faces 30 charges

related to the bombings. he and his older brother are accused of assembling about setting off the explosive devises near the finish line. >> it looked like an ied from afghanistan. >> reporter: three days later the brothers were spotted and allegedly waged a gun battle with police after the shooting of a university police officer. >> there are still many unanswered questions. among them why did young men who grew up and studied here as part of our communities and our country, resort to such violence. >> reporter: but prosecutors say dzhokher explained his reasons in a note taking responsibility

for the bombs. it said the act was retribution for u.s. actions against innocent muslims in afghanistan and iraq. his case may hinge that he acted under severe pressure from his brother. even if the jury agrees it could take many years for the death penalty to be carried out. lawyers for the boston bombing suspect have argud he cannot get a fair trial because of the attention this case has received. our coverage continues with john terrett. >> reporter: good evening, the defense counsel has asked to delie the start and move the trial away from boston. both denied by the judge.

but just choosing the jury for this trial could take several weeks. he confessed to the bombing in a handwritten note. security video shows him leaving a backpack close to the first victim to die. but they say he is the victim of an overbearing older brother. almost two years on and boston's a city that wants the trial to start and be over but can the younger brother get a fair trial in the city where he is accused of injuring more than 260 people and killing three. his defense team lobbied to move it out of the city like the trial of oklahoma city bomber

timothy mcveigh. this federal prosecutor says picking a jury from 3,000 people may seem onerous but not impossible. >> there are a lot of people who don't watch the news who know there was a bombing incident in boston, but know nothing about it. and the question is whether they can put aside what they know and render a verdict according to the law. >> reporter: jury selection is expected to take weeks. he pleaded nothing to all 30 federal charges against him. if found guilty on any one of them, a second hearing would be held to determine if he should be put to death. among the defense attorney judy clark who has saved other high profile clients from the death penalty, including the unibomb

unibomber, and the olympic park bomber. prosecutors say the two brothers were not affiliated with any group. paul brennan is here to take a close look at the so-called loan wolf attackers. >> these individuals acting alone are nearly impossible to identify or investigate. they are hiding in plain site never drawing attention until they act. taking no orders following no commander, their tactics methods and goals all their own. >> they are not on anyone's radar. they are not using traditional channels of communication to -- to communicate with other cell members. >> reporter: the unibomber, a

paranoid schizophrenic, who's mail bombs killed three and wounded nearly 2,000 more. timothy mcveigh killed 168 and injured over 600 with a truck bomb in oklahoma city. more correctly eric freezing rain a survivalist who evaded capture for nearly two months. the threat is not -- in the west ever since september 11st the overriding fear has been loan wolf home grown attackers,

driven by the -- idea that the u.s. is at war with isis. dzhokher has said that he and his brother were motivated by the notion of war between islam and america. in may 2013, two british-born muslim converts killed a british soldier in london. in october a recent muslim convert attacked four new york city police officers with a hatchet. two attacks in canada in october were both carried out by men who recently converted to islam. and in sydney australia, a gunman held ten people hostage in a cafe. in virtually all loan wolf cases there are questions about the attackers mental health and social isolation.

isolation which can make them even more difficult to detect. law enforcement can't arrest someone for thinking violent radical thoughts or for being a suspicious loaner. >> typically you don't have a shot at identifying them because they start doing the usual preattack -- the preparatory work. they are going to do surveillance. they probably do a few dry runs. >> reporter: dry runs before turning plans into action. and by the time loan wolves do that it's too late to stop them. even intelligence is sometimes not enough. in 2011 russia advised the fbi and cia that the older brother was a person who should be monitored. it was an opportunity missed. john? >> now to the latest fallout to the police shootings of unarmed african american american. one of the jurors is suing to

speak out. he said that the prosecutors mischaracterized grand juror's views on the case. in new york city today another tempt by the mayor to repair his relationship with the nypd. he praised the department again for reducing crime in the city but claimed that police officers who continue that protests against them are hurting the families of their fallen comrades. roxana saberi has details. >> reporter: the mayor wanted to focus on the record-low crime statistics but they ended up fielding questions about tensions between the nypd and the mayor. a day after more offersers turned their backs to the mayor, he and the city's police commissioner expressed their disappointment.

>> they were disrespectful to the families who lost their loved one. and i can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in a context like that. >> i just don't understand it. i'm sorry. i just do not understand that. what was the need in the middle of that ceremony to engage in a political action? i don't get it. >> reporter: tensions between the mayor and the nypd have been running high in recent weeks. many officers feel de blasio sited with protesters who took to the streets in december after a grand jury decided not to indict a white officer in the death of eric garner. the mayor also said he has often warned his biracial son about what he calls the dangers of police encounters. he has tried to diffuse the tensions last week. >> our thought here today is that actions speak louder than words and time will tell.

>> reporter: the police commissioner admits the tension, the protests and two police funerals have lead to a slowdown in arrests and summons. >> we have had a lot of things that have been impacting on activity levels but the overall crime numbers have continued to decline in the city. >> reporter: his comments come hours after protesters rallied outside of the state supreme court calling for records in garner's grand jury trial to be made public. the district attorney who handled the case said in a court filing: a judge announced today we'll hear arguments for and against disclosing the grand jury proceedings later this month. lieutenant julie harper is

the cofounder for the advocacy group 100 black people in law enforcement who care. give me your reaction to the protest of police officers who turned their back on the mayor? >> well i think it was inappropriate. i think the timing was bad. i think they are mourning the loss of two police officers and i think that the respect should be shown to the families and the -- the loss of those two police officers. >> but if they are angry with their mayor, why should thanth protest. >> well, that really isn't the question. the timing is the question. >> the location. >> exactly the timing the location we're talking about at a funeral of police officers who were assassinated. >> i have listened to police officers or those who represent

police officers get up and say, well -- they don't say exactly the mayor had blood on his hands, but they came very close to saying it. that the mayor through his support of other protesters have helped -- have in some way had something to do with the killing of these police officers. what do you say to that? >> i disagree. they shouldn't put the two together. the assassination of these fine police officers was done by a loan disturbed person. we start talking about the protesters we can't connect the two. the people who have a right to protest. if they disagree -- >> on both sides. >> absolutely. they have a right to protest, but i don't think we can have a nexus or connection between the two. >> is there a police between officers in this city is there

a racial split over this? >> there may be a split, but we're going to have to talk about, i guess, the individual officers. there may be some black officers who are opposed to turning their back to the mayor, but there may be some white officers as well. so i don't think if we can directly tie that -- or put that down a racial line but i'm sure there are both sides that agree and disagree. >> how has it affected morale? >> it has affected morale. i think a lot of officers are not pleased with everything that is going on throughout the city relative to the protests and relative to the response to the mayor or by the mayor. >> the "new york times" had an editorial several days ago which was very tough on the police. and it directly went to the whole idea of turning their back in protest of the mayor, and suggested that the police chief,

the police commissioner should get tough with these officers. is that the way the mayor and the police commissioner should handle this? >> i think we have to define the word tough. >> discipline people who don't respect the people and authority who run the city run the department. >> i think they do have an obligation to respect the mayor and the police commissioner and they should be held accountable. now the question is how are they held accountable? >> i think that there should be some kind of conversation with the pva, and i know they did have a discussion, but they really have to start talking about how the members respond to things that they disagree with. >> let's go back to the protests after ferguson and eric garner case in new york. do you think those protesters really understanding how it impacted police officers who believe that they are doing a good job, and that they don't do

anything to harm black african-americans in the city of new york? >> first of all, i think the protesters wanted to have an impact on the police officers but they want better policing. that's the response they want. they want fair policing. they want the people who live in harlem to be policed the same way as the people who live in benson hurst. so these are the things they are asking for. >> and you were in the department, so they don't get that now? >> well i mean we can look at some of the responses and the tactics by the police department and how certain communities are policed differently than other communities, so it's not just a thought -- i mean this is reality. >> it's reality from your point of view and then i listen to police officers on the other side who simply say, we're fair. we're honest. we treat everybody the same way. >> yeah you may hear that but we have to look at the results.

we have to look at how certain communities -- and perception is important. we have to look at how certain communities perceive how they are being policed. we're talking about independent people being arrested. there were incidents of something called lucky bag that the police department implemented at one time. where someone would find property in a subway station, and if 245i don't immediately hand it over to a police officer, they would be arrested. we have to talk about the inequity and unfairness in balancing policing. >> how do the two sides come together? >> well, whether it happens soon, only the police commissioner, the community, and the pva, and mayor can determine that. but we have to remove politics from all discussion, and talk about fairness good policing and equity in policing when we talk about every community. julian thank you for joining us tonight.

>> thank you very much. now to washington, d.c. and the changing of the guard on capitol hill. the 114th session of construction begins on tuesday. for the first time since 2006 the g.o.p. will have control of the house and senate. libby casey joins us now from the white house with more. hi libby. >> reporter: john good evening, the republicans have been riding a wave of condense since the election, but now they get down to the hard work of governing. republicans have a hefty to-do list. first up approving construction of the keystone pipeline. it has already passed the house multiple times. the white house won't say how the president will react to a keystone bill crossing his desks. but there are other g.o.p. priorities the president will definitely veto. >> he obviously will double down

on defending obamacare, we'll certainly be voting on that if we can put either repeal or take out pieces of it like you know destroying the 40-hour workweek, the medical device attack. mitch mcconnell will lead a caucus of 54 republicans, not enough to overcome a filibuster much less a presidential veto. so he'll need democratic or white house support on some measures, and he may find it on corporate tax reform or trade deals with asia and europe. republicans say their biggest tool, control of the purse strings. they try to use funding to try to block the president's actions on immigration. it's a major goal of conservatives. top house republican john

boehner is expected to win a third term as speaker, but not without pushbacks from conservative ranks. and expect those battles to be not just about agenda but style. leader mcconnell trying to set a tone that republicans can convince americans they should keep control of both the house and senate and perhaps even send a republican to the white house. john. >> libby thank you very much. tomorrow from the xl pipeline immigration taxes, a lot more republicans take control of capitol hill. we'll have a special report the new congress 8:30 eastern time. next deep freeze cold weather gripping the country and moving east. plus -- there is a sinking feeling in and under the streets of old town seattle. i'm checking in on the tunnelling project that is stuck dead and causing concerns.

they call it bertha the world's largest tunnel-boring machine. it has been stuck in neutral under the city of seattle for over a year. now there are new concerns about the machine and the billion dollars highway project put on hold. allen schauffler is live with more on this one. >> reporter: john i'm in pioneer square, the oldest part of seattle. it is mostly three and four-story brick and masonry buildings, a little bit fragile and bertha is stuck a couple hundred yards that way, and causing problems. the j&m cafe has been part of the square since the 1800s. beneath these streets there's a giant drill boring a tunnel for an underground highway, but the

tunnel machine is stuck, broken and repair work may be making this part of town sink. the general manager took us underground to show us why he and many others worry about growing cracks in their buildings. 124-year-old building you would expect cracks right? >> yes. this is getting crazy, when they are getting censors to watch these cracks. >> reporter: a likely but not yet proven cause millions of gallons of ground water pumped out recently. that came down last night? so this stuff has fallen out overnight. >> yeah. >> reporter: city inspectors are now watching more than 30 buildings after sinking was detected last month. one section of the elevated

highway that the tunnel is going to replace sank about an inch and a half during that time. that's an inch and a half hour than the broken down tunnelling machine has tunnelled in more than a year. it stopped moving just a thousand feet into the big. >> the current state is almost a comedy. >> reporter: not really all that funny, though for this attorney who can point to his own cracked walls, and who has a front row seat for the underground engineering drama. the pit they are digging is right there? >> yeah. >> reporter: he believes the sinking and settling could eventuallyland in court. it couldn't surprise you at all if there were lawsuits that came out of this? >> no. hey, this is america, you know? >> reporter: the settling has stopped and work has resumed. they hope to finish the traffic

tunnel by august of 2017, two years later than first planned. but the head of the state transportation department says nobody can provide a true time line for completion of the $3.1 billion project. so here is the reset for 2015 keep an eye on all of these buildings in pioneer square. fix the bearings start drilling in late spring and hopefully finish two and a half years from now. >> before i ask you whether the money is going to go for but wasn't there some engineer that suggested that maybe this might happen and might be a bad idea? >> well there are lots of nay sayers who have said this wasn't a good idea. but this was the preferred alternative selected by the governor five years ago after

years and years of driterring. damaged in an earthquake 14 years ago, still hasn't been replaced, they came up with tunnelling as the best option. not a good situation, we have got a long way to go. >> and $3.1 billion goes for? >> $3.1 billion not only digs the tunnel but builds the highway entrances, pays for taking down the highway along seattle's waterfront reintegrated the downtown of seattle with puget sound, and carting that old highway off, and moving lots of different utilities to. >> allen schauffler interesting story. thanks allen. space x is gearing up for its first big launch tomorrow. the company's falcon 9 rocket, carrying 3700 pounds of cargo to

the international space station. the rocket will then return to earth and attempt to land on a platform floating in the ocean. it would be the first rocket to be recovered for reuse. freezing temperatures are blanketing the country tonight. rebecca stevenson has more. >> this is the time to do coat drives and pull wool socks out and bundle up. cold air is blasting its way into the central states and wind chills are going to be more like bone chillers. note that the snow is moving to the east. we're going to have areas of accumulation around new york state and around manhattan, relatively light amounts of snow. the big story is the temperatures. 3 degrees for chicago in the morning, where we had a fresh

four to five inches of snowfall throughout the day. and if you want to stay warm go to the west coast, especially los angeles at 80. wait until you see how long this stretch is with us. minus 51 is siberia. this will be with us all the way through next weekend. >> all right. rebecca, thank you very much. our picture of the day is coming up next. ♪

coming up at 11:00 eastern time, the new age of transportation in california, a look at how the golden state will build and pay for a multi-billion dollars bullet train. plus what makes this

photographer the master. now our freeze frame, it is the 51st annual cligall i willing raffi contest. >> the united states is in the midst of the worst drug addiction epidemic in its history. but it's not a crisis of illegal drugs. it's one of prescription painkillers - oxycodone, hydrocodone, and other legal narcotics, all related to opium. collectively they are called opioids. >> these are the opioid painkillers. and prescriptions for drugs like these have more than quadrupled over the last 15 years - to the extent that the us now consumes more than 80 percent of the global supply of these drugs.