i'm ray suarez. it's the "inside story." >> this is al jazeera america. i'm tony harris. hurricane patricia, one of the stungest storms every reported is about to make land fall in mexico. >> gnc is accused of selling to ducting containing a prescription drug. and how families are using the internet to connect and learn more about medical research.

>> we begin with what is being called as the largest hurricane reported in the western hemisphere is now battering mexico. it has brought heavy rains and high winds to puerto vallarta, that beautiful city and the surrounding area. buildings have been. >> okay, here is the storm right now. it has a very compact eye. if isn't as large as it could be.

trust me, they have had some that are larger. but it is intense. if you're in the core of that wind severe damage is going to be done, but widespread rain, and then it goes into the mountainous terrain and it brings that moisture out. so mudslides definitely. along i this coast line, puerto vallarta under the impact of this widespread evacuation. we're expecting tat troug catastrophic results from this storm. over the next 24 hours, the storm dissipating after that. but we're seeing some of that moisture tap into the united

states where we already with a front had flooding in texas. that will add over the next couple of days creating a mess in the southern tier of the country, our country as well. >> nicole, we come back later i think at the half hour or so, let's talk about the anatomy of this storm. >> laura, appreciate the time. thanks for talking with us. are you a local of the area, or are you on vacation, holiday, visiting friends or what? >> i'm here on vacation with my husband. we got here last saturday. our plan was to leave tomorrow. but it does not seem like it's going to happen. we've been told that we're going into an emergency situation.

we have one hour to get downstairs and get on the first bus available. there was not enough buses for everybody, so we got on the bus quickly. we feel bad for the people left behind. it is very rainy, very cold, very windy. it's very scary right now. >> before you left had the outer bands of the storm start to roll in? did you see this approaching? >> yesterday, the water was beautiful, the sun was shining and everyone was out at the pool. all of a sudden it got dark and that the hurricane was coming. they told us it was just a level one, and it should not affect our vacation.

it quickly elevated from a level one to level five hurricane. this came in very quickly and it's very intense. >> i don't know if you live in an area in the states where you get these kinds of storms or if you live in an area that is prone to hurricanes, but what do you think when you hear that this storm will make landfall in mexico where you're there on holiday, as the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the western hemisphere. >> it's very scary. i panicked. this is a panic situation. i live in scottsdale, arizona, the weather is not like this. and the rain is just coming down. >> describe your scene.

>> the sky is completely black. it's very dark, and the clouds are huge. they're pouring down rain, and it's very heavy winds right now. i'm seeing that you're being evacuated to guadalajara. >> we're told that we might be dropped off at the airport. but because of the language barrier we're unsure at this point. it's bumper to bumper traffic. >> what is your plan. whether it's guadalajara or next city over, is your plan to get out of the country as soon as you can? >> it is, absolutely, yes. >> the best to you and your

husband. >> thank you so much. >> yes, yes, maybe if possible we'll stay in touch with you, if it's okay with you to find out how your journey back to the scottsdale area is going. >> master sergeant joshua wheeler was the first american to die in combat in iraq in nearly four years. there were signs that the u.s. military may be conducting more raids on isis in the future. jamie mcintyre has more. >> good afternoon. >> secretary defense ash carter made no apologies of a risky mission. even though the u.s. combat role in iraq supposedly ended four

years ago. >> we find opportunities to do things that will effectively prosecute the campaign we're going to do that. this is an stamp of a case where we'll do something. we alone have the capability to do it. >> the american special operation forces were supposed to helicopter the peshmerga troops to an isil-run prison compound west of kirkuk and get them out after peshmerga did all the fighting. >> they landed in the area where we believe the hostages where. the kurdish peshmerga fought their way up to the wall that was around this compound. the american personnel were ordered to stay in the helicopter an wait until they

were funned. >> they saw that the peshmerga was unable to advance. they sprung into action. >> they stood up and all indications are it was his actions and that of his teammate that protected those who were involved in breaching the compound, and made tha the mission a success. it was not part of the plan, but it was something that he did. i'm immensely proud that did he that. >> with u.s. pilots flying thousands of missions in the skies over iraq and syria, and thousands of u.s. visors on the ground, they warned the american public to brace for more deaths even though the u.s. combat role is supposedly over. >> we do not have combat formations there the way we had once upon a time in iraq or the way we've had in years past in afghanistan.

we do have people in harm' way. >> he said it was not cam bat in iraq. he compared it to a raid in syria in may, and promised there may be more raids to come in the future. the message was that when it comes to dangerous assignments, the u.s. troops may not just advise and assist but accompany iraqi forces in combat. >> secretary of state john kerry met with leaders of israel and palestinians. 30,000 muslims prayed at the

al-aqsa mosque today. but it was a different scene in many parts of the occupied west bank where activists and clashes brought out across the region. we have more from the occupied west bank. [ gunfire ] >> a message in a bottle. that molotov cocktail and no surrender. >> the response from israeli soldiers.

>> they drove protesters back. they just cannot with stand. [ gunfire ] >> here on the highway that once led to jerusalem, they have been battling for weeks. sending a message to my enemy that i'm not afraid even if they use live ammunition. we're fighting for palestine. >> firing stones, ducking rubber pull let's, the protest also signal a changing at the guard.

it's younger generation shrugging off the old leadership of the palestinian authority. they're blaming it for corruption, and failing to negotiate an independent homeland from israel. >> we hope that the palestinian authority will wake up. what you see us doing is a personal effort. >> away from the classes, senior member of the palestine liberation organization. >> i found this generation being quite astute, quite political intelligent and engaged, and unhappy with their leadership. this is a grabbic reminder of

the failure of the oslo accords. this is a monument of confrontation, not peace. the place is twice as high as the berlin wall, a new generation of women are joining. also in the shadows of the wall are the protests there was supposed to be a temporary shelter for thousands of palestinians. when israel was created in is the 48. most here at friday prayers they brought in camp. most never leave as the peace deals are hammered out.

like others, they were born here. >> everything that is happening now is giving us hope. this has been going on for years. we're locked in chains and surrounded on all sides. a few hundred yards away protests rage on. others stand their ground. >> the mujahideen make their point. we did not come here to watch this occupier or to play. they have stolen our lands and our holy places, we will take them back by any means necessary, with stones or with bullets.

[ gunfire ] >> that victory may still be far off for these young palestinians. but perhaps new leaders and fresh solutions can emerge from the fog of their revolt. al jazeera, bethlehem, occupy west bank. >> democrats called for the special congressional panel looking into the bengahzi attack to be shot down. the move comes one day after hillary clinton's marathon testimony before the committee. libby casey is live for us in washington, d.c. good to see you. democrats are saying enough is enough. >> that's right. members of this senate want to see the committee dismanned.

and members of the committee itself those democrats are agreeing. they also want republican leadership to stop the proceedings. many of those members threatened to walk away from the committee. but today committee members said they will not walk away because they want their perspective heard. they believe the statement saying if the speaker rejects our request, we'll continue to participate to make sure that the facts are known and the conspiracy theories are debunked. republicans show no sign that they will take apart this committee because if they did it would certainly look like they were capitulating and saying that there was nothing more to dig up. something that they fundamentally don't agree with. tony? >> so with a day of hindsight how is washington reflecting on

yesterday's hearing? >> well, you notice the ones talking about this are the democrats. they believe they have political message to make. they keep the words focused on what happened to the four americans who died in 2012. she left it to the republicans and democrats to fight it out. hillary clinton was back on the campaign trail already this morning. >> it's been quite a week. thank you all so much. i'm absolutely delighted to be here. as some of you may know, i had a pretty long day yesterday. [ cheering ] but i finally got to answer

questions. >> now hillary clinton's campaign team said, tony, that in the hour after the hearing ended, donations to hillary clinton for president spiked. this was a notable jump in contributions. the contributions that came in yesterday, more than half were from first-time donors, that's very significant. and most of these were small amounts, which means that they now have a list of games of people they can go back to for money and support in the future. tony? >> small amounts. first-time donors. that sounds a bit like the obama coalition from years ago. all right, libby, good to see you. libby casey for us. spiked supplements. the new allegations leveled at one of america's biggest nutrition companies. plus the u.s. and refugee crisis. the arab american group asking for more support.

>> they would authorities have seized shipments of an illegal execution drug that they tried to import from abroad. the fda said it has i a impounded the orders in phoenix. it's not clear what drugs were headed to texas: death penalty states have been struggling

penalizing after they have stopped selling them. a lawsuit alleges that gnc sold products that contained bad stimulants. allen, give us a few of the details in this case against gnc? >> well, here you go, oregon ag sued the company saying that thousands of customers in the state of oregon were sold products that were mislabeled. they just didn't know what they were getting when they bought them, and some of those products included two powerful synthetic drugs not approved for sale or use in the united states. >> they didn't know what they were getting in some cases when thee bought these products. is there any danger to people who have bought and used these

products? >> well, the attorney general certainly thinks so. we're talking about two different drugs. they're both synthetic, manmade, the first was developed in the old soviet unity in the late '60s. it's used to treat a variety of neurological disorders as well as anxiety, depression, still available by prescription in russia today. the other is a very powerful stimulant, something like methamphetamine. it's often included in weight loss products. the suit says that gnc knew about it and it goes back a number of years. >> what has gnc done about it. >> they came out with a statement. all of two statements. the claims made by the oregon attorney general are without

merit, and gnc intends to vigorously defend against those allegations. the company also says after notice from the state of oregon and fda that they removed products from their store shelves in a they believe contain those ingredients. >> this is not the first time that gnc has landed in legal trouble over supplements. >> your mind is working. the new york attorney general sent cease and desist letters to gnc, walmart and target because of laboratory tests that showed a whole range of the herbal supplements did not contain the ingredients depicted on their label, and in some cases the lab analysis could not depict what the ingredients were. not just g this gnc but

supplements have been under scrutiny this year. >> has it had impact on the company stock? >> that stock fell off the table late afternoon when this announcement came off. it has bounced back while later in the afternoon, and after closed trading, and today now a little bit less than 10% off where it was yesterday. before this news broke. >> allen, i appreciate it. allen schauffler for us from seattle. up next in the program with the bengahzi hearings. and mexico is getting battered by a powerful category five storm. what makes this storm different from others? and we go inside the hurricane.

>> al jazeera america primetime. get the real news you've been looking for. at 7:00, a thorough wrap-up of the day's events. then at 8:00, john seigenthaler digs deeper into the stories of the day. and at 9:00, get a global perspective. weeknights, on al jazeera america. >> hurricane patricia, the strongest hurricane reported just made landfall in southwestern mexico. the storm is bringing heavy rains and high winds to puerto vallarta and the surrounding

area. state of emergency is in effect in the region. nicole also serves in the air force reserve, and as a meteorologist for the hurricane hunters. really? i think i knew this, but i'm always amazed when i read this. >> you fly over them, right? >> you fly into the huge storms. >> yes. >> so based on that kind of experience tell me about the dynamics, the dimensions of this storm, of patricia? >> i've done a couple of cat 5s. >> when you say you've done a couple of cat 5s, that means-- >> right, inside them. >> okay. >> and you know, in the scope of many storms. sometimes storms can be worse over land because you have friction that it interacts especially in mountain thousand terrain. but this one shot up so quickly.

>> from one-- >> from an one to a five in less than 24 hours. that's rapid. >> and going from wind speeds of what to what? >> 74 mph is your minimum level hurricane. and then up to 200 mph. that is huge. if you get a storm that is rapidly intensifying, and you fly into it, you could see hail, which you don't always see, lightening strikes. sometimes there will be tornadic activity. these are things that you need to be watching for as you're inside the storm. >> when we say that the storm has made landfall what part of the storm has actually made landfall? because the outer bands of the storm has been hitting the coast for a while now. >> right, you're really looking at the eye of the storm. this one has been pretty small. sometimes when you get rapid intensifying storms that happens. wilma, which previously set the record for the lowest pressure, which is how we categorize these

back in 2005, that had at one point an eye that was only two miles across. sometimes these really cyclogenesis. >> what do you call them? >> cyclo--look like a cyclone, and agai genesis, birth. >> what quadrant is very dangerous. i know you break these things in quadrant. >> it's always the right front. >> think about that if you're at home. >> the right side is the east side and the front identify with be the northeast. the reason why that is typically the most intense. not only do you have the storm-force winds and appl aligning with the momentum of the storm. so you have the combination of

the momentum and the storm going in the same direction, so that's where you have the worst impact on that side. that's the side where it will shove the water up and give the storm surge. >> in storms of hurricanes and tornadoes, the damage that you would expect. give me a sense. coastal area of mexico. 200 mph winds, somewhere in that neighborhood, how devastating is that? potentially? >> catastrophic. the only good thing i can say about this storm, hurricane sandy, as many of us remember, that had a much larger wind field, even though it was only a cat one and was not really a hurricane when it hit, that's why it we wil well-ed up so much water. in terms of storm surge this is located in the storm. but those cat 5 winds extend ten

miles out. so you'll have a buzz-saw damage and then all the rain on the mountainous terrain. >> now we have someone on the line from guadalajara. john, describe what the area around you looks like right now. >> in is a bit of rain. the storm will come across guadalajara. right now it's on the coast of two major result cities. this is what nicole is talking about there. correct me if i'm wrong, nicole, but that's where we have the real storm reaching the peak of its energy right at the point that it hits the coast. that's why it's devastating. you have resort cities with

hotels that are built to last. you've also got fishing villages and things like that along those coasts. that's where the real devastation could come in. you're talking about hurricane sandy, which is where things are obviously a lot more developed. houses are built a lot of village houses are built. wood, roofs, an adobe, which is a type of mud. there is potential devastation. >> john, give me a sense of where you are for folks who are trying to get oriented geographically with mexico. how far inland are you from the coast where we can presume there is a lot of chaos going on right now? >> in the coast from the state statsame state of jalisco.

overnight we're going to see rain. the winds will die down somewhat. but in the same state there are 3,000 military troops at the moment. it is impossible to get there at the moment. there are military check points outside of guadalajara so people can't use those words to get to coastal areas. we heard that they sealed off the roads on those resort cities and the coasts as well to make travel impossible. doubtful anyone was thinking of doing it right now. but just to make sure that people batten down the hatches and stay in the shelters they've appropriate. appropriate--they have prepared. >> one for nicole. mexico is pretty mountainous, correct? so once the storm makes landfall and does what it does, especially along the coast, it will hit a mountain range.

>> good news-bad news. if it hills the mountain range it's going to bring up the landslides. if you live o near that, that's bad news. but for those that live past that, the terrain will shred it apart. >> is the concern in guadalajara, and not sure that the winds will be a factor, but they'll have died down considerably. i imagine by the time they reach you is the big concern the rain and the potential for flooding? >> well, i think people are still concerned about the winds rightly or wrongly. looking at a window with tape all over it. people all over the state, it's the biggest recorded hurricane. guadalajara i has a fair bit of

infrastructure. but just hearing nicole talk about those mountainside--the people in those mountain sides, those are really the most vulnerable people in mexico. they're in the countryside. resources are difficult to get to them. sometimes the government pays less attention to them than people living in the big urban population where is the votes are. those are the people who are going to have worrying times for them. in the past couple of years people in those rural areas aid just not get to them. we're talking about storms from two years ago, and those communities are still devastated because they have not been repaired by the government. that's going to be a real worry for ngos who are operating here, and for people who are on the mountainside, not just when the storm breaks and devastate things, but what are they going to do afterwards? are they going to receive the help that they need to put their lives together again.

>> he made a point that is interesting, a lot of storms in the eastern pacific go out to see. some were told do things as normal it will be fine, and they were not following how this was evolving rapidly. it was steering inland and turning into a cat 5, which is rare, i think it will catch a lot of people off side. >> nicole, thank you. john holman, stay safe and thank you. john holman for us in guadalajara, mexico. >> an attack in bengahzi killed six people and injured dozens more. libya remains in political turmoil four years after the fall of muammar qaddafi. courtney? >> hopes for united libya remain, but months of negotiations have not reconciled two warring governments in violent militias have further

divided and all about assured the towns ben good di bengahzi. >> after four years after the deat fall of muammar qaddafi,. >> we have extremely dangerous conditions. >> protesters rejected an u.n. proposal for an unity government. >> we refuse the dialogue sponsored by the united nations because it's unfair. the u.n. was supporting us, now it has become authoritarian and unjust. >> negotiators have so far failed to resolve the feud between the competing administrations. >> how are th a deadline after

holding a referendum passed. the representatives are recognized internationally and have western backing, but now don't have legal standing. 700 miles to the west the coalition of former rebel fighters that forced them to feet to tibruk--to flee to tibruk. >> after arrival militia, al-qaeda isil fighters ceased sirte. meanwhile rival armed groups divided bengahzi, libya's second-largest city.

armed gangs smuggle refugees and migrants to shores. >> there are a huge concern. so many lives. so many young people. so many hopes. >> the u.n. said 300,000 have tried to cross the mediterranean this year. at least 3,000 have died. the fighting has cut the crude output to about 400,000 per day. and according to the u.n. nearly two and a half million libyans almost half the population, are in need of humanitarian aid. and libya looks like it was poised for prosperity four years ago. but now with little oil revenue no central governance, and the emergence of isil steeped in its methods of brutality, the situation looks more dire. >> thank you. secretary of state john kerry announced an international summit to help solve the crisis in syria.

kerry met with leaders from russia, saudi arabia, turkey and vienna today. they all agreed to a meeting which could be held as early as next fry. kerry welcomes russia's involvement. but said that russia's military actions in syria are not helping to solve the crisis. germany is speeding up it's deportation process as it deals with a non-stop flow of refugees into the country. some 800,000 migrants are expected to enter into germany, by far the most in the e.u. germany said it will accelerate asylum requests and extradition of people who have no right to remain there. the syrian refugee crisis is happening thousands of miles away from the united states, but arab american leaders here are trying to figure out ways to help. bisi onile-ere has our report. >> we felt it was important to spend a day to focus on this. it will be an issue in 2016, but it's an issue right now.

>> arab leaders from across the country are in dearborn, michigan, outlining a platform ahead of the presidential election. on day one of discussions the ongoing conflict in syria, and an increasing number of syrians force to the leave their homeland dominated the conversation. >> well, i think we're at a time where we face global refugee crisis unlike we've seen since world war ii. >> it's estimated more than 4 million syrians have fled and 1500 have come to the u.s. since the civil war began in 2001. after facing mounting pressure from world leaders the obama administration has now pledging to take in 10,000 syrians within the next 12 months. illinois senator dick durban traveled to greece and met several refugee who is escaped the fighting. he said that the administration's policy is just a beginning. >> our nation is the large he is donor of humanitarian assistance

to syrian refugees, but we can, we should and we must do more. >> according to the united nations 60% of the syrians fleeing the country are women and young children. many of them victim of torture and violence. working closely with many syrian refugees at the center for victims of torture. >> well, there is certainly more need than there are resources available for these types of services. and you know, we continue to push to ensure mental health services and rehabilitation services are considered in the higher tier of priorities. >> during the three-day summit, they plan to map out a course of action to help u.s. officials deal with the crisis that is having global implications. the group said it will start on capitol hill, educating members of congress about the plight of millions of syrians who are looking for a way out of a nation they can no longer call

home. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, dearborn michigan. >> children coping with a rare and debilitating disease. how their families are coming together to get them the support they need.

al jazeera america.

>> south africa's president has given in to the demands of protesters and has dropped plans to increase college tuition. look at these scenes. the announcement comes a day after thousands of university students tried to storm government buildings in the nation's capital. it was a similar scene all week long across the country. and for a look at what is coming up it's a the top of the hour, john seigenthaler is here. >> we're following the hurricane. patricia just made landfall in southwestern mexico. the national weather service said that the winds are potentially catastrophic. we'll take a look at the threat of human lives, the evacuations and where the storm is

>> the families have accelerated the research significantly. >> we had great piece of news that they're going to build mice with this mutation. now that is something that was basically led by the family. >> you can't just sit back and wait for the researchers to do

everything. >> colombiacolumbia university scientists say that they're collaborating more today than ever before. >> how big of a role have families made? >> i think families have made all the difference. i think its unconscionable to act otherwise after you met the families. >> a year and a half ago scotty went a step further. >> i was like, here. here is harper. she's not a mutation. she's not a number. she's a girl. when you come to work every day this is who you're saving. >> a treatment or cure could be a long way off, but these families say they're working for their children and future generations. >> yay, good job. >> the families and researchers are helping pharmaceutical

families and philanthropists to invest in more research. >> are these families the own ononly ones to do this? >> no, three years ago a father used social media to find families just like his, and they have channeled millions of dollars of research around the world. >> that's well done. we're rooting for those families and their kids. they're adorable. thank you. >> someone new is moving to sesame street. her name is julia and she is autistic. we're introduced to the new puppet. >> meet julia, a little girl who does things a little bit different. julia is autistic. >> we're hoping that julia and all of these resources really help children understand autism and promote greater accept pan acceptance, and more importantly

accept the commonalities that all children share, and julia is a wonderful ambassador for that. >> sesame street producers have been working with autism support groups as they develop the character. one in 68 children are affected by the condition. >> julia talks a little bit about her differences how she may not look you directly in the eye, but it does not mean that she's not being your friend. >> sesame street is not a danger dealinstranger to dealing with tough issues. >> mr. hooper died. he's dead. >> oh, yeah, i remember. i'll give it to him when he comes back. >> big board, mr. hooper is not coming back.

>> here you are, burt. >> sesame street started back in 1969. it was the first time that a children's tv show was shaped by educational goals and a curriculum. by 2009 it had been shown in more than 140 countries. sesame street's first character with autism will appear in a digital book. whether julia turns up on tv depends on what the the autism community thinks of the little girl who does things a bit differently. >> that is all of our time for this news hour. thanks for being with us. i'm' tony harris. john seigenthaler is back in just a couple of months. for more news on any of these stories or hurricane patricia head to our website.

www.aljazeera.com. have a good weekend.

>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. historic hurricane. one of the strongest storms ever recorded slams into mexico. fears of unprecedented destruction. deadline for immigration centers holding migrant families longer than three days. will the agency comply with a federal judge's decision? cutting back. slashing salaries and staff. the new troubles for j