i'm jonathan betz of new york. >> the united states and e.u. stand with the people of ukraine. >> secretary of state john kerry backs ukraine's protesters while russia accuses the west of undermining the government. gun battles in the streets of bangkok as thailand prepares for national elections. california takes steps as it faces its worst drought in modern history. as the country kicks down the kick-off we look at who is really going to cash in on the super bowl. >> ukraine's protesters got a big endorsement from the united states. secretary of state john kerry met with opposition figures on the sideline of a munich conference. u.s. is considering sanctions. russia accused western powers of fanning the flames of unrelevant. there are still demands for the ukraine president to step down. jennifer glasse follows the developments. >> ukrainian opposition leaders meeting with secretary of state john kerry in munich got words of support. it's not clear what else. >> they are fighting for the right to associate with partners to help them realise t

i'm jonathan betz with the headlines tonight. award-winning actor philip seymour hoffman is being remembered. the 46-year-old was found dead in his new york apartment. there's no official cause of death. reports say drugs may have played a role. the actor won an oscar for "capoate" in 2006. >> another flare-up between the united states and israel after the secretary of state john kerry warned the country could face boycotts in peace talks failed. >> israeli took offense to the warning. this week ukraine president returns to work and parliament reconvenes. they are calling for the president to step down. polls closed in el salvador elections. he may not have enough votes to avoid a run-off. the most important matter is crime. >> temperatures have fallen and snow is on the way to the north-east, causing delays for tourists heading home from the super bowl. the seattle seahawks have blown out the broncos, final score 43-8. i'm jonathan betz, "talk to al jazeera", sports superagent leigh steinberg is up next. >> he twerked his way in

i'm jonathan betz live in new york. a massive meat recall, millions of pounds of beef from sick animals that were not inspected. >> behind the scenes - taliban attack planned on an american compound. >> a month after the west virginia spill, fears that the water is still not safe. [ ♪ music ] >> hitting the trail with the cowboy church, how the new approach is roping in members. >> tonight a major meat alert has been issued across parts of the united states. a californian company recalling millions of pounds of beef - more than a year's worth. the usda said they slaughtered diseased and unhealthy animals without inspection. >> what did the inspectors find? >> inspectors first took a look here last month. they ordered a smaller recall, and then the usda said upon further investigation, they found that this company, the rancho feeding corporation had been processing meat from animals that were diseased or "unfit", and that's when they did one of the largest recalls in years. >> operations are at a standstill in california

i'm jonathan betz, i'll be back later with more news.dlines after this short break. >> you're watching al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york with the quick headlines. >> a florida judge declared a partial mistrial in the case of michael dunn, accused of killing an unarmed black teenager during an argument over loud music. jurors found dunn guilty of attempted murder and one count of firing at a vehicle. they could not decide if he was guilty of murder. prosecutors say they'll try michael dunn again on the murder charges. >> peace talks if geneva lasted less than half an your. the u.n. mediator apologised to the syrian people. no date has been given for the third round of talks. >> secretary of state john kerry says the u.s. is concerned by reports that the venezuela government arrested scores of protesters. >> another blast of snow is ripping through the north-east. 5 to 10 inches are expected. it's the third snow storm new england has had this week. the u.s. defeated russia at an early round hockey match. american oesh score

i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. >> ukraine names a new leader. what is next after months of turmoil. no one seems to know where the dismissed president is. a tornado threatens one of the biggest auto races of the year. it seemed a perfect place to sell girl scout cook. >> not everyone is happy and it's prompted a warning. >> uncertainty in ukraine. parliament named the speaker as president. it fired top cabinet ministers. the location. dismissed president is unknown. this is footage of viktor yanukovych leaving the presidential palace. there's a lot of support in iron ukraine. thousands of protesters are in independence square. >> victory came at a cost. there's no euphoria at independence square. instead, we found grief. they have too much to celebrate. anyway, they are too exhausted. ukrainian politics has broken down, former politician leaders hold power, denying they staged a coup. >> the government did not want to listen to the people and did everything possible to hold on to power and crossed the line when it

i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. >> in egypt 4 killed, 13 hurt. three south korean tourists and a driver were killed as the bus waited to cross the israeli border. protesters in ukraine pulled out of kiev's city hall. demonstrators occupied it for two month, but agreed to leave after the government promised to drop charges against activists. >> in south africa 11 were pulled from a closed mine. they were rescued and handed over to police. >> hackers broke into the fund raiding website kick starter and stole user information. they did not say how many customer accounts were compromised. they didn't say how much accounts were hacked into. >> in sochi. the ice hockey team beat slovakia. the medal count: >> i'm jonathan betz, "talk to al jazeera" with russell simmonds is up next. for updates go to aljazeera.com. ♪ ♪ >>> you have a voice, you use it if you can. so i have a voice and i use it. >> hip hop pioneer and business mogul russell simons is a man of vision. >> you can't fail until you quit. >> music, fashion, social action, the def jam founder i

. >> i'm jonathan betz in new york. >> gunfights in bangkok. battles to stop an election as the prime minister insists the vote will move forward. >> the vast majority of ukrainians want to live freely in a safe and prosperous country. >> supporting a movement. the u.s. offers encouraging words to ukraine's protesters. california cuts off a water supply. india has no olympic team this year. that's not stopping one athlete. neither will traffic or sleep. >> it is a defining moments for thailand. polls are open in a special election aimed to ease tensions there. prime minister thaksin shinawatra voted under heavy security. protesters are trying to shut down the election. they have forced polling stations to close. that's anger in the prime minister's mini supporters. earlier gun battles broke out in bangkok between demonstrators. violence is erupting between voters voting and protesters stopping it. seven people were hurt. >> this is exactly the build up to sunday's election that everyone in thailand feared. these people moving down the road are

i'm jonathan betz. i'll be back in an hour with more news.es after the break. >> you are watching al jazeera america live from new york. i'm jonathan betz with the headlines. >> award winning actor philip seymour hoffman is being remembered. the 46-year-old was found dead in his manhattan apartment this morning. there's no official word on the cause of death. drugs may have played a roll. the actor run an oscar in 2006 for "capoate." >> a flare-up between the u.s. and israel after secretary of state john kerry warned the country could face boycotts if peace talks failed. israelis took offense calling it a threat. >> this week ukraine president viktor yanukovych returns to work. parliament reconvenes. demonstrators are calling for him to step down and for the release of imprisoned protesters. >> voters in el salvador are casting ballots. top issues are crime and security, a former rebel demander and leader of the leftist party is ahead of the polls. >> a live look - snow heading for the east coast. the weather easing up for super bowl, but tem

. >> this is al jazeera america, i'm jonathan betz live in new york. >> we'll never stop working it ensure quality under the law is protect by the law. >> the justice department will expand gay rights across the u.s. >> workers attacked in syria. the u.n. says it will keep trying. >> it's killing more americans the big business of americans in the united states. unhappy chinese. why a growing number are depressed. >> we begin with a victory for gay rights. privileges will be extended. eric holder is directing employees to gave gay married couples full and equal recognition. >> i am proud to announce that the justice department is taking additional steps to further advance the fundamental truth and to give meaning to the windsor decision. i will issue a policy memorandum on monday. that will formally strct all justice department employees to give lawful same s marriages full and qul recognition. >> here is what he is proposing: >> this includes advice dags, furnitures and compassionate release. couples must be legally married. it applies to states that do not recognise quay yupions. >> the

i'm jonathan betz. another victory for same-sex marriage.he justice department extends more rights to gay couples. >>> aid teams attacked in syria. they are now trying to help civilians as they come under fire. >>> violent protests in turkey over an a new internet law that would let the government block websites and track users. >>> and firefighters battling the affordable care act. how it could cripple a lot of fire departments. ♪ >> we begin this saturday night with a major move towards equality in about one hour, the attorney general will announce historic changes in the way the justice department. eric holder will direct d.o.j. to give same-sex married couples full and equal recognition to the greatest extent possible under the law. here's what he's exactly proposing. it applies to gay couples legally married. they will not be compelled to testify against their spouses in federal cases. it's a privilege enjoyed by straight married couples. this applies to states where gay marriage is not recognized and they will be able to file for joint

i am jonathan betz with today's headlines.n prime minister yulia tymoshenko has joined protesters in independence square, she was released from prison this afternoon. earlier today the ukrainian parliament removed president yanukovych from office. >>> today's dual protest? venezuela went off without any violence, they rallied in caracas, opponents of president nicholas maduro have been demanding increased social services and crime reduction for almost two weeks now. >>> joaquin guzman one of the country's most wanted criminals was captured last night in a joint u.s.-mexican operation, attorney general eric holder called it a landmark achievement. guzman the leader of the sen low a drug cartel faces much triple trafficking charges in the united states. >>> eight organizations allowed in to all of syria, russia and china sent a strong message to its ally by voting yes to the resolution, the syrian government says it needs more time to destroy its chemical weapons even though it's already missed two dead lines. >>> and michael sa

. >>> this is al jazerra america, live from new york city, i am jonathan betz with today's top stories. the attorney general prepares to influence a major expansion in rights to game couples. demonstrators voiced their anger over the toxic chemical spill in west virginia. also the terrible toll the conflict in afghanistan is taking on women and children. and the latest from bosnia where anti-government protests have turned violent. ♪ ♪ >>> marriage equality is about to take a big step forward in the eyes of the federal government. tonight attorney general eric holder will announce a major policy shift for the justice department. he'll issue a directive granting equal status to all married couples including same-sex couples. holder is giving a speech tonight in new york where courtney has more. what is expected tonight? >> reporter: well, jonathan, he's expected to make news. now, they are doing sound checks behind me so you can already tell that this is going to be quite the celebratory evening. it's a fundraiser for a known game rights organization. now, the news that he is going to b

a am jonathan betz back in an hour with more news, but "inside story" is up next. >> it's taken us a day to trek to the small village of mulatos. we are up here in the mountains, and this is where colombia's war has continued, where the government has pushed the paramilitary, and they're at war. we have come to meet a group of activists. they formed almost two decades ago, after a series of farc guerillas, working alongside the colombian military. they invited us to go into the mountains where people were displaced by a paramilitary group working in the area. >> around 50 people are going to the town of rosalee, they want to give people support there because they've been facing lots of threats. one young boy was kidnapped and a man was killed by paramilitary. colombia has one of the largest numbers of internally displaced people in the world, nearly 6 million and it's rising. fault lines is here to find unout why. this part of colombia is isolated. it's here that the country's 50 year war is playing out. often unseen. the government is trying to bring an end to the fighting by negoti

i'm jonathan betz with tonight's headlines. disturbing evidence north korea has committed crimes against humanity. a new united nations report due to be released in just a couple of hours, enslavement, abortion. >> secretary of state john kerry, says it's clear, rather than negotiating in good faith. >>> demonstrators agreed to leave if the government promised to drop charges against arrested activists. the prosecutor general says they will begin to release those activists on monday. >>> in south africa, 11 miners have been rescued from a collapsed mine. and turned over to police. >>> leopoldo lopez has not been seen in days, lopez says he has done nothing wrong, people have been rallying for days, condemning foot shortages and rising crime. up next, al jazeera presents. >> emergency nurse maria connolly is leaving her job at the royal hospital, preston, to work in ciudad juarez, mexico. she'll find a city engulfed in a brutal gang war. >> do we know if it's a gun or a knife? >> where doctors and nurses are

i'm jonathan betz in new york. back to work when so many want him gone. the new demands an pressure facing ukraine's president. >>> counting the votes in thailand before the special election called the anger. >> he stood up. when i went out front. >> a life cut short, an oscar webbing actor philip seymour hoffman. another staffer quits in the wake of the bridge scandal. >> ukraine's president says he will be back tomorrow, although thousands tonight would like to see him stay away for good. protestors held one of their largest rallies, 30,000 people demanding victor yanukovych step down. he took a short sick leave last week sparking his future. limits to the president's power. also tonight ukrainian activist who says he was beaten and tortured has arrived for further treatment. >> heading onto the runway at kiev's airport, the protestor dmprotestordimitri bolotov, wile treatment for his wounds in lithuania. >> i think we have just saved his life. i think what they have wanted to do with him, his life was in great danger and we wouldn't have had a single c

. >> i'm jonathan betz, i'll be back in an hour with more news. "america tonight" weekend is up next. you can find us online, go to al jazeera america. gooech and thanks for -- good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm joie chen, and you're watching "america tonight," the weekend edition. we start with california, running dry. the northern part of the state is seeing some showers, it won't be enough to help the state-wide drought emergency. it could pour for the rest of the year and it wouldn't be enough. the before and after pictures from above shows how severe the situation is. snow-covered peaks are brown bare mountain tops. what a difference a year can make. this weekend president obama is spending the week in california to meet with farmers in the hartland, offering 160 million in relief aid. as "america tonight"'s chris brewery reports, the lack of hydration is forcing ranchers to make tough choices. >> for frank, the most devastating drought in memory means hard choices. >> his grandfather started the farm, but now he is calling a family

i'm jonathan betz. i'll be back at 11:00 pm eastern. "america tonight" is next, and you can find us online. go to aljazeera.com. have a good night and weekend. >> good evening, you are watching "america tonight," the weekend edition. i'm joie chen. we begin with a storey that divided a community. a student body is missing outside on an educator after he was forced to resign after marrying another man. this raises questions about the doctrine of the catholic church. sheila macvicar with mr z in his first television interview. >> mark and david are a couple who are very much in love, they were legally married last july in washington state. same-sex marriage was legalized there a year ago. it was their marriage that simply act that cost mark his job. >> i don't feel like i have done anything wrong. i married the love of my life. it is legal in the state of washington and it's important. i want to be married and have my faith and believe in god. i'm catholic and pray to got every day. >> he worked here at east side catholic school in a subu

i'm jonathan betz, live in new york. >> new demands from ukraine's protesters as the president decides to return to work after calling out sick. >> a warning to israel, secretary of state john kerry warns of peace talk boycotts if the talks fail. >> philip hoffmann found dead. >> a bill heads to congress - a controversial combination of farm subsidies and food stamps. >> we start in kiev. thousands packed independence square calling for viktor yanukovych to step down. they called for constitutional changes. the announcement that viktor yanukovych will be back comes amid an activist dmytro bulatov claiming he was beaten. >> heading to the runway, dmytro bulatov free at last from torrmentors and arrest. he said his kidnappers nailed him to a door, mutilated him with knives for days. he'll receive treatment in lithuania, safely inside the european union. >> translation: i think we just saved his life. after what they wanted to do to m, arrest him, put him in prison - i think we saved his life. we will not leave anybody without our attention. >> this may seem like a concession by viktor ya

i'm jonathan betz. up next al jazeera presents the toughest place to be an e.r. nurse. >> emergency nurse maria connolly is leaving her job at the royal hospital, preston, to work in ciudad juarez, mexico. she'll find a city engulfed in a brutal gang war. >> do we know if it's a gun or a knife? >> where doctors and nurses are

as jonathan betz shows us, one school in new york is trying to teach how to hack, but in a good way. >> reporter: every week students order pizza, play music and fire up their laptops. >> you're hacking into website here. how simple is that? >> it's scary when you think about it. >> it's called hack night. here the website broken into are fake. built to teach these students at nyu's poly tech institute to teach guys how to fight off cyberattacks. >> the best way to fight off attackers is to find out how it's happening in the first place. >> they exposed the vulnerabl vulnerability of the online world. only 11% of companies are properly protected. >> i will not pay for anything using a credit card. i will pay cash wherever i go. >> he knows almost too much. >> i see the way hackers get in and the things that go wrong. >> if i could see what you see. >> you would see the world as a scary place. gangs hostile, and technology is changing so quickly it's difficult to keep up. >> there is almost a check list of a million things you have to do right. if the attacker find one that you didn't

. >> in is al jazeera america, i'm jonathan betz live in new york. >> we are so very happy to have just a little bit of closure. >> guilty op four of five -- on four of five counts. the man that shot a teen in florida, california, now faces decades behind bars >> riot police clash with protesters in venezuela, as the country's president calls for peace. >> do they want the pros to take place or not? >> the future of the geneva peace talks in doubt after a second round failure. >> we have a black hole in our parts. >> korean families torn apart by war, refuse to give up the hope of seeing their loved ones. >> tonight michael dunn is facing what amounts to a life sentence in a case highlighting race, guns and stand your ground laws. a florida jury found dunn guilty of three counts of attempted murder. the deadlock over a charge of whether he murdered teenager jordan davis. we go live to the courthouse. >> what happened tonight? >> the family's reaction to the missed trial on the first degree murder count and the convictions on the other four counts was mixed. jordan davis's mother is grat

i'm jonathan betz live in new york. ukraine's new acting president nation closer ties to europe as a top priority, as u.s. warns russia against military intervention. >> a chance to ease tensions in venezuela. the leader of the opposition set to meet with the president. >> a captured mexican drug lord may be brought to the united states to face charges. >> a plan to attract cars' licence plates.

i'm jonathan betz with tonight's headlines. in tonight the ambassador has been called back to moscow. it named opposition chairman interim president. the new leader is making closer relations with europe a top priority. the venezuela president plans a meeting with the pead area tomorrow. with the hope that it will ease the protests that have turned deadly. >> nicolas maduro visited supporters at a pro-government rally. they were angry at rising crime. >> u.s. federal prosecutors announced perhaps to seek extradition for the head of the sinal sinal sinaloa cartel yesterday. >> jason collins is making history, signing a 10-day contract with the brooklyn nets, making him the first openly gay player on a sports league. they may get game time tonight. >> a carbon monoxide leak at a mall is under investigation. dozens were overtaken by the fumes. >> those are the headlines. al jazeera presents "tough to be a minor" up next. and updates on aljazeera.com. >> craig notman is leaving his home and his job in british mining to join the gol

i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. >> a bus explodes on the egyptian border - all caught by security cameras. >> white the talks stop in geneva - citizens wait for help. >> protests at city hall. plus... >> i can't see you any more. do it now. >> >>.."gravity" blows them away, winning the last major award right before the oscars. >> in egypt at least three were killed and 13 hurt when their bus exploded in the sign side pennsylvania, two koreans and the driver killed. the bus, carries tourists from south korea was travelling from mann aftry from central sinai. >> today's attack appears to be a turning point for the armed groups in sinai. there's fears there could be more attacks on tourists in egypt. the bus was gutted. you can see how big the plume of smoke was. earlier every single person on the bus was injured. i spoke to the head of the tour company that facilitated this tour. he believes the bomb was placed in the bus, under the driver's seat, that it was planted in st. katherine's monastery, a popular tourist destination. the reason he believed it was planted there is the bus w

i am jonathan betz live in new york. a new path for ukraine, the new interim president meets with the american ambassador and is already promising closer ties with europe. >>> in venzuela, a retired army general turns against the government and rallies support for the opposition. this is the face of a man the u.s. considers a global terrorist. why he says he is only trying to save lives. and game over, 16 days of international sportsmanship comes to a close in sochi. we begin this sunday night in ukraine where a lot has changed quickly this week, and tonight, pro-russian protesters are fighting back. in eastern ukraine, supporters of the ousted president attacked demonstrators today. it's evident the unrest from the country could be far from over. >>> the new government seized another lavish home of the former president viktor yanukovych. this mansion sits in a lake half the size of monaco where bears, pheasants and wild boarroam. he electing a chairman as interim president, he met with the americanac ambassador. meanwhi

i'm jonathan betz with a look at today's top stories. the syrian government is being blamed as talks to end the bloodshed break down. in a close vote, tennessee workers reject the auto union workers union. and street fights and protests in venezuela. demonstrators, police fire water cannons on crowds. >>> after a series of accidents, the u.s. and canada look at the safety of oil trains. >> the second round of syrian peace talks official ended in -- officially ended in are failure today. the mediator is blaming the syrian government. our james bays has the latest from geneva. >> after chairing a second round of talks that have achieved nothing, mediator lakhdar brahimi wanted to address the syrian people. >> i'm very, very sorry and i apologize to the syrian people, that hopes which were very, very high, tha that something will hn here. i think the little that has been achieved in homs gave them even more hope. >> reporter: dr. brahimi explained there had been arguments over the agenda for the talks. he made a compromise proposal and he m

i'm jonathan betz in new york.of pounds of bad beef have been recalled by a company in california. the company slaughtered diseased and unhealthy app malls. it's the -- animals. it's the largest recall of meat in years. >> a ceasefire in syria was extended, after 600 women, children and elderly men were rescued from a dangerous area of the country. the city of homs has been under siege for a year and a half. >> after an attack on a c.i.a. compound. the taliban has obtained taliban video, which the group shows it planning the attack. >> information is raising concerns over how easy it was for edward snowden to download secrets. edward snowden used common software that indexes data to grab the documents. >> a month after the chemical spill in west virginia, residents don't know when it will be safe to drink the water. frustrated residents have taken to the streets in frustration. ♪ yes, i ♪ tell you something ♪ >> 50 years ag the beatles made a debut on the "the ed sullivan show." it was broadcast to an estimated 73

i'm jonathan betz with a look at today's top stories. secretary of state john kerry encourages a fight for democracy while meeting with leaders of the ukraine opposition. >> elections in thailand - violent clashes. >> n.f.l.'s biggest game of the year kicks off tomorrow. we look inside a league that makes $9 billion and pays no taxes. >> and an eruption in indonesia - several killed as a volcano unleashes lava and deadly clouds of gas. >> ukraine's protesters received validation today. they sat side by side with western powers pledging support. john kerry says the u.s. backs what he calls their fight for democracy. you are looking at live pictures of independence square in the capital. protesters have been rallying for more than two months. tens of thousands of ukrainians have been demonstrating across the country. the battle putting russia and u.s. on opposing sides. jennifer glasse joins us with more. john kerry met with the opposition. did they get what they want? >> well, i think they got some words. they got a lot of support. it was

i'm jonathan betz live in new york. ukraine's new acting president nation closer ties to europe as a top priority, as u.s. warns russia against military intervention. >> a chance to ease tensions in venezuela. the leader of the opposition set to meet with the president. >> a captured mexican drug lord may be brought to the united states to face charges. >> a plan to attract cars' licence plates. >> top of the news. ukraine's parliament is moving to assert control, picking a leader to replace ousted president viktor yanukovych. the vote was overwhelming for the parliament's chairman. viktor yanukovych has disappeared. it's unclear where he is. julia tymoschenko freed from prison yesterday says she does not want to run for prime minister. she spent 2.5 years in gaol, mostly in a military hospital. >> in the united states the national security advisor sent a warning to russia - susan rice saying it would be a grave mistake for russia to send military forces to the reasons. >> live to kiev where jennifer glasse is standing

jonathan betz reports. >> it is a debate that's agonized so many.when is it time to go and high how? >> i want to be able to die with some dignity and compassion surrounding me. >> modern medicine and new laws have helped the movement gain ground. most recent, new mexico last month where a judge declared sick patients should be allowed help to die. >> the next morning the police came and declared it a suicide. >> while other states like connecticut are considering it. >> it's not for most people but i've definitely seen through death and dying that it's a bill that will help a select few people. >> activists call dying on one's own terms a basic right, reserved for the sickest of patients who fully understand what they're facing. >> you have a right to change your mind. >> i'm not changing my mind. >> what will this medication do? >> kill me and make me help. >> showing each step of the journey, mixing the lethal medicine at home to the loved ones last moment. >> it was easy folks. easy. >> in oregon, 70 patients have died with help of their loved o

i am jonathan betz in new york. questions about meat inspections. millions of pounds of tainted beef, sick, slaughtered but never inspected. >>> hundreds escape one of the most violent parts of syria as officials arrive in geneva for another round of peace talks. >>> a controversial death. why a zoo decided to kill a perfectly healthy giraffe for all of the lions to watch. >>> a bold confession from an all-american college ball star. you could look at the n.f.l.'s first openly gay player. ♪ tonight, an investigation into a major meat supplier in the united states, a california company has recalled nearly 9 million pounds of beef. federal inspectors say the slaughtered animals were sick and had not been inspected. lisa barnard has more from california >> reporter: inspectors first took a look here last month and ordered a much smaller recall. and then, the usda says upon further investigation, they found this company, the rancho feed corporation had been processing meat from animals that were decisived or quote, unfi

i am jonathan betz in new york. questions about meat inspections.of pounds of tainted beef, sick, slaughtered but never inspected. >>> hundreds escape one of the most violent parts of syria as officials arrive in geneva for another round of peace talks. >>> a controversial death. why a zoo decided to kill a perfectly healthy giraffe for all of the lions to watch. >>> a bold confession from an all-american college

i am jonathan betz. >> the united states and e.u. stand with the people of ukraine. >> secretary of state john kerry backs the protesters while russia accuses the west of undermining the government. >>> a siuicide attack kills 4 near the syrian border. >>> with so many people catching the flu, now growing concerns that pneumonia cases could rise. >>> california takes extreme steps and faces what could be the worst drought in modern history. >>> the ukraine's protesters got a big endorsement from the united states today. secretary of state john kerry met with opposition figures on the sidelines of the munich security conference. the u.s. is considering sanctions against ukraine. meanwhile, demonstrations continue demanding the president step down. our jennifer glass joins us live from the capital of kiev. how productive were those talks today? >> reporter: jonathan, it's not clear that they were terrible productive. the opposition leaders were offered anything concrete in munich but it was a big meeting for them in europe words of sup

i'm jonathan betz live in new york. meat recall, millions of pounds of beef from sick animals that were not inspected. >> behind the scenes - taliban attack planned on an american compound. >> a month after the west virginia spill, fears that the water is still not safe. [ ♪ music ] >> hitting the trail with the

. >>> you are watching al jazerra america, i am jonathan betz live in new york. [ chanting ] >> pay testers cheered the return of an opposition hero as ukraine's president flees the capital. >>> in venezuela both sides call for a show of support and thousands turn out for rival december strayings. >>> agents captured one of the world's largest drug traffickers. >>> it's a rare agreement all members of the u.n. security council pushed to get help to those suffering in syria. ♪ ♪ >>> we begin tonight in ukraine where a lot has changed in the past few hours. it is just after 1:00 a.m. on sunday there. these are live pictures as protesters still pack kiev's independence square. that crisis came to a headed to after the deal reached just yesterday failed to ease the anger. ukraine's parliament dismissed the president saying he abandoned his office. victor yanukovych fled the capital earlier today but insists he will not step down and he's calling this a coup. meanwhile the president's rival and former prime minister yulia tim chen co was released from prison and spoke to a massive cheering crowd

and then they overdose. >> jonathan betz reporting united states.joining us is joe shrank, founder of rebound brooklyn, a treatment center in new york city. mr. shrink, thank you for your time. we appreciate it. i think it's very important to talk about what happened to phillip seymour hoffman because it not only was him. there are millions of ad i think so fighting this right now as we speak. i think this is such an important topic. there are reports that hoffman had 50 to 70 stamp bags of heroin in his apartment. can you put that in perspective for us? >> it's a tremendous amount of heroin. you know, if he were arrested, he would have been charged for distribution, which is a much different thing than having a small amount for personal use. it's a huge amount, not in the sense of a car load but its way more than any one person would use at any one time. >> how do you get that? >> how do you get that much, that large of an amount? >> yeah. >> you know, i mean it is a commodity. and the drug war is something that we often talk about and we don't rea

i am jonathan betz. >> the united states and e.u. stand with the people of ukraine. >> secretary of state john kerry backs the protesters while russia accuses the west of undermining the government. >>> a siuicide attack kills 4 near the syrian border. >>> with so many people catching the flu, now growing concerns that pneumonia cases could rise. >>> california takes extreme

i'm not jonathan betz live in new york. >> an uncertain future for ukraine as a new acting presidentit's ambassador. >> a chance to ease tensions in venezuela - the opposition meeting with the president. >> america wants a drug lord brought to u.s. to face dozens of charges. >> and this is the man that the

i am jonathan betz live in new york.ine, the new interim president meets with the american ambassador and is already promising closer ties with europe. >>> in venzuela, a retired army general turns against the government and rallies support for the opposition. this is the face of a man the u.s. considers a global terrorist. why he says he is only trying to save lives.

i'm jonathan betz, live in new york. >> new demands from ukraine's protesters as the president decidester calling out sick. >> a warning to israel, secretary of state john kerry warns of peace talk boycotts if the talks fail. >> philip hoffmann found

deadly force only on al jazeera america >>> this is al jazerra america live from new york, i an jonathan betz with today's top stories. the syrian government and opposition left the geneva two peace talks today frustrated as both sides refuse to compromise. now a third round is expects go ahead. >>> president obama says united states will provide a billion dollars in loan guarantees to jordan to help with the influx of syrian refugees. a strong ali o al ali of the und states jordan has take then more than a million people since the war began. they also discussed the need for a transitional government in syria. >>> protesters battled overnight. demonstrators set fires in the streets of ca rac ca rack us. three people were killed during anti-government march. >>> workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee have voted against joining the united auto workers which would have been the first foreign manufacturer in the south to unionize. a florida jury is now on day four i in deliberations of the trial of michael dunn he killed a teen after they argued over the volume of news anything his car. >>> f

i'm jonathan betz. another victory for same-sex marriage.ce department extends more rights to gay couples. >>> aid teams attacked in syria. they are now trying to help civilians as they come under fire. >>> violent protests in turkey over an a new internet law that would let the government block websites and track users. >>> and firefighters battling

i'm jonathan betz, "talk to al jazeera", sports superagent leigh steinberg is up next. >> he twerked his way into the national consciousness, taking a page out of miley cyrus's book. >> when you started off the term super agent didn't exist. if you think about it player representation didn't exist as it does today. how did you start that, and why? >> the reality is there was no right of representation when i began. i remember calling up mike brown of the bengals to represent a player, and he said, "we don't deal with agents" click. that was that. mostly players had their parents tore did it themselves. the roll of an agent is to serve as a buffer. years ago i asked steve bartkowski in the first negotiation whether he wanted to hear every fact that went on between me and the general managers. and he said, "sure, it's my life, i want to hear it. i said steve, they'll say no so complimentary things about you. "no, i'll be fine." we get into the negotiation and the gm says, "not so fast, his back is a little bad. this wasn't a strong craft in quarterbacks, but he was the best there was."

i'm jonathan betz. >>> tourists targeted a disturbing turn in egypt's violence, a bus carrying tourists>>> pressure grows on the venezuelan president to step down. >>> first time in half a century. cuban students are in american schools. they share their eye-opening experiences.

i'm jonathan betz in new york. back to work when so many want him gone.facing ukraine's president. >>> counting the votes in thailand before the special election called the anger. >> he stood up. when i went out front. >> a life cut short, an oscar webbing actor philip seymour hoffman.

i'm jonathan betz live in new york. >> we will continue to wait for justice for jordan. >> a partialtrial in the case where a black teen was shot by a white man in florida. >> venezuela's president rallies support as anti-government protesters clash with police. >> i'm very, very sorry, and i apologise for the syrian people. >> a big apology as the latest round of syrian peace talks ends with no agreemts

. >>> you are watching al jazerra america, i am jonathan betz live in new york. [ chanting ] >> pay testers the return of an opposition hero as ukraine's president flees the capital. >>> in venezuela both sides call for a show of support and thousands turn out for rival december strayings. >>> agents captured one of the world's largest drug traffickers. >>> it's a

i'm jonathan betz in new york. >> we will never stop working to ensure that equality under the law isy the law. >> a big announcement - the justice department extends more rights to gay couples. >> aid teams attacked in syria. relief workers trying to help civilians are now under fire. >> and violent protests in turkey over a new internet law, letting the government block

i'm jonathan betz of new york. >> the united states and e.u. stand with the people of ukraine. >> secretary of state john kerry backs ukraine's protesters while russia accuses the west of undermining the government. gun battles in the streets of bangkok as thailand prepares for national elections. california takes steps as

. >> >> this is al jazeera america, i'm jonathan betz, live in new york. >> bad beef.illions of pounds of meat recalled. sick animals slaughtered and never inspected. >> the planning of an attack in kabul. >> aid workers pushed to extend the cease fire. >> why