with all your projects in the future. it's a pleasure to talk to you. thank you very much for talking to us. >> i enjoyed talking to you.

>> ukraine is making it clear right now that the countries' army is it ready to act begins anti-government protesters. three months into civil unrest, ukraine's president ousted the army chief as the military said it would take part in an operation to are store order. now the white house is considering joining the e.u. in imposing sanctions. it is 11:00 p.m. local time in kiev, jennifer, this is an ominous note coming from the government. the president's office suggesting that the military is now ready to step in to put down the demonstrations. >> reporter: tony, that was the

concern here. but just in the last few minutes we have breaking news for you. one of the opposition leaders have announced there is a cease-fire, that no attack is emanant tonight, that they will reopen negotiations with the government. that will come as a relief for thousands of people who are in kiev's independent square. they were down in the square earlier and they're getting ready for another attack tonight. we're being told by the opposition leader that there is a cease-fire, and that the negotiation also start again. >> that would be a return to the cease-fire that was broken last night when we saw so much violence and loss of life. what has been the reaction today through the evening to the events of 24 hours ago? >> reporter: well, as i said, in independent square protesters, more than 200 people were injured, and 26 people were killed in very, very harsh clashes in the center of kiev.

but people say that it's just really brought people more and more people came out to the center. they were digging in. they were near barricades in place. already if something were to happen, people i spoke to said what can we do now? we can't step back. and after these clashes i'm not even sure that a truce is even possible, one demonstrator said. they're not sure what the politicians can offer the demonstrators to be happy. they have called for president yanukovych to step down but he said he will not do that. everyone wants to step back from the brink of violence after the terrible scenes we saw here with police firing on protesters. protesters throwing rocks, and people killed on both sides. that's what they're trying to avoid, they're trying to avoid the repeat of that. >> would you say that the

cease-fire has come as a surprise, and has that news filtered through to plane if not all of the demonstrators at independent square. >> reporter: i don't know if it's filtered through, but you would be surprised to see how well-connected the people are here. there was a tense stand off this afternoon with police on the other side of the barricades. i think everyone would welcome the cease-fire but i don't think anybody would trust them. a lot of people don't trust viktor yanukovych. they don't believe he'll do what he says he'll do. his people failed to introduce the bill to change the constitution. that's one of the demands of the protesters, to take sweeping powers that viktor yanukovych gave himself in 2010. they would like to see more of a balance between the parliament and the president. i think everyone is still watching and waiting to see what

will happen tonight. i think the protesters f if the police don't attack the protesters will stand their ground in the square. >> we'll be watching the events as they unfold overnight for us. ginger glass for ujennifer glas. pro tests started november 21st. >> now on december 17th, cut the price you pay for natural gas. then about a month later three protesters died in the battle amid harsh anti-protest laws on january 28th. the prime minister resigned. parliament repealed those laws. activists stopped up ing city

hall in exchange for the release of hundreds of detainees. two days later this deadly violence erupted. we're seeing a lot of images of the ukraine in social media. we're going to show you an older woman who defies police in front of her home. it appears to show her arguing with the officers. they're asking her to let them inside. she refuses and tells them to stop the violence. the troops are members of a special ukrainian unit used to put down the demonstrations. the violence on the ground in kiev's independent square has certainly taken its toll. here's what it looked like back in 2011. today the square is in ashes, fire. as you know fires are still burning from the night before. and then the differences between the images telling the story of where ukraine was and where it

is now. let's take a closer look of this area of independent square and around the capitol. let's bring in ox san i roxana s going to walk us through all of this. >> reporter: i want to give you the lay of the land. this is kiev in, the area we're talking about is in the northern part of kiev. it's split by one of the longest rivers. there have been protesters and police forces. let's get a little bit closer to where the protests have been taking place. down ever a with yothat city hag about earlier, it was retaken by protesters. here is the post office, which

also is protesters. it is a central part of kiev, and in years past it used to be actually on the edge of kiev, and it was used as a defense post. most recent times it's been used as concerts and festivals for having fun. today a very different story. there is a found here, and if we go southward we can go across the street to i independence column. it's a symbol of protection for the country. down this main street, which is the central street of kiev, if we go all the way towards the east we get to something called the european square. this is where the police have been sending in reinforcements, armored cars, other vehicles, they've been lining the streets around the square with military vehicles. >> roxana, thank you. let's go to anislav.

let's get reaction of the news of the cease-fire in kiev. >> a positive one. we see this as a chance to look again of the position that we have on the subject one one side starts the negotiating process once again and tries to calm down both sides, and to finally let the democratic process set in. >> how did this cease-fire come about? what is the back story on the cease-fire? >> well, essentially there has been a stand off today between the special forces police on the half of the independent square and the protesters on the other side. we have been essentially regrouping and building up

barricades to stop the special forces, armored cars yesterday have been withdrawn, and we have special forces stalled by the protesters. at this point in time having no way to break down the protests, having no way to enter and dismantle, the government has no other choice but to try to start negotiating once again. >> what are your demands at the moment for those negotiations? >> at the moment what we see is essentially is that yanukovych must resign. after 26 people confirmed now dead there is no other way that they can continue. >> and if he doesn't resign, which outside observers see as highly unlikely, what then? >> well, we must try and review the information that we have and

try continue showing that all ukraine demand with him and all ukraine unite in order to oppose him and his policies continuously, and continue with what it was before, which was a peaceful united protest all around ukraine to show that we want to better state to live in. >> yet, we're getting reports that a number of police officers who were killed, a number were shot and killed, and a number were wounded. >> there is a sense charged with trying to stop discriminate against the midon. what we say today is that the news that it is stopping the violence, this is working, and

we're stopping, and we're stalling the police advance. [ explosion in the background ] >> hue concerned are you that the military now prepared to put down the demonstrations? >> deeply so, because military action is in response to the previous statement of the national intelligence service. the ukraine is ready to start the counter terrorist action, and they've called all of these people who are coming today to kiev, and helping the independent square, all of the key citizens, bringing in supplies and food, and they declared they would start a counter terrorist action. and the military state support this action, reinforcing with military personnel.

>> anislav, wes' with the activist group euro mido. president obama is keeping a close eye on the ukrainian situation as he meets with the mexican president and the canadian prime minister this afternoon. mike viqueira is in washington for us, mike, what else did president obama say about this ongoing crisis. >> the way the administration has struggled over the past three and four months as this crisis in ukraine has escalated to come with some sort of agreement with the european union and to broker some sort of power sharing agreement within ukraine between the presidency, viktor yanukovych, of course, and the opposition that has occupied that square in central kiev. you remember it was just last week when the frustration spilled over in that course comment from assistant secretary of state dismissing the e.u. now the administration today in

the wake of this violence, this appalling violence is kicking it up a notch. president obama arrived outside of mexico city to a summit with the americas. with prime minister harper and his counterpart in mexico president pena nento. >> i want to be very clear that as we work through these next several days in ukraine that we're going to be watching very carefully, and we expect the ukrainian government to show restraint to not resort to violence in dealing with peaceful protesters. we said we also expect peaceful protesters to remain peaceful, and we'll monitor very carefully the situation, recognizing that along with our european partners

and the international community there will be consequences if people step over the line there will be consequences. what does that mean? secretary of state john kerry in paris now said they're looking at sanctions against individuals who are responsible for carrying out this aggression on the part of the ukrainian government. bills are already in congress with senator mccain and chris murphy of connecticut calling for such sanctions. unclear what arrows are in the quiver, what pressure the united states can bring to bear at this point as the situation spirals out of control. >> mike, thank you. leaders across europe also condemned the violence in the ukraine today. the e.u. will discuss what steps to take which could include sanctions. james bays now has more from vienna.

>> in your wean capitol. >> together with our two governments. >> we sympathize with all the victims of violence. and we appeal they be political dialogue again. only political dialogue can bring progress. >> the most recent protests started after a trade deal with the european union was abandoned. negotiations had lasted five years. but at the last minute president yanukovych refused to sign a deal in effect tying his country's future to russia rather than the e.u. as protests grew european

politicians flew in to give them their support. among them katherine ashton. in vienna where she's chairing talks with iran she gave her reaction to the bloodshed. >> i'm deeply worried about the escalation of violence in kiev and the number of reported casualties. this violence and bloodshed must stop immediately. i'm also very concerned about the ultimatum to stop it by force. i call upon president yanukovych, the government, together with the leaders of the opposition to find an immediate way out of this deepening crisis. >> in moscow european leaders were blamed for the violence. the russian foreign ministry issued a statement saying what is happening is a direct result of the conniving policies of western politicians and european bodies. only a few months ago the european union was close to a trade deal with the you rain. now it seems likely to impose sanctions on the country. that seems the only option when

european foreign ministers meet in crisis sessions in brussels on thursday. james bays, al jazeera, vienna. >> there is growing hope that the violence in ukraine could end with a peaceful solution pushed forward with local business tycoons. david shuster has more. >> amidst the deadly violence and loud clashes in kiev, it may be quiet money behind the scenes that ultimately drives the solution. ukraine's economy was fragile every before the demonstrations began. and now despite russian promises of financial aid ukraine still faces a devastating fall this spring. that would be especially bad for the country's wealthiest businessman. the country's wealthiest steal and coal mining industries. the main financial supporter of viktor yanukovych, and the ukrainian president's ruling political party.

another courter is a man whose interests are in media holdings and he's worth $673 million. when protesters first took to the streets after yanukovych backtracked on agreements with the you'r european union, they e been silent. but the olagarks are losing money. they reported a 13% drop since january in international currency reserves. that means less money to prop up the flailing economy and help the ukrainian veries trying to stay afloat. many factories and plants that are now efficient and dependent on ukrainian subsidies. if the economy continues to plunge and government funds continue to squeeze, that assistance may nobody jeopardy. still opposition are demanding

reform and open the oligarks may help. the key is that they believe that their businesses in the new government will be safe. but there can be no promises to the wealthy while young demonstrators are dying in the streets. david shuster, al jazeera. >> protests in venezuela over a weak economy and high crime have now left five people dead. the impressed opposition leader urging supporters to keep fighting, and a new storm is brewing, bringing blizzard conditions and a threat of tornadoes to several parts of the country. ♪

what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together the fastest internet

and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system. it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. >> haley owens was kidnapped yesterday as she walked home from a friend's home. 45-year-old craig michael wood has been arrested but charges have not been filed just yet. the wood is the sole suspect based on witness accounts.

at the sandy hook shooting 20 first graders and six teachers were gunned down. a new storm forming over the southwest will bring snow, rain, and listen to this, tornadoes. dave warren is watching that for us. >> meteorologist: it's intense flying. we have warm weather and a little bit of everything. the track will be where we watch this storm. rain, snow, and ice coming down this morning. nothing compared with to what we're tracking. look at these temperatures and what the storm does here. it pulls off a lot of warm air to the southeast. 50s and 60s, and that's south of this front that is pushing up into great lakes and all the way to new england.

the front here, that's the cold air. the storm centered right over chicago. so we have floods with the warm air. the rain, and the melting snow. here's where we expect to see these severe storms tomorrow across the southeast. but there is more just a short distance north of the storm. we have the snow and the wind and that comes with blizzard conditions, this is all throughout the day tomorrow. it is moving, though. by friday that area of rain and storms is on the mid-atlantic coast and that will be followed by colder air. we have a big shift in our weather over the next 24 hours. >> the city of detroit is suffering from an $18 billion deficit. this week we're expecting to find out exactly how the city will over come that debt. bisi onile-ere is here to break it all down for us. bisi, where do things stand right now? >> reporter: tony, detroit emergency manager kevin orr is expected to file a plan of

adjustment any day now. once that happens we'll have our first look at how the emergency manager wants to eliminate $18 billion in debt and drive detroit out of bankruptcy. there are a lot of people who are watching this. there are a lot of people who are worried, including many city retirees, who are waiting for this report to see how much they stand to lose. we'll get an idea of what lies ahead for the future for the detroit institute of arts as well as the water department. as i mentioned, orr's goal here is to shed this debt that reaches billions of dollars, and also improves city services here in detroit like fire and police. now, once this comes down this will be a huge development in this case. when i spoke with an bankruptcy expert, who said even though this has become a done deal there is still a lot of work ahead. take a listen.

>> it will give everyone a concrete idea of what the city is thinking, and this is more of a trial than the initial proposal that the city floated several months ago. this will tell the creditors that the city means business. now what they submit, and what's ultimately may get confirmed by the bankruptcy court may be two different things. >> and they draft of this plan was released a couple of weeks ago. so i'm told as you can see a lot of people just want to get their piece of the pie here, and there will likely be many challenges taken up in court. >> bisi, once the plan is ultimately submitted what happens then? >> reporter: well, just to put in perspective there are hundred thousand creditors here in the city of detroit. they all want to get their piece of the pie here. so there will be several drafts

of this, several revisions made to this plan. once it's a done deal some of these creditors will actually have the opportunity to vote on this plan. from there it will go to judge stephen rhodes who is overseeing this case, and he'll have the final say on this, and i'm told the entire process could take months. >> bisi onile-ere in detroit. next we'll go back live to ukraine where we are hearing reports of a truce between the government and the opposition leaders. what could be a game changer? we'll explore it.

>> the ukrainian president viktor yanukovych has agreed to a truce with opposition leaders and to start negotiations to end

the bloodshed. this comes when 26 people killed in of. killed. on the phone with us is sweden's foreign minister. he has been very outspoken about the protest in kiev. and foreign minister, it's good to speak to you. what are your thoughts about the words of a truce in kiev. >> we've seen this back and forth before. in the evening yesterday they did try to storm with as much violence as available on the midon square. there were close to 30 people killed, including policemen, by the way. >> led me get your reaction that the military is now poised to put down these demonstrations.

it sounds pretty ominous to me. >> it does to me as well. the news tonight is that the arm replaced him with someone else. there is no official word, but to suspect he wants to have an army that is more likely to deploy severe force deployed by the president. we do know they've been preparing armies and security units throughout kiev. that would bring the country over the brink into catastrophe. >> you made this statement on twitter, and i'm quoting here, we must be clear, ultimate responsibility for death and violence is with president yanukovych. he has blood on his hands. that's a very strong statement. talk to us about the thinking behind that statement. >> well, that's a strong

statement, but that's the facts of the situation. he was the only one who could have prevented this. he happens to be the president of the country. he could have reached out genuinely, honestly to the opposition. and agreed on a new government, agreed on amnesty, everything that was necessary to defuse the situation. he didn't do that. he played games back and forth. he used violence now and then. he backed off now and then. and then he came to the explosion yesterday where by far the larges number of people killed. he even used live ammunition to shoot at peaceful demonstrators. >> what do you expect to come out of the emergency meeting with the e.u. tomorrow? >> first we have a treaty for foreign ministers from poland, france, germany, coming in and seeing both opposition leaders,

needless to say, and president yanukovych tomorrow. and then they fly directly when we meet with the foreign leaders at 2:00 in brussels. we will then take the decisions necessary. but it is imperative that we take decisions directly at those who we see responsible for the repression, violence and death that we've seen the last few days. that is our signal to go even further if repression and violence continues. >> will sanctions be on the table for that discussion? >> sanctions will be on the table. the individuals that we consider responsible for the violence, and some of them absolutely. that has to be on the table, yes. >> let's for a moment, while we have you here, and it' it's greo have you on the program.

let's go down the internal strifes going on in the country. many in the opposition are calling for the democratically elected president of ukraine, viktor yanukovych to step down. do you stand with the opposition in that call? >> well, the opposition call that i've seen is for democratic elections, not for him to stand down. they have called for the dismi dismissal of the government. they called for democratic elections. and that is a demand that is perfectly from their point of view in addition to all their other demands. but free and fair elections, they happen any how or i hope they happen in february of next year. whether they will happen earlier, i don't know. >> yes. >> but that is certainly the demand you can put forward if you like. it might be a way out, by the way. >> i will tell you that you might not have heard it yet, but members of the opposition have

been on this program calling for as recently as the last half hour calling for viktor yanukovych to step down. >> you can do that as well. to call for people to step down, that happens even in sweden, i can tell you. democracies are democracies. >> i will ask you what do you think the government should be doing now more proactively than it is diagnose at this moment in terms of negotiating, in terms of listening to and responding to some of the reform demands from the opposition. >> the things that are supposed to be on the table for the ukrainian parliament yesterday before the out break of violence and the government certainly withdrawing is a revision of the constitution. to go back to the 2004 constitution. everyone thought there was an agreement on that. had that been done and information of an inclusive government. and that they are supposed to be

held, i think we would have been in a far better situation. it's been very difficult because the crisis of the last few months have taken ukraine downwards quite substantially in terms of economic development, but it would have been better. instead, man violence, death and blood on the president. >> one last question for you. i wonder if a line was crossed last night in ukraine with so many deaths on both sides among the opposition and among the police. as you know egypt was peaceful until it wasn't. has ukraine become a bit of an armed conflict and at the moment heading towards civil war?

>> i certainly hope not. we have seen in the last 48 hours calling on everyone to take their responsibility to avoid any sort of violence. because the country is on the brink of a catastrophe. those that use violence, they take a heavy responsibility. what we are not seeing on the television screen is the violence and turmoil that we have seen in other parts of the ukraine. that certainly shows the dangers. the president has the ultimate responsibility. >> the sweden foreign minister. mr. foreign minister, thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> jennifer glass is with us again. we can see you, and in kiev. jennifer, if you would, bring us the latest on what happened at the top of the newscast.

>> reporter: that's right, tony a small glimmer of hope here in ukraine tonight as the opposition announces it has come to a truce agreement with the government. it will reopen negotiations with president viktor yanukovych. that is coming from one of the opposition leaders. and that really is very good news here. i was down in independent square a little bit earlier today, and they were preparing for the use after terrible, terrible clashes here last night left 26 dead and hundreds wounded here, including some in the makeshift hospital. i don't know if you can see the cathedral behind me, protesters holed up there in a makeshift hospital. terrible wounds and horror riveric violence in the last 24 hours. as you heard carl bildt say, they're on the brink of civil war and all out violence. news of a truce is very well

news as lines of riot police still stand on the edge of independent square. there are brand new barricades. heavily fortified bear kids. and they were digging up paving stones getting their hol molotov cocktails ready again, but the violence right now seals to be averted. >> jennifer, thank you. an american who joined the protesters in ukraine said he was brutally beaten by police. george traveled from maryland to take part of the protest. he said he was with a group of activists trying to stop police were getting into the main protest camp in kiev. >> i just got clubbed all over. on the head, broke my arm in two places. finally i got--i fell on the ground, and the rule is you can't hit a guy on the ground. you're supposed to. it's against the rule of

something or other, maybe even the united nations they just kept hitting me and hitting me. >> doctors at the hospital say they have seen many different kinds of wounds in the last 24 hours. ukrainians here in the united states are keeping a close eye on the events unfol unfolding in kiev. john terrett has reaction from the ukrainian community here in new york. >> reporter: we're in the east village manhattan in a landmark 60-year-old business. this whole area used to be occupied by many people who were born or lived in the ukraine, who immigrated to the united states. a little bit less so these days but many people in the ukraine here. we wanted to get the views of young people, so we turned to the chef of the restaurant. your family, most of them are still in the ukraine. >> yes, all of my family in the ukraine.

my brother's family, also my aunt. my aunt worked in independent square, an. >> you must be very worried about them. are you an able to communicate with them very much? >> i worry about my relatives, and also i worry about all people. my relatives, everybody trying to keep--take care of themselves in good condition because it is dangerous. >> many ukrainians living hearsay they're sending care packages to family and friends in kiev. in venezuela protesters gathered outside of a courthouse in caracas. oh opposition leader leopold lopez was arrested for his

involvement in protests that led to five people's death. he's being held in prison in the caracas area. we're joined now from caracas, rachel, let's start with the streets of caracas today. are they quiet? >> the streets of caracas are pretty quiet. there are protests happening around the area where the opposition has it's strong base. but we're getting reports of disturbing levels of violence about two hours away from caracas in a town called valencia. last night there was a woman who is a beauty queen who was apparently shot in the head when she was participating in that protest. we don't not know wh know who fe shots. we'll have more on that later tonight. but in caracas, things are quiet

today. >> and the opposition leader, mr. lopez, remind us again on the warrant placed for his arrest. we saw his photo. i'm curious about the reaction from his supporters. >> well, he's wanted for essentially inciting violence. the president on sunday came out and said that--he was blaming him for the violence that happened over the last week at the student protests. the death count is up to five people. we're still waiting to hear when he will be arraigned. it should be for the next day. the country--the government has 48 hours to finally give the charges to him. he allegedly was supposed to have those charges read to him today at the courthouse, however his lawyer came out and made an announcement that perhaps the

government is trying to have him arraigned in the prison where he's being kept. his lawyers objected, saying that his arraignment should be held in a courtroom and having it in a prison puts their client under undue duress. it seems that the government is trying to scramble a bit here and trying to figure out what to do with this opposition leader who could become a very emboldened leader, if you will, depending on how the government handles what happens next. >> rachel in caracas, venezuela, thank you. six world powers and iran held a secretary day of talks in vienna today, they're trying to negotiate a resolution to the iranian nuclear program. they say they're ready for long and complicated negotiations, but that iran will not dismantle its nuclear facilities. the talks could last for months. journalists in london demonstrated today for the release of nine al jazeera

journalists who are being held right now by egypt. three have been held for 53 days. british and american journalists protests outside of the egyptian embassy. the al jazeera employees will go on trial tomorrow. >> reporter: organizations fight for media rights. they say the charges against al jazeera journalists and the egyptian government's complaint against media. this is where they are being held. the prison just outside of cairo. they have been in detention for nearly two months. a long wait for their families. >> our first hope, unrealistic as it might sound, that they are acquitted on the first day and the next best thing there isn't a long adjournment.

>> if is an optimism not shared with those hoping for their freedom. >> that doesn't sound really positive for this court hearing, and for the coming freedom of information in egypt. >> last year the committee to protect journalists name egypt as one of the top ten worst countries for jailing journalists. it is the most dangerous country for journalists to operate in. egyptian security forces raided 11 news outlets. after the up rising, we've seen successful regime and

authorities have been repressive of civil society in germ and journalists. we've seen a la a lawlessness, h is troubling. >> and it has gone viral. journalists and politicians around the world have condemned the continued incarceration. a fourth al jazeera journalist has been detained since august. he has been on a hunger strike for a month to protest his imprisonment. >> in an open letter to the egyptian government the heads of some of the world's largest news organizations have written, quoting now:

>> we think that egypt's move is damaging to the future of impartial journalism in the country and that it's actions are unjust and unacceptable. coming up on al jazeera america, shortage in the south and freezing temperatures in, how it's effecting farmers. and hockey at the olympic games. jessica taff has the details.

al jazeera america. >> it's usually a busy time in the south right now for hauling in fresh seafood. but harvesting has come to a complete stop in some places like church point, louisiana, where cold weather is causing a crawfish crunch. we're joined live. ben, how bad is this shortage?

>> well, tony, here's how bad it is. people in louisiana consider this seafood mecca around the country. here in new orleans, we're just a few miles from the gulf, and they have fresh crabs that they boil every day. we're at shaefer see food, and then the creme de la creme, crawfish. this from january until june this makes up 90% of the business here. this is what they live for all year long. this is what a lot of people down here live for all year long. but this year they're almost impossible to find. for david crawfish season is critical. >> our money is put out here eight months before we realize a dime. >> the end of winter is typically the time when a crawfish craze builds across the south as fans await the arrival

of the tasty crew crews station. >> things look pretty darn good and then mother nature through a trick to us. >> the deep freeze hit the south and crawfish can't flourish in frigid waters. >> we're running out of days for these crawfish to grow because they do get to a point when it warms up that they quick growing. this is the worst i've seen in 40 years. >> reporter: agriculture culture experts say it's not lack of food. it's the fact that they're not eating or moving. they've basically gone dormant. last year they were too heavy to

lift out of the water. in this one he has four. >> seafood in louisiana is an every day part of life. >> reporter: he's used to having a hardy harvest. >> question began the february with 152 sacks is a day. this year we're lucky to get 20 to 30 sacks every two or three days, maybe all week. >> reporter: and they had to call a time out on account of the weather waiting for a warm up. >> normally we're open seven days a week every day until the end of the season. this year we're having to pick a day and put together a few sacks of can you fish, open and then close for another few days. >> reporter: in the meantime those who crave crawfish will have to have patience. but for others the situation is serious. >> it's not just frustrating it's scary because it's unknown. you don't know what's going to happen, and we will not make up the two months we lost. there is no making it up.

>> reporter: so while some wait out the weather the crawfish crop is crippled, and only nature can cure it. so a big problem for people here at shaefer's is the size of these crawfish. if you can have a look at my hand right now and get a grasp of what it is, they would typically be the size of my finger. you can see right now they're just not there yet. >> they're puny. >> that's warm weather and it has not come in yet. they're waiting for that. the other thing is planning. these people need to plan months ahead to get this. so when mother nature throws them a curve, it's a problem. >> the crab bins are light. the crawfish, come on. benlben lemoine. >> to sochi where there is big news for ice hockey. jessica taff is here with that story. i hope it makes the road a

little easier for the u.s. >> reporter: i think it will. finland, they upset russia in the quarterfinals. they bounced one of the favorites to win gold on their home ice, and in turn crushed the spirit of the home country so much that many feel the winter olympics are over in sochi. russian president a vladimir putin all but said that the winter games would an bust if the men's hockey did not win gold. talk about pressure, right? not only did they not win gold, they didn't medal. meanwhile the u.s. men's hockey team who also took down russia in the preliminary round continues to steam role through the games in sochi. today they advance to the semi where is they face canada on friday. and canada and the u.s. going for gold. tomorrow at noon these bitter rivals play for the fourth time

in five olympics, and the u.s. women taking home two medals canada's kaley humphreys and heather came from behind to win gold there, and american ted ligety finally struck gold, the three-time world champion was at the top of the podium following today's giant slalom. here is the medal count with u.s. leading the way with 23, followed by russia and norway and canada rounding out the top five. >> i wanted to see that russia-u.s. men's. >> i just want to see gold. that's all i care about. >> we're back with the headlines in just a moment.

and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america

>> here are the stop stories, breaking news out of ukraine. presidentviktor yanukovych has

agreed to a truce. president obama is in mexico for the north amercian leader smith. right now he's in meeting with the mexican president and canadian prime minister, and they're discussing everything from the strayed agreement to immigration reform. a suspected high ranking leader of al-qaeda is charged with planning the deadly attack on the u.s.s. cole in 2000. the u.s. government calls him one of al-qaeda's skills leaders and allegedly headed a branch of al-qaeda and answered directly to sow sam bin laden. a gods man has been suspended after posting an image on social media.

guardsmen were joking around with an empty casket draped with an american flag. she has received threats, and national guard has taken steps to protect her but removed her from duty. thank you for joining us on al jazeera america. inside story.is next. >> confrontation were violent early on. a long tense stand off, and then fatal violence again. people, protest and power. that's the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. the w h