>> this is al jazeera america from new york i'm tony harris. breaking news, a glimmer of hope from ukraine. the president of the country agrees to a truce with the opposition and plans new negotiations. this as president obama says there will be consequences. we're standing by for remarks from the president in mexico. and already the u.s. restricting the visas of ukraine, and ready

to go to further steps. >> he said there will be a truce with opposition and there would be negotiations to prevent further bloodshed. they have taken actions against ukraine. let's start from the top here. what can you tell us about the truce agreement? >> very little, tony. it came as a surprise

announcement this evening. both the opposition and viktor yanukovych agreed to talks to end the bloodshed here but what that specifically means, what the talks will be and what the substance and if either side has more to offer are the real questions here. they've had talks before and they ended in nothing. as a matter of fact, at the president's office last night and it came to nothing. the president offered an ultimatum. whether there is something new to put on the table, more common grounds you but after bitter fighting here, it left more than two dozen people dead and hundreds injured. i think there is a lot of motivation on all sides to try to keep this from getting any more tense from breaking into violence again. >> well jennifer just on that point how surprising was this announcement of a truce given all the violence and the bloodshed and the loss of life

from 2024 hour 24 hours ago? >> it was a real surprise here, at independent square the protesters were getting themselves ready for another assault, and we had some very worrying signs from the interior ministry. it said that they were going to launch anti-terrorist operations. the president replaced the chief of the army, so another concern that a bigger assault was going to happen on the square. and the protesters had been getting ready. they had molotov cocktails, and they expected an attack to happen. it happened earlier this time last night. that's when the assault happened after dark in kiev. things are very tense and people very concerned. there is a lot of mistrust of the government, of the presidents and what his motives

myth be. >> talking about bans connected to the government, civilian bans obans ofcivillens connected to e government. do you think this is something that in the main they would welcome? >> reporter: i think they with welcome any support they get. they heard over and over again, we don't want moral support. we want action. the u.s. government announced they were going to ban visas a couple of weeks ago when we had violence break out late last month, now we have specifics because of privacy rules. we don't know who those officials are, but there are 20 senior civilians connected with the violence here. it has got to send a chilling images to senior officials here in the ukraine that an american visa ban is a very serious thing

and the united states will be watching very carefully what will be happening here. and hopes the government will use restraint. he also said that he hopes the protesters will use retrained and both sides refrain from violence. >> are there any signs that president yanukovych will be able to negotiate a deal to end the protests. there are members of the opposition who are calling for nothing less than for president yanukovych to step down. >> reporter: that's right. and i think that's the real question. what will president yanukovych have to offer. all this violence broke out after parliament refused to looking at changing the institution. that's one of the main demands of the opposition. i was down at independent square and i said what do you want? what do you want at this point? some say there can't even be a truce because there has been so much bloodshed. there is a truce on the table, i

said what do you want them to do? they want the president to step down. many people say they have been down here for months through a bitter cold winter. they endured 4 hours of very fierce fighting in which many people were killed and injured, there is a lot of mistrust and anger towards the government and people believe the only solution is change, change in the government and a change in the president. >> yes, a lot of bloodshed and loss of life on the protester side as well as police. jennifer glass with us from kiev, appreciate it. joining me now is former ambassador nicholas burns, senior director for russian, ukraine, and eur asia affairs on the national security council. ambassador. you're perfect to talk about what is going on right now. what are your thoughts on word of a truce in kiev? >> well, if there is a silver lining in this very dark cloud, it would be a truce. that will help the people of

ukraine to sort out this extraordinary division in their country. they're threatening to secede from the country and not submit to the president. it's a angry country and people need time to talk to each other and work out some political compromise. another thing that is obvious is the tremendous miscalculation by president yanukovych. it was a terrible decision to use force, the loss of life. it backfired on him. you saw some of the most powerful business people in the ukraine speak out against the president, some of his supporters, and you saw the furious reaction of the united states and the european union, the sanctions forthcoming. the truce makes sense. but president yanukovych has shown very uncertain leadership throughout this crisis over many months. >> what should viktor yanukovych

do? he is the democratically elected president of this country. what should he be doing now that he hasn't been doing obviously successfully to this point. >> on an objective basis looking at it from abroad he needs to establish a process where both people who are pro russian and people who are want to see ukraine firmly directed towards the east, towards europe, they have a chance to talk about their differences. one party is not pitted against the other. he's not been a strong leader. he has wavered time and again on these big questions. he's been very inconsistent in the messages he has sent. he needs to provide leadership that provides for peaceful resolution, and peaceful discussion of this severe division in ukraine about what it is. is it going to be tied to the your wean union or russia? that can't be worked out in a year or two, but he needs to help the ukrainian people through this difficult time. he hasn't done it, and the

blatant use of force was a crime against the people of ukraine last evening. >> i want to talk about that point, ambassador burns. what is your reaction to word earlier in the day that the military is now poised to put down the demonstrations at some point. that sounds pretty ominous. >> it does sound ominous, and you saw president yanukovych fire one of his senior military commanders. it just stands to reason that the russian government is influencing the behavior of certain people in the ukraine, particularly in the military. the russian government would deal in it's own country with protests like this in a very brutal manner. you can imagine that would be the advice of the ukrainian leadership is getting from moscow, and that is very bad advice, indeed. >> what do you expect? you've been part of these negotiations. what do you expect from the e.u. emergency meeting in belgium tomorrow? i spoke to sweden's foreign

minister bildt, and he said sanctions would be on the table. >> there are three e.u. foreign ministers going to kiev tomorrow. they'll report to the larger group of foreign ministers, and the european union is very frustrated at what they're seeing. there have been strong statements from carl bildt who is a very credible person and others that the ukrainian government has blood on its hands. the e.u. will be poised to strengthen those sanctions. you saw sanctions, you just reported it. the u.f. and e.u. have reacted very quickly and that pressure has had an affect in terms of the decision to negotiate with the opposition again. >> ambassador burns, i appreciate your time. great to talk to you again. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> and we want to take you live

now to an event in mexico, president is making remarks from mexico. let's listen in. i have. >> not been able to sample some of mexico toluca's famous chorizo. all of us, stephen, enrique and i are focusing on the tie of our three nations. governments cannot do it alone. the strength of the relationship between canada, mexico, and the united states is not just a matter of government policy. it's not just a matter of legislation. there is an incredible richness

to the relationship that comes from our people. from our businesses. from our commercial ties. from students who are traveling back and forth. from the cultures that are shared between us. and that strength is in some ways unique throughout the world. if you think about north america, to have three borders this long in which we share a common set of values, common set of principles, commitment to democracy. commitment to free markets, commitment to trade, where we are allies and interact peacefully. that is a precious gift. it's one that i think all three of us are committed to building and nurturing for future generations. for me this is very personal.

some of my closest advisers and allies and political friends are the children of mexican immigrants who have made extraordinary life and contribution in the united states. my brother-in-law is canadian. so you know i have to like canadians. laugh although i will note that i think we are going to have both the men's hockey teams and women's hockey teams battling it out. so for a very brief period of time i might not feel as warm towards canadians as i normally do until those matches are over. but each of you experience these connections in very concrete ways. enrique spoke about the volume of trade that takes place, and the interactions between our businesses, and the subsidiaries of companies in each country

that are operating in the other. so much of the cross-border trade that exists is part of an inteintergratetive supply chaint helps companies around the world. a lot of our conversation has focused on how do we reduce any continuing trade frictions. how do we make sure that our borders are more efficient. how do we make sure that the educational exchanges between our young people are expanded so that our young people understand their opportunities will be broader and expanded if in fact, they have had the opportunity to study in canada or to study in mexico, if they know spanish, if

they know french. we use these forums to make concrete progress. our staff work incredibly hard to make them successful. frankly, until our leaders come around, until the three of us meet, sometimes it doesn't all get done. this is a mechanism for us to move forward on commercial progress, joint security progress, progress on educational and scientific exchanges. but, and this is the last point i want to emphasize, there are always going to be parochial interests in each of our countries. that's appropriate and that will express itself politically, and we have to be responsive to our constituencies. you can't just leave it to politicians alone. you have to speak up on the importance of this relationship. we want to make sure that we're your partners and allies in this

process, but when people understand what this means in terms of job creation in the united states, job creation in canada, job creation in mexico, how does this enhance security, how does this improve capacity to heat our homes, grow our food, and make sure that young people have opportunities in the future when they hear that from you, it's that much more persuasive. i would encourage all of you to continue to make your voices heard. you'll certainly have a partner in me, and i'm sure you'll have a partner in steven and enrique as well. i thank you for participating, and once again, enrique, thank you for the extraordinary hospital in this beautiful state and thihospitality in this beaul state and this beautiful city. >> there you have it. president obama meeting with mexico and other north amercian leaders. the president of mexico, enrique

peña nieto and prime minister steven harper. let's get remarks. mike, i'm reminded of the fact that it's the nafta anniversary welcome in some quarters and not so in others. >> the arguments are playing out and those who opposed nafta back then are unconvinced that it was a good thing. there are plenty of sticking points to go around. this is a previously scheduled, they do it every year annual summit for the leaders of the united states, canada and mexico. they talk about sticking points there, the keystone pipeline, the canadian prime minister pushing hard for that. and the united states stalled in congress and the mexican president very interested in the fate that have legislation. tony, this was previously

scheduled and so often happens with these international summits, the deterioration of the violence and tragedy that we've seen overnight in ukraine. we've just heard from the senior state department officials, they called it a glimmer of hope, but not too many eggs being put in that basket. vice president biden on the phone with president viktor yanukovych, and they were trying to oust and route those protesters in that central square in kiev. and vice president biden asking president viktor yanukovych not to go through with it, but obviously he did any way. no question there is consultation going on between the united states and the european powers. one individual that the united states is having trouble getting

ahold of, evidently that senior state official, as of a few days ago no problem, they could pick up the phone. but now they cannot contact them. the senior state official terms as worrying. earlier the president did have a photo op with the mexican president enrique peña nieto. he spoke warmly of the burgeoning economic ties, then he made a forceful statement about the situation in ukraine. let's listen. >> 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, not to resort to violence when dealing with peaceful protesters.

we expect the peaceful protesters to remain peaceful, and we'll be monitoring the situation recognizing along with our european partners in the international community there will be consequences if people step over the line. >> there will be consequences, said the president. we learned the first step in those consequences are relatively minor step. no one expected to be determinative to change the behavior of ukrainian government. revoking 2 20 visas for the too much ukrainian civi civilians wo ordered the violence on the square. then you have the bilateral or geopolitical situation within russia, which obviously now accuses the united states of meddling internally in ukraine

affairs. >> mike, appreciate it. mike viqueira at the white house for us. you know, there is another angle to that nafta agreement that we were telling you about that does not get a lot of coverage. ali velshi will tell us what it means for immigration. that is next.

>> the issue of immigration reform, "real money with ali velshi," ali will take on that issue on his program. we get him for a couple of minutes. great to see you. what is at stake for the united states when we talk about nafta and immigration. >> canada, united states and mexico. so am of the immigration that

you think about involve mexico. more than half of the undocumented come from or through mexico. many come through central america and mexico. a lot of them work in the agriculture culture and the industry says if we don't figure out a way to get these people working right then the cost of your food is going up. then the high tech industry. last year alone there were more than 819,000 international students in the u.s. companies and up hiring some of these highly skilled students on work visas. some say that companies abuse these visas. but the bottom life whether it's the agriculture industry and farmers or the high tech industry lots ever people say we need to fix the immigration

system in this country. >> it's so disappointing for whatever reason it just keeps getting kicked down the road. what are the consequences in your mind if this isn't dealt with? >> well generally speaking the consequences of a good immigration policy is a good economy. the congressional budget office looked at the reform bill that passed last summer but it's not getting through the house. it predicts a boost in employment over the 20 years if we fixed immigration and 5% increase of what gdp would be in that period. they expect boost in tax revenue you've got legal workers. they're coming, paying taxes. so they feel, by the way, reduce spending on immigration enforcement if you have a better system. >> okay, so you're going to dive deeper on this issue at 7:00. what else are you looking at? >> i'm also looking at foreclosures. florida is still suffering. 300,000 homeowners still stuck

in foreclosure. we're going to talk about that. >> can't wait. ali velshi at the top of the hour. tomorrow, everything from blizzard conditions to tornadoes? kevin is here with a look at everything. >> meteorologist: it will be a bad day. blizzards, flooding, all here in the united states. we have blizzard conditions up here to the north. winds up to 45 mph. 16 inches of snow potentially in that area as well flooding across the ohio river valley because we have a lot of rain. we have a lot of snow. the ground is frozen. the water has no place to go. and flooding there as well as we go down a little more towards the south that is where the severe weather is going to be. we do think we have the possibility of hail, tornadoes, possibly a few. not outbreak like we would see in the spring but damaging wind. we're going to be watching this all day tomorrow. some cities are in the

bull's-eye we'll talk about indianapolis, memphis, nashville, louisville, this is going to be a big day. what we think is going to happen on friday this whole system moves towards the east. things clear out here get a little dryer, cooler a lot on the eastern seaboard and you can see some severe weather there. >> what a map. my goodness. kevin, appreciate it. thank you. california governor jerry brown unveiled nearly $700 million plan to help communities coping with severe drought. the money would be used improving conservation and cleaning up drinking water supplies but it does nothing to fix the long-term water supply and delivery system. next we go live to ukraine where the government and opposition leaders have agreed on a truce after weeks of increasingly violent protests

>> we continue to follow the breaking news. ukraine government said it agreed to a cease-fire. negotiations are supposed to get started again in earns tomorrow, but many say this is a glimmer of hope and may not end the violence. protesters still camped out, at least 26 people have been killed in street battles with riot police. andrew simmons has the latest from kiev. >> the opposition leaders, three of them were at a meeting not was known about this meeting meg with yanukovych which took place about two hours ago. also present was the acting justice minister from one of the opposition leaders about a truce, and also on the yanukovych website were these

words that they had actually agreed to a cease-fire or a truce, and that there was a move towards stability, and there would be negotiations. now, the content of those negotiations, the mechanism of what is going to be on the table, the timetable as well, those are all up in the air. right now the information has not really trickled through the ranks of the protesters who are still behind those flames and still protesting intent on not moving anywhere right now. there have been mixed messages from the president. he has been standing firm and refuse to have dialogue whatsoever in terms of his shifting of his position with the opposition and protest leaders. then we heard of the removal of the military chief who is in charge of the army and the navy replaced by a more hard line officer. and then also this talk of

anti-terror operations throughout the country standing firm, warnings to people not to go into the square to join militants, all of that going on. and then on the side of it would seem it may well be a reaction to all the international pressure that has come down so heavily on the presidency here. >> earlier i spoke with sweden's foreign minister carl bildt. >> we've seen this back and forth before. it was clear during the evening yesterday that they tried to storm as much violence as is available. they only half succeeded. there were close to 30 people killed, including policemen, by the way. he's backing off slightly, but what this means remains to be seen. >> foreign minister let me ask you for your reaction to word that we received, and i'm sure you've heard it as well during the day that the military is now

poised to put down these demonstrations. it sounds pretty ominous to me. >> well, it does to me as well. and the news tonight is that the armhead of the army was replaced with someone else. there is no word for the reason for that, but it is likely they'll deploy more force. we do know that they've been preparing army and military units, and so clearly playing the game and preparing for even more substantial crackdown than we've seen so far. 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 deaths 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 fact of the sways. he was the only one who could have prevented this. he happens to be president of the country. he could have reached out genuinely, honestly to the opposition, and agreed on a new government. agreed on amnesty and all those things that were necessary to defuse the situation. he didn't do that. he played games back and forth. he used violence now an then. he back odd now and then. and then he came to the explosion yesterday with the sad most of the far the largest numbers killed i using live ammunitions. >> what do you expect to come out of the emergency meeting of the e.u. tomorrow in belgium? >> well, i mean, first we have a

foreign ministers coming, and president yanukovych tomorrow. and then they fly directly when we meet the foreign leaders at 2:00 in brussels. we will then take the decisions necessary, but i think it will imperative that we now take decision direct against those who we choose to b is responsibr the violence. that's something we'll take further if violence continues. >> will sanctions be on the table? >> the individuals that we consider to be responsible for the violence and for some of them absolutely. that will be. that has to be on the table,

yes. >> sweden's foreign minister carl bildt. protest started novembe november 21st when government abandoned an agreement to strengthen ties with europe and opting t to side with russia instead. about a month later three protesters died in a battle with police amid harsh anti-protest laws, and on january 28th the prime minister resigned parliament repealed those laws. and released hundreds of detainees. two days later this deadly violence erupted. ukrainians in the united states are keeping a close eye on the events unfolding in kiev. john terrett wit with us from

new york. >> lots of ukrainians live just outside of new york, but they also live in manhattan and the east village. we met with them today. we found young and old alike watching the event. take a look. >> having her usual from the menu, water, honey, and lemon juice. she swears it keeps her strong even when news from ukraine, which she left in 1953, gets worse. >> i think it's a terrible thing without any heart, so many people got killed, and they still stand there and trying their best. i don't know what is the result. >> in manhattan's east village, where daria knows everyone and everyone knows her, there is fear and anger of what is happening back home.

>> i do employ ukrainian people who have family there, and they're very disheartened. they want change, to be on the front line, so to speak, but it's a tricky situation, and a dangerous situation. >> now some of your friend-- >> young people are especially troubled. many have family in kiev or nearby cities. >> when i was a student in ukraine, they are in the middle of this. for example, yet when there was a lot of fire and a lot of death. >> daria showed me pictures of her as a baby. of her in the ukrainian choir in new york, and with her husband and kids she teaches every day about ukrainian history and tradition. >> current history has her sending some 20 boxes to

ukrainians back home now in crisis and in need. many donation donations are frog ukrainians living in new york. >> they have families, maybe fathers, grandmothers. >> you want to do something. >> you want to do something. >> back at her table daria is once again alone with her thoughts wondering if the panels she's accepting to ukraine will get through, and wondering about the future of her homeland. >> yes, daria with her own thought in the restaurant. it's lump time and you might like to know that in new york city and cities around this country wherever there are gatherings of you ukrainians, te is fundraising going on. >> daria, she's doorible. thank you. developing news in venezuela state tv is reporting that a sixth person has died following political unrest there. they say a woman died after an

ambulance taking her to the hospital is blocked by opposition protesters in caracas. earlier today protesters chant chanted, opposition leaders leopold lopez was expected. he turned himself in to authorities yesterday. how would you describe the streets of caracas today? >> we've been told there have been fire and water canons used on protesters. this is something that has happened daily here since last wednesday.

there are protests that are sparking all over the country about two hours away from here. a fifth victim was claimed earlier this morning. a beauty queen was shot in the head when she attended a protest on tuesday. and we have a team in another part of the country where the protest movement began, and they say that area looks a bit like a war zone. that the protests there have gotten particularly violent. >> rachel, there are other questions for you, but we're going to end it there because your signal is a little unstable for us. rachel in caracas, venezuela. negotiating a compres compre solution to iran's nuclear program, but that iran will not dismantle its nuclear facilities. the talks could last for months. journalists gathering for the release of nine journalists

being held by egypt. three have been in prison for 52 days now. british journalists protests outside of the egyptian embassy. the journalists will go on trial tomorrow. >> organizations fight for media rights, they are worried. they say charge against al jazeera journalists, 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, as unrealistic as this may sound, that they're acquitted the first day. the next best thing is that there isn't a long adjournment. >> it is an optimism not shared

by advocates freedom. >> wjournalists will stand trial on thursday. and it doesn't sound very positive. >> last year journalists named egypt as the top country for journalists and the most dangerous country for journalists to work in. five were killed, and 45 assaulted. egyptian news outlets were raided last year. >> we've seen successive regime

have been repressive of society in general and journalists in particular. we've seen dozens of arrests, killings as well. we've seen a lawlessness by the authorities which is deeply troubling. >> the hashtag has gone viral and a fourth al jazeera journalist of our sister channel al jazeera arabic has also been detained since august. he has been on a hundred gather strike for more than a month to protest his imprisonment. >> and an open letter to the egyptian government, the heads of some of the world's largest news organization wrote:

>> you can add your voice to thousands of others at #free aj staff. a shocking revelation at men's hockey at olympic winter games, and a family that has been outfitting olympic skaters since franklin roosevelt was president. and thanks to frigid temperatures this winter, we'll see how it's effecting farmers. there's more to it.

>> sometimes you can't believe these numbers. a huge, huge acquisition by facebook. this time ceo mark zuckerberg is spending, listen to this, $19 billion in cash and stock

for mobile messaging start up. now that dwarfs the $1 billion he paid for instagram. analysts say its attempt to boost its popularity among younger users. >> it's usually the time in the south for hauling in fresh seafood, but harvesting has stopped in some parts like church point, louisiana, where weather has caused a crawfish crisis. how bad is the shortage? >> tony, i'm actually in new orleans, but this is a place like so many other places across louisiana that pride themselves on the seafood season. they wait for it all yearlong. we have fresh crabs right here. fresh shrimp right here, and believe it or not, 90% of business, at least here at shaefer seafood where we are in

new orleans, is crawfish season. that goes from january to june. look at what we're dealing with right now. they got seven sacks today whereas they usually get 50 sacks. it's almost impossible for them to get crawfish these days. >> 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 crawfish craze builds across the south. louisiana produces 90% of the country's crop. >> thanks look pretty darn good. >> but this year's deep freeze has hit the deep south and crawfish can't flourish in frigid waters. he figures he has lost $60,000 a week since early january.

>> we're running out of days for these crawfish to grow because they do get to a point when it warms up that they quit growing. this is the worst i've seen in 40 years. >> agriculture experts say it's not for lack of food. it's that crawfish are not eating more moving. they've done dormnaf. at. last year he they could barely lift the crawfish bait because it was so full of crawfish. this time they have four. >> seafood in louisiana is an every day part of life. >> he was used to having a hearty harvest. >> last year we had at the beginning of february selling 150 to 200 sack as day. this year we're lucky to get 20 to 30 sacks every two or three days. sometimes all week. >> they had to call a time out

on account of the weather waiting for a warm up. >> normally we open seven days a week every day until the end of the season. this year we're kind of just having to pick a day, build up a few sacks of crawfish, open and then close for a few days. >> in the meantime those who crave crawfish may just 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. >> while some wait out the weather, the crawfish harvest is crippled, and only mother nature can cure it. >> so on an average day like this you would expect a lot of people to be in here, and they typically would be there is literally one customer at

shaefer seafood. there is another thing that is abnormal for this place. we're looking at an empty barrel of crawfish. an hour ago they had two barrels. they would expect more than this. this is mardi gras era. and and they have no crawfish. >> farmers, what are they expecting to see? and a significant price increase? or drop. >> hoping for the warm up that will create the crawfish moving, the crawfish getting bigger, a better market for it, and people buying more. but it will be a more expensive market across the board no matter what this season. >> ben lemoine in new orleans.

to sochi ant the winter olympics where there is big news in men's hockey. how about them fins? >> i don't think any team really had more pressure on than the host team, the russian hockey team. finland upset russia in the quarterfinals. they bounced one of the favorites from their home ice, but they crushed the spirit of the entire host country. so much so that many believe the winter olympics in sochi is all but over. president vladimir putin said all would be a bust if men's hockey team did not win gold. not only did they not win gold, the host country did not win a medal. meanwhile, the u.s. men's hockey team that took down russia in the preliminary round continues

to steamroll through the games. they'll face canada on friday. meanwhile, the women's side no surprise, it is canada and the u.s. going for gold tomorrow at noon. these bitter rivals playing in the gold medal game for the fourth time in five olympics. and the u.s. olympics taking the two of the three medals in the two-person bobsled event. canadian's kayla and heather came from behind to win gold. let's take a little look at what the medal count looks like. team u.s. standing on top of the medal count. they have 23 in sochi. russia, netherlands, norway, canada rounding out that top five. as you see tony, u.s. still on top. tough day for russia. >> terrific, terrific, they still have that wonderful young ice skater. >> yes, they do, but sochi games are over for them. that's what we're told. >> terrific, thank you. olympic ice dancing champion

merle davis and charlie i didn't white worry a special pair of skates. the entire ice dancing team wears skates made by the same family. >> in the heart of silicon valley, an old fashioned craft endures, skating boot. each pair constructed and assembled by hand. world and olympic champions have taken prizes with these special skates produced by the booed company since 1983. some of the machines here in use since the workshop's earliest days. they compete against previewers with big production lines. jason is the family's fourth generation maker. >> it feels pretty good knowing that i had a small part in their journey to success. >> reporter: this week's ice

dancing gold medalist merrill davis and charlie white won. >> merle likes a soft, flexible boot. we make hers so she can bend at the ankles and the knees. >> reporter: and they do everything that will give competitive players a leg up. >> we always put a higher heel on most of the ice dancers because it puts them more on the ball of their foot causing them to bend their niece and shoulders back. it puts them in that nice dance posture. >> this holds the mold for some of the most we will known skaters in the world, and in my hand, christie yamaguchi's box. she has tiny feet. just a size four. we are shown a box of files, patterns of clients over the decades. >> what has been really fun

about this is i, so much of my grandparents are here. their patterns of their writings, my grandmother's writing. >> from skates from depression era ice performers to skates of modern superstars, the family knows there aren't that many businesses like theirs left. >> it feels great that i'm carrying on the tradition and legacy that has been left for me by my dad and my grandpa and my great grandpa. >> and their edge is the collective wisdom and feedback from all their olympic customers. melissa chan, al jazeera, california. >> the day's top stories coming up next.

congress can claim. we'll separate politics from policy, and just prescribe the facts.

>> we have a look at today's top stories. a bit of optimism that the violent protest in ukraine could end. president viktor yanukovych has agreed to a truce with

opposition leaders. it's expected tomorrow. the move comes after 26 people died in clashes between protesters and riot police in the capitol of kiev. jack lew said ukraine's fundamental problem is that it suffers from an economic crisis. the country should ask the international monetary fund for help to get the support it needs to fix the economy. president obama spoke about an hour ago in mexico along side mexican president enrique pena nieto and prime minister harper. president obama said they're focusing on improving economies through trade. suspected high ranking leader of al-qaeda faces an u.s. military quarter in guantanamo bay, cuba, today. he's charged with planning the deadly attack on the u.s.s. cole

in 2000. a huge acquisition by facebook ceo mark zuckerberg is spending $19 billion in cash and stock to buy mobile messaging start up what app. it's part of facebook's attempt to bolster appeal with younger >> tonight i'm setting the record straight on immigration reform. for some it means keeping workers out. and for others it means bringing skilled workers in. it we'll tell you why some weak housing numbers shouldn't worry you too much. i'm ali velshi, and this is real money.