>> pro russian gunman, seize government afterses in the ukraine as form ther president insists he is still the country's leader. a day of global action causing for the release of al jazeera staff detained in egypt. and food labels get the first makeover in 20 years.

>> quote him as saying he is still considers himself to be the dun's leader. reported her in the russia where the governor is said to be ensuring his safety. he is expected to hold a news conference tomorrow. massed gunman seized government buildings. they declared their the allegiance to russia and flew that nation's flag over the parliament. following the day's -- and you don't think this is fascinating. the group we have known as the opposition are now taking control.

it is difficult to keep up, that is where we have defined the p osix. and now there's a new government that this opposition backs. a few hundred miles south of here, about 600 miles or 700 miles south, and as you just said, there is a new opposition to this government, that's right behind me, this is a place that has always had separatist tendencies. since the ukraine was born out of the soviet union, it has never wanted to be part of an independent ukraine and so therefore it isn't that big of the a surprise that he saw the russian flag flying over the local government building. but it is a huge concern. not only for the people here that say it is a threat to the unity, but also to the international community. everybody came down we need to be able to focus,

and everybody needs to calm down. or lead to miscall cuelation, during a very delicate time. tony that's what the 6 doesn't want. the huge problems in this country, and a huge economic crisis this dun runs out of money in about two or three months. >> nick, i am curious as to what the new government still can do with what is developing on peninsula? >> it is very separate. against people to the west, all of whom look

towards europe, today the acting president, and he is the only acting president, he says they would send in the military, to oust them, that has not happened and it's not clear really how much say that this government will have. really they are being run by the people behind me. the people in the square are very much in control. don't act like the old leaders will throw you out, so that fear among the new leadership is very much there. ex-freely difficult to find those pro russians back. despite warnings from nat oand the united states, and other major western powers russia is getting involved increasingly.

ukraine for example is wondering about russia's military capabilities. vladimir putin put two of the four military drinks on high alert, land, sea, and air power being tested for readiness. moscow insists the war gains aren't connected to events in ukraine, net toe against escalation. i urge them to continue this efforts to establish this prospect. >> on the streets there was concern about the heightens tensions. with ethnic russians

particularly those in premier. how exactly, i have seen that political leaders should decide, and they shouldn't let fascism take over. it is just a nightmare. >> on one hand they are our brothers from the other hand it will cause an international conflict, it is important to keep the interstory, but we can't leave our friends in trouble. >> where is the man that still called himself rightful presidents. a russian newspaper claimed that he was spotted here and it is rander great hotel earlier in the week. it is fittingly known as the hotel. now, the establishment management has denied that he has been there recently. he was moved on now. >> maybe here the village comes on the outskirts of the capitol. but if there was any doubt that he is in

russia, when the state news agency announced that he is to give a press conference in the southern city. and 13 gmt on friday. urged him not to interfere in ukraine. it is important no they keep the work, the world will be watching. >> secretary of state john kerry spoke and urged russia to work with u. is it's allies. they also addressed ukraine tonight. is following a development in washington for us, and mike, what is this delicate balance that the white house is attempting to strike here with russia.

>> and secretary of state john kerry today, sovereignty in the white house as the third one. transparentsy, they want transparency on the part of russia, as it engages in some military man moves that sergei says were previously planned. but they are right on the border that has raised alarms here for the second consecutive day. we have heard secretary the kerry come right out and warn russia as did jay carney here in the white house earlier today about the sovereignty. for the days the president and on down, that somehow this is a cold war redo.

in russia, but yet very close to ukraine. secretary kerry had a photo opportunity, spoke with the press, across town at the state department, just a couple of hours ago, here is what he had to stay. >> foreign minister relayed to me correctly from president putin a reaffirmation of the conversation that president putin had over the weekend. and he stated that both the military exercise which has been conducted is not related to the ukraine, and was previously scheduled. >> one other interesting shift of the posture here, you know vice president biden we were told spoke with the president, the former president, apparently, of ukraine some nine times over the course of the crisis.

yanukovych has advocated his responsibilities. they are talking about the may 25th elections. al jazeera english journalists. have been held for 61 days now. andner accused of having links to a terrorist organization that is spreading false news. people putting down their cameras in solidarity with their staff. and in germany, our colleagues in berlin, came out to demand the. >> thats be dropped. abdullah al shammy works for al jazeera's arabic channel. he has been on a hunger strike for more than a month now. journalists from around the world are asking the

egyptian government to release our staff. maria has more on this. >> your honor lists are using the #free a.j. staff. and take a look at this map, it shows you from it is trending all over the world. in australia, and asia, africa, europe, south america, north america. look at images, they are journalists and groups that have been sending out these empages of themselves, holding the sign saying free a.j. staff. some of them have duct tape on their mouths, more than 30,000 tweets have been sent out today alone with this #, and some of those include our own knicks chef rine, he is in kiev. he writes enough is enough, time for egypt to release journalists jailed for doing their job. also released this image, and also you have media such as huffington post,s in their image that they have on the huff

postmedia website. and you have who this month did a segment holding up this the free a.j. staff sign as welt. and this is dave he is from the nation, he's got his glove the nation and sports editor, and the glove says free a.j. staff. and this is the press core, as well. that they have joined in solidarity, is our own news in doha. >> that's right, tony. i was there for two years with a lot of those people. i should tell you that dina one of our journalists here her picture, she is holding up a sign. moo rhea she has the tape on her mouth as well, that photo of her beamed from one of the jumbotron screens in time square today. just stunning. just stunning. maria, appreciate it. today the white house press secretary, was asked for the obama

administration is still calling for the release. >> we have expressed concerned about the detainment and trial of al jazeera and others and we have expressed those concerns directly to the government, and we had urged the government to drop those charges and release them. we remain deeply concerned about the on going lack of freedom in egypt. all journalists must not be target of violence, or politicized legal action. they must be permitted to freely do their jobs. so way are watching the trial in egypt. we understand that the defendants pleaded not guilty. we strongly urge the government to allow these

and all journalists to continue to do their jobs and it is impossible to see how they can do that, how any journalist can do their jobs if they are faced with questionable charges and are detained and on trial. >> give you a look at the polenta is released. these pictures are from the first appearance in front of a judge after two months in captivity. the ruling military backed government accuses them of supporting a terrorist organization, after they interviewed members of the now outlaws muslim brotherhood. is the bbc. this video was leaked to a privatety owned channeling, it broadcasts

our journalists were arrested in the hotel room. a voice, thought to belong to a security officer is heard asking al jazeera asking bureau chief, about his accreditation to which he replies, i asked them, many times if our legal position is valid in egypt, i was told the al jazeera english position is valid. otherwise, i would not have accepted the job. questioned further. who the last person was they interviewed. who owns the equipment in the room. and he is asked, how he gets paid. >> terrorist which he answers. we don't interview people in the room. i get a monthly salary like everybody else. the committee rates egypt as one of the worst for the press. it has never been more important that the calls

oppress freedom on this day of action are heard, in a country that is so deeply divided. story, in droughtportant stricken california the legislature passed a $687 million plan for immediate relief and emergency water assistance. as you know, there's been a bit of relief from the drought this week. that is raising concerned over flooding and landslide concerns. julie is tracking this system for us, looking to see you. >> good to see you always. >> this is a major storm. they are, receivedsticken 3.67 inches of rain. over the next couple of days they will receive up to eight-inches of rain.

we have a little bit of a break, but as said is going to pushyou into california, going to bring the snow the roads you need to be careful, because that rain is coming down very rapidly, it is going to pose a major net to human life. a lot of folks think they can drive in the rein, unfortunately. there's currents under the water.

and profits may be up at. places like boast buy and j.c. penny, but we will

fell you why that doesn't mean they will be hiring. but first, joining international conversation to help our al jazeera colleagues. we are using #freeaj staff. as a journalist this is my battle. i can no long err pretend it will go away. i have no particular fight with the egyptian government, just as i have no interest in supporting the muslim brotherhood, but as a journalist i am committed to defending a freedom of the press, that no one in my profession can work without.

a well noun nutritione's labels on the food you buy, about to get a makeover. today first lady michelle obama, and the head of the f.d.a. announced updates focusing on calories and sugar. lisa stark is in washington, d.c. for us, what are the changes

announced today? >> tony, one of the biggest changes would be with the calorie count. if you are a label reader, and you should be, you look at that label and it is hard to see, written very small. the new labels would have the calorie count in bold large font, if you will, style, so that if you see it you know right away. another big change is that sugars, added sugars would be indicated on the label, so you know how much sugar is added. michelle obama making this joked that right now you need practically a calculator, a micro scope to read the labeling. here is what the first lady had to say. >> parents deserve to have the information they need to make healthy choices for their kids. and this isn't a particularly radical idea. in fact the, it seems pretty obvious, but the truth is that too often it's nearly impossible to get the most basic facts about the food we buy for

our families. >> now another big change has to do with the serving size. they would adjust the serving size to more accurately reflect how we are eating. you know those big cans of soda, that's considered maybe 2 1/2 serving but let's face it, we drink it at once, so that would be one serving size, so people would get more accurate representation. >> i know that's not good for me to drink, the whole thing. what kind of impact is the changing of a label going to have? >> you know, experts say it is mixes. about 50% of people do read the labels but they aren't sure this will have a major impact in how consumers act. what it may do is effect the industry. when they added trans fats then they started taking trans fat out, if you add sugars maybe they will fry to cut the sugar content. >> lisa, appreciate it, lisa stark for us in washington, d.c. >> thank you. >> a record setting day,

the s&p 500 closing at an all time high, the dow posting solid gains as well. stocks boosted by comments from fed chair janet yellen about economic policy and some better than expected earnings reported from retailers. we will talk that a bit more. he is with us, and he is a financial correspondent, and phil, good to see you. hi, phil. >> hey. >> you know we have been seeing a lot of these retailers posting good numbers here. improved profits but lower sales. best buy is an example of that, how is this possible? how are they doing this? >> what they are doing, is they are laying people off. and also reducing other costs but you in the last few months we have seen barns and mobile do the same thing, j.c. penny, target, sam's club, which is part of wal-mart. have decided they need to cut costs. >> so this is kind of

growth through better efficiency? >> well, some people may argue whether it's efficiency or not, but certainly cutting jobs and getting more out. >> how is it not? what is the argue for it not become an efficient approach? >> some have said that it is cutting at the cost of insteer customer service, and retailers are cutting too close to the bone. >> what does it mean for the job market. we are talking about trimming staff, in some respects. and if they can do this and make a profit, is that ominous sign for employment? >> in the retail industry things are not looking up. a lot of online spending is going to retailers like amazon.com, so

there's less of a need for people in stores. it is not a section people expect a lot of hiring in. >> what is going on with j.c. penny. shares soaring. >> i'm glad you asked that because i have been following the saga for a long time. and so essentially what happened is people were afraid if they didn't have a good holiday season, and manage their cash they would need to go back to the equity or debt market, they did so three times but yesterday, the ceo said the worst of the turn around is behind, they said they are going to have the same amount of money on hand the end of the year, so wall street says okay, doesn't look like they will need to borrow money. now the fears of bankruptcy appear to be gone for now. >> so at the moment, a lot of jobs are still in place. the financial correspondent at routers, good to see you. >> thank you very much.

>> freddie mac is about to send the u.s. fresh surery a big check. the finance company says lit give the government a $10 billion dividend after posting a 9th straight quarterly profit. it will have paid the u.s. about $82 billion since the gov rescued it. that's $10 billion more than the original bail out. a day of global action, calling for the release of our colleagues held in egypt, coming up, a look at how first amendment rights are also being challenged right here in the united states. and a gun toting retired general in venezuela, look at this picture. gets into a stand off with forces the president of the country sent to arrest him.

everyone.e back, ukraine's new government prompts to keep the country there breaking up. may complicate the situation, prorussian masked gunman today seized the parliament building there and russian jets have been flying above the border. meanwhile, ukraine's former president is reportedly in a luxury government retreat in russia. ahead of a news conference tomorrow, a russian news organization reports he still considered himself as the legitimate leader of ukraine. california lawmakers passed the $687 million plan to provide relief for areas devastated by drought. that includes emergency money for areas running low on drinking water. this is one of california's driest years on record. al jazeera is holding a global day of action to support journalists being detained by the jinx government, mohammed fami, al jazeera rejects

the charges. people have been supporting our colleagues, martyr school in the capitol of beirut saw a big turn out holding banners and posters say journalism is not a crime. about 30 journalists gathered on the city's landmark round about. to show solidarity in a peaful rally. where the words jump lynch is not a crime. several passing drivers honked as a sign of support. at a demonstration we are expecting to see events in 30 countries throughout the day, as demonstrations take place arched the globe, georgia congressman hank johnson voiced his support on the house floor in congress today. >> earlier this month, i sent a letter signed by 15 members of the

congress urging the secretary of state to take immediate action to help security the release of these journalists in egypt, is as egypt struggled to find it's identity, it is important for the international community to remind the egyptian leadership, and all the word leaders of the need for free press. free those journalist as free society requires a free press. >> even in ukraine, a nation living in political crisis, people are taking time out to call for the release of our colleagues. this group of journalists. covering the situation there, paused for just a few minutes to show their support, the call on egypt to release the mess. press freedoms are protected randall pinkston joins us with that story. >> tonefully, for many american journalists it is a controversial finding and not the first time that reporters without borders organization has given the u.s. a low rating for press freedom, this time

is u.s. 11 points lower than last year. >> from the birth of the nation, american journalists have relied on the first amendment, and sometimes sources willing to reveal state secrets. but an international watchdog group says america's journalists are facing in pressure from the federal government to reveal their sources. >> a fugitive who linked thousands of documents. orr court marshaled army private bradley manning now known as chelsea committed for the biggest leak of classified documents in u.s. history. >> i can't think of any other time in history where the justice department, and the fbi in this case have actually maybe since the 1960's, tracked the press. >> two journalists

recently discussed the disturbing trend. if we cannot provide confidentiality and if that confidentiality can be threatens in court, they will not be willing to too reveal what is going on in the government. >> that issue between the press and the government yielded a surprising result in reporters without borders latest world press freedom index. for more nan a decade, the organization has sent questionnaires to selected journalists researchers and human rights activists in 180 countries. the index considers media independent the environment in which reporters work, and transparency of government and private institutions that effect news gathering. this year, fin hand, the

nether-land, and norway lead the list. but the u.s. regarded by many as the world's leading democracy, ranked 46th. one wrung above haiti. but questions the low rating for the u.s. >> i think overall, american journalists have very powerful protections, not the least of which is the everybody respect for rule of law in this country. the yep respect for free press. >> a lot of people look at the united states as a model. there needs sob some improvement regards the way they are able to do their jobs. >> now, here is an irony, president obama who was a constitutional lawyer, has doubled down on going after whistle blowers and the journalists who report their leaks. which was first issued by the bush administration is now being prosecuted

by president obama attorney general errick holder. >> the so we know the government can access phone records, i'm wondering how that knowledge, that information is impacting even the knowledge of it is impacting the work of journalists in. >> well, first of all, is given a chilling effect to people that may be potential sources, the other thing it is forcing journalists to increase their technology. learning how to encrypt their phone calls and their computer communications. >> thank you. information gathering by u.s. diplomates profile nearly 200 countries on their human rights record. secretary of state john kerry criticized sir is yeah, russia, and china for discrimination. may also made a point of credit siding uganda's antigay. >> we are sees new bills and signed into law

earlier this week. which not only makes criminals of people for who they are, but punishes those that defend the human rights that are a universal birth right. >> it had made homo sexuality a climb punishable by law. let's go to ranch jordan live. tell us more about what is in this report? >> well, the report deems with the issues of press freedom, of the ability to bather and engage, as well as take part in political protests and it also typically takes a look at the abuses that vulnerable populations will suffer. whether it's rape used as a tool in war, or whether it's children being pressed into service as soldiers. but this report this year take as look at two new topics. one of them is the impunity which many

police forces and many militaries enjoy by cracking down on people who are simply trying to exercise their civil liberties. f report is now listing those countries that don't hold their police forces or their military accountability for violating people's right to gather, to assemble, to petition their government. they are also taking a look now at the way that the word's workers are being treated. do people have a safe place to work, or are may at risk of dying if the factory, for example, were to collapse, in been he dash, or a father and people can't get out safely. are people being paid fairly, are they getting the kind of treatment that produces a happy and productive work force, rather one that is aiken to slavery. so the state department and now tracking those as well, and basically telling both friends and rivals you have to do better by your citizens. >> can they leave countries if they are unhappy with their work

situations? so according to the state department, let's make some names here. who are the worst defenders when it comes to violating human rights laws. >> well, they don't say they rank them per se, but suffice it to say, very. countries on the annual list, and this covers every country, and territory, i should say, but they can find an instance where people's ability to live their lives imped rights are basically protected. now some of the people -- the countries i should say that perhaps are the most egregious, certainly take a look at syria. it's also increasing it's use of conventional weapons. air strikes on population

that support the people that are trying to overthrow the government. that country came in for a lot of criticism. they have also taken a look at the on going curtailing of public liberties inside russia. as many people know, the u.s. and russia aren't getting along right now, this report probably isn't going to improve relations any time soon. >> to say the least. ross, appreciate it. kentucky joins a list of states forced by a court order to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other countries. this same judge ruled recently, that same-sex marriage ban treated gay and lesbians differently in a way that demeans them. the federal government has launched an investigation, over it's failure to address some problem links to at least 13 deaths and 31 crashes. six g.m. models have

faulty ignitions switching which led to power failure in brakes, engine, and air bags. g.m. first identified the problem back in 2004, but didn't reveal the extent of the problem until earlier this month. juneing us now from detroit, now that the government is investigating, what does this mean for general motors. >> the national highway traffic safety administration is looking into whether general motors followed the rules and properly disclosed and properly disclosing their deeffects in their vehicles. i am told that g.m. right now, if they -- if it is determine that may actual cannily didn't act fast enough that they could face a fine of over $30,000,000.01 challenge for general motors would be that in a report to the government, the auto maker revealed that some of their engineers saw that there was some issues way back in 2004. just to give you a update

again on the list of these vehicles the vehicles under the recall list include 2003-2007 saturn ions, 2006-7 chevrolet hhrs, 2006-7 pontiac sol citieses. also, 2005-2007 chevy cobalts. and pontiac pursuits can were recalled earlier this month. now, g.m. right now people who have these vehicles to get their it is unclear when those repairs will happen. i did have the opportunity to speak with a law professor about the impact this recall could have on general motors. >> of course, general motors very concerned about it's image, post bankruptcy. would like to say this is the new general motors, they take responsibility for what may have gone on. even if it isn't on the watch of the people that are now in charge.

they are in the process of trying to rebuild their image in that regard. >> general motors release at statement saying they will fully cooperate with the government in their investigation. calms should be receiving notices about when they can get their car fixed sometime next month. tony. >> all right, in detroit, in italy the former captain of the costa concordia boarded the doomed ship today, more than two years after the vessel capsized. it is part of a court order to held figure out whether anything other than human error was involved in the wreck. the captain is charged with abandoning his ship and manslaughter. in the united kingdom, the guardian newspaper rothers that british intelligence agents are stealing hundreds of thousands of screen shots taken by yahoo users web cams. two report said they

intercepted messages between 1.8 million yahoo users in 2008. the program code named optic nerve is reportedly still active and has collected thousands of photos many of them x rated. yahoo says it was not aware of and it does not condone it. the man accused of shooting up a colorado movie theater has a trial date. thank you, tony. a judge set october 14th as a trial date for james holmes. he is the man accused of shooting up a movie theater in 2012. killing 14 people, and injuries 70 others. holmes pled not guilty by reason of insanity, the trial date has been postponed twice before, so he could undergo two mental health evaluations. he faced the death penalty. christian smith was arraigned today, she pled not guilty to charging of kidnapping for taking her

four-year-old nephew later this month. he was found unharmed incite a crate at a gas station. he spent four hour 24 hourn bitter cold before he was found. the man convicted of trying to kill ronald ragan may be spending more time outside prison. he was found insane for shooting the seriously wounding ragan in 1981. he has been serves his sentence in a mental hospital, uh be he has been allowed to spend time visiting his mother, and tuesday a judge increased his visits to 17 days beginning next month. box tores asking the center for disease control and prevention, to investigate a polio like illness that is effecting young people. she wants the agency to find out who has left 20 children paralyzed all in the past 18 months. and in massachusets runners in this year dose boston marathon won't be allowed to use backpacks or handbags.

the organization in charge of the 26-mile race said runners will need to put clothing in clear plastic bags. police say spectators will still be allowed to carry backpacks but they will likely be searched. the difficulty of ending homelessness has been a constant problem but in one community, people that once lived in homes are now living in what is called micro homes. a what is a micro home. >> 30 different units here. micro housing. ins a development that was born from protests, homeless protests.

starting seven years ago. there's her computeser going off, never mind that sound. very small units as you can see. a bed, a bathroom, a sink, a toilet a closet, not much more than that. a couple of extra feet. this is one of the biggest ones this is wheelchair access.

they also wanted the units facing each other, so there wouldn't be isolation in the communities. so this is the village, and tony, that is micro housing for the formerly homeless. >> that's terrific. all right, appreciate it, in libya washington and coming up, gun toting retired general, gets in a stand off with security after supporting student protestors.

only on al jazeera america

general, gets in a stand off and it is going viral. >> yeah, tony, a former general who has been very vocal critic of the government of venezuela over the last decade. and here he is, he told students to put wire across barricades on the roads. now, the police then the government after his arrest so they sent police to his house, when he came out he came out with with this semiautomatic rifle here. and he has a flat jacket on. he has become an icon, i sect to one that has been a folk here down there. and you have people here all around his house, and he has been giving talks too with megaphone, saying that the

government has been infiltrated by the cubans and on his twitter account he has gotten more than 239,000 followers. you have -- my respects and support to you, general, but of course some people are not supportive of this, the pro government people down in venezuela writes fascist, and they are putting oil on the streets here, tony. >> all right. thank you. president obama even vailed a new initiative today. to give young black men an opportunity to reach their full potential. >> the chances of the average black or brown child in this country lagged behind by almost every measure, and is worse for boys and young men foundations businesses and other groups. spent some time with the group that has already

had sock success. >> for 19-year-old turner after school boxing has helped relieve tension and agreg. >> i had a really bad anger issue, but i got rid of it. it creeps in sometimes. so i put oen the gloves i just start practicing punching at something, try to get it out. >> or becoming a man. >> boxing is a martial art. one of the great things in sports in general, is that it is a great opportunity to teach people discipline, team work, commitment, and even that positive anger. skills that help relewis

violence in antisocial behavior. >> reveals that a large portion are a result of behavior. it appears to be working according to a study by the crime lab, want for dissipation reduced arrests by 44% compared to students that were not in the program. they everless likely to

get in schools. it is anishtive that has caught the attention. last year a group of band students sat in a counseling circle with president obama. he is meeting with the president once again this year.

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taken refuge in russia. meanwhile, the parliament has avoidedded a coalition government. two california legislature has passed an almost $700 million drought relief fund today. the plan includes penalties for divert c. penny water and is headed to the desk right now. the second system in building over a second weather system is building over the state right now. prompting fears of landslides have been issued near california. during a meeting with senior staff. he has served as attorney general since the start of the obama administration. today, is al jazeera's global day of action for detained staff in egypt. they have been in prison for 61 days.

ner accused of having links with a terrorist organization and spreading false news. al jazeera rejects the charged to take part. i only tony harris, inside story is next. hello, i'm ray swarez. every year the u.s. is state department gathering intellce