consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. ij dobrensky >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm jonathan betz with the top stories. >> the focus now is on the crimean peninsula, ukraine mobilising its armed forces while a key military leader defects. >> you don't, in the 21st century, behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on trumped up pretext. >> condemnation of russia has been shash and strong from world -- sharp and strong from

world leaders. >> venezuela protests >> and the red carpet is out for the academy award. >> today ukraine mobilized its military after russia took over the southern region of crimea. the country is on the brink of disaster warns the acting president. russian troops have surrounded a base, and the ukrainian prime minister called it a declaration of war. >> the head of the ukraine navy has been fired for treesons after swearing alegion to an autonomous crimea. support in the south seems to be unanimous. laurence lee has this report from sevastapol. >> this appears to be the one place that ukraine forces in crimea are putting up resistance

behind the walls, the ukrainian special forces base. the ukrainian flag is up and they refuse to give in. pro-russian forces appear relaxed. all as if to say they are here to stop anyone harming civilians. >> a priest turned up. he was blessing soldiers. whether it end peacefully, i ask, "no, they planned this for 20 years." >> elsewhere there's no sign of ukrainian forces at all. this is balaklava bay. viktor yanukovych had a yot here. it vanished a day or too ago. so has the ukrainian fleet. there's something that looks like a coast guard, but it is not going to fight anyone. people saw the naval forces

leave, in a hurry, after what appeared to be a negotiation. >> translation: at 9:25 the military came in. everyone left the base. two troop carriers full of soldiers. by 9:40 they had gone. >> we tried to see if there was anyone left. "please recovery to administration", said the voice. that was that. at sevastapol military airport russian soldiers on the perimeter. from down the road they could be seen in the compound guarding what we believe to be an ammunition depot. there's no doubt the pro-russian forces are pushing home their advantage by pushing ukrainian forces to surrender or switch sides. a hard dead line of four weeks, two months before planned presidential elections across the country. by that time russia and crimea

may have decided their own fate. the russian forces have the eyes oars of the locals. they man the road block between sevastapol, and simferepol, "wherever we are, so is russia", says the crime. "we are here to protect against fashists and terrorists", where are they, i asked him. "you don't know where you are. no one expected terrorists to attack the world trade center." the truth is there's almost no threat to these people from fascists, soldiers. crimea, it seems, is going down without a fight. a short time ago the head of the navy made an announcement in line in them. >> i swear allegiance to the

residents of the city of crimea, i will obey orders of the chief commander of the autoon omiccar of crimea. >> let's go live to jennifer glasse in simferepol. what has been the rehabilitation -- rehabilitation to the naval commander. >> a lot of people welcome them. a lot don't believe what happened in kiev has happened to them. they have their own parliament and prime minister. all of that changed. the new prime minister is pro-russian, as is his council of ministers. there's a prime minister tatar min yority and ethnic ukrainian minority, making up about 40% of the population. they are scared. some of those have barricaded themselves in share homes.

for the ethnic russians, it's good news that the head of the fleet pledging to crimea. lots of russian troops on the ground, flying the flag. many people look towards the east and moscow for goodance and support. with -- guidance and support, and with the russian forces they have got that. >> what is it like on the ground, in the streets of crimea? are people afraid? is it business as usual? what is it like there? it's sunday. a lot of businesses are closed. i spent much of the day at a base where russian forces came in, 250 russian forces came in and surrounded the base, and as they were having this tense standoff the russians called on the ukrainians to surrender. we saw civilians come out, men, women, children come out to see what was going on. people are interested. they know this is the history,

the future, and what is going to decide where crimea goes in the future, and so they are interested involved, active. we saw a bit of fighting between those who believe the russians are occupiers, and those who believe they are liberators. in some ways the russian forces coming out, becoming prominent on the streets, on the roads making the divisions for those who want to look sharper. >> thank you for that. >> reservists are responding to calls to mobilise from the government. jacky rowland has more from kiev. >> ukrainians are preparing for war. in kiev where there has been bloodshed people expression their allegiance to ukraine, and the defines of russia -- defiance of russia.

it's fighting rhetoric, and for now it's just talk. parliament has met in emergency session. the prime minister said russia had brought them to the briping of disaster. >> this is not a threat, it's a declaration of war to my country. we urge president vooladimir pun to pull back his military and stick to the international obligations and bilateral and multilateral agreements signed between ukraine and russia. >> there are nine recruiting stations in the capital. this office on the outskirts of kiev men were waiting outside before the doors opened. >> people have been responding enthusiastically to the call to mobilise. there are young men, older men,

people with mittry experience, people without military experience, but they still want to take part. we have visited three stations in and around kiev. in the first three hours several hundred people had enlisted. >> somehow we had to win. we will win, but i am sure we have to win, and we'll do everything. you can see people different page from 18 to 60. they are volunteers. >> russia is powerful. but on the other side we have our friends in europe and the united states who already claim the support, so we will fight until then. >> this is the gravest confrontation between russia and the west since the end of the cold war. what started here as a protest movement escalated beyond what most of the demonstrators could

have imagined and it's not over yet. >> and phil ittner is stopping by live in kiev. i know that german chancellor angela merkel spoke with vladimir putin a short time ago. what can you tell us about that conversation? >> jonathan, we are told from the german government that in that conversation angela merkel urged president putin to respect the integrity of ukraine and apparently they discussed the possibility of a fact-finding mission possibly led by the osc, the organization for security cooperation in europe. we are hearing and seeing in kiev a government that appears to be in a state of disarray. they are pretty much new to this. many of these poll terns, they are not -- politicians, they are not career politicians. the prime minister in kiev has appointed 18 new regional

governors, many swept out during the ouster. so they need to rebuild an infrastructure or governance. there is criticism that at least two of those regional governors will be oligarchs, people that can wheel and deal with the power of their money. it may hold, but at the same time others say that may be what ukraine need to get a government up and functioning. >> when you consider this, consider the tough take that kiev's new leaders put out there, do you feel like the new government has a solid command of event or is slightly losing its grip? >> well, as i say, these guys are new at this. all the people that knew how to do the job were swept out. they are trying to find their footing at a time they have an

external threat coming in from russia, and the break-up of the country if crimea becomes more autonomous. they are deal with a lot on their plate, and you can tell on the streets of kiev that there's grave concern about whether they can get the country functioning with all the internal problems and now the external threats from russia. this is a difficult situation for ukrainians, and they are trying to find a way forward in a moment of crisis. you heard jacky rowland talking about how this country is basically facing this threat, trying to get together only army. well you know, that's all of this coming into play in the chaos of ukraine right now, that the world now is getting embroiled in. >> uncertain times indeed. thank you. >> as tensions in ukraine grow, several countries, including the

united states pulled out of early talks. rory challands is in moscow with that part of the story. >> if moscow is feeling pressure, they are not giving an impression of it. it's been incredibly quiet, considering the turmoil that other capitals around the world have been in. in moscow there's virtually nothing from the kremlin or the foreign ministry, until the last few minutes when kremlin put out a statement saying that vladimir putin spoke to angela merkel on the phone and he expressed concern about the threat of ultra nationalists in ukraine. you get the impression, really, that moscow is biding its time, waiting for the dust to settle, letting the facts on the ground in crimea speak for itself, and left the western powers work out what their response will be.

that has started to crystalise with the news that four countries are putting off participation in the perhaps artery meetings for the g8 -- prappar atry meetings for the g8 summit in june. there's protests that we are watching - for and against what russia is doing in ukraine. the protests against what russia is doing were small and probably only numbered some 200-300 people. they took place in moscow and in st. petersburg. there were arrests at those rallies. the police moved in fast. the police say they arrested 40 or 50 people. the human rights groups are saying the number is higher, that some 300 were detained. protests took place for what russia is doing in ukraine. they are much larger, 27,000 people, if you believe what the

police are saying. >> rory challands in moscow. the united states has been vocal about russia's moves. mike viqueira is live at the white house. more stern statements from the white house. what are the administration's options today? >> the options are what they are trying to scramble to figure out. president obama, we are told from a spokesman has been with the national security advisors this morning. he's been getting updates, spending the afternoon talking to allied world leaders. john kerry making the rounds of some of the sunday talk shows. still insisting that this is not a cold war redo, although it's obviously russia versus the west in the crisis over ukraine. harking back to an earlier era, saying it's 19th century actions on the part of russia, john kerry says he's been on the

phone with allied foreign ministers over the course of the last 24 to 48 hours. here is what he told a sunday show earlier today. >> i talked to 10 of the foreign minister of those wound ris engaged the g8, and all of them are prepared to go to the hilt toest late russia. they are prepared to put sanctions in place, to isolate russia economically. the roouble is already going down. russia has major economic challenges. >> so secretary of state john kerry talking about going to the hilt with allies, including economic sanctions. evidently military action on the part of the allies or on the part of the united states. no one is seriously talking about that. other things secretary of state john kerry mentioned - isolation on trade and investment of

russia, freezing assets of russian officials, banning visas. not going to the g8 scheduled for sochi, of all places, that's the annual gathering - there's talk of throwing russia out of the g8 altogether. >> i'm curious to know, you talk to your sources in russia, do you get the impression that vladimir putin's actions took the u.s. by surprise in the last 48 hours? >> i think there was a feeling that the administration was caught a little flat footed by vladimir putin's sudden actions. the chair of the house senate committee was on another program saying putin is playing chest and the rest of us are playing marbles. there's that feel, and you could see through the comment of alarm and rhetoric from secretary of state john kerry and culminating in the appearance in the briefing room of president obama at 5 o'clock on a friday afternoon in washington, no

question about it, there was an element of surprise here, particularly after john kerry had been on the road with sergei lavrov, his russian counterpart, thursday and friday, receiving assurances. president obama spoke directly with vladimir putin, before the actions in crimea, and for 90 minutes yesterday, this is a crisis. there's no question about it, that's a lot at stake for ukraine and politically. >> thank you to mike viqueira live from the white house. thank you. >> members of n.a.t.o. met to discuss the crisis in ukraine. russia's actions violate international law and they call for u.n. mediation. >> we call upon russia to hop our all its international commitments to withdraw troops to its bases and refrain from

akakses in ukraine. >> we heard the statements from the united nations, from n.a.t.o., andrij dobrensky, are these the signs of support that the ukrainians are hoping for. >> we need specific actions, what happened to ukraine, the ability for us to off the the president, who will be tried for crimes against humanity and malfeesance of our moneys, he's out of power because his party turned on him because of targeted sanctions against those in charge. >> you are hoping for targetting sakses against russia. will it make a difference? >> if it makes a difference in ukraine, it will make a difference elsewhere >> ukraine is different to russia. >> it is. but the crimes we aclue viktor yanukovych -- accuse viktor yanukovych, it is the same as what we accuse russia.

there's enormous money held offshore. all the money promised to the ukrainian people was taken offshore stored by the oligarchs in european banks. sanctions will get change happening. >> are you hoping that the russian people will put pressure on the president. >> ukraine is the keystone. once ukraine goes, the path that's been going on since the orange revolution is halted. once it's fully going in that direction, that's when moldova and others fall in line and vladimir putin's empire will fall apart. you think he's feeling the pressure internally. >> absolutely. >> what guess you that pressure, a lot of others look at it and see that vladimir putin's control looks strong. >> his population is stagnant. he's playing a game with time. the people growing up are

western leaning. when he refers to fascist, he's talking about world war ii mentality, all of n.a.t.o. is fashist, the veterans of the war. he's trying to hold on to the western people. the younger want integration with the west with the internet, trade. it's not what the older generation or vladimir putin want. >> we see in the eastern half of ukraine and crimea a lot of support for crimea. do you worry it will factor? >> if you have been there, they happen at certain times of the day, they are choreographed. i'm not saying the entire public is doing this. when i see a flag paraded in front of video cameras, i know it's been coordinated. >> that's a stern statement to make, that you say the pro-russian music is orchestrated by russia. >> i can tell you there's a

document of over 10 thous speakers saying with-vladimir putin, don't invade our country. we like being in ukraine, even though we speak russian and are ethnically russian. >> for all the people saying they are against russia, aren't there others in favour of russia? >> absolutely. it's a time gym. the younger the -- game. the younger the people go, the more freedom and democracy. in crimea you have 56% of ethnic majority there. that is from 2001, by the way. so the growing numbers of the ukrainian pop u lags in the north, and the muslim target population is growing at a rate beyond the ethnic ukrainian people. >> andrij dobrensky, with the ukrainian congress committee for america thank you for your help. >> there's more ahead, including

the political protest in venezuela, and the truth beyond hollywood's real of life stories.

>> thousands of protesters are marching through the venezuelan capital, in contrast to the

violence that consumed the country last month. protesters say they want the same thing, lower inflation, no crime. >> what do you see paul beban out there today. >> it is in sharp contrast to violence we have seen. there was almost a festive atmosphere from the north to the east. the tone was confrontational, police and national guard troops were on bridges. as the marches wept under the bridges there were chants of assassin, killers. there was not the street battles or any of the out-right street fighting that characterised some of the things sips february. >> paul beban in venezuela. thank you. >> west jerusalem streets were

packed with men and women protesting and praying. they are ultra orthodox jews demonstrating against an israeli law requiring them to serve in the military. conscription is a part of life. the extremely religious is exempt. they say their contradiction is religious and cultural. >> the meeting of attack, the israeli-american public affairs committee opened in washington. 14,000 supports are expected to attend the lobby group. secretary of state john kerry will speak tomorrow and binyamin netanyahu will deliver the connote address on tuesday. >> ahead on al jazeera america, we'll return to the top story, the crisis in ukraine and examine the use of military force by russia and the united states over the years. also, whether you are in new orleans or brazil, it's time for mardi gras and carnivale

parties.

. welcome back to al jazeera america. the top stories - ukraine mobilized its military after russia took over the southern region of crime ya. the country is on the brink of disaster and is calls up military reservists. the head of the ukrainian navy has been fired for treason after swearing aleegance to the russian-backed leader of crimea. >> russia's push into the ukraine - america pulling out of the g8 hosted by russia in june. secretary of state john kerry said possible sanctions could isolate the country and there's news he's planning a trip to kiev. >> we return to jennifer glasse, at a ukrainian base. >> it wasn't the day that sergei storozhenko expected. first a contingened of russians came to his base, wanting him to

surrender. >> they said they were here to bring stability. what that means they don't know. he refused to give up. more arrived. truckloads. ukrainians moved an armored fighting vehicle to the gate. there'll be no reinforcements. "no one is coming from kiev. i'm alone. me and my brigade. we'll do what we can, but we'll see." >> the commander and the brigade says, "we'll see if there'll be war." the troops come in on foot. some civilians try to stop them. they had the base vouched. the two armies, feet from each other. we have a standoff here. ukrainian troops, russian troops all around hear. they came in earlier and told the commander to give up the

base. he said he wouldn't. now they are standing against each other. they want the ukrainians to lay down their arms. "no deal, says the colonel. if they enter the territory of the base i'll have to shoot. negotiations and the colonel visits the growing russian encampment. all they agree on is no one wants to start a war. an orthodox priest appeals for peace. the public is divided. some prays the president. others threatened by it. >> people from another country are here. what should we call it. intervention, occupation. they have no legal right to be here. >> they are, in significant numbers. given the way they are setting up, there's no sign the russians will leave son. >> before leaving they called the approach to russia

appropriate. world leaders are united. >> i would strongly advise them to continue with that approach. i'm concerned by reports this morning of escalating tension. we will urge the russians to speak to the ukrainians correctly, through minister, through military channels, so far they have not wanted to do that. i urge foreign minister lav rof to do that. the u.k. will join other g8 countries in responding the cooperation under the g8, which russia chairs this year. and finally, i will discuss about the ukrainian leadership the need for them to represent their whole country, to include as much as possible in their leadership representatives of the east and south of the country, to ensure that forthcoming elections are fair to all concerned. >> also, the n.a.t.o. secretary

added russia is threatening european piece. at a natioo -- n.a.t.o. meetinga urged to deescalate. >> russia has not been afraid to use soldiers in conflicts. the united states has down the same from time to time. with us to talk about this is retired army brigadier general. i want to get you news that secretary of state john kerry will visit kiev. what can he bring and offer to ukraine? >> aside in rhetorical support, there's little he can bring. he can talk about support and backing the people of ukraine. if he's not willing to bring in military force, he's left with little more than diplomacy and marginal sanctions.

>> i know military force is not on the table, no one is talking about putting soldiers on the ground in ukraine. are there other options the american military could bring to solve the crisis? >> i don't think so. n.a.t.o. in general and the united states in particular have said military options were off the table which, to many in russia, particularly the military, are breathing a sigh of relief since the americans are not willing to do anything to defend the ukrainians. >> in other conflicts, like the george jan, russian war, they deployed warships and n.a.t.o. had a presence. >> we may see visual support, american warships going into the black sea, outward scenes of photographic support. i don't think the americans in general, or this administration in particular, are willing to put american lives on the line to help in this situation. >> from a military stand point

what do you think is russia's strategy? >> russia, for years and years has had a near obsession, almost a paranoia with defending its borders that have been attacked by napoleon, by the nazis in world war ii. it typically will do everything it can when it sees the buffer zones around mother russia threat edged. the name ukraine means "the border", when she see the status quo disturbed. they'll take military action. we saw it in afghanistan, georgia, and now in ukraine. we saw it in hungary and czech slovakia. >> how does that compare to the united states? >> unlike united states we have friendly neighbours to the north and south and two wide oceans on

the east and west. we have the luxury of intervening for our interests. russia has a tendency to intervene out of concern for threats and borders. we will intervene when our interests are challenged. for russia, it's more existential. >> it's obvious that the yates n.a.t.o. is not going to get involved. is it smart for russia to push the issue and try to seize control of crimea, or possibly in eastern ukraine, or does it scale back at this point? >> it takes what it has and pockets it. there was no chance that anybody would take action, no chance that any countries will push russia out of the crimea. the port is too important. i think that there's little doubt that they'll do whatever is necessary to defend it.

i'm reminded of 1979. there's talk of huff and puff when the soviets invaded afghanistan. we boycotted the olympics. at the end of the day the russians stayed for a decade and in this case they'll stay as long as they want to stay as well. >> is this how it ends. the world shrugs its showeders saying, "your now part of ru russia." >> we'll have photographic sanctions. nations of the world are demonstrating they are not willing to make military action or difficult actions against russia, so they have made a move on the chess board and no one is willing to challenge it. >> what about ukraine. everyone says ukraine's army cannot stand up against russia. should it try?

>> sadly, i think they may. russia's military is five times the mann power of ukrainian and spend about 25 times what ukraine spends on a yearly basis. the the ukraine military may intervene and try to protect their interests. i don't think anybody will come to their support. >> what about the idea of sanctions against russia or increasing economic aid to ukraine. do you expect sanction, the aid talk to have real pressure on russia and ukraine, frankly? >> i'm not an economist, but i expect most people would say why there might be concerns if russia was to be thrown out of the g8 or gas supplies were not bought. iran has flaunted their views to the international community. look what sanctions got the

iranians. they continue to advance on nuclear capability, and the russians are in a better position. sadly and pragmatically i think the russians win this round. >> retired army brigadier mark kim et. >> 40 people were arrested protesting vladimir putin's use the military. >> protests in bangkok. >> hundreds marched. no violence ensued. voting was held in some provinces. >> egypt's post hosni mubarak government continues to change of the the interim president swore in the cabinet, the new line-up including 20 minorities,

among them defence minister abdul fatah al-sisi. he is widely expected to run for president when elections are held in summer. >> south african oscar pistorius heads to trial. the palestine is charged with killing his girlfriend in their home. if convicted he could face 25 years in prison . nick named the blade runner because of his prosthetic legs he says it was accidental, and he faces further charges for possession of ammunition. >> the l.a. dodgers had a rookie, joc pederson is hoping to do the same. he has skill and the confidence as well thanks to the support of family. >> i'm pretty talented and blessed that i have the ability - i mean, i can hopefully make the game fun to watch. >> joc pederson may not be a

household name, but he has the makings of being a star from the los angeles dodgers. he was drafted in the 11th round of the 2010 draft. two years later he was the minor league player of the year. at the age of 21 joc pederson delivers in multiple facets of the game. >> everyone has high hopes for jock, the way he plays the outfield and instinct on bases. he cap swing a back. he is what you want the way the swing looks. >> i pride myself having skills and i work hard to refine the skills so i could do good for myself and help the team win. skill a base, drive a ball, diving catch. >> stu pederson, family plays a big role and where he is. he draws inspiration from his older brother champ, who has downs syndrome and who joc

pederson says is a positive influence. >> he is always there, in the good and bad. he'll send a text. even if it's going good it will cheer you up. it's awe stom see -- awesome to see someone so happy for his situation. he doesn't feel bad. he loves it. he's smiling. i wouldn't be the person i am or anyone in my family would without him. we are special to have him in our lives. >> the bond is not just helping joc pederson, but his younger brother tiger drafted in 201. champ was a big part of the university pacific baste ball team, giving the pregame motivational speeches. >> play the game. see you all on the field. >> joc pederson and tiger give back to champ, coaching him when he appeared in the special olympics and travelling when he participates in the best buddies

program. >> he's an ambassador and gives speeches. we go to different event and opens you to another world that we wouldn't experience out him. there's so many different aspects of what he brings to the table and how special we are to have him. it's awesome. >> joc pederson drawing inspiration from older brother champ. and he hit a home run for the dodgers. >> that's an inspiring story. thanks. >> ahead - parades and parties around the world. it is carnivale from the beautiful beaches of brazil. to the crowded streets of new orleans, and other cities celebrating the weekend before mardi gras. that's ahead, next.

bev bev wipe mount barker m >> welcome back. lent begins next week.

before then people are indulging in carnivale. the most well-known sell operation is the one in rio de janeiro. we are joined live by gabriel. looks like it's quite a party this year. >> it is. like it is every year. we are right at the center of it. we are in the stadium, a famous samba stadium in rio de janeiro, seating 75,000 people. let me show you how much anticipation there is. we are over two hours away from this even starting and they already have people starting to take their seats in this arena. the people that you saw have been waiting over three hours just to get in. so that gives you an idea of how much agency there is. we expect six of rio's biggest and best carnival samba schools to parade. when it starts, where i'm standing, it will be absolutely packed with thousands of people

doctored in elaborate costumes, giant floats. in is going to be an important night. you have samba schools - that may not mean anything for american audiences, but it is the equivalent of the new york yankees is to baseball in the united states. this is an important night, really symbolizes the kick off of the carnival in rio, and we'll be here all night to bring it to you. >> how many people there celebrate? how much does this consume the city and the country? in short, brazil stops during carnival. that's pretty much a short way of saying it. to give you an idea on numbers, a couple of days ago in rio they had block parties, where people take to the streets. there's thousands of them that happen over the course of about

six, seven days or so. and one of them, a couple of days ago, one of the biggest ones had 1.5 million, one block party in rio, there's others that have a few thousand, a few hundred. it gives you an idea of how much the country stops and how much carnival is a party and part of the brazilian culture. this is where it's famous, where the images later tonight that will be beamed over the world. it happens in the cities in the north-east, in soo paulo. it's a national event. the country stops for carnival, work stops and it's the time to celebrate and for lack of a better word, party. >> that's a part i hope you get to do, party. >> i want to ask about the protest. so many of us in the united states see a massive protest. is that a concern during the celebration?

>> it isn't. you are right, there have been protests that brought hundreds of thousands to the streets last year to call for better things such as health and better public transportation. the protests have dwindled. we have seen a few in january, february to bring out a few thousand people. those have dwindleded. this week, next week we have seen almost no protests. it's not an issue. does that mean the protests stopped in brazil for the rest of the year? no. there'll probably be more protests and it probably will pick up as we get closer to the world cup in brazil in june. this week carnival week is not an issue with protests. it's a time where almost all the entire cross-section of brazilian society said it's time to celebrate, not protest. that will probably change as we get closer to the world cup.

>> as you say, a time to party. hope you have fun, but not too much fun. >> carnival event are not only in brazil. thousands travel to italy. 8,000 people gather but the cost is steep. visitors pay $2,000 to attend the ball. the costumes set some people back $34,000. the celebrations rake in nearly $70 million obvious 20 days. >> carnivale is under way in parts of the united states. parades have been under way in new orleans, and alabama, and a lot of celebration, all the way up to fat tuesday in a couple of days. more on the weather down south. hopefully it will be a great mardi gras season >> it's beautiful today. look at the temperatures behind me. it's cold and the cold air is on its way to new orleans. right now temperatures in

minneapolis climbing to a high of minus 2. the cold air is sinking down into texas and across portions of new orleans. today temperatures are in the 70s new orleans looking at 76. the reason for this is we have a potent cold front on the move and is a strong area of pressure producing all the rain across california. take a look. stronger storms across the eastern portions of texas, spilling into missouri and arkansas. we have an icy mixture across the southern and central portions of kentucky. if you travel there, temperatures diving below the freezing mark. there's freezing rain, snow on top of that later. it will be a treacherous mess. we have winter storm warnings and advisories stretching from oklahoma to the mid-atlantic.

we are talking about six inches of snow. i read many reports of heavy snow out there today. as the system pushes to the east coast. it's going to be across the southern tier of pns -- pennsylvania, and the maryland boarder. 3-6 inches of snow in new york. around 2-4 inches. previously we thought we'd see a little snow. because the frontal boundary pushed south, the heaviest across virginia, along i-81. ice is the problem. in richmond winds pushing out of the south ahead of front by tomorrow. it will be a lot colder. in charleston, 37. you can see the potency.

it's dry in southern california, where tonight the oscars will be held and the red carpet will be dry for tonight. there's a system bringing in mountain snow out of portions out of the oregon and washington cascades. if you travel along the i-5, take it easy. >> the weather is cooperating. it's the biggest night as the academy award take a global tainable. here is a live look at the red carpet. if you squint. you may see stars working the rope line. >> ellen degeneres hosts the awards broadcast to 225 countries around the world. >> this year many of the films nominated were taken from real-life tales. in hollywood, real is limited. >> this was a movie year in which art didn't imitate life as copy it. "12 years a slave," it says there on screen. this film is based on a true

story. "captain phillips," based on the 2009 hijacking of a cargo ship off somalia, al-amin khalifa ihimah, "the wolf of wall street, "-- "philomena," "the wolf of wall street," all true or truish. all have been scrutinized muched. >> the problem is when you put the words on the screen people are checking to see if the real story is what you have depicted. "the wolf of wall street" has been criticised for not mentioning the victims of jordan belfort's financial crimes. 12 years left out details and "saving mr banks" goes easy on walt disney amid criticism he was anti-semitic >> it's hard for a movie like "american hustler," to be entertaining and accurate. hussle's disclaimer, "some of this actually happened", there's no way near the truth.

>> mel weinberg is the real-life swindler. >> he did a great job. i spent three days with him. he had me down pat. >> "american hustler" had more drama and clevage than weinberg's real life. >> there was some scenes i didn't like. my wife was gorgeous, my mistress was pretty. the other way around was the mistress should have been the wife. >> martin sixsmith took some liberties writing the story of "philomena." >> it had conversations, recreated scenes and in itself was a dramatisation of the real-life story, and making the movie from the book is one more step. you have to accommodate the material to the medium in which you're telling the story. >> some stories don't lend

themselves to being told exactly as they happen. and do they need to be accurate if they are entertainment? >> the problem is the studios and film makers are presenting their work as truthful. if you present your work as truthful on the one happened, when you scrutinise sayingit's not that truthful. we made a lot up, you put yourself in a pretickament. mel weinberg doesn't care. >> i'm not a movie person, i lived the thing. why would i want to go to a movie. my whole life is one big movie. >> there is a character hollywood can play, but never invent. >> a lot of good movies. we are out of time, thank you for joining us. i'll see you in an hour for more news.

>> i'm jonathan betz, live from new york city with al jazeera america. secretary of state john kerry will go to kiev on tuesday. the announcement comes as

russian troops surrounded a ukrainian base. the ukrainian prime minister called it a declaration of war and is calling up army reservists. the head of ukraine's army has been fired for treesons. he swore allegiance to the russian backed leader of crimea. >> demonstrators clashed in st. petersburg over vladimir putin's request to use force. 40 were arrested. >> thailand's scaled-down protests continue. hundreds marched and camped in bangkok, vowing to topple yingluck shinawatra's government. >> egypt's president swore in a new government. with 20 ministers from the old government, including field marshal abdul fatah al-sisi who is expected to run for president. >> in a couple of hours fans and stars will arrive at the dowl by

theatre for the biggest night. ellen degeneres is hosting, and the favourites are "american hustler," "gravity," and "12 years a slave." >> i'm jonathan betz, back in an hour with more news, "america tonight" weekend starts now. for updates go to aljazeera.com. capture of one of america's most wanted man. joaquin guzman. el chapo. running running a multibillion dollar operation.