>> they're locking the doors... >> groung breaking... >> they killed evan dead. >> truth seeking... >> they don't wanna show what's really going on... >> breakthough investigative documentary series america's war workers only on al jazeera america >> confrontation in crimea. shots fired approaching russian forces f russia's prime minister says there are not going to be troops in ukrainean government. he accuses the government of an armed coup. hello there. i am laura kyle live in doha. also on the program: syria speeds up its destruction of chemical weapons in an effort to keep the u.n.'s deadline.

we report from a town at the center of anti--government protests in venzuela >> reporter: the national guard has been called out to keep control in many neighborhoods but many hearsay they just show up when it's too late, once the damage has been done. russian president, vladimir putin says his country reserves the right to the protect citizens in ukraine. he told journists in moscow that the former ukrainian president was ousted from pour in an unconstitutional coup. he said troops had been invited in and were not russian soldiers but self defense forces. those same forces have been involved in this tense stand-off with ukrainian troops at an air

base in crimea. warning shots were fired as the careeni ukrainians asked for access to their planes. >> standing by for us live in crimea. lawrence, pretty tense-looking stand-off there. tell us more about it >> reporter: well, yes, it was. in many ways, it was the exact

opposite of what people have feared might happen overnight because these reports of the russians giving the careukraini until 5:00 o'clock local time to surrender or they were going to storm their basis. >> never happened. >> hasn't happened anywhere. in this one place and only in this one place, this troop of ukrainian sold soldiers tried to get in and they walked singing their national anthem and carrying the ukrainian and the soviet flag toward the russians. the translation, you can hear some of the soldiers being angry. in the background, the shots are fired over their heads. their commander at the front said, "stoy," be quiet. the russians said you are provoking us and they said we are not carrying any weapons. at that point, it becomes clear that they don't actually need to

prove occasion they will. it lasted several hours. they were kicking a football trying to pass the time. there was some sort of after russian commander coming to negotiate that but before that ever had a chance to had a, the ukrainian troops left. in some ways, it tells you quite a lot, particularly it tells you the ukrainians at least in this place won't dessert. they don't want to fight because the ukrainian commander also says this is madness. tell your political leaders we are banging heads against each other. we are brothers, meaning slavic brothers. the russians could have shot them. they didn't. i think the ricentce with these people they feel a kinship with. so far, no one has been shot. >>reporter: >> good needs. many thanks for updating us

there from crimea. russian president vladimir putin says he hopes moscow doesn't have to use force to protect russians in ukraine. putin has denounced what he is calling an armed takeover. >> the definition of what has happened in kiev and in ukraine as a whole, there can be only one definition, it is an unconstitutional coup and a military seizure of power. nobody is arguing with that. who is arguing with that? legally, there is only one message to the president. it's clear he doesn't have power. >> that's understandable. i have already said this and i want to repeat that the legitimate president is, of course, yanukovych. >> standing buy in moscow >> reporter: this is a fascinating press conference and one that seems designed to puncture the image of vladimir putin and an image that is

common currency in the west. there he was back in front of a select group of journalists and instead of starting with a fiery speech, he began by asking them what they wanted to ask him about. so when they asked him about yanukovych, he said that yanukovych is the one and the only rightful president of the ukraine and that yanukovych hadn't given the order. they asked about the possibility of being engage of the ukraine. he said that wasn't going to happen any time soon, that there was no need for it but that russia reserves the right to use force if it was necessary. and when the journalists said.

>> the catastrophic events led up to the departure. it's now a carpet of flowers and a very moving moment for john kerry as he stood there and remembered the dead. he is now talking to politicians, to the prime minister, and he has something to offer. he said that president obama will work with congress to approve a billion dollars in loan guarantees. now, this will mainly help with cuts in subsidies to fuel costs for ukrainians. it is generally considered that fuel has been too cheap here

which, of course, if the sud d sud /* subsidies are taken away will be a hardship for ukraineians and he said the u.s. will help with the economic challenges in ukraine and help to stamp out corruption and the united states also helped with providing some observers for the presidential e elections, the forthcoming presidential e elections. finally, because the u.s. is the main contributor to the international monetary fund, he said the united states is ready to support a listening program, a big lending program from the imf because ukraine is broke. it's teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. all of that, of course, in addition to, i am sure, discussions about what president putin just had to say in moscow. >> absolutely. okay, term. we will leave it there for the moment. come back to you later. thanks very much. rotanzy joining us live from washington, d.c. very interesting as kerry

arrives there in kiev, we hear from the white house once again throwing very welcome support behind the new government in ukraine. >> reporter: >> yeah. isn't that interest that the first thing the white house does is give $1,000,000,000 in energy subsidies to the ukraine because those subsidies are likely to be taken away because of an imf package. there is a real fear of what an imf loan package means, a structural adjustment package, huge cuts to the poorest in society to the sort we saw in greece and elsewhere, future unrest and the u.s. is quite a wear that when countries go down the road of imf loans, you can get even more unrest. another interesting thing about that energy subsidy is a lot of that money is going to end up in moscow because it's moscow who sells much of ukraine its fuel. in washington, they are quite a wear they are giving potentially a billion dollars to moscow. >> just how far is the u.s.

supposed to go in supporting ukraine? at what point is it going to run up against opposition in congress? >> there is a lot of -- a lot of support for financial aid and financial loans to ukraine. however, the senate majority leader, harry reid said let's keep an idea on what europe wants. this is mainly a european issue. if europe isn't all for sanctions -- and they are not because they are scared of losing all of the valuable russian money pumping into london and germany, why should we go down the road of sanctions in some ways? it's a matter of whetherpom policy starts to weaken because republicans are using it as an opportunity though call him weak. whether he strikes -- sticks to strategic interests or has to project american power. mr. putin said clearly, let's

remember what the u.s. did in iraq and afghanistan and libya. we believe we are completely legitimate in what we are doing. putin playing on the idea of what the u.s.'s moral legitimacy is in lecturing russia about illegal invasion and occupation. >> thanks for joining us there from washington, d.c. we bring you more analysis on the ukraine rater in this program and, also coming up, 100 days until the world cup. we will be taking a look at how brazil will use drones for security operations.

hello again. our top story here on al jazeera is the crisis in ukraine and russian forces have been involved in a tense stand-off with ukrainian troops at an air base in crimea. warning shots were fired as the ukraineians approached unarmed, asking for access to their planes. president putin says russia reserves the right to use all means to protect citizens in eastern ukraine. he says the former president was ousted from pour in an unconstitutional coup. russia has told the latest u.s. security counsel meeting they were invited on into crimea. a letter asking russia to step in. he said out the letter during what became a tense security counsel session.

in the past few hours, william hague has told the >> parliament viktor yanukovych didn't have the power to request any russian enter vex. >> the suggesting that a president who has fled his country then has any authority whatsoever to invite the forces of a neighboring country into that country reis baseless. russia has argued that russian-speaking minority ins ukraine are in danger, but no evidence of that threat has been presented. joining us from london is rory finan at the university of came bridge. we have been watching the standoff in crimea for most of the day? >> it's incredible to watch the stand-off. wang shots were fired but everything seemed to calm down. it's very difficult to gauge just how volatile the situation

is there. >> we have russian troops vladimir is projecting as self-defense forces which is a miss truth surrounding soldiers who are not armed and firing warning shots. what the we are waiting for is the other shoe to drop, a series of prove indications that would legitimate more military force between two of europe's largest countries in a very strategic part of the world. the u.s. is offering finance cial help. how urgently does ukraine need that? >> incredibly urgently. it needs it yesterday, as we say. ukraine's finances are in a desperate situation. we need to keep in mind that viktor yanukovych and his so-called family took approximately $70,000,000,000 from state covers through

corruption and corrupt schemes. ukrainian political leaders need to make up that difference somehow with western support. and that needs to be a multi-lateral, ambitious marshal plan for ukraine immediately that would calm the situation down. it would also tate a different, more constructive and positive approach rather than engaging in belicose rhetoric that really only serves the kremlin's interest another line that came out is that russia will meet nato on wednesday. do you have much faith that this stand-off can be resolved peacefully, diplomatically? >> i do have faith. i hope osc monitors coming to crimea, third-party moderation, engagement with various international forces and diplomats will allow the kremlin to back away and save face here. i want to make one point abundantly clear. we often speak of ukraine as a divided country, use maps that indicate it's a pro-us west and

a pro-russia east. this is dangerous right now because if we are under the assumption that half of the country, the so-called pro-russian part of the country is going to welcome russian troops into the south and east and into parts of crimea, we will be sorely mistaken. we would have a bloody and real war on our hands. we have to have a more nuanced understanding of careukraine as go forward. >> thank you for your thoughts there from london? >> thank you. syria has agreed to a new plan top remove all of its crem shall weapons by the end of april. destroying the arms says the pace is picking up. it says nearly a third of the stock pile has now been shipped out. michael lehan is a spokesman for the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons. he says he is encouraged by syria's new commitment.

this new proposal would get all of the chemicals out of syria by the end of april and at the same time, our director general, in his report to the executive counsel this morning was able to confirm that we have now seen two additional shipments of chemicals of syria since last wednesday, including syria's full arsenal of mustard gas. >> that's all now out of the country. in the course of this week, there is going to be another consignment, quite a large consignment of additional what we call priority 1 chemicals, the most dangerous chemicals. between the shortened timeline of the syrian plan and this significant acceleration, the pace of deliveries of these chemicals, we can only see this as very encouraging. >> renewed fighting in in a district south of syrian capitol damascus has brought aid to a

halt. thousands of people are trapped inside the refugee camp that the united nations describe as desperate. rival fighters are showing little interest in putting down their weapons. mary ann in a hand has more. >> this is what shattered the fragile truce. yarmuk is home to mainly palestineian refugees. for the last few months, these streets were safe to walk. >> that's no longer the case here rebel fighters from the nusera front came back accusing syrian soldiers to not sticking to the terms of an earlier truce. their return means people won't be getting any more food or outside help. for some, that could mean the difference between life and death. >> i am sick. can't you see? i am starving. my be son is very sick. there are no doctors to see him. i asked for medicine.

they said feed him rice and bulgur. i have nothing to buy it with. >> rebels pulled out a month ago, agree to go let palestinian gunmen keep the peace to keep rebel and government fighters out. the front rebels say weapons were being smuggled in. syrian forces deny it. >> they say people have died of starvation or hunger related illnesses. just last week, aid was reaching the survivors. these queues some of those trapped here this young boy said his brothers were starving and his father was dead. it was a story repeated to the head of the u.n. relief and works agency as it walked through the heart of a war zone. the failure now to hold the truce doesn't bode well for the

u.n.'s relief efforts across the country. a unanimous security council resolution on february 22nd opened the door to get aid into syria. but the head of the u.n. says violence and syrian government bureaucracy is impeding progress. as always, it's the people who suffer. mayorian mahand, al jazeera. an egyptian court banned the activities of hamas that rules the gaza strip. the court also ordered the groups to be seized. hamas has been accused of plotting with mohamed morsi and his muslim brotherhood movement. it needs to be endorsed by egypt's government before it comes into effect. egyptian army chief asisi says he can't ignore calls from citizens to run as president. he says official procedures on his bid for presidency will begin soon. he is currently the defense minister. he will have to resign from that

post before he can announce his candida candidacy. al jazeera continues to demand the release of the their staff being held in egypt. they have spent 66 days in prison. they are accused of having links with a terrorist organization and spreading falls news. al jazeera rejects the charges. another al jazeera journalist, from the network's arabic channel has been held since august. he has been on hunger strike to protest his imprisonment. >> more fighting between anti-government protesters and police in the venzuelaan capitol. riot teams were used and jailed opposition leader is urging his supporters to continuing rallying against the president, nicholas maduro. these protests began last month in the western city of san

cristobal where students took to the streets against rising crime. barricades have been set up to show outrage. a report from san cristobal >> reporter: trying to save what thing. a beg your pardoning car cleared from a ransacked bakery. we arrive as frighten people are fleeing the scene. across the street, witnesses say pro-government gun men set it afire and shot up the neighborhood. tra >> translator: they have been arming pour people. up the block, a different story in this brewing conflict. these people cheered the destruction of protesters' barricades. he said food and medicine deliveries weren't getting through. >> we are tired. so the whole community got together as a collective and decided to clear the barricades from the streets. we have got to clear the streets

in the whole state >> reporter: the national guard has been called out to keep control in many naishdz in san cristobal. many say they show up when it's too late and the damage has been done. these neighborhoods have people living in close quarters who are totally for the government or totally against it. what seems like small arguments elevate quickly into violence. proceed government residents say they want peace. something the protesters mock. this isn't priceace the man screams. billet cases from just whoments when we arrived. we couldn't verify when those shots were fired or that the national guard is protecting the gunmen. authorities wouldn't speak to us meal following the clashes. it has been the center of anti-government protests that began last month mainly middle

class protesters have set up barricades to show. if they are attacking protest orders violence could spread quickly. the question is whether the government forces have the ability or the will to protect residents if this tender box catches fire. san cristobal. the latest winter storm in the u.s. is barely over, but another one is expected to hit the east coast. icy conditions have been felt. one highway in texas was backed up for 25 kilometers. a snowstorm was blasted with a wall of snow from a plow. in northern virginia, many people were off of the roads but children took to their sleds. 100 days until the start of

the world cup. brazil is spending a lot of money on improving security. the federal government is worried about the threat of terrorism and street protests like they saw last year. not everyone says it's unnecessary. a report from santa maria. it buzzes overhead taking off for another training flight, 1 of the new $12 million spent on drones. it's ready to patrol skiles during the world cup. >> images will be sent in realtime to other security agencies and a is not tral command center where quick decisions can be made. >> the drones kept a close eye on the brazilian national team bus going to the stadium and brazil i can't during the confederation cup and during the match, back images of street protests looking for trouble that could arise. >> the brazilian air force makes

it clear these drones won't be used with weapons. there will be no bombs or missiles on them. for example, they will only be used for surveillance and recon sans. >> it's on the ground where the biggest threats to ball could occur it was a violent street protest that nearly toppled the football tournament last year on this day, rio's riot police are doing a simulation to best prepare with updated training, supplemented by more boots on the ground. brazil has plenty security risks but there is the potential of terrorism and cyber attacks that come with all major events in any country. brazil is spending more than $1,000,000,000 on world cup security. the local human rights ngo says it's too much money with too little accountability.

>> all discussions around the world cup spending has lacked transparency. society needs to know what are the threats that exist that justifies this type of spending that the government has done. do those threats really exist? >> reporter: brazilian officials say they can't wait to find out the risks. but the drones are one tool, now land to go refuel and promising to take to the skies once more when the football matches begin. gabriel rosondo. santa maria, brazil. an emergency meeting has been called of the ancient roman city of pompeii after another peace crumbled on monday. al it was preserved in volcanic ash. the wall was the latest in a number of structures to collapse

in recent months. the european union is helping to fund the restoration project that cost more than $145,000,000,000. to remind you, you can keep up-to-date with all of the latest news on our website. there it is. aljazeera.com.

only few reasons why -- how the president can be changed. he is dead, i am paetschment, or res ig -- i am putin said yanukovych has lookost pour in engineer. putin dismissed it saying it's a laboratory in democracy. the russian president pointed to its historic ties to ukraine calling it a fraternity partner on the shores of crimea with a strong nation naval presence in the black sea. phil itner, al jazeera. kiev. >> meanwhile, president obama putting pressure on russia to get out of ukraine, promising economic aid and threatening sanctions against russia. lisa stark is in washington. what else are we hearing from the white house this morning?

>> reporter: secretary kerry arrived in ukraine with a potential gift from the white house, $1,000,000,000 in loan guarantees that would help pay for energy costs in ukraine. still needs congressional approval but there has been a lot of talk in congress about the need to do something in ukraine. that would be likely. this is just one part of a package of international economic aid to help the government in ukraine and even as secretary kerry begins his meetings with the interim government there, all of the meetings could not in washington on how to deal with this crisis. >> president obama called his national security council together to discuss how to deal with the events unfolding in ukraine. while the president weighs his options, one thing came out of the meeting. the pentagon says it is suspended exercises and other activities with the russian military while russian forces remain in the crimea region of ukraine. it's the latest step by president obama who says russia is breaking international law.

>> what cannot be done is for russia, with impunity, to put its soldiers on the ground and violate basic principles that are recognized around the world >> reporter: that tough talk was echoed by america's ambassador to the u.n. >> what is happening today is a dangerous military intervention in ukraine. it is an act of aggression. it must stop. >> reporter: that sharp and pointed rhetoric argue the president's critics is coming too little too late. >> we can enact economic sanctions. there is a broad array of options that we have. why do we care? because this is the ultimate result of a feckless foreign policy where nobody beliefs in america's strength any more. >> the white house disagrees as it weighs economic sanctions and points to russia's carps see. monday, the rubble plummeted to

an all-time low. another cassettualty, russia's national gas and coal industries. the eu is its largest customer. european nations who want closer ties with ukraine might sanction banks that putin depends upon. >> i think he is in a dangerous state of mind and not thinking fully about long-term consequences. >> now, the white house this morning has also announced that it will be providing some technical aid to the ukrainian government, help with monetary policy, with the national bank in ukraine, turning election supervisors so there is a free and fair election there and, also, some help in trying to recover what the u.s. called stolen assets, assets that the former president may have taken out of the country. del? >> you at that talked about the big hit russia's economy has taken just from the talk of economic sanctions. are we learning anything more specific coming out of the white house concerning sanctions? >> reporter: the state department has indicated

sanctions are likely, not just being considered. the white house said in previous days they could include trade sanctions, denials of visas to russian citizens. actions like that. there is some question about how effective sanctions can be but at this point, that and diplomatic efforts are really the white house's only options as it moves forward. del? >> lisa stark is in washington, d.c. thank you very much. as we mentioned, secretary of state john kerry expected to hold a news conference at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. we will bring that to you live. we will follow the events in cra ukraine. you can check out our live blog at aljazeera.com. a second day of testimony now under waifrmthsways in the murder trial of olympic blade runner oscar pistorius, on trial for the fatal shooting of his girlfriend. monday's opening in south africa, a courtroom interpreter seeing all of the media and lawyers leaving in a panic. they requested a proration witness who said she heard a

woman screaming and gunshots outside the courtroom, this man says he is not buying the track stars alibi. >> in your apartment, your own girlfriend looked up, i mean in the bathroom, on the toilet with a cell phone and it doesn't make sense. >> tpistorius is pleading not guilty to the charges he says he thought his girlfriend was a burglar. >> china's state-run media blamiblamin kuming, a city in southern china, authorities say the attackers were the from the shin jang area in the west. beijing has been cracking down on western mine or at this, more than 100 people died in that fighting. fourteen people have been arrested in atlanta accused of trying to solicit sex with children. among the suspects, an

elementary school principal for more than 16 years. he has been suspended pending an investigation. >> was this a one-time thing? has then been going on years? >> i have known dr. mcgill for a while. it saddens my heart. it really does. so, you know, i am not passing judgment because i don't know. >> that sting involved more than 3 dozen law enforcement agencies. authorities posing online as children in internet chat rooms. >> one iq point can mean the difference between life and death for a florida death row inmate. the supreme court hearing the case of freddy lee hall. his lawyers say florida can't execute him because he is mentally challenged. with his score on the iq tests, the state doesn't look at him. they will look at iq only to determine whether an inmate should be put to death. >> a case involving amazon workers is also heading to the high court. employees at am zon's warehouses say they have to wait in long lines, security lines, at the

end of their shifts. the supreme court will decide if amazon should pay them for that time they spend in those lines. other companies facing similar complaints. apple requiring some employees to undergo two bag searches a day. >> became grounds for a class action lawsuit last year. parts of the east coast recovering from a very powerful winter storm, a series of storms dumping freezing rain and snow from the great plains to the mid atlantic. in washington, d.c., the federal offices were closed as were schools on monday. the house and senate also cancelling votes that had been scheduled. more than 3,000 flights were cancelled on monday because of that weather. washington national being hit hard. more than 1 million flights have been delayed or cancelled since december 1st. >> has cost the airlines a half billion dollars and the snow has moved moved out. the cold has moved in. a ebony deon is here to tell us when it all is going to stop. >> we have until later this week

to get temperatures where they should be. the arctic blast made its way into parts of the deep south. we have advisories posted for this morning. they should be out by the time we get into about 11:00 or about the noon hour, anywhere from texas into the carolinas, where it's mainly just a black ice threat that we are dealing with around parts of north carolina. but in south texas, we have had the moisture around. we had heavy rain across the very southern tip of the state and even reports of some marble-sized hail with some of the storms that flared up. in addition to that, we have the freezing rain around houston, points north and west. suburbs of houston picked up icy conditions. >> we saw anywhere from about 2/10th of an inch upwards to nearly a half an inch of ice. >> has brought down trees and it will continue to make for slippery travel in this area right along i-10 through the morning hours. our temperature around houston just above the freezing point. we will see that freezing rain changing over to rain really here along the gulf coast. we have had freezing rain coming in across some southwestern areas of mississippi.

but as we take a look over the next 48 hours, it's going to stay sloppy here we are going to de deal with an area of low pressure developing right over the gulf of mexico throwing that moisture up in our direction, dealing with the frontal boundary across central florida. >> will be more rain and storms thursday. snow across the upper midwest but it will stay on the lighter side. >> ebony deon, thank you very much. any money now benjamin netanyahu will be addressing the largest israeli lobbying group in washington hours after he criticized the obama administration. right now, that is senator bob mennendez. a possible tax break for 13 million americans. president obama unveiling his new budget. we will tell you if it gets an icy chill on capitol hill when that proposal makes it through congress. >> when i first started the learn with ms. sally, it was hard. it was hard. but i -- this is what i wanted to do. >> fighting illiteracy in

adults. one man's journey just to learn how to read.

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any minute now, israel's prime minister is set to address a key group of lobbyists. this is senator bob mennendez addressing the crowd. benjamin netanyahu will deliver his speech to the american/israel public affairs committee, one day after a closed door meeting with the president. they discussed reaching an agreement with the palestinyeasian. ♪net expressing frustration with america's policies toward syria and iran. libby casey is in iran. ♪ netanyahu had a message when he came to washington this time. >> that's right. he is signalling to the white house as well as people gathered at apac israel feels strongly no wiggle room can be given to the nation of iran. the international community is

working with iran to make sure it curbs it's nuclear weapon development program. israel has grave concerns about how iran is going to stick to its side of the bargain. prime minister netanyahu is encouraging sanctions. he is encouraging the white house to stay vigilant. >> that's juone of the messagese delivered to president obama. he is talking about the palestinian peace process. this is something the white house is very invested in. secretary of state john kerry has said the end of april is a deadline to create basic framework for peace talks and a basic set of agreements, things that both sides can accept. the prime minister spoke yesterday and with president obama, they addressed the press before they went behind closed doors for basically a three-hour meeting, quite a long amount of time for these two leaders to spend face to face. prime minister netanyahu said there were fund metals he is not willing to budge on. he wants the white house to insist the palestinians recognize the jewish state of

israel. >> gives you a sense of the talking points we will hear this morning. >> libby, netanyahu stressing any deal, any peace deal reached, has to hinge first on israeli security. has there been any response from the white house on that contenti contention? >> that's right. president obama did address that as well as the things he would like to see from prime minister netanyahu. let's take a listen to what the president had to say yesterday. >> my belief that ultimately, it is still possible to create two states, a jewish state of israel and a state of palestine, in which people are living side-by-side in peace and security. but it's difficult. it requires compromise on all sides >> reporter: compromise on all sides, del. president obama will be meeting with the palestinian president in just two weeks' time. so that is also something everyone here is very aware of.

>> libby, thank you very much. later today, the president is set to submit a $4 trillion budget to congress. the white house saying the goal of their budget is addressing economic inequality. erica pitzy looks at who wins and who pays >> reporter: following his state of the union, president obama is taking action with his 2015 budget to address economic inequality. the people who would benefit, low wage workers. workers with children have benefited from earned income tax credit. under the president's proposal that would expand to those without children. he wants to double a childless worker's tax credit to about $1,000 a year. to offset the costs of the new tax break, the president is proposing an end to an old tax break for some of the wealthy, specifically closing tax loopholes for high-income self-employed workers and fund measures. >> that's to garner

$60,000,000,000 over 10 years and he is proposing full-time workers with kids get a bigger tax credit to cover child care costs. he wants to make preschool available for all 4-year-olds. also, the tack credit for college tuition, he wants to make that permanent. plus, he is incluing funding to upgrade aging highways and railroads across the country. overall, the white house says tax cuts are the biggest headline coming out of the new plan expected to help 13.5 million americans. if approved, that budget takes effect october 1st. some critics saying it won't get far in congress. attorney general eric holder joining forces with republicans on the issue of prison senten s sentences. they want to get rid of mandatory minimum sentences for non-d non-violent drug offenders. the legislation is backed by president obama. holder says 1/3 of his budget at justice is spent on prisons alone. he says he wants to reduce the

prison population and save money. read across america day was made to encourage children to enjoy books. there are 32 million adults struggling just to read. still, as diane esterbrook reports, it's never too late to learn. >> every monday and friday, harold barnes heads to the chicago cultural center for a date with the same woman. >> it has been too long -- >> in a quite corner, he reads sally may brook a story. she has been his tutor for the past decade. barnes grew up in poverty on a farm, never attending school, and never learning to read. >> my wife used to pay all of the bills and read my bill. my wife passed away. then i got to got from relative to relative, trying to get them to help me read my mail. i said, this ain't going to work. >> according to proceed literacy, a nonprofit educational group, 30 million u.s. adults can't read beyond a

third-grade level. only about 3 million are getting tutored. >> literacy say getting an adult to learn to read can be a challenge. they say literacy often needs to be tied to some sort after goal like getting a high school diploma or getting a job. >> reporter: this literacy class for low-income adults provides tootering in reading, math and social studies with the goal of preparing students for high school equivalency exams. >> before you read, use prior knowledge. >> that's what we were doing when we were looking at the title on the picture. >> programs like this are mostly funded by federal block grants to states. >> paragraph tep. >> literacy advocate becky raymond says money pays for the classes only but not other services that might get more students to attend literacy classes. >> do they need transportation? child care? addressing some of these barriers so that they can go back and build their foundational skills.

>> bargains didn't have those barriers. he started learning to read after he retired from a job at a hotel. still, being an older student was a challenge. >> when i first started, the learning with miss sally, it was hard. it was hard, but i felt this is what i wanted to do. >> barnes now reads at about a third-grade level and ms. maybrook's most inspiring student. >> he appreciated everything that he learned. every week was a new adventure. >> an adventure that changed barnes? >> i ain't where i used to be. it make you feel so good. >> an adventure he says he will continue. diane esterbrook, al jazeera, chicago. read across america today was created to honor dr. seuss. had he lived, he would be 110 years old on sunday. prescription painkillers, the abuse on the rise in the u.s. new research shows it's not drug dealers who are pushing these drugs. instead, this one hitting close to home.

plus, we already know that c sections are risky for expecting moms. now, we are learning why they could cause serious health problems for their babies later in life. his first vote was for president franklin den nor roosevelt. not a 100 years of age, his next vote could be for himself. a centenairan with a boat-load of ambition trying to make a change in congress. u.s. dollar and euro and the natural gas and coal industries

only on al jazeera america dealers are supplying

cal cal baggies delivered by cesarean section could be obese later in life. finding babies delivered by c section were 26% more likely to have a higher body mass compared to those born natural. the studies author says more research is needed to establish a direct connection between the two. children with a t.v. in their bedroom are more likely to gain weight. researchers looking at sur ay of 6,000 children, age 10 to 14. they found nearly sixty % had a t.v. in their bedroom. most experienced weight gain compared to children who didn't have a t.v. set. last month, a cdc reporting childhood obese did i dropped 34%. that was the most significant decline in nearly a decade. new research shows anger may trigger a heart attack.

two hours after an outburst increases two fold and finding effects are cumulative, meaning if your answer remore often, it can raise your overall risk. so don't get angry. a 101-year-old florida man saying he can debate anybody when it comes to politics, despite his advanced years, he says his mind is sharper than people who are much younger. natasha met up with joe newman, not kicking back in retirement. i hope stead, running for congress. >> joe newman says he is an optimist because he has to be. the first vote he cast was for franklin roosevelt. now, he hopes the next vote he casts will be for himself. the sarasota, florida man is running for congress? >> people tell me, okay. you have got a big mouth. most of the people you use it on think that you are saying something reasonable. >> at 101 years old, he will tell you, sure, he wakes up

achey, and he no longer plays golf. primarily, he says, because itting a gravities him too much. but he recently bought a new car. and he can still dance with his 93-year-old girlfriend, anita, as he did during his birthday party last month. >> what would you say to people who worry you don't have the physical stamina? >> well, you don't like to say this, but who knows about tomorrow? who knows? >> reporter: the registered dem accurate is in lockstep with his party on most of the major issues. he says it's time for immigration reform. the spying program is an invasion of braves and tof -- o privacy and the government needs to do more to boost the middle class but his candidacy is a rebuke to the so-called do-nothing congress and a depression era belief that the government should throw a lifeline to those struggling.

>> what is frightening is people are thinking that government is lost. our government is our tool that we must use to create a better society. >> he says he can already claim victory. >> winning or losing the election is important. but, the fact that if we can get people to consider their purpose here, then that, to me, if i have done that, that's a victory. we have >> reporter: newman admits he has more questions than answers when it comes to improving life for americans but he does have a lot of opinions. in the coming months, he looks forwards to sharing those, including on twitter, which he is learning to use. natasha ganame. sarasota, florida. >> i am del walters in new york. we leave you with these images

of madi gras, in full-swing, fat tuesday. ♪ welcome to the news hour, i'm in doha with the world's top news story. confrontation in crimea, unarmed ukrainian soldiers approach a seized air base. >> it is an unconstitutional coup and a military seizure of power. russia as president denies