>> welcome to aljazeera america, i'm del walters, and these are the stories we're following for you. >> translator: this was an unconstitutional coup and an armed seizure on power >> all of this on a morning when vladimir putin also spoke out. and benjamin netenyahu telling america's largest pro-israel lobby he will do what he has to do to defend israel. ♪

we have been following back-to-back developments coming out of kiev where secretary of state john kerry addressed reporters just moments ago, and in washington where the president spoke concerning the crisis in ukrain as well. mike the secretary of state and president using versus forceful language, the secretary of state calling what happened in kiev freedom, and the president using words like meddle and intervene. >> yes, both men trying to embarrass vladimir putin on the world stage. the president said it has not been a sign of strength but a reflection of the suspicion of all of the neighbors of russia,

ages of suspicions being echoed over the last 72 hours. the president said he want to de-escalate this. they are not making for a major confrontation. and secretary kerry on that score says that vladimir putin is looking for a pretext. here is a little bit more of what president obama had to say moments ago. >> from the perspective of the european union, the united states, allies like canada and japan, and allies in friends and partners around the world will is a strong belief that russia's action is violating international law. >> reporter: president obama

saying again according to the agreement that was signed just last week del, scheduled for uranian elections, according to the agreement, scheduled for may 25th, the president calling for free elections allowing the uranian people to speak. >> since the violent outburst where there were police firing on the demonstrators there, there has not been a single loss of life. saying that instead russia is trying to invoke action. take a listen to what vladimir putin had to say earlier today. >> translator: if we make this decision that would be solely to protect uranian citizens. we will be behind the people not in front of them, but behind,

let them just try to shoot at women and children. i would want to look into the eyes of those who would order that in ukrain. >> so mike, you hear the russian president saying those troops are on the ground trying to protect those in the crimea region who lean toward russia but not addressing the issue of whether or not there was any reason for them to be there in the first place. >> reporter: and explicitly denying that he had any hand in the snipers firing on the protesters. a lot of charges, counter charges, and counterclaims going back and forth. secretary kerry had a lot of missions, i think first and foremost was to show solidarity with the uranian government and encourage them not to be goated

by putin, interrupting a questioner, you heard him just a few moments ago, a questioner who recounted what vladimir putin had said earlier this morning about these not being russian troops. secretary kerry didn't believe it is basically what we're trying to say. had to interrepresent the questioner because that is just an incredulous statement by vladimir putin. also secretary kerry promising $1 billion in economic aid. $1 billion working with the imf to help prop up the uranian economy. del. >> mike thank you very much. secretary of state john kerry saying we stand with the people of ukrain saying what happened in independence square the u.s. calls freedom. phil ittner has been watching all of the diplomatic developments for us from kiev. and phil very strong support

from the us. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely del, very strong support from the u.s. we heard john kerry touching on a number of things. he was clearly touched and moved by getting down on the square where the deaths happened and the shootings during the height of the protest. he did visit, and apparently boosting the morale of the government, he also brought a message aside from the money and democratic talk, he brought a message that the united states remains very much in support of ukrain. >> and phil it is roughly now 7:00 in kiev. i know it is late. but has there been any reaction from the people out there concerning this support, the fact that secretary of state has now visited kiev and thrown the

u.s. support behind their new and fledgling government? >> reporter: well, del, there hasn't really been support to the press conference yet. of course that just -- just happened, but when he did come out on to the square today, there was a clear atmosphere of appreciation. the people here in the center of kiev are clearly touched by his arrival. but i want to touch on one other thing, del that we touched on briefly on the phone there. one of the things that has been going on is this point, counterpoint two vladimir putin and the west. we heard similar language on both sides but diametrically opposed in that perception. we heard vladimir putin saying we don't want to retaliate or use economic force against russia, but we will if we have to, and we heard the same

language from vladimir putin today. but he was talking about tanks, both saying we don't want to do this, but we will if we have to and all in the middle of course is ukrain and tonight they are watching very closely what is coming out of washington, moscow, and the mouth of the secretary of state as he makes his visit here. >> phil i want you to comment on the back end of secretary of state john kerry. take a listen. >> and the united states reaffirms our commitment to ukrain's sovereignty and territorial integrity according to international law. we condemn the russian federation's act of aggression. >> so phil as you are there in kiev, what is the mood like on the streets? secretary of state saying he was amazed how easily he traveled

about kiev. but are we seeing the tail of 2 country, the streets of kiev, and the streets of other places like in crimea. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. there was the accusation that has come out of vladimir putin that things are very dangerous here. secretary of state kerry said that is not the case. things are relatively calm. and that is true, we can walk the streets here del. but it plays in to this point counter point thing. there is a seriousdy metric difference between these two sides, and they are working it out, but in the meantime ukrain is stuck in the middle. >> as phil indicated this is very much a tail of two countries. many welcoming the russian troops with open arms. but as nick reports not every support the new presence.

>> reporter: these aren't uranian soldiers. that is not a uranian flag. and that is pledge allegiance to ukrain. we are here to support the russian peace keepers, he says. in this area, the russian occupation is growing, and the resistance seems nonexistent. these russia soldiers occupied the base without a shop. visitors brought sandwiches and a teapot. they brought 50 caliber machine guns and in the windows, heavy sniper weapons. through the fence as we watched them, they watched us. these troops don't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. can we ask you a question please? i guess not.

just down the road some crimeians welcome their occupiers. we think they protect us, she says, our village and crimea. these residents repeat a russian government claim. crimeians are threatened by protesters from kiev which is 350 miles north. you said that they protect you from the people in independence scare in kiev. have you seen any of those people here? no we haven't seen them, she says, but we heard rumor that's they could storm crimea. this is where they get those rumors. this is russian tv. the anchor is suggesting these protests in kiev will spread to crimea. the battle for crimea isn't only on bases, it's also on the airways and it depends on who you watch. this 21-year-old is the anchor

for crimea's post popular tatar station. tatars are crimea's largest ethnic minority. under communist rule they suffered a mass deportation. their allegiance is with the west. nationalities that weren't united before, she says, are all coming together against one enemy, the russians. at night they unite to guard their own neighborhoods. this man was one of the first tatars to move back here after deportation. he saying if soldiers won't help, he'll defend his family himself. for him the russians are not peace keepers, they are invaters. history might be repeating itself he says. clearly russia wants crimea back. and at -- the end of the day the russian presence is becoming more entrenched.

and we want to show you this footage. dramatic video of a tense standoff in crimea. about 300 unarmed uranian soldiers approaching an airfield. [ gunfire ] >> that airfield is now under the control of russian forces. they showed up trying to take their jobs back. the russian troops firing warning shots as the uranians approached. an officer stepped forward asking for calm and asked that all the men be allowed back on the air base. the uranians eventually returned to their barracks. ♪ the world financial markets breathing a sigh of relief over indications that the crisis in ukrain could possibly be easing. the dow is back up 214 points

from yesterday's loss. the s&p also on track to set another record high today. london's stock market gaining more than 100 points. and in russia a big bounce back, moscow's main stock exchange up more than 5% after dropping 11%ed we are and the russian ruble stabilizing after hitting record lows against the dollar on monday. oil prices also reversing direction. crude futures are down 1.5%. they had jumped on concerns of disruptions coming out of russia. some analysts are suggesting that russian president putin move to eased the tension because of the negative financial reaction. elsewhere israeli prime minister netenyahu giving the keynote address at aipac earlier

today. libby casey has been following the story from washington, d.c., and libby give us a break down of what the prime minister had to say. >> one of the biggest issues is concerns over a nuclear weapon in iran. del, the prime minister was critical of the agreement that has been hammered out with iron designed to curb its nuclear program and open it up a little bit more. he wants to go a lot farther, he wants the restriction of the heavy water reactor, centrifuges dismantled and he says it's about preventing iran from developing the capability of developing a nuclear weapon. >> iran's missiles can already

reach israel. those missiles they are building. they are not intended for us. remember that beer commercial, this bud is for you? when you see iran building icbm's just remember, america, that scud is for you. >> reporter: and the obama administration says the diplomatic process is taking the right path for now. another big topic of conversation a potential pathway to peace talks between the palestinians and israelis. john kerry set the end of april as a deadline to come to a framework. and netenyahu said he has some must haves of his own. here is what else he had to say about his general feeling. >> ladies and gentlemen, peace is israel's highest aspiration. i'm prepared to make an historic peace with our palestinian

neighborhoods -- [ applause ] >> -- a that's would end a century of conflict and bloodshed. >> reporter: of course a lot of steps between here and there, del. the agreement that secretary kerry is trying to hammer out would deal with very volatile issues including agreements on borders and the status of the city of jerusalem. a large attendance here. an annual gathering. people very eager to here from the prime minister. so that has wrapped up now. and the aipac remembers are hitting congress trying to get their issues presented. this is part of that annual effort that comes to lobby. >> libby casey at aipac. thank you very much, libby in washington, d.c. think purple, fighting to change the political landscape of texas. up next, we'll tell you how democrats are trying to shift a large red state in their favor,

turning it blue.

al jazeera america. we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capital. >> we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. >> and follow it no matter where it leads - all the way to you. al jazeera america, take a new look at news. 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.

welcome back to al jazeera america. texans going to the polls today. primary election day there. the big race is for governor. and heidi zhou castro is there, and heidi, wendy davis has to win the primary? >> absolutely, del, and that will happen today. such is the loyalty behind her candidacy, that even bureaucrat she announced her candidacy, the democrats already closed ranks around here. completely different story when we look ahead to november when she faces off against the heavily favored greg abbott. texas democrats say the season is early, though, and they hope to carry their current momentum forward. the phones are ringing off of the hook, and the pizza is

flying out of the box. the headquarters of the dallas county democratic party is in full-on election mode. >> i'm pretty buzzed right now. >> reporter: early voting numbers are promising. here in dallas, turnout among democrats is on track to surpass that of the 2012 presidential primary. the excitement is over wendy davis who famously filibustered for abortion rights and now is on the ballot for governor. >> we got that fire, and i think that's what is making a difference. >> reporter: carman sees davis as texas democrats best hope in 20 years. texas is one of the reddest states in the country. but she sees it differently. >> i see it purple now. i have seen more people become

more politically involved in the last year. >> reporter: the last time that texans voted for governor was in 2010 when only 38% of democrats cast a ballot. and historically half as many texas democrats vote in gubernatorial primaries as texas republicans. which is why walking the streets of heavily democratic neighborhoods is the focus of jeff dalton. >> there has probably been a lot of depression, why bother, we're not going to win. >> reporter: even now and she trails greg abbott by 11 points in the polls, dalton and his team are optimistic, the november matchup could be a success.

democrats though, say if davis doesn't win, she'll at least build momentum for taking texas competitive. they are encouraged that by 2020 more hispanics and more young people will become eligible voters. bullard is already a democratic party volunteer, even though his father is stanchly republican. have you tried to sway him? >> yeah, i have tried to appeal to him. >> reporter: has it gone anywhere? >> sometimes it does. sometimes it doesn't. >> reporter: but the fact that the debate is happening at both the kitchen table and across the state is something texas democrats see as progress. heidi zhou castro, al jazeera, dallas. >> reporter: it would be a real shocker to see texas turn blue this year, but the possibility of it happening in the next decade is a real possibility because hispanics will make up

the largest population. heidi zhou castro in dallas. thank you very much. when you think of mardi gras you think of one big party, but for police in new orleans, think one big headache.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters, these are your headlines at this hour. president obama speaking about the crisis in ukrain saying there is still time to stabilize the situation in kiev. secretary of state john kerry is on the ground in kiev offering a $1 billion aide package to try to help boost uranian's battered economy. and netenyahu speaking at aipac, telling those gathered that palestinians must be prepared to recognize israel as a jewish state and that iran must be stripped of its nuclear capabilities.

♪ i'm dave warren with a look at the forecast here. still problems across the southern plains, mainly through dallas and houston with coatings of ice as you get the rain from the south falling into very cold air. this is the mix coming down. the temperatures will try to climb above freezing, then drop down below freezing tonight climbing well above freezing tomorrow. 40s and close to 50, though, tomorrow. storm across the pacific northwest bringing in more rain and snow eventually to washington, idaho and montana. there is the forecast for moderate to heavy snow right through idaho, montana, down through iowa. father to the east, bitter cold air in place. next few days it will stay cold well below average.

del? it is raining in new orleans and they are right in the thick of mardi gras. fat tuesday is today. as ben la moin reports, police say they are prepared. ♪ [ cheers ] >> reporter: as the tourists flock in from around the world -- >> it's mardi gras, 2014, baby. >> reporter: there's a certainly mentality among many. >> if you wake up with a headache from drinking alcohol you have to start drinking again. >> that's when you have problems. you are looking for trouble in the french quarter on bourbon street, you are going to find it. >> reporter: the goers outnumber police 2 to one. >> we want to be looking for people who might foolishly bring a gun, we want to look for people who are inebriated to the point where they are destroying their opportunity for safety or

the enjoyment of those around them. >> reporter: they are well aware that people behave differently because of the party atmosphere, so they say it takes a delicate balance between public safety and police discretion. >> if we can let them no it's not acceptable, just move on. >> reporter: but some don't know when to move on. last year, officers arrested 1700 people during mardi gras. the splis a mobile processing unit to expedite the arrests. 30 plain clothed officers patrol the most active area. >> i haven't seen nobody trying to hurt nobody. they have a lot of police out here. >> as long as you are aware of your vournings, i feel it is a an -- okay area. >> if we can get people to

follow the common sense rules, then we can do what we're good at. thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. "the stream" is next. we leave you with a look at wall street right now. i'm lisa fletcher, and you are in the stream. is misinformation complicating the crisis in ukraine. what is happening on the ground in crimea that is going widely unreported but could have significant impact. ♪ our digital prodouser wamg waj is here bringing in all of your life feedback