elizabeth, hyacinth. i'll see you online. >> good evening, everyone. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. >> interpreter: it was an unconstitutional coup, an armed seizure of power. >> president putin seems to have a different set of lawyers, and a different set of interpretations. >> fighting words in the crisis in ukraine. russia said it will use force if necessary to defend its interests, and the u.s. says russia needs to back down. showing support. the secretary of state on a mission to ukraine to bring

diplomatic and financial help. >> . >> relief on the streets. stocks sorry as investors watch russia step back from the brink of war. and a bionic warning. because of an infection, hospitals limit prescriptions >> reporter:? >> and helping the child of refugees build a new life in chicago. and we begin tonight with the crisis in ukraine. with tough talk from russia's president, who says the use of force is still an option. today the first shots were fired by pro russian soldiers, fired into the air to warn approaching ukrainian soldiers. that happened at the bella air base in the crimeaian peninsula. hours ago, russia launched an an

intercontinental ballistic missile. it was planned by the russians, a closely watched move, giving attention to the region. russia's president defended his actions today, saying that he's protecting russians. john kerry went to kiev squared and pledged a $1 billion loan to the interim government and condemned russia in crimea. the verbal sparring started this morning when president putin broke his silence. >> we have not considered crimea, only the citizens of crimea must decide their future. >> what's happening there is not concern for russian nationals, but based on russia seeking through force, to exert their influence on a neighboring country. >> it's an unconscionable coup and a military seizure of power. >> there's a strong belief that

russia's action is violating national law. president putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different interpretation, but that's not fooling anybody. >> president obama accused putin of meddling in the region. both president obama and secretary kerry speaking in support of ukraine today. >> that's right, john. it was plays and cower plays by the major players that russia is having over the face-off with the ukraine. the white house is consulting with congress and it's european allies to come up with a coordinated response, and meanwhile, the crisis shows very little signs of abating. for the second day, president obama interrupted a scheduled event. >> we are calling for international monitors that can go into the country right away. >> mr. obama held out hope that

putin was having second thoughts. >> there have been some reports that president putin is pausing for a moment and he reflecting on what has happened. >> but hours after he spoke, a not so subtle reminder of russian force. a test launch of a russian icbm. speaking for the first time since the crisis began, he called the ouster of victor yanokovych unlawful. >> there can only be one assess many the. this is an anti-constitutional coup and seizure of power. >> he denied that russian were in the crimea. >> there are a lot of uniforms that look similar. go to a shop here in the country and you can buy any kind of uniform. >> secretary of state, john kerry, honoring those killed in the protest. concerned about ethnic russians.

>> i think that it's clear that russia has been working hard to create a pretext forking able to invade further. >> reporter: the implication, putin has designs not only on crimea, but also the east and the south. sharing historical ties to russia. kerry commended the ukrainian forces for not taking the bait. >> we condemn the russian federation's act of aggression. and we have throughout this moment evidence of a great transformation taking place, and in that transformation, we will stand with the people of ukraine. >> reporter: and president obama and secretary kerry both carried message. a $1 billion imagine, imf loans to come through the united

states, and from the united states, to try to prop up an ailing economy, john. >> thank you very much. caught in the middle of this crisis, the people of ukraine, especially those in the crimea region. that's where nick schifrin is. and he has been covering the story, what are you seeing and hearing tonight? >> it seems to be growing more emboldened. we are outside of the capital today, and almost immediately we came across unmarked soldiers, sitting by the side of the road, getting ready to go somewhere. they wouldn't talk to me. they had no flags or markings on the uniforms, but next to the uniforms, we saw writing about russian units that they were coming from, they were driving in cars with russian license plates, and all of their documentation that we saw were

russian military. >> do you get the sense that the russian troops presence is growing and expanding and especially targeting ukrainian bases, about an hour from here, you felt a siege by pro russian demonstrators trying to get over the dependence, and they were trying to convince ukrainian soldiers trying to let into the base, the ukrainian soldiers first refused and they finally allowed the russians to come in, and there was a conversation, and they agreed tentatively to allow the guns to be kind of shared between the ukrainians and the russians and that seemed to calm the crowd down. they were much less calm when they saw us. they feel like the media is giving them a short shift, spreading lies, and we were surrounded for two and a half hours by this pro russian

demonstration, about 150 strong. they demanded to see our video, and at one point, they threatened to tip over our van unless we showed them the video. they slashed one of our tires, and photographed our i.d.s, and they escorted us s so presumably we wouldn't film anything. it goes to show you the supporters here are more emboldened and pushing them into the ukrainian bases. >> a couple of days ago we heard that things were fairly calm in simferopol. and it has ratcheted up? >> this has not an occupation,

if you will, that's on the street corner. we're in the capital now, and you see the parliament flying the russian flag. but on these bases that we've been talking about. the one that we saw earlier in the show, of these russian troops or pro russian troops firing into the air, whether it's at the base that i went to, those are the points where the tension is high, and that's where it seems that the russian troops or these pro russian troops are pushing and becoming more threatening, but what we saw was a conversation between the russians and the yucatan peninsulaians. saying you'ryucatanukrainians,ag to have the same bosses if you don't pay attention. >> we have this report on the ukrainian military units refusing to stand down to the pro russian government.

she's on the black sea. >> a russian show of force in ukrainian waters. this is sevas topol. the crew has refused. onboard, about 120 ukraine an sailors. his wife, irina, praise for his safety. she's worried that the standoff will turn into a war. at least she can talk to him on the phone, but others are calling the sailors too, with threats. they said you better sign the agreement, she says. we know where your family libs, we know where your children school. i asked who is calling and she says she doesn't know, they don't knife themselves. another sailor's wife, olga, shows me pictures of hers you

had. she's surprised by the hostility here. my friends say my husband will be pushed out of here, you are ukrainian, she told me, go serve in ukraine. just across the street from the naval base, russian sold, are setting up camp. and that's what the russians have done across crimea. this russian base overlooks the base. inside, the ukrainian chief of staff is talking outside of his gate. >> we're talking in the same language, but the situation, you can see from the outside, on the top of the abandoned building, you can see the position, the fire position, and it's pointed to our direction. >> reporter: and his camp refuses to change its flag and it's loyalties to ukraine. >> nobody wants to be betrayed

in the eyes of our country mates. >> back in the bay is the country's only submarine, also blocked by the russians. here both navies sit side-by-side, but only the russian boats can move in this stand off in the sea. >> ukraine's ambassador to the united nations spoke with aljazeera today. and here's why he thinks russian troops are on the move in crimea. >> the exact goal is not known, but the result, to bring more support, and then to help to create the puppet government as happened in -- and this is very dangerous. >> she's the adviser for the

network, and heather, welcome, it's good to have you on the program again. >> good to be back. >> let me start with, there have been a lot of critics of president obama on this, especially republicans on the hill. how should the u.s. and the european union respond? are secretary kerry's comments enough? sanctions enough? >> the first point is to say something that former secretary of defense, robert gates said today, which is to say the people running around washington arguing for more, cool it, don't promise what you can't deliver, just as what happened in 2008 when the russians moved into georgia, the challenge of being as strong as they can to get russia to back down, while facing the honest truth that the u.s. is not going to invade ukraine and not going to start a war does not have the ability to

push russia out of its neighbor. sending john kerry today was a very good move, and you saw him there showing moral it support, and working hard with the europeans to develop financial sanctions that will hurt not just put i's government, but the rich people in russian society that back put i, saying that this is not worth it, and that's the best and the smartest thing that we can do, as well as backing out of putins a g-8 summit and saying to the world that this is not a behavior breaking of international commitments. russia had signed an agreement pledging to respect ukraine's borders, and this is not something that will be tolerated internationally and making it clear, you even had the chinese criticizing the russians today. so i think that what the administration has done is just about as much as you can do, given the ugly reality that crimea has been -- there has

been a russian naval base this for hundreds of years. russia knows the territory, and it's not going to go away. >> the obama administration needs to talk tough, but does it need to leave president putin a way out? >> it seems that that was what president obama was trying to do today, and it looked like president putin immediately swatted it down. there's some degree to be able to control the situation that putin is looking for, and when he does, he'll back down. as your correspondent clearly showed, what the russians are interested in here is first and foremost, military facilities, and secondly, sending the facility that the ukrainian people don't get to it decide for themselves what happens in their country without russian input and the question is how far putin is going to push before he establishes his nunce

and backs down, or if he overplays his hand and gets the u.s. and europe to commit more strongly than today otherwise. >> saying that the us would retaliate. what does that mean. >> it's easily forgotten when putin is doing things like moving troops, and shooting missiles off. but russia's economy is totally dependent on petrochemicals and natural resources. and it has not been able to modernize it's economy, the long-term future is not very private he's facing increasing discontent. and you saw the corruption with the olympics, so it's not clear to me what he has to retaliate with other than the show of force than he has done up to now.

>> heather, thank you for talking to he. >> thanks for having me. >> this crisis is grabbing national attention, and we'll go to randall in new york to see how americans are reacting >> reporter: john, possibly no one is more interested in the standoff in ukraine than russians who live in america and come from that part of the country. so we went to a jersey town and found people willing to share with us what they thought. local residents have deep ties to russia and ukraine. but many won't discuss the russia and ukraine crisis, and those who do choose their words carefully. this man once lived in ukraine. >> this is not good for russia and for ukraine. it's not good situation. >> should russia have troops in ukraine? >> i don't know. >> this manmade clear the side that he's on. >> what should putin do?

>> i don't know, not good. >> this community in northern new jersey has one of the highest percentages of russian descents. more than 10%. the giftshops and the travel agencies cater to their needs, but these days, the daily routine keeps track of the standoff in their ancestral homeland, watching the intense waiting game between the ukrainian and russian armed forces. hoping that the world super powers keep it from escalating. he had advice for president obama. >> he must wait. patience, patience. >> president obama should have patience. >> yes. >> well, sage advice from a man

who has seen other international crises in his lifetime resolved without the use of force. >> coming up, the punishment that the u.s. could use against russia, and for breaking news around-the-clock, check out our live blog. coming up in texas, democrats say they have a real shot at turning the lone star state blue. plus this. >> an eye-opening report from ththe cdc on anti-biotics.

>> i had the opportunity to talk to a doctor here who specializes in infectious disease, and he said this is a study that emphasizes the importance of tackling this issue, and also, it can save

people's lives. take a listen. >> in appropriate situations, making sure that it's the appropriate antibiotic, and making sure that your choices are in what resistances are in your area, and having people oversea it who understand how antibiotics work and how infections work will make a huge difference. >> and the cdc is recommending that hospitals all across the country adopt a program, and this calls for hospitals to look at accountability, to look at educating it's staff as well as other factors. now, this is something that this hospital here behind me, they said that they implemented a similar program about nine years ago, and it's working for them. >> the president has said that he wants to invest more money on programs to help prevent infections, and so what would that mean? >> president barack obama issued

a statement shortly after the release of the study and he said that he wants to boost awareness to tackle this problem head on, and he wants to do this by boosting funding to this area, and they want to do that by tackling the issues here, and they want to do that in detecting and preventing more infections. they really have their eye out on this super bug. >> all right, bisi, thank you very much. and joining me right now is dr. cory avar, and welcome. >> how are you tonight? >> good, and so why are doctors feeling pressure on this, and where does that pressure come from, the patients? >> it does come from the patient. it's all in a nutshell. it takes me 15 minutes to explain to you why you don't need the antibiotics, and it takes me 15 seconds to write the prescription. so doctors working hard are just

caving into parents and patients requesting antibiotics for things that they do not need antibiotics for. and if doctors don't get empowered and say, i'm not going to prescribe this for you because it won't work for a cold, we'll continue to have this problem. >> we have been hearing this for years, and why the announcement now? >> we realized that we don't have a lot of new antibiotics coming down the pipeline. it takes many years and millions and millions of dollars of development to get an ant boc to be able to use and cleared by the fda. and we don't have any super antibiotics coming out. but we have super bugs emerging every day. and doctors are continuing to put more and more antibiotics into the system. and when that happens, we have diseases like staff. and if you get that disease, it's really bad. we have to stop prescribing and have to come up with a plan.

it can't just be doctors please stop doing this, and patients stop asking for it, there has to be a plan in every hospital >> so more super bugs, what does that mean. >> it means resistance to staffarius, and many don't know what those r. but when you get into the hospital, a lot of these happen in the hospital. you get one of these super bugs, and you try to take regular antibiotics to kill it, ask and they won't die. so you have to use the stronger antibiotics, and when you have to use the stronger one, we have bacteria now that antibiotics will not kill. that's a crazy statement for some to hear, but it's the truth. you hear about the flesh eating bacteria, that is very real. we don't have antibiotics to develop and treat these things,

we're in a bad place. we have to stop now using so many antibiotics. >> so doctors have to stand up to their patients. >> exactly, but it's hard to do when that -- if you don't give the patient what they came there for, which is that medicine, they will go to another doctor, and that hurts your bottom line. i work in an academic institution. i can stand up all day and say, look, i'm not doing it because i know that it's not good for you or for your child or whoever, but a lot of the doctors out there have to make and meet, the bottom line, i need that patient in my practice, and i think that's a horrible concept, but i'm just here to give you the facts and that's what's happening. >> it's an interesting emotion. thank you, doctor, very much. >> always good to see you, john. >> coming up, the economic sanctions against russia, the types of force under consideration. 100 days until the first

kick in the world cup in brazil. but will the world be ready. >> it's an important part of the show, and plus, i get like to do it in front of people, and i get to act. >> children running away to the circus in one of the roughest parts of chicago.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america, i'm john seigenthaler, and we have a lot to cover this hour. tea party in texas voters go to the polls in a closely watched primary. rain coming not only to california, how an emergency drought fund is being used there, and teaching life lessons to a child of refugees now in chicago. that's all ahead. but first, the latest

developments in ukraine. tense moments in ukraine as russian soldiers fire the first warning shots, and russia carried out a scheduled missile test today. president putin said that he will use force if necessary in what he calls compatriots living in terror. president barack obama says that there's global support and said that ukrainians are capable of governing themselves. john kerry promised a $1 billion aid this, and another stern warning for russia. >> if russia does not choose to deescalate. if it is not willing to work directly with the government of ukraine as we hope they will be, then our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join

us to expand on steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate russia politically, economically. >> john, from florida, a senior market strategist, mr. brown, welcome, and good to have you on the program. >> good to have to be with you, john, thank you. >> let me just start, do you think that these sanctions will work? >> i personally don't. i think here we're seeing the most dangerous geo political events since the cuban missile crisis. and the cuban missile crisis, the united states had far the most to lose and therefore couldn't back down. in the crimea, the essence of the ukraine deal, russia has far more at stake and can't back down. so he has chosen to acquiesce,

and tainment, made lots of noises. president roosevelt said speak softly and carry a large stick, and they would starta to cut off gas and supplies to the west. and much more seriously, their banks would suffer. they're linked with those in europe and the united states. and it is the last time that we want to be causing economic problems just as china is starting to cut back on its expansion. it would be damaging to the west. >> it would seem that europe wouldn't want to go along with this, because russia could cut off their energy supply, right? >> exactly, and i think that europe is right. you have to except, this is a russian sphere of influence, and they have taken back the crimea, and we fought the crimean war to

prevent this. but they got it back after stalin and in an era, they let it go to the yucata ukraine, any want it back, they have a vital interest, and we should not treada it. we would be gravely mistaken. we put down lines, and i think it's going to be very damaging to u.s. foreign policy with the whole world watching this, particularly the middle east, saudi arabia, and kuwait, and airiab emertus, and iraq, and i think they're going to see a u-turn this time, just like it was on syria on a red line, and it's very damaging to our policy and our prestige in the west. >> the markets we're watching too, and the investors as well today and yesterday. it was a down day yesterday.

and up day today. do the markets know something that we don't know? >> no. when the major risk is faulk, but when you have troops on both sides facing each other in a tense situation, it only requires some drunken soldier to be firing at the other soldiers on the other side, just like the shot at lexington that echoed around the world in the war of independence, it can be disastrous. there's great tension on the ground. and these things can get out of hand. and i think a prudent man would wait. and if there's gunfire, you wait some more, and then invest. as rothschild said, wait for the gunfire and then invest. it's a very dangerous situation, and i think it's going to be worse trying to hurt russia when

it's going about its legitimate claims by economic sanctions that i totally disagree with. i think that they damage the west more, and they're hurting our relationships with the middle east, who are now looking for new types of friends, and saudi arabia is spending huge amounts of money looking for new allies, now that it feels like the united states has deserted saudi arabia over the iran question. >> thank you for joining us tonight. >> thank you. >> the white house says this evening, that president obama spoke to angela merkel about the crisis in ukraine, germany is an economic powerhouse and run of russia's primary trading partners. david schuster has that story. >> reporter: it was german chancellor, merkel, saying in a phonecall that vladimir putin was living "in another world" but merkel has said very little

publicly, and appears to be by design. sources say that merkel is at the center of quiet diplomacy. washington and germany have strong economic ties. some of is comes through the ukrainian pipelines, and russia accounts for 30% of all german gas consumption. through the years, merkel and putin have maintained a strong business-like relationship. putin speaks fluent german after being stationed in germany with the kgb. as the ukraine crisis has unfolded, they spoke many times, particularly with merkel's proposal to open dialogue with russia. a negotiated solution bo both protect and help germany's economy as much as any other in europe. since the collapse of the soviet

union, no country has benefited more from ties to eastern europe and russia. several former communist countries, including slovakia and romania, serve as production and consumer for manufactures. so they could undercut the obama administration's efforts to punish him. because while president obama and john kerry have been pushing for sanks, germany for now opposes them. given the view that germany is crucial to any diplomatic solution, and the white house appears to it give angela merkel plenty of room with putin to try to reach a deal. david schuster, aljazeera. >> now to washington d.c., joie chen talks about what's coming up on america ton. >> coming up on our program, as parents, you and i know how

difficult it is to let go of our children and let them grow up, but for parents with children on the autistic picture rum, it's more of a challenge. tonight, one man living with autism and living independently. but brandon's experience is more the exception than the rule. the product of his mother's determination to give him every opportunity. what they share as they won't be able to support their kids as they themselves age. >> parents are scared to death. the number-one question is, what will happen to my children or my child after my husband and i die? and along comes with that, what will happen to them as an adult? >> hard choices. at the top of the hour, we're going to hear brandon's story, and speak with experts on giving autistic children the hope of

living on their own. >> in the west, badly needed know and rain to the drought ridden region. but people getting financial relief. $687 billion in funding. >> the state has ambitious goals to combat the worst duty if had a century. it would support unemployed farmers with housing, and passing the drought relief plan, as the state, as if on queue, saw much-needed rain. it brings relief to places like hillsburg, facing a water shortage. but despite what happened in sacramento, it might not trickle down to results on the ground. >> my concern this. the governor said that we have a drought emergency, and we need agencies down the line to feel

the same urgency, and we're not seeing it at this point. >> at this time of year, the russian river would be flowing over my head. and instead, it's dry. and that's a problem for the city of fieldsburg. the river is it's primary source of water. >> we still need to make sure that the russian river water source is significant enough to have the city be able to recharge our well system, and also the farmers draw on the russian river for frost protection. >> but that won't happen. even as fieldsburg sees heavy rain over the next mornin montht won't be enough. and that's were they hope to draw some of the millions in the pipe project. it could be installed in six to eight weeks if they receive immediate funding. the worry here, the application process may take too long and come too late. >> the reality is that it may take too long for people who

really need the water. we know in our area, there are farmers that have already written off this year's ro crop. >> fieldsburg welcomes state help. but in this stance, they need an immediate solution for long-term problems, and how much red tape they will have to wade through for those facing imminent need is not quite what they had hoped for. >> there are 100 days now to go until brazil hosts the 2014 world cup. and there are plenty of doubts on whether the country will be ready in time. michael is mere with more on that. >> this would be the time to kick-start the party. but people have concerns on what that party is going to look like. when brazil won the bid back in 2007, it promised that all 12 stadiums would be finished by the end of 2013, but only six are completed. and despite round the clock

construction, two might not be done until the opening matches in june. airports and roads and other urban projects are also in danger of not being completed before teams, sponsors and fans arrive in brazil. the president tried to ease those concerns today. it's 100 days, and it's a long way to go. and it's a short way to go if there are still problems. but now all problems are under control, and it will be in 100 days an exceptional good start for an exceptional competition. >> joining me now is major league soccer player, of mls soccer.com. and how concerned is the u.s. soccer and armed the world be that brazil will be ready to host the matches in june in. >> you hear some of the

rhetoric that comes out of brazil and obviously there's going to be concern in the u.s. and everywhere else in the soccer world. but history has always shown that the countries end up getting ready for a big event like this. the big news that came out, the stadium in so you paolo, the site of the opening match, may not be ready until may, which is four weeks until it kicks off, but they are going to be ready. you think about the way that brazilians go about things, and it might be a little bit late, but the concerns will be alleviated as soon as they are open and functioning. >> how much pressure are people putting on the brazilian government to speed things up? >> i would imagine a ton of pressure. obviously he's going to it say things like that to ease everyone's concerns many but there's a lot at stake for

brazil in this tournament, not only on the field, but off the field. so viva is putting a lot of pressure on them to get it done, and that will trickle down the line for everyone involved in the preparations for the tournament. >> greg, the u.s.ish national player friendly with the ukraine, had to be moved because of the tensions between ukraine and russia obviously. and there was a concern that it would be canceled, but how big of a game is this? >> this is a big game. it's about the fifth to the last game until they go to the world cup. they're going to play about four games. and this is a huge one, particularly for certain players in europe. the core nucleus of the team is here in the united states getting ready for the mls season. but a bunch of the guys in europe, this is a big game. shane and wandello, they need to

prove themselves with the ukraine. if it's going to happen and not going to happen, the u.s. has to step up and show that they can go out there and get a good result. >> thank you so much for the insight. >> thank you. and going back to brazil. a recent poll in that country in terms of the world cupping held there, it's the lowest approval rating ever: they thought that the money could be better spent on education and infrastructure. carnival, it's today, and as we come in, we see the demonstrations and there has been tension inside of the country. >> they have plenty of other problems as well. all right, michael, thank you. and every so often, we like to look at the world through the eyes of an eight-year-old. and we call it "being eight." we look at the young son of

sudanese parents who looks at life in a colorful way. >> reporter: when zachariah gets up early on a sunday morning, as you see on this video, his mom is already gone, working one of her two jobs. >> i feel proud of her because we get to make enough money, and plus, if we do have a little bit more money up, she can add up more for us. >> it's zachariah's 24-year-old sister who stops by their apartment to let him know that he's well protected by his large sudanese family. >> he always has somebody to rely onto give him what he needs. >> still, it's a cold walk down streets where gang members compete for supremacy, and it might be especially grim until a sparkling building entrance hints at something special inside. for a few hours each week, zachariah runs away to join the circus. >> i feel like a star, because it's the important part of the

show. and plus, i get to do it in front of people. and i get to act. >> zachariah doesn't have time to think about the horrors that his family left behind in sudan, or the tough environment he has here in chicago. it's handmade marquee says it all. as much irq esteem. he's one of the dozens of at risk kids who take part. and here zachariah learns the most important lesson of all. that in life, you fall and fall again, and you keep ongoing. >> when i fall, i get back up. >> i wanted to help him

understand perseverance, and motivation, and perspective and looking forward to things and having plans. >> the unicycle is zachariah's favorite. it's all free for zachariah, but his sister feels that what the circus does for him is invaluable. she knows firsthand because she used to be in this too. >> the gang bang members in the streets, we still get affected by what's around us, but i guess it gives you two hours in a day in which you're not. >> and zachariah's future? well, he's still juggling that. >> i would really like to work as a doctor, and i think my boss will give me money so i can give it to charity. idle really like to be a cameraman and do a circus theme. >> and for zachariah, all of those falls of circus themes have helped him find the best in himself. andy rosa, chicago.

>> coming up, fighting banned same-sex marriages in kentucky. the governor has a new legal challenge. and plus this.... >> most holes in the midterm primaries have closed. and we're in a state that's red that democrats are trying to turn blue.

>> meteorological winter is now over, that was why not and february, and we had all-time record lows reached fo for many cities in the northeast. we saw single digits in places like atlantic city, 2° to start out the day. the good news is, temperatures eeking their way up by a degree or two each day. and we'll gradually get warmer as we go to the weekend. forecast for the week ahead is for frigid conditions. stick around for the high, and

we're going to stay cool across the board. the temperatures in the northeast are going to stay 15-20°, well below normal. we have been below normal for sometime, and in fact, it's getting so cold, we're getting fantastic pictures of niagara falls, and this is on the side of america, where you can see the water freezing over. a lot of people getting pictures of rock climbs covered with ice. you see the temperatures across the board in the upper plains still above freezing, but look how mild it is, in the upper 50s to the west. more on the news headlines after the break.

>> the president is out with his 2015 budget today, and critics are calling it dead on arrival. it shifts domestic spending to things like new manufacturing hubs, and job training programs, and early childhood development and education. the earned income tax credit for

low wage workers, and a tax loophole that significantly lowers taxes for managers. and it calls for a $66 billion increase in spending this year. and the political midterms this year, expected soon in texas, the polls closed at the top of the hour, and there has been pressure in the state to get the vote out. most of the national attention, on the governor's race, heidi castro is there with more. how is the turnout today? >> with the polls close to an hour ago, we have the early voting numbers to share with you, looking at 6-8% across the state, which is higher than when texans turned out to an urban primary. most of this can be attributed to the wendy davis campaign. she's scene as the best hope for governor in 20 years.

early returns from the primary show that she's well on her way to winning. however, in november, this will be a much different story. that's when davis will face-off with her highly favored republican proponent, attorney general, greg abbot. he's currently at 11 points ahead of her in the polls, and i think it's safe to say that most of the excitement for the governor's race is still to come. >> there are tea party candidates vying to win house seats from long-held incumbents, and how is that going? >> congressman, pete sessions, and john foreigner, are facing tea party challenges, and early on, it was thought that it would be a testing ground for the tea party's strength. and it appears that it's going to be a showdown with the challengers puttering out of contention early on in the game.

they didn't have much name recognition to begin with, and through the early returns, it looks like the incumbents are safe. >> and the oldest member of congress is facing a challenge for his seat. >> hall has been in for 17 terms, he's a world war ii vet. and he's in for the toughest battle of his career. he's a conservative republican, who has warded off two tea party attempts in the last election, and won, and now he's facing a u.s. attorney who says that hall has been in congress for how long. >> heidi castro tonight. >> . >> kentucky's governor says that he will challenge a ruling to honor same-sex marriages from other states. because the kentucky state attorney general is refusing to fight the rule.

>> there are those who believe that it's my mandatory duty, regardless of my personal opinion, to continue to defend this case through the appellate process, and i have heard from many of them. however, i came to the inescapable conclusion that if i did so, i would be defending discrimination. >> kentucky governor, steve brashier, says that he will proceed with his appeal without the attorney general's help. and some video of a celebration. it's a live look. you can see it there, bourbon street, new orleans, big crowd, and despite rainy conditions for mardi gras. we'll have the headlines after this.

>> i'm john seigenthaler in new york, and here are the top stories. secretary kerry said that the u.s. will have no choice but to impose economic sanctions on russia if it doesn't change its

course in ukraine. russia is pushing back, and the prime minister said that the country had no choice but to retaliate if sanctions are put in place. president putin is defending the actions in ukraine, calling it a humanitarian mission to protect compatriots who he says are living in terror. a kentucky governor will seek outside help on help to repeal same-sex marriage. he said that he will repeal using outside council. and doctors in hospitals are overprescribing antibiotics, that's according to the centers for disease control. 20,000 people die every year from prescription drug complications and misuse of antibiotics, and it breeds super

bugs that are resistent to the medicine. those are the headlines, and "america tonight" with joie chen is up next. i'll see you here tomorrow, and you can get the latest news on aljazeera.com. >> on "america tonight," face-off. ratcheting up the pressure as ukrainians and forces with russian ties stand firm, as the diplomatic temperature risings too. also tonight, not so neighborly, the bay area's boom. why it's driving real estate prices to heights that you won't believe as residents ride out of the neighborhood. >> we're here today to say that the city, the tech industry,