>> the show may be over, but the conversation continues. we'll see you next time. mary snow >> good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. ukraine showdown, the defiant russian leader not backing down as president obama says he has a plan to end the crisis. >> prescription for danger - the disturbing report on antibiotics, what it says about the way doctors use them and why it may put patients at greater risk. >> frieze-a-nomics - now the cold is taking a bite out of small business owners profit. >> you wouldn't buy sushi from

this guy, so why buy marijuana from him. >> hot spot - it's the first major tv commercial for marijuana, but is it sending the wrong message to viewers? >> russian president vladimir putin has kept a low showdown. all that changed today. putin broke his silence in a news conference in moscow saying he will not rule out the use of military force. also today russia launched an int ballistic missile from caspian sea to khazakhstan - a planned test. the white house says there's a way out if vladimir putin accepted independent monitors. a billion loan has been pledged

to the ukrainian public. at a fundraiser president obama said: >> a lot of new developments. mike viqueira has the latest. >> for a second-straight day mr obama interrupted a scheduled event. >> we are calling for deescalation and independent monitors. >> president obama held out hope that vladimir putin was having second thoughts. >> there has been reports that president putin is pausing for a moment and reflecting on what happened. >> hours after he spoke, a not so subtle reminder of russian force. a test launch of an i.c.b. m. speaking in public putin called the ouster of ukrainian president viktor yanukovych

unlawful. >> translation: there can only be one assessment. this is an anti-constitutional coup and a seizure of power. >> putin denied his troops were in crimea. >> there's a lot of uniforms that look similar. >> visiting ukraine, a show of sol dar tit from secretary of state john kerry -- solidarity from secretary of state john kerry, walking down a street, honouring those killed by snipers. john kerry said russia's concerns about protecting ethnic russians carries a hidden agenda. >> i think russia is working hard to create a pretext to invade further. >> the implication that vladimir putin has designs on crimea and the east and south, areas with strong cultural ties to russia. john kerry spoke out about

russia's move against crimea. >> we condemn the russian's federation act of aggression. we have, throughout the moment, evidence of a great transformation taking place, and in that transformation we will stand with the people of ukraine. >> there was one dramatic moment between ukrainian troops and russian soldiers. a tense standoff. it was on camera. randall pinkston is here with more on that. >> ukraine's military evicted by russian forces this past weekend said they wanted to do their duty, to return to belbek, to protect the air force. their risky, maybe foolhardy gambit triggered gunfire, the first time in the showdown with russia. [ singing ] >> led by their commander ukrainian airmen marched from

the barracks to the air base that russian soldiers have taken over. russians warned them to shop. the ukrainians kept coming saying, "let us enter the base, we rule here", russian snipers took up positions, aiming weapons at the ukrainians who left their callish na coves in the barracks. a russian soldier said, "you are provoking us", a ukrainian replied, "we are without weapons", there was a tense standoff, and phone calls between commanders. the ukrainians played soccer whilst waiting. plain clothed russian-crimean defense forces. the high risk manoeuvre was called off, and the men were marched back to their barracks. in the ricky protest ukraine's commander carried a soviet red

flag, a time when ukrainian and russian forces were united. he said he didn't think russians would fire on a soviet flag. >> as russia and the west figure out a way to end the crisis. ukrainians mourn the dozens that have died. phil ittner visited the memorial and tucked about the situation with the ukrainian journalist. >> what did ukrainians want to hear from john kerry when he came today. >> the ukrainians don't want to hear. for a while there were a lot of talks about support and the deep concern. there was a bit of disappointment after that. still the people died. i have a feeling about words and concern. people want to clear message, but adequate, real, pragmatic.

i think now they don't believe in the prague gnattism of putin. nobody understands what is the tools, the instrument, the influence on him. maybe they would see a clear pressure, clear sanctions. if it's a sangs or some financial pressure, but of course it's not enough with the united states because still everybody already in the states are over the atlantic. e.u. is a big part because, okay, the u.s. is maybe threatening, but without the pressure of the european union, it was a guest. let's imagine if gas prom is selling the gas. what would be the signal, would it be considered by vladimir putin himself as a real financial pressure usual. probably not. so that would be - that is something the ukraine suspect. >> aside from john kerry's

visit, we heard strong words from vladimir putin, what is the reaction from ukrainians in the west. >> they listened carefully, but part of it is really - a lot of - for ukrainians, putin was talking about ukraine. people know what is happening on the ground. they were laughing, it's like a sad laugh, not being very happy about that not reality. the information is not confirmed and there is so much evidence. you don't see any words. >> that's phil ittner reporting from independence square in kiev. >> steven fish is a political science professor at the university of california-berkley, and has been following the situation in ukraine.

welcome. good to have you on the program. >> my pleasure. we heard vladimir putin deny that he sent russian troops to crimea, despite reports that the troops were russian. why would he do that? >> this is a very hard thing to assess. clearly russian troops are already there, massively. whether they are wearing russian military uniforms or not, they are there. we can see it from satellites. the people on the ground are telling us that they are there. vladimir putin is denying it. vladimir putin can be cunning and mackeya very wellian, but this bald-face lying of the face he's doing now to an international audience is unusual for him. >> it's a departure of what we have seen in the past as president? >> indeed it is. in a larger sense it's a departure from what we have seen as president. vladimir putin has been known in

international affairs and domestic politics as a patient, cunning kind of guy. he's been successful. he'd been using the strategy. this is different. this is not the vladimir putin we know. the action is brash, it's ilconsidered and not well calculated. this is a different vladimir putin to who we have seen in the past. >> you've studied vladimir putin, and i believe you told producers you believe he is pessimistic and paranoid with steely patience. how does that play into this? >> his steely patience seems to have left him recently, he is paranoid about staying in power, as an authoritarian ruler. i think he's concerned that the success of an anti-criminal regime in ukraine, or a movement against the regime that in may ways is like his own, could

endanger his own place in power. controlling ukraine is at the center of his broader vision of bringing russian influence in a big way back into the lands of the soviet union. i don't expect him to slow down soon. >> how much does he care about appearances, his image around the world? >> i think he cares a lot about his image around the world. that's why i'm surprised by this. he has taken great pains, since becoming per cent. to seem like a good internation international citizen. you and i all know that not everything vladimir putin says is true. he'll act in a way people act, but nevertheless he has tried to adhere to international norms. he is constantly referring to respect for national

sovereignty. he wants to bring the united nations into major international problems. he plays the role of a good international citizen, he's been successful. this is a radical break. clearly he's willing to sacrifice the reputation until now. that shows how much value he places in the ukrainian situation. he's willing to take a lot in the way of losses. more generally in the international arena in order to get the people in the ukraine and assess the situation there. >> president obama has a plan that would include russia backing down and bringing in international monitors. any chance russia will go for that. >> no chance. vladimir putin is in for the long haul. this will not be like georgia where returnan troops came in.

this is an unprovoked movement into a foreign country by the russian arm y. he's going to try to organise a referendum. it will be predictable. people will probably say they can't autonomy under the tutelage of the russian federation. i don't think president obama's plan for deescalation will come to fruition >> steven fish, thank you for joining us. >> also the protests in jens show now signs of letting up. paul beban joins us from caracas. tell us what it's been like? >> i got back from st.

christobell and the situation is continues. this is the crewsible of it all, where the protest began a month ago after an alleged sexual assault on the university campus. there was a heavy handed crackdown. now, about the lack of free speech and the lack of ability to protest. this is protesting about the right to protest. it's really a city that feels like under siege, every block in certain districts is barricaded. these are upper middle class neighbourhoods. they are putting up the barricades not just to protest the government crackdown, but to keep out bands of government sponsored thugs. it's a tense situation.

what about with the anniversary of hugo chavez's death. >> well, tomorrow will be a big day. there's lavish memorials, a big event where chavez's remains are kept. there'll be a huge military parade, fly overs, soldiers, tanks rolling through the city. it's already very heavy security. daniel ortega is coming in. morales, friends. what the protesters will do remains an open question. security in the city will be tight, a potential flash point. >> paul beban, we'll talk to you tomorrow, thank you. >> coming up, at risk the the warnings on antibiotics, what you need to know before going to hospital. plus airtime, the marijuana debate takes it to tv with

america's first ever commercial about pot.

oi >> now to health news and a surprising report from the centers for disease control, about antibiotics and how doctors in hospitals are

prescribing them with sometimes dangerous results. bisi onile-ere reports. doctors at beaumont hospital outside of detroit applaud the c d.c.'s report. it sheds more light on a big problem. this is a study that confirms that a lot of health care providers have known for a while. that's that people, many people, have been overprescribed antibioti antibiotics. the issue is when it happens people have an ability to risk the drugs and they are not working. over 2 million people last year got sick from antibiotic resistant infections and thousands died. i had the opportunity of talking to a doctor about the importance of the study and how it can save lives. >> limiting antibiotic use to aproperty situations, making

sure -- appropriate situations, making sure it's the correct drug, knowing the resistance in your area, and having people overseeing it that understand antibiotics and how they work will make a difference. >> the c d.c. is recommending hospitals have a program improving antibiotic use. it calls for ct icty, leadership -- accountability, leadership. here at beaumont they have a program in place and it works for them. >> bisi onile-ere reporting. let's bring in dr amesh adalja. he is an infection disease physician from the university of pittsburgh medical center. >> thanks for having me. >> who is responsible for this problem? >> i think the health care industry is responsible, not justifiesicians, but patients -- not just firstitions but

patients, people asking for antibiotics whether or not it merits it. common colds - people often have an antibiotic prescription whether necessary. in hospitals it's a different story. this is what the c d.c. focuses on. >> patients are diagnosing themselves, is that what we are saying. >> there's two facets. the outpatient, whereas fizzitions are faced with patients and they are saying "we want to have antibodies , because that may make us better and physicians feel pressure to prescribe them. this study focussed on inpatients in hospitals and how they are prescribed in hospitals and it found a great proportion of those prescribed were prescribed incorrectly and were not necessary. >> why is that?

>> i think it's because physicians often prescribe antibiotics in a nonscientific way. they may have a patient with suspended infection and may prescribe antibiotics and not follow up to see if the cultures come back negative, can the antibiotics be decreased, do they need to be on them. all the questions only are not asked in hospitals. unless you have what the c.b.c. recommends, where the rings of antibiotics has stricter oversight. and that helps people get the right drug for the right bug and the right duration of time. it minimises events that can occur with that rampant antibiotic prescription. >> i assume it will be cost effective. will the hospital make changes. >> i think they are.

we are seeing around the country hospitals developing programs. i think that this report will reinforce the emphasis that the - reinforce emphasis in order to get hospitals to do this. it decreases costs. you end up prescribing antibiotics effectively. it decreases the costs because you are not using broad spectrum one, and you minimise adverse events and anti-my cobial resistance as well. >> what are the event? >> you can have a rash or something - for example, what this report highlights is cholidistrum infection, intestinal that could be life threatening, caused by collateral damage, when you give an antibiotic that skills the good and the bad bacteria, allowing that person to be

colonised with this micro, causing a severe intestinal infection. what this study shows is when you decrease antibiotic use, you'll find a decrease in the rate of acquisition, which is an important implication. >> the other risk is the superbug, the resistance of the antibiotic. >> right. when anti-by ot ecks are prescribed, it causes bacteria to be exposed. they have been on the planet for 3 billion years, and they have multiple tools at their disposal. they can turn on some resistance genes and become resistant to them. we are faced with a scenario where antibiotic resistance derails the modern health care system. we have drugs - bugs which we have no drugs to treat. the infectious disease society

talks about bad bugs, no drugs. and that's where we are headed. >> dr amesh adalja, good to have you on the program again. >> every so often we like to view the world through the eyes of an 8-year-old. we call it "being 8", we meet the son of sudanese parents adjusting to life in chicago in an unusual way. >> when zachariah modi gets up on a saturday morning, his mum is gone, working one of two jobs. >> i feel proud of her. she's making us money. if there's a little left, she adds it up more for us. >> so moeld zachariah modi's sister drops by to let him know he's well protected. >> he has family or an adult to rely on to give him what he needs. >> it's a cold walk down streets

where gang members compete for soup rem si. it may be grim until a building entrance hints at something special. for a few hours each week zachariah modi runs away to join the circus. >> it's an important part of the show. plus i get to do it in front of people and i get to act. >> zachariah modi doesn't have time to think about the horrors left behind if sudan, or the tough environment in chicago. the hand-made marquee says it all. "circesteem" it's called, open to all kids ages 3 to 18. payment is on a sliding scale. zachariah modi is one of the dozens of rev gee family members and at-risk kids that take part.

zachariah modi learns the most important lesson in life, you fall and fall and fall again - and you keep on going. >> when i fall down, then i get back up and it like a person in "circesteem" never quits. >> i want him to use it as a tool for perseverance, motivation, having perspective. looking forward to things, having plans. >> the unicycle is zachariah modi's favourite, and the high wire the hardest. there's tutoring in between. it's free, but zachariah modi's sister knows it is invaluable. she knows first hand, because she had been there too. >> we are still affected by what is around us. it gives you two hours in a day in which you are not. >> zachariah modi's future - he

is juggling that. >> i want to be a doctor. they can give me money, i can give it to charity. >> or a cameraman. >> and for zachariah modi, all the falls at "circesteem" helped him find the best in himself. >> coming up, the latest on the crisis in ukraine, including the report on the civilians caught in the middle. plus, cold coin caper. a surprising turn in this $10 million mystery.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm john seigenthaler in new york. we have a lot to cover this half hour, and among the stories we are covering, suing mum and dad. an 18-year-old goes to court trying to force her parents to pay for her education. >> the big chill - a rough

winter puts small business in survivor mode. >> marketing marijuana - the first tv commercials for pot go on the air. first a look at the top stories. russian president vladimir putin says he will not rule out the use of military force to interveep in ukraine saying russians are involved in a hum scrn tarian mission to help those living in terror. the white house said russia can ease the crisis by accepting international monitors. president obama says there is global support for ukraine's new government, and he was capable of governing themselves. in ukraine, the first shots were fired by russian soldiers, fired into the air as warnings approaching ukrainian soldiers, heighting the tension on the crimean peninsula. >> the crimean president claims

most units have switched to his pro-russian government. >> jennifer glasse reports from sevastopol. dispute intense pressure many units are refusing to stand down. >> a russian show of force in ukrainian waters. this is the sevastopol stryletska bay. the blockade of ukraine's fleet is meant to pressure sailors to switch side, pledges allegiance to crimea and its government the the crew of the "donbass" refused. on board is 120, one named vadim. his wife, irina, prays for his safety. she's worried the standoff will turn into a war. at least she can talk on the phone. others are calling the sailors with threats. >> translation: they said, "you better sign the agreement, we know where your families live, we know your children's

schools." >> i arrived who is calling, but they don't know. >> another sailor's wife shows me photos of her husband and she is surprised by the hostility. >> my friends said my husband will be driven out of here. she said "there's no place for us. you are ukrainian, go serve in ukraine." >> across the street russian soldiers are setting up camp. that's what the russians have done across crimea. this russian position on the outskirts of sevastopol overlooks the ukrainian navy's communications base. inside the chief of staff alexander yesyn said they were talking with the russians. >> we are talking the same language, we understand each other, but the situation, you can see on the outside, on the top of the abandoned building, you can see the position, the fire position in its - it's

pointed to our direction. >> his camp refuses to change its flag and loyalties to ukraine. >> translation: no one wants to be a betrayer. back in stryletska bay is the only submarine, blocked by the russians much the ships of both navy said sit side by side. >> only the russian boats can move in the stand off by the sea. >> back in the u.s., an unusual story, a family fut escalates into a serious lawsuit. an 18-year-old team sues her parents saying they should pay for tuition. juan carlos molina has that story. >> teen imers and her parents are bound to have disagreements. they don't usually end up in court. it's not the case for the

cannings. 18-year-old rachel is suing her parents saying her mum and dad kicked her out of the house before her 18th birthday and refused to pay her tuition at this catholic high school where she's an honour student and are refusing to pay for college. rachel asked the judge to make them pay for her present and future schooling along with $650 a week in child support, and $13,000 in legal fees. her attorney says rachel's parent basically abandoned her. >> these people have not called her, they have not come to see her. they have not sent a penny to her. rachel's parents say that's not the case, that she left home instead of doing chores, obeying the rules the house and break up

with a boyfriend who was a bad influence. >> she didn't want to give up the boyfriend. >> rachel has been living with her best friend jamie for the past five months. her lawsuit has been financed by her best friend's father, an attorney. being 18 doesn't mean the umbilical cord is cut. parents could be on the hook to support the child. the cannings say rachel emmance ipated herself when she decided to move out. >> the judge expressed concern to both sides that the lawsuit could open the door to a slippery slope. >> i'm not going to condone or open the gates for a 12-year-old to sue for an xbox. the judge ruled against the team, denying everything except the college tuition, setting a

date to address that issue. >> attorney areva martin joins us from los angeles. welcome. >> hi, john. >> this is a bizarre case. i read it earlier and i thought, "what is going on?" what is the press department that the judge is worried about. let's talk about that? >> obviously he's worried that every little kid that intergs with a decision made by the parent will run to court asking for a judicial determination. parents have the right to set rules to determine lip stations who you can spend time with. if you don't want kids asking judges making decisions about things within the purview of parents, that is accepting the parents point of view, or the parents defense, isn't it. she said she was kicked out.

she didn't say that she left, and that aren't paying for her schooling. >> i'm a children's rights advocate. i'm always standing up for the rights of children. in this case i'm scratching my head trying to figure out how come these adults and young woman can't come together and read a decision that doesn't involve a court system. the courts are not really there to resolve disputes between parents and children over curfews. there are factual disputes. rachel says she was kicked out. her parents were verbally abusive, and she has an eating disorder. we don't know, and the judge didn't make factual findings to give us insight into whose side of the story is believable. >> has this case come to court. >> no precedent. it comes down to eplans passion.

states define it differently. being 18 is not enough to sever the ties or cost parents to be responsible for kids. that's why the judge put over the decision. they determined that college is a necessity, and a judge may find that the parents, even though rachel is 18, that the parents are responsible for rachel's college education. wasn't she asking for money for high school as well. >> yes, she's a senior in a catholic high school and there's about 5,000 or so tuition bill that hasn't been paid. the judge denied her request and asked for 13,000 in legal fees. the judge said no to that as well. the only issue on the table is the college.

we should note that the parents say they'll pay for the college in she comes home. >> that's the part i don't quite understand. he won't pay for the high school but will pay for college later, the judge that is. he'll make that an issue. how is that? >> kids don't have a right to go to private schools. parents have an obligation to provide for kids shelter, housing and necessities, and doesn't include a private school and tuition. the judge was right on that, trying to send rachel a message, saying to both parties you guys need to come together. don't come back to court. take a month or so. i think he wanted rachel to realise "you may get nothing", and that the marnts may be on the hook for college tuition.

>> a child goes to a lawyer and says "awant to sue my parents. >> i think the family has taken rachel in, kudos for them. if she hotel like she was thrown out of her house, but her best friend's gather is a lawyer. we can only imagine that the lawyer father played some role in planting the seed or encouraging her to pursue this in the courts. >> blame it on the lawyers. appreciate it. good to talk to you. >> polls in texas has closed. greg abbott will be the republican nominee facing off against wendy davis. tea party stockman was defeated, and the 12 person race to replace his house seat is heading to a run off. democrats think they have a chance to turn the state from red to blue for the first time

in three decades. the extreme weather is having an impact, especially for small business owners, taking out loans to survive the weather season. mary snow reports. >> fed up. this is deborah koenigsberger's effort to offset losses after cold weather kept women out of her store in new york city. the polar vortex is public enemy number one. >> how much money would you have lost this winter because of the weather? >> i'll say is a good $100,000 because of the weather. it's a lot for us. >> in chicago. >> would you like sample cuts. >> a 50% drop in sale enough to force kendall to take out a loan to pay the bills at his two frozen yoghurt shops.

>> it's tough. it's cold. >> the temperature in chicago fell below zero 20 days in september. that's meant that kendall shaw had to shut down his business, costing $800 a day. >> to cut down on coasts, he's shaving operating hours and selling hot chocolate to boost the bottom line, and for people like him investing their own money, the impact is personal. >> we have day care bills, car payments and mortgages, it's a trickle-down effect. it affects not only the store, but the home life as well. >> shaw is far from alone. this so credit linking lenders to small businesses, reporting increases in loan applications, with 80% tied to the weather, amounting to 13,000 businesses.

c.e.o. rohit arora says january and february are usually slow months for lending. the biggest concern is if the weather doesn't improve in two to three weeks, we'll see more issues with existing loans. >> rohit arora says many businesses were poised for growth and are experiencing bad weather in a good economy. >> all the small businesses are optimistic. a growing economy is a temporary fep om that. >> business openers are counting on the spring in a big way. >> it's - the coats will come off, the layers come off, and for us, also, this will go away. >> or at least that's the hope. >> we do hope, but now to california's record drought. welcome news, governor jerry

brown signed into law a relief package, but concerns from those that need it most. melissa chan reports. >> the state plan has ambitious goals to combat the worst drought, founding clean drinking water and conservation project. it supports unemployed farmers by paying for food and housing. as if on queue, much-needed rain. the new law brings $15 million to healdsburg, a rural community facing a shortage. despite what happens in sacramento, the bent fits of the law may not trickle down to on the ground. >> the government is saying we need agencies. we need them to feel the same urgency, and we are not seeing it. >> at this time of the year, the russian river would flow over my

head. it's dry, and that's a problem. the river is the primary source of water. >> we need to make sure the russian river water flows are significant enough to have the city recharge our wealth system and the farmer's drawn russian river for frost protection. >> that will not happen. even if healdsburg sees steady rain, it won't be enough to bring the levels back up. that's why the city grabs a small part of millions. pipes would move water out to farmers in the area, and can be installed in 6 to 8 weeks if they receive funding. the worry - the application process may take too long and come too late. it may take too long for people that need the water. we know that they are farmers, who have written off the crop.

>> healdsburg welcomes state help. in this instance they see what is offered as a medium term solution for short-term problems. with the regulations waved, it's not quite the relief they had hoped for. >> al jazeera continues to demand the release of our colleagues who have been held prisoner in egypt. three of them have now been imprisoned for 67 days. tomorrow they are due to make share second appearance in court. mohamed vall reports. >> al jazeera english staff sln in this egyptian prison for two months. they were doing their job and reporting event. peter greste is an award-winning correspondent covering the plights of civilians in conflict across africa. he reported for bbc before al jazeera. mohamed fadel fahmy, is an accomplished author and journalist working for c.n.n.,

the "new york times", and the red cross. mohammed badr is a freelance of producer, spending most of last year working for al jazeera. they've been accused of working against the state organization. having ties with a terrorist organization. al jazeera denies the charges. >> we categorically deny they were involved in malicious spreading of lies about egypt or they were colluding. >> the first hearing was adjourned. wednesday's session is the second appearance in court. >> al jazeera demands the release of correspondent abdullah al-shami from al jazeera arabic. he's been in detention since july. family members of the accused joined journalists in a worldwide day of protest in

support the the four men. >> coming up, our picture of the day. plus, mardi gras. fat tuesday, the celebrations and the security.

>> cold air in place, we are looking at all-time record flows. in the morning temperatures 15 to 20 degrees below normal.

they are record lows for march, from charlotte'sville to dover. atlantic city 2 degrees. we'll have a cold morning to begin. meteorological winter being done, we'll edge towards warmer weather because days get longer as we get towards the spring-time start. fantastic ice pictures around. people are practicing their ice climbing but niagra falls frozen over. great picture. so low temperatures. cold for parts of the midwest and icing across texas, oklahoma and arkansas. a problem when you get out and travel. the focus is shifting to the west. a series of storms in the west bringing in mountain snow. big avalanche concerns. rain for the valleys, and snow

for the mountains. your news next.

>> you are looking at live picture of bour bon street in new orleans, mardi gras end with ash wednesday, the start of lept and celebrations from mardi gras, concerns for safety. >> as the tourists flock in from around the world. >> it's mardi gras 2014. >> there's a mentality among many at mored. >> if you drink alcohol, you wake up still drinking. >> that approach blursed boundaries for some tour it. >> you are looking for trouble in bour bon street. you'll find it. >> mardi gras revellers outnumber police 2,000 to 1, requiring an altered state to law and order. >> we want to look for people

that might foolishly bringing a gun. who are ineebriated to the point of safety and enjoy the of others around them. >> law enforcement officials know morardi gras is a differen circumstance. there's a balance between public safety and police intention. >> some don't know when to move on, last year 1700 were arrested during mardy agr-- mardi gras. 30 plain-clothed officers pertray active areas. >> we take care of ourselves. >> ain't going to hurt nobody. there's a lot of police out here. >> as long as you are aware of

your surroundings it's a no-go area. >> people need to follow rules and we can do the things we are good at. >> in california, a couple who found $10 million worth of the gold copies in their backyard may not be lucky. the riccardo saponara chronicle said the copies may have been stolen from the u.s. mint. that would be the property of the u.s. government. a mint spokesman said they don't have any information linking the coins to the thet. >> and the first pot commercial hitting the networks. >> do you want sushi. i have the best. >> this may seem like an ad for raw fish. it's the first of its kind.

comcast is running it in new jersey, and later this month, areas where medical marijuana is legal. >> you wouldn't buy your sushi from this go, why buy your marijuana from him. >> this is marijuana doctors - a website linking patients with physicians. critics worry it will encourage more people to use the drug. >> it's part of a growing industry looking like big tobacco. >> comcast told al jazeera critics are struggling with something new. a spokes woman said isn't it jarring when you see a commercial, like when you first saw viagra on the air: >> comcast says the ad could run in 20 states and the district of columbia, all places where it is legal. it is allowed for recreational use in colorado, and washington.

it airs at night when comcast expects kids to be asleep. >> the chicago river will flow clean this st. patrick's day no matter how cold it is. event organizers say if there's ice, they'll break through and get it moving and turning it green. the tradition has lasted some 50 years. the freeze frame tonight comes from rio de janeiro, where the revellers danced through carnivale, part of the week-long festivities. headlines are next.

>> into welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler here are the top stories. president vladimir putin holds a press conference near his home in moscow. the russian leader voices support for the will of the

ukrainian people. it's necessary. he said the government fell victory to an anti-constitutional coup. and former president viktor yanukovych is the legitimate leader there. the ousted president returned to russia for protection. sanctions could hit russia sooner than expected. the white house indicated that it could be a matter of days. the u.s. announces $1 billion in economic aid and energy as part of the response to the russian aggression. president obama kept all eyes on ukraine pledging for support. secretary of state john kerry will meet with his russian counterparts in paris tomorrow. >> the poles close in texas, democratic state senator wendy davis and attorney-general greg abbott will go head to head. jordan davis is the first female candidate in 25 years. for the first time in three decades democrats say they believe they can turn texas

blue. mardi gras comes to a close in new orleans, the biggest celebrations. crowds smaller this year. rain, cold weather, putting a damp on the event. >> those are the headlines. "america tonight" is next. 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, needs to work more to stop it. >> and growing out of t when autistic children become adults. the