welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. >> crimea was, is, and will be an integral part of the state of ukraine. >> ukraine's new prime minister talking about the tensions in crimea as russian navy ships remain in the port. plus diplomatic efforts to stabilize the situation in ukraine. secretary of state john kerry set to meet with russian's

foreign minister in paris. and the jet of the future that is costing taxpayers a fortune now. ♪ world leaders engaging in shuttle diplomacy today over the crisis in ukraine. secretary of state john kerry meeting with officials in france, nato is also holding talks in brussels. here is is what is at stake. in crimea things are tense. >> reporter: if there is somewhere in crimea where the russians have full control it is here at the port. ships of the black sea fleet block all traffic, military and civilian, draining all life from this otherwise thriving port. this is an easy target for the russians. but if their intention is to

take over all ukrainian military installations in crimea, then the mission is not over yet. ukrainian servicemen have refused to yield to this russian show of force. the russians have taken position in front of this army base here. we managed to speak to some of the ukrainian servicemen through the gate. they said they hadn't received any ultimatum yet. they said they had no intention to surrender the base because they pledged loyalty to ukraine, and they hoped this would be solved peacefully. the soldiers are digging in for the long hall. is >> translator: this story has two sides. on the one hand my son has to obey the ukrainian government that he pledged to serve. since the government has changed

the situation is different, and our children are suffering. >> reporter: servicemen arement doing under pressure to take sides with strong roots to both. russians are not invaders this mother shouts. they try to explain they are caught in the middle, but she is not convinced. >> translator: we are on hour land. this is ukrainian territory. many people don't understand us. here we are from the east, west, and south, there are different opinions and people are stressed out. it's hard. >> reporter: as the crisis deepens perhaps one of the harder challenges is for these soldiers to stay disciplined. jennifer glasse is live right now, and hoda mentioning

the russian strong hold there, so give us an update of what is happening there near the port. >> reporter: well, those standoffs continue. i was just looking at the black sea fleet in one of the bases. there are still russian ships sitting next to ukrainian ships, but there are russian ships across the bay just like they are -- one of the main ships is behind me, preventing anything from moving in or out of the bay. and also on land. we were at the base for all of the senior officers of the ukrainian navy. no one allowed in or out of there as well. they are wanted to hold a press conference, the russians wouldn't let them in or out. ukrainian forces are stuck in their bases, refusing to give up. russians right outside, in some

cases with guns positioned, overlooking the bases themselves. but the ukrainians say they keep their allegiance to ukraine. they are hoping they are not forced to defending themselves, but one ukrainian officer i spoke to said look if the russians try to come in, of course we'll be forced to fight. >> is there any indication that the russian presence there is going to get smaller, decrease? >> reporter: not at all, matter of fact we have seen increases in not just military forces, they are backed up by civilian defense forces, and i think that's a real danger, because those people are unpredicted. the forces we have seen have been very disciplined. they have only a few strategically placed bullets in their weapons, and have been very calm, but the civilian

forces tend to get very agitated, and they are alongside these military forces, so you have russians right at the door, and then civilian forces right in front of them, and when i tried to get into a base a couple of days ago, it wasn't the russians who stopped me, it was the ukrainians of russian decent. and there is a big divide between those two sides. >> jennifer we hear music in the background. what is the mood right now? >> reporter: well, you know, if you go around town, you can see i'm in sort of an touristry, entertainment area, and people by and large are trying to go out, and business and usual, but this is a navy town. one woman i spoke to yesterday, said her neighbor told her they

are going to have to leave because her husband refuses to sign an oath to crimea. so there are deep divides among neighbors here and people very, very surprised at how this is breaking down. ukrainian sailors sitting out on ships, they would normally go home at night. their families are getting threats, so while behind me it seems calm, there is certainly a lot of tension here in this navy town. >> jennifer glasse live for us, thank you very much. and in our next hour, we're expecting to hear from secretary of state john kerry. kerry is in paris this hour, trying to diffuse the situation in ukraine. his counterpart claiming there are no russian troops on the ground in the peninsula. >> translator: regarding the self-defense forces, we do not have any power over them. but the russian military forces in the black sea fleet are placed at the right spots, and

some special alert measures have been adopted to control the black sea fleet because as our president said we are not going to allow any blood to be spilled. phil ittner is live right now. phil how do you hold a dialogue when both sides didn't decide on whether what we're seeing in crimea constitutes troops? >> sergei lavrov may say that, but as far as the west is concerned, those are russian troops they are trying to form late a response, and it seems as though it is going to be in economic term. here is what the president had to say today. >> today the european commission has identified a package to support ukraine. this is our contribution to tomorrow's meetings of [ inaudible ] government. the package combined could bring an overall support of at least

11 billion euros over the next couple of years. from european budget and european [ inaudible ] international financial institutions. it is a package designed to assist a committed inclusive, and reforms oriented ukrainian government. >> now del 11 billion euros is approximately $15 billion. that's almost exactly the sum the kremlin offered ukraine to stay away from the eu before all of this started. and they are talking about establishing a free-trade zone, and they are going to return money to ukraine. as far as the west is concerned, del, in the 21st century

[ technical difficulties ] >> pro-western authorities in kiev. it is scheduled to last until march 12th. and in a statement this morning before, chuck hagel explaining how u.s. military efforts will

respond to the crisis in ukraine. >> the defense department is pursuing measures to support our allies including stepping up joint training in poland. it's an area that i visited a few weeks ago, and augmenting our participation in nato's air-policing mission on the baltic peninsula. and remember for the latest coming out of the ukraine and the rest of today's headlines you can follow us on twitter. the votes have been counted in texas, wendy davis will face republican greg abbott. abbott has come under fire for campaigning with rock star ted nugent. the state house with vote on a water protection spill in west

virginia. robert and i have in charleston, and what does this bill specifically propose? >> reporter: del, it's been a long few days for the politicians here in west virginia, the bill went through the judiciary committee over the weekend, and then it hit the finance committee and sort of came to a bit of a halt, but basically it proposes that all above storage chemical tanks here in the state will be due to yearly inspections. there were a couple of things that were stripped that are a bit of controversy here right now. the finance committee removed long-term medical monitoring, which was a major thing that environmentalists, and citizens wanted, because they just weren't sure as to what the long-term effects of the chemicals that were spilled

were. and early-warning system detection of chemicals into the river or water supply has always been removed. lobbyists pushed hard to have that stripped. it appears the finance committee agreed because it was going to cost too much money. although there is going to be some push back on this today in the hearing and possibly in the coming days until the vote actually occurs del. >> and are we looking at a domino effect? could this cause sweeping changes across the country? >> reporter: it's a possibility, but as of right now -- we don't have a vote yet, and it's too early to speculate, but as of right now, it looks like industry has been pushing quite hard to get what they want on the lawmakers here, and it seems like they are getting a little bit of what they want with some of the exclusions that have occurred. we'll see if some of the delegates can fight their way back in to see if they can get

those things they had a couple of days ago back on to the bill. the above ground storage tanks -- so, they will be inspected yearly. that's fine. that is in the bill. but the above-storage tanks on barges and boats that float on the rivers here in vest washington, that are monstered by the coal industry, those are not regulated, and have been taken off of the bill. so the sweeping changes, perhaps not so sweeping. perhaps industry is winning here. >> and robert the water was contaminated on january 9th. are they drinking it now? >> reporter: most people are fairly -- still hesitant about drinking the water. i don't smell licorice like i have over the past months, and the u.s. national guard took their last sample yesterday

claiming the levels are fully undetectable at this point, so water testing seems to have stopped according to the u.s. national guard here. perhaps things are getting back to order, we'll have to see what the vote happens and when it happens. >> robert thank you very much. coming up, protests in venezuela are growing, and they are using a unique way to demonstrate against the government. and chuck hagel testifying right now before the defense budget committee because of problems like this, a fighter jet that cost millions of dollars that no one is using.

>> these protestors have decided that today they will be arrested >> these people have chased a

president from power, they've torn down a state... >> what's clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance. so many money stories sound complicated. but don't worry. i'm here to take the fear out of finance. every night on my show i break down the confusing financial speak and make it real. three al jazeera staff detained in egypt making their second court appearance on wednesday. the three in prison now for more than two moshths. dozens of foreign journalists arriving to cover the

proceedings. al jazeera jekts all charges. in china activists crowding the square in beijing, protesting the annual meeting. security officers escorted them way. they meet once a year to leblth or remove members of the government. it is expected to draw 3,000 delegates this year. weeks of demonstrations in venezuela have left at least 18 people dead. adam is in an -- san cristobal. >> reporter: this is how students have brought traffic to a halt. as the country remembers the former president's death there is pressure to lift the barricades and let traffic

through. >> translator: we'll continue in the streets. this isn't just a 20-day problem. it is a problem that requires weeks, months, years to resolve. we'll deep protesting. >> reporter: many of the barricades bare ehgies of the president. i asked the mayor who backs the protests if he wants the government to fall? >> translator: i work every day for the end of this government. but i don't do it outside the limits of this constitution of course. we hope that we can accomplish this through constitutional means. the country needs it to change. >> reporter: the sacred constitution is held up by both sides. this man now supports ma dur row. >> translator: they are ignoring

the constitution. this isn't a peaceful protest. >> reporter: he and others have a warning for the protesters too. >> translator: the people are calm now, but the day that chavez's people come out on the streets, i don't know what can happen. >> reporter: what you see here is a succession of barricades from where we are standing all down the hill and throughout thety center. they are set up to protect neighbors, and set up as a form of civil disobedience to show they are fed up with their government. but the protests have only added to the problem of shortages here. that could fuel anger and violence that could bring these barricades and protests down. ♪ wall street taking it easy after two days of large swings. the dough right now down 23

points. blue chips posting their biggest gain yesterday. target's chief information security officer is stepping down. target is overhauling the division after that huge data breach. and payroll firm adp saying the private sector added a smaller than expected number of jobs in february, and january's number was revised downward. the labor department will release their report on friday. reports say that ben bernanke was paid at least 200,000 for his first public speech. he is scheduled to give two more talks this week. defense secretary chuck hang l speaking before the senate

armed services committee this morning. >> the air force as you have noted will retire the a-10, replacing it with more modern and sophisticated multi-missionary craft. the improved technology and capabilities of that joint strike fighter coming with delays and budget overruns. rosiland jordan reports. >> reporter: the joint strike fighter, better known as the f-35 is supposed to be all things to all branches of the u.s. military, able to evade enemy radar, capable of supersonic speed and able to land and take off like a helicopter when required. since the pentagon unveiled the f-35 in 2001, turning its plans into a fully capable jet has been problematic.

>> it has cost twice as much, delivered twice as long as they said they were going to deliver it. >> reporter: when the jet reaches supersonic speeds the stealth coating melts off. and serious cracks in the bulk heads of the version designed for the marine corps. those are just some of the problems in a program now costing tax payers $92 billion over its lifetime, 70% more than originally projected. and not a single jet is ready to go into combat. one day the pentagon says it will buy more than 2400 f-35s to serve the entire military, but in next year's budget it is only going to purchase 34 of them for

testing and basic missions. why so few? constructionally mandated budget cuts. every program has to be trimmed to save money. >> the reality of reduced resources and a challenging and changing strategic environment requires us to prioritize and make difficult choices. some of those choices we must make now. >> reporter: despite the many problems and the cost overruns the military has no plans to scrap the f-35. it argues current fighter jets are obsolete, and china and russia are developing fighters that can outfly the jet. rosiland jordan, al jazeera, washington. coming up on al jazeera america, it has been almost a year now since pope francis has

become pontiff.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are your headlines at this hour. secretary of state john kerry is in paris trying to diffuse the crisis in ukraine. he'll hold face-to-face talks with sergei lavrov. lavrov claiming there are no russian troops on the ground in crimea. the black sea fleet is blocking all traffic in the crimean area. the west virginia state house will vote on a water protection bill to try to prevent another chemical spill like the one that can tom nated the water in january. if passed it will effect 150 water companies. ♪ i'm meteorologist dave. you may not have to wait long

for the return of warm weather. but it doesn't feel like that now with bitter cold air, all the way down to texas, but the warm air comes back by thursday. much warmer temperatures coming up from the south, and this is ahead of a big storm developing out of the pacific. big train of moisture here coming in from hawaii. they call this the pineapple express. a lot of moisture coming in. this will be wednesday, thursday, and friday. very heavy rain in the valleys and heavy snow in the mountains. avalanche warnings in effect because of that very heavy snow coming down quickly. and flood warnings in effect for the valleys there. areas that need do moisture but really not hitting southern california. you can start to see this rain moving in from the ocean, just a

train of moisture coming in. the temperatures are trying to warm up a bit to the south, really pretty cool today, but the warm air returns as a storm develops along the gulf coast and the southeastern states. timing will be thursday and friday. we have high-pressure keeping this moisture to the south and the cold air in place. we could see an area of mixing here. not a lot of snow, but the threat for ice is there thursday and early friday mainly across virginia. that will be the big story there. keeping a lot of rain in place right over north carolina and virginia. del? >> dave warren thank you very much. a different kind of magazine is launching today. it's called my pope dedicated exclusively to pope francis. it will cost about $0.70, and includes a pull-out poster of

the pontiff each and every week. the pope saying today he does not want to be considered a star. thanks for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. check us out 24 hours a day on aljazeera.com. >> there are reasons why men and women in uniform are killing themselves. even as military efforts to handle the problem escalate. a tragic, less to war is the "inside story." hello, i'm ray suarez. during america's two wars t