and costing $197 billion. those are the headlines. america tonight is up next. ♪ on "america tonight," the war of words is on. >> translator: you are escalating the situation, europe and the usa. >> so is the push-back. >> this is ill legitimate decision. >> ukraine in crisis. also tonight, bold breakthroughs or microscopic steps forward, new developments

in the fight against hiv. and america isn't the only nation built on slave labor. >> when america was born, the british slave trade was already more than 100 years old. >> the sad history in britain's great past. ♪ good evening, thanks for joining us. i'm joie chen. there are late develops in the crisis in ukraine. president obama spoke to vladimir putin for about an hour this evening. the white house reports the president laid out a road map for a resolution, but only if russian troops returned to their bases, and russia engage in direct talks with the interim ukrainian government.

the call comes after mr. obama drew a bright line on the most urgent question of the day. >> united states is united with our allies and partners in upholding international law. and advancing global security. >> the president rejecting what should surely be a rubber stamp vote in crimea's parliament. aimed at making crimea a part of russia. outside of the parliament building protesters push back too only to be quickly put down by men in caps. for the fledgling government of ukraine -- >> this is illegitimate decision, and this so-called referendum has no legal grounds

at all. >> while john kerry after meeting with russia foreign minister excooed president obama's order. >> crimea is ukraine. any referendum on ukraine is going to have to be absolutely consistent with ukrainian law. all ukrainians would have to be part of a referendum with respect to the territory of ukraine. >> the nato secretary general said it has its support. >> nato stands by ukraine and the right of every nation to decide its own future. nato stands by ukraine's sovereignty and integrity and by the fundamental principles of international law. >> but even in the face of firm words russia signals it is

digging in. sinking one of its own ships, it creates a barricade in a strategic waterway. joining us now from crimea, jennifer glasse is standing by. jen, we have talked a great deal about the pressures and mennings that have been growing in crimea. a lot of this pressure is now being applied to the ukrainian forces there. >> that's right, joie. we saw it really rapped up here in artillery bay behind me. we saw russian helicopters circling the bay. and then a russian yet dropped a torpedos just to show the ukrainians they can do it. their sailors are on board,

unarmed, except the captain has one weapon, but they have pulled out so they can't be boarded by russia forces. a lot of tension. we have also seen russians not only on the sea creating a lot of tensions but also on land where we saw the russians come in on sunday. last night overnight, the entire camp of about 250 russians packed up and left. so the ukrainians who have been blockaded in that camp for five days thought maybe it is over, and then the russians came back a few hours later. so this psychological war fair has been going on across the peninsula with russians blockading ukrainian soldiers in their ships and in their camps so even if they don't have control of the basis, they are keeping the ukrainians of moving

out of their bases. >> thank you for being with us. this presses on the message to the masses. russia is using its state-controlled media to build a case for russian occupation. here is sarah hoye. >> reporter: they say there are always two sides to every story. >> i cannot be part of a network funded by the russian government that whitewashes the actions of putin. >> reporter: liz had enough working for the state-run television station known as russia today. she quit on air this week. >> i'm proud to be an american, and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why after this newscast, i am resigning. >> reporter: and she is not the

only one taking issue with the story line. abby martin spoke out what she described as misinformation. >> the coverage i have seen of juke has been truly disappointing and rife with misinformation. >> reporter: it highlights how the crisis in ukraine has become a propaganda battle. each news out let with their own perspective. kremlin controlled media are doing everything they can to discredit the newly formed government in kiev. >> they see fascist gangs seized power in kiev. they are dangerous. they jeopardize the livelihoods of russian speakers, russian compatriots, ethnic russians, however it is put in russia. russia is do the rescue. >> reporter: channel 1, russia's

original tv channel reported that 675,000 refugees left ukraine for russia over the last two months. the problem is that is the border of poland not russia. media analysts say the government information campaign is working. >> when you have state-controlled media, you have an incredible source that whenever you want to unleash a campaign just give the command. >> reporter: meanwhile, independent media outlets are going run out of crimea. black sea tv was taken off of the air in the middle of the night. >> translator: we have had to film without logos on our microphones because every day these people try to chase our reporters away. >> reporter: some locals blame the western media for the increased attention. >> translator: you are escalating the situation europe and the usa. there aren't any russian forces

here. russia would never be an occupier. >> reporter: wherever the truth lies, the battle for ukraine's future is far from over, and it is still unclear how the story will unfold. >> sarah hoye is with us now. who's voice do we not hear in all of this? >> the real people, the residents, the neighbors. the people who were protesting and upset about what was going on. so when this happens, it's almost as if someone takes ever. and the real people effected disappear. >> dwlieng very much. earlier this week, nick schifrin told us about the attack on ukrainian journalist. in the weeks before the ousting of president yanukovych she feared that she was in danger.

even after she was drag from her car and savagely beaten, she wouldn't be silenced. and then the documents dumped in the lake at the ousted president's home. and a notebook which appeared to blacklist some journalists including that journalist. we'll continue to follow the story. when we return, an al jazeera fault lines investigation. a shocking report on the contracts the u.s. military put in place arp the world. and the trial of the so-called blade runner unfolds, and a look at the culture of

domestic violence in south africa and around the world. that's friday on "america tonight." ♪

>> tafficked labor on the front lines? >> they're things...they're commodities... >> we go undercover... >> it isn't easy to talk at this base... >> what's happining on u.s. bases...

>> the taxpayer directly pays the human trafficker. >> fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the doors... >> groung breaking... >> they killed evan dead. >> truth seeking... >> they don't wanna show what's really going on... >> breakthough investigative documentary series america's war workers only on al jazeera america ♪ tell me the story of how all of this unfolded. >> from what i understand a few teachers went to my supervisor and said they had discovered that i was married. and then sister mary who was the president and head of our school

brought me in asking me some questions about it. and i told her yes, i was married to the love of my life, dana jergans and she said that is unfortunate. i don't feel like i have done anything wrong. it is legal here in the state of washington. i am catholic, and i do pray to god every day. >> you met that man in an excuse if interview of "america tonight." he was forced to resign from east side catholic school because he is gay and married his long-term partner. he announced he will file a lawsuit against the school and the archdiocese of seattle. now today there are nearly 40,000 foreign contract workers

on bases in the u.s. military central command. these laborers serve american troops in facilities in afghanistan, iraq, and elsewhere. they are willing to travel to a war zone for the promise of what for them would be a high salary. but fault lines has found that they regularly end up deceived. we investigate whether the u.s. military has come to rely on an indentured work force. >> reporter: the floor corporation and dine core international are called prime contractors because the u.s. government hired them directly. >> they all work together and serve us really, really good

food. >> reporter: most of the contract workers here work for smaller companies, subcontracts, which floor hires to handle basic tasks. >> and the enjoy of watching your food made right in front of you. >> huh. >> reporter: the people serving food here work for these subcontractors. christmas dinner. on the face of it, it's a little odd. american and european troops being served by indians and nepali's in afghanistan. when we requested to film here, the military had to ask permission from floor. floor denied our request.

it wasn't long before i heard about a unique aspect of their employment. to get these jobs they all had to pay fees to recruiting agents.

i asked several people if they would speak to me on camera about how they were recruited to afghanistan. most were hesitant not wanting to jeopardize their jobs, but a few hours later, i got a message. one of the workers i met at the dining hall just contacted me. he wants to talk to us about his story. it isn't easy to talk openly on this base, so we're trying to find a place to meet. the worker asked us to conceal his identity and alter his voice. we'll call him ravi, he told us to meet him at an empty part of the base after he finished his shift. he told us he was tricked into

working in afghanistan for a salary that was less than half of what he was promised. it started when a friend back home introduced him to a recruiting agent who told him for a hefty fee he could get a job in afghanistan working for dine corps. he would fly to dubai, connect with dine corps and then fly to the base. but there was a catch. the job at dine corps didn't actually exist, instead the agent housed ravi in a work camp in dubai. after three weeks the agent told him for an additional fee he could get him a job with a subcontractor. so you were promised a job at dine core -- >> yeah. >> reporter: and then you got a job at [ inaudible ] for 500.

>> reporter: how much money did you pay the agent? >> reporter: ravi has been recruited under fraudulent terms that compelled him to work for a year, simply to pay off his debt. according to the u.s. state department and the united nations, this is human trafficking, illegal under u.s. and international law. what percentage of workers paid fees to agents in order to get

here? >> fault lines correspondent joins us now. these are quite stunning allegations, how do the contractors involved respond to these sort of charges? >> they have denied that there is any human trafficking on their contracts. we have reached out to the contractor, the subcontractor, and the department of defense. the department of defense didn't respond despite repeated requests. i think what is interesting also is that in september of 2012, president obama signed an executive order banning the use of recruitment fees on my military contracts, and later that year, congress also passed a bill that banned unreasonable recruitment fees, but there really isn't much enforcement about this. and when workers are basically forced to pay such large recruitment fees and take out

enormous loans. they are playing 35 to 40% interest on these loans, they are compelled to work, and when they finally reach the military base, it's not in their interest to say they have paid a recruitment fee because they are terrified they will be send back home and lose all of their money. >> is this something new that has been happening? >> this has been going on for at least a decade. the u.s. military has been pr proo -- privatizing a lot of his jobs, including countries to fill low-wage jobs. there has been reporting on this since at least 2006, which is what lead to the executive order and law in congress. we reached out to 75 current and former workers who have been in afghanistan or are currently in

basis across afghanistan, and we found that at least 95% had paid recruitment fees. >> of course we have often seen reports about the amount of money involved in government contract work. is it clear who benefits the most here? >> i think the whole system is set up so that everybody along the way benefits except the working. the worker is promised a job. they were promised a job of 1200 but ended up getting only $500. where the subcontractors are making 75% profit and up wars. the recruitment people are making all of the fees. and floor and dine corps are basically reimbursed for everything they pay the subcontractors, plus they get a

fixed profit of anywhere between 1 to 6%, so they are making enormous profits all along the way except for the worker, and this is all being paid for by u.s. taxpayers. >> incredible story. thank you for being with us. you can see all of her report on "faultlines" this friday 9:30 eastern on al jazeera america. after the break new developments in the fight against hiv. one of the world's leading experts on how much closer we may be to a cure. ♪

the dalai lama lead the prayer at the u.s. capitol. the dalai lama has visited the cap to many times, but this was his first time leading the prayer. un human rights officials want answers over allegations that officials are beating and jailing protesters there. in a landslide vote, the alabama house passed a bill that would conceal the companies that

provide execution drugs to death row inmates. it has been a big week in the battle against hiv and aids with some promising new. headlines now, a california newborn taking a triple-drug treatment was cleared of hiv after just six days. she is still on the drugs and will be for a while. so doctors cannot say she is fully cleared, but there is reason for optimism in the case of a mississippi child who took the same drug regiment and is still free of the virus at the age of 3. an adult reported cleared of the virus, and in the lab researchers report hope from a vaccine in a study moving

monkeys. to help us understood more about these developments joining us is nation national institute director dr. anthony fauci. if we could tick through these and help our viewers understand how significant they are. the first one involving the babies. how significant is this? does this mean these babies can be cured with early and aggressive intervention? >> it certainly is suggestive, and when you talk about cure, you better make sure we talk about its applicability widely. this baby was treated within the first four hours of birth and was treated for about nine months which is where we are right now, and about nine months later, we can't detect any virus in the baby, so investigators are looking into cells in the baby's blood and can't find any

virus. you can make an assumption that the virus is gone, but you can't prove that until you stop therapy and show after many months that the virus does not rebound. the baby is still receiving therapy, so you can't make that proof. you can assume that's the case. so now we're dealing with the second case of a baby that is either cured or pretty certainly assumed to be cured. the real story now is to do a large clinical trial which is being prepared and ready to be implemented and the baby's will be treated within 48 hours of birth to determine if this is a reproducible phenomenon, and does the suppression or elimination of virus last for years as opposed to several months? >> when you take all of these

three developments together, when you look at all of as a layman, we look at this and say gee are we looking at things that are brings us much closer to a cure and end of hiv? >> i think we are getting closer from the pure standpoint of implementation of interventions that we already have. we're coming close to turning the tide and trajectory on hiv globally. we know that's the case. the recent findings that you are talking about are still in the experimental stage, and we want to be able to cure people. that means get to the point where not only do you suppress the virus, but you can stop the drug and the person no longer needs the drug. we certainly are not there yet, but the first indication of that was in the famous berlin patient who had to receive a stem cell transplant for another reason, so they were treated with

chemotherapy and then given a stem cell transplant and it looked like the virus did not return. there is gene editing or gene therapy, a, it is safe to do, b, they can crow the cells up and put them back into the body and they seem to survive. so that's a step in the right direction. >> appreciate you being with us, dock dr. anthony fauci. thanks very much. >> you are quite welcome. when we return, a u.s. olympian with russian roots. why this will be more than a homecoming. ♪

one of the great things about working at al jazeera is the

amount of space you have to do the kind of stories that take a long time to cover. to have the complete editorial freedom to tell these stories and do so with the adequate resources is amazing. consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the government shutdown. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> we've heard you talk about the history of suicide in your family. >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but, what about buying shares in a professional athlete? real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america even with a crisis in ukraine and u.s. sanctions imposed against some in russia, the games will go on, the

para-olympic games that is. official delegations in the united states, the united kingdom and canada will not be there in protest against the russia presents in crimea. we met an athlete who's competition will be for more glory than just a medal. >> reporter: meet the beast, that's what her friends call her. the only person male or female to win four major marathons in a single l year. >> i they was it, yeah? we are all done. >> reporter: what do you think your prospects are? >> um, well, my goals are to make it definitely top ten, which i did in world championships, and to make it into the final. >> reporter: tatyana mcfadden is no stranger to the olympic games

or winning. she is a ten-time medalist who has been in a wheelchair her whole life. in fact she is one of the fastest wheelchair racers in the world. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: but at the paralympics in sochi, she'll be trying something entirely new. >> these will be my first winter games. >> reporter: yeah, you are a track athlete. >> yeah, it is going to be cold for me. >> reporter: and you just took up skiing recently? >> yeah, last year was my first time i started skiing. >> reporter: she started skiing 14 months ago, and last month she qualified for the team. >> in wheelchair racing you have a different stroke where you push down and around, and it's really about the power in your

arms and back and core, all of those things. skiing, it's really about having the power mostly in your core and being able to synchronize it with your arms. >> reporter: how she became an elite athlete goes back to her childhood. she was born in russia with a condition that left her without the use of her legs, and for the first six years of her life without a family. >> there she was crawling on the floor with this huge bow in her hair and her legs were all at trophied behind her back. >> reporter: debra mcfadden was the commissioner, she was on a tour of orphans, and she was

captivated by tatyana. >> she picked up my camera and started playing with the buttons. >> did you know you were possibly going to adopt a child. >> no. unbeknownsted to me the director said that is my mom. >> reporter: can you imagine what your life would be like if she never stopped in there. >> i don't think i would be living this long. for the first six years i didn't go to the doctor once. >> reporter: watching her compete now, it's hard to imagine when she came to the u.s. she was so sick that doctors feared the cute little girl rescued from russia wouldn't make it. >> so i'm thinking, i have got

to keep her alive. how am i going to do that? i thought well, i'll get her involved in swimming. >> reporter: she eventually joined the bennett blazers. >> you can do it. >> reporter: a program for disabled athletic children in baltimore, maryland. >> keep it up! >> reporter: the coach says she was an immediate standout. >> she was just a very spirited kid. she always wanted to do everything. her speed was phenomenal, and she just always had a natural athleticism. >> when the coaches were saying she is amazing, she is amazing. and i thought yes, she is. and as she progressed through the years, she was winning all of the events. >> reporter: when did you decide that having fun playing sports just wasn't enough; that you wanted to become an olympian? >> definitely in middle school.

i just loved going so fast in my racing chair, and i just wanted more, and -- and i just had this competitive edge. >> reporter: when she was 15 years old, she begged her mother to take her to california to try out for the para-olympic track trials. >> she gets on the track, and i don't want anything to do with coaching with her. so she was on the track and she was like what should i do? and i was like, go fast? [ laughter ] >> and she made the team at 15. >> unbelievable. >> yeah. >> reporter: she was off to the athens paralympics where she won a silver and bronze. >> she came around the end of the track and when she saw me i was crying, and she said why are you crying? and i said it's a mom thing. >> tatyana mcfadden is from the class of 2008.

>> reporter: she was just inabducted into the sports hall of fame at her high school. [ applause ] >> reporter: getting the honor did not come easily. her family ended up in a legal battle with the school when she was denied a spot on the track team. it lead to a new law which allows disabled students the right to join high school sports teams. >> it's the 21st century, how can you deny people? >> reporter: when she won three gold meddles in london, she decided to make her first trip back to russia, visiting the orphanage that was once home. >> some things i do remember, the smell, and -- i remember, you know, a few things that were similar, when i walked in, and -- but everything was so much smaller, because i was walking on my hands and knees so

everything looked big, but it was quite small. >> reporter: if you get to get up there on the platforms and accept another medal, what do you think that would say to the people of russia? >> i'll probably be balling, but -- but i think it goes to show them that, you know, how strong and how independent and how determined of a person i am, and that, you know, nothing can stand in -- in my way. >> reporter: and medal or not, she continues to be an inspiration to little girls lycra peca wood. >> reporter: who is your favorite at theet? >> tatyana. >> reporter: do you want to be like her some day? >> yes. >> reporter: she is after more than gold this time, in a country where the president has vilified american adoptions, she will be exhibit a for their

defense. >> reporter: when you stopped in the orphanage, was it hard to look at those kids? >> the only thing that was sad was knowing that the adoption between america and russia has stopped. it does make me sad, because kids are being born every day. >> reporter: people know, people know that she was an orphanage. >> oh, yeah. yeah. >> reporter: that's going to be something to watch her come neat those games. >> yes, it is. >> reporter: it could send a message. >> i think that's the point to send a message that i am alive and well, and having a disability and being adopted has helped me be who i should be. tatyana was born for a reason. she is a gifted athlete, a gifted academic student, and maybe she can show them and say it's worth it to let kids be raised in a family. her first event is the 12k

cross-country skiing event on sunday. we can't wait to see how she does. slavery's roots in great britain, the grand homes and pal lay shall quarters that housed one of humanity's darkest chapters. ♪

take a new look at news. ♪

finally from us this hour, we of course as many movie goers around the world were captivated by the story of salomon in the oscar-winning film, 12 years a slave. but that was just one man's account of slavery in america, the history of the slave trade, however, lasted 300 years. from london, al jazeera reports on those ties. >> look at this amazing painting. >> reporter: miranda and madge dresser are historians who have also become detectives. asking hard questions about that symbol of british power and culture, the country home, questions about the wealth by hind those homes, and their

links with slavery. ♪ we're down to the river jordan ♪ >> that servant that don't obey his lord shall be beaten with many strides. >> reporter: the release of the film 12 years a slave has triggered a debate about what needs to be talked about in britain's past. >> these are the sort of things which shouldn't be forgotten about. man's imhumanity to man, and you have got to teach it so people don't do it again. >> reporter: adding to the debate at the museum of london, an exhibit on the slave trade. >> this was the biggest migration of human beings in the history of mankind. some people say 30, 32 million people went over. >> reporter: thanks to research

from people like dresser and coffman, english heritage is now hitting the reset button on britain's colonial past, by listing historical homes that were built from blood money, profits from the slave trade or had other ties to slavery. coffman was intrigued when she attended an exhibit about life in the 1700s. she noticed a contest for a free weekend at a 5-star hotel. >> when you see a property like this, a house built in the joer georgian period, you have to ask where did they get the money? >> reporter: there is documents of the companies when slavery was abolished.

>> they got 20 million pounds to ensure that they were compensated by the loss of their property, i.e., the bodies. >> reporter: a winfall for the 40,000 merchants and investors to refurbish their estates or build new homes. but for the 800,000 newly freed, there was no compensation. coffman used the data bank to ferret up the slave culture for this home. can you really say this house was built on blood money? >> no, but we can use it to tell a wider story. this house is definitely linked to the history of slavery. the father voted against the abolition of slave trade. the son banked rolled the trade

system, and he was one of the beneficiaries at the bank who was paid in compensation in 1833. >> reporter: the bank held the mortgage to -- 7 plantations. when america was born the british slave trade was already 100 years old, and bristol was at the heart of it. >> reporter: it wasn't just the trade of enslaved people. it was this whole slave economy that made bristol a wealthy place. it become a big processing port. >> reporter: sugar produced by slave labor that fed the english love affair with tea. >> shout sugar, tea and coffee are bitter. who would want that? slavery made this sugar cheap.

and this meant that it was used more and more in british society. >> reporter: sugar was gold and a ladder for social-claiming traders. >> we connected the various people involved, and the stately homes that they built. redland court, the whole property was full of plantation owners for generations. ashton court was renovated after sir john hughes married a heiress. lee court, he was the first sugar millionaire, and later built kings weston. >> reporter: an estate that first belonged to a colonial official who was enriched by the slave system. the self made man is now lord of the manner at king's weston.

>> you appreciate how much they must have been, and the top floor was mostlier is vap -- servants and children's quarters. >> reporter: today he is restoring the building. >> bristol has a lot of history in the slave trade. >> do you find people a bit defensive about it at times? >> oh, probably so. but we need to be able to discuss it openly and clearly me being here for a start means that things have changed. >> reporter: even has britain profited, lawmakers wrestled with its morality. at the highest level the issue became personal. at kenwood house a rare portrait of a beautiful black women and her white companion fascinates visitors. these two are cousins?

>> correct. i think many people were surprised to find a mixed-race girl in a portrait hanging in the house. >> what is right cannot be impossible. >> reporter: the film belle tells the true story of dito. >> what has she been named? >> ditto lindsay. >> she takes your name? >> she makes my name. >> wher ditt's father was at sea, england's highest ranking judge agreed to raise the child. >> show was brought up as part of this aristocratic family. so she was part of the family in the house. >> reporter: meanwhile her great uncle was making historic rulings that limited the slave

trade. >> he was ruling of those cases and ruling in favor of the blacks and slaves. >> when the lord died he left ditto with a pension and something even more precious. >> it also stated that she has her p-- freedom, obviously she was brought up as a free black, but it is quite telling that in 1793 he felt he had to reiterate this in a written document. >> reporter: the evidence of legislaturery is an every day reality. in bristol's museum the story of henry parker, he was a run away escaping from a florida plantation to england. >> this is henry, but great great great grandfather. elaine only recently learned of

her link to slavery from her family's past. >> reporter: what do you think about this? >> it's amazing. it's amazing what is there when you start digging. you don't know what you are going to find. i feel quite humble, because he must have had quite a hard time. >> reporter: the many stately homes here have a similar hidden past. >> reporter: the economy results from brutality through to a again tillty that masks that brutality. >> reporter: the secrets of that society are no longer secret. today those mysteries are being solved and accepted as history. such a remarkable and important story. good reminder to all of us that other countries and cultures share the sorrow and shame of slavery in their times. that's it for us here on "america tonight." please remember if you want to comment on any stories you have

seen here, log on to our website, aljazeera.com/americatonight. you can also join the conversation with us. we're on twitter or on our facebook page as well. good night, we'll have more of "america tonight" coming up tomorrow. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler? new york and here are tonight's stop stories. the u.s. levies sanctions against russians, and ukrainians tlenting ukraine's democrat sick.

president obama gave the executive order this morning, imposing visa restrictions and financial sanctions. and fighter jets arrived in lithuania. european leaders are also increasing pressure on moscow. the eu has frozen partnership talks with russia. it warned of tougher sanctions if moscow refuses to cooperate >> in crimea pro russian lawmakers today voted to join russia. ukraine's government and western leaders have rejected the move calling it illegal. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staffs says edward snowden's leaks will cost the military billions of dollars. the pentagon has set up a task force to study the loss of security to military operations. and bashyy -- barbie is in

trouble again this time for her uniform. they say the anatomically incorrect a doll is a flawed role model for little girls. "consider this" is next. you can always get the latest on aljazeera.com. >> president obama's hot seat is boiling over ukraine, becoming the target about heated accusations about his inability to deal with pam -- put jip. >> and how to deal with sexual assault in the forces. >> science backlash over juice cleanses. i'm antonio mora, welcome to "consider this,"