thank you very much. >> the show may be over. the conversation continues on the website aljazeera.com/considerthis. you can find us on twitter, google+ and facebook. see you next time. good evening everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. >> on the line - president obama speaks to vladimir putin, a one-hour phone call to the white house with a pitch to end the crisis in ukraine. >> rick perry, ted cruz, chris christie rally the base at a key conference for potential presidential candidates. who has the best chance. >> her mission, cindy mccain's

bid to end human trafficking. she joins us. >> tonight - our special report on vladimir putin. what you don't know about him. >> they are the two most powerful people in the world and they spoke to each other. president obama at the white house, vladimir putin in russia. a one hour phone call on the growing crisis over crimea in ukraine, with president obama offering a way out. the conversation comes after the u.s. and europe lines up sanctions and crimean lawmakers take steps towards braking away from the ukraine. mike viqueira has the latest from the white house. a third call in the last week between president obama and his counterpart. no visual or public sign that progress is made in the diplomatic stand off.

the call lasted an hour, a read out from the white house distilled it to one paragraph. the president calling for talks between russian officials and ukrainian officials. the president calling for the world community to look for the may 25th elections in ukraine as legitimate. we have heard russian officials talk about a refusal to deal with a ukrainian government the product of a coup. the president calling for international monitors to allay the stated russian concerns that ethnic russians are being persecuted. >> the president and the white house announcing sanctions or authorising them. they haven't imposed them yet. this is part of the tools they have. the sanctions would be financial against certain russian and ukrainian individuals as well as a visa ban for some same officials that goes in effect. >> the president appears in the

briefing room and 10 minutes notice. here is how he described his latest steps. >> there's a way to resolve the crisis respecting the interests of the russian nation as well as the ukrainian people. let international monitors into ukraine and crimea to ensure the rights of ukrainians are being respected, including ethnic russians. >> begin consultations with russia and ukraine, with the international community. russia maintains basing rights in crimea, provided that it provides by its agreements and respects ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. and the world should support the people of ukraine as he move to elections in may. >> movements in the house of representatives to back the president in sending aid to ukrainian. the house of representatives,

the republican dominated chamber, passing an aid package to help with its economy. >> thank you mike viqueira. sanctions can be a powerful tool. to convince the government to change its policies. the question is whether they'll work, and richelle carey is here to explain. >> usually what we are talking about here are we strictions on trade and business activity, it's a little complicated. the united states started to authorise economic punishments on ukrainian officials after protestsors were killed. the obama says it was responding to human rights abuses and political repress in the ukraine. the white house said they'd be imposed on the individual entities threatening ukraine's sovereignty.

>> sanctions could include ca cansling visas, making it difficult to do business with specific people. the white house said it would apply to those who misappropriated ukrainian assets or seized parts of ukraine without the approval of the ukrainian government of the russia and some people in ukraine. >> thank you. now, the european union is punishing russia for seizing crimea. the e.u. says it's suspending talks on an economic agreement and stopping talks on whether russian citizens should be allowed to travel without a visa. >> the situation in ukraine is highly precarious. the slightest miscalculation could see it spiral out of control. we issued a warning for vladimir putin, that he must not

destabilize the situation. the statement issued makes it clear that there'll be far-reaching consequences. >> cameron says the european commission is lookings into travel bans. jennifer glasse joins us from crimea with more. >> good morning, it's tomorrow here, and it downs a new day for crimea with the politicians in the parliament and the city council here, signalling intentions to succeed to become part of russia. how that would happen, how it would be administered and how quickly it would happen is unclear. it's not just the politicians, russian troops, their troop movements left people wondering

what russia's intentions are here. >> the abandoned buildings across from navy bases are abandoned again. the russians were here yesterday. >> what happened, where are they? >> maybe they just died, i don't know. >> lieutenant commander here says he has no idea what the russians are up to. maybe they'll be back. he doesn't blame the men on the ground. >> they just follow orders. i understand them. and i don't feel that this is an enemy for me. >> as they have done in some places, the russians met in the middle of the night leaving only cashage in their wake. >> the russians left their positions, but have left behind evidence of their affiliation. medicine and ration packs made in moscow. some russian troops were down the road, as elusive as ever.

we didn't want to get too close. >> excuse me, where are you from? where is your commander? no answer. >> some of the russian ground forces disappeared. on the sea a more aggressive stance. helicopters circled the entrance to artillery bay. and the ukrainian commanders remained trapped in their bases. they have moved up a referendums whether to be part of russia. >> the crimean referendum will be illegal. the new prime minister denounced a move towards russia. >> crimea was, is and will be an integral part of ukraine. >> the majority of people are ethnic russians and welcomed the presence of russian troops and closer ties. not all agree.

a new ukrainian flag for the install naval headquarters. >> we are raising it to show we'll stand until the end, as long as the country is here. he disagrees with the crimean government. >> the parliament was gathered under the threat of machine-guns, i think they are illegitimate. i believe it's up to the people to decide where and with whom to un item. whether with ukraine or russia. >> you crane's navy is blockaded. they are divided as to a union with russia or to stay with ukraine. >> the next referendum is on march the 16th. the politicians decision to move towards russia may be an attempt to predetermine the outcome. with 10 days to get 2 million

into the polls, deciding whether they want to be part of russia or ukraine, a challenge is convincing the world whatever is decided is a legitimate vote. >> more ahead, including a special report. what you don't know about vladimir putin, why he may be worth billions, his work with the kgb and a rise to power. that's ahead during this news cast. 11:30 eastern time. >> it's a who's who of republican stars, taking center stage at the political action conference or sea pack in washington d.c. chris christie is getting the most attention. libby casey has that story. >> this year is different for governor chris christie. he was welcome with warm applause, after last year's snub when he was not invited. he stood by president obama's

sides for photo ops. >> conservatives noticed. >> he has been buddy buddy with obama. >> add in the scandal over the george washington bridge ordered by his staffers as political retribution. >> not the biggest fan. he's like a liberal republicanism. >> as a new yorker i see what he does in new jersey, i'm not a big fan of what he's been doing. >> i like him. he's not my favourite. >> a washington post abc poll suggests three and in 10 republicans would not vote for chris christie. >> c pack is a chance for politicses to talk to the base and win over an audience. >> let us come out of this conference with resolve to win elections. >> and winning the white house matters to florida retiree

marianna fowler. there's time for politicians to prove value. >> i'm for whatever will win. we have to get behind the one that will win. maybe it may not be my favourite. but if they are going to win, that's who i want. >> fowler and others say they are keeping their minds open. chris christie is one of the dozens of speakers who could capture their loyalty. >> our political contributor, dave leven that will joins us, a speaker for public integrity, he was at the c pack event day. >> who do you think stole the show. >> chris christie was the key draw. he stole the show, but there are many contenders taking the stage. chris christie today, bobby gindle, senator ted cruz giving

the kick-off speak, and some three more. rick perry, rand paul and rick santor um in addition to several others. it's part and parcel for the struggle of the soul. the tea party republicans occupied the same space. >> who sounded like they were running for president of the united states. >> i would have to go with chris christie, and the sense that after all the scandals and trouble that he had has not only with the bridge scandal, but, as the package suggested, convincing people he is a hard core run can, he has a meat and potatos speech. he was trying to go to the heart of the base saying, "i'm for real, i'm here in front of you. listen to me, i have a message for you.

>> a great deal of discussion about the tea party, and whether they lost power. what was your sense today there? >> you saw tea party presences throughout cpac. numerous groups were represented. political groups, nonprofit. they talked up a strong game. it was hard to find anyone not talking about the tea party is the cpac. it's an issue we have seen and reported on. conservative organizations for january and february of this year - we are talking super packs, nonprofit groups, spent more money attacking fellow republicans than they did democrats. it may not be a surprise, in the sense that it is primary season. they didn't spend a dime. there really is a bit of an intermural battle. some would say a republican

civil war that is going on with the tea party versus main extreme republicans. >> what is the most important issue when it comes to sea pack. >> jobs, economy through and through. there's one theme that comes up time and time again. it's the internal revenue service. >> the irs. >> it's a huge theme. what you hear a lot from the tea party wing is that the obama administration is after them, they are targetting them. this goes back to the irs scandal of last year. it may seem like a nearby issue, but they see it as a proxy for larger problems with the obama administration being vindictive against the republicans, using it has a platform saying we need to kick the democrats out, we need to redouble efforts. even though it's a couple of years away and trying to beat the democrats.

>> dave leven that will, good to see. coming up cindy mccain in her fight to end human trafficking. >> waiting for justice. wrongly convicted for murder an exonerated man is at the managersy of a bankrupt of a bankrupt city.

>> there is research out about the links between the super bowl and hum jobbing trafficking. it found more than 2,000 ads were sex related. 820 ads involved victims of text trafficking and 50 may have involved minors. the online adds helped to track victims and trends that seemed to be linked to the super bowl. it concluded that it is a

desirable location to bring victims. cindy mccain, wife of senator john mccain, and she spent a decade trying to stop sex trafficking. welcome back. what do you make of the report? >> the mccain institute fund the the report, because we had no real data. we found what you said, but more. the sex trafficking adds and the folks involved are organised. it has a web of links that go all the way across the country, as well as offshore. it was fascinating and frightening to read the data. >> you used former army intelligence officers to track the folks. how did it work? >> these guys are fresh out of the field in afghanistan and iraq. this is what they were doing. it was - what they did was intricate and good. it would be helpful in the long

run as we do this. >> online sex adds outside of nevada are illegal. where is law enforcement on this? >> law enforcement agrees with us. this is a difficult and illegal entity that the people are promoting online. >> organizations like backpage.com - we are not trying to shut them down, we are trying to encourage them to stop the adult services adds. >> what has been the response to that? >> they are not talking to us. >> you talked about the n.f.l. last time you are here, and said that they were not willing to deal with this issue. >> we had a good meeting with the n.f.l. they were response ich, they understand that they need to get involved and be engaged. we are looking forward to working with them closely.

>> the super bowl is a symbol or representative of events where this happens. >> yes, the super bowl is the catalyst. we are not blaming this all on the super bowl. large events across the country where a lot of people gather away from home tend to wind up with this stuff. we have spring training going on. >> other than getting rid of the ads, what else do you want to happen. >> in arizona we are about to put into final passage that not only empowers the first responders, but protects the kids. once we discover them, we protect them, treat them as a victim, not prostitutes, and hopefully enable them to get not only help, but education and all those things to put them into society. >> the victims are sometimes the only ones that get arrested. sometimes it's the only way to make them safe. when you have a pitch looking

for you. many times they say it's only way to get them off the streets. >> can you talk about why this is an issue you are so paigh passionate about. >> it is affecting the country in ways that once i got into this i didn't understand how deep this is, especially to our children. we are about trying to keep the children safe. when a young girl or boy can go to the mall and wind up in a sex trafficking ring, there's something wrong. it's time wee, as a society, step up and say not only is it wrong, but we'll get you for this. you cannot do this, armour children in this way. we are working together with all the western states now to make - put up a barrier to stop this in the west. >> how would you do that? >> legislation number one in arizona, we'll work with other western states that don't have

the strength or legislation to do this. we'll work with him and encourage and enable them to do the same thing we have done, and work together as a nation. our senate and congress are involved in this. we are working closely. it's funny coming from me, i'm working closely with the senate and the house and looking forward to having great stuff. >> thanks for stopping by. >> as detroit works to emerge from bankruptcy, hundreds are in limbo. among them a man falsely imprisoned for a decade. >> it was 2004 when dwayne province was convicted of killing a drug dealer. he was sentences 32 years to life behind bars. he was incident. >> for the first couple of years i was real angry, you know,

confused, didn't know what direction to turn in. >> after nearly 10 years in prison, province found a way out. with the help of the university of michigan's innocence project he was exonerated of all charges, and freed. a new battle began. >> when i walked out of the gaol, it seemed like all 9.5 years was like a big nightmare, a dream, and i woke up now. >> province, who is 40, sued detroit in civil court. next a settlement panel propose a $5 million payment. the city had to great to pay or go to trial, risking exposure of police misconduct and possibly a larger award. then detroit filed for bankruptcy, and province's lawsuit and others were put on hold indefinitely. >> me, personally, it's like the

little man is screwed in the end. >> province was dealt a below when detroit emergency management released a plan to dig the city out of billions in debt. as an unsecured creditor, he could receive $0.20 on the dollar. under those terms a pay out from the city wouldn't be enough. >> i don't believe i should be... >> province believes the city owes him. >> i think that will be a form of apology to me and my families because when i got out of prison there was no apology "we are sorry wore what happened." >> province married the woman he was dating. he planned to use the settlement money to put himself and older children through college. while his case has been put on hold, he's forging ahead with his plans.

>> a new warning about national security agency intelligence leaks. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff says it will cost the military billions. the pentagon is trying to determine what secrets about military operations and tactics were revealed. they came from documents released by edward snowden. most dealt with military capabilities, and not domestic programs. >> vladimir putin, what you don't know about him is just ahead. first richelle carey is back with a look at the headlines. >> tensions rides in ukraine. president obama sends his focus to russian leader vladimir putin. he talked to him on the phone for an hour. president obama afoundation

sanctioned. european leaders are dialling up the pressure on moscow. the e.u. said it froze talks and warned of sanctions if moscow refused to cooperate. in crimea, lawmakers took steps towards splitting off and joining russia. they are putting the issue to a public vote. it has been rejected. >> in other news the senate voted to block a bill to strip military commanders of their authority to prosecute rape. the pentagon opposed it saying prosecutors should have more responsibility for the men and women they lead. >> they include the ability to overturn convictions. >> coming up a report on vladimir putin, from his private life to his rise in power.

what he thinks of the west and what the west thinks of him. the money - he may be one of the wealthiest people in the world. where did the money come from. that and more coming up in our special report. what you don't know about vladimir putin. it's next.

a >> the power. the puzzle. with the public image that turns from cunning to colourful. climbing the ragnks in russia, from the kgb to the kremlin. his fortune is vast. he is perhaps the richest person in the world, and for some the most dangerous. what does he want and why? tonight - vladimir putin, what you don't know about him. >> welcome back. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. it's the biggest confrontation with moscow since the cold war.

president obama and vladimir putin spoke on the phone. the white house says president obama told vladimir putin a solution must include russian troops much the move violates international law. vladimir putin insists he had a right to use force. thousands of russian-backed forces moved into the ukrainian province. it's reported 16,000 troops were there. russia was asked to intervene at the request of ousted president viktor yanukovych. viktor yanukovych has been under russian protection since fleeing ukraine. no matter what happiness in ukraine, vladimir putin is shaping history for the region and the world. his public opinion is carefully orchestrated. what do be know about vladimir putin, the leader. we begin with allen schauffler and frightening details.

>> it's been a phenomenal career. from modest upbringing. >> vladimir putin at st. petersburg was an unusual student. a trouble maker is how he is described. he later earned a law degree and ph.d. in economics. from school he went into the intelligence service, rising to the rank of ltcol in the kgb, going cold war duty in east germany. the chaos after the collapse of the soviet union brought challenges and opportunities. >> the fall of the soviet union was a blow to russia's ego. vladimir putin is the type of person, he had the experience to help bring russia back to their former greatness. >> after the kgb service, he came home. joined city government and rose

through the rank of deputy mayor in st. petersburg. he rose through the ranks, his career took off. he was appointed the head of the security service, successor to the kgb, was the secretary of the security council , was prime minister in "99 and was elected president, buoyed by a rebounding economy. >> this came after extreme recession in the 1990s, and suddenly the economy was back on its feet. people felt a sense of stability. people were grateful to the team in charge. vladimir putin served two terms as president and was prevented from running again. he served as prime minister under dmitry medvedev and won back the presidency in 2012. he oversaw economic reforms, was the first russian or soviet

leader to visit israel and strengthened his imaging with a brutal campaign to put down the rebelian no chech niia. >> it is short lived. in chech na there was a rally. a spike in his ratings, but it evab rated. >> vooutan used the med-- vladi putin used the media. his 30 years marriage ended. his two daughters are a mystery. kept out of the public eye. rumours are fodder for the european press. his relationship with the u.s. and the west warmed over the years. as the man that grew up in post stalinist soviet union learnt

the espian arch, making his mark on the country and the world. >> from his personal life we turn to the political side and his complicated relationship with president obama. they poke -- spoke on the phone for an hour. >> complicated is the word. the relationship between the leaders. president obama and vladimir putin, one thing is certain, over the course of the past two years it's gone from bad to worse, complicating finding a solution between the two men. at the outset of the barack obama administration came the reset. secretary of state - then secretary of state hillary clinton presented sergei lavrov with a reset but yop, and with it a promise of negotiation. there was a treaty signed by president obama and dmitri

medvedev. and they signed off on the libyan work. the reset saw some setbacks. after congress passed a law invoking actions over human rights, vladimir putin retaliated with his own law, prohibiting americans adopting children in russia. there was a meeting that was famous for frosty body language. at the g8 summit and others. then the syrian civil war. putin backed bashar al-assad. he does. president obama called for bashar al-assad to go. it was the n.s.a. scandal with edward snowden. president obama considers him a fugive. he was granted refuge in russia. there was a series of public snubs. the nest g20 hosted by vladimir putin. president obama cancelled a

bilateral. the two met informally. there was more sniping, decidedly undiplomatic language, president obama compared vladimir putin to a barred kid in the back -- bored kid in the back of the class. >> before the winter olympics antigay russia law was signed by vladimir putin. several openly gay athletes demonstrated. before that the president slammed vladimir putin at a conference in mexico saying that vladimir putin had a different view, that he doesn't recognise basic freedoms in ukraine or anywhere else. over the cores of the past week, the men had three separate calls, no public indication that they are closer to an agreement, to averting or ending the crisis in ukraine. >> thank you very much.

vladimir putin's relationship with other world leaders are mixed. germany's angela merkel could broker a deal. she speaks russian, he german, and the two spoke three times in the past week. china could be putting pressure on russia. china is important and has trade relations with ukraine. vladimir putin supported bashar al-assad in the government battle with rebels. they backed the position from crimea. in the u.s. senator john mccain says vladimir putin gets no respect. the editor and public -- publisher joins us now. is he - compared to world leaders, how effective is vladimir putin? >> i think he - he is an effective leader.

that doesn't mean he's not an authoritarian leader. that he isn't someone that wielded repressive power, but he's a strategic leader, a leader that came after the trauma of the 1990s, in which boris yeltsin resided over the looting of a country. russians wanted stability, pensions, salaries. despite the media control, the newspapers are free. there's a popularity that vladimir putin achieved following on the heels of a president yeltsin, perceived as presiding over lawlessness. he re-established russia as a world player, a power. >> you wrote in "the nation", that his success was the popular support of the brutal chechnya war and the media portrayal of him as a sober man, a robust

leader, how has that change youred? leaders over stay their time. he's been there 14 years. he maintains a popularity which is shored up by western actions. by the way, there's a right wing mantra that u.s. weakness embowledened vladimir putin to invade russia. it's been 20 years since the cold war, something that diplomat called, saying it's perceived as aggression, as three former soviet countries are members. for russians, if you stand in the tubes, there's a few that the united states has not been a good strategic partner.

>> now they are taking it back. >> in the context of ukraine, the first casualty of war and conflict is truth. in the case of vladimir putin and what we are witnessing in ukraine, i argue the casualty has been balanced. complexity. you need the history to understand why right or wrong russians and vladimir putin and the political class in russia, because it has to be understood. he has to respond to the war party or tea party, which feels, if you can believe it, that vladimir putin has not been confrontational with the west. i think there is hope for a diplomatic outcome. >> when you look at the square and people murdered andway existed. the palacial palace with viktor yanukovych, and the money made, how does that fit in to your

description. >> corruption in the ukraine is at a colossal scale, going back to the '90s. that has to be, in any country, corruption. it's a violation of the trust of a government with its people. >> one thing the ukrainian government has done is sent the ukrainian oligarchs to be governors in regions in ukraine. clever, as if they want to make sure the oligarchs remain close to the government. i feel it's a betrayal of those who protested in the square of may dap who said "no more corruption." if there's good outxom and fair elections, one thing that needs to happen is to end the expansion. that would go a long way towards a strategic partnership alouping

them to work together. from syria and finding a diplomatic way forward, that the two foreign ministers of the u.s. could do, because they worked better together than sergei lavrov, and hillary clinton. >> a student of russia, we'll get you back to talk again. >> thank you. >> vladimir putin ruled russia for 14 years, tight thing his grip. if anything his power appears to be growing. phil ittner has that story. >> those of us on red square will never forget the day vladimir putin came to power, taking the rains during a chaotic period. while briefly prime minister under yeltsin russia went to war. it was a popular move in russia, bringing the break away rub bike under moscow's control and

restoring russian pride. he wasted no time in cheering house and making the creme lip his own. the oligarchs were with him or exiled or in gaol. >> vladimir putin restored order to the military, contributing to national prestige. there has been an unofficial contract. >> we'll give up certain liberties if you, putin find stability and growth. >> under vladimir putin, there has been unprecedented growth with a new middle class, enjoying the truth of russia, the dreams of a post soviet nation. >> this is a russian watcher saying vladimir putin didn't get rid of corrosion. because he's all about money and

power. >> you don't want to think about society, people. you want to think only about his power, his forces, his army, and his money. his money is a first for him. is that so. >> but unstable oil prices and the lack of nonindustrial sources of income means russia's economy can swing on global prices and civil society is increasingly unhappy with corruption and political manipulation in 2012, following putin's time. russian's balked. determined to swap offices with his surrogate dmitri medvedev. >> the world soured fon putin when he invaded the republic of georgia. now with ukraine he's forecast

as an aggressor. many russians stand with vladimir putin, but there is dissent. if the world hits russia and russians in the pocket books. it blocks them travelling abroad. vladimir putin could see his popularity fall further. he has no longer anywhere near as secure in his office as in the height of the 2000s. >> john, vladimir putin's approval rating would be the envy of western leaders. surveys have it as over 60%. when russia senses weakness and change your. it can come fast. vladimir putin has a lot at stake in this current crisis. >> phil ittner reporting. let's take a closer look at the vladimir putin regime. joining us now from the university of california berkeley is steven fish, a

professor of political science who has written several books on russia and vladimir putin. welcome. >> my pleasure. >> let me start with this: what do you think - how do you think the russian people view vladimir putin's dealings with ukraine. >> all ner getting -- all they are getting right now, 24/7, is his version of events. he's said through the state-controlled media - he's tape over the electronic media. he sold the idea that the uprising in ukraine was instigated by the u.s. it was made by fascists. defending russian speakers, if that's what people think he's doing, will be popular. he'll get popularity out of this. typically people rally around

leaders. it may be short lived. i suspect the cost of this operation dawns on people, the economic cost dawns on taxpayers in russia, that things will change your. >> do you think he's afraid of an uprising in his own country? >> it's possible. for observers like you and me, you wander is he afraid of ukraine's state. no, he's more popular than viktor yanukovych was. but vladimir putin things in terms of worst case scenarios and overestimate the strength and unity of people who are his opponents. he really thinks that the united states instigated the orange revolution back in ukraine in 2004/2005, which brought a pro-western government to power. he overestimates the force of those who are his opponents. this is a big part of his

thinking. >> is there any way to judge russians approval of vladimir putin or not? >> we can. we have the public opinion polls that were cited. they are independent, they are hard to come by. there's no doubt that he enjoys a deal of popularity. whether people regard him as high as opinion polls show. we don't know. russians, for a decade have seen no alternative. he disqualification anyone that changes him and there's a regime where there's not really a viable alternative. >> steven fish, thank you for your insight, we appreciate it. coming up next - the putin fortune, estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. where does the money come from. we are following the money as

our special report on vladimir putin conditions. -- vladimir putin continues.

>> we talked about vladimir putin's life, politician and power. his money, like the leader is a mystery. there are clues showing the extent of his enormous wealth. >> in public russian president

vladimir putin refers to himself as a humble serve able to, reporting a sally of $187,000 and his net worth at less than $500,000, for years there has been speculation that putin is rich, super rich. a popular political scientist and critic in russia says he's worth as much as $70 billion. according to him he owns 70% of shears in a gas company and 30% in gazprom, the largest supplier in the world. the companies have murky ownership structures and shareholder information is not public. complicated matters are held through shell companies. six years ago the rumours surrounding putin reached the u.s. secretary of state condoleezza ries.

she sent a cable citing a russian source saying vladimir putin was seeking to: >> through the years there has been glimpses of vladimir putin's extravagance. his watch collection alone is worth $700,000. a few years ago he gave a $10,000 watch to a siberian boy he met on vacation. >> boris, a critic, issued a report saying putin has access to 50 aircraft, 20 homes and four yachts. >> translation: in his eyes it belongs to him. >> his spokesman told said they were state property that putin uses. >> only putin and his friends

may know the fullest use. it will put him near microsoft founder bill gates. >> russian journalist joins us from new york. he's an investigative correspondent with the russian daily newspaper. it's great to have you on the program. thank you very much. pronounce the name of your newspaper for us. how did he make his money? >> he started this a long time ago. i have to admit we can only speculate how much money he has. some representatives from russia jokes that he doesn't need really money, because he owns russia. the guy that owns russia really is worth more than $160 billion. >> how do his friend benefit

from this. >> his friends - he has a tight circle of friends, going back to his judah school, his colleagues from the kgb and st. petersburg and for his earlier years. >> his former jude. sparring partner, he's worth, like, $4 billion. >> both rotten berg brothers. they not only are on the list, on the forbes list of wealthiest people in russia, they also own soccer clubs, major oil and gas companies, and they are pretty well off. >> they make money because their friend is vladimir putin, is that correct? >>. >> nobody has the evidence.

the ruz to the wealth. >> how has vladimir putin controlled his media coverage. >> it's hard to tell whether because of training or he thought it was a main golt. he seized control over a tv channel. it cap be slightly different. there are four main national networks, and the vast majority of population. gets their news from the tv channels. he put it - two main channels.

then for the third one under the control of his fate-owned monopoly, gazprom. the fourth is controlled by his girlfriend. he is one of the wealthiest media mag nates. >> we have a little time left. what about the tough guy image. >> it chutes the expectations of russians. that's the guy and this image was used by far right conservatives as the opposite to president obama, when president obama plays golf. putin plays hockey. vladimir putin rides horses with no shirt. the image of a tough side. >> we'll have to say goodbye. thank you for your invite. >> headlines are coming up

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, here are the top stories. the white house getting tough with russia over ukraine. today president obama spent an hour on the phone with russian leader vladimir putin. earlier he authorised visa

restrictions and sanctions on russians and ukrainians threatening democracy in ukraine. the crimean parliament voted to hold a referendum with hopes and join russia. the vote is set for march 16th. the western backed kiev denounced the move. >> the jersey governor christ junior was greeted with applause. the conference will here speeches from the governments tomorrow. christy was shut aftout of the event last year. >> a report linking human trafficking to the super bowl. the study looked at sex ads placed online. it connected hundreds of ads to

sex trafficking and 52 minors. those are the headlines. "america tonight" with joie chen is up next. you can get the latest news online at our website, aljazeera.com. >> translator: you are escalating the situation, europe and the usa. >> so is the push-back. >> this is ill 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.