the armylone -- 600 service members african-americans. were well deserved of military artist in some instanceses the medal of honor. >> terrific story, terrific to see the ceremony unfolding today? >> randall pinkston for us, randall, appreciate it thank you very much. let's get to other news or top stories on the day? >> russian president. thumbed his nose signing a treaty to annex crimea. two days after thousands of people in crimea voted to secede from ukraine, president putin dismissed american criticism of the referendum. he also said russian does not plan to move into other parts of ukraine. >> after others were follow, we don't want the division of ukraine. we don't need it.

regarding crimea, it was and it will remain russian. and ukrainian. what is the nod there today. >> . >> as people were watching him make that speech, very very jube lent. it's been a very exciting two days. very much pro russian city. vladimir putin said in his speech, a long historic history, we spoke to a few people this evening they were very very happy about the events today. >> we are proud that we have a president like vladimir putin, smart, kind, responsible and we are happy crimea will be a part of russia.

the happiest day for me will be the day i receive a russian passport. >> there's a lot of administration to be done here. on sunday, independent crimea, and soon this will be russia. >> that's interesting. so we have a treaty that was signed this morning. what else needs to happen to formalize the succession. >> when moscow the constitutional force then has to reedify that treaty, and then it gomes back to the two main legislatures and they then have to sign off on it all. but it is all considered just a formality. if you saw today in moscow, the raptor rouse applause, when he layed out the russian vision, and bringing it back into the fold.

he says there's a long history there, and the historically the two belong together that they are righting a wrong that was made 60 years ago. vladimir putin also took a chance to take a swipe at the west. but to the right of the force. they believe force and the exclusivity is the right to result the role that they are always right. they do whatever they feel is just. they use force against sovereign states they do coalitions under principle who is not wayus, he is against us. >> you know, tony, a lot of people feel the same way, they would like to see the west butt out of their problems. a lot of people ask me where i am from, and say look, america has no radioit to medal in our affairs that we have made a decision that we voted

to head towards russia. there is, know, a vocal minority here, that they still considered the vote illegal, they still consider the annexation of crimea, illegal, and they are hoping the community at some point will come in and restore their way back to ukraine, they say what has happened here hasn't really reflected their voice at all. they boycotted the referendum, and they are hoping this can be reevessed. >> from that soundbite you can hear two very distinctive world view, the world view express sod often by the west, the united states and the e.u. jennifer, appreciate it. will stand up to russian aggression. a day after the union imposed the toughest sanctions since the cold war. dana lewis is in london

for us. nothing more than a land grab. what was his direct message to moscow today? >> i think it is clear he sent a message not only to poland, and to astone yeah, and latvia, but he also sent a message to russia, and that is that nato will protect its members. vice president biden declared it is more important today than ever that friends stand together. he was there to assure poland as you said, that his members of nato despite their nervousness, and they are very nervous that they can count on article 5 of the nato treaty, that if one is attacked it is as if they are all attacked and that there is a sol lemn commitment to mutual defense. >> president obama and i view article 5 as a sol lemn commitment not only for our time, but for all time.

we take it deadly serious. deployed f. 16 fighter jets to the lost air base in poland. there were also discussions about how to support economic ily. a lot of talk about how to stop from block mailing it's neighbors. about the flawed logic of putin as he characterized it. promising isolation of russia, more sanctions to come, in washington, jake carney the white house spokesman said more are on the table. that's in addition to those announced monday which will freeze the assets and present travel bans and there's more speculation that the sanctions could be announced by the u.s. on russia later this week.

we made clear to russia, as have our allies and as have most nations and as have all the nations that voted in the united nations security council. what the referendum is not valid, it would not be recognized under international law. and such an action would result in more costs to russia. through further sanctions. >> the sanctions are aggressive that russia will react if those were designed to promote unrest. the british foreign secretary has sent a message today, what was that. >> called it a sham, he

called the speech skewed. masking into a sovereign state, and then they canceled military contracts with military cooperation with russia. that includes shipping of ammunition, some aircraft parts and joint naval exercises they were quick to talk in the house of commons right after putin has spoken. >> dana lewis for us, appreciate it, thank you. tensions are running high across parts of crimea. say as soldier died today in an attack at military facility in the crimea capitol. two soldier is the first person to be killed in the region since it came under russian control three weeks ago. nick was on the scene. this is a scene of what appears to be the first shots fired. that white building there, and beyond it, that tall building earlier we saw what

appeared to be russian snipers coming off of the roof, having the high ground above the soldiers. what we also saw is this tall white building who appears to be an unfinished apartment building, we saw an exchange of fire, what appears to be russian p toos inside of it, where presumably bullets hit at least three soldiers inside the base, and we see on the walls of that, evidence that ukrainian soldiers were firing back. now we have also seen evidence here of stopping our filming and reports of what has happened. there's been a lot of prorussian activist whose have surrounded the base, let me take a look here, those militias have drawn a line. there are a lot of people here trying to silence what we are reporting and apparently what the troops are doing inside

as well. tensions are casting long shadows. from vienna, they have put a real chill on negotiations over the nuclear program. >> there are yet more challenges for iran's foreign minister and the e.u.'s chief foreign enindustry as they try to focus on a final settlement on iran's nuclear activities. first, a spat and a canceled dinner over kathryn ashton's meeting with human rights activists during her last visit. then, the cries disit's threat to these talks. because of a potential split between moscow and washington. discussions happen elsewhere, and you know, as i said in my earlier answer, there is no indication that it's having a negative effect.

a strong denile, but the risk remains. that will produce a furious reaction in the united states. president putin was reported to be discussing a deal with iran in which moscow would buy iranian oil in exchange for money, goods and help in building new nuclear reactors. despite an interim agreement reached late last year, when iran shelved higher grade enrichment in exchange for modest relief from punitive sanctions. al jazeera, vienna. >> returning to the conflict now as it enters a fourth year. the u.s. is taking a major step. and told kip lo mats and

staff that argued with citizens to leave the country. al jazeera has more now from washington. syria has not had an ambassador since he left his postmore than a year ago and moved to a similar position in beijing. in that time, the embassy here has only provided limited services. well, on march 10th, the embassy announced that it would not longer with providing these services and when the government found out it said well there's no reason for the syrian diplomates and affiliated staff to continue to be in the united states. the diplomates have been given until march 31st to pack up their things and leave the united states, those who work in administrative roles have a month until the end of april to pack up their affairs to close up the embassy and to also leave the country. it is not clear whether any local hires will continue to be paid by the syrian government, but the u.s. said that

it's taking this step now to stress that it is still standing with the syrian people who it considers the victims of the regime. new information is emerging about the potential path. thailand's military is now saying it's radar may have detected the plane minutes after it's communications systems went down. thai officials say they detect add twisting flight path. but they say they didn't share the information because they were not asked for it. more on the search. >> you option mentioned questions regarding food, drinks and compensation, i don't need this, i need to know the whereabouts of my relative. i want to know where the plane is. >> some of the relatives are threatening a hunger

strike. investigators remain focus on the actions of the pilot. the airline was asked about report that the cockpit computer was reprogrammed to take the plane off course. it could be speculation. >> it is once you are in the aircraft, anything is possible. >> asian officials have often given conflicting information on what may have happened including what time two communication systems went dark. >> they can't rule out now that both systems clicked off at about the same time. but they insist that still does not point to a major mechanical failure. with someone on the plane. >> the essential for the missing jet cover as massive air, 2.4 million square nautical miles. the u.s. has two military

planes up and looking. there is now a northern zone, and a southern zone, to search. in the indian ocean. currently we have now assigned a p three patrol aircraft, to cover the northern zone, flying out of kuala lumpur. >> and the u.s. navy is heading to australia to help in the south. hoping to narrow down the search area, two thai military says it's radar may have detected the plane and it's initial turns. thailand says it had not shared the information, because it wasn't specifically asked for it. unprecedented hunt for a missing jetliner. lisa stark, all al jazeera, washington. >> i have to tell you

this is didn't first time a plane has gone missing with no easy explanation. this is not the first time that flight like this has puzzled investigators. until now, this has been the largest search for a missing jetliner. disappears somewhere over end do these yeah, 102 people were onboard. crews originally thought it crashed over land, but a fisherman found debris in the sea, ten days later finding the black boxes would take three weeks. now the next one, this has been the largest plane to completely disappear. vanishes in africa back in 2003. it was raising alarms after 9/11. it used to be a passenger jet but because used to haul cargo.

then there was this case in america. the billionaire vanished in 2007, while flying his small single engine plane in nevada, after a massive search crews there gave up after a month. a year later, a hiker found the wreckage in the mountains it was just 12 miles from an airport, and in an area rescuers had flown over repeatedly. finally one of the aviation biggest mysteries. disappears flying from new york to seattle back in 1950. 58 people were onboard, possessions were found floating in lake michigan but crews never found the wreckage, and to this day, tony, ma'am churrs search lake michigan looking for that plane. >> to this day. >> to this day. >> jonathan, thank you. >> a new review says the pentagon could have stopped the gunman who

killed 12 people at the washington navy yard in sent. the report released says there were missed opportunities for an intervention that would have stripped aaron alexis of his security clearance, and access to military facilities. the report also says threats to defense didn't personnel are increasingly coming from within. >> open and free societies are always vulnerable. but together, we are going to do everything possible to provide our people with safe and secure workplace as possible. >> secretary says the pentagon will now continuously review people with access to classified information and facilities. coming up, new information today about what the drought in the west could mean for food prices and a new online campaign from the white house to get young people to sign up for health kay, resorts to this. some furry antics. live picture going again, you are looking now at a live picture where

president obama is honoring 24 veterans, with the nation's highest military honor, the metal of honor.

that moscow didn't plan for a further intervention into ukraine. if you think you have been paying more at the grocery store, you are right about that. the labor department says food prices jumped last month. and the increase was four times the overall rate of inflation. prices rose the most from meat, fish, and eggs. one reason for rising food prices the long drought in california. melissa chen is in san francisco with us now, and melissa this all means obviously, right, that consumers are

digging deep entire their pockets for the absolutely necessities. people have to eat. >> well, tony, you are right. but it does depend on what part of the country you are in. and it is a complicated drought story. if you go to the super market, you may not notice too much. and that's because the produce is coming from mexico, asia, into the united states, we are not going to see the drought a few months from now. one thing you may have noticed is the cost of beef, it's gone up 4% in just this month alone. that's because of the drought in texas. texas is just recovering from their drought, and you have to keep in mind there's this 18 month delay. so we are seeing the impact at the texas drought now, but we will see it in california as well with the beef prizes because cattleman here have been very worried.

no rain means no grain, and no feed. also going to see the second round of beef prizes going up. >> what sit going to take to turn this drought around in california? we aren't talking about sporadic rain here and there being able to do the job, it needs to be something a lot more sustained than that, doesn't it. >> yeah, tony what farmers have been telling us over and over again, is that it is going to have to rain every single day. they don't really need that much water right now, but they really need a lot during the summer season, so it will be an interesting few months. >> melissa, thank you, and kevin, joins us now.

look, can we believe this jump in prices. solely on the drought and when i think about this, i can't help but think about oil prices. it is important to understand when inflation is presented to the public it strips out the core. can which as consumers we rely on. obviously this drought has been a dramatic effect, we are starting to see it as we usually do, which has jumped at least 10 cents.

and then it spills over to ice cream and other dairy products like cheese. so we will see that there, as it was pointed out in the cattle market. there's a lot of less supply, and it is going to take a long group to recoup that. >> what are you seeing here, will food prices keep going up. >> we have a real concern here. in other words, they can be switched out of. so this is a real problem. we call it the man destruction, that's when consumers push back and say hey that's enough. this is not a vital commodity like milk so downing supers will push back.

could it lead the federal reserve to think about raising interest rates? i certainly think it is a real red flag. the fed just needs to pay attention to it. >> from chicago, he is the editor. she stopped short of saying the auto maker would compensate victims families nearly 2 million r cas were recalled after at least 12 people were killed. coming up, as vladimir putin makes crimea a part of russia, the officials in moscow targeted for u.s. sanctions literally laughed him off. one brought up tupac shakur. we will explain, and bangkok works to get back to normal after a 60 day

state emergency is lifted. but the conflict there is far from over.

>> russian foreign minister warned secretary of state john kerry there will be consequences for u.s. sanctions against russia. and moscow's confidence has been emboldened be i the strong support it has received across russia. peter sharp has our report. in the great hall of the kremlin, a standing ovation for their president. a day that will be remembered in history as members of parliament marks the moment that crimea returned. it is the highlight of vladimir putin's presidency, he has restored to the russia federation with bewildering speed, and it was clear why russia acted when it did.

>> and other ukrainian cities. naturally, we cannot dismiss such a request. ukrainians arrive on the morning train, were reluctant to talk, the fears that the crisis could deepen. >> i would like crimea to have stayed with us, what's to stop them making part of russia, it is such a mess. >> we don't want to damage you or your feeling. don't believe the threats are after crimea, other regions will follow, we don't want the division of ukraine. >> but as president putin arounded his signature to the document of unification, and the

awareness to the kremlin there will be a bryce to pay. >> the rush president has bipartisan diplomate off ramp, as a return to the warm embrace of mother russia is nonnegotiable. president putin has put russia on course, with one of the most serious confrontations of the west. thousands gathers in red square, 90% of the people here are said to have backed public defender putin, and question spite the contamination and sanctions his approval rating continues to rise. peter sharp, al jazeera, moscow. >> the u.s. has imposed sanctions on 11 officials. much of their wealth is out of reach, as a result, the news was met with amusement by those

targeted. the russian lawmaker said the decision is puzzling, although we've expected sanctions because i don't have any accounts or real estate. nor do my family members live abroad, why was i particularly included? in the united states, i am interested in tupac shakur, allen against burg, i don't need a reason to access their work. and coming to us now from kiev, is terrace, he is a fellow at the center for transatlantic relations good to speak with you. the united states as you know, along with the european union, has implemented a three stage sanctions program against russia. do you believe that the announced sanctions freezing assets and some travel bans will be effective?

no, because they were pretty pathetic. they were seen in kiev, among policy makers in kiev, and as we know from the reaction in moscow, they were pretty much laughed off. in effect, if memorandum, which russia the u.s. and britain signed provided the ukraine with so called security guarantees in return for nuclear disarmament, was a piece of paper, worthless piece of paper, and i don't think that anybody expected such a weak response from the west to a naked aggression reminiscent of something from the 19 or late 1930's. >> what would have been a more robust response? what would have been a more robust response in your opinion? if this is weak? >> well, first of all, straight away, throwing

russia out of the g. eight. where i don't think it should have been there. secondly the list of people who were subjected to bans and asset freezes are being far far greater, and should have included vladimir putin and the top leadership. thirdly the u.s. could have provided some u.s. military assistance, and senator mccain suggested, i think if the republicanned had been in charge, not president obama, that may have been the case. the u.s. has form add national guard, they could have provided something, ukraine has had two decades of cooperation, with nato and the u.s. for partnership of peace, and that could have been provided through that. nato and the ukraine have an agreement from 1997, a charter of relations whereupon ukraine can call upon nato there.

can i ask you, would strong support for ukraine be a suitable response? to russia? economic support? >> it depends on whether you think the u.s. and is the west is providing economic and national support to ukraine through a new agreement. which i believe will be signed on friday. that will happen. at the same time, the economic sanctions against russia are pretty weak. western europe is very depend to wean western europe off of that depend will take time. plus, my own country, britain, and many other countries in western europe, such as cypress,

monaco, austria, all have been reliant on massive floods of ukrainian money, for now nearly 15 years so that will also take time. that nothing will be strongly happening. it was russia that was able to buy a formergerman chancellor to run the deal to germany. i understand there were probably some stronger measures to be taken. don't you think those options remain on the table? is everyone that you have mentioned is something that will be considered? >> the point is you need to go strong at the beginning.

he only expects strong reaction. and the reaction he has until now. the problem that the west has, is that in in effect, not respecting the budapest memorandum, with they gave up news in return for guarantees what that means that sends a signal around the world. >> .

>> i think this is still very much early day days in this. and we will see where it goes. but thank you for your time, i appreciate the conversation, thank you. >> thank you. >> officials with the mormon church are pulling one hung 52 missionaries out of venezuela. the canadian flag ship air canada is also no longer flying into safety concerns. has turned the region fourth largest economy into a hazard zone. the streets and plazas of the main opposition strong heed, awoke dressed in olive green. the national guard.

between security forces. at president announced he would implement a new plan, to in his words liberate the area. to prevent protestors in this strong hold from building barricades and roadblocks that they have been doing for more than a month now. traffic did not move through here for several days. public transformation is now working. >> as clean up swept up the ream innocence of barricades and burnt tires some residents lucked what they hope willed be the return of

calm. >> the problem is no protesting which the constitution allows it is when people who are supposedly students go out and demonstrate. >> but students who say the national guard took back the weapons is angry. i understand there are a few who burn tires and engage in violence, but we need dialog, and now i feel intimidated and frightens to go out and protest. >> but there are differences within the opposition. for a fleeting moment of peace, opponents of the

government seemed open to reconciliation. >> >> france, 60 green peace actvies climb to the roof of a nuclear reactor to protest the french reliance on the tower. protestors were arrested after they dropped down. activists in speedboats continue to protest on the nearby ryan river. france uses more nuclear energy than any other country. enters a plea in federal court on tuesday. she was part of the leftist group known before he was extradited two years ago. it has been fighting a columbian government for the past 50 years. peace talks in cuba have so farred failed to stop the violence. a big move in oklahoma for the state's effect

accusation procedures. jonathon p best is here with more on that and other stories making headlines across america today. >> the state has been able to find the drug it needs for the he that will injections. to give prison officials more time. in seattle, a news helicopter crashed on to a street today, both the pilot and news photographer onboard were killed. that chopper crash from several cars while it tries to take off near the space needle. federal agents are trying to figure out the cause. sulaimon has accused of plotting to kill americans, his lawyer plan to call as a witness mohammed the self-proclaimed master mind in the 9/11 attacks. the judge ruled against him because the two men were not in contact while in al quaida. and in redwood city, a close call with a

speeding train was caught on camera. officials released this video right here of one man's rush, with the commuter train, take a look at this, the man ducked under the warning gate to walk across, and barely makes it. >> come on. >> yeah, the commuter rail hopes that video will remind people -- whoa, pay attention. knuckle head. >> thank you. >> the president said today's ceremony was meant to set the record straight. >> this ceremony reminds us of one of the enduring qualities that makes america great. that makes us exceptional. no nation is perfect, but here in american, we

confront our imperfections and face the sometimes painful past. including the truth that symptom of these soldiers fought and died for a country that did not always see them as equal. only three of the servicemen honor redirect examination still alive. the metals were handed out because of a congressional mandated review. the treatment of minorities in years past is an issue that the u.s. and other allies are working to fix. heidi joe castro has our report. born to michigan parents the 95-year-old houston resident determined how determined she was to serve the new country. because i have to go through the beginning of

world 22. i don't know how they made it through. >> but the discrimination disappeared after his infin tri-unit saw combat. on d day, he and his band of brothers crossed the english channel knowing death awaited any one of them on the french side. the allies would have to fight uphill, their only vantage their numbers more than 160,000 allied soldiers landed in normandy that day. 73,000 of them american. he says he jumped off the boat under heavy fire. >> he says the sand was littered with carnage. >> you couldn't help but see a head go by, or an arm. or from here down.

the waitedder was red. >> 14 of the men died. that day, a total of 2,499 american soldiers parished. >> what did they die for? >> freedom. freedom. >> marino went on to liberate the german concentration catch. >> the memories are almost 70 years old. but they were fresh in his mind sunday, as a french delegation paid tribute to the d day veterans for the war contained sand from utah beach. memory, why they died in our beaches? >> maybe a crazy thing to

say, but i hope they are still alive. that's my hope. maybely see them later on. >> he says he disliked being call a hero, that term, he says is reserved for the friends who never came back. houston. >> once again you are looking at the live look from the white house, with the nation's highest military honor the metal of honor.

20/20/04 teen has already been a big year in science. yesterday we saw evidence of the big bang, and last month the national ignition facility.

huh? reached an nudger milestone that can change how we generate power. he joins us now from san francisco, what did you see? >> well, tony, the facility was built to refine our understanding of nuclear weapons. they just need to get the hang of using the world's biggest hanger first. >> there's a government that can simulate the center of a nuclear explosion in the middle of the sun. the national facility is a $3.5 billion project. the large nest the world, and in february it achieves an extraordinary break through, getting more energy out of a piece of fuel than it put in. we received a tour. the facility gives birth to tiny beams.

and then it fires them at a target. >> the lasers are created in these locations. we time them very precisely. we then launch it and send it up throughout our large laser beam line. the funding for this facility is mostly military. the purpose is to simulate the science that you see in nuclear explosions. but the potential is huge, and other countries china, russia, france, are all building facilities like that have a military purpose, but hold incredible promise. much of the research is about simulating but the experiment was a break through that could some

day revolutionize how we make electricity. >> we took the entire energy of the lazier and concentrated it down into that case which contained the little pellet filled with hydrogen. the experiment fired a small amount of hydrogen, a certain amount of energy went into that fuel, and more energy came out than went in. that's the break through. it took far more energy than that. 1.8 megajewels worth to set up the right conditions. all but 1% was wasted. the eventual goal, is a reaction in which the fuel begins to give off incredible amounts of energy. ten times more than the process required. that be enough to power a small city. and that's the fusion reaction that scientists are dreaming about. that's called ignition.

>> the irony here is unmistakable. could end up teaching us how to make enough power that we never have to fight again. >> tony, it's pretty amazing to be there. the laser bays i walk up and down are the length of three football fields. the most recent "star trek" movie used this as part of the set. the whole place hums with electricity. and there's incredible potential here as you see, but the trouble, of course, is that it is very hard to predict exactly when they are going to get the reaction. whoa, i am real ligasessed by this. highway much power conceivably, could a fusion plant produce? in the same way that the sun produces this on

going reaction, the potential is incredible. if they get it done the way they want to, out of this tiny bit of hydrogen, it is easy to come by, you really only have to put about $5 worth of lasers into that. $5 of electricity, can put the laser power into that fuel. and out of that can come enough to power a small and i. literally one of these can power the city of oakland where i live for instance. so this is still a decade or more away, but the potential is pretty incredible, the irony that this place was built to investigate nuclear weapons but it could do away with more for all time for it wrongers out.

>> that's terrific stuff, thank you. animated images to sell health care insurance to young people. okay. young people, as you know have been slow to sign up. what did you find there? >> this is part of an't cooed effort to get more young people to sign up. and millions watched that video, so now the white house has set up in website called the 16 sweetest reasons to get covered. and the white house is asking people to pick a bracket of their favorite gift. the idea is to attract what is called young invincibles.

those are people 18 to 34, they are generally healthier and less expensive to insure than older adults. last month, about 4 million people had signed up, only about 25% of those were young people. let's take a look at the gifts you request vote on. for example, one reason people should sign up is that women can't be charged more than men. >> that was a good one there. >> yeah, with the miami lead. >> making a slam dunk there. and this is another fun one. another reason to get obama-care, okay. >> birth control is free. >> let's do this, because we are flat out of time, more at 6:00. >> all right. >> headlines in a moment. taliban. >> we're going to be taken to a place, where they're going to make plans for an attack. >> the only thing i know is, that they say they're not going

to withdraw. >> then, immediately after, an america tonight special edition for more inside and analysis. >> why did you decide to go... >> it's extremly important for the western audience to know why these people keep on fighting... ...it's so seldom you get that access to the other side. >> faultlines: on the front lines with the taliban then an america tonight: special edition, only on al jazeera america

>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america this is al jazeera live. russian president vladimir putin sign add treaty today incorporated crimea into russia. including the united

states have imposed sanctions against russia, and continue to condemn the crimea referendum. leaders from iran and five ore countries are meeting today for another round of talks. the two parties hope to reach an agreement by july, that cults iran's nuclear activities in exchange for an end to sanctions against iran. the search for the missing malaysian airliner is now in its 11th day. relatives of some passengers on the flight say they will go on a hunger strike, for malaysian authorities don't get them more information. veterans three wars, at the white house this afternoon. president obama awarded 24 veterans the medal of honor. 21 the men had served in world war ii, the korean war, and the vietnam war. they had been overlooked previous lay because they were minorities. a sentencing hearing is underway for a brig

gallantry deer general mistreating a subordinate, who was also his former misstress. he accept add plea deal yesterday that dismissed the most serious charge of sexual assault. inside story is next on al jazeera america. president obama righting a historic wrong, awarded the highest military declaration, the medal of honor who men who were overlooked at the time of their heroism, we will tell that story and the look at service in america's wars on this inside story. >>