vitriol. >> you give advice in the book. it's interesting and fun read, i must say. >> thank you. >> i appreciate you joining us? >> a pleasure to be here. >> the book is "marry smart: advises vites for finding the one." the show is now over. we will see you next time. macu >> gooevening everyone, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in knowledge. the fate of flight 370 - the search widens, frustration grows. and how the u.s. navy is using drones in the search. >> russian's reunion - they claim crimea, a move met not well with the west.

>> massive recall. >> unforgettable pictures tonight - the sony world photography awards. >> we begin with a search for flight 370, day 12. it's become one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history. while there's rampant speculation, we need to be mindful of the facts, and people like this - a relative of a chinese passenger awaiting a news conference, and the families have waited nearly two weeks for an answer. while there are some new developments, officials appear to be no closer to finding out what happened. lisa stark has the latest. >> 11 days and still no answer - family members are angry.

they are confront official. >> you talk about compensation, food, i don't want this. >> some are threatening a hunger strike. investigators are focussed on the actions of the pilot. the airline was after the report that the cockpit computer was reprogrammed to take the plane off course. doing that takes expertise. >> it could be speculation. once you are in the aircraft, anything is possible. >> malaysian officials have often given conflicting information about what may have happened on flight 370, including what time two communication systems went dark. they can't rule out that both systems clicked off at the statement. >> it does not point to a major mechanical failure.

>> it does not change your our belief that up until the coverage the aircraft's movements were consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane. >> the search for the jet covers 2.24 million square nautical miles. the u.s. has two military planes up and looking. >> there is essentially a northern and a southern zone to search in the indian ocean. currently we have now assigned a p 3 maritime control reconnaissance aircraft to cover the northern zone, flying out of the kuala lumpur. and a navy vessel heading to australia in the south. they have requested radar data. the thai military say its radar may have detected the plane and initial turns off course. thailand said it had not shared

the information because it was not asked for it. raising questions about whether malaysia has handled what has turned into an unprecedented hunt for a missing jetliner. >> joining us to talk about the missing plane is former navy pilot, william angelly. good to have you on the program. >> thanks, john. >> i want to go through a couple of these theories with you. do you think a fire could have brought the plane down? >> it's possible. the problem we have here is we are working off so many different theories. the frusting - i listened to the introduction of your segment. i feel for the families. they are working off rumours, hearsay and bits and pieces of information, and we don't have a cohesive investigation going on to know what direction to go in, so, yes, it's possible a fire could have broken out on the plane. i have read the explanations or

the theories on the web that came out in the last couple of days. there are strong points, there are weak points, it's - to me there are so many theories, all of which are possible to some extent. >> what about the report that the plane might have flown over land. is this likely? >> it's a possibility. it's one of these things that - i have heard talk about, you know, it wouldn't have made it through certain corridors without being picked up by radar. this assumes that people are manning the raid ars, they know what they are looking for. the transponder is turned off. so it may not necessarily be seen as an aircraft. it could be seen as a ghost blip or see it and never admit it. some wouldn't want to admit that

a plane breached their air space. >> no it wreckage do date. is that unusual? >> that's unusual. granted, you are dealing with the bay of bengal, the indian ocean and other areas that are, you know, vast, vast amounts of water. but, you know, these things are navigated. there are ships, fishermen, planes flying over the area. to me, if the plane crashed into the water, you would see something. things on a plane float. you know air france 447 crashed into the water several hundred miles out, and it didn't take long to see things floating >> kind of got to know where to look. >> that's right. >> so any of these theories are possible. and based on the information that you have seen, this is the most unusual one that you have ever investigated, i guess, in

your time. do you think this plane will ever be found? >> i think there's - unfortunately, i think there's a possibility that this plane will never be found >> really? >> if it made land somewhere, ultimately i think we will find it. if it crashed into the water and somehow there's nothing floating or the wreckage became saturated -- >> is that possible, that nothing would be floating. >> it's improbably, based on information i know. there's so many things on an airliner that floats, seats, koushons, pieces of things float. things float, even if it's broken into smaller pieces. when they float, they drift and ultimately they'll drift to where someone, a fisherman, a tanker will see it and it will look unusual, and one would expect they'd make a call saying

"we see an unusual piece", and then we have a little bit of an idea what happened. so far, we have none of that. >> william, the search continues. thank you for your insight. >> now the other big story. russia's seizures of crimea, annexing the region two days after the voting. vladimir putin signed a treaty with crimea's leaders, infuriating the west. >>. >> translation: don't believe those that say after crimea other regions will follow. we don't want to division of ukraine, we don't need it. recording crimea, it will remain russian and tat tar. >> we go back to nick schifrin, in the capital, simferepol. >> russian troops invaded crimea, occupying bases, moving into government buildings is took control of the peninsula, and the fear is that the first shot may not be the last.

>> outside ukrainian base 2174, a dangerous turning point. for the first time they opened fire and killed a ukrainian soldier. when we applied, the police took their position, right behind these guys. the base is run by pro-russian militias. as journalists tried to film, the militias tried to make sure we didn't. first, by trying to grab the camera, then kicking a member of the team. throughout our time here, they didn't want us to show what happened inside. the ukrainian military says occupying russian snipers killed and wounded ukrainian soldiers. the local pro-russian government said a militia member died. >> this is a base, the white building behind me, and behind it the tall building, what appeared to be russian snipers, enjoying the high ground over

the ukrainian military base. and here, the second unfinished apartment building. there's more evidence of russian troops in there, but fired into the base. and also marks on the wall of the building suggesting ukrainian soldiers were firing back. >> that is a first. ukraine's military sold soldiers they could fire back. until now, they've been ordered not to shoot, no matter what. but today was the day everything changed. thanks to the man most crimeans already consider their president. in downtown simferepol, pizzeria on kirova claims it was the first pizza place in the soviet union. when russian president vladimir putin said crimea needed to be under russian sovereignty, even the youngest cheered. when vladimir putin officially welcomed crimea into russia, and

when putin finished... ..for this crowd today was their july 4th. they sung the russian national anthem. [ ♪ music ] >> which owners roman and nataliya pledged allegiance to always. >> translation: we consider this independence day. we were waiting for it for so long. this is the most important day of our lives. they worked here for 12 years. "we were not protected in the ukraine", she says, "russia is our home." >> outside parliament they changed the name to calm themselves the independent republic of crimea. at a government building

ukrainian colours have been pointed over and the russian tri colours. inside base 2174, the russian flag is flying. if today is independence day, it will only be complete when every base is overrun and controlled by russia. russia and ukrainian troops have a truce until friday. at which time they'll be given two choices - one to pledge allegiance to the independent state of crimea or leave and return to ukraine. many believe the second option is humiliating, but they don't have many choices. all the cards are held by russia, and vladimir putin himself. >> nick schifrin providing us with coverage from crimea. >> washington is counting on diplomatic means to ent the crisis. >> joe biden in europe reassuring allies that the u.s. will stand up to russia.

the visit coming a day after the u.s. and european union impressed tough sanctions. other former soviet block nations are concerned that russia will encroach on their sovereignty. >> they are covered by a pact calling for collective self-defence, if one nation is attacked. >> president obama and i view article 5 as a commitment not only for our time, but for all time. we take it deadly serious, and our commitment is unbaiferring and unshakeable. that is why the united states has deployed 12 f-16 fighter jets to an air space in poland. >> p.j. crowley served as the secretary of state for president obama. he joins us.

secretary of state and vice president laid it out, yet russia did all those things. secretary of state john kerry just mentioned those things. the united states approved sanctions. what is next? >> well, three things. you know, first is to try to help ukraine militarily if possible, to sure up defenses, discourage russia going into the east and continue to shore up ukraine economically. obviously in the last few days there has been pledges of support from the e.u., and the united states. and also to shore up-ukraine politically. there's an important election in 60 days, and the government will step into the existing crisis. >> secondly it's to do what vice president biden is doing - showing the american flag, reinforcing, you know, nato

commitments. over the past decade or two, n.a.t.o. looked to a global mission in central and eastern europe. they joined the old nato, because they feared the threat of russia. >> let me interrupt if i might. the united states said "don't go into crimea, don't take crimea, and they did", now the united states says, "don't take eastern ukraine, don't take eastern ukraine." what other hammer does the u.s. have. you mentioned the cold war earlier, and what is different about today verses the cold war is the russian economy is exposed and integrated and now you are into a contest between vladimir putin and western leaders about costs: europe, in particular, which has - does a great deal of business with russia has the ability to hurt russia, but has to mag the costs in terms of the impact. >> and russia has the ability to

hurt europe and the united states as well, right. >> europe in particular. you know, the united states has some contacts with russia, not as extensive as in europe. >> i'm talking natural gas. >> but also what the united states has over the long run is now a new energy card, and probably should begin to deploy the card so that over time russian leverage regarding the energy card is reduced. >> i guess what i'm asking is how deep does the united states want to get foo this -- into this. on a diplomatic and economic sanctions battle, how deep is the u.s. wanting to go? >> it's the conundrum of a global economy or architecture and dealing with powers like china and russia, where you have opportunities to cooperate, such as iran, and you have deep divisions as we see with russian

behaviour in and around ukraine. i think it will be important for the credibility of the united states to try to impose, along with europe, significant costs. >> and if they don't work? >> they're not going to work. >> right. >> crimea is a done deal. >> that's what i'm saying, "what's the point? ". >> the point is to make clear the further vladimir putin goes down the road, the costs will potentially increase. >> do you think the united states - i'm curious what you think - doesn't believe that vladimir putin is telling the truth when he says "we don't want eastern ukraine, we just want crimea". >> i'm not sure that vladimir putin necessarily knows the answer to that. this is where ukraine needs a sophisticated strategy, not bait ukraine into a deeper dive. we have a case with 300 years of

history trumped 60 years of history. crimea is more important to vladimir putin than the west. that said, the further vladimir putin goes, now you are challenging the 21st century international order, and that will get an extraordinary amount of attention. >> pj, good to have you on the program. thanks for sharing your insight. we'll be talking, i am sure, in the coming days. >> coming up, knights templar, inside the cartel. >> and the gm recall - what the company knew?

>> washington is giving syria's diplomat a 2-week deadline to get out of the country. the move comes as the embassy is ordered closed. the u.s. special envoy noted syrian documents have not maintained the consistent presence at the embassy for about a year. >> three years into the war in syria, much of the grand city of aleppo is in ruins, many fled, others stays saying they are not prepared to give up. >> the shaw neighbourhood of

aleppo under heavy government fire. the result - rubble across the road. smoke rising all around. badly damaged buildings and injure oils. survivors shout for others to come down. it must be hard to know which way to turn. other neighbourhoods here have been hit before. last month dozens of government helicopters dropped barrel bombs on the area. residents returned to find their homes unrecognizable. >> translation: i came thou to see my house. i couldn't work out where it is. there are no doors or walls. i feel lost here, as if i'm in a jungle or somewhere worse. i don't know what to say.

>> the city once boasted a population of 2 million. the u.n. arab league mediator lakhdar brahimi half 2 million have left. the council launched a campaign to help with basic services, like clearing rubbish. they may have only one bulldozer, butt it's about a message of strength. >> translation: the aim of the campaign is to clear up the city. it's a message from the rebels to the governments and who is concerned to let them know we are steadfast in aleppo. we'll never leave. >> the campaign was launched to mark three years since the conflict started. this city has been crushed under the weight of war.

the strength of these people who chose to stay despite the violence lives on. >> from syria we turn to an extraordinary glimpse of perhaps mexico's most ruthless cartel. they are the knights templar, and they deal in more than drugs. vigilantes tried to stop the drug trade, but the knights templar have diversified, millions coming from mining, logging, extortion and killing. there's more - a member of knights templar has been arrested for harvesting organs. armed vigilantes are joining with troops to battle the gangs. if anything, the cartel appears to be getting more dangerous and powerful. former air force special agent sylvia longmire joins us from fien. >>. she worked an an intelligence analyst for the state of california, focussing on the

powers of the drug cartels. >> so what happens? they are making lots of money on drugs, and then they started to get squeezed by the government and vigilantes, so they move into other illegal areas. >> that's part of it. the knights templar has the freedom to venture out into other businesses or ways to get income. the knights templar have not been around for that long before they split off with the other cartels in 2010. they hadn't been around for long. they don't suffer from the same hierarchy or other historical restrictions as far as sticking with the drug trade and are free to branch out. >> like organ harvesting. >> i was surprised when i read about it. they are investigating. getting involved in the organ trafficking business.

it's a global trade but specialised. organizations that are involved have a high level of sophistication as far as medical expertise, and are small networks. there's a question as to whether or not the knights templar has the level of sophistication or access to the networks. given there are certain cartels in mexico are ready to get involved in anything seen as possible, or have income to compete with drug income or surpass. they are ready to engage in it. >> like illegal mining and logging? >> absolutely. asetows are involved in coal mining. others are producers of coal. you look at other regions in mexico, where ianor is profitable. -- iron ore is profitable. it's easy for knights templar or others to get involved in illegal mining operations, and

they are working with some chinese organizations who are willing to purchase the illegally mined iron ore. it's easy for the knights templar to extort mine owners or take control of the trucks that bring the ore from the mines to the ports to ship it to places like china. >> what influence do cartels like the knights templar have on the united states. >> like several of the other cartels in mexico have a presence across the united states, directly or by proxy, by virtue of the appearance that they have. also the illegal drugs on the streets in the united states. 90% being consumed in the united states dealing with methamphetamine and marijuana are provided by the cartels. they have stash houses in middle

class neighbourhoods, cul-de-sacs, and they are empty except for a few tables, and packages and packages of drugs that are in a holding pattern before going on to the street. >> a big influence. >> absolutely. >> sylvia longmire, it's good to talk to you tonight. thank you for your insight. >> coming up, the mystery of flight 370. how a navy drone is playing a role in that search. >> plus, the deepening drought crisis and how much more you pay because of

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler, in new york. we have more to cover this half hour. safety delayed. now information on how long general motors has known about problems linked to 12 deaths. >> sticker shock - how much more you will be paying for groceries

because of the draught in california. >> through the lens - award-winning photos of amazing faces and places. >> the top stories - russia annexed crimea, coming two days after they voted to break from ukraine. vladimir putin signed a treaty with crimean leaders in moscow. the u.s. and union say they won't recognise it. the u.s. is ready to defend n.a.t.o. alice. >> the search continues for malaysia airlines flight 370. no new clues. some of the relatives are threatening a hunger strike if they don't get more information from the airline. >> the search relied on a tool - you will human eye. after 10 days of search, no sign of the jet, the u.s. military is sending more - state of the art - its most advanced surveillance plane.

jacob ward has that story. >> this week the u.s. navy announced it would be pulling the uss "kidd" off the flight. it would send in submarine hunting aircraft. this is a militarized verse of the boeing 777. it's amazing, it bristles with sensor, can cover 9,000, and drop sonar boys that ping to connect met on on the floor of the seabed. what passion the poseidon noble is it's part of the broad area maritime surveillance system, that could make the search easier in a few years, but may make searching entirely unnecessary. the poseidon will be paired with an unmanned drone called the triton. it's built to do long flights

over the open ocean, longer and higher than any human could handle. tritans would be able to fly for 30 hours at a time at 60,000 feet. they are like satellites. the idea is that there would be five orbitz, areas where a tritan is on patrol. they are designed to stop a par scope from 60,000 feet up. they can goom in on it with a camera and call in the nearest poseidon and its crow to confirm what it found. when the systems go into service, the estimate is 2016. the huge sections of open ocean that we will find the plane in will be under an unblinking eye. it's like installing an alarm system on the high seas. if it spots a perry scope, one assumes it could spot an aeroplane. in a few years, we won't be hunting a week later.

we'd be on site, pulling the wreckage from the water. >> a search is underway for the cause of a fiery helicopter crash in seattle this morning. a news chopper flying for seattle saying komotv crashed and burst into flames near the space needle. two people on board - the pilot and a photojournal were both killed. others, whose cars caught fire were able to escape. one is in critical condition. seattle's mayor says the city will re-examine policy on helicopter landing pads. >> now to the scandal surrounding general motors. the c.e.o. says she now about possible ignition problems in december. mary barra said that she was aware of the investigation, didn't learn a recall had been ordered until january 31st. she committed that the company didn't move fast enough to recall the cars. those problems are blamed for more than a dozens deaths,

prompting a lawsuit. david undercoffler is an auto writer for "the los angeles times," and joins us tonight from l.a. welcome. >> thank you, good to be here. >> how damaging is this to gm? >> in the short term it's very damaging, to the tune of 2-3 billion. that's the figure we got from an analyst, once you factor in lawsuits, the cost of the recalls, civil penalties and the potential fall in stock price. long-term, if toyota is any indication, gm could come out of this pretty well unscathed. if you look at 2009 and 2010, things were worse for toyota than gm. by 2013 toyota rebounded to become the number one automaker and that was the second consecutive year. >> it took a while, right. >> it did. heavy incentives on toyota's

part to sell the vehicles at a higher rate. it took marketing towards the safety features. they had to rebuild their reputation. how does general motors do that. they have to come clean, right. >> they do have to come clean, and to their credit they have done a good job of that. mary barra has been forthcoming in saying, "look, we screwed up, we know that. now we are doing whatever we can to move forward." they have issued apologies. for a company that big to be forthright, it shows they are keen to put this behind them. >> clearly this goes back a while, but the new information that she knew about it in december, how does that affect her as the new c.e.o. >> i think this is no way any new c.e.o. wants to start a job. one of the largest crises.

like i said, she'll come out of this looking pretty good because she has, you know - she's put in place a new safety engineer and expert who will be a direct conduit, which sounds like general motors did not have. the boots on the ground, the engineers, the people that knew there might be an issue, they didn't have a way to get up to the upper levels of manager. she has an individual in place to cover that. she made it clear under no circumstances will something like this be tolerated. >> is this it, is this the information or more. >> we'll get more information. >> the national highway traffic safety administration has given until april 3rd to answer the questions about what general motors knew, when they knew it,

why they didn't divulge the information to the government. the u.s. house and senate committees opened investigation. so we will no more in the coming months. >> the other difference between this and toyota is some of the recalls involved older cars; is that correct? >> that's correct. none of these vehicles affected by the recall are for sale now. i think that's a key difference between toyota. in 2010 toyota had to stop selling eight of its models. general motors doesn't have the issue. two of the brands under the general motors umbrella, pontiac and saturn don't exist. general motors doesn't run the risk of having a consumer hear about a chevie cobalt and going into a dealer shp and seeing a new version. they are insulated from that. >> in the coming months or year,

should we expect to see incentives from general motors to try to get people in the showroom now. >> i acknowledge after all of this blows over, you'll see an emphasis similar to what toyota did, in putting into place safety measures, warranties, things that come as no cost to the conassumer. saying we were at fault, and we are doing everything we can, so when you by the vehicles, you don't have to worry. >> david undercoffler is the autowriter for the "the los angeles times," and we are glad to have you here tonight to talk about this. >> to ukraine - the west is threatening more sanctions on russia in retaliation for the annexation of crimea. europe's dependens on energy puts limits on what the west can

do. >> a lot can change your in three decades. then again, a lot stays the same. when president regan took office the united states and soviet union were nuclear super powers. popular unrest against moscow's iron grip was stirring in poland. roscoe emassed -- russia emassed troops. regan sounded the alarm bells in the european capitals over the soviet aggress inessism. >> i have discussed the elements of western policies to the soviet union, to safe guard our interests and protect the peace. what i'm describing is a plan and hope for the long term. it leaves marxism. it stifles the freedom of the people. >> european allies were

sympathetic, but were busy signing contract with moscow to extend the trans-siberian natural pipeline into western europe. the deals meant new energy sources to fuel the economy, and moscow - making money and maintaining influence. the regan administration obsessed over how to thwart the deal, the c.i.a. memo warning the president: >> despite regan's warnings, western europe went ahead with the pipeline contract and a web of pipelines grew across europe. three days later, it is an energy superpower. they depend on russia for a quarter of its gas supplies through the pipeline network. so much has changed in three

decades - the fall of the berlin wall, the form of communism, the end of the cold war, yet so much remains the same. all the years later the west's room for manoeuvre is hamstrung by reliance on energy, is now proving true. >> a review says the pentagon could have stopped a gunman that killed 12 people at the washington navy guard. the report released today says there were missed opportunities for an intervention that would have stripped aaron alexis of security system and access to military facilities. the report says threats to defense department personnel and facilities 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 a safe and secure workplace as possible.

>> secretary hagel says the pentagon will continuously review people with access to classified information and facilities. >> tonight california's drought taking a heavy toll on the cost of fuel and the price jump is substantial. melissa chan reports. >> the worst is yet to come. that is what peter carcione says. he runs a wholesale produce market. >> we can expect everything, prices will be high, because volume planted will not be great. because of the lack of water, i expect prices to at least double. >> the impact of california's drought will hit in summer. for now, enough produce coming from mexico, south america and asia kept the prices steady. the noticeable hike has been for beef. prices jumped 4%. the most in 10 years. >> some of the cuts in the past

were not as sought after, i feel. some of these cuts that are braying stakes or cuts that people didn't know how to work with are becoming more popular. >> ranches say they face the biggest cattle shortage since the 1950s after years of drought is compounded by the drought. in california, drought forced alfalfa farmers to limit the crop. limited supplies of grain led to higher costs for ranches. that cost has led to higher dairy prices, already volatile, and these days driven by new demand in asia. for now shoppers may not notice changes. some parts of the country saw a drop in the price of grain, creating a patchy prospect over the next few months. the federal government estimates that the cost of food is going

to go up by 3.5% by the end of the year. for those of you that are coffee drinkers, the coffee price in the futures market has gone up by 70%. you may see a big mark-up on the daily coffee. >> the violent nature of some professional sports like football and hockey has been well documented. in recent years the leaks tried to address concussion and player safety. michael eaves is here addressing another issue. >> not only long-term health, but money on the line for the teams. 2014 baseball season, as it gets under way, they'll have to adapt to a rule aimed at increasing player safety. >> it's been called the most sacred part of the game, where every hitter and base runner want to end up.

this year major league baseball added a rule so the guys that guard the plate can be protected. we are better because of it. you look at sport like football and hockey, in the long term. rule 7.13 was introduced to eliminate unnecessary collisions at the home plate. the rule states: >> i think it's going to obviously take some aggressiveness away from what a catcher and a base runner can do. they are changing the dynamics of the play. it's a different base, not first, second or third. it's home play and means of running. >> from the defensive side

nothing challenged. you know, it's consistent with every other base on the field, and you can't walk the plate without the ball in your possession. the intent of the rule is in the right place. it's to avoid injury. >> the main thing it does is to eliminate the malicious collision. you know, if the catcher is not set up on top of play, it doesn't allow the runner to run through him. home-plate collisions have been a part of the play. back in 2011 a young star absorbed a crushing blow, suffering a fractured leg and missed the season. his manager maintains this rule is not about him. >> i don't want this put on buster, he doesn't want to be the guy responsible for this. we don't have the gear to absorb the blow that they are getting hit with. they have done scientific

studies and have proven that. >> concussions are a by-product of collisions and with a lawsuit it seems as though major league baseball is looking to get ahead of its problems. >> now we have everything we know about concussions. that's the best way to see it. a lot of guys more cautious. >> if you watch where you walk, you'll say that. he took some home-plate collisions. it's time to make some adjustments. >> you know, similar to football, from a fan perspective, we like to see the plane wreck, but not at the expense of players, like buster. baseball has been the sport that is the toughest to change. it will take a while for the umpires and the players to adjust to the rule. heavy then taught a way for years. >> you play a lot of money for the players. >> millions and millions -

that's what the teams are concerned about >> not just their safety. >> not just their safety. >> coming up the picture of a day. and righting a wrong. 24 veterans denied a medal because of prejudice are finally

recognised. >> things across the north-west is messy. you see by the satellite, snow

across michigan, kansas. it will continue for the rest of the night. 12-14 inches in some locations. travel tonight will be difficult as we go towards tomorrow, the morning temperatures will remain low. the snow that is on the ground is going to stay there. it's not going to melt. minneapolis a morning temp door of 23, fargo 22. as we go towards wednesday the snow goes towards the northern part of the canada as well as to quebec. minister -- minneapolis is what you are looking for. look at the weekend, temperatures going down to the single digits. here across the eastern sea board there's another system coming, and it will appear towards north national park. and heavily rain towards wednesday. a problem by 7:00 p.m. that's a look at the international weather. the news after this.

>> it is the country's highest military distinction, the medal of honour. today it was awarded to 24 men. three of them still living. they served decades ago but their courage was ignored until now. patty culhane has their story. >> melvyn morris hung the american flag outside his home, a way of telling of his patriotism. his hat shows he's earned it. >> this bronze star, purple heart. >> he won the second highest medal 40 years ago, for what he did during the vietnam war, going back to retrieve the body of a fellow soldier and shot three times. he was denied the highest awarm, president obama called him to tell him it was racism. >> he said "i want to apologise to you as you should have received the medal of honour 44 years ago, and i'm presenting

you with the congressional medal of honour." i dropped on my knees. i was overwhelmed, right. >> over the last 20 years the u.s. military has been looking back to right wrongs - medals denied because of race or religion. the researchers were quick to point out it was the u.s. military that was the first to tackle racial problems in the united states. >> if you look at the armed forces you find less racial discrimination than probably any other set of institutions. >> there's still a big disparity of the racial make-up of the highest make-up of the military. 9% of the top general or admirals are minorities. they make up 35% of the lowest ranks. melvyn morris never thought it was about racism. he wasn't bothered that he didn't get the medal of honour, it hasn't weighed on him, but the war has, every day for the

past four decade. >> i see troops walking towards me, a little combat action or whatever. and they just come and go. you catch yourself in a daze for a little bit. with us, it's all the the time. it will never go away. >> as melvyn morris puts his uniform on and the president hangses america's highest honour around his neck, his message will not be to remember racism of the past, but to look to the future and consider how we should help those caught up in worse fought now -- in wars fought now. he has never forgotten the horrors of war, and neither will they, regardless of the medals they wear. . >> now to a story of

photography. the sony world photography awards announced the winners of some of the competition, and magnificent photos were selected. we took a look at a few. >> rain in chinatown. hours of patience to capture this image. and a slum in dhaka where people live on the rails. one little girl feeding another, standing between the tracks. the magnificent moments may look like professional photos, but they were tape not by photo journalists, but enthusiasts. these images are among the top entry. each year the world photography organization chooses images among 10 categories, ranging from architecture to travel. a wildebeest election in kenya, fire dragons in macau.

this man selling balloons in lima, peru. some of them going to the sony world photography awards, where the prize is the photographer of the year. the jury chair says poetry of photos touches the hearts and minds of people all over the world. nowhere is it better demonstrated than in these awards. >> from the award-winning photos to our picture of the night. it comes in new york city to new york. it 101 years wrong, vally afabian, a democratic republic of congo takes her allegiance to the united states in her son's home. headlines are

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. here are the top stories. russian president vladimir putin ignoring international condemnation signs a treaty to make crimea part of the russian

federation. the crimean people voted overwhelmingly in sunday's referendum to leave ukraine. russia steps up troop presence in the region, and the death of a ukrainian soldier in simferepol sparks outrage in kiev. >> the u.s. won't recognise the treaty and says there'll be more sanctions. the vice president visits n.a.t.o. allies and signals the u.s. is ready to defend them if necessary. >> families of those missing on flight 370 threaten a hunger straight if they don't receive more information. radar confirms the plane took a left turn and was headed from kuala lumpur to beijing before it wept missing 11 days ago. the thai military says its raider could have detected the flight minutes before the flight changed direction.

>> a special envie gave syrian embassy two weeks to leave. syrian diplomat have not maintained a consistent presence apt the embassy for about a year. >> those are the headlines, "america tonight" is next. you can get the latest on aljazeera.com. every theory about what happened is flawed. >> at home, on the range. the life after on american treasurer and way of life. >> i continue to get up and dealing with the time and living the way we