and not been inspected properly. the recall covered six states at first. now, as we said, that number ballooned to 35 states. we're talking about thousands of stores, big and small, possibly carrying the tainted products the usda website has a complete list. that's it for "the lead," now i turn you over to wolf blitzer right next door in the "situation room." have a fantastic weekend. i'll see you on monday. mr. blitzer, take it away. >> thank you. happening now, putin's new threat. russia warning the secretary of state john kerry against the plan says will inevitably boomerang on the united states. we're there as masked men with guns block international monitors from entering crimea. >> an extraordinary new video. a woman's desperate plea to deliver food to her husband denied. i'll speak live to thes reporter

who captured the dramatic story live inside the crisis. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in the "situation room." tensions on both sides of this crisis only worsening this hour. members of the media now the latest targets of the growing backlash. this is dramatic surveillance video of a bulgarian journalist in crimea being wrestled to the ground and assaulted by unidentified masked men who put a gun to his head. at least two ukrainian channels have now also been shut down. here are some more late-breaking developments. the russian foreign minister sergei lavra warning the planned sanctions could inevitably boomerang on the united states. cnn is there exclusively as gunmen block observers from entering crimea, and russians storm a ukrainian military base in crimea. smashing the gates with a truck. we're covering this increasingly

volatile situation as only cnn can. we begin with our chief national security correspondent. >> we're more than a week into the crisis, and i think you can say we're at a diplomatic and military stalemate between the u.s. and russia. talks between those two countries still have yet to produce progress or even a plan for progress. meanwhile, russia continues to defy the u.s. demand that the forces return to their bases and the volatile mix of ethnic divisions and competing militias and soldiers and warships increasingly in danger of boiling over. >> as diplomacy sputters over crimea, violence erupts. here pro-russian gunmen attack a foreign journalist who tried to film them. one of the masked men points a gun to his head. and here a clash between pro-russian and pro ukrainian mobs ends with a violent beating.

>> across crimea, the intervention looks more and more like a military takeover. and ukrainian officials say some 30,000 russian troops are on the ground above the 25,000 limit under russia's treaties with ukraine. >> it's less important the number than it is what they're doing. so we're much more concerned about the activities. you know, blocking off ukrainian naval bases by sinking patrol boats into the waterways. and essentially establishing operational control of crimea. >> reporter: the u.s. has repeatedly demanded russia pull the troops back to their bases, but they are still patrolling sovereign ukrainian territory. and western military observers attempting to monitor the situation were blocked from crimea by pro-russian gunmen for the third straight day. >> russia is fairly isolated

here. our preference is not to keep hyping up sanctions, our preference is to find an end to this conflict that's happening through engagement through discussion. >> those discussions remain at a stalemate. a 60-minute phone call between president obama and president putin visiting the sochi paralympics today revealed continuing divisions. and a phone call between kerry and lavrov ended with this saying sanctions would, quote, hit the united states like a boomerang. now with a referendum in crimea for greater integration with moscow looming next weekend, some see a win/win for russia. >> both options benefit russia. one of them is a very independent autonomous region with heavy russian ties and influence. and the other is an outright annexation. he's set the goal post farther down the field. >> either way he wins. >> yeah. >> on the political front. two more potentially damaging

developments. the russian parliament voting to endorse next weekend's referendum in crimea on a closer association with russia or outright secession from ukraine. also improving a proposal to make it easier for ukrainian citizens of russian descent to apply for nationality. also, wolf spoke a short time ago to a senior state department official. and i asked, you have these public proclamations that are very unfriendly between the u.s. and russia now, like foreign minister lavrov's comments. and i was told yesterday that it is more professional behind the scenes between them. but i think you could say at the end of the day, the real power here is with vladimir putin. does he have his ear? is it his decision? he had to go back to russia to talk about the format of talks with ukrainian officials. so it is a stalemate right now. we have yet to see what they produce. >> let's hope they produce something positive.

thanks very much. jim will be back later. a new video of a missile destroyer moving into the black sea as the united states is getting new indications the russian military doesn't plan to leave crimea any time soon. let's go to our pentagon correspondent barbara star working this part of the story for us. what are you learning? >> well, wolf, you mentioned a couple of minutes ago about a base in southern ukraine in the crimea being taken over by russians and violence breaking out there. this is exactly the kind of indicator that the u.s. is worried about. this standoff can't continue. this happening as the u.s. military made its own moves today. >> with the eyes of the world on it, the u.s. navy guided missile destroyer moved into the black sea. it is supposed to be a routine deployment. nothing is routine. today chuck hagel talked to the new ukrainian defense chief who

made his first request for u.s. aid. >> he asked the u.s. secretary to provide advice and counsel to his troops. >> ukraine says there's 30,000 troops in crimea, estimates 20,000 and more troops on alert inside russia. behind the scene, crucial indicators the russian military is taking steps to become firmly entrenched in crimea. supply lines are in place, units are being rotated. one u.s. official telling cnn they can stay as long as they want. but the u.s. has one more message for vladimir putin. it's ready to protect poland. warsaw and washington are talking about a dozen u.s. f-16s and 300 troops being sent to this polish air base for joint training. a message to putin even as the u.s. worries about another man

in moscow, edward snowden, the nsa leaker. worried moscow will try to get access to u.s. war plans that snowden could have. >> if they don't have access, you have to assume that they are going to try to get access to it. and that would be very serious. >> so where are we? russian troops on the border with ukraine at a heightened state of readiness. other troops deep back inside russia also on a heightened state readiness, an awful lot would be ready to go, wolf, if vladimir putin ordered them in. >> barbara starr at the pentagon, thank you very much. the cnn exclusive. on the front lines as masked gunmen block from entering crimea. and i'll speak to the organization that oversees these observe observers. plus, extraordinary new video coming in, new reporting, as well, from the front lines of this crisis. i'll speak live with the vice reporter capturing it all firsthand.

keeping up with these two is more than a full time job and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today. or how ornate the halls are. tall the building is, it doesn't matter if there are granite statues, or big mahogany desks. when working with an investment firm, what's really important is whether the people behind the desks actually stand behind what they say. introducing the schwab accountability guarantee. if you're not happy with one of our participating investment advisory services, we'll refund your program fee from the previous quarter. it's no guarantee against loss and other fees and expenses may still apply. chuck vo: standing by your word, that's what matters the most.

why are house repu"retreating," ng," and privately saying they'd rather do "nothing" on immigration reform this year? doing nothing puts jobs on ice... forces us to lose out on revenue for roads and schools. and sends a message to millions of dreamers, who study hard and want to serve our country, they might as well dream on. no, nothing won't do. call house republicans today. tell them we've waited long enough: pass immigration reform. hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder. wow! this is incredible! i know. and now it has more clams! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. what? [ male announcer ] it fills you up right.

[ chainsaw whirring ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. sometimes we trip ourselves up.

and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... [ thump ] to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy. personalized coverage and savings. all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about all the ways you could save. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? if your denture moves, it can irritate your gums. try fixodent plus gum care. it helps stop denture movement

and prevents gum irritation. fixodent. and forget it. for the second straight day, unarmed military members from an unorganized -- on the ground with exclusive video of what's happening at the check point. matthew is joining us now with details. what's going on, matthew? >> reporter: wolf, thanks very much. well, those monitors from the osce, the organization for security and cooperation in europe, they were turned back, we were with them exclusively traveling from the mainland

ukraine across into the crimean peninsula. they'd been knocked back talking about some quite aggressive responses from the masked gunmen who met them there. they were more hopeful today. they said they were more determined. they were going to go in and see if they could, you know, realize their mandates and report on the security situation inside crimea. take a look at our journey. >> reporter: on the road to the center of the ukrainian crisis. the international monitors sent to report on the military build-up here. try to make their way to crimea. we gained exclusive access to their convoy as it crossed from the mainland. >> all right. well, we're following these coaches here, which are carrying the 43 members of the unarmed osc military mission towards crimea. the last time they tried to get into the peninsula, they had a very hostile reception. one of the military offices on board there told me that the

guards, the pro-russian guards at the check point they tried to cross clicked their safety catches off. and so it was a very dangerous situation they were in. earlier, when we were speaking to them as they got on to these buses, they told us that they've had a meeting and that they've decided they do have the right to access crimea. and so today, they say they're going to be much more assertive about getting in. >> that these unarmed military officers can only push so hard. especially when confronted with the masked pro-russian gunmen manning the road blocks. the negotiations were short, access denied. >> legally, are they allowed to prevent you from going in? >> legally, it's quite interesting question. they have the right to go there. but as you could see. >> reporter: it was at the invitation of ukraine's interim government that the osce, a key european security organization

arrived. at least 18 member states, including the u.s. sent military observers meant to monitor the crisis and help deescalate it, not make it worse. >> well, this is a standoff we've been witnessing between members of the osc here and the pro-russian security forces there for the blocking through this stretch of land towards the crimean peninsula. the osc, the commander here saying we've come here to check on the situation inside crimea. and i'm there, the mask has just told them that he's been ordered by the crimean government not to let anybody in. you see this is the reaction of the ukrainian crowd chanting now nationalistic slogans because they're angry at what's happened. >> reporter: angry and frustrated, but for those who now control crimea, an

international presence is not welcome. >> well, authorities here in crimea say they will consider international observers for the referendum being staged here on autonomy next weekend. but only if those international observers are from russia, wolf. >> matthew chance with that exclusive report. thank you very, very much. joining us now is the united states ambassador, the group of these international observers you just saw trying to get into crimea. daniel behr is joining us. ambassador, the russians say that this group, these group of observers lack what they call official invitations to come into crimea. what do you say to that? >> that's just not the case, wolf. all 57 participating states in the osc are signatories of the vienna document, which is the document under which ukraine requested this visit, including

russia. and ukraine -- crimea's part of ukraine and there's absolutely the right for ukraine to request under this document military observation, mission to dispel concerns about security situations on the ground, which are concerns, by the way, that have been raised by i the russian federation themselves. >> and this argument that the local crimea government, which crimea, of course, is part of the sovereign state of ukraine. but this local government in crimea doesn't want these observers to come in. what's the reaction? what's the -- what do you say to that? >> well, the so-called government in crimea right now is effectively a puppet government. the guy who is leading it got 4% of the vote in the last election there. you know, that government does not have authority to decide where the sovereign territory of ukraine starts and ends. and it is the central government in kiev that has the authority to invite on a voluntary basis these observers. and 21 countries and 43 people

have taken up that invitation, and we would expect the russian government as all others to support full access for them. >> what can you effectively do now if these observers are repeatedly blocked from entering crimea. what's the answer? >> well, obviously it is a military observer team, but it's an unarmed. and this is not a military action. these observers are a neutral party meant to assess the situation on the ground. my understanding is they are now bedding down for the night. they will meet as a team and decide how to proceed. but this is part of a broader picture, which is as the president and the secretary of state have made clear, we will continue to explore avenues for delivering consequences for russia's illegal actions. at the same time, there's an off ramp here. and the off ramp is for russia to have their military forces go back to their bases. the paramilitaries go back to

russia. and for monitors to come in and address the concerns on the ground. >> you wrote this, and i'll put it up on the screen. you wrote referring to the russian federation, we don't have to agree, but we should talk about hard truths. this should not be a forum where we disrespect each other by peddling a big lie. what is the big lie they're peddling? >> the big lie is that there is some enormously terrible situation on the ground, particularly for ethnic russians, particularly in the crimean region of ukraine. the high commissioner for national minorities of the organization for security and cooperation in europe was on the ground this past week. she saw no evidence of that. the only reports of the various things that the russian federation is using to justify its illegal action come from the russian federation's own organs or press organs. there are no independent reports that corroborate any of the

concerns that they have raised. now, if those concerns are nonetheless real, they should be quite willing to invite and welcome and help support the access of the international community to monitor the situation on the ground. russia has been peddling a big lie in order to justify what is an illegal action that doesn't contribute to security in the region and undermines the faith of the international community in the russian federation's ability to be an international partner. >> strong words for donald baer, ambassador, good luck over there, thanks very much. we'll stay in touch. coming up, the ukrainian crisis exposing an emerging divide inside the gop. what it could be for 2016. also, i'll speak live with the vice reporter bringing us extraordinary new video. firsthand accounts from those directly affected by this conflict. stay with us. you're in the "situation room." [ telephone rings ] [ shirley ] edward jones. [ male announcer ] with nearly 7 million investors... oh hey, neill, how are you?

[ male announcer ] ...you'd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. kevin, neill holley's on line one. ok, great. [ male announcer ] and we do. it's how edward jones makes sense of investing.

it's amanda. hey sweetie.announcer ] what? [phones rings] okay, i'll send it. one hundred seventy-two dollars for a chemistry book, what is it, made of gold? just use citi popmoney. boom. ah, she's feeling lucky. hey sweetie...cancun, yeah no, you'll be spending spring break with your new chemistry book.

with citi popmoney it's easy to send money to just about anyone, anytime. visit your local branch or citi.com/easierbanking to learn more. the crisis in crimea is revealing fault lines beyond ukraine and even here in washington at the annual conservative conference known as

cpac, republican leaders argued for conflicting views on foreign policy with many of the 2016 hopefuls fighting to push the party in rather different directions. our chief congressional correspondent dana bash reports. >> reporter: he drew the biggest, most enthusiastic crowd at this important gathering of conservatives and rand paul had a message far different from other speakers. especially those who may want to be president. >> as our voices rise in protest, the nsa monitors your every phone call. if you have a cell phone, you are under surveillance. i believe what you do on your cell phone is none of their damn business. >> reporter: he's hoping these wildly applauding activists represent a niche for him in the gop first carved out by his father ron paul. civil liberties trump national

security. >> we will not trade our liberty for security, not now, not ever. >> reporter: a contrast with another potential 2016 presidential candidate who staked out hawkish territory. >> we cannot ignore the global importance of this nation. >> reporter: marco rubio pushed back on isolationist republicans, painting a dangerous picture in a world without an aggressive united states foreign policy. >> there is only one nation on earth capable of rallying and bringing together the free people on this planet to stand up to the spread of totalitarianism. there's only one nation on earth that can do that, and that is ours. >> other republicans with an eye on the white house slammed the president on the world stage. >> i know that the only time vladimir putin shivers is when he has his shirt off in a cold russian winter. >> mike huckabee also went after a potential 2016 white house rival, hillary clinton, on a big issue for the gop base, the

deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> with all due respect to hillary clinton, it does make a difference. why they died and who did it. >> obviously, that is a rallying cry for the conservative movement. >> it's a rallying cry for every american. and we didn't send anyone to attempt to rescue them. >> you think that's going to be a potential achilles heel for her on a national level and a general election? not just among -- >> god help us if it isn't. >> and despite the real split in the gop on foreign policy between those who want to be more aggressive and those who don't, that battle of ideas does not usually dominate a primary race for president, usually decided on much more social and economic issues. >> standby for a moment because gloria's with us, as well. our chief political analyst, how much of a divide, gloria is there on the sensitive issues within the gop? >> there's a huge divide on almost everything within the republican party. right now and it was right out there at the cpac meeting that

dana covered. i mean, the elephants are kind of trampling each other. you've got rand paul reporting about private. you've got ted cruz talking about the party that needs to stand up for the principles. insulting john mccain and bob dole along the way as the people who lost the presidency. implying if they had real principles, perhaps they might have won. marco rubio talking about a more muscular foreign policy as dana was talking about. chris christie talking about winning, which is what he says the party needs to do in checking every box he needed to check. paul ryan talking about what a great family fight they're having and how healthy it is for the republican party. they're all over the place right now. it is healthy. they should be. at some point, they're going to have to figure out where they are, but it's going to be a long campaign and it's already started. >> and this is the symptom of being out of the white house for so many years. i mean, for at least -- for five years and losing two presidential races. this always happens to a party.

they try to find their way. i mean, this happened with -- when bill clinton finally got the nomination. it took a long time. you know, you were there, you covered it for democrats to realize that he was the kind of politician that they wanted, somebody who was more centrist and somebody not more liberal. >> because you know if you listen to rand paul, he is much less interventionist oriented than some of the -- like john mccain or lindsey graham or marco rubio for that matter. >> right. >> he doesn't necessarily see the united states getting involved in all of these international -- >> and you heard marco rubio. he's kind of mccain lite, wouldn't you say? not quite as muscular as john mccain. but trying to carve out this place for himself in the republican party has gotten a lot of trouble on immigration reform, as you know. he's trying to find his own terra firma. >> and being the same generation as ted cruz and rand paul, he does stand out similar to the old guys as mccain and those

people. >> let's see what happens within the gop. there are differences in the democrats as well, but we'll discuss that later. >> they have a president, actually. >> there's still differences within the democratic party on these sensitive issues. up next, a woman's desperate pleas to help her husband denied by local militias. we're in crimea with local news. plus, this man met ronald reagan on the 1998 visit to moscow. and who he is and what his role is right now in the ukrainian crisis is fascinating. what we've learned. and after one dramatic resignation, we're going to take a closer look at r.t., the news network some call putin's propaganda machine. >> i'm proud to be an american and believe in disseminating the truth. and that is why after this newscast, i'm resigning. [ male announcer ] you've never watched her like this before.

but something about spending this time together -- sailing past ancient glaciers in alaska -- makes you realize how old time is and how short life is. she can take all the time she wants. princess cruises. come back new. [ female announcer ] plan your seven-day cruise from just $549. call your travel agent or 1-800-princess.

call your travel agent humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures,

living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where, if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch -- up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

a compelling photo just resurfacing is getting new attention in the midst of this ukraine crisis. and if you think the man seen here with president ronald reagan looks a lot like the russian president vladimir putin, that's because it might be. let's bring in brian todd with details. >> the photos really captured our attention over the past few days as we've explored the rise and actions in this crisis. putin was a young kgb officer at the time that photo was taken. we examined that picture along with other recent images of putin with an expert.

>> a mysterious photo, nearly 26 years old. president reagan touring moscow's red square in the spring of 1988. but it's the blond-haired man on the left who looks like a tourist drawing attention. pete suza told npr two years ago. >> it's been pointed out to me and verified that was putin. >> reporter: vladimir putin at that time was a kgb officer. he'd been told the people were all, quote, kgb families b. uh now he says he's not sure that was putin, we're not sure either. >> what strikes us are the two noses. they seem different. what do you think? >> they are different. so you have a longer hooked nose here, and you have a little bit of a ski slope there. you also have similar mouths, but there's slight differences. the head is longer over it is here. this is a short round head.

>> but it's putin's actions being scrutinized by people including keren bradley. they've done body language studies on putin. the last one was in 2012. they say they're not studying him during this ukraine crisis. it's part of a broader program designed to study movement patterns of important world leaders. >> to determine, you know, a better understanding of their decisionmaking process. >> the pentagon won't say what they've concluded about putin's body language. we asked bradley to do her own analysis for cnn using video of putin observing war games this week. >> he's a very stressed person in this video. his mouth is working, he's looking away from the commander, he's not connecting with him at all. he's very much involved with his own thoughts and feelings right now. >> the head of the pentagon's body language analysis program says putin's labored walk, not moving his right side may indicate he overcame a previous illness. the pentagon says they carefully examined body language to determine a leader's negotiating style.

bradley's take on when putin and president obama had this exchange last september where putin pulls away first and obama stops himself from patting him on the back. >> putin's not giving anything away. nothing will be given away. it will be his terms. he is determined to win. >> pentagon officials say their body language program has studied more than a dozen world leaders, and they've spent about $300,000 a year on it since 2009. wolf? >> you know, that mysterious photo that you were just showing our viewers, the white house photographer pete suza recalls something that people at the time were saying that the tourists were probably not really tourists after all. >> kind of what sparked his interest in this photo and why we're looking at it so closely now. he says he noticed at the time that the so-called tourists were asking reagan questions about human rights in the united states. recalled asking a secret service agent why are these tourists asking these questions about human rights and the secret service agent said those are all kgb families. it raised suspicions, maybe

these people are trying to get close to reagan, gather bits of intelligence, things like that. kind of strange. >> very strange. thanks very much. two american news anchors working for russia state-funded rt television. made some dramatic headlines of their own this week. going on air, blasting russia's role in this crisis. one even quitting her job. their bold moves are raising new questions about the network and russia's media coverage of the event. cnn's tom foreman is digging deeper. >> i'm proud to be an american and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why after this newscast, i'm resigning. >> her dramatic departure has a question swirling around russia today. is this news or propaganda? on the website, plenty of headlines about ukraine, but most lead away from russia's involvement and others tell stories of popular uprisings against the new ukrainian government. the rt explanation as to why

their coverage is different, other media outlets are getting the story all wrong. >> it's very difficult to talk about aggression when you show thousands of people cheering for russia in different parts of ukraine, right? maybe that's why you don't see this kind of footage on u.s. tv very often. >> propaganda has long been used in times of conflict. this u.s. army film from 1962 marching in support of the iron curtain of communism. >> dividing the free world from the slave world. >> and, of course, the russians have produced plenty of propaganda over the years aimed at america. but much of that was during the cold war. and these were governments. this is arguably something quite different. ads for the rt channel have pummelled western intervention, in places like libya savaged

other media outlets. want evidence? >> what russia did is wrong. >> another rt anchor spoke out against russia's move into crimea. and she's still on the job. >> i said, you know, if i disagree with something that russia's doing, i will continue to speak out. and they gave me the complete editorial freedom to do whatever i want on my show. >> rt or as it used to be called russia today claims 644 million people in more than 100 countries, wolf. and yet, right now they know they have a lot of skeptics watching them closely because of these latest moves. >> all right, tom. thanks very much. a dramatic confrontation caught on tape as a reporter told by an armed man he's not allowed to record. you're going to find out how it all played out when i speak to him live coming up. and in our next hour, the ukrainian pop star giving voice to the country's desperate plea. she's here in the united states right now. what does she want this country to do? i'll ask her live. i have low testosterone. there, i said it.

see, i knew testosterone could affect sex drive, but not energy or even my mood. that's when i talked with my doctor. he gave me some blood tests... showed it was low t. that's it. it was a number. [ male announcer ] today, men with low t have androgel 1.62% testosterone gel. the #1 prescribed topical testosterone replacement therapy increases testosterone when used daily.

women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or signs in a woman, which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are or may become pregnant or are breast-feeding, should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. in a clinical study, over 80% of treated men had their t levels restored to normal. talk to your doctor about all your symptoms. get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%. get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. why are house repu"retreating," ng," and privately saying they'd rather do "nothing" on immigration reform this year?

doing nothing puts jobs on ice... forces us to lose out on revenue for roads and schools. and sends a message to millions of dreamers, who study hard and want to serve our country, they might as well dream on. no, nothing won't do. call house republicans today. tell them we've waited long enough: pass immigration reform. if your denture moves, it can irritate your gums. try fixodent plus gum care.

it helps stop denture movement and prevents gum irritation. fixodent. and forget it.

neighbors against neighbors, friends against friends. the tensions in crimea are tearing the region apart along political lines. vice news reporter on the ground at a ukrainian naval base surrounded by arm pro-russian supporters. he has dramatic accounts from both sides. [ speaking russian ]

>> we want to say good-bye to ukraine peacefully. [ speaking russian ]

[ speaking russian ] >> simon ostrovsky is joining us on the phone right now.

he's inside crimea. how tense is this situation right now in this -- i don't know if you can get a good sense of how many people you've been speaking to want crimea to be part of russia, how many want it to be part of ukraine? >> well, i've been speaking to a lot of people at protests, and obviously, they're all very pro-russian, but i've actually been getting messages over the last couple of days from people who have been watching some of my stories to let me know that they don't want to take russian citizenship and they're very wore ed about what's going to happen. there's a large population of crimean tatars here. that's a pro-western group. they don't want to be part of russia. they make up 15% of the population. a woman we spoke to earlier today almost broke down in tears when she was telling us about how afraid she was of this becoming a part of russia. >> looks like there's been some big shifts under way.

i want to play another clip, simon, from your reporting. >> we've noticed there have been reports and we've seen ourself that the russians have pulled back from a number of military bases that they have been holding under siege for the last few days. and we're thinking that that might have something to do with the fact that the ose are trying to get through. [ speaking foreign language ]

>> so when i sense -- and tell me if you agree, that maybe they're removing some of these forces in advance thinking these european monitors are still not being allowed in but they might be allowed in, so they're sending some of these militias, russian troops back to their bases. is that, simon, what you sense as well? >> well, i think, yeah, this is a temporary measure because there are russian activities at ukrainian bases going on today. we just visited one where about a couple of hours ago a group of russian soldiers without any insignia showed up and asked yet another base to surrender to them and they didn't and a russian climbed over the wall and actually rammed the front gate with their truck. so a very tense situation, but then eventually the russians got the order to leave so they left. so they're going around spooking people and just trying to wear the ukrainians down. in fact, we're actually

following a column of russian armored personnel carriers right now on the highway between s sevastopol and simferopol. so they're in the area and moving around. >> you've had major problems with locals in terms of your ability to film. i'll play yet another clip from your reporting. >> we've come to have a look at the ukrainian naval ship which is under blockade right now. it's down there. the russian navy isn't allowing any of the ukrainian ships to move around the harbor but the russian soldiers here are trying to tell us that we are not allowed to film. [ speaking foreign language ] >> careful.

[ speaking foreign language ] >> so tell me a little bit about the ability to get access to report on what's going on, simon? >> well, it's kind of a wild goose chase half of the time. you are just cruising around the peninsula and trying to confirm rumors that you've heard that the russians are doing this here and that there and you get to places, you never know what the situation's going to be like because you might get somewhere and be able to get through or it might be blockaded by a group of cossacks and protesters. you never know what you will find. it's kind of the luck of the draw. that's kind of why we're following this convoy right now because we want to see where it's going and you'll be able to find out where it's going

tomorrow if you have a look at vicenews.com. >> do you have a sense where it's going? >> we're not far from a town so we could be going there, but it could be going beyond the crimean capital simferopol. and there are a lot of ukrainian bases in area. >> be careful there, simon ostrovs ostrovsky. you can see more of his reporting from ukrainian by going to vicenews.com. he's doing a great job. journalists beaten. we'll have the latest coming in from crimea. and a pop star pleading her country's case around the world. i'll talk to the voice of ukraine, lus lana.

...return on investment wall isn't a street... isn't the only return i'm looking forward to... for some, every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage. which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal.

or how ornate the halls are. tall the building is, it doesn't matter if there are granite statues, or big mahogany desks. when working with an investment firm, what's really important is whether the people behind the desks actually stand behind what they say. introducing the schwab accountability guarantee. if you're not happy with one of our participating investment advisory services, we'll refund your program fee from the previous quarter. it's no guarantee against loss and other fees and expenses may still apply. chuck vo: standing by your word, that's what matters the most.

happening now, growing violence boiling over in crimea. journalists are being targeted and russian forces are trying to seize a ukrainian base. is there a diplomatic way out of this crisis in ukraine? ♪ >> a pop star's plea. ukrainian singer ruslana gives voice to her country's increasingly desperate plight. she's standing by to join us live here. and what does she want the united states to do? blood-stained square. protesters flee to the site where dozens were killed weeks ago. now hundreds more have taken their place. what is their demand right now? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we're following new developments in the crisis in ukraine. we just learned that a tense

hours-long standoff between russian and ukrainian forces in crimea has ended. dozens of russian soldiers were trying to seize control of a ukrainian base just outside of sevastopol, at one time ramming trucks into the case. anna coren is joining us. what's happened? >> reporter: well, wolf, as we know, tensions have been extremely high around these military bases where these russian troops have really surrounded these installations, but it would appear that this evening the situation really blew up at this one particular air base. these russian troops ramming a truck through the gates. they were on the base for some time. the ukrainians were holed up inside the base. there was a command for the russian troops to retreat. they did that. the problem, however, was when the local militia got involved. and they attacked journalists on

the same -- some even had to be hospitalized. but wolf, we're seeing this angst and hostility towards the media and the concern is that it is only going to get worse. on a street in the heart of simferopol, masked paramilitaries confiscated equipment from a tv station. filming across the road a bulgarian journalist who has suddenly been spotted. within seconds he's pushed to the ground. a gun aimed at his head. his assistant is then targeted. the militia take their phones and cameras before fleeing in the van. the brazen attack caught on a surveillance camera, but there won't be any investigation. these faceless men and now the law in crimea. the silver-pointed pro-russian government here apparently working in concert with russian forces is cracking down on opposition and dissent. having taken control just a week ago, it shut down two ukrainian

tv stations broadcasting in crimea. russian state tv has now replaced one of them. as it tries to tighten its grip on the media, the new crimean authority is of grave concern to these people. [ singing ] braving miserable conditions, 200 pro-ukrainian supporters voice their opposition to the referendum vote that could decide if crimea breaks away and joins russia. "it's illegal what they're doing" this woman tells me. "we're part of ukrainian and the international community is not protecting us." leaders in kiev along with those in the u.s. and europe also consider the referendum illegal. the crimean government says international observers have been invited to oversee the vote, but not surprisingly the majority will come from russia. but these observers arriving at a crimean checkpoint certainly were not welcome. observers for the organization

for security and cooperation in europe were blocked from entering crimea. the ukrainian government wants them to investigate russian troops occupying the region, but for now at least, it doesn't look like they'll be going anywhere. wolf, of course, there are real concerns that this new crimean government that's here is merely a puppet for the russian government and they just do not want any intervention from the west. no meddling whatsoever. they only got one message, wolf, and that's a pro-russian message. >> all indications are they'll go ahead with that so-called referendum to decide the future of crimea. that's on schedule. signs pointing to that, is that right, anna? >> yeah, absolutely. that is still taking place on the 16th of march. there are reports that there are more russian troops will be coming to the peninsula. there are already reports

certainly from the ukrainian government that there are 30,000 russian troops already here, some of them obviously occupying those military bases surrounding them at least, and there are concerns that there's going to be more and more of a presence over the coming days, wolf. >> anna, be careful over there. anna coren reporting from crimea. the white house is monitoring all of these latest very troubling developments with president obama bluntly stating u.s. opposition to russia's actions in a series of phone calls with the russian president vladimir putin. our senior white house correspondent jim acosta is joining us now. what do we know about all these calls? >> wolf, white house officials are describing these conversations between president obama and vladimir putin as robust, direct and candid. that's putting it mildly. the fact is u.s. and russia are talking right past each other, but at least they're talking. with the tug of war over crimea at a stalemate, president obama escaped to florida and the

sunnier topic of college financial aid. >> i don't know if you're aware of this, but the rest of the country is cold. >> reporter: vladimir putin was also playing it cool, posing for pictures at the opening of the paralympic games in sochi. but behind the scenes both sides are butting heads and secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart sergey lavrov continue their talks. the russian foreign minister warned white house threat of sanctions would boomerang bakt the u.s. the president and putin are also at odds. the white house said in their latest phone call mr. obama indicated there is a way to resolve the situation but putin said his country cannot ignore the calls for help coming from ethnic russians in ukraine. still a senior administration official tells cnn both leaders understand there should be a diplomatic path forward. >> we're taking this day by day. so obviously our focus now is getting the ukrainians and the new government of ukraine and the russians back at the table.

>> reporter: but potential provocations are mounting with the u.s. moving forward with joint naval exercises with bulgaria and romania in the black sea near crimea. >> this was an excursion for her that was planned well before her departure from the united states. >> reporter: then there was the threat from a major russian natural gas company to suspend service to ukraine. the obama administration poked back announcing it's stepping up efforts to help ukrainian become less dependent on russian energy. a tactic gaining bipartisan support in congress. >> the white house, frankly, needs to come around to a strategy of supplying europe, selling to europe, gas and replacing the monopoly that putin has and the leverage that putin has with europe. >> reporter: but the standoff comes with costs. consider one key area of russian joint action, syria. the deadline for the syrian

regime to hand over its chemical weapons could be at risk. as for the weekend, the president plans to stay in florida with the first family even as the vice president joe biden is catching some sun down in the u.s. virgin islands, but white house officials say not to worry about all this, the president is traveling with a deputy national security adviser and can keep tabs on ukraine down in florida just as well as he can here at the white house only that the weather will be a little bit better down there. >> although it's supposed to be a nice weekend in washington as well. jim acosta, thanks very much. still ahead, the ukrainian pop star who has become a major voice of her country in this ongoing crisis. is she afraid for her life? she's here. ruslana. come on over. you're here in the "situation room." welcome to washington. >> thank you. when it comes to good nutrition...i'm no expert. that would be my daughter -- hi dad. she's a dietitian. and back when i wasn't eating right,

she got me drinking boost. it's got a great taste, and it helps give me the nutrition i was missing. helping me stay more like me. [ female announcer ] boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a delicious taste. grandpa! [ female announcer ] stay strong, stay active with boost. i reckoreckon so.s a brewin'. reckon you gotta hotel? reckon, no. reckon priceline express deals will get you a great deal. wherever you...mosey. you reckon? we reckon. vamonos the spring hotel sale is on at priceline.com. save up to 60% on any express deal hotel, when you use code: spring '14. i reckon this is one deal you won't want to miss. [ ship horn blows ] no, no, no! stop! humans.

one day we're coming up with the theory of relativity, the next... not so much. but that's okay. you're covered with great ideas like optional better car replacement from liberty mutual insurance. total your car, and we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. learn about it at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred.

before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today. remission is possible.

♪ she's a huge pop star pleading the case of her country to the world. ukraine's ruslana became famous after winning the euro vision song contest a decade ago. since then she's used her star power to support the push for real democracy in ukraine. ruslana, that's how she's known to so many of her fans, is here in the situation room with us right now. you've had a chance -- ruslana, first of all, welcome. i know you met with the first lady while you're here, you met with the vice president joe

biden, what is your basic message to these leaders? >> i'm so happy to be here and use this time to have this message. first of all, just being strong enough to keep peace, that's it. i know it's very important to use some sanction and to talk about unite usa and europe block putin on something like that. but first of all, just be strong enough to keep peace. because we have woar, we have dangerous situation, not just about crimea, not about ukraine, not about europe, i think putin's propaganda everywhere. we have it about information, disinformation, it's about lies, it's about conflict which does

not exist. >> you're saying disinformation and lies, that's what's coming, you say, from russia. you met with the first lady. i think we have some pictures the of video of you and michelle obama. tell us what that was like being received by the first lady of the united states. you had a chance to make your country's case to her. >> you know, it was very important to be there, to speak with her, explain what's going on exactly in ukraine. how it's important to do everything to stop war. how it's important. it's not just pain of ukraine, it's pain of everybody, for all of us. so that's important. >> i just want to remind viewers that you also met with senator john mccain. how did that meeting go? >> i asked for keep peacekeeping mission. >> from who, a peacekeeping

mission from who? >> from who, usa, because ukraine can't sell its weapons. question if putin changed the rule for that, forget about the agreement. so we ask usa for that. we ask for that. >> you came here to washington after spending several weeks. you were at that square, that independence square in kiev all that time. how long were you actually there protesting what was going on? >> three months. oh, three months, from the end of november when i heard first time that we cancel it to sign statement about euro integration statement. and i saw so much pain all this time. i never forget when people was killed for 20 minutes by one

snipers. i stay on the stage for ten hours to ask police don't kill us, please don't kill us. so i know how it is important to use even this time to ask everybody keep peace. i don't want to read name of people killed. >> did you see people get shot and killed? >> exactly. i was there. all the time. i see everything. >> were you scared for your own life? >> i can explain. so now we have hero that go to snipers without any weapons. i can't explain it. just ukraine heroes. just want to say to ukraine. >> what's your message to putin? >> mr. putin, look at me. i'm strong enough. there is a lot of people, uni

ukrainians and russians against you. you will never win in ukraine. people understand everything. you're anti-human propaganda, your disinformation, your lies. nobody support you. sorry. don't touch ukraine. >> what happens if this so-called referendum in crimea, the people that vote there and they allow, that they say they want to be part of russia and leave ukraine? >> majority people from crimea, majority support ukraine, united ukraine. all east region in ukraine organized the demonstration. ukrainian and russian people together support all country, unite ukraine, be together. we want to say putin, thank you, but we don't have any crisis. we don't have any problem. sorry. don't touch us.

leave us. don't kill us. >> be careful when you go back. ruslana, thank you so much for joining us. >> no problem. i'm strong enough. >> good luck to all the people of ukraine. >> thank you so much. >> ruslana, thank you. up next prayers and tears in the blood-stained square where so many ukrainian protesters die. that's coming up, but first, this "impact your world" report. >> hi, are you back? >> she was so thrilled when priscilla presley came to visit her facility she broke into song. ♪ presley is a dream foundation ambassador. the charity grants wishes to adults with terminal illnesses. ♪ >> the request you would think would be crazy things, but they're not. they're simple. they're about getting back with

your family. having a reunion. >> like seeing your sister for the first time in four years. that was roberts' wish. >> we just hugged and hugged and hugged and hugged. >> really, when you stop and think of it, you offer comfort, a closure to not just the recipients but to the family members, what they go through to try to grant that last wish when they really can't. >> according to the dream foundation, around 20,000 wishes have been fulfilled in the past two decades. >> as sensitive a journey as this is, to see the smiles and the appreciation and the love, it's really unmatched. but you're doing something and able to help others. the impact is immeasurable. now you can create your own perfect plate of pasta

at olive garden, with our new cucina mia menu, for just $9.99. choose the homemade sauce that tempts you the most. like our addictively creamy garlic asiago, devilishly spicy diavolo or garden-fresh primavera with roasted vegetables. all made from scratch and made to order. served with your choice of our new artisinal pastas including gluten free. new cucina mia is all about flavor, all about you, and all just $9.99. at olive garden, we're all family here.

save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.ould yep, everybody knows that. well, did you know the ancient pyramids were actually a mistake? uh-oh. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

has begun. choose your adventure, and take command of the road. ♪ with the highly capable gx, lx and rx. dare to be spontaneous, during the command performance sales event. ♪ get great offers on your favorite lexus models, now through march 31st. this is the pursuit of perfection. spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip.

so i got the new nokia lumia icon. it's got 1080p video, three times zoom, and a twenty-megapixel sensor. it's got the brightest display, so i can see what i'm shooting -- even outdoors, and 4 mics that capture incredible sound. plus, it has apps like vine -- and free cloud storage. my new lumia icon is so great, even our wipeouts look amazing. ♪ honestly, i want to see you be brave ♪ ♪ take this simple test. press your tongue against it, like this. it moves! do you feel it? it can happen with every denture. these movements may irritate your gums. but you don't have to bear with it. you can try fixodent plus gum care. thanks to its formula, your gums become one with your denture. this helps stop movement and helps prevent gum irritation so you can keep enjoying life. [ apple crunches ] fixodent. and forget it.

breaking news, president obama has just spoken to the german chancellor angela merkel. jim acosta has details. >> all we know is that the president called chancellor merkel after arriving in key largo after that event in miami earlier today. as you know, wolf, the president and angela merkel have been talking throughout the week. she's been acting as an intermediary between president obama and vladimir putin laying out some of the contours for this potential offramp for the russians out of crimea. we'll be reading the tea leaves to see exactly what angela merkel and president obama talked about. >> chancellor merkel a key

player in this. one of the deadliest moments of the crisis played out and the drama there is still unfolding. here's michael holmes. >> reporter: a little more than two weeks ago protesters in kiev's independence square were dying, shot in the streets as the battle for security forces turned dlid. the first set up camp here in late november to defy the government of now-ousted president viktor yanukovych. some never left through the cold of winter and the violence that claimed the lives of their compatriots. they say the departure of yanukovych isn't the end. "we will remain until the legitimate elections take place in may" he says. "we're here to change the entire political structure and show those who are in power are banned from holding office." there are plenty who call independence square home these days. "we've just gained our first results," this man tells us,

"but the night needs to go on. we need to stay here until the old corrupt authorities are gone, until ukraine is truly free." so they sleep in a growing tent city, volunteers feed them and countrymen and women visit to thank them. there's perhaps a few hundred of those hard core protesters still here, those who were here from the very beginning, but many, many other ukrainians are making their way to the square every day. they come from far and wide to wander, absorb what happened here, honor those who fell for the cause. they photograph the scene and the memorials. they pray. and they weep. some bringing their children along so they, too, will remember. alexei was born here but lives in london. he took leave and flew back just to place some flowers in independence square. >> the name correctly reflects reality. it is independence square. it's a place where ukraine

finally became independent, ukraine became free. >> reporter: this young woman said she wished she could do more, but she just had to come. >> because of all these people who died, they died for our freedom. and for our future and for our future children and i don't want their death -- >> reporter: tears complete the sentence for her. michael holmes, cnn, kiev, ukraine. >> the drama still continuing to unfold. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. let's step into the "crossfire" right now with hosts paul begala and newt gingrich. guys? >> wolf, conservatives are here in washington right now holding auditions out at cpac. >> and fortunately for us they're auditions for scenes in the "star wars" bar scene. coming up on "crossfire," a republican casting call. >> we don't get to govern if we

don't win. >> it's time for a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas. >> conservatives are shopping for our next president. should she be worried? >> four americans were murdered at benghazi. with all due respect to hillary clinton, it does make a difference. >> on the left, paul begala. on the right, newt gingrich. in the "crossfire," a hillary clinton supporter and a clinton detractor. who can beat hillary clinton? is she really going to run? tonight on "crossfire." welcome to "crossfire." i'm paul begala on the left. >> i'm newt gingrich on the right. in the "crossfire" tonight, guests with a stark political divide. the reality is if all we're doing in 2016 is picking a class

president, maybe hillary clinton's lifetime of work and serious personality would be enough. but she's the face of obama care, low job numbers and now a failed foreign policy. republicans know this, so this week here in washington, they're taking full advantage. >> with all due respect to hillary clinton, it does make a difference. why they died. >> they're laying the groundwork to put another clinton back in the white house. we will be happy to tell hillary clinton in unmistakable terms we know what difference it makes even if you don't. >> hillary as a person may be electable. hillary as heir to the obama administration's record of failure is something else. >> well, you know, our old friend, our mutual friend zell miller, one of my mentors in life used to say a hit dog barks. the reason they're all