the united states pacific command is sending a black box locator to the area. ten aircraft and a ship are involved in the search. today, lawmakers in sacramento consider a bill on stop funds for the california high-speed rail to prohibit the rail authority from spending anymore federal funds unless matching state money is immediately available. a plan to issue bonds to fund the project is on hold because a court challenge. supporters say spending federal money without guaranteed state funds could leave california to a financial hole. >> firefighters are watching for flare-ups after thick black smoke broke out at a board up commercial building at the end of california street. we have video from a cell phone which may have been started by homeless people who broke in and found shelter there. the fire was under control in 90 minutes with no injuries reported. >> a strike by thousands of university california hospital works is averted because of a deal. the agreement teaches 13 -- keeps 13,000 people on the job across the state. workers were to go on strike for a w

admiral lockier, the head of the united states pacific command headquartered in my home state of hawaii, said last year that climate change is the greatest long-term security threat in the asia-pacific region, an area covering more than half of the earth's surface area and almost 60% of its population. upheaval and political instability from climate change, he said -- and i quote -- "is probably the most likely thing that is going to happen that will cripple the security environment, probably more likely than the other scenarios we all often talk about." 11 retired three-star and four-star admirals and generals in 2007 stated that climate change is -- quote -- "a significant national security challenge that can serve as a threat multiplier for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world. climate change is also likely to impact the united states military's facilities and capabilities. mesh's military installations may be particularly vulnerable to climate change and the department of defense has dedicated resources to assess the risks. according to a 2008 national intel

privilege of leading the exceptional men and women, military and civilians throughout the united states pacific command. they are not only skilled professionals dedicated to the defense of our great nation but within the pacific command they serve as superb ambassadors and represent the values and strengths that make our nation great. we continue to work to ensure they are well trained, well equipped and well led to meet the challenges we are facing in the 21st century. i thank them and their families for their sacrifices. when i spoke to you last year i highlighted my concern for several issues that could challenge the security environment across the pacific command area of responsibility. those challenges included the potential for significant hadr or how man tar i can't remember assistance disastrous relief. korea, the continued escalation of complex territorial dispute, growing challenges to our freedom of action in the shared mains of sea, air, space and seibspace, growing transnational threats and the significant challenges associated with china's emergence as a global military and region

in my capacity as malaysian defense minister, i will leave tonight for the united states pacific command, which will help will be held from the first to the third of april. it is convened by u.s. secretary chuck hagel. on behalf of the malaysian government, i will share with my asean counterparts and the government of the united states the latest developments regarding the search of mh-370. i will convey to our asean neighbors and the united states malaysia's utmost appreciation for their invaluable help in the multinational search effort. i will also use this opportunity to discuss the possibility of deploying more specific military assets in the event that we need to embark on a more competent space of the operation. i shall be discussing with the united states and our other friends and allies how best we can acquire the assets needed for possible deep-sea search and recovery. today i held a meeting with the nations special envoy and special adviser to the foreign minist minist minist minister. the delegation included his excellency, mr. hethe ambassado indonesia to malaysia. the envoy

japan's agriculture minister says if the talks go smoothly, it could help talks with the united states over the trans-pacific free trade deal. >> translator: concluding the economic partnership agreement with australia would set a successful example of compromise. this might lead to progress in the tpp negotiations. >> he said avoiding major tariff cuts in talks, australia would make it easier for japan to win similar concessions from the united states. the u.s. negotiators are urging them to remove tariffs on all farm products. >>> and officials hit another japanese company with a significant fine. this was over a bribery case in indonesia. they have pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $88 million. they have accused marubeni of giving them to indonesian officials and helped them to win a $22 million power plant act. it violates the u.s. foreign relations corrupt act. marubeni was part of a consortium that won the contract and included an american company. >>> u.s. officials say the design of the boeing 787 dreamliner is sound. that's after a year long review after battery problems surfaced last year. investiga

but the united states would say, wait a minute, we're a pacific power too.t world war ii in the pacific, we fought vietnam, korea, we've been supporting the philippines sin 1899, we're destined to be a pacific power. so the different points of view of the united states and chooin are geographical points of view. >> the book is "asia's caldron." thanks for being here. >> it's been my pleasure. >>> up next, we have your march madness update. to quote dmx, where's my coasties at? the bracket busters, the cinderella stories and the solid bets for sweet 16 straight ahead. a new catalytic converter when all you got is a loose gas cap. what? it is that simple sometimes. thanks. now let's take this puppy over to midas and get you some of the good 'ol midas touch. hey you know what? i'll drive! and i have no feet... i really didn't think this through. trust the midas touch. for brakes, tires, oil, everything. (whistling) [ chainsaw whirring ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. sometimes we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming a

cooperation amongst the participating countries in cooperation with the united states' largest nuclear security standing asia pacific region will next year. the standard is to play hero in promoting peaceful use of nuclear energy. which has been irresponsible prayer you train your peers occurred the rest of their security as a rising college has demonstrated his responsibility and how nobody who was the issue. final reckoning this on some major step forward by the ears sheringham theirity and well. cctv. the so the media reported that the dprk has testified to two ballistic missiles into the east to see on wednesday morning the missiles are believed to be known till the south which has six hundred and fifty kilometers south korea's foreign ministry has come down the longest and called on its neighbor to hold the comparable to be taking did you do one too many companies are choosing a mortgage or so women due to security summit. it is necessary to continue her to show that the current eighty one and provoke to be a very high consumer cannot endorse the state run korean government strongly condemns the guitar case at

than ever from the united states with respect to taiwan speak with well, i don't think, i don't think the prc doubts our resolve, our continued positive presence in east asia pacificgion. >> really? with respect to taiwan because i think absolutely. >> all right. well, gee, the united states in 2001 tentatively agreed to sell submarines to taiwan. 13 years later, where are we on those submarines sailed? >> i think as you know we continue to refuse, review the defense needs and we make decisions that are appropriate. >> mr. moy, that we sold a single one of those diesel submarines to taiwan 13 years later? >> are not aware that. >> no. and by any chance the beijing object to that sailed? >> we don't discuss arms sales, our defense -- >> did they express themselves publicly or privately through any channels that you are a web? >> i am not aware. >> what would be the end of? why not sell them the diesel's? >> again, we make decisions not with the people's republic of china in mind. we make those decisions based on what we feel our needs. >> so the decision timidly to sell submarines to taiwan in 2001 is still under consideration as to whether it really needs your def

in just the past 12 months, the united states has made substantial progress towards concluding a landmark trans-pacific trade agreement. launching a transatlantic negotiation with the european union and a services negotiation at the wto and secured the first major multilateral agreement which was on trade facilitation in the two-decade history of the wto. each of these agreements will help us become more competitive, will boost output and support more jobs here at home. it will help level the playing field for our businesses and our workers and contribute to america's bottom economic line. they're also a powerful tool throughout the global marketplace including the rule of law, competition, transparency, accountability and respect for workers' rights and the environment. i want to leave plenty of time for a robust q&a session, so i'll just briefly highlight four of these agreements that help make up part of a much broader trade agenda. first, on tpp, the united states trade representative just with regard up meetings with trade ministers from 11 other countries that took place in singapore where they m

around the world we're focusing on regions we see tons for the united states, be it the asia-pacificub-saharan africa, latin america. in ukraine, i think we're standing for principles thac the been consistent across parties and decades which is we support our friends and allies in eastern europe and stand against these types of proef cases. that was the case in 2008 when russia invaded georgia and both democrats and republicans opposed that intervention. that's the case today as we oppose russia's aks in ukraine. >> ben rhodes, thanks for your time. also for correcting apparently a major oversight on my part as well as the rest of media that's been covering this. it's kiev and not kiev? >> it is kiev. that is how the ukrainians refer to it. i know chicken kiev is the way in which -- >> dash cafeteria hopes around the world. >> yes. kiev is definitely the capital of the government of ukraine and frankly the place we see very inspiring actions by the ukrainian people to take control of their future. >> always bringing it back around. ben rhodes, thanks for your time. >> thanks, alex. >

i say the united states is an atlantic and pacific power and we can and should pay attention to both.e current crisis has never been -- proves all the more how important it is to maintain all of these relationships. >> and we can do that and have to. nato is obviously looking to how to make clear that the nato members have our support. there are a variety of exercises that are going on. >> madeleine albright, great pleasure. safe travels. >> great to be with you. >> our daily fix, cruising cpac, the latest coming up next. >> the 2012 election didn't go exactly as we had planned it. last year i got to tell you, it was pretty tough to be optimistic after a loss like that. a year later, i think there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic. instead of mailing everyone my vacation photos, i'm saving a ton of time by posting them to my wall. oh, i like that one. it's so quick! it's just like my car insurance. i saved 15% in just 15 minutes. i saved more than that in half the time. i unfriend you. that's not how it works. that's not how any of this works. [ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a q

united states. it's been a really wet week here. lots of cloud and rain continuing across a similar area across much of washington state into the pacific northwest. this is the remainder of saturday, further heavy rain coming through here going into sunday. it still looks pretty disturbed. snow over the higher ground. hope as we come into monday we'll see slightly dryer weather but there is no great improvement. >> thanks, not good conditions up there in that corner of the u.s. we might stay on that story while we're there. the death toll from that mudslide is expected to rise substantially. 17 bodies have been found but more than 90 people are still missing. we'll hear more, but first, more than 100 volunteers have joined the search. >> martin was a few feet from oblivion. he was driving through osa on his 76th birthday when he stopped just short of 24-foot wall of earth. >> we didn't know where it was coming. >> reporter: in his years as a teacher here he got to know many of the victims. they came to this working class town for work logging trees for the breathtaking view of the mountains and the close-knit neighborhood. >> i said af

pacific airlines. >> now to the rest of the day's news - russia warns the united states against imposing sanctions over the crisis in ukraine. any action the white house takes will backfire. president obama ordered sanctions including asset freezes on those responsible. as peter sharp reports from moscow. russia declared its support for the breakaway movement in crimea. >> a standing ovation for the crimean deputies arriving at the russian parliament. their overwhelming vote to join the russian federation on thursday was applauded, seen almost as a declaration of independence, their message from their russian brothers welcome home and a promise. >> translation: everything is clear from this side of moscow. if we see you are ready to make this decision, i assure you our total support. everyone is just excited about this, because this is a festive occasion. >> festivities extending to red square, when the bill speeding up integration goes toward the doouma. crimea could become the first territory to join russia since the break-up of the soviet union since 1981. the significance of that not lost among the

pacific ocean. the map is from the united states geological survey. the earthquake was felt through the north coast and southernorg.org -- southern oregon and down to san diego. there were 19 after shocks felt. there was no tsunami watch or advisory. >> we have the details on the earthquake, sergeant, have you felt any shaking this morning? sergeant? sergeant? >> we will try to make contact with sergeant ban -- barney in a few minutes. a san francisco police officer is out of intensive care and recuperating after being shot while trying to arrest a man accused of trying to run over officers with his car. nick? >> the officer was rushed here on saturday and western first on the scene to cover it. we are happy to report the officer is expected to survive. this is how it started. jeffrey ruano is the suspect in custody. ruano is accused of trying to hit two officers with his can on saturday. video you will see only here the arrest of the 50-year-old ruano was captured by our camera after authorities say he led them on a multicounty pursuit from richmond

such capabilities on the ability of other nations, including the united states, to move freely in international waters in the western pacific? time have known for some that the pla have been pursuing technologies and capabilities that would allow them to potentially control the access in the areas around their borders, particularly the sea space. those technologies, specifically , i believe, are directed at what they perceive as potential u.s. phone abilities as we maintain our forces forward. we have for many years built our security environment around aircraft carriers forward bases with our allies. we rely heavily on cyber and space capabilities because we operate a long distance from home. we rely on a long line of logistics -- support necessary to be that far forward and to maintain a peaceful security environment. i would say that the a to a.d. capabilities that we have observed are being pursued by after what they perceive as potential u.s. phone abilities. whether they ever intend to use with us or against us or against an ally, the concern also is that these technologies will deliver it and further complicate the g

what is called the plot and that was going to be blowing up 12 airliners over the pacific ocean en rogue to the united states and their theory was that this was going to be so disastrous that airliners worldwide would shut down because the debris would be scattered all over the pacific ocean and this hasn't been found yet, the malaysian crash. the trial run was that he used a small explosive in an aircraft, just enough to know that it would get media attention but not enough to destroy the aircraft to tighten down the security. in a trial run, you don't want to do something so terrible that causes the world to tighten up and have increased security, such as checking future bookings for stolen passports or travel documents. so that's the only difference. the trial run is not supposed to be the actual run. it's supposed to be an attempt just to ping the system and see what security measures are in place. >> tom few weuentes, mary schia thank you so much into what happened to airlines flight 370, we're going to look at some of the troubling theories. and it's the only way to know for certain what went wrong but

one of the most picturesque places in the united states, so no wonder this is where billionaire tom steyer spends his time. a few miles inland from the pacifice 1,800 acre ranch steyer and his wife kathryn taylor bought in 2002. only an hour outside of san francisco, it's a world away. buying this ranch, was it your idea or your wife's idea? >> i think you can only blame my wife for that one. originally we bought it because the land had been so misused, you could dump stuff here if you paid them a fee. there had been a d.e.a. raid. they had people -- >> why? >> i think they were growing dope. >> oh. running this huge ranch, how is it different than running a hedge fund, a $20 billion hedge fund? >> i'll tell you how it's the same and how it's incredibly different. it's the same in the sense that you think this looks like an asset, but it's actually dramatically changed by the people who run it. and that's exactly like every organization i've been in, which is, having great people particularly at the top is unbelievably significant and powerful. and that's where the comparison ends. >> how much have you had to put into this? >> i try never to

one of the most picturesque places in the united states so no yonder this is where billionaire tom steyer spends his time. a few miles inland from the pacificthe 1,800 acre ranch steyer and his wife bought in 2002, only an hour outside of san francisco, it's a world away. buying this ranch, was it your idea or your wife's idea? >> i think you can only blame my wife for that one. originally we bought it because the land had been so misused, you could dump stuff here if you paid them a fee. there had been a d.e.a. raid. they had people -- >> why? >> i think they were growing dope. >> oh. running this huge ranch, how is it different than running a hedge fund, a $20 billion hedge fund? >> i'll tell you how it's the same and how it's incredibly different. it's the same in the sense that you think this looks like an asset, but it's actually dramatically changed by the people who run it. and that's exactly like every organization i've been in, which is having great people particularly at the top is unbelievably significant and powerful. and that's where the comparison ends. >> how much have you had to put into this? >> i try never to ask that ques

united states specific command. they are not only skilled professionals dedicated to the defense of our great nation, but within pacific command, they serve as superb ambassadors that represent the values and strength that make the nation great. we continue to work to ensure they are well trained, well equipped, well led to meet the challenges we are facing in the 21st century. i want to publicly thank them and families for their sacrifices. when i spoke to you last year, i highlighted my concern for several issues that could challenge the security environment across the pacific command area of responsibility, the indo-asian pacific. they include potential for significant hhdr, or human humanitarian assistance in disaster events. there's territorial disputes, growing challenges to the freedom of action and shared doe nans of sea, air, space, and cyberspace. growing regional transnational threats and the significant challenges associated with china's emergence of the global economic power and regional military power. in the past year, we have been witness to all of these challenges. our forces have been very busy securi

one of the most picturesque places in the united states, so it is no wonder this is where billionaire tom steyer ended up. just a few miles inland from the pacific 18 acre ranch he and his wife bought in 2002. only an hour outside of san francisco it is a world away. , buying this ranch, was that your idea or your wife's idea? >> i think you can lay my wife. -- blame my wife. originally we bought it because of the land. you could dump stuff if you paid the fee. there had been a dea raid. [laughter] >> running this huge ranch, how is it different from running $20 billion hedge funds? >> i can tell you how it is the same and how it is incredibly different. it's the same in that you think it looks like an asset, but it is actually dramatically changed by the people who run it. that's exactly like every organization i have been in, which is having great people at the top. it is unbelievably significant and powerful, and that's where the comparison is. >> how many have you put into this? >> i try never to ask this question. we have rebuilt every building. she felt as if raising grass fed was something that would be a good thing to do and a fun thing

capabilities on the ability of other nations, including the united states, to move freely in the international waters of the western pacific? we've known for -- >> week of known for some time that the p.l.a. have been pursuing technologies and capabilities that would allow them to potentially control the access in the areas around their borders, particularly in the sea space. those technologies specifically i believe are directed at what they perceive as potential u.s. vulnerabilities as we maintain our forces forward. so we have for many years built our security environment around aircraft carriers, forward bases with our allies. lie heavily on cyber and on space capabilities. because we operate a long distance from home and we rely on a long line of logistics, support necessary to be in that far forward and to maintain a peaceful security environment. so i would say that the capabilities that we observed are being pursued by the p.l.a. , go after either directly or indirectly what they perceive as potential u.s. vulnerabilities. so whether they ever intend to use them with us or against us or against an ally, the concern

as you say, the united states has to keep an awful lot of its attention on the asia pacific region wherena and japan -- it was interesting in the clip you played from the president, he gave a slight dig at putin, described russia not as a global power but as a regional power. that's not simply a putdown, but it's also a message that the united states needs to have a strong response but can't lose sight of the rest of the world. >> let's talk about the long-term implications, the topic, nuclear disarmament, it's interesting of course that ukraine was something of a poster child for nuclear disarmament and agreed to surrender its arsenal in a promise for protection, the u.s. and uk and russia were supposed to protect its territorial sovereignty. do you think the recent events and inability of the international community to live up to the promise, put a damper on it in light of what's happened in ukraine? >> you raise a really good point. years ago mr. gadhafi gave up nuclear materials and the world moves to oust him. years before, saddam hussein cooperated with various weapon inspectors an

million square miles, about the size of the continental united states, reaching from kazakhstan in central asia to the depths of the southern pacific ocean west of australia. why theories range from an on-board fire that disabled the crew and passengers to a hijacking and landing at some secret location, here is what we know: the flight departe kuala lumpur. a system transmission at 1:07. some time after that, a new flight path was programmed into the plane's on board computer. at 1:19, the co-pilot transmitted "all right. good night" to malaysian air traffic control. at 1:21, the plane's transponder shut down. at 2:14, the flight was captured on military radar, then, though the akar system had been disabled, a satellite received a feint final signal at 8:11. if it were still flying, it would have run out of fuel. for more, joined by colleen keller, senior analyst at metron which provides advanced air traffic management products and services and investigated the june follow-up 29th accident happenance of air fraunings and editor of flying magazinence an editor of flying magazine . >> a new flight path was programmed into the on-boa

pacific northwest. >> it is. >> and continues to be very windy this morning. >> so seattle kind of like the london of the united states, right? clouds and rain. bill karins, thanks. >>> a massachusetts judge saying that photos taken up women's skirts is legal. >>> the incredible images from a detroit bar that investigators believe is arson. [ male announcer ] frequent heartburn? the choice is yours. chalky... not chalky. temporary... 24 hour. lots of tablets... one pill. you decide. prevent acid with prevacid 24hr. [ doorbell rings ] the johnsons! stall them. first word... uh...chicken? hi, cascade kitchen counselor. stop stalling and start shining with cascade platinum packs. over time, platinum fights cloudy residue 3x better than the competing gel. it's so powerful it even helps keep the dishwasher sparkling. avoid embarrassing moments... at least for your dishes. cascade. beyond clean and shine every time. [ clears throat ] hi. what did you do to deserve that thin mints flavor coffee-mate? it's only one of the most delicious girl scout cookie flavors ever. i changed the printer ink. [ male announcer ] try coffee-m

united states. lord knows we do. we have this hugely important whether it is protecting the sea lanes in the pacific and theycial markets but etc. will grow up in a fundamentally different world. thehe wake of what happened last decade, we have to take a step back in order to play the role i think we need to play in the world. i will support that. what worries me is we are taking a step can't we have the civil war at home between our own version of shiites and sunnis, republicans and democrats, so we are neither doing the type of nation building we need to be doing at home or abroad. seen this written time after time by both analysts, drive-by and others as well as officials in countries like saudi arabia and israel who cite the syrian failure to bomb when the president said he would not take it to congress but what we will do with the russians is to get them to destroy chemical weapons as a sign of weakness. >> particularly in the arab world, the one thing you hear about the most. i don't think it has to do with the way the president came out. i think he made a pretty good case a week or two ago that he came out in a p

he's basically sailing into the -- he encounters in the south pacific race, terror and violence that will later explode in the united states and that's, and that's the kind of, you know, it's almost circular, right? and then melville reads the story when slavery does explode in the united states, and so this, there's an interesting circular -- >> right. >> -- chronology to the story. >> sort of like a glimpse of the future coming to him from the past. >> yeah. >> right. what was the sealing business all about? i mean, we're aware at least from -- i mean, melville doesn't get his due probable as the great industrial novelist that he was, but he was the great novelist of the oil business the whales, but what's with the seals? >> well, sealing doesn't play a big part in the novella, he mentions it. delano was from a good yeoman stock family that was less -- he was an ancestor of franklin delano roosevelt from one of the less successful branches of the delano family. and he, he came from a family of shipbuilders and fishermen and that, he came off age during the american revolution. he was born in the last year of the seven-ye

has agreed to allow the united states access to its credit reports assigned a new security deal the deal comes amid growing concerns about china's asset stiffness in the asia pacific and settles a sense of sovereignty issue between the us and its former colony the defense sunday a separate repealing of rancid pitino announced a deal on friday it was reached last week at inter governmental talks in washington. he said the agreement will allow the sharing of defining families with incessant on forces of the philippines the seventies whip and ends of the us penetrate the us had to make the aces in the philippines until nineteen ninety two. they were closed down in the device management isn't the end of the court warned us manage the access in the country has since been granted to you in joint exercises and port visits the philippine constitution hands full with troops stationed in on it so well the cost bsnl has sought to rekindle its alliance with washington and its accounting chinese project of the territorial disputes in the south china sea. us president barack obama has announced a simple visit to asia as a response to china's growing influence in the week and on

united states all working together. that is an encouraging sign, we need more of that and open communication because the western pacific where the u.s. fleet is is such a critical part of the world. >> yeah, absolutely, and good that you point out. it is amazing the international response to this disaster and this mystery. what about the fact commander marks, that this area now that they will be searching, the currents are not as strong. how might that help with the visual search that many of these people are trying to do from these airplanes? >> really, it is a matter of the weather getting better. over the past week or so the weather has been extremely challenging. with the ceilings dropping to well under a thousand feet that makes it very difficult to see when you're flying. so the p-8s, they have a number of sensors they can use. and the tactical coordinates in the back will use the optimal ratio of sensors, so for example, they may start out with the search radar. if they get a hit on the radar they can drop lower. they can get a scan with their el electro optical camera. or they can use binoculars. don't underest

pacific. that warming of those above-normal temperatures anywhere from a half a degree to a degree doesn't sound like a lot, can actually change weather patterns not just in the united states, but all across the world. >> reporter: while el nino could send california ricochetting from drought to downpours, in the northern half of the country, it could mean this miserably frigid, snowy winter will not be repeated next year. >> el nino may help to mitigate the brutally cold weather we have had in the northeast, the midwest and the northern plains. however, you are not going to be able to say definitely this will will get knocked out. why? because even though there is a forecast of an el nino it doesn't mean it will happen. >> reporter: it could also mean fewer hurricanes in the atlantic because water temperatures would cool, depriving the storms of energy. good news for the oil and gas in industry in the gulf of mexico. but el nino could also cause problems in other parts of the world such as droughts in southeast asia and australia, now, as al said, this is by no means a sure thing. just two years ago the government issued an el nino watch, but it never came to be. the gove

pacific countries especially in the nation. experts call for greater roper time in their security. i think that china has made good progress in working with the united states. i also think that they're committed to this issue. what i would like to see in age that generally the race to the top on nuclear security with and another for fifteen twenty years. what happens. stenson will need to expand this. it has been put on safety. it is not something sounds more countries are more dangerous to humans. twelve others were three huge quantities to have taken actions to secure their stock. we changed it was fun security is only as strong as this week is ending in china said the well minimizing risks in the overall security risks would otherwise be catastrophic. china says it would leave nothing to chance cctv ok. chinese president eating thing in his us counterpart barack obama killed or forced meeting this year the hague. the two leaders met on monday at the sidelines of the third vehicle a security summit this is the thirty fifth year since china and the us establish bilateral ties heating things the two countries have large areas of cooperation in a complicate

weather in many other parts of the country as the temperatures in the pacific are warmer than normal. one thing for the united statesity is usually minimal during a strong el nino season with a lot of the storms staying out over the water and not developing that much because you don't have the warmer water temperatures to help fuel these storms. we also tend to notice a more zonal flow. it keeps things a little wetter especially across california through texas and even into the southeast with above average rainfall. but up north, that's where it's actually warmer. so we could lose the threat of having these brutally cold winters, at least for the season, where we do have this el nino. we are going to start to notice, perhaps the effects of that if it happens. still about a 50/50 chance of that el nino occurring. for today, though, we are looking at icy conditions, up through parts of wisconsin, but it's really down across the southeast. about 2 to 3 inches of rain, especially right along the coast and up through the mountains, we are still seeing some icy conditions from just west of roanoke down int >>> good mornin

pacific. that warming of those above normal temperatures anywhere from half a degree to a degree, which doesn't sound like a lot, can actually change weather patterns not just in the united states, but all across the world. >> while el nino could send california ricocheting from drought to downpours, in the northern half of the country, it could mean miserably frigid snowy winter will not be repeated next year. >> el nino may help mitigate the brutally cold weather that we have had in the northeast, the midwest and the northern plains. however, you're not going to be able to say, definitely that this is going to get knocked out. why? because even though there is a forecast of an el nino, it doesn't mean it is going to happen. >> it could also mean fewer hurricanes in the atlantic because water temperatures would cool, depriving the storms of some energy. good news for the oil and gas industry in the gulf of mexico. >> nbc's anne thompson reporting for us. there is only a 50/50 chance of an el nino if we had to put odds on it. nbc's meteorologist bill karins joins us now. >> there are different grades of el nino, there are strong ones like in the mid-'90s or weaker ones. everyon

united states, and plus, the wilderness of the african serengeti. some of the best photographs taken by amateur photographers. 11:00 eastern, and 8:00 pacific time. >>while crimea's certain is uncertain, out of russia, the rally in russia's red square had pictures of vladimir putin, all in support of crimea joining russia. the headlines are coming up. >> welcome to aljazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. here are tonight's top stories. russian president, vladimir putin, signed a document of unification today, said to restore crimea to russian federation after a 60-year separation. and he sent a message to the ukraine people saying that russia has no plans to divide their country. >>> a ukraine an soldier was killed today on an ukrainian base, and they were given orders to fire back on russian troops. >>> part of a visit to russia's neighbors, biden is in the region to show support for allies. and he told baltic leaders that the u.s. defending the nato treaty is ironclad. >>> there have been no new clues for the missing flight 370. families of the passengers are threatening a hunger strike. >>> president obama honored 24 veterans. only

pacific. that warming of those above-normal temperatures anywhere from a half degree to a degree which doesn't sound like a lot can actually change weather patterns not just in the united states but all across the world. >> reporter: while el nino could send california ricocheting from drought to downpours, in the northern half of the country, it could mean this miserably frigid, snowy winter will not be repeated next year. >> el nino may help mitigate the brutally cold weather that we've had in the northeast, the midwest and the northern plains. however, you're not going to be able to say definitely that this is going to get knocked out. why? because even though there's a forecast of an el nino, it doesn't mean it's going to happen. >> reporter: it could also mean fewer hurricanes in the atlantic because water temperatures would cool, prodding the storms of energy. good news for the oil and gas industry in the gulf of mexico. >> nbc's anne thompson reporting there. and we should mention there is only a 50/50 chance of an el nino. >> it could or couldn't happen. >> you say el nino could be our friend. >> some areas are going to be great. it can be -- save a lot of money on he

united states attorney's office in california. he became -- began in the general crime section, prosecuting a wide variety of violent crimes, drug criesms pacific northwest he also served in the public corruption and government fraud section. but primarily he -- his focus was prostate prosecuting nationl corruption and national security. he really had occasion to receive more than one award, among them the director's' ward from the justice department for superior performance. he has broad support. he has been from the bar association, has -- has given them their highest rating of well qualified. the problem that has arisen around this nomination, though, is not his qualifications because the record will bear those qualifications. but it's the long-standing discussion over the seat vacated by judge steven trott and there's a history and i'd like to explain it. this seat has been event for over -- vacant for over nine years since judge trott took senior status in december of twowt twowt. 2004. it is the longest running vacancies in the federal judiciary. the ninth circuit has the greatest number of pending appeals per panel. it takes longer than

united states to find this thing. we have the toronto star newspaper says this is a chance for the two rival powers in the pacific to show up with what -- show off what they can do in a real-life humanitarian mission across one of the most hotly contested regions. this seems to be rather disruptive, have it be a competition rather than a cooperation. >> well, i agree with you. i think that having had an opportunity recently to work with in government leaving at the end of september, that, in fact, humanitarian assistance is a big mention for the u.s. forces in the pacific. it is an opportunity to work together. i think that if there is any competition, it would come under the heading much friendly competition, i would hope. and we would be able to, in fact, consolidate. we are in different places. but totally consolidate our efforts and make sure we are covering the search area. remembering that we are all in a support role will. the malaysians and it is their airplane. they are the -- in the lead for what actually happens in the search. that's the position we find ourselves in. >> we would hope, jeff, everybody is worki

united states. >> he said that number one security threat is nuclear bomb in manhattan that may come from terrorism. >> it's 11 time zones wide, stretching from the pacific to the north atlantic, and quite a number of russia's neighbors as i just pointed out are now allied to us and the nato treaty calls under article five for the fact that an attack on one is an attack on all. those are pretty serious problems and if russia thinks it can continue the process of nibbling away at ukraine and maybe owe did he say is a next and transeastern republic, part of moldova, we could be in a very serious crisis. that will certainly get the president's attention if that happens. we need to change putin's calculation on his next step. >> to your point, the president took a shot at putin. let's listen to that. >> we have considerable influence on our neighbors. we generally don't need to invade them in order to have a strong cooperative relationship with them. >> does he have a point, that putin is operating out of weakness? >> my guess is putin doesn't think he's operating out of weakness and i don't think the polls and the lithuanians and ukrainians think he said ac