two years ago, progression fighters took parts of eastern ukraine.lages were destroyed with thousands of lives lost. a formal cease-fire was announced. but for those people trying to return home, there is little sign of peace. among the thing the price of war are ukraine's disabled athletic team. finishing fourth at the london 2012 paralympics. these athletes are living and training far from home. the continuing conflict has meant they lost funding and access to their craft. but, they have not lost their winning spirit. >> tim is one of the team's greatest hoax. a group of young, disabled athletes from northern ukraine are highly motivated. many of the young athletes were orphans, or placed in children's homes by their parents when they were babies. now, the coach is like a mother to them. >> she helps make sure we get vocational training. at the same time, we prepare for competitions. first at the national level then for the european championships. >> she is hoping she will be able to take her youngsters to italy this summer. just taking part would

we meet the children caught up in ongoing fighting in eastern ukraine. >> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. >> again a reminder to all the top stories. bashar al-assad has vowed to retake the entire country. comments come as world leaders agree to aim for a temporary halt of hostility in syria within seven days. >>> violence in athens between police and thousands of farmers during an anti-austerity protest. >>> and in an historic meeting pope francis and the orthodox patriarch meet together, the first time in almost 1,000 years. >>> thousands of egyptian doctors have been protesting against alleged abuse by the police. they say certificates who attack their colleagues have not been held accountable. the doctors are now threatening to go on strike. >> this is a rare scene on the streets of kay row. thousands of doctors say there has been abuse by the police. their accusations come after two doctors were reportedly beaten by police. at the headquarters of the doctors' union, doctors threaten to begin a gradual

. >> reporter: still to come, we meet children caught up in the fighting in eastern ukraine.ope francis is on his way to cuba where he'll be meeting the head of the russian orthodoxsy. the first such meeting in almost a thousand years. ♪ the conference call. the ultimate arena for business. hour after hour of diving deep, touching base, and putting ducks in rows. the only problem with conference calls: eventually they have to end. unless you have the comcast business voice mobile app. it lets you switch seamlessly from your desk phone to your mobile with no interruptions. i've never felt so alive. make your business phone mobile with voice mobility. comcast business. built for business. ♪ >>> the syrian president bashar al-assad has said he will retake its entire country. as world leaders agree to aim of a temporary halt in hostilities in syria within seven days. >>> thousands of egyptian doctors have been protesting in the heart of cairo in the wake of repeated attacks they say against medical staff. >>> there have been violent scenes in athens during an anti austerity prote

. >>> we meet orphans caught up in the fighting in eastern ukraine, even though there is supposed to be a ceasefire. >>> >> a u.n. task force on syria is set to meet in geneva to bring relief to thousands caught in the conflict following an agreement by world powers in munich to put an end to the civil war. the leaders agreed to halt has stilts within a week, but armed groups, isil and al-nusra front are not included in the deal. the deal includes the deliver of human aid in besieged towns and villages. all this will be monitored by the task force by russia and united states but r.b.i. is pressing on with air raids on cities including homs. we are a report from the syrian border. >> rebel fighters understand the need to hold ground on this front line. if they are defeated, the syrian government and allies will be one step closer to aleppo city where tens of thousands live. after losing much territory in this northern province, the opposition is trying to prevent its stronghold inside syria's second largest city from being besieged. >>> they are killing us, but we will remain steadfas

charles stratford, al jazeera, eastern ukraine. >>> manager of the ukraine foreign house and joins uson, thank you very much for taking the time out to talk to us. so one year on it's clear the ceasefire is not holding and what in your view is the problem, what is going on? >> i think the key problem is that russia supported separatist and russia is not de-military with the region and the occupied territory is full of men and the numbers are 40,000 with weapons, there are hundreds of more vehicles and fires that are being hit all the time and there is no willingness actually to settle the conflict under the terms where it will be an integral part of ukraine and with the delivery of humanitarian assistance and this is the most traumatic thing for me because as we see in the episode these two children and elderly people cannot receive a basic assistance from international humanitarian assistance. >> do you see any change if the political situation remains in the state that it is in? >> well, i think in ukraine there is determination to compromise on the way to providing a special status

charles stratford al jazeera, eastern ukraine. >>> and we'll take a closer look at the violence in easternne later with a special program on "inside story." it will examine why the two sides keep violating the ceasefire agreement and whether there's any hope for peace. >>> the world health organization says it is looking more and more likely that the zika virus is indeed linked to birth defects. an outbreak of the disease is affecting many countries in the americas, and could sprengd to other parts of the world. >> reporter: this is china's first zika patient. he was venezuela when he got sick. infection with the virus is not usually life threatening for adults, but it is a concern to pregnant women. the latest out break of zika began in brazil nine months ago. health authorities are pushing to distribute more effective test kits and working on possible prevention. >> translator: there is great optimism that we could develop this vaccine in less time than originally foreseen. we believe within a year we could have the vaccine in its developed form. >> reporter: but it's likely to be 18 mon

charles stratford, al jazeera, eastern ukraine. >>> we will take a closer look at the violence in eastern late were a special program on "inside story." it will examine why the two sides keep violating the ceasefire agreement and whether there is any hope for peace, that is on 1730gmt here on al jazeera. heavy snowfall is causing widespread problems across india and kashmir and jamu and brought relief from a long spell of dry weather the snow blocked roads and caused some minor land slides. workers were seen lighting bonfires to keep themselves warm as they try to clear the snow away and wonder how long the snow will stay there and maybe you can tell us. >> reporter: it's moving away but not completely dry. if we look at the satellite picture we see there is an area of cloud here drifting its way to the east currently working to afghanistan and tailing across parts of pakistan as well. it's fizzling out as it edges its way to the east but there is a risk we could see a flurry of snow there through the next couple of days and elsewhere across india and sri lanka fine and dry. out to the ea

two years ago, progression fighters took parts of eastern ukraine.es were destroyed with thousands of lives lost. a formal cease-fire was announced. but for those people trying to return home, there is little sign of peace. among the thing the price of war are ukraine's disabled athletic team. finishing fourth at the london 2012 paralympics. these athletes are living and training far from home. the continuing conflict has meant they lost funding and access to their craft. but, they have not lost their winning spirit. >> tim is one of the team's greatest hoax. a group of young, disabled athletes from northern ukraine are highly motivated. many of the young athletes were orphans, or placed in children's homes by their parents when they were babies. now, the coach is like a mother to them. >> she helps make sure we get vocational training. at the same time, we prepare for competitions. first at the national level then for the european championships. >> she is hoping she will be able to take her youngsters to italy this summer. just taking part would be

in eastern ukraine or wherever.ect to the illegal annexation of crimea? >> that it's illegal and not ceding crimea with anything except for the primary focus at the moment is on agreements. >> but we're not going to give up on crimea. >> no, we have no intention of doing that. >> the president, some of my friends have criticized him for the issuance of executive orders but presumably not these. he's issued executive orders 13660, 661, 662 and 685 blocking property of persons and transactions related to the illegal annexation of crimea and subversion in the eastern ukraine. how is compliance going with those executive orders and is the administration seeking legislative, additional legislative relief with respect to the subject? >> we believe that russia continues to pay a real price for the annexation of crimea and crimea is physically isolated from international transport links now, from the global financial system. its tourism sector has collapsed. it remains unable to provide full significant electricity to its p

partially responsible, ukraine has not gone through the process it needs to give those regions in eastern ukraine proper direction. >> a certainly status law allowing for special status in those two areas, however, what's happening is, they keep moving it, so russia now wants constitutional reform. another country wants constitutional reform in ukraine. i think you understand how difficult constitutional reform is in any country. we can't do that overnight. it is a matter of time for that purpose. the thing that russia wants is to delay it, delay the reforms. >> yoare you afraid that the crisis in the middle east has distracted world leaders from what's happening in ukraine and that's partially what's leading to the continued fighting? >> the sad part is these crises have happened in almost simultaneously. what we've had in syria is ever since the beginning of the ukraine crisis people have been telling us in congress wait we have to work out syria, putin has helped us in syria and he has played both sides successful trying to delay the process. >> is there anything because of what's happened in

if it is our policy would be successful because russia would not have taken over all of ukraine, not even the eastern part where the separatists will then still be part of ukraine and in an arrangement with the government in kiev. i just don't agree with your conclusion there. i also think that if you look, russia has kwooptd the united states on the iran agreement. russia cooperated with the united states in getting the chemical weapons out of syria. russia has cooperated with the united states and syrian international support group and vienna process and now in an effort to try to fight against daesh and -- >> we need to go to the congressman from florida. >> the point i'm trying to make is it doesn't lend itself to just one judgment. this is more complicated for better or worse more nuance than some of these conclusions allowed for. >> thank you, mr. chairman, mr. secretary thanks for being here. thanks for your stofrs our country. mr. serks i had the pleasure this morning of spending some time with mr. ahmady and as you know, bob levinson is my constituent and wonderful to see amir and i'm thrill

orphans caught up in the fighting in eastern ukraine. even though there's supposed to be a ceasefire. interwelcome back, top stories from al jazeera. the syrian president bashar al-assad has vowed to beat back rebels and retake the entire country. these comments made after international powers agreed to meet in munich. pope and paid rark kiddo, issued a global appeal facing persecution in the middle east. riot police in athens, week of demonstrations have been putting greece under pressure with its contractors. >>> haiti's parliament is due to vote for an interim president. former president, michel martelly, left without an election for his replacement. >> a have you du ritual lails hs the start. those who march are members of the opposition and come here because they want to make sure their voices are heard. most of them say democracy in haiti is at risk. >> translator: we are protesting to get a new president and new prime minister. alt sectors mutts be represented. former president michel martelly wants to put whomever he wants back i

>> this is actually footage from inside a bus in eastern ukraine. mortar attack. >> that looks like a tank has fired at this area as well because you can see the trace of it streaking across from the right-hand side. >> iis still a disputed area where something like this could happen. >> it's also weird that these people have to think, oh, there goes another mortar. >> after at becomes your day-to-day and that's how you go about your day. >>> speaking of this day, in this world everyone is after the hockey may have taken that too he had an extra smartphone and n if i put that in fire. >> there's a battery in there. >> this thing just bursts into flames. >> everyone at this tablect this was going to happen. however the guy holding the camera clearly had not thought that far ahead. >> didn't see that coming. >> no,idn't. [ bleep ]. >> he sounds shocked. sir, you should not be ou put your phone in fire, it will explode. >> if you didn't know that already. >>>he wonder pig. >> the story behind the pig that fits right into the family. >>> plus, bmx mount

reforms were on the agenda along with the simmering conflict in eastern ukraine. with a fractured government and growing resentment, you can understand the german foreign minister's closing comment. ukrainian politics reminds one of a stump. reporter: and for demonstrators on kia's independence square are trying to keep up the pressure. they are demanding the resignation of the prime minister. he barely survived a vote of no confidence last week. even as he remains in parliament without majority support, he was the first to meet the german and french foreign ministers. then it was the turn of the president who has called for the prime minister's resignation. the power struggle in tf pits the oligarchs against reformers hoping for foreign assistance. >> the economic reforms must be carried out on the basis of the dates agreed with the imf. and there must be a policy driven by the principal of zero tolerance for corruption. reporter: and the inability to an act reforms threatens the minsk agreement arbitrated by germany and france one year ago. >> there is still a g

the virus has been found in parts of eastern ukraine, which the kiev government is no longer in control of. the virus is a disease contracted by contract between humans and pigs. >>> rescuers are still pulling out survivors after saturday's earthquake in taiwan, which toppled a 17 story building. an eight-year-old girl and a woman believed to be her aunt were pulled alive from the rubble 16 hours after the quake. more than a hundred people are still buried under the building. rob mcbride is in taiwan where it has been a grim start of the lunar new year for many people. >> a short distance from the collapsed building this temple is busier than usual. new year worshipers join some of the volunteers who have come to this part of taiwan to help in the rescue. >> we pray to the gods for those who are still trapped inside. >> this tragedy has overshadowed the humaner new year for many. and if has stirred others to join in the communal effort to do whatever they can, even offering up prayers in the hope that nor lives can be saved. on the grounds of the temple some of the volunteer groups and

following an agreement on thursday by some of them to pause the fighting, and the conflict in eastern ukraine between the government and russian-back separatists is also high on the agenda. hope francis has arrived in mexico for a five-day tour. the upon tiff was welcomed-- pontiff was welcomed by a huge crowd and will have a mass later on saturday. there are more developments on the situation in syria and we're getting reports that nearly 20 people have been killed by russian air strikes carried out in the town of alkanto. that's in homs province. video shows parents who are weeping over children who have been hit in these attacks as well as others covering the dead. in another part of alganto, a man called for help following the russian air strikes. >> translation: for god sakes, we are being slaughtered, exterminated. we are finished. we no longer have houses. where could we go? tell me. where do we ego? >>> now to libya where an air force jet has been shot down over the eastern city of benghazi. according to the libyan air force chief, the pilot ejected and landed safely, but his whereabo

we meet the children caught up in ongoing fighting in eastern ukraine. >>> and race relations dominateemocratic presidential debate in the u.s., as candidates seek more minority votes. ♪ ♪ rz >>> hello again, and a reminder of the top stories. bashar al-assad has vowed to retake the entire country. his comments come as world leaders agreement to aim for a temporary halt in hostility in the coming days. >>> and there have been violent scenes in athens between police and thousands of farmers during an anti austerity protest. >>> an agreement signed one year ago was supposed to end fighting between ukraine and pro-russian separatists. charles stratford reports. >> reporter: these children used to live in an orphanage and now they live in a war zone. brought up in poverty, and two with severe learning disabilities. they all now live with their adoptive parents in the so-called gray zone between pro-russian separatists fighters and the ukrainian army. the fighting continues, and especially at night. >> translator: nadia is also very afraid when there is telling. she cries and screams at nig

others feel unwelcome after the eu introduced sanctions against russia for backing separatists in eastern ukraine. as a result, domestic travel is up. and sochi, the host city for the 2014 winter olympics, is one of the most popular destinations. >> the ideal spot for skiing and snowboarding. sochi in southern russia boasts over 100 kilometers of perfectly-prepared pistes, modern ski-lifts and plenty of snow. since the fall of the rouble and recent attacks on russian tourists abroad, the subtropical city on the black sea has been doing everything to attract russian holiday makers. many are pleasantly surprised. >> i wouldn't have thought i'd like sochi after skiing in austria, but i really do. >> i'm russian. i'm afraid to go to egypt. and turkey? they're shooting down our planes, they don't like us. so we'll have our fun here instead. >> we'll listen to our president and stay in russia. >> but pistes alone do not suffice. the infrastructure has to be right and so does the price. and that's the snag. most of the hotels here were knocked together in a matter of months just ahead of the 2014 winter

helping negotiate the western package that bolsters the government during the war with russia and eastern ukraine. the european space agency has launch add new lithe into orbit. now the three a slight and able to predict weather such as el nino and traffic the progress of global warming. it will orbit above earth, and collect data on the temperature and size of the world's oceans. our technology editor has the details. >> it has taken eight years to develop. the european space agency sentinel 3a. is one of the most advanced satellites ever made. orbits 814-kilometers above the planet, it can measure the height of the sea surface, and also detect the thickness of sea ice. >> which is able to measure the sea surface, accurate to two degrees celsius, which is quite something. you try to measure that to that kind of accuracy. >> it passes over every part of the globe. it will be freely available for anyone to use almost immediately, this means it will help to monitor changes in pollution, and events it can also be used to track fires the movement of ships and even the mass migration of people across

the virus has been found in eastern ukraine, which the kiev government is no long center control of. the virus is a disease contracted through contact between humans and pigs. >>> rescuings arrescueers are pulling out victim of saturday's earthquake in taiwan. an eight-year-old girl along with a whom who is believed to be her aunt was pulled out of the debris from the quake. more than a 100 people are still buried under the rubble in the city. >> a short distance from the collapsed building, this temple is busier than usual. >> the earthquake made us very fearful and we're still afraid. >> we pray to the gods for those who are still trapped inside. >> this tragedy is overshadowed the lunar new year for many in taiwan, but it may have stirred others to join their efforts to do whatever they can offering up prayers in the hope more lives can be saved. >> on the grounds of the temple some of the volunteer groups in charities have made their base. a rescue team came from taiwan. on their first michigan they helped to save a life. >> although we can't be with our families if we can save s

three people killed and separatists in eastern ukraine.hey were traveling in a winnie bus when they hit the area southwest of the rebel stronghold. the driver had ignored warnings. >>> in italy, three hundred people were enter waded to invest in a ponzi scheme. >>> israeli soldiers shot dead a 15-year-old palestinian. the army said he was part of a group of palestinians throwing stones t at vehicles in the area. >>> the israeli prime minister has caused controversy by saying he'll continue to build border fences to extrem ex-protect israel from what he calls predatory animals. >> at the end of the day as i see it there will be a fence like this one surrounding israel in its entirety. some will ask is this what you want to do? surround israel in its entirety? the answer is yes. in the environment we live in, we need to protect ourselves from predatory animals. >> and an israeli labor court has ruled that the wife of the prime minister netanyahu created an abusive working environment at the official residents. sara netanyahu is accused of ab

as we've seen that play out in syria, certainly in eastern ukraine, in crimea, we see potential adversaries who p process increased capability. for all kinds of understandable reasons, there are today in the regular army no short range air defense battalions. they all exist in the reserve components, and a large percentage of the national guard's short range air defense is for all the right reasons and completely justifiable, committed to defense of the national capital region. we live under that umbrella right here, and we're thankful for that. but it leaves insufficient capacity for other army forces in other contingencies. >> the one thing i'd just add is yes, of course, the russian threat is critical, but we were extremely mindful, and hopefully you'll see in the chapter we have on the future challenges that those kinds of weapons, and this is true well beyond short range artillery issues, are exponentially dissipating across the globe. so the russian and chinese arms market is quite extensive. we acknowledge the fact that technology is diffusing much more rapidly than probably was anti

helped to negotiate the rescue package that bolstered the government in its war against russia and eastern ukraine> the european space agency has successfully launched a satellite into orbit. it will predict weather phenomenon such as el niÑo and track global warming. it is orbit above earth and collect data on the temperature and size of the world's ocean. >> it's taken aid years to development a at a cost of $340 million. one of the most advance earth observation satellites ever made. orbiting 814 kilometers above the planet. it's instruments can measure the temperature, color and height of the sea ice. >> we're able to measure the s sea's temperature accurate to a point of 2 degrees celsius. that's something. try to measure that with that kind of accuracy. >> it will pass over every part of the globe every two days. this means it will help scientists monitor changes in sea level, marine pollution and events likal guy blooms and it will track forest fires, ships, and migration of people across borders. >> it will help to monitor systematically all over the world different perimeters in the ocean

you want a constant war with supporting rebels in eastern ukraine, that is expensive. ruble is a week. this is today's headline from the financial times. freeze theing to supplied so the price will go up. the iranians are affected by that. those three countries have similar interests. the saudi's were able to absorb low oil prices because they wanted to keep iran out of the market. now they have decided they can't let it go to zero or everybody dies. china get serious about the environment, india does not. richard: possible. latine: warming le american countries. the idea that somehow latin america becomes more vital. charlie: i just saw the u.s. -- richard: i just saw the u.s. announced it will do flights to cuba again. you see the problems venezuela having. , speculating if the u.s. makes such inroads in cuba, if they become a success. it could be contagious. charlie: turkey take center stage. the main pathway for isis fighters. richard: still the main pathway. the turks are starting to crack down but it is the main artery. charlie: whitey think they could be pivotal

russia, they don't care about the cost of human life, whether it's in syria or whether it was in eastern ukraine or whether it was in russian soil in chec chesh chec. up to 200,000 civilians including many ethnic russian he kin to putin or medvedev died. establishing geopolitical goals, establish the leadership in the country. unfortunately that is a very cynical way of looking at it, and that's what russia is doing. >> we heard assad's statement a little earlier this evening, saying, a cessation of hostilities doesn't mean we stop using weapons on each other. that is a different stay than i've heard in a while. how problematic does it make the whole picture? >> it is clearly problematic because russia is not interested in a direct military confrontation with turkey, taken into context turkey is a nato state. if turkish military comes into contact with the russian military on syrian territory that would not invoke article 5 of nato. at the same time, russia doesn't want to take the conflict with the current confrontation with turkey to military level all the way through because that very much un

charles stratford, al jazeera, eastern ukraine. >>> we're going away for just a minute or so, so when back, you will have this. pope francis on his way to cuba where he'll be meeting the head of the russian orthodoxy. the first such meeting in nearly a thousand years. >>> and robin has the sports, and we'll explore the science behind one of the world's deadliest sports. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york. >> at 7:00 - "news roundup". tony harris gives you a fast-paced recap of the day's events. >> this is the first line of defense. >> we have an exclusive story tonight. >> then at 8:00 - john seigenthaler brings you the top stories from across america. >> the question is, will these dams hold? >> and at 9:00 - >> i'm ali velshi, on target tonight... >> ali velshi on target. digging deeper into the issues that matter. >> i'm trying to get a sense for what iranians are feeling. >>> time to go over the headlines here. syrian president bashar al-assad has said that he and his troops will retake the entire country of syria. his comments come after international leaders agree

you want a constant war with supporting rebels in eastern ukraine, that is expensive.uble is weak. charlie: this is today's headline from "the financial times." they are going to freeze the supplies so the price will go up. the iranians are affected by that. those three countries have similar interests. richard: the saudi's were able to absorb low oil prices because they wanted to keep iran out of the market. basically. now they have effectively decided they can't let it go to zero or everybody dies. charlie: china get serious about the environment, india does not. richard: possible. charlie: warming latin american countries. the whole idea that somehow latin america becomes, a, more vital. richard: i just saw a couple of days ago the u.s. announced it will do flights to cuba again. you see the problems venezuela having. i was wondering, speculating if the u.s. makes such inroads in cuba, if they become a success. that success could be contagious. charlie: number 10, turkey take center stage. the main pathway for isis fighters. richard: still the main pathway. the turk

. >> it has its presence in eastern ukraine which is objected to, it has said if turkey goes into syria it would regard that as an invasion. can't be far off. to say it's too early, you must think about it already. >> we think about everything, that's what we're paid to did. what we don't want to do is start ramping up rhetoric that is a little too soon for situation. >> you have seen they have muddied the waters, hugely. >> the russians have muddied the water, no question about that. >> to what end? >> their action he have prolonged bashar al-assad's rule. this guy is the problem. he has according the many reports been responsible to half a million deaths of his own people. this is a bad guy. there is no future that we can see in syria that includes bashar al-assad. >> what do you reckon the russian motives are? >> certainly, they want to be players in the region, they have some interest in latakia where they have a port, access to the mediterranean from. there but more i think it probably has to did with russia -- putin's desire for self esteem. desire for russia to look better. >> ba

now, the biggest problem is the continued willingness of the russians and the separatists in eastern ukraine that they back to flout the obligations and commitments they made in the minsk agreements. even as ukraine is facing some significant challenges, they can continue to rely on the united states to be there to support them as they navigate this difficult situation. reporter: you said that they're not fulfilling their responsibility when it comes to the president's supreme court nominee but under the constitution, congress' only responsibility is to give advice and consent. clearly senate republicans are opting not to consent but do you feel they're defying their constitutional responsibility or simply breaking precedent? mr. earnest: i think it's a little of both. both when you consider that every nominee put forward by a president since 1875 that wasn't later withdrawn by that president has received a hearing and/or a vote in the united states senate. it may go back farther than that but that's as far back as our records went. so i think that is an indication actions are their not cons

they've also moved into the crimea, eastern ukraine. you said you want to punch them in the nose. what does that mean? >> first of all, look, we have to make it clear to russia what we expect. we don't have to declare an threaten, but we need to make it clear what we expect. number one, is we will arm the folks in ukraine who are fighting for their freedom. they deserve it. there will be no ifs, ands, or buts about it. secondly, an attack on nato, truched up on any excuse of russian-speaking people, either in the nato countries, or finland or sweden is going to be an attack on us. look, i think we have an opportunity as america to put something really great together again. the egyptians, the saudis, the jordanians, the gulf states, they all know they're at risk. we need to look into europe, we look at france, we look at germany, and the migrants. we look at belgium, we look at britain. everybody is being threaten bood by radical islam. we have the opportunity to lead. the fact of the matter is the world i is desperate for our leadership. sometimes they may make a remark here or th

weapons to nato countries in central and eastern europe, even as russian military activity in eastern ukraine has calmed. defense secretary ash carter also sought a 50% increase in spending on the u.s.-led fight against the self-proclaimed islamic state. of ourbasic elements defense strategy remains valid, it has also been abundantly clear to me over the last year the world has not stood still since then. versions of il and th resurgce of russia, being just a couple of the examples. this is reflective of a broader strategic transition underway, not unlike those we have seen in history following the end of other major wars. amy: congress is holding its first hearing today on lead poisoning in the water supply of flint, michigan. the crisis began after an unelected emergency manager appointed by republican governor rick snyder switched the source of flint's drinking water to the corrosive flint river. flint's former emergency manager darnell earley refused to testify at today's hearing despite a subpoena. ,on earley announced he was tuesday, resigning from his current position as emergency mana

ukraine, propping up the insurgent. >> is he popular at home? >> he is, but it's the insurgent war. he is so far. but he's propping up eastern part of ukraine, the crimea, which by the way, is not a cheap proposition. he's propping up assad. got military in both places. he doesn't have the cash right now to go into the baltic. in fact, the ruble crashing and the commodities market crashing, it's the best thing that could happen for the west because he will not have the money. >> running out of time, so we have to go. my thanks to julie, charles, he says win no matter who wins in >>> all right. wait ae? >> coming back, should help world pull a lot. >> gary. >> i want to say defensive owned utilities, duke energy, 3%. >> all right. ben. >> my usual. the spiders hold on for ar life. >> all right. we're not done. the talks are going to continue. >>> if in fact senator cruz does not agree with the things that were done with the deceit that was carried out, that i would expect he would do something about it. >> i think what he did was a fraud. and what he did was a voter violation statement looking like it came from a government w

the russians are, of course, still supporting the separatists in eastern ukraine. we wanted to keep the russians from going further than that, and so that has -- you know, we've been able to do that. but on the specific challenge of the russian support for separatists in eastern ukraine, on the challenge of trying to get the russians to truly support some kind of solution that would allow ukraine to move forward, when we're looking at the role of our sanctions policy -- and there are -- and the other challenge is, of course, trying to figure out with respect to russian calculations, you know, how much of their calculations, as their economy struggles, is due to the sanctions and how much is due to the drop in oil prices. >> sure. >> which, you know, is helpful, so who's going to complain about that here? but, you know, how do we try -- how do we try to understand the impact of the sanctions on these different elements? and where's the focus right now in terms of what specifically we would want the russians to do? and are there things that if they did them, we would

as we've seen it play out in syria, certainly in eastern ukraine and crimea, we see potential adversaries who possess increased capability that could in fact in conflict threaten u.s. army ground forces. for all kinds of understandable reasons there are today in the regular army no short-range air defense battalions. they all exist in the reserve components. and a large component, large percentage of the national guard's short-range air defense is for all the right reasons and completely justifiable committed to defense of the national capital region. we live under that umbrella right here, and we're thankful for that. but it leaves insufficient capacity for short-range air defense, for other army forces in other contingencies. >> if i could just add, the one thing i'd just add is yes, of course the russian threat is critical but we were extremely mindful as we -- and hopefully you'll see in the chapter we have on the future challenges that those kinds of weapons, and this is true well beyond short-range artillery issues, are exponentially dissipating across the globe. so the russian and

ukraine, propping up the insurgent. >> is he popular at home? >> he is, but it's the insurgent war. he is so far. but he's propping up easternt of ukraine, the crimea, which by the way, is not a cheap proposition. he's propping up assad. got military in both places. he doesn't have the cash right now to go into the baltic. in fact, the ruble crashing and the commodities market crashing, it's the best thing that could happen for the west because he will not have the money. >> running out of time, so we have to go. my thanks to julie, charles, he says win no matter who wins in at ally bank, no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like vacations equal getting carried away. more proactive selling. what do you think michal? i agree. let's get out there. let's meet these people. we were in a german dance group. i wore lederhosen. so i just started poking around on ancestry. then, i decided to have my dna tested through ancestry dna. it turns out i'm scottish. so, i traded in my lederhosen for a kilt. at ally bank, no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like social media equals anti-social. hey guys, i wa

any talk of sanctions relief for russia is premature, so long as ukraine doesn't control its own eastern border. we must do more to counter russian propaganda, we feel very strong about the fact that people in the russian language sometimes only hear on the air what putin wants them to hear. they get a very unbalanced view.