engel: ok.hen i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, the ranking member of the ways and means committee, mr. levin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. without objection. mr. levin: i rise in strong support of this bill. as ukraine is fighting for its independence and the people of ukraine are fighting to preserve and to deepen their democracy, we must stand squarely with them. it's been said here, including by the majority leader, that this is a first step. and i'd like to make very clear we really should be taking in this bill another step. we should be in this bill as was proposed in the senate and by many of us some assistance to make sure that the i.m.f. can perform its fullest role. that was the

engel: ok. then i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, the ranking member of the ways and means committee, mr. levin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. without objection. mr. levin: i rise in strong support of this bill. as ukraine is fighting for its independence and the people of ukraine are fighting to preserve and to deepen their democracy, we must stand squarely with them. it's been said here, including by the majority leader, that this is a first step. and i'd like to make very clear we really should be taking in this bill another step. we should be in this bill as was proposed in the senate and by many of us some assistance to make sure that the i.m.f. can perform its fullest role. that was the preference of president obama. e made it clear we should act, the u.s. we should also be able to help the i.m.f. to act as fully and effectively as possible. so i think today instead of anybody here coming and criticizing the president,

engel. both of them have been very present and very energized on the united states house of representatives speaking in a clear voice in favor of democracy, the rule of law, freedom and liberties being respected by the maduro regime and so far we have seen the opposite be true. and i want to again suggest to my colleagues that passing this resolution of solidarity with the peaceful protessors of venezuela is an important -- protestors of venezuela is an important first step and those that support this cause will follow up with my office and sign the letter to president obama asking for economic sanctions against human rights violators and also co-sponsor my bill that follows and tracks that same -- that same letter. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 488, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the c

engel: ok. then i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, the ranking member of the ways and means committee, mr. levin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. without objection. mr. levin: i rise in strong support of this bill. as ukraine is fighting for its independence and the people of ukraine are fighting to preserve and to deepen their democracy, we must stand squarely with them. it's been said here, including by the majority leader, that this is a first step. and i'd like to make very clear we really should be taking in this bill another step. we should be in this bill as was proposed in the senate and by many of us some assistance to make sure that the i.m.f. can perform its fullest role. that was the preference of president obama. e made it clear we should act, the u.s. we should also be able to help the i.m.f. to act as fully and effectively as possible. so i think today instead of anybody here coming and criticizing the president,

engel, and the chairman, mr. royce, for their bipartisan leadership on this critical, critical resolution. mr. speaker, apparently once a k.g.b. agent always a k.g.b. agent. mr. putin seems to have learned nothing from history other than that there is power at the end of the barrel of a gun. to cite the fact that there are russian speakers in crimea as a rationale for one of the most audacious power grabs of the 21st century in europe no less forgets history. let us not forget that crimea was settled by stalin when he excelled and executed the native tartars, this was also done at the end of the barrel of a gun. russian interests were never threatened in the crimea after the revolution in kiev. the new government in kiev never abrogated the treaty that allowed russia privileges, naval privileges, through 2042. the ukranians didn't occupy military stations in crimea and around the region. it was the other way around. but the united states and its allies to allow this naked aggression to go unaddressed would be tru

engel. miss ros-lehtinen had asked for some time for a brief opening statement. >> thank you so much, mr. chairman. this bill is important, because it shows our strong support to the ukrainian people, and it says to all freedom loving friends and allies in the region that the u.s. will not stand idly by as russia bullies its way in an attempt to rebuild another soviet union. the obama administration must get tough against russia by sanctioning more russian oligarchs, by adding more names to the list, revoking the 1-2-3 agreement with russia and re-examining our pntr agreement with moscow. i would also like to thank you, mr. chairman, for including in the bill language to support the iran, north korea and syria nonproliferation act, the language reasserts that the administration must comply with reporting requirements to fully implement this act. language that was aproved by the full house of representatives last congress by a vote of 418-2. the reports have been delinquent for four years, an

[applause] >> congressman eliot engel is no introduction. he has a long record of commitment to human rights and democracy. the congressman was a leader in the west to end the ethnic cleansing in kosovo. he worked to end child labor throughout west asia and he has supported the democratic aspiration of the peep hole of the middle east. congressman engel has also been committed to standing up to the assad regime. in 2003, when not many here in washington were talking about the assad regime or syria, the congressman, congressman engel offered the syria accountability and lebanese sovereignty restoration act, which in those penalties and restrictions on the assad government, aimed at forcing their withdraw from lebanon. over the past three years of conflict, congressman engel has never shied away from taking the responsibility for the united states to protect the people of syria. i'll call upon the president to do more every single time. in 2013, the congressmen introduced the free syria at in the house of representatives. the aim of which was

also speaking is representative eliot engel. this portion is about 35 minutes. >> so i just wanted to say, i go back and forth -- to the border in turkey, the southern border with syria and come back and i have often seen this gentleman both here in washington, and on the ground doing tireless work, in terms of trying to push for as much assistance as possible for the syrian people directly on the inside. there are different sorts of frustrations in the things that you do, there are many people in the united states government and state department who are pushing the envelope in the right direction. mr. mark ward, the senior adviser to syria one of these guys. he spent most of his time the last 16 months -- working in southern turkey, with a team of 25 people who work day and night, to facilitate all types of aid and essential aid at that, to reach across the border to our brothers and sisters in syria. without further ado, i would like to introduce mr. mark ward, who will come and give us some opening remarks. [applause] >> than

. >>> putin's next move, richard engel report's on what could be the next front. and the pentagon is watching, as well. >>> and women and alzheimer's for some. it is now a bigger risk than breast cancer. tonight, the new numbers tell a sobering story. nightly news begins now. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is nbc nightly news with brian williams. >>> good evening, it has now been missing longer than any other commercial aircraft in history. and while people across this country and around the world are talking about this story, theorizing about what may have happened some of the families of the loved ones today reached their limit for waiting without knowing. this mystery has always been about the passengers on board more than it has ever concerned a large aircraft with two large engines. and while it is impossible to know what the families are going through today we at least got a vivid glimpse. today, president obama declared the search for this jetliner a top priority for the united states. and we begin with the very latest on that effort.

we'll hear from richard engel in crimea in just a moment. first we're joined by our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell in our washington newsroom. andrea, good evening. >> good evening, lester. vladimir putin was defiant tonight. signing the decree recognizing crimea's independence, ignoring economic sanctions today from the u.s. and europe. the russian president still strutting in the afterglow of the sochi games today awarding medals to the russian paralympians, seemingly unfazed by u.s. sanctions. as crimeans celebrated, u.s. officials tacitly acknowledged crimea is lost. so is a ukrainian natural gas plant nearby, taken over by russia in a helicopter assault this weekend. the white house's new red line, any russian move into the rest of eastern ukraine. like donetsk, where pro-russian demonstrators were out in force. >> further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate russia. and diminish its place in the world. >> reporter: today the president froze american bank accounts and commerce with 11 top russ

richard engel live in a few minutes. we have new reporting out of east texas you will not see anywhere else coming up on the show tonight. new news out of florida and michigan, both stories that are likely to have nationwide political consequences. there's a lot to get to this hour. good to be back into a really, really busy news cycle. we're starting the show tonight with an unexpected and still unexplained strange development in the new jersey bridge scandal and chris christie administration and the investigations into that scandal. before today, we've known that the new jersey legislature was obviously investigating the bridge scandal. now, theirs is not a criminal investigation. it's the legislature investigating. they do have subpoena power, but they have no ability to themselves, bring criminal charges against anyone if any criminal behavior is uncovered by their inquiry. so that's the state-level investigation by the legislature. before today, we also knew about two federal criminal investigations by the federal p

nbc news chief foreign correspondent, richard engel.ateful for you staying up until the deathly hours of the morning for us. thanks for being here, my friend. >> reporter: absolutely. >>> there continues to be some interesting questions about american diplomatic power in countries where we have a lot of influence with our money but not a lot of influence in other ways. a weird experiment in american diplomacy involving money and science is coming up right at the end of tonight's show. stay with us. [ female announcer ] what's a powerful way to cut through everyday greasy messes? [ male announcer ] sponges take your mark. ♪ [ female announcer ] one drop of ultra dawn has twice the everyday grease cleaning ingredients of one drop of the leading non-concentrated brand... ♪ [ crowd cheering ] ...to clean 2x more greasy dishes. dawn does more. so it's not a chore. >>> little bit outside the scope of national attention, there's been quite a bit of civil disobedience in the great state of georgia this year. not georgia the nation as in russia,

nbc news chief foreign correspondent, richard engel.teful for you staying up until the deathly hours of the morning for us. thanks for being here, my friend. >> reporter: absolutely. >>> there continues to be some interesting questions about american diplomatic power in countries where we have a lot of influence with our money but not a lot of influence in other ways. a weird experiment in american diplomacy involving money and science is coming up right at the end of tonight's show. stay with us. marge: you know, there's a more enjoyable way to get your fiber. try phillips fiber good gummies. they're delicious, and a good source of fiber to help support regularity. wife: mmmm husband: these are good! marge: the tasty side of fiber. from phillips. those little cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healt

nbc news chief foreign correspondent, richard engel. grateful for you staying up until the deathly hours of the morning for us. thanks for being here, my friend. >> absolutely. >>> there continues to be some interesting questions about american diplomatic power in countries where we have a lot of influence with our money but not a lot of influence in other ways. a weird experiment in american diplomacy involving money and science is coming up right at the end of tonight's show. stay with us. people don't have to think about where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪ i'm a messy person. i don't like cleaning. i love my son, but he never cleans up. always leaves a trail of crumbs behind. you're going to have a problem with getting a wife. uh, yeah, i guess. [ laughs ] this is ridiculous.

in the "crossfire," representative eliot engel, a new york democrat, and adam kinsinger, an illinois republican. who is making the u.s. look weak on the world stage? obama, putin or the republicans? tonight on "crossfire." >>> welcome to "crossfire." we're going to continue cnn's breaking news coverage of the crisis in ukraine. i'm van jones on the left. >> i'm s.e. cupp on the right. in the "crossfire" tonight a democrat and republican from the house foreign affairs committee. it's been a big day of breaking news. armed men hassled the u.n.'s eni have to ukraine today before forcing him to leave crimea. secretary of state john kerry met with the russians and the ukrainians today in paris but couldn't get them to talk directly to each other. and kerry had this to say. >> ukraine's territorial integrity must be restored and must be respected. >> but we're all still unclear about how the u.s. will enforce that. yesterday president obama said putin was pausing. today putin threatened to confiscate u.s. and european assets if we impose sanctions. when will we learn to take putin seriousl

richard engel is there as the world braces for what happens next. >>> breakthrough. a once in a generation effort to break through a freeze on the great lakes. we're on board for the mission. >>> and against all odds. a mother who never gave up searching for the daughter she lost so long ago. tonight, their incredible reunion. "nightly news" begins now. >>> good evening. brian is off tonight. i'm lester holt. as we reach the one-week mark in the search for that missing malaysian jet, experts agree that what we are witnessing is unprecedented in modern aviation history, a large airliner, packed with people, far from where it was supposed to be and then vanishing without a trace. ing tonight there is new information showing the boeing 777 made not one, but two changes of course after it vanished from radar screens. and that has dramatically shifted the focus of search efforts while at the same time expanding the possibilities of where the plane ended up. so much about this flight simply doesn't add up. but that which does has investigators tonight accepting the real po

our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, is in crimea's capital tonight. richard, what's the scene there? >> reporter: good evening, lester. there's a party-like atmosphere here tonight. people have been singing russian songs. there have been fireworks. washington threatened sanctions. much of the world says it won't recognize this referendum, but still, it went ahead. russia took crimea by force. today's vote was just about the paperwork. the russian troops don't show their faces or wear insignia on their uniforms, but they're everywhere. the russian armored vehicles outside polling stations showed how moscow wanted this vote to go. few countries accept the legitimacy of today's vote held in schools across crimea. respected international election monitors weren't allowed to come. one thing that is transparent about this vote is the ballot box, and so far, all the votes we've seen have been for joining up with russia. russia has popular support here. so how did you vote? >> i vote for russia simply because crimea has always been russian. >> reporter: for c

our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is there tonight. >> reporter: good evening, lester. all indications are this is going to be a very violent election. in fact, it already is. today the headquarters of the afghan electoral commission was attacked. there were dozens of election officials inside when suddenly they started receiving incoming rocket fire and machine gun fire. the officials were rushed down into safe rooms. the attack lasted for several hours. eventually afghan security forces managed to set up a cordon around the area, move in, storm a building about 700 yards away from the headquarters where four taliban militants had taken up position. the afghan swat teams cleared the buildings and killed the four taliban militants. in some ways, this is an indication of what the united states is leaving behind. the afghan security forces today did succeed, but on the other hand, the taliban is increasingly bold and increasingly carrying out more frequent attacks right here in the afghan capital. lester? >> richard engel in kabul. >>> more damage control today from new j

engel of new york. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i'm going to only ask one question to give more people an opportunity to ask questions. i think i'm going to ask it to you, mr. rubin. russia's exerted intense pressure, especially economically, on ukraine in the past, and my fear is ukraine can expect more pressure in the months ahead. how can we and our european allies help ukraine and other countries such as moldova and georgia, which are attempting to build democratic states, resist this pressure? one of the things that worried me about leaning to this crisis is that putin in trying to lure these countries into its customs union offers them all kinds of goods, bonuses, gas, money, and the european union says, well, we'd like you to affiliate with us in the eastern partnership but there are 12 hoops you first have to jump through and if you jump through them and land on your feet, we'll consider you. i really think we have not -- the playing field has not been level leveled. and we create obstacles to having these countries enjoin

>>> richard engel in kabul. >>> and more damage control from governor chris christie who spoke today in las vegas a day after he tried to put the george washington bridge scandal behind him. today he spoke of his own leadership. >> how do you get better? how do you make your people better? and so for me, i think, it is about me being a lot more questioning about things that are going on. it is about sending very clear signals but certain conduct and actions are acceptable, and certain are completely unacceptable. >> our political director chuck todd has more. chuck? >> reporter: well, it has been fascinating to watch christie in the last four days, let's put into context where he was. this was a 2016 republican cattle call if you want to call it that. a bunch of 2016 potential candidates were there. so let's look at the remarkable 72 hours. chris christie comes out with his own investigation that clears him of wrongdoing, there was a massive press conference where the bravado comes back, he is trying to attack reporters, saying you don't know what you're talking about, and proclaimed

. >>> joining us now chief foreign correspondent richard engel. let's talk about the latest issue of what the reports are, troops going into these water ports in crimea. >> reporter: russia flatly says it has no intention of invading, no intention of crossing the border but it is being vague about what those troops are dogmas beinged in 20, 30 thourks or more with attack helicopters, with supply lines. they had originally said that they were doing military exercises but a lot of u.s. officials aren't very convinced and are worried that they're being so well equipped. still, the situation is developing in crimea itself. the crimean peninsula which was taken over, formally annexed, but there's this issue of what would happen to the ukrainian military bases that were on the peninsula. the military bases that never put up a fight to try and prevent the russian takeover because they were out manned, but they still remained on the basis. and one by one these bases have been stormed, taken over. the ukrainian personnel inside removed. there have been thr

our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more with the latest. >> reporter: russian armored vehicles today breached a ukraine air base that had been holding out in crimea. russia fired warning shots as they moved in. in the end, ukraine had no choice but to surrender. 30 miles away, hundreds of pro-russian protesters took another ukrainian base, that one also surrendered. moscow and its allies are systically taking apart what is left of ukraine's defenses in crimea. russian navy today even stopped and seized a ukrainian fox trot class sub in the black sea. almost anywhere, these would all be acts of war as russian sailors stripped off the ukrainian emblem. it seems russia is trying to humiliate ukraine but there is not much ukraine can do about it. it is far weaker. and many of its own people support what russia is doing. this is one of the biggest cities in eastern ukraine and these demonstrators have come to protest in front of city hall. they're all ukrainians, but they demand that russia intervene. they're calling for eastern ukraine to follow russia. many tried hard not

richard engel, nbc news, donetsk, ukraine. >>> a developing story in the west involving a massive mud slide that tore through homes and on the a highway today in northwest washington state. it happened in the town of oso and we get late details tonight from nbc's joe fryer. >> reporter: good evening, david. the massive mud slide destroyed six homes, killing at least three people and injuring at least eight others. it happened this morning near the town of oso, located about 60 miles northeast of seattle. witnesses say it happened quickly, everything was washed away in a matter of second. the mud slide field is massive, about 40 yards wide, a hundred yards across. the snow hoe militia county sheriff's office said mud and debris are blocking an entire road, state route 530, cutting off a town. debris is blocking the north fork of one of the rivers and the national weather service says the water levels dropped two feet in an hour and authorities say it could take a week to unblock the river. as for the nine people injured, they were sent to three different hospitals. one of the victims,

engel. i now recognize myself to speak on the enblock amendments. house resolution 494 affirms the importance of the taiwan relations act. for 35 years the taiwan relations act has served as the legal framework governing the important relationship between the united states of america and the republic of china taiwan. since the act came into force in 1979, there have been few other pieces of foreign policy legislation as consequential as the tra. indeed, it is the steadfast support of the united states congress that has helped taiwan become what it is today, a thriving democratic society and a world leader in high tech innovation. today we will consider house resolution 494 affirming the importance of the taiwan relations act. this bipartisan legislation which currently has over 60 co-sponsors reinforces our nation's unwaivering support forte juan and forte juan's 23 million people. as chairman i led two bipartisan delegations to taiwan to strengthen our bilateral relationship. last year i in

joining me now in eastern ukraine, nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel. there's a lot of tension there yesterday. i don't know about today, but certainly they were concerned about the massing of russian troops you reported. what is the state of play? >> reporter: there is still a lot of concern as this country is being pulled in two opposite directions, the formal annexation which has been signed by putin and approved by parliament, adjoining crimea with russia and that agreement you mentioned with the government in kiev, a proamerican government, that is actually looking for weapons from washington signing an association agreement with the eu committing itself to closer political ties and closer economic ties and it's expected that after elections in about two months that those associations with the european union could get even tighter. here in eastern ukraine and southern ukraine, people are worried that they are going to be torn apart as this -- these divisions become even more polarized. russia has troops on the border, about 20,000 russian troops al

let's get the latest from chief foreign correspondent richard engel. tell us what you think about putin's latest actions today. >> reporter: this country is increasingly divided. what you saw today vladimir putin signing the official annexation agreement, making the two million people who live on the crimean peninsula now officially part of russia. at the same time, you have the government in kiev, the pro-american, pro-western government signing its own agreement, an association agreement with the european union committing this country to closer ties, with europe. in the middle are all of the people who are wondering what will happen. will russia invade and take more of this country? will it take parts of the east and the south where there are many russian speakers? will sanctions be put on russia and deter the russians from taking any kind of military action? a lot of this goes down to putin's motivations, how far will he go. so far there have been just these quite specific sanctions on members of the russian leadership. we have not seen real sanctio

i want to commend chairman royce and ranking member engel for bringing this forward. the united states has been committed to ukraine's prosperity and sovereignty since it gained independence in 1991. there's never been a more critical time to reaffirm this commitment than right now. president putin's unilateral decision to expand russia's military operations in the ukraine was made with the calculation that the world would respond with words, not deeds. he was wrong. the world must send a clear message to russia that there will be real consequences to these violations of international laws. failure to deter russia's aggression will embolden president putin to continue seeking illegitimate power and further threaten stability in this important region of the ofld just as importantly, -- the world. just as importantly, failure to act would embolden bullies in other areas of the world who are no doubt watching. this resolution calls for strongs action by the united states, such as suspending military cooperation with russia, boycotting the g-8 summit and imposing sanction

>> thanks, richard engel. up next, ryan sea crest and zach g galafenakis. that's coming up. people have the same financial goals. pnc investments works with you to understand yours and helps plan for your retirement. talk to a pnc investments financial advisor today. ♪ i takbecause you can't beatrning for my frzero heartburn.n. woo hoo! [ male announcer ] prilosec otc is the number one doctor recommended frequent heartburn medicine for 8 straight years. one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. cut! [bell rings] this...is jane. her long day on set starts with shoulder pain... ...and a choice take 6 tylenol in a day which is 2 aleve for... ...all day relief. hmm. [bell ring] "roll sound!" "action!" at a company that's bringing media and technology together. next is every second of nbcuniversal's coverage 0f the 2014 olympic winter games. it's connecting over one million low-income americans to broadband internet at home. it's a place named one america's most veteran friendly employers. next is information and entertainment in ways you never thought possible. welcome to

russian troops stormed in crimea, and in eastern ukraine, richard engel is at the site of another standoff. >> the ukrainian troops were trying to remove ammunition from that base and send this ammunition to reinforce troops in kiev. the ukrainian forces were leaving their base, they were blocked by a pro-russian militia and there is something of a standoff there. >> as russia moves forward with its expansion plans, joe biden tried to reassure allies in putin's backyard. >> president obama wanted me to come personally and make it clear what you already know, that under article 5 of the nato treaty, we will respond. we will respond to any aggression against a nato ally. >>> and overdue medals. decades after their service, three vietnam heroes and 21 more who have already died finally received the medal of honor in an emotional white house ceremony. >> in the thick of the fight, all those years ago, for your comrades and your country, you refused to yield. and on behalf of a grateful nation, we all want to thank you for inspiring us then and now with your strength, your will, and your heroic

thank you gary engel.y much, john. >> the fcc is one more champ of a largely use will feel government agency that only grows. began with 144 employees. now it has 12,000. they grow and you pay for them. when i started consumer reporting i thought the federal trade admission that's where i should go for consumer information. they were supposed to go to the consumer complaints but usually the bureaucrats didn't answer the phone. in theory breaking up monopolies is a rule for government. in today's economy you don't find a monopoly. the government spent 13 years prosecuting the idea before deciding gee i guess it is not a monday mopcal -- monopoly. it is wrong when they claimed repeal all government barriers to the entry. a it's a pup tid mull. what protects them is combi tiggs. the government gets out of the way next my newírÑ mayor in the government. he wants to bully parents in thanking their kids to his. ununion niez the government one school. >> the my mayor too bad. so you canet out of your element. so

engel: thank you, mr. speaker. may i inquire how much time i have? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york has 1 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. engel: i yield one minute of that time to the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. kaptur. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from ohio is recognized for one minute. ms. kaptur: i want to thank the esteemed ranking member of new york, eliot engel, a dear friend, for yielding time in support of ukraine support act, h.r. 4278. and for his leadership from the time we traveled to ukraine together and to congressman royce, the chairman of the committee, to reaffirm america's strong support for liberty and the people of ukraine at this really critical time in world history and the history of central and eastern europe. the assistance that is contemplated here is in the form of a loan guarantee, and will aid ukraine's efforts to recover its own missing assets to pay the money back. ukraine is fully capable of earning its way forward. it's already the third largest grain export

richard engel is live in crimea. many of the people you've spoken with believe that the referendum will turn into a vehicler ictor russia and putin. >> reporter: many believe occupation has already taken place. vush sthap troops are here. they were here before on bases and now they are off their base. most do not believe it will be a free and fair vote. there is also a troubling development going on inside russia right now. for the second time in about a month, russian forces have called up snap military exercises with about 10,000 russian troops mobilized, heavy weapons right on ukraine's border. and that raises questions will this move, this power grab from russia, stop here in crimea, or there be moves from the russian military from russian forces to go into other parts of ukraine and take a bigger bite of this country. >> and exactly that's precisely what many who know the region have said to us on this show. where does it end. now that brings me for of course the conversation regarding punitive anxio punitive sa

eliot engel of new york for his opening remarks, the ranking member of the committee. royce, thank you for calling this hearing on the taiwan relations act. i am a big supporter of taiwan and have traveled there many times. most recently with you last year on your first kordell as chairman. i want to agree with everything you just said about taiwan. march the 35th anniversary of the taiwan relations act. the act passed in 1979 and is the cornerstone of the relationship between our two nations. it has been instrumental in maintaining peace and security across the taiwan straits and in east asia. it serves as the official basis of friendship and cooperation between the united states and taiwan. i'm proud to be a leads bonds with you, mr. chairman, on a dress for 94 which reaffirms the importance and relevance of the taiwan relations act three decades after its adoption. taiwan is a flourishing multiparty democracy of over 20 million people, with a vibrant, free market economy. it is a leading trade partner of the united states alongside much bigger countries like brazil

joining me from kabul, richard engel. what's happening right now? what do you know?porter: we have spoken to members of the afghan electoral commission. they are holed up in save rooms and in underground bunkers as the attack is under way. four taliban militants or at least four taliban militants are firing at the compound with machine guns, rocket propelled grenades from a building 700 miles away under construction. according to the building owners, the four men claiming responsibility entered the building wearing burqas, the all covering dresses that afghan women wear that act as disguises. they moved up to the upper floors, fired down on the workers of the electric commission. this entire area is now put under siege by the s.w.a.t. teams and afghan security forces. the s.w.a.t. teams entered and managed to kill one of the suspects taliban militants. an afghan commando was injured. they had to retreat. moments ago, we were told they have reentered this building where the gun battle is continuing. as you said, this is just the latest up tick in violence in kabul in

as nbc's chief correspondent richard engel reports, it stings.ore from eastern ukraine. >> reporter: luke, throwing russia out of the g-8 is a personal insult to vladimir putin. this was a feather in his cap, to be part of the world's biggest putin wants to show his people constantly telling the russian people that russia is a democracy, just a controlled putin centrally commanded democracy, but a democracy nonetheless. it would almost be like if the united states had boycotted the sochi olympics, because it was such a personally important project to putin. it hasn't had a great impact on the ground. russian troops remain stationed just across the ukrainian border in force and this cold war style standoff continues. luke? >> richard engel, thanks so much. >>> chuck todd is traveling with the president. he joins me now from the netherlands. chuck, we're starting to see european nation that is rely so heavily on that russian energy and do a lot of training with russia, perhaps sanctions regarding the energy banking and defense sectors. will they ac

ukraine by military force in order to provide a land bridge directly from russia to crimea richard engel tweeted these pictures today, refusing to allow ukrainian troops to supply their own military base in eastern ukraine. this is a picture of the militia milling around outside and blocking access to a ukrainian base. this is not in crimea, this is not where russia has supposedly taken over. this is a new place, this is eastern ukraine. this is the part of the country that vladimir putin said he has zero interest in and he's not planning on taking. president obama says this is not going to be an american shooting war against russia over the issue of ukraine. president obama also said that what russia is doing is unacceptable, secretary of state john kerry has also been very explicit about that, he said yesterday it is in his word a hardline for the u.s. if putin pushes further into eastern ukraine. if it is a hardline for this administration, if this administration says that is absolutely unacceptable and the administration is very clear that we are not using military force, we are not

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins me from simferopol. i know there are russian troops and forces everywhere. russian troops that amassed again last night on the border. real concerns that this is all taking place with tremendous intimidation. especially the tatars and other minority groups have been intimidated and threatened regarding this upcoming vote. >> reporter: most people we've spoken to do not feel it will be a free and open election. there was a small demonstration today to boycott the referendum. but the people who are holding it decided not to hold it in the center of town. instead they went to the edge of simferopol, the capital of crimea where i am right now, because they were concerned they would be attacked and beaten up by the pro-russian militia men in control of this city and in control of the roads leading in and out of crimea, in control of the trains that come on and off the peninsula. there is a deep concern that it is operating in a climate of intimidation. you don't see russian troops anymore. they are still here

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in kabul with the latest. >> reporter: presidentialto take place here this weekend and violence across afghanistan is on the rise. especially here in kabul. there have been four major attacks over the last two weeks. these aren't quick incidents. it's not a car bomb and then it's over. in each case there were sustained engagements and long gun fights when the taliban attacked hotels with foreigners inside and attacks the electoral commission here. eventually in each case the afghan security forces responded and after hours of battles managed to kill the taliban militants. what we didn't see and visited the scenes of several of these attacks. we didn't see american troops deployed and see american troops leave their bases and there are still thousands of americans here in kabul and across the country. instead, they stayed in their bases and they are trying to advice and assist the afghans. in one sense it shows the afghan security forces are more capable than they were in the past but also shows the level of violence we're seeing in kab

>> richard engel, thank you. >>> david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." >> good morning. >> richard just set up for us what's happening in crimea. for a lot of us in the united states, we know this is being watched closely in washington. why does it matter, though, to us here in the u.s.? >> i think the big question is about vladimir putin and how far he's going to go. the united states doesn't want actors around the world seizing territories that is independent sovereign territory, especially at a time when ukraine was trying to build democracy and move toward the west. we've seen this from russia before. it's only soured relations between the u.s. and russia further. that's the consequence. we also have allies there in that part of the world, in the balkan region, in particular, that the united states is beholden to and sworn to protect militarily. >> there have been calls for president obama to be more involved here. as you point out, though, president putin does not take discussions well. senator john mccain penning an op-ed in the "new york times," calling on the presid