nicholas maduro drawing a who's who of leftist leaders, all paying respect to maduro's predecessor. credit demonstrators demanded that maduro are qui quit over hs handling of the economy. short of even the basic necessities like milk and toilet paper. america's thirst for imported oil plays a part in the power struggle going on there now. david arioso helps us understand. he has been reporting from porto gabao, venezuela. >> this is venezuela's largest port city, refineries behind us. and it is areas like these that are critical to venezuela's future. the influence in its future is wielded through its petroleum. when you talk about protest you talk about high stakes in a region where there's much natural gas and much crude oil. this in many ways is why what happens in venezuela is so important. oil. venezuela is the fourth largest supplier of crude oil to the united states. behind canada, saudi arabia and mexico. it has among the largest proven reserves in the world approximately but because venezuela doesn't have enough domestic refineries, an unlikely partnership has emerged betwe

but when the students called for his ouster, press nicholas maduro cracked down, throwing hundreds oftesters in prison, cranking up the tension, and the violence. that's why it shifted from protests about what a mess the government was and economy cass to protests about government repression. >> reporter: maduro accuses the united states of trying to destylize the country. almost exactly the same line taken by his predecessor hugo chavez. >> he constantly campaigned against the united states, against george bush, against condoleezza rice, against me personally as he called it the empire. >> reporter: charles shapiro was the u.s. ambassador to venezuela. chavez was briefly outed on a coup he blamed on the u.s. some spear owe says we had nothing to do with it. >> we didn't organize it, plan it or and weren't behind if if we were guilty of anything we were too happy too fast because it was obvious the direction this government was headed. >> reporter: where chavez could rally millions, shapiro says maduro lacks his predecessor's charisma and his support. >> beyond the election by a littl

london. >>> protesters in venture swa lahr are holding more rallies they refuse to negotiate with nicholas maduroll arrested are released. maduro says the protests are part of a washington-backed coup. the rally started almost a month ago when students in the western states demanded better security. protesters are also frustrated with the rate of inflation, currently at 56%. a high crime rate and shortages of basic goods. at least 18 people have been killed and 250 injured in the demonstrations. daniel is liver for us in caracas. update us on the protests, if you will, daniel. >> reporter: well, thousands of people, opposition protesters have been marching, still marching here in caracas. they came from four different points around the city to meet in the center, in a central plaza. it's difficult at this stage to game the numbers. it's very important today as far as the opposition is concerned that they have this show of strength. to keep the momentum of the protests going after nearly a month out on the streets, the barricades barricading the streets and as you say, 18 people killed so far in t

just how much is president nicholas maduro hiding behind the image of his old friend and how far will the government go to use that image to keep their revolution alive? those are the questions being asked in a bitter conflict between a growing opposition movement and president maduro's government which is struggling to tackle rising crime and rampant inflation. >> translator: he was a man with qualities that can be passed on which no apriling marketing can be copied. it was did impossible to explain and no one has. neither maduro or the opposition leader can fill chavez's shoes. >> new posters and murals are constantly appearing. many venzuelans who loved him and those who hated him, hugo chavez's memory lives on. daniel schwimler, al jazeera. >>> hugo chavez died from cancer last year. is real saying it has intercepted rockets bound for gaza. though said they found dozens of rocket did on board. they have a range of up to 100 miles. israeli officials saying if they had fallen into the hands of terrorists, all of israel would have been within striking distance. israel has long accuse

clashes fine security forces and anti-government demonstrators who want to out of the president nicholas maduro them running. my grandmother. look. >> reporter: maduro was elected president in 2013 it have of it was a tight race but its fairness was questioned by the united states. >> venezuelans grab arms and learn to defends themselves this will not end well. >> reporter: peaceful student-led demonstrations turned deadly after activist leopolleopoldo lopez was arrest towards weeks ago, 17 protesters have died and several hundred have been injured. >> venezuela had been coming down for many years and reached to the point that there needs to do something. something needs to happen. >> reporter: there are rough 3,250,000 venezuelans living in florida, northern my where else in the u.s., many live here and the community here is very concerned about what's is happening in their homeland and are trying their best to help out however they can. south florida volunteers are collecting much of needed medical supplies to ship to venezuela. >> hundreds are patients are coming in due to the violence in th

gathered outside his prison to demands his freedom they say he's been wrongly jailed by press nicholas maduroed with inciting violence. >>> people living in a mexican drug lord strong hold have been marching for piece, the state of sinaloa was the base for el chapo guzman who was captured last week, david mercer reports. we are here, now this is the home base of el chapo guzman, one of the world's most wanted men up until his arrest a week ago. and people are saying here that they want peace, they want life, they don't want to have anymore of the vie license, anymore the corruption, anymore of the impunity that they have seen for so long this march is in protest to a march a identify days ago when thaws of people came in to show their port for el chapo. but there were also accusations that those thousands of people who showed up were paid to show up. that they were bused in, they were given food, and this. shirts in order to show support. and one of the things that really frightens people is how many young people were at that pro el chapo rally. and how people look up to him as a figure who r

. >>> venezuela, one year anniversary of hugo chavez's death, nicholas maduro and government supporters paid tribute to a pan who is more alive than ever. terrible waves of crime have triggered antigovernment demonstrations where at he's 18 people have died. beban. today? president maduro organized a ten day celebration of chavez. >> as we speak antonio, he is continuing to do that. this is the main event of the first day as you mentioned ten days to commemorate and remember a man as you mentioned they feel is very much alive here, president hugo chavez who died a year ago today. president maduro speaking from the grounds of the mos mausoleum. the spirit of chavezmo is still, saying that these protesters are fascists, point criminals who need to be prosecuted. will not sell out their interests to any foreign country. the administration rejecting the offer from the oas, the organization of american states, to send a fact-finding mission. he said to thank you, we can take care of our own affairs. now vowing a continued crack down on this protest that has divided the nation. antonio. >> cu

these opposition protestors have for the past month, calling for radical changes in president nicholas maduro's government. some want him to step down now. no room for compromise. >> no, i don't see a future here. i see a very unstable future. i'm going to graduate next year, god willing but i don't know what happens then. i'm very disillusioned, not over my career or my teachers but in my country. >> it's been mostly young people building the roadblocks reerected in cities across venezuela. the clashes between protestors and security forces. the government says the students are behind the violence. an accusation they strongly deny. >> as a student, as a person, as a venezuelan, i take to the streets with my banners and my saucepans. >> i'm out there should be on the beech enjoying the carnival. but no, because they have been killing students. >> many young opposition demonstratordemonstrators have d this year's carnival to protest against the parliament, a gesture repeated across the country. a future they believe is being denied them by the parliament. across venezuela, still have some hope.

. >>> continues while a successor nicholas maduro takes the heat.nti-government protests demand the president's resignation and solutions to the high-levels of crime and inflation in the country. hundreds have been injured the unrest that began last month. a powerful earthquake hit off coast of northern california late last night. 6.9 magnitude quake struck 50 miles west of eureka. there haven't been any reports of k-rbl a casualties or damage. the region dodged a bullet. those are the head lines, i am rah shalrah shale carey, consids up up next. you can get the latest news online at our website that is aljazerra.com. ♪ ♪ blam ukraine tries to hold off russian troops as pro-russian sentiments spreads. michael jordan is wealthy, but other retired athletes are going bankrupt in droves. and can the government step in and stop sea world's main attraction. i'm antonio mora, welcome to "consider this". here is more on what is ahead. >> there was no distress signal. >> two men flying with stolen passports. >> all protocols have been

paul beman joins us from caracas where nicholas maduro was paying tribute to the former president. >> not just nicolÁs maduro, but other leaders have come in and you can see the fortress of former military headquarters now the mausoleum that houses hugo chavez. and we're hearing continued remarks. this is a day of lavish commemorations. there was a parade down through the parade grounds. we've had fireworks displayed during broad daylight and the military fly-over, just a robust sense of machismo support for the leader who died a year ago today. the feeling here is palpable. a lot of excitement and enthusiasm remembering the leader. i spoke to a woman who is a caretaker of the impromptu chapel that popped up on the grounds. let's hear what she had to say. >> we miss chavez's charisma, his humanity, his smile. the songs we're listening to now, we're always remembering him, and his speeches on the stage. singing, jumping, playing with kids, elders. we miss that. i miss him. >> reporter: you can see the emotion. a lot of people feel very strong about hugo chavez and the legacy that divid

. >> switching topics to the crisis in venezuela and new efforts of the president nicholas maduro, venezuela's congress voted for investigation of criemtion including inciting civil war. called on venezuela's attorney general to strip machado of her legislative immunity, called her a terrorist and a fascist before her fellow lawmakers and attacked her for her role of antigofs protest government -- government protests that have left 30 dead. >> this congresswoman is a murderer, murderer. >> johns hopkins school of advance studies, michael, good to have you on the show. how important is maria carina machado to the movement? >> i think if this action of stripping her of her immunity advances which i view as very likely it is only really going to continue to inflame the protest movement on the streets in the weeks ahead. >> definitely inflammatory there in front of all the lawmakers, he was calling her a terrorist a fascist, an asas aassassin. she can't be tried without go-ahead and another vote to strip her immunity. president maduro's party controls congress. does it control the prosecutor and t

president nicholas maduro's government blame protesters for the majority of the killed individuals. daniel swineler has this report from valence yah venezuelan. >> early morning at valencia's main market. and the turmoil forgotten at least from now. all sides working together in order to live. >> translator: away we're waiting for is an end to these problems so we can take food home to our kids. the country is not in crisis. there's just a few people causing crisis. we want to be united, that's what is lacking in this country. >> i'm a chavez supporter. i want to support him when he was in prison in '93. chavez had a vision for venezuela. >> there's an abundance of fresh produce. despite regular roadblocks, tightening security measures and crime and corruption have been rampant in venezuela for some time. look closer, however, and many vital items are missing. >> translator: there's no milk, flour or sugar. the most important things they're not there. please stop fighting and pay attention to the people who need food. that's all the people are asking for. >> lydia is searching for s

jailed opposition leader is urging his supporters to continuing rallying against the president, nicholas maduro. these protests began last month in the western city of san cristobal where students took to the streets against rising crime. barricades have been set up to show outrage. a report from san cristobal >> reporter: trying to save what thing. a beg your pardoning car cleared from a ransacked bakery. we arrive as frighten people are fleeing the scene. across the street, witnesses say pro-government gun men set it afire and shot up the neighborhood. tra >> translator: they have been arming pour people. up the block, a different story in this brewing conflict. these people cheered the destruction of protesters' barricades. he said food and medicine deliveries weren't getting through. >> we are tired. so the whole community got together as a collective and decided to clear the barricades from the streets. we have got to clear the streets in the whole state >> reporter: the national guard has been called out to keep control in many naishdz in san cristobal. many say they show up when it's too

. >> so far s the main opposition forces in venzuela refused to negotiate with nicholas maduro untilsters and political leaders are released. the regional efforts to bring all sides to the table may well be a longshot. but in a conflict that is taking more lives by the day it may at least offer a glimmer of hope. lucy, santiago. >> the search continues for people missing after an explosion and in new york city brought down two buildings, that and other stories from around america today. >> tony, rescue workers are combing through the wreckage of two east manhattan buildings. police say seven people are dead and five people are unaccounted for. residents reportedly told the landlord about a gas smell days before the incident. today, the head of the electric company which responded to the call said the explosion might have been prevented if more people had called sooner about the suspected leak. in austin, texas, the man accused of killing two people at the south by southwest festival is charged with capital murder and accounts ofap aggravated assault. police say he sped through barric

income nicholas maduro, the successor to the late hugo chavez has been cracking down on protestors there militias known as collectivos. there's mystery surrounding these guys. they have been accused of violence against peaceful protestors but we thought we would go inside their ranks and hear their side of the story. few journalists have ever gotten this kind of access. we are going to take you inside their perspective right now through our collaboration with the data mining startup vocative. fighting in the streets and read about toilet paper and flour shortages, but the fact remains that many venezuelans actively support maduro's government. i'm in the heart of this district, a neighborhood in caracas that other journalists can't or won't visit. many people in the united states this is a hotbed for communist insurgents and active terrorists. this is home of the famous collectivos that have been used of using violence against the opposition to maduro's government. i wanted to explore their side of the story. >> translator: many of us that belong to these collective groups have been wron

thuggish criminal groups that operate under the auspices and at the direction of the government of nicholas maduro and the people that surround him. what is the result of it? the result of this is there's been over 1,800 people detained in venezuela since this began last month. over 450 people have been injured. over 50 people have been tortured while detained. that we have reports on. and over 36 people have been killed. this is happening in our hemisphere right now, in real-time. and these numbers, they just summarize the depth and scope and breadth of what's happening in the regime's brutality in venezuela, but these aren't just statistics. behind every single one of these, behind the 36 that much been killed, behind the 1,800 that have been detained are real people with names and families and fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and children. and i want to tell you the story of a couple of them. the first is mavinia. here you see her her on her kne. her you see an armed individual with a pistol pointed otoher. she is on her knees, poses no threat. has given herself up as a peaceful pro

this as president nicholas maduro announces 11 more arrests, saying people taken into custody are responsible lighting a metro booth on fire. the demonstrations going on over a week now and leaving at least 21 people dead. bill: there will be an investigation into one of the worst state-run obamacare websites in the country. maryland has enrolled about 38,000 people in obamacare since its rollout five months ago and will not come close to the goal of 77,000 by the end of march despite spending more than $200 million. maryland congressman andy harris, member of the house doctors caucus requesting an investigation. he is my guest now. sir, how are you? good morning to you as well? >> doing well, bill. bill: what is going on in your state? >> well, you know although they claim 38,000 people enrolled, the latest numbers are that only about 20,000 have actually paid a premium and at that price it cost them over $10,000 per premium-paying enrollee. bill: how could this thing go so poorly? i mean -- >> we don't know. bill: that is almost laughable. >> i mean the total bill is going to be over 261 mi

protest against the government of the late hugo chavez's hand picked successor, niki tsongas -- nicholas maduro. as i watch -- nicolas maduro. as i watch this on cnn, student protests, as students were going through the streets explaining they were against rampant street crime and they wanted the protections of the state rather than the predatory nature of what was happening with these armed gangs. those protests have sensed evolved into a referendum on the government's status policies, their destructive economic policies, the government's near elimination of civil sew site's freedoms in venezuela. maduro's heavy-handed response, frankly, i think all of us see this now, has really worsened this crisis. we're in a situation now with more than a dozen venezuelans have been killed, several hundred men and women, many of them students, been wounded. even more than that have been jailed. the leading opposition figure right now is in prison. these parliamentary gangs that we talked about that are so predatory, that are -- that roam the streets and commit these crimes, now they threaten civilians who

consecutive days of battles between antigovernment protesters and security voices after president nicholas maduro would implement a new plan to in his words liberate the area. what you see here are police and national guardsmen under new orders and that is to go on the offensive, to prevent protesters in this opposition stronghold from building barricades and roadblocks as they have been doing for more than a month now. by dawn on monday authorities cleared the area displaying bombs and other materials they say were confiscated from protesters. >> translator: we are bringing maintenance equipment from the central government to help restore traffic conditions, traffic did not move through her for several days and public transportation is not working. >> reporter: as cleanup teams swept up the remnants of burnt tires in the plaza some residents welcomed what they hope is the return of calm. >> translator: the problem is not protesting which the constitutional allows, it's when people who are supposedly students go out and demonstrate violently. >> reporter: but students say the national guard check

nicholas maduro tells us those demanding he leave office are a minority. and he claims the u.s.adds, he wants better relations with the u.s. you can see the interview this afternoon at 2:00 eastern on cnn international. >>> a hero's welcome perhaps for chris christie speaking at cpac outside of washington. he took a dig at the media, praising american job create tors and bashing president obama for a lack of leadership. he was snubbed last year after praising the president about his efforts regarding hurricane sandy. >>> republican congressman darrell issa apologizing to his democratic colleague elijah cummings for cutting off his mic during a statement. it happened wednesday. chairman issa says he should have been more sensitive to the mood in the chamber. cummings accepted the apology. >>> let's take a look at what's happening in the papers this morning. we may be closer to seeing the commercial use of drones over u.s. skies. progress apparently being made on the legal and regulatory fronts. a judge ruled thursday that the faa does not have clear cut authority to ban drone use

were arrested in a government crack down and 31 people have died in near daily protests aimed at nicholas madurohe president and over crime and shortages of basic goods. half of syria's chemical weapons removed and the latest stockpile was loaded up on vessels on thursday and the prohibition of chemical weapons said it shipped a total of 11 consignments so far and the government approved the initiative last year after a chemical weapons attack outside of damascus left hundreds dead and they will destroy or remove the entire arsenal by the end of june. spring snowstorm leading to a cool down across the country and more on the national forecast let's bring in nicole mitchell and good morning. >> it's our first full day of spring and of course mother nature doesn't always go exactly by that timing clock as to what we get in the weather. so as we get to the broad picture out here today still pretty quiet across the country and the southern half is dry for the most part and could have changes with the next front coming through. as we head to the northern tier and yesterday we had disturbance in the n

the papers, "washington post," it is calling the protests against the government, as president nicholas maduror calm and peace. >> and another dramatic day in court for the murder trial of olympian oscar pistorius. the plan known as "blade runner" wept openly and covered his ears when he heard his girl friend's autopsy report. they claim she may have mistaken the woman's screams for that of the olympian himself. >> and a boy is suspended from school after pointing his finger like a gun. the boy said he was playing around and his father thinks the punishment is too harsh. the school said there's a zero tolerance policy and students have been warned about pretend guns several times this year. >> and e-cigarettes ban will take effect 30 days after an ordinance is signed aftby mayor garcetti. >> we like unfiltered -- >> chesterfields. >> and willie has somehow -- i don't know how he's done it, he went offer to sochi. willie smuggled in some old soviet era cigarettes. those things have a kick, don't they, willie? >> a little musty but they still work. >> they'll give you black lung in a couple of w