. >>> 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.

. >>> the intrepid richard engel is right where you might guess he would be. right now richard is in eastern ukraine where things are taking turn after turn for the more tense. what's happening in russia and crimea and ukraine and with richard engel is coming up live in just a moment. stay with us. [ garner ] there's a lot of beautiful makeup out there, but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. >>> just for the sake of argument, let's say that texas seceded from the nation. governor perry, take it away. >> when we came into the nation >> at one point, wh

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

. >>> the intrepid richard engel is right where you might guess he would be. right now richard is in eastern ukraine where things are taking turn after turn for the more tense. what's happening in russia and crimea and ukraine and with richard engel is coming up live in just a moment. stay with us. are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. ♪ [ male announcer ] a car that is able to see, to calculate, to think -- and can respond to what it encounters. ♪ even if that means completely stopping itself. it's the stuff of science fiction... minus the fiction. the 2014 e-class. see your authorized dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. from crest 3d white, new brilliance toothpaste and boost. after brushing, our exclusive boost polishes your smile and whitens with 3x the stain lifting ingredient for a smile that dazzles. new crest 3d white brilliance. feeding your lawn

. >>> the intrepid richard engel is right where you might guess he would be. right now richard is in eastern ukraine where things are taking turn after turn for the more tense. what's happening in russia and crimea and ukraine and with richard engel is coming up live in just a moment. stay with us. predicting the future is a pretty difficult thing to do. but, manufacturing in the united states means advanced technology. we learned that technology allows us to be craft oriented. no one's losing their job. there's no beer robot that has suddenly chased them out. the technology is actually creating new jobs. siemens designed and built the right tools and resources to get the job done. my sinuses are acting up and i've got this runny nose. i better take something. truth is, sudafed pe pressure and pain won't treat all of your symptoms. really? alka seltzer plus severe sinus fights your tough sinus symptoms plus your runny nose. oh what a relief it is america's favorite lasagna. topped with a mouth-watering blend of fresh cheese and aged parmesan. it makes our lasag

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 cr

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 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

>>> 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,

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

>> 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

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

you may remember when we spoke with richard engel, he said that the issue of the ukrainian service members in crimea, inside a place that no longer considers itself to be part of ukraine, richard suggested live with us last night, that could be the next major flashpoint for setting off a shooting war in the region. he suggested that the fate of those ukrainian service members still stuck in crimea was a crucial matter and time sensitive matter, and it was is this afternoon when the ukrainian government said yes, they have to go. the times posted this photo today of ukrainian naval officers carrying their suitcases and clothes out of their own headquarters as masked russian forces stood by. there is something of a crisis about the fate of these service members and whether or not they're going to have safe pass around out of crimea, there is a bit of a crisis about this 25,000 or so people, it's not really the way it was supposed to go. the ukrainian government said it struck a deal, specifically about ukrainian bases and the personnel that are serving there. the russians said they would all

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

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

>> 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

richard engel joins me live from eastern ukraine. richard, we're seeing the house sanctions could actually have a real impact on russia, but obviously, the great fear now is will he move -- will putin move in on eastern ukraine? what's it like on the ground there? >> reporter: well, that is the question, clearly on everyone's mind here, russia moved in, took over crimea, now made that even more formal today. it was already a done deal. now it's an officially done deal. the question people across the world are asking -- will russian troops come in and take eastern ukraine and take southern ukraine? there are a lot of russian nationals here, russian speakers in the area. a lot of people who, frankly, would like to be part of russia, who live in this area. that's been a constant argument that moscow has been putting forward, saying that the people in southern-eastern ukraine want to join up with russia. there are also about 20,000 russian troops just across the border, many of them elite troops, also heavy weapons, helicopters. so many p

onto the vatican and thanks to richard engel in eastern ukraine. >>> coming up next, the question ofn front of the supreme court. do for profit companies have the same religious freedoms that people there. hobby lobby's lawyer joining me next. stay with us here on "andrea mitchell reports." i'm nathan and i quit smoking with chantix. when my son was born, i remember, you know, picking him up and holding him against me. it wasn't just about me anymore. i had to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. chantix didn't have nicotine in it, and that was important to me. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction

thank you for that update, richard engel. .he tension doesn't look likely to ease some time soon and raises big questions for the western world. one comment ator is ian bremmer, a political scientist who specializes in this type of volatile state and he's been writing about the ukraine and his projections are not op optimist optimistic. >> thank you. >> you have been critical about u.s. actions, we saw announcements today. i'd like your assessments on those and talk about your criticism of the united states role in the beginning of this conflict. you said essentially the lack of western support pushed ukraine into the arms of russia. >> that's very clear. nukovych, the former president was not wanting to sign a deal only with the russians who is very interested in having a european deal, a trade deal. the europeans pushed very hard and germans and americans and imf were not prepared to provide support. the russians came in with their over $15 billion. then we had ukrainians up in arms domestically and crackdown and violence the

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 is right.is running a giant criminal enterprise with his brother running fifth or sixth in the list. >> there's been accusations of corruption, drug trafficking. >> also, he was called mr. 10%. whatever business you want to open in afghanistan, you have to give him 10% and that discredited the americans the karzai government and made the taliban use this as a tool. these are people running the country and these people are not working for you. they are working for themselves. but the taliban are very concerned. we've seen a tacks in kabuls and especially in the hotel area own areas. they want to sabotage this election and been putting online, articles where they are saying look at egypt. muslim brotherhood won the election and military took over. you'll never be allowed to rule. it's not true because abdullah abdullah and others are saying we can stabilize the country and make a deal with the americans and we can transition to a better place. >> i can tell you, all of these damning things being

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in ukraine with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, lester. voting has begun in crimea for this ref wren dem. the people today are deciding on whether to remain as part of ukraine or break away and join up with russia. the voting is taking place mostly in schools. voters we've been talking to predominantly say they want to join up with russia. a lot of their motivation is economic. the economy of russia is stronger than the crimean economy. they hope if the people here become russian citizens they will also be entitled to russian state pensions. this cannot, however, be described as a completely open, free and fair vote. there are russian troops on the ground. there are pro russian militias that have taken over the streets, taken over the parliament building behind me. the results could be announced fairly soon. but it already seems likely that this referendum will pass and that this peninsula, the crimean peninsula could become the newest part of russia. >> richard engel, thank you. >>> david gregory is moderator of "meet the press."

. >>> nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engel joins us live from eastern ukraine. richard, let's talk about the events today, the images we were just showing to our audience there. what more can you tell me? >> so what happened is we've just left a fairly tense situation in which some pro-russia militia have surrounded a ukrainian military base in eastern ukraine, they are blocking the gates, they are not allowing the ukrainian soldiers on or off. they don't want the ukrainian military to take ammunition from this base and bring it to kiev and this is a disturbing new development, this is the first time we've seen this. we are not in crimea, crimea's already fall on the russia. as i said, we are in mainland ukraine and it's increasingly difficult for the ukrainian army to move its personnel, move ammunition and exert its authority in the heartland of the country. >> and, richard, as mentioned, even though this tense scene you're watching play out right now, reporting these details to us, yesterday ukrainian soldier and a member of this brigade were killed reportedly

we'll have the latest from richard engel on the ground in eastern ukraine.d more on the search for missing malaysia airlines flight 370 and what could lead to a much needed break for investigators. stay with us on "andrea mitchell reports." salesperson #1: so again, throwing in the $1,000 fuel reward card is really what makes it like two deals in one. salesperson #2: actually, getting a great car with 42 highway miles per gallon makes it like two deals in one. salesperson #1: point is there's never been a better time to buy a jetta tdi clean diesel. avo: during the first ever volkswagen tdi clean diesel event get a great deal on a jetta tdi. it gets 42 highway miles per gallon. and get a $1,000 fuel reward card. it's like two deals in one. volkswagen has the most tdi clean diesel models of any brand. hurry in and get a $1,000 fuel reward card and 0.9% apr for 60 months on tdi models. help keep teeth clean and breath fresh with beneful healthy smile food. with special crunchy kibbles and great taste... ...it's a happy way to a healthy smile. beneful healthy s

there's richard engel in eastern ukraine, a developing situation.krainian troops, as richard is just reporting, trying to move some weapons to ukrainian troops in kiev, being blocked by a pro-russian militia. he'll, of course, when he has more information, we'll make sure he shares it with you. thank you, richard. >>> let me bring in jim maceda from moscow. jim, you heard -- you heard some tough rhetoric from vice president biden, and he brought up the nato treaty, obviously beingan states, they are members of nato. drawing a line in the sand, is it one that will be heard by moscow? >> reporter: well, the nato line in the sand for moscow goes much further west, and it's putin's -- it's putin's worst nightmare to see -- which is why he probably got involved in ukraine as he did in the first place -- to see a country like ukraine taking over with these so-called ultranationalists in charge, taking over the crimean peninsula, taking over the black sea fleet, effectively kicking the russians out of that area, geostrategically, and then joining nato to s

we go to richard engel live in crimea. the polls closed a couple hours ago.t's the mood like on the streets now? >> reporter: well, a short distance from where i am right now -- and i'm standing in front of the parliament, which is guarded by pro-russian militias. it's been that way for a few weeks. just a few blocks from here there are celebrations, open concerts, free food being handed out. people are calling this a historic moment, the moment that crimea says good-bye to its decades' old membership, if you will, as part of the ukraine and joining up with russia. people here fully expect that in a matter of days, perhaps weeks, they will be full russian citizens, that they will be -- that this area will be just like an outskirt of moscow. what happens next is russia would need to formally annex this territory. and there is a vote expected on the 21st in the russian parliament. it seems very likely that they will vote to annex this territory. i would be surprised if vladimir putin does not receive a standing ovation. >> i think you might be right about that.

>> richard engel, thanks.ning me now, mark warner who is a member of the intelligence committee in the senate. thanks so much for being on the show. >> thanks for having me, luke. >> the first question i have to ask you, is americans waking up this morning reading in the paper that thousands upon thousands of russian troops are amassing on the ukrainian border. there's a fear that they could move further west into the country. what do we know at this time about a possible russian invasion of eastern ukraine? >> well, i think not only are we but our nato allies as well are monitoring the situation as was mentioned. it's a very volatile time. this is clearly going to be at the top of the president's agenda as he meets with our eu partners. we earlier last week, myself and the senator from north dakota john hovan said one of the ways we can weaken mr. putin is if america takes a more aggressive position vis-a-vis energy security, as was mentioned here. europe depends upon russia for gas and oil. we said to the ad

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. to

. >>> 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.

richard engel is in ukraine this morning and joins us now with more. : good morning, jenna. preparations are under way for this weekend's referendum, when the people of crimea will decide whether they want to stay with ukraine or break away and join up with russia, but the results may already be a foregone conclusion, because russian troops, thousands of them here in crimea, and pro-russia militias already control crimea. they control the airport, the parliament, the roads, the trains. the question now is, what will happen in eastern ukraine? there is also a large russian-speaking, pro-russian population in eastern ukraine, and over the last two days, there have been violent clashes in that area. and ominously, russia has said it will do whatever is necessary to protect russian speakers in eastern ukraine. that's the same rationale that russia gave before intervening here. jenna? >> richard engel. richard, thank you. >>> after nearly 40 years on the run, one of the u.s. army's 15 most wanted fugitives is behind bars. u.s. marshals arrested james robert

chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in kabul with the very latest and joins us now. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we just returned from the scene, and this attack is still very much under way. dozens of afghan election officials are hold up in safe rooms and in bunkers, their headquarters, and reason they've gone unround and are taking shelter is because they are being attacked by at least four taliban militants who entered a building under construction about 700 yards away. and from that building under construction, the militants are firing with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. the s.w.a.t. teams have moved in afghan commandos to set up a cordon in the area. they have recently just breached this building under construction, where the taliban militants are hold up. we managed to speak with one of the s.w.a.t. team members. he is on the first floor. he says his forces killed one of the attackers but there are three other attackers, he believes, on the upper floors, probably the third floor. violence here has intensified dramatically ove

jonathan. >> nbc's richard engel in crimea. thank you. >>> as we said, in less than 16 hours, starting at 8:00 a.m. local time sunday the people of crimea will vote between two options, whether they are in favor of their autonomous republic reuniting and being subject to russia or whether they want to stay part of ukraine and restore the constitution of the republic of crimea from 1992. that is where things get tricky. the first voting option is clear. good-bye ukraine, hello russia. but the second one is not exactly a ringing endorsement to stay with ukraine. what the 1992 constitution would do is make crimea an independent entity within ukraine. that still means ukraine could chart its own course and choose its own international partners including russia. as of right now the consensus is that it belongs to vladimir putin. after meeting with the russian foreign minister yesterday, secretary of state john kerry indicated putin is in no rush to make that move. >> after much discussion the foreign minister made it clear that pres

our own richard engel reported as what he saw some of the most tense moments so far in eastern ukraine. >> there's no doubt this is ratcheting up militarily on the part of russia, the administration acknowledges that. still they are insistent that at this point they have no plans to engage militarily. secretary of state john kerry saying his's going to meet with his counterpart next week, as you say president obama will meet with g-7 laters when he goes to europe next week. so the goal is to isolate russia economically, politically. it is a much slower process certainly, but as is know, tamron, the white house argues there is war fatigue given the wars in iran and afghanistan, that the nation doesn't have the stomach or desire to be engaged in another. but the question is will it be enough to deter puten? another option is to sanction banks, that's something that hasn't happened yet. i anticipate in this next round, we will see an expansion of individuals, those closest to putin. it's noted that putin hasn't been sanctioned. the administration seems to be signaling that they don't have

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.

we'll talk to richard engel in a tense city in eastern ukraine. >> the 57% solution as the fst

bring into question whether this is it as the crimean deputy prime minister told our correspondent richard engeltern ukraine will be the next to join russia. but today secretary kerry and the foreign minister there, mr. lavrov, they agreed on a halt until the ukraine election. so do you think, heather, that the crimea is the only territory in vladimir putin's sights? >> i think moscow is keeping its options open. yesterday we already saw incursions into the ukrainian mainland. some was to secure energy resources. crimea is over 70% dependent on ukraine for its electricity for its water. it's vulnerable should the ukrainian authorities try to stop electricity water flow to crimea. we have seen the largest drop of russian paratroopers since the second world war on ukraine's eastern border. the unrest will give the russian forces unfortunately an opportunity to perhaps intervene. >> okay. but a question there, does this mean war? i mean i have to tell you that yesterday i spoke with a former u.s. ambassador to russia who made a very dire case for that possibility. i mean it was hard to hear. >> yea

thank you, richard engel. >>> let's get back to david rubenstein, co-founder and ceo of the carlyle group. it occurred to me in 2004 you started a russian unit moscow. i think you shut it down. have you thought about going back and would you? >> for private equity russia is a tiny market. there are only a few firms that have been successful able to navigate private equity. it's not an area that we're likely to go back into. it's just not an area where you can buy very much. the oligarchs seem to get most of the good deals and other deals aren't available to people like us. >> are there other markets you won't touch right now? >> russia is the largest of the bricks we won't go into. we don't find it appealing for a lot of reasons. most of the other emerging markets we're looking at are -- >> is russia a market in a sense, where rule of law stands. can you do business in russia without having to slip some, you know -- >> it's complicated there. in other words, we have to worry about the foreign corrupt practices

. >>> richard engel is live in eastern ukraine. give us the latest.us. >> reporter: not a problem. what happened overnight is russian forces in crimea took over yet another ukrainian military base. that makes three military bases in the last 48 hours or so. ukrainian military decided enough is enough. finally ordering its troops in crimea to leave the peninsula. the troops had been hold down on a number of bases and slowly taken away one after another. there is also concern, as you mentioned, in this country about those russian troops that are still inside russia but very close to the ukrainian border and not far from eastern ukraine. there are a lot of troops and they are combat ready. they have tanks and helicopters and u.s. officials wonder why they are there and why they have such sophisticated supply lines. but russia doesn't necessarily have to invade this country or invade mainland ukraine to undermine it. there are militias here on the ground loyal to moscow and holding rallies in the government in kiev nearly every day and also, today, the ru