Self defense forces. Russian forces have seized part of a ukrainian missle defense unit. They are trying to find a solution. We have reporters on the ground in ukraine, russia, and washington this morning covering all the angles. Lets begin with cnn white house correspondent. What are you hearing from the white house this morning . Reporter nothing this early at this point. Today john kerry is going to meet with his counter part, the Russian Foreign minister. Leaders there are expressing concern at not seeing russia at this point at the table to talk about this situation. That talk between secretary kerry and the foreign minister, as far as we know at this point, is expected to go forward in a matter of hours. Everyone is hoping that that does continue. But the views between the u. S. And russia have sharply die verged at this point over what has happened and continues to happen in ukraine. Madeline albright called russias view of this delusional. Saying as you mentioned, those soldiers are not russian soldiers, even though in interviews weve seen reporters approach them saying, where are you from, and they responded russia. President obama spoke by phone to the german chancellor last night. As they discussed, it would include international monitors. Merkel had saz previously in her conversations with putin, he seemed to be amenable to that. Since then, russia has said they have their own people looking into that possibility. We know sanctions that the u. S. And its allies are preparing for that, but no movement on this point. More for you later. All right. Thank you very much. We also have word on a twist on the issue of sanctions. Were hearing russian lawmakers just ordered up a new law that would allow them to confiscate the assets of u. S. And European Companies if sanctions are put in place. It would allow them to confiscate assets, property, and accounts as well. It would be a big dramatic move. A lot of large american Multi National companies have literally invested billions in russia over the last 22 years as it transitioned to a cap list economy. This is what russia refers to as a asymmetrical response, coming at the other side from a different angle. Just over a year ago when they passed the act designed to punish human rights abuse in this country, the russians counteracted. A lot of families have began the process, met the children here in russia, and were not allowed to take them home. Completely unrelated, but it made the point russia doesnt like it. Gives a sense of what russia could be prepared to do if the u. S. And europe follow through with the threat of sanctions. Another look how dominant putin is over that country. It appears pro Russian Forces are in control of the crimean peninsula. The question, how long will that standoff last. Anna is live in that area. Anna . Reporter well, chris, the tense standoff continues here in crimea. Were outside the government building which is the capitol of crimea. You can see behind me the russian flag flying next to the crimean flag. No ukrainian flag in sight. This city is very much prorussian. Most of the people russian speaking on the peninsula and they have strong ties to russia culturally. Theres a strong feeling they dont want to have any part of europe, any ties to the west whatsoever. There are reports of some 16,000 Russian Troops or proRussian Forces that have surrounded or at least occupied the military installations and bases on the crimean peninsula. There are also, obviously, the naval fleet, the black sea naval fleet showing their presence as well. There are many people who believe its a foregoing conclusion that crimea has been lost to ukraine no longer has control of crimea. It will be up to the United States as to whether they are willing to accept that. Thanks so much. Lets talk more about this. Lets get to gym sciutto in washington for more. I want to tick through as much as we can of what were hearing from reporters on the ground. Whats the expectation for todays meeting between john kerry and his russian counter part in paris . Is there any real expectation that they could reach a solution, they could come to some agreement today . I think too early to say that. Fact is, theyre talking. Thats a step forward, talking face to face. There are been times there that u. S. Has reached out to russian officials and couldnt even get them on the phone. Thats a positive to move towards a solution here. They have a good personal relationship. Last fall, the two of them worked out the agreement in syria to remove its chemical weapons. They worked together on iran peace talks, that kind of thing. If you want two folks who know each other well between the u. S. And russia, it would be those two. Often times when u. S. Officials are talking to russian officials, theyre talking right by each other. When president putin was speaking about this crisis, hes dealing with a different set of facts on the ground. You wonder how much progress they can make. What do you make then of what the eu is putting out now, the deadline for russia to de escalate or theyre going to look at sanctions . Is that being taken seriously . I think it is. Thats why you have them looking to pass legislation to see how they would punish American Companies, European Companies. I also think that putin, russia, they dont like being pushed around. This talk of deadlines, were going to make you pay, a lot of this use of force in crimea is an expression of russian power. They feel theyve been pushed back too far. Theyre showing theyre a force to be reckoned with. I wonder how well those public proclamations go down with russian leaders. The fact that the interested and important parties are talking is a good step. What do you think, is there any step towards this off ramp that weve heard so much about . Lavrov, in addition to saying he didnt like cnns coverage of the issue, he did mention this february 21st agreement. You may remember this. This is last month before the ukrainian president fled the country. They came to the agreement to end the protests in the square, which included things like early elections, a more inclusive government in kiev. And what lavrov said, he said weve been talking about this as the way forward for the last two weeks. The fact that he mentioned that, that could be part of an offramp. It requires concessions on both sides, including moving the Russian Troops back into their bases. Thats something we havent seen happen yet. Then you have the challenge to parse if what theyre saying in public is what theyre saying in private. Great to see you. Thank you. Stay with us for whatever happens in ukraine, but theres a lot ofre news going on. President obama heading to the northeast today to push for his proposal for a minimum wage hike. Hell be joined by governors from four states. He wanted it raised to 10. 10 an hour. This comes a day after the budget. Texas state senator wendy davis becoming the first female nominee for governor in texas since ann richards. Shell now face Texas Attorney general greg abbott who won the republican nomination. Also george p. Bush taking the republican case for texas land commissioner and john cornyn turning back a tea Party Challenge. In Hillary Clinton decides to run in 2016, a new poll finds she may have support from a somewhat unlikely group, republicans. 8 of republicans said there is a good chance they would vote for her. 8 . 17 says there was some chance they would vote for her. 74 says, no chance at all. Mrs. Clinton will speak to cleej students at an event at ucla today. A woman was killed in a huge gas leak and explosion in new jersey. They were unable to identify the woman found near a car. Seven other people were injured in the accident. Dozens of homes were damaged. So an asteroid is on the way and its going to pass closer to earth than the moon. Its going to happen today around 4 00 p. M. Eastern. Experts say it poses no threat. It will get no closer than some 200,000 miles away. You will not be able to see it probably because the asteroid would be too dark to view correctly. Does it make a sound if you do not see it . Is that the ageold Something Like that. I think it does make a sound. Except the space thing with sandra bullock. I made that up. I made that up i said. At the very beginning of gravity it says no sound in space. No question left unanswered, specifically about the weather. Its cold. Lets get to Indra Petersons with the latest there. What do we see . That graphic is not helpful. We were hoping temperatures were not going to be cold anymore, but yesterday morning, we set records that even go back to the 1800s. The coldest temperature they ever had was 5 degrees on that day. If you look out toward d. C. , baltimo baltimore, maryland have already seen the lowest temperatures. They won the coldest winter. Things are finally getting better. Temperatures are warming up to not only normal, but above normal. Temperatures going back to the 40s in the midwest. Northeast, same thing, things are really improving here, especially as you go through saturdays. We could see some abovenormal temperatures. Theres still snow showers today from midwest, ohio valley to northeast. We are going to be watching this guy. This low could cruise up the coastline meaning snow showers potentially in the northeast by the weekend. Who cares if its warmer. I dont care as long as its warmer. I dont care as long as its warmer. Are you clicking your heels three times . I dont care as long as its warmer. Lets take a break. Coming up next on new day, day three of testimony in the blade runner murder trial. Oscar pistorius neighbors recalling the blood curdling screams they heard moments before his girlfriend was shot and killed. The moment that caused pistorius himself to cover his years in court. A teen suing her parents for Financial Support, including College Tuition and expenses. It made it to a judge. There is a ruling. Well tell it to you and then get into the debate that ensues. Mine was earned in korea in 1953. Afghanistan, in 2009. Orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once its earned, usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. Because it offers a superior level of protection. And because usaas commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an Auto Insurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Told ya you could do it. dad vo i want her to be safe. So, i taught her what i could and got her a subaru. girl piece of cake. announcer love. Its what makes a subaru, a subaru. Whe are we . This s where we bring tethe thfastesintern d bestntertainme call ithe1 tertainmt ating system. It l likthe future ed call ithe1 tertainmt ata temporal vortex. Further analytics are necessary. Be us up. Ly from inity. Tv and iernet togeere befonever. Welcome back. Emotions running high at the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius. A neighbor back on the stand this morning after saying he heard the screams of someone whose life was in danger. And tuesday, the stunning moment the olympic blade runner 00 seeming to cover his ears during testimony. Good morning, robin. Reporter hi there. Well the court has adjourned for the lunch break. During the morning session, once again Oscar Pistorius defense tearing into those state witnesses. As the murder trial got underway for a third day, pistorius defense waist wasted no time on the neighbors of the olympic champion. I recall that there was a pause between the fist shots and the shots that followed. A small pause, exactly the same as your wifes evidence. Reporter both claim they heard gunshots that night. Im convinced i heard gunshots. Reporter theyre trying to show that they taylored their testimony to match one another. You said the following, the last scream faded moments after the shot. She spoke about the fading of the scream after the lost shot and you speak about the fading. Reporter on tuesday, the blade runners neighbor broke down on the stand. She testified she heard horrifying screams the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed. The defense tried to poke holes in the neighbors redbility. You heard that out of a closed toilet in a house 177 meters away. Reporter offering their own explanation claiming the highpitched yells were actually from pistorius after he realized he had accidentally shot his girlfriend and not an intruder. Pistorius became visibly emotional during the crossexamination, slouching down, appearing to cover his ears and wiping away tears. Prosecutors maintain pistorius killed steenkamp in a fit of rage. Her mother says the trial is a small step towards healing. One has to forgive. I dont want it to burn me up. Its got to go. All right. Thanks to robin for the reporting. Lets bring in cnn legal analyst kelly phelps. Lets start with giving an understanding for the crucial element for the prosecution which is premedation. What needs to be shown by prosecutors to make that case . Reporter premedation is going to be one of the most interesting legal parts of the trial because its not clearly settled in South African law. What they will need to show is that in a sort period of time after the fight occurred, Oscar Pistorius had a sober moment of thought where he made the decision to kill Reeva Steenkamp, fetch the gun and executed that decision. Thats very interesting. One of the fascinating things here is our comparison of u. S. Law and what were used to in trials versus South African. Here, you need that beat were there is actual thought between one action and the next. That will be interesting to demonstrate. The next point, earwitnesses very important. What people heard in this trial. There are two of them. The defense pushing back very aggressively seemed to shake one of them about her memory and about the similarities to her husbands statement. What was your take . Reporter yes, absolutely. I think the defense made quite a bit of headway with both the witnesses in terms of being able to suggest a reasonable doubt that their memory of events was in fact accurate, that it was gunshots they heard. Again, now, the defense was working all of the variables to the advantage. The door was closed, 177 meters, the middle of the night, this was all a year ago. You dont know what the judge will find important. Lastly, were through three days of this trial. Theyve had a couple of witnesses. The first one on the stand for almost two days. 107 witnesses are on the sheet. What is your take on how long this trial could last . Its impossible to tell how long it could last. I would estimate that a trial of this nature would usually take between four to six months if there arent many postponements and objections from either side. Considering that the state themselves acknowledged in their Opening Statement that their case is based very heavily on circumstantial evidence. They will be relying on the testimony of witnesses very heavily in order to persuade the court that that circumstantial evidence should be considered beyond a reasonable doubt. Theres going to be a lot of trails to follow. We look forward to having you help guide us through what you hear. Thanks for joining us. Coming up next on new day, a possible way out of the crisis in ukraine. Germanys chancellor coming up with an off ramp, its being described as, but will he take it. And a terrifying scene in florida. A pregnant mom and her three kids rescued from their van after it drove straight into the ocean. Well take you through it. We know were not the center of your life, but well do our best to help you connect to what is. What is this place . Where are we . This is where we bring together the Fastest Internet and the best in entertainment. We call it the x1 entertainment operating system. It looks like the future we must have encountered a temporal vortex. Further analytics are necessary. Beam us up. Thats my phone. Hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. Tv and internet together like never before. Welcome back to new day. Lets get back over to john berman for some of todays top stories. John kerry and russias foreign minister set to meet face to face this morning. He fears that Vladimir Putin is poised to escalate the invasion of ukraine. Russian lawmakers are ordering the creation of a new law that will allow russia to seize the assets of u. S. And European Companies if sanctions are imposed on moscow. This would effectively push back the individual mandate by one year. This is the fist such vote since the law took effect on january 1st. It is not likely to be taken up in the senate. In just a few hours, a former irs official will appear at a house agency in regards to the scandal. Lerner is a key figure in the irss targets of the tea party and other groups. And the friendly skies taking an unfriendly turn when it comes to passengers trying to squeeze oversized bags into carry on compartments. Theyll have to go back to the ticket counter and pay a 25 checked luggage fee. I can see their point. On the other hand, you have to pay for your checked baggage, i dont know. Chris . John, youre even but fair. Back now to the conflict in ukraine. A suggested off ramp solution to the crisis may be in sight with International Observers in place. Will the russians take the deal . Were joined now by vladimir posner. Welcome to the cnn family. Well, thank you very much, chris. Now, lets have at it. Looking at it from 30,000 feet, the idea of acceptance by russians in russia for what Vladimir Putin is doing in the ukraine. Statesponsored research had 73 of russians not wanting any russian involvement in the ukraines fight for its own sovereignty. Do you believe the country is in line with what Vladimir Putin seems to be doing . The answer to that depends what you mean by in line im. Im sure 73 if not more do not want to go to war for the crimea or the ukraine. Undoubtedly thats the fact. On the othe