Good morning to you. Im richard lui. From the brink of war to war of worlds, Vladimir Putin breaking his silence mocked the west comparing Foreign Policy to an experiment involving lab rats. While in kiev, secretary of state john kerry said the opposite this is pledge to invade forward. He pledged 1 billion in u. S. Assistance to the struggling ukraine. Jim joining us now in moscow. Good morning to you. A lot going on to talk about. Perhaps more aide from the eu and perry going to paris. Reporter thats right. Kerry is in paris to discuss with russian counter parts. Richard, i think you could say theres been a change in the past 24 hours as far as potential progress. That clearly comes from putins comments tuesday that he saw no need for the use of force in ukraine and had no desire to annex the peninsula. That allowed the perceptible change from the military confrontation weve been reporting on to take a step back from the brink. Today in crimea things repain tense on the ground. Theres reports of russians seizing two Ukraine Missile posts. Ukraine is spinning not towards war but diplomatic solution. Secretary of state john kerry meeting with the russian counter part in paris is the first face to face meeting since the crisis escalated. Perhaps more significantly ukrainians and russians on a governmental level are talking for the first time today. The Russian Defense official is discussing ukraine with nato members in brussels as well. In this whole kind of flurry of diplomacy were getting the sense of two end games. West is pushing the plan to include International Observers on the ground, in crimea. Direct talks between kiev and moscow and new elections in may a, russians want a return of the ousted ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych to hold the government and reelection in december. Theres a gulf between the two side, but at least theyre once again talking together. 4 03 in the afternoon in moscow, russia. Thank you so much jim. Back at home, there is new political fights to talk about. President barack obama s 3. 9 trillion budget is on capitol hill. The highlight is massive expansion of earned income tax credit. 13. 5 million workers would be eligible for 60 billion in credit. Also included, billions for roads and rails, spending the white house says will bolster the economy. Republicans say the president s budget is dead on arrival. They complain it runs up the nations credit card without addressing long term debt. The 2014 primary season kicking off in texas with drama. Attorney general greg abbott easily winning the republican primary a. Hes the new gop nominee in more than one decade. He wants more freedom and less government. We must never forget that the rights that we have, they dont come from government. Instead those rights come from god. Democrats pinning their hopes on state senator wendy davis. She called her opponent defender of status quo. Im ready to fight for you and to fight for every hardworking texan a across the state. Another member of the bush family begins his political career with a win. George p bush, former son of jeb bush. One Lieutenant Governor dewhurst and the oldest serving member of the house is fighting for his job. 90yearold republican paul talked here. His challenger said he spent too much time in d. C. What would be the nations strongest abortion bill has passed the house. The state house voted 7329 in favor of the measure. The bill heads to the senate three other restrictions. If signed into law, alabama would join other states with the strongest bills. Now to two Top Democrats over odds in ruling favor over same sex marriage. The governor does not support same sex marriage and is hiring outside lawyers to fight that decision. Hes at odds with the attorney general who refused to appeal the decision calling it discrimination. This issue is really larger than any single person. Its about placing people over politics. For those that disagree, i can only say im doing what i think is right. The final analysis i had to makes a decision i could be proud of. For me now, and for my daughters judgment in the future. The judges order did not fully strike down the ban on same sex marriage. It mandates kentucky to recognize unions performed in other states. Now to a teen that is suing her parents for money after she moved out. A judge denying Rachel Cannings request for support at a hearing tuesday in new jersey. He said the 18yearolds case could lead to a quote potentially slippery slope of teens suing their parents. He recommended counselling ahead of the meeting. She wants her parents to pay the private tuition and some or all of her college tuition. She said she left the home to escape years of abuse. Her parents deny allegations and said she refused to a bide by their rules. An asteroid may come to close. Nasa says nothing to sneeze at. The giant space rock will be closer than the moon when it zips by earth this afternoon. Scientists do not see a disaster moving on the horizon. They expect the fly by to take place 200,000 miles away. Okay weather, arctic weather. Conditions slamming the southeast forcing thousands of drivers to camp out in their cars. Officials shut down portions of i55 and i40 in arkansas after snow, sleet, freezing rain produced treacherous driving conditions. Since monday, crashes have trapped drivers on highways. Bill karins joins you now. Now its in philadelphia. They dodged a bullet there. Its cold. Thats the problem, still cold. In areas like that it didnt melt. That traffic jam happened after the snow and sleet stopped in arkansas. In the west, two storms in the oechlths bo ocean both bringing moisture to the west coast. They are dragging wind into the northwest and california bringing beneficial rain. Unfortunately too much rain in the pacific northwest. Flood watches in many areas. Northern california this is good. We need the rain. Later it will come into san francisco. The areas could pick up one to two inches of rain. Easily one to two in the mountains in the pacific northwest. Snow levels above 6,0007,000 feet. We have an avalanche warning. Because of the additional warning of snow we could have problems. Forecast today, rainy in the th. Drier weather returns friday and saturday. Warm and raining, i guess well take it. We have the avalanches threat, always scary. Drought in the vernacular anymore . Yes, definitely. I was so hoping. Thank you. Ever manage how the baggage hogs sneak those onto planes . If they fly united theyre in for a rude a wakening. Stunning images in freezing temperatures at niagara falls. This is early today. [ baby crying ] [ female announcer ] unlike ordinary diapers pampers stay up to three times drier, so babies can sleep soundly all night. Pampers. [ clears throat ] hi. What did you do to deserve that thin mints flavor coffeemate . Its only one of the most delicious girl scout cookie flavors ever. I changed the printer ink. [ male announcer ] try coffeemate girl scout cookie flavors. We need a new recipe. Let us consult the scroll of infinite deliciousness. Perfect. [ wisest kid ] campbells has the recipes kids love. So good [ wisest kid ] at campbellskitchen. Com. [ gong ] mm mm good welcome back. Researchers have unveiled an experimental shot. This would have to be administered once every few months. One woman was killed in a gas explosion tuesday. Authorities say the gas line was damaged by a group of workers digging in the area. Seven were admitted to the area. Nighttime robberies in californias redwood forest have left the trees butchered. The National Park service say they plan to close roadways on a nightly basis to prevent the poaching incidents. Theyre stealing wood. Niagara falls frozen. Looking good while at it. What a beauty. Millions of gallons not moving. Now for business, we turn to courtney reagan. Good morning to you. Good morning. Stocks rallied tuesday as investors put a side concerns about ukraine. It was the best for the year of dow and s p 500. Gm ceo says the auto maker is sorry for the recall of 1. 4 million vehicles involving air bags that dont deploy due to faulty ignition sources. Gm has known about the issue since 2004. Shes personally leading the internal review. Workers are sending passengers whos bags exceed dimensions of the bag size back to the ticket counter where its checked for a 25 fee. United wants to speed up the boarding process. Im sure thats the reason. Richard, back to you. Yeah, courtney, figures crossed when it comes to speeding up things like that. Just ahead, march getting mad early. We inch closer to selection sunday. A hockey fight leads to a jab in the face for this ref. Right. Real milk. But it wont cause me discomfort. Exactly, no discomfort, because its milk without the lactose. And it tastes . Its real milk come on, would i lie about this . Hello. [ female announcer ] lactaid. 100 real milk. No discomfort. And for a 100 real dairy snack youll 100 enjoy try lactaid® cottage cheese. Still running in the morning . Yeah. Getting your vegetables every day . When i can. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] couldve had a v8. Two full servings of vegetables for only 50 delicious calories. Chalky. Not chalky. Temporary. 24 hour. Lots of tablets. One pill. You decide. Prevent acid with prevacid 24hr. This morning, today sits down with jagger about his project, james brown. Why jagger wants to share the story. One of his inspirations on today. Now in sports. What a night. Eight of nine played last night. Heres the action. Lebron james with a whopping 61 points monday, held to 22 points last night. The king barely right . Five seconds left, three in overtime. James misses. Houston takes it 106103. No jitters for thompson. He hits the jumper for the lead with 0. 6 seconds left. Pacers get their fourth loss at home this season. 9896. It was a night for unranked teams in college basketball. Unranked georgia tech handing number seven ranked syracuse their fourth loss in five games. 6762. Syracuse got scoring problems. Espn saying they broke 70 points twice in 17 conference games. Unranked baylor to talk about. Looking good for post season. Beat iowa state 7461, baylors sixth win in seven games. Number 12 michigan winning the championship out right last night. First time in 28 years they wrap illinois 8453. Who to watch going to post season . Florida ranked one. Wichita state rehind them. Arizona, duke, virginia. Thats chad johnson, aka ocho cinco, former receiver instead playing defense in a flag football game. Not good. He gets faked out, beat deep, scored on for a touchdown. He should sit down. What do you think . Not nhl. Colorado and chicago during a scuffle. A player inadvertently punching the ref in the jaw, knocking him down. No penalty. If you care, colorado won 42. Ahead, Lindsey Lohans dose of reality. John travolta reacts to his spectacular oscar flub. Boots and pants and boots and pants and boots and pants and boots and pants and boots and pants. Voiceenabled bill pay. Just a tap away on the geico app. Huh, 15 minutes could save you 15 or more on car insurance. Yup, Everybody Knows that. Well, did you know that some owls arent that wise. Dont forget about im having brunch with meagan tomorrow. Who . Seriously, you met her like three times. Who . Geico. Its almost too late. Or is it . Introducing new, fast acting advil. With an ultrathin coating and fast absorbing advil ion core™ technology, nothing works faster to stop pain in its tracks. New fast acting advil. Nothing works faster to stop pain in its tracks. Everyone wants to be the cadbury bunny. Cause only he brings delicious cadbury creme eggs, while others may keep trying. Nobunny knows easter better than cadbury i cthis year aloneore places offi hit new york. Ist. And texas see, hotwire checks the competitions rates every day. So they can guarantee their low hotel prices. Hotwire hotwire. Com and a razor that understands my sensitive skin. New venus embrace sensitive. More than a strip. An entire ribbon of gliding gels surround 5 comfortcoated blades for less irritation. Venus embrace sensitive. A Perfect Match for sensitive skin. music defiance is in our bones. Defiance never grows old. Citracal maximum. Calcium citrate plus d. Highly soluble, easily absorbed. Natural energy from tea packed with real juice from delicious fruits and veggies. Its what you need for that extra boost oh and did we mention its only 50 calories . Need a lift . Couldve had a v8. In the juice aisle. Well looks like its going to be a rainy wednesday throughout the morning and afternoon were locked in the green in the rain. Not a lot of snow on the map. Heres the seattle area. Looks like heavier heading over top of you. Moderate rain if youre leaving in the next hour. Toward the olympics we had a bunch of rain. Toward olympia, a lot of rain. Portland same for you. Keep the umbrella out today. Dry in southern california. As we go towards tomorrow t cold front kicks in. We have the chance of a few thunderstorms with it. Active weather, we like it. The more green you show us, the better right about now. John travolta acknowledged he butchered idina mendes name in the oscars. He said he went on to say, quote, what would idina mendes say . Shed say let it go, let it go. Thats the song she sang in the movie. So much attention from the oscars, the simpsons twitter account posted their own version of what happened in the selfie. Look at homer. Sorry. Ash ton kutchers sitcom, two and a half men. The two were on the show together, got engaged and now have a sitcom together. We have the series youre asking for. Lindsey lohans upcoming reality show of course. Its good, good, good. Theres the thing in my head where its like time to sabotage. Dont put words in my mouth. This is exactly what everybody said was going to happen. I believe differently. You need to cut the [ bleep ]. You really do. The official so equipped with a sober coach, lindsey moves into a hotel and searches for an apartment. The star studded cast of dancing with the stars including dj from full house, actual dancers olympians charlie davis, merrill white, and jim carrey. What a cast. We hope this is just youre first stop today on nbc. [ male announcer ] walgreens understands being at the corner of looking for a good deal and sheesh, i shouldve looked some more. Thats why walgreens makes it easy to save even more on your Medicare Part d prescriptions. Just stop on by and leave all the legwork to us. Switch to walgreens today where you could save with copays as low as zero dollars on select Medicare Part d plans. At the corner of happy and healthy. Can you dance . Bum ba bum no. Can you make campbells chicken noodle soup . Yes [ wisest kid ] every can has 32 feet of slurpable noodles. Mom, youre awesome. Bum ba bum ba bum [ gong ] [ wisest kid ] mm mm good leading the news in the columbus dispatch. Boy points finger like gun, gets suspended. The ohio suspending a 10yearold student three days after the child posted a look a like firearm at another student and pretended to shoot other. In the washington post, cherry blo Cherry Blossoms reach full bloom in april. The famous Cherry Blossoms braved the harsh winter. Cant wait for that one. Stories you may have missed. President barack obama s 3. 9 trillion budget, the expansion of the earned income tax credit. Americans would be eligible for 60 billion in credits. The republicans say the budget runs up the nations credit card without addressing long term debt. The abortion bill would ban abortions the minute a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into pregnancy. That heads to the senate. An asteroid zips by the earth today. Scientists say its thankfully 200,000 miles away. On your marks get set do. This is a relay race where the baton has been replaced with glorious pancakes. It took place in london to celebrate National Pancake day and raise money for charity. Theyre not hot. These cakes look suspiciously similar to french crepes. Whos counting . Eat any pancake you want. What are you putting in it . Chocolate chip blueberry. Too sweet. Michelle obama highlights work to be done for enrolling insurance coverage. The king of rocknroll returning from the military after two years in military. Elvis presley completing army service and coming home to the u. S. To hordes of screaming fans. Happy birthday to mendes whos 40, joel olsteen turns 51, and pantela is 59. Never know his real name. Keep it here for more news, weather, sports. Im richard lui. Have a great day ahead. Happy 4 30 in the morning. Im scott mcgrew. Im peggy bunker. Lets take you outside this morning. Live look at bay bridge toll plaza, san mateo bridge, south bay at san jose right now tracking another round of wet weather headed our way. Well be talking to Christina Loren here in a quick moment. But first, happening now, major problem with the morning commute. A large stretch of b. A. R. T. Track is closed this Morning Service between south hayward and fremont shut down after a person was hit and killed by a train heading to richmond. Investigators are not released too many details about the person. They dont know why he or she was on the tracks in the first