And stirring tribute. Runners veer off course at a road race to honor a 95yearold veteran who came out to cheer them on. Thank you thank you thank you very much. The moment that will touch your heart, today, tuesday, march 4th, 2014. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. And good morning. Nice to have you along on a Tuesday Morning. Al roker is back from hollywood. Or as we like to call him adel nazim. My name in John Travolta i had fun. We had a good time. Love doing it. Well, its good to have you back. By the way, big names joining us today. Oscar winner jane fonda will be here later on. She has written a new book for teenagers on sex on relationships, on body image. And lets just say that jane fonda is not bashful about what she puts in this book. All right. And Michael Keaton, as well. Hes got two movies coming out in theaters as well. Well get a take on that. As well as ben affleck as batman. What does one of the original batmans think . But lets get right to our top story. The volatile situation in ukraine. Vladimir putin saying this morning the overthrow amounted to an unconstitutional coup. Here at home, the tension overseas caused the dow to plunge on monday. Lets get to nbcs bill neely in ukraine in the tumultuous crimea region this morning. Whats the situation there . Reporter well, it was a symbolic and significant visit. John kerry stopped at a memorial to the more than 90 People Killed in ukraines revolution, but by then this crisis had taken yet another twist. Russian soldiers fired over the heads of ukrainian soldiers, warning shots, and there was a warning from russias president , Vladimir Putin. He says that his troops might push into eastern ukraine, that this invasion might not stop here in crimea. Words laced with menace from president putin. There is no need for further Russian Military intervention in the ukraine, he said, but the possibility still exists. It is a veiled threat. Ukrainian troops have marched towards russians in a air base trying to reach their warplanes. Russian soldiers open fire in the air, warning the ukrainians to stop. They did but only after at least four volleys of gunfire. A dangerous twist in an invasion the president has condemned. Over time, this will be a costly proposition for russia. The strong condemnation its received from countries around the world indicates the degree to which russias on the wrong side of history on this. Reporter the u. N. Says looking at economic sanctions, but does russias president care . Amidst the crisis, russian war games. Led by president putin, a display of russian power, the timing deliberate. Putin defiant as he redraws europes map. The exercises are not over, the takeover of crimea is not, nor is the standoff at ukraines military bases. Vladimir putin also warned the u. S. That economic sanctions against russia would be harmful because they would ultimately backfire. John kerry next meets sergey lavr lavrov, russias foreign minister. He has his work cut out. Nbc news analyst, professor at stanford university. Until six days ago, he was the u. S. Ambassador to russia. Ambassador mcfaul, good morning to you. Thanks for having me. Let me talk about what Vladimir Putin has said this morning. He said he took the action sending troops into crimea because of an illegal coup in kiev. He said the military force is still an option, although only a last resort. And then he said the most important thing to do is to give people the right to determine their own faith. And he feels that sending 16,000 troops into crimea is the way to do that. Whats your reaction . Well, i thought the press conference had a lot of mixed messages because on the one hand, he threatened the more use of force. Secondly, he said there was a revolution in kiev and therefore previous commitments that russia had to respect ukrainian territory are no longer valid. That was very disturbing. On the other hand, he said what you just said, and thats a statement that president obama would agree with, that the ukrainian people have to determine their future. I think he left the door a little bit of an opening there for negotiation moving forward. As john kerry sits with the transitional leaders of ukraine today, what promises can he make them that the u. S. Can actually back up with actions . I think hell have two messages. Number one, he will pledge economic assistance and say that we are willing and going to do all we can, we being the west to help stabilize the Economic Situation there because, remember, if theres a meltdown economically there, that government will be in trouble and under more pressure from russia. And number two, i think hes going to outline his talking points for when he gets to moscow, which is to say we want to negotiate. We want to deescalate this. Its not too late for that. But if you move forward, there will be economic consequences of continued occupation. You talk about the economic consequences, and Vladimir Putin considered all of that before he took these actions. This idea of sanctions, this idea of punishing him by kicking him out of the g8 and restricting the travel of highprofile russians. He knew those were possibilities. He decided the risk was worth it. Youre right. Exactly right. It was an impulsive decision, i think. Like you said, i was just working in moscow a week ago. And this is not their original strategy. Their original strategy was to have all of ukraine to be under russian influence. This is his response to being frustrated to what happened to his guy, president yanukovych, who now sits in moscow. In the end, isnt this about power . Vladimir putin is saying im the guy with the clout in this region and many ways around the world right now. And does the United States have a credible way to prove him wrong . Yes, from the way that he defines power. And i would say its a rather outdated way to define power. So, yes, he can move his troops into crimea, theres little the west can do. But over time, we can isolate russia economically, and that will weaken russia as a global and there are some in moscow, these are people ive worked with for many years, that understand that and dont want to see russia return to being isolated as it was during the 20th century and earlier. I mean, matt, you and i were there in sochi together. You saw the display of the new russia, the idea that we are a great and respected country. Not everybody just wants to flush that down the toilet today in the name of occupying crimea. Former ambassador to russia, mr. Ambassador, nice to see you again. Thanks for your time. Thanks for having me. Meanwhile, natalie here with drama at the Oscar Pistorius trial. Thats right. The in south africa. On the second day of the murder trial, it was dramatically interrupted today when the prosecutors said an image of the witness being shown on tv despite a court order against it. Pistorius was escorted when he arrived at the courthouse in south africa and then less than 30 minutes into the proceedings, the prosecutor interrupted pistorius lawyer during a crossexamination saying a photograph of the witness is being shown on South African tv even though the witness legally declined to be shown. Pistorius is charged with killing his girlfriend in the early hours of valentines day last year. Well, president obama set to release his 2015 budget today. The nearly 4 trillion plan will cut taxes for 13 1 2 million working americans while expanding the child and dependent care tax credit to help families afford child care. The president s blueprint also proposes cuts to army and National Guard personnel. Political analysts believe the president s budget is unlikely to get far in congress. A utility worker is recovering this morning after being trapped for four hours in a 14foot deep trench. Three workers were replacing a sewer line in portland, oregon, when a utility trench there collapsed. Two workers managed to escape, but the third became buried. They uncovered the trapped mans fay, allowing him to breathe. A team of fire and rescue personnel worked to get him out. Finally they moved a hoist into place and were able to lift him to safety. He has serious, but nonlifethreatening injuries. A night to remember for the nbas biggest star, miamis lebron james still wearing that protective mask far broken nose was red hot monday night as the heat took on charlottes bobcats. James hit shot after shot after shot, finishing with a career high of 61 points. Thats a miami heat franchise record. At one point, king james made eight straight threepointers in the miami win. The power of the mask. It is. Its the batman mask, all right. If youve had it with the snow and cold this winter, theres one guy in philadelphia, hes really had it. This is reporter steve keeley from wtxf tv. And he was in the middle of the live shot monday when he learned the hard way not to stand too close to the road there. A snowplow drove by and, bam, completely whitewashes keeley. Almost knocks him to the ground. He was really lucky. Not only lucky. But barely flinches. Keeps on reporting there. The latest conditions as if nothing happened. You know the expression, did you get the number of the truck . I cant believe the guy didnt slow down. Unbelievable. Its almost like he did it on purpose. Adding insult to injury this winter. Injury to insult. The road is now clear. Let that be a lesson to dylan dreyer and you. I never get that close to the road. But that some people can see a lot of snow and see a problem. Others see a lot of snow and they see art. Take, for example an opportunity. Exactly. Wow. You cull that a snowman . This is a snowman. Glen novak, a farmer in minnesota about 70 miles northwest of minneapolis made this snowman. Calls him granddaddy. That is a big snowman. And with the temperatures the way they are, he aint going anywhere anytime soon. Basically, were looking at the winds coming out of the northwest, cold air coming down out of canada, continues to come down. Out west, though, you can see the kink in the jet stream. Thats bringing in warmer air and more moisture. Here we go. Right now, 10 below in caribou, 4 in syracuse, 1 in washington, dulles, a new record down there. Temperatures dropping all the way down. Houston right now, 34, coming up in the next half hour, freezing rain problem. And look at this, temperatures 13 in chicago, 8 in minneapolis. We dont see any relief, really, until we get to saturday. By the time we get to saturday, you see jet stream making a little bit of a retreat to the north. So we get warmer air out west, warmer air in the southeast. And the cold air stays banked up into the upper midwest. Were going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. For any accidents on your property . The more you know,the better you can plan for whats ahead. Talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. We are farmers bum pa dum, bum bum bum bum hey, 7 13 on a Tuesday Morning. Good morning. Im meteorologist christina loren. Grab that umbrella. Well see showers. The fog is so thick its generating a steady drizzle in San Francisco and the inner basin. Overall its mostly dry, mostly cloudy to start, were in the 50s headed to the mid60s. 68 the forecast high in the east bay, 65 in the north baxt 62 degrees in San Francisco. We do have rain returning in the forecast. But not until we lit tonight into tomorrow. Atest weather. Al, thank you. And now to poli and thats your latest weather. Al, thank you. And now to politics, while president obamas dealing with a crisis in ukraine, here at home, the future of his presidency could be at stake. The midterm primary season kicks off today, and this will affect who will control the levers of power in the coming years. Chuck todd, nbcs chief White House Correspondent and political director, is at the white house this morning. Chuck, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, savannah. Yes, an election day, very exciting. It may seem washington is in perpetual campaign mode. Today actually kicks off the start of the 2014 campaign season. Its texas that is hosting the first primaries of the year. And sets the stage for whats going to be an Epic National battle in these midterms between the two parties for control of the senate, which in turn, holds the fate of the rest of the obama presidency. The eightmonth campaign sprint officially begins today as texas Voters Decide primaries up and down the ballot. These midterm elections are going to be about one person who isnt on any ballot this year, president obama who is desperately trying to turn the campaign away from being about him. Opportunity for a few or opportunity for all. Thats what this elections about. Reporter but the reality is, success or failure in this election all comes down to which Party Controls the senate. Democrats are playing defense. Polls show the party is vulnerable in as many as a dozen seats in the senate. Republicans only want to win six of them for control. And the gop playbook, its the same all over the country. Maybe the election about president obama and his health care law. If i had my way about it, wed repeal obama care and start all over and get it right. Many democrats particularly in the decisive red state senate races are running scared. In kentucky, allison avoids health care and says she doesnt need president obama. Instead, she and other endangered democrats are enlisting the help of another democratic president. Look, i love kentucky. Youve been good to me. Youve voted for me twice. Reporter two potential rising stars to keep an eye on. I cant tell you how honored i am. Reporter democrats hope wendy davis meteoric rise translates into an update in the governors race. And Texas Republicans are poised to elect their third george bush to office in the last 50 years. This one is jeb bushs son, hes favored to win his first election as state planning commissioner, george p. The other part of this election season, savannah, that is going to be huge is the amount of money going to be spent. In fact, already more moneys been spent on these midterm elections than either george bush or al gore spent in their president ial campaign in 2000. Its going to be that much money. Expensive new world, chuck. By the way, chuck, my barber called said he enjoyed meeting you. Hey, i always say i tell people, im lauering. How else can i can you describe my hair . You wear it well. Looking good there. Meantime, millions are waking up to record low temperatures combined with months of unrelenting snow and ice. Were all looking forward to spring. And it seems a little help from technology, nbcs dylan dreyer has beaten us there. Good morning to you. Good morning. Dont be surprised if im still sitting by this picture later on today. But at least were all in this together, well, not miami. You guys have been enjoying your third warmest winter on record. But for the rest of us, i know its not officially spring yet, but with the winter weve had, it certainly feels like its never going to be nice outside ever again. But theres one forecast i can make with 100 certainty there will be a spring. Hang on a little while longer. Hope springs eternal, inspirational words by poet alexander pope. Hard to believe as this brutal winter drags on. But its a scientific fact, winter will end and spring will begin. On march 20th, this years equinox, the northern hemisphere, our part of the earth starts tilting close to the sun. That fact alone means it has to warm up. Weve done our fair share of complaining. Im tired, i want the spring to come. Im tired of shoveling. And frankly, weve earned the right to be frustrated. Winter weather records have been shattered. Toledo, ohio, has never seen more snow, more than 76 inches. While billings, montana, is closing in on 100 inches. And marquette, michigan, the mercury dropped below freezing for 75 days straight. I want to see it gone. Its not weird for us to feel this way. In fact, its totally natural. But there are ways to overcome the winter blues. If you feel like you dont want to do something as a result of the winter, thats absolutely the signal you should be doing it because whatever it is you dont want to do is probably going to be good for you and that includes going to the party, that includes shopping, spring cleaning, social support, exercise. And you can always take a vacation. A lot of people are. This year, its up 30 to 40 . A lot of people, a lot of walkins. People looking to get away. But if you simply cant escape the cold, i offer you this. There are signs of spring. Major leaguers in florida and arizona as spring training gets into full swing and the Cherry Blossom festival in the Nations Capital is less than three weeks away. Proof theres a much warmer light down a cold, snowy tunnel. Hope springs eternal. And one other thing that might make you feel better, Daylight Savings time begins this weekend. Spring ahead saturday night. And i feel like that extra hour of daylight at the end of the day might make us feel better. Outweighs the loss of an hour of sleep. I have to work sunday morning, so ill be feeling that one. I dont know what im going to do with that woolly mammoth in my backyard. Youll get used to it. Dylan, thank you. Meantime, carson, whats shaking in the orange room . I see your iphones on the table. Online, people buzzing, could be a game changer for a car company. If you could get into your car and apple created an interface where it goes up on display and you could use your apps, your phones, all that stuff, is that safer and smarter or further distraction for drivers . Just using voice commands, rigtsz . Voice command. I think its safer. Seems like safer than fiddling with it. The display will go its already there, its in the car, plug in your phone and thats what you deal with. Even voice recognition, still, Research Shows youre just as distracted. Right. The dialing and that the dialing and the fidgeting with the device is really the problem. The actual talking is just, you know well, the reason youre asking this question . Im just curious. Apples watching. Its called apple car play, it was on full display at an auto show in geneva. 3 c3 puedes dictar ahi tiene la radio for texting, siri will read your text, play your music, apps, navigation, phone, for the messages, you press it, shell re