This morning Vladimir Putin announced that Crimea had always been a part of Russia, prepared papers for the territory to formally rejoin Russia, and claimed that no Russian military forces had been deployed on the peninsula. Also the Duma, the Russian parliament, dared the United States to put sanctions on all of its members.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, tonight President Obama will attend a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, his first fundraiser for the DNC since Tuesday, March 11.
On Thursday, President Obama plans to travel to Orlando, Fla. for an event on the economy followed by fundraisers in Miami for the DNC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Barack Obama, seen here conducting an interview with Ryan Seacrest Friday, March 14, holds an elected position that many once called “the leader of the free world.”