Crimea Votes to Join Russia

On Thursday, the Crimean Parliament voted to become part of Russia, and scheduled a popular vote for 10 days from now. Meanwhile, President Obama called such vote a violation of Ukraine's constitution and international law. The president, who spent an hour on the phone with President Putin, said he encouraged him to use diplomatic channels to solve this crisis. In a press conference, Obama stressed that the international community is unified in its opposition to actions by Russia in Crimea, pointing to sanctions announced Thursday morning by the State Department.