jazeera.com. >> good morning. i'm morgan radford and these are some of the stories we're following at this hour. an international chorus of sharply divided voices this morning weighing in on the best way to handle allegations of chemical weapons use in syria. >> awaiting the green light from the white house, the u.s. military says it's ready to launch a strike to weaken the assad regime. >> calendarle's seven-day-old wildfire has burned morn 60 square miles inside of yosemite national park. >> free at last, free at last, thank god almighty, we are free at last. >> 50 years later, a celebration honoring the iconic civil rights speech delivered by dr. martin

luther king, jr. ♪ theme >> strike on syria, all eyes are on the u.s. this morning to see how it will respond to last week's alleged chemical weapons attack by the assad regime. the u.n. envoy suggests that a chemical weapon was used. the chorus of other international voices weigh in. british prime minister david cameron drafted a resolution on syria to be presented to the u.n. security council today. all members of u.n. security council especially russia are urged to back the resolution. russia warns against a strike, saying any intervention without a resolution would have

"catastrophic consequences." iran has also weighed in, lawmakers issuing tacker warnings to the u.s. and allies saying war with syria would lead to retaliation on israel fanned by the flames of outrage. >> the u.s. is a driving force for an any intervention. we're hearing a decision could be made any day now. what's the latest? >> the official line is that the president is still consulting with top members of his cabinet, top security advisers. members of congress are being called, allies overseas culted. it's taken on animated tical and almost ritualistic approach as the president and white house try to build the case in public and build that coalition they say is so necessary if as is expected there is a military action taken against syria, almost a punishment for the deployment of those chemical

weapons. it was one week ago today and the tone has shifted from the white house over the course of that time. we started with the president in an interview last thursday talking about the need for a u.n. mandate under international law and talking in those sorts of context. by yesterday, we had joe biden presenting what is largely a circumstance case that's put forth publicly by this point that is namely, we know that chemical weapons were deployed, and that the assad regime that the method to deliver those weapons. they are the only ones that could have done it, biden said there is no doubt. the report will be declassified and released perhaps as early at tomorrow morning. >> you mentioned a shift in tone. the president will be giving a speech today centered on peace commemorating the 50t 50th anniversary of martin luther king's march on washington. is there any way we could be

firing rockets at syria before he delivers that speech? >> i seriously doubt that number one for the optics, number two, the u.n. in texters are on the ground. we expect the administration to release a case publicly that gets away from the circumstance case that you and i are talking about and present a more factual case, specific examples of how the assad regime went forward with this. that's what we're expecting. i don't expect this to happen today while the president is speaking, although it is a much anticipated speech, the 50t 50th affords of the "i have a dream" speech that culminated with the march on washington 50 years ago. >> thank you so much, live from washington. >> the iranian stream leader says intervention in syria by the u.s. would be a "disaster." david jackson is on the ground in lebanon. thank you for joining us. what's the reaction in the middle east to the supreme

leader's statement this morning? >> morgan, across the board, it's all about strength of response, everybody wondering exactly what the strike will consist of. it has gone down to really nuts and bolts, how many missiles, how much time, what's the duration. i mean it really is a very, very distinct military maneuver being talked about by everybody here. it's also suggestive. people are looking at this trying to determine is it going to be too strong, too larynglarge. what constitutes too strong. hezbollah said if it is deemed to be too strong a military response to the chemical attacks, then they will attack israel. that's been their statement. israel has said they will respond ferociously should something like that occur. that has led to the united states obviously having to rethink exactly what would transpire because they have to walk this delicate line. it has to be strong enough to make the point, it has to be if

you want to call it weak enough to not rail everybody in the other directions, including iran. everybody, the russians, iranians and everybody saying it could be catastrophic if that strike is too large. everybody is wondering and waiting how big will this response be. it all does depend on a little if you are time, those u.n. inspectors have to come out of damascus and they are working as hard as fast presumably as they can today. >> with the united states poised to take military action in syria, i'm joined by douglas olivant to discuss possible military strategies. if the u.s. does proceed with military action, what are some of the possible tactical options? >> >> i think everyone anticipates

that tom hawk cruise missiles will be used and that's supplemented by either unmanned or traditional manned aircraft. >> you mentioned the aircraft, but can you explain the advantage or perhaps the disadvantage to using that strategy? >> well, anytime, you know, shooting missiles obviously puts no american that lives at risk, no american pilots, no american personnel. that's simple and easy. once you start flying airplanes, even though say a attempt bomber flying at high range, it's very low risk that someone could get hurt. there's always a possibility it could be shot down. that's a political risk the administration would be taking. >> is the u.s. able to move forward with military strikes without approval from the security council? >> well with, that's a political question for this administration and a legal one for the international community. certainly the lack of a u.n. mandate, a u.n. resolution is

not helpful. >> but, you know, another question we're wondering though is has american involvement overseas already stretched us so thin that there's not enough support militarily or in the public opinion to really sustain us? >> certainly american military capability is spread, although not this particular flavor. it's not like we're bombing anyone else at the moment. ground troops are engaged in afghanistan, but not this hard core air power and missile strikes that we're talking about. we have this capability, but certainly in terms of the public fatigue with military action, that's a very valid point. >> thank you, drawing lass, senior national security fellow at the new america foundation. we do appreciate you joining us this morning. >> as the west readies for a possible military attack. u.n. secretary called for a diplomatic resolution, saying give peace and diplomacy a chance, stop acting and start

talking. diplomatic he had door james bays joins us. now, a joint u.n. enjoy to syria. >> prime minister cameron and president obama have said leave it to the special envoy, the mediator, he is going to get both sides at the table. now he was asked one specific question. if there is to be a military strike on syria without the approval of the u.n. security council, would that strike be legal. he said under international law, no, it would not.

>> the big question though is even after prime minister cameron submits his resolution, will the u.n. security council make a decision anytime soon? >> what you've got going on is one last try with the u.n. security council and diplomacy. two tracks are going on, one the diplomatic track, the british parliament want to show every effort has been taken. they've come up with this draft resolution. they are going to present it to the permanent members of the security council, the five who have a veto, that is the u.s., u.k. and france on one side of the argument and russia and china on the other. they're going to try to persuade the russians and chinese to come onboard. that's very unlikely. if they do speaker suede them, it will go toward a full vote. the other track is military. from all the language out of

washington, london and morris, they will go ahead without the u.n. security council if necessary within a matter of days. >> thank you so much. >> a deadly day in baghdad where at least 3 people have been killed. more than 80 others were injured in a series of car bombings across the capitol. today's attack extends the worst wave of violence in iraq in five years. more than 1,000 people were killed in the country in july and it was the deadliest month since 2008. >> 11 major wildfires are burning right now in california. by far, the largest and most dangerous is the rim fire near yosemite national park. it's been burning 11 days now with that we spoke with fire information officer michael williams. he said the blaze has burned 41,000 acres into the park, thousands of nearby homes are also threatened. >> how the march on washington changed lives, two members of the washington's historic shiloh

baptist church reflect on the legacy of that day.

hi, my name is jonathan betz, and i'm from dallas, texas, and i'm an anchor for al jazeera america. i started in a small television station in rural arkansas. it's a part of the country that often gets overlooked. but there are a lot of fascinating people there, a lot of fascinating stories there. i like that al jazeera will pay

attention to those kinds of places. what drew me to journalism is i like the idea that we are documenting history. al jazeera documents it like none other. and to be a journalist, and to be part of a team like that? that's an incredible blessing. you are consuming them. that's next on "consider this." >> boston magazine released more images from the arrest of accused boston marathon bomber tsarnaev. he was emerging bottom the boat with police lasers trained on his head. he pleaded not guilty to charges for the bombing that killed three people. >> the united states is sending a special envoy to north korea to free a u.s. citizen.

they claimed he is a spay. the white house are deeply concerned about his health and urged the north korean government to send him home. >> while crews battle wildfires out west, folks in the midwest are dealing with late summer heat. for more on the forecast, let's bring in dave warren. >> a little heat and rain, too, happening in washington, d.c. first off, we go to the fires out west. this is what makes it difficult. this is the smoke from the rim fire. you can see up top, clouds form as this air rises. this has an impact to really change the weather not only in the fire itself, but the actual weather pattern around the fire, making it difficult to fight along with the terrain. not seeing rain out there, but here's rain coming toward washington, d.c. this is heavy in west virginia, moving toward virginia.

darker colors are the heavy rain predicted in the next 24 hours. light rain this morning around washington, d.c., still a few showers and thunderstorms are possible in washington this afternoon. dries out thursday, friday, saturday, sunday, offer the weekend, temperatures just below 90, so it's not really heating up that much, not cooling off, as well. the only thing that changes is the rain clears out. heating up, these are the current temperatures, mid 70's already up to 80 in fargo, north dakota. heat advisories for that same area, this is fog around the great lakes. that wilburn off and things will heat up. temperatures by this afternoon could be up to 100 in rapid city, 99 in omaha, minneapolis 92. the heat index could be above 100 degrees, again, maybe closer to 110 like yesterday. the radar in the clouds showing a cluster of thunderstorms north

and south dakota, pushing east around this big area of high pressure that keeps the heat in place. the temperatures will warm up there and there's maybe the possibility of a strong thunderstorm. western pacific, tropical storm moving just off the coast of tie won heading toward japan, giving flooding in that area, so watching the trappics closely. not much happening in the gulf of mexico. that may change, though. >> thousands will gather in washington, d.c. today to commemorate the 50t 50th anniversary of dr. martin luther king's historic i have a dream speech. his words helped to fuel the civil rights movement and forever altered america. two practice rigsnerrion at washington's historic shiloh baptist church took part in the march on washington and spoke about the impact of his words.

>> i was 28 when i attended the march. i attended with my father. >> 200,000 sang on constitution avenue here on want 28 of august. >> i'm constance take. i was 14 years old and i attended with my mother, who was in her 60's. we didn't know what martin was going to say. if you could move that day, you wanted to be at that march. >> there was a sense of feeling that this was a risky undertaking. that was overtaken by the view that you've got to do this. if i don't stand up for me, who will. >> you are talking about policemen and soldiers, you couldn't move without being in contact with some authority. what was surprising to me was the fact that there were so many people who were non-african. i had no idea that many americans felt strongly about the fact that we should have more rights than we had. the other thing that was

impressive that day, 250,000 people came in this city and not one arrest took place. not one. >> we will not be satisfied sass long as the negro in mississippi cannot vote and the negro in new york believes he has nothing for which to vote. >> there was no way to know then that it would have the impact that it has had. it's just fantastic. >> there's no way in the world we ever believed we'd live long enough to see a black president. >> congratulations, mr. president. >> i cried, because it never occurred to me that i would live long enough to see a black man become president of the united states. >> for a black man in this societies, there's always been this need to be cautious about the way you presented yourself in public, because you could end up like trayvon. i think dr. king let us

understand that you still had to take the risk. i love bang black man in america, because it means that there's still hope that things can be changed without mowing down thousands of citizens the way that's happening in other parts of the world. >> it still hurts when other people don't think of you as an american, you're a black american, but you really aren't an american. if the rest of the country never sees us as americans, we'll be struggling with the third march, the 10th march, the 15t 15th march. i'm really hoping that the country will see that we either move together or we're going to fail as a country. >> thank god almighty, we are free at last. >> move together or fame as a country. our coverage continues through the day on aljazeera and on aljazeera.com.

special coverage from the lincoln memorial in washington begins at 2:00 p.m. eastern. >> the race phratral division in the national league is shaping up to go down to the wire. john henry smith is here with that story and more in sports. >> certainly an exciting time. over the last three seasons, the cardinals are the only national league central team to win a world series. one thing they haven't won in that span is a central division crown. they are trying to rectify that problem this year. the reds jay bruce dropped it in right field, and matt holliday's single enassures passage home. cardinals take a 1-0 lead. sin-soo choo went watered and suddenly the cardinals lead is down to one. the cards would win 6-1. they try and sweep the reds tonight. >> to tennis, the men's top seed at the u.s. open mostly played

like it during his opening round match. despite facing eight break points, he managed to cruise in 82 minutes to a win. he had 28 winners and just nine forced errors in the match. he will now take on becker in second round play. >> the top-seeded american in this year's field was on his game tuesday, as well. he made an easy meal of the italian in first round action. he is trying to become the first american to win a tennis grand slam in 10 years. >> the nfl has tried to deal with its concussion problem by dealing penalties, fines, suspenses to players who hit other players in the head area. many argued that this action has led to the reaction among defensive players of delivering damaging hits to the knee area, like this one to the dolphins keller. nfl chief of football operations

ray anderson said the committee is considering taking action, including fines and suspensions. >> robert griffin iii could be cleared to play thursday. during a radio interview, he declared himself 100% recovered from off-season knee injury. >> after flirting all summer with rival chelsea, he is staying with man chester united. man u. has rejected chelsea's second bid for a uniony transfer and rooney discouraged a third bid. >> a new long term deal, donovan is taking with the galaxy. he had considered a return to europe, but the galaxy has made him an offer he can't refuse. >> a group is otherwising that

try and bring the 2004 olympics to washington, d.c. the united states hasn't hosted since the 1996 games in atlanta. that's your look at morning sports. >> thank you so much. next up, something you may not exactly like on facebook, a number of governments are making thousands of requests to access user data. >> shakespeare behind bars, two brothers deliver classic drama with a hiphop twist and pass along an important message for chicago inmates.

>> you may not like this. facebook says governments from all over the world have requested data from 38,000 of its users. the social media giant says half of the requests are from the united states. it says 74 countries overall are asking for the info. facebook's not alone. google and microsoft released numbers on how often governments request data information. >> shakespeare has new fans among the inmates of an illinois prison, a new production of a fellow reimagines the classic as a hiphop tragedy. we report from chicago.

>> it's a tragedy tailor-made for the hiphop era. ♪ ♪ >> this script is 400 years old, just recently freshened up with a modern touch. >> we've been told stories since we were little kids in rhyme all the time, so rhyming is an entry point for most people. >> today's venue is no carnegie hall, but is the largest single site prison in the country, where prisonerses are hearing othello. >> it's about poor choices and repercussions, good things to think about. >> jay q. and g.q. opened in london last year.

the audience follows him as he escapes the ghetto and rises in the music industry. >> it may seem curious to bring a story about pride, yell and manipulation that ends in murder here to the jail, but it turns out this might just be the target audience. >> i think a lot of them learned that they have a better opportunity to come out of this situation and be able to rebuild their lives. >> inmates weren't given a preface but it hit close to home. >> i had people at home try to turn me against somebody that i thought was good more me and were good for me but let them persuade me to do wrong. >> you need to make sure you think before you react, otherwise cat traffic events can happen. >> this is the first true captive audience for the brothers, one they don't judge and hope they've been able to help. >> everyone deserves a chance to

make a new life for themselves, and so the end of the play kind of says why we're here. >> we didn't really realize sort of how that line would resonate. >> would resonate, until we were doing it and it's like that means something different today than its ever meant. >> a moment of triumph over tragedy, that's exactly what this art is all about. aljazeera, chicago. >> talk about a major makeover, michigan governor rick snyder announced a federal and state-backed plan to demolish vacant homes over the next 18 months. 60% of fires in the city are taking place in these buildings. the governor said buildings also attract a lot of crime. >> that will do it for this edition of aljazeera news. "real money" is next.

news at the top of every hour. thanks for watching.