>> hello, i'm' stephanie sy. and these are some of the stories we're following at this hour. >> obama: i think we all understand terrible things have been happening for quite some time. the assad regime has been killing it's own people by the tens of thousands. >> president obama said he's convinced that syria used chemical weapons against its people. a nearly two-week-old wildfire burning in parts of california's yosemite national park has exhausted fire crews, resorting to using drones to try to detect new flames. the stance is death for the fort hood soldiers who gunned down 14 of his colleagues four

years ago. getting your fast food fix may take time, workers wage against their employers. >> president obama speaks out on syria. the president said there needs to be international consequences for the alleged use of chemical weapons it in an attack that killed hundreds of people. he dismissed a syrian request to extend chemical weapons exception as a delaying tactic. he has prepared to attack with u.s. warships in position. now the world waits for more from the u.n. >> reporter: on thursday the obama administration is expected to give a classified briefing to members of congress detailing what they call evidence and proof that the assad regime used chemical weapons on their own

people. now a declassified version is expected to be released soon after. the administration is trying to turn around public opinion. the majority of americans say they do not want to interconvenient with syria, even if chemical weapons were used. >> obama: if in fact, we can take limited, tailored approaches, not getting drawn into a long conflict, not a repetition of iraq, which i know a lot of people are worried about, but if we are saying in a clear and decisive but very limited way we send a shout across the bow saying stop doing this, that can have a positive impact over our national security in the long term, and may have a positive impact in the sense that chemical weapons are not used again on innocent civilians. >> reporter: the president went

on to say in the interview that the goal is know eroded any more. now the speaker of the house of representatives john boehner is saying the president needs to give a full accounting to congress to answer some very important questions, and in essence seek their approval. the obama administration has not indicated it plans to do anything more to tell congress what it believes it knows. >> joining us now to discuss challenges the u.s. faces is professor stephen zunis, professor of politics and coordinator of middle east studies at the university of chicago. professor zunis, thank you for joining us. i've read articles that you have written that you do not support action in syria, why?

>> the chemical weapons endanger the population, and as the administration acknowledged they're not seeking regime change or to change the balance of power in that country's silver war, so it's going to be limited, and i don't see what it can do other than blow up a few installations, buildings, kill some people, and get the syrian population risen up against us. >> what about the symbolic power of a strike after the use of chemical weapons according to the obama administration. they're quite sure chemical weapons were used against innocent civilians. >> oh, i think there very likely were, indeed, chemical weapons that the syrian government used against the people last week, and earlier this week, and it's as bad as the reports are coming

out, but the question is-- >> you don't think that deserves a military response? >> no, my point is that there is little that can do to prevent that from happening again. basically virtually the entire arab world, europeans, north americans recognize that theory cream is committing serious war crimes, but the growing public opinion has been against taking action, the recognition that it probably couldn't do any good. it would be in violation of international law, and it could potentially escalate the conflict in many other ways. and not do a thing to prevent the use of chemical weapons in the future. >> do you think that nothing can be done at this point? >> the only thing that can be done really is to redouble international efforts in its

cooperation, the russians, the europeans, the americans, to try, and the arabs of course, to try to get the sides to talk. recognize that neither side can have a military victory, and just succeed in destroying the country more and more. i think only when there are negotiations o, it cannot be resolved militarily, it would just bring more fire power and destruction into the region is not going to help. >> professor zunes, thank you for sharing your perspective with us. for two weeks fire crews have been working nonstop in the yosemite national park. in some areas crews are using drones to fly over the flames

looking for flames breaking out. they're trying to go ahead a gee on this stubborn wildfire. >> we're not out of danger, but some areas are out of danger that they were in. so we are doing our best to get ahead of this, and deal with it before it has its way with us. >> at least six fire crew members have been hurt since the rim fire started 12 days ago. >> meteorologist: well, we saw a lot of rain across parts of the northeast including new jersey, virginia and we're looking at flood watches across the area. take a look at those storms right now. virginia as well as pennsylvania things are start to go clear

out. that's good news. the morning commute could be harry, especially towards the south. up to the north we're going to see those temperatures rebound, but it's going to still stay wet especially up here in maine, new hampshire, vermont, acros as the great lakes things are going for fairly nice. 88 degrees in toronto. pittsburgh is going to be 86 as well as philadelphia, a high of 84. well, new york, getting close to that labor day weekend, unfortunately as we go to the end of the labor day weekend look at monday, a big travel day people going back home. it's going to be messy. this includes boston, baltimore. any of these destinations that you're traveling out offish it's going to be messy on the roads as well as the airports. you may want to look at your forecasts as we go towards next weekend. as we go down florida things looking messy across much of the south. this is an area of tropical

disturbance. to the north to orlando things are fine. you can see those afternoon showers. for pensacola, things are looking nice there. birmingham, 92. and atlanta also seeing 92. as we go through the rest of the weekend, showers on saturday, and for the rest of your labor day weekend we're looking quite nice on sunday and monday with a high temperature of 91. >> nidal hasan's fate has been decided. a military jury sentenced the former army major to death by lethal injection for the killing of 13 people at fort hood in 2009. heidi zhou castro has more. >> each individual will make a statement. >> reporter: 13 families waited almost four years for this day. >> this has been a very long and exhausting process. we are tired, we are hurt, but we are resolved.

justice has been served. >> reporter: the former army major who murdered their loved ones was sentenced to death by lethal injection. it's what many of the families of the dead and wounded want for and what was canned for. he will never be a martyr because he has nothing to give. do not be fooled. he is not giving his life. we are taking his life. this is not his gift to god. this is his debt to society. nidal hasan showed no signs of emotion as he heard the verdict. he made no attempt to plead for his life before sentencing. offering little in his own defense throughout the trial. hassan was his own attorney. he indicated from the beginning that he wanted to die. one by one relatives of those massacred took the stand to talk of his loss. >> my father will never come

home, his laughter to our ears, his smile to our eyes, but justice is now here. >> reporter: heidi zhou castro, al jazeera, fort hood. >> and nidal is the first u.s. soldier to receive the death penalty since 1961. well, it was a day of reflection and remembrance at the mall in washington. many gathered to celebrate the event. it's a wage war as fast food workers walk out on their employers. police in new york are keeping at least a dozen mosques under surveillance. we'll explain why and what it means for people who attend them.

my name is jonathan betz. i'm from dallas, texas, and i'm an anchor for al jazeera america. >>my name is ranjani chakraborty, i'm from houston, texas. >>i'm kim bondy. >>nicole deford. >>and i'm from new orleans. >>san francisco, california. when i was a little kid, i just really loved the news. >>news was always important in my family. >>i knew as a kid that was exactly what i wanted to do. >>i learned to read by reading the newspaper with my great-grandfather every morning. >>and i love being able to tell other people stories. >>this is it, i want to be a part of this. >>this is what really drove me to al jazeera america. [[voiceover]] every sunday night, al jazeera america presents gripping films from the world's top documentary directors. >>thank god i didn't suffer what he had to go through. next sunday, the premiere of google and the world brain. >>this is the opportunity of our generation. [[voiceover]] it would be the world's greatest library under one digital roof. but at what cost? >>google could hold the whole

world hostage. [[voiceover]] al jazeera america presents google and the world brain. >> history was recreated in the nation's capitol. the biggest name in politics and the civil rights movement joining tins of thousands in front of lincol lincoln memoria. it was in 1963. when martin luther king declared he had a dream. mike viqueira was there. [ bell ringing ] >> reporter: bells range on the national mall and across the country to mark the moment. >> i have a dream. >> reporter: the time, a half century ago when martin luther king jr. spoke to a racially divided america. in tribute today people packed the mall. joseph lowry was an early freedom rider.

>> after 50 years committed to be a nation of liberty and justice for all. >> reporter: julian bond, a civil rights veteran who led a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in north carolina. >> we're still being tested by hardships anded a verity from stand your grouped laws to voting right acts. and john lewis who was with king on this day 50 years ago. >> the words of dr. king captured the hearts of people not just around america but around the world. >> reporter: part celebration, part commemoration, and part renewal. it was 50 years ago on this day when dr. king delivered his "i have a dream" speech. today america heard from our first african-american president. the president stood on the spot

where king spoke invoking the civil rights leader as an inspiration. >> how he gave the mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions. how he offered a salvation path for the oppressed and oppressors alike. >> reporter: mr. obama drew parallel between past and present. >> what was once a call for opportunity, a chance for all americans to work hard and get ahead was too often framed as a mere desire for government support. >> reporter: former presidents jimmy carter and bill clinton said king's message still resonates. >> dad challenged us, that's what he did, he challenged our nation to be a better nation for all god's children. >> reporter: one common theme from speakers today, america has come a long way, but still has a long way to go. mike viqueira, al jazeera, washington. >> thousands of fast food

workers across the country are expected to walk off the job today to demand higher wages. an average worker makes $15,000 a year. they are demanding to more than double that. that is the latest in a string of protests that began last november. muslims in new york city are calling for justice department investigation into police surveillance of city mosques. as cap turner reports, muslims feel the tension is racial profiling. >> reporter: midday prayers in brooklyn, but according to the new york police department this is not merely a place of worship. documents leaked to the associated press this is one of a dozen mosques in the city which has been secretly labeled by the adopt as a terrorist organization since 2003. anyone who attends their prayer meetings can be subject to investigation as well as

surveillance by the nypd. >> we came to this country for what, freedom, justice. that's the most important thing that you live for. when you find it in the united states, it's not justice, it's not democratic. >> our kids learning in after school program. women learning english. food pantries, mosque, what leads them to our organization for ten years at a time. >> reporter: atime. >> i feel betrayed. i feel stabbed in the back. we are the people who are trying to forge a cooperation between nypd and our community, and then you come up with the surveillance just because we are muslim. >> reporter: on national television the police chief

again defended the programs and insisted they are legal. >> do you according to the law, what we're investigating and how we investigate it is done to a federal judge's direction. >> reporter: over the past year commission kelly and new york player bloomberg have had criticism over the tactics claimed to keep the city safe. many organizations have sued the nypd for profiling and suspici suspicionless surveillance. cath turner, al jazeera. >> a lie and libel is how the former president of cuba fidel castro described edward snowden.

the newspaper cited several sources including one close to the state department. as japan continues to recover from the damage the fukushima nuclear reactor, the nation is reassessing it's nuclear infrastructure. >> reporter: up the coast from the damaged fukushima reactor. it's reactors are intact but shut down. all about two of japan's 50 reactors are off the safety checks while the public debates abandoning nuclear energy completely. >> i'm against nuclear power. it's too dangerous and too close to the sea. >> it's hard, but we all know it's a risk. >> reporter: japan has a love-hate relationship with nuclear power.

one reason, national di sas dis. japanese know the dilemma is a lack of alternatives. imported oil and gas cost the fortuncountry a fortune. japanese nuclear energying was supposed to be proficient and reliable until the fukushima nuclear disaster exposed all its flaws. opinion polls show the opposition to turning the power plants back on remain strong at over 50%. but more people are coming around to living with nuclear power again. that's what japan's prime minister shinzo abe wants. he's going to gulf states to sell them technology. he wants the reactors back home back working and to build more. it's a economic necessity. >> they're building many new nuclear power plants and trying

to export the technology. but it's inferior to japanese technology. >> reporter: japan can market itself as learning from its mistakes, but abe said the discovery of new radiation leaks will turn many japanese against nuclear power again. >> they're leaking like sievs, if you like, and people are rethinking their rethought positions. public opinion is really, really fragile 1234 but the japanese economy is fragile, too. fossil fuel imported to replace nuclear power is costing japan $40 billion a year. japanese will have to decide which is more expensive. fixes the nuclear energy or living without it. al jazeera, tokyo. >> new mexico's most populous

county issuing same-sex marriage licenses. after the state district court rules it constitutional. find out why the legal battle for marriage equality in new mexico is just beginning. it's just one of the ancient pieces of art that is porcelain. it can be yours for the right bid.

>> hello, i'm stephanie sy. these are some of the stories we're following at this hour. president barack obama said he's convinced now that syria did use chemical weapons against his own people. during an interview the president said he had not made any decision about how the u.s. will respond. for nearly two weeks fire crews in california have been working nonstop battling the fierce fire around yosemite national park. crews are now using drones to spot and attack new breakouts. new mexico's most popular county home to half the state legalized same-sex marriage licenses this week. a group is filing a lawsuit to stop clerk from issuing the

licenses, stating that it's up to the governo legislature to ce laws not the counties. animal control officials are denying the reports that 50,000 stray dogs are roaming the streets of the bankrupt city. but they say there is a bad pet problem as job losses grew, pets were abandoned. more than a dozen films are competing for the top prize at the world's oldest film fest. we have a look at some of the top contenders. >> reporter: the high octane glamour of the venice film festival. 20 films vying for the top prize, the golden lion. among the favorites is the only chinese film competing, "stray dogs" a gritty tale of a man and

his two children. also on the theme of marginalization where a journalist come together on the outskirts of tel aviv. making it's premiere in 3d is "gravity." a dark film stars george clooney and sandra bullock as two astronauts who are stranded in space after their shuttle is knocked out. it tested the actors' ability to the limit. >> you have to move slow, much slower than you would normally move. everything has to go like this. and there are all these marks you have to hit but you have to speak fast. so it's the trickiest thing. >> reporter: not only is the film in 3-d being showcased for

the first time at the festival, but there are several films competing. and it's a way of promoting a different genre in mainstream cinema. >> it doesn't make any sense to keep the separation between the narrative themes and other films. both are creative works from filmmakers. all give us a sense of what is going on in our contemporary world. >> reporter: and artistic values are paramount, so too is the continuing commercialization to ensure the festival's success. >> and this year 55 feature films are being shown at the venice film festival. an ancient porcelain bowl is expected to sell more than $10 million. souther business will hold an

auction secreterring an array of white and blue art including this bowl that dates back to the 1500s. it is one of three. the auction is held as part of the sotheby's celebration. president barack obama said he's convinced that syria did use chemical weapons against its own people. during an interview the president said he has not made any decision about how the u.s. will respond. for nearly two weeks fire crews in california have been working nonstop battling the fear wildfire around yosemite national park. crews are now using a drone to fly over the blaze to spot and attack new fire breakouts. that will do it for this edition of al jazeera news. i'm stephanie sy. remember, news at the top of every hour, and for the latest headlines you can always check out our website,

www.aljazeera.com. ali velshi is next with "real money." thanks so much for watching.