good i'm richelle carey. here is the latest from al jazeera. breaking news the nfl has reportedly agreed to pay out over $750 million to set lawsuit brought by former players who say they suffered concussion-related injuries. sorting out a strategy on syria, president obama gets ready to brief leaders on the chemical attack and how the u.s. should respond. the new york police department has targeted mosques to spy on members. and fast-food workers across the country are picketing. they want higher wages.

♪ the u.s. and its allies say syria must face the consequences for last week's chemical weapons attack on civils, but while president obama blames the assad government, other word leaders are not ready to make that conclusion. five members of the security council, and others will meet tonight to discussion the situation. the white house will brief congressional leaders on what is known about the attack, and how the u.s. cold respond. britain and other nations are discussing potential response, while iran and russia says they will work together to prevent military action. we begin our coverage with mike viqueira live at the white house. mike, the president seems to be wanting this international

coalition, right? but the risk with that is if you don't get the international coalition, and you still proceed, then what? >> right. and that is why the united states has been very careful not to stress the securesy council and the goings-on there, because it is unthinkable at this point that russia would not exercise its veto power. i think the u.s. wants to avoid a vote, because really, richelle, it still, even though there has v been political setbacks, it still remains question of when not if. as we wait for the white house to begin its daily briefing, last night the president gave an interview to pbs, and said he had not decided yet.

and the president repeat thath was in america's core self interest to respond to the deployment of chemical weapons. and the president went further than he has ever gone in blaming the syrian government. he said they in fact care rid out these attacks. he reported that the top administration officials, chuck hagel, john kerry, james clapper, and the vice chairman of the joints chief of staff l be on a conference call with leadership of congress still scattered throughout the country. they will be on the phone tonight at 6:00. this is 116 members of congress, mostly conservatives from the isolationist wing that overlaps to a great degree with the tea party wing as well, joining together to write a letter insisting on congressional authorization. is that the prevailing view of

leadership? it doesn't appear at this point. because john boehner in his own letter to the president raised a number of pertinent questions but did not insist the president come to congress. >> he did in fact stop just short of that. let's talk more about the leadership. once they get this briefing later on, how might this play out going forward? how might the dialogue change going forward once they get this briefing? >> right. what we expect is that the white house will go over this intel report that will be made public. the one that john kerry made on monday. and how far beyond the circumstantial case will it go? the circumstantial case that has been laid out time and time again by the white house. we know chemical weapons have been deployed. we know the syrian government was in possession of chemical weapons. and they were the only ones capable of deploying the

chemical weapons in the way they were deployed there. but there has been all of the talk about credibility. the united states, president obama's credibility is on the line, because he did lay down that red line which has been flaunted and violated by bashar al-assad. but there's a credible of a different sort, and that's the credibility -- the hangover, if you will from the iraq war. the curve ball, the source sited by colon powell. the yellow cake uranium that never existed. a lot of people are sceptical, and that is part of the battle that the administration is fighting. >> and some of the same issues in fact coming out with our ally great britain as well. thank you, mike. let's talk about that britain's intelligence committee says it has evidence that shows it's highly likely the syrian

government was behind last week's attack. and it say it would be legally entitled to take action. there is a debate taking place right now inside the house of commons on what action to take. >> richelle it has been a fierce debate so far. david cameron is trying to dumb up support for some sort of punitive action against assad. he has to admit that it is going to be an uphill battle, saying, quote, the well has been poisoned by the iraq war. >> and philip if he doesn't get the vote that he is seeking, then what? >> well, that's a very interesting point as well, because actually what he is bringing to the house of commons

today is a much watered down resolution. he has come to parliament with a resolution that will bind him and restrict his ability to use military force. he'll have to wait for a un report, and a un vote, and then he'll have to come back to parliament a second time. >> explain the time line with the vote. >> the time line for the vote today -- it is going to happen today, and with this being seen as such an important vote here in britain, nearly every single politician wants to have his or hear voice heard. the vote is scheduled for later in the afternoon around 4:00 pm eastern time. >> thank you so much. the german chancellor called on

vladimir putin to use for quote . . . germany backs up russia's position that the conflict can only be solved politically, but he agreed with the french president that there must be action. he says that france will not increase aid to the syrian opposition. he did offer other support in the form of political and humanitarian aid. you can follow this story on our website, aljazeera.com. muslim groups are calling on the justice department to invest gait a secret new york city police department program that targeted mosques. they have been spying on several mosques since 9/11, including this one in brooklyn. >> i feel betrayed. i feel stabbed in the back. we are the people who are trying

to forge a corporation between the nypd and our community, and then you come up with being surveilled just because we are muslims. >> the police chief has defended the programs. he says all investigations are legal and in line with a federal judge's direction. the nfl has agreed to $756 million settlement with many former players. our sports anchor is here with the details. this has been going on for a while. >> exactly. they have been on this path for quite a while, and finally it has come to pass. a federal judge in philadelphia says the nfl and 4500 ex-players have reached the settlement, it will not just be put into a pot

to be divvied up, some of the money will go towards medical research, examines and competition. the plaintiffs included at least 10 hall of famers, as well as the family of the player who committed suicide as a result of dealing with the trauma. this deal was reached through court-ordered mediation. the player's lawsuits have all alleged that the nfl has long known of and hid the risks of concussion damage from the men who played pro football. so a settlement has been reached in the concussion lawsuit between the players and the nfl, it just must be approved by a federal judge. >> what implications will this have for the league going forward and current players? >> i think the nfl was expecting that there would be a larger

settlement. when you think about the amount of money we're talking here. the nfl made $9.5 billion last year, about 8% of what they made last year, so they have got to feel this in some ways is sort of a win. we talked with leonard marshall this week about this lawsuit. >> the public doesn't want to hear that you make 16, $12 billion a year and you are doing nothing to help the indigent or help the guys that helped build the sport. when i joined the giants, the gianteds were probably a $140 million franchise. now it's a $1.6 billion franchise. most corporations when they hire a guy, and the guy retires after 30 years, they find a way to take care of that guy. >> leonard marshall very informed and impassioned about the player lawsuit. and again there has been a settlement between the players

and the nfl. >> thank you very much. a positive sign for the u.s. economic recovery. the government's latest read is that it is stronger than forecast. the gross domestic product, the total of all goods and services, went up 2.5% in the previous quarter. increased experts of american products and fewer imports are behind the gain. this news combined with falling unemployment gain is increasing speculation the federal reserve will stick to its plan to ease up on the stimulus program later this year. fast-food workers are taking part in nationwide strikes in demand of higher pay. workers want to earn $15 an hour. that's nearly double the minimum wage. broken down state by state, it's a figure determined by cost of living basics. in iowa the living wage for an adult with no children is $2,800

more a year than what the minimum wage require. and in higher than average costs of living, the living wage can be steep. in new york it's more than $10,000 a year. stephanie stanton joining us live in los angeles where demonstrations are just now getting underway. stephanie, when we last spoke you said there were a few people there, but it would be picking up soon. what is it lookings like now? >> good morning again to you richelle. are some folks gathering. they are going to be marching past this location and then moving on to the world famous intersection of hollywood and highland. there are more than 180,000 fast-food workers here in the los angeles area joining in this

effort. with me now is one of the protesters. she is a home health care working, but has a lot of friends that she is here supporting. why are you here? >> i'm sick and tired. we're not making a livable wage where we can take care of our families. we're working two, three jobs, while mcdonald's just made over $5.5 billion in profits last year, and the ceo -- one of the head ceo's got over a $100 million bonus, while we can't work full-time, get no benefits, go to the doctor's office, and going to the dental office is a luxury. >> just so folks at home can understand, what is it like to live on 8, $9 an hour, how do you get buy? >> you can't do it. you can't do it. you have to work two three jobs

and then have some type of assistance to help you out at least with the kids. elderly we still have to work until we're like 75 and stuff. >> what would an increase to $15 an hour mean to you and your family? >> it would give a little bit of piece of mind. i know they say the price of everything will go up, but the prices are already going up while our wages stay the same if not less. >> thank you. that's one of many personal stories we're hearing today. as you just heard from her, they are just fighting for what they say is a living wage. >> stephanie it's good to hear -- hear this personalized. and it's a personalized on the other side as well. of course there are big companies, but there are smaller

franchisees that employee people as well. how do they fit into this? >> well, it is our understanding that some of the franchisees say if they have to increase wages, they could see -- some of them are saying that they may not be able to afford to even stay in business, so there -- there is that side of it as well. we heard from, you know, the former ceo of mcdonald's that he estimates that perhaps 15 to 20% of small businesses would have to close down. so you think about these franchises, yes, they are huge. a lot of them are corporate owned, bah lot of them are individually owned, so that is something to think about as well. >> all right. stephanie, thank you. now let's check in with dave for more on weather. >> yeah, we have big changes coming in this weekend. by labor day it could be a little cooler. i'll show you where with the national forecast coming up.

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last week al jazeera america launched a new and needed voice in journalism. the new york times calls it "serious, straight-forward news". "accurate, responsible" says the washington post. and the baltimore sun says, "instantly engaging and powerful". al jazeera america, there's more to it. >>a. >> >>

that's the headlines "consider this" is up next on al jazeera. ♪ ♪ let's recap our stop stories the white house plans to brief congressional leaders on the situation in syria tonight. that will take place as the five permanent members of the security council will meet. the nfl is agreed to a proposed $756 million settlement with thousands of former players. the players claim they failed to warn them of the consequences of concussion injuries. and thousands of fast-food workers across the country are spiking demanding more money. civil rights leaders

continue to inspire and also spark controversy. news organizations, individuals, and even the government are on notice about using clips of the speech without paying for them. david shuster reports. >> i have a dream that one day this nation will rise up -- >> reporter: it is one of the most famous speeches in u.s. history. >> we hold these truths to be self-evident. >> reporter: a defining moment in the struggle for civil rights. but if you want to watch the speech in its entirety for free, good luck. it is not on youtube or any news site. the reason? it is protected by copy right laws. >> authoring don't give their copyrighted work away for free.

neither did dr. king. if a work becomes very successful or extremely significa significant, it doesn't lose the copyrights as a result. >> reporter: dr. king sued a record company selling audio copies, forcing it to stop. through the years the king family has taken legal action against new organizations that used any part of the speech without paying licensing fees. all of the cases settled out of court. >> dr. king's family said, look, we own it. he didn't make a lot of money when he was alive. the only thing he had in hi estate, really were his literary properties. so get a license. pay us for it. >> reporter: critics say the family has gone too far, noting

dr. king's relatives have received millions of dollars licensing out part of the speech to companies that wanted to leverage it for commercial advertising. one deal included singular wireless, which used the tag line, free at last. >> the irony of dr. king's family using his legacy to maximize their income is a very sad and painful contradiction of how dr. king lead his own life and what he would want his legacy to be. >> dr. king registered his copyrights in part so that his heirs would have poeten shallingly financial security from the use of his copyrights, and the heirs and licensing access to his work are acting as any other copyright owner would. >> reporter: is king's family

being greedy or just protective of his words? either way all of this may continue for a while. king's copyright is valid for 70 years after his death. that means until the year 2038, viewing one of the most remarkable speeches in u.s. history will come with a price tag. still to come on al jazeera, there are new concerns in california as crews continue to battle the massive wildfire in yosemite. and residents are in over their heads in parts of pennsylvania as downpours caused severe flooding. ♪

night, al jazeera america presents gripping films from

a predator drone is the latest tool helping to get a handle on the wildfire burning in yosemite national park. the fire has been spreading for nearly two weeks, consuming about 300 square miles. meanwhile there is growing concern for san francisco's water supply. the reservoir is at risk of contamination. >> the greatest risk is an enhanced input of sediment,

which is essentially dirt from the forest floor into the reservoir. >> more than 2.5 million people get their drinking water from the reservoir. the rim fire is about 30% contained. there has been severe flooding in pennsylvania this week. multiple counties reported road closures and flooding of homes and businesses. several days of rain left the ground saturated earlier in the week, leaving conditions ripe for flooding. no reports of any injuries. ♪ we have been watching pennsylvania closely. all that rain yesterday, but today nothing. the rain has pushed to the south. we're clear almost. you are seeing patchy drizzle

here especially along the coast, and that is keeping the temperatures down. not sees scenes like this yesterday, u.s. open here new york, the play was suspended. today there is some drizzle, but not the downpours like yesterday. the forecast shows a big area where it's just dry, maybe drizzle, but not heavy rain here. there is severe weather moving through north dakota. the temperatures are staying down because of the clouds and drizzle. philadelphia is at 77, washington, d.c. has pushed up to 80, so it is trying to warm up just a bit there. this is juliette, there is flooding along the baja peninsula. that is continuing to move

slowly up the coast so that will give wind and rain there. moisture in the northern plains, that yellow box is a severe thunderstorm watch. storms move through the state, and certainly could be some strong storms, maybe not as gusty of wind or hail. but still strong storms moving through minnesota. that is to the north. just to the south it is the heat. heat warnings are in effect as temperatures sore up to near 100 degrees. they are up to 87 in omaha, 90 in kansas city. it could easily get up to 100. if you are in this area, it is hot and humid. it's the heat and humidity combined that pushes the heat index up to over 100. no rain where we need it, that's in california.

a little farther south we could get these pop-up storms. that gives flooding rains, and gusty winds. we have seen that already in arizona, and that potential is there again today. in business news ford says demand for its fusion is surging. and it is hiring 1400 workers here in america. the company is starting to produce its plant right outside of detroit. i'm richelle carey, some citizens in pakistan risk their lives pressing for reform. and you can always go to our website, aljazeera.com, for the latest. do keep it here. have a great day. ♪