jazeera.com. >> good morning. i'm steph as i. it's friday, august 30 and these are stories we're following at this hour. making the case for a possible attack, the obama administration steps forward with evidence it says proves the assad regime is to blame for the deadly chemical weapons strike in syria. >> bold and defiant reaction from the syrian leader said his country is ready to defend itself. meanwhile, syrias refugee crisis gross by the day. >> same sex couples will now be allowed to file joint tax returns and it doesn't matter whether their state accepts gay marriage or not. >> science decides to give

mother nature a helping hand, creating a bank that insurance bees will be around for a very long time. >> >> this morning, president obama considers going it alone, taking on syria without a key ally by its side. the obama administration forced to evaluate that option after the british parliament refuses to authorize military intervention. >> the ayes, 272, the nos 285. >> prime minister david cameron disagrees with the vote but believes it represents the will of british citizens. but just hours after britain backed out, another ally stepped forward. the president of france said all options are on the table for an intervention in syria, and that

if in fact the chemical attack was carried out, it must not go unpunished. late thursday, the obama administration briefed lawmakers on the syrian situation. congressional leaders were told the administration has proof, including intercepted communications that the assad regime was behind last week's chemical attack outside damascus. defense secretary chuck hagel said no decision has been made on syria. speaking in manila, hagel said the u.s. won't allow politics to detour it from taking action, saying the obama administration would work to assemble a coalition. >> every nation has a responsibility to make their own decisions. we respect that of any nation. we are continuing to consult with the british, as we are with all of our allies. >> hagel is due back in the u.s. today. >> the team of u.n. chemical

weapons inspectors are spending their fourth and final day talking to doctors in damascus. the u.n. says it is only looking for proof of an attack, not investigates who is responsible. we have three reports, lyndon with british reaction, beirut following the refugees flight. we begin with mike at the white house. any sign to the president is backing down? >> none whatsoever. it appears that the white house is doubling down. the backing of the french government will come as welcome news after the shock of the u.n. parliament saying no to the action. who would have thought all the comparisons made to the iraq war and mistrust of intelligence services that it would be britain backing away from the united states and france joining the united states. of course, that situation turned on its head 10 years ago. the white house will is on

schedule, we understand to releases publicly the in tell report they gave to leading members of congress last night. members walked out of that meeting saying that the white house, including chuck hagel, john kerry, the national security advisor object susan rice telling them there were intercepted communications from top assad officials. we are standing by, waiting for that intelligence briefing to be made public. >> does the white house feel there is a need to make a better case to the american people at this point for a strike in syria? >> well, the white house, there's simply no question that the president will be addressing the american people. the question becomes one of timing. if as everyone assumes this is going to go forward, this limited strike, the shot across the bow that the penalty said in that recent interview, as he characterized it, will he be talking about before the attack begins or as the attack or

shortly after the attack begins? no decision on the part of the president, that's the last we've heard from top officials here, but it appears that he's getting closer with every moment. >> live from the white house, mike, thank you. despite british prime minister david com ran pushing the use of military force in syria, the parliament rejected that idea. we have that part of the story. phillip, does this vote in parliament mean the end of the debate in the u.k. for any intervention in sir yes? >> as far as a military intervention is concerned, yes, i think it does put a stop to that. immediately after the vote, the prime minister was asked to reassure the british people that he would not use the royal prerogative and go at this unilaterally. he agreed that would not happen. he has pretty much accepted there would be no military force but said they would find other

alternative responses. >> what are those he refers to? >> diplomatic pressure, perhaps stronger sanctions, perhaps logistickiccal support. >> reporting live from london, phillip, thank you. >> the syrian government is making preparations in anticipation of a possible military strike. syrian president bashar al assad says his country will defend itself against any aggression. assad senior military commanders are reportedly staying away from buildings that would likely be targeted in a strike. the plate of syrian refugees have more people pouring out of the country. david jackson is live in beirut with more. david, what kind of activity are you seeing along the border

today. is there more urgency? >> stephanie, yesterday and today, we saw quite a few people coming across that border point. it is not an overwhelming flood of people. i think it is fair to characterize these people as not did he say substitute, but in many ways coming with money and belongings and people that have relatives in lebanon who are syrian and go back and forth with some regularity regardless of what's going on in syria, also a lot of people bringing family and children out of lebanon and the men turning around and going right back into the country, these are people who support the assad reem. they are going to fight alongside the regime. they do not believe that this strike, when it comes, if it comes, is going to be terribly harmful to residential areas, so therefore, they are not afraid to go back. they are willing to go back into the country, and fight, and they

think that the targeting will be very specific. they think the results will be mild, so to speak and they think they can move right along with what they are involved in, which is a civil war that they think will continue after the strike takes place. stephanie. >> that's interesting that you're seeing people go back into syria to fight on the regime side. >> they are patriotic in terms of fight, asued and part of it is because they think there's been a long enough time frame now with the threat of this strike that it's not going to come as a big surprise, and it is not going to come in some open-ended fashion that would lead to widespread destruction in the country. that's one of the reasons while they'll had back in. they think that this is pinpoint enough that they can be out of the way, and be there when the

fighting resumes again for them. >> david, thank you. >> with more on parliament's vote, we're joined from senior fellow at the world policy institute. thank you for joining us this morning. with the u.k. taking themselves out of the equation now, what are the risks for the u.s. acting alone? >> well, the u.s. doesn't seem to be afraid to act alone. it did it pretty much in iraq and would do it in other cases. i think right now, considering the circumstances in the middle east and the basically mental attitude or the attitude towards the u.s., it would be pretty risky for it to act alone right at this point. it should have a large scale support from the globe actually against these kinds of weapons and kinds of attacks, so, i mean, you know, that's where i would pick up the robust diplomacy effort and say look,

nobody wants to have this done anymore, so there needs to be a global consensus and a global decision to say that this cannot go unnoticed. >> do you believe there is still a chance for some type of political solution and do you have suggestion for how that might play out? >> i always think there's a chance of political solutions. it's unfortunate, i think we've all lost our way what it means to engage and be more diplomatic. we tend to after september 11, unfortunately, this horrific incident, we've decided that violence is the answer to everything, and that that's the first, you know, that's the first response. you know, i just don't understand why the diplomatic efforts haven't happened more with with russia, more with china and more with the iranians. this has the potential of being a pretty large scale disaster within the context of the region, more within the context of the population. then if you start getting

hezbollah involved or israel involved, you're going to have a convey attic mess in the region. i never discount diplomacy, as long as we have time, we should keep it up and keep the robust discussion of engagement going. >> an important point you make there, not to mention any strike would be perceived as helping the opposition and it's not clear who the opposition is at this point, correct? >> well yes. that's absolutely correct. we have fighters coming over from all angles in the middle east, and being supported by, i mean a lot of consensus is the support for these fighters is coming from the gulf countries. this is again, another -- there's not a big conspiracy here, but there's definitely a power play going on in the region between some of the larger powers like saudi arabia and iran on the other side of the gulf, who want to have

influence and stay within the context of the region approximate. >> patricia, thank you so much for joining us this morning. keep it here for continuing coverage on the crisis in syria. you can stay up to date on our website at aljazeera.com. >> in a monumental agreement, the national football league has reached a settlement dealing with football-related brain injuries. it sets aside $765 million for nearly 4500 retired nfl players. the players claimed in a lawsuit that the league intentionally withheld information relating to concussions. the nfl denies any wrongdoing, and insists that safety has always been a top priority. here's the break down of how the money will be disbursed. $675 million will be available for retired players who present medical evidence of severe cognitive impairment, die men is that, alzheimer's or lou

gehrig's decease. this will go to a research fund. >> the u.s. treasury and i.r.s. will accept joint tax returns from legally married same sex couples. it does not matter whether the state they live in recognizes their marriage. it's the broadest federal action since the supreme court decision in june to strike down the 1996 defense of marriage act. >> things are quiet on the radar, we're heading into a long weekend. it looks quiet to start, but that will be changing. one or two showers or storms over the great lakes moving from west to east, pop up showers in the southeast, showers and storms in the southwest. those are the things we're watching now. looks quiet in between, but that will be changing. it's heating up again, excessive

heat warnings and advisories over iowa. there's an excessive heat warning, the temperatures climbing to 100 degrees again with showers and storms developing to the north. these were watches they're yesterday, but by this time today, things are quiet, the watches expired. could see more watches, severe thunderstorm watches develop in north dakota again, so another round of severe weather and heat. temperatures this afternoon will climb to 100 in kansas city. these are the expected high temperatures. 102 in tulsa. 93 in denver and chicago, everywhere in between, 95 to 100 with a heat index of 105-110. temperatures getting cooler here, will climb above 80 degrees with a shower or thunderstorm possible. you can see that area of rain approaching the great lakes and one or two showers developing from new jersey to new york and new england. that's in the forecast for the weekend. really not today in new york,

but a shower or thunderstorm, sunday and labor day, maybe a pop up shower or storm with temperatures in the mid 80's. not that hot, but not that cool either. by tuesday, things are drying out. the southeast looking for showers or storms not that severe to develop this afternoon. could see severe weather in the southwest leading to flooding and strong storms as this moisture comes up from the south and we get pop up showers and storms, which are very isolated throughout arizona. the tropics are clear and quiet, the caribbean and gulf. we are watching two storms off africa that could develop. we'll keep a close eye on that. >> eight years after hurricane katrina devastated new orleans, the surprising reason why the big easy is making a big come back. how a sperm bank for finey creatures could help an entire

species stave off extinction. >> aljazeera turns to sports.

components of the aljazz mission. >> there's more to america, more stories, more voices, more points of view. now there's are news channel with more of what americans want to know. >> i'm ali velshi and this is "real money."

this is "america tonight." sglovrjs our -- >> our news coverage reveal more of america's stories. >> we have been talking about syria all morning, but we have some developing news coming out of egypt. protests in support of ousted egyptian president mohamed morsi are taking plagues in the country. police have closed entrances into cairo and shut down metro stations in tahrir square to contain the protestors.

flash style protests are being held in order to avoid fighting with police. >> eight years ago, hurricane katrina slammed into the gulf coast. more than 1800 people died in one of the worst natural disasters in this nations history. the city is still recovering. some very creative people have gone to the big easy to help drive its revival. >> he's come a long way since helping his father fix up houses in vermont. he's a respected furniture designer with a booming business. >> this material is what makes my work beautiful to me. >> he was drawn to new orleans in the desperate days following hurricane katrina. >> i visited and really fell in rough with the city, the music, the young people moving here, who really had it in their heart they wanted to be part of

rebuilding the city. >> and the in flux of the judge r. young and the talented is office across the city. shared work spaces like the heart of downtown are increasingly common. new orleans is now ranked as one of north america's biggest brain magnets, which is a game changer. >> the real difference after cat arena, it's raised the bar, the level of possibilities for the city and what people can do here. >> there's little doubt that this new generation of flesh blood has helped stage a remarkable comeback. when you come to enables like the lower ninth ward, hit particular lip hard by the storm, it's obvious some problems still endure. >> good job. >> problems that sonny lee is keenly aware of. he grew up in the lower ninth and now runs a program that mentors fatherless boys. many never returned. >> whoever used to live here, the person across the street knew, this the person, this was

a family, so to look across the street and not see your neighbor there, it's got to be an emily, lonely feeling. ♪ >> it is a slow and steady recovery. thousands never returned, but many more have, and are proud to call the big easy home. aljazeera, new orleans. >> leaders in new orleans say 80% of the city's prestorm population has returned. >> college football kicked off its season last night with one of the game's rising stars taking the field. we have that story in this morning's sports. i see that clowny has a great smile. >> he's must-see t.v. this year. the season kicked off thursday night with 15 games, the headliner, sixth ranked carolina led by clowny hosting north

carolina, the overwhelming favorite to be picked in next year's draft. he is called a once in a generation talent. he was ok in the opener, but the offense was the real star, jumping out to a lead in the second quarter. >> south carolina would win 27-10. >> two other teams produced one of the most exciting games of the opening night with vanderbilt leading, just over a minute left, jeff scott, 75 yards for the thrilling game winner. ole miss wins. both teams had over 400 yards of offense. >> with a lot of nfl teams trying to protect front line players thursday night, a lot of backups got starters minutes,

including phil sims. matt sims played the entire game, 285 yards thrown. the jets got a big night from exchicago bear khalil bell, who rap for 80 yards and two scores. the jets finished the season beating philadelphia 27-20. no doubt the mind is willing, as miguel cabrera pursues a second straight terrorism crown but is his body able. he pulled up lame as he tried unsuccessfully to stretch a single into a dowell. he's been suffering from groin and abdomen issues. he aggravated one or both on this play. he would have to leave the game. hunter's three-run walk off home run won the game. >> despite being acknowledged to be the hope among the american men, john had to listen to the crowd cheer loudly for his opponent. he said later he was dispoint by

that. understandable. maybe the fans weren't just cheering for a competitive match. if true, fans got a competitive match, isner prevails. the two played four tie breakers in the deciding fourth set. >> tiger's back on the golf course, because tiger's back is feeling much berths. he appeared to be in more than a little pain last week at the barclays. the pain he said was caused by sleeping on a soft mattress. it looks like he has found better sleeping accommodations in massachusetts. he said his back feels just fine. he tees off this morning at 8:40 eastern time. that's your look at morning sports. >> coming up, we'll have the buzz on a bank that is in the business of making bees. stick around. you don't want to miss this.

care of our family, take care of our children and to get 7.35 raise up to 12.35 or 15.

>> they may be tiny, but they've huge impact on the food we eat and the world in which we live. honey bees are a critical link

in the food change and have been under considerable pressure, shrimping at an alarming rate in recent years. we have more on a group trying to reverse that trend. >> yes, you can. >> one drone produces about one micro liter of semen. >> you can with the right tools and expertise whip he has. >> the tip is about 60microms in diameter. it takes 100 mature drones to fill this. >> and then freeze it and keep it chilling in the corner of the lab. >> we are establishing a genetic repossess story for honey bee sperm. >> honey bees aren't native to north america, they were brought from europe 400 years ago.

this technology gives researchers more options for preserving old bee species and cross breeding new ones. >> this allows us to go to the original source, collect sperm platform, bring it inn a safe way and store it porpoise cert and use it years or decades later. next door is proof it can work, a salmon and steel head bank at the college. it is called and insurance policy for the species, a long term policy. >> a lot of the principles have been worked out previously with cattle and humans, and there's evidence that samples like this could literally last for centuries. >> hopkins demonstrates the artificial insemination of an aanesthetized queen bee. she could produce more than a quarter million eggs for a year. >> this is where it counts, the

real world with the real apples, bees are under a lot of stress. >> there's not a single reason for that. it is likely a combination of modern and natural ills. >> stress related to nutrition, loss of habitat for bees, you know, pesticides. >> just in case, back in the lab, they are freezing the future, one bee at a time. >> that's what we're hoping to do, make a better bee. >> and providing solutions to problems in the world of bees that haven't even come up yet. aljazeera, washington. >> in california, who i was pollinate almonds, a crop worth more than $4 billion a year. >> that will do it for this edition of the news. remember, news at the top of every hour and always on line at aljazeera.com. thanks so much for watching. have a great morning.

the young folks. >> what are the laws going to begin to take effect? >> reporter: the laws do not go