>> good morning. i'm morgan radford. it's a full campaign for support as president obama seeks congressional approval to strike against the syrian government. >> i don't believe that my former colleagues in the united states senate and house will turn their backs on all of our interests. >> secretary of state john kerry making the case for military action in syria. >> hopes for a political resolution in egypt fade as ousted president mohamed morsi stands trial for inciting murder. ♪ theme

>> it's a new day, as presidential pressure to attack syria intensifies. it's been less than 48 hours sips the president said he needs congressional approval for his attack plan, and now the full court press is on. sunday, obama dispatched secretary of state john kerry to the sunday morning talk shows. kerry along with several members of the obama cabinet made their push for support. the big name they want in their corner is senator john mccain. he's been invited to the white house today. the arizona senator has been an outspoken critic of white house plans to limit air strikes. in fact, he said the united states' failure to intervene in syria's civil war is shameful. >> aljazeera reports from washington on the obama administration's plan.

>> he would ask congress to approval military action against syria. secretary of state john kerry took the lead defending the president's decision. >> the fact is that the president clearly had sufficient case presented to the the american people that assad had engaged in an outrageous crime against humidity and it was vital to take stems. i think the president realized in consultations with the congress that people wanted to weigh in, and he believed after thinking about it that the united states of america is much stronger when we act in concert. >> secretary as herry made the rounds on the the sunday morning shows, citing into evidence that the chemical attack and pushing back against any perception that the move was a sign of weakness. >> this morning, a very important recent development that in the last 24 hours, we have learned through samples that were provided to the united

states that have now been tested from first responders in east damascus and hair samples and blood samples have tested positive for signatures of sarin, so this case is building and will build. i don't believe that my former colleagues in the united states senate and the house will turn their backs on all of our interests. >> some lawmakers such as kentucky republican senator rand paul welcomed the president's move, but remained opposed to any u.s. action against syria. >> i would ask john kerry is it for likely or less likely that chemical weapons will be used if we bomb. is it more likely or less likely that we will have refugees in jordan or israel will be attacked. the bad things are more likely if we get involved. >> others want action but with a clear strategy and end game. >> we should not be sending servicemen and women into

military conflict if they don't have complete confidence that the nation's political leadership is behind them. >> you worry more when the president's chief of -- chairman of the joint chiefs say it doesn't matter when we strike. that's not a military action, then, that's a symbolic action. >> congress may be on recess until september 9, but the congressional debate appears well underway. aljazeera, washington. >> paul joins us live now. paul, what outcome is obama hoping to get out of his meeting with senator mccain? >> well, of course, senator mccain is a key member of any possible coalition that the president could build in congress to get his resolution through. he has been very critical of the president, calling for a more robust and comprehensive strategy toward syria, referring to any potential tom hawk

missile strikes as pin pricks. he hopes bringing mccain over to the president's side can rally skeptical republicans. >> what is the mood on capitol hill? is congress even receptive? >> the mood is mixed. democrats sort of lining up behind the president and more skepticism on the republican side. there is skepticism on both sides. yesterday, there was a round of classified briefings presented to members of both side, open to anyone who wanted to attend. eighty came to this briefing, some flying in from out of town from their home districts on less than 24 hour notice. the concern is that the resolution is worded too broadly and that it may be ineffective. that's what we're hearing, and any ineffective axled draw the u.s. action more deeply do any

action against syria. >> thank you, paul. >> internationally, the obama administration is losing allies for military action. last week, britain said it would not participate, now germany opting out. the german chancellor and her opponent in the country's upcoming election both vowed they would not act without the u.n. security council signing off. that leaves the u.s. to seek support from turkey and france. we go overseas for reaction from the u.k. aljazeera's phillip itner is in london. what's the feeling over there? >> morgan, in public here in great britain, the mood on the street is against any kind of activity. we saw that reflected in the vote last week in parliament.

there has been some political clamoring here for a second vote, but deputy prime minister has come out and said the people have spoken, parliament has spoken. we're not taking this to a second vote. there also some significant outside event, outside of great britain, unless something happens, it's unlikely the brits will be involved in any kind of military strike. >> in france, there's going to be a debate, but as many as 2/3 of the french people are against a military freak. but the president that it within his mandate under the constitution that he can conduct military strikes without going to the parliament. we're seeing an awful lot on the streets at least negative reflection of a possible military strike, morgan. >> you say it's widely considered a bad idea. the big question though, we hear there are calls from prime minister cameron to consider a

second parliamentary vote. will that vote happen? >> it's highly unlikely. those calls come from some very hawkish people within the conservative party who say as more evidence is gathered, that perhaps they might take it back to a second vote. within the ruling government coalition, there's an acceptance that the parliament doesn't want it, the people don't want it and it's unlikely that it will happen. they still have military assets in the region, the brits do, but public opinion, they don't want to go along with the u.s. in any kind of military strike. >> thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> for a closer look at president obama's strategy for getting support needed to strike sir yes, we're joined in studio by political analyst and professor of campaign management at new york university. it's clear that president obama does want this strike, but how

much political cover does he have from congress or the international community. >> i think the reason we saw him come out and say he is going to go to congress for a vote, at this point, he has very little cover, being abandoned by the international community except france and turkey, wow the cover of the u.n., he felt he had to look for congress. we know many congress people feel torn on this, republicans and democrats, as the american public, 80% were saying you need to go to congress. this is a president who has had trouble with congress, so this is a president who has three more years. if he can't work with this congress, went alone, he was in a difficult position, so he, i think made the right decision at this point, especially and i didn't mention this, but obviously after what happened in great britain, he felt he needled this cover in congress. whether he gets it or not is the big question now. >> you have to give a little to get a little. what exactly is obama willing to wager in order to broker this

deal with congress? >> when you look at the resolution, they made it broad enough so the congress can put their own stamp on it. they are working hard to lobby congress. we're going to see strange bed fellows, the isolationist wing of the republican party joining forces with liberal democrats, something we don't see that often. then you have john boehner and nancy pelosi together. he needs john mccain on his side, who wants more than the president is willing. we're going to have to see how they negotiate, a very tricky few days and weeks gag forward, saying this is what we can get to you get a coalition of congress people onboard, since he can't get a coalition of other countries onboard. >> you mentioned the trouble that obama has had with this congress. how much going to congress is about being fair and how much political protection and forcing them to go on record. >> i think most of it is about

political protection. this is a president who knows he couldn't get immigration through, you know control through, he has struggled with infrastructure. this is a congress who said we will block you at every turn. he decided i don't have the cover internationally or from the american public. i need congress to go on record and say we are committed to this. 2011 with libya, this is a president who went it essentially alone and was credit advised from republicans and democrats. this is a president who won because of his opposition to the way george bush went into iraq. he philosophically and politically feels he has no choice but to get them to commit to the action particularly if this is going to see something we'll see again calling for action in iran or somewhere else in the world. there are three more years for this. >> thank you so much.

stay with aljazeera for continuing coverage of the latest developments in syria and for additional background and details, visit aljazeera.com and join the conversation. >> at least three taliban fighters dead in afghanistan. they launched an attack near a u.s. military base near the pakistan border. the blast sparked a gunfight prompting the closure of a main road used by nato supply trucks. afghan and u.s. forces exchanged gunfire with the attackers, nato helicopters joining the fight. >> a homemade bomb injured two at a police station in giza, coming after the announcement that deposed president mohamed morsi will instant stand trial. egypt's top prosecutor announced he will be tried for citing violence that let to the death of protestors last december. 14 members of the muslim brotherhood will be tried with him. >> firefighters are making progress on the rim fire.

it's the fourth largest wildfire in california's history. the two-week-old blaze is 45% contained, but still creeping farther into yosemite national park. crews have been fighting the fire from the ground and by air, and more than 350 square miles have been consumed by the fire. that's larger than the area of san francisco, oakland and san jose all combined. >> parts of the u.s. will be dealing with welt weather for the labor day holiday. for more on the forecast, let's bring in our meteorologist. >> i have some very good news to report across the northwest. automatic we are not looking at significant rainfall, we do have moisture tracking in out of the southwest. we're looking at lighter showers pushing out of utah something portion of central and southern idaho and across the oregon cascades, you can see rain pushing in. although we are not looking at any significant rainfall around

yosemite national park, there is a lot of humidity in the atmosphere. that's good. at least it's not as dry as the left several weeks. that would help those firefighters out there battling that massive in 14 know. the rain in the northeast is on the way. we are seeing lighter showers across the new york state freeway from syracuse to albany, mostly cloudy, overcast skies across much of pennsylvania. in new york city, boston or our nation's capitol, it is so humid, luckily, we will get a break by wednesday. 83 in philadelphia, and as we track into the next 24-48 hours, it's going to get a lot more comfortable. morgan, back to you. >> thanks so much. >> it was damaged by a massive earthquake in 2011, now deadly levels of radiation from a leaking nuclear plant are causing one government to take a stronger role in clean up. >> nelson mandela is back home after spending three months in

the hospital for a lung infection. >> the men's and women's draw at the u.s. open have the biggest names. steam rolling through the last grand slam of the season, we'll have more on him plus other top seeds when we come back with sports.

on techknow, our scientists bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life. protestors. i'm morgan radford, you can see us again at 7:00 eastern. ♪ theme >> japan's nuclear watchdog is considering dumping radioactive water from the fukushima plant into the pacific ocean. the chief regulator said today the contamination in the water would first be removed. the developments are being

monitored from tokyo. >> japan's nuclear regulation authority said there is no evidence of new leaks at the plant. the radiation readings were higher over the weekend than compared to two weeks ago because the company in charge of the power plant has been using more sophisticated machines to detect radiation levels. the previous machines could only read up to 100 an hour, now 10,000 an hour. this latest embarrassing revelation has forced the government to come in and take a more direct approach handling this crisis. >> we have decided to take charge of the issue, not just leaving it to the company. we will deal with this so as not to repeat such an incident. >> the prime minister is due to chair another session of the nuclear emergency response meeting on tuesday.

there is speculation that details of his plan could be revealed on tuesday. we don't know what it will include, but will deal with this very immediate problem of how do you store the con ta contaminatr in the plant. it has been reiterated that they have no charge but to discharge some of this water in the ocean, but will make sure it meets the regulatory thresholds. >> in addition to efforts to control the situation, the company has aboved the number of tank inspection controls from twice a day to three times a day. >> nelson mon della is back at his home after spending months in the hospital for various illnesses. he is still in critical condition, and an ambulance is on stand by in case he tee at her rates and has to be rushed back to the hospital. part of his home has been converted into an intensive care

unit. >> the world's top tennis players are making their way home in queens, new york this week at the u.s. open and we have the latest in sports. >> since the women's draw was unveiled, everyone was circling this matchup between the reigning queen of the court cou, rather arena williams. forty minutes with the two would trade shots back and forth, but eventually, the young stevens would cave under pressure and the shot sails wide. serena takes the opening set and shows why she is the defending champ. the 31-year-old makes a statement in the second set, disposing of stevens 6-1 to advance to the finals.

>> it definitely feels like a really big match, because sloan is such a great player. how excited are we for the future of american tennis, right? [ cheers and applause ] >> yeah, she's such a good player. i definitely felt like something bigger, but just had to stay focused or the moment. the whole time. >> tried to stay relaxed, have fun and stay com posed. thank you guys, cheering. there is a lady over there that was cheering really hard, so thank you very much. >> as for your defending men's champion, andy are your my in action against florian meyer. murray turning up the heat to win in straight sets and advance to the round of 16. murray has been a different man under tutelage. now this before it has swagger, too. >> expectations are maybe

higher, but there's not as much pressure on me to win. i feel more comfortable coming into these events more than i did at this time last year and hopefully can have another good run. he's a very tricky opponent. he takes your time away and it's tough to win. >> the world's number one player looking to shine at night. the tourney favorite going into trial time, this one, no contest. the 26-year-old smacked 34 winners as he routed in straight sets. even more emoperative, the 2011 u.s. open champion has yet to drop a set this entire tournament. the scary part, he's only getting better. >> i've about that working on basically every element in my game, and hopefully i can serve a little bit more efficient and

get free points from my first serve. that's the goal as the tournament goes on. >> it was another day, another night session obviously for me here. it's always a privilege to be in this stadium. you feel extreme responsibility to play well, enter tape the crowd, so hopefully, you all enjoyed and had fun tonight. >> he has done that. that is a look at sports this hour. back to you. >> from the nation's second city of gambling, how atlantic city is betting on a new beginning. >> next up, she's a long distance swimmer who shattered the record for the longest unprotected swim. so night, she can finish her goal of swimming from florida to cuba. ♪

why some critics say the school is setting the kids up for failure.

>> an atlantic city competition from legalized gambling in nearby states has come into the city's gaming profit and thinned the crowd on its famous bored walk. the city's strategy for renewal is explained. >> they are truly cathedrals to

gambling. >> it is a bless. >> if you win. >> he once worked in the giant casino, but laid off when the economy tanked and now runs a series of ladies shops. the hurricane damaged the store and he was forced to tap into a pension to keep going. >> if i had no i.r.a. and if insurance will not help me, i would never have opened store and i would be in the street. >> he says things are so slow after the hurricane that he and his wife often stay open all night just to try to make ends meet. >> sandy caused damage along the coastline with widespread flooding and part of the historic boardwalk was swept away. the message seemed to go out, atlantic city is closed for business permanently. >> the 12 casinos were open again within a week.

atlantic city is used to rolling with the punches. for years, it's offered gambling and family entertainment that has kept its boardwalk packed. then game the global collapse in 2008 and stiff competition from nearby states that legalized gambling. >> pennsylvania, delaware, maryland, now new york city, the largest casino in the united states taking some of the business from feeder markets to atlantic city. >> the senator is the architect of new laws that would allow gamblers at a place bets from home, a desperate bid to prevent further layoffs in atlantic city. >> it would be a significant boost, and hopefully in the end, sports betting, which would be a big, big win and make the town the las vegas of the east coast. >> the sports betting bid is mired in court action, but the hope is it could fill hotel

rooms in winter. lisa is charged with broadening the city's appeal. >> taking advantage of the natural environment, the beach, the boardwalk, nightclubs. we have the restaurants. we are going back to our roots as a tourism destination that has so many things for people to do. >> the shop owner hopes it pays off. he's literally betting his life on it. >> john is with us now. >> it's amazing to the shop owner and his wife, they really do go all night sometimes to make ends meet. that's how tough the economy is. there are the bicyclists and joggers all here. the only thing that isn't out is the sun. we were rather counting on that. we think it's going to come out later today.

there's a real connection between this certify and this holiday, labor day, where we honor the american worker, particularly those affiliated to trade unions. atlantic city five years ago laid off 7,000 of the workers in the casinos here and the state is debt pretty to stop that from happening again. it is the on line betting and sports betting that they really think will do it and keep these hotel rooms full. back to you. >> american long distance timer dianna nayad is closing in on her goal swimming from florida to cuba. this is her fifth attempt to finish the trip without using a cage, or flippers. she has broken the record for the longest swim r. and she wants to prove that it's never

too late to chase her dream. that will do it for this edition of aljazeera. i look forward to seeing you tomorrow.