>> hello, everyone, this al jazeera this is tony harris. >> the nation's top advisers return to capitol hill, and tonight a senate committee hearing has an answer for them. >> i didn't set the red line. the world set the red line. >> drumming up support overseas the president the president is telling europe to get help abroad. >> and finding a different answer. the blame russia is putting on

syria's chemical attack and vlad vladimir putin talks about military strikes. >> congress takes the first step towards allowing president obama to take military action against syria. a short time ago the senate foreign relations committee approved the president taking military strike. that move took place as the foreighouse foreign affairs cone to debate. >> the president is committed to additional efforts in support of the opposition, together with friends and allies in the region in a coordinated way in order to achieve that with the

understanding that the ultimate transition will come and can come through a negotiated settlement, a political resolution. >> kerry, hagel and dempsey testified before the house foreign affairs committee. con citiesinconsisting of 45 mee republicans, and 21 are democrats. the heated exchange whe about te topic of bengahzi. >> this is not about getting into civil war. this is enforcing the principle that people should not be allowed to gas their civilians with impunity. it and assad feeling like he can do this any day he wants to.

that's what this is about. he let's draw the proper distinction, congressman. we don't deserve to drag in the discussion of bengahzi when the real issue is whether the congress is going to stand up for international norms with respect to dictators that have only been wrong twice until assad, hitler and sa saddam hu hussein. libby joins us live from capitol hill. libby, what was john kerry's message today? >> we're hearing a lot of what we heard yesterday, the continuing message that secretary kerry as well as president obama are trying to convince members of congress, to be aware not just how to vote and move forward, but even the discussion because the international stage is watching, and secretary kerry had a warn forgive members. >> we back down, the world backs down, we have sent an

unmistakable message. iran, i guarantee you is hoping we look the other way. and surely they will interpret america's unwillingness to act against weapons of mass destruction as an unwillingness to act against weapons of mass destruction. they're all listening for our silence. the authorization that president obama seeks is distinctly and clearly in our national interest. >> now, tony members are saying they're not just listening to people in north korea, they're listening to americans back home, and some members like rand paul of kentucky is very critical of this, and said

americans are not wanting to do this. the goal is very interesting. if you watch the break down you get a sense of how this battle will continue in the coming lengths. >> if congress ultimately approves a military strike in syria, who would america be supportic? the syrian opposition groups or u.s. national interests? >> well, that's a question that members of the senate and members of the house are asking. one of the senators who voted against the resolution, the retooled resolution that was brought up in senate foreign committee, it was asked yesterday, where is the knockout punch. we get rid of the chemical weapons, then what happens next? many expressed concerns about who are the opposition forces, what kind of muscle can they provide and what will happen to the assad government. then come back to secretary hagel who is not trying to look

at this from a humanitarian perspective, this said this is about something even bigler as president obama said the use of chemical weapons in syria is not only an assault on humanity, it's a serious threat to america's national security interests and those of our closest allies. the syrian use of chemical weapons poses grave risk, including israel, jordan, turkey, lebanon and iraq. if assad is prepared to use chemical weapons against against its own people we have to be concerned that terrorist groups like hezbollah, which has forces fighting in syria, supporting the assad regime, could acquire them and use. >> now, of course, the resolution that came out of the senate foreign relations committee limits what the white

house can do, and it put some parameters on it, saying that the white house had to act within 60 days with a 30-day extension, and we saw a mark out process by senator mccain saying they wantedded language in there to define the mission, and that is really to shake up the playing field, change the power on the playing field and that goes in the bill before the whole senate. >> libby, thank you. a sign for peace. pink hands raised during the congressional hearing in syria. activists raised their painted hands before and during the congressional hearing. i'm sure you saw it today. pink hands represent peace and social justice movement. they are part of an antiwar movement. all right, covering the hearings on syria we turn now to randall

pinkston. randall, we'll talk to you. were there any specifics given as to the potential military operation in syria? >> no, and obviously that's an operational issue that neither secretary kerry or hagel or general dempsey would reveal even if they knew the details. part of what they're going to do is going to be determined by the resolution, also the orders that they eventually receive from president obama. they did say that in a broad sense any military action the u.s. takes will not be aimed at resolving serious civil war. general dempsey spelled out the purpose of a strike. >> this isn't about eliminating chemical weapons. that's not possible given the number and direction of them. it's about convincing the assad regime that it's unacceptable for them to use it, and that's

the limit of this military operation. we're postured for the possibility of retaliation, and i can assure you that our regional partners are as well. >> general dempsey did say that for his purposes militarily, obviously the most broad resolution of that could be passed, the more options he would have to deal with military contingencies, but he says he's essentially ready for anything. and he revealed that any military operation would cost tens of millions of dollars, and within 60 or 90 days. >> randall, what's the next step for the president gaining congressional support? >> wow, a lot of steps will have to be taken as we witness today in the house foreign affairs committee. there was a lot of push back, even would it be fair to say anger, tony? some of the exchanges that at

one point seem to have ruffled the feathers of secretary kerry who never points out his service in an angry fashion. but today he was trying to send a message to one of the congress people who was going off, shall we say, going off message and off script in more ways than one. if the reaction in the house foreign affairs committee is any indication of what will happen with the house of representatives, we could end up with one house of congress supporting the president but not the other one. that is possible. we'll see. >> and we've seen it before. randall pinkston for us in washington, d.c. president obama has been making his case for a strike against syria to world leaders across the atlantic. mike viqueira is in sweden with that story. >> president obama came here to stockholm along to his way to the g-20 summit in russia.

but syria is dominating the agenda. it was supposed to be a low-key visit, but with the meeting with world leaders looming, president obama came out swinging on syria. >> the accumulation of evidence gives us high confidence that assad carried this out. and so the question is after we've gone through all this, are we going to try to find a reason not to act? >> appearing are the swedish prime minister, president obama lashed out that saying backing out is a sign of wavering is on the line. the international community is on the line. >> the red line by his own account a line crossed many times by the assad regime to a test of national resolve. >> first of all, i didn't set the red line. the world set the red line. the question is how credible is the international community when

it says this is an international norm that has to be observed. the question is how credible is congress when it passes a treaty saying we have to for bid the use of chemical weapons. >> mr. obama deflected the question if he would launch an attack if congress didn't go along. >> i would not have taken this before congress just as a symbolic gesture. as commander in chief i always preserve the right and the responsibility to act on behalf of america's national security. >> on thursday the president takes his case to world leaders at the g-20 in russia. mike viqueira, al jazeera, stockholm. >> and according to the latest poll president obama's uphill battle to persuade americans in the support of military strike of syria. 29% said they support military action.

nearly half, 48% said they're against it. 23% said they don't know. the survey asked if they fear a long commitment to syria, and 51% said yes. 26% said no. and 13% said they didn't know. finally the pew research center asked if americans think a military strike will deter use of chemical wells, only 33% said yes. 51% said it will not deter chemical warfare. the president of syria said it will not give in to threats of an u.s.-led military strikes, and in an exclusive, they vowed the country would defend itself against any attack. >> syrian government will not change position even if there is world war iii.

no, sirran can sacrifice the independence of his country. syria has the right to respond to this aggression has been justified under international law. syria has the right to defend itself, and the syrian people will defend their country, and so will their military. syria will take every measure to retaliate against such a' aggression. an aggression. >> russian president vladimir putin said that they would consider military action against syria. >> i would like to draw your attention only the u.n. supreme court can sanction military force against a sovereign state. any other method that might be used to justify the use of force can only be interpreted as'

aggression j. >> he also said that russia has a contract to provide syria with anticipate aircraft aircraft but has suspended the contract. >> the french prime minister in the country's national security interest to intervene not to intervene he said would be to send a dangerous weapon that it's okay to use chemical weapons. how can a country like this stand by and do nothing when another country threatens the region as a whole. there won't be a vote at the end of the parliamentary debate, because it's the president who has the ability to make a

decision about military steps taken. 75% of people would like to see a vote in parliament similar to the vote in the united kingdom and the congressional vote expected in the united states next week. for once france is saying there is no question that taking unilateral action is necessary. >> so american allies, england, will sit out any potential attack. they have released a statement on behalf of the elders, the global group for peace said the elders are appalled of the use

of chemical weapons, however, every effort must be made to stop the blood shed and put an end to the conflict that has devastated syria. francisco continues his pe plear peace, but also condemned--pope francis continues his plea for peace but condemned the use of chemical weapons and prays for peace. for more go to our website www.aljazeera.com. >> hi, i'm meteorologist, rebecca stevenson. we're tracking satellite and radar over a place where there is not really much in the way of rain or snow going on. why in the world would we do

that? well, this is the area where we're going to have the most activity or the biggest difference in the way things feel as we get into tonight and into tomorrow. now as we look at the northeast, we've got some cooler air out near the great lakes, but the temperatures feel good today because we have less humidity. it's 81 in new york, and it's a more comfortable 81 than what we've had because the humidity has been so high. now the temperatures will cool off quite a bit, and we'll see them drop down in the upper 04s40s, mid 40s. >> rebecca, thank you. coming up, a life sentence ends in suicide. the man charged with 47 charge of kidnapping and torture takes his own life. and the same computer glitch at nasdaq pops up once again.

>> welcome back everyone, a stabbing in texas kills one student and injures three more. emergency vehicles were called to spring high school before school started this morning. the sheriff's department confirmed the numbers of people involved in the attack. two men have been detained for questioning. and in connecticut an elementary school in norwalk was shut down after police responded to gunshots in the area. they did not find anything suspicious. the cleveland man who kidnapped three young women and repeatedly raped them for nearly a decade has committed suicide. ariel castro was found hinging

in his prison cell, and opian autopsy shows he killed himself. the former bus driver was serving sentence of 1,000 years in prison for abduct abducting e women. and i understand that the three women refuse to comment on the suicide. >> they're not ready to make a comment on ariel castro. they've been in a lot of pain over the years and they're still healing. the house where they were kept, it was torn down just last month, and i get the sense just being out here this morning and this afternoon, that this community is ready to move on from here. ariel castro was found around 9:20 tuesday night hanging in his prison cell. the ohio department of corrections issued a statement saying he was housed in

protective custody which means he was in a cell by himself and rounds are required every 30 minutes at staggered intervals. upon finding inmate castro staff began performing measures but it was too late and he was pronounced just awhile later. he was sentenced to is "a" thousand years for rape and attempted murder forcing one of his captives to miscarry. thinks freedom came this year when amanda berry managed to break down the front door of the house. castro was arrested that day. >> people are trying to paint me

as a monster. i'm not a monster. i'm sick. >> reporter: the former school bus driver showed no emotion when a tearful michelle knight spoke to the court. >> you took 11 years of my life away. i finally got it back. i spent 11 years in hell. now your hell is just beginning. >> in july all three women released this youtube video to thank the people that supported them. >> first and foremost i want everyone to know how happy i am to be home with my family, my friends. >> i want to say thank you. >> the boarded home where castro petebeat, tortureed and raped hs victims was torn down as part of the plea deal. >> the prosecutor came out and said harsh words about castro, calling him a degenerate and a coward. the department of corrections has launched an investigation

into his death. >> bisi any reaction to this news to cas castro in that neighborhood? >> over all the feeling seems to be clearly disappointment. people feel like castro went out the easy way. they wanted to see him suffer behind bars. i'll have more reaction coming up later. >> bisi, thank you. a big thumbs up for the big three, gm, ford, and chrysler reporting double digit sales gains with all three having their best august since 2007. the truck purchases helped drive the numbers higher. the federal reserve reported a modest gain. they find consumer spending

rising especially for cars and housing-related goods. the report said higher mortgage rates did not have a negative impact on the real estate market. it happened again to the nasdaq. the system involved in a glitch that caused a three-hour trading halt had another malfunction today. nasdaq said the system is now operating normally. >> and recapping our top story in syria. congressman james moran of virginia was not at today's hearing but has been following the events for us. and he joins us live from washington. congressman, good to talk to you. give us the benefit of your thinking over the last week or so as the president's team has made it's case for military strike against syria. >> i supported the president from the outset, tony.

in fact, i think he should have acted immediately, proportio p proportionately, appropriately. i really question why he would want to leave the reputation of the united states around the world and the viability of his presidency to some extent in the hands of congress that has consistently shown itself to be the most dysfunctional in modern history. i do question that, but i don't question his decision to intervene at this point in the syria war in such a way as to stop this use of chemical weapons with impunity. >> congressman, the president said the country is stronger when it's act in a more united way. that's part of at least part of his thinking, and taking up the issue with congress. >> well, sure, that's true.

if we were going to act in an united way, maybe with will, but we've shown time and again that this congress particularly the majority in the house are not willing to work along side the president even in terms of foreign affairs when they should be. i don't know what the outcome of this is. it seems to me the signal we should send to the rest of the world is one of clear resolve. when we say we're going to do something we need to do it. we need to do it in a timely fashion. there needs to be consequences if people don't take the presidency of the united states seriously. i think congress should back them up when the information is accurate, verifiable, and when he can make a case as i think he has, that this is not going to war, but this is responding in such a way as prior presidents have done with full legal authority. >> well, congressman, have you

taken the pulse of your constituents in your district as to whether or not they support the president in his call to strike syria. >> yes, i have. i wish you haven't asked me that because the vast majority don't agree with me. the vast majority are opposed to what the president wants to do. maybe there is some silent majority out there, but i suspect the silent majority in this case would be opposed as well. in my district which is part of thofthe washington metropolitan area, most people know where syria is. most constituencies done even know where it is, and to some extent some members may not be able to pinpoint it on a map. you know, syria is not a priority consideration of all the things we're looking at. but we can't control the agenda that comes in front of us.

there is a reason why we are looked to as the world's policeman if you will because we're the only ones with the ability, with the military intelligence, logistics weapons capacity to say something, and to mean it and be able to carry it out. >> well, congressman-- >> otherwise, it will be used by military in the whole world. if we have that ability, we have that responsibility to use it appropriately and not allow chemical weapons to become the new norm of warfare. >> thank you, congressman. we'll take a break, and we'll be back with moorage right after in.

>> welcome back. al jazeera. here is a recap of our top stories. a house committee hearing debating president obama's request for military strike. president obama made a trip to

stockholm. the approval clears the way for a full senate vote likely to occur next week. syria's deputy said that syria won't give in to threats, and also vowed that syria would defend itself against any attack, and russian president vladimir putin said u.s. congress has no right to legitimatize a aggression to syria. the senate foreign relations committee voted an hour ago to approve a resolution authorizing the president to take military action. that approval took place as secretary of state john kerry explained to a house committee why the u.s. needs to take action. >> for the united states of america it would an very unusual statement of our unwillingness

to uphold something that we have fought for and been a part of for a long period of time. i think we will be walking away from responsibility and signaling a new moment of confrontation and difficulty for our country on answe many other respects and many other issues. >> expats living in dallas are speaking out. highheidi zhou castro speaks ou. >> the images we're seeing the not same place that ahmad grew up. >> syria should be a peaceful country. we do not like, involved in wars. >> but in is the syria that the world now knows. he has been away from his homeland for years. he's now 47, and works with

expats working towards ending civil war. >> it's a new generation that have been killed for no reason. >> reporter: he ran a distribution business in syria. one day at work he came across government documents he knew he had be punished for seeing, so he fled. >> i took my wife an my three children. >> just instantly overnight. >> instantly overnight. i took them in the dark of night, and we fled to the united states. >> reporter: he's claiming asylum in the u.s. meanwhile, he says the assad regime tortured his brother. >> broke his ear, hands, nose 1234 and electrocuted his 72-year-old mother with a taser. so he said he's not surprised assad would use chemical weapons on his own people. >> they do whatever they want to do. that's the rule over there, their rules, not our rules.

>> reporter: he wants congress to approve an u.s. military strike. he wants an international coalition to oust assad. >> if that regime falls everybody has to go back to build a new syria. >> reporter: he said he would return then to rebuild the country he loved. heidi zhou castro, al jazeera, dallas. >> russian president vladimir putin has warned action without u.n. approval. he will come face to face with president obama on thursday at the g-20 summit. >> leaders arrive in st. petersburg for a summit that my highlight the glaring differences between them of the issues of the day. the host vladimir putin is not talking like a man who would compromise with the united states. >> any othecan only be interpren

aggression. >> but the american president stopping in sweden spoke as if military action is inevitable. >> my credibility is not on the line. the international community's credibility is on the line. and america and congress' credibility is online because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important. >> in damascus itself the syrian regime speaks, and in defiant language. >> the syrian government will never change its position, even if it causes a forke third worl. syria has a right to react according to the u.n. charter as such an aggression is not justified in the national law.

>> the agenda at the summit focuses on finance and economic issues, as the richest, most populous countries in the world but those issues are likely to be overshadowed by the syrian crisis. there are very few that they can come together from their fast differences. >> it's not which side used chemical weapons, but military intervention will cause more bloodshed. >> russia's approach is contradictory. it does not want bloodshed but it has been delivering weapons to syria. >> in two days of talks here leaders will try to find a consensus that has been so elusive in two long years of

fighting in syria. >> michael oppenheimer is a clinicaa--let's take this back t two years now. certainly two years, and can you help us understand russia's option to the u.n. security council sending a message that violence against people cannot be condoned? >> there is a strategic rationale for their position, let's say putin. strategically russia has a stake in assad. it has a naval base, and large investment in the syrian regime, and it wants to protect that

investment, and it's not ready to see that regime fall as a consequence by a yes vote in the security double. it supports the syrian in the use of force was on the base of humanitarian concerns. >> and it felt the punishment went too far. >> having voted yes, that then crept up to a regime change mission on the grown, which the russians nor the chinese, feel they never signed on to. they're very sensitive to any possibility of a repeat of the libyan experience. and there is also an attitudinal problem. which is that the russians and putin in particular, does not believe that international authorities ought to be involved in the internal politics and affairs of other countries. they're very jealous of their

sovereignty, and being jealous of their own sovereignty they don't want to vote in such a way to suggest that any country could be subject to external intervention because the regime is disliked. >> does vladimir putin have any concerns in his own mind. i know it has thoughts earlier of allege chemical weapons attacks in syria dating back to march, but on this specific case, on august 21st, does it have evidence that it needs to bring forward to contradict the case that's being made by the obama administration? >> i don't believe so. of course, none of us have seen the intelligence, so we're placing a bet on the obama administration's credibility.

so a finding of chemical weapons use is inconvenient, to say the lease, for the administration. this is an administration such as the bush administration, which is motivated to create the basis for an attack in this case on syria. i have a lot of faith that the administration is correct when it says that the information is clear, compelling, it was sarin and used by the si syrian regim. i have no problem believing that. but let's remember that this all takes place in the shadow of iraq. i think there is an inclination to doubt intelligence when it's commosummoned in this way and cd

be an act of war. >> thank you. in other news, in iraq 16 members of a the same shia family. the attacks are a nation wide trend in which forces are struggling to contain. we have more from iraq. >> if we thought iraq had moved on from the violent days of the past, we're being proved wrong. on tuesday a number of car bombs tortured the capital of baghdad in 11 neighborhoods in all. in some cases the explosions went off in rapid succession, suggesting they were coordinated. they targeted people who were out and about for the evening. >> a powerful blast took place in the enabled at 5:00 p.m. yesterday killing and wounding several people. >> it targeted people who work to earn their living. you can see wreckage fe flew toe

other side of the road. they're innocent people who worked to live. >> but it was in the north and in the west. one of the worst attacks in the easted east at a row of restaurd shops. >> there was a checkpoint here and another there. how does a car bomb come to he here? does it come from space? i blame the government for the security breach. >> the number of day-to-day attacks in iraq are rising. and the death toll is reaching a level not seen in the last five years. more than 800 people were killed in the last one alone. the war in syria is having a massive affect here in this country. in baghdad armed groups say they're sending fighters into syria, and they are behind the car bombings that we've seen over the last five to six months. there is also a massive refugee crisis here in, and in northern

iraq. the whole country is a tinderbox. >> after 12 years of heading the nation's top law enforcement agency, muller has stepped down. he arrived just one week before the september 11th attacks. he's credit for transforming the law enforcement agency to a threat agency. the ro problem that venice s having with boats, not cars, and how it will deal with it. and maurice jones drew is one of the smallest guys to play in the nfl, but he's got a big game. more on that story coming up.

pm eastern time . we will be right back. ♪

>> with the wednesday which means we're a day closer to the start of the pro football season. we have more with the day in sports. >> they say the nfl is a young man's game. prove that in the city of buffalo. one thing we did know is that the buffalo bills would open with a rookie quarterback. we didn't know who that would be. they have named e.j. manuel against tom brady and the patriots. that was not the original plan until manuel under minor knee surgery. the coach said manuel''s knee is 110% now. he won't be the only starting rookie signal caller. the new york jets say they're

starting geno smith when they host tampa bay sunday. this is amidst reports that smith has moved on from mark sánchez. sánchez is currently out with an injured shoulder. 200 2005 does not seem that long ago except eight years hase lapped. it's been eight years since the jaguars have had a winning season. we sat down with maurice jones drew about his past, and prese present. >> most nfl players dread playing camp. not maurice jones drew. his season was cut when he had an injure that sidelined him for the season.

>> i want to be out with my teammates and enjoy them. >> what has recovery been like for. >> you the road of recovery is very long. you have to be patient. mentally every time you're off for a while. i didn't play football for ten months. you have--i want to call it doubt, but you have a little concern can i get back to it, but you know, it's at the door, and it's just like riding a bike. your body naturally makes the moves. yeah, you get sore, and things here and there, but the important part was for me getting out there and stick with it. >> many have said this may be the end of the line for maurice jones drew. >> you have to finds ways to motivate yourself every day.

that was just one of the ways by looking at my number every day in the back of my mine everybody passed me up. let's keep going. we still have something to prove. we still have to keep striving to be the best. >> leave it to the three-time pro bowl running back in the 2011 rushing champion to try to groom his own offensive line. >> i have a love for men who can block. it's exciting when you see young men and you plug them in and everybody gets better. that's what we did with luke. he came in the tackle spot and we all got better. the sky is the limit for him. >> jones drew also has a love of fantasy football. it's a huge topic on his radio show. >> you try to be a competitor in everything that you do. and for the first time i can own somebody. i own aaron rogers, and if you're watching, i need you to

run. i know harris is there, but we need you to win. >> have you draftedded yourself. >> every time, number one. every year, it doesn't matter. >> a new coach, new expectation, and this time around they're hoping for a healthy dose of maurice jones drew. >> well, our week long slate of nfl coverage continues tomorrow, and we'll have more before and after the ravens-broncos matchup. now to baseball as they broke a streak 20 years in the making. andrew mccu mccupens. and this came down in the bottom of the ninth. travis snyder and the pirates announced their 81st win of the season. and six time olympic gold

medal sprinter usain bolt said he's retiring from track and field after the olympics in rio. among his goals are to win more olympic gold and to break his world record in the 200 meters. bolt also said he knows he has to keep on dominating his sport until his retirement if he wants to be remembered with mohammed ali and pele. >> that's because bolt is a living legend is it. >> exactly. well, we'll be talking about him 20 years from now. >> and beyond if he has his way. i appreciate it. thank you. a gondola accident is getting worse. the call for safety comes after a german german tourist dies.

>> the traffic jam is universally hated, but at least here it looks better. >> it's busy. the city's canals are suffering from increased congestion from all kinds of traffic, damage from high speed motor boats and reports of drunkenness on the water. >> despite the appearance of ran fillty there are real problems here. not just because there are more gondolas and therefore more congestion, but the vessels are getting closer and closer to venice. they're making waves, not metaphorically but literally, too. and they're not just disruptive, they can be damaging, and in some cases they can be dangerous. >> we can't ignore the fact that the authorities pretend they want to solve the problems but

they're increasing the number of ferries allowed on the water. this video shot in july appears to show a cruise liner coming meters to the bank. it's owner denied any wrongdoing. and a tourist was crushed to death by a water bus as he sat on a gondola. this cities is covered by electronic eyes. there are cameras everywhere, but they can't be used to issue speeding fines, at least not yet, because of privacy laws. rome has to give the okay. >> obviously we need to check the traffic so everyone is nor disciplinmoredisciplined, inclu gondoliers. >> one is to stop congestion zone. parliament will look at the issue next month. as the gondaliers clock off, they go home for a well earned rest, but they know they'll be back tomorrow, so will the

crowds, and their frustration. >> and it is bac back to rebecca with the weather. >> meteorologist: i'll show you where a freeze watch is popping up for tonight next. failure.

pm eastern time . we will be right back. ♪ >> meteorologist: hot weather from minneapolis to tulsa. we have the temperatures just soaring in the central portion of the united states. well, if go to the west coast or east coast we're cooling off pretty fast. it feel great on the east coast. but now on maine overnight, a freeze watch between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and your temperatures are going to be right near freezing if not below. but to the west we have all the blood warnings--flood warnings coming in because we have the spin system coming offshore. it's bringing in fire area concerns. the areas in red, the red warning. we have a low pressure sitting offshore. this is spinning disturbances up into the pacific northwest and

through tomorrow it will get very wet and soggy, especially in the cascades of washington and oregon and pushing its way through the central portion of idaho. let's go to the east coast. this is where we've got concerns about how much cooler it's going to be getting. well, not big concerns for northern maine tonight, but what we're going to feel is a cooldown creeping its way down into the southern states during the course of the next four to five days. the higher temperatures will drop down a little bit here and initially we'll get a little bit of light rain with this cold front that will move through. there is a stronger cold front up around the great lakes that will bring in active weather as we get into the days ahead. but right now all the rain is going to be focusing on the pacific northwest as we get into thursday and friday. and watch out for lightening strikes on thursday.

>> you're watching al jazeera. i'm tony harris. just a short time ago a senate committee approved the president's military force. it will allow action within a 90--day window, however a provision of the draft bars troops from landing on syrian soil during the operation. the measure now moves to the full senate. a day after testifying before the senate bar relation, defense secretary chuck hagel, and general martin dempsey did the same for the h