good morning. this is al jazeera, and i am morgan radford. these are some of the stories we are following this hour: secretary of state john kerry is trying to convince a skeptical international community to force strikes on syria while president obama makes a similar push right here at home. >> tokyo. >> and they are celebrating in tokyo. japan wins the bid to host the 2020 olympics. a run on guns in maryland where tens of thousands are applying for permits with one of america's toughest gun laws about to go on the books. >> machines the size of

molecules. how tiny technology could have a huge impact on the way we live our lives. >> john kerry says the world is facing another eunuch moment facing in saturday, he compared the use of chemical weapons to the atrocities of naz. germany. >> this is not the time to be silent spectators to slaughter, not the time to send a message where doing nothing is far more risky thansponding. this is not the time to allow a dictator unfetterred use of some of the most heinous weapons on earth. >> the obama administration is letting the public see some of its evidence. this is one of the videos shown to the senate intelligence committee just last week. the white house says the videos

were posted online after the alleged chemical attack outside of damask us on august 21st. on saturday, that senate committee made them available on its website. >> even as the government, u.s. government makes its case, protesters are taking to the streets to make theirs. anti-war demonstrations are being held across the country this weekend. some marchers are expressing support for the assad regime and some aren't. most say they oppose a unilateral u.s. strike. >> the white house has launched add campaign aimed at convincing congress and swaying public opinion. more lawmakers coming out against using the military, president obama will do a series of t.v. interviews on monday. he will deliver a prime time speech on tuesday. we are following this story with live team coverage, paul beban is washington. we begin with fill lit ner in london following the diplomatic developments overseas. phil, secretary of state john

kerry is currently in paris trying to build an international coalition. there are questions about how many countries are actually support can strikes in syria. kerry says that number is growing. who is right? >> well, secretary of state kerry be in referring to the large block that he got coming out yesterday in lithuania. all 28 member states of the european union signed a statement that condemned the assad regime as responsible for the 21st of august chemical weapons attack outside of damascus and furthermore, calling for some sort of reaction international reaction, to those strikes. so that's 28 nations right there. then you add the turks who have been very vocal. there are many gulf states vocal against the assad regime. theres support within the political sphere. it has to be stressed that there

are those who are taking to the streets here in europe as well. you mentioned the protest in america. there are protests here as well. the public opinion in europe is widely against a u.s. strike in syria. morgan. >> phil, you mentioned the protests. isn't the british parliament vetoed any action against the assad register e-mail, what is kerry hoping to accomplish in london when he travels there tomorrow? >> well, he will be meeting with the foreign secretary here, william hague and william hague has been very hawkish on some sort of military action. the entire government of david cameron has been rather hawk issue on some sort of military action in syria but they did lose the vote in the house of commons and david cameron has said he heard the message from the house of commons from the british people and it's unlikely that the government will go back to the house of commons for a second vote. they have pretty much accepted the fact that britain will not take part in a military strike.

now, when secretary of state kerry is here meeting with william hague and other members of the british government, it's expected there may be other things that the brits will offer up, perhaps intelligence gathering, perhaps other things that could be done to support a military intervention. but not actually any it kind of military assets. >> thank you, phil ittner from rondon. congress has been off for five years and the recess ends tomorrow to many who are returning to deal with the syrian crisis. democrats and republicans, an increasing number say they don't support the president's call for military action. paul beban is live from washington. have most lawmakers decided how they are going to vote? >> reporter: morgan, the numbers are certainly not favorable in the house or in the senate thus far for the administration but they certainly aren't giving up. the release of these videos you mentioned, they are very difficult to watch. the obama administration says

they have been verified by the intelligence community. that may be part of a push, to nudge them toward supporting the white house's position. there are a series of events leading up to that white house address on tuesday night, all designed to push congress in that direction. >> now, paul, the president is scheduled to do a series of interviews on monday, giving his reasons for a military svenning. is this publicity blitz about convincing congress or the american people? >> well, the educations would be that it's both. certainly the president and the add miles per hourstration have a long way to go, both on the front of american public opinion and in congress. poll after poll suggesting that americans do not want to get involved in syria's civil war in any way and from the townhall meetings we have been seeing over the past few days, constituents in congressional home districts talking to their representatives when they are home, telling them they do not want to be involved. some of these meetings have been

pretty heated. expect that kind of debate to carry over when congress comes back into session. >> thank you so much, paul beban live from washington, d.c. here to help us break down u.s. glom attic challenges in syria is richard murphy, former u.s. ambassador to syria. ambassador, thank you so much for being with us today. it's clear that obama really is pressing hard for these military strikes. is there any way, any possibility that there is still a chance for diplomatic solution? >> no. not immediate. what the president has to do is carry out some kind of strike but keep the door open for diplomatic pressure to get the parties together, get the regime and the opposition parties together. the one problem he has is to make sure that to the extent it's possible, they do not end up closing the door and making it more difficult to talk afterwards, but to increase the pressure not only on assad but

on the opposition to come together and talk. >> but i want to go back to something you just said. you said it's now to the point where we have to have a military strike. >> i think we have gone so far down the road, i don't see there is any turning back. >> interesting. is there any way, however, that a military strike could actually backfire on president obama? could it encourage syria's allies like iran and russia to prop up the syrian regemergency and kind of go all in, sort of creating a world warr iii by proxy? >> well, he has been trying to get the message across to moscow, but this is a problem they cannot turn away from. moscow and putin have called secretary kerry a liar and the evidence is not persuasive. well, we are going to see over the courts of the next 48 hours in the public presentation here in this country, in the president's speech on tuesday night, the facts. there has got to be, i think,

more facts out there than the public has had access to as yet. and this is all part of, also convincing the russians, the iranians are kind of in a different situation. bitter about the suffering they went through with the use of poison gas at the hands of the iraqis back in the '80s, 1980s, and yet with a very strong ally in damascus, they don't want to hurt. but they may be more open to pressuring syria to get moving on the diplomatic side. >> you mentioned collecting facts. what about the u.n. findings? er we are still waiting to understand the specifics their report. can they comment about who they believe is responsible for the attack >> no. >> that's not part of their man data. and i am allegation a little puzzled about waiting. it does seem that people just aren't ready to reach a decision and any possible delay will be

helpful, but as i understand it, the inspectors will give us facts on the ground that they have discovered. the type of gas, the intensity of the gas that was -- that was used, the spread of it appeared that the cause. deaths as they analyze the samples, the samples from the hair, the clothing, the soil that they've investigated in that damascus suburb but blame is not their responsibility. they won't touch that. >> they won't touch that? thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank you so much, richard murphy former u.s. ambassador to syria. al jazeera will have coverage of president obama's prime time speech on tuesday night and get the latest on syria by going to our website, aljazeera.com. for the first time in over 50 years, japan has been selected to host the 2020 summer olympic games. tokyo beat out the other contender contenders,istan bun and madrid.

the announcement was met with jub i willation in japan. >> these entinter college gamese being held on the weekend japan found out they will host the 2020 summer olympics. soon after the news, organizers lit a flame in anticipation of the games to be returning to the city. somewhere in this crowd could be a future olympian competing on home ground in seven years. >> i was so glad tokyo won. i will try to do my best because i want to represent japan in the marathon. >> in 2020, i will be 28. it will be a good age to compete in diskus. >> this was tokyo's moment. >> the international olympic committee has the honor of announcing the 32nd olympiad is awarded to the city of tokyo.

>> here is what will helped tokyo win: superior infrastructure. it's hosted big sporting ent did before and has several facilities already in place. one of them is the national stadium where the 1964 opening ceremony was held. it's set to undergo a billion dollar refurbishment. it is also known for its low crime rate. tokyo's campaign emphasized its reliability and safety the. but safety had been put in doubt by japanths newauclear crisis. the plant crippled in 2011 is leaking radiation. government officials spent the last week trying to reassure the international community that the situation would be under control b by 2020. the prime minister even left the g20 meeting in russia early to ply to -- fly to bonus aries

ahead of the vote? >> some may have concerns about fukushima. let me assure you that the situation is under control. >> that strategy appears to have helped. so, tokyo will have the honor of hosting the olympics, joining a list of only four other cities. the government says it will not often be a boost to the economy but will help inspire a nation that had to deal with an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear disaster. larence, tokyo. >> tokyo will also host the para olympics. there is a run on guns in maryland. state police say they have received more than 85,000 gun purchase access so far through the end of august. police received just over 70,000 applications all of last year. around 46,000 in 2011. the rise in applications comes

just weeks before one of the nation's toughest gun control laws takes affect in maryland. that knew legislation was passed after the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school until newtown, connecticut. flash flooding in utah: heavy rain sent people in utah trying to find shelter, and many more were forced to flee their homes. rivers of mud ran through the entire neighborhood and pushed past the city's buildings. now, this after the area had already been damaged by wildfire. the national weather service says as much as three quarters of an inch of rain fell in just three minutes. on the incredible video, we will show you clouds to show exactly where the rain came from. all of this moisture from the south, rain going over the same area and now that area of rain is going around this big area of

high pressure here, which is continuing to heat up the midwest with excessive heat warnings in effect, flash flood warnings in effect for north and south dakota, cooler weather is returning to the northeast. there, you see clouds and showers pushing to the south. so get ready for a drop in temperatures to the east but things continue to heat up here just east of denver. this is a very large area of excessive heat. temperatures climbing above 90 degrees from houston all the way up to north and south dakota, minneapolis up to 91 degrees over the next few days. the showers are moving into north and south dakota. flash flooding, a big problem here. conditions are favorable for us to see quick flooding water going up quickly and drops quickly. it can happen immediately as these showers and storms move over the area of the northern plains. the watches in effect are the darker green closer. the lighter color is a flash flood warning from the national service. we are already seeing flooding in and around the watch area. this will continue all day

today. heavy rain going through north dac owed 0 into minneapolis and south toward chicago, west of chicago in the northern plains. that's a stormy area now. temperature heating up above 90 degrees. it comes with heat. dropping temperatures in the northeast, there is some cooler air that's moving in. it could drop down below 40 degrees. not to the freezing mark but cold enough where frost could form on surfaces by tomorrow morning. this is a front advisory for tomorrow morning's low temperature, which could be into the upper 30s or lower 40s. a little chill in the air. see the numbers predicted tomorrow moral, 41 in albany, all the way up through new england. temperatures could drop down below 40, a little chill in the air, and then starting to warm up slowly throughout the daven. morgan? >> thanks so much >> dave. high drama on the high seas. a ship in flames, the crew jumping overboard and now we are learning this fire was no accident.

plus, inside an engineering revolution, the big discovery born out of tiny atomic part cells. >> i am john henry smith. one of college football's most stored rivalries may end but it's going out in style. highlights from an harbor next in sports.

>> the science of small things has become a very big business. al jazeera's chris ansalamee puts nanotechnology under the microscope >> reporter: these scientist may look ready to walk on the moon. they are exploring another fr t frontier at the atomic level. the college of nano scale science and engineering is at the forefront of research and development. a science that's not just about exploring nature but, also, changing it. >> once you make matter small enough, it changes properties. and we have just begun to explore what we can do with particles that are so small that all sides of new properties area. reporter: here the world's top semi conductor makers are going small to develop more energy

efficient computers. >> one of the unique things about this facility is that you have leading companies in the computer chip industry, fierce competitors in the global marketplace working side-by-side. not only are they sharing equipment, but they are also sharing ideas. >> the practical uses of nanotechnology are endless. stud he knew at the college are studying pharmaceutical allegations, from treating glaucoma to tooth dicaire. smaller panels are in the works here. >> you can imagine these on the roof of your car. as these things become smaller and smaller, they become more flexible. they become lighter. but the performance is good or better than what you get from the old fashion big glass panels. >> design firm eyp is one of the college's more than 300 corporate partners. they are already incorporating nanotechnology into their buildings. >> if we don't know what's going to be on the market in three

years, we might not be designing the building to accommodate that. so, for us to be here, we understand what might be coming two, three, four years from now and we can begin to anticipate those things as we design our buildings >> reporter: new york state officials have referred to the center as a model for economic development, a big boast as it pushes the boundaries of the world's tiniest teppingnology. kristen saloomey, al jazeera, albany new york. right now, secretary of state john kerry is meeting with arab league liters in paris this morning, pushing for support for military strikes in syria. he is speaking right now with the foreign minister of qatar. >> this meeting is almost as important as the negotiations, themselves, because the arab league and the arab community's support for a final status

agreement is essential to the achievement of that agreement, and it is a critical component in creating momentum and energy and seriousness of purpose in these talks. despite tough decisions that have to be made, and despite pressure that exists on both sides where a people act against the interests of the talks because there are obviously those who are opposed, both the palestinians and the israelis have never the less remained steadfast and determined in their commitment to continue to talk. and they have remained steadfast in their commitment to the ultimate goal of two states for two peoples living side-by-side in peace and security. and throughout the process, both parties have continue to show that they believe that the

formidable challens that exist that everybody is familiar with are actually worth tackling. i want to emphasize today, and i emphasize this to our friends, that both leaders, president abbas and prime minister netanyahu showed a seriousness of purpose in coming to these talks. both of them took political risks, personal political risks. both of them stood up to forces in their own countries that were willing to say, no. not enough has been given here or not enough has been given there. they found a reason to come despite those who were arguing that there were reasons not to. and so, this meeting today was convened to emphasize to both leaders, president abbas, whom i will meet later today, and prime minister netanyahu, who i will

meet shortly, as our schedules permit it. both of them decided that this was worth taking risks for. the prime minter sister wrote an open letter to all of the people of israel and took a decision regarding prisoners that was obviously unpopular with many parts of this country. likewise, president abbas, despite many people opposing the opposed stood up and said, even though some of the things they wanted as preconditions had not been satisfied, that he was going to move forward you because he thought it was important to do so. this meeting today here in paris was convened as i have promised to the arab league, that we will meet regularly in order to keep them abreast of these negotiations. one of the reasons that people attribute to at past failure of

talks was the fact that many of the countries that are supportive of the palestinians were not sufficiently kept abreast or sufficiently invested in what was being done. i think it is critical obviously to try to make certain that they are part of it. in addition, we also talked today about the economic tract and the security tracks, which are a very essential component of changing life for the palestinst palestinstenians and build institutional capacity and the trust necessary to be able to reach final status agreements. all of us agree that a final status agreement is important in enhancing regional security and stability throughout the middle east, and i think it is a very significant statement that even though there is unrest and

volatility in parts of the middle east obviously, withtrition taking place in egypt, with the civil strikes taking place in syria, with the challenges of iran's nuclear plan, not withstanding all of these things and more, all of the parties, all of the support group and the principals themselves are deeply committed to proceeding in order to try to change the dynamics of the middle east. and despite the turmoil, make peace, the concept of peace, the most important goal of all. the united states and the arab league have long agreed that with respect to syria, which we did discuss today, the end of this civil war is going to require a political solution.

we have repeated and i repeat every time i stand up and talk employ it: there is no military solution. and what the united states is seeking, together with others, not alone, but with others, an increasing number, what we are seeking is to enforce the standard with respect to the use of chemical weapons. we are not seeking to become engaged in or party to or take over syria's civil war. but as we discussed today, all of us agreed, not one dissenter that assad's deplorable use of chemical weapons, which we know killed hundreds of innocent people, including at least 426 children on this occasion, this one occasion, this crosses an international, global red line. and we agree that the regime's

blatant disregard for the institutional norms that the global community has abided by for nearly a century, it is critical that those be upheld. so today, we discuss the possible andness measures that the international community can take to deter assad from ever crossing that line again and a number of countries immediately signed on to the g20 agreement that was reached by now, 12 countries on the side of the -- on the side of the g20 meeting, and they will make theirina announcementsments in the next 24 hours about that. so let me begin thank the arab league secretary general arabi. i want to think dr. atia and the ministers and representatives who came here today from bahrain, egypt, morocco, saudi

arabia, kuwait and the uae. i thank them for their continued and critical engagement on the middle east peace process and other issues, and i look forward to meeting regularly. we will have our next meeting at some point in october, probably after the middle. >> there you have it, secretary of state, john kerry discussing peace in the middle east citing the tough decisions that have to be made between israel and palestine. kerry also addressed the economic and security issues in palestine that would have to be resolved in order to get a quote final statis agreement with israel. he also said the u.s. does not want to take up syria's civil war and cited what he called assad's deplorable use of chemical weapons against his own people. al jazeera will have live coverage of president obama's prime time speech on tuesday. and get the latest on syria by going to aljazeera.com and following us on twitter @ajam.

thanks. i am morgan radford. i will see you soon. the unemployment rate sa down again. i'll tell you what the fastest growing job in the country is and why you shouldn't aspire to it. the race is on to convince young americans to buy health insurance, but what happens if young invincibles just say no? i'm ali velshi, and this is "real money." welcome to "real money." you are the most important part of the show. tell me what you think by