you have everything. you have to expect that. >> expect, tell me what you mean by expect everything. >> expect every action. >> the white house continues to make its case to the american people through a media blitz. president obama will go head-to-head with six network news anchors and interviews today. members of his team try to gain more international support. overseas, secretary of state john kerry. >> let me be clear. the united states of america, president obama, myself, others are in full agreement that the end to the conflict in syria requires a political solution. there is no military solution. >> while the u.s. tries to gain more global support, syria's reaching out to its on allies. syrian's foreign minister met with his russian counter part

and both are calling on the u.n. to bring back chemical weapons teams for a further investigation. president obama is expected to speak out before he addresses the public on tuesday night. he has six television interviews lined up today, hoping to persuade congress and the public to back a possible military strike. white house correspondent mike e v. >> queira is in washington now. >> for american credibility abroad and obama administration's foreign poles are at stake. all the media blitz is an indication of just that. the president made a trip about two miles north of here to the vice president's residence, dropped in on a dinner that vice president biden was hosting for represent senators. he's the six interviews today. tomorrow, he's expected to make

a rare trip up to capitol hill. departments every tuesday in session meet behind closed doors in the senate for a lunchen, the president expected to visit there. there is the speech tomorrow night, prime time. he spoke that saturday afternoon when he made that surprise announcement that he was going to go to the hill for authorization to begin with, but that is a limited audience. the white house feels that a prime time address, all of these interviews, most which will be aired over and over again domically and nationwide is the way to turn the tide of public opinion that has been running the wrong direction as right field in the votes in congress. leaving nothing off the table, the white house is using all the tools in its tool box. >> this is the administration's final push. what's the feeling on capitol

hill and will the white house succeed? >> well, there are a number of scenarios that could play out. i don't want to get into all the procedure on capitol hill. will the senate filibuster, will it be a 60 vote threshold? will one house of congress pass an authorization while the other doesn't? that is looking like a scenario that is possible now with the senate likely to pass it than the house, where things are not looking good. you've got this coalition in the republican party, the isolationist wing, if you will, sort of a traditional portion faction within the republican party says no how, no way. you've got republicans frankly if the president says he wants it are going to vote against it. couple that with traditional does in the congressional party. the leadership of both houses of congress republican and democratic are behind the president, but the numbers are not running his way. no the senate were to pass it anthouse would not, there is a

precedent for going ahead. kosovo where there was a similar scenario, the house authorization failed on a tied vote. there is a lot on the line. the president stated that he didn't have to go to congress, that it was an open and shut case. there is no doubt that secretary kerry called out bashar al assad, calling him a thug and murderer, yet the president decided to go to congress and lay it all on the line. it was a huge risk and remains so now. >> why is it important for obama to meet with the media today just after president assad's interview. >> i don't think when the president announce said that this was beginning r. being decided, he made this announcement while still in russia at the g20 just last friday, that they were aware that assad would be speaking through the public via that interview. i think is this was expected, frankly. the president has to go before the country. he has to do it in prime time.

really, the only question was when he was going to do it. a little early by some estimates, as congress is just getting back into town. seeing each other face-to-face, the leadership will have an opportunity to start twisting arms to the extents that they are of a mind to twist arms. we can expect nancy pelosi and harry reid to try to get democrats to fall in line behind their president, but it is an uphill struggle. no one knows how this vote is going to go, but at this point, it's not looking good for the president. >> thank you so much. white house correspondent in washington, thanks so much for being with us this morning. >> of course aljazeera will have live coverage of president obama's live comment tuesday night. congress meets today after a five week recess and will begin to debate whether or not to approve military action in syria. president obama and vice president biden have been meeting with members of congress trying to convince them to support intervention. we are in washington.

paul, what are we expecting to hear from congress today? we'll be hearing a lot from congress today. when president clinton went to congress for authorization in shows voluntary in 1998, he had nato backing him. that's not something president obama has this time around. there was that split vote in the house and senate. some in the house have said that if the president went ahead and used military action against syria after being turned down by congress this time around, it could set off an impeachment crisis. house and senate not looking very favorable for the administration. >> how soon are we going to get a decision? >> the senate is taking a procedural vote on wednesday. we could see a final vote in the senate by the end of the week. the house not expected to vote until next week. we're going to hear a lot from both sides in between any votes.

>> we are doing all this talk about voting, but is president obama likely to follow what is decided? >> all along the president and secretary of state of mentioned that the administration has the right to act in the national security interests of the united states with or without authorization from congress, but as i mentioned, we've heard threats from the republican side that this could set off an impeachment cries should the president decide to act. >> thanks for joining us this morning. >> president obama continues to rally public opinion this week and tries to persuade congress to approve military strikes in syria. joining us now is patricia. the obama administration has launch said a media blitz. how effective has this been?

>> it hasn't been very effective at all. there have been a lot of demonstrations nationwide, there will be one today here in washington and i think they'll continue throughout. americans are pretty tired. they still have a lot of scars from iraq and afghanistan. they are continuing to feel them from afghanistan to this point. i mean, they're just not ready to dive back into a full conflict. although they say it's not going to be, i think people are pretty skeptical. >> now you say it hasn't really been effective so far. is there really anything more the president can do to gain the approval he needs or has he really exhausted all of his avenues? >> well, we'll see tomorrow night when he gives his speech if he has any additional evidence or any additional things he'd like to put on the table. that's i think the only thing that's going to change, other than that, unless he can mobilize the international community, he's going to probably have to make the decision on his own, which it

seems to they that they already have done, but secretary kerry said this needs to be a political solution. i think they need to think hard on that particular concept and see how they can skirt to plan b. without throwing the region into really a chaotic mess. >> you mentioned this plan b. the american public is war we'rery. how difficult would it be for congress to vote for military intervention without their constituent support? >> it will be difficult. the congress to date does pretty much what they want to do or anything against the president. they don't really seem to take constituent's thought into consideration, but this might give them cover to be able to say we're going to not vote for this particular military action. >> what will the president do if the vote passes in the senate amounted not in the house? >> well, he may not wait for the

house. you know, if the house isn't going to vote for next week, he might say the senate has approved this, with he need to move forward now, we don't have enough time to keep waiting. the more time they take, the less this seems to be really immediate or important, so i mean, those are things to think about. he may just do that. he has international support, but not for military action. >> you mention this international support and urgency to get things done. if the president doesn't get the votes, do you think he would order the strike without congressional approval and should he? >> well, i think at this time, it's probably considering all the indications that's coming out of the region, it needs to be rethought. there are people talking about repercussions there. there are a lot of players in the region. we're not quite sure how they'll react and we have to take all those things into consideration.

i think it might be good to take a deep breath and sit back and look at all those political alternatives and bring russia to the table and getting some idea of how to contain assad in a different manner. >> thanks so much, professor of politics at new york university and senior fellow at the world policy institute. thank you so much for being with us this morning. >> in moscow, syrian foreign minister me with his counterpart to discuss the syrian crisis, both men saying they will push for the return of u.n. inspectors to syria. while the u.s. is urged not to take military action, saying if president obama does so, he would be supporting terrorists. stay with us for the continuing developments in syria and as always, we urge you to stay informed with the help of aljazeera.com. >> a grass fire is threatening several homes in the san francisco bay area. the flames broke out at mount

diablo state park about 800 acres have already been burned so far. firefighters are having difficulty accessing the blaze because of the hilly area surrounding it. no injuries have yet been reported. >> the much larger fire around yosemite park is now 70% contained. it could take another couple of weeks to put it out. the fire was started by an illegal campfire that just got out of control. >> let's bring in our meteorologist. >> thanks, morgan. actually, it's going to continue to be very hot outside of san francisco. no help from mother nature with that smaller wide fire burning just outside of san francisco. you can see the rain across the interior pores of california where we have flash flood watches in effect earlier on in the weekend. we're going to see scattered showers against interior portions of southeastern california. where the rim fire is outside of

san francisco, unfortunately, we don't have relief on the way. across the four corners region, a lot of moisture streaming in. we'll continue to see heavy rain across portions of arizona, certainly across the flagstaff area, where we think we are going to see heavier rain this afternoon. along i-17, use precaution. that will stream further into the north across the northern plains. we have a thunderstorm watch in effect across western portion of minnesota, extending all the way back into central and eastern portion of north dakota, damaging winds, hail, and torrential downpours along i-94 are really going to play arole today. be careful traveling right around the minneapolis area. it's going to be exceptionally hot there today. we are going to climb to 95 degrees, 100 in omaha. typically, he should be in the 70's. it's miserable, very different story from the northeast.

jump state new york is dealing with frost. >> gunman take hostages in the philippines. accepseparatists hold up to 20 e and demand independence. >> a plane avoided serious damage and injury after skidding to a stop. >> despite tragedy at last year's marathon, runners in boston are gearing up for next year's race. >> it was a first for america's team last night in dallas. that and more coming up in sports.

>> syrian president bashar al assad is denying that his regime launched a chemical weapons attack, saying the united states has no evidence of that attack, and he also said if president obama strikes against syria, he will only be aiding the terrorists. >> our institutions don't think this. how can you talk about what happened if you don't have evidence? we're not social media administration or government. we are the government dealing in reality. this war is against the interest of the united states. why? this war will support al-qaeda and the same people that killed americans on the 11th of september. >> assad also said to expect every action if the u.s. launches a strike against syria. >> new polling just released this morning shows most americans disagree with military action in syria, even if

congress approves it. only 39% say congress should pass a resolution to authorize military action in syria. that's almost 60% opposed. if congress passes a resolution to law a military intervention, 55% are still opposed to u.s. air strikes. nearly three quarters of those polled believe air strikes would fail to achieve any significant goals for the united states. the opposition into action in syria is especially noteworthy, given that 82% of americans say it's certain or likely that the syrian government used chemical weapons. the polling is plus or minus 3%. >> at least 14 people are injured after a thai airways plane skidded off the runway, collapsing upon landing, causing the plane to skid. passengers were evacuated and

the injured are recovering at a bangkok hospital. 288 passengers and 14 crew members were aboard. >> we are following a story out of china where two people have been killed and 17 injured after an explosion next to a primary school. local media say a motorcycle caught fire and then exploded. police say they are looking for a suspect in connection with the blast. >> registration is open for next year's boston marathon. organizers are working on enhancing security. three people died and more than 260 were injured when this year's marathon was bombed. >> a man fell to his death at san francisco's candlestick park, falling from an elevated walk way shortly after kickoff at the 49ers-packers game. first responders attempted to give him aid and he was declared dead from the injuries when the ambulance arrived. his name has not been released pending notification of his

family. >> week one of the nfl season lived up to its billing. john henry smith is here with sports. >> what an action-packed first sunday of nfl action it was. the best game of the day was the last game of the day. first, in january, the 49ers calling kaepernick ran roughshod for 181 yards sending green bay home and the 49ers to the n.f.c. championship game. they came determined not to let caber nick run all over him again. he didn't. this time, he threw all over them, winging the ball to the tune of 412 yards and three touchdowns, so to davis. before this game, the packers promised to hit kaepernick early and often. clay matthews hit him late and out of bounds. that's a penalty. joe staley got a penalty for sticking up for his q.b. off setting penalties should have made it fourth down, but

the refuse made it third down leading to a touchdown. 13 catches, 208 yards, the 49ers beat the packers again. >> the cowboys and tony romo tried to beat the giants. the giants made him the meat of a muscle sandwich, bruising his ribs. romo only missed one play, though. giants starting tail back wilson would miss a lot of plays a of the his second fumble of the night turned to a touchdown, putting dallas up 20-10. wilson would find himself benched for the rest of the night by the coach. the cowboys up in the red zone, romo throws his second touchdown pass of the game. despite 450 yards, cowboys win 36-31. >> you're never going to win a game turning the ball over five times and must have ago point.

six times we gave the ball away tonight, six tiles. that's my fault. i'm totally disappointed and embarrassed by that kind of football. that's sloppy football. you have to control yourself, recognize situations that are going to lead to those kind of things and you can't turn the ball over. you can't win turning the football over. that's the bottom line. >> he's not happy, but a certain tennis player is. since the first round exit at the 2012 french open, serena williams with 13 titles, including wins in three of the past five grand slam tournaments in the final of the u.s. open went in search of her 17t 17th career grand slam. to do it, she would have to beat the same person she did in last year's u.s. open final, and this match was by far the toughest for serena in the entire tournament. they flit the first two sets, where serena took over, winning

it. it is her fifth career u.s. open title. >> i definitely felt the love. thank you all so much for the support. it's an honor. [ cheers and applause ] >> it's an honor to play in new york, i give all the honor and glory to joe heavy have a god. victoria, what an honor to play against you. thank you very much. thanks to everyone in that box over there. i love you all, thank you, thank you, thank you. >> while football took center stage, they were fighting for postseason position in major league baseball. the reds have an eight game lead for a wildcard spot. they tried to sweep the dodgers out of town sunday. jay bruce hitting his second home run of the game to give the reds a 2-1 lead over l.a. and and the ace pitcher kershaw. the reds have a runner on first.

hanigan at the plate gets a pitch he likes, pulling the ball into left field for the base hit, cozart scores from first an that was that, the reds beat the first place dodgers 3-2. >> mar representative apartmenties looking to salvage a game against the red sox and keep their playoff hopes alive. mariano deep into the ninth inning to tie the game at three. in the bottom of the ninth, workman uncorks a wild pitch. ichiro suzuki scores from third base, the yankees win it 4-3. they are two and a half games out of the wildcard spot right now. that's sports at this hour. back to you. >> serena wins and thies win. that makes for happy new yorkers. speaking of happiness, happiness measured globally ranks a north

european country as one among contentment. >> security at stake, new reports just out show that the n.s.a. may have targeted three major private companies and you may very well check your email using one of them.

>> these are some of the stories we're following at this hour. as president obama begins a final media push for a military strike, congress returns from recess this morning. the first votes on whether to authorize the use of military force in syria are expected within days. >> the fire burning around yosemite national park is now 80% contained. further north, another california fire threatens mount diablo state park and you said of san francisco. new revelations about more target of the n.s.a. a report indicates that n.s.a. targeted three private computer networks. alleged target include google, brass still state run oil firm and a company involved in most

of the world international bank transpercent. the report is based on documents leaked by edward snowden. this is the latest in a series of reports from glenn greenwald, who now lives in rio de janeiro. >> authorities in argentina found a man who spent four months lost in the andes mountains. he was 45 pounds lighter but in good condition. he was trying to bicycle between chile and argentina. he lived off sugar and raisins that he had with him and rats that he trapped. >> europe is home to the world's happiest countries, according to a report from the united states nations and columbia university. it measures the well being of 156 nations. of these countries, denmark is the happiest, followed by

norway, sweatier lands, the netherlands and sweden. the u.s. makes the top 10% at number 17. the least happy of nations are located in sub saharan africa. >> taking a look at the middle east where political unrest is rampant, egypt and syria can be found in the bottom 17%. >> that will do it for this edition of aljazeera news. we look forward to seeing you soon.

>> i'm lisa fletcher and you're in the stream. it's back to school for kids all over the u.s. but is it also time for nationwide education standards? ♪ ♪ kids are trading beach days for back packs as they head to school but what will they be learning? what's called common core state standards go into effect in 21 states this school year. states have been setting different standards for what students should know and do at different grade levels. that makes it ha