>> good morning, this is al jazeera ir america. i'm richelle carey. these are the stories we're following. secretary of state john kerry on the road to talk about the situation. >> at home it is part of the american dream and i'm glad that now i have a home. >> how immigrants are driving a housing boom. >> a diplomatic push is now

under way to avert a u.s. military strike on syria. top leaders from russia and the u.s. are talking things over. jeact john kerry arrived in geneva this morning there for two days for talks with sergei lavrov. we have live team coverage going to geneva shortly. randall pinkston, good to see you. let's talk first of all about this op ed in the new york times from russian president vladimir putin. how is the white house responding to that? president putin being an ally of syria doing what he can to avert any kind of military strike from the u.s. what is the u.s.'s reaction? >> putin has his own objectives and aims at heart and certainly not america's. we would like to be the fly on the wall for shall we say the unofficial reaction to what

putin wrote but we do have a senior administration official telling us this morning that president putin has invested his credibility in transferring assad's chemical weapons to international control and ultimately are destroying them. if world will note whether russia can follow through on that commitment. and you don't have to really read through the lines here to see what the white house is saying, that now mr. putin its up to you to deliver what you promised, which is to gain international control of syria's weapons towards destroying them and relatively soon. and meanwhile of course, the u.s. still has on the table according to president obama the option of use of military force even as he tries to get more support in the congress to authorize that use. it's interesting, richelle, if in fact the putin gambit doesn't work, it may leave president obama in a stronger position to

argue that he should go ahead and use military force because members of congress will see that truly there are no other options. >> ranlt rafnld -- randall what do we know about the add it given to the rebels? >> not soldly confirmed but we are reading and hearing that the cia is providing light weapons and munitions to is syrian rebels. we don't know which rebel groups or how much in the way of guns and ammunition are being supplied. we are also told that those rebels are getting vehicles, communicates equipment, medical--communications equipment and medical supplies. about a week or so ago we heard a report, this was in ap that they had already begun training of small groups of syrian rebels in jordan, training provided in part by american military forces. this obviously being done very

quietly. and the question is: whether the u.s. should get involved in training larger groups. and if so, where. and how that could be done. so there are a lot of things on the table in the background. separate and apart from whether or not the president should go ahead and use force to deal with the use of chemical weapons. and we are hearing some of those developments today. >> okay, randall, could you tell us what is ahead today? specifically on capitol hill and the president, what is ahead for today? >> well, oh i'm sorry one more thing we should add. >> sure. >> there have been interesting reactions to putin's op ed. one senator, senator mennedez, chair of the committee that passed the resolution authorizing use of force, this is lunch period almost? he said it made him want to

throw up. that was his first reaction. and now we have senator john mccain saying this morning that it was an dismult that putin -- insult, that putin's op ed was an insult to the american people. i would say that the white house is being diplomatic in its response, members of congress are telling it as it is if you will. now, on to capitol hill we have nothing formally on the docket today. we have the house of representatives the house foreign affairs committee has not yet approved a resolution. meanwhile there are steps underway to modify the resolution authorizing use of force that was passed last week and the president has asked both chambers to hold off on a vote while we give diplomacy a chance. >> we're going otalk more about

diplomacy. our secretary of state john kerry is this morning meeting with the russian foreign minister. so phil, there is a lot that they seem to be trying to accomplish in a very short period of time. a lot of ground to cover. what do we know about the agenda and how much they might -- how much they're going to try to get done? >> well, richelle, they're going to try to find some sort of common ground between some very disparate positions. the kremlin and foreign minister sergei lavrov is very far away from secretary of state john kerry and the warehous white hoe position of syria. any u.n. resolution would include a clause that would allow for immediate military strikes if, indeed, syria agrees to give its chemical weapons and then doesn't follow through. that's a very contentious point but certainly be at the top of the agenda when these parties

meet. there are a number of other issues all of them difficult to accomplish not least of which how you would do this logistically and scientifically. those issues will also be on the table as we're told that both delegations have arrived in geneva. >> how does it go that some of the military groups reject the proposal from russia to have the chemical weapons turned over, how does it complicate things? >> it plays some ways into the kremlin's narrative about the rebel groups. the kremlin all along has been saying that the rebel groups are basically al qaeda-linked groups that are uncompromising in their desires to overthrow the assad regime. so certainly, that will be

another issue here in geneva. but also, in addition to that, we're also hearing that president bashar al-assad has made some comments today that may be difficult when it comes to how washington approaches things. we're hearing that in an interview with a russian news agency that the syrian president said it's only because of moscow's well handled dploimsz s that h --diplomacy that he has o the table. making things difficult nor the big players here in russia and the u.s. rirnl. >> great -- richelle. >> great wrapup, let us know how things are going. hundreds of thousands of refugees from that country continue to pack into make shifort camps along the syria

border. >> a few miles from syria, anjar lebanon is in a beautiful part of the bacar valley. but many people who cross the border to get here are living in desperation. >> the sadness is so deep i just pray to god, we are fed up. >> abo achmad was a taxi driver in damascus. he said the syrian regime had him arrested twice and threatened his wife and children. seven months ago they left. today, they live in this makeshift tent-city along with dozens of other families. there is no electricity, food, water and shelter is scarce. they are not alone. there are many other places along lebanon's border with syria. >> fleeing the country just on the border because of the war.

deplorable conditions here. this was a hole that was dug so that all of the people here can have a toilet to go in. >> after months of heavy bombing and firefights, radwa and her husband left the suburbs of damascus. she said the children were so scared all they did was cry all day long. >> i would never imagine i would ever be in this situation because i have built a if you house. all the money we've saved, it was a very beautiful house we had to leave and come so i don't know what will happen to us. >> roba and her family were lebanese relief workers are trying to help the refugees here by distributing provisions. as the war rages on the situation in syria seems years ago. >> they have no place to go no money to spend nothing to eat.

some people come with very sick children. others come with cases, it's really bad. it's a war. as bad as a war can get. >> this week the european union announced the immediate release of $58 million in humanitarian aid. to help the ref you a jeez in lebanon half of which are children. but more is needed, and lebanon is hoping for more international assistance . with hundreds of thousands of more refugees expected in the next couple of months, lebanon knows it cannot keep up with the pace of people. and the influx will sooner affect the economy of the state itself. >> egypt is extending its nationwide state of emergency for two more months. the government announced this

today. it happened after hundreds of people were killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted president mohamed morsi. bowrl-- bowbledder county colorado, the passengers fortunately only suffered minor injuries. over 400 students had to be veamed from the university of colorado. some of the deaths happened, in a collapsed building. let's go to the hardest hit county of boulder. tamera are people getting a little bit of a break right now? >> no, actually, richelle there is no break. this rain has been coming down steadily for several hours now. these are deadly torrential

rains. that death toll now is up to three, two people now dead in boulder county, one in colorado springs which is about an hour south of denver. if you look over my shoulder, you'll see this ridge, just the other side of the ridge is a waterway. emergency crews asked us to step away, because there was a gas line right there and they're worried it might be too dangerous. we shot video about an hour ago of a dramatic rescue, one man is okay in that rescue but it was quite dramatic as the water rushed into the windows of those vehicles. emergency preparedness. this is what they train for every day but it sure came in handy this time around. >> nothing is ever one way or the other. so we just adapt and we do the best we can to you know get everyone out there and have a positive outcome.

>> there have been reports of about seven inches of rain, seven inches of rain in some areas. this is quite dramatic. this rain isn't just in boulder county, as far north as fort collins and as far south as colorado springs. this could be an historic event for us in colorado. the university of colorado at boulder campus all those folks those students have been evacuated and the city offices are closed as well. we're live in boulder county, tamera banks for al jazeera america. richelle. >> tamera thank you for that report. we are listening to a emergency management report. >> bridges and culverts and roadways, all the way out into the flat areas of boulder county east to 287, roads are impassible. there are traffic lights out.

in a number of places. it's not a good day to travel, it's not a good day to risk you or your kids or your loved ones' lives or safety, to go out and do things. it's a good day to hunker down and watch the news and find out what's going on. >> into that downtown area, what is the state of boulder canyon, boulder creek at this point? >> i'm going to let sarah from the city manager's office talk about that a little bit. of course our biggest concern is always our largest population centers because that's where all the folks are and that is our priority are the people. so sarah you want to -- >> i'm sarah huntley, a spokesperson for the city of boulder. to answer your question, shawn, boulder city -- creek we're focused on. creeks and waterways throughout the whole country which is

atypical of the type of flood we're prepared for. boulder creek is currently running at about 1800 cubic feet per second. that is down from the peak last night of 3200 so that's good news but to put it in perspective, usually the creek this time of year is running at about 200 cfss. we are definitely -- >> we're going to continue to get updates on what is happening in colorado. specifically right now we're going to go to ben, a public information officer, boulder county office of emergency management. actually we will try to get him. we lost communication with mr. peniman. let's get in for a quick break. much to come on al jazeera.

>> lawmakers are just one vote shy of enacting a bill making gun, the vote last night was to override that veto. had the bill passed it would have made it illegal for federal agents to make an arrest on guns

in missouri. >> immigrants have been helping to sustain the housing market. a live report. >> home buyer scrik tor visueta wanted a part of the american dream but couldn't afford it. >> i used to rent. but as my family was growing i needed a bigger place to live. >> originally from ecuador he emigrated to the united states in early 1990s. this summer after years of hard work, the 42-year-old and his wife finally bought a two bedroom home but it was a struggle. since the housing crisis, the path to home ownership has been complex. some immigrants have had a difficult time securing a mortgage. victor found help from the resurrection project a chicago based nonprofit that assists

immigrants. >> what we're doing is creating a demand for housing in communities where previously because of the foreclosure crisis were on a decline. >> according to a newly released study that looked at 40 years of census data immigrant home ownership has been sustaining families across the nation. >> in the past ten years alone has added tens of thousands of dollars of value to the homes in cities. >> immigrant home ownership has pumped some $3.7 trillion into the housing markets stabilizing urban areas as long term residents moved out. in the chicago area since 1970 while 900,000 residents moved out,600,000 residents moved in. >> the city would have a lot more problems in a lot of its neighborhoods experiencing urban decay you could associate with

cities like detroit. chicago is doing a lot better. >> researchers point out an increase means police of options where the cost is already high. for victor finding a house that fit his budget was key to finding a better life for his family. >> this is our dream come true. basically owning a home is part of the american dream and i'm glad now i have a home. >> the foundation for his family and a life well lived. al jazeera chicago. >> they only arrived on the market three years ago but already sales of tablet computers are predicted to top those of pcs and laptops this year. worldwide demand for tablets will surpass and be number 1 in

annual sales by 2015. in addition, total sales of all smart devices including tablets and phones will be over 2 billion in 2015. foreclosure initiations last no month were fewer than, foreclosure process in august. that is down 44% from a year ago. a federal judge in california is expected to hear arguments today over the city of richmond's effort to keep underwater homeowners out of foreclosure. the city council voted earlier this week to use its power of eminent domain to seize mortgages and refinance them, allowing residents to continue to live in their homes. banks say this would set a dangerous precedent, that would cost them billions. more on al jazeera america. still to come flooding out west, is more rain on the way? weather with dave.

>> here are the stories that we're following this hour. secretary of state john kerry is in russia for talks, they will try to broker a deal that would allow syria to give up its chemical weapons to the international community. the white house says that russian president vladimir putin needs to fulfill his promise to get the chemical weapons under control. conflict beyond syria. in colorado heavy rain sparked flash floodin flooding. at least three people are dead, and towns have been evacuated. between four to seven inches of

rain fell in a three hour period last night. tropical storm gabrielle regaining its strength. dave. >> off the coast of the atlantic first off we'll start in colorado and show you exactly what's happening. there is a low in the southwest, moisture from the southeast, once it hits that front range of the rockies it stops and goes up and gives a lot of rain to the same area. that's exactly what's happening here. colorado the past 12 hours. you can see all of that rain over the same hours. the front range of the rockies we are seeing more of that southeast wind with heavy rain continuing today. not the best news today. looking like flash flooding is the wo worst threat. there's all of that rain in the west and it goes into a line which slowly sags south. big temperature change in the northeast yesterday, today there's the big change it will start to drop a little bit. that moisture off the coast from

gabrielle continuing to move to the north and impacting nova scotia over the weekend. cooler air will slowly sag southeast, we'll see showers and thunderstorms cooler air moving through the great lakes. 77 and 70 over the weekend. cool dry weather is here in the northeast. richelle. >> thank you dpaic dave. low testosterone, males going through the treatment may need more of the estrogen hormone. chicago has approved a multimillion dollar settlement for police caress that happened more than ten years ago.

>> the price for more than two decades behind bars in chicago an apology and 12.five million. that's the -- $12.5 million. that's the amount the city agreed to pay, after the police tortured them into admitting to murder. >> we do not kid ourselves the fight is over or that the city has somehow become a kinder or gentle are one. >> mayor rahm emanuel called it a dark mark on the history. i'm sorry this happened let's all move on. the man accused of heading the torture team was police captain john burge now serving a four year sentence. the cost of legal fees is $85 million. it was here, that burge was

accused of torturing men, electric cattle prods on their genitals. ronald kitchen who spent 13 years on death row said, no amount of money could give me and my system back what was stolen from us. i want to know that an innocent man was tortured and wrongfully convicted. >> the struggle is no means over, there are still men in jail who were tortured into giving false confessions. they need another hearing in court. >> the case may not be over. one defense attorney has called for a $20 million fund for all the victims still awaiting justice. john hendren al jazeera america, chicago. >> that's it for us. i'm richelle carey, thank you so much for your time. up next street food cairo.