welcome to al jazeera, america. i'm richelle carey, here are the stories we're following for you. live pictures out of washington, d.c. the senate is voting on a measure that could help keep the government running. shining a spotlight on war crimes, the international community puts the pressure on syria. and a climate change sos, new information on global warming and who is to blame. with the clock ticking the senate is now voting on a stripped down spending bill

aimed at averting a government shutdown. the house then has until monday night to approve the measure, something republican leaders have said they will not do. libby casey joining us live with the latest from the capitol. libby what does the vote do? >> reporter: we just saw this mass age of cloture, so we needed 60 votes to really move the vote forward. it is not a done deal yet, but it passed well above the 60-vote threshold. we saw democrats and republicans unit to move the bill forward. it is actually still the house version. what we'll see happen next is harry reid will take out the obamacare defunding. the key here is that those two elements only need a majority, only 51 votes. we are expected to see that pass later this afternoon. let's take a listen to some of

the debate we heard on the senate floor. >> the american people want this law repealed. republicans want it repealed. i wouldn't be surprised if a number of our democratic colleagues secretly want it repealed as well. >> it's important to know these tea party [ technical difficulties ] -- still voted to move this forward, like the senator from

wyoming. that doesn't mean he supports the final version. >> is this shutdown all but a done deal now? >> reporter: well there is still time for the house of representatives to sort out what happens next. but speaker boehner has a very unrulely caucus. some conservatives are actually okay with seeing the federal government shut down on monday night. others are willing to negotiate, but they want something in return for their vote, and there are still others who say risking a government shutdown is just too much. so speaker boehner has to put that all in the pot, mix it up, and see what he'll come up with. >> being speaker ain't so i. we'll see what happens. the united nations nuclear watchdog says there has been a

significant change in iran over its program. john terrett joining us with the latest developments. take it away, john. >> reporter: let's start with syria. here is the security council resolution, seen by all 15 members of the council last night, and it is now in hague. we understand that there will be meeting in the hague at 4:00 eastern time, and then in seven hours from now at 8:00 eastern, the security council will sit down and it's likely they will vote favorably on this resolution. earlier today, james bays who is al jazeera's diplomatic editor, caught up with the syrian foreign minister. james pressed on him on whether

or not when it comes to geneva two, whether he will accept that the syrian leader will have to stand aside. take a listen to james talking to him just now. >> nobody can speak about the role of president assad, because it is mentioned in the constitution. so we will not violate our constitution. his role is for the syrian people is very important and crucial. >> reporter: so he didn't say no, but he didn't say yes either. back to you. >> now, let's pivot to iran. hassan rouhani spoke today. really markable the change in tone from iran out there this week, and it seemed to change more every day. talk about the highlights.

>> he is still here on his charm offensive. and he has just given a news conference here, and the main thrust of what he had to say was that he is looking for tangible results from the p-5 plus germany coming up in geneva on the 15th and 16th of october. where iran has now been invited to bring its own proposals to the table. and he is looking for tangible results, he stays in a short time frame, and he says the atmosphere between the united states and iran is absolutely different from how it was in the past. so that is absolutely remarkable. but i think we have to add a note of caution. you have to remember why iran is doing this. the international sanctions are crippling their economy. they can't get parts of their

aging aircraft, generally business life is extremely difficult in iran, and iran is looking to have those sanctions eased or lifted. the united states is said to have lots of issues in the middle east that iran could help it with to set settled out. but he is not the supreme leader. the buck stops with the supreme leader, so that begs the question, is he on board with what president rouhani is saying? it is possible that he is. but most people think it is inconceivable that the president would be here making nice the way he is without the blessing of the supreme leader. >> john thank you so much.

thousands of anti-coup protest verse taken to the streets across egypt today. protests in cairo and other cities come days after the courts banned activities of the muslim brotherhood. al jazeera correspondents in egypt they the protests have been peaceful. the obama administration is debting with the city of detroit to discussion its financial situation. we're joined live from detroit where officials are just about to announce the extent of that aid. what is happening right now? >> reporter: well, richelle i can tell you as you mentioned members of the obama administration are meeting here with city officials as well as state leaders. that meeting is taking place -- look place behind closed doors. it lasted about three hours and some of the people who were in

that meeting are now addressing the media. the city of detroit is facing $18 billion in long-term debt and the city is in the midst of the largest municipal bankruptcy in u.s. history. the white house is trying to help the city of detroit out. hundreds of millions of dollars will be headed this way, thanks in part to federal, state, and private sources. you may ask how will this funding be used? that was primarily the focus during today's discussion. it could be used to improve transportation here in the city of detroit. it could be used to improve safety, and it could be used to address the issue of blight. before this meeting started here this morning, i had the opportunity to catch up with the u.s. congressman, and he spoke with me about the significance of today's meeting. >> this puts, it seems to me, the federal government squarely

behind the experts that will be gathering here, trying to as efficiently as possible, ameliorate the process we're in. so this is a great beginning. we hope it continues from here. one meeting isn't going to fix anything. >> reporter: and it's important for me to note the white house has stressed this is not a bailout. they are simply trying to help a city that is struggling financially, and city leaders here will take all of the help they can get. richelle. >> thank you so much. we'll continue to look at the issue of climate change ahead on al jazeera. next two extremes get one fate.

that's all i have an real money.

victoria azarenko on inside story, we bring together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you. hi, my name is jonathan betz, and i'm from dallas, texas, and i'm an anchor for al jazeera america. i started in a small television station in rural arkansas. it's a part of the country that often gets overlooked. but there are a lot of fascinating people there, a lot of fascinating stories there. i like that al jazeera will pay attention to those kinds of places. what drew me to journalism is i like the idea that we are documenting history. al jazeera documents it like none other. and to be a journalist, and to be part of a team like that? that's an incredible blessing.

the world's leading climate scientists have warned that earth is in for dramatic changes if nothing is done. a new report from the un today blames people for the imagine yourty of greenhouse emissions. here in the u.s. president obama is pushing his climate plan, but critics complain the plan costs too much. >> reporter: on the heels of a new climate report, president obama's energy policy goes like this, ramp up natural gas, and ramp down coal. >> we need to act. >> reporter: and develop an energy plan to reduce pollution from vehicles and power plants. one that obama says will spur the economy and help the world's climate. but his opponents say his plans are too expensive and job killers, and he is uncompromising. and then there is this. >> many republicans believe climate change isn't real or it

is not a serious problem. >> reporter: the director of policy for the union of concerned scientists says politics has derailed much of the president's climate proposals. >> in the first term it was pretty straightforward. >> reporter: according to the administration, by 2025 his plan will cut vehicle emissions. but. >> they have worked to increase fuel efficiency for cars, but that also makes cars more expensive. >> reporter: yet the biggest source of carbon emissions in the u.s. can't be blamed on vehicles. electricity is the culprit. right now there is no regulation that says how much carbon gas can be released into the air. >> i'm districting the environmental protection agency

to put an end to the limitless dumping of carbon into our atmosphere. >> reporter: the rules require new coal-fired power plants to install expensive technology to capture carbon dioxide gas. >> the american people will pay more for their endgy in the future, and that's -- well, that's just how it is. >> there are too many in the republican party right now who think that the environmental protection agency has no business protecting our environment from carbon pollution. >> reporter: the top climate scientists formally embraced and reported that green mouse gases have hit an upper limit, that emissions by hue smans the cause, and it's threatening our planet. the challenge in bringing it

under control is profound. in washington the white house praised the new report as president obama hopes the findings will strengthen his plans in reduce carbon emissions. just as the tied ebb and flow so too does sand. beaches can be at risk of disappearing. all along florida, coast communities are fighting beach erosion. natasha joins us from the town of palm beach. tell us how bad it is there. >> reporter: [ no audio ] >> reporter: this was how the perfect storm of 1991 pounded palm beach. >> the town needed to do something. >> reporter: that something was beach renourishment.

it's the process of brujing sand from the ocean floor and distributing it in areas where the sand is receding. specific plants are placed to form a line of defense against the waves. is what this stretch of beach looked like in the late '80s and early '90s. this is what the same stretch now looks like. the total cost? $50 million. >> we have a healthy do you know system and a nice wide beach which help provide protection to the roadway and provide a beach for the residents. >> reporter: here locals boast about the white silky sand on their beaches. sarasota officials say their town has been using mother nature to help mother nature. take a look and you can see how this beach has expanded over a

decade. >> with the situation where we're facing the climate change predictions of elevated sea levels, i think we're in for the long hall. >> reporter: the area has faced the harsh reality of erosion. and people we spoke with are still very worried their beaches won't stand the test of time or the elements. >> we need to get moving quickly and adopt some sort of definitive plan as opposed to just kind of a wait and see. >> reporter: now palm beach county has launched a pilot program aimed at taking a regional approach. five towns will work together along with environmentalists to help smooth the regulatory process and find the best new techniques to introduce. officials hope this can improve their approach to fighting the never-ending ebb of sand. >> the benefit is that all of the projects can be looked at as -- as having an influence on

an entire coastal system, they are all working together in concert with one another. ♪ i'm meteorologist nicole michelle, well, we have made it to friday, so what does the weather have in store for us over the weekend. couple of different things depending on where you are. this is the current system. system one and now system two. so this is actually going to keep, washington and oregon very saturated for a lot of the weekend. and then we have this system that is slowly pulling out of the rockies. already some of the moisture ahead of that, but still a little light snow out there, most of this is winding down as it moves into the northwest. even the winter storm warnings

that you see, is lot of that is set to expire right around noon today. but still some roads will be a little on the slick side. okay. as we get across the mid-section of the country, this is where it has been quiet. we're starting to see a few spotty showers in places like minnesota. but ahead of the core of this system, we have had some really warm air out there. that southerly flow has just warmed things up even into the 80s in some places. so you're going to see those temperatures drop as we get through today and tomorrow. today minneapolis we're in the '80s. awant to point out the east coast, a lot of 70s and 80s a gorgeous weekend ahead. for the midwest, you see those temperatures drop going from 80s to the 60s.

more like fall, and a lot of people are saying we would like to get that little touch of fall. as it pulls out of the rockies anywhere from the dakotas to minnesota all the way down to texas there could be strong storms associated with this system. especially i would say texas northward into nebraska. if we had any severe weather wind would be the most likely threat. this is not the worst thing although you don't want as you start out the weekend, because a lot of these areas are dry or in drought stages. but as i said once you get away from system 1 and system 2, there is that high-pressure sitting in place over the east coast. if you get kind of the great lakes and eastward, lots of sunshine, and really a lovely

fall weekend ahead. richelle. thank you. backlash against a popular pasta company, ahead on al jazeera.

♪ a new report out today says we're to blame for climate change issues. the report says it there's a 92% certainty that people are the reason for the climate change. >> the fact that we now have a framework that will be voted on, perhaps as soon as today, perhaps over the weekend or monday, that could be legally binding; that would be a verifiable and enforcement; where there would be

consequences for syria's failure to meet what has been set forth in this resolution, i think is a potentially huge victory for the international community. and you are looking at live pictures from capitol hill where the senate is voting on a spending bill that would avoid a government shutdown. the measure does not include republican demands to cut money for president obama's health care reform law. congress has until monday night to reach an agreement or trirg a shutdown. washington is focused on keeping the government open, an even bigger date is take place. >> reporter: even if washington has a spending plan in place by tuesday's deadline, the country's fiscal worries are far from over. the next line in the sand in the fight over defunding the affordable care act is october 17th. that's when jack lew says the government won't have enough

money to pay its bills unless congress increases the nation's borrowing limit. and failure to reach an agreement could send shock waves through the markets. the debt limit now stands at $16.7 trillion. that may sound like a lot, but the government needs to borrow even more money to keep up with its spending obligations. the u.s. treasury has enacted emergency funding plans to help washington move forward. bridging the debt ceiling could make it difficult for the government to pay about $55 billion worth of social security, medicare, and military bills due in november. also in limbo, interest payments on u.s. treasuries. failure to raise that ceiling as we have basically at every point over the last 100 years, would

send a very negative signal that could harm the standing of u.s. federal debt. >> reporter: even the hint the government might be running out of cash could have catastrophic consequences. >> the 2011 crisis is estimated to have cost the economy tremendously. >> reporter: they reached a deal at the 11th hour, but that still caused a credit down rating. republicans say they are open to raising the debt limit, but they have several demands. they want to delay implementing the affordable care act for a year. they want an overhaul of the tax code and approval of the proposed keystone pipeline.

the barilla pasta company has found out just how powerful social media can be the ceo said gays and lesbians can, quote, eat another pasta. he said, quote . . . ♪ jcpenney is getting an an infusion of money. it says it will raise almost a billion dollars in stock sales. before the sale it will have almost $200 million less than it

estimated last month, and that is a concern for investors. jcpenney's shares have taken a big hit this week. if you think it's crazy to have to hit control all the delete to have to restart your computer, you are not alone. bill gates told a harvard audience in the early days of microsoft he wanted a single button for that function, but they ended up using the ibm keyboard. a worker found a $2 million check in a wallet left on a subway. thank you for watching. al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, the documentary "people in power" is

next. for more on the latest you can always go to our website, aljazeera.com. thanks for your time. every year in south africa thousands of teen-aged boys in the xhosa tribe undergo ritual circumcision which according to ancient custom, will make them men. but there are growing concerns that too many of these ceremonies are ending in tragic mutilation and death. "people and power" asked a south african filmmaker, who has himself been through the ritual, to investigate.