>> at least he's not going to do it pantless. see, i got you, chris cuomo. >> we'll see you later, carol. >> have a great day. "newsroom" starts now. happening now in "newsroom" crisis in syria. >> the security situation isn't safe. >> breaking overnight, pressure building. >> there must be a response. >> inspectors on the ground. >> vice president biden saying there's no doubt chemical weapons were used. also, hot spot. the rim fire racing deeper into yosemite this morning. helicopters swooping in, firefighters struggling to save the oldest trees on the planet. plus, charged. tesla is tops. fueled by electricity, the sedan

passing porsche, outrunning j jagu jaguar. yeah, that's going to cost you to get into that tesla, $71,000. we'll talk more about that later. good morning, everyone. i'm carol costello. we begin this morning focusing on syria. u.s. military ramp up and inspection teams and even as inspectors collect evidence of chemical attacks vice president joe biden said there is no evidence that gassed their own people. echoing calls for military action and some reports suggest the countdown to u.s. strikes could now be mere hours. cnn's chris lawrence is at his post at the pentagon. good morning, chris. >> good morning, carol. well, yes, the military is ready, but u.s. officials say there is still work to be done

behind the scenes. that includes making sure allies have the authorization they need. making calls to key members of congress and declassifying some of the proof that details of which may surprise you. the latest warning to syria comes directly from the white house. >> those who use chemical weapons against defenseless men, women and children should and must be held accountable. >> another sign to expect action, u.s. officials all but telling u.n. inspectors, get out of the way. >> it's clear the security situation isn't safe for the team in syria. >> reporter: the defense secretary told the bbc u.s. ships are positioned and preparations complete. >> we are ready to go. >> reporter: a defense official tells cnn if the president chooses the most limited option, it could be over in two to three days. cruise missiles could target syria's weapon launchers and command and control facilities,

but that's it. >> the options that we are considering are not about regime change. >> reporter: that, some say, could backfire on the white house. >> it may give bashar al assad a propaganda advantage by saying he was able to resist the united states attacks. > > . >> reporter: the heinous use of chemical weapons. >> reporter: but so far they offered no hard evidence. >> the intelligence community is working on an assessment. >> reporter: u.s. officials tell cnn that assessment includes forensic evidence that chemical weapons were used and satellite activity at chemical weapons depots and communications of syrian forces. now, sources told me they intercepted calls between syria and military commanders and the website foreign policy has additional details reporting it was a panic call from the ministry of defense. an official there calling one of

the leaders of the chemical weapons unit asking him and demanding answers for a nerve gas attack that had just killed civilians. carol, if these details are true, it raises all kinds of questions as to who exactly ordered this attack. and also it underscores the need for the obama administration to bring some hard evidence forward because with the memory of the lead up to the war in iraq still fresh in a lot of americans minds, simply saying, trust us, he did it, will not be enough. >> i think you're right on that count. chris lawrence reporting live from the pentagon this morning. syria is vowing to retaliate for any military attack and this morning some prosyrian activists say they're behind the cyberattack on an iconic american newspaper. since mid-afternoon yesterday hackers managed to cripple the "new york times" website. the syrian electronic army is apparently taking credit, as it has in past attacks on the websites of cnn and other organizations.

christine romans joins us now from new york with more on that. good morning, christine. >> good morning, carol. the "new york times" website was taken down by a malicious attack for hours. here's what it looked like. a group called the syrian electronic army taking credit. a pro-assad group that often targets u.s. media and also claimed to hit twitter. "times" working to fix it and confirms it was attacked by an outside courssource. the response to chemical attacks in syria. now, that response worst day for stocks since june yesterday. carol, the dow was down more than 170 point. oil prices also jumped on expectations of a military strike in syria. syria, oil moving. not a major oil producer. international sanctions slowed the flow out of syria, but its

location makes it so incredibly important for oil transport. it has neighbors, very powerful and important neighbors, particularly right here that many people don't want to see this particular, this particular crisis get any worse. oil prices at an 18-month high yesterday. above 1$109 a barrel. they are moving higher this morning. that means higher gas prices for you if this crisis persists. >> we'll check back. christine romans, thanks so much. fires burning, homes destroyed and not getting any better at yosemite national park. that massive wildfire has burned 288 square miles and flames have reached the shore of a key reservoir for san francisco's water supply and the fire has now forced officials to shut down dosome generators that provide to the bay area. casey wians is outside yosemite national park. good morning, casey. >> good morning, carol.

you can see this road behind me. highway 120, one of the entrances leading into yosemite national park. this road on a normal day like this would be crowded with tourists, especially leading up to this holiday weekend. but right now the road is closed. everything but emergency vehicles. that's because they're using this road to build some protection against this fire that continues to spread and threaten yosemite national park. one of the good things, though, that we've seen so far this morning is that you can look around and there is actually some visibility. yesterday morning you couldn't see more than 75 to 100 yards in many places. the smoke was so thick, the inversion layer was so thick. not quite as bad as we're getting ready for dawn this morning. we're able to see 200, 300 yards off to my right here. that's going to help firefighters in their firefighting effort. that battle, though, continues to be very, very difficult. we went up into one of these hot spots yesterday and we saw trees

that these firefighters call snags. they have been burned and damaged but they haven't fallen yet. we saw those trees starting to fall. very near us and very loud and very dangerous and that's something that firefighters continually need to be on the lookout for. 20% containment right now, which doesn't sound like a lot. but firefighters say that they're actually happy with the progress they made in slowing the progression of the fire, carol. >> that's good news. we'll look at the glass half full this morning. casey wian reporting live from yosemite national park. today is the 50th anniversary of martin luther king jr.'s "i have a dream" speech and the march on washington. you're looking at live pictures from the mlk memorial from the national maul where a huge celebration is getting under way starting with an interfaith prayer service at a national church and president obama will speak along with presidents jimmy carter and bill clinton. oprah winfrey and relatives of mlk will also speak. hundreds of thousands of people attended the march back in 1963.

the event helped push congress to push the civil rights act and the voting rights act. we'll take you back there in just a minute. if you go on the u.s. open website to check out the player baio bios, you'll see no photos or details about victoria duval. they'll have to update that link because duval is a new star. the 17-year-old shocked the sports world by beating sam stosur in the first round of the open. how improbable was this three-set victory? former open champ stosur is ranked 11th on the women's tour and duval ranked 296. andy joins me now. she has an incredible back story. >> she definitely does, carol. she is 17 and got a win in a grand slam event and the back story incredible. born in florida, but grew up in haiti. when she was 7 years old she was involved in an armed robbery and held at gunpoint for hours. she got out of that okay and her

parents said enough of this, we're moving back to the united states. her dad was in haiti during that massive earthquake and buried under rubble for hours. crushed vertebrae, crushed lunged. he was in attendance last night to watch his 17-year-old daughter get her first win of her career. as i said, she's only 17 years old and you can definitely tell she's still a kid by her post-game interview. take a listen. >> i'm very goofy off the court. i'm very much of a child at heart. on the court, you have to be a warrior. you know, off the court, i think it's important to have fun and be a good role model for other people. >> she sounds like -- >> such a sweetie. >> sounds like a sweet kid, but very mature, as well. she got some congradlatory tweets from lil' wayne and

stoudemire. she is not on twitter. the reporter said, why not? she said, i'm not famous. that's changed now. she has to sign up for twitter. >> i hope the rest of the tournament goes equally well for her. andy, thank you so much. happening now in "newsroom" two words, free money. credit cards flooding your money with new offers. zero interest. oh, but there's a catch. plus, the future is now. the car that can drive itself. nissan breaking out saying it will have an autonomous car on the road. walmart offering benefits for same-sex partners. calling it historic. "newsroom" back after a break.

checking our top stories at 15 minutes past the hour. c convicted ft. hood shooter nadal hus hasan had three words for the jury. the defense rests. he did not call any witnesses and did not present any evidence and also didn't explain why he mounted no defense at his trial.

hasan was conviced of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 attack. the family of a florida teenager now seeiuing the city miami beach. family is claiming they used excessive force. they chased hernandez earlier this month after they saw him spraying graffiti and then shocked him with a taser. hernandez died a short time later. city and police officials had no immediate comment. mosquitos in florida may be spreading an extremely rare disease in the united states. health officials say eight people have been infected. there's no vaccine and officials warn it can be hard to treat. dengue fever can cause high fever, joint and muscle pain and even death. they're urging people in florida to wear mosquito repellent. a soggy week to the start of

classes at michigan state university. two to three inches fell in an hour and a half and many roads closed in east lancing. police are warning drivers to be extra careful. some credit card companies are pitching a new offer that sounds too good to be true. chase, discover, citi and others will let you transfer your debt from another credit card to their credit card with 0% interest, for as long as two years. sounds familiar, doesn't it? cnn's alison kosik joins us from "new york stock stock exchange. >> they're coming fast and furious. just when americans are getting their debt under control and they have a handle on it, banks are right along aside of them. according to "wall street journal" the offers to transfer money from credit card to credit card at no interest are making a comeback. so, let's say you have, what, $2,000 in credit card debt at

citi. so, chase, let's say, will let you transfer it over to one of their credit cards without paying any of the interest you would be paying with citi. the catch is, there is always a catch, in most cases a transfer fee. 3% of your existing balance to move it over. so that means on $2,000 debt, you're looking at a $60 charge. a second catch to this, too, because the no-interest promotion is just for your existing balance. the hope is that you'll begin racking up interest on new charges. so, if you have a tendency to pull out the plastic more than you'd really like, at the end of two years, you could leave with more debt at an even higher rate than you had with your previous lender. so, you have to be careful, carol. >> so, two questions. first, why are the banks doing this now? is it because people aren't using their credit cards as much as they used to? secondly, i remember doing this in the '90s. i'd transfer my balance and it affected my credit report. >> yes, so, for the first question you're seeing that lots

of americans have really paid down their debt. they're not carrying as much debt and they're not paying interest and banks aren't making money off of that. that's why they're offering these new deals. of course, with any credit report, if you take out too many credit cards, yeah, that will hit your credit score, of course. then you look at the banks. banks have historically not done a good job of getting transfer customers to actually use the cards for new purchases. you're seeing at the same time customers get smarter. the customers just want to take advantage of the no-interest promotion and then they don't want to use the card at all. you see customers wise up and play the system, as well, to their benefit. >> i like when i hear that customers are wising up. alison kosik, thanks so much. still to come, one of the most expensive cars on the market and also a best seller. is tesla's model s really worth 100 grand, though?

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move over google. nissan says it plans to have affordable self-driving cars on the road in seven years. the company didn't give an exact price tag, but said it wanted the difference between a regular luxury car. the ability to go driverless across all its cars within 10 to 12 years. wow. the electric car usually brings to mind a toyota prius or a nissan leaf, not the kind of car that turns heads when it rolls into a parking lot. but the tesla model s is now california's third top selling luxury car, beating out porsche and jaguar. and it starts at $60,000. if you want all the upgrades, that could kick up the price tag to 100 grand.

what will that get you? it will get you a concert hall sound system, windshield wipers with defrosters, heated windshield wiper fluid and heated sideview mirrors. you can buy a house with that kind of money. what am i missing here? here to help me find out is peter, a senior writer for cnn.com and a car efis car. >> look, portia, bmw sells cars for $100,000. nobody bats an eye about that. but anybody who spent a lot of time in the driver's seat of a tesla model s nobody would question that price for that car. the performance is absolutely on parwith luxury car from german, british and japanese automakers. even more functionality.

you don't have an engine. that whole hood space is for luggage. seating for seven. two kids in rear facing back seats in the back and have room leftover for luggage there. functionality, comfort, the performance of the car is absolutely amazing. i've never been in a car when you're going 65 on the highway and step on the gas and it just takes off like a rocket. >> watching you drive one right now and it is a beautiful car. i don't know, i can't imagine, i would blink an eye, but i suppose if i was a gazillionaire i would not blink an eye. people who buy these cars, is it their primary car? the plug-in things are not available in parts of the city. >> if you talk to nissan, the nissan leaf can only go about 80 miles where tesla can go 300. they realize it actually becomes their primary car because most

people don't drive more than 40 miles a day. you can easily drive your car, charge it overnight and be ready to go the next day. a car like this could easily be someone's primary automobile, especially this one where you have a range of 300 miles. i could go all the way from washington, d.c., to boston without a problem. they're building more charging stations around the country. more and more electric cars like this one are going to become primary vehicles. >> interesting. if only i had 100 grand to spare. peter, thanks so much. still to come in "newsroom" walmart says it will extend health benefits to domestic partners of its employees. some are calling this historic, but not everyone is cheering that decision. we'll tell you why. [ male announcer ] a guide to good dipping. sabra hummus is really delicious

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because i have a policy myself. it costs just $9.95 a month per unit. it's perfect for my budget. my rate will never go up. and my coverage will never go down because of my age. affordable coverage and guaranteed acceptance? we should give them a call. do you want to help protect your loved ones from the burden of final expenses? if you're between 50 and 85, you can get quality insurance that does not requirany health questions or a medical exam. your rate of $9.95 a month per unit will never increase, and your coverage will never decrease -- that's guaranteed. so join the six million people who have already called about this insurance. whether you're getting new insurance or supplementing what you already have, call now and ask one of their representatives about a plan that meets your needs. so, what are you waiting for? go call now! we'll finish up here.

happening now in "newsroom" crisis in syria. inspectors on the ground a report on chemical weapons coming soon. so, why the rush to attack? i'm don lemon on the national mall in washington, where the celebration is getting under way. 50 years after dr. king's "i have a dream" speech. guess what, he didn't write that iconic speech alone. we'll speak with one of the writers who helped him do it, coming up. the play of the morning. nine tackles and an amazing play by a new jersey high schooler. wow. "newsroom" continues now. good morning, thanks so much for being with me, i'm carol costello. as the u.s. inches closer to a possible strike against syria, we're learning more about the obama administration's efforts to boost international support. more than 80 world leaders and officials from canada to turkey to russia all getting the call from key members of the white house.

you can see on this graphic their names. they include vice president biden, secretary of state john kerry and defense secretary chuck hagel. and these calls all took place in just the last seven days since the alleged chemical attack that syrian rebels say killed more than 1,300 people. it comes as britain prepares to send a draft resolution to the u.n. security council later today that condemns the violence and approves the violence to protect syrian civilians. also today u.n. inspectors continue their search for evidence of chemical weapons. evidence a special u.n. envoy to syrian has not been presented. that envoy noting that international law requires the u.n. security council to approve any military action. joining me now, jill dougherty from the white house. good morning, jill. >> hey, carol. well, you know, if you look at the president's public schedule today, really only one thing and that is the speech later on today at the 50th anniversary of

the march on washington, which, of course, doesn't have anything to do with syria. but behind the scenes, really intense activity. the latest is on the intelligence report that we are still expecting this week to be declassified and made public. and the latest on that is that a diplomatic source is telling cnn that it was israeli military intelligence that gave the information about what are called the signals intercepts. communications among senior military commanders in syria about the movement of chemical weapons and to the site where this alleged attack happened before it happened. so, that's a crucial bit of information. we still haven't seen that, obviously. but, that report we expect this week. then, the list of countries. you mentioned, that's the other front. the diplomatic front. having consultations with leaders around the world about what should be done, what the

response should be. >> finally, politically here in the united states, a number of members of congress who are saying that the president should consult with them before he decides on any military activity. so, there's a lot of stuff happening here, carol. and in a very fast-moving situation. >> all right, jill dougherty reporting live from the white house this morning. checking our top stories at 32 minutes past. a massive wildfire still growing inside yosemite national park. already 293 square miles have burned. more than 100 structures, including 31 homes destroyed. fires at the shore of a key reservoir for san francisco. a georgia mother weeps in court as she describes how a teenager shot her 13-month-old son to dest. sherry west testified the two teenagers tried to mug her and then one of them demarcus elkens aimed a gun at her little boy and pulled the trigger. >> do you see in this courtroom

today the man who shot and killed your baby, antonio santiago? >> yes. >> point him out to us. >> the young man in the blue. he walked over and shot my baby. >> did you see him shoot your baby? >> yes. i tried to stop him. i put my arms over my baby, but he still shot him. >> elkens has pleaded not guilty. the prosecution expected to rest today. elkins accused accomplice set to stand trial later this year. a major change for walmart. the company now says it will offer benefits, including health insurance, to domestic partners of its employees, that includes same-sex partners. not everyone is happy about that announcement. alison kosik is at the new york

stock exchange with more. good morning. >> good morning. this benefit begins next year. employees at walmart will be able to get this benefit. only available for full-time workers, not everybody. walmart has more than 1 million workers not sure how many part-time workers. still have to give credit where credit is due. big change for the nation's second biggest employer. share of criticism for not offering enough benefits to workers. offering health insurance to same-sex couples and any couple living together in a committed relationship for at least a year. previously, walmart only offered the benefit in states that it was required to do so. so, now, after the supreme court overturned the defense of marriage act, making one policy for all of its stores. you know what, this is a trend that the human rights campaign says is growing. 62% of fortune 500 companies offer health benefits to same-sex couples. fair to say at this point, though, that walmart was one of the holdouts that now seems to be coming around. carol? >> not any more.

let's talk about wall street after yesterday's selloff, what do we expect today? >> as far as overseas markets, they took it on the chin. some are selling off right now. but wall street right now holding its own and starting with a flat start, but could be worse. you look at how the dow performed yesterday, dropping 170 points. we're going it be keeping our eye on oil today. that's really what we're going to be watching. right now oil prices continue moving higher, up another 0.75% after jumping 3% yesterday. oil sitting just under $110 a barrel because of the lingering concerns about syria and here's the thing, as long as these oil prices remain high, that could wind up translating into higher gas prices. so, that's really why we're watching that for you today, carol. >> understand perfectly. alison kosik, thanks so much. the celebration getting under way in washington marking 50 years since martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. don lemon live in washington.

and what a day it will be. leann rimes rehearsing right now "amazing grace." amazing day, coming up. [ male announcer ] what's important to you? at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. hanging out with this guy. he's just the love of my life. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan that works best for you. mi familia. ♪ [ male announcer ] we want to help you achieve your best health, so you can keep doing the things that are important to you. keeping up with them. i love it! [ male announcer ] helping you -- now that's what's important to us.

today we are commemorating the 50th anniversary of martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. a powerful speech delivered by an influential civil rights leader. so, maybe it's no surprise that more and more people are now channeling dr. king. everyone prom president obama to gun rights activists seem to think king would be an advocate for their agenda. >> what do you think he would say about obama care? >> oh, he'd like that. well, because i think he understood that health care, health security is not a privilege. it's something that a country as wealthy as ours, everybody should have access to. >> the truth is, i think martin luther king would agree with me, if he were alive today.

if african-americans had been given the right to keep and bear arms from day one of the country's founding, perhaps slavery might not have been a chapter in hiour history. >> joining us now from the national mall, don lemon. i know you're talking to clarence jones later. the man who co-wrote "i have a dream" speech. what do you think he would think of this? >> probably a similar reaction that both you and i had to what we just heard there. we interviewed him for our documentary, we were there which aired last weekend on cnn and you can also get it online and he talked about, you know, dr. king's dream and he talked about in some ways people co-opting that dream and what the dream really means. so, i think that clarence jones, who was also the attorney, the attorney for dr. king, again, would probably have a very similar response that we had.

because i think that is pretty far fetched to say, you know, we have armed african-americans of slaves with guns, it might not be a part of the history. so, it's interesting, though, perspective, i think. >> it is interesting, isn't it? tell us what's going to happen today. >> today we're going to look back. we're going to honor the people who came before us so that not only that i can be sitting here as an african-american man leading the coverage for an international network that says a lot, carol, of how far we've come. you as a woman can be doing what you're doing, as well. this african-americ african-americans, but all americans having equality and equal rights under the law. we'll see oprah winfrey who will kick things off. she's going to be the first speaker and then we'll hear from two former presidents. president clinton, president carter. we'll also hear from john lewis, who is one of the original

speakers. the only living speaker from 50 years ago and the headliner none other than the president. carol, i know you're anchoring right now and you have the questions for me. i have a question for you. i have been sitting here and reading "i have a dream" speech which he has that refrain which wasn't scripted and the great gospel singer and as he was saying his speech, he said, tell them about the dream, doctor, tell them about the dream. he said, i have a dream. what do you think the president will say? i am the dream, i am living the dream. some sort of refrain and it's going to be interesting. what do you think it is going to be? >> i don't know. i really don't know. but it struck me, you were describing how someone from the crowd yelled out to dr. king and it give me chills. i just think dr. king was such a powerful speaker. it would be hard to match, even for president obama, who is also a powerful speaker.

so, you're right, i can't wait to hear what he has to say. don lemon, thank you. we'll get back to you in the next hour of "newsroom." we'll be back. ( bell rings ) they remind me so much of my grandkids.

wish i saw mine more often, but they live so far away. i've been thinking about moving in with my daughter and her family. it's been pretty tough since jack passed away. it's a good thing you had life insurance through the colonial penn program. you're right. it was affordable, and we were guaranteed acceptance. guaranteed acceptance? it means you can't be turned down because of your health. you don't have to take a physical or answer any health questions. they don't care about your aches and pains. well, how do you know? did you speak to alex trebek? because i have a policy myself. it costs just $9.95 a month per unit. it's perfect for my budget. my rate will never go up. and my coverage will never go down because of my age. affordable coverage and guaranteed acceptance?

we should give them a call. do you want to help protect your loved ones from the burden of final expenses? if you're between 50 and 85, you can get quality insurance that does not require any health questions or a medical exam. your rate of $9.95 a month per unit will never increase, and your coverage will never decrease -- that's guaranteed. so join the six million people who have already called about this insurance. whether you're getting new insurance or supplementing what you already have, call now and ask one of their representatives about a plan that meets your needs. so, what are you waiting for? go call now! we'll finish up here.

talk to us first. that's the message some lawmakers have for president obama when it comes to any possible military strike in syria. in a letter, 37 members of the house, including several democrats, write in part, "engaging our military in syria without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the constitution." as the u.s. positions destroyers off the syrian coast, a senior u.s. official tells cnn that while the pentagon is ready to move on president obama's orders, additional steps must be taken first. among them, more outreach to congress. joining me now senator bob casey of california. good morning, senator. >> good morning, carol.

good to be with you. >> thank you so much for being with us this morning. it seems like some don't want to waste any time. they want a military strike right now. does the united states have to move that fast? >> well, carol, i think to send the right message to the regime that we're not going to tolerate nor will the world, the international community tolerate the use of chemical weapons, i don't think you can allow too much time to go by. i don't think you can allow weeks or months. this, if there is going to be an operation of some kind, a response, it should be done in short order. that doesn't mean in the next two days, necessarily. but it should happen as close to the event as possible after we've consulted with and worked together with our allies and as members of congress have been briefed. and i think that is going to happen. i don't think you'll see the administration waiting until congress goes back into session, which is almost two weeks away. >> why not, though, let u.n.

inspectors finish the job on the ground in syria? they're there today, they're going to prepare this report and then they will also present evidence that the assad regime used chemical weapons against its own people. why not wait until that report is complete? >> well, because, carol, i think the evidence, certainly the evidence on the public record is overwhelming and i would say very convincing. as well as information that's been provided by way of intelligence. the administration has access to all of that intelligence. i don't think they'd be talking the way they are if they weren't, they weren't convinced. the problem with these inspectors is the syrian government kept them out. the regime set for five days. we're not going to allow anyone in. when it finally relented, it was after they had done more bombing. a lot of this evidence is going to be destroyed or has been destroyed. it's important the inspectors are there. i don't think that should -- >> some people this is like a

flashback to iraq and the weapons of mass destruction that really weren't there and why not gather all the evidence before you make a decision to strike a country militarily in a sensitive part of the world? . >> well, i think it's dangerous to make comparisons. there's a dramatically different situation. you have a regime which has engaged in this kind of conduct several times now against its own people and if we don't respond to that, i think we're making a mistake. i think the response, though, can be very specific and can be very much proportional to what we've seen in the use of chemical weapons. i would hope, though, that one of the results of this kind of a -- if there is going to be a strike, that one of the results would be the degrading of the syrian air power because that's really what is affecting the battle on the ground. so even though the response can be very specific and focused, i

hope that it will affect the overall outcome of the battle. >> okay. >> because ultimately i think it's in our national security interest to have assad in power who is against us. >> number one, should the p.m. sell this, for lack of a better term, to the american people? do the american people deserve an explanation before america decides to strike militarily and, two, should the president get congressional approval? >> yes. i think for sure the president has and needs to do more to address the american people about this and to be very specific -- and i haven't heard a lot of discussion about this. our national security interests are at stake for several reasons. one of the basic reasons is when the iranian regime and hezbollah, two entities, one a terrorist organization, one an actual country, the regime in iran, not only are plotting against us every day and want to

bring us harm and we know that for sure, but they've done so in the past, especially in the case of hezbollah. the iranians tried to blow up a restaurant in washington, d.c., that would kill a lot of americans. so i think our national security interests are at stake. i think the president has and will make that clear. but in terms of a long debate in congress, simply to respond to a chemical weapons attack i think would take too long. we should have a long debate, though, an important debate about our larger strategy as it relates to syria so we can be constructive and helpful even if we don't deploy more military assets around this more focused response. >> senator bob casey, thank you so much for joining me this morning. >> thank you. here's what's all new in the next hour of the newsroom,

bashar al assad accused of la h launching chemical attacks against his own people and meanwhile keeping up on his facebook accounts. just who is this leader? also -- >> made in the usa. walmart is making a $50 billion commitment. but what is it really costing the company? ♪ more americans than ever choosing to live alone. why we pay a high price to have our independence. that's all in the next hour of "newsroom." ♪

17-year-old american victoria duval beat a former champion to win her first ever grand slam. it was far from the first big challenge she's overcome, though. here's andy schultz with the bleacher report. good morning. >> good morning. she was held at gunpoint and then three years ago her father was killed in the earthquake

that rocked haiti. but yesterday victoria duval had a truly great moment for her and her entire family. bleacherreport.com, check out the most impressive runs you'll ever see. breaking nine tackles on this touchdown run, it looks like he's doing something as part of a video game. peppers committed to playing college ball at michigan but he's committed to play as a quarterback. >> really? >> yeah. they might want to try him out at running back just to see how he does. he looks pretty awesome in that run. miley cyrus followed up with this. take a look at this picture. miley turning the most sacred jersey in basketball into what a

chicago dancer may wear and she took this mid-twerk. >> we talk about twerking again. >> every day. >> i hate it. thank you, andy. next hour of cnn "newsroom" after a break. for car insurance today? yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive.

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happening now in the "newsroom," bashar al assad, the former eye doctor, who has the world on edge. >> it's not my nature to threaten anyone. i'm a very quiet person. >> a master of deception? plus -- >> i remember very vividly telling my brother, she's -- she's trouble. >> james dimaggio's sister opens up saying that hannah anderson is not so innocent and her brother is not a killer. and walmart's made in america pledge, $50 billion over ten years. the problem? there may not be anywhere near enough money. the second hour of "newsroom" starts now. good morning. thank you so much for being with

me. i'm carol costello. we begin this hour focusing on syria. military teams ramp up and inspection teams spread out. vice president joe biden says there's no doubt that syria's regime gassed its own people. key u.s. allies are echoing calls for military action and some reports suggest the countdown to u.s. strikes could be near hours. let's head to the capital of damascus and frederick pleitgen. apparently syria's prime minister came out an hour ago and said western nations are fabricating scenarios and coming up with false alibis to justify military intervention in syria. it seems like syria's feeling the heat. >> reporter: they certainly are feeling the heat and they certainly are remaining defiant.

i read that. he says that the u.s. is fabricating evidence in syria. that's what we've heard over the past couple of days. the information ministry says that he feels the u.s. does not have any proof or has not presented any proof to the world and he challenged the obama's administration to make that proof and make a case for it. one of the things that the syrian government keeps saying is that they believe the un weapons inspectors on the ground should be able to complete their work, they should be able to complete evidence, file the report and then and only then should someone come to any conclusions. however, the syrian government also remains defiant. the line that we're hearing out of damascus from leaders here is if the united states decides to attack syria, syria will retaliate. however, so far they haven't said how they plan to do that, carol. >> i just talked to senator casey a short time ago and he said that the united states should not way for u.n. weapons

inspectors to finish their report because evidence has already been destroyed. what are the u.n. weapons inspectors saying about that? >> reporter: they have said that they found valuable clues on the ground. they visited two sites, one on the ground in the southwest and one in the northeast and said that they have already gotten valuable clues that could point to the use of chemical weapons. they said they gathered sam mels and talked to a lot of witnesses and doctors on the ground. but there is no doubt and this is something that the u.n. has been saying as well, the longer all of this drags on, the less likely it is that any sort of conclusive evidence will be found. we found yesterday that the u.n. weapons inspectors were not able to go out because of security concerns and they call that a lost day because obviously that, again, is going to eat at the clock. the u.s. says the fact that there's still so much shelling going on in the suburbs of damascus could do something to diminish the evidence that is still on the ground there.

so certainly time is a factor and that's something that the administration has been pointing out as well. >> frederik pleitgen, thanks so much. it's not getting any better at yosemite park. the rim fire has burned almost 300 square miles and today the flames reached the shore of a key reservoir for san francisco's water supply. the fire has forced officials to shut down some of the hydroelectric generators. 111 structures have burned. 4500 more are threatened. casey wian is outside of yosemite national park. tell us more, casey. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. well, the smoke is not as thick this morning as it has been in previous days and so that gives us an opportunity to show you some of the devastation that this fire has really caused in this area. we're up to 187,000 acres that have burned.

those are the numbers that just came out from fire officials overnight. 293 square miles. the good news, the containment figure is now up to 23%. it was 20% yesterday. may not sound like a lot but it means they are making progress. they have now had 4200 firefighters battling these blazes and the biggest concern they have right now is in the several remaining hot spots where trees like these are still in danger of falling and firefighters really need to be careful as they are battling flames that some of these trees that have been damaged don't fall down on them. also, another area of concern, the main part of the fire is inaccessible by vehicle, inaccessible by foot. they are having to rely on helicopters and aircraft dropping fire retardant on the main part of the blaze for now, carol. >> all right. casey wian reporting live from yosemite national park. happening now, closing arguments in the sentencing

phase of the ft. hood military trial. the jury will then decide whether major nidal hasan dies by lethal injection or spent the rest of his life in prison. he murdered 13 people and wounded many others. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the proceedings are just getting under way here in ft. hood. the jury will hear instructions from the judge and then prosecutors and perhaps nidal hasan might make closing arguments. however, nidal hasan passed up on the opportunity to speak directly to the jury during the sentencing testimony phase. he refused to give closing arguments last week before the jury reached its verdict. he's only really spoken at length in the opening statements where he said the evidence in this case would clearly show that he was the shooter in the ft. hood massacre and went on to talk about how he was on the wrong side of the war in afghanistan and he switched sides and that was his motive in

this situation. we will wait to see what nidal hasan has to say or if he makes any comments at all although at this point it doesn't seem like that's the case. obviously many people think that nidal hasan is dead set on trying to get himself the death penalty so he can be seen as a martyr and then at some point today it's very possible the jury could come back with its verdict and, carol, as you mentioned, it will either be life in prison or the death penalty. carol? >> all right. ed lavandera, live in texas this morning. the website is still down this morning some 19 hours after a cyberattack. a syrian activist group that supports the embattled assad regime says it hacked the site. the syrian electronic army has taken responsibility for past attacks on cnn and other news organizations. a state department envoy heads to north korea hoping to

win freedom for kenneth bay. the u.s. citizen has been detained since november. he was found guilty in april for trying to topple the north korean government. his sister says he's a tour company owner who went to north korea for work and he's suffering from numerous health problems. a virus is likely to blame for killing hundreds of dolphins along the east coast, according to government experts. it's similar to measles in humans and distemper in dogs. the historic march on washington and you're being looking at the national mall where president obama will be speaking later this afternoon. it's more than a tribute made by the civil rights movement. it's also a reminder that there is work to be done still. cnn's don lemon is in washington covering it all.

good morning, don. >> reporter: good morning, carol. it got really loud a few seconds ago because shirley caesar is practicing. this is really evolving here at the national mall on washington. we weren't sure how many dignitaries and singers were going to show up. we heard leann rimes a while ago. there will be speakers, including oprah winfrey and the president of the united states and caroline kennedy and john lewis, the only living speaker from 50 years ago. he's going to speak as well today. it's going to be a great day. a little bit of rain but we're all ready for it. a little bit of rain never hurt anybody. >> that is true. sounds exciting. thanks so much, don. we'll get back to you. we'll be right back. ♪

.

checking our top stories at 14 minutes past the hour, a soggy start to the first-classes at michigan state university. two to three inches of rain fell in an hour and a half. many roads are closed in east lansing. police are warning drivers to be extra careful. mosquitos in florida may be spreading an extremely dangerous disease in the united states called dengue fever. it can be hard to treat. dengue fever can cause fever, rashes, muscle joint pain and even death. wear mosquito repel lent. the family of a florida teenager is suing the police. they are claiming that cops used excessive force. cops saw hernandez spraying

graffiti and he died a few hours later. made in the usa. it's something that walmart says it is passionate about. that's why it's committed $50 billion over ten years to buy more goods made right here in the united states. it will, of course, sell those goods in its stores. not only that, walmart is spearheading an effort to bring together retail suppliers and government officials to try to figure out how to make even more goods in the u.s. that was praised by officials across the court. joining me is the senior vice president and general merchandise manager. good morning. >> good morning. how are you, carol? >> i'm good. thanks for being with us, michelle. so what made in america products does walmart plan to sell? >> walmart plans to sell a whole host of made in america products. in fact, we already sell two-thirds of all of the merchandise that we receive that are made here in the u.s.

the effort, which you mentioned is about $50 billion commitment over the next ten years to source an additional products made here in the u.s. and that's across 1300 different categories. >> what products are we talking about? clothing? is it groceries? i mean, what are they? >> well, certainly we are a very large grocer and a lot of those products are in fact made here in the u.s. but it's really beyond that. across 1300 different categories and it could be anything from plastics to towels to -- you know, last week we made a couple really big announcements in partnership with some of our key suppliers around light bulbs, televisions, locks and different hardware things. so it's really a broad array of categories, carol. >> so do you have a percentage of goods that are made in america in your stores right now? >> sure. two-thirds of what we receive in goods are already made here in

america. so this $50 billion commitment is over and above what we are already selling here in the u.s., which means we're going to have to collaborate with our manufacturers and suppliers who actually make some changes and the time is right for that because the economics are changing with rising wages, rising fuel prices, very dependable energy here in the u.s. many of our suppliers tell us that this is a tipping point and it is time to really consider u.s. manufacturing. >> yeah, because it's getting more expensive to bring goods in from overseas, right? so that's the idea here? >> exactly. >> a question for you, though. walmart started a similar program in the 1990s and it fizzled because walmart could not get enough low priced items here in the u.s. but the economy is worse today, especially for low-income americans. so how does walmart stop the

program from fizzling again? >> well, really, when you think about it, the broad array of products that we can sell across, you know, low-price quality products, that's even more important to have the most efficient sourcing plan and when we can make products closer to home, that's actually better for the whole array of goods and for customers. >> i think everybody agrees with that. everybody does agree with that but you still have that problem that your customers, many of whom are low income and hurting already, i mean, still products being made here in the united states will still cost more than products made overseas despite rising prices. >> that's not always the case and we're working with our suppliers. in fact, last week, if you think about what we did, we bought over 300 suppliers and governors together to talk about the opportunity for manufacturing here in the u.s. and there's so much efficiency available there,

producing products closer to home. even the low-priced goods can be more efficient when you take a lot of the additional cost of freight and lead time out of the system. so this works not only for low-priced goods but all the way through our very expanded offering and assortment. >> okay. something else that critics say. critics say that while $50 billion is a lot of money, it's actually not to walmart because you're talking about $50 billion over ten years. and here's the thing, walmart's global sales last quarter, $116 billion, that includes sales just to the united states' $68 billion. on that, the company made a $4.1 billion profit. all of that in just three months. if you put it another way, it would take walmart just 42 days to bring in $50 billion. christine romans, our business anchor has long reported on walmart. she said $50 billion every year might move the needle.

this does not. >> well, we certainly think that this can be bigger and one of the reasons we partnered last week with the national retail federation is to show how this effort can be even bigger than just walmart by including other retailers in that. so we're leading this and we're working with our manufacturers and suppliers as well as the u.s. government to enable and really facilitate and speed this up and we do believe that it can be bigger than $50 billion. but that's a great place to start and last week was an outstanding start for us. >> okay. you said it was a great place to start. does that mean that walmart will think of maybe doubling the money? doubling that $50 billion or make it $50 billion a year? >> well, i think what we need to do is make sure that we're conscious of the lead time that it takes to do this because manufacturing can be complicated, which is why the commitment is over ten years. i sat in meetings last week between some of our

manufacturers and some of our state representatives and i can assure you that progress is being made. they are talking about specific sites. they are talking about dates. they are talking about number of workers. and that's fantastic for the u.s. economy. >> michelle gloeckler, thank you for being with me this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you, carol. >> you're welcome. of course, there are critics to walmart's plan. some say it's just a pr move. you heard michelle. decide for yourself. still to come in the "newsroom," the simple pleasures of living alone. dishes in the sink and tv as loud as you like. more and more americans know what that is like. details of a brand-new report next. ll about a bike accident, just by talking to a helmet. it grabbed the patient's record before we even picked him up. it found out the doctor we needed was at st. anne's. wiggle your toes. [ driver ] and it got his okay on treatment from miles away. it even pulled strings with the stoplights.

my ambulance talks with smoke alarms and pilots and stadiums. but, of course, it's a good listener too. [ female announcer ] today cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everything works like never before. all your important legal matters in just minutes. protect your family... and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. to experience the precision handling of the lexus performance vehicles, including the gs and all-new is. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection.

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exchange. we're a nation of loners. >> alone together, carol. you look at this report and some of this goes back to our own life choices. more people are actually choosing to live alone. as they put off getting married, it also means, hey, they are living the single life a lot longer. also, you've got factoring into this a lot of people are living longer and living healthier. you're seeing elderly people staying in their own homes instead of assisted living and nursing homes. then, believe it or not, technology is factoring into this as well. technology actually helped drive this change because social media keeps us all connected. who knows, living alone doesn't feel as lonely. but that's sad if you rely on facebook as your companion. so as of last year, the numbers are this. 27% of households were made up of people living alone.

compare that to 17% in 1970. carol? >> what about all of those boomerang kids that moved in with their parents? they need company. >> that's a good point. that did happen, the boomerang kids moving in with their parents. it's still happening. a lot of kids out of college moved home to save money to look for a job. so, yeah, everybody still has company. they are all still living together. but here's the thing. even as many young adults still live with their parents, single people are still starting their own households and that trend goes back to 1970. it shows there's a big shift to having smaller households now. people are having fewer kids and many people are saving up money and buying a place of their own even if they are not married. they are not necessarily going the traditional route. they are sort of making their own way, carol. >> we've come a long way, baby. alison kosik, thank you so much. he appears meek and mild.

but experts say that unassuming facade is bashar al assad's ruthless appetite. ♪ you're not made of money, so don't overpay for boat insurance. geico, see how much you could save.

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happening now in the "newsroom," man, myth, or monsters. the realities hidden behind bashar al assad's appearance. i remember very vividly telling my brother, she's trouble. >> a cnn exclusive. the sister of james dimaggio says she warned her brother about hannah anderson. what she thinks really happened the day dimaggio allegedly kidnapped that teenager. and nissan trying to get you in a driverless car. cnn "newsroom" continues now.

good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for being with me. united nation weapons inspectors are searching for chemical weapons attack evidence. vice president joe biden assigned blame yesterday saying there is no doubt that syria's regime gassed its own people and echoed the calls of the white house and its allies that bashar al assad must be punished. so if bashar did in fact use chemical weapons and trample president obama's red line, how did he get away with it? one man who has spent time with bashar al assad says he can be charming and cold-blooded. cnn's brian todd has more for you. >> reporter: bashar al assad,

some analysts say, may have badly read the signals, that obama would not enforce the red line on chemical weapons. a staggering miscalculation, experts say, driven by his own predictable swings of behavior. >> bashar al assad, unlike his father, goes from one side to the other, bouts of rationality and irrationality. he describes assad as delusional, conspiricy-minded. when christiane amanpour questioned him about threatening the israel prime minister -- >> it's not my personality to threaten somebody. i'll very quiet. i wouldn't threaten.

>> reporter: and in 2011 when barbara walters whether he ordered his forces to fire on the opposition -- >> they are not my forces. they belong to the government. i don't own the country. >> but you have to give the order. >> no, no, no. >> not by your command? >> no, no, no. no one's command. there was no command to kill or to be brutal. >> what do you make of that bearing? he's so polite and soft-toned. >> he's a master of deception. i think the regime, the package of assad and his wife, it's very seductive. how could someone who seems so reasonable illustrate such a regime. >> reporter: he was trained as an ophthalmologist, has facebook and instagram accounts. he enjoys being seen out in the town but from his bunker he's overseen the killings of his own

people. what is he thinking now? >> how am i going to react to these strikes? actually, bashar does very, very little in terms of a direct response but over time he might carry out other kinds of attacks on american assets. >> fascinating. brian todd is joining us now. as frightening as bashar al assad is, he's not as frightening as his younger brother, right? >> yes. he's very brutal and has a huge influence on bashar al assad. he is accused of some of the worst atrocities in this war and owns ghosts, that unit cracks down on who patrols syria's border. he's a very bad character. carol, he once actually shot his brother-in-law in an inner family dispute. you have a little bit of a soprano's situation going on

here. >> it's just strange and it's just frightening, too, considering what is about to happen in syria. >> right. >> brian todd, thanks so much. tune in today at noon for cnn special live coverage on the crisis in syria. we're going to breakdown the military options and how the crisis impacts the markets and your money. that's today, noon eastern. checking our top stories at 35 minutes past the hour, a massive wildfire is still growing inside yosemite national park. already 293 square miles have burned. over 100 structures, including 31 homes destroyed. a fire is at the key reservoir for san francisco. convicted ft. hood shooter, nidal hasan, had three words for the jury panel that will decide if he gets the death penalty. he said, the defense rests. he's acting as his own attorney, as you know. he did not present any evidence and did not testify.

hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring many others. las vegas will pay the feds $47 million. the casino got the money from a high-stakes chinese gambler who is facing drug trafficking charges in mexico. they failed to report suspicious activity from the gambler. still to come, james dimaggio's sister opens up saying hannah anderson is not so innocent and her brother's not a killer. [ male announcer ] for diarrhea, you take kaopectate.

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it was a warning that went unheeded. the sister of james dimaggio, the man who kidnapped hannah

anderson telling cnn exclusively that she told her brother to, quote, watch out for the california teenager. now lora dimaggio, who says her brother is accused of killing hannah's mother and brother could be a victim. miguel marquez is in los angeles to tell us more. good morning, miguel. >> good morning. this is a woman who previously asked for dna samples from the anderson family. she has dropped that desire to have the dna samples but she is raising a heck of a lot of other claims right now. in a contentious interview -- >> how do you know that he did it would be my question for you. >> speaking exclusively to cnn's piers morgan, the sister of james dimaggio, the man who was killed in the idaho wilderness after kidnapping hannah anderson and investigators say that he tortured her mother and brother ethan before setting fire to his own house. >> i would like to remind you

that at this point my brother is still a suspect. he is not a killer. he is accused. and, again, it is alleged. >> lora dimaggio holds out the possibility her 40-year-old brother is a victim, casting blame on 16-year-old hannah anderson. >> the hannah anderson that i saw a few nights ago on the tv is certainly not the girl that stayed at my home three weeks prior to them disappearing. >> what do you mean? what do you mean? >> i remember very vividly telling my brother, she's trouble. >> last week hannah anderson broke her silence in an interview on nbc where she insisted it was all james dimaggio's doing. >> he was picking me up from cheer camp and he didn't know the address or what -- like where i was so i had to tell him

the address and tell him that i was going to be in the gym and not in front of the school just so he knew where to come get me. >> lora dimaggio, while not offering evidence, disputes that. >> in my heart of hearts, i think hannah perhaps got herself into a situation that she couldn't get herself out of and i do believe that my brother gave his life to protect her. >> finally, dimaggio says she wants to see more evidence from investigators. evidence not likely to come as the investigation is closed. >> now, law enforcement officials say that because there was no prosecution, there's no further investigation, they don't expect any big reports to come out of this. the anderson family isn't responding directly to her but they released a previously released statement saying that there's no link to any dna between james dimaggio and the anderson family. they also wish miss dimaggio well as she goes through her own recovery process.

carol? >> miguel marquez reporting live for us this morning. still to come in the "newsroom," there's a new tennis star on the scene. she's only 17 years old. wait until you hear her backstory. it's amazing. we'll be right back. hi, i'm terry and i have diabetic nerve pain.

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or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. to hear more of terry's story, visit lyrica.com. too small. too soft. too tasty. [ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso's new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection. checking our top stories,

the guilty plea of george zimmerman's wife who was facing a charge of perjury for not telling the court about a legal defense fund. she was sentenced to one year probation and she did issue an apology. an addiction expert says michael jackson had an addiction as aeg live continues the defense of the wrongful death trial. they hired the expert who said that jackson was so secretive about his addiction to painkillers and aeg had no idea that he was in danger. a stunner at the u.s. open. 17-year-old victoria duval upset sam stosur in three sets. duval only turned pro this year. she's ranked 296 on the women's tour. the haitian woman has a

backstory. she was held at gunpoint in a robbery at her aunt's house. a teenager is on trial for the murder of a baby boy. the mother described how the baby was shot in her stroller. the mother's testimony was gut wrenching. >> listen, carol, imagine being the defense attorney for this young man because you know you have to cross-examine her, right? you also know that she's a mother who has lost her baby. how would you go about it? would you be gentle? would you be sensitive to the notion that you're dealing with a victim's family member, not just any family member? or would you tear her toll shreds? and, in fact, call her a crackhead and a drug addict and someone who suffers from mental disorders? carol costello, i'm not kidding you, it will make your blood boil. here's the big question.

is that a wise thing to do if you're trying to defend your guy? because don't forget, you're supposed to defend your guy. we're going to talk about that strategy and whether it's smart, stupid, or either of the two. >> it will be interesting. ashleigh banfield, thanks. >> okay. still to come, you heard about walmart's promise to buy more goods made in the usa. why some people say it's just lip service. [ shapiro ] at legalzoom, you can take care of virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes.

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walmart, the world's largest retailer, is promising to commit $50 billion over ten years to buy american. all for the goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back home. but critics say that's not nearly enough money to bring jobs back. i talked with a walmart senior vice president and asked her, why not spend more money on it? >> i think what we need to do is make sure that we're conscious of the lead time that it takes to do this because manufacturing can be complicated, which is why the commitment is over ten years. i sat in meetings last week between some of our manufacturers and state representatives and i can assure you that progress is being made. they are talking about dates, number of workers, and that's

fantastic for the u.s. economy. >> joining us now is an expert on big retailers and part of strategic resource group. good morning, burt. >> good morning, carol. >> she sounded positive about this, that this is the first step. at least we're doing something. >> it's a good time, carol, for walmart to do something. walmart's same-store sales were down 0.3%. the company is struggling versus costco, winco, target, a number of key competitors across the u.s. and overseas. so to try to get shoppers to have more confidence in the company since consumer reports rated walmart the worst of the largest stores in the u.s., this is a very timely move. it should be good for the u.s. it should be good for u.s. manufacturing. but as you reference, carol, it's been done before. here's my 1992 copy of sam

walton's book made in america where it was bring it home america, create or save 100,000 jobs. shirts, sweaters, bicycles, beach towels, toys, furniture, almost all of that stuff, carol, went to asia and a lot of it hasn't come back. so i salute -- >> well, the problem that walmart had in the '90s, it couldn't get goods made in the usa. they couldn't sell those goods cheap enough for their low-income customers to buy. so if no one buys the goods made in america, what are you going to do as a company? >> carol, you're correct. price is paramount with a lot of shoppers. some shoppers will pay a little bit more for made in america. walmart will not subsidize, as you referenced. so the goods have to be of high quality, good price. i salute walmart's vp and merchandising manager for taking this initiative with 300 u.s.

companies as well as local, state, and federal government. let's hope for the best for the future because america needs the jobs and it's the right time with energy prices sky high. walmart's shipping costs will be at record prices bringing goods in from china and elsewhere and with low natural gas prices, it's cheaper to manufacture in the u.s. so this could be a win-win for everybody. let's hope it works better this time than it did last time because it's what america needs. >> suppose it does work better and walmart over 50 billion -- walmart makes that in 42 days. it could do more. walmart says this is just a start. when you're talking about creating jobs because retailers are now going to sell more goods made in america, realistically, how many jobs could that actually create in our country? >> carol, realistically it's tough, as you've referenced. huffy bicycles went bankrupt and

that plant in dayton, ohio, is not going to come back any time soon. furniture plants in ohio along with the knitting plants, that's not going to come back any time soon. so as michelle referenced from walmart, their long lead times, it's a slow start. but given the factory fires and collapses in bangladesh for workers' safety, we can have those rules and regulations in the u.s. it will be good for workers, good for jobs, good for consumers and all retailers. >> let's hope so. burt flickinger, thank you for joining me. >> thank you, carol. imagine heading into your morning commute without ever having to touch your steering wheel? why not have your car drive you to work? wouldn't it be great? but is it affordable? all of the details next. la's known definitely for its traffic,

congestion, for the smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the buses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution into the air. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment.

labor day weekend is nearly upon us. what if that last holiday road trip went by and you never had to touch the steering wheel? nissan is hoping to make that a reality with a line of self-driving cars. alison kosik, i cannot wait. >> the robots are taking over. get ready. it can be safe if nissan gets this right.

the goal for nissan is to have these so-called autonomous cars on the road by 2020. nissan offered a zero emission vehicle and it's got a good record of falling through. what nissan is hoping to do is reduce the number of accidents that drivers cause. they want to use technology instead. right now there is a prototype that uses a combination of laser guidance systems and cameras to navigate around obstacles and it can detect red lights and swerve around pedestrians. here's what is interesting as well. it's not just nissan doing this. it's toyota, audi, volkswagen. they are focused on making these self-driving vehicles as well. the number of cars currently on the market, they also have features. so before you say that this is nuts, think about it, there are features on our cars that take partial control m you can parallel park or the car can do

that on its own. there is cruise control. put that blindfold on and go take that trip. >> i'm just wondering if you get stopped for a speeding ticket, the cop comes up and says, there's no one there. >> it's the car's fault, officer. >> alison, thanks so much. thank you for joining us today. "legal view" with ashleigh banfield starts now. building a case and a coalition against syria, the united states and its western allies on the verge of striking back against the use of chemical weapons in syria's civil war. but is this even our business? civil rights in the spotlight this hour in this country celebrating the 50th anniversary of the march on washington and martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. lots of big famous names in today's speaking line-up from president obama to b