cheers, fellows. nice job, everybody! >> nice job. after careful deliberation, i have decided that the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets. >> the president has made his decision, but will congress agree? the military strike that once seemed just days away now fears to be farther off the horizon. >> and while obama made his speech, syria was watching. what opposition leaders think about the latest turn of events. >> i'm half satisfied. >> i don't think we should be playing the role of the world's policeman.

>> members of congress are already weighing in on president obama's decision. now the debate begins. should he call them back early? >> good morning, everyone. i'm brianna keilar. >> i'm victor blackwell. 6:00 a.m. at cnn world headquarters. this is "new day sunday." it's a big gamble by the president, one that puts his prestige as commander in chief on the line. >> in a stunning about-face, president obama now says he wants congress to sign off on a u.s. military strike on syria, but he did not say what happens if congress responds with no. >> and we are covering all of the angles this hour. the president's announcement, reaction in congress, and from syria, plus, the behind-the-scenes moves, fascinating moves, that led the president to these words. >> after careful deliberation, i have decided that the united states should take military

action against syrian regime targets. this would not be an open-ended intervention. we would not put boots on the ground. instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope, and that's why i've made a second decision. i will seek authorization for the use of force from the american people's representatives in congress. for the last several days, we've heard from members of congress who want their voices to be heard. i absolutely agree. >> congress could give the president political cover for a strike on syria, support that he did not get from britain or from the u.n. congress has already started the ball rolling. the senate foreign relations committee holding a hearing tuesday on the use of force against syria. now, republican leaders say they will not end the house's summer vacation early. members are set to return september 9th as initially planned, and that means that

final votes on the use of force to retaliate for a chemical attack may not come until mid-september or later. >> let's bring in pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, good morning. let's start with the military and what this means from the vantage point there at pentagon. >> reporter: well, you know, all indications are they're going to still keep those warships on station in the eastern mediterranean, waiting for any orders from the president, the chairman of the joint chiefs saying they'll be ready to go, the targeting will be complete. but you know, i think it's fair to say the military as well as everybody else looking at what has happened here over the last 24 hours or less, the president, apparently, by all accounts, coming to this decision after a friday night walk, 45-minute walk through the white house grounds with his chief of staff, dennis mcdonough, talking about what the congress's feelings were, talking about the emerging view in congress that so many members wanted to have an open

debate, wanted to talk about it more publicly before any action was undertaken. victor? >> president bush, barbara, went to congress before the wars in afghanistan and iraq, but is there any precedent for a limited strike like this? >> reporter: well, you know, there certainly is from the standpoint that presidents have the authority, ability and have taken action when they feel the nation is at risk and for national self-defense, but many members of congress have widely differing views now about the authority to do it and when to do it. so, have a listen to what a couple key members of congress have had to say about this. >> i am very glad that president obama has listened to the bipartisan calls for him to go to congress and seek congressional authorization before any possible use of force in syria. that was the right thing to do. >> let me make it clear, i

believe the president can take this action without authorization from the congress. i believe he has, as commander in chief, he has the right to take this action. it's in his interests to consult with the leadership in the house and senate, but i don't believe he has to. >> reporter: and so, there you have, you know, the sort of multilateral split even within parties, some saying that the president can go ahead, has every legal authority to do what he wants to do, others saying, wait a minute, we only want to see military action if there is a determination that the united states' security is at risk. victor, brianna? >> barbara, thanks so much. now, the president did not decide to seek congressional approval until friday night. not everyone on his staff agreed with him. >> cnn's senior white house correspondent jim acosta has really the behind-the-scenes details. >> reporter: in a city that feasts on political theater, it was high drama just past high noon, as president obama told the world he had pulled back from the brink of a military strike against syria.

>> i will seek authorization for the use of force from the american people's representatives in congress. >> reporter: aides to the president saying mr. obama decided to go in a different direction at almost the last minute. at approximately 6:00 p.m. friday, the president made the stunning change in plans to seek congressional authorization and then went for a walk, a 45-minute walk, in fact, with chief of staff dennis mcdonough. at approximately 7:00 p.m., the president announced his decision to his national security staff, sparking a heated debate. he then started to spread the word, calling vice president biden, secretary of state john kerry and defense secretary chuck hagel. saturday morning, mr. obama convened a principals meeting with top national security and intelligence officials to finalize the decision. >> the question is what do we collectively, what are we in the world going to do about it? >> reporter: hours before the president's bankrupt move, secretary kerry made a

passionate case for urgent action. >> instead of being tucked safely in their beds at home, we saw rows of children lying side by side, sprawled on a hospital floor, all of them dead from assad's gas. >> reporter: but aides say what kerry and the rest of the president's team did not know is that mr. obama had been privately kicking around the idea of seeking approval from congress for days. as kerry was turning up the heat, the president seemed to be turning it down. >> you know, i am very clear that the world generally is war-weary. certainly, the united states has gone through over a decade of war. the american people understandably want us to be focused on the business of rebuilding our economy here and putting people back to work, and i assure you, nobody ends up being more war-weary than me. >> reporter: as it turns out, administration officials say, the president was listening to members of congress who wanted

in on the process. >> well, i think it's incumbent to always obey the constitution. the rule of law is something our country's founded on, and i would ask congress to come together. >> the 64 members of us who signed our letter want to make sure congress is called back in session, debate the issues, the facts, and then vote on whether or not we should engage militarily. >> reporter: so, on saturday, the president got back on the phone, calling house speaker john boehner and other congressional leaders. >> here's my question for every member of congress and every member of the global community. what message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price? >> reporter: just minutes later, the president departed the white house with biden to play a round of golf, leaving administration officials scrambling to show a united front. despite that fierce discussion inside the west wing, aides say the president's team is now fully on board. as for the defense secretary, one senior u.s. official said as a former senator whose views on the limits of war are well

known, it's not hard for chuck hagel to agree with the president." another official said of kerry, "no concerns. he was in the senate for 29 years and has made consultation with congress a huge priority since he became secretary of state." the debate that counts is the one to come, in congress, where lawmakers from both parties still have questions. >> in my view, u.s. military force is justified only to protect the vital national security interests of the united states. and to date, the administration has not focused on those interests. >> i don't see where america is threatened, i don't see where our national security is threatened. and perhaps between now and the time we get back in september 9th, the president will have information that would allow the congress to effectively see where this danger is. >> reporter: administration officials say the president still reserves the right to take military action. as one top official put it, the commander in chief still has the

authority to act, even if congress says no. brianna and victor? >> jim acosta at the white house, thank you. while washington debates what to do, the violence in syria is not letting up. this video was uploaded to youtube this weekend. it shows an explosion in a suburb of damascus. the syrian forces had taken about a five-hour break from the shelling, but they resumed the attacks on rebel areas right after president obama announced his decision to get congressional approval for a strike. 39 people were reported killed across syria on saturday, including 10 children. now, coming up later this morning, john kerry will be on cnn. the secretary of state joins our gloria borger to talk about the situation in syria and the u.s. response. >> "state of the union" airs right here on cnn at 9:00 a.m. eastern. still to come, as president obama waits for a decision from congress -- >> will a delay complicate a

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i'm confident we can hold the assad regime accountable for their use of chemical weapons, deter this kind of behavior and degrade their capacity to carry it out. our military has positioned assets in the region. the chairman of the joint chiefs has informed me that we are prepared to strike whenever we choose. moreover, the chairman has indicated to me that our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive. it will be effective tomorrow or next week or one month from now, and i'm prepared to give that

order. >> well, you heard him, the president is prepared, but first he wants lawmakers' approval before striking syria. he reiterated in a rose garden speech yesterday, military action would not require sending in u.s. troops. listen. >> this would not be an op open-ended intervention, we would not put boots on the ground. instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope. >> so, what does a military strike look like and how does a delay possibly hurt a strike against syria? lieutenant colonel luke francona lived in syria in the 1990s and is formerly of the u.n. embassy in damascus. lieutenant, good to have you. >> thank you. >> now, general martin dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, as you heard from the rose garden yesterday, said that striking tomorrow, next week, a month from now, will not decrease the effectiveness. do you agree with that?

and what does this mean for the assad regime as this week, month goes on? >> well, i disagree. depending on what we're trying to do. if you're trying to degrade the syrians' ability to use chemical weapons, waiting ten more days is going to hurt our ability to do that. i can guarantee you that right now, almost every chemical weapon, chemical weapons delivery system, what the syrians regard as high-value targets, things they think we're going to go after are being moved. they're being moved into hide locations, hardened locations. we've just given them ten days to make sure that they can absorb any kind of strike we're going to make. and i'm not sure what the goal of this is going to be, if it's to punish or if it's to degrade their capability. we can certainly degrade their capability, but we're not going to eliminate their capability to use chemical weapons. >> so, if this goes on for a month, and let's say that congress authorizes this strike, and in a month the president's ready to give the order, what left will there be to hit, especially if assad moves some

of these assets into civilian areas? >> well, we have to decide what we want to do. if you want to go after the chemical warfare capabilities, that's going to be very, very difficult, especially with the land attack missiles that are on these cruisers, these destroyers. they're very effective weapons, but they're not bunker busters. they won't be able to hit the hardened sites. they're great for taking out air defense. if we were going to mount some sort of a combined campaign where we would be using land-based aviation to drop bunker busters, hardened bombs, we could use the tomahawks to lessen those air defenses and get some manned systems in there to do some damage, but no one wants to do that. that puts a lot of pilots at risk. so, we have to sit back and say, well, what do we really hope to accomplish? is this going to be a symbolic gesture or are we really seriously trying to degrade assad's military? >> let's talk more about what is going to be accomplished. the president almost a year to the day in 2012 first spoke of that red line of chemical

weapons. by going to congress now for authorization, has he watered down what was a very strong, determined statement? >> i can tell you how this is playing in syria, victor. i did a lot of research last night on the syrian press and the syrian television, and they're regarding this as the american president blinked. they're thinking that in the wake of the uk parliamentary vote and now the president says, well, i'm going to go to my congress and i'm going to see what they have to say. to the west, this looks like he's being deliberate and very thoughtful and doing all the right things. in the middle east, this looks like a sign of weakness, and it is being perceived as such, not only on the side of the syrian regime, but also in the ranks of the syrian rebels. they're all thinking, they're feeling very isolated right now. they figure they've lost support in washington. now, whether that's true or not really is immaterial. it's what they perceive. >> and beyond syria, for the

region, i've been reading some publications in israel, and they're a bit shaken as well. we'll talk about it later in the show. lieutenant rick francona, thanks so much. >> sure. still to come on "new day" it was a place where some of l.a.'s homeless sought shelter, but now it's no longer standing. investigators want to know how this house just suddenly collapsed.

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22 minutes after the hour. new this morning, nelson mandela has been discharged from a south african hospital. >> the 95-year-old former president had been hospitalized since june 8th because of a lung infection. >> mr. mandela will continue his recovery at home. he is frail. he is in critical and sometimes unstable condition, according to the office of south african president jacob zuma.

there's been a spike in radiation levels at the fukushima nuclear plant in japan left crippled by a tsunami two years ago. the radiation was measured in the pipes and containers that hold water at the facility. >> tepco is the company in charge of the cleanup. officials say just one drop of contaminated water dripped out of the holding tanks when a worker touched a pipe, and that isn't a leak. they also said they're making every effort to keep workers safe. in california, investigators are trying to figure out why a single-family home in los angeles collapsed. look at this. according to officials, the house, which was abandoned, was used as a shelter by the community's homeless population. >> the fire department was able to clear the house after sending in a team of specialized dogs to determine whether anyone was trapped. no injuries were reported in friday's collapse. you know tim tebow? he won't be suiting up in a new england patriots uniform this

year. the pats cut him just days before the new season kicks off. the former heisman trophy winner is probably the biggest name to get axed this preseason, but always a class act, tebow took to twitter to thank the team for giving him an opportunity, and he vowed to make it back to the nfl. well, summer isn't over just yet. just a little bit, a little bit of it left, and you still have one last hoorah this labor day weekend, but beware, because rough thunderstorms could disrupt those barbecue or beach plans. >> barbecue, mm-mmm. >> i know, that sounds good. >> right? let's bring in meteorologist karen maginnis in the cnn weather center. i hate the rain to interrupt a good barbecue. >> no, or dragoncon, for that matter. >> your favorite. >> brianna, i know you're all over that now. >> yes, finally, i got what it is. >> and we saw, we both saw superman this morning, by the way. >> superman, not fully clothed, actually, on the way here. >> no. >> it's this big congress going on in atlanta, very strange. >> we won't tell you what he's missing, but not fully clothed.

>> who needs clothes when you're celebrating? >> it's summer! >> we've got a frontal system making its way across the united states, but in its wake, there will be some pretty big thunderstorms. it will cool those temperatures off, but guess what happens for your labor day celebration? yeah, a lot of those thunderstorms are really going to be collecting along the eastern seaboard, so a few more storms expected, washington, d.c., atlanta, all the way down to miami, even across that i-95 corridor, as a frontal system progresses more towards the east. i wanted to mention yosemite. and it does look like we can expect some showers or thunderstorms. they're saying that for firefighters, some of this monsoonal moisture's going to make its way a little bit further towards the north, so enhanced chances for some showers there. they're saying the fire's about 40% contained, so that's some good news for visitors there and firefighters. back to you. >> some good news. karen maginnis, thank you. still to come, people from coast to coast are taking to the streets.

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it's the bottom of the hour now. welcome back, everyone. i'm brianna keilar. >> i'm victor blackwell. president obama puts the pressure on congress. in a surprise move, the commander in chief says he wants lawmakers to sign off on a u.s. strike against syria. now, in a response to a chemical weapons attack. listen. >> our military has positioned assets in the region. the chairman of the joint chiefs has informed me that we are prepared to strike whenever we choose. moreover, the chairman has indicated to me that our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive. it will be effective tomorrow or next week or one month from now. >> the president is expected to brief congressional republicans

and democrats today during a members-only, classified briefing. >> he has already said any military action in syria would be limited in duration and scope. congress is out of session until september 9th. a slim majority of americans does not support u.s. military action in syria. that's according to an nbc news poll. it found that 50%, half of the people who were surveyed oppose action and just 42% support it. >> now, the public is more supportive when the scope is limited to just cruise missiles. for that, the numbers practically flip. so, you've got a 50% supporting that, 44% against. >> meantime, though, the vast majority, 80% say the president should get congressional approval for military action. >> thousands opposed to military action took to the streets across the country yesterday. now, from boston to indianapolis to dallas, los angeles, people made their position pretty clear. >> hands off syria! hands off syria!

>> in the nation's capital, huge crowds gathered outside the white house calling on president obama to back down. >> obama! >> hands off syria! >> obama! >> hands off syria! >> there were also antiwar protests in indianapolis, atlanta, san francisco as well. >> well, it's not just protesters opposed to military action. members of congress from both parties really have already voiced their opposition. others are showing strong support as well. >> there's no sign, though, of consensus really either way, and congress doesn't return to washington until september 9th. so, joining us now to talk about this from princeton university is professor julien zelzer. he is a political historian. julien, thanks so much. good morning to you. and i want you to first address, historically speaking, how unusual this is, a president's decision to consult with congress on a strike, and i think doing it in a way that's sort of last-minute. and also, when you consider that

congress's response is very iffy at this point, if they'd even approve it. how unusual is that? >> well, it's not unusual in that since 1950, presidents have been going to war without declarations of war. and since 1972, this is the kind of consultation they've been engaged with. clinton did this with kosovo, and presidents have had this kind of interaction with congress for some time now. >> so, here's the question after the vote. as brianna said, it's iffy right now if congress will authorize. if congress votes no, could the president still go through with that strike? and how unusual would that be? >> well, the administration, i think, technically can go through with this. and according to the war powers act, they have to notify congress. congress has 60 days to say no. and then there is 30 more days where operations can take place, all meaning president obama has a lot of leeway.

and this all depends on how they define what's going on. but if he does it without congressional support, it could cause huge political problems here in the u.s. and undermine the whole mission overseas. >> has that been done before, that a president is told no by congress and he goes ahead anyways? >> yeah. when clinton was striking in kosovo also for humanitarian arguments, the house of representatives in the end didn't support the bombing operation, and it went through. so, it can happen and we can see this happen again. >> so, president clinton, this is one of the things people talk about, regrets, perhaps. clinton talked about his regret for not getting involved in the '94 rwandrwandan genocide. here's what he told cnn's erin bur burnett. >> we blew it. and i think if we had gotten more troops here and gotten more people to come, we might have saved a third of the people who

died. so, i don't think we could have ended the violence, but i think we could have cut it down, and i regret it. >> that's telling years after, the president's feelings. so, you're the historian. that's why we have you on. years down the road, if the u.s. doesn't do something now, i mean, 100,000 have already died and now there's 1,400-plus from chemical weapons, the u.s. government believes. how will history judge this president and this congress? >> well, it could certainly be a huge negative on both branches of government. i think the failure to respond to humanitarian crises in the '90s remains something that looms large not just for clinton, but many of the advisers, like samantha power, who currently surround president obama. they just don't quite know, how do you conduct and justify military operations to deal with these humanitarian issues. it would be a huge change if obama can articulate that. so far, he hasn't, but i think it's a challenge he wants to try

to meet. >> princeton professor and political historian julian zelizer, thank you. >> thank you. >> so, when a president hits the pause button, does it signal prudent deliberation or does it signal waffling? we'll be asking our guests about the politics of president obama's decision to consult congress about a strike on syria. ♪ (woman) this place has got really good chocolate shakes. (growls) (man) that's a good look for you. (woman) that was fun. (man) yeah. (man) let me help you out with the.. (woman)...oh no, i got it. (man) you sure? (woman) just pop the trunk. (man vo) i may not know where the road will lead, but... i'm sure my subaru will get me there. (announcer) love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

this attack is an assault on human dignity. it also presents a serious danger to our national security. it risks making a mockery of the global prohibition on the use of chemical weapons. it endangers our friends and our partners along syria's borders, including israel, jordan, turkey, lebanon and iraq. it could lead to escalating use of chemical weapons or their proliferation to terrorist groups who would do our people harm. in a world with many dangers, this menace must be confronted. >> after nearly two weeks of threatening military action against syria, strikes that appeared imminent, it is remarkable for a president to hit the pause button for a congressional vote, but that's exactly what mr. obama is doing. without great britain or the united nations backing him on syria, congress may now be his

best bet for political support. >> over the last several days, we've heard from members of congress who want their voices to be heard. i absolutely agree. so, this morning i spoke with all four congressional leaders, and they've agreed to schedule a debate and then a vote as soon as congress come back into session. >> now, joining me here in atlanta is jason johnson. he is a professor of political science at hiram college and in columbia, south carolina, katon dawson, a national republican consultant and former chairman of the south carolina republican party. jason, i will start with you. you're here right with me. first off, can you talk a little bit about the problems that this is not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination? president obama is facing bipartisan opposition to this. >> right. it's going to be really strange. i mean, this is a long punt, because he's saying, basically, congress is going to have to make a decision. and he's got really a lot of different arguments in congress.

there are republicans who don't like this, democrats who don't like this. everyone who's running for president in 2016 is trying to figure out what their speech and debate will be. this is by no means over and i don't really know obama's strategy in trying something like this. this could last for weeks. >> what do you think his strategy is, katon? is he punting or is he, i don't know, passing the buck? is he punting, passing the buck, or is he being deliberate? >> i think it was extremely clumsy that both the vice president and the president certainly haven't sold the american public that we need another conflict. he did connect the dots with israel's security. he didn't mention iran and the imminent threat we have there with the nuclear weapons on the horizon. and it was just clumsy. and i think the american people, especially going into the 2014 cycle, where we know that the house is fairly secure with the republican majority and the senate's going to be in play, so what he's done politically is thrown the senate question up there. and now that we've gone ahead and paused and we're going to

wait a minute and let's go see and go through the process after we've lost -- after they've spent 100,000-plus lives, 1,500 plus on chemical weapons, it is clumsy. i will give the president credit for calling their bluff after he drew the red line in the sand about using chemical weapons, but i think there's a lot of confusion among the american public. now we're going to mix the politics with it and we're going to send it to congress and it's going to get more confusing and more awkward, because our country is war-weary. they'll support a president if he states the case in a clear objective, but i think what i find out there among my colleagues and friends is, we're tired of entering a conflict that we can't see a strategy where we can win it. and no one wants to just go drop a few hellfire missiles or cruise missiles and back on out and say we got you for a little while. and that's what the clumsiness is. so, you know, i understand what's going on here. it's going to be a long, protracted process while the syrian rebels and everybody's

fighting. so, we'll see what happens, but it's going to be clumsy and awkward. >> and jason, let's talk about the calendar here. this is something i find personally perplexing. congress doesn't return, or at least the house -- >> right. >> -- does not return until a week from tomorrow. the white house is not -- the president is not talking about calling them back early. he has an international trip ahead of him this week, including to sweden, which you could argue -- i mean, the g-20, you can kind of understand why he goes sweden, maybe more of a social visit. what is with this timeline, and is he serious if he is going away throughout the week this week instead of twisting arms with congress? >> well, i think part of this is also obama's general reticence about getting involved. i mean, he thinks that there's a moral case, but he knows that the country is weary, he knows that this is expensive, he knows that it's complicated, and that's why it's partially a punt. he's going to be out of town. this is now squarely in the lap of boehner and squarely in the lap of mccain and all the congressional republicans and democrats who have been chirping

from the sidelines. now they're going to have to deal with this and obama gets to escape. so, again, that's part of what he's doing here. >> katon, what do you think, if congress says no and the president still goes ahead, what does that look like for him? >> well, i think that might be the president's end game here, because if the seriousness is there, the american people have always backed up a president in this type of crisis, in my opinion. and the fact is that he is going overseas or going to play golf or whatever the president's going to do. any time you're asking congress this big a question, best thing you ought to do is stay home and talk to them. and right now, i think congress is going to have a long, hard discussion. but remember, we're now mixing in 2014 and 2016 politics, and there are going to be a lot of people on tv stating their case out there to the public, a lot of politicians. so, i think the president's making some bad choices. >> and don't forget, congress was supposed to come back, right? what were they going to be dealing with? making sure the government stays

funded, making sure that the u.s. doesn't hit its debt ceiling. so, already had their work cut out for them. professor jason johnson, katon dawson, thanks, guys, for being with us. >> thank you. >> victor, over to you. >> thank you. >> thank you, brianna. let's broaden the conversation about the assad family. she's called glamorous, chic, modern, but now bashar al assad's wife is taking heat as they are country is torn apart by civil war. more on the secretive life of syria's first lady, next on "new day." [ lane ] are you growing old

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this video uploaded to youtube purports to be recent bombing in the damascus suburbs in syria. and as the civil war death toll continues, the u.n. says it's above 100,000, the u.s. creeps closer to military action. now, we take a look at the once outspoken wife of regime president bashar al assad. now, it would be hard to believe that asma al assad doesn't know about the bloody reality on the ground in her country, but lately, she's been seen smiling in social media posts. according to hacked e-mails, she's gone on lavish shopping sprees. our erin mclaughlin has more on syria's first lady. >> reporter: these are the latest photos of syria's first lady. the silent counterpart to her husband, bashar al assad. here she is at the bedside of those wounded in the civil war. tweeted from the accou account @syrianpresidency -- "pa

part of the government's sympathetic attempt to put a face on the atrocious crimes. >> i think she's standing by her man. she threw her lot in with bashar a while ago. >> reporter: once profiled in "vogue" as glamorous and chic, as ma assad and her husband wer supposed to be the face of syria. she grew up in london, was well educated and even worked in investment banks. now she's in for a shopping spree, buying expensive furniture, fondue pots and louboutin shoes as her hometown was bombarded by government forces. those who know asma say this side of her is difficult to believe. >> it's hard to believe she is not reading what everybody else is saying. she was educated here, she's grown up in the west. she knows what human rights is. >> reporter: in 2009, asma was an outspoken critic of israel's bombardment of gaza, a conflict that left 1,300 palestinians dead. >> we have a choice. we can either sit by and we can sit and watch our tv screens and

watch the atrocities and see some really horrific images, or we can get up and do something about it. >> reporter: but now, asma assad shows no signs of trying to put a stop to the endless stream of horrifying images pouring out of her own country. erin mclaughlin, cnn, london. let's dig a little deeper into the assad family with cnn editorial producer nicole dow. thanks for this. this is a fascinating report she's got for us. some compare this family to the mafia, that they're kind of soprano-like. they are powerful, they're rich, they're very secretive, and knowing how the assads operate can kind of be crucial to helping us understand where they might be coming from, where their minds are here. with ke understand that a little more? >> definitely. the assads are very, you know, influential family, brianna, but very much behind the scenes. and not a lot is known about them. in the process of writing this piece, i really had to dig deep to get some details.

but a very interesting family, very powerful and very secretive. family shrouded in secrecy. so, let me start off with the mother, who is anisa manouf al ass assad. she was married to bashar's father and was president of syria. and her family is very wealthy. since marrying into the assad family, the makhlouf, which is -- >> her family, yeah. >> -- anisa's family has taken on contracts in banking, oil -- >> almost a business deal. >> yes. her brother is actually the wealthiest man in syria. >> really? >> yeah. she herself is known to be very influential in the family but keeps a very low profile. there are reports she didn't even attend her husband's funeral. >> wow, okay. and so, and she also -- there's some younger brothers here, right? >> yes.

there are two. well, actually, three. the youngest brother is mahed al assad, and he is regarded as the second most powerful man in syria. >> okay. >> and he overseas the military, specifically the 4th armored division, which suppressed the early uprisings that happened in southern syria and also the republican guard which protects the regime in damascus. >> wow. so, he's a key defense figure, but this is fascinating, because for however small amount of information we know about him, we know even less about who are referred to as the lost brothers. >> yes. but i do -- before we move on to the lost brothers, very quickly about mahed. known for being ruthless. >> okay. >> a hardliner. there are reports that he allegedly shot his brother-in-law in the stomach during an argument in the presidential palace in 1999. >> wow. >> so, you don't want to mess with this guy. and then, moving on to the lost

brothers, they are majid and basil. so, majid, not a lot is known about him. he has stayed out of the spotlight. >> he is supposed to be the heir apparent and take his father's place as president of syria. >> interesting. didn't happen. >> yeah. he died in a car accident when he was 31. >> okay. >> and upon news of his death, bashad, who was studying ophthalmology in london at the time, was brought back to damascus to be groomed to be president of syria. >> okay. nicole, thank you so much for that report. >> thank you. >> and we'll be right back after a moment. ♪ [ male announcer ] we don't just certify our pre-owned vehicles. we inspect, analyze and recondition each one,

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that wildfire burning in yosemite national park may not be contained until october 20th. >> a month later than originally predicted. the rim fire is now the fourth largest fire in california history. more than 340 square miles have burned, but firefighters are making progress. they say the fire is now 40% contained. all right, imagine finding this in your backyard. mm-mmm. >> what? oh! >> yeah, that. >> oh, he's bigger! i'm like, i've seen a guy like him. no. >> and he's looking into your window. >> well, kids and their parents were on high alert in texas when this large, exotic lizard got loose. 4 feet long. very fast. >> right, so not a tiny one. he managed to pull off a couple quick escapes, but neighbors

eventually captured their unexpected visitor, caught in a cage. >> little cage there. amazing. thanks so much for starting your morning with us. >> we've got much more ahead on the next hour of cnn's "new day." it starts right now. after careful deliberation, i have decided that the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets. >> the president has made his decision, but will congress agree? the military strike that once seemed right around the corner now appears to be farther off on the horizon. >> late-night meetings, long walks around the garden, rendezvouses behind closed doors. this is not some romantic tryst. it's behind the scenes at the white house. we have the real story about how the president made his decision. >> we don't want another war! >> while washington mulls over striking syria, hundreds of

americans are already protesting possible military action, but will they be able to convince their congressmen before a vote is cast? good morning, everyone. i'm brianna keilar. >> i'm victor blackwell. it's 7:00 a.m. at cnn world headquarters. this is "new day sunday." it is a risky move by the president, one that puts his prestige as commander in chief on the line. >> in a remarkable turn-about, mr. obama now says he wants congress to sign off on a u.s. military strike on syria, but he didn't say what happens if congress responds with no. >> we are covering all of the angles this hour. we have the president's announcement, reaction in congress and also in syria, very different. plus, the behind-the-scenes moves that led the president to these words. >> after careful deliberation, i have decided that the united

states should take military action against syrian regime targets. this would not be an open-ended intervention. we would not put boots on the ground. instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope, and that's why i've made a second decision. i will seek authorization for the use of force from the american people's representatives in congress. for the last several days, we've heard from members of congress who want their voices to be heard. i absolutely agree. >> and congress has already started the ball rolling wi. the senate foreign relations committee holds a hearing on tuesday on the use of military action. the house won't return to session early, returning september 9th as planned. that means the final votes for retaliation for the chemical attack may not come until mid-september or later.

>> wer're covering this with ji acosta at white house, pentagon correspondent barbara starr at her post at the pentagon this morning, and nick paton walsh will be joining us from the united nations. well, the president did not decide to seek congressional approval until friday night. not everyone on his staff agreed with him initially, we're told. >> cnn's senior white house correspondent jim acosta has the behind-the-scenes details. jim, it's fascinating. what mr. obama's decision to go to congress a surprise even to his own advisers? >> reporter: it was absolutely a surprise, victor and brianna. good morning. i just want to let you know that this was not only a surprise to everybody in the white house, it was a surprise to everybody who covers this white house. just as the president was prepared to go it alone, he decided at the very last minute to ask the congress to go along with him. and aides to the president laid all of this out to reporters yesterday afternoon after the president's stunning announcement in the rose garden. and the way they described this, the president was really

privately kicking around this idea of seeking congressional authorization on his own without really talking to anybody about it all week. and then, after secretary of state john kerry made that forceful statement over at the state department friday afternoon, president obama pulled his chief of staff aside, dennis mcdonough, and said let's go for a walk around the south lawn of the white house. and it was during that time that the president confided in his chief of staff that he had made this decision to basically take a time-out and consult with congress and seek their authorization. now, after that, the president, the chief of staff returned back to the west wing. the president held a meeting with his national security staff. and according to aides inside the white house, a very fierce debate broke out. not everybody agreed with the president's decision. but after that discussion was held, aides say the national security team got behind the president. he then called his vice president, joe biden, secretary of state john kerry and then chuck hagel, his defense secretary, to relay the news and

then brought back his entire national security and intelligence team back to the white house saturday morning for what they call a principals meeting, where they finalize this decision, and then the president came out and basically told the world that he had made this last-minute decision to hold on just for a little bit. brianna and victor? >> and jim, talk specifically about some of the key members of the president's cabinet, defense secretary chuck hagel, secretary of state john kerry. were they on board? >> reporter: well, from what we understand from talking to administration officials, yes. now, they will say, these officials do say that this did come as a surprise, so don't, you know, let's not get too swept up in the spin here. but administration officials that i spoke to yesterday said about chuck hagel, let's put this one on screen, if we have that graphic available. senior u.s. officials saying about chuck hagel, "as a former senator whose views on the limits of war are well known, it's not hard for chuck hagel to agree with the president." that's according to a u.s. senior official.

and then another senior administration official talking about john kerry, the secretary of state, said "no concerns about the president's decision here. he was in the senate for 29 years and has made consultation with congress a huge priority since he became secretary of state." brianna and victor it sounds like the debate that was going on inside this white house, if you start pulling away the people that the officials will say were with the president, it sounds like it was the president's inner circle that had concerns about this, and that's really not too surprising. they're talking about giving some of the president's war powers away to the congress, at least temporarily, for this decision. now, if the congress says no, administration officials that i've talked to in the last 24 hours have said the president still reserves the right to act. they say he can still use military force, even if the congress says no. >> we know presidents never like to dilute the powers of the executive branch. jim, i want to ask you about the congress. you know, more than 100 members signed this letter to the president asking for a full debate on any possible military action in syria, but the debate has already started, really.

what have members of congress been saying so far after this rose garden speech yesterday? >> reporter: well, victor and brianna -- and brianna, you know well how this goes because you've covered both the president and the congress. he's been dealing with a republican house of representatives that is very much opposed to his agenda. he's got tea party-backed republicans in the senate that he's got to deal with, and then he's got members of his own party who are very, very concerned about using this kind of military action in a situation where the national security of the united states is not really being threatened. and here are two examples of that from yesterday. ted cruz, republican from texas, and charlie rangel, democrat from new york. here's what they had to say. >> in my view, u.s. military force is justified only to protect the vital national security interests of the united states. and to date, the administration has not focused on those

interests. >> i don't see where america is threatened, i don't see where our national security is threatened. and perhaps between now and the time we get back in september 9th, the president will have information that would allow the congress to effectively see where this danger is. >> reporter: now, administration officials that we spoke to yesterday, brianna and victor, do acknowledge that this strategy on the part of the president does come with some risk. not only could the congress say no and then potentially, you could have this tug-of-war between the two branches of government, the legislative and executive branch, you also have the situation where bashar al assad, in the view of this administration, could launch more chemical weapons attacks between now and then. that is also of concern to people inside this white house, guys. >> sure, jim, and it's not every day you find an issue that unites liberal democrats and conservative republicans. our senior white house correspondent jim acosta, thank you. now let's head over to the pentagon, where the prospect of

an imminent strike on syria is now on hold. >> pentagon correspondent barbara starr joins us now. barbara, resources in the region have been at the ready, on hold for a few days now. what does this holding pattern mean for the u.s. military? >> reporter: well, victor, brianna, good morning. you know, does the pentagon support the president? a spokesman for the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey, says absolutely, yes, fully on board with the delay. he says general dempsey believes it should be hard, in his words, for the nation to go to war. so, right now, the official word is they're firmly behind the president's decision, of course. those war will remain on station, the tomahawk missiles are ready to go, but they are beginning to see over the last several days the syrian military move their forces around, disperse, go into defensive crouch, if you will. so, once the decision is made, the military will have to make sure it's got all the targeting

information it needs, retarget those missiles, if they have to, so they can go after what they want to get to. they are continuing to watch very closely satellites overhead keeping track of those syrian military moves. >> barbara starr at the pentagon for us this morning. barbara, thank you. the world, not just syria, not just americans, the world is waiting to see what lawmakers in washington decide. >> germany's foreign minister says the united nations should use the time to find common ground on what to do in syria. so far, the u.n. security council hasn't drawn up a resolution calling for a military strike. cnn's nick paton walsh is at the u.n. with more on that and what the international community is saying. nick? >> reporter: well, brianna, barack obama made it pretty clear he didn't see the u.n. as really consequential in his decision-making, calling it completely paralyzed, basically, because of the russian and chinese veto against resolutions on syria here. but clearly, he does care about

global public opinion, and we have a process under way at the united nations here which could result in evidence, in a conclusion that chemical weapons were used inside syria. the inspectors have now taken their samples from syria from the alleged sites where chemical weapons were used. they're some of them in the hague, in the netherlands, and we understand from a briefing yesterday, the process of getting them ready for testing is under way and the man in charge of that, the weapons inspector, will brief u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon today on how that process is going. the question really is how long is it going to take? and we've heard from one independent expert that at a rush, this could be done in a week. we've heard suggestions from the men actually doing the inspections that it could take as long as three. so, a huge window of potentially a month until we actually see those final results. and if we do actually hear the u.n. inspectors say they found evidence of chemical weapons on the ground, that's as far as their mandate goes. they won't apportion blame. but as you hinted, there could

be a window potentially for germany or another perhaps less advocate power of military strikes to try and get the security council to at least agree that chemical weapons were used in some sort of resolution, but the issue really here is i think while anything that happens at the united nations may help bolster global public opinion, that chemical weapons were used and perhaps something needs to be done, barack obama is certainly not making the events here and the results from the u.n. inspectors' tests part of his argument why the u.s. should act. they believe they have the evidence and the regime is responsible, brianna. >> nick paton walsh, thank you. >> so, do members of congress agree with the president's decision to essentially hurry up and wait? it depends on which lawmaker you ask. we're hearing conflicting opinions in each party. more after the break. [ male announcer ] come to the lexus golden opportunity sales event and choose from one of five lexus hybrids

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for the last several days, we've heard from members of congress who want their voices to be heard. i absolutely agree.

so, this morning i spoke with all four congressional leaders, and they've agreed to schedule a debate and then a vote as soon as congress comes back into session. >> so, what are the people who will debate and vote on the syria question saying? >> republican congressman peter king is the former chairman of the house homeland security committee, and he is not happy. he put out this statement. i'm going to read part of it. "president obama is abdicating his responsibility as commander in chief and undermining the authority of future presidents. if assad's use of chemical weapons against civilians deserves a military response, and i believe it does, and if the president is seeking congressional approval, then he should call congress back into session at the earliest date." >> now, republican senator rand paul thinks the president made the right call. here's paul's statement. he said, "i am encouraged president obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in syria. this is the most important decision any president or any

senator must make, and it deserves vigorous debate." >> plenty of other members of congress are eager to chime in on the president's decision. democrats, republicans. and most of them agree with the president's move. >> i have seen the evidence, and it is clear and compelling that assad has used chemical weapons. these are weapons of mass destruction against his own people. and i don't think among the family of civilized nations that we can allow him to get away with this. >> i am very glad that president obama has listened to the bipartisan calls for him to go to congress and seek congressional authorization before any possible use of force in syria. that was the right thing to do. and in making that decision, it seems he agrees that there is no imminent threat requiring action

before congress can consider the issues and make the decision. >> assad has violated all the norms of civilized behavior, and he needs to be taught a lesson. >> under what authority do we place our young men and women in harm's way without the u.n. national security, without the u.n., without great britain, without france, without anybody supporting us? where is there any statement in our constitution or otherwise that america has an obligation to get rid of evil people? >> the objective is simply to express disapproval, that i think that objective is ill served. we are not the world's policeman. >> now, as we're hearing from members of congress, remember, they are still in recess. we're hearing from a few of them. and most of the people who are speaking out are pleased with the idea that they will get to

consult on this. >> they want input. >> they will get to chime in. we do not know yet what the final decision will be from congress. that will happen some time in mid-september, maybe even later. >> yeah, still very up in the air, and that's what's so sort of fascinating in a way about this decision that he made. we just don't know exactly what's going to happen. but still to come, there are also people from coast to coast who are on the fence about this. they're taking to the streets. >> stop the war! >> why these protesters and others across the country want the u.s. to stay out of syria. [ male announcer ] when you have sinus pressure and pain, you feel...squeezed. congested. beat down. crushed. as if the weight of the world is resting on your face.

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welcome back to "new day." we've learned this morning that a legendary broadcaster has passed away. >> british journalist sir david frost was probably best known in the u.s. for his interviews with richard nixon after he resigned the presidency. the bbc says frost was giving a speech on board the "queen elizabeth" cruise ship last night when he had a fatal heart attack. frost was 74 years old. british prime minister david cameron tweeted in response to this. he said "my heart goes out to david frost's family. he could be and certainly was with me, both a friend and a fearsome interviewer." new this morning, nelson mandela has been discharged from a south african hospital. >> the 95-year-old former president had been hospitalized since june 8th because of a lung infection. >> mr. mandela will continue recovering at home but he is in critical and at some times unstable condition, according to the south african president, jacob zuma's office. there's been a spike in

radiation levels at the fukushima nuclear power plant in japan that was left crippled by a tsunami two years ago. the radiation there was measured in the pipes in containers that hold water at the facility. >> tepco is the company in charge of that cleanup. officials say just one drop of contaminated water dripped out of the holding tanks when there was a worker touched the pipe, and there is not a leak. they also said they're making every effort to keep the work clean. tim tebow will not be suiting up in a new england patriots uniform this year. the pats cut him days before the new season kicks off. the former heisman trophy winner is probably the biggest name to get axed this preseason, but always a class act, tebow took to twitter to thank the team for giving him an opportunity, and he vowed to make it back to the nfl. well, you know, it's labor day weekend. >> it is. >> so, that means for many people, except for us, right? >> yeah. >> but i feel like we're sort of part of your last trip to the beach and the barbecue, because here we are, right, sort of joining you. but a lot of folks are out there trying to get a little sun in still. >> although there's no burger

here, there is no, like, barbecued food. >> where is it? can we get some burgers? >> i know, can i get some chips? okay, let's get to what we're really talking about, maybe the thunderstorms and rain that could disrupt this holiday. let's bring in kara mcginnca ka cnn weather center. >> i know you were traumatized by all the dragoncon events -- >> yes, i thought it was halloween. >> either that or tim tebow. but i think this will smooth things over just a little bit. take a look at this beautiful, beautiful picture we've been watching over the last few minutes as the sun rises over beautiful anna maria island. >> it's like we're there! >> it is! it's gorgeous! we've been watching people fish and just walking around. it is a stunning picture. this afternoon, though, could see some thunderstorms. frontal system is sweeping towards the east in its wake. we'll see those showers and thunderstorms increase even more as we go into monday. yeah, that's what you wanted to hear. temperatures soaring into the 80s and 90s, triple digits in south texas.

yesterday we saw 104 in dallas. should be about 97 degrees coming up for tomorrow. and then for salt lake city, a little brief cooldown, but back up to the 90s again. brianna? >> could we see that sunny picture again, just one more time? oh, it's like, i feel -- oh, i can feel the sun on my skin. >> can you really? >> just need a pina colada. >> i think of these warm nights. i think that's the feeling. >> karen maginnis, thank you so much. have a great weekend. still to come, some people are very critical of the president's decision to get the okay from congress before striking syria. >> still, others are applauding it. so, the question is, what does this mean for president obama's legacy? [ bottle ] okay, listen up!

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bottom of the hour now. welcome back. i'm victor blackwell. >> and i am brianna keilar. and just when it looked like president obama was ready to strike syria, he surprised the world and even some white house insiders by announcing he'd seek approval from congress. >> we now know more, though, about how the president reached his decision. it's pretty fascinating. officials say that around 6:00 eastern time friday, he took a 45-minute walk with his chief of staff, dennis mcdonough, and then he called his top national security advisers into the oval office. officials say that some of the president's closest advisers initially disagreed with him. now, though, the administration is firm in its request for congressional approval. so, president obama reiterated saturday that a decision to strike syria would not include boots on the ground. >> now, after careful deliberation, i have decided the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets. this would not be an open-ended intervention. we would not put boots on the

ground. instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope. over the last several days, we've heard from members of congress who want their voices to be heard. i absolutely agree. so, this morning i spoke with all four congressional leaders, and they've agreed to schedule a debate and then a vote as soon as congress come back into session. >> the white house is expected to hold a classified briefing for members of congress this afternoon. congress is out of session until september 9th, which means a vote on the use of force will not come at least until then. >> well, let's try now to put this all into context and consider how this could affect the remainder of president obama's presidency and also its place in history. joining us now from austin, texas, is douglas brinkley. he is a historian at rice university. thanks, doug, for being with us. and first off, i want to get

your sense of what you think the reasoning is behind the president's decision here to ask congress for authorization. is this about deliberating or is this about saving face or maybe even looking for a way out of this? >> well, i think it was to start it off being blind-sided by great britain. we cannot underestimate what a blow that was to have our great ally, great britain, say we're not going to be part of this. you have to go it alone. once stripped of that key ally, it started looking like there was no coalition of the willing. it would be the united states, turkey, saudi arabia and possibly france going in. that wasn't enough of an international mandate. i think it showed that nato is becoming quite ineffective, that once you have the united states and britain on the opposite page, and the president couldn't rely on nato as we did in places like bosnia, for example, or a more recent intervention in libya, so, he felt quite

isolated, the president, and he drew his own red line. and i think when he took that walk you just talked about, he decided, look, i have to make this america's red line, i have to make it congress's red line. and, hence, he picked this strategy. >> do you think he really has a shot with congress here? >> it's very tough. doable in the senate, for sure, although i'm not convinced he's going to get the vote even in the senate, but it's very doable there. congress is going to be tough. he has to, right off the bat, start convincing his base, antiwar liberals, people that you're starting to, you know, come from california or new york, liberal constituents who have said that enough of iraq, i've had enough of afghanistan, i don't want to be brought into another middle eastern war. and this was such a national security emergency, we would have acted immediately. now we're just stalling while congress is on recess to take a vote. the president has lost momentum. he's going to try to pick it up

hard today. you're going to see john kerry being circulated around all the talk shows, and they have to do a full court press now to convince congressmen, really vote by vote, they're going to be calling on them to do whatever they can to turn this into the favor of intervention, a strike against syria. >> but let's say, doug, congress says no or the house says no, and you have democrats and republicans who at this point we know will not authorize the use of force. if congress says no, it's difficult to see how lacking support from great britain, lacking support from congress, that president obama would go ahead with a strike. let's say that's the end game. there is no strike. how, then, will the president be judged here by history in spelling out a red line, allowing syria to cross that red line, and there not being any repercussions? >> he won't be judged well. it will seem like a bit of a

bungle, to put it mildly, because once you raise the stakes up in a world and say if you cross a certain line, it's going to force an action by the united states, then the u.s. doesn't act, it's a black eye for the president and for the nation as a whole. he will try to keep the moral high ground and say, you know, the next time chemical weapons are used, if they are used again in syria or somewhere else, he's going to say i told you so. we had to confront this evil head on when we saw it. instead, we've kicked the can down the line. and so, maybe history will treat him okay from a moral point of view, if you like, but from a just geostrategic, you know, chess-playing move, this is not going to go well for the president in history if he can't get this vote. >> what did you see yesterday's decision as? did you see it as a blunder? do you see it as the best of bad options? how would you describe it? >> i think it's the best of bad

options. i think the president's largely right about, you know, we can't live in a world where chemical weapons are being used. and i think the more you read the intelligence report and you think about the gassing of boys and girls and women and villages in such a heinous way, it gets your gander up. when we consider this is right on the israeli bard border and have a mad man like assad, a despicable player stockpiling and using chemical weapons, it is a serious international threat. but i think the president has decided to go bush 41, if you like. back in the original gulf war, you know, we had the iraqi invasion of kuwait. that was in the summer, august of '90. we didn't go in with our troops until '91 and do military action in january of '91, meaning some months went past and we went around and took the temperature and tried to gather up support, both in congress and around the

world. and so, you see the president going a little more that route than the george w. bush route. >> sort of war-light, if you will, maybe. historian douglas brinkley, thank you so much. appreciate your time. >> thank you. now, coming up later this morning, john kerry is going to be on cnn. >> the secretary of state joins our gloria borger to talk about the situation in syria and the u.s. response. "state of the union" is right here at 9:00 a.m. eastern. a lot of people are asking why is america the world's policeman? why is the u.s. responsible for calming the violence in places like syria? more on the debate. that's next on "new day." [ lane ] are you growing old waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula. to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®.

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welcome back. while the pentagon gets ready for a possible strike on syria, damascus is likely making precipitations of its own.

>> cnn's tom foreman spoke with retired army general james spider marks about what steps the syrian military might be taking to brace for an assault. >> every hour, every day that the debate goes on here is more time in which syria can, no doubt, get ready. just a few days ago, there would have been satellite signals and radar signals and telephone signals, all sorts of things we could hone in on or u.s. forces could hone in on. now you would expect something different. >> absolutely, tom. assad may be a monster, but he is very clever. he's unplugged all of his systems that emanate a signal. he's intentionally going to black right now so it's harder for us to find him. >> so, even if we know where a facility is, if the u.s. knows where a facility is, it's hard to know what would even be there now. for example, if you had an office that handles radar communications or command and control, what would be in that facility now? >> until we open the door, we don't know. we think we know, but we have to assume at this point that all the contents of those fixed facilities have been packaged up and distributed throughout the

countryside. >> what about things like missiles and rockets? >> if weapons system's not being used, it's in a garrison facility. again, we probably would see those weapons systems dispersed to places where they wouldn't be effective, like underneath overpasses. >> and you can't move air fields, but you certainly can move aircraft. >> i would bet you right now those aircraft are already in iran. in fact, let me tell you something else. when we invaded iraq, saddam hussein buried his aircraft in the dirt. >> unbelievable, some of the things that might be done out there with this much run-up time. and this is radically different than what we have seen in recent years from the israelis, who have really emphasized the element of surprise. >> tom, the israelis will not give up the element of surprise, and they don't spend time building a coalition. for example, in september 2007, the israelis struck a nuclear facility in eastern syria and destroyed it, and just last month, they attacked syrian antiship cruise missiles in

latka and destroyed them as well. >> when did the u.s. find out about those attacks? >> after they were finished. >> that's a very different world and makes a different playing field right now as both the country of syria and the united states wait to see what's coming next. >> tom foreman, thank you. we told you how politicians in the u.s. are reacting to the president's surprise decision on syria, but what's the reaction around the globe? >> coming up on "new day," we'll gauge the world's response and bring you a live report from london. deejay robbie wild lives in a world of rhythm and bass. he just can't hear it. severe ear infections as a child left wild completely deaf in his right ear and 80% deaf in his

left. >> my mom was crying when my doctor said it. me being the one with the hearing loss, i went up to my mom, and i'm like, mom, it's okay, i'm going to be all right, i promise you. like, you'll see, i'll be fine. >> although hearing is the most important sense in a deejay's life, wilde was still determined to make it. he went to deejay school to learn the art of turntablism, and he relies on a computer to see the music. red is a kick from the bass, blue, that's a snare, greens are vocals. >> you know, i don't want them to see me as a deaf deejay or a deaf kid trying to deejay. i want you to see me as a great deejay that happens to be deaf, you know? because i don't want sympathy, i don't want let's give him a gate because he's hearing-impaired. >> wilde's skills got noticed by hp, also earned him a spot in a commercial, thrusting him on to the world stage. >> it doesn't matter that i can't hear the music.

>> besides, wilde says, some things are just better left unheard. >> you know, there's a lot of sounds out in the world you don't want to hear. i like it muffled, you know, because it's -- i like who i am, i'm proud of who i am. >> dr. sanjay gupta, cnn reporting. ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪

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it is very clear tonight that while the house has not passed a motion, it is clear to me that the british parliament, reflecting the views of the british people, does not want to see british military action. i get that, and the government will act accordingly. >> that was british prime minister david cameron explaining why his country would not join a proposed u.s. military action against syria. it was a very big announcement related to a very special relationship, and it came as a surprise to many, given the uk has traditionally been america's most reliable ally. cnn's erin mclaughlin is in london with more. erin, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, victor. british prime minister david cameron was quick to take to twitter last night, tweeting, "i understand and support barack obama's speech. many of his proponents here

pointing to the president's speech yesterday as a validation of sorts of the prime minister's own decision-making process, the decision, of course, to take the vote to parliament regarding potential military intervention in syria, a vote that was shocking to many a shocking defeat. members of his own party calling it a botched rushed job. the vote also calls into question the special relationship between the united kingdom and the united states. fears that the president put to rest yesterday in his speech in which he called britain the united states' closest ally. elsewhere in europe, the president's speech having an impact in france. members of the opposition now calling on french president francois olan to put france's own potential military intervention to a vote. the french president has been a proponent of a limited

coalition-backed military action in france. something as deeply unpopular in france, the latest opinion polls show as many as two-thirds of the population in france are not in support of france's military intervention, so now there's a debate scheduled for parliament in france on september 4th. following that debate, now opposition leaders are asking for olan to put it to a vote, which he at the moment is not constitutionally obliged to do. victor? >> thank you. thousands of protesters here opposed military action took to the streets from boston to indianapolis to dallas, los angeles. people making their position clear. >> obama! >> hands off syria! >> obama! >> hands off syria! >> i think the most significant thing about president obama's speech today is you could hear in the background people

chanting "hands off syria" from a mass demonstration outside the white house. >> don't bomb syria! don't bomb syria! >> how do you solve a conflict where they're killing their people by dropping bombs and killing their people? >> an investigation needs to be done to find out who the perpetrators are, not necessarily using military action against anyone yet. [ chants ] >> we say no war! we say no war! >> i want the american president to know that we want peace. we don't want war. leave him alone to take care of his government, because people are dying every day, and he's just making everything -- everything worse, and we don't want that. >> the people have spoken on this war. polls show that over 90% of the american public do not want military strikes.

>> well, there is a lot of debate right now over whether the u.s. should be the world's super cop, responsible for policing other countries' problems. >> many members of the president's own party cannot agree. >> we are not the world's policeman. that is not our responsibility. if the united nations decides to authorize members, including the united states, to do something about it, then that is a bridge we can cross at that point. >> others, though, say, yes, the u.s. should step in. >> anderson cooper has why. >> we are the great power, and we are the organizer of world order. we provide world order. we protect world order. and chris is right. the case of the turks, they could do more. they would do more. but they would follow american leadership. so would the saudis. so would the jordanians. it is the virgin of americana. the american peace is what keeps the world intact. in the united states doesn't do it, no one else will do it.

>> on ac 360 on friday. >>. >> the massive fire in yosemite national park, changing gears here, it is still burning, and now officials say the fight could take longer than they initially thought. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+.

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that's the reason i'm here. -- maria island in florida, and sort of taking everyone, victor, if you're not away getting beach time on this labor

day, well, look, we're bringing it to you. it's exactly the same thing, isn't it? >> and i happen to love the music, too. throw in a little earth, wind, and fire. give me a sunrise. and we saw some jet skis going by. >> paddle boards. people are having fun there. >> it looks like fun. >> almost like we're there. almost. >> no, no. >> not quite. >> actually, nothing like we're there. >> okay. that's true. >> looks like fun. >> beautiful. and the bird there. you know the wildfire that's burning in yosemite national park? this is pretty amazing, because it may not be contained until october 20th, we're learning. that's a month later than originally predicted. >> this is the rim fire. it's now the fourth largest wildfire in california history. more than 340 square miles have burned, but firefighters, they are making progress. they say the fire's now 40% contained. investigators in california are trying to figure out why a house in l.a. collapsed. just in the middle of a neighborhood here. authorities say the homeless used this abandoned home as a

shelter there. were fears some people could have been trapped, but the fire department did not find anyone. and no injuries have been reported. all right. imagine finding this in your backyard. >> see? you get perspective when he runs by the tree. >> and when he starts looking in the window. >> he seems tiny, and you realize he's huge. so kids and their parents were on high alert in texas. that's because this large exotic lizard was on the loose. we're talking a four-foot lizard here, and as you can see, he was a fast mover. >> yeah, managed to pull off a couple of quick escapes. but they eventually captured this unexpected visitors. captured, put into a cage. yeah. can you hear people in the video screaming. >> that would have freaked me out, as well. thanks so much for starting your morning with us. >> we have more ahead on the next hour of "new day," which starts right now.

after careful deliberation, i have decided that the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets. >> the president has made his decision, but will congress agree? the military strike that once seemed right around the corner now appears to be farther off on the horizon. there will be no end to the test of our resolve and the dangers that will flow from those others who believe that they can do as they will. it was one of his bolder speeches as secretary of state. but after president obama appears to have put the brakes on an imminent strike, does john kerry's address sound like a misfire? late-night meetings, rendezvouses behind closed doors, this is not some romantic terrorist. it's behind the scenes at the white house. we have the real story about how the president made his decision. good morning, everyone, i'm

brianna keilar. >> and this is "new day sunday." first thing this morning, the president's stunning decision to take his plan for a strike on syria for a vote. we are covering all of the angles for you on "new day." >> the political risks, the wait, the behind-the-scenes moves that led the president to change his mind and wait for congress to debate and vote. >> after careful deliberation, i have decided that the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets. it should not be an open-ended intervention. we would not put boots on the ground. instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope. but i'm confident we can hold the assad regime accountable for their use of chemical weapons, deter this kind of behavior, and

degrade their capacity to carry it out. our military has positioned assets in the region. the chairman of the joint chiefs has informed me that we are prepared to strike whenever we choose. moreover, the chairman has indicated to me that our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive. it will be effective tomorrow or next week or one month from now. and i'm prepared to give that order. but having made my decision as commander in chief based on what i am convinced is our national security interests, i'm also mindful that i'm the president of the world's oldest constitutional democracy. i've long believed that our power is rooted not just in our military might but in our example as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. and that's why i've made a second decision. i will seek authorization for

the use of force from the american people's representatives. -- congress who want their voices to be heard. i absolutely agree. so in morning i spoke with all four congressional leaders, and they've agreed to skchedule a debate and a vote sngs congress comes back into session. in the coming days, my administration stands ready to provide every member with the information they need to understand what happened in syria and why it has such profound implications for america's national security. >> well, the president, we've learned, decided to seek congressional approval friday night. and not everyone on his staff agreed with him. >> cnn's senior white house correspondent jim acosta has the behind-the-scenes details. >> reporter: in a city that feasts on political theater, it was high drama just past high noon as president obama told the

world he had pulled back from the brink of a military strike against syria. >> i will seek authorization for the use of force from the american people's representatives in congress. >> reporter: aides to the president say mr. obama decided to go in a different direction at almost the last minute, at approximately 6:00 p.m. friday. the president made the stunning change in plans to seek congressional authorization, and then went for a walk. a 45-minute walk, in fact, with his chief of staff, dennis mcdonough. at approximately 7:00 p.m., the president announced his decision to his national security staff, sparking a heated debate. he then started to spread the word, calling vice president biden, secretary of state john kerry, and defense secretary chuck hagel. saturday morning, mr. obama convened a principals meeting with top national security and intelligence officials to finalize the decision. >> the question is what do we, what do we collectively, what we in the world will do about it?

>> reporter: just hours before the obama's abrupt move, secretary of state kerry made an impassioned plea for action. >> we saw rows of children lying side by side sprawled on the hospital floor all of them dead from assad's gas. >> reporter: but aides say what kerry and the rest of the president's team did not know is mr. obama had been privately kicking around the idea of seeking approval from congress for days, as kerry was turning up the heat, the president seemed to be turning it down. >> i am very clear that the world generally is war-weary. certainly the united states has gone through over a decade of war. the american people understandably want us to be focused on the business of rebuilding our economy here and putting people back to work. and i assure you nobody ends up being more war-weary than me. >> reporter: as it turns out,

administration officials say, the president was listening to members of congress who wanted in on the process. >> i think it's uncouple bent to always obey the constitution. the rule of law is something our country's founded on, and i would ask congress to come together. >> the 64 members of us who signed our letter want to make sure congress is called back in session, debate the issues, the facts, and vote on whether or not we should engage militarily. >> reporter: so on saturday, the president got back on the phone, calling house speaker john boehner and other congressional leaders. >> here's my question for every member of congress and every member of the global community. what message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain sight and pay no price. >> reporter: just minutes later, the president departed the white house with biden to play a round of golf, leaving administration officials scrambling to show a united front. despite the fierce discussion inside the west wing, aides say, the president's team is now fully on board. as for the defense secretary, one senior u.s. official said as a former senator whose views on

the limits of war are well known, it's not hard for chuck hagel to agree with the president. another official said of kerry, no concerns. he was in the senate for 29 years, and has made consultation with congress a huge priority since he became secretary of state. the debate that counts is the one to come, in congress. lawmakers from both parties still have questions. >> in my view, u.s. military force is justified only to protect the vital national security interests of the united states. and to date, the administration has not focused on those interests. >> i don't see where america is threatened. i don't see where our national security is threatened. and perhaps between now and the time we get back in september the 9th, the president will have information that would allow the congress to effectively see where this danger is. >> cnn's jim acosta joins us

from the white house. we just heard from cruz and rangel who both are questioning the case for action in syria. what if congress says no? can the president still act without congress? >> reporter: victor, that is going to be the big question over the next couple of weeks. and administration officials that i tacked to yesterday, they fully acknowledge that this plan carries with it some risks. they do realize that the congress could come back from their august recess and vote no. but the administration officials that i spoke with yesterday said even if congress says no, the president reserves the right to take action. they say that is within his constitutional authority, and they are not ceding that to the congress. victor? >> all right, jim, thank you. next hour, secretary of state john kerry on cnn. >> he joins cnn's gloria borger to talk about the situation in syria and the u.s. response. "state of the union" airs at 9:00 a.m. eastern. while washington debates what to do, the violence in syria is not letting up.

>> this video was uploaded to youtube this weekend. it shows an explosion in the suburb of damascus, and syrian forces have taken about a five-hour break from shelling. but they resumed those attacks on rebel areas right after president obama announced his decision to get congressional approval for a strike. 39 people were reportedly killed across syria on saturday alone. ten of them children. the u.s. military had its finger on the trigger and an attack on syria appeared imminent. now, any strike will wait. >> let's talk about our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, does this wait hinder the u.s. military in any way? does it perhaps help the syrian regime, which sees what the president has done as sort of blinking? >> reporter: well, let's go to the syrian regime first, brianna and victor. a senior administration official

tells me that they have intelligence, he won't specify what it is, that the syrian regime forces are now in a so-called defensive crouch, that they've dispersed, they're trying to avoid any u.s. attack. i would think the videos we're seeing coming out of syria suggests that that may not fully be the case in all instances. syrian forces still quite capable of by all accounts of attacking their own people. so the syrian forces not yet blinking really. on the u.s. side, the question is can the u.s. military wait this out and still target those areas in syria that they are ordered to target? yes. you know, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff has told the president, a spokesman telling me, quote, we continue to refine our targeting based on the most recent intelligence, and the chairman assured the president that we would have appropriate targeting options ready when he called for them.

that from a spokesman for general martin dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs. what we're looking at here is they will keep intelligence eyes on syria, look at this moving around of syrian forces, and retarget the u.s. missiles to be ready when the president calls for them. >> barbara, the u.s. apparently has taken a cyber threat from syria quite seriously. what do you know about that? >> reporter: right. u.s. law enforcement officials are looking at this. you know, "the new york times" website went down for several days, believed to be by a group of syrian-backed or syrian cyber attackers, so there's a good deal of concern a cyber attack from pro-regime elements could be one form of retaliation. what the law enforcement is basically saying is that they want to look at any possibilities, look at their case files, see if there's any possibilities, keep their eyes open for any kind of other

retaliation from the syrians, from the iranians, or anybody who might want to retaliate if they see a u.s. strike coming. >> barbara starr for us at the pentagon. thank you. coming up in about 20 minutes, we'll be talking with a pair of military experts about the wait, how it might impact the syrian strike should it ever take place. a slim majority of americ s americans, they do not support u.s. military action against syria, according to a nbc news poll. it found 50% oppose action. 42% support it. >> the public is more supportive when the scope is limited just to cruise missiles, no boots on the ground. for that, the numbers practically flip. 50% in support and 44% against. >> meantime, the vast majority, a 79% here, say the president should get congressional approval for military action. in just a couple of hours, we could learn what u.n. inspectors might have found in syria. more on that. plus, protesters letting the

president and congress know where they stand on a military strike. >> i want to let the american president know that we want peace. we don't want war. too many people alone -- (unintelligible) -- take care of his government, people are dying every day, and he's making everything worse. and we don't want that. so please stay out of syria and stay out of the middle east. you're making everything worse. [ bottle ] okay, listen up! i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. [ all gasp ] oj, veggies -- you're cool. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah!

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24 hours. zero heartburn. thousands of people across the country taking to the streets to tell the u.s. kwoft they oppose military action in syria. >> they're making their voices heard and demanding president obama back down. >> obama! >> hands off syria!

>> obama! >> hands off syria! >> i think the most significant then about president obama's speech today is that you could hear in the background people chanting "hands off syria" from a mass demonstration that was outside the white house. [ chants ] >> don't bomb syria! don't bomb syria! >> how do you solve a conflict where they're killing their people by dropping bombs and killing their people? >> an investigation needs to be done to find out who the perpetrators are, not necessarily using military action against anyone yet. >> the united states is claiming the use of chemical weapons by the assad regime, even though the united nations inspectors have not come out with a conclusion yet. [ chants ] >> we believe that this war is ridiculous. we think that this is just

another attempt for the u.s. to gain imperial power and topple down another government and replace it with a puppet regime. [ chants ] >> we say no war! we say no war! we say no war! >> i want to let the american president know that we want peace. we don't want war. leave him alone, take care of his government, because people are dying every day, and he's just making it -- making everything in syria worse, and we don't want that. >> the people have spoken on this war. polls show that over 90% of the american public do not want military strikes. >> well, the u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon is expected an important phone call, it's from the chemical weapons inspectors. we'll take you to the latest after the break.

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the u.n. secretary general is talking to the head of the chemical weapons inspections team this morning. about 90 minutes from now, we

could learn what they found in syria. the u.n. is scheduled a briefing for 10:00 eastern time. so far, the security council has not drawn up a resolution calling for military strikes. cnn's nick paton walsh is at the u.n. nick, what can you tell us about what will happen today? >> reporter: we're probably just going to hear some element of technical details about how this process of testing, samples taken from the sites of the alleged chemical weapons sites, is going. the doctor that's gone with the samples to the hague in the netherlands where they will be tested, some of them, flown there on a government-chartered plane. he will be briefing the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon about how the process is going and we'll hear about that briefing from the u.s. spokesman. they've been at paints to point out they'll not be giving initial indications of how the tests are going. bear in mind they're just to specify if weapons were used, not who used them. we won't be hearing those potentially for weeks.

the question is, how long will this take? barack obama said the u.n. is completely paralyzed, they're not really interested in making their case t will feed into global public opinion. so one expert's telling me a week until we see the full reports. in fact, the inspectors themselves, the organization, many of them work for the prohibition of chemical weapons, they said it could take as long as three weeks. people are really watching the clock here, and really the lab results, every cough and spit, how that proceeds will be scrutinized, victor. >> and we said the u.n. security council has not drawn up a resolution for military strike in syria, but even if they were to draw that up, it wouldn't get very far, would it? >> reporter: well, that's why barack obama says this building is completely paralyzed. when it comes to syria, it's deadlocked. russians and chinese will veto resolutions against the assad regime and anything they would put forward. to do so, it's likely to be

vetoed by the u.s., u.k., and france. that's where it falls apart. that's where we saw last week where the u.k. before the disastrous failure to get their own motion through in parliament there, in the government, put forward a resolution to potential military authorization, but many said they were going through the motions because some believe, legal advisors are saying, you have to have exhausted all options at the united nations before you can contemplate taking force on your own. people will be watching here to see what burden of proof they can provide in the weeks of ahead. the question is, will we hear a definitive yes or no from the u.n. as to whether chemical weapons were used. they won't say who did it. will we hear the yes or no before or during congress' debates, vekter? >> the president said the u.s. has a responsibility here. we'll see what congress has to say about that. nick paton walsh, thank you. now, even the president, as we've seen, can change his mind. but when he does, the fallout

can be global. [ explosions ] syrians killing syrians. whether the weapon is rockets or gas, the u.s. will wait. i'll talk with our military guests shortly. ingeniously uses radar to alert you to possible collision threats. and in certain situations it can apply the brakes. introducing the all-new 2014 chevrolet impala with available crash imminent braking. always looking forward. while watching your back. that's american ingenuity to find new roads. and recently the 2013 chevrolet impala received the j.d. power award for highest ranked large car in initial quality.

but for all these symptoms, you also take kaopectate. kaopectate gives you soothing relief for all those symptoms. kaopectate. one and done. bottom of the hour now. welcome back, everyone. i'm brianna keilar. >> i'm victor blackwell. the obama administration today starts making its case for military action against syria. the president has said the u.s.

should use force, but it wants congressional authorization. in a few hour, the president will hold a classified briefing for members of congress, but there won't be a vote anytime soon, we expect. congress is in recess, or at least the house is, until september 9th. number two, the u.n. secretary-general is talking with the head of the chemical weapons inspection team. that's going to happen today. we could learn soon what they found. especially in syria, a briefing is set for 10:00 a.m. eastern time at the united nations in new york. number three, radiation levels spike at the damage add fukushima nuclear power plant in japan. it was measured in the pipes in the containers that hold water at the facility. officials in charge of the cleanup say one drop of contaminated water fell from the holding tanks, and that there's no leak. number four, nelson mandela has been discharged from a south african hospital. he was hospitalized june 8th because of a lung infection. though he's headed home, the frail former president is still in critical and at times unstable condition.

that's according to the office of the south african president. and number five, the death of a broadcasting icon, sir david frost, might be best known in the u.s. for his interviews with richard nixon after his resignation. the bbc reports that frost had a fatal heart attack last night during a speech. he was 74 years old. the u.s. military poised and ready to strike syria, then president obama announces he wants a vote from congress. that could be several weeks away. let's bring in lieutenant commander jack wiles, a former f-14 fighter jet pilot. his navy flight training is used -- model target, and david, a former military advisor to president reagan and has written extensively on afghanistan. good morning, gentlemen, to both of you. >> good morning.

>> good morning. >> david, first to you, we heard from a senior administration official yesterday who said that martin dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said the timing here doesn't matter, that a delay does not affect the u.s.'s capability to strike syria. is that accurate? >> no, it's going to either affect it one way or the other. you can either bring more forces into the region, commit more forces in the position to participate in the strike, or the forces that are there will have to be sustained, refuelled, retired. so it can go up or go down, but it's going to be expensive and difficult to keep it on station. >> and, jack, can you talk about this a little bit? you're a former navy pilot, certainly you were in the past very used to being at the ready. talk about what this means for the u.s. navy. they're stationed there in the mediterranean.

they, i'm assuming, as we were, were fully prepared to literally just go as soon as the president said the word. what does this mean for them? >> well, it's really almost operations as normal for the navy, and particularly these ships. they're stationed in the eastern mediterranean right now. when these ships go overseas for six to nine-month deployments like they are now, from their u.s. bases, they're prepared 24/7 to follow any orders to be at any location sand be prepared to execute any mission. so to be real honest, this is the navy's normal operating procedure. if these ships weren't here, they'd be somewhere else in the mediterranean or in the persian gulf region, perhaps, patroll g patrolling, doing exercises, training, being ready for calls just like this. so this is not, at least for now, causing any type of abnormal operations for their ships. >> so this is part of it. they're at the ready, or ready to even stand down. david, as a military advisor, talk a little about this. we understand certainly, you know, some americans are going

to look at the president's decision, and this he will read this as he is deliberating more. but syria, and we're talking about the government, we're also talking about the rebels, see this as a bit of a blink, might be the understatement, actually. how does this affect the president's -- how does this affect the president's strategy when it comes to syria? >> well, certainly it's come to a crucial decision. in 2011, when president obama said assad has got to go, he was -- he was losing the war. the day this chemical weapons attack happened, assad and his forces were winning the civil war in syria. so both sides are looking to the united states to change that, and they're also looking in terms of the greater middle east. you're seeing increased conflicts not just in egypt, but

throughout the region, especially along sectarian fault lines. and there is, of course, people looking at the edge region to iran and afghanistan. >> and with a limited cruise missile strike, it's send a message to syria and then the hope of the administration then would be, and that's where it ends. the wild card would be, though, how syria might respond, how its allies might respond. can you sort of describe what type of retaliation we could see in response to a strike? >> it's really hard to predict. i've read the last few day as lot of prognosis about more, like, civilian-focused terrorist attacks in the region, and also the military option that syria does possess. they have aircraft, hopefully we'll neutralize in this strike if this takes place. if there are any cruise -- any ship cruise missiles that syria has the ability to launch into the mediterranean.

i'm sure u.s. military forces are fully prepared for that and very aware of what their capabilities are from a military standpoint. i think the wild card is retaliation in a more nonconventional matter that could impact the region and more strategically. >> jack, david, thank you for being with us. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> a program reminder, in less than 30 minutes, secretary of state john kerry talks about the situation in syria and the u.s. response. that's on "state of the union" at 9:00 a.m. eastern here on cnn. next on "new day," he's always in the shadows, never seen in public. we'll hear you my he may be more brutal whand it means for the future of syria. [ lane ] do you ever feel like you're growing old waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? clinically proven neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin in just one week.

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all morning we've been telling you about syrian president bashar al assad's unusual relatives. >> some say theirs is like a mafia family, like the "sopranos." the assads are powerful, rich, very se very secretive. bashar's little brother may be the most violent and dangerous of them all. cnn's brian todd reports, and we should warn you that a few of the images early in this story may be disturbing. >> reporter: many decisions on the us of brute force inside the syrian regime are connected not only to president bashar al assad, but also to a man a couple of years younger, often by the president's side, always in the shadows. his brother mahir.

>> he is the kneecapper. he is in charge of securing, keeping the regime in power. >> reporter: considered more brutal than his brother, the muscle in the family, maher assad controls the elite syrian units composed of muslims, the same sect as the clan. he has something else in his portfolio. >> maher have come to control the ghost, paramilitary forces. >> reporter: forces that some say carried out massacres of syrian villagers. his actions once led turkey's prime minister to publicly slam him, saying he's chasing after savagery. ted is a former u.s. ambassador to syria who met with the assad family. what is the real influence he has over his brother? >> i think his brother has to be wary of him, because he's a hot head, and he's known to be a hot head, and he's known not to have particularly great judgment.

but, you know, when you're a head of a mafia-like regime, you depend upon enforcers. >> reporter: a role maher's relished, experts say, for many years. there's one legendary account that his sister was set to marry someone who wasn't up to the family's standards. >> he is said to have shot his brother-in-law in the stomach in the early days, before the brother-in-law was before his brother-in-law, but trying to marry busha, and the father did not approve, thought he was low, and maher was already the enforcer before the father died. >> reporter: the brother-in-law was killed in a rebel bomb attack on the syrian cabinet a year ago. maher was believed to have been wounded in that attack and hasn't been seen since. >> we don't even know -- there's rumors his leg was blown off, badly wounded. this could be true. we don't know exactly what condition he is in today. >> reporter: if maher al assad is alive and helping his brother, they'd be following a menacing trouble tradition.

their late father placed his own brother as head of important syrian security units. he was reported as a key figure before a 1982 massacre in the city of hameh in which tens of thousands of civilians were killed. coming up, as president obama spoke yesterday at the rose garden, the world was watching. what the syrian opposition is saying about the speech. [ lane ] are you growing old waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula. to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®. i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. [ all gasp ] oj, veggies -- you're cool. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! 'cause i'm re-workin' the menu, keeping her healthy and you on your toes. [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure.

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the president's decision to wait on congressional approval, striking -- before striking syria drew a sharp response from the syrian opposition. >> ivan watson is just across the border in turkey. >> reporter: members of the syrian opposition have expressed great disappointment with the announcement made by the u.s. president that he would seek congressional approval for the use of force against the

government in syria. of course, many members of the armed rebellion and the political opposition groups were very much looking forward to the chance to strike some blows against the number-one adversary of this syrian opposition movement, and quite disappointed that what seemed to have been an imminent attack would now be delayed at least a week, possibly two weeks, possibly even more. a spokesman for the syrian national coalition based out of dohar, qatar, he said he was taken by surprise by obama's announcement and, quote, our fear now is the lack of action could embolden the regime. and some social media statements we've seen with some opposition activists in syria, basically calling president obama a coward for not using force against their number-one enemy, bashar al assad. here in turkey, the turkish government was also very much lobbying hard for the u.s. to

take a strong military role and operation against the assad regime. turkish government officials telling cnn that the obama statement was, quote, a firm expression of u.s. determination to act and that basically the turnish -- turkish government would respect the democratic process to seek approval for the use of force. the refugee situation continues here. there are more than 200,000 syrian refugees living in a network of camps in turkey. many more living outside of the camps. and there was a trickle of refugee families coming in to turkey in recent days, some of them fearing that they could get caught up in any potential imminent u.s. military operat n operation, one that clearly seems to have been at the very least delayed. ivan watson, cnn, hataei, turkey. when we come back, we'll look at other news making headlines.

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because, bad weather the price of oil those are every airlines reality. and solutions won't come from 500 tons of metal and a paint job. they'll come from people. delta people. who made us one of the biggest airlines in the world. and then decided that wasn't enough. welcome back. one of the biggest names in football is out of a job. >> that's right. the new england patriots released tim tebow, and jared greenberg is here with more in this morning's "bleacher report." so he's gone? >> yeah, you can add tebow's

name of 7.4% of americans without a job. the quarterback was cut by an nfl team for the second time in four months. the patriots cut him on saturday morning. tebow was a great college quarterback, but struggled to run an nfl offense. in three preseason games for new england, he completed less than 37% of his passes, getting sacked seven times. this summer, tebow is arguably the only third-string quarterback nfl fans could identify in a lineup. now he'll try to find a new home, and if he does, it will be the fourth different nfl franchise to employ tebow since he was drafted back in 2010. johnnie manle, largest than life character, suspended for the opener, and then announced he is back, letting his arm and his mouth do the talking in the second half. on his second drive of the season, he finds mike evans and the rout for the aggies was on. in the fourth quarter, he rolls out, side-arm toss again, evans the recipient. the sophomore was feeling good about himself, jawing with the

defender from rice. refs, they didn't find it funny. they flag him for unsportsmanlike conduct. it was a penalty, and then he was pulled by his coach from the game. after throwing three second-half scores, aem wins big, 52-31. trickeration at its finest. try to find the ball. because the camera and the boston college defense certainly couldn't. villanova executing the fake punt to perfection. jamal abdul rahman takes the direct snap. everyone goes right. he goes left. untouched for the first score of the game. you have to take another look at this. what a tremendous play by villanova. but it wasn't enough. bc would go on to win, knocking off nova by 10. >> catch it. you know, you saw it sort of -- jars, as he looks for it. >> trickeration. >> love it. other news, nelson mandela

has been discharged from a hospital. 95 years old, he had been in the hospital since early june because of a lung infection. now, he is headed home. but the frail former president is still in critical, at times unstable, condition. that's according to the office of south africa's president. radiation levels spiking at the japanese nuclear plant devastated two years ago by a tsunami. the levels are showing up in the pipes and the containers that hold water there. the company in charge of the cleanup at fukushima says just one drop of contaminated water dropped out of a holding tank when a worker touched a pipe, and that there is not a leak. the obama administration is ready to give lawmakers even more reason why the u.s. should strike syria. the president has said the u.s. should use force, but he wants congressional authorization first. in a few hours, the president will hold a classified briefing. there won't be a vote anytime soon. congress is in recess until september 9th. convincing congress to side

with him is expected to be a challenge. earlier, i spoke with presidential historian doug brinkley from rice university about that. >> congress is going to be to h tough. he has to, right off the bat, start convincing his base, anti-war liberals, people that are starting to come from california, new york, liberal constituents who have said, i've had enough of iraq, i've had enough of afghanistan, i don't want to be brought into another middle eastern war. and this was such a national security emergency, we would have acted immediately, now we're just stalling while congress is on recess to take a vote. the president has lost momentum. he's going to try to pick it up hard today. you're going to see john kerry being circulated around all of the talk shows. and they have to do a full-court press now to convince congress, really vote by vote, they'll be calling, doing what they can to turn this into the favor of intervention, a strike against syria.

>> well, changing gears now, this is labor day weekend. and a lot of people are taking -- it's the last chance to soak up a little taste of summer sun. but could the thunderstorms ruin your barbecue, maybe the beach plans? let's bring in meteorologist karen mcginnis in the cnn weather center. karen, what can we expect? >> i think poor brianna, she'll be crushed, she won't be for the closing ceremonies of the event, and we have a frontal system making its way to the east. an old frontal boundary will be a trigger for storms. in places like washington, d.c., we have several days of the hot temperatures left. you'll see a cooldown going into the middle of the work week. kansas city at 92. minneapolis 75 for today. 69 in san francisco. smokey in the yosemite valley. but at yosemite, at 40% contained. it's not -- it is in yosemite,

but the entire rim fire that encompasses nearly 223,000 ac s acres, they have it about 40% contained. they still don't know what caused that fire there. but smoky conditions persist. kansas city tomorrow, 85 degrees. if you are headed to the coast, that's when you're looking at a better chance for some storms coming up the next several days, from new orleans towards charleston, and up towards the mid-atlantic, into new england. if you're headed towards boston or perhaps the outer banks, i think there's about a 50/50 chance you'll see some of the showers and storms. monsoon moisture into the desert southwest. even in mojave, they've been rainfall there, and about a 30% likelihood of a few scattered showers right around yosemite. so we'll keep you updated on the weather. >> all right, karen mcginnis, thank you. must-see moment today. you wait for it to happen at

every wedding, right? at some point, things slow down a little, then a relative or two just kind of does something unexpected. >> yes, certainly the case at this wedding in russia. these two guys, they cleared the dance floor and put on a show. now, you know you start off with "my endless love" and you do the same thing, you let the kids dance. and then they kicked it up a notch. high jumps, backflips, traditional russian dancing, it looks like a little break dancing thrown in, too. >> yeah, a little bit of a twist. >> imagine finding this in your backyard. >> i'd freak out. yeah. that's actually what some kids and their parents in texas did when this large, exotic lizard got loose. it was pushing four feet, very fast, as well. >> it managed to pull off a couple of quick getaways, but neighbors ultimately captured this unexpected visitor. he was caught in a cage, and, you know, the shot that really gets me, not that he's running across the lawn, but when he peeks into the window -- >> yes, "hey, what's going on in

there?" tease a creeper, isn't it in. >> kind of a creeper. >> i saw he's a little guy, but then he runs by the tree. >> "state of the union" starts right now. crisis in syria, and conflicting signals at home. >> i have decided that the united states should take military action. >> but not so fast. >> i've made a second decision. i will take this case to congress. >> at stake? american credibility. did the president blink in the face of assad. will the congress deliver the same blow as the british parliament? and what happened to the president's red line? >> this is the indiscriminate, inconceivable hour or of chemical weapons. >> the secretary of state, john kerry, joins us.