that's it. carol, take it away. >> that was short and sweet. have a great labor day. i appreciate it. >> you, too. happening in the "newsroom" cyberattack. a marine recruitment site hacked by the syrian electronic army. one photo saying i did not join the military to get involved in other country's civil wars. plus, breaking this morning, swimming into history. diana nyad 100 miles from havana to the florida keys. just a few miles away from key west. this is what she morning. it's a dream 35 years in the making. will she finally make it. a battle over your paycheck.

how much is a living wage anyway? walmart and washington going head-to-head. can the super store afford to pay their part-timers another 4 bucks an hour? no fancy title, no gigantic castle, but he's pippa's pick. is another middleton ready to get hitched. "newsroom" starts now. good morning from washington, i'm carol costello. we begin with the crisis in syria and new developments holding the world's attention. the u.s. military sends a new warship into the red sea. today united nations inspectors send to a lab the evidence that can prove chemical weapons were unleashed in syria and in washington the results are viewed as a mere formality. here's secretary of state john kerry. >> it has tested positive for signatures of sarin.

so, each day that goes by, this case is even stronger. >> and making the case to congress, president obama faces push back from both parties and his call to authorize military strikes. and take a look at this, the syrian electronic army. the same group that took down "new york times" gets hacked into the marines official recruitment website and it's taunting us. these are pictures of people dressed up like american marines holding up signs saying, "i didn't join the navy to fight for al qaeda in a syrian civil war." another says, you know, at the bottom, "wake up people. ridiculous, right?" good morning, colonel. >> good morning, carol. >> so, what is this? is this part of some psychological operation? >> yeah, that's exactly what it is. we've seen these guys before. they've gone after other targets and go after easy targets.

this is not a very secure site. this is a site in the commercial web space. it's meant to reach people who are interested in joining the marine corps. i don't know what effect it's going to have. the people that go to this site are generally predisposed to joining the marine corps. i think they look at it as a target of opportunity. that's the problem. the problem is what other sites, are they going after the military websites and it's something we need to be aware of. >> yeah, it's just uncomfortable and that's your original point. it might make someone wanting to enter the service like even more eager to enter, actually. perhaps then it's no accident. syria's deputy foreign minister told the bbc any attack against syria is support for al qaeda and its affiliates. just weird that the same sort of message is part of this syrian electronic effort. perhaps this is an effective way to wage psychological war fare when you take it as a whole.

>> the syrian government has been putting out that message for quite some time now. if you look at the syrian government websites and they run a lot of them and it's all over social media, you know, as well as their official broadcast. that's the message they're trying to get across. if you remove us, you're just bringing in al qaeda. it's been pretty effective, i think, in the region. >> let me ask you this, is it true? >> well, there is an element of al qaeda affiliate where, let's say, islamists in the opposition. but the opposition is a wide variety of people. however, if you look at the numbers, most of them are syrians. most of them are defectors from the syrian army or syrian surveillance and join the army. you have to give them credit, they're excellent fighters and fighting in afghanistan and iraq and many of them have come from north africa where they received

training. they're very efebtive on the battlefield. not that many of them compared to the whole rebel cause. so when this is all over and they're successful in bringing down the government, is it going to usher in an al qaeda-based government? i really don't think so. but that's the unknown that everybody is concerned about. >> all right, kernel francona, thanks for your insights this morning. we appreciate it. later the president will meet with republican lawmakers john mccain and lindsey graham. mccain says before he commits to a vote, he wants to know if the administration has a plan to take out assad's regime. our chief congressional correspondent dana bash is on capitol hill this morning. good morning, dana. >> good morning, carol. the president and vice president and others are working the phones and having meetings. probably the meeting you just talked about with john mccain later today is among the most critical not because mccain has been the most vocal at going ahead and being aggressive with

syria but using this vote as leverage to get the administration to better articulate what its plans are after any military strike. if mccain comes out of the white house and authorizing force for the president, it could help sway some skeptical republicans. based on the conversations here, he's going to need all the help he can get. one after another, lawmakers emerged from a classified briefing intended to convince them to authorize force in syria, supremely unconvinced. republicans -- >> the district that i represent is, do not do this. and i honestly didn't hear anything that told me to have a different position. >> i'm a no based on the information that i have now. >> reporter: many of the presidents fellow democrats. >> i'm still very skeptical about the president's proposal. it's not clear to me that we know what the results of this attack will be. meaning, will it be effective? >> if it were taken today, would it be yes or no?

>> janice hunt took the red eye from california seeking answers, but left with lots of questions. >> we want there to be some consequences. what is that? is that just going to war and is that bombing or is that killing more people? i'm not there yet. >> reporter: to be sure, the president does have some support. where are you right now? are you a yes or a no? >> i'm a yes. >> reporter: to get enough yeses to pass, one thing is clear. this version of authorization, the white house said congress saturday night must be changed. >> the single biggest concern among the members may very well have been a very broad request for authority with a supposedly very narrow intent to do anything. >> reporter: that concern is bipartisan. lawmakers say they want to limit the authority they'd give the president, specify a time frame for military strikes that make crystal clear no boots on the ground.

that language, in fact, under way already to try to do that, to try to answer some of the concerns of lawmakers. and, carol, just want to give you a window into the political argument that i'm told that the white house is making. at least it was made in the classified briefing yesterday. the gist of it is what would the world think of the u.s. if we were to vote this down? of course, a lot of lawmakers came out and said what would we think of a military strike that went awry? >> dana bash live on capitol hill this morning. other stories we're following at eight minutes past the hour. two-hour long firefight over in eastern afghanistan. an afghan official say taliban attackers detonated explosives at the base near the pakistani border and then opened fire. nato and afghan troops fought back killing all the insurgeants. nato said no troops were killed and the taleban dispute that. a wildfire in yosemite national park is the fourth

largest in california's history and will not be fully contained for at least another 2 1/2 weeks. two-week-old fire has charred more than 224,000 acres and destroyed 11 homes and 100 other buildings. as of this morning, only 45% contained. fast moving flood waters prove too much for several drivers in the las vegas area. they became trapped and had to wait for help. here you see rescuers pulling a woman and her baby and another woman to safety. they had been stranded for 45 minutes. bring flooding to other areas of the country on this labor day. indra petersons is in our severe weather center with the bad news. >> unbelievable. you just showed us nevada and now i'm showing you utah. this is an area where literally 50, if not 100 miles away you can have a rain storm and these storms are so steep that you could have a wall as high as 30 feet. unbelievable, a small amount of rain could produce heavy flooding and looks like the threat again today. the reason for that, quite

typical. we have monsoonal moisture and every time we have this dome of high pressure. you see the moisture wrap around it coming out of the gulf and you get pop-up thunderstorms. the terrain in the southwest is so dry and, again, flash flooding very quickly with some of these heavier thunderstorms. that threat will be in the area, again today especially over any of the burn areas. monitoring that and hoping for thunderstorms right around yosemite and then you also have the concern forget the moisture, but you have lightning threat and stronger winds always concerned. mixed bag with thunderstorms in the area. taking you across the country, huge cold front sweeping across the area today. which just means rain and more rain. unfortunately, we're talking about scattered showers in the southeast and making your way up the coast, mid-atlantic one to two inches and the farther to the northeast, we are talking about two to four inches of rain possible in maine today. happy labor day. >> there's nothing wrong with an indoor picnic, right? >> that's what i'm saying. tv movie.

it's all good. >> rock on, sister. thanks, indra. if you're looking to get your hands on a new iphone, you're not alone. apple expected to unveil the new iphone in just a few days but you might want to shop around because walmart is slashing prices on iphones and ipads ahead of apple's expected launch and hard for other retailers to beat. alison kosik joins us from new york with the deals. sounds too good to be true. >> but it kind of is because there is a catch. surprise. the catch is, carol, that you have to sign up for a new two-year contract with at&t, verizon or sprint to get this deal. here's the deal. walmart is slashing the price to $98 before these phones were selling for $129. walmart also slicing $50 off the price of its ten-inch ipads. now, these are coming in just as apple is expected to unveil new iphone in the snazzy colors we have been talking about like dwoeld and maybe unveiling a new

ipad, as well. all that coming on september 10g9. >> why are they offering discounts now? >> that's a good question. these prices usually signify that the retailer is trying to actually move this inventory off the shelves before the next shipment of new models arrives. in this case, apple is expected, once again, to announce new products next week. you're seeing walmart doing its best to clear out the space for them. also, apple stands to benefit with this because it wants to get i iphone 5 off the shelves as quickly as possible because the phone has been one of the most expensive iphones to the manufacturer and apple wants to put the focus on the new line of iphones coming out. that higher end s and that cheaper as far as those rumors go. >> thanks, alison kosik. tebow is not giving up. he will relentlessly pursue his dream of becoming an nfl quarterback after being cut by the new england patriots. does tim tebow have a realistic

shot? andy scholls with the answers. >> the patriots were thought of tebow's best shot of making a roster because the team's offensive coordinator drafted tebow in denver and now after being cut over the weekend tebow is running out of options leaving many people wondering if this is the end of his nfl career. famed football player tim tebow got the ax on saturday. new england patriots cut him from their roster 12 weeks after signing, five days before the start of the season. tebow's nfl future has been questionable since day one of training camp. >> last opportunity to be a starter in the nfl? >> i'm focused on today, getting better today. not anything that is going to happen, you know, down the road. but today. >> his release comes just a year after the height of tebow mania. fans copied his pregame game pose known as tebowing and his

clothing flew off the racks while his face was on the magazine racks. >> the holy bible is my playbook. >> that's great, that's great. but, you need to read the regular playbook. okay? seriously, i'm doing all the work here. >> reporter: tebow's stats once spoke for themselves. heisman in two national championships while playing for the florida gators and then denver broncos starting as back-up quarterback and throwing an overtime game-winning pass to beat the pittsburgh steelers and now can't seem to catch a break. >> if he will stay in the nfl, he has to play another position. he can't play quarterback. he has lost what little ability he had to play quarterback. >> reporter: but his faith and his future remain steadfast. on saturday he tweeted, i will remain in relentless pursuit of continuing my life-long dream of being an nfl quarterback. a determination he has shown since joining the patriots.

>> every situation is a learning opportunity in life, not only football, but in everything you do in life. >> tebow cleared waivers over the weekend meaning every team passed on him. he's now a free agent, once again, looking for someone to take a chance on him. with everyone's rosters finalized for week one, his chances of signing pretty slim. >> sometimes college stars can't cut the pros. i feel sorry for him, i really do. >> yeah. i'm hoping someone gives him one more chance. >> you never know. andy scholls, thank you so much. still to come in "newsroom" new danger, new reports, new safety concerns that the failed fukushima radio active levels 18 highers than previously thought. find out what japan is saying about that. i'm john zarrella in key west. diana nyad now just about five miles from fulfilling her 35-year quest. i'll have that story, coming up.

>> i can't wait. one direction, one movie and one majorly hit. the boy band from britain and this is us. "newsroom" is back after a break. i had pain in my abdomen... it just wouldn't go away.thing. i was spotting, but i had already gone through menopause. these symptoms may be nothing... but they could be early warning signs of a gynecologic cancer, such as cervical, ovarian, or uterine cancer. feeling bloated for no reason. that's what i remember. seeing my doctor probably saved my life. warning signs are not the same for everyone. if you think something's wrong... see your doctor. ask about gynecologic cancer. and get the inside knowledge.

yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive.

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checking our top stories at 18 minutes past the hour. radiation levels at a crippled nuclear power plant in japan are 18 times higher than previously thought. the radiation levels in a tank holding highly contaminated water and a small amount of that water leaked. the radiation is not enough to kill someone. in the meantime, a new study says radio active water from that nuclear plant is expected to reach the u.s. west coast in 2014, but will be so diluted that it would be harmless. mexico arrest a suspected drug cartel leader known as ugly betty. the latest in a series of high-profile drug arrests in mexico. he was captured in a western state and will be charged with drug trafficking and organized crime. ford is recalling $3370,000

cars because of potential corrosion that could cause a loss of steering. 2005 to 2011 models of crown victoria, mercury grand marquise and town cars. florida's a&m marching band returned to the field for the opening football game. the first appearance since being suspended nearly two years ago. you might remember drum major champion was beaten in a hazing incident and died. university said since champion's death it revised student conduct code and created a new anti-hazing website. the duchess of cambridge isn't the only one off the market. according to tabloids her sister pippa middleton is said to be secretly engaged. middleton and her stockbroker boyfriend met last year at a nightclub in london. the two are keeping the engagement quiet until after pippa's 30th birthday on friday. diana nyad's epic journey

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can i just say diana nyad is amazing. for the fifth time trying to swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage and, guess what, she's almost done it. she is now just about five miles from shore. as nyad said so many times, it's never too late to achieve your dream. she's attempting her swim without a wet suit or flippers at the age of 64. john zu riarrella is in key wesd nyad is expected to swim on to shore very soon. she's already broke a record, though, right? >> yeah, she really has. certainly no one has gone as far as she has. when without being in a shark cage. when she does this, which we're saying when she does it, we're expecting she will. she actually will have done about 112 total miles to get

here. and this, carol, is where she's expected to land here at the smathers beach in key west. the time, roughly, between 4:00 and 6:00. you mentioned she's about five miles out. which puts her right about at the reef line. so, the last five miles inside the reef here to smathers beach. her team is reporting that she is going about a mile an hour. she is taking frequent stops because of that sheer exhaustion and swallowing a lot of salt water along the way, which is not a good thing. they're really, really just doing everything they can now and i'm sure she is to just keep herself going for these last five miles. carol? >> okay, so she's five miles out and the big danger is the sharks in the water and also the jelly fish. so, does the danger of those things become less as she's closer to shore? >> you know, i mean, i think the jelly fish and the sharks are always a danger. you can have a shark in a couple

of feet of water. you can see, it is a beautiful day here and the water is kind of calm. not that makes any difference to the shark or the jelly fish, but they have not seen, they have not talked about sharks and people have said they had not seen any of these box jelly fish, which are so terribly, terribly poisonous. that has been a good thing. she is in an especially designed wet suit, especially designed goggles that she has on to protect against the jelly fish because that's what got her the last time she tried were these box jelly fish that just stung her and had stung her face and forced her out of the water. >> we have a picture, i think we're going to put it up right now. i have not seen it yet. we're going to look at it for the first time together. this was taken, i think, as diana nyad can kind of see the shore of key west. am i right about that? >> i'm not sure. i can't see the photo from here either. i'm not sure exactly what it shows. maybe a photo of her closing in.

>> yeah, that is correct what i just said to you, john zarrella. you see the bow of a boat and then way in the distance you can see land. i just, i just hope she makes it. because how terrible if she couldn't make it and she's only five miles out. >> i know. but, you know what, though, that is very true. but the reality is, what an incredible story of perseverance and endurance. she's been trying this for 35 years, five different times. this is the fifth try. she said this would be it. this would be her last one way or another. so, you know, everybody's pulling for her with just so few miles to go. but even if she didn't make it, it's just a tremendous accomplishment. >> that's for sure. john zarrella in key west, thanks so much. still to come in "newsroom" he's seen the brutality of the assad regime up close and now

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neutrogena®. ♪ happening now in "newsroom" crisis in syria. breaking this morning, obama lobbies congress and america speaks out. ahead, both sides and both voices will be heard. plus, walmart and washington. a paycheck battle pinning part-time workers against the living wage. d.c. ground zero for the fight. ahead a city councilman joins us. georgia versus clemson. a touchdown and a, well, shall we say a rather awkward chest bump. "newsroom" continues. there it is. "newsroom" continues now. good morning, thanks so much

for being with me, i'm carol costello. with just a week until congress returns to washington, the obama administration is ramping up its efforts to get support on a possible syria strike. the president meeting today with two top senate republicans after saying he will seek congressional approval on initiating any military action. president noting that many in congress, "want their voices to be heard." now that people who elected them are speaking out and hopes their opinions will also influence the debate. >> hands on syr-- >> i want the president to know we want peace. we don't want war. >> if that's all violence is going to accomplish, more violence than death. >> people who are against us on this issue. we need to go through our congressional powers to get approval to declare war if we're going to go to war.

>> i don't think the american people support this and it's not fair for the syria people to right after everything that happened we go there and still bomb them. >> joining me now from washington is syrian activist and dissident. good morning. >> good morning, carol. >> which side do you stand on? should america strike syria militarily? >> of course. i mean, we have been witnessing the brutality of assad regime since two and a half years and no one is stopping this brutal dictator from killing his own people and the users of chemical weapon and nobody stopped him. now, if assad regime, if assad would be without any accountability using the chemical weapons we let others use the chemical weapons against their own people and use against democracy, against other country. assad should be accountable and, of course, for an american strike to at least punish assad and stop him from repeating the scenario, again.

>> you were in inprisoned and tortured by syrian authorities. tell us your personal story about the brutality of this regime. >> i came to the u.s. five years ago. and seven years ago i was in jail in syria for just forming a secular youth group in damascus university. we oppose assad policy and supporting groups like hamas, hes zbollah inside the country. jailed, arrested, tortured. inside the prison i witnessed a lot of torture to two kids because their family members were against the regime. it's a brutal regime. since 1970 the syrian are suffering and after 2000, assad the son going to be better. but he's doing the same. even worse. in 1982 and killed more than 40,000 people and now more than 100,000 people inside the country and the world is still

watching and, of course, this is why we're all asking for an american strike to put an end to this regime. >> here's the concern. i mean, a lot of concern about who these rebels are. who they're affiliated with. syrian deputy foreign minister told the bbc any support for al qaeda and its affiliates. so, do you know who these rebels are and how many of these rebels are affiliated with al qaeda? >> well, it's funny to hear it coming from the syrian government. a government that used to recruit to go out and fight in iraq and kill american troops in iraq. i know, there is some concern. they seized opportunity and they came inside syria and i know that the free syrian army in syria had some against al qaeda inside the country. getting a lot of support inside the country. the people that don't want them and why the army they have new support from anyone. the only thing they got. i was in turkey a few days ago and i saw some of the american

assistant and it was only like other stuff. i don't think -- these people really want to fight al qaeda and a lot of the commanders. i don't know how they can't even also counter al qaeda to get new support. i see al qaeda all over the country. >> but you can understand why some americans are concerned about it and why some americans are afraid that, you know, if we do attack syria militarily that this will pull us into another war, another long-term war. >> i think if the american strike would happen, it would end the war in syria. we are anti-war, too, but we want this to happen to end the war in syria. i have a concern about al qaeda existing inside the country and if it happened we're also asking the american to not only strike on some of al qaeda inside the country. this is what we want. this is what the majority of the syrian people want. >> syrian activist.

thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. checking other top stories at 36 minutes past the hour. pictures out of southern nevada. a woman and her baby and another woman became trapped in their suv by flash floods. they had to be pulled from the car by rescue teams. the area could see more rain later today. nelson mandela now recovering at home. that's according to the south african's president's office remains critical and at times unstable. the 95-year-old former leader was discharged from the hospital over the weekend. he had been hospitalized since june for a lung infection. on wall street, the markets are closed this labor day, but a big jobs report is due out friday and you can bet the federal reserve will be watching. cnn's alison kosik joins us live from new york. so, we hope it's a good one. >> we certainly do hope it's a good one. this could be the report that tips the scale for the federal reserve. the job numbers for august out

on friday and closely watched because many people on wall street, carol, feel that a strong report showing sustained job growth will wind up giving the fed the signal to begin scaling back on its stimulus program in action. that could happen in the next few weeks when it has its meeting this month. if the report misses, the fed may wait to scale back. august jobs report will show that 177,000 jobs were added and unemployment held steady at 7.7% and the uncertain tty will play out. the dow lost more than 600 points throughout the month, but look at the year. the dow and the s&p, they're holding their own. dow is up 13% for the year and s&p 500 up 15%. that is good for your 401(k) because the 401(k) usually mirrors what the s&p does. >> alison kosik reporting live from new york this morning. a bit of breaking news to

pass along to you. our pentagon reporter barbara starr just found this out. secretary of defense chuck hagel will testify on tuesday at the senate foreign relations committee hearing on syria. he's expected, of course, to be asked about the president's military strategy. this is according to a u.s. official. hagel will testify on military strategy and justification for the use of force. supposedly will happen tuesday. of course, president obama and members of his cabinet are trying to convince congress that military action is needed in syria. we'll keep you posted. still to come in "newsroom" washington's battle over a living wage is now in the hands of the d.c. mayor. but could walmart and other big name stores flee the city if the mayor approves the bill. let's talk about that with one of the measures biggest supporters, next. nascar is about excitement.

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the fight for a living wage in the capital walmart with billion dollars in sales and would boost hourly wages by more than $4 to $12.50 an hour. that has walmart fighting back threatening to scrap plans to build three stores in the district of columbia. vincent is one of the original co-sponsors of this living wage bill. good morning, councilman. >> good morning. >> thanks for being with us this morning. so, the bill is now on the mayor's desk. the mayor fought to bring in walmart. a full-court press to convince the mayor to sign this bill into law? >> absolutely. we still think that this is a necessary bill at this point in time. $12.50 per hour minus benefits would create a living wage of

only $26,000 on an annual basis and, really, that's not enough, but a big step in the right direction for the workers here in the nation's capital and we're hopeful that the mayor after participating in the 50th anniversary of march on washington for jobs and freedom that he will see the light. back in 1963, dr. martin luther king was calling for an increase in the minimum wage to $2. in today's time, that would be $15.27. so, what we're saying to the mayor is surely we can get $12.50 per hour, which will probably spark a movement across this nation as others are now up in arms over low wages being paid. >> wove seen strikes by fast food workers, but you understand the mayor is in a tough spot because if walmart pulls out because he signs this bill into law, there goes 1,800 jobs that people don't have right now. >> well, right now the economy in the district of columbia is doing well. walmart will enhance it,

especially pay $12.50 per hour. but right now we're sitting on $1.5 billion on our rainy day fund and coming off $800 million in surpluses over the last four fiscal years. our ceo projected surpluses in the next four fiscal years. >> still, it could be nice to have such an employer in the washington area to create all of these jobs. just take a look at the bigger picture. if washington, d.c., controls the amount of money that private companies pay their employees, you know, big picture here, might it keep other companies out? >> well, the big picture here is that walmart provides poverty wages. folks cannot live off of poverty wages. those poverty wages causes employees to seek government assistance. the use of food stamps program, the school and breakfast lunch programs, the section 8 housing programs. so, at the end of the day, the citizens, the taxpayers wind up

subsidizing walmart. we're doing extremely well without walmart and we don't want to have the huge burden faced on the district of columbia. walmart simply share a little bit of prosperity. paying $12.50 per hour is not going to break the walmart empire. walmart paying living wages in other places and in canada it pays $10.25 per hour. so why do you want to come to washington, d.c., and pay a minimum wage of $8.25 per hour. it's unacceptable. and we're doing quite well without walmart. we would love to have walmart in the nation's capital if they are a good corporate citizen like costco or trader joe's. walmart can do the same. >> washington city councilman vincent orange, thank you for joining me this morning. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. here's what's all new in the next hour of "newsroom" the

president plans to launch strikes on syria under international law. why president obama disagrees and what's next as ships move into the region? also a leak in a crippled japanese nuclear plant. radiation levels 18 times than what was previously thought. plus, massive landslides thundering across a busy road. and -- >> after pat finishes an interview, bam. >> ouch. putting the brakes on this nascar interview when one driver is smacked across the face. those stories and much more coming up in the next hour of the cnn "newsroom." ♪ ♪ i've got something for you too. (announcer) fancy feast delights with cheddar. a meal that is sure to delight your cheese lover.

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the butler versus one direction trying to win the hearts and minds of oh movie goers this labor day. "the butler" has been on top for two weeks but now one direction is vying for the crowd. le no surprise for you, huh? >> battle of epic proportions. you know, there was a clear choice for people this weekend. i don't think a lot of people were debating should i see lee daniels "the butler" or the one direction movie "this is us." but there were the two biggest movies at the box office on this holiday weekend. one direction took in $17 million friday to sunday. a good showing for the concert documentary directed by morgan

spurlock. it has positive reviews from critics and fans. "the butler" brought in $14.7 million friday to sunday. holiday weekend isn't over yet. some projections have "the butler" maybe doing enough today to beat one direction when all is said and done. if they can pull it auto it will be the first movie of the year the to finish number one three weekends in a row. even if it doesn't "the butler" is doing well. it made almost $80 million to date. it only cost $30 million to make. one direction is up $2 million on them now. i don't want to boast. i don't want to brag. but i think that $2 million could have something to do with a certain entertainment correspondent from cnn's voice being all over the one direction movie. may maybe $1,900,099. >> what do you do you say?

>> i'm doing a voice over. a package i voiced about one direction. morgan spurlock took it. apparently one of the producers said, hey, where's our cut from the movie? he said to take it up with ted turner. >> ted turner? i'll go to the movie just to see you. >> me and 1d. hey. >> still to come in the newsroom, the top woman in tennis beats the next big thing. is he -- is and roll over your old 401(k)s to a new e-trade retirement account. none of them charge annual fees and all of them offer low cost investments. e-trade. less for us. more for you. at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. being active. and being with this guy. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan

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the georgia bulldogs came up short in their show down with clemson over the weekend. the game wasn't all that was lost. malcolm mitchell, their star wide receive er, got a season ending knee injury. you won't believe how he did it. good morning, andy. >> there is nothing like celebrating the first touchdown of the new season. you never expect this to happen. georgia was on the board with 7 75-yard touchdown run. malcolm mitchell runs after him to celebrate. number 26. watch. he jumps up, comes down awkwardly after the chest bump. you can see him limp.

torn acl and he'll miss the rest of the season. definitely a tough break for georgia. bleacher report.com. check out heisman trophy winner johnny manziel's season debut. in less than a half johnny football threw three touchdowns on six passes. he got into it with a few owls. manziel appears to tell this lineman i'm not signing autographs for you. later he received a taunting penalty . was benched for the remainder of the game. many are piling on for his antics but not joe flacco he said, he's quickly becoming my favorite player in college football. the beef between is he re that williams and sloane stephens came to a head. stephens beat serena this year. after that stephens said serena was cold to her and unfollowed her on twitter. stephens may be the future of the sport. for now is he re that reigns

supreme. she moves on to the quarter finals. drama at nascar's truck series race. max papas and mike skein crash. a member of skein's team goes after papis and then five fingers to the face. slap. papis said his jaw was actually dislocated. he might consider taking legal action. >> oh, my gosh. you're kidding. >> pretty serious on the truck series circuit. >> he showed greatry strant. >> he just stood there. >> a gentleman. andy, thanks so much. that's our cnn newsroom after the break. this was the hardest decision i've ever had to make. jim, i adore the pool at your hotel. anna, your hotels have wondrous waffle bars.

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happening now in the newsroom, u.s. navy ships move closer to syria. the defense secretary headed to the hill tomorrow. the president lobbying congress. plus, secretary kerry says signatures of sarin gas found in syria. what exactly does that mean? also, radiation levels around the tanks at fukushima 18 times worse than previously thought. plus when the radiation plume is expected to hit the u.s. west coast. the second hour of newsroom start thes now.

good morning from washington. thanks for being with me. i'm carol costello. new developments holding the world's attention in sere kwa. this morning the u.s. navy bolsters military might in the region sending a warship into the red sea. today u.n. inspectors sent to a lab the evidence that could prove chemical weapons were unleashed in syria. in washington the results are viewed as a formality. >> it has tested positive for signatures of sarin. so each day that goes by, this case is even stronger. >> making the case to congress, president obama faces pushback from both parties in his call to authorize military strikes. the president faces two major hurdles though. political skepticism of lawmakers and questions over whether he would be defying national law. we'll break the issues down for

you this morning. dana bash is on capitol hill. and evan perez will look at the legal case for striking syria. let's begin with you, dana. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we got word from a u.s. official that chuck hagel, the defense secretary, will be the one who will testify in public hearings tomorrow. that's interesting and significant based on what we heard from countless lawmakers after a classified briefing yesterday which is that they are most concerned at this point not necessarily with the evidence, intelligence but with what exactly the military plans are. a lot of concern and september simple that they are not explained right and haven't been drawn out properly to reassure congress that they actually are are going to see a limited strike. very interesting that chuck hagel will be the one to testify

publically. that's tomorrow. >> i thought you were going to throw to a package, i apologize to you. let me ask a question instead. >> please. >> are the vote there is right now? how much work does president obama need to do? >> the votes aren't there and he has a lot of work to do. it will republicans say they are going to flood the zone. they are having a conference call nanne hour and a half. we'll see a very important meeting at the white house from john mccain and lindsey graham who have been among the most aggressive republicans -- aggressive in terms of action in syria. if they can get them on board with the authorization that could help get the votes. i have to tell you, talking to lawmakers, democrats and republicans. some of them say, no, they are not there at all. some say they are still on the fence and need convincing. but the votes aren't there as we

speak . >> we'll see what happens after tuesday when chuck hagel testifies. let's turn to the thorny issue of legalities. international law would require that president obama receive approval from are the u.n. security council before launching any attack. keer syria's key allies, russia and china, won't let it happen. evan perez is here to break it down. good morning. >> good morning. this is a big issue for the president. as you know, president obama has based his entire administration on this idea that the u.s. the going to abide by international rules which he viewed as much different from the way president bush did. for president obama to now launch an attack which is clearly under international law, illegal because there is no provision in the u.n. charter for the u.s. to attack another nation unless it is in

self-defense. or if it has the approval of the u.n. security council, it's a very, very difficult decision for the president. clearly, he's been working with lawyers in the last few days. they have come up with a way to essentially excuse this idea that the u.s. must act on humanitarian grounds and on national security grounds. the idea being that the u.s. and allies are under threat from the syrian regime. as you know, this is sort of a different way to go about it, carol. >> different, indeed. lawmakers are complaining the white house proposal for military authorization is too broad. could it lead to a broader war with lebanon or iran, for instance? >> this is a big issue. a lot of people think there are problems with the authorization that the president sent to congress which is there is no time limit on it.

one could sit on for years. what are the geographical limitations on this. officials say they have to make it broad. for instance, if there is a sign that chemical weapons are being transferred to iran, for instance, and the only place to stop is on iranian territory then they have to do something about that or in lebanon where hezbollah is supporting the syrian re jet stream. -- regime. lawmakers in congress say they want a lot more narrow restrictions on this. they want to make sure we are not led into something much bigger that is unintended. >> evan perez reporting from washington. a powerful call for international action on syria coming from the arab league. during a meeting on sunday in cairo the group called for the international community to take deterrent and necessary measures

against the syrian regime. earlier, saudi arabia's a foreign minister used stronger language saying, quote, the syrian regime crossed all lines with tyranny. it is time for us to ask international community to carry its responsibility and put an end to this tragedy. here's cnn's senior international correspondent nick robertson. >> it is significant. saudi diplomats say it's been choreographed over the past ten days. jordan, bahrain, united ab rab emirates helping to get as strong a statement as possible from the arab league. the saudis believe they have 70 to 80% support within the arab world. they have been pushing as hard as they can for intervention in syria. they are realizing intervention because there isn't political capability and will the united

states, european countries not capable of doing it now. they have been pushing hard. so the fact that the saudis are weighing in as strongly as they are, this is the arab nation that will carry the most weight in the region to carry the issue forward. >> nic robertson reporting. as strong as the arab league statement is it falls short of explicit endorsement of military strikes. russia says the united states doesn't have enough evidence to call for military intervention in syria. we'll take you live to moscow next. ♪

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checking our top stories at 11 past the hour. nearly two-hour-long firefight is over in eastern afghanistan at a military base. taliban attackers detonated

explosives near the pakistani border and opened fire. troops fought back killing the insurgents. nato troops say no troops were killed. taliban disputes that. former south african president nelson mandela is at home this morning. the 95-year-old was released from the hospital this weekend after a nearly three-month-long stay for a lung infection. his condition is said to be critical and at times unstable according to the south african p's office. fast moving flood waters are too much for drivers in las vegas. they became trapped and had to wait for help. here a woman and her baby are pulled to safety. they were stranded there for 45 minutes. police thought they would have to do a swift water rescue but a break allowed them to spring to action. ford is recalling cars because of corrosion that could cause a loss of steering including the 2005 to 2011 models of the crown victoria,

mercury grand marquise and lincoln town cars. there are approximately 5500 of the recalled vehicles and more in canada. no injurieses have been reported. on wall street the markets are closed for labor day. it doesn't mean traders aren't watching the markets. the jobs report is due on friday. it could have impact on interest and mortgage rates. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning. this jobs report for august comes out friday. it's being considered the last hurdle for the economy to jump before the federal reserve feels free to begin scaling back the bond buying program that's been happening over the past year. the numbers have to be what the fed ex expects. now analysts expect the jobs report to show 177,000 jobs were created and that the unemployment rate stayed at 7.4%. what you will see play out this week is any headline coming out

about syria, that could move the market. and then the wait for friday to see what the jobs will be. >> thanks so much. russia's top diplomat says the united states has not made its case that the syrian government was behind the chemical attack on the citizens. the foreign minister sergei lavrov is inconclusive and has no facts. president obama the headed to russia this week. cnn's phil black is in moscow. this is sure to be awkward. >> yeah. russia's foreign minister said he's seen information which they believe makes the case that the assad government was responsible for using chemical weapons against the syrian people. foreign minister lavrov says the information was limited. he says the russians are absolutely unconvinced by what

they are seeing. they have asked for more information, more detail and are being told by the u.s. administration that it's a secret are and cannot be shared. the russian view is that's not credible. the russian thee erie is the opposition used this weapon ones i its own people to trigger international military intervention. >> what if the united nations weapons inspectors say, yeah, it was the syrian government. would that change russia's mind? >> difficult to say. the mandate on the ground is limited. they are not able to assign blame in that way. they will confirm whether or not in their investigations they believe chemical weapons were used. russia, for its part, isn't disputing that necessarily. it is disputing that there is enough evidence to blame the

syrian government for the use of chemical weapons. that's why it has another theory that says the other theory which blames the syrian opposition, supported by evidence, supported by logic. it's accused the united states and allies of trying to manipulate available evidence to mount an illegal military campaign and is drawing comparisons between what's being said now by the united states and what was being said ten years ago when the u.s. was arguing for military intervention in iraq. >> phil black live from moscow. thank you. still to come in the newsroom, he's at the top of thele polls in the race for new york city mayor but he may have a secret weapon, it's an afro. we'll be right back. the hall of success. here we honor the proud accomplishments of our students and alumni. people like, maria salazar, an executive director at american red cross. or garlin smith, video account director at yahoo. and for every garlin,

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only one to end a stop and frisk era that targets people offer color. bill de blasio is the mayor for every new yorker. i would say that even if he weren't my dad. >> there you have it. 15-year-old dante de blasio and his hair. grabbing nearly as many headlines as his father. dad clearly recognizes the power of dante's coif. he urged twitter followers to, quote, re tweet if you go with the fro. good morning. >> good morning, carol. >> it's hard to believe one afro could have this much power. >> well, you know, memories are a powerful thing. those of us who remember the 19 70s, who had picks and hair back then, a welcome reminder. but he's an appealing kid. he's got a lot of charisma.

some complained that bill de blasio is maybe exploiting his son. but the reality is politicians have been doing it since time im memorial. go to jfk, the bush family, the obamas. he's doing what any politician would naturally do which is put forward what is an appeal ing and charismatic family he has. >> it's working because de blasio is leading in the polls now. earlier this month the daily beast said dante's appeal goes beyond his hair saying here is the opposite of scandal. here is what the future looks like. here is what true new york looks like. if you love the city, you have to love this kid. >> there is truth to that. we have never had a mayoral candidate who was part of a multi racial family. that's where the country and city is going. it strikes a chord with new yorkers.

you know, just as italians have loved to see a candidate who was italian or an irish candidate or even a lesbian candidate, there are a lot of new yorkers who like to see a multi racial family that reflects the nature of life in new york. this is a very powerful gut check for people. it gets to them emotionally in a way that's reminiscent of the appeal of barack obama about what the city could look like, could be. he has eight days and very well funded candidates pounding away at everything except dante and the afro and the multi racial family. >> what do you think will happen? >> i am not in the prediction business. even if i were i must tell you i have moderated something like 13 debates between the candidates. i have looked at the poll nubs

and reported on them. all i can tell you is i don't know. there are three top contenders fighting for two slots in the run-off. the furthest i would go is to say it's likely that there will be a run-off. nobody will get 40% under new york rules. then you have the top two finishers in a run-off. i couldn't tell you who will be in the run-off. we have seen the lead change hands three or four times in the last 60 days. there is no telling whether or not the lead will change again in the last week. >> anthony weiner? >> still very much in the hunt. he has millions of dollars. he's putting adds up all over. it wasn't long ago he was in the lead. anything can happen. here is the rough numbers. something between 400,000 and maybe 700 and some estimate 800,000 democrats will vote in the primary next week. that's a big variation. what it means is that most people will stay home. you have people in this like

john liu. he's polling at 3% but he makes the point that he's the first asian-american candidate to come this far in the race for mayor. excitement in the community. they have grown over the years. so there is a lot of room for the unexpected. as a journalist i could not be more delighted. >> i bet so. thank you so much errol lewis. a pleasure as always. >> thanks, carol. >> still to come, washington slows down. the fighting in syria ratchets up. we'll have the latest on possible military action in syria and how we get there -- maybe. this is for you. ♪ [ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor

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to pass along. president obama will meet with senators john mccain and lindsey graham hat 2:00 p.m. eastern at the white house. the topic has to be syria, right? dana bash has more now. good morning. >> good morning. we knew from john mccain who told reporters yesterday he was going to the white house to speak with the president. we now know the time, 2:00 eastern with his partner in crime, if you will, on these issues, lindsey graham of south carolina. i spoke with the senator who said they are well aware of the reason. you and i talked last hour. the main reason why the white house wants to talk to these two people in particular. part of the issue for them isn't so much whether or not to go ahead and deal militarily with bashar al assad. it's whether or not plans they have in place would go far enough and more importantly, whether they can get from the

administration a very clear military plan and how to go forward with this in the future. in particular their focus is arming and training rebels in syria. the people who are trying to fight against bashar al assad. those are the things they will ask the president, try to get from the president. used as leverage. he said everybody understands that the hope at the white house is that the two men can come out and say, okay, we'll be for voting to authorize this because if they do that, it will give some of those republicans, even democrats on the fence cover and assurance that this is the right thing to do. these two have been so out there, even when nobody else wanted to listen on the issue of syria. it will be a very interesting meeting. the other thing is i was told by a democratic source during tomorrow's public hearing at the senate foreign relations committee, john kerry is confirmed as a witness.

now we have john kerry and chuck hagel, the defense secretary also. i'm told more will be announced. this is going to be a very, very interesting, important hearing tomorrow. >> let's talk more about the influence that john mccain and lindsey graham might have on other lawmakers. how much influence do they have? a lot of lawmakers are up for re-election in 2014. that's going to enter into their decision, too, right, in a war-weary nation. >> lindsey graham is one of people who is running for re election next year. look, i don't know the answer to how much impact they are going to have on the senate and the house broadly. i think it is fair to say that when you are talking about members of oh their own party who trust their judgment on issues of national security, particularly military issues, there could be a few who might be able to be persuaded by them if they choose to support this. and given the way the voteses are now which is completely up

in the air. one, two, three votes. the president needs everything he can get. >> john mccain at least, his plan for syria appears to be at odds with the president. john mccain is all about -- correct me if i'm wrong -- regime change. the president's position isn't that as far as we know. >> there is no question that john mccain wants to go and lindsey graham has wanted to go further than the president. they have been pushing the hardest for the president to do that. there is also no question that the president is not going to be able to give them what they want in terms of promises of further action. what they are generally asking for now is some kind of not necessarily time frame but game plan in terms of what the u.s. policy will be going forward after the strikes go ahead. part of the concern by people who are more hawkish on the issue -- lindsey graham, john mccain and others -- is they are

concerned that you do this. you have pin-prick strikes against where the chemical weapons could be stored. then what? you keep al assad in place and maybe embolden him. that's the concern they have militarily. that's the thing they will want answers from the president on today. >> all right. dana bash reporting live for us today. thank you. this week the obama administration appeared to building up to a military strike but at the last minute the president made the dramatic decision to take a time-out and call on congress to weigh in. jim accosta shows us the twisting path that leads us to where we are right now. >> reporter: in a city that feasts on political theater, it was high drama just past high noon. as president obama said he's pulled back from a strike.

>> i will seek authorization for the use of force from the american people's representatives in congress. >> reporter: aides 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. then went for a walk. a 45-minute walk, in fact, with his chief of staff. at approximately 7:00 p.m. the president announced the 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 president obama convened a meeting to finalize the decision. >> the question is what are we in the world going to do about it? >> reporter: just hours before the president's abrupt 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: what kerry and the rest of the team didn't know is that mr. obama had been privately kicking around the idea seeking approval from congress for days. as kerry turned 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. it has gone through over a decade of war. the american people understandably want us focused on the business of rebuilding our economy here and putting people back to work. and i assure you nobody end s 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 congress. >> it's incumbent to obey the constitution. the rule of law is something our country is founded on. i would ask congress to come together. >> the 64 members of us who signed our letter want congress to be called back in session, debate the issues, the facts and vote on whether or not to engage militarily. >> reporter: saturday the president got on the phone calling house speaker john boehner and other congressional leaders. >> my question for every member of congress and the global community, what message will we send in a dif a dictator can ga people in plain sight. >> reporter: just after president obama left to play golf. despite the fierce discussion inside the west wing, aides say the president's team is on board. one official said as a senior senator whose views on war are well known it's not hard for

chuck hagel to agree with the president. another oh 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. 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. perhaps between now and the time we get back and september 9th, the president will have information that would allow the congress to effectively see where this danger is. >> administration officials say the president reserves the right to take military action. the commander in chief has the authority to act, even if

congress says no. jim acosta, cnn, the white house. >> still to come in the newsroom, the outrage and outcry growing over the 30-day sentence for a former teacher con viktsed of raping a 14-year-old girl. the next step prosecutors plan to take this week. ugh! actually progresso's soup has pretty bold flavor. i love bold flavors! i'd love it if you'd open the chute! [ male announcer ] progresso. surprisingly bold flavor for a heart healthy soup. getting the right nutrition during your busy day can be a challenge. take control of your nutrition with each delicious bar provides boost bars are perfect with a meal or as a nutritious snack. plus, they are available in chocolate and peanut butter chocolate flavors. a great-tasting way to get the nutrition you need.

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prosecutors in montana are reviewing the case of a former teacher sentenced to just 30 days in jail for raping a 14-year-old girl who later committed suicide. so much outrage over the sentence critics are pushing hard to have it re versed. miguel marquez is in los angeles with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. huge outrage on this one. the yellowstone county district attorney says it comes down to

whether or not the judge misapplied the law. the district attorney says he did and is willing to take the argument to the supreme court of montana. >> reporter: this morning, new details about how the shockingly light sentence of a rapist just 30 days in jail might be reversed. >> the dream century i don't for us is he would do 20 years, ten suspended. >> reporter: that dream scenario expected to take a step toward reality this week. on wednesday a critical conference call between the yellowstone county attorney and the attorney general office of montana. >> there may be a misapplication of the sentencing authority here and that's where i focused my attention at this point. >> reporter: if the state's attorney general agrees, then montana supreme court would be asked to reverse the light sentence the judge handed up in the case against this man, former high school teacher stacy rambolt. the judge sentenced him to just

30 days in jail after he broke the terms of his patrol for the 2007 rape of then 14-year-old cherice morales. during sentencing, the judge said the 14-year-old was in as much control as her then 49-year-old rapist and that she acted older than her chronological age. she wasn't there to speak on her own behalf. she took her own life before trial in 2010. >> what i said was demeaning to all women, not what i believe in and irrelevant to the sentencing. i owe all of our fellow citizens an apology. >> despite the apology, the sentence stands. the outrage, growing. protests in billings and butte, more planned across the state, and one petition asking him to resign. it's now nearing 50,000 signatures. another, over 70,000. >> reporter: before any of this can take place, one thing has to

happen. the judge has to sign his original controversial order, sign the paper version of it before the d.a. can then take it uh to the supreme court through the attorney general of the state of montana. once he signs it, the state will have 20 days to try to get this sentence re versed. carol? >> miguel marquez, live from los angeles this morning. still to come, a terrifying scene in taiwan after a car is hit by a landslide. you will not believe what happens to the driver. [ male announcer ] campbell's angus beef & dumplings. hearty cheeseburger. creamy thai style chicken with rice. mexican-style chicken tortilla. if you think campbell's 26 new soups sound good, imagine how they taste. m'm! m'm! good!

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checking our top stories at 45 past the hour. egypt's state-run news agency says the country plans to put another former president on trial over protester deaths. this time it's ousted president mohamed morsi. he and his staff ordered supporters to attack protesters near the presidential palace in december. at least ten people were killed. frightening scene in taiwan after a car is hit by a landslide. look at the video . flying mud and debris. the pictures were caught on a dashboard camera. a rolling boulder stopped just before it crashed into the same car. the bodieses of dozens of children buried in an old reform school in florida are being exhumed. the school for boys closed in to 11. men who attended when they were boys claimed other boys were

beaten and some mysteriously disappeared. research rs hope to return remains of dozens of missing boys to their families. florida a & m marching band returned to the field for the opening football game. it was their first appearance since being suspended nearly two years ago. drum major robert champion was beaten in a hazing incident in 2011 and died. the university said since his death it's re vised the student conduct code and created a new anti-hazing website. >> watch this. after papis finished an interview, bam, a woman confronts him. >> ow! max papis made a run at the first camping world truck series. he was battling it out with a fellow driver for third place when the drivers collided. actually the cars collided. when they returned to the track they continued to fight it out, but the drama didn't stop there.

papis was slapped in the face by his opponent's girlfriend. papis suffered a dislocated jaw from the altercation. the duchess of cambridge isn't the only woman taken off the market. according to celebrity tabloids, kate's sister pippa is secretly engaged to her boyfriend niko jackson. he she and her stockbroker boyfriend let met at a nightclub in london. they are keeping the engagement quiet until her 30th birthday on friday. we'll be right back. [announcer] there's no hiding the goodness of the latest from

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signatures of sarin. that's what secretary of state john kerry said were found in blood and hair samples the united states obtained from syria. samples that are separate from those tested by the united nations. a bioterrorism expert and author of "the anthrax letters, a medical detective story" joins us. good morning. >> good morning. >> thanks for joining us. a lot of people want to know what this means. signatures of sarin. what does that mean? signatures of sarin? >> well, the signature is simply a term for identification of whether sarin is present or not. it means that if you would find, say, tissue samples from people who were thought to have been exposed or blood or even hair

samples, if they have been exposed for some days previously, you can identify by chemical analysis whether you have actually seen sarin present. that would be a signature. >> is that conclusive proof? >> yes. you can develop a series of tests and ultimately some very refined determinations through laboratory testing. you can see the area that was presumably exposed was definitely exposed to this chemical. >> couldn't there be false positives? >> you could initially get false positives. not all tests are down to the refinement level of the actual definition of what the chemical makeup is. if there's been a chemical attack, for example. but you're not sure what the

agent is or you suspect a chemical attack and people develop rasheses you would say this is not necessarily a nerve agent. sarin doesn't develop into rashes or blisters as would another chemical agent like mustard. so you begin the broader assessment like a funnel narrowing down until you say, well, this person has all of the symptoms before death, for example, of foaming at the mouth, the nervous system has shut down. when i wave my hand i get a brain signal that goes through my nervous system that tells my hand and arm to move. the nerve agent sarin and others will interfere with that impulse trance for por tags so i will be unable to move. that's one of the signature manifestations of how you behave. >> the hardest question, who's

responsible for this? how do you find this out definitively? >> well, we know for sure syria has tons of stocks of various chemical weapons including mustard and sarin. this has never been on dpis poutiainen. we haven't been on scene -- the international inspectors haven't been permitted to get to areas where there have been allegations of use. however, we have all seen films of video s of people who had been presumably exposed and showing symptoms you would expect to see from a nerve agent -- foaming ining at the tremors, inability to work their body systems because of the nerve impulse preventions. those are good starts. in terms of the chemical

analysis which is under way at this moment -- i think at the hag hague, after inspectors were finally allowed at the sites they will have more definitive uh assessments. i heard secretary of state kerry's comments about the use of these weapons and the likelihood -- the almost certainty that they were by the government of assad. i thought the arguments were persuasive. >> it's all in the hands oh congress now. we'll see. thank you, leonard cole for joining us this morning. still to come in the newsroom, diana nyad is almost near the end. here's john zarella. >> i'm in key west. carol, you're right. diana nyad just hours away now from making history. that story is coming up.

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depends on what you mean by a lot. coping with asthma isn't controlling it. test your level of control at asthma.com, then talk to your doctor. there may be more you could do for your asthma. can i just say diana nyad is amazing? for the fifth time she's trying to swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage. she's now about five miles from shore. nyad posted pictures this morning. true story, cruise ships make way for diana nyad. here's more exciting news. john zorella is in key west and

we can see her team from shore now. this is amazing! >> we think so, carol. people have been close to diana nyad's team said indeed the boats we see behind us. they are in the distance. it's a small flotilla of boats with doctors ond boards and her handlers on the vessels as well making their way ever so slowly. we know from earlier on today she was taking frequent breaks. going less than a mile an hour. they said she swallowed salt water. doctors reported her tongue and lips were swollen. concern about her airway but they are pressing on. it may be the flotilla closing in. we expect her to land along smathers beach in the next four hours or so. it's hard to tell. t it depends on how quickly she's making headway.

carol? >> quickly, because i don't have much time, what's her secret to success this time? it's the fifth time. >> reporter: the goggles, they say, were especially made to keep jellyfish from stinging her. it cost her last time she made the attempt . >> i understand. john, thank you so much. thanks for joining me today. i'm carol costello. "legal view" with john berman filling in, starts now. flu . did the president push the pause button? action against syria on hold as congress examines the evidence . meanwhile syria applauds what they say is an american retreat. prosecutors in montana want another crack at a convicted rapist. he got 30 days. they want ten years. did the judge really miss the mark on this one? swimmer