>> as brilliantly portrayed in the 2008 movie, nixon frost. frost got the last word, not the journalist who criticized him at the time. he brought out the human side of a disgraced president. he became part of american history -- his willingness to throw his notes away and go with his heart and talent. for that, we honor sir david frost. "ac 360" starts now. erin, thanks. good evening, everyone. we begin with the looming debate over attacking syria, a debate that many americans in congress ask for even as lawmakers say it's coming too late. the president started working on this labor day to get house and senate members on board for the resolution with military action. in syria, as we've said so many times, the violence continues. an opposition group says at least 63 more people were killed

today including 8 children. 8 more children to add to the death toll. the latest videos posted online, attest the violence we've been reporting on for more than two years. we can't independently verify what they show. the stories remain the same. heavy shelling. opposition forces with guns, fighting back against the regime, that less that two weeks ago, carry out what the obama administration calls a weapons attack on its own people, killing 1400 people, hundreds of them children. they have called for briefings every day this week, but members of congress, and in a few minutes, we'll hear from a congressman who was in one of those briefings today. the president also met with john mccain and lindsey graham. the senator said they're encouraged by the president's approach but they still have significant concerns. >> the key selling point that must be sold to the americans over and over is no american boots on the ground. they are tired and weary.

you also have to show them a way forward. and that so far has not been articulated to the congress or the american people. >> we don't want endless war. john knows better than anybody, war is a terrible thing. we want sustainable security. syria is a cancer that's growing in the region. for two years the president has allowed this to become a debacle. >> congress is scheduled to return one week from today, which is the earliest a vote would happen, the vote is expected to be close and no indication which way it may go. >> any time you're talking about use of military force i don't believe any member can be whipped into doing one thing or the other. >> the whole approach to this is a concern for me. >> i don't know if every member of congress is is there yet. >> it's far from settled. >> a number of members have

raised concerns. >> i think people are really grappling with this. >> i'm skeptical about the president's proposal. >> i need to hear more. >> i'm not there yet. >> the chief national correspondent john king joins me now with the latest. a lot of moving parts on the hill. i know secretary kerry voiced comments over the weekend. are you seeing a reason for the conference at this point? >> not at this point. if you talk to senior congressional aids in both parties on capitol hill. and the white house. they would agree on these two things tonight. if the vote were tonight, the president would lose. he would definitely lose the house and the senate as well. the president has time to get there, to get the votes for authorization. he needs to be near perfect in the next few delicate days of handling this. people who are interventionists want a very narrowly defined

resolution that says no boots on the ground, limited duration, and a carefully defined mission. that's where you have question. members of congress are saying the administration has yet to say, what are the targets. what is the goal for what syria looks like the day after and the week after. how does america want to upgrade the military. those are the big question points. you want to talk to the president, you'll get him. you want a classified briefing, you'll get it. here's one of the problems for the president. as he makes the case. i'll close on this personal footnote. here's a president, who when he's on the phone or in a meeting with most of these lawmakers, especially republicans, he has strange relationships as he'll have with the speaker. or in many of these cases, no relationship at all. this decision, so important to the middle east, so important to the trajectory and the president

is asking for help in some cases from people he barely knows. >> it is interesting last week it was, this is in the national security interest of the united states. now as you mention, they're making the case about this benefiting israel. >> israel is in the national security interest of the united states. it's complicated. you're trying to look at what are the biggest concerns. the president is saying, and his team is saying you cannot tolerate, you cannot allow, what kind of a signal would it send if we allow assad to use chemical weapons against his own people. does the administration have proof of that, then the administration is saying, look at a map of the neighborhood, israel is right there. prime minister netanyahu is on board with this. they want it done. it's not just about the united states, per say it's about the united states and its key ally

and emerging foe in that region. the administration thinks they have a week and think they they'll get there, tonight they don't have the votes. >> i want to bring in bill chrystall. christianne let me start with you -- >> they're going to have to stay on the sidelines, they're going to have to vote. it's a tough vote for them they don't trust the president. i think as the case gets made and people confront the fundamental choice they have to make when they vote. more of them will come around to supporting the president, i think he will man up with the majority of the republicans. they want to vote against obama, they need to think hard in the fact that voting against president obama, they are voting

for president assad. that seems harsh, but that's the way the world will see it as republicans focus on that, they'll end up casting a reluctant yes vote. >> how has the president's move to toss this to congress been seen throughout the world? >> it's obviously the subject of immense scrutiny, if he wins, it's a massive victory for him and the united states. and if he loses it will be a catastrophe for the united states, not just him as president obama. because it's all about america's place in the world now. and let's face it, it was britain who brought really -- started this vote ball rolling, david cameron going to parliament and losing it just sent shock waves through england great britain and the rest of the world. it's put britain's place in the world at great risk and great question right now. britain has always been in the last many, many decades, together with the united states

in all of these military ventures. so that's a big problem right now france right now is catching the vote bug, but they're saying, no, we're not going to have a vote even though some politicians are saying, if the british did and the americans will, why shouldn't our parliament. france will have a public debate on wednesday, but there will be no vote. and they will back the united states and go with the united states if there's action. they're worried if the u.s. doesn't go, are they going to be left going it alone? >> president obama calling senator mccain and senator graham to win their support. it sounds like that may have worked. how important is it for that to work? did they bring some members along? >> you have lindsey graham and john mccain. president bush was reluctant for

the troop surge in iraq. you have john mccain and lindsey graham going up against a ron paul. this isn't any of our business, it's horrible, but why should the united states intervene? the president hasn't proven this warrants a u.s. national interest. this is an emerging debate in the republican party. this vote in both the house and snatd will give us a test case if you will, of which side the internal debate is going. >> how do you see it, in the final analysis it won't mat summer. >> well, i think it's going to be a tough hall, i think john is right, john mccain and lindsay graham are respected by a lot of house republicans, they don't regard them as their leaders. i think the thing to watch will be what house republicans step up, who are genuine conservatives, first and second termers, friendly with the key

party and make the case for intervention. mike pompeii yo a second term congressman from kansas, an army grad, i think he's going to make the case for intervention. they will have more effect on the other house republicans, than lindsey graham and john mccain. in the senate, graham and mccain have clout. in the senate they will be okay. the republicans will be mostly with him. the house, it's a real uphill call. and the fellow conservatives make the case to conservative house republicans, that they dislike this president and don't trust him and disapprove of him. this is the right thing to do for the country. >> stick around, bill. >> go ahead, christianne. >> using weapons of mass destruction is prohibited under international law. the problem these leaders are having, they haven't made this case over the last two and a half years of this war, and we

have had chemical weapons used before, during this war. >> multiple times. >> yes. and so senator mccain and senator graham have been absolutely correct, that there has been no strategy, no confrontation. total impunity as the assad regime has ratcheted up every step of its offensive since it started two and a half years ago. you know, from on the ground to then from the air, and rockets, and then weapons of mass destruction. i mean, weapons of mass destruction. that is something that is prohibited under international law. iraq didn't have them, syria does. >> we're going to talk more about that, we have a quick break. stay with us, more of the 160 lawmakers signed letters calling for a full debate for any u.s. action against syria. requests that have now been granted by the president. one of the lawmakers is tom call. he joins me now. congress manning, you were in the two and a half hour classified briefing over the

weekend. how was the case made to you and your colleagues? >> well, really, obviously there's a lot of nuances that you can't talk about publicly. the case that was made is not dramatically different from what the news media said. that is, that there has been an attack. how horrific it was, and it doesn't appear to have been an isolated incident or an accident. but it appears to have been planned and executed at the highest level for the syrian government. that's essentially the case that's being made. >> if the vote was held today, how would you vote? >> right now, i would be a lean no. this to me is a civil war, a religious war, and it's a proxy war for regional powers. whether or not we should be in the middle of it, i think is something that i've yet to be convinced of. i think the president deserves an opportunity to make his case, i think he had a powerful statement certainly on sunday. the evidence in terms of the incident is pretty compelling.

i think the real question is whether or not this is the appropriate response particularly with no international body at this point. not the united nations, not nato, not the arab league having actually asked the united states to do anything. and frankly, with no sign yet that arab regimes in the area will not just verbally support or say nice things, but actually participate in the action. >> what are the chances, you think, that this would pass both chambers of congress? >> i think it's still an open question. and i think that's one of the things that is yet to be determined. a lot of the members want more of a chance to think about the evidence. and frankly, so far we don't know if the vote matters. that is, the president has taken the position. the administration has taken the position that they have the right to do this anyway. >> do you at all fear a message it would send? i'm not talking about the president's credibility. but a message it would send if

congress rejects any resolution? does that concern you? >> yes, it does. i think that's something you have to take into account. this is something -- look, this president made this commitment, and tossed it into the lap of congress. now, i'm glad he did. i was amongst those that urged him to turn to congress. but i don't think there's been a lot of preparation or thought given to this. i think it makes the chances of passage that much more difficult. i think you need to give fair warning there, and i think that complicates the case for the administration. >> finally, i've seen some people on twitter in e-mails say, if this is such a crisis, why isn't congress coming back to deal with this before september 9th? should congress come back? >> i think it probably should. in a sense it is, the senate foreign relations committee is meeting to begin working on the draft resolution tomorrow. i understand the house foreign relations committee will be back, in i'm certainly not going to be critical of the president

for giving us time to actually listen to the briefs and read the evidence. i just think this process probably should have started a long time ago when red lines were being drawn. there probably should have been consultation at the highest levels of congress, and the president should have said look, we may confront this. i want to talk to you about what our potential range of response is, maybe that's done. i'm not aware that that happened. >> congressman tom cole appreciate your time, thank you. >> thank you, anderson. >> let us know what you think. follow me on twitter@anderson cooper, i'll be tweeting ahead. where are we internationally. also the latest line coming from bashar al assad, what he's warning will happen. and later the fifth time's the charm for diana niyad. she reached a goal she first set out for 35 years ago.

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syrian leader bashar al assad is not backing down with the rhetoric. in an interview today, assad said the middle east is a powder keg and everyone will lose control when the powder keg explodes. challenging the united states or france to give him a single piece of evidence that his regime carried out the attack. joining me now live, fouad ajami, and cnn chief

correspondent christiane amanpour and bill crystal. we understand from our state department correspondent, that the failure to act unravels chemical weapons in hezbollah and iran. you've not been supportive of this whole idea. to that argument, what do you say? >> i think we need to ask ourselves why the urgency about the deterrence of our chemical weapons. they are weapons of terror, absolutely they are. the last time i think they were used was 25 years ago in iraq. they haven't been used since. so why is this the moment when we need to draw the line. i'm not sure i understand the reasoning there. and why about chemical weapons, and not the slaughter of 100,000 people in the syrian war before that. so i think all those are questions that are very hard for the administration to answer, and i think kerry is taking this position of high moral tone as

if he discovered the syrian war. >> fouad let me ask you about that. you and i have covered this extensively the past two years. why now? why chemical weapons? >> well, i think chris has it right. there are something odd when you sit out this war, you run out the clock on the syrian people, you watch the destruction of proud ancient cities. we watch homes being reduced to rebel. aleppo being reduced to rubble. this administration had nothing to say about this war. the principal himself were speaking ill and badly of the city of rebellion. thought it was a rebellion of fundamentalists and islamists. this seems like a very, very late and sudden conversion. >> well, christianne you intimated about it, you say there is a reason why now, why chemical weapons.

>> chris and few add are absolutely right. it's gone on for a long time. even senator mccain has said that. he says, look, what is the strategy for actually stopping this? we have seen now 100,000 people dead, according to the united nations. we've got apparently 7 million people displaced inside and outside of syria during this war. and you have. people who started a perfectly ordinary rebellion two and a half years ago. it's allowed bashar al assad to prosecute the war. and not only that, but to allow also -- to allow also the vacuum to be created which allowed these extremists to come in. why now? because weapons of mass destruction are prohibited by the civilized world. and weapons of mass destruction will be confronted. one will hope that with this

confrontation there will be some strategy to shift the playing field on the battlefield. and perhaps try to level it somewhat. some are talking about finally boosting and giving real help to the opposition. >> but bill pip mean, to -- all the things christianne listed, this attack as it's been described by this administration is not going to go for a regime change, it's not going to go to change the cal cue house on the ground. it's to send the message. that's what we've been told. i guess the question is, why now? >> two points, anderson. why now? better later than never, you know? we should have intervened in world war ii earlier, the balkans earlier. sometimes it takes a reluctant president or reluctant nation to intervene. i don't think that's an argument for staying out. it is an argument for interve intervening in a serious way, i've been very worried as so

many people have, that the president would be symbolic and use a shot across the bow. in that case, some people think it would be worse than nothing. i gather that, you know, they are -- they understand that it has to be serious. he doesn't want to say it's for regime change. we're a strong country. even a modest intervention by us could help tip the balance on the ground. i think it will be more than a slap on the wrist. that is why senator mccain and graham went to see the president today. i gather they feel somewhat better, not entirely better. but somewhat better than the administration is going to be serious about this intervention if they get the authority to intervene or if they choose to intervene without the congressional authority. >> few add, to a war weary public, what do you say about -- i mean, look, after iraq, afghanistan getting involved in yet another war, in this region.

>> well, that's why we have the president, anderson. that's why we have the commander in chief. that's why we elect someone to make the connection between our security here and their security and their order over there. that's what the president has done. and he hasn't done it, because really he's not convinced of his own war. this is going to be obama's war, he has to own it, he has to prosecute it. thus far, it's been in many ways he looked at iraq and denounced it, he called it a war of choice. he took afghanistan and adopted it as a war of necessity, but reluctantly, he had a surge in afghanistan, announced -- and then, of course, there was an n intervention in libya. it was half hearted. this is now obama's moment in the world. if he doesn't believe in this mission, i think it's best not to -- then we best not do it. >> when you hear fouad talking

about this, does it harkin back to iraq? do you see this through the lens of iraq and afghanistan? >> not exactly. what i do see is that the experience of a decade of war in iraq and afghanistan with precious little to show for it, is essentially bled the will of the american people to get involved in these kinds of things. before we went into iraq, i thought it was a terrible idea. not because getting rid of saddam was a bad idea, he was a horrible dictator, a horrible tie ran the. i didn't think the american people had the will, the desire, the vocation to occupy another country year after year, $2.5 billion a week. hundreds of thousands of people dead, and for what? i think that that's the context in which iraq is important here, and that's what president obama understands very well. it's sad, it's a situation where probably we should do something in syria, and something more than is being contemplated, i

totally sympathize with the american public that says, we don't want to go there. >> you were obviously in the first bush administration when it launched the first gulf war, there were warnings then that would spiral into a regional conflict. there are warnings from people -- are those concerns real, that this thing could spiral out of control? this intervention could spiral out of control? >> things have spiralled out of control. there are 100,000 people dead in syria, it is spilling over and destabilizing jordan, emboldening iran, hezbollah. the notion that we can -- it would be different if there were a stable situation. i would defend intervention in some such cases. this is not that circumstance. i think a case for intervention is not that hard. i don't think the down sides, there are down sides, we have to be prepared for them, we have to be serious about it, i think the case for intervening from a strategic point of view and moral point of view is strong.

the president has to make it, the president is the president. for republican congressman can make it, the president has to make it, he has to make it in a serious and sustained way. he does have to realize that he can't just -- all this talk -- he thinks he's helping his case by saying, it's very limited, narrow and temporary, it hurts his case, i understand why he says it, you do a snapshot, public opinion polls. the fact is, people go to war, people want real leadership, and he needs to really say obviously we're not going to -- we're going to try to keep it as limited as possible. we are there to really make region, to bring some order back to the region. to punish assad and really deter people. if you let assad use weapons of mass destruction, i mean, the effect on the ground, it's all this horrible, obviously, what does that say about the future? do we want to be the country that sits, having the ability to do quite a bit, that does nothing, i don't think it's a good excuse. the american public is weary -- not that weary of war, he can

win this vote, he can have the support. >> we have to take a quick break. everyone else stick around. i want to talk u.s. military strategy coming next. assad's forces are making moves as well. we'll tell you about that. new developments when we continue. [ male announcer ] ok, here's the way the system works. let's say you pay your guy around 2% to manage your money. that's not much you think. except it's 2% every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch. over time it really adds up. then go to e-trade and find out how much our advice costs. spoiler alert: it's low. really? yes, really. e-trade offers investment advice and guidance from dedicated, professional financial consultants. it's guidance on your terms, not ours. that's how our system works. e-trade. less for us. more for you.

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president obama tries to sell congress a military action in syria. the aircraft carrier uss nimitz and others moved into the red

sea. some could be used against syria. the united states navy doubled its strength in the mediterranean in the past week. six ships are ready to move there. secretary of state john kerry, told house democrats three middle eastern nations, turkey, saudi arabia and the united arab emritz have used bases against syria. pentagon correspondent chris lawrence joins us with more on the military maneuver that we should know about. there are reports that assad is hiding military assets in civilian populations. the military leaders have assured him strikes would be effective a month from now. how confident are officials at the pentagon that you're hearing from, the president isn't waiting too long? >> very. one official told us that if the syrian regime thinks it's going to get benefit out of this delay, they're sorely mistaken. the confidence comes from the fact that they feel they have 24 hour surveillance over syria,

the technology to hit precise locations, and they feel that assad cannot hide some of his major assets. they say he does not have the fortified underground bunkers to stash attack helicopters and planes and you can't position and park many of those next to an urban school or a mosque. on the other hand, i spoke with the former general who commanded the air operation over kosovo who says the delay is making it more likely you're getting a cruse missile strike that will destroy the defense ministry without any defense ministers inside. they will have been moved to a hospital or mosque. pentagon officials say they are continuing right now to refind that target list, and when the president calls for it, it will be updated and ready. >> we talked about the navy warships positioning in the mediterranean. what's the significance of the warships heading to the area. >> some of it is just for show.

the nimitz and its battle group have not been given any orders to be part of even a limited strike in syria. they're simply there to maximize the options as a just in case option if necessary. it's the destroyers that you have to keep your eye on. all of them are armed with 40 tomahawk cruise missiles. those can fly 900 miles, they can be reprogrammed to strike targets at mid flight. that range allows those ships to stay well out of the range of any syrian retaliation. >> want to bring in our panel, chris, thanks for the reporting. also joining us is vice president of defense and foreign policy studies at the cato institute. former commander in chief of the u.s. central command. appreciate all of you being with us. the chairman of the joint chiefs, general dempsey said there was no military down side to waiting until congress returned to session next week to

take action. do you agree with that? >> i do. i think it was just covered in your piece. the targeting is ongoing, the assets are there to follow any actions he may take to move targets. there are plenty of fixed targets that can't be moved, i don't think it's a problem for the military to do major damage to the syrian forces when the time comes. even if it's later. >> and general, what's your biggest concern about this military action? what are the things you're looking at that would concern you most as a planner? >> well, i tell you, let me tell you what my concern is, it's way bigger than just this act. we're at a point in time in our history where we needed to decide what our power and purpose is in the world. ever since the collapse of the soviet union, i don't think we've understood where we are in the world. what we want to be, what we can afford to be. are we going to be the world's policeman, are we going to form

new international groupings, that we could lead? i'm listening to our political leaders that have the range from interventionists to isolationists. i think this is a moment, if this debate is going to happen between the executive and the legislative branches to come do grips, what are we going to be in the 21st century, what is america's role. as a military man, that impacts directly our military. we've just come out of two wars. you know, we've been tasked to rebuild societies that are still in the 9th or 18th century in our image. we're suffering through sequestering. we're getting new missions, pivoting in the pacific and everything else. our military wants to know, what do you want us to be, and will you give us the capability to be that? >> you think launching military operations against syria would be reckless and couldn'ter productive for the united states, why? >> because i think the military mission has not been very well articulated, and the leading advocates for intervention, the

hawks, if you will, are very explicit on this point. they do not want the mission to be limited. they understand the american people are overwhelmingly opposed to a war, especially a war that may spiral like the wars in iraq and afghanistan did. that is not going to be enough for them. they will not stop at that. they will continue to call for greater and greater escalation. and so for them, this is just the first salvo in what they think and they hope is a much more concerted effort by the united states to intervene in the syrian civil war. >> fouad, when you hear, the united arab emer iirates is allg a base to be used or something. why is america the one who's the policeman of the world here, yet again on this thing? france wants to be involved, but where are these other arab countries? where are other countries in the region? >> you're absolutely right. the people who write to you have a compelling point. we have been tasked if you will. we have been left with the burden of attending to the

pathologies of the arab world. and i think that's the american moment. and the american burden and the american destiny at this time. and i think when you take a look at the arab world, there's something disgraceful going on there. we have the united arab emirates and saudi arabia committed to this. they have pledged money, they have pledged support and they want to see the destruction of the mafia that rules syria. other countries, when you think about it, is completely reprehensible. the egyptians, who have had their own revolution for liberty are now citing with bashar al assad against the rebellion in syria. and then above and beyond that, have you the iraqis, iraqis whose liberty is owed to an american war. they want to see an american intervention in syria, that would deliver some deliverance,

some -- we're not going to go into a big war in syria. our help could alter the balance of power on the ground without a major effort on our part. that's the hope at least. >> if i may, what if it doesn't alter the balance of power, then what? there will be calls. there have already been calls for the united states to intervene more decisively on the side of the assad resolution. it's no wonder the american people after having been entangled in the middle east do not wish to become entangled again. i'm grateful, i'm surprised a bit the president went to congress. it is congress's responsibility to represent the wishes of their constituents. and i don't think anyone should be surprised that the american people are not anxious to become more deeply entangled in yet another civil war in the region. >> do you think this will escalate?

that we will get pulled deeper into the syrian crisis? >> i don't think there's any question at all. we carry -- i have lived through many of these punitive raids on arab countries in libya, i was in kosovo and in belgrade when it was getting bombed. i see how it plays out, it's all very symbolic until there's a moment of massive war effort. in kosovo, it was all done from the air. in iraq, it was done on the ground. i don't see any potential or any kind of limited raid to really make a real difference on the ground. i do see a huge potential for assad to turn around and say, i survived, and you know what i'm going to do now, i'm going to use chemical weapons again, and what are you going to do about did? that's the easiest thing for him to do, and i think it's almost certain that that's what he will do? >> if that does happen. what then? >> well, what concerns me, is

not only that he can use it again. and then we have to repeat this with no end in sight and no strategy, and no clear political objectives, but even if assad is overthrown, and this mixed bag of opposition groups comes pouring in to damascus, what does that mean? i mean, there's an aftermath in here that could be even worse than what we see. we keep saying no boots on the ground. we had two administrations, first bush administration and the clinton administration, that did not want to put boots on the ground in iraq, i think successfully contained saddam, and avoided the mess. and then suddenly everything for two administrations that we decided we wouldn't do, we suddenly were immersed in trying to rebuild that nation and into a mess we didn't understand. this is a religious war, in many aspects. we've taken sides now, and this mess is -- i think can lead to involvement in egypt and elsewhere in the region. and i don't see anybody else doing anything more than just

holding our coat in this. >> fouad, you're more supportive of the opposition? >> well, look, we have to believe in people. we have to believe they have something in them, goodness in them, a desire for freedom. we have to believe the syrian people are capable of spawning the regime of much greater mercy, much greater humanity. and that's what's been missing for the last two and a half years. that's why we didn't intervene, why we didn't arm them, we must trust them. otherwise we shouldn't do this whole thing. >> we have to leave it there. i appreciate your perspectives. up next tonight, diana nyad, becomes the first person to swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage. she's 64 years old, record setting swimmer, we'll meet her ahead. i asked my husband to pay our bill, and he forgot. you have the it card and it's your first time missing a payment, so there's no late fee. really?

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welcome back about diana nyad made history today to swim from cuba to florida without a shark tank. she was struck by jellyfish, suffered an asthma attack. none of that happened this time, though she still had to swim

through shark infested waters. sanjay gupta spoke to diana. he joins me with details. i'm amazed she was able to speak. >> it's incredible. we're on her porch, we just finished talking, and i'll tell you, i've met a lot of extraordinary people. she's one of the ones that's inspired me the most. i want you to listen to the conversation we just had. >> you know what's so great about it, it's all authentic. it's a great story. do you have a dream 35 years ago, that didn't come to fruition. you move on with life. you turn 06 and your mom just dies and you want -- you're looking for something, and the dream comes awake again in your imagination. no one's ever done it, it's --

i'm not sure when the next person will do it, that's how hard it is to get everything right. when i say everything right. with all the experience i have, especially in this ocean, i never knew i would suffer the way i did. >> are you hurting right now? >> i was hurting then. >> i know your face is swollen. >> that's okay, that's temporary. but partly because of the daylight being less these days, to ka void the fatal attacks. it would be different if you just had something else that just hurts, fatal, debilitating, even if you do live. i had a prosthetic mask made. in flat water it's good. with the bump and the wind, it was like glass. 90 minutes later, for 49 hours, the wind just blew like heck.

and it was rough. tried to -- my whole launch this year was find a way, you don't like it, it's not doing well, find a way. you can't get a negative space. you know with endurance sports, you start going like, this hurts too much, why -- maybe another day. you talk yourself out of it. even people with iron will quit when it's really tough. >> find a way, i like that. >> it was really rough that first day, after the start, i just said, forget about the surface up. get your hands in somehow. and with your left hand say push cuba back and push florida toward you. and forget about slapping grinding and feeling seasick, just push cuba back. the jellyfish mask just about undid me. >> she's talking that way, because she had to wear this

special jellyfish protectant. she's wearing it for 53 hours. that's part of what causes those abrasions, it was the jellyfish that were problematic. she would sing songs to herself. she would think of think of people who inspired her. it was -- it just -- it was tough. i mean, she was throwing up at times, she had significant pain. she is 64 years old, and just swam nearly 55 hours. it's amazing. >> it's just -- i mean, incredible. what an accomplishment. programming note i want to tell you about, don't miss sanjay's special report, tonight at 11:00 eastern on cnn. that should be great. up next, u.s. ambassadors called to the carpet in mexico and brazil. the latest international fallout over edward snowden's leaked nsa

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reports on their presidents. the nsa intercepted e-mail and phone conversations from both country's governments. cnn has not independently confirms the report. verizon will take full control of its wireless business by buying out vodafone. shareholders are set to receive an $84 billion payout. "50 shades of grey" movie, jax will star as christian grey. i know this is news you have been anxiously awaiting. >> i have no idea who any of those characters are. we'll be back. a writer and a pe i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that.

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ran out of time for the ridiculist tonight. one hour from now, at 10:00 p.m. easte eastern, another hour. here's piers morgan live. you're looking live at washington, d.c., where the white house and the congress are now locked in a