let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone, i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight a big win for president obama.

two key republican leaders, house speaker john boehner and majority leader eric cantor tonight say they support the president's plan to strike syria. both were on hand today when president obama gathered key congressional leaders at the white house to try and make his case. clearly that meeting got the job done for some. and the president's hoping his secretaries of state and defense had the same effect on capitol hill this afternoon. we're going to be joined by senator rand paul in just a moment who was in that contentious hearing, but our chief national security correspondent is with us from washington. >> today you're beginning the formal request of asking each of us to make the most important decision many of us will make during our tenure in the united states senate. >> reporter: for senators arare chance to debate a president's decision to launch military attacks abroad. the administration's three spokesmen all with very personal experience of war delivered the same message, the world is awaiting america's response.

>> hezbollah is hoping that isolationism will prevail. north korea is hoping that ambivalence carries the day. they are all listening for our silence. >> reporter: left to make the military case for attacks the chairman of the joint chiefs who had been a skeptic of broad military options. >> i have never been told to change the momentum. i have been told to degrade capability. >> reporter: senators and the administration came face to face with an american public deeply skeptical of another conflict in the middle east. >> thank you, mr. secretary. >> committee will be in order. >> don't go to war. >> the first time i testified before this committee when i was 27 years old i had feelings very similar to that protester. and i would just say that is exactly why it is so important that we are all here. >> reporter: with that reluctance in mind the administration took extra care to clarify what military action

would be. >> limited, targeted effort that will not be american boots on the ground with respect to the civil war. >> reporter: and would not even when secretary kerry for a moment seemed to open the door to u.s. boots on the ground. >> i don't want to take off the table an option that might or might not be available to the president of the united states to secure our country. >> obviously that gets to the heart of it, you know, leaving that door open. jim, was the administration able to change any minds today? i know we were talking about john boehner and eric cantor obviously significant development there, but there are still so many who are undecided who are leaning voting no. >> you got a window on the administration strategy here, clearly they had something for the skeptics and that is the constant return to the sense that this would be a very limited action, in scope and in time frame. and then for those other side, senator mccain among them, whoing questioning whether a limited action will really make any difference. secretary kerry went to a

broader strategy saying it is indeed the administration's goal still to remove assad by supporting the opposition. so, they are trying to gain both the hawks and the doves on this and at least in the committee it does appear they have the votes just based on the kinds of questions that were coming to secretaries kerry and hagel. >> thank you very much, and by the way, welcome. we're thrilled to have you here at cnn. welcome. >> great to be on. republican senator rand paul of kentucky sits on the foreign relations and homeland security committees. obviously he was in that room today with john kerry. and thanks very much for being with us, senator paul, we really appreciate you taking the time. you and secretary kerry got into it today during the hearing and i waited all day for it and then, of course, you delivered. over the question of whether assad would use chemical weapons and i just wanted to play that little exchange briefly for those that didn't get a chance to see it. here you are -- >> if the united states of america doesn't do this, senator, is it more or less

likely that assad does it again? you wa been to answer that question? >> i don't think it's no. >> is it more or less likely that he does it again? >> i think it's unknown whether you have the attack. >> senator, it's not unknown. if the united states of america doesn't hold him accountable on this with our allies and friends, it is a guarantee assad will do it again. a guarantee. >> you looked a little skeptical there. how do you feel now? did secretary kerry win you over at all? >> well, he sounds like he must be a clairvoyant because he can predict the future now and we should ask him for stock picks, who name it, who will win the kentucky derby next year if he can guarantee the future. no one can guarantee the future. we don't know how assad will react and i think there's an equal argument to be made if the u.s. bombs him that it will be more likely that he launches another gas attack, more likely that he might attack his real. more likely that there will be more instability in the region. more likely that the russians

might get involved or iran might get involved. so, i think there are arguments to be made on both sides of this, but it's not some kind of slam dunk guarantee that secretary kerry makes it out to be. he's overstating his ability to predict the future. >> now, you said the president's request to strike probably will pass the senate today. but you don't agree that the president has the constitutional authority to order a strike on syria without congressional approval. you were also very clear on that. and i wanted just to play, secretary kerry, as you know got very passionate when you said that to him, and here is what he said to you -- >> we don't want to go to war. we don't believe we are going to war in the classic sense of taking american troops and america to war. the president is asking for the authority to do a limited action. that will degrade the capacity of a tyrant who has been using chemical weapons to kill his own people.

the president is not asking you to go to war. he's not asking you to declare war. he's not asking you to send one american troop to war. >> but obviously he did leave boots on the ground as an option on the table. do you -- >> and here's the thing is, soldiers, you know, or sailors, they are air force pilots, there are technicians, cia, there's all kinds of people who will be involved in this effort. to say this is not war is just plain not accurate. to say it's a small war, well, he's starting out with a small war, but can a small war like vietnam that he served in become a big war? no, i think he's not accounting for the fact that the constitution does not differentiate between small war and big war. the constitution says the legislature gets to decide and what i pressed him on i am proud of the president for coming to congress, but the president says he has to say he will adhere to our verdict. he can't come to us in theater and say, oh, you guys get to vote but it may not count if i don't like your vote. he can't do that. >> now, senator, before we go, i

have to ask you one more thing, though, because obviously high-ranking republicans as you know have come around saying they're going to support the president. on that list you've got john mccain who wanted the president to go further, you have john boehner, you have eric cantor. they say voting against him would undermine the office of the president of the united states and here is john mccain and john boehner -- >> a vote against that resolution by congress i think would be catastrophic because it would undermine the credibility of the united states of america and the president. >> this is something that the united states as a country needs to do. i'm going to support the president's call for action. i believe my colleagues should support this call for action. >> do you have any concern that your vote, which i know is a firm no, would hurt the office of presidency of the united states? >> you know, i take my responsibility very seriously. and i'm not too concerned about the president's public relations. i am concerned, though, about

young men and young women who serve in our military. and i vote as if it's my son or your son going to war. i can't send them to war to fight for stalemate. i can't send them to war with no clear military objective and i can't send anybody to war when our goal is not victory. our goal is stalemate. they've already said they don't even want to topple assad. they just want a negotiated settlement after they blast him with a few bombs. i can't see anyone's son or daughter fighting for that. >> all right, senator rand paul, thank you very much. >> thank you, erin. and microsoft making a $7 billion bet that you will want a different phone. not the iphone, not the galaxy. and japanese officials still admit there's a major problem with radiation leaking from the fukushima nuclear plant and apparently they have a resolution that seems to come out of the fictional world of ""game of thrones."" he'll hear a recording for the rant that started the controversy and only gets

stranger in the tale of dennis and the dictator. >> keep the communication gap going as far as i could. i just want to go over there to meet my friend kim. kim jong-un. with premium service like one of the best on-time delivery records and a low claims ratio, we do whatever it takes to make your business our business. od. helping the world keep promises. like carpools...

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our second story "outfront," ambassador dennis rodman. you think that i jest but i do not. the former basketball star returned to north korea today

for the second time in 2013. it's hard enough for most people to ever get there once in their life. he raised speculation about he's trying to guarantee the release of kenneth bay whoed had put into maximum security, suffering major health problems. walking through the beijing airport rodman insisted, though, this trip is actually about basketball. >> keep the communication gap going as far as i can, i just want to go over there to meet with my friend kim, the marshal, and try to start a new basketball league over there and stuff like that. >> meet my friend kim and start a new basketball league in north korea. "outfront," gordon chang expert on north korea, author of "nuclear showdown north korea takes on the world." obviously, gordon, it's hard to cover this without smiling, but it is a deadly serious subject. second time this year that dennis rodman has gone to north korea to visit his, quote-unquote, friend kim jong-un, how does this guy keep getting access to one of the most brutal dictators in the

world? >> because the north korean regime is using rodman for its purposes. we got to remember the first time he went there was the end of february and people thought that because of the visit that north korea would turn a new leaf. but as soon as he left, the north koreans embarked on this series of provocations and they had planned that. and now, you know, we've had a couple of months of charm offensive, you know, until last friday when north -- when our north korean envoy was denied permission to go there, now rodman shows up. this is part of a plan. we don't know what the plan is, but we know it's part of a plan. >> now, rodman told reuters he's not going to discuss the american kenneth bay, he is a hostage and served time in a maximum security labor camp, horrific conditions, he said he's not going to secure his release, but last week to the huffington post he just said that. >> if the marshal said, dennis,

you want me to let him loose, and if i actually got him loose, i'm just saying this out of the blue, i would be the most powerful guy in the world. >> you said, gordon, he's being used by the north koreans, dennis rodman that is, they have a plan. would you be surprised if he could get bay released? >> i would be a little bit surprised. what the north koreans want is a senior u.s. official or political figure to go to north korea and stand next to kim jong-un, and dennis rodman has no purpose with the u.s. government and i don't think it serves its purposes. this is north korea so anything could happen, but i don't think rodman will come back with kenneth bay. >> thank you very much, gordon chang. obviously this is a fascinating story. when he said he would go back, right, who thought he meant it and go back and visit him this summer? dennis rodman was not lying. thank you, gordon chang. >> thank you. microsoft $7 billion bet, the software company announcing tut forking over $7.2 billion to

buy nokia, it used to be the hottest, sexiest most amazing phone on the planet. anyway it's a move to attempt to revive two companies that aren't exactly thriving in the mobile phone market these days. will the gamble pay off or is it too little too late, richard quest is "outfront." will this be enough to resuscitate -- >> i've got the evidence in front of me because that's what this is all about. let's start with this. this is the phone that was put together by microsoft and nokia. people love it. those who have used it absolutely adore it. but unfortunately it's got no market share. because, first of all, nokia was knocked out of the park by dear old apple. with the iphone. and then they were knocked out of the park, switch it on, so you can get a good idea of who

it is, by an android phone from samsung, and it's left these two absolutely wondering what on earth is happening. >> oh, no. >> happening to them. >> my blackberry. >> well, blackberry and, of course, nokia. so, you put the two together and you end up with the fact that nokia and microsoft have to do something. >> all right. so, then, so paying $7.2 billion and now having nokia as your problem, how does that solve it for microsoft? which is, by the way, such a cash cow, rich, successful company that is perceived as the sloth of american companies. >> but they have not managed to get into windows phones in any numbers. look at their numbers and it will show you. if you look at nokia, every number, vroom. if you look at the share price, the worldwide market share for nokia, it's on a downward trend. >> it's terrible. >> look at the united states, it's flat lining at the moment. so, in that scenario, 1% or something, microsoft now has got hold of it, but this was a deal

that was really done two or three years ago when they partnered in 2011. what microsoft is now doing is doubling down, more than doubling down, ten-timing down on what it's already invested in it. it's put $300 million in. it's going for $7 billion. this is a big play to say they can do it. >> well, we will see if they can. >> and the core question for viewers is if i give you a choice, very simple, there you are. take your pick. you can have any one of them. if i was going to give you any one, the iphone, the samsung, the blackberry, the luminary, the nokia, which would you take? >> i'm torn. i like the blackberry, because i like the keyboard. i'm an old fogey. >>@richardquest the twitter name. >> richard, no. >> i'm not going to give you anything. but which would you have if you could have one of them. >> please tweet richard and let him know. we'll let you know what you vote. thanks.

did the irs target certain now bad is the new drug our fourth story "outfront" the dangers of molly, its popularity is surging with deadly consequences, it's the street name for a pure form of the drug ecstasy. it's believed to have caused two deaths in just the past week. it's a hot party drug and it's actually been glamorized by celebrities such as kanye west or miley cyrus, but what is driving this new trend now? kyung lah is "outfront" tonight. >> reporter: at electronica music festival a recovering addict said what he's seen it's not just the deejay's name that's known, but another one, molly. >> insane, like, the amount of ecstasy and molly that are going around, it's insane. everybody's doing it. >> reporter: mdma a stimulant and a psychedelic. a rave drug from the '90s once cut with everything from caffeine to speed.

today's version, molly, a powder form that pledges purity and now seeing a resurgence of popularity among a new generation. molly is also casually mentioned in pop music by singers like kanye west and rapper trinidad james. miley cyrus sings about dancing with molly. >> we like to party with molly. >> reporter: but the drug with an approachable name took a deadly turn at the electric music festival in new york, two concertgoers died and others were hospitalized for mdma-causes others say. >> molly goes to another level as far as potency is concerned. it makes it extremely dangerous to the body. because with mdma, the body creates heat. this drug creates the body to overheat, and the more the body overheats especially in these environments that are so hot to begin with, it can create death, heart attack. the body just fries. >> reporter: he knows it all too well. he estimates he's taken ecstasy and molly hundreds of times and has seen friends die from molly.

he said he's been clean for one year. he was once addicted to cocaine, heroin and alcohol. but it's molly that scares him the most. >> people don't know how they're going to react to molly. it's the kind of drug that you don't know, i mean, if you've never taken it, how you are going to react to it and you could be one of those people it's going to kill immediately. absolutely totally. so in that respect it's far more dangerous than other drugs. >> but it does remain the drug of choice among the young. and that's according to counselors we spoke to here in los angeles specifically in hollywood. as far as the rest of the country, it is very difficult to track, erin. it does behoove you, though, to have at least a conversation with your kids about molly. erin? >> unbelievable kind of glamorizing in those songs. thanks to kyung lah. and next we've got an update on the story of a man sentenced to 30 days in jail for the rape of a 14-year-old who later committed suicide. and the day after, that amazing first accomplished by

the 64-year-old athlete diana nyad, today what that feat truly means for history. action and hearing everything from our marketing partners, the media and millions of fans on social media can be a challenge. that's why we partnered with hp to build the new nascar fan and media engagement center. hp's technology helps us turn millions of tweets, posts and stories into real-time business insights that help nascar win with our fans.

welcome back to the second half of "outfront." a montana judge has ordered a new hearing for a man sentenced to 30 days in jail for the rape of a 14-year-old student who later committed suicide. in court documents obtained by "outfront" judge todd baugh ordered a new hearing for stacey rambold because the minimum sentence might be two years instead of 30 days. rambold's victim committed suicide in 2010 as the case worked through the courts. her mother appeared on "outfront" last week and she told us how much jail time she would like to see rambold serve. >> any time behind bars. he's very lucky. he seems to slide by by the very skin of his teeth. any jail time. would have been better than 30 days. not jail time, prison time. anything would have been better than 30 days. the judge was mocking us.

>> she did say she is grateful for the support and prayers that came in from all over the world. the japanese government is building an ice wall to protect the shockingly toxic nuclear radiation leaks, they are going to freeze the ground underneath the tanks to keep the contaminated water coming in contact with the seawater. they expect the cleanup costs to be closer to $100 billion and says this ice wall is just a political show. well, the rim wildfire near yosemite national park is still burning tonight, it's about 75% contained, that's the good news. but here's the bad news 236,000 acres have burned since the fire started more than two weeks ago. it's the fourth biggest wildfire in california history. there has been speculation about the cause of the wildfire after one local fire official speculated it could have been

caused by illegal pot growers. but officials tell us the investigation in to what started fire is still ongoing. they are not yet willing to say anything like that formally at this point. it has been 759 days since the united states lost its top credit rating. what are we doing to get it back? well, there was some good news from one of the america's oldest company, kodak is back, they emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy. going to focus more on business imaging. and now our fifth story "outfront," rolling the dice on syria. so the white house is making a full-court press trying to get congressional support, trying to get enough votes to authorize a military strike on the syrian government. if congress votes no, though, which is a very real possibility, will the president strike anyway? he says he has the authority to do so. so far the obama administration is completely ducking that question, though. >> i do not believe the congress of the united states will turn its back on this moment. >> if he doesn't get the votes, i know that's not the scenario

you want, but if he doesn't get it, will he still strike? >> i think it will be a little bit of a hypothetical right now to discuss what happens if congress should vote no. >> he intends to win the passage of the resolution. >> and on the case that he does not, is the plan that he -- >> well, we're not contemplating not because it's too dire. >> we're not contemplating that. it's a hypothetical. the problem is, it could happen. "outfront" tonight, former pentagon and white house advisers during the george w. bush administration and matt bennett who worked in the clinton white house. good to have both of you, matt, let me start with you because i talked to congressman peter king last night and i asked him about the possibility of a no vote from congress. a republican, a man who is often very critical of the president on these sorts of things. here's what he said -- >> constitutionally would have the right to still go in after he didn't get the vote. president clinton in kosovo, the first one or two votes that came up, they were defeated in the house and he still did it.

i think he should do it. i think he should go ahead and strike. >> they says congress votes no, he should go ahead and strike anyway. you're shaking your head. >> i just think it's wrong as a practical matter. he's right that he could strike anyway. there's no question, erin, that president obama retains authority to strike whether or not he gets it from congress. the question is should he. unlike president clinton, when i was in that white house, president clinton didn't come to congress seeking authorization the way president obama has here. if he comes to congress, asks for the authorization as he has and is denied the authorization, i think it's very tough for him to go ahead with a strike at this point. and disregard congress altogether. >> dan, what do you think? >> i slightly disagree. look, if i recall correctly when president clinton launched fighter jets into the balkans, he sought the vote once the planes were already airborne, the votes were being cast once the operation already launched. in this particular case i think the president has drawn a clear

red line on chemical weapons. republicans and democrats in congress didn't oppose the red line when he articulated it. >> right. >> it's importance if he goes to congress, he goes to congress. but i think the national security implications of the united states declaring that we are going to take action, the red line was crossed and the commander in chief said he intends to take action and not doing so because a congressional vote goes the wrong way i think would be very damaging. i don't think it will happen. i think he'll get the authorization and it will pass in the senate and the house, and it will be a complicated next few days but i think he'll get the votes. >> i agree with that. >> but you're saying even if he doesn't he should go ahead because of the credibility of this country. >> i think we have a major national security issue at stake as it relates to syria. i think we have a major american credibility issue in the world at stake. and i think that the commander in chief declares as he has that he intends to take military action and then doesn't i think it will be a huge shot in the arm -- >> right. >> -- in tehran, and damascus for the assad regime and the iranian regime and i think the consequences for the united states, i actually agree with

secretary kerry, the consequences for the united states are so grave that it's impossible to even fathom the president pulling back once he's declared his intention to take action. >> what i'm curious about, secretary kerry said i'm not going to contemplate, it's too dire to contemplate no, why say you are going to strike and then go to congress to tell them you want to vote about it. something doesn't add up with the way it's being handled, it seems like. >> he's being differential and the speaker wanted to proceed this way and the speaker said he would support the authorization and i agree with dan on that point. i do think he's going to get it. i think that there's no question when you have the bipartisan leadership of congress coming together behind this authorization he's going to win the vote. but i do think that there is something important -- there's another important principle here at stake which is that if congress is asked for its opinion, you can't just ignore

it. you know, it's likely that assad will go ahead and provoke and continue to do barbaric things and it's possible the president will have to use force in the future if the vote doesn't go the way he wants. >> 60% of the american public opposes this? >> i think the president has to make the case. >> he has to step up. >> this president has made very few public addresses on public policy and this one where he's putting his name on the line with regard to military action, he's got to make the case. i think hoyer and pelosi can whip democrat votes and i think speaker boehner would like to get the majority of the republican congress. but the president at some point is going to have to get out there. they want the numbers up. i think this thing will pass. i think it would be best if it passed with big numbers. if the president wants the numbers up he's got to go out and educate himself on the american public on the stakes for the united states. >> thank you very much. dan, matt, appreciate it. diana nyad continues to receive a lot of accolades for

the amazing swim record she set. the longest distance swim from cuba to florida and she did it without a shark cage and she got stung all over her face by jellyfish and during the trek she had to deal with current shipping lanes, reefs, swarms of jellyfish and her own body. here's what sanjay gupta told us. >> someone described it to me, sara, he's literally racing against her own body. because as much as she would try to keep up with nutrition and hydration when you're swimming for that length of time it's impossible to do so, so you essentially start digesting your own body if you will just in order to get to -- to in this case florida, key west. >> that brings me to tonight's number, five, that was diana's fifth attempt at the record, for the past three years she's tried and failed to accomplish this feat over and over again but she did not give up. in the past she was forced to stop, and i'm not stopping a few miles in here, i'm talking 84-plus miles in, thunderstorms,

asthma attacks, jellyfish, each attempt takes hundreds of thousands of dollars and so many people and incredible will, it's more of an expedition than a swim but fortunately diana is an incredible woman. in fact, this sport is largely dominated by incredible women. the person who held the record before diana is a woman penny palfry and in open water swimming many of the all-time records are held by women and this one, of course, is 64 years old. still to come one of the most despised words in the english language but are there times it is acceptable to use it? we look at the n-word next. plus a very special "outfront" investigation, we looked in to the key question was the irs truly targeting political groups? the truth about the irs, a special investigation later on this hour. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards.

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our fifth story "outfront," the cost of calling someone the n-word. tonight a new york federal jury has ordered the owner of an organization to pay a former employee $280,000 in damages after he called her the n-word multiple times. now for the first time you're going to hear exactly what happened because the rant is captured on tape. here it is. >> seriously you guys are alike. smarter as [ bleep ] but dumb as [ bleep ] really. both of you, do you know what it

is, both of you, are [ bleep ]. and i'm not using the term derogatory. because sometimes it's know when to act like a [ bleep ] but you all act like a [ bleep ] all the time. >> i am really offended by that. i don't think it's true. >> you can be offends but true's true. >> they said it was socially acceptable in this case both the man who called her it and the woman that was called that are both black. we've talked extensively about it on this program, out front is legally analyst sonny hostin, brandi johnson was the plaintiff, the woman you hear there saying i find this offensive. she explained to cnn earlier today why she brought this case against her former boss. here's brandi. >> he called me the n-word eight times. and i protested, you know, i said i don't appreciate it, you

know, i'm offended that you're calling me such. it was a hurtful experience for me. it was extremely hurtful. i was extremely offended. >> jury obviously sided with her it was inappropriate $280,000 she's going to get. is this the right outcome? >> you know, it's tough. and hearing it i have a slightly different opinion than when i just read it, right? there's a different texture and context. language is about context. clearly the boss was inoappropriate and the language was offensive and abusive but i don't think it rises to the level of discriminatory. on the tape she didn't say she was offended because you called her the n-word, she was offended because i'm not that. >> she's actually disputing that she was acting that way as opposed to it itself. >> i don't think she read it as a racial epithet.

i think she was reading it as a descripter of being bad and lazy. i don't think that he intended a racial epithet. >> i'm floored. >> go ahead. >> i'm floored and mark and i are friends and we know each other quite well and i always value your opinion, mark, but the bottom line is this word can't be retooled and reshaped. it shouldn't be used by anyone and the court i think and the jury spoke rather firmly that when you find a hostile work environment as this jury did, that this conduct, these terms are offensive, objectively. that means across the board. that means they can't be used by black people. they can't be used by white people. they can't be used by purple people. they can't be used by anyone. and that really is, i think, sort of reflective of where our society is right now. the law's a pendulum, right? and it swings in to telling us what's appropriate. the n-word needs to be retired and it's not appropriate anywhere in any context. >> can the courts decide whether a word is usable or right? sonny may be right, it's a wrong word. can the court decide that? >> to the extent it constitutes a hostile work environment. and clearly the boss is being

abusive. there are a million of other things he could have called her that is equally as abusive. this is not what they had in mind when they came up to this. if a white boss had said this to her, it would have been an entirely different discussion. >> why is it different? >> context does matter. the n-word is used in different ways in different places. >> it's a racial epithet and hateful language. it always is. yes, it always is. there's a bright line there. >> you think it's hate speech always? >> yes, absolutely. >> when people in everyday speech say, you are my "n," you think they are engaged in hate speech? >> yes. >> we're both on the floor because to me context matters. >> you think there are times it's okay if both people using the word or receiving the word are black to use the word? >> absolutely. and it's not just because they are black, i'm saying context matters, the meaning underneath the word matters. i think we need to set objective standards at work. i think we should at work never use the n-word, i think that's fine.

i think she saw it on tape and thought she could make some money because there's a bunch of people in the world who thinks blacks and whites are opposite of the same coin and she seized on it and got a nice -- >> you can't have one set of rules for one racial group and you can't have another set of rules for another racial group when it comes to using a racial epithet. it's objectively offensive and i'm glad the jury spoke loudly and clearly. >> oh, that jury. >> she got $280,000. i want to read what the defense in terms of what they'll do about it. the attorney released this statement, we're disappointed by the verdict as we don't believe it comports with the full facts applicable to the case. nevertheless, we respect the jury's decision and the judicial process. we are exploring all our options moving forward including appeal and look forward to the judicial process taking its entire course. obviously -- >> it's not going to change. >> it looks like there will be an appeal. >> i think it will be precedent actually. >> i think it will, too.

i literally think they are ruling away social context in an entire history in america that matters. >> and a hateful history at that. >> absolutely, it's a hateful history and i don't think it will be erased if we handle it like this. >> i like it when they can so the irs facing questions about the targeting of political groups. new evidence tonight, a very special out front investigation, the truth about the irs is next. [ male announcer ] these heads belong to those who can't put life on hold

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our story out front, new evidence both sides had it wrong on the irs scandal. after nearly four months, the irs is facing questions about targeting political groups and tax except status. a special week-long investigation. dana bash found some claims still being made by republicans and democrats are far from the real story. dana bash is out front. >> reporter: it's hard to imagine now, but when the irs targeting controversy broke in may, democrats were as eager as republicans to show anger.

>> i have no patience with it. i will not tolerate it there is no place for this type of activity by the irs. >> reporter: but republicans went beyond outrage calling it a politically motivated witch hunt. >> this was the targeting of the president's enemies effectively and lies about it during the election year. >> reporter: echoes of watergate says one columnist. >> god bless the tea party. >> reporter: many wasted no time blaming the president. >> when richard nixon tried to use the irs to target political enemies, it was wrong, and when the obama administration does it, it's still wrong. >> reporter: but was it really politically motivate snd after more than a dozen public hearings, 20 plus transcribed interviews with irs employees, the answer is now. was there targeting? yes. was there incompetence? yes. but was this an effort by the president to silence opponents? they found in evidence of that.

>> do you know of anyone that you would say in your opinion had political motives in the role of treating tea party groups? >> no, i do not. >> no, sir. >> reporter: by republicans weren't the only ones to jump to conclusions. the white house did, too. from the start tea partying happened far from washington at the irs tax exempt headquarters in cincinnati. >> there were employees who improperly targeted conservative groups. >> reporter: just employees in cincinnati? no. >> did you and other people in the cincinnati office feel that they were being unfairly blamed? >> i felt like a nuclear strike. i felt they were blaming us. >> reporter: but is this a phony scandal as the president now

calls it? >> with this endless parade of distractions and political posterring and phony scandals. >> reporter: that answer is also no. irs employees did make a lot of mistakes. to qualify for tax exempt status a group must engage in social welfare, not politics. they used inappropriate tactics like screening and unnecessarily delays and unfair questions like the names of their donors. it turns out, the irs didn't just screen for conservatives but liberal groups, too, using medical marijuana, even blue as in blue states. they lashed out at the inspector general for leaving that out of the report it was a serious mistake, and i think the republicans took advantage of that by claiming there was some kind of enemies list of the white house. >> reporter: in fact, from the start, top irs officials made things worse in a clumsy way

they handled the problem. misleading congress is never a good move. >> there's absolutely no targeting. >> reporter: when irs chief douglas said that in 2012 he knew irs targeting happened. >> come on mr. shulman help us help the taxpayers. i say two words, just two, two, two, truth and trust. >> reporter: irs tax exempt division lowest learner neglected to say she knew about irs targeting back in 2011 and knew it was a problem. in these e-mails from march of 2012 obtained by cnn learner was scrambling for information saying quote we're going to get creamed. yet, she's still invoking the fifth amendment right to explain why she kept it from congress. >> i have not done anything wrong. i have not broken any laws. >> the witness and counsel are dismissed. >> reporter: that was three plus

months ago. now the congressional investigation itself seems more political than the allegations of irs wrongdoing, the top democrat trying to end the investigation. >> based upon everything i've seen, the case is solved. >> reporter: and despite no evidence, the top republican refusing to let go of suggestions irs targeting was politically motivated after saying this. >> i never said it came out of the office of the president or his campaign. what i said is it comes out of washington. >> reporter: car yell isa still wouldn't let the president off the hook. based on what you know now that the white house simply was not involved. >> for years the president bashed the tea party groups, he was against the groups. >> dana, people wonder is this over, right? is this still an on going investigation? >> reporter: it is. i'm told they had one interview a week during the congressional recess so they have been going.

the staff is hard at work. i've been told they have not works a plan to interview some of the most senior officials dealing with the tax exempt issue. this is definitely going on, even though we don't exactly think it will end up where some thought it would be, in terms of it being political we expect a report out of the committee as to what happened sometime this year. >> thank you very much. we'll have much more as our series continues as the truth about the irs. tomorrow night our out front investigation continues. tonight, ac 360 starts now. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ male announcer ] the best thing to share? a data plan. at&t mobile share for business. one bucket of data for everyone on the plan, unlimited talk and text on smart phones. now, everyone's in the spirit of sharing. hey, can i borrow your boat this weekend?

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this is "piers morgan live." i'm wolf blitzer in for piers. welcome to the viewers in the united states and around the world. the senate committee will take up a bill tomorrow that will authorize the president of the united states to use military force in syria. property posed resolution limits the autozigs to 60 days with a 30-day deadline with no u.s. troops to be included on the ground in syria. all this on the day the crucial hearings began on the power of