trying to recapture that feeling but trying to help put an end to the mystery. cnn has already received some credible tips but so far none have led to the authentic patriotic symbol. that fateful day in american history. >> how do they let on the tips? >> if you have a tip, you can go to cnn.com/theflag and click on the link there. leave any information. you can send an e-mail to findtheflag@cnn.com. >> i have a couple of tweets i'm sending out. i'm looking forward to seeing that. don't miss that debut at 9:00 eastern right here on cnn. thanks so much for watching. "around the world" starts right now. welcome to "around the

world." i'm susan mall suzanne malveaux. >> i'm michael homlmes. >> new debates starting this very hour. this time in the house. it's expected to be heated. secretary of state john kerry, defense secretary chuck hagel and the chairman of the joint chiefs martin dempsey are back on capitol hill. >> they're set to start testifying any minute about plans to attack syria. we'll bring you to that live hearing as soon as it starts. on the senate side, the foreign relations committee could vote on authorizing the use of force as early as this afternoon. >> lawmakers considering a revised bill that would authorize 60 days of limited military strikes. it does have an option for an additional 30 days. all of it with no boots on the

ground. >> today marks two weeks since more than 1400 men, women and children were killed near the capital. the syrian leaders denies that. you can see the images of victims triggering this debate around the world about how the international community should respond. >> the obama administration and congress are debating what to do president t preside . >> the president is looking for support there. >> he spoke to reporters talking about the red line warning that he gave syria last august. listen. >> first of all, i didn't set a red line. the world set a red line. the world set a red line when governments representing 98% of the world's population said the use of chemical weapons are

abort and passed a treaty forbidding their use even when countries are engaged in war. congress set a red line when it ratified that treaty. congress set a red line when it indicated that in a piece of legislation titled the syria accountability act that some of the horrendous things that are happening on the ground there need to be answered for. when i said in a press conference that my calculus about what's happening in syria would be altered by the use of chemical weapons, which the overwhelming consensus of humanity says is wrong, that

wasn't saying i just made up. i didn't pluck it out of thin air. there's a reason for it. when those videos first broke and you saw images of over 400 children subjected to gas everybody expressed outrage. how can this happen in this modern world? well, it happened because a government chose to deploy these deadly weapons on civilian populations. the question is, how krcredibles the international community when it says this is an international norm that had to be observed? the question is how credible is congress when it passes a treaty saying we have forbid the use of

chemical weapons? i do think that we have to act because if we don't, we are effectively saying that even though we may condemn it and issue resolutions and so forth and so on, somebody who is not shamed by resolutions can continue to act with impunity. >> president obama first used the words red line last summer, you may remember, setting the bar for what could have brought the u.s. into the conflict more directly. it was in this white house news conference. >> we have been very clear to the assad regime but also to other players on the ground that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being

utilized. that would change my calculus. >> president also said he hopes russia's leaders will change their mind and support outside military action inside of syria. russian president vladmir putin said that's a possibility if they see proof that syrian troops used chemical weapons against civilians. >> setting a bit of a high bar on what would make him happy and convinced. the president saying he's in stockholm at the moment ahead of the g-20. he's been speaking at the great synagogue. let's listen to that. >> good afternoon. i want to thank prime minister rienfeld and rabbi for welcoming me here to the great synagogue, the heart of the jewish

community here in stockholm. this evening is the first night of the jewish holidays. for our jewish friends it's a time of joy and celebration to give thanks and blessings and look ahead for the coming year. to all our jewish friends, i want to wish you and your families a sweet and happy new year. a day such as this is a time of reflection and occasion to consider not just our relationship with god but our relationship with each other as human beings. we're reminded of our basic obligations to recognize ourselves and each other and to treat one another with compassion, to reach out to the less fortune among us, to do our part to help repair our world. these values are at the heart of the great partnership between sweden and the united states and the values define the life of

the man we remember today. last year we marked the 130th anniversary of his birth. i was proud to send my greetings here. today we're honored to be joined by those who loved him and whose lives he touched. his colleague and some of the countless men and women who he saved from the holocaust. we had a wonderful visit together. they showed me some of the incredible artifacts. i saw his diary and passport.

he had an enormous heart. i'm here today because as americans we cherish our ties as well. he was a son of sweden but he also studied in america. i know he spent most of his time in ann arbor but my understanding is he spent time in my hometown of chicago as well. he would have remained in the comfort of stockholm but he went to hungay. to th today schools and streets in america bear his name. he's beloved in both our countries. he's the link that binds us together. his life is a challenge to us all. to live those virtues of empathy and compassion even when it's

hard. even when it involves great risk. he came from a prominent family but he chose to help the most vulnerable. he was a lutheran yet he risked his life to save jews. he said i will never be able to go back unless i know i've done all a man can do to save as many jews as possible. when they were forced into death marches, he showed up with the food and water that gave them life. when they were loaded on trains for the camps, he climbed on board too and pulled them off. he lived out one of the most important commandments in the jewish tradition, to redeem a captive, to save a life. the belief that when a neighbor is suffering, we cannot stand idly by. because he refused to stand by

he reminds us of our power when we choose not simply to bear witness but also to act. the tens of thousands he saved from the camps. the estimated 100,000 jews of budapest who survived the war because of this man. it also calls to mind the compassion of sweds who helped to rescue so many jews from denmark 70 years ago this year. this legacy shines bright in the survivors here today. i cannot think of a better tribute than for each of us as individuals and nations to reaffirm or determination to live the values that define this lifer and make the same choice in our time.

today we say that we will make a habit of empathy. we will stand against anti-semitism and hatred and all its forms. we will choose to recognize the beauty and dignity and worth of every person and every child. we will choose to install in the hearts of our own children the love and tolerance and compassion that we seek. one of those whom he saved later today this story. he was a young boy in hiding when they came for the women, including his mother. my mother kissed me and she cried and i cried and we knew we were parting for ever. two or three hours later she returned with the other women. it was a miracle. she was there and alive and she said one word. wallenburg. today we stand in awe of the courage of one what who earned

his place in the righteous and we pray for the day when all people's nations find the same strength to recognize the humanity that we share and our capacity for good to live with tolerance and respect. to treat everyone with dignity and to provide our children with the peace they deserve. thank you very much. it's a great honor to be here today. on behalf of the american people, we want to say to the family how truly inspired and grateful we are for all that he did. thank you. >> president obama there at the great synagogue in stockholm. he's making the case for the european community comparing what happened with the holocaust to what happened in that chemical attack to syria making the case there needs to be military intervention or involvement. that's why you see the

symbolism. we're watching closely. you see the house foreign affairs committee. they are just beginning to gather and they're going to be some key members of the administration, secretary of the state, secretary of defense as well as the chair of the joints chiefs testifying. they will go before and try to convince this body that military strike is appropriate inside of syria. we'll have more on the other end of the break. so you can get out of your element. so you can explore a new frontier and a different discipline. get two times the points on travel and dining at restaurants from chase sapphire preferred. so you can be inspired by great food once again. chase sapphire preferred. so you can. ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future...

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shaq 1, pain 0. [ male announcer ] new icy hot advanced patch with 50% more medicine. pain over. we're watching the house foreign affairs committee hearing. there you see as each of them take their seat. secretary of state john kerry preparing his notes and they will soon make their presentations before this very important house committee to make the argument, make the case for a military intervention, military strike inside of syria. this is something the president says he wanted to do to seek authorization from congress and this is part of the process. >> even though he says he doesn't need it and that's not unusual in these things. we'll continue to monitor that.

when things get under way we'll tell you there live. let's bring in our team of journalists. >> obviously the president is heading to the g-20 summit. a lot of suggestion over what does the white house mean when he talks about they might meet with vladmir putin on the mar n margi margins. we've covered many of these. do they believe that's a productive meeting and it could happen and putin would cooperate in some way? >> reporter: i think we'll have to wait and see about that. honestly, the obama administration have been complaining really out loud for the last couple of weeks now

about russia and what it's been doing. they feel sort of blocked by vladmir putin and any sort of effort that the united nations security council to bring international action against syria. we heard the president talking about how he wanted to work with vladmir putin. he didn't use any of the language used in recent weeks that he seemed like the bored kid at the back of the classroom. the president has toned some of that down. he did say there's a wall in place that's blocking any cooperation between the united states and russia on issues like syria. bun thing that's very interesting about what vladmir putin said in that interview in the last 24 hours, he said he would have to wait and see whether or not the united nations establishes some sort of proof that syria's government is behind that attack. the united nations say they're

not looking for that kind of proof. they're only looking for proof that an attack occurred. they feel like maybe the russian president has set a false standard there. there's some suspicion and doubts inside the obama administration about what vladmir putin is up to. >> da that bana bash is on the . you can see some protesters with red handings there making their point about potential action in syria. what are you expecting to hear from those members. the president has been saying there's all this evidence that the assad regime was behind the chemical attack. is the public ever likely to

hear that evidence? >> unclear and at this point unlikely. this has been going on for three hours now. john kerry was a part of it but he left to go testify on the house side. what we're waiting for and what will be critical to find out from the members is what they're plans are with regard to what the senate would vote on and what the economy, chg will have the first crack will vote on. we reported last night that it got the actual legislative changes they agreed in a bipartisan way. 60 days with a 30-day extension and a no combat boots on the

ground. guess what. they thought it was a sweet but, it wasn't. we're hearing some of the more hockish members of the committee, namely john mccain want it to be more broad. they'll have to balance that with making sure that some of the more liberal members don't think it's too broad. there's no doubt that's part of what they're talking about. >> thank you. i want to go to jim. let's talk about this red line here. it was last august that the president said there was a red line. today, he says he didn't set this world line. it was a world community that set the line or establishing this international law making chemical weapons unacceptable or it was congress in ratifying

this teetty. does this case seem like it had some credibility when people listen to this? >> from the beginning the administration has tried to internationalize the conseque e consequenciconsequenc consequences saying this is not just about syria. iran and hezbollah will be watching to see if the u.s. punishes them. if not, they will do something similar. it's not just the president who set this red line. the international community, 98% of the world's population by banning chemical weapons have committed themselves to responding if those chemical weapons are used. both mentioned the syrian accountability act to try to bring congress into the mandate as well saying that congress passed this act, which said that

syria's basaccusition threatense middle east. it's got things like prohibiting u.s. businesses from investing in syria. there's nothing in here about the penalty of military action. at best, this is a stretch. at forest, it's a fumg. it's possible thai going too far he and could upset some of the members here. >> thank you so much. i want to remind our viewers you're looking at the house foreign affairs committee hearing is about to get under way. we'll take a quick break. we'll see if they start. it will be a very important presentation to see if they convince the house side that military action is necessary. >> stay with us. pl

plap. secretary john kerry beginning to testify before the house. >> return unexpectedly and hurriedly to come back to be part of debate. i thank you for doing so.

i think it's, i don't think, i know it's no exaggeration to say that the world is not just watching to see what we decide here, but the world is watching to see how we decide it. frankly, whether or not we can still make or achieve a single voice speaking for the united states of america, the congress and the president of the united states. they want to know whether or not america's going to rise to this moment, whether we will express our position with the unity that this moment demands. the question whether or not to authorize force, i had a number of occasions to make those votes and a number of occasions to make judgments about presidents

who acted without coming to congress. i found that we were and are always stronger when we can act together. first and foremost, i think it's important to explain to the american people why we are here. i don't think it can bear enough repetition as people grapple with this at tehe end of summer host-labor day and kids going back to school and a lot of other concerns on their mind. we're hear because against multiple warnings from the president of the united states, warnings from congress from many of you, warnings from friends and allies and even warnings from russia and iran that chemical weapons are out of bounds. against all of that the assad regime and only undeniably the

assad regime unleashed an outrageous chemical attack against its own citizens. we're here because a dictator and his family's enterprise, which is what it is were willing to infect the air of damascus with a poison that killed innocent mothers and fathers and children. their lives all snuffed out by gas during the early morning hours of august 21st. some people in a few places, amazingly, against all the evidence have questioned whether or not this assault on conscious actually took place. i repeat again today only the most willful desire to avoid reality, only the most devious

political purpose could say this did not occur described or the regime did not do it. it did happen and the bashar-al assad regime did it. i remember iraq. secretary hagel who will soon be here and general dempsey and i remember it will. both of us are especially sensitive to never again asking my member of congress to vote on faulty intelligence. that's why our intelligence community took time. that's why the president took time to make certain of the facts and make certain of this case and to declassify unprecedented amounts of information in order to scrub and rescrub the evidence and present the facts to the

american people and especially to the congress. we have declassified unprecedented amounts of information. some of it, i might add, initially that might have been the instinct but some leaked and after its leaking we thought it was important to verify. by you you've heard a great deal frl me and the administration. i'm not going to go through all of it again now. i'm happy to discuss it further if any of you wish to. i can tell you beyond a reasonable doubt. i used to prosecute cases. i ran one of the largest district attorney's offices in

america. the evidence proves that the assad regime prepared this attack and they attacked exclusively opposition controlled or contested territo territory. some point in appropriate setting you will learn addition nad eft which came to us every today which further documents the knowledgement of various friends of the assad regime and they know this happened. our evidence proved they used sarin gas that morning and used some of the world's most heinous weapons to kill more than 1400 innocent women including 426 children. i'm sure that many you have have seen the images yourselves. in wound, no blood, chaos and

deseparation around them. none of which could have been contrived. all of that was real. we have the evidence. we know what's happened. there's no question that this would meet the second-degree by which we send people to jail for the rest of their lives. we're because of what happened. we're also here because of what happened nearly a century ago when in the darkest moments of world war i when they were over. after the who of gas warfare, when the majority of the world came together to declare the record that they cross the line of conscious. including iran, iraq and russia.

all agreed and joined the chemical weapons convention. even countries with whom we agree on very little's yessed on this. some have tied to prugt that the date bait we're having today is about this president's red line. this is about president obama's rep dine. let me shake it as sure as i can. that's just not true. this is about the world's red line, humanity's red line. a line that was drawn nearly 235 years when the chemical weapons con gregs was agreed on. this debate is also about congress's red line. you agreed to the chemical

weapons convention. the congress passed the accountability act. that act says syria's weapons threaten the security of the middle east and the national security of the united states. i think repeatedly members of congress have spoken out about the grave consequences of assad were to use chemocam weapons. they are speaker boehner and the united states has a responsibility to respond. as we debate, the world is watching and wondering. not whether assad's regime did this. the world is wondering whether the united states of america

will concept through silent. sto stand asaid while this kind of brutality is allowed to happen without consequences. in the nearly 100 years since this commitment was made, only two tyrants have dared to cross the world's brightest line. bashar al-assad has now become the third. in ift everyone knows holds nothing but infamy for those criminals and history reserves very little sympathy for their enablers. that's the gravity of this moment. that's really what's at stake. syria, bottom line is important to america and our security if many reasons. first, you can't other look the

danger that the wes had pose to the middle east. if they fall into the wrong hands or if they are used with impuni impunity. since president obama's policy is assad must go. it's our significant to deprive or degrade assad's chemical weapons. deprived him of a weapon. in addition we have important methods. to avoid the creation of a safe haven or a base of operations for extremists. to use these weapons against us or against our friends, forcing

assad to change his calculation about his ability to act with impunity can contribute to his realization that he cannot gas or shoot his way out of his dedrikment. syria is important pause quite simply, i can't say this strongly enough. many of you are parents and you know how lessons are learned by children. many of yo may have confronted a bully on the block or in the building. i think common sense and human experience and reality tell us that the risk op not acting is creator than the risk of acting. if we don't take stand today, we are liegly to face far dpaeter

ric greater security. why? as confidently as we know what happened in damascus on august 21st, we know that assad will read our silence as a signal he can use his wes with impunity. after all has been said and done, if we don't know knowing he's already done this then here in this grotesque larger event, larger than anybody that's happened before. if we wac county we've sent an unmistakable message.

iran is hoping we look the other way and surely they will inpret america's unwillingness to act as an unwillingness to act as weapons of mass destruction. north korea is hoping for ambivalence for the congress. the authorization that president obama seeks is distinctly and clearly in our national interest, in our national security interest. we need to send to syria and the world to dictators and allies and civilians alike, the unmistakable message that when we say never dpen, we actually don't mean sometimes.

we don't mean somewhere. we mean never again. this is a vote for accountability. if we don't answer assad today, we will erode the standard that's protected our troops for a century. our troops in war have been protected by the existence of this prohibition. through world war ii, through korea, through vietnam, through both iraq wars. the fact is we have not seen chemical weapons in the battlefield but for the two occasions i mentioned previously. our troops is protected. this is a stad that we need to enforce. i will say our allies and partners are counting on us.

the people of israel, jordon and turkey each look next door and they say chemical weapons being used. they are one stiff breeze away from the potential of those weapons harming them. they await our assurance that our word is true and await the assurance that if the children lined up in those unbloodied burial shrouds, they want to know that we would keep the world's promise. as justice jackson said, the ultimate step in avoiding periodic bars is to make statesmen responsible to the law. if the world's worst see they can flout with impunity,

prohibitions against the world's worst weapons then those prowigss are rendered just pieces of paper. that is what we mean by accountability. that is why we cannot be silent. when i walked into this room, a person of conscious stood up behind me as is the ability of people in our country that person said please don't take us to war, don't take us to another war. i think the three of us sitting here understand that plea as well as any people in this country. let bhe clear. we're not asking america to go to war. i say that sitting next to two individuals who well know what war is and there are others here who know what war is.

they know the difference between going to war and what the president is question now. we all agree, there will be no american boots on the ground? the president has made crystal here. that is not in the cards. that is not what is here. the president is only asking to make certain that the united states means what it says. he's asking for target to deter and degrade assad's capacity to use chemical weapons. i will make it clear. for those that feel more ought to be done or keeping with the policy that assad must go, clearly the degradation has an

impact on the weapons available to him. it will have an impact on the battlefield. just today before coming in here i read an e-mail to me about a general, minister of dfrs who has just detected and is now in turkey. there are other defections that we're hearing about because of the potential to take action. there will be downstream impacts. >> you've listen listening to john kerry addressing the house committee. we'll have more on the other side of this break. stay with us. that's why i like glucerna shakes. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna. helping people with diabetes find balance. i'm on expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for, because i'm raising two girls

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>> we're going to dip back in. john kerry testifying at the house committee. let's listen. >> we have defense secretary chuck hagel. looks like he's taking his position now. let's listen in to the defense secretary. >> joined by general dempsey from platoon leader. he's served in the united states army for over 40 years and now serves as a chairman of the joint chiefs. we will go to our secretary of defense mr. hagel first. >> mr. chairman, ranking member

ra rangle, members of the committee, thank you. general dempsey and i also apologize for being late. the other side of the capital held us up. we are much better for it. thank you for your understanding. in the coming days, as we all know, congress will debate how to respond to the most recent chemical weapons attacks in syria. a large scale of sarin gas was placed on its own people. i welcome this debate and i support president obama's decision to seek congressional authorization for the use of force in syria.

committing the country to use military force is the most difficult decision leaders can make. all of us privileged to serve our nation and have the responsibility, in many ways, to serve our country but the primary responsibility is to ask the tough questions before any military commitment is made. american people must be assure thad their leaders are acting with u.s. interest and well defined objectives and with an understanding of the risks and consequences involved. the president along with his entire national security team ask those tough questions before we concluded that the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets. i want to address briefly before we get to your questions how we

reached this decision by clarifying the u.s. interest at stake, our military objectives and the risks of not acting at this critical juncture. as president obama said the use of chemical weapons in syria is not only an assault on humanity, it's a serious threat to america's national security interest and those of our closest allies. syrian regime's use of chemical weapons poses grave risks. if assad is prepared to use chemical weapons against its own people, we have to be concerned of the forces fighting supporting the assad regime could akwcquire them and use th. it poses a direct threat to our friends and partners and u.s.

personnel in the region. we cannot afford for hezbollah or any group determined to strike the united states to have incentives to acquire or use these kmchemical weapons. the norm has helped protect the united states forces and our homeland. weakening this norm could em bolden others to use weapons. north korea has a massive pile of chemical weapons that thre threaten our treaty ally. i've just returned from asia where i had a very serious and long conversation with south korea's defense minister about the threat that north korea

stockpile of chemical beps presents to them. our allies throughout the world must be assured that the united states be fulfill its security administrations. dpif the united states must demonstrate that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable. the president has made clear that our military objectives in syria would be to hold the assad regime accountable and degratd its ability to carry out these kientdss of attac kinds of attacks. we have positioned u ee eed u.s to achieve the mission. general dempsey and i have assured the president that u.s. forces will be ready to act when ever the president gives the

order. we're also working with our allies and partners in this effort. key partners including france, turkey, saudi arabia and other friends in the region have assured us of their strong support. we have made sure we're not seeking to resolve the conflicts in syria. we're con templating actions that respond to the use of chemical weapons. secretary kerry is leading international efforts to help them move toward a transition. assad must be held accountable for using them weapons.

having defined america's interests in our military objectives we also must examine the risks and the consequences. as we all know there are always risks in taking action. there are also risks within action. the assad regime urnnder increasing pressure could feel empowered to carry out more attacks. a refusal of that undermine the credibility of america's other security commitment including the president's commitment to prevent iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. the word of the united states must mean something. it's vital currency in foreign

relations and international and allied commitments. every witness here today, at this table, secretary kerry, general dempsey, myself, as secretary kerry has noted as served in uniform, fought in war and seen its ugly realities up close. we understand a country faces few decisions as grave as using military force. we're not unaware of the cost and averages of war. we also understand that america must protect its people. >> chuck hagel making his case before the house foreign affairs committee. a case for having military action against syria in the wake of the deadly chemical attack. we heard from the secretary of state john kerry making his case for action and being forceful in saying that the evidence was in. he said only underdeniably the

syrian regime carried out that attack. the russians beg to differ. they're not convinced yet and won't be until they see full evidence. >> we will continue to watch the house foreign affairs committee. we'll take a quick break. rt bon. [ ding! ] ...the immune system... [ ding! ] ...heart health... [ ding! ] ...and muscles. [ ding! ] that can only be ensure complete! [ female announcer ] the four-in-one nutrition of ensure complete. a simple choice to help you eat right. [ major nutrition ] nutrition in charge.

the secretary of state john kerry, secretary of defense chuck hagel and martin dempsey, yesterday may made their case before the senate foreign relations committee. right now they are testifying making the same arguments, the united states must respond militarily to syria's use of chemical weapons against its own people. the arguments we heard yesterday. they're going into a little bit more elaboration today. dana bash is standing by. even as they're arguing on the house side, there seems to be a setback of sorts for the president's call for a resolution of approval on the senate side from john mccain. what's going on? >> reporter: sounds like they're in the prosacess of working it out. there was aee