good morning to you, i'm carol costello. we begin this morning in russia. the military strikes in syria. right now that has muted the economic summit that has drawn world leaders, including president obama and syria's most important ally. russian president vladimir putin. at any moment, the two men will take part in a photo op shaking hands, but in recent days, they've been wagging fingers. obama scolding putin for opposing the strikes and putin accusing the united states of unfairly blaming the assad regime. in fact, putin is now accusing secretary of state john kerry of lying to congress this week when kerry denied al qaeda's role in aiding rebel fighters. >> translator: it was somewhat unpresent for me to even watch it. because we worked with the u.s.en the assumption that they are decent people and he lied. he knew that he was lying and he went on lying about it. it is sad. >> shortly we're going to talk

to cnn's brianna keilar and jill dougherty over in st. petersburg, russia, for that g-20 summit. you can see these limousines pulling into this russian palace. it's beautiful. used to be a russian's czar's palace and now a palace for vulaud vulaud putin. you can see the president greeting world leaders when they enter this palace. as far as i know, president obama has not arrived yet, but he is due to arrive any time. the world is watching for that hand shake between vladimir putin and president obama. standing by in russia, too, we have phil black because russia has been trying to avert military strikes in syria. so, that hand shake is about to take place, i'm sure it will be fine, but the world is watching. >> yeah, carol. it's going to be, i think, a much analyzed, a much talked about hand shake in a few moments as president putin

welcomes obama there to this conference. a lot of body language analysis, i think, is what we can expect. largely because it was president obama who raised the issue of the russian president's body language recently. describing his appearance at this sort of meeting is often that of being the school boy at the back of the classroom. we'll see how bored or interested he looks here. as we were talking about the last few days, an interesting encounter. always a degree of awkwardness here because president obama was supposed to come to moscow first to meet with president putin, called that meeting off, a very significant diplomatic snub there. that's all because of the big differences that exist between these two leaders and these two countries. syria is, obviously, one of them. since that meeting here in moscow was called off, the differences on syria, as we know, have intensified greatly because of the large-scale chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of damascus and very strong, differing opinions on

just what the response there should be. the u.s. president is expected to be making his case to other leaders at the g-20 on the sidelines of this meeting. this conference advocating why he believes there should be a strong military response to punish the assad regime. and as we know, russia stands very much opposed to that. he believes that there is not enough evidence to blame the assad government for this chemical weapons attack. and more broadly than that, its number one policy goal throughout the syrian process has been to block any sort of military intervention, carol. and that is something that it has pursued, even since the united states made its intentions clear with its hopes, its plans to strike militarily. russia hasn't given up on its goal of preventing that. so, all of this, all of this tension is about to be all in one hand shake. as we see president obama arrive there for the g-20 in just a few moments. >> well, vladimir putin is also, i guess, having his people work

here in the united states, too. russian delegation wants to meet with members of the u.s. congress to lobby them against military action in syria. already the house speaker john boehner says, no, i'm not meeting with any russian delegation. do you have any sense of how many u.s. congress people are willing to meet. with these russian ambassadors, if you will? >> we don't have precise details but any more information from russia's federation council the equivalent of the u.s. senate. they said they received very positive response from u.s. lawmaker and because of that positive response they are now in the works of actually planning that visit and they say that members of russia's parliament will be leaving russia on sunday to fly to the united states. presumably, to begin meetings with members of congress on monday. >> let me interrupt, let me interrupt because president obama has arrived. let's watch this without talking. let's watch.

>> oh, i wish we had some sound, right? we couldn't hear it but you could read the lips of the president saying, thank you. both men smiled. brianna keilar is in st. petersburg, russia. you just witnessed that moment, what did you think? >> you know what, actually, it seemed pretty friendly, i think, considering when you think about where u.s./russians relations are at this point. but especially lately, it's been

a deluge of issues. efforts with the u.n. security efforts on syria and then president obama in russia right now as the nsa leaker edward snowden is basically free to move about the country granting temporary asylum. president obama meeting, according to senior administration official with gay rights activists really thumbing his nose at putin on his own turf as this anti-gay law that russians just passed. i thought that seemed pretty friendly and didn't show a lot of that. but at this point, i think there will be many opportunities, although we're maybe not going to see them in public where vladimir putin and president obama will be interacting. >> jill dougherty is also in st. petersburg and, jill, i know you covered russia forever. pretty accurate to say you covered russia forever. you know how it go in russia.

so, as brianna said, there won't be any meetings between president putin and president obama, but they will meet on the fringes. what do you think those meet ms will be like? >> obviously, the syria discussion has to be had. now, the president of the united states says i have proof and anybody that thinks i don't is basically crazy. so putin believes that that is not proof and he wants more. i think what he does want is some type of intelligence from the united states that really makes the case and the united states may not be willing to give the russians everything that they have. because that shows how you got it. and sources for your information. so, at this point, they're very, very far apart on that one issue. even on the evidence, yet alone what should be done about it.

and then the russians have been blocking any type of action against the assad government at the united nations and obama has said the united nations, at this point, makes very lit tle difference to us because we're not going to get what we want. they're very far apart. so, of course, talk about other issues that we might cooperate on. but right now syria is just the biggest obstacle. >> we're watching that. this is from earlier today. the japanese delegation sat down and had a short meeting earlier today. and then, of course, you saw president putin greeting world leaders as they came into that palace in st. petersburg. just one more thing, jill, before i let you go. the chinese president will attend the g-20 summit, as well. he will certainly have russia's back. what might that mean for the united states? >> well, it's predictable for the united states because, after all, on all of the united

nations, china and russia usually vote the same way. it won't be very surprising. however, china has a number of ways. let's say on north korea, for example, there might be a way with the chinese leader that mr. obama could make some progress, let's say, in a meeting of the minds that i don't think that anyone is very optimistic that they could change their opinion either. both russia and china, you have to remember, don't want interference in the affairs of other countries. because they read it as interference in their own affairs. so, they're both united in that idea in sovereignty and to the russians and to the chinese it's pretty favored. >> got you. okay, 19 world leaders expected to arrive in st. petersburg. when they enter that palace they'll sit down for some sort of meeting and break out for smaller meetings and we'll keep

you posted all along the way. thanks to jill dougherty, brianna keilar and phil black. up next in "newsroom" syria chat denied. john boehner telling russia, thanks, but no thanks. keep your delegation at home. also -- memories of iraq. >> a lot of this is the shadow overhanging from the iraq situation. >> this bitter memory of what happened in iraq. >> we cannot afford another iraq. >> will syria become another iraq? and bank rolling the invasion. john kerry saying arab countries have offered to pick up the syria strike tab, but why aren't they in the fight? alongside the military. "newsroom" is right back. but tracking all the 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

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folks have suffered from frequent heartburn. but getting heartburn and then treating day after day is a thing of the past. block the acid with prilosec otc, and don't get heartburn in the first place. [ male announcer ] one pill each morning. 24 hours. zero heartburn. right now president obama is in russia to meet with other world leaders at the g-20 summit. moments ago you saw the president getting out of the black limousine and saw the american flag on the front of the car. that is a big palace. that is actually president putin's summer palace in st. petersburg and you'll see president obama getting out of that car. about to shake hands with vladimir putin. of course, the two men

vehemently disagreeing about what action, if any action should be taken against syria for its use of chemical weapons. but, as you can see, their body language was pretty good. shaking hands and smiling and then the president said a few words to vladimir putin. we couldn't hear what those words were, but we did see the initial lip presideof the presid he said thank you for inviting me. the number of personnel there to capper the this very moment and so many more. selling any military action in syria has been an uphill battle for the obama administration and you can sum up why with one word. iraq. >> we're looking at a situation that is a lot more like what we had in iraq. >> a lot of this is the shadow overhanging from the iraq situation where we both went to war on false pretenses. >> this bitter memory of what happened in iraq when we were misled. >> we cannot afford another iraq. >> the issue of congress coming in and being involved is

important because we need to educate members of congress and, also, we have to educate the american people how important the issue is and how we're acting and why we're acting and what the consequences are if we do not act. we were not going to have another iraq or afghanistan. >> lr, all right, so former def secretary donald rumsfeld now questioning president obama's leadership. rumsfeld said it's obama and not iraq that's causing the lack of broader support here and around the world. here's what he told chris cuomo on cnn's "new day." >> is it fair criticism coming from you to put it all on the president when you well know in the united kingdom and russia they talk about not that intelligence was wrong going into iraq, but that it had been manipulated and that there was politics and spin that make suspicion of the u.s. motives when they say they have proof. isn't that just the fact? >> i think not. in fact, i have not heard people

say that responsibly. and if you'll recall, the congress looked at the same intelligence and came to the same conclusions and there were democrats who supported it, including very prominent democrats who enthusiastically supported it. president clinton had signed a resolution supporting regime change in iraq. and the international, the united nations had 17 resolutions against saddam hussein. so, i think that there may be people on the fringe who say the kind of thing that you're saying, but i don't think anyone responsible has said anything like that. >> so, just to be clear. you believe it is a fringe notion that the perception of how the u.s. handled intelligence getting into the iraq war, you think that's a fringe notion that there's suspicion about it and there's concern that we didn't have it right and we had it wrong for the wrong reasons if. >> you didn't listen carefully. i didn't say that. i say there are people on the fringe who say what you said. i conceded the fact that that

experience has affected some people's judgment and attitude and impressions during this situation. >> okay, so, let's talk about what rumsfeld said with cnn military analyst colonel rick francono. welcome back. >> good morning. >> good morning. ility it's not iraq and afghanistan that is confusing the american people, but lack of clarity from the president. you talk to iraq war veterans all the time. what did they think the problem is? >> well, they're worried about mission and they're worried about starting something that is going to end up with boots on the ground. that is everybody's fear. they said, listen, we did this once and it didn't turn out very well. we weren't allowed to complete the mission. there's a lot of not anxiety, but a lot of concern that we're going to start something and it's just going to escalate and pretty soon you're going to see fixed wing aviation over syria and then you're going to see, well, we have to go in there and make sure with special forces we

have the chemical weapons. they just don't know where this is going to end and they don't see an end game. >> donald rumsfeld said intelligence doesn't equal fact. so, what do we believe? all during the hearings yesterday john kerry insisted that he was telling the truth about the intelligence that he received and he is convinced that the assad regime used poisonous gas against his own people. >> yeah. i was an intelligence officer for many years. i worked this area. you know, i was in syria. these are very difficult problems. these people don't want you to know what you're doing and they're very good at covering it up. when you get good information, you try and do the best you can with it and you try to sell it to the people that need to hear it. but there's always going to be that, ever since iraq and the faulty intelligence and that was just bad intelligence. they're afraid we're doing the same thing, again. it's an understandable concern. i think we have better sources in syria than we did in iraq. >> the united nations says more

than 100,000 people have been killed in syria's civil war and some say america turned its back. chemical weapons are used and suddenly america is enraged and engaged. is a bullet or bomb less lethal or cruel than gas? >> you know, this has been going on for over two years and both sides have put up numerous videos, very graphic to show what's going on. and it is hoir offic the human toll that has gone on, almost unchecked. and there's so much concern. when you listen to the syrian opposition and mostly on the free syrian army site, they say we don't understand all the concern now and we're glad there is the concern. we want the united states to do something, but why has it taken this long? we have over 100,000 dead syrians, yet, you kill 1,000 with a chemical weapon and everybody's listening? we don't understand. >> so, from a military standpoint, i mean, what is the -- i just can't imagine what

the military leaders are thinking because, number one, you have the scenario that you just laid out. and, number two, you have congress sort of shaping what sort of action will take place in syria. and does that hinder the military in any way? >> here's the problem with what we've set up so far. normally when you have one of these operations, the president will tell the military, here's what i want. here's my objective. i want to destroy, say, syria's chemical weapons and deter them from using it again, i want it level the playing field. you hand that to the military and the military says, okay, here's we do it. we need these weapons and need to move these ships and move these assets. what's happening here is kind of backwards. the president is saying, here, you've got five destroyers, you have cruise misals and do what i need with that. no boots on the ground, no airplanes. it's very difficult for these planners to achieve an objective with only one weapon. >> and just a final question.

john kerry said during the hearings yesterday that the arab world is willing to pick up the tab, if america strikes syria, which sounds very nice because nice to have money to pay for a war that didn't come from american taxpayers, right? but wouldn't it also be great if the arab world actually fought alongside u.s. troops? >> this has been a dilemma for years. this goes all the way back to desert storm. we'll pay for it. it was almost that rent an army, you know, attitude. and it was very important that the arabs participate and i think it's important that the arabs participate, again, always this tabu in the arab world about arabs killing arabs and they'd rather we do it. we're better at it and the question of capability. what can they do in a standoff mode? but it would be useful for the arabs to stand up and say, we're not going to tolerate this and work with the americans. but that's a really tough, political sell for many of these regimes. >> cnn military analyst colonel

rick francona. thank you for joining us, we appreciate it. we'll take you back to st. petersburg because you're looking at that gorgeous room inside this russian palace. this palace built in the 1700s and you can see the walls are guilded gold and that has to be real gold because this palace was built for a czar and remodeled in 2001 and it was brought back to its former gl glory. you see vladimir putin now addressing members of the g-20 summit. brianna keilar is on the phone right now. this is what you would call a working session, right? brianna, are you there? >> i don't think we have a great phone connection. but this is a working session and the leaders here are talking generally about the global economy because that's really what this summit is all about. the global economy, how to improve it. the problems that world leaders

having because these are world leaders with a 20 biggest economies and that's why they meet periodically over the years. okay, brianna is on the phone. we have her now. tell us what's going on, brianna. yeah, i don't think we have brianna. can you hear me? >> hi, carol. are we on the phone? >> we are on the phone and on the air. >> okay, carol, i'm trying. okay, carol, sorry about that. we have been having technical difficulties here. i know that you watched the arrival and something that certainly struck me is that if you didn't know the back story here, you didn't know these two men and you didn't know all of the issues that they've been having that have caused really this recent rift and even before

you had the issue over nsa leaker edward snowden and certainly now syria, is a lot of other issues on the table and creating a lot of distance between them, even before what was supposed to be this official one-on-one meeting in moscow was canceled. what you saw on the arrival, vladimir putin a very gracious host saying hello to everyone in his greeting with president obama appear today be no different. very different from what you saw last year in los cabos at a similar summit and that's sort of what struck me. but the truth is, what is behind that very gracious greeting and the warm smiles and the hello, how do you do that, obviously, went on there, is that there's a clear level of annoyance and, obviously, the relationship has gotten not just too, i think on sort of a professional level where they're very, maybe upset

with the direction where the other person is going, but you've seen it get very personal la lately. we saw president obama y think, go pretty far yesterday. the relations between u.s. and russia, he said, basically hit a wall. we saw before senior administrative officials say this doesn't mean that we're not going it be able to find common ground on some things. but i think yesterday president obama threw some cold water on that certainly in the face of what's going on over syria. we heard him recently make comments comparing vladimir putin to the kid in the back of the classroom slouching down. so, i think that you really have seen it get personal and that was something that they hid very well as they interacted here at the beginning of the g-20 summit. >> it looked like good buddies. almost. i won't go that far. brianna, thank you so much for hurrying to the podium to speak with us. we appreciate it. this is a working session taking place in st. petersburg, russia. we'll take a quick break and be back with more in the "newsroom."

good morning. thank you so much for joining me. i'm carol costello. let me take you right back to st. petersburg, russia, where the leaders of the 20 largest economies are now meeting. russian president vladimir putin is hosting all of the leaders involved in the g-20. this is a work session in progress. we believe they're talking about the global economy. let's listen. >> this work is in the attention of the global economy. we're held back by the lack of decision on the arrangements made in 2010. i call everybody to be prepared to come to compromise in the area of distribution. since it will predetermine the efficiency and legitimacy of the g-20. results have been achieved.

today's issue on the top of our agenda from the very beginning of the global crisis. let me stress that in 2013, the financial stability board has turned into a full fledged international organization which will strengthen its potential in approving financial regulation. great results have been achieved in the development of our approaches to reforming and partially implementation of the forms in the following areas which are very important and i'll take a moment to name them all. the first one is 3 including the regulator. secondly, reforms of the market and, thirdly, measures with

respect important financial institutions to carry out such complex reforms. we need to strike compromise between the leading global economists. national measures on strength and financial stability should not result in high costs unju unjustifiable high. financial regulation hinges directly upon the efficiency of measures to tax evasion. that topic has begun one of the prit prioritieies this year of the global economy to efficient ly improper behavior of taxpayers, the efforts of separate

countries are not enough. every country should strive to create the best possible tax regime for the business community. but it does not mean that these measures should be used to avoid taxation. as a result of our meeting, we will plan to join action plan on taxpayer erosion and profit shifting. it has been prepared together with the oecd and i would like to thank our colleagues for this work. without them, we couldn't have achieved such results. the plot, the plan implies the adoption of our stamps for created transparency and improving international agreements in the area of taxation. as outcome, the practice of

profit shifting to the off shores and growth of taxes payment in jurisdiction where the trades and services are produced. ladies and gentlemen, let's discuss our agenda and discuss trend in the global economy and ways to respond to them. let's discuss the problems of financial regulation, including the action plan in the area of taxation and reforms of the global financial architecture. let's agree on the st. petersburg action plan prepared by the experts. thank you for your attention. in the beginning of this part of our joint work, i would like to give the floor which will assess the current state of affairs and the global economy and finances. >> all right, we want to explain further what exactly is

happening here. this is a work session. one of two that will take place today in st. petersburg. between the leaders of the countries with the 20 largest economies in the world. you can hear vladimir putin talking about things like tax evasion and how this is a major problem across his country and it's a problem in many other countries, as well. there has to be some sort of solution to catching the tax evaders because it is hurting these countries. jill dougherty is covering the g-20 summit. jill, can you explain further the major concerns that these leaders have about the global economy? >> well, the main themes are certainly growth and jobs. and we have to say that jobs, in all of these countries, are a big issue. after all, the united states economy is coming back, but jobs are lagging and an issue there in the united states. it's an issue here in russia, certainly. and on that tax evasion, it

leaves a big issue here in russia and other countries because what happens is people put money off shore and that happens a lot with russia and it's not taxed. that money is out of the country, not doing any good. continuing problems for russia and one of the top agenda items for mr. putin. >> of course, everybody's waiting for the issue of syria to pop up. but it's likely not to pop up in this working session, am i right? >> yes. you know, it's a little unclear still. they're not saying precisely when it would come up. it may come up in these kind of one-on-one meetings and always brush by meetings that we expect will be taking place. in that president putin and president obama don't have, as we know, we've been recording, do not have any type of formal sit down, prepared or scheduled meeting aside. so that there would be anything like that. they feel on the margins of

this, they will have a chance to talk. i think the question for that meeting between putin and obama would be does putin want, will he press obama to give him some really concrete information that hasn't been publicly presented. it would make the case because, after all, that would have to come from intelligence information and the united states and other countries are not willing all the time to give all of these data that they have because it would reveal how they got it. and the russians have been saying all along, a lot of the truth that the united states is presenting is coming from the opposition. so, they say it doesn't make a difference anyway. but that could be certainly one of the things that putin would be interested in. >> all right, jill dougherty, i know you're monitoring all of this. we'll get back to you. thank you very much. jill dougherty live from st.

petersburg. a plan to authorize a military strike on syria faces an uncertain battle here at home. president obama won the first battle of resolution limiting a military response passed in the senate foreign relations committee by a vote of 10-7. but it's fate in the house is quite uncertaintop chris lawrence is live now. good morning, chris. >> good morning, carol. while the president travels overseas, his top officials are still here in washington trying to make the case to congress to authorize that military action in syria. in just about 20, 25 minutes from now, there will be the start of one of the last behind the closed doors classified briefing for members of congress, sort of a last-ditch attempt to try to close the deal among those who may be on the fence. this is coming just one day after the secretaries of defense and state faced a very tough crowd at the house. this is the hard sell from the inner circle to take action.

>> this is not the time to be spectators to slaughter. >> reporter: laying out the price of not acting -- >> there is absolutely a risk of escalation in the use of chemical weapons. if we do nothing. >> reporter: and the cost of air strikes to america. >> it would be in the tens of millions of dollars. that kind of range. >> reporter: one explosive confrontation shows the hard work ahead to win over the house. >> mr. kerry, you have never been one that advocated for anything other than caution when involving u.s. forces in past conflicts. is the power of the executive branch so intoxicating that you would abandon past caution and pass favor for pulling the trigger on a military response so quickly? >> because i volunteered to fight for my country and that wasn't a cautious thing to do when i did it. >> we're talking about people being killed by gas and you want to go talk about benghazi and fast and furious. >> reporter: two u.s. navy ships have left the eastern med,

leaving four destroyers in the waters near syria. questions remain, not about the strike itself, but what comes next. >> what do we do if they literally shoot back at americans? >> reporter: but then who is the other side? who are the rebel forces? >> reporter: administration officials say they kept the syrian opposition from allying with extremist fighters, but the clock is ticking. >> and people will resort to anybody they can find to help them accomplish their goal and we would have created more extremism and a greater problem down the road. >> reporter: in the hearing, kerry was asked if the president himself might do more to communicate with the american people. perhaps even make a speech one night soon and he's back from russia. kerry said that he had no doubt that the president would. carol? >> we'll be awaiting that. chris lawrence live for us in washington. cnn has been tallying how congress will vote. so far in the house, 18 democrats and 9 republicans are backing the president.

23 democrats and 68 republicans are against him. and more than 300 lawmakers are either undecided or their feelings are unknown. in the senate, 17 democrats and 7 republicans support a strike against syria. three democrats and 13 republicans do not. with 58 senators still undecided. you can see how your lawmaker plans to vote on a strike against syria. it's easy. just go to cnn.com/politics and click on counting votes. you can click through the interactive tally by state, name and comments. the running tally is based on public statements, press releases and, of course, interviews with lawmakers. one lawmaker who opposes syria action after hearing from secretary of state kerry and others is congressman matt salmon of arizona. he joins me now from capitol hill. welcome back, congressman. >> thank you. great to be on the program, again. >> thanks so much for being with us. you listed several reasons for your opposition, including the lack of partners in the effort. here's an exchange you had with secretary kerry yesterday.

>> why are we looking at a near go it alone military mission? you said in your testimony that there are 34 countries who are with us. what degree are they with us and who are they specifically? >> i don't have the full list of them here. but the, i've listed a bunch of them in the arab league countries have condemned this. a number of them have asked to be part of a military operation. the turks, nato country, have condemned it. pinned it on assad and asked to be part of an operation. the french volunteered to be part of an operation. there are others who have volunteered. but, frankly, i'll let general, you know, dempsey speak to this. we got more volunteers than we can use for this kind of an operation. >> so, there you have it. we have more volunteers than we need. do you believe secretary kerry? >> well, he could have said,

like my kids do when they go to school. the dog ate the homework. he didn't have the list with him and he didn't have the specific tally of who was supporting this effort and what willing of commitment they're willing to provide. the fact is, i'm very, very concerned that this looks very, very thin. it looks like unilateral action to me and i think that entering into this kind of serious conflict on a go-it-alone strategy is a process i can't support. >> secretary kerry also said that arab nations were willing to foot the bill for any military strike in syria. does that make you feel any better? >> i believe that when i see it. to coin a phrase from ronald reagan, trust but verify. >> so, you don't believe secretary, he said there's a deal on the table. he's already talked to arab leaders and they're quite willing to pay. >> you know, with all the upheaval over in that part of

the world and a lot of empty promises, i think, that have been made in the past. i'm going to quote now jerry mcgwire movie, show me the money. >> you spoken before tea party level groups and now marco rubo has come out against the strike. let's listen. >> while i have long argued forcefully for engagement in empowering the syrian people, i have never supported u.s. military force in this conflict and i still don't. i remain unconvinced that the use of force proposed here will work. >> of course, in the past, senator rubio backed arming the rebels and regime change in syria. but rubio's constituents see it quite differently and, of course, he's a possible 2016 presidential contender. so, in your mind, is the political price too high to support president obama's proposal, whatever it may be? >> well, a pew research poll

yesterday showed that a scant 23% of the american public support this kind of strike. and i don't think it's about political pressure alone. but history has shown us that when americans do not believe in the cause, that their country is about to engage in, the likelihood for success is diminished greatly. i think you have to weigh that in consideration. but, more than that, there are three fundamentals that i think have to be, have to be met before we involve ourselves in a conflict of this nature. number one, defining clearly what's at stake for the u.s. our national security, is it going to be breached if we don't take action? i have not seen a clear answer on that yet. i don't believe it is imperative to our national security. second, what are the rules of engagement and what do we hope to accomplish? is it possible that we actually escalate the conflict and that there will be more civilian

casualties as a result of this type of selective bombing. then, finally, what's our exit strategy? what is our plan of attack? i don't think any of those questions have been answered adequately for me to support what the president is trying to do. >> but, politics always enter in the picture, don't they? they really do. sometimes politicians have to discard politics and getting re-elected to do what's good for the country. >> you know what, sometimes they do. but we are a representative form of government. we represent the people that sent us to washington, d.c. and we certainly should listen to what they have to say. that's important. i agree that there are sometimes that you need to just go out and lead and do what you believe is the right thing to do and hope fat you can convince the people to follow. but right now, i don't think that this administration has provided a very, very winning argument or series of arguments that we should engage in this conflict. i think that others like marco

rubio, you know, he's somebody i have great respect for. i think he's articulated a very thoughtful message of arming the rebels, but not involving a military strike by our armed forces. yesterday tom friedman -- >> would you be for that? would you be for arming the rebels if we don't strike militarily? >> i would support arming the rebels long before i would support any kind of a military strike because i believe that if we do that, we're all in. and if the president secures permission or acquiescence from congress to go ahead with a strike, i believe this will escalate into something we don't intend it to be. >> thank you so much for being with me this morning. >> thank you.

just about an hour and a half ago the g-20 summit

officially began. let me take you back to st. petersburg. what a spectacle it was. it's taking place at this beautiful russian palace built for a czar. now used by president putin. president putin standing in front of that palace greeting world leaders as they came up in their limousines to enter the palace. you see, this is president obama's car, and we know that because of the american flag on front. and you see president obama -- he's going to get out of the car. everybody was awaiting this moment like what would the reaction be when the two looked one another in the eye because, frankly, they're not the best of friends. as you see, turned out quite cordial. phil black is live in moscow watching the proceedings from there. and -- seemed like no big thing. >> yeah. it seemed pretty warm really. i guess these two leaders had a sense of the expectation that was approaching this moment. they had some time to think about it. perhaps prepare. and so when the time came, went

out of their way to make sure there was an extra little pump in their handshake and a little bit of an extra grin and warm smile. warmer than the world was expecting given the differences that have kbieded the two leaders over last 18 months or so. especially more recently over the issue of syria. we've seen these two leaders really fighting quite passionately in their corners over their different positions. president obama in favor of military action to punish the syrian government for using chemical weapons. president putin effectively calling that talk war mongering, accusing the united states of potentially an act of aggression and likening it very much to the build-up to the war in iraq ten years ago. saying that then as now it appears that the united states is trying to sell a war using untrustworthy intelligence. so a lot of differences on syria and other issues, as well.

for that brief moment when they finally came face to face, they kept it pretty well hidden. >> at least they're putting on a good show. it will make people feel better. stark differences remain, you're right. phil black, we'll get back to you in a bit.

there is what some might call a controversial image hanging outside of denver stadium for the nfl opening game. yes, the opening game of the nfl is tonight. take a look. the nfl put up this -- put up humongous banners of two

quarterbacks playing tonight. broncos fans were pretty darn angry about baltimore's joe flacco getting the star treatment, even starting a petition to get this banner taken down. flacco, as you recall, helped the ravens crush the broncos' playoff dreams last season. it's a brand new season, and cnn's rachel nichols is in denver for the game. rachel, what's the mood even though it's early in the morning in denver. >> reporter: yeah, we're expecting a crazy crowd here tonight. supporting peyton manning and the broncos. and carol, i'm going to put it right here, 37 years old, that's what peyton is. that is not old in real life terms. i got to see, in nfl quarterback terms, that's kind of putting him into senior citizen status, his window is closing. he knows it. the last quarterback to win a super bowl in this town was john elway 16 years ago. that will be a big, big topic tonight. and then the ravens, speaking of the window closing, an icon in

the nfl the past two decades, ray lewis, he is retired now. it's the first time in baltimore's franchise history they will be taking the field without him tonight. lots to talk about, and i got to say that makes commissioner roger goodell happy that we're talking about stories that are happening on the field. broncos' quarterback peyton manning won't be the only one on the offensive tonight as the nfl season gets underway. commissioner roger goodell is also making a full charge. trying to boost the league's image after a controversial off season. his first move came last week when the nfl reached a $765 million settlement with the thousands of former players suing over concussion-related ailments. then yesterday, goodell announced a $10 million grant to study head injuries. he also kicked off a national bus tour to publicize the year's super bowl and remind fans why pro football is still the country's most popular sport. >> no one really knows who's

going to win, who's going to emerge as the next great star. that's what makes nfl football exciting. everybody has that hope, that dream of winning. that's what fans love about nfl football. >> reporter: still, the concussion issue continues to linger. when pressed on whether $765 million was generous enough for a league with revenues around $10 billion, goodell noted that, "people start with an assumption that we make $10 million. that's $10 billion in revenue. there's a difference between making and revenue." he added that, "$765 million is a lot of money. and -- a lot of money." it may be, but four former players filed a lawsuit alleging the nfl hid information about the danger of brain injuries. in an interview earlier this summer, former bears quarterback, jim mcmahon, who suffered multiple concussions alleged the same thing. do you think when you were playing that they knew more than they were saying? >> we definitely know they knew

more. >> reporter: the nfl? >> we definitely know they knew more than what they told us. you know, back then, nobody -- you know, nobody questioned the hierarchy. >> reporter: these days, there are plenty of questions. but when the ball kicks off tonight, at least some of those questions can be answered on the field, much to the relief of the league office. now carol, there are some fans in this area who do still want some of those off-field issues to be the focus tonight. in fact, there's a billboard nearby the stadium talking about the state's permission to use recreational marijuana and advocating that players on the broncos shouldn't be penalized by the nfl for doing the same. so we'll have to see how that develops throughout the day, as well. >> not only that, i think the billboard says, hey, we can see it -- "stop driving players to drink. let them smoke pot." some people might say totally logical, man.

>> reporter: we'll have it all here. >> okay. can't wait. rachel nichols, thank you very much. the next hour of cnn "newsroom" coming up. thank you orville and wilbur... ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. 80 thousand of us investing billions... in everything from the best experiences below... to the finest comforts above. we're not simply saluting history... we're making it. could lose tens of thousands of dollars on their 401(k) to hidden fees. thankfully e-trade has low cost investments and no hidden fees.

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happening now in the "newsroom," together again. president obama and the russian president, vladimir putin, face to face at the g-20 summit. can they find common ground on syria? plus, popular yogurt brand chobani pulling products from shelves after customers complained on twitter. work out your problems, but stay out of the public eye. >> a campaign stop turn into a

shouting match, and the video goes viral. what that new york mayoral candidate -- what got new york mayoral candidate anthony weiner so fired up. the second hour of "newsroom" starts now. good morning, i'm carol costello. thank you very much for being with me. we begin this hour in russia. the newest backdrop to the debate over military strikes on syria. right now that international squabble has virtually muted the economic summit that has drawn world leaders including president obama and syria's most important ally, the russian president, vladimir putin. just last hour, as you see, the two came face to face after days of terse comments. cnn's briana keilar joins us live from st. petersburg. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. you know, president vladimir putin is essentially the host of this summit. so he welcomed all of the world leaders and of course that

included president obama and what was a rather cordial meeting. this is one of many opportunities where they may be bumping into each other. and aides to the president tell us that they think at some point the two -- two leaders will be informally talking. that is after their official one-on-one meeting was canceled after vladimir putin and russia granted temporary asylum to nsa leaker edward snowden. president obama and russian president vladimir putin are set to come face to face at the annual meeting of g-20 leaders as big decisions loom over military action in syria. [ screams ] >> reporter: obama defending his position to launch strikes. >> i didn't 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 abhorrent. >> reporter: putin remains vehemently opposed, casting doubt over the evidence the u.s.

government says it has against the syrian regime. >> translator: if we have objective, precise data of who is responsible for these crimes, then we'll react. >> reporter: russia is not alone. >> the nays have. it. >> reporter: britain and germany are also refusing to endorse military action. this is the highest tensions have been between the two world powers since the cold war. >> we will have a very bad patch if we -- if there is a military attack on syria. and i think we can expect some pretty frosty time. >> reporter: russia and syria have been strong allies for decades. >> russia is very close to syria. they provide and buy weapons from each other. they're kind of a client state. >> reporter: the conflict over syria -- just the tip of the iceberg in the rift between the world leaders. obama canceled his private meeting with putin several weeks ago after the russian leader refused to extradite nsa leaker edward snowden. while in st. petersburg, obama plans to meet with gay rights

activists on putin's turf. as outrage spreads over russia's new law banning any promotion of gay relationships to minors. relations between putin and obama increasingly rocky. >> we've kind of hit a wall in terms of additional progress. >> reporter: one senior administration official said think of this less like a visit to russia than a visit to the g-20 summit that happens to be hosted by russia. carol, that's telling. >> telling. we're making a lot of this handshake. i don't know what we expected, but it seemed like the two men -- they were smiling, they look like buddies. i don't know, is that a harbinger of things to come? >> reporter: i don't know. if you didn't know the back story, you would think this is a nice cordial greeting. having watched a number of

interactions over the years between putin and obama, sometimes when they get together, things are so chilly between them you would swear it would almost freeze vodka, the body language sometimes is downright icy. this one was, yes, friendly, but behind the scenes, there's so much going on. they disagree so much on so many areas. syria being most prominent among them. this is just like an obligatory smile for the camera. that's the sense that a lot of observers got. >> briana keilar live from st. petersburg, russia, this morning. thank you. just last hour there in st. petersburg, let's talk about that seemingly warm handshake between presidents obama and put putin. as brianna said, it belies a frostiness in their relationship. and that chill dropped another couple of degrees with this -- president putin accusing america's secretary of state john kerry of lying to congress this week when kerry denied al qaeda's role in aiding rebel fighters.

>> translator: it was somewhat unpleasant to watch it. because we worked on the assumption that they were decent people. he lied and went on lying about it. it is sad. >> kerry downplayed reports that more and more al qaeda extremists were ill filtrating the ranks of rebel fighters. here's the comment that riled up putin. listen. >> the opposition has increasingly become more defined by its moderation, more defined by the breadth of its membership, and more defined by its adherence to a democratic process and all-inclusive, minority-protecting constitution which will be broad based and secular towith respect to syria. >> phil black, when you look at it that way, it doesn't seem to be any common ground between the presidents. when you look at the handshake, you're thinking, maybe they'll

meet in some corridor and come to some understanding. >> reporter: yeah, i guess you can choose which one you think is more of an accurate representation of where the feel regulars. while the handshake was warm, that statement from putin that you played about secretary of state john kerry is really quite extraordinary. even for two countries who disagree and have been disagreeing for as long as they have. who have been experiencing a difficult relationship for 18 months now, who disagree so strongly on syria. even given president putin's decision to go out publicly and describe such a senior administration official, the united states' leading diplomatic figure as a liar, well, there is nothing diplomatic about that whatsoever. obviously. i think it clearly reflects the very strong feelings that exist within the russian government held closely by president putin himself about the idea of some sort of military intervention in syria. and more than that, specifically

what putin was referring to. that is, secretary kerry's comments about the existence of al qaeda-affiliated group and to what extent they have grown or receded or otherwise. a real concern for russia because its strong opposition to military intervention. behind the defense of the syrian government is the fear that if the syrian government is toppled, it will create a big window, a vacuum that could be exploited by extremist islamic groups. russia is of the view that that's what you've seen in iraq. that is what you have seen in libya and other countries that have this h regimes toppled -- that have had regimes toppled through the arab spring and so forth. for whatever, that handshake shows in terms of some sort of resolution, i think the smart money would be more on the true feelings that lie behind that comment that vladimir putin made about the u.s. secretary of

state. >> phil black reporting live from moscow. still to come, an antiwar activist disrupts john kerry's testimony on syria. but kerry says he understands where they're coming from. that protester joins us next. license and registration please. what's this? uhh, it's my geico insurance id card, sir. it's digital, uh, pretty cool right? maybe. you know why i pulled you over today? because i'm a pig driving a convertible? tail light's out.. fix it. digital insurance id cards. just a click away with the geico mobile app. her busy saturday begins with back pain, when... hey pam, you should take advil. why? you can take four advil for all day relief. so i should give up my two aleve for more pills with advil? you're joking right? for my back pain, i want my aleve.

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antiwar protesters have a message from john kerry. the united states will have blood on its hands if it strikes syria. activists painted fake blood on the palms of their hands and protested during the secretary of state's testimony. and on tuesday, some demonstrators were kicked out after they disrupted the hearing. >> thank you, mr. secretary -- [ muffled audio ] >> the committee will be in order. >> we don't want -- >> the committee will be in order -- >> watching officials -- means another war. the american people do not want this. >> could i just say, you know, the first time i testified before this committee when i was 27 years old, i had feelings similar to that protester. and i would say that is exactly

why it is so important that we are all here having this debate. >> that protester is madeia benjamin, co-founder of code pink. she johins us from washington. >> good morning, carol. thanks for having me on. >> thanks for being on. did secretary of state john kerry's comments about you in particular make you feel any bett better? >> it would make me feel better if he listened to what the american people are saying. overwhelmingly in every poll it shows the american people are against this attack in syria. i don't think it will help the people of syria. i don't think we can afford this. and there are other nonviolent ways that we should show our opposition to what the assad regime is doing. >> it is ironic that john kerry is leading this charge since he threw out his war ribbons in protest of war. the vietnam war in particular. and he was a war protester

himself. >> i thought when he came to be secretary of state we would see a lot of diplomacy, and he started out that way. now he turns -- i think we should rename him the secretary of war because he's done more talking than the secretary of defense or democratsy in these hearings about -- democratsy de hearings about the military actions. if john kerry wants to help the people in syria, there's two million refugees that made it help. and the billion dollars we would spend on cruise missiles could be better spent helping the refugees. >> he would say how can you stand by and watch children being gased by this evil dictator in syria. isn't it the responsibility of the united states to do something? >> it's the responsibility to obey the international law. the secretary general of the u.n. said a u.s. attack would be against international law. i think the secretary should use his considerable power to get the players an the region along

with the saudis and russians to sit down and demand a cease-fire, and then work toward a negotiated settlement. that's the only thing that will really help the people of syria. that's where john kerry should be putting his attention. >> a final question. were these hearings open? did you get in easily, or did you have to get an invitation? or how does that happen? >> well, you have to get there very early in the morning to get on line to get in for the limited seats for the public. but there isn't a lot of places for us, carol, in this debate to get the american voice in. we think that's important to get the voice from the people. >> madeia benjamin from codepink. thank you very much for joining me this morning. >> thank you very much for having me on. still to come, a surprise in some chobani yogurts -- not fruit but mold. we'll tell you what you need to know. ♪ take me into your darkest hour ♪ ♪ and i'll never desert you ♪ ♪ i'll stand by you

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♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ chobani yogurt customers took to twitter when they realized there was something different about the product. the company looked into their concerns and found there was something different about the product -- it was moldy. cnn's senior medical

correspondent, elizabeth cohen, joins me now. and ew. >> different but not in a good way, right? right, exactly. when you hear mold, you think, wow, people must be getting sick. in this case, this isn't a health concern, but it certainly made for an unappetizing breakfast. fizzy. old, not the appetizing adjectives yogurt aficionados look for in their breakfast on. twitter this week, several consumers were voicing their complaints. openly worrying about eating chobani greek-style yogurt. the strawberry tasted really old. "my vanilla yogurt tastes like wine. is this bad?" "if the foil top is puffed up and the yogurt tastes fizzy, does that mean it's spoiled?" >> stir it up, and raise a cup. >> reporter: what was causing certain cups of yogurt to swell and bloat and taste so bad? after an investigation, the chobani company says it was mold. and it's now pulling potentially

affected cups from store shelves. chobani hasn't said exactly how it happened, but they do say that the questionable yogurt accounts for less than 5% of total production. the food and drug administration says this have been no reports of illnesses. >> it's certainly unsavory. but it's more of a quality than a safety issue. it's unlikely that you're going to become ill from eating this mold. >> reporter: this isn't the first time recently there have been concerns raise good what's in your yogurt. in july, the center for science and the public interest petitioned to get dannon to stop using a vibrant red food dye called carmine derived from insects. dannon says the dye is safe, approved by the fda, and delivers superior color to its product. >> it's unnerving when there's something in our food that's not supposed to be there. >> reporter: chobani says consumers who may have bought the questionable yogurt can avoid eating it by looking at the cups. they'll have this code and expiration dates.

and they won't say "mold." >> i think i'd notice if my yogurt is moldy. i love that soundbite. it won't kill you, just be disgusting. >> tell just taste bad. exactly. >> so -- i mean, should we war when he we go to buy chobani yogurt? do they have -- have may removed all of the moldy yogurt from the shelves? >> chobani says they have removed and replaced the potentially affected lots of yogurt. and of course, though, when they say vast majority, they've removed from place the vast majority of these yogurts. what about the slim minority, right? that could still possibly be there. so you ought to check it and check what's in your fridge, too. >> you should notice as soon as you open the yogurt. >> right. i thought it was funny that when it was fizzy, the first thing people did was tweet. >> there's something wrong -- yeah. >> yeah. fizzy is always bad. swollen is bad. yeah. just not good. >> got you. thank you, elizabeth. still to come in the "newsroom, "you've seen people whiz through airport security in a special line for prescreened passengers, right? now it could be your turn to get

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happening now in the "newsroom," to attack or not to attack. that's the question. the world is undecided over military action in syria. no more so than right here at home where president obama's top men try to sell it to congress. russia's anti-gay law spiraling out of control. could a making between activists and president obama do anything to stop the violence? and hate waiting in line, basically getting undressed at airport security? well, tsa announces a big change that could keep more of your clothes. "newsroom" continues now.

good morning, thank you very much for joining me. i'm carol costello. took more than a decade to get america out of iraq. you understand why many americans are not sold on the possibility of military action in syria. 's not an easy fight on capitol hill. pentagon correspondent chris lawrence knows that. he watched the hearings yesterday. they were brutal. >> reporter: got grilled, carol. no two ways about it. and right now, some members of the senate intelligence committee are receiving a classified briefing behind doors. a few hours from now the full senate will get a similar briefing. this is the last push by obama administration officials to try to swing this smonmembers of congress to their side. they got the key vote, 10-7, winning that. when you look at the full senate, still a ways to go, about 60 votes still up for grabs. colleagues on the hill have been counting votes, looking at how

this might go down. the house not looking nearly as good. still a lot of mistrust out there for how this operation might go. take a listen to just one excerpt from what became a very contentious hearing at times as representatives grilled the defense secretary and also the secretary of state about these plans to authorize the strike on syria. >> section 4 of your testimony today said this is about accountability. sure it is. the american people deserve answers about benghazi before we move forward with military involvement in syria's civil war. >> let's draw the proper distinction here, congressman. we don't deserve to drag this into yet another benghazi discussion when the real issue here is whether or not the congress is going to stand up for international norms with respect to dictators that have only been broken twice until assad -- hitler and saddam

hussein. if we give license to somebody to continue that, shame on us. >> reporter: obviously got contentious there. several of the representatives have some real key questions for the obama administration including not so much about the air strikes but what comes next. who are the rebels, what's if assad retaliates. i think also as well they were listening a lot to what the chairman of the joint chiefs, general martin dempsey, was saying, about some of the potential risks out there. that assad could strike out, urging some of his subordinate groups to lash out at american interests. that syria could fire rockets at some of its neighbors, sparking a more widespread regional war. so there are some real worries out there as the obama administration tries to close the deal to get congress to authorize this strike, carol. >> i think what would help many americans is if president obama at some point would address the american people and lay out a plan and tell the american

people exactly what might happen and how the united states will deal with the ensuing problems. >> reporter: some members of congress must have heard you thinking that out loud. yesterday, secretary of state kerry was asked that in a hearing. he was asking wouldn't it help if president obama himself got out, explained this to the american people, made hiss case publicly some night soon. and secretary kerry basically signaled that highway had no doubt that the president -- that he had no doubt that the president would do that once he's back from this trip in russia. >> we'll be waiting. chris lawrence reporting live from washington this morning. cnn has been tallying how congress will vote. so far the house, 18 democrats and nine republicans are backing the president. 23 democrats and 68 republicans are against him. more than 300 lawmakers are undecided or their feelings are unknown. in the senate, 17 democrats and seven republicans support a strike against syria.

three democrats and 13 republicans do not, with 58 senators still undecided. actually, you can see how your lawmaker plans to vote on a strike against syria. it's easy. just if to cnn.com/politics, and click on "counting votes." click through the interactive tally by state, name, and comments. the running tally is based on public statements, press releases, and interviews from lawmakers. don't you wish you could leave your shoes on at the airport? you know, when you go through security? the tsa says it's trying to help you keep those socks clean. until now, only people ok'd by customs and frequent flyers on certain airlines could get preapproved for a quicker spin through security. now the pre-check program is expanding to include an open application and special fast lanes at 100 airports nationwide. sure sounds good, elena machado. >> reporter: it sure does, carol. right now, there are 40 airports

around the country that have this expedited screening process. that list includes atlanta hartsfield national airport. tsa is planning to add 60 airports by the end of the year. now the tsa pre-check program makes it easier for preapproved travelers to go through security. they can leave their shoes on, leave light jackets on as well belts. and they also do not have to remove their laptops or the liquids out of their carry-on bags. this program has been in effect since october of 2011. and it typically allows people who are part of a frequent traveler program, as you mentioned, to join. you have to be invited by the airline. but again, tsa is changing that. now they're going to allow people to apply for the program. all they have to do is complete an application, pay $85. they have to verify their identity, and they also have to provide fingerprints to a precheck enrollment facility. carol, sounds pretty good. we'll see how this all turns out. >> i don't know. the fingerprint part kind of freaks me out.

the finger -- your fingerprints are kept on file, or do they discard them once they deem you safe? >> reporter: it seems like they want to see your fingerprints. what they do with that, we're not sure. they want your fingerprints, and they also want you to verify your identity. >> got you. aleileen alina machado. pro-gay speech outlawed in russia leading it a violent crackdown. now president obama set to meet with gay and lesbian activists in russia. you know throughout history,

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a word of ad vase for all new yorkers. -- of advice for all new yorkers. if you're going after anthony weiner, get ready for him to come back at you. at least for one brooklyn man.

we have more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. now you and i have talked about this before. and this is not the first time that anthony weiner goes toe to toe with a potential voter out in the campaign trail. you know, it usually just involves the sexting scandal. this time it's a little different. continue only involves sexting but also his wife. >> i didn't do it -- >> who thougaught you you're my judge? >> reporter: embattled mayoral candidate anthony weiner in an argument about a man before the primary. it happened at this brooklyn bakery after he paid for traditional rathat traditional baked good. this man makes a racial slur about weiner's wife, huma. kessler tells cnn, "i did say

that. i'm not going to deny it. it's just a certain feeling i have as a joy. k" "-- as a jew." weiner was height lie credighly congress after sending revealing photographs of himself on line. this time some voters are taking we're's si weiner's side. >> if the voter called him name -- the man is human. >> i think he's doing that because he needs to like keep it fresh. >> reporter: these heated exchanges aren't anything new. this 35-year-old lashed out at weiner during a campaign event. >> i'm not losing sleep over it. >> reporter: then there's peg brunda, challenging him in staten island. >> if i conducted myself in the matter in which you conducted yours, my job would have been done. >> reporter: weiner's popularity continues to plummet in the polls. >> think about your wife -- >> by the way, how could you take the person -- bite way,

that is between me and her and my god. >> reporter: his note right is not going down without a fight. >> the democratic primary is less than a week away, and while anthony weiner is not leading in the polls, he is still stealing the headlines. >> i know, but that -- that guy might be creating sympathy for anthony weiner. it was a low blow. i mean, leave his wife out of it. >> we talked to folks in new york, potential voters. they said, on this one, we definitely take anthony weiner's side. it was a nasty attack against his wife. uncalled for. >> rosa flores, thanks as always. still to come in the newspaper, president obama set to meet with gay and lesbian activists in st. petersburg, russia. will it do anything to curb the anti-gay crackdown in that country? [ male announcer ] campbell's angus beef & dumplings. hearty cheeseburger. creamy thai style chicken with rice. mexican-style chicken tortilla.

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if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. if i could describe being a nonsmoker, i would say "awesome." [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. tomorrow, president obama is set to sit down with gay and lesbian activists during his trip in russia. the move seems to fly in the face of russian law which outlaws pro-gay speech around minors and has led to a crackdown on gays and lesbians. it's led to international outrage, too. russia's president, vladimir putin, told the associated press gays are not discriminated against, saying, "i assure you that i work with these people. i sometimes award them with state prizes or decorations for

their achievements in various fields. we have absolutely normal relations, and i don't see anything out of the ordinary here." joining us to talk about that are leaders of two lgbt activist groups, ty cobb, director of global engagement for the human rights campaign, and ray cary, executive director of the national gay and lesbian task force. welcome to you both. >> thank you. >> thanks for having us on this morning. >> thanks for being here. ty, let me start with you. the white house hasn't released details on this meeting that is to take place tomorrow. what message do you think this sends to russia? >> i think it's twofold. first he's saying we stand in solidarity with you as lgbt advocates in russia. he's also sending a message to president putin that says we're watching what you're doing. we're taking notice of what you're doing. when we think about human rights, we think about the human rights of lgbt people in the u.s. >> ray, as you well know, a relationship between the united states and russia isn't exactly warm and cuddly and friendly,

right? we're talking about syria. is this the right time for the president to be sitting down with gay and lesbian groups in russia knowing it might irritate president putin? >> well, it's absolutely the right time to insist on the human rights of lgbt people. what we're seeing happening in russia now is that as much of the world is moving forward on equality and freedom for lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual people, russia is moving backward with draconian laws that are harming people's lives. >> reporter: in recent days, too, and i quoted some of the a.p. article, and its interview with president putin, ty, also in the interview, president putin said during the olympics he would not punish in any way those who flew the rainbow flag or painted their fingernails the colors of the rainbow flag. he drew the line at any gay pride parade. that's -- what kind of message

does that send to you? >> well, it -- it does speak to the point that we are concerned about athletes and visitors coming from other countries. at this point the law as it stands would say if you support equality and you publicly say that while you're in russia, as a noncitizen, you can be arrested for two weeks and deported. i think if says that he's noticing -- it says that he's noticing international pressure to talk about this law. and realizing it's been rejected by the encourage community. i also think it shows that pressure is building on him to take notice. unfortunately, he -- as he says these statements, a new proposal was introduced in l legislature that would suggest -- in their legion slate eu legislature that would suggest taking away the custody of children from gay parents. i don't think there's any reason to go backyards with this assault on the lgbt community in russia. >> it shows that president putin

shows off his masculinity every day. we see him riding bare chested on horses and firing guns and slaying bears. why would he be threatened by a gay pride parade? >> that's a very good question. what we want is for people around the world and russia included to be able to be who they are. that's how he expresses himself. but i -- you know, i think it's important that we go back to how is affecting people's lives. imagine, as you said yesterday, with this proposal to take away children there their parents. imagine sitting in your living room with your family listening to the radio and hearing that your government wants to break apart your family, take away your children. it -- around the world, the united nations, other countries are coming together to say enough. enough persecution of lgbt people. it's not just russia. let us not forget that in places like zimbabwe, under the mugabi regime, lgbt people are threatened with being beheaded simply because of who they are or who they love.

>> rea, ty, thank you very much for joining me this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you. this morning in washington, d.c., the senate intelligence committee is meeting to talk about what else -- syria. chairman, dianne feinstein, ran into the meeting. we managed to get a quick comment from her. she says she's not ready to vote on the issue of syria. we also got an interview with senator susan collins, republican of maine. let's listen to what she had to say. >> i continue to have many, many questions about the ramifications of limited military strikes. i had an extensive briefing yesterday with ambassador robert ford and members of the defense department and the representative of the joint chiefs which was also very helpful. one of the question that i have

asked is whether we're looking at this issue too narrowly. this is not a choice between doing nothing and doing a military strike. there are other ways to put pressure internationally on the assad regime too to ice -- regime to isolate him that would be more effective and not involve the use of military action. i'm also very wary of the united states becoming entangled more and more deep ly in what is a civil war. all of us are appall ted gassing of children. but i'm also appalled at the fact that many other children have died, 100,000 syrians have been killed in this conflict so far. more than two million have been

made into refugees. this is a broader issue. i think the administration has yet to enunciate clearly a broader strategy. so i have not yet reached a conclusion on how i will vote. these briefings have been helpful. i still have many questions about the wisdom of the president's action. >> do you think you would feel differently if it was a republican president making this request? >> not at all. if you look at the vote and the foreign affairs committee yesterday, it was not along partisan lines. certainly one of the strong ees supporters of the president's request is republican senator john mccain. there have been liberal democrats who are very opposed to the president's proposal. so i don't think that this is breaking down along party lines at all.

i do think that many of have us learned how difficult it is based on the iraq experience for the united states to get disengaged once we take a military action. so i'm going to look at the ramifications for the region of a strike. it is unlikely that we would be able to completely take out assad's chemical stockpile. it's one of the largest in the world. he has many means of delivering the weapons. and what if we execute the strike and then he decides to use chemical weapons again. do we strike again? that's a definition of further entanglement.

that's a definition of our becoming deeply involved in a war. >> what happens to the president's reputation abroad if congress doesn't approve the resolution? >> i am concerned about america's credibility. that is an argument on the other side that i am wearing carefully. i'm worried about the fact that the president of the united states drew this line in the sand. he clearly did so without having a carefully considered strategy and plan in mind for what would happen if the line were crossed which i think was inevitable. after all, we know that there were other chemical attacks, albeit much smaller, that assad undertook earlier. we did not act then. so i think we've sent mixed messages, and i have yet to hear

a clear anunsation of consideration of all of the ramifications of a military attack. >> do you feel like you need more details from the administration on what happens after the strike to convince you, or is there something specifically the administration needs to tell you for you to vote yes on this? >> i have many questions. i will miss the briefing if i stay there and list the all for you. i am firmly undecided at this point. >> okay. >> this is very serious. it's a difficult issue. we have to look at the impact on israel's security. we have to look at the signals that it send rogue states like iran or north korea if we don't act. but we have to consider that our acting would cause a further escalation of the violence in the region. and that it might cause assad or

hezbollah to strike against american targets, whether it's taking over one of our embassies or trying to do a terrorist attack on american soil. those are things i want to hear the assessment from the intelligence committee on. thank you. >> and with that, senator collins went into that meeting of the senate intelligence committee. and they'll be hearing from experts and hopefully come to some sort of conclusion. we'll see later on this afternoon. in the meantime, let's talk about something new as in samsung, as in a new nifty smart iphone watch kind of thing. felicia taylor, i see you got one on. >> reporter: oh, yeah. coming up, we'll be talking about the samsung smartwatch. it was just released in berlin. it's going to be in 140 countries by the end of the month. find out the nifty gadgets it's got on it. [ male announcer ] don't miss red lobster's endless shrimp.

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you know that famous yodel -- [ yodeling ]

>> i knew it was coming. the yahoo! logo is a little difference today. after 30 days of teasing different logos on its web site, here it is. it's part of a rebranding effort by the giant. it wanted a logo that stayed true to its roots. the old logo looked like this. it hasn't changed much since 1995. it had fatter letters and was kind of cartoonish looking. now -- [ yodeling ] >> yahoo! has jumped into the 21st century or something like that. the battle of the smartwatches has begun. samsung promising sci-fi with its new galaxy gear. voice commands, e-mail, you can even translate foreign language signs from your wrist. at $300 a pop, do you need one? felicia taylor is in new york to tell us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. do you really need anything? i mean, what -- you know, listen, it is -- it is pretty cool. i will have to say. it's a pretty attractive watch. this is what it looks like. let me turn it on so you can see

the display which is clear. this is the kind of thing you can use in a movie theater. you don't have to pull out your ipad or iphone or whatever, your tablet of some kind. >> the movie theater -- >> reporter: let me look at some of the different things you can do. you can have your contacts in it obviously. oops. oh, i'm making a call. oops, who am i calling? oh, no. good, the call ended. keep going. i think i'm still making a phone call. it's supposed to scroll back and forth -- i don't know. maybe we'll go back to the beginning here. here we go. contact. logs, apps. there's about 70 different apps i hear. and you can do things like have e-mail, you can text people which is great. something i do all the time. different settings. it has a pedometer. this is helpful if you want to lose weight. you can track -- that's a good thing, right?

something nationwide. y -- something i need. this is its answer to siri which is cool. the camera is right here. i could take your picture. and you speak into it like this -- the jury is out, i have to admit. not everybody thinks this is the next greatest thing for samsung. some critics are out there saying that really the iwatch is going to be more interesting, but that's down the road. let's find out from people we found to talk to. raquel and jacques, let me know what you think of the samsung new watch. >> all right. i like the samsung new watch. playing with it on the sideline before we got started. i noticed that you can actually find the watch if it's missing. so if you wanted to pull a cute prank on your loved member or loved one, you could give them the actual watch. then tap on the phone to find them. you can play hide and go seek everywhere. >> reporter: i want to know where you got the hat. >> the hat came from maryland. the store's name is actually temptations. >> reporter: i couldn't resist. really? it's like 80 degrees here. you have to wear a hat, and i'm wearing a scarf. it's supposed to get colder later.

jack, what did you think? >> i thought it was cool. very stylish. i think it would be men or women. it's not as bulky as i would expect from a smartwatch. it has everything that the nike fuel band has, everything that the ipad has. i think it could be the next thing. >> reporter: all right. evidently he knows all about technology. it retails for $2999. carol, would you buy one? >> i don't know. i'd have to explore further. thanks for the show. thank you very much, felicia taylor. i got to go because it's time for "legal view" with ashleigh banfield. i'm carol costello. thanks for joining me. >> reporter: obama and putin, smiles and a handshake to kick off the g-20 summit. but the superpowers and the world are at a crossroads with syria in the crosshairs. and if syria's regime crossed the line with chemical weapons, what