in that area over the next few days. be safe, be safe, be safe. incredible reporting. we'll watch for it in the coming days as this is a pretty fluid situation. we'll continue our special cnn coverage from syria and beyond. i'm brooke baldwin. now time for a check of your top stories making news right now. don lemon here. thank you for joining us. we have some breaking news we want to tell you about. i have to give you warning. i'm going to read slowly because if you have children in the room you'll probably want to get them out. you're about to see videos that were made in syria. they are very graphic. they show people in pain and they are difficult to watch. these are some of the videos that u.s. senators were shown in classified briefing a couple of days ago. it's the aftermath of what the

u.s. intelligence community says was a chemical weapons take in syria. adults and children suffering, convulsing, foaming at the mouth. many people in the video appear to be dead. horrific to watch as you can hear people crying, screaming and wondering what on earth is happening to them. we'll have much more on these shocking videos in a moment. how they may change some minds around the world about syria's civil war. also we learned that president barack obama will give a few interviews on monday and he will sit down with wolf blitzer. you'll see that monday at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. more than half of the g-20 members signed off on statement agreeing that someone must be

held accountable for what looks more every day like a sarin gas attack. today that support grew when germany joined that call for action. we have plenty to talk about this hour. nic robertson is in beirut. congressman ted doiche is with me live. we'll get to you in a minute. i want to go first to bryan todd. these videos from syria, some key senators saw them the other day. now the world is seeing them. how does this impact the argument for military action against the assad government? >> senator diane finestein has made an appeal. we have to warn viewers that some of the videos can be disturbing. they show men lying on a tile

floor convulsing, children, men foaming at the mouth. several victims having difficulty seeing. cnn has obtained 13 videos. the administration has told the senate intelligence committee that these are victims of the august 21st chemical weapons attack near damascus. diane finestein has seen the videos. she's decided to vote in favor of the measure to intervene militarily in syria defieing the wishes of many of her con constituents. officials have a number of reasons why they are authentic. they are shot from multiple angles in not just what can be

seen but what can be heard. it's important to note the videos do not prove who conducted these weapon attacks. those assertions by the u.s. government come from other information and analysis. there are various ways they can test these victims for traces of sarin gas. experts have been telling us that the videos and the reaction are very consistent with a sarin gas attack. >> we do this for a living but i have to admit this is disturbing to watch seeing people writhing in pain on the floor and many of them dead. >> reporter: absolutely. >> what's the value of seeing these videos? people are having visceral re s reactions. you think it will change the minds of people?

>> it's very hard to not have a visceral, emotional reaction to them that would turn you against whoever perpetrated these criminal acts. we know that many of the videos have been on the internet already but editing them down so we can see clearly examining the eyes and pupils of the eyes of some of the victims there, you can see the pupils are contracted, consistent with being exposed to a nerve agent. to cut that together with the people vomiting and the young boy convulsing, it's emotional but shows graphically that this is a nerve agent being used here. it's going to be escapable for politicians now. if they haven't watched it on youtube by themselves and have

it put in front of them it will be persuasive but it seems many politicians in europe already accept that this is a heinous act an something must be done but they want that further evidence, is it linked to bashar al-assad. they want to hear more from the u.n. inspectors. it's difficult to see how despite the impact it will have, how this will advance building a broader coalition for strikes in the short term, don. >> nick stand by. the call for action is growing. what is the secretary of state doing to grow that support and build upon that support? >> that's right, don. secretary kerry had a little bit more luck than the president did because they had all 27 foreign ministers signing onto statement

calling for clear and strong action from the international community blaming the assad regime squarely for this attack and calling it a crime against humanity. as nick said, these countries are still looking for that u.n. inspector's report. they're saying that any action should wait for u.n. inspector's report following a call by french president hollande waiting for that report yesterday. they are making a deal now. french wants more support. these kun trips are saying to the french, if you want our backing, you need to wait for the u.n. that's not something president obama wants to do but if he does not want to go it alone, if he wants he has european allies with him, he's going to have to

wait for that u.n. report and so right now secretary kerry seems to be amassing a growing group of countries that are willing to support if the u.s. is willing to take its time. >> thank you very much. i want you to stand by. i want to bring in nick payton walsh. we heard about the president considering military action in syria. many of these have been on the internet. they have put them all in one form for these committee members to be able to see. i noticed as well there's a logo that's burned and printed on that video. where is it coming from? >> they signify the activist groups that have doing the

videos. it means it came from activists and passed out by you tube and picked up by the u.s. government seemed to verify it. that's the process they've been doing for the last few years. you have to try to talk to people over there and recognize things in the background. it's all part of the intelligent picture now the u.s. has to sell to congress. >> let's talk about waiting for the u.n. report, the inspector's report after seeing this video. >> i think it's increasingly evident now. pretty much the first time mentioned the report when talking yesterday saying how results could impact upon the decision that russia has taken. we're not quite sure when we will hear from this. they said they are doing parallel testing. they want to be sure what

results they have are unassailable. >> i've got lots of questions for you. standby. i want to bring in the congressman now. you support president obama's push for military action against the syrian leadership. now that the videos like these are going public and you've seen them. do you expect some undecided to change their stance on this? >> i do, don. there have been a few things that people have needed to be made clear. people wanted to understand that there is sufficient intelligence that show that assad did this. that's clear. these videos show how gruesome an vile this is. the question is will the asad regime be held accountable for gassing his own people. is that something the world is prepared to do not just the united states but that's the last piece. as you reported just a minute

ago there's growing international concern to hold him accountable and make sure the use of chemical weapons isn't tolerated. >> do you think it's going to change some minds in congress. before that, before you answer that, as you look at this video, are you surprised, obviously, it's horrific as to what happened, but you already support the president. this is something i would imagine people like you who support the president already thought what they would see on video. >> there's been video that's been available now for some time since this awful act kplited by assad. this is more its particularly gruesome. it shows how vile it was. there's not just a strategic interest for the united states

to act. it's a moral issue. for a lot of people struggling with this, they're instinct will tell them when the world has taken a position for almost a century and we have the opportunity to take action to prevent this from going further, that while it's difficult, i don't like having to be in this position, it's a vote people will decide to support. >> it's awful. there was a little boy convulsing. it's terrible to see. do you think it will change minds in congress? that was the second part of my question. >> i do. it's not just the videos. the videos are terrible. it's really hard to watch. i think everybody member of congress owes it to himself or herself to watch as much as they can. this isn't just a local issue. when the countries who came out in support of the united states making sure that assad is held accountable, they said that the use of chemical weapons anywhere

risked the security of people everywhere. it's true. it's a message to assad. it's a message to north korea. it's a message to iran. there's a lot of people watching to see what we do. to take the kind of limited approach that the president is talking about to push back and degrade assad's ability to use the weapons and deter him from using them again. >> are you going to try to win some people over to your side and the president's side. some of your colleagues? >> i know what a lot of of my colleagues are hearing from their constituents. i have plenty who are rightly concerned. they don't want to go to war. they don't wrant to send troops in. they were mislead about iraq. the evidence here sis so clear. there's an opportunity to stand up for our american values. this is a human rights issue.

when people see we can respond in a limited way with the support of our allies, you'll see growing sports for the president. >> thaurng. i freesht your time. i want to dpet back to nick payton walsh. he spoke about the evidence here. we've been saying until the u.n. inspectors and reports come out, we can't say for sure until they tell us. we're saying this doesn't show who did it. what does this video show? would the rebels have access to this gas or only the assad government? >> this video doesn't show you who did what. the report will give a narrative. hold up did they get there? what delivered them? the choice people are trying to make is it the assad regime who

have chemical weapon stockpiles or is there a more complex explanation that involves rebels and the u.s. not focusing on that which is a mump bigger problem. >> more to come. nick will be with us throughout the hour on cnn. next our chief medical correspondent joins me live from beirut. breaking down the aftermath of a chemical weapons attack. today we have a statement frm david petraeus. barbara starr has the details on that and the possible impact of his words. stay with us. ...and oven-baked to crisp perfection. new heartfuls from beneful baked delights.

nascar is about excitement. 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 fan and media engagement center. hp's technology helps us turn millions of tweets, posts and stories into real-time business insights that help nascar win with our fans. too small. too soft. too tasty.

[ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso's new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection.

the imagings are graphic and hard to watch. could they be the evidence that will make the case for a military attack on syria? cnn has obtained 13 videos that depict the gruesome scene of a chemical weapons take in syria on august 21st. let's head out an check in with our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta. he's in lebanon. the video shows people shaking, convulsing, folking at the mo h

mouth. some of them dead. talk to me about what the people are experiencing in this video. >> reporter: it's tough to watch, no question. i think the best way to characterize this sarin gas which is a type of pesticide and something known as a phosphate. it's toxic to the nervous system. it turns on everything in your body. that's the best way to describe it. it turns on things that are going on in your lungs so you start making lots of secretions. i explains the frothing but turns on the muscles in your body without allowing them to e relax. that same sort of thing is happening to the diaphragm. that can lead the death. it's gruesome toxic stuff in just small amount of it can cause some of these problems. as you mentioned if it's tough

to watch this video. this is odorless and colorless. you don't know you've been exposed until you develop these symptoms. >> i know you're not a chemical weapons expert, but just as you were answering that last question, how easy or tough is it for someone to get this or even make this chemical weapon. it's a pest sietd. this was considered a pesticide but so much more potent. this is doing that to the human body ramping up everything in the nervous system.

it's blocking a chemical from preventing it doing its job many the body. i don't think that's hard a compound to synthesize. >> we appreciate your reporting. to find out how you can help visit our impact your world page. the former cia director david petraeus put out a statement today. what he had to say, next. has pretty bold flavor. i love bold flavors! i'd love it if you'd open the chute! [ male announcer ] progresso. surprisingly bold flavor for a heart healthy soup. [ sneezes ] you're probably muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it.

zyrtec®. love the air.

welcome back. this is our continuing coverage of the crisis in syria. we want to warn you some of the video you'll be seeing throughout this broadcast will be very graphic and very disturbing to watch. in one of the nation's former military leaders is joining the debate over the strike in syria. david petraeus has issued a statement that barbara starr has a copy of it. tell us what he had to say in that statement. >> good evening. general petraeus saying quote, i strongly support congressional approval of president obama's request for authority to undertake military action against the syrian regime of bashar al-assad. such action is necessary in order to deter future use of

chemical weapons in syria and to degrade the regime's overall military capabilities. failure of congress to approve the request would have serious r ramifications not just in the mideast but around the world. petraeus is making the international case in part. he talks about iran and north korea. they have to be deterred. i think some of his most interesting language was degrade the regime's overall military capabilities. that may be half a step beyond what we've heard so far. most of the language is really centered around trying to deter assad from using his chemical warfare capabilities. overall military capabilities gets into a lot more. we'll see. one critical thing we don't know is did the white house solicit

petraeus to issue this statement. we're trying to find that out. we haven't been able to yet. it's always possible, we don't flow, that he have asked to lend his support to help change some of those minds in congress. >> glad you say that. i want to get to this quickly. john mccain already tweeted out the petraeus statement calling him the most respected military leader of our time. how much influence does petraeus carry with members of congress? >> he does. we've seen for years through all of his tours in iraq, afghanistan, while he was cia director and perhaps most relevant to this case, while he was head of the u.s. central command which overseas operations throughout the middle east. every time he went to the hill. every opportunity you saw. so many senators and congressmen line up to voice their respect for him and for his military

advice. as head of the command he would have known a great deal about syria's chemical weapons and the intelligence about what iran might do in the region. he does have a very deep and broad understanding of that not only from his military years but while he served as cia director. he's someone the people will pay attention to. whether he politically has enough clout to change minds along with that military advice, we'll have to see. >> thank you very much for that. i want to bring back our senior international correspondent. nick payton walsh is here with me. also a senior fellow at stanford and a former u.s. affairs in syria. these are interesting comments from general david petraeus to

degrade be regimes overall military capabilities. what is he saying? >> he thinks we need to degrade the military capabilities and level the playing field, give the opposition a chance. this goes beyond what the president seays he wants to do. you can do both by taking his ability to deliver clhemical weapons an other weapons. these are rocket launchers and aircraf aircrafts. by doing one, you have the other. >> talk to us about the videos we have seen today and david petraeus's response to that and to the president. what do you think the likelihood of there will be some military action given what you have heard? >> given the images we have seen today and the general sense of

horror that's surrounded the incident, i think it's essential that the united states assumes the leadership role in the world at this time. i believe the world is watching. this is a moment, a water shed moment when the united states has to step in in a very determined way to take the actions that the international community has deemed necessary collectively to say once and for all to assad and those that would use weapons like this, we have no tolerance for this. we will not allow this an we're going to go on the record and do what we can to make sure you cannot conduct these attacks in the future. the message will be heard. i believe it can be done in a way that will not have to necessarily lead to an expansion of the conflict in a deeper role for the united states and syria at this time. >> do you agree with that? >> to go back to general petrae

petraeus, i have observed him for many, many years. if anyone knows syria very well it's david petraeus. in 2012, when he was cia director, he and the secretary of state and the secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint chief staff all urged arming the city in rebellion. they armed if we don't arm them we'll get to this poibnt we're now at. he brings a personal heft of knowledge of the strategic landscape in the region. as far as the larger question are we close to intervention, are we not, that's a different question. >> that's a different question. nick payton walsh as we start to get the u.n. inspector's reports. what information does that give us? it's obvious from the video that there has been some type of chemical weapons attack. will we get more specifics about where the chemicals came from.

are there records of what company has access to what and will that evidence be shown in the record report the. >> the reason why the u.n. is taking so long and thorough is they want to come up with a conclusive chemical that was used and also a narrative, how it was delivered and where it came from. it could frame the particularly party for doing it. the job isn't to point the finger at this. a lot of people in congress aren't keen on war. >> the folks in congress will hear from the people at home and the people at home have war fatigue. we'll get back to our panel after this. the discussion continues right after the break on cnn.

so that was our first task, was getting him to wellness. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers, you can find it all on angie's list. we found riley at the shelter, and found everything he needed at angie's list. join today at angieslist.com at humana, our medicare agents sit down with you and ask. being active. and being with this guy. [ male announcer ] getting to know you is how we help you choose the humana medicare plan that works best for you. mi familia. ♪ [ male announcer ] we want to help you achieve your best health, so you can keep doing the things that are important to you. taking care of our customers. taking care of her. and the next thing on our list is bungee jumping. [ male announcer ] helping you -- now that's what's important to us.

[ male announcer ] helping you -- because what you dont know can hurt you.urance, what if you didn't know that it's smart to replace washing-machine hoses every five years? what if you didn't know that you might need extra coverage for more expensive items? and what if you didn't know that teen drivers are four times more likely to get into an accident? 'sup the more you know, the better you can plan for what's ahead. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum -bum ♪

again, what you're going to see on cnn, and we're showing them less as possible. if we're talking about them specifically, we'll show them but we just don't want them to be up all the time. will it move the needle on

public opinion. the white house says president obama will do interviews monday with wolf blitzer. you can see that monday at 6:00 p.m. he'll be speaking to the nation on tuesday. i'm joined by senior international correspondent nick payton walsh and cnn military analyst, rick francona. you were making the point as we were talking about this. we were talking about what specifically they might find. the president has his work cut out for him making the case for syria. we're trying to figure out what the question is will these videos help? this is campaign now from the white house. this is all part of that campaign. >> one thing that would have been a good thing for the president to do which is call

congress to session because if you leave the congressmen and women in their districts, this is tactics now. if you leave them a week, their talking to their constituents. >> who don't want the war. >> it would have been important to dramatize the urgency, remove them from home districts and home opinion and really work them. i think it was a very big mistake. >> you do? >> yes. >> the president went to the g-20 summit an left with the same four nations who were for it, france, turkey, saudi arabia. he didn't get much support at the g-20. >> he's not going to get any support. it looks like everybody will abdicate leadership and action

to us. this is going be another american show. i think it's important that we get some allies involved in this. it would be nice to see some of the arab states and maybe an arab league or something. otherwise this is portrayed in the arab press as another instance of american aggression. it would be helpful to have some arab participation here. >> i want to get to something nick payton walsh. it was a statement from susan rice that you just sent out. tell us about the statement from the white house. >> one point it would be interesting to make about the campaign the white house moving on at the moment is clearly so far the debate has been about american public opinion. how does america feel about the role in the world? these videos releasing them is about trying to remind congress

and everybody else about america's place in the world and switch it back. 12 years of seemingly unending conflict. this is just happening. we're getting it in. rice is meeting with russian presidential foreign advisor in a candid and cordial meeting. this is just a discussion on syria as well. this is just moving onto what the president and putin having their sideline discussion about this. can they get the russians on board with this? >> it's incredibly difficult to see how putin calling u.s.

secretary of state a liar how you can move from that to turning against your one ally in the middle east which is syria. this meeting could be about reopening channels that have been frozen for the past week or so. six months ago there was a lot of talk in capitals about how the russians were changing their mind on assad, the syrian leader. they were talking about how he wasn't the right man to be leading the country. that suddenly fannished afterwards. got to bear in mind moscow very frag m pragmatic. if they see the tide is turning they could drop people. >> please stay with us. if you want to hear more, we want to hear from you as well. we'll try to get it on the air. next, we'll talk about making your voices heard. taking it to the streets in the u.s. to spread the word against

u.s. air strikes in syria. too big. too small.

too soft. too tasty. [ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso's new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection.

does your dog food have?. 18 percent? 20? new purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one true instinct. learn more at purinaone.com we know in the cyber world, threats are always evolving. at first, we were protecting networks. then, we were protecting the transfer of data. and today it's evolved to infrastructure... ♪ ...finance... and military missions. we're constantly innovating to advance the front line in the cyber battle, wherever it takes us. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

more now on our coverage about syria. prote protesters gathered in washington to oppose strikes. >> they marched to the u.s. capitol holding signs such as no war on syria and hands off of

syria. the white house still has plenty of work to do if it warrants americans to support a strike. syrian americans joined a protest and added their voices to the demand that the president called this off. >> reporter: dozens of protesters are here in new york city and cities across the country. some of these folks are syrian american. in their mind are their families still in syria. the unrest in syria is thousands of miles way but the fear of war is felt right here in the u.s. by syrian americans, he skypes with his family in syria every day. >> she's a physician in hospital. >> reporter: and says american military action in syria is personal. >> i feel every second of my

day. when i sleep i'm closing my eyes and saying how much am i going to lose. it's not politics. it's human beings and lives on the line. >> reporter: that's why he and thousands of americans are organizing across the country. he's on the board of the syrian-american forum, a group 2,000 strong. they started speaking against it. >> we're not there to pose any trouble. we're just going to say firmly and peacefully what's our position and where are we going. >> reporter: the biggest national vent is a march on washington. their bussing thousands of syrian american families from states as far as florida and michigan. >> 8:00 at night. i'm guessing, i don't know by car it's an 8-hour drive. >> reporter: other groups are

joining in too like the international action center. >> when i hold up a sign, i think i'll be reflecting the popular will of this country. >> reporter: thousands of groups around the country are uniting with one common message. hands off syria. the syrian american forum is working on their biggest national vent yet. that's scheduled for monday in washington, d.c. >> thank you very much. what does this new graphic video mean for a potential strike? we'll discuss that after the break. oral-b pro-health toothbrushes have advanced features like crisscross bristles. made to fit the angles of your teeth better than straight bristles, oral-b pro-health toothbrushes with crisscross technology

remove up to 90% of plaque in hard to reach areas. feel the difference. oral-b, trust the brand more dentists and hygienists use. oral-b. life opens up when you do. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson.

when i was 14, i started reaching out to local optometrists and putting collection boxes in their offices. so when a patient came to get a new pair of glasses, they pick up old glasses. the other way we distribute glasses is by going on clinic trips.

today we've collected and distributed over $4,000 worth of eyeglass eyeglasses. equivalent to 8,500 pairs. i'm 17 years old and even though people believe kids can't make a difference, i have. it's about being motivated, going out there and doing it. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. yep, everybody knows that.

well, did you know some owls aren't that wise? don't forget i'm having brunch with meghan tomorrow. who? meghan, my coworker. who? seriously? you've met her like three times. who? (sighs) geico. fifteen minutes could save you...well, you know. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate, administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson.

before today, americans seemed deeply skeptical about a strike on syria. now that we have seen just how gruesome that chemical weapons was -- that attack was, will the white house see lawmakers' side with the president or is this grim video still too little too late? i'm joined again by nick

payton-walsh, lieutenant rick francona and steven sesh. i want to talk to you. the president making the case about the strike in syria and whether or not this video is going to help or hurt. will americans be moved by this? will congress be moved by this? will the international community be moved by this? and are the people in syria -- the syrian government, does this affect their approach at all? >> well, i hope that we'll be able to get the international media to put this on the air as much as possible. thinking specifically of the arab media, al jazeera and the qatari networks. i hope they can see this coverage wall to wall and that will jar their conscience into demanding their government step up and be hurt. and we don't want to go into this without very robust arab support. no matter how high-minded our

principles may be, they're often lost in translation in the arab world. we need a good coalition, a group of arab, european nations and others that can speak with a collective voice and be heard and demand that this action be taken in a way that will give the united states, the leadership role we can assume in this kind of an action and do what is necessary. >> what if the congress comes back and says no after the president makes his appeal to the american public on tuesday, he speaks to news anchors, gone to the g-20 and kerry at the eu now, what's if there's still a no? he can decide to go it alone but he's a man on an island. >> the president can. one reason why the president went to congress a week ago, he felt as though he was a man alone on an island. he didn't have support at the u.n. and couldn't expect it. the uk disappeared.

the congress wasn't behind him. i think he felt the need at that point to try to strengthen his hand and in doing so, he went to the congress to try to make sure that we as a nation could be seen as speaking with some sense of consensus on this. whether congress will join him or not remains to be seen. he's got to make his case and will do so tuesday night when he speaks to the nation and will continue to lobby hard for congressional support. >> thank you, sir. we appreciate that. we'll have much, much more. it is the top of the hour. you're in the "cnn newsroom." i'm don lemon following breaking news. you have to know that what we're about to show is something that's very difficult, it's very graphic. it's imaging that you might find really disturbing. especially for children. it's a series of video clips. some key lawma