that is it for us on "new day" right now. ngs n "cnn newsroom" with carol costello begins right now. good morning, everyone. president owe pa ma and his top aides put on a full court press as they push to ponder syria, the president's biggest challenge, convincing congress the american public and the world was nothing more than sish standial evidence. if there is an attack syrian president assad says you can expect retaliation and not ruling out using chemical weapons listen to what he told charlie rose. >> expect every action. >> including chemical warfare?

>> that depends, if the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it, it could happen, i don't know. we don't -- i'm not a fortune teller to tell you what's going to happen. >> but still assad maintains his soldiers were attacked chemically, not the syrian people, and there is no evidence, he says, to prove otherwise. >> in the area where this came the government used chemical weapons we only had video and we only have pictures and allegations. we're not there. our forces or police, our institutions don't exist. how can you talk about what happened if you don't have evidence? >> in washington, congress gets back to work at the top of the agenda is the president's plan for limited military action, and while they talk on tap toll hill, president obama will talk on tv. he will sit down with our own wolf blitzer later this afternoon, as part of a huge

media blitz. it follows his sit-down dinner president obama and vice president joe biden had last night with key gop senators. that's them on the way. in the meantime syria's president assad is trying to use the american public's lack of support to protect his own country. this morning, we have new insight into why many of you are so skeptical about military action and why gaining support is such an uphill battle for the president. our chief national correspondent john king is here to break down a new cnn/orc poll. good morning, john. >> good morning. this poll shows the steepness for the president. six television interviews and address to the american people tomorrow night. the president is trying to swing this number by 10 or 15 points and that is, should congress pass the resolution authorizing military strikes in syria? you see right there, six in ten americans, 59% say no to the threshold question. here's another shot at the president, a warning sign to the president. if the president can't get this

approval, the president's on the record saying i reserve the right to do this, i believe i have the constitutional authority to do this, 71% of the american people, more than seven in ten americans say mr. president if you don't get congress's blessing do not do this. that shows you how important this is for the president. as the president tries to make his case carol you mentioned does he have a convincing case isaa american people believe that assad's guilty, if you add up those top two numbers that's 82% of the american people are certain the syrian government has used chemical weapons or likely believed it has used chemical weapons. more than eight in ten think assad is guilty of something heinous and yet, and yet six in ten americans still oppose military action. why is that? let me ask you this question. take a look at the middle east, iraq, libya, egypt, look more. has the united states done anything in recent history quickly in a limited way walked away and it looks better?

no. would u.s. strikes achieve a significant goal for the you sat? 72% of americans say no, they don't believe the president can do something in a limited way, make a positive difference and walk away without getting the united states locked in to a costly quagmire. that right there, that skepticism carol is the president's biggest challenge this week, even people who support him personally are very skeptical he has a plan to do this in a short, limited way and make things better. so what if the president loses? what are his options? as i noted he could launch strikes anyway. he says he reserves that constitutional authority, but if you look at our poll numbers, pretty convincing political opinion here in the united states he should not do that. he could wait for the united nation, the administration beyond frustrated they could get any progress through the u.n. or the president could decide to act in some other way increasing humanitarian aid or weapons aid. if you ask the white house they don't want to deal with those questions. they think even though they acknowledge the steepness of the hill the president can start day by day, interview by interview,

national address by national address to turn the numbers around. today he doesn't have the shoets vo et cetera in the house but this say major test of this president's salesmanship. >> the major pr blitz begins in earnest today. john king thanks so much. with all of this in mind the president will go to the senate tomorrow to try to convince lawmakers to vote yes on syria but if you take another look at this cnn/orc poll we've been talking about the majority of americans want congress to vote no. that's the headline. i want to bring in our senior white house correspondent brianna keilar and our political director mark preston to break this down further. brianna the president would say this is a case of national security. if so, should polless matter to lawmakers? >> well i think there's obviously two schools of thought on that. if they believe of course this is an issue of national security and their constituents just don't see it, then you know obviously there is an argument to be made that they should go ahead and do maybe what isn't popular but i also think, carol, that you have a lot of lawmakers

who maybe see that there's a national security risk or issue because of what's happened in syria, but they don't necessarily feel that president obama's recipe for intervention is the right one. they worry not only will it not change things, some worry it could make things worse and between i think that uncertainty and what they're hearing from their constituents, i think a lot of them are feeling like they don't have a good footing maybe to go along with president obama and when you look here, president obama, yes, he has a problem here with americans and he has a problem with members of congress, but he has a problem with a lot of these folks in his own party, his former political arm organizing for america hasn't even touched syria, and you're hearing a lot of the reticence coming from democrats in the house and senate and carol you heard from deputy national security adviser ben rhodes, he said in the end he thinks the votes will be there in the house and senate but i think there is a very real feeling, a really sort of shift

in the last few days at the white house they realize how much trouble they're in when it comes to getting some sort of congressional approval. >> you got that right, brianna keilar thank you. let's go to mark preston now, the cnn/orc poll also shows a majority of americans do not want the president to go it alone if congress votes no. again, if this is about national security, does it matter? >> well, carol, it certainly does matter for the president. we had this full court press right now, a lot is on the line not only what's going to happen in the next couple days but for the remainder of his presidential term. a lot of people think if he loses this vote in congress not only is he going to be damaged here in the united states trying to get what other domestic issues he needs to through congress and let's not forget we are coming up against the end of the fiscal year right now. there will be hard negotiations on spending. we're also going to see the implementation of health care and obama care and presidentby ma could be damaged politically if he's not able to get this vote through congress but also

internationally as well. what does this speak to the world, president obama is not able to convince his own lawmakers here at home that this is the right thing to do. >> brianna keilar, mark preston, john king, thanks to all of you. still to come in "the newsroom," a closer look at the obama's administration push to will congress and the american public and whether there's anything the president can say to move the needle in his favor. [ male announcer ] when you have sinus pressure and pain, you feel...squeezed. congested. beat down. crushed. as if the weight of the world is resting on your face. but sudafed gives you maximum strength sinus pressure and pain relief. so you feel free. liberated. released. decongested. open for business. [ inhales, exhales ] [ male announcer ] powerful sinus relief from the #1 pharmacist recommended brand. sudafed. open up. tens of thousands of dollars

in hidden fees on their 401(k)s?! go to e-trade and roll over your old 401(k)s to a new e-trade retirement account. none of them charge annual fees and all of them offer low cost investments. e-trade. less for us. more for you.

syrian president bashar al assad made no bones about it, telling cbs if he's attacked there will be repercussions. he said "expect everything," including chemical weapons. >> will there be acts against american bases in the middle east if there is a strike? >> you should expect everything, you should expect everything, not necessarily through the government. it's not only the government, not the only player in this region. you have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideology. you have everything indecision now so you have to expect that.

>> the president would like to know more, the american people would like to know if there is an attack what might be the repurr cushions and who might be engaged in those repercussions. >> before the evidence in september, i discussed with some of the congressmen in the united states, some of them are, i used to say don't deal with the terrorists as playing games. it's a different story. you're going to pay the prize if you are not wise. >> so let's bring in cnn pentagon correspondent chris lawrence for more. so chris, assad sounded like, what, like he's taunting the united states? threatening? and what did he mean by "terrorist attacking" if the american government means to attack his government, not the rebels? >> carol, what he's saying basically is that he himself does not have to retaliate in order to hit back against any u.s. air strike, and what he's talking about first and foremost is iran and hezbollah. u.s. intelligence officials have picked up some information that iran may be planning a

retaliation strike against the u.s. embassy in baghdad if the u.s. were to hit syria. also hezbollah, they can mobilize tens of thousands of fighters, they probably already have targets picked out in israel. there are also indications that they could go after american interests, consulates, embassies, things like that. i think it's one of the reasons why you saw the u.s. evacuate a lot of its folks from the embassy in beirut, just on friday. in addition, mixed in with some of those threats were also accusations samd directly at president obama and secretary of state john kerry, saying they don't have the evidence that they are talking about to the public. >> i think the most important part of this now is, they say the american people but the polls show the majority now don't want to war, anywhere, not only against syria, but the

congress is going to vote about this in a few days and i think the congress is elected by the people and to represent the people and work for their interests. the question they should ask themselves, what do wars give america? nothing. no political gain. no economic gain. no good reputation. the united states is at an all low time, credibility is at all low, all-time low, so this war is against the interests of the united states. why? first of all they said the war is going to support al qaeda and the same people that kill americans on the 11th of september. the second thing that we want to tell to the congress that they should ask and that's what we expect them to ask this administration about the evidence that they have regarding the chemical story, and allegations that they

presented. i would say we are disappointed by their behavior recently because we expected this administration different from bush's administration, so we expect, if we want to expect something from this administration it is not to be weak, to say that we don't have evidence, that we have to obey the international law that we have to go back to the security council and the united nations. >> question remains what can you say to the president, who believes chemical weapons were used and were used by your government that this will not happen again? >> i would tell him very simply, present what you have as evidence to the public, be transparent. >> and if he does? >> if he does? >> if he presents that evidence? >> this is where we can discuss the evidence which he doesn't have. he didn't present it because he doesn't have it. kerry doesn't have it. no one has it. if they had it, they would have presented it to you as media,

for the first day. >> this was a man fully cognizant of all the internal debate that's going on right here in the united states. he was speaking not only to the undecided members of congress who have yet to vote on whether to authorize this strike on syria, but also to the american people, bringing up al qaeda, suggesting he is fighting al qaeda elements within his country, and that a strike on syria would essentially help al qaeda. it's a very, very pointed messages in there being made by a man who understands fully the internal debate that's going on here in the country right now, carol. >> fascinating. chris lawrence live from the pentagon, thanks so much. still to come in "the newsroom," parents watch in horror as a carnival ride malfunction leaving more than a dozen children hurt. the ride reportedly had been inspected just two days earlier. now parents want answers.

you really love, what would you do?" ♪ [ woman ] i'd be a writer. [ man ] i'd be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you? ♪ when you think about it, isn't that what retirement should be, paying ourselves to do what we love? ♪

checking our top stories at 19 minutes past the hour a fast

moving wildfire east of oakland, california, fors dozens of people to flee their homes. fire scorched more than 1,500 acres in the area of mt. diablo state park. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. a 30-year-old man has died after falling from an elevator platform on to a sidewalk at san francisco's candlestick park. police say the man was walking with his brother. witnesses told police the man appeared to be intoxicated. in august a georgia man died after falling from an upper deck in atlanta's turner field. basketball bad boy dennis rodman expected to hold a news conference next -- i know you're digging his hat, aren't you? anyway supposed to hold a news conference next hour, returned from his second trip to north korea. rodman was tight lipped at the airport but revealed several interesting details. he spent time with kim jong-un's family and got to hold his brand new baby and revealed the daughter's name, kim jong-un's daughter, her name is joue.

a frightening scene for parents in connecticut over the weekend, at least 12 children were injured after a cairnal swing ride lost power, throwing riders from their seats and slamming them into the ground. families of the victims now want answers. cnn's pamela brown has more for you. >> i heard a big bang, and the whole apparatus of swings came smashing down at the bottom of the swing. >> i looked to my left and i saw the swing ride, it collapsed, all these people were there. i actually saw someone fall out of the cart. >> reporter: this swing ride in norwalk connecticut became a terrifying thriller sunday when the ride suddenly lost power sending children to the ground. sitting in chairs suspended by chains, 13 children were injured, at least two seriously, when the ride malfunctioned. other rides at norwalk's annual oyster festival were shut down a

a precaution but soon reopened following inspection. i apologize for that. we had some technical problems as you can see. web we get the audio fixed we'll run that story again, sorry, pamela brown, not your fault. coming up in "the newsroom," there is talk of impeachment if president obama puts boots on the ground in syria. we'll tell you about that after this. [ male announcer ] pepcid® presents: the burns family bbq.

guys, you took tums® a couple hours ago. why keep taking it if you know your heartburn keeps coming back? that's how it works. you take some tums®. if heartburn comes back, you take some more. that doesn't make any sense. it makes plenty of sense if you don't think about it! really, honey, why can't you just deal with it like everybody else? because i took a pepcid®. fine. debbie, you're my new favorite. [ male announcer ] break with tradition, take pepcid® complete. it works fast and lasts. get relief from your heartburn relief with pepcid® complete.

get relief from your heartburn relief a writer and a performer. ther, i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick... and then i got better. happening now in "the newsroom," make or break week, president obama pleading his case to congress and you and why we should attack syria. new insight into why the majority of you are skeptical and what the president has to do to change your mind. plus where's the concrete evidence? where are the photographs, the intercepts? either you have it or you don't.

the latest on what the administration knows or dunt oe. "newsroom" continues now. good morning. i'm carol costello, thank you for being with me. the obama white house continuing to make its push for why military intervention in syria is necessary. and now one you have the key republicans to support the president house intel committee chairman mike rogers, is speaking out on the consequences of a no vote. >> we've seen human nature here, if he can use it to his advantage, he will, sends a pretty important message to north korea and iran if they can use it otheir advantage and there's no consequence they likely will at some point. >> but president obama has a tough sell making his final push to build for strikes in syria.

the president is sitting with six television networks including cnn. obama will also address the nation tomorrow night. yes you could call it a full court press. wolf blitzer will interview the president later today and joins me now from washington. good morning, wolf. >> hi, carol. >> allow me to be blunt. unless the president outlines a plan, tells the american people why they should fear syria and then outlines a post-strike plan, not many americans will be listening to anything the president has to say. >> he's got a huge hurdle ahead of him, a lot of explaining to do, to the american people and he's going to be doing the best he can today, tomorrow, all of this week. he may, it's not for sure, he may get the votes in the senate that he needs f there's a till buster he'll need 60 votes. it's going to be close. say he gets those 60 votes. it's unlikely at least right now based on everything we're seeing can he get the 218 votes he needs in the house of representatives. so he's got a lot of work to do with the interviews. today obviously the private

conversations he's having with key members of the senate and the house and his address to the nation tomorrow night, because as you know the polls are not with him right now. >> bashar assad was interviewed by charlie rose on cbs and bashar assad seems to be opportuni taunting the president saying the american people don't believe the united states should carry out a military strike on syria. there's no hard core evidence of our use of chemical weapons, so mr. president, maybe you should just sit back and listen to the congress and the american people. >> you know, he was very blunt. i saw the interview with charlie rose earlier today and bashar al assad said if the president of the united states has the intelligence, he releases these declassified summaries, but if he's got the hard intelligence, charlie rose used the word transparent, excuse me bashar al assad used the word transparent, be transparent, mr. president. that's what bashar al assad said, release the information. if you intercepted phone calls and conversations between syrian

commanders and other leaders ordering them to go ahead and use chemical weapons against the syrian rebels, the syrian civilians, release that information. if you have other pictures and other information, go ahead and release it. what's on social media, he dismissed as irrelevant, if you will. so we'll see if the administration this week i suspect they will, if they do go ahead and become more transparent, and release some of the original, the hard intelligence that they say they have, that proves that the government in syria, the government of bashar al assad was directly responsible for killing those 1,400 people. >> the other thing that bashar al assad said that i found interesting in his taunting of the president, he intimated that chemical weapons might be used if america strikes syria. i'm not a fortune teller but it could happen. >> he was blunt. he said all options are on the table basically, if the u.s. were to launch these air strikes against targets in syria, there would be retaliation and he didn't, he said not just from

syria, but from others. i assume he was referring to hezbollah, his lebanese allies, and the iranians potentially down the road, so he was clearly pretty blunt in saying, he was addressing an american audience with charlie rose on cbs and pbs. he clearly wanted to make his point. you attack us, we'll attack you. that was the bottom line, and it's something that people here are certainly going to have to consider. >> so you're going to sit down later this afternoon and talk with the president? when can we expect to see that interview, wolf? >> i'm going to go to the white house later today 1:00, anch anchoring "cnn newsroom" at 1:00 and go to the white house and tape the interview with the president around 4:00 and at 5:00 i'll be in "the situation room" under the agreement with all the networks, six networks that are doing these round robin interviews with the president, we can't release the interview until 6:00 so right at the top of 6:00 in "the situation room," 6:00 p.m. eastern in the united states and around the world people will be able to see my interview with the president. >> we look forward to it.

wolf blitzer, thanks for joining me today. i appreciate it. >> thank you. so while the president makes his case on syria, a lot of people are hoping to hear some hard evidence that president bashar al assad was, in fact, responsible, for those haunting chemical attacks. there's little doubt a chemical attack did take place, americans are really only hearing circumstantial evidence about who is to blame. cnn pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is at the pent gone to tell us more about that side of the story. good morning, chris. >> that's right, exactly, carol. u.s. intelligence officials say they don't have a smoking gun that says they have a phone call or some interceptances bashar al assad directly ordered this attack but they say their evidence is more than circumstantial. one of the things they've been showing senators behind closed doors are the videos of what happened after the attack. it's not our job to tell you how you should react to seeing this video but we should warn you that some of these images are very disturbing. they may not be something that you want your children to see,

but they are something that the administration is using to try to build their case for this air strike. me mens, boys and girls convulsen and dying on a tile floor. cnn can't independently confirm the images but the government support says the obama administration told senators the u.s. intelligence community verified they're real. the source told cnn officials concluded the video was not tampered with because it was shot from multiple different angles. the intel officials are said to have verified the actual locations and that the individuvideos' matched survivors accounts of the august attack. they don't answer the question who is responsible. >> you've seen the video proof of the outcome of those attacks. >> reporter: for the white house this is enough to indict bashar

al assad. >> all of that leads to eye quite strong common sense test irrespective of intelligence that suggests the regime carried this out. >> reporter: but if the administration plans to only use limited air strikes to answer the attack, former military officials worry it won't be enough. >> you can't tell what's going to happen after the first three or four days of operations. we may have to take additional action, hit additional targets. this is a real problem. >> but it's something that planners here at the pentagon have factored in. after any initial strike, there will be a period of assessment, what was destroyed, what was simply damaged, and what, if any, collateral damage was done and again some of the legislation that's moving through congress right now is giving us 60, 90-day window of opportunity, so we're not just talking about only being authorized to strike for a few days. this would be a longer period of

availability, carol. >> that makes many americans even more nervous. chris lawrence live at the pentagon this morning. still to come in "the newsroom" as the obama administration makes its case for a syria strike, the syrian president is making a case of his own. and he's using american talking points to do it. we'll talk about that next. ♪ let busy bone entertain your dog with it's playful, long lasting twists, and savory, meaty middle. get busy. the world's most entertaining treats. but chantix helped me do it. i told my doctor i think i'm... i'm ready.

[ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. i knew that i could smoke for the first 7 days. i knew that i wasn't putting nicotine back into my body to try to quit. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. 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.

the obama administration's push to get congress and the american public to support military strikes on syria just a handful of congress backing the action, among them senator john mccain who met with the president last week. the obama administration says any u.s. action in syria would be limited as in no boots on the ground but senator mccain offered this warning should the

situation deteriorate. >> no one wants american boots on the ground nor will there be american boots on the ground because there would be an impeachment of the president if they did that. >> okay, that was mccain speaking to a radio host in phoenix. he's just one of three republicans on the senate foreign relations committee to approve a serious strike authorization. joining me now is hln contributor and hiram college political science professor jason johnson. so why bring up impeachment? >> because this is the kind of obnoxious red meat rhetoric keeping our congress from being ever functional during this administration. impeachment should not be a part of this discussion at all. this is an issue of whether or not there's proper evidence and whether or not this is america's national interest and mccain when he says things like that i think it weakens him and weakens america's overall statue. >> he's threatening to impeach the president and it just confuses people. >> it confuses people and it's

disingenuous. the first day he said no i don't want to do this at all, the second i'm only in favor if he use a bigger stick. people like mccain are trying to play both ends of the aisle so if this goes bad can he claim he didn't want to be involved to begin with. i think it's cowardly. >> shouldn't we lay out the case whether -- this is serious. it's not the time to play politics so why do do we keep playing for politics. we shouldn't done thatting. >> and especially after assad's interview. we saw him get on the air and taunt and attempt for lack of a better word punk the united states and if anyone is concerned about how iran might be looking at this, how north korea might be looking at this, we have to have a united front either in favor or against and these politics by the republicans and some democrats are not helpful. >> you're talking about assad punking the united states. let's play a bit of his interview from "cbs this morning." >> that reminds me about what kerry said about the big lie that colin powell said in front of the world on satellites about the wmd in iraq before going to

war, he said "this is our evidence." actually he gave false evidence. in this case kerry didn't even present any evidence. he talked we had evidence and he didn't present anything. >> okay, he went on, he used many of american talking points. he mentioned like you don't want to get into another iraq war, right? america you don't want to do that. mr. president obama, hear the person american people, the polls say the majority of the american people don't want a strike and do you want the leader of such a country to be saying -- i mean this is what congress has to consider. >> exactly. i find it hilarious when a dictator who brutalizes his own people starts to talk to us about polls. the reality is iran is looking and what assad is saying it doesn't make any sense when you look at the amount of evidence, not just what the united states says, the arab league his neighbors have said you are guilt ye and condemned him for this. they just don't want military action. this is no longer a question as to whether or not assad was

responsible. this is a question of what the united states will do and whether we should wait for the u.n. or have him sign some treaty. that's on the table. >> the president is going to sit down with six journalists today and going to grant them interviews about syria and tomorrow address the american people. the american people are rightly skeptical of all of this because of our, you know, great track record in the middle east, so what does the president need to do to convince the american people that striking syria is the right thing to do? he has to contextualize this, look, not just that this isn't iraq and isn't vietnam, we are in a situation where if if we don't act now the united states will look not only weak but irresponsible. we can't go around and tell people you can't do this in israel, you can't do in in kosovo, can't do this in the middle east and don't back anything up. >> the american people are not going to care about that. >> they never care. >> the american people want to see a plan. they want to see a plan, hard core evidence, they want to see why we should fear syria, that's what they want to hear.

will the president deliver that? >> i think if he does, he'll be successful and i think the most effective way for him to do that, assad basically threatened us in his interview. he said i don't know if weapons of mass destruction or gas astac attacks, if the president says we're dealing with someone who is directly threatening the united states, we want to allow that, if he makes that argument even more so than dying children, i think he'll move some of the american public. >> jason johnson thanks so much. >> thank you. here's what's all new on the next hour of "newsroom" dennis rodman says he has huge news and fresh off a second trip to north korea, everyone wants to know what it is. he spills the beans at the top of the hour. plus he's been the face of the naacp for five years, now he says it's time to go. he tells cnn why he's stepping down. and how sweet it is, serena williams serves her way into sports history with a fifth u.s. open title, and this morning,

she's talking to us. >> having a lot of fun out there and i go out there to compete. >> it's all new in the next hour of "cnn newsroom."

syrian president bashar al assad had a bold warning for america morning, telling cbs if syria is attacked there will be repercussion. he said "expect everything," including chemical weapons.

david isby is a military analyst and former military adviser to president reagan. before we beginning our conversation i'd like to you listen to bashar al assad's full remarks. here they are. >> will there be attacks against american bases in the middle east if there is an air strike? >> you should expect everything. you should expect everything, not necessarily through the government. it's not only the government, not the only player in this region. you have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideology. you have everything indecision now so you have to expect that. >> the president would like to know more, the american people would like to know if there is an attack what might be the repercussions and who might be engaged in those repercussions. >> in my discussions with congressmen in the united states before september, i used to say don't deal with the terrorists as playing games. it's a different story. you're going to pay the price if

you are not wise. >> "going to pay the prize if you are not wise." you're a military guy. >> that's what's called a threat, a vicious threat. he knows what he's saying, but he's also reminding you that this is not just about syria. this is about the whole region and the areas that surround it. so he's telling you the impact may come down if you touch me against people in israel, people elsewhere in the region as well as bases. >> you can threaten all you want but that doesn't mean it will be. >> no, it's sort of like he's drawing his red line. you've just seen how difficult it is to draw a red line that sticks when obama tried to do it. he is saying i am trying to deter american action by this threat. now, we have a much harder thing, we're trying to compel him, and he's saying, look, i'm going to win and i'm going to win my way, which is very ugly indeed. >> so does it make it more

likely for president obama, you know, to say okay, we've got to do this? did you just hear what he said? >> certainly it deals him he's saying yes we've known in the 1930s that standing up to dictators is a good thing, when that becomes the issue rather than the lack of effectiveness in limited air and missile strikes, he's dealt the advocates of hitting him a very strong card right there. >> okay so he's saying that terrorists, you know, i assume hezbollah, other terrorists around the world, that are loyal to such dictators will attack the united states, so when president obama talks of limited military strikes, can you do that if chemical weapons may be involved? >> well, what the other thing being, if you do not and he gets away with it, every dictator who has access to a pesticide plant, a ph.d. in crop dusting plane

will say yes, i can have chemical weapons to use that, so there is a chemical weapons threat which ever way go. >> do we know these people have chemical weapons? >> yes. that syria has chemical weapons. >> i know syria but others? terrorist groups? he's talking about terrorist groups. >> it's hard to know. they probably do not unless they have a space to create them. the syrians will probably have to give them a large amount, unless they are prepared to give them space in a pesticide plant and ph.d.s for them to make their own which we don't believes that happened yet. >> military analyst david isby thanks for your insight this morning. we appreciate it >> thank you. tonight on cnn, in-depth coverage of the crisis in syria, beginning with erin burnett and a look inside a u.s. bomb lab. >> cnn tonight at 7:00, an erin

still to come, a bill in new jersey could make it easier for young patients to get their hands on medical marijuana. if it passes it would allow children who qualify to consume an edible form of pot.

[ thunder crashes ] [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk.

new jersey lawmakers are expected to vote on a controversial medical marijuana bill that would expand options for patients. if passed, the measure would allow children who qualify to consume edible forms of marijuana. let's bring in susan candiotti. she has more for us. good morning, susan. >> good morning, carol. you know, these are the provisions that so many parents have been seeking. let's take a look at them. number one, edible marijuana now becoming available for children only. there will be no limit on the types of strains grown and

cultivated for pharmaceutical use. and this is something new -- two doctors instead of only one and a psychiatrist must give the okay for the prescription. now, for example, 2-year-old vivian wilson suffers from a severe form of epilepsy. there are only about 500 reported cases according to the national institutes of health. vivian's family says she suffers 20 to 70 minor seizures every day, averaging major seizures every four days. she has to sleep with a heart and oxygen monitor and an eyepatch. you see that. that helps ward off certain patterns that she may see that could trigger seizures. >> she has stopped breathing several times and could die from epilepsy. >> reporter: the edible pot can help ease those seizures. if the assembly approves the compromise bill as new jersey senate already has, governor

cristy carroll is expected to sign it into law -- governor christie, carroll, is expected to sign it into law. >> he had difficulties with it? >> yeah, but it seems he's gotten over them. the wilsons anticipating that this bill would pass, they issued a statement a while ago. here's how it reads, "we are happy that this is finally being signed into law. our next focus will be working with the department of health to ensure this law is properly regulated according to the true intent of the law." it might take a couple of months to get the regulations in place before finally children can take advantage of this new treatment. >> susan candiotti reporting live. we want to take you back live to new york. dennis rodman, the former basketball star, is holding a news conference. as you know, dennis rodman has been over in north korea. we understand he meet with kim

jong-un's daughter and released his name. dennis rodman is expected to announce something else that happened in north korea that was earthshattering. many people believe it's just a basketball game, you know, between the north koreans and the americans. somehow that might take place. other people believe it has to do with an american long held hostage in one of north korea's prison camps. an american that is very, very ill. jason carroll is following the story from the news conference. let's listen in. >> nonprofit, nongovernmental organization committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict. finally, we'll hear from dennis, opening the floor, welcoming your questions to the panel. >> thanks. >> i guess you're wondering what does the north korean leader, dennis rodman, and us have in common. unusual groups of people thrown together over time. i guess this one's got to be right up there.

to square the circle, it began when the pope resigned which is the first time that's happened for 600 years. set the scene, six months ago, about the time dennis was on his first trip to north korea, we were busy taking bets on who's going to be next pope. dennis joined us in rome as our spokesman for the day. a great day. and got on great. over meal -- >> we suspected this. we're not going to listen about dennis rodman's organization. we want to hear directly from the man himself. we'll take a break and hopefully when we come back, dennis rodman will be speaking. [scream] ♪ don't tell mom. don't tell mom. don't tell mom! don't tell mom. okay. don't tell mom. don't tell mom. don't tell mom? yeah. the best stories you'll ever tell start with, don't tell." don't tell dad.

start yours in the new santa fe. from hyundai. i remember thinking there's a lot i have to do... check my blood sugar, eat better. start insulin. today i learned there's something

i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said with levemir® flexpen... i don't have to use a syringe and a vial. levemir® flexpen comes prefilled with long-acting insulin taken once daily for type 2 diabetes to help control high blood sugar. dial the exact dose. inject by pushing a button. no drawing from a vial. no refrigeration for up to 42 days. levemir® (insulin detemir [rdna origin] injection) is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life threatening. ask your health care provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects include injection site reactions. tell your health care provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. flexpen® is insulin delivery my way. covered by most insurance plans, including medicare. ask your health care provider about levemir® flexpen today.

[ gunfire ] happening in the "newsroom," the big push won't be an easy sell. president obama out to convince congress and you this week that the u.s. should strike syria. who's buying it, though? where's the hard proof? syria's president speaking out, denying his government used chemical weapons. he's got a warning for mr. obama. the worm returns with some huge news. so what's dennis rodman dying to tell us after his trip to north korea? we'll find out soon. she's jumping for joy and who can blame her? serena williams now a champion for the history books. the second hour of "newsroom" starts now.

good morning. thank you very much for being with me. i'm carol castell oh. it is not ease -- costello. it's not easy to get inside north korea, but dennis rodman knows the secret. he's returned from his second trip this year inside north korea. rodman is talking about his meeting with kim jong-un. let's listen. >> there's about -- this is about breaching a gap to a country that people has said's so bad. this country's not bad because the marshal now, he wants to change, and i'm there. he wants to change. and the one thing -- what we hear, what we see in america is once people are here, don't see that over there. you write what you hear. but you don't see what you write. if you meet the marshal over there, he's a very good guy. and it's serious -- he has to do

his job, but he's a very good guy. and the one thing he gave me, he gave me the rice and everything -- doing one thing, he said, "dennis, go over to america and say, guess what, we want people to come over here because we're not a bad country." >> thanks, dennis. could you tell us about what you discussed, your plans and -- and reveal little about this basketball match that you've organized. >> well, it was more like a dream, you know. i talked to dr. patty power here. talked to dr. patty power here. it's funny that people think this is a gimmick. i would love -- it's not about the money. it's about doing -- trying to open obama's mind and everyone's

mind. you know what, you don't have to talk about politics. talk about anything in the world. meet him in switzerland. meet him in london. meet him in -- just meet him, give him a call. that's all he wants. >> we're going to jump out of this. jason carroll is in this news conference, monitoring the meeting. besides, you heard dennis rodman says the north korean leader wants americans to come over and see that north korea's not so bad. let's head to washington now. the start of one of the most important weeks for president obama. he and his top aides put on a full court press as they push to punish syria. the president's biggest challenge -- convincing congress, the american public, and the world with nothing more than circumstantial evidence. in just a few hours, congress gets back to work. at the top of its agenda, the president's plan for limited military action. and while they talk on capitol hill, mr. obama will be talking on television. he'll sit down with our own wolf blitzer later this afternoon as part of this big media blitz today. it follows a sit down dinner

president obama and vice president joe biden had last night with key gop senators. that's them on the way to biden's house in washington. and while the president looks for support from lawmakers, he needs the backing of you, the backing of the american people. right now, he certainly does not have. it six out of ten americans think congress should not approve a resolution authorizing military action. our senior white house correspondent, briana keeler, joins us now. it makes you wonder what the president can say. >> reporter: it does, carol. president obama has a very heavy list, to say the list, in convincing americans and members of congress. the former political arm, his former political arm organizing for america has actually remained mum on syria. that tells you something. now president obama is looking for a little assistance from his former secretary of state. >> the people of russia -- >> reporter: president obama getting high-powered help from none other than hillary clinton. a source telling cnn --

[ screams ] >> reporter: she'll speak out on syria when she comes here for an unrelated event today. the president needs the support. a new cnn/orc poll shows 59% of americans say congress should not authorize u.s. military action in syria. trying to avoid a damaging defeat, he's pulling out all the stops including interviews today with cnn's wolf blitzer and other major news networks before a speech to the nation tuesday night. >> we cannot turn a blind eye to images like the ones we've seen out of syria. >> reporter: images of children dying from nerve gas. videos the president's team has been showing senators in secret to get their votes. first obtained by cnn, now made available for all americans to see. obama's chief of staff also on a media blitz, appearing on all five sunday talk shows. >> i hope that before any member of congress makes his decision on how to vote they take a look at that video that you all made available to the world

yesterday. take a look at that and try to turn away from that. >> reporter: those videos expected to be shown at closed door briefings starting today for all members of congress returning for the dramatic debate and vote. to turn the tide, the president unexpectedly showed up sunday night at a dinner hosted by vice president joe biden to sell republican senators on syria. and today he's sending national security adviser susan rice to the congressional black caucus. but opposition is growing, even among democrats. >> my heart is broken when i see that video and you see women and children dying as a result of chemical weapons. the big question for the congress right now is what is the most effective way to move forward. >> if i were the president, i would withdraw my request for the authorization of this particular point. i don't believe the support is there in congress. >> reporter: now syrian president bashar al assad is making his case, as well. in an interview that aired on

cbs news this morning, he told charlie rose that there's no evidence that he gased his own people, carol. but the white house's response is they say they're not surprised that someone who would use chemical weapons on civilians would also lie about it. >> he also threatened the united states. we'll talk about that in a bit. brianna keilar live from the white house. this afternoon, wolf blitzer will sit down with president obama. you can see the entire interview tonight, 6:00 eastern, in "the situation room." promises of retaliation against a u.s. military strike coming from syrian president bashar al assad this morning. he first denied using questions but also warned that if his country is attacked, there will be repercussions and america can expect everything, including chemical weapons. >> will the attacks against american bases in the middle east if there's an air strike? >> you should expect everything. not necessarily through the

government -- the government's not the only player in this region. you have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideology. you have everything in it, you have to expect that. >> we'd like to know more, the american people would like to know if there's an attack, you know, what might be the repercussions and who might be engaged in those repercussions. >> before the event of september, in my discussions with the united states and our congress, i used to say that don't deal with the terrorists and playing games. a different story. we're going to pay the price if you're not wise. >> let's bring in cnn pentagon correspondent chris lawrence. jason johnson, our political analyst, said that sure sounds like a threat. like bashar al assad is taunting president obama and the united states. >> reporter: it wasn't exactly subtle, carol. you know, alluding to the fact that chemical weapons may be

used. when he talks about it doesn't have to be the government, what he's saying is he doesn't have to be the one to retaliate against the united states. intelligence officials have told us they have communications that indicate iran may be planning a retaliation strike on the u.s. embassy in baghdad. assad would have the ability to mobilize hezbollah, getting tens of thousands of fighters out there, possibly targeting israel. going after u.s. consulates and embassies in the region. i think that's one of the reasons that you saw the u.s. get so many people out of their embassy in beirut on friday. but mixed in with the threats were also some accusations aimed at the obama administration, basically saying you don't have the evidence that you're telling everyone that you do. >> our soldiers in another area were attacked chemically. our soldiers. they went to the hospital as

casualties because of chemical weapons. but in the area where they said the government used chemical weapons, we only had video. and we only have pictures and allegations. we're not there. our forces, our police, our institution institutions don't exist. how can you talk about what's happening if you don't have evidence? we're not like the american administration, we're not like the social media or government. we're the government that -- whether we have evidence, it's enough. >> reporter: and this is a savvy message here because it's clearly aimed not only at the undecided people within congress who have to vote to authorize this strike, but at the american people, as well. he talked about al qaeda, how his government is fighting al qaeda. that any air strike on the southeastern regime would ultimately benefit al qaeda. these are messages clearly aimed at the american people, and it house is that bashar al assad is

well aware of the internal debate going on here now. >> i like -- i don't know if i liked it, but it was interesting that he said social media because most of the evidence coming out of syria's from youtube videos, right? >> that's right. i mean, it was an aside. it was saying, look, if you're saying you have all this evidence and it's something even those of us in the media have said can there be a way in which you don't compromise your intelligence sources but yet present more evidence to the american people, a lot of those congressmen who have had intelligence briefings have come out and said, look, we think the evidence is there, but the problem is that evidence isn't really being presented publicly. bashar al assad knows this. he knows this, and he sort of uses that to sort of drive this message home saying, look, if you've got this evidence against me, show it. >> chris lawrence reporting live from the pentagon today. thank you very much. still to come in the "newsroom," the president's push

to punish syria. is he winning the p.r. campaign? can he win it? well, i'll pose that question to the host of "crossfire." [announcer] there's no hiding the goodness of the latest from beneful baked delights. new heartfuls are made with real bacon... ...and oven-baked to crisp perfection. new heartfuls from beneful baked delights.

♪ [ male announcer ] some things are designed to draw crowds. ♪ ♪ others are designed to leave them behind. ♪ the all-new 2014 lexus is. it's your move.

you feel...squeezed. congested. beat down. crushed. as if the weight of the world is resting on your face. but sudafed gives you maximum strength sinus pressure and pain relief. so you feel free. liberated. released. decongested. open for business. [ inhales, exhales ] [ male announcer ] powerful sinus relief from the #1 pharmacist recommended brand. sudafed. open up. vo:remember to changew that oil is the it on schedule toy car. keep your car healthy. show your car a little love with an oil change starting at $19.95.

welcome back. i'm carol costello. the president's push, americans' reluctance for another war, and assad's warning the united states should expect everything in retaliation for any kind of attack. just some of the topics that will be in focus tonight when "crossfire" returns to cnn. joining me, two co-hosts, van jones and newt gingrich. welcome to both of you. >> thank you. >> good to be with you. >> great to have you here. newt, i want to start with you. you heard president bashar al assad. he was talking in the united states, telling the president watch out, don't attack us because who knows -- chemical weapons might be used against americans. >> look, i don't know what his capability is, but i think it's good any time you're with to start a war. and that's what the obama administration is proposing. it's good to be reminded that the other team gets to fight, too. and it's good to be reminded that it's not always going to be one sided. so i think that in part if you

were in assad's position, you're trying to convince the u.s. not to do this, charlie rose shows up on your doorstep, you're going to look as big and bluff as much as you can to try to get the americans to back down. whether he could deliver or not, i don't know. >> is this a bluff? >> i don't know. to me it's kinder, gentler dictator day. you have dennis rodman talking about how wonderful kim is in north korea. then you get assad on tv. you expect this mustache-twisting villain. he looks like a homely muppet. nice guy. then he makes horrible threats, master manipulator trying to scare the american people. this is why obama wants to do something. he doesn't want to embolden people like this to come on tv, come in our home and try to intimidate the american people. i think that what the president is proposing is likely to make things worse and not better. but i thought that was despicable, he's a master manipulator trying to scare the american people. i hope the president calls him out on that.

>> well the president call him out? he's given six interviews today and tomorrow addresses the american people. >> yeah. i mean, candidly, i think it's probably a mistake to do the six interviews. the presidency should be above the norm. tomorrow's speech is what matters. if he is successful tomorrow, he will convince the american people however reluctantly, that we have no choice but to hit assad. if he is not successful tomorrow night, his proposal is doomed and will go down to a very, very serious defeat in congress. so i think tomorrow night's what matters. >> well -- >> i mean, how much can the president say unless he presents a plan to the american people, van? that's what people want to hear. they want to hear a plan. they want to hear the same old stuff he's been saying. >> well, i am sure they are working very hard to craft a narrative here. i think a lot of people -- this thing was happening in august. people were on summer vacation. still trying to get their heads wrapped around it. my view is we've not gone to the united nations, we haven't built

a global coalition. we don't have a plan to win the war or the peace and shouldn't go to war. that's my position. i think the president has the responsibility to get on -- on and explain the world from his point of view. he's been half hawk and half dove. a half hawk/half dove bird can't flay in washington, d.c. he's got to make a strong case for action and then let's see where it lands. >> if he can't win the american people over, he should withdraw this resolution, and we should get around the table to figure out a more peaceful resolution to the syrian crisis. >> mixed messages are coming from republicans, too. senator john mccain said if president obama puts boots on the ground that that would be cause for impeachment. why bring that up when senator mccain's been the igest hawk on the issue for months -- the biggest hawk on the issue for months? >> go ahead, van -- >> i'll leave that to newt. i don't understand why mccain would start threatening to impeach a country he's trying to rally behind, but -- >> exactly. isn't that strange, newt? >> no, it tells you how big the

muddle is. i mean, you have mccain who says "i want more than just bombing, but i don't want a lot more." then you have people like senator lei ahy saying "i want e smallest amount of bombing possible." the president has people on both sides saying, "i might vote yes. why don't you wink at me and tell me what you want." then you have mccain going off -- i was startled yesterday when you have mccain, impeachment possible. i'm thinking, wait a second. he's on the president's side. what is he talking about? >> there is -- there is one congressional leader i think needs to get a little bit of a pat on the back. kelsey gabbard, the young iraq congresswoman from hawaii, president obama's home state, a lot of democrats waiting to see where does she come down. she's a combat veteran, 32 years old. she came out and said, no, the case has not been made. we should not go with these strikes. i'm hoping younger veterans will come forward with a better plan to deal with the crisis than

just dropping bombs over there. i thought it was very thalg even one of the rising stars of the democratic party, combat vet, says no on the strikes. big deal. >> also the congressional black caucus, susan rice, national security adviser, will go over and talk to them. we haven't heard much from the congressional black caucus, newt. >> no, they're conflicted, as van can tell you. on the one hand, they feel very close to the president. on the other hand, historically they've been very much against war. you know that they are in very deep difficulties trying to sort out what they ought to be doing. but van has made a point that i think we need to take a deep breath and think about as a country. there are a lot of tools available in the united states. there are a lot of things we can do. this doesn't have to come down to a handful of bombs or nothing. it can come down to a totally new strategy, approaching this in a very different way. i have some friends, for example, who laid out an entire

cyber-war campaign that would not involve firing anything but would dramatically disrupt the assad government. so a lot of different thing we could be doing, and we shouldn't necessarily get trapped into bombs or anything as our final choice. >> newt gingrich, van jones, thank you very much for being with me this morning. i know you have a busy day ahead. i appreciate it. >> thanks. >> glad to be with you. >> glad to have you here. why is it busy? because they're just getting started. "crossfire" returns to senior citizen tonight. join newt, van, every weeknight, 6:30 eastern. still to come in the newsroom, he's the youngest person ever to lead the ncaa. now he's calling it quits. [ male announcer ] this is jim, a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke.

for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. plus, with no known dietary restrictions, jim can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, without talking to the doctor who prescribes it as this may increase the risk of having a stroke. get help right away if you develop any symptoms like bleeding, unusual bruising,

or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto® and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® is not for patients with artificial heart valves. jim changed his routine. ask your doctor about xarelto®. once a day xarelto® means no regular blood monitoring -- no known dietary restrictions. for more information and savings options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com.

the youngest person ever to lead the nation's civil rights organization is cutting his tenure short. naacp president ben jealous says when he steps down on december 31st, the organization will be more powerful, stronger, and financially sustainable than weather sta when he started five years ago. don lemon with what drove his decision to resign. i want to spend time with my family all the time. and sometimes it usually means someone got kicked out.

i'm being honest. i saw you a week ago. you were very happy. i wondered why, and -- >> there you go. my chair asked when i called her, well, is there somebody who's luring you away? i said, "yes, there is. his name is jack, her name is morgan." they're 7 and 4 1/2. i told my daughter a few years ago when she said, when are you coming back, daddy. i said, "give me five years." i said how i had an important role to take it to the next level. having done that, there was no excuse not to keep the promise to my daughter and be able to spend that time with both of them. >> the biggest civil rights challenges remain human being as you decide to step down. >> look, we are in a recession quite on voting rights, and it's likely to be a generational battle because it's being waged

against us by people who are, you know, fully cognizant that in 2043 this country becomes -- the majority people of color. they're trying to hold on to the old order for as long as possible. i would not have stepped down if i wasn't confident that the leadership of john lewis and leadership of jim sensenbrenner and nancy -- nancy pelosi and eric cantor is all going to add up to us getting the reauthorization of section 4. if you -- the restoration of section four -- >> the voting rights act. >> yes. and in the senate. but i also wouldn't be leaving if the naacp across the country wasn't rising to the challenges of this day so effectively. >> jealous says during his tenure he doubled the naacp's revenue from $26 million to $46 million in five years, he says. he says the grassroots donor

base expanded from $16,000 to $1 -- 16,000 to 132,000 people at that time. he told donahue plans to teach and invest time in training the next generation of leaders. still to come in the newsroom, president obama's tough climb on syria as new polls show a nation opposed to war. we'll break down the numbers for you a you. ♪ take me into your darkest hour ♪ ♪ and i'll never desert you ♪ ♪ i'll stand by you yeaaaah! yeah. so that's our loyalty program. you're automatically enrolled, and the longer you stay, the more rewards you get. great! oh! ♪ i'll stand by you ♪ won't let nobody hurt you ♪ isn't there a simpler way to explain the loyalty program? yes. standing by you from day one. now, that's progressive. a body at rest tends to stay at rest...

while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death.

patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. you feel...squeezed.

congested. beat down. crushed. as if the weight of the world is resting on your face. but sudafed gives you maximum strength sinus pressure and pain relief. so you feel free. liberated. released. decongested. open for business. [ inhales, exhales ] [ male announcer ] powerful sinus relief from the #1 pharmacist recommended brand. sudafed. open up. happening in the "newsroom," a resounding no. that's the response of the majority of americans when asked if congress should okay president obama's plan to strike syria. it's becoming a scene all that familiar in california. wildfires burning out of control. now a new one is threatening the bay area community. and she almost had to walk away from the sport she loved. now once again, serena williams is a u.s. open champion.

"newsroom" continues now. good morning. thank you very much for being with me. i'm carol costello. president obama has an uphill battle as he pushes to punish syria especially at home where any military action would be again the will of most americans. we have new insight into america's skepticism. a new cnn/orc poll finds 59% of americans do not want congress to authorize a strike. and if lawmakers do pass a resolution that supports the president, 55% oppose any kind of air strike. and support for a strike falls dramatically if lawmakers do not pass a resolution authorizing military action. if that happens, 71% think the president ought not to go it alone. this afternoon, cnn's wolf blitzer will sit down with president obama to talk about strikes on syria. you see the entire interview tonight at 6:00 eastern in the

"situation room." while the president plans to take his appeal to the american people, in interviews today and a national address tomorrow, supporters of a strike in syria say the president's message is muddled and comes way too late. here's what one of them, how committee chairs, mike rogers, said this morning. >> hasn't had any national or foreign policy speeches to speak of in the last five years. he hasn't really talked about syria in a meaningful way with any depth of understanding of how it impacts the united states at all. he has poor relations with members of congress of both parties, by the way. they're completely disengaged. they're asking for a big thing without allowing, i think, americans and most members of congress who don't sit on national security committees to understand the broader impact of what's going on in syria. >> john avalon joins me, cnn political analyst, and senior

columnist and political director for "newsweek" and "the daily beast." good morning, john. >> good morning, carol. >> good morning. a tough one, isn't it? do you agree with mr. rogers? i mean, he says the president should have been talking syria for months and months. but frankly, the american people, they don't listen all that closely. >> absolutely. look, what mike rogers' is articulating is the long-standing criticism of the government by members of congress. there's essentially not enough lbj, not enough able to armtwist with members of congress to reach out, make that sustained push to build trust. obviously within the republican conferen conference, there's deep distrust in the president. and republicans are wrestling with their own isolationist impulses against the rev visionists, age old inside the republican party. as the president prepares to make this full court press, hitting the interviews across the various stations today and

televised address tomorrow, he can't ignore the members of congress. this is being thrown together late, but the president can make a case that this is in the national interest. he has to do forcefully tomorrow to take a lot of congressmen off the fence and move them. otherwise this congressional gamble could be a disastrous bet by the president. >> all right. stay with us, john. we'll take you to great britain right now where david cameron, prime minister, is droesi -- is addressing parliament. >> calls for a strong international response to this grave violation of the world's rules. the statement from st. petersburg was reinforced on saturday when the 28 e.u. foreign ministers unanimously condemned the chemical weapons war crime and called for strong response that demonstrates that there will be no impunity for such crimes. i'm clear it was right to advocate a strong response to the indiscriminate gassing of men, women, and children in syria, and to make that case here in the chamber. at the same time, i understand and respect what this house has

said. britain will not be part of a military action but will continue to press for the strongest possible response including at the u.n. we'll continue to shape the more urgent, effective, and large-scale humanitarian efforts and work finish the peaceful political settlement that is the only solution to the syrian conflict. and let me say a word about each of these three. on chemical weapons, we will continue to gather evidence of what happened and make it available so that those responsible can be brought to account. ar along with 11 other g-20 countries, we've called for a fact-finding mission to present its results as soon as possible. we support efforts by the united states and others to reinforce the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons. we will continue to challenge the u.n. security council to overcome the paralysis of the last 2 1/2 years and fulfill its responsibilities to lead the international response. in terms of the humanitarian response, britain is, i believe, leading the world. this is the refugee crisis of

our time. a syrian becomes a refugee every 15 seconds. that is, mr. speaker, 240 fleeing during the hour of this statement alone. inside syria, 6.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. at the same time, aid convoys simply can't get through to areas that are under siege because of the fighting, and most major routes between large populations are too insecure to use. in st. petersburg, i organized a specialty team with the u.n. secretary general, the e.u., japan, turkey, canada, france, australia, italy, saudi arabia, and america. we agreed to work together to secure unfettered humanitarian access inside syria. we agreed to increase the focus of that humanitarian assistance on dealing with the dreadful impact of chemical weapons including providing medicines and decontamination tents. and we challenge the world to make up the financial shortfall for humanitarian aid by the time the united nations' general assembly meeting takes place later this month. britain, canada, italy, and

qatar have made a start with contributions totaling an extra -- >> we're going to jump away. you get the jist of what he's saying, john. britain's -- the prime minister's not going to go against parliament's wishes. he's not going to say, oh, we're in it militarily now. he says he's going to push for a political solution, which is interesting. he's also going to push for the international community to we'll do this problem. >> sure. right there you've got a classic example of why the president -- this vote in congress is so high stakes when prime minister david cameron leading america's greatest traditional ally in international efforts like this got a resounding defeats from members of parliament. first time in two centuries a prime minister's been refused the right to interventionist action. now david cameron's going for effectively a plan b and keep england in some sort of leadership position in the international community. it highlights just why this vote in congress is so important, why it's such high stakes, why the

president needs to present a united front. if america's going to lead in this efforts. you know, there are a lot of polls out now, brand new cnn poll showing, that as you referenced earlier, that americans are overwhelmingly opposed to this intervention. but there are problems sometimes putting issues of war and peace to a. poll. that's worth keeping in minds. the real question is going to be when the president makes his national address tuesday nights whether he's able to move those polls and the telephone calls to members of congress. if there were polls taken at various critical moments in american history, the civil war, world war ii, there would have been moments when continuing to do what we believe is the right thing wouldn't have been popular. that's part of the -- of the responsibility of leadership and part of the risk of bringing a vote like this to the house of representatives. >> all right. john avalon, thank you very much for joining me. we have breaking news to tell you about. i'm trying to read it off my phone here. apparently the russian foreign minister told reporters that russia will urge syria to put its chemical weapons supply under international control if

it will avert u.s. military action. we have phil black, correspondent, in moscow. phil, tell us more about this. >> well, this was the result of a sudden briefing called by the russian foreign minister, sergei laugh recov lavrov, responding to comments from john kerry. he was commenting what it would take to avert u.s. military strikes on syria. he responded in such a way to suggest that if syria gave up its chemical weapons, then, well, that could do it. russia has jumped on this, has seen great potential in this statement. the russian and syrian foreign ministers have been in talks, and lavrov emerged, heard about the statement secretary kerry made, and said there's real potential in this. "we suggest that syria complies with this." that they should give up their chemical weapons especially if it will avert the possibility of a military attack on syria which is really russia's fundamental

diplomatic goal here. there is a catch, though. after secretary kerry made this initial statement, a lot of questions were asked. and the state department spokes done man issued a clarifying statement in which he said that secretary kerry was making a rhetorical argument about the impossibility and unlikely hood of assad turning over chemical weapons he's denied he used. so it doesn't sound like it was a serious offer on behalf of secretary kerry. russia still jumped on this, sees potential in it, and is urging the syrian government to think about. it carol? >> something. phil black, i know you'll have more later in the day. phil black reporting live on the phone from moscow. we'll take a break and be back with more. [ maragno ] if the car was invented today,

it would run on the most affordable energy source available. it would charge overnight. every morning, you'd wake up with a full tank, ready to go. if the car was invented today, it would be the 100% electric nissan leaf. with over 200 million gas-free miles driven and automatic hov lane access, the question isn't "why electric?" it's "why gas?" [ male announcer ] the 100% electric nissan leaf. nissan. innovation that excites. now get a 2013 nissan leaf for $199 a month. ♪ checking top stories at 43 minutes past the hour, congress returns to washington today after a month-long summer recess.

first on the agenda, of course whether to intervene in syria. more than half of the senate still undecided. in the house, the challenge to sell a strike against syria is even greater for president obama. at least 148 lawmakers are expected to vote no, while just 25 support the president's plan. at least a dozen children were injured after a connecticut carnival ride malfunctioned on sunday. officials say a swing lost power, throwing riders from their seats and then slamming them into the ground. the ride's owner says state inspectors checked the ride two days before the accident. the incident remains under investigation. a 30-year-old man has died after falling from an elevated platform to a sidewalk at san francisco's candlestick park. police say the man was walking with his brother and appeared to be intoxicated. in august, a georgia man died after falling from an upper deck at atlanta's turner field. on sunday, a thai airways flight skidded off the runway

while lynnwooding in bangkok. more than a dozen were injured. this is the second for two airlines. in august, at least 39 passengers were injured after a thai flight hit severe turbulence coming into hong kong. still to come in the newsroom, it's not cheap to go a typhoon bigfoot game. ♪ ♪ unh ♪ ♪ hey! ♪ ♪ let's go! ♪ [ male announcer ] you can choose to blend in. ♪ ♪ yeah! yeah! yeah! or you can choose to blend out. ♪ oh, yeah-eah! ♪

the all-new 2014 lexus is. it's your move. [ crashing ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact wrong turns on the road to your know yofuture. afford that's why we build tools like our career guidance system. it's kind of like gps, you know, for your career. it walks you through different degree possibilities and even lets you explore local job market conditions, helping you map a clear course from the job you want, back to you. go to phoenix.edu and get started today. [ susan ] i hate that the reason we're always stopping is because i have to go to the bathroom.

and when we're sitting in traffic, i worry i'll have an accident. be right back. so today, i'm finally going to talk to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents for 24 hours. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or cannot empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness, and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks until you know how toviaz affects you. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. [ susan ] today, i'm visiting my son without visiting every single bathroom. [ female announcer ] today, talk to your doctor about toviaz.

just want to brag a little bit. the detroit lions, they won. and reggie suburb my new best friend, and i only say this to set up our next segment about football prices. alison kosik, i'm looking at stubhub now. if i wanted to see the detroit lions play the chicago bears, on stubhub, tickets start from $71. and i can get a parking pass for $99. >> reporter: there you go. that's the going rate. don't be surprised. you wonder why they can do this -- because they can. people are going to these games, and these games are selling out. you look at how much it costs to go to, say, football games versus baseball versus basketball. you almost always pay more to go to a fab game. the average price for -- a football game. the average price for two tickets, parking, get a little beer, $209. that doesn't count the hot dogs or food. most of the cost is for the ticket. $164 for a regular season

ticket. many people more because half of the teams sell out. it's about basic economics. supply and demand. people want to go so the prices are elevated. look at particular times -- if you're a cowboy fan, pratt fans, britney spears fans, you pay the most. these are teams from the winning seats. buccaneers, bills, browns fan, you pay the arrest. these teams -- the least. these teams come from different season -- >> they're not winning teams. >> no. but i have a good news nugget for you. 17 nfl teams left prices alone this year or cut prices, so gosh, you need to take out a loan to get season tickets. >> yes, and it's so much more fun to watch at home on the big screen, watch the replays. >> drink as much as you want. >> exactly. thank you very much. still to come, she's one of the most dominant women in

tennis history. sarina williams has done it again! [ male announcer ] progress isn't about where you've been. ♪ it's about where you're going. the new ram 1500. best-in-class 25 mpg. ♪ north american truck of the year. ♪ the truck of texas. ♪ better residual value than ford and chevy. it's the fastest-growing truck brand in america. guts. glory. ram.

we run errands. we run to the grocery store. in fact, the average american drives fewer than 29 miles a day. the 100% electric nissan leaf goes two-and-a-half times that on a single charge. it's a car. it just doesn't take gas. [ farrar ] so think about where you go in a day. do you really need gas to get there? [ male announcer ] the 100% electric nissan leaf. nissan. innovation that excites. now get a 2013 nissan leaf for $199 a month.

♪ for the 17 go ahead team, serena williams is a grand slam champion. the younger sister did it again at the u.s. open. successful in defending her title. she's been the dominant woman in

tennis, winning four grand slams in the past 14 months. it almost didn't happen. we have more from rachel. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. talk about dominant. serena is 98-5 since last year's french open. how would you like that record? as you said, it's after triumphing after a significant health problem. we talked about that and also how happy she is to be where she is today. take a listen. 17 grand slam titles. you have to explain yourself better because you're only 31 years old. a lot of people you played with are retired. how are you playing like a 20 sgloeld ---year-old? >> i feel like i go for broke, i'm focused and goals and, you know, i'm having a lot of fun out there. people are like, 31, 31's old. that doesn't seem like me. i seem like -- i don't act it either. maybe it has something to do with it. >> former president clinton was

at your finals match. i know you met him when you were 17 years old. is he like a groupie now? what are you talking here? >> well, president clinton's a great guy. he loves tennis. every time -- he wasn't here last year, i said, you weren't here last year, were you? he said he was working. >> you told him to get his priorities straight. >> that's right. stop working, come to the u.s. open. >> exactly. a lot of people might not realize that you might not have been at this tournament at all. you might not have been here. you had blood clots in your lungs. you had to be rushed into emergency surgery. >> being in the hospital for all that time, just not knowing if i would ever pick up a racket again and not even caring. wanting to be healthy. i think it was a tough time for me. >> the footnote seems to always be, and she spent 11 months recovering. 11 months recovering is not a footnote. >> it was the toughest thing in my life. one thing kept happening after

another from the blood clots in both of my lungs. i lost part of my lung. i had to retrain. my lungs -- i don't have two full lungs anymore. then you go through why is this happening to you. it was really 11 months of hell. i got through that, and now i feel like, you know, now when i'm facing opponents, i feel like i faced so many tougher opponents, this is just fun now. >> and carol, serena is aware that as she continues to succeed on the court she is a role model, redefining for young girls not just what a stereotypical tennis player can be, but what stereotypical beauty could be. she loves the fact that she's out there, loving different than what people might expect and showing girls they can look different, too. >> i just think it's amazing that she's able to maintain her stamina when she lost part of a lung. >> absolutely. look, as she put it, 31 is old -- i don't know if i agree with her on that one. i'm going to take a different

position on that one. but certainly 31 without a lung or part of a lung is a difficult thing. she looked great out there. >> she's terrific. thank you very much, rachel. we appreciate it. >> thank you. tonight, the battle for the u.s. open crown. top-ranked novak djokovic will take on rafael nadal on center court. the fifth time the two men have played each mother a grand slam final. it's the third time these two men face off for the u.s. open crown. nadal leads the all-time series, by the by. summer's over, and yes, football is back. the giants -- they're not looking so hot at the moment. new york giants' quarterback eli manning threw a total of three interceptions to the dallas cowboys sunday night. the giants lost by five on the road. it was a bitter loss for the talent falcons. they lost a thriller to the new orleans saints and had their head coach back for the first time in a year. the shot to peyton paid off.

thank you very much for joining me today. i'm carol costello. "legal view" after a break. [ male announcer ] pepcid® presents: the burns family bbq. guys, you took tums® a couple hours ago. why keep taking it if you know your heartburn keeps coming back? that's how it works. you take some tums®. if heartburn comes back, you take some more. that doesn't make any sense. it makes plenty of sense if you don't think about it! really, honey, why can't you just deal with it like everybody else? because i took a pepcid®. fine. debbie, you're my new favorite. [ male announcer ] break with tradition, take pepcid® complete. it works fast and lasts. get relief from your heartburn relief with pepcid® complete.

♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. and the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing that's stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everyone goes home happy. and i'm here to tell homeowners

that are 62 and older about a great way to live a better retirement. it's called a reverse mortgage. [ male announcer ] call right now to receive your free dvd and booklet with no obligation. it answers questions like how a reverse mortgage works, how much you qualify for, the ways to receive your money, and more. plus, when you call now, you'll get this magnifier with l.e.d. light absolutely free. when you call the experts at one reverse mortgage today, you'll learn the benefits of a government-insured reverse mortgage. it will eliminate your monthly mortgage payments and give you tax-free cash from the equity in your home. and here's the best part -- you still own your home. take control of your retirement today. ♪ ♪

the middle east, if there's an air strike -- >> should expect everything. should expect everything. >> syria's dictator on american television warning the united states to expect retaliation for a strike on syria. so just what does bashar al assad mean by "everything goes"? also, new insight this morning into why a solid majority of americans say that attacking syria is not in our national interest. and how the numbers add to the uncertainty in a deeply divided country. and the commander in chief deploying his top