dwindling fan support, mismanagement and lackluster seasons over the past few years. we have to warn you that this next one isn't for the squeamish. arizona cardinals safety rashad jackson discovered something was missing in yesterday's game versus the saints, namely, the top part of his finger. here's the really gross part. he didn't realize it until he pulled his glove off and his fingertip was still in it. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room." jake, thanks very much. happening now, security forces storm a shopping mall, trying to clear out the terrorists who killed dozens of shoppers. but there could still be gunmen inside. we're going live to kenya. i will also speak with a journalist who got into the mall just hours after the terrorists struck. meanwhile, a high stakes visit to the united nations for president obama and it comes amid a charm offensive by iran's new president. will these two leaders actually meet here at the u.n.? and a high stakes week in washington, where a government

shut-down looms as conservatives target obama care. i'm wolf blitzer at the united nations. you're in "the situation room." it's midnight in nairobi, two and a half days since terrorists attacked an upscale shopping mall and began methodically slaughtering people inside. it's now been several hours since kenyan security forces stormed the mall. one official says some al qaeda linked gunmen may still be inside. the death toll as of now, at least 62 people. dozens of people are said to be unaccounted for. scores of people are injured. americans are among the wounded victims of the terror group al shabaab, which claims three americans took part in the attack. cnn's zain verjee is outside the mall and is joining us live. earlier, we all watched in horror, you had to duck for cover. tell our viewers what happened and what's going on right now.

>> reporter: wolf, the kenyan military is insisting that they are in control of westgate mall, but i'm hearing now from two senior officials on the ground here that that is actually not the case. i'm hearing that there are several gunmen still in westgate mall and among them are snipers. the situation is fluid, it's moving quickly, it's very difficult to get any kind of information from officials on the ground and the military and everyone involved in that attack from a planning and also any forces that are going in there. we're not getting anything from them. but what we do know is that 65 people are missing and tonight, there are so many questions about hostages. where are they, if they were rescued and the gunmen, we are hearing three are dead but also many are on the loose. we're trying to get information about that and we're not getting that much. the day today has been one of an ebb and flow. there has been some periods of calm and some periods of real

fear. just watch this. >> was that more gunfire? can we have the helmet? where is the helmet? >> reporter: wolf, nairobi is really tense tonight. i was on the road just a short while ago and there was barely anyone. it was just me out on the roads moving back and forth a little bit. people are really scared, they're hunkering down. there are questions, too, about whether there could be any other potential attacks. i talked to two different officials here on the ground that say that they have fears that that could be the case, but they are warning all kenyans just to stay calm as we continue to get more information. wolf? >> we know, at least we have these reports, zain, that these

terrorists were going inside and they were asking people if they were muslim or non-muslim, if they were muslim they were supposedly letting them go. if they were christians or non-muslims, they were killing them. what do we know about this -- these reports? >> reporter: there are mixed reports about that, wolf. i've heard from many muslims that they recited the prayers or said something religious and they were let go. there are many others that were killed. also, nairobi is a pretty secular cosmopolitan society so not all muslims have their heads covered in any kind of religious attire, and from people that i have spoken to here in this area specifically, where the emergency rescue and response are, they brought this same thing up to me a couple times and said that many muslims were killed, regardless. so it seems to me that a few got really lucky and did get away, but many people were caught up like those of other faiths and killed brutally.

>> brutally indeed. what an awful situation. zain, be careful over there. zain verjee reporting from kenya. nicole is a journalist who managed to get inside the mall shortly after terrorists struck and documented the bloody attack. she is joining us on phone from israel, where she is on assignment. tell us what happened. you heard from your husband, who is a photographer for the "new york times." what was going on? pick up the story. what did you do? >> reporter: well, i actually called him to let him know what was going on. i had heard word of what was happening, checked in with the nairobi bureau, then gathered my protective gear and cameras and got down to the scene as quickly as possible. once i arrived there, i quickly realized that it was pretty serious, there were people running out of the mall holding each other, crying, and as i got closer, i saw some ad hoc first

aid stations set up, strangers trying to help each other into any cars, getting injured victims on their way to the hospital as soon as possible. >> and you were courageous enough to go inside. were security forces already on the scene? what was it like when you got there? >> reporter: when i arrived, there were already security forces on the scene. it was unclear exactly what the situation was inside the mall. but i knew that i wanted to try and get inside if possible to cover the scene from inside the mall. i was able to gain access before they completely sealed it off and join up with a security team that was going from shop to shop, into the cinema, trying to clear the mall of innocent victims who had been trapped inside, held as hostage, and also looking for the remaining attackers.

>> what about those who were evacuated? how did that go? explain what you saw. >> reporter: the scene in the mall was really surreal. there were, from our vantage point on the third floor, you could see bodies of victims on both the second and first floor. there was sporadic gunfire. there seemed like every store you went into, everywhere you looked, there were people who were trying to hide from the attackers. it was really a strange and unreal scene to see this horrific terror take place in a place that i personally frequent as a resident of nairobi, it really was surreal to see it turn into a scene of terror. >> and you describe sort of eerie silence, a very high scale

mall. as you say, you had frequented there. you had gone shopping there on many occasions. but then all of a sudden, you're walking around and you describe an eerie silence. pick up that thought for us. >> reporter: well, you know, normally when you're at the mall, you're seeing families, friends gathering, conversation, people making purchases, going about their daily life. but on saturday, that scene of commerce and conversation was transformed into a scene of terror. there was, as you said, an eerie silence broken up by sporadic gunfire. and the mall sound track had not been turned off so there was pop music playing throughout, you know, mixed in with the gunfire and it truly was surreal. >> thanks very much, thanks for that eyewitness account.

president obama, meanwhile, makes a high stakes visit to the united nations. could there be a breakthrough meeting with his counterpart from iran? also coming up, while jihadists at a nairobi mall target non-muslims, a taliban group claims responsibility for slaughtering scores of christians at church in pakistan. 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.

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welcome back. i'm wolf blitzer at the united nations. president obama is here in new york already. he'll address the u.n. general assembly tomorrow morning. we'll have live coverage here on cnn. he's already begun meeting with his counterparts but the big question is whether or not he will meet with iran's new president, who has been waging a sort of charm offensive since his recent election. topping the agenda here, what to do about syria. let's bring in our senior international correspondent, nick paton walsh, who is watching what's going on. as far as syria is concerned, they handed over a list to this u.n. watchdog organization outlining where their chemical

weapons are, but you're getting new information. >> the key thing was with this organization called the organization for prohibition of chemical weapons, what they say was agreed in geneva is technically feasible. we know russia and the u.s. can't agree on anything but we have learned of another roadblock. the americans and the russians can't agree what the mechanism would be to decide if syria is keeping up with its end of the bargain. the americans want the opcw to decide because they have a simple majority but the russians, we're told, want the security council to decide, where they have a veto. so not only do we have a problem potentially here with the u.n. when they come to put a resolution together to back up what was agreed in geneva, they can't even decide in the hague on the technicalities of how they would work out if syria is complying. >> they have to do this within the next few weeks, send a delegation of inspectors there to actually see if this report that they gave, this catalog, is accurate. >> absolutely. that's under syria's obligations under the convention. they already agreed to sign up to it. interestingly, they did not

agree for the expedited american/russian timetable but they did make the deadline by declaring what they had this weekend. it's enormously complex. at the end of the day, at every possible opportunity, america and russia seem to fall out over the bare essentials about how to make this actually happen. >> we'll see if they can get their act together. excellent reporting. thanks very much. let's continue, get back to the top story, what's happening in kenya. the al shabaab terror attack. witnesses say the nairobii attackers singled out non-muslims at least in part labeled as infidels for slaughters. terrorists in pakistan targeted a christian church sunday, killing 81 people in a suicide bombing. two bombers struck as services were ending. children and choir members among the dead. a taliban splinter group claims responsibility. joining us now is our chief international correspondent, christiane amanpour and fareed zakaria.

fareed, what's going on here with these attacks on christians? now there are reports in kenya, a slaughter of christians in pakistan. we know christians in egypt have been targeted, including at their church. give us some perspective. >> wolf, it's a very serious and tragic situation. remember, many of these groups have always had this kind of very strong, violent attitude towards what they regard as heretics, any non-muslims. what's interesting here is in most cases, these terror groups are now attacking locals because they have despaired of the prospect of doing the kind of large attacks on americans, on american military installations. in al shabaab's case, they have been driven back in somalia very effectively. but it's always possible to attack civilians, it's always

possible to do terrorism so where they are failing to advance politically and militarily in places like somalia, in pakistan, they then turn to these more spectacular acts of terrorism as a way of getting attention. but underlying it is of course is a very hateful ideology. it is at some level a sign of their weakness but also a sign of this incredibly warped agenda they have. it's happened quietly for years now. the christians in iraq have fled in droves. there used to be close to a million christians in iraq. they are down to a few hundred thousand. you pointed out egypt is having the same problems. in syria, many of the syrian christians fear that these jihadi groups are going to do the same thing to them and they have begun to flee. this is one of the great cancers at the heart of the muslim world. >> i want christiane to weigh in as well. how much of a threat do these christians face in some of these countries? >> well, look, i think as fareed laid out, it is a real problem. whenever you hear this word

infidel it really makes you want to, you know, it's a very, very deeply disturbing concept, this concept of infidel and therefore, you are worthy of being slaughtered. deeply, deeply disturbing and reminds you of the worst crimes against humanity certainly in the 20th century. but i think what al shabaab in this particular case, as we have been reporting, has been pushed back, a combination of african union troops, u.s. advisors and help, a new somali president just recently in the last year being recognized by the united states. they have lost a lot of their foothold certainly in mogadishu, the capital and in the main port city which they controlled. and some are attributing what happened to a desperation and again, as fareed said, not able to mount the kind of spectacular 9/11 attack but rather going after soft targets which are much, much easier. having said that, there have been a lot of security experts warning that that's what al shabaab was going to do.

al shabaab itself warned that kenya's intervention in somalia which was in 2011 would draw a response, and you kind of wonder, you know, if the mall wasn't more protected, why wasn't it. so it's very, very troubling and these are the kinds of soft targets that we've seen erupt in modern day terrorism over the last ten years or so since 9/11. >> on the other subject that's big here at the u.n. this week, fareed, the possible meeting between president obama and the new iranian president, rouhani. i know there are pros and cons and we're hearing from u.s. officials, no final decision has been made. where do you think this decision should be? >> i certainly think that the secretary of state should meet with president rouhani, if that's possible. i know that's not quite at the same level but often that does happen. whether the president should meet with him i think would depend on whether or not they got some really encouraging

signs out of the iranians. you don't want to -- i would be hesitant about a presidential meeting. that's a prize that the iranians probably want and it's probably worth delaying that until there are some actual achievements on the ground. but what is coming out of iran right now, it's just all quite encouraging. there has been a consistent pattern, it has come out of the mouth of the president, the foreign minister and the supreme leader. perhaps the most encouraging thing was last week, the supreme leader talked about the importance of flexibility in negotiations. he talked about how iran had no intention of ever having a nuclear weapon, that this was not something it was doing to please the americans, that it was un-islamic. he also said crucially to the revolutionary guard, the hard line elements of iran, he said your job is to defend the republic, not to be involved in public policy and foreign policy. that was a way of telling them let the president take the lead role here. so all of this very encouraging.

it has to be tested, but you know, how do you test it? so i would say at least john kerry should begin some kind of process of human contact. remember, we have not had any contact with iran in any meaningful sense since 1979. >> christiane, very quickly, i know you will be interviewing rouhani in the coming days. what do you think, where do you stand on this? >> well, look, i think exactly as it's been floated in public, neither side is saying that they have agreed on this. historically, actually, it's the u.s. side which has wanted to run into or shake hands with an iranian president and the iranians have not been able to do that because they haven't, until now, had the backing of the supreme leader. i remember back in the '90s when ayatollah -- sorry, the first reform president was elected and if you remember, schedules were juggled for the united states so president clinton could sit in the general assembly hall and listen to the speech, and have

his speech listened to. this was meant to be a signal of some kind of, you know, opening to the fact that a new reform president had been elected but it didn't go so far as being able to shake clinton's hand. we know he wanted to do that or at least exchange some words. this time it's different. both presidents have admitted publicly that they have exchanged letters. both presidents have admitted and talked publicly about looking at a new possibility, a new flexibility and wanting to resolve the nuclear issue particularly and obviously, others. it seems like president obama may, according to what the white house has been saying, be more flexible on this issue. we'll wait to see if the iranians actually do it. i think what fareed has said and what we have been reporting is that the drama of ayatollah khoumeni, who holds all the cards, him saying publicly that he authorizes rouhani to negotiate and try to resolve all

these issues is very important. that's the key difference. and yes, i have that interview tomorrow. we'll have it on air tomorrow and the next day. >> we'll be anxious to hear it. thank you very much, christiane. fareed, thanks to you as well. much more news coming up. president obama makes his first public remarks about the terror attack in kenya as he kicks off a big trip to the world stage here in new york city. you work. and you want to get an mba. but going back to school is hard... because you work. now, capella university offers a revolutionary new way to get your degree. it's called flexpath and it's the most direct path, leveraging what you've learned on the job

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happening now, reports of americans among the 175 people injured in that horrific terror attack in kenya. the state department spokeswoman, jen psaki, is here at the u.n. i will ask her about the conditions. also, right now, kenya one more thing to add to president obama's already full plate, as he kicks off a huge week that starts on the world stage in new york city. and some possible good news for airline passengers desperate to use their electronic devices in flight. we have details on why the faa may be relaxing some of those

rules. i'm wolf blitzer at the united nations. you're in "the situation room." a huge week for president obama here on the world stage in new york, with a number of critical issues on the table, including iran, syria, now the horrific terror attack in kenya. he started his visit with his first public remarks about the deadly tragedy at the shopping mall in kenya. >> this i think underscores the degree to which all of us as an international community have to stand against the kind of senseless violence that these kinds of groups represent, and the united states will continue to work with the entire continent of africa and around the world to make sure that we are dismantling these networks of destruction. >> our senior white house correspondent brianna keilar is joining us from the white house

with a closer look at so much on the president's plate right now. it seems it's growing and growing and growing, these crisis points. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. and hanging over this very busy week for president obama is the concern over a looming government shut-down if congress cannot come to agreement. that would happen here in about a week if they don't come to agreement. just look at what the president has on his plate this week. that big speech before the u.n. general assembly tomorrow, then he'll be meeting with the president of the palestinian authority, mahmoud abbas. he has a conversation to talk about obama care at the clinton global initiative where he'll be discussing that with president clinton. we'll get a glimpse at that. then he has a democratic fund-raiser before heading back here to washington on thursday. he will be touting obama care, his signature health care reform initiative. he'll be doing that in maryland. then on friday, he welcomes the indian prime minister singh to the white house. as i said, wolf, all hanging

over that is that next monday at midnight, the government is set to run out of funding to fully fund agencies and government services, and you have some republicans in congress who say they want to strip out the funding for obama care if they're going to approve that funding. this is a fight that's going on and really just to show the sensitivity of how to deal with this, there have been a lot of questions about will the president be meeting with members of congress. we found out that the speaker's office and the white house were actually going back and forth about a possible meeting this week before the senate is set to take action on this, and ultimately, it was house majority leader harry reid who said he didn't want to attend one of these meetings. you've seen them before, wolf, where you see nancy pelosi and john boehner, mitch mcconnell and harry reid meeting with president obama. apparently reid said he didn't want to attend because he felt that the optics were off, that if president obama says or as we're getting the sense is really trying to play hardball with speaker boehner and say

that he doesn't want to negotiate on things like the debt ceiling, reid felt that you shouldn't be inviting the speaker over to the white house. so that's sort of just the sensitivity of how they deal with the optics here, because there is so much concern about the blame that goes around if there's a government shut-down. >> there certainly is. brianna, thank you. brianna keilar at the white house. let's dig a little deeper. the president's growing to-do list. gloria borger is joining us, also john king. gloria, give us some perspective, how big of a week is this for the president and what would be considered a win? >> look, i think any movement on any front would be considered a win, wolf. at this point, the president has an opportunity here, you were just talking about it with christiane and fareed, to achieve or be on the path to achieve some kind of peaceful resolution to very important foreign policy disputes. we don't know how he's going to

do that. we don't know if there will be a meeting with rouhani or not. we cannot predict what will happen with the syrians but that's one front. on the other front, he's got this big problem as brianna points out, at home. there's a lot of scar tissue here in washington when it comes to the debt ceiling and keeping the government funded and there's a lot of bad feelings to the point where they can't even agree when to meet. if this can get kicked down the road to a certain degree, maybe that would be a win for the president. but again, it would come up again presumably when it comes time to consider raising the debt ceiling and someone said to me, a senior house republican said to me this could go on until christmas. hate to say it. >> what a nightmare that would be. on, he's got the national security issues, whether syria, iran, kenya, so many other problems, all these domestic problems as well, including a

possible government shut-down, a debt ceiling that's got to be raised by mid-october. we've covered a lot of presidents and it's juggling -- this is not going to be easy for him. >> it is not easy but it's never easy to be the president of the united states. this is a reminder that often in a president's second term, especially as they get toward that midterm election in the second term, foreign policy crises do tend to start to dominate. so the president has a very interesting week this week. i think goal number one for the white house is to avoid the quicksand. you don't want to make a bet on iran that turns out to be a bad bet. you want to try to move the ball on the russia/syria crisis but don't want to get caught in extended negotiations there. and now the crisis in africa. back here at home, look, the white house has been dead clear when it comes to the government shut-down and the question of defunding the president's health care bill, that is a nonstarter. you should expect the president, look for the president to hold firm on that. the tougher position to defend would be if they get through that, not negotiate at all when it comes to the debt ceiling.

i'm not saying he should give up his principles but he will face pressure on that front because the republicans do control one chamber of the congress and they will push for him. if he wins on the shut-down, that's going to be interesting to see if that just strengthens his spine on the debt ceiling or if he's willing to give a little as he has in the past. >> you know, wolf, in the bigger picture here, as the weeks tick on, the opportunity for sort of policy creativity and accomplishment gets smaller and smaller. this is a president with a lot of goals. he's always wanted his presidency to be transformative. he wants to deal with immigration. he wants to deal with energy. he's got a lot of big issues on his plate. the thing that he has going for him, wolf, is that the republican party is so divided, they're not quite sure how they want to proceed on the budget front. they're also not united on what they want to do on immigration. so there is a possibility for this president to divide and conquer, if you will, but you know, at this point, everyone in the white house is aware that the clock is ticking.

>> you know, yesterday the president made another pitch for gun control legislation, john. let me just play a quick little sound bite from his remarks at the memorial service for those 12 people gunned down at the navy yard in washington one week ago. >> our tears are not enough. our words and our prayers are not enough. if we really want to honor these 12 men and women, if we really want to be a country where we can go to work and go to school and walk our streets free from senseless violence, without so many lives being stolen by a bullet from a gun, then we're going to have to change. >> he thought he had a shot, at least an opportunity, right after newtown to get some gun control legislation passed, background checks, whatever, it didn't happen. john, is it going to happen this

time? >> no. it's not going to happen before the midterm elections anyway, unless the president can somehow change the dynamic. largely because it's not just the opposition of republicans, the opposition of conservative democrats. always check after these tragedies, has anybody changed their mind. on that issue, there's still a handful to a half dozen votes shy on background checks in the senate. while the president mentioned that in the memorial service, there has been no evidence that they're trying to twist the arms or cut any deals to change those votes in the senate. so it's very hard to see, almost impossible to see it happening before the midterm elections. then after that, you're heading into 2016, a very difficult dynamic as well. if the president's going to get almost anything done now, it has to be on domestic issues, on issues in which the republicans see it in their self-interest. that's why immigration is a possibility. on these other issues on the president's list beyond just managing to get by on a day to day basis, keep the government running, the outlook is bleak. >> wolf, there is one sma part of gun control that perhaps the president can get and that is the piece that has to do with

mental health. because what everybody agrees on that is you don't want crazy people to get guns, period. the nra agrees, they don't want crazy people to get guns either. so -- and there are bills pending about mental health education and, you know, if congress, you know, in its wisdom might find a way to possibly agree on keeping guns out of the hands of schizophrenics, that might be considered an achievement. >> gloria, john, guys, thanks very much. lots more news coming up. will president obama or even the secretary of state john kerry meet with their respective iranian counterparts here at the united nations this week? the state department spokeswoman jen psaki is here with me. will airline passengers soon be able to make more use of electronic devices during flights? [ male announcer ] campbell's angus beef & dumplings.

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here's a quick look at some of the other top stories we're monitoring in "the situation room." according to state-run news, an egyptian court is now banning all muslim brotherhood activities and freezing its finances. it's the latest in a major government crackdown against the group that started months ago when the military ousted the

brotherhood backed president mohammed morsi. since then, hundreds have been killed in the turmoil. the vice president joe biden is visiting flood-ravaged colorado today to see the horrific damage first-hand and survey recovery efforts. as the body of an unidentified female brings the death toll from the storm to eight people. torrential rains, meanwhile, pounded the region for days this month, dumping more than a foot of water in some areas and stranding hundreds. many are still cut off with roads and bridges simply wiped out. some relief could be on the way for airline passengers who want more freedom to use their electronic devices in flight. a government industry group studying the safety of the devices is meeting this week and expected to make recommendations to the faa by the end of the month, recommendations which could loosen rules on ereaders and similar products. airborne use of cell phones, laptops with wireless network capabilities would still remain banned.

just ahead, we're watching the top news coming out of kenya. the group behind the kenya shopping mall attack says americans were among the terrorists. i'll ask the state department spokeswoman jen psaki. she's here with me at the u.n. and a new appeal by a republican lightning rod. senator ted cruz of texas. is he making the government shut-down more likely? have something neatly tucked away in the back of our mind. a secret hope. that thing we've always wanted to do. it's not about having dreams, it's about reaching them. ♪ an ally for real possibilities. aarp. find tools and direction at aarp.org/possibilities. wrong turns on the road to your know yofuture. afford that's why we build tools like our career guidance system.

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a huge week for president obama. he's here in new york city for the u.n. general assembly. looming over all of this at least right now, the bloody events still playing out in kenya, where dozens of people are dead in an attack on a shopping mall. joining us now, jen saki. thank you. a lovely place here at the united nations. >> it is. i did a lot of work here. >> let's talk about kenya. first of all, does the united states government know for sure that american citizens were among the terrorists who committed -- >> we've seen the reports just like you have, and we'ric looking into them, but we have no quinn tiff information about the nationalities. it's ongoing and we'll continue to look into it.

>> you're in close tough with the government the kenya? >> absolutely. we're in touch with them about where they go from here. our ambassador on the ground has been engaged, and that will continue as well. >> i think fatalities among americans -- >> no american citizens at this point. there have been a handful, about five, reported injured in the attack. >> so the u.s. embassy is trying to help them. >> absolutely, as we would with any citizen impacted around the world. >> let's talk about diplomacy. >> is john kerry, your boss, the secretary of state, going to meet with his counterpart this week? >> it was just announced this morning that the foreign minister of iran will attend the p-5 plus one meeting on thursday. the secretary will be there. there's no bilateral meeting scheduled. >> so this will be a meeting with the five permanent members of it is security council, plus germany. the secretary illustrate state

will be there. >> he will be. >> and an opportunity for limb to engage in conversation with the foreign minister of iran? >> there's been conversations for a long time, of course, with iran. obviously there have been concerns for a long time about their nuclear program. the united states has always been open to engagement. the ball has been in iran's court for a long time, about you we don't have the expectation we will resolve issue on thursday, but hopefully we can start a road map forward. >> this is a pretty high-level exchange. >> and the other p-5 frrms as well. i'm not sure how much of the meeting he'll be attending, but certainly we see this as an opportunity to set a road map forward. >> will president obama meet with rouhani, the new president of iran. >> there's no meeting scheduled. as the president said long back to when he was running for office, but there's no meeting scheduled. >> a lot of people, including henry kissinger, have suggested there should be low level or

medium-level dialogue before you reward the iranians with a meeting with the president. >> there's no meeting scheduled, so that's a hypothetical at this point. however, we all believe there's an opportunity to engage with iran, and we're open to it, but the ball is in their court to do what is necessary for that engagement to continue. >> so for president obama to meet with iran, do they have to do something? do we have to see how the meeting with the foreign minister and secretary i have state go first? >> as we've long said we need a credible and serious response from the iranians. meeting with them is just a step in that process. actions speak far louder than words, so we don't expect to resolve anything this week, with or without the meeting, but of course, engagement is always an opportunity. >> so no final word whether president obama will meeting -- >> there's no meeting scheduled. >> syrian, another important issue, are you satisfied with this initial report with the syrian government on the

stockpile of chemical warfare? >> that report has gone to the opcw, that's not been shared with all the member states at this point. there's an ongoing process with the u.n., with all the members here who were just this week to evaluate where we go moving forward. there's no question we need an accountable process, we need it verifiable. that's what we're looking on with the resolution. >> is this a good initial step on the part of the syrian regime of bashar al assad? >> diplomacy is always the preferred option. if we can get there and eliminate chemical weapons and make sure they can never be used again, that would certainly by a positive step. we're also going in with eyes wide open. we need to see action more than words. >> is it jen psaki, thank for you joining us. >> always a pleasure, wolf. right at the top of the hour, by the way, new concerns about al shabab's efforts to recruit right here in the united

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an epic tantrum. here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: we adults clutch our smartphones like babies with pacifiers, and now babies hold smartphones like adults. >> say hi. >> why should we be surprised -- >> no! >> what's different? >> everything! >> reporter: when a 4-year-old has a meltdown, because apple changed its operating system. >> your friends never looked more attractive. >> reporter: 4-year-old jack isn't laughing on the floor apple's new ios 7. >> you're just going to have to get used to it. >> no, i don't want it. [ crying ] >> reporter: at its launch, it may have been cheered, it brought jack to tears. the dad who posted the spread i don't says his son doesn't actually own an iphone. he just uses his father ipad.

but that didn't save jack from become mocked. >> i don't want it. >> reporter: as one poster noted children in africa are upset because they don't have clear water and food to eat. children in america are upset because of ios 7. i especially liked the guy that posted when i was 4, the closest thing i had to an iphone what's etch-a-sketch. siri, do you even have a clue what an etch-a-sketch is? >> i suppose it's possible. >> siri is getting grilled by iphone users in diapers. >> i don't know what you mean by -- www. >> reporter: before anyone criticizes jack's tantrums. adults do it, too. jimmy kimmel had a field day with a customer who walked into an a manile store, thinking she could pick up a certain part. >> i was told by apple care that i could walk into the store and get a part. >> reporter: but that tirade got the ultimate tribute harmonized by the back street boys.

♪ i was told by apple care ♪ that i could walk into the store and get the part ♪ ♪ >> reporter: as for jack, his dad told abc he's already fine with the new operating system, that he was upset mostly because hi dad told him he would never see the old operating system again. when apple demoed the new version -- >> we have some thunder brewing. >> reporter: little did they know that a 4-year-old would be the one thundering. >> i don't want it. [ crying ] >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. >> i don't know what you mean by -- >> reporter: new york. happening now, terror at the mall. new encertainty and whether there's a link to america's heartland. plus drama here at the united states before big speeches by president obama and

iran's new president. will they meet face-to-face? and hillary clinton now back in the spotlight, schmoozing with world leaders and political donors, while talk of 2016 takes off. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer at the united nations. you're in "the situation room." sneef right now, police are vowing to finish and punish terrorists who slaughtered dozens of civilians who did nothing more than go shopping. authorities say government troops are in control of an upscale mall in kenya more than two days after it was attacked, but two senior officials tell cnn that's not the case. they say several againmen are still inside the mall, including snipers. it's not clear if they still have hostages. at least 62 people are dead, killed by members of the al

shabab affiliate that's part of al qaeda's somalia wing. our senior international correspondent arwa damon is in nairobi. >> there's nothing that would prepare you, that feeling of, this is it, you're going to die. i looked at her. i just held her close and i prayed on her in case i got shot. if there was a chance she would make it. i held his hand and told him i love you. >> reporter: it had started out a beautiful day. turnout exceeded expectation for the east fm radio station children's cooking competition. alim and are the station's popular husband-and-wife presenting team. >> we had the children running around. we heard a series of gunshots. we called everyone to the corner and said get down, get down on the floor. and just as we did that, the

gunmen tossed a grenade to where we were. >> reporter: the blast sent slivers of shrapnel into his eye. >> the guy with the white shirt spoke first. he says we don't normally kill women and children, but then again you've killed our women and children. >> tall, skinny face. >> he just opened fired. >> i got shot here. i had so much blood everywhere. i thought she was dead, that i was holding a dead baby. >> reporter: they decided to take their chances and confront the gunmen. >> i am a muslim, and i went up and said the -- and he asked, are you muslim? she was behind me with the baby. he said, is that your woman? i said, yes. >> reporter: the storm of

emotions so many here are going through is still so raw. janet's husband worked at the supermarket in the mall as she cradles her granddaughter she tells us how she joined the crowd that were waiting outside. she was hoping to find her husband. she didn't. >> but i hope, and i do pray -- >> reporter: there are so many who have not yet been accounted for, possibly including some survivors. janet clings to the hope that her husband is one of them. they've been married since she was 24. >> he's the love of my life. >> reporter: she doesn't want to imagine what he might be going through right now. she's heard more than her share of horror stories from those who escaped. the radio station colleague, 7 months pregnant, was killed in the attack. we were standing at the counter, and she's look, oh, my baby's

kicked. so jasmine, she's like -- the baby must be hungry. so i told her sit down and gave her the other banana. >> reporter: they say the mall massacre had nothing to do with religion. >> our religion preaches peace, understanding and hypity. >> my husband is muslim, i am not. my daughter is muslim, and i want her to grow up to be a good muslim. >> reporter: wolf,itis eerily calm here tonight. conflicting messages coming out from the government about exactly how many gunmen may be inside and the fate of the remaining hosages could be, people hoping this will be over seen. the red cross are saying there are 65 people still missing or unaccounted for, wolf. >> what a heartbreaking story.

thank you for that report. we appreciate it. she's in nairobi, kenya. u.s. officials meanwhile, can't confirm al shabab's claim that three americans actually took part in the kenyan mall attack. the fbi is investigating, the white house acknowledging it's been worried about al shabab's efforts to recruit right here in the united states, particularly in the -- brian todd is on the scene for us there. brian, explain what's going on. >> reporter: wolf, this community of somali-americans has been devastated by the group in recent year. al shabab in english means "the youth" and here in minneapolis, that's just who they take. it was thousands of miles away on her tv screen. the attack in kenya has torn open her deepest wound. >> translator: i automatically

got those traumatic memories of my son and what has happened to him. >> reporter: a handsome 19-year-old college engineering student in minneapolis. his family says he gave up everything to fight in somalia. he was one of dozens of young men in the minneapolis area secretly targeted for recruiting by the terrorist group in recent years. in 2009, jamal, like many orders, disappeared with no warning. a few days later he made hi only call home. >> he said why, what are you doing in somalia? why did you go? and when? he said, i will tell you, i just wanted to let you know i'm okay. >> reporter: but within days they saw a pictures of him, dead in the streets of mogadishu. to this day she doesn't know how

they was lured away. this man says one way they do it -- >> if a al shabab presents tore a sheikh or nice person and takes him to have him playing games, takes him to the movies, gets him -- >> reporter: that's what they do? itches that's what they do. >> and directs his anger at what they want. >> reporter: he says he and others have created mentorship perhaps for other somalis, had local iman's speak to them. but he says the -- emotional torture for one mother. what did they take from you? when they took this boy? >> they took my heart. before he left, i was a whole person. he was very active in doing everything for himself, raising a family. since he left, up to today i'm

on medication. i live by medication. >> reporter: she has testified against her son as recruiters, some imprisoned in the u.s. in recent years, but the threat of just somali-americans coming back into this country with u.s. passports and launching an attack on a soft target like a shopping mall, is what one official told us, keeps us all up at night. >> thanks very much, brian todd. let's bring in fran townsen. >> i know there's been deconcerns about them to recruit americans answers bring them back to the united states. >> the fbi, as a result of this threat, this concern, the fbi has worked closely with

community organizers just like the one that brian todd -- the communities really, the fbi has persuade the the communities that they're as much taken from their families or as much victims -- watch sort of the movements of these individuals, screen them at our borders from coming back in. more often than not the chairman of the then homeland security commit aye, now the intelligence commit aye held a hearty in 2011, finding there was as much 50 americans -- more than half of which came from the minneapolis area, recruited too al shabab, taken over to somalia and fight. more often than not, tragically, like the boy in brian todd's piece, they're killed in the fight in somalia, and while the fbi watches for them very closely in fact, they're not seen them coming back into the united states.

>> what kind of -- what's the role, fran, of this social media in recruiting these potential terrorists out there? >> you know, wolf, we see them like the -- they're an al qaeda affiliate. we see them using these password-protected web sites, the distribution of extremist media, whether it's videotapes or audio tapes. in terms of the social media, in the kenya case, the interesting thing is they were using twitter -- al shabab was, as they went through executing this attack. of course twitter then responsibly quickly acted to take that account down. there versus spoof accounts that are not true but equally interesting, wolf, this is the first time we have seen the kenyan police chief and police service both them also use social media to release information, to notify the media about press conferences, and to telly direct-message with families of victims of those who

were missing or perhaps call inside as hostages. so both sides, good guys and bad guys, are used social media to collect data, collect information and get out their message. thank you very much. up nest the charm offensive. can he be believed? and new revelation about the smoking habit and while he was very scared. 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. always go the extra mile. to treat my low testosterone, i did my research.

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right now the white house is keeping the door open. it could happen, by the way, within the next 24 hours or so on the sidelines of the u.n. general assembly session here at the u.n., but that's still a huge if. our chief national security correspondent jim shuuto is here. what are you hearing? >> they're very much on -- u.s. officials saying as long as they're willing to engage, the british foreign minister saying the time for -- but when you think of where we were just a year ago at the u.n. general assembly, or even several weeks ago, a dramatic difference between the relations between the u.s. and the west. for years it was a u.n. general assembly annual ritual. iran's president shouts at the u.s. -- >> translator: continual threats by the uncivilized zionists to

resort to military action against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality. >> reporter: the american president fires back. >> in iran we see where the path of a violent and unaccountable ideology leads. >> reporter: this year it's brimming with talk of new diplomacy. the report is there is no meeting, though they remain open to engagement. one direct contact confirmed that secretary kerry with the foreign minister, they'll immediate with the five permanent members plus germany. >> in terms of whether we're on the verge of a breakthrough, i would put it like this. i was struck by the energy and determination that the foreign minister demonstrated to me. >> so what are the chances of concrete progress here? >> there's a lot of science to suggest that iran is preparing for a nuclear compromise, but

there are few signs to suggest that they're willing to cut loose al assad. >> reporter: al say sad said today inspectors could face security threats. >> translator: if some countries give orders to those terrorists to stop experts' arrival -- this remains a possibility. >> reporter: some positive progress with syria over the weekend, u.s. officials say quote they were plenty lid surprised with u.n.'s report on the chemical weapons to bepile, but still the hurdle is on a resolution backing that russian deal. >> see if they can work it out. jim executo, thanks for that report. senator ted cruz of is texas, is he making a government shutdown more likely? thank you orville and wilbur... ...amelia... neil and buzz:

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the new defensive president obama from former president george w. bush. the former president says he doesn't begrudge the fact that the successor plays golf regularly, but he told the golf channel, it helps when the president has an outlet to let off some steam. more news right after this. life could be hectic. as a working mom of two young boys angie's list saves me a lot of time. after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job, and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money.

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one week before a possible fell government shutdown, a controversial republican now making a new appeal. senator ted cruz spoke with our chief congressional correspondent dana bash. >> reporter: you want republicans to stand by you in the house and senate, but that's not happening right now. i'm sure you have seen some of the things your colleagues in your own party have said, for example, senator corker said i didn't have to go to harvard or

princeton, but i can count. peter king of new york called you a fraud. they don't like what you're doing, what you're putting them through, these are fellow republicans. >> well, you know, individual politicians can choose to say whatever thefr or launch whatever personal insults they want. i would note in the house that the republicans, including those who have criticized me, voted to defund ointo mania care. in the senate, i think the votes are very fluid. i believe every senate republicans should stand united. any senator who vote for clot injure is voting to give harry reid -- i hope and believe they -- i hope all 46 senate republicans stand united again cloture on this bill, because no senate republican wants to give harry reid the ability to use 51

votes for fund obam-bama care. >> the way he framed the argument is relatively new. what he is basically saying is, republicans, if you don't stand with me, you're standing with the democrats. this is complicated, and that argument is already not playing with a very important republican, mitch mcconnell. just a couple minutes after i spoke with ted cruz, mitch mcconnell said he would not support the filibuster, will basically not stand with him. that will make ted chris' job a lot harder, but he'll play it out down to the wire, which is a week from today. what a story. all right. thank very much. we'll see what happens. dana, thank you. another big event here in new york, the clinton global initiative. one might argument that hillary clinton is more of an attraction this year than perhaps even her husband. here's our chief correspondent jessica yellin. >> as major donors gather this

week, look for former secretary of state hillary clinton to turn up on stage when her husband and president obama address health care reform, once her signature issue as first lady, and speak at the same awards dinner as good friend, vice president joe biden, her would-be 2016 opponent. she dipping her toe into domestic political waters, but she'll also tackle the kind of do no harm issue that is keep her poll numbers in the stratosphere. programs for women and girls -- >> i have always believed that women are not swrims. >> reporter: promoting clean cook stoves for the developing world. and a plan to help save africa's elephants. who could be against that? >> right now, the best politics is really focusing on issue -- i've never met anyone on the political scene, jessica, who ever said they wish they had gotten involved in partisa debates earlier.

>> reporter: since leaving office, the former diplomat has weighed in on controversial topics on very few occasions, voicing support to the voting rights act, the president's position on syria and gay marriage. >> gay rights are human rights. >> reporter: she's signaling she's not all in. she tells "new york" magazine she's pragmatic and realistic about the possibility of running for president and, quote, will just continue to weigh the factors. in the meantime, she says she's enjoying ordinary, everyday pleasures lives in new york with former president clinton. we laugh at the dogs, watch stupid movies, take long walks, go for a swim. apparently talking about 2016 is not on the list of favorite things. >> there's no such thing as a done deal by anybody, but i don't know what she's going to do. >> a report from cnn's jessica yellin. that's it for me.

thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer at the united nations. "crossfire" starts right now. tonight on "the cafferty file" tonight on "crossfire" i believe nothing is hurting the american people more than obama care. >> as the battle brings the government closer to shutting down, should the president's health care reform bill -- on the left, van jones. on the right, s.e. kipp. cornel west, and william crystal, who would repeal all of it. obama care, does it go far enough? has it already gone too far? tonight on "crossfire. ". welcome. >> we are one week a