a fox news alert. the obama administration wrapping up a classified briefing for lawmakers just moments ago as it tries to build its case for a military strike against syria. now, the goal to punish the regime for an alleged chemical weapons attack on its own people. secretary of state john kerry saying the u.s. now has concrete proof that sarin gas was used on civilians, killing over one thousand men, women, and children. welcome to america's news headquarters. i'm heather chilleders. >> and i'm gregg jarrett. glad you're with us. the brutality of the attack is one thing. but convincing congress that it should act and authorize the use

of military force, well, that's a whole another thing as they weigh whether the u.s. should join the fight. chief intelligence correspondent katherine harris is live on capitol hill. what are we learning from that briefing? >> gregg, i was just over at the site of that lasified briefing a half hour ago. what we saw is about 70, 75 members, a handful of senators at that meeting. they were briefed by senior deputies from the defense community, the state department as well as the national security council. those numbers were briefed on the four pillars of this intelligence assessment. number one, what kind of chemical agent was used. number two, the delivery system, in this case rockets. number three, what they call the chain of custody. so who controlled the chemical agents and the rockets. and number four, who was the one who made the decision to launch this attack. as they went into the briefing, lawmakers telling reporters they're wanting to hear more. >> we're in a terrible situation. i've been saying this for many,

many weeks there are no good option left in syria. but i believe the worst of the options is for us to do nothing. >> i'm skeptical of what the objectives are, what are the national security goals, what do we hope to accomplish, what happens the day after. >> one of the things we've gathered from our conversations with the lawmakers after the briefing is that the bar seems to be particularly high among the members in items of wanting to have real details, sort of a granular level of detail in the intelligence given the experience with wmd in iraq some years ago, gregg. >> catherine, what are we learning about the new evidence, if anything at all? >> well, i think it's striking that today the white house, the administration decided to make the secretary of state john kerry available to virtually all of the sunday talk shows where he revealed what he described as new evidence, confirmatory evidence that the reg jet stream did launch this chemical weapons attack. >> we have now learned that hair and blood samples that have come

to us from east damascus from individuals who are engaged as first responders in east damascus, i can report to you today they have tested positive for signatures of sarin. >> typically, what you see in these situations is you'll have this sort of initial screening of the samples. this appears to be what secretary kerry is referring to. and then you'll have more of what i describe as a csi forensic analysis which is what we're wait fog interest u.n. to complete, gregg. >> you know, catherine, the president drew this so-called red line last august. so we're talking about more than a year ago. and the administration is arguing there have been multiple attacks of this nature, chemical attacks. so this isn't the first time the president's red line has been crossed, right? it was crossed last december, wasn't it? >> well, i think this is one of the most significant and underreported headlines in that assessment that was released

through the white house on friday. and it's just that there have been multiple occasions where the syrian regime it's alleged has crossed this red line that was laid down by president obama. and we have confirmation from this from the house of the republican chair intelligence committee even before the president addressed the nation yesterday. >> the british think 14 times. i think u.s. intelligence services believe a few less times than that, i think nine. so there is a clear pattern here of chemical weapons used on behalf of the regime. >> so this then this begs the question what we have heard from lawmakers as to why this particular episode on the 21st is so much different than the previous dozen or so alleged to have been done by the regime. now it's clear that it's the scale and the view of the administration and also how publicly it took place, gregg. >> all right, catherine herridge on capitol hill. catherine, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. and as congress prepares to vote on a potential military strike in syria, the leader of

america's closest ally in the middle east is israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu now saying that his country is ready to defend itself from any threats. leland vittert is live for us with that. >> there are a lot of israeli politicians who are now saying israel may have to go it alone in the middle east, alluding to the fact they don't feel like they can count on the united states, especially when it comes to what red lines from the u.s. president may or may not mean. a lot of strategic reevaluation going on in capitals around the middle east. here in israel, off the record government officials will use the word coward to describe president obama. on the record, one government official likened president obama's lack of action on the syria chemical weapon attacks to franklin roosevelt's refusing to bomb the train tracks and also the nazi extermination camps back in world war ii.

on the syrian side, obviously a very different reaction. state tv broadcast a street party last night in celebration that the american attack would not happen. they also had the deputy prime minister go on a pan arab satellite network in which he said that the american administration has, quote, made a joke of itself and that they had lost the battle before it had even begun. of course, the syrians spent the last week moving around a lot of their mobile missile launchers for deploying some units, moving out headquarters staff, moving chemical weapons storage out of some of the places they had been to make it harder for the u.s. to attack. unclear now exactly what they are going to do with the time they have from now until congress decides to or to not approve a strike. israel says they are remaining on high alert. their iron dome missile defense system is out. leave has been canceled. they called up some of their reserve forces and say they are on standby. heather you have to look at this in a little broader come text.

it was looked as as a little bit of a litmus test in terms of what might happen in terms of iran where president obama laid down a very similar statement in terms of iran being able to get a nuclear weapon. clearly in the middle east strength and power comes from what one says, not what -- what one does, not one says in terms of things here. obviously the next two weeks are going to tell a lot about president obama's credibility in the middle east based solely on what he does, not on what he has said. heather? >> leland vittert, live for us. thank you, leland. gregg? >> the syria uprising and crisis can be traced back to february 2011. 15 teenagers inspired by the uprising in tunisia and egypt. and then wrote anti-regime graffiti on the walls of a small town in southern syria. they were arrested. they were thrown in prison. well, about a month later, syrian troops reportedly fired into a peaceful demonstration over the teenagers' arrests. several people killed.

august of 2012, one year ago, president obama said that the syrian regime's use of chemical weapons would be a red line. really? and just this past june, the obama administration announced it would send small arms and ammunition to syrian rebels. >> the president saying that any possible attack against syria would be limited. now as the white house appeals to congress for authorization to punish the assad regime, let's take a look at past administration's use of the limited strike, and what happened in the aftermath. elizabeth prann has that story are s from washington. waiting to see if congress will support president obama's request to attack syria. at the same time, it's hard not to look at his administration's past and what retaliations took place. 30 years ago the bomb in beirut.

one month later marine barracks in that country and more than 200 marines were killed. years later, the same administration ordered a bombing raid in libya. leader moammar gadhafi survived, and then later admitted his involvement in the pan am plane explosion over lockerbie, scotland. under the clinton administration, officials ordered attacks on al qaeda camps in afghanistan and a factory in sudan, a country that supported al qaeda. the radical group retaliated by attacking the uss cole in yemen, followed by the deadly september 11th attacks in 2001. these among wars involving president george bush are all incidents weighing on this issue's strategy, which right now has no timeline. >> the rationale for the military response the president has requested is as powerful today and will be as powerful if not powerful each day. >> reporter: some lawmakers say we can keep u.s. national security strong if an attack is done correctly and with proper international cooperation. >> every time the united states has acted decisively, there is

no retaliation because we retaliate against retaliation. >> reporter: keep in mind while many of these lawmakers are outspoken for a full debate before any u.s. action, that doesn't mean they're on board with an attack. heather, back to you. >> thank you, elizabeth. >> secretary of state john kerry pressing the case for response against syria. on "fox news sunday", he joins chris wallace to talk about the evidence of supporting military action and the president's decision to ask congress to weigh in before ordering a strike. senators jack reed, james inhofe also talking about the new developments on this week's show. check your local listings for air times. you can watch it again on "fox news sunday", and again. smoke from a wildfire that is burning in and around yosemite national park, making things difficult for firefighters. and now investigators saying that they may know what sparked it, what is now in fact the fifth largest fire in california

state history. dominic dinatale is live with more for us on this story. >> officially the cause is still under version and to be determined according to fire chiefs as it has been since it started 16 days ago. but fire chief from one of the towns threatened by the blaze today told fox news that it could have been sparked by elicit madge operation. the chief said based on the information the authorities already know, activities at the pot farm are suspected to have started the blaze. now the fourth largest in california history. mcneal first brought the suspicion to light almost a week ago during a community meeting. now a video of that has appeared on youtube, although we should point out it wasn't meant to be the official word from cal fire. in describe how it was, quote, highly suspect there might have been some sort of illicit grove,

a marijuana grow type thing. the spot is so remote, it takes a real effort to get there, usually by a helicopter. huge pot plantations keep being discovered on national forest, and they say they're run by mexican drug cartels who lynch worker downs into the sights. this is turning out to be an expensive fire, the rim fire. $18 million so far and 22,000 acres now gone that is bigger than the city of dallas. at least firefighters are getting close to controlling half of it, though, but it is by far the worst we have seen so far this season. heather? >> dominic dinatale live for us, thank you. kentucky having a tough time of it as well. extreme weather leaving serious damage in the wake. lexington hit with very strong winds, lightning and dangerous flooding. lightning in one neighborhood bringing a tree crashing into someone's front yard, briefly starting a gas fire there. another part of the town, high wind just toppled a tree on cars in a street. >> opened the door and there is a car that the tree son.

and i just knew i would never get a parking place that lucky and then a tree hit my car. >> despite the damage, there is no word of any injuries. well, still to come, some major persuasion under way right now, to say the very least, as president obama tries to convince congress that taking military action against syria is a good idea. so what do lawmakers want to hear? our political panel weighs in. and ahead of labor day, some grim numbers showing the american workforce is shrinking to levels we have not seen in decades. our business correspondent brenda butler is here on what it means for the economy. >> let's play who's new in the fridge? i help support bones, the immune system, heart health and muscles. >> that can only be ensure complete. >> the four in one nutrition of ensure complete. >> new person in charge. didn't come with a warning.

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welcome back. time for a quick check of the headlines on the crisis in syria. lawmakers on capitol hill given a classified briefing as the obama administration lays out its case for military strike. secretary of state john kerry says the u.s. has evidence that sarin gas was used in that deadly attack. >> the fact is that yesterday we have now learned that hair and blood samples that have come to us from east damascus from individuals who are engaged as

first responders in east damascus, i can report to you today they have tested positive for signatures of sarin. >> a top syrian official says the u.s. is holding off on a military strike because it lacks evidence that the regime used poisonous gas. a state newspaper calls the delay a, quote, american retreat, and the u.n. is asking its inspection team to speed up its testing of samples from syria. the samples will be sent to laboratories tomorrow to be checked for signs of poisonous gas. well, some really sobering statistics for the u.s. economy. the percentage of americans who are capable of working and participating in the labor force is now at its lowest point since the late 1970s. it is moving in the wrong direction, as you can see there. brenda butner joins us, good to see you. i've always thought the unemployment rate, which is published constantly, was always

a misrepresentation of what is really happening out there. is it? >> yeah. i mean it's not what i really look at. it's what the market and everybody focuses on. it's the big number. but i think the underemployment rate is much more -- it tells a much better story of how many americans are working. >> the underemployment rate i was just told in my ear is 14.3%. >> yes. compared to 7.4% which is the unemployment rate. basically, that's the people who want to work full-time, but can't. and, you know, they're working in part-time jobs. and also the unemployed people. so it's much higher. >> people have just given up, haven't they? >> yes. that's why this whole -- that's why the labor participation rate is another really important figure, as you said, it's the lowest in 34 years. far, far fewer americans are working now than in the past.

>> i wonder whether misguided policies in the obama administration in particular have contributed to, this and i'll name a bunch of them, obama care, ballooning spending, massive debt, tax increases, subsidized inefficient energy, encouragement of food stamp fraud, removal of the work requirement in welfare. what about that? >> no. clearly policy changes have had a huge impact on it. but i think there is a larger trend going on in society, which is the kind of culture of dependence. there are many more people who are on disability now that they count on government to help them rather than looking for a job. also, we're finding that it's not just baby boomers. if this were just baby boomers retiring, it would be far more understandable. >> sure. >> people aged 25 to 54 are unemployed at the same rate as the entire population. so that shows that it's younger people as well.

i think the millennial generation is finding the jobs out there, they don't have the skills for them. and they're not learning in college the skills that they need to get the jobs that are out there. >> we just finished airing a documentary on the food stamp dependence culture. and we interviewed a guy in la jolla, california. beautiful la jolla. well, i refer to him as surfer dude. he surfs all day. and then he use his food stamp card -- it's called a snap card now. >> there can't be any stigma. >> we call it a snap card. it's a debit card essentially. he goes in and buys lobster and sushi at dinner. and he looks at us in the camera as he drinks his jack daniels. and he says, "dude, why would i work when the government pays me not to work?" why indeed? >> that's what it come downs tlochlt are jobs throughout. the bureau of labor statistics says there are four million jobs that are out there. now, again, it may be a skill mismatch. but there is that whole culture

of i get welfare, i get food stamps. why go to a job that doesn't pay that much? because right now, you know, wages are not increasing. >> and president obama turned on its ear president clinton's reform of welfare. >> yeah. >> which had a word requirement involved in it. and he said no, you don't have to work anymore. peggy wrote this. maybe it's lack of leadership. what is now is needed in a political leader are possibilities, somebody who, and i shout should have put this on the screen. somebody who believes with a passion in the ideas of businesses, inventions, growth, productivity, breakthroughs, jobs, jobs, jobs. are we lacking that in leadership? >> well, i think there is the whole idea that government knows better than either businesses or we do what we need. and that in a nutshell is the problem. government is highly inefficient and ineffective and has lots of

scams going on. if you just let the market work, if you just let people do what they could do, then i think that this would be an entirely different story. >> free markets need to be free, free to operator. brenda buttner, good to see you as always. you're going to be back next hour. you can catch brenda on "bulls and bears." look at this pretty picture there. >> i think that's ten years old. that's my sister it looks like. >> no, you look the same. >> oh, you're so sweet. look at you, just out of high school. brenda buttner. heather? still to come, president obama looking to congress for backup on his call for military action in syria. but that may be easier said than done. coming up, why lawmakers remain so dwighted on the issue, and why some say the administration may have its work cut can out for them.

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it is bottom of the hour. time now for top of the news. lawmakers getting an update on the latest intel regarding the chemical weapons attack in syria in a classified briefing on capitol hill. secretary of state john kerry saying today lab tests indeed prove that sarin nerve gas was used on civilians. increased radiation levels have been detected inside a water tank in japan's fukushima nuclear plan, saying they are now monitoring the situation to see how much of any of the contaminated water has leaked into the ocean. and tropical storm kiko. am i pronouncing that right? kiko, swirling in the pacific. the system centered some 300 miles off baja california, pose nothing threat to land. forecasters expecting kiko to weaken overnight. we sure that's right? >> we'll find out. >> thank you. the white house appealing to

congress for an authorization of force in syria. earlier today, republican senator john mccain saying that the administration has its work cut out for it. >> we're in a bit of a dilemma here, because i think senator lindsey graham and i and others will be wanting a strategy, a plan, a -- rather than just a -- are we going to launch some cruise missiles and that's it. >> daniel garza is the executive director of the lee bray initiative and a congressional candidate in texas in 2010. and the former chief of state to former democratic senator joe manchin of west virginia. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> so there was the first classified briefing. it was held today, let out just a short time ago about 60-70 legislators attended, mostly house members, a few senators. what will it take for them to come together and vote in favor of military action in syria? do you believe that that is possible? chris, i'll start with you.

>> well, i think it is possible. but, you know, this is one of those rare issues where you have this kind of strange mixture of opposition both on the left and the right on the dem and the republican side. you saw it today with john mccain on "face the nation." he is obviously a hawk, but even he is reserving judgment in terms of whether he'll support this resolution because he wants stronger action. there are going to be others arguing for no action and some in between for very limited and defined action. part of the challenge the administration is going have in the coming week or so, especially as these hearings are happening is going out there and making their case. not only do these members of congress, but more importantly to the american people who are still have more questions than answers i think when it comes to this syrian engagement. >> and daniel, what do you think? what do you think will happen once it goes into the hands of congress? >> i would agree with my fellow panelist. it's going to be much more difficult than a lot of folks realize. this is a congress that is very polarized at this point.

and i think it's been polarized because of this administration's penchant to demonize opposition with the domestic policy. and i think that may reverberate here and have repercussions. so i think they're going to have to make a powerful and persuasive case that there is an american interest here. frankly, syria has not attacked us there. is no threat they are going to attack us. so i think they're going to have to make their case in a different method. it's going to prove difficult. >> and chris, earlier we were talking what was going on inside, at least this first initial briefing. and catherine herridge talked about the four pillars of evidence that were presented to lawmakers. one, what chemical weapons were used, the delivery system that was used, the chain of custody, who ordered the attack. what do you think will be the most important evidence of presented to members of congress in order to sway their decision one way or another? >> well, you know, interestingly, i think the administration has made a pretty strong case and my guess is it's going to get even stronger in

terms that the assad regime was behind these chemical attacks. the bigger question that i think that a lot of members are struggling with and some of the political folks i talked to want answers to is what is next. so we engage in syria and hit them for two or three days. and then the question is what is the big strategic outcome. i think that's what the administration has to answer. but in terms of, you know, whether the president should have gone to congress or not, i would have to say that the president did the right thing because, you know, you had republicans and democrats saying he should do this. he did it at a minimum. i think congress may end up supporting this, regardless of what happens, it bolsters his credibility that he is pursuing this road. >> and daniel, i will mention something that senator john mccain had said earlier. he said that this was political move more than a military move by the president. do you agree? >> it may very well have been so, but i have to agree. i do give credit to the president that he chose to honor

the constitution in this case. and i think his -- he is strengthened by it. and i think that if he can achieve i think the approval of congress to approve war or military action against syria, he is going to be strengthened by it. and i think he'll have the support of the american people who are currently polling against any action against this military decision that the president has taken to congress. so i applaud him for that. i commend him for that. but again, i think he has a long try go. >> but why is he doing it this time when so many other times before he has overstepped the authority of congress? >> look. >> i think he looks indecisive. i think he is struggling with the -- what to do. and i think the world sees it. so i think at this point, my sense is that the republicans are going to at the end ultimately going to vote yes and approve this decision by the president to move forward, because they don't want to undermine i think the power of the presidency and the world's eyes are on america. and we don't want to lose credibility in a case like this where i think we are seeing a

super power, and we do have to step up. >> chris, what if congress does vote no? then what does the president do has he backed himself into a corner? >> that would be a pretty bad outcome. >> but it's a possibility. >> yeah, it's an absolute possibility. people i think have to understand what is going to happen here is not just a simple up or down vote there are going to be hearings held there is going to be testimony there is going to be a debate about what the resolution language should be. a lot of this may change back and forth. so this is a long ways from being over. but if he gets turned -- if this vote fails, it will not be good. and then the president i think is in a very difficult spot where he probably has to go at it alone, literally without any congressional support. so i don't think that is going to happen, but it all depends on how the next week or so evolves and how strong these answers are to some of these pretty complex, difficult questions. >> he has made it clearer he does believe he has that

authority. and some say he drew the red line on his own without consulting congress. so we'll see what happens moving forward. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. the final decision on the military action lies now with congress. what happens if they vote no? well, the administration has signaled that it may still go forward with a strike. that legal? our panel weighs in, next. [ male announcer ] running out of steam? ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. to fly home for the big family reunion. you must be garth's father? hello.

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despite being in critical condition, former south african president nelson mandela has been discharged from the hospital today. an ambulance returning the legendary icon and anti-apartheid leader to his home where we are told he will continue to receive intensive care. mandela had been hospitalized for nearly three months. he was admitted back on june 8th for what the government described as a recurring lung infection. >> as lawmakers remain divided over whether to vote yes on a

surgical strike against syria, there are new questions over whether president obama actually has the legal authority to bypass congress and move forward with an attack, even without their approval. republican senator rand paul just one of the many lawmakers to speak out about this. here he is on meet the press. >> his policy was that no president should unilaterally go to war without congressional authority. and i'm proud that he is sticking by it. but you ask john kerry whether or not he'll stick by the decision of congress, and i believe he waffled on that and wobbled and wasn't exactly concrete that they would. but absolutely if congress votes this down, we should not be involved in the syrian war. and i think it's at least 50/50 whether the house will vote down involvement in the syrian war. >> all right. joining us now to talk about the legality of it, doug byrnes and dick knoll deboer. both are defense attorneys and prosecutors. doug, let me start with you.

the president says he does have the power to do this on his own. and say what you may about him and his decision making, but he is right. he does have the power. >> 100% right, and senator paul, with all due respect, is a doctor, not a lawyer. and the fact of the matter is under the war powers resolution of 1973, sometimes confusingly called the war powers act, not to be cop fused by the way with the war powers act from 1941, gregg. but under the resolution, it's pretty clear that the president can do that. but there is one caveat. he has to notify congress, gregg, and then is there a 60 and 90-day mechanism that kicks in. but under the proposal here it doesn't look like it would go to that length. >> you know, nicole, nobody is saying this is war, and therefore the president does have authority, right? a tactical strike that is limited is not an act of war. >> that's right. and that's a police power. he has the ability to do that without seeking approval from congress in this particular circumstance because we're not talking about war.

that's exactly why he does have the authority to make this decision to move forward without congressional approval. >> and so, doug, and you had to laugh, because you saw the vice president, joe biden, behind the president's desk, literally standing behind the president. >> yes. >> in the rose garden. i mean, the same vice president who said that if george bush did the same thing, that he would move for impeachment. >> right. >> and yet there he is standing behind the guy who says i have the power to do this. >> well, the segue obviously is that you can move very quickly from the legal to the political. on its best way, it's the president of the united states wanting to show a unity between, you know, the executive and the legislative branches. on its worst day, it's kind of spreading the political risk around. >> but it's hypocritical for biden to stand there behind the president who said it's an impeachable offense to do this. >> right. >> and now he is standing behind

barack obama saying oh, yeah. >> but, gregg, in 2007, then candidate obama told the boston globe sort of the opposite. you know, look. i'm a lawyer, not a political sort of guy. but the point is legally he also has the authority as we said earlier to do it. politically is a whole another story. >> nicole, as a candidate, 2007, he writes to the boston newspaper. >> right. >> a president has no authority to do such a thing. and yet he is doing it. and brags that he has the authority to do it. so at worst, we're talking about blatant hypocrisy, aren't we? >> well, you know, it's clearly a political move to get cover from congress and get the approval, because he does not need it. when you have a police action, you're not declaring war. you're trying to stop a particular basically international crime from occurring. it's a police action. >> right. >> it's not war. >> but you have to make an argument, do you not, nicole, that there is a national security interest to say that

this is a police action, right? and so has the president made that argument? i mean, he said that our national security sat risk. he hasn't said how. >> right. exactly. i think that he is using congress to get political cover, in my opinion, for this action. but that he does in fact have the authority to do it, as long as it's not war. and that's what the argument will be about, is this war or is it not war? is it a police action. >> yeah, and you know, doug, if you try to help the president along here, which takes quite a bit of work, you can say, well, let me help you out, mr. president. the national security interest is that chemical weapons are in syria could work your way into enemy hands. >> right. >> and could be used against americans. somebody needs to help him out a little bit here. why don't you help him? >> i was discussing this with a friend and colleague of mine who is a lawyer, and we were saying that, you know, how do you get over the attenuation of it becoming a threat or attack against the u.s., as you point

out. it is a little bit attenuated. >> yeah. all right. nicole deborde, doug rns, good to see you both. >> my pleasure. >> good to be here. take care. still to come a new debate over the message president obama is sending by delaying a military strike on syria. as we get word, opposition groups fear postponing punishment will only embolden bashar al assad. we'll discuss the ramifications in syria, as well as the broader global impact. [ female announcer ] a classic macaroni & cheese from stouffer's starts with freshly-made pasta, and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family. you need a girls' weekend and you need it now. ladies, let's goo vegas. cute! waiter! girls' weekend here! priceline savings without the bidding.

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welcome back. there is a new mayor in san diego. security council president todd glor kragh now acting as the interim mayor after the resignation of disgraced with a capital d former mayor bob filner. that became final on friday. todd said there is a lot of work to be done, and thanked everybody for sticking it out through the scandal. >> i didn't run for office just to hang out. and to the extent that we've had a situation where i think very little was being accomplished, i've been frustrated, and i think san diegans have been frustrated. >> filner resigned last month after nearly 20 women publicly accused him of sexual harassment. the city will hold a special election come november. serious questions today

about the president's decision to wait for congressional approval before ordering a strike on syria. the united nations calling president obama's latest move part of a broader effort to reach global consensus on punishing assad. but now reports that opposition groups fear the delay will only embolden assad to continue to attack his own citizens. >> i first want to get your response to what the u.n. is saying today, that they believe that this benefits their cause, and that president obama is delaying to get more of a global consensus in attacking syria. >> heather, that's rich. the united nations, the secretary general of the united nations can't get the security council to pass the resolution. why? because two key members, russia and china are going to veto it.

so he is saying, well, we'll let president obama build that in their international consensus, when in fact in the last week, all the people and countries who say they would support obama have fallen off. the idea that president obama is now going to toss this to congress, thinking congress is going to approve it, i don't think congress is going to approve it either. ineffective article arnold. >> i want to talk also before we get to congress, the reaction from the and our

authorities in the world. >> yeah, and let's put it in terms that everybody can understand. you've got a kid, right? you've got a child, and you say to the child, here is a red line. don't you dare cross that red line. and then your child crosses the red line. so you say okay, now i'm really going to punish you. let's wait a couple of weeks and maybe i'll punish you. anyway, i really want dad to weigh in on this too. he is away on a business trip. he'll be back in two weeks. he is going to weigh in on it too. 2000 weeks are going to pass. the punishment isn't going to

happen. so what are the president's goals in all this? the president and secretary of state kerry both said he want to punish assad for using chemical weapons, and we want to deter, prevent, encourage him not to use them again. neither of those things are going to happen. the punishment is not going to fit the crime, and what happens if assad, again, calls president obama's bluff, uses those chemical weapons again. >> right. and where does that leave us now? secretary of state kerry, he went on all the talk shows this morning, talking about what appeared to many to be a flip in what we were going to do between friday and saturday when we heard the secretary of state speak on friday, we heard the president speak on saturday, and it looked like we were it looked like we were movement and friday it appeared we were ready to go in. can you compare this? is there any other precedent set in terms of action, postponing action, and then going in, and having a military strike? some have talked about kosovo? >>guest: i don't think i can

remember anything in the presidents i have rocked for, nixon, or reagan or ford. watching secretary of state john kerry it looked he was ready to cry. he feels we should take military action and it looks like the president pulled out the rug. talking flip flops, three years ago the president said bashar al-assad is a great reformer in the middle east and two years ago, changed his mind and said, no, he has to go and a year ago, crawing a red line on assad and even just two weeks ago saying we are going to punish bashar al-assad and secretary of state john kerry making the case we have to do everything. you would think they were loading the missiles in the silos and scrambling the jets and president obama yesterday saying, no, no, no, we are going to wait two weeks and see if congress goes along with it. it will go the way of closing gitmo. never going do help. >> heather: put it in the hands of congress, the first of

many national security briefings happening today to listen to the first one. we will take a listen to what van hollen said. >> i am on the staff of the senate foreign affairs committee. back in the late 1980's with my colleague we visited the turkish and iraq border and determined that saddam used chemical weapons again the kurds and he used chemical weapons in the iraqi and iran war. we urged the u.s. government to take action then. the united states senate passed economic sanctions. the house did not act. the reagan administration was opposed. i believed that the failure of the united states and the national security to take action emboldened saddam to take reckless action later and the irony is we went to a war in iraq in 2003 when there were know longer chemical weapons in iraq. it is important in the united states and the international

policy to enforce this. while i will not support a blank check to go to war in iraq or even a partial blank check i would support a very narrowly tailored and narrowly crafted resolution making it clear that united states troops are not on the ground. >> heather: we are listening to congressman van hollen and his reaction to the first of the security briefings today with more to come. we will continue to follow the latest in syria after the quick break. stay with us. okay, listen up! i'm re-workin' the menu. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition inharge™.

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>> gregg: from capitol hill the obama administration is trying to muster support if a strike on syria. lawmakers in washington, dc, wrapping up a classified broaching minutes ago, getting it up to speed on the intelligence surrounding a reported chemical attack carried out by the assad regime on the syrian people. welcome to a brand new hour of america's news headquarters. >> heather: thank you for joining us. the president's surprising many when he said he wanted their approval before moving forward with any sort of military punishment. lawmakers on the capitol hill considering his proposal and whether the evidence is backing it up.

here is congressman levin. >> the syrian government engaged and crossed a red line, a red line that was to be drawn 100 years ago when it began. it is a red line the president has drawn, but, more or less our human society has drawn. there has to be a focused response. if we don't respond it will be an incentive for him to do it soon or for other nations to cross that red line. >> heather: peter is on capitol hill. peter, what is the latest? >>peter: the latest is that lawmakers right now on split completely down the line 50/50 about whether or not they want to support the use of military force against the assad regime. that handicapping comes to us from someone who was inside today's classified members only

meeting, democratic congresswoman and another congressman inside, today, explaining that part of the way white house and state department and pentagon officials made their case today was to demonstrate how devastating chemical weapons can be. >> i don't think many of our constituents understand the full significance of chemical and biological warfare. that is something that the president has got to spend some time explaining the significance of that and why it is off limits. >>peter: officials made the case that acting now against sear will send a message to iran that the united states actually backs up its tough talk but lawmakers on the fence have a huge issue right now with the resolution itself. the resolution that president obama wants congress to authorize, that would give him permission to take action against syria.

they think that resolution is worded too broadly and they want to see it narrowed down so that president obama does not have very much flexibility with what he can do when action is taken. >> heather: and a timeline? when will congress vote on this authorization? >>peter: congr scheduled to return not for another week, returning to the capitol september 9, 2:00 p.m. but lowers in each, in the house of representatives and the senate, say it is possible they would come back early to deal with this issue. we do not know if that will happen. the fact this coming up at all, now, on the september 1 or the end of august is not sitting well with some lawmakers. here is why. >> we should have thought more of telling the world that united states was going to respond. the fact that we have waited for so long and bashar al-assad has been able to disperse the forces and move various units around

and the leaks have been massive, more than any that i have ever seen, indicates more and more that this strike do be a political exercise rather than one that is military. >>peter: senator john mccain says it would set a catastrophic precedent if the congress votes again the president and senator john mccain will sit down with the president at the white house tomorrow. >> heather: thank you, peter doocy. >> gregg: syria's government is under the threat of a possible united states strike claiming victory. israeli prime minister binyamin netanyahu says that his country is ramping up defenses claiming that they are "ready for any possible scenario." and to jerusalem with more. what is the regional reaction there to this? >>reporter: well, it seems that the entire region's capitals now are redrawing their

strategic map. until yesterday, when the american president laid down a red line on something, it meant something. that may not be the case anymore. in israel, off the record, government officials will toss around worlds like "coward" to describe president obama and even on the record from harsh criticism, from the israelis a minute said three felt that president obama's inaction about syria was akin to roosevelt's refusal to bomb the nazi death camps back during world war ii. for the syrians, though, this is a huge win. they are saying we have victory, the deputy prime minister went on television last night and he said that america lost the battle before it even started and, also, said that the american administration has made a wreck of itself. here in the middle east it matters more what you do than what you say. clearly if president obama wants to regain credibility and have the red leans of american

presidents mean something, the next two weeks is going to have to be more about what he does than what he says. >> gregg: watching the mullahs in tehran. how does this play into the iran nuclear situation? >>reporter: absolutely. this is, really, seen by israel as a litmus test for american resolve. remember, president obama had assured the israelis in the sense that america would be behind israel and not allow iran to get any nuclear weapon and now this has happened with syria crossing a red line and the united states not doing much of anything so far, there is a lot here in israel who are saying, we just don't believe the american insurance card anymore. a very influential israeli lawmaker today said that this, now, proves when it comes to israel's security we are on our own. >> gregg: is there some relief, at the same time, because israels were lining up for their gas masks and they

were anticipating an american strike that "might" precipitate a response by hezbollah in lebanon or syria itself in northern israel so is there some relive? >>reporter: there is a little bit. pass assad said that tel aviv would burn if he was attacked and the iranians said israel would be attacked. and israelis have heard this kind of thing before. certainly there was a real tension. that said, the israeli military is still on high alert. they think an american attack could still happen so the missile defense batteries are still there and vacation and leave if a number of essential soldiers has been canceled and we are coming to the jewish holidays and it is now cheer how many soldiers will be allowed to go home. those things. we are never really that far away from a war a reality the israelis have lived with so the tension could be taken off for a week or two but it will not take much to shake up the bottle

again. >> gregg: thank you. >> heather: the obama administration is wrapping up a classified briefing for lawmakers. this as secretary of state john kerry says that this is concrete evidence of sarin gas use found if samples collected from the site of the alleged attack in syria. intelligence correspondent joins us from washington, dc. what are we learning about the attack itself? >>reporter: that classified briefing lasted for about 75 minutes and it was led by senior deputies from the defense department, the intelligence community, the state department, and the national security staff. one of the lingers questions based on that assessment that was released on friday through the white house is whether the intelligence community had real time information about preparations by the syrian regime to launch the chemical weapons attack and a lawmaker who was briefed today said that intelligence was only available after the fact.

>> the evidence that was made available to the u.s. government was available after the strike on the 21st, not before. >>reporter: i draw your attention specifically to that language because that is more data, if you will, suggesting that one of the critical pieces of intelligence, this intercept, a telephone intercept, came from a foreign intelligence service and it was not gathered by the u.s. government. >> heather: catherine, what about the briefing? >>reporter: the briefing broke down into the four pillars of the assessment. number one, what kind of chemical agent was used. two, the delivery system. in this case, that is rockets. three, the chain custody. who controlled the chemical weapons and the delivery system. four, the chain of command; who called the shots to launch the attack? what was clear based on our conversations with the lawmakers

is they felt the administration had bent over backwards to shed the ghost of the rockets in 2003 by providing briefers and raw intelligence. >> when you ride the intelligence report i have been told, i can say it is multiple sources. it says this here in the report. it says that these, all source assessments, are based on human, signal, and geospatial intelligence. so it is birthday-based sourcing >>reporter: another member of congress who will not have a vote on whether to authorize the force had a different perspective feeling that she wanted to hear more and she wanted to see more data, and she pointed out that almost all of the data if not virtually all came from foreign intelligence

services provided to the united states, not intelligence gathered by our own people. >> heather: this is not the first time that the president's red line has been crossed, correct? >>reporter: a significant headline that has not had a lot of attention in the last 72 hours is that part of the assessment states very clearly that this is not the first time the president's red line has been crossed and, in fact, we spoke to the chairman of the house of representatives intelligence committee who made this clear to us even before the rose burden address by the president. >> the british think 14 times. united states intelligence sources believe less times than that, maybe nine times. there is a clear pattern of chemical weapons use on behalf of the regime. >>reporter: this raises the question, why, if this is the ninth or tenth time, why it would precipitation a military response compared to the others in it is clear from what we have reported, it certainly, the

scale and the audacity of the attacks in damascus, at a time when the u.n. was also this. >> heather: so public, too, with the images we saw. catherine, thank you with that new information. >> gregg: now, how we have come to this point august 21, an alleged chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians in damascus. days later, president obama convened the national security team. there was no decision on a military response. august 25th, the obama administration says it believes the assad regime used chemical weapon crossing the red line that provokes a response. august 26, secretary of state john kerry says that syria's assad is guilty of a moral obscenity. the 29th, the british parliament votes against taking any part on any action on assad. august 30, secretary john kerry

demonsing the regime for "crime against humanity," and pledges it will not go unpunished. then last night, president obama telling advisors he will ask for the authorization of congress before any strike. that brings us to yesterday, the president told america he believes the united states military should intervene but he will seek congressional approval. first, before ordering a strike. long and complicated. $195 million in humanity aid going to siria. >> gregg: the first use of chemical weapons probably was last december, the so-called red line was crossed then and no action. still no action. >> heather: congress adding one more item to a full late deciding if the united states should attack syria but are lawmakers up to the job of taking on yet another pressing how? our political panel weighs in on that. >> gregg: possible danger signs in the housing market and the boom in sales may not be all

that it is cracked up to be. senior business correspondent will be joining us.

>> heather: all cash buyers fueling the recovery in the real

estate market. this, according to several recent studies, but the all-cash sales could be masking serious problems in the housing market. our senior business correspondent is anchor of bulls & bears on fox business network and has more insight. so, who are the all-cash buyers? >>guest: a lot of them are investors looking to get homes for low rights and flip them, basically. many of them are retirees who are looking to downsize and they probably have a tremendous amount of equity if their home because they have been paying it down for a long-term. it is flipers and wealthy americans and it is investor groups. >> heather: they make up 40 percent of all residential property sales in july of 2013 up significantly, but, why is that not good news? >> if you are a seller you want an all-cash buyer because you don't have to deal with the meth companies who placed a lot offed

its and can mess up a sale. >> heather: i wash the real estate shows and they say all-cash buyer. >> you do not have to deal with the mortgage and worry that the buyer cannot get the financing. if you selling it is good. but the problem is, there are not enough of these people to sustain a housing recovery. we still barely recovering. you need to have bake buyer whose go out and get a mortgage and want to buy a home. the trouble is, what this shows is that in are tighting lender standards and interest rates going up and they are going to go up. they are still by historical standards but they going to go up because the fed will stop printing money and buying the bonds. >> to have a small group of people, with all cash deals, it just can't put a foundation for the housing market. >> heather: you say that the mortgage prices are going to

continue to increase so what is the answer in terms of getting other buyers into the market? >>guest: basically, we have to work through this. people, sellers, have to be willing to sell their houses at what they -- a lot of people fall in love with their home and they think they are worth a certain amount and are not willing to accept the fact that prices have gone down from the boom. that is part of it. also, banks have to loosen their lending standards. they are very, very tight. the pendulum went from here to here. >> heather: but if they loosen the lending standard, does that put us right back in the situation we were in when the housing bubble began. >> you do not want go from here to there. i don't think we will go do that. >> heather: where anyone can get a loan. >> absolutely, and you can get a

loan for whatever size you want and interest rate only mortgages, i don't think we are going back to that but the sellers do have to accept that prices are lower and banks have to loosen a bit the lender standards. it is amazing what the banks can do for the buyers. >> heather: what does it say about the over all economy in both the short-term and long-term? >> i think that the housing recovery which is need for economy, it is not as strong as we had thought it was. to go for 40 percent of buyers all cash up significantly and in some cities, dallas, for example, 82 percent jump month over month so this shows that the economy may not be on the mend. >> heather: a cautionary tale from brenda. you can catch brenda every

saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. right here on the fox. >> we will change that. that is my high school year book picture. >> gregg: she looks the same and that was the prom dress, right in should have seen me. >> in your powder blue tux, i'm sure. >> gregg: a good luck. a new effort to support the families of wounded warriors. an organization to help caregivers across the nation, and douglas has that story. >> in 1945 bob dole was injured in world war ii. unfortunately, in 2010 the former senator was back in the hospital here at walter reed medical center in bethesda, maryland. around him, the rooms were filled with iraq and afghanistan vets who, like the former majority leader, had sacrificed

limbs or mental abilities. his wife, elizabeth, witnessed their suffering first-hand. >> you also witnessed another kind of suffering that you say oftentimes goes unnoticed in our society. >> in most cases it is unnoticed because they are hidden heroes if the fathers, the mothers, the spouses, the loved ones of the wounded warriors. >> the military says over 700,000 soldiers came back from iraq and afghanistan with severe mental or physical injuries. dole says she realized behind each one is a friend or family member who also is sacrificing. >> they are hidden heroes who are providing for the bathing, the feeding, the dressing of some of the wounded warriors each day. >> this is a role mrs. dole is familiar with as car giver to her husband. so just after they left the hospital three years ago, she started caring for military

families, a group designed to give care and support to those giving care and support to our country's injured vets. car givers like blair. >> how important has caring for military families been to you? >> very important to have a voice in the world. >> a voice she lost in 2008 when a bomb exploded on a road leading to baghdad. leaving her husband with a severe traumatic brain injury. when he returned home blair was forced to abandon her career and now takes care of him full time. >> there is a lot of support out there for vets but not a last support for people like you who are making huge sacrifices. >> right. my husband, without a caregiver at home would really be lost and it would be very tragic. >> what can people do who want to help the people who are

helping our injured votes? >> plea goes to www.elizabethdolefoundation.org , give us your e-mail and name and help us to raise the awareness. >> she says awareness of what caregivers are doing is the first step in it gooding them the help they need and deserve. >> douglas, thank you for that report. >> heather: the debt ceiling, a budget showdown and now syria. can congress possibly tackle all of these issues at once or will something fall by the wayside? if so, which ones? our political panel weighs in. >> gregg: what investigators suspect may have sparked one of the largest california fires in history. play close. good and close.

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>> it is the bottom of the hour, time for the top of the news with the latest intelligence on the chemical weapons attack in syria in a classified brief on capitol hill for lawmakers. secretary of state john kerry said laboratory tests prove sarah palin nerve gas was used on civiliany. >> radiation levels have been detected in japan at the nuclear plant. scientists say that they are now monitoring the situation to see how much, if any, of the contaminated water has leaked into the ocean. tropical storm swirling in the pacific, a system centered 300 miles off baja, california, but poses no threat to land. it is expected to weaken overnight. >> gregg: shaping up to a complicated month for congress. lawmakers returning to the hill next week with a lot to get

done. not a lot of time to do it. debate over resolution to take military action in syria and now the top priority but they will have two major budget deadlines in the not too distant future. the publisher of safety, and fox news contributor, doug schoen pollster for bill clinton, and, doug, you were with president clinton at a time in which he faced a very similar situation and talk to us about what happened? >>guest: in 1999, as many remember, the president made a decision to bomb serbia given the incursion that the serbs made into kosovo. the president, i remember, anguishing about the decision, but saying basically, that after

the brutality four years prior and the abuse by the serbs of the norms of civil and human rights, the president, after the late holbrook offered warning after warning milosovic, he actioned and it led ultimately in a year to regime change and i am proud to have been part of both efforts one of the finest moments of president clinton's career and i like to be able to take a small amount of credit for regime change in serbia. >> gregg: as you should. so he was hailed then and now for an act of courage in doing that. >>guest: absolutely. >> gregg: justin, let me go over to you. we talked to our correspondents in israel and one said that they are saying this isn't an act of courage but an act of cowards.

i am not saying that, they are saying that. what do you say? >>guest: the debate the president is putting to congress is an interesting question. the difference between now and 1999 is the war in afghanistan, the terrorist attack on 9/11 and the war in iraq. those are defining events in military and political history in terms of what is the role the united states going to be going forward and we remember clearly that president obama, what he campaigned on in 2008 and 2012. the debate is going to take place but i can understand the position of our allies across the world. if you are japan or israel, if you are allies in areas where you have rogue regimes like north korea, or iran that are flout international law, you are concerned when there is the use of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons or they are being test asked norms are

violated that is what is at stake and why president obama's decision can be criticized to go to congress. >> gregg: you told us, doug, what bill clinton did back then. and you have seen what president obama is doing now, is this a pretext, an excuse, to, as some would say, weasel out of taking action? >>guest: i am afraid it could be. the president has a narrative which is blame congress and blame the republicans. if we don't get a budget deal or on the debt ceiling he 8 blame congress and the republicans. if we don't get a vote to use military action it will be the same refrain and it could be good politics that remains to be seen but it is bad policy and it puts america at risk. >> gregg: justin, you have an interesting coalition in congress of neocons including john mccain and other republicans and then you have

nancy pelosi who is saying, you know, the president should engage in a military strike. it is an interesting mix, isn't it? interesting bedfellows. >>guest: absolutely. look, the political lines are scrambled up when you talk this type of an issue because of what we have been through in the last 10 years and it is fundamentally about what the united states role in the world will be when you confront the use of potentially sarah palin nerve gas -- saran nerve gas. you will have republicans on both sides and democrats on both sides of the issue and that is what makes the debate so interesting the in few weeks. >> gregg: did president obama paint himself in the corner saying before he was elected president, that the president does not have power under the constitution to unit hat rally authorize a military attack. so this he was prepared to do it, and someone must have raised their hand in the oval office and said, excuse me, you said

you didn't have the authority for this. >>guest: sadly, he has been on both sides of the issue. he aid certainly what you quoted him to say, but he said almost a year ago, slightly more, that if chemical weapons were used it was a red line that could not be crossed without united states action. the red line clearly has been crossed and there is no united states action. bottom line, they are celebrating in damascus, i fear county and in tehran and elsewhere. bottom line, the president gives his word that we're going to do something, to me, it is not an interesting issue for debate. the moral authority of the country is at stake. if the president says something he has to act. this president didn't. >> gregg: do you agree with that, justin? america now is losing

credibility? >>guest: when the president of the united states makes a statement the way president obama makes it and says, we need to have a debate in congress on this it sends a message of uncertainty around the world and i fear that makes the world a more dangerous place because it embold weres those who want to test the president, and emboldens those who want to test the resolve of the united states and not a good place for the world to be in. >> gregg: thank you very much. good to see you both. >> heather: smoke from a nearby wildfire managing to completely cover one of the most popular sections of yosemite national park making it more difficult for firefighters. this is one local fire chief saying he has an idea about what may have sparked the flames. dominic is on the west coast with more. >> officials looking into the

possibility it was a pot familiar that could have caused the worst fire we have seen this season, a fire chief from a towns that is threatened by the blaze told fox news that it could have been sparked by illicit marijuana operations. the chief said based on the information the authorities already had, activities at a suspected dope plantation are expected to start it. the spot where the fire started is so remote it usually requires a helicopter to etch radio it and both the forest service and police keep discovering these huge pot plantations in the wilderness ruby mexican drug cartels and we will see if that is what they conclude when they do their investigation. it is a massive fire, and firefighters have not contained half of it. and it is an area larger than san francisco, oakland, and san jose combined. on saturday, we saw dense fog obscure the views in yosemite

national park and the fire has been moving east and closer to the valley since it entered the national park a week ago and we have moister air expected today slowing plains down with that and crews, also are working containment lines with a lot of work ahead them before they get ahead of this. >> heather: thank you. >> gregg: u.n. inspectors are trying to analyze samples from syria. we will talk to a former chief u.n. inspector coming up next. [ all ] who's new in the fridge! i help support bones... [ ding! ] ...the immune system... [ ding! ] ...heart health... [ di muscles. [ din] that can only be ensure complete! [ female announcer ] the four-in-one nutrition of ensure complete. a simple choice to help u eat right. [ major nutrition ] nutrition in charge.

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hemochromatosis i'll look into that stuff we might pass onto to our kids... foods i might want to avoid... hundreds of things about my health... getting my 23andme results it really opened my eyes... the more you know about your dna the more you know about yourself... i do things a little differently now... eat better... ask more questions change what you can, manage what you can't i always wondered what my dna said about me... me... me. now i know. know more about your health. go to 23andme.com and order your dna kit for only $99 today. learn hundreds of things about your health at 23andme.com >> heather: tests underway by weapon taken by chemical weapons inspecters in syria. they will determine whether weapons of mass destruction were used in damascus august 21 in

the attack against civilians but the tests according to the ambassador are meaningless at this point. >> there is little doubt in my mind that the sarin gas was used and the u.n. inspectors' samples will prove that. the issue for some time is not whether gas was used but who used it. the mandate of the u.n. inspectors is restricted and they expressly forbidden to get into the question of responsibility. >> heather: joining us by skype is the former chief u.n. weapons inspector and former head of the c.i.a. investigation of weapons of mass destruction's in iraq and speaks from experience. thank you for joining us today. so, you just her ambassador bolton say that the results are meaningless. if we cannot determine who, in fact, used the chemical weapons, so, take me to where the u.n. inspectors are right now. they have the samples.

how long will it take to get a definitive answer? will they, then, be able to determine who used them? >>guest: the unique position of the u.n. weapons inspectors they are seen as credible by all, not on one side or the other. they may not have to much information as others but they able to determine what is viewed as credible. they have samples at their headquarters and divided them among various laboratories to be analyzed. it will take several days, perhaps even a week or two, before they have conclusive results that are acknowledged an the world that saran gas was used. however, obviously, other intelligence agencies have their own sources and may have come to that conclusion. >> heather: we had secretary of state john kerry come out on the sunday talk shows and say that he already has initial evidence that some of the first responders on the scene were

seeing evidence of saran gas? >>guest: that is correct. i am sure he has other information, presumably from other sources in the intelligence community. that information is not going to be provided to the whole world. it may formulate the basis for briefing congress and subsequently leaked but the basis for action in the u.n. depends on information which is agreed to by the rest of the world and the russians are not buying off on what we are seeing without a last questioning. >> heather: you were in iraq and part of that investigation. is it possible to determine if we discover that chemical weapons have been used by the assad regime, where the chemical weapons came from in is it possible to determine if those chemical weapons were moved from iraq. >>guest: it is doubt will because the syrians have had a long and extensive chemical weapons program going back decades. the syrians developed chemical weapons as an offset to the israeli nuclear activities.

that has been a key part of their december terrence and military vat joy for decades chesting them on rockets and bombs. there is a long history to developing the systems. they get assistance on rockets from north korea and had assistance, presumably from iran but they have had their own stockpile for a long period of time. >> heather: that is part of what was democratic with when you looked into weapons of mass destruction, they were being moved from one country to another. do you believe this delay that the president has issued, now, so that congress can vote and decide whether or not to undertake this military action in syria, do you believe to delay will allow if any chemical weapons are in fact there to be moved to another country? >>guest: i don't understand how the president can say that the attack is not affected by time. he has said if he delays this, it will not make any difference.

to me, i cannot understand why the syrians wouldn't disburse things if they thought the united states would attack and make it more difficult to destroy them. it is increasingly the case, then, that an attack could make the chemical weapons problem worse. if you attack the facilities where they are stored they could be disbursed, plumes of saran gas could be dispursed over civilians and, in addition, if the target includes command-and-control situation, you will take one, perhaps, good thing you can say about bashar al-assad that he controls these weapons, if you remove that, the nightmare scenario of the weapons falling into the hands of other bad actors like al-qaeda, could happen. >> heather: do you believe the intelligence is less clear than the united states is currently stating? >>guest: intelligence can always be unclear. what seems to be a fact when you

peel things back it is less cheer. for example, there were reports the orders given to use the chemical weapons were given among a confused state of people. maybe it is not clear that bashar al-assad was, in fact, in control of the weapons. when you get data like that and i am sure it will become public when they brief congress, the situation could be much less clear. >> heather: we appreciate your insight, that is the primary thing they are looking into, who order the attack? >> gregg: find out what doctors are saying about the health of nelson mandela. the american public making in time letting the presidential know how they feel about a potential strike on syria and what people are saying in support of and against united states involvement. please.

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>> heather: now the headlines. a crowd of supporters gathering outside of mandela's home as he is discharged from the hospital. he is still battling a recurring

lung ins fection and will undergo treatment at home. and the first night was made through the florida straits trying to become the first person to swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage. this is her fourth attempt in the last throw years. >> gregg: the president's announcement to seek congressional approval before ordering a military attack against syria is the most extensionive lobbying effort the obama white house has ever engaged in. an official calling it a "flood zone strategy." despite this, americans are showing mixed reaction to the decision to act. his remarks triggering rallies across the country yesterday with hundreds showing up to the rallies for and against military intervention. we are joined from our new york

city studio. >> the question of whether the united states should take military action in syria is striking a chord. we go do patterson, new jersey, after a man lost a dozen families and friends in syria and supported limited intervention. >> we need our freedom by taking out assad. we don't want them to target -- it is a war and people have to die but they already have the points made. >> on saturday in washington, dc, 200 antiand pro war protesters chanting and police forcibly separated the two groups dug confrontations. >> syria is not at war with the united states, the u.s. government and obama do not have the right to be judge, jury, and executioner. >> in new york city, 200 protesters gathered in times

square chanting "no war on syria," and in los angeles many of the 200 against military intervention. in boston, 100 syrian americans and activists gathered. >> i want to see the documents and the evidence. you cannot just tell me that a government used weapons of mass destruction against civilians and yet deny your own people the evidence. >> smaller protests took place in other cities like san francisco, chicago, and austin, texas. >> thank you. that does it for us. >> heather: i see you back here at 5:00 a.m. for "fox & friends" but thanks for being with us. have a great weekend. fox news sunday is next. of two aleve for six tylenol? what's the catch? there's no catch. you want me to give up my two aleve for six tylenol? no. for my knee pain, nothing beats my aleve.

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>> i'm chris wallace. president obama does an about, face, and asks congress to authorize military force in syria. >> our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive. it will be effective tomorrow, or next week, or one month from now. >> after days of making the case the assad regime killed more than a thousand of its own people with chemical weapons, the president says the deaths should not go unpunished. >> while i believe i have the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization, i know that the country will be stronger if we take this course and our actions will be even more effective.