mud. >> this is captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." good evening, everyone, i'm jeff glor. the fighting in syria appeared to reach the capital of damascus today, with reports of street fighting in two neighborhoods and smoke from an explosion seen rising over the skyline. the bloody uprising in syria has gone on for 16 months. and activists say more than 17,000 people have died. now the international committee of the red cross is calling it a civil war. which could have significant repercussions for the future of the conflict. clarissa ward has spent time in syria throughout this uprising. she joins us tonight on the border between turkey and syria. clarissa, first of all this designation civil war wa, does it mean? >> well, jeff, by declaring this conflict a civil war, it means that both sides are now held to international humanitarian law. that's basically the rules of war as dictated by the

geneva convention. that means that anyone who attacks or kills civilians could face charges for war crimes. the rules also protect prisoners of war. they forbid for ture-- torture and say that the wounded must receive treatment. so essentially the aim of this designation is to protect civilians but also possibly to pave the way for future war crimes prosecution. >> clarissa as we mention this has been going on for some time now. you know that. how does the red cross decide when a country is at civil war? >> they have three primary criteria that they look like when determining whether or not a country is in a civil war. they look at the length of time that the conflict has been going on, the intense of the-- intensity of the fight and also how organized the rebel forces are. in the case of syria they determine that the fighting had really spilled out from beyond the initial hot spots ofidlib and hama and homs

and it could therefore be called a nationwide civil war. >> clarissa what happened in the village of tremseh on thursday has some hallmarks of civil war. the opposition called it a massacre there. what do we know today about what happened in tremseh? >> u.n. observers were able to get access to tremseh over the weekend and their findings indicate that actually it may have been defectors and opposition activists and not civilians who were the target of this military operation. that of course does not jive with the opposition's account. they described it as a massacre of civilians. and what this really goats to show you is just how difficult it is to get to the bottom of facts inside syria where there is so little yip reporting alawed and so much misinformation being disseminate bid both sides. >> clarissa ward for us tonight, clarissa, thank you. >> jeff: secretary of state

hillary clinton met in cairo today with egypt's top general field marshal hussein tantawi and urged him to resolve the issues with morsi of the muslim brotherhood. however with an apparent warning shot to the brotherhood tantawi said egypt will never fall, it belongs to all he gyp shan, not to a certain group. the armed forces will in the allow t unquote. in this country the food and drug administration is under fire tonight. newly revealed records show the agency carried out an extraordinary spying operation on some its own scientists. jan crawford is in washington and has more on that, jan, good evening to you. >> well, jeff, i mean this is really quite a story that's been uncovered by "the new york times". think about this. according to the times the fda was secretly monitoring e-mail accounts of its own scientists who were looking to blow the whistle on the agency. and then as part of that surveillance they swept up thousands of e-mails at the that the scientists had with lawyers, journalists, congressional staff, even a

letter to president obama. for years fda scientists had raised safety concerns about devices the agency had approved for routine breast cancer scans. after fda authorities dismissed their complaints, nine wrote a letter in early 2009 to president obama's transition team, warning that fda managers failed to take appropriate action. according to court papers, shortly after the scientists sent the letter, the fda commenced a covert and secret search operation capturing scientist e-mails from private accounts on government issued laptops. but according to the times, the spying effort quickly went beyond the scientists to ensnare a total of 21 fda employees, medical researchers, journalists, even congressional officials who were looking into whether the fda failed to warn the public about risks from devices used to scan breasts and colon cancer. the times discovered some

80,000 pages of documents the fda secretly monitored confirmed by cbs news, they include a letter that scientists wrote to president obama saying they were afraid they could not act without fear of reprisal for their whistle-blowing efforts. the fda has denied any wrongdoing saying the monitoring was intended to determine whether confidential information was inappropriately released off government laptops from scientists it suspected of sharing information about the medical devices. but some say the agency surveillance was illegal and the scientists had sued. >> they actually tried to go after these whistle-blowers criminally. >> stephen kohn say lawyer for the whistle-blowers and executive director of the national whistle-blower center. >> if you can target whistle-blowers for this type of intrusive surveillance, no one will blow the whistle. it will create a chilling effect and a fear. >> reporter: now in may the office of special counsel

which investigates complaints from government employees found that the scientists were, in fact, warning of what they said substantial and specific danger to public safety and has ordered an investigation into their allegations about the scans, jeff. >> jeff: jan crawford, thank you. the controversy raged on today whenever when mitt romney left bain capital, the private equity firm he founded. on "face the nation" obama campaign official stephanie cutter and romney official clashed over differents with bain's file wingts sec and what romney said in a recent financial disclosure. >> i think the american people need to understand this. that either you are the c.e.o., president, chairman of the board of bain capital as awe test to the sec, or he is telling the american people that he bear those responsible for that. those two things both can't be true. either are you in charge, or you're not. and i think some of the information that's been dripping out from independent source, not from ase obama campaign s that he was involved in bain capital.

>> fact check after fact check, investigative journalist after investigative journalist have shown that governor romney left bain in 1999. hae reason that there is a document that had h in 2002 that had had his signature is because during that waansfrition 1999 to 20023 where there was a transfer rt ownership over to the new partners of bain, that there were-- there was a duty to sign those documents. >> madden says the democrats are using the bain controversy to draw attention away from the economy. the president was asked about how he responds to romney's criticism during an interview with charlie rose. >> he clarely will say let's look at your record. let's look at the fact that unemployment is at 8.2%. it is unlikely to change. let's look at how effective the stimulus was. >> right. >> let's look at your management of the economy. >> exactly. >> yes, it was a bad hand you were dealt. >> right. >> but you have not made it to what it ought to be. that is his centrality of

their campaign. >> exactly that is his argument. and you don't hear me complaining about him making that argument. because if i was in his shoes i would be making the same argument. >> jeff: that was from "sunday morning" and you can see more of charlie rose's interview with president obama first thing tomorrow on cbs this morning. olim big-- olympic athletes are scheduled to begin arriving if london tomorrow w two weeks to go before the games begin, organizers have been stunned to learn that one security contractor has come up thousands of employees short. elizabeth palmer adds up the numbers. >> reporter: the 2012 olympic games will be staged in dozens of venues across a vast area in and around london. and they'll need an equally vast security operation to keep them safe. key are 13,000 british soldiers and marines, the largest domestic mobilization since world war ii. with fighter jets to enforce a no-fly zone for small planes and missiles set up on apartment buildings.

there was supposed to be another army of more than 10,000 civilian security guards too, supplied by a private contractor, g 4s. but suddenly last week the company announced if could not deliver. c.e.o. nick buckles. >> it is a very complex process to recruit and deliver that many people in quite a short period of time. >> reporter: the original contract was for 2,000 g4s guards. then last december after advice from u.s. law enforcement, that figure ballooned to more than 13,000. and g4s simply couldn't keep up. >> it is down to g4s. we are contracted to deliver stuff, we should have done that. >> reporter: it's a big blunder on a sensitive issue. >> the city of london. >> reporter: this month seven years ago london won the 2012 games. and the very next day suicide bombers killed 52 people on a bus in the

london subway. so g4s's announcement has put the government on the defensive. their plan b? more troops. that means another 3.5 thousand soldiers to keep the games secure. but at the moment officials say there is no specific terrorist threat against the olympics. in fact, organizers are concerned about something else, the weather. this has been the wettest summer in the u.k. since records began. and the forecast, more of the same. liz best palmer, cbs news, london. >> jeff: later, a summer camp for kids, no electronics allowed. climbers learning the risks the hard way, and the rooftop preacher is back with a renewed plea to end a scourge of summer violence. when the "cbs evening news" scourge of summer violence. when the "cbs evening news" continues. dy at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms.

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across country's walk across violence is back in his hometown of chicago this weekend. 263 people have been murdered in chicago during the first six months of this year. that's up 41% over the same period last year. dean reynolds caught up with brooks today at the location that first made him famous. >> reporter: pastor corey brooks can claim a measure of satisfaction, a flop house mott well he staged a three month city in-- sit in is now an empty lot. >> it was a place for prostitution. it was a safe haven for gangbangers t was drug infested. >> reporter: brooks raised enough money during his winter long protest to get the motel demolished. >> we want to build a community and economic development centre that would enhance the lives of young individuals. >> reporter: but now on a nationwide fund-raising walk, he's had less success raising the $15 million needed to replace it with a community centre. >> at this center we plan to focus not just on recreational things.

we want the focus to be the heart and the mind. the total man is the person we want to reach. >> reporter: brooks started his walk 40 days ago in new york. >> come on lift your hands about me. >> reporter: and has just made it to chicago where his regular sunday service was attended by mayor rahm i manual. as playgrounds have turned into killing grounds, the mayor and police have intensified patrols in problem areas. and focused on shady businesses that double as havens for gang members. >> would your center try to peel people away from gangs? >> absolutely. we cannot make this neighborhood better if we don't deal with the gang issue. so we can't just build a physical building. this building has to target individuals who have serious, serious issues. >> in short order the reverend will step off for los angeles. >> by foot. >> by foot. and we just keep going. keep moving, that ultimately we can reach our destination. >> reporter: he knows changing the landscape will not change hearts and minds

overnight. but he believes it's a step in the right direction. dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. >> jeff: the government today unveiled a plan to protect whales in one of the world's busiest ports. officials were forced to act after a spike in collisions between whales and ships in and around san francisco. the plan creates new shipping lanes and a better way to track whales. >> still ahead here, danger on the mountain. what's behind this summer's string of deadly climbing accidents in that story is next. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing hers? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels

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>> jeff: we learned today two more climbers have died on western europe's highest peak. rescue crews say the bodies of a polish woman and spanish man from found on mt. blank on the italian french border. the pair had been caught in bad weather. today's death on mont blanc come in the midst of the most dang rest summer for mountain climbers ever. tony guida las more on the cost of high risk adventure. >> the 2012 mountain climbing season is ending up as one of the deadliest on record. early last thursday a massive avalanche on one of the most popular routes of the mont blanc rang in the french alps swept away nine climbers, injured 14 more. it was the worst mountaineering accident in france in more than a decade.

>> there were big plates of snow that we know of where an avalanche can easily be produced but this morning we had no reason to expect an avalanche of this size. and to expect such a tragedy. so many people tried to climb mount everest this season, officials called it a traffic jam. four climbers died on the way down from the summit when the weather suddenly went bad. two of them insisted on reaching the top despite warnings from their guides to turn back. >> it's spent a lot of money and don't want to give up. >> he has climbed mount everest four times. he's planning another ascent next year. he's retired but he has seen reckless behavior by climbers. so they say to you, take me up. >> yeah, they want to go same day. we can't save their life because nobody can challenge the weather. >> reporter: an avalanche on north america's highest peak mount mckinley killed four climbers in june. two others died in fall. veteran climber gray shoovner sees freakish weather

conditions as one cause of this year's disasters. >> climate change is certainly one of the things that is contributing to dangerous conditions on the mountains. but in thecase of everest what actually ended up killing people was probably more a lack of experience. novice climbers getting in over their heads rts with mountain climbing popularity glowing experts expect that trend to continue. tony guida, cbs news, new york. >> jeff: there is word tonight that actress celeste holm has died. she had broadway fame in oklahoma playing the original boy crazy girl who could not say no. going into a film career win and oscar for her role in "gentlemen's agreement" celeste holm was 9 a-- 95 years old. ahead kids unplugged. the summer camp that tells electronics to take a hike. that story is next. relax... air optix® night & day aqua contact lenses are approved for up to 30 days and nights of continuous wear, so it's okay to sleep in them. visit airoptix.com for a free 1-month trial.

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>> jeff: in his interview with charlie rose president obama noted that daughters malia and sasha will be going to summer camp for the first time this year. >> you know, the girls are now of an age where they start having their own stuff. so they have a sleep away camp for a month, both of them are leaving. we're going to be experiencing the first stages of empty nest syndrome. >> jeff: leaving home for camp is a rite of passage for children everywhere. and for kids at one camp, leaving home also means leaving all gadgets behind. here's chip reid. >> on a beautiful summer morning emily christ is outside learning about milkweed. >> it has something in it which is sort of milky so that's why it's called a milkweed. >> wluka is building a fort. >> it's going to get away from tv a little bit. >> reporter: and sofia gunther is at the pond. >> it has a lot of nature in

it. and you get to play in the mud. >> reporter: this day camp at chevy chase, maryland, is old school no electronics allowed. because if they were home these kids all know what they would be doing. >> i would probably watching tv. >> playing games, playing my itouch. >> watching tv, that's not really good. >> reporter: the average american child now spend -- 3 hours a week using technology. the time kids spend outside has dropped 16% in just the last five years. >> the more high-tech our lives become the more nature we need. >> richard louv author of less child in the woods says a generation of children is at risk of growing up nature deficient. >> yes, technology gives us things. yes, we get certain skills from that. but we also get certain skills from being outside in nature. >> reporter: skills like problem-solving. >> you could use these because they're deeper. >> reporter: creativity.

and leadership. >> keep your feet out. >> reporter: which is why parents like alice crites sends their kids back year after year. >> they love it they love being in mud. they love to be outdoors. they love to be walking and come upon a deer. >> reporter: over the course of the summer more than a thousand young campers will spend time out of doors in this program run by the audubon society. >> sitting in front of the screen just really isn't good four. getting outside and playing is. >> reporter: the mud washes off, but the experience sticks. chip reid, cbs news, washington. >> jeff: that is the "cbs evening news" tonight. later on cbs, "60 minutes," i'm jeff glor, cbs news in new york. scott pelley will be here tomorrow. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by

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