lp protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin dedicated to your eyes, from bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is uniquely formulated to help protect your eye health. now that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. and now there's ocuvite eye + multi. an eye vitamin and multivitamin in one. [ crisp crunches ] whoo-hoo-hoo! guess it was. [ male announcer ] pringles, bursting with more flavor. i do consider it part of my job to help make the case and to explain to the american people

exactly why i think this is the right thing to do. >> right now on "andrea mitchell reports" the final pitch. president obama will address the nation on tuesday trying to sell his plan for military strikes in syria. directly to the american people. but he had little success with world leaders at the g 20 summit. he huddle with vladimir putin for 20 minutes on the sidelines to talk syria, but russian president said both leaders stuck to their guns. >> on syria, i said, listen, i don't expect us to agree on this issue of chemical weapons use. we both agree that the underlying conflict can only be resolved through a political transition. >> on edge, the fighting in syria ignites new security concerns across the region today. the state department announced a mandatory draw down of

nonessential employees and families in beirut, and issued a new travel warning for u.s. citizens in both lebanon and turkey. back home backlash, here stateside the president's plan for military action in syria is now a much tougher sell as lawmakers get an earful from war-weary voters. >> hey, hey. please let's everybody calm down. >> do you really realize what you're getting our country into with this war in syria? if you attack the syrians, who do you think they're going to take it out on? israel. why are you not supporting israel on this one. we should be backing israel, not turning away from them. and second of all, this is what i think of congress. they are a bunch of marshmallows. why are you not listening to the people and staying out of syria?

good day. i'm luke russert filling in for the great andrea mitchell who's traveling with secretary of state john kerry. president obama will take his message on syria directly to millions of homes across america tuesday, but today in russia he was pressed repeatedly on what his next step would be if congress does not give him the authorization to attack syria. >> if the full congress doesn't pass this, will you go ahead with the strike? >> i did not put this before congress just as a political ploy. >> i still haven't heard a direct response to breanna's question. if congress fails to authorize this, will you go forward with an attack on syria? >> right. and you're not getting a direct response. i'm not going to engage in parlor games now, jonathan,

about whether or not it's going to pass. when i'm talking substantively to congress about why this is important. >> joining me now for our daily fix, chris lizza,msnbc contributor and host of the post tv in play and "usa today" washington bureau chief susan page. i'll start off with you, susan. what happens if congress, and it looks better possibly in a 50-50 proposition right now, rejects this? where does the president go? is he cut off at the knees? how do they recover? what's the next step? >> this is a question the president has refused to answer directly for the past week as we saw him refuse to answer in st. petersburg. but the deputy national security adviser on npr this morning said the president would not go ahead with strikes if congress refuses to offer that authorization. not that he couldn't. the white house has been careful to say the president has the authority to order strikes in the absence of congressional action. but that as a political matter,

it looks to me as though the white house is signalling that he would not go ahead, and we'd have a situation where it seems to me that would be a huge defeat for the president. >> it would be unprecedented in recent memory. it would definitely invigorate a lot of libertarians who have come into congress recently. chris, you guys are doing a great vote tally at the "washington post," sort of tracking where members of congress are on this issue. a lot more are opposed to any action in syria as opposed to support it. i think the latest we had was still 103 undecided. you wrote that column talking about whether or not nancy pelosi -- this might be the hardest whip job she's ever had to do, at least since health care. >> well, i would say certainly since health care. i would actually say it's probably slightly unfair to put this on nancy pelosi. she has said she supports it but she is not whipping it. that said, i think there is a desire from the white house to try to round up as many liberal democrats as are willing to, luke, to vote yes on this.

i would say the vote count is being kept by one of my deputies, a guy named aaron blake who's doing an amazing job. just before i came on i just went and checked. we now have -- this is people who have said no for any military action in syria and people who have said they are leaning against it, we now have 217. so you do the math. if one more goes over, now you're in a danger zone. that doesn't mean again a lot of those are lean nos. that can change. there are a lot of undecideds. if you're looking at momentum broadly, the momentum is way on the side of tnos. >> susan, you've seen a lot of these. what strikes me here is the idea that there's this sense from the white house it can all be figured out by a public address. that oval office address. it's just a matter of the president being able to sell

this more effectively. he needs to have that one-on-one with the american people. is that an effective political strategy at this point? >> i don't think the white house thinks that's going to be sufficient but they think it's necessary. you've got to get the american public to understand this more, understand the reasoning more and be more supportive if you're going have any hope of getting congress to go along. you saw that town hall meeting that john mccain was at. he got all kinds of blow back from the idea of another u.s. military action there. so i'm not sure the white house thinks the oval office address will turn the tide. but they're certainly not going to turn the tide without it. this comes after a pretty hopeful start to the week. john boehner and republican heads of the house saying they would back this. on this issue as on others -- >> there is a time that would be all the president needed. but times have changed. chris lizza, susan page, thanks for joining us. chris we'll see you at the end of the show. during today's press conference in st. petersburg, president obama said he understands what lawmakers are hearing back home and where those frustrated constituents

are coming from. >> i knew this was going to be a heavy lift. i said that on saturday when i said we're going to take it to congress. our polling operations are pretty good. i tend to have a pretty good sense of what current popular opinion is. and for the american people who have been through over a decade of war now with enormous sacrifice and blood and pressure, any hint of further military entanglements in the middle east are going to be viewed with suspicion. >> joining me now, the pride of patterson, new jersey, congressman bill pascrell. thanks for being on the show, sir. >> luke, how are you today? >> very well. i've been doing research on you. you said you are undecided. are you still undecided on whether or not there should be a u.s. intervention in syria? >> yes.

not that i haven't been convinced of tseriousness of th situation, read all the documents, went to the briefings and have met with many groups this week. when i came back into the district. there are those syrian christians, the population of syria is about 8% christian, as an example i'm giving you. they are dramatically in favor of us going in at this particular point and support the president's resolution. and then there are those who do not want us to do this, do not want us to go in. so the christians don't want us to go in, the muslims, syrians do want to us go in of course, that's not a broad brush, but i'd say the majority of each of those groups. and i met with several other my anoth

minute another ti /* /- dminority groups. i met with the kurds that live in the patterson area. tr tremendous population in our area of muslims. i can get a feel for the situation. they called back into syria many times during the week. i think we have not used that resource to our own abilities. neither the president nor mr. bush when he was president did that. i've made that recommendation many, many times. they can have a real effect on what goes on in the mother countries. >> i want to ask you, you're very close with nancy pelosi. has she been working this behind the scenes at all? or is this truly a vote of conscience? all the numbers suggest the most that boehner and the gop would be able to bring over is probably 50, and if they're lucky 70 republicans. if this is going to pass it's going to need real democratic support. do you think she can pull this one off? would this be the greatest pelosi whip count in her history? >> not to take away from our

leader, nancy pelosi, i think the only one that can pull this off is the president. and what his remarks will be on tuesday night are going to be very, very effective. and i'm torn myself. and since i'm speaking with you, luke, i'm torn when i look at pictures like this. this is three or four months old. >> put it up a little higher so our viewers can see it. >> these are kids in syria telling me that we want intervention here. you can help us get rid of assad. and on the other hand, when i talk to the members of the christian community, they're saying no, you're only going to make matters worse if you come in. and there's something to be said on both sides. i don't think this is either or. i don't agree with the president on this point, that either doing nothing or supporting an attack on selected targets. i think there are more options.

and i recommended that we force the syrian administration to the table, give them one more shot at this to call a ceasefire, and then work out a transition. i'm for doing it at the last moment if at all possible. i'm not going to give up on any of these situations, luke, until i make my decision. >> well, your decision will come next week and it will be a fascinating one to see. congressman big pascrell, from new jersey, thanks for joining us. >> a pleasure to be with you. a programming note as president obama prepares to address the nation on tuesday, this sunday on "meet the press "david gregory will interview white house chief of staff denis mcdonagh. coming up on "andrea mitchell reports" a region edge. we'll have a live report from beirut where the state department issued a new warning for americans abroad. lebanon has also been flooded with more than, get this, 700,000 syrian refugees. take a look at these pictures provided by nbc's aymen mohedin.

he'll join us next to talk about it. [ 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. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, it could save you thousands in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him.

you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new 2014 lexus is. this is your move. yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome.

these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!

tries to make the case for military action in syria, there are new warnings today for americans in neighboring lebanon. the state department ordered nonessential diplomats out of beirut and cautioned private citizens to do the same. nbc's ayman mohyeldin is live in beirut and he joins us now. ayman, where do these threats originate from? why did this warning go out today? and from your conversations with american personnel, are a lot of people intending upon leaving? >> reporter: well, there's no

doubt the u.s. embassy certainly encourages people to take the risk seriously. they did not provide any specific intelligence reasons as to why they are taking this measure. and it's important to note that this measure is actual lit first time lebanon, the american embassy in lebanon has reduced its staff since 2006 when there was the war between israel and hezbollah. so it gives you a sense of the gravity of the moment that u.s. officials here are considering. there are a variety of reasons, among them obvious lit tensions in syria, the possible u.s. military strike on that country. but it is also the september 11th anniversary that is approaching, there are growing concerns there may be some type of attack or threat to u.s. embassies and diplomatic facilities. keep in mind this is not based on specific intelligence according to sources but overall security climate is leading officials to make this conclusion about reducing staff, not only here in lebanon but also in neighboring turkey and southeast turkey at the u.s. consulate there. luke? >> ayman, i saw your photographs. they're extraordinary that you

took from that syrian refugee camp. sort of give our viewers a sense of that and the humanitarian crisis that's now being overlooked because we've gotten so much into the politics of this. but that's just 700,000 alone in lebanon. there's obviously many more in jordan and iraq and in the surrounding countries. what did you see in that camp there? >> well, it's just complete heartache and grief everywhere we went. there were just incredible stories. lebanon is in a unique position with its syrian refugees. the lebanese government here does not officially allow the united nations to set up refugee camps like the ones we've seen in jordan and in turkey. so as a result, the syrians that come to lebanon are really surviving on their own. so when you go to the tent cities that we went to yesterday all along the border, about 1400 of them all along that border, these are people that are literally surviving on their own. they are sometimes collecting garbage, sifting through whatever scrap metal they can get their hands on, just to try to sell it to earn a few dollars a day so they can buy food for

their families. many of them still suffering the symptoms of the war, psychological stress for those children. a lot of them still have the visible marks of that war. they don't have access to clean water, no sanitation, no healthcare. so it is a serious humanitarian problem that is also draining the resources of the lebanese government. there's also the growing concern that the type of violence inside syria that is across sectarian lines can be reflected inside lebanon because lebanon mirrors some of those sectarian divisions. so there are growing concerns that if there is a u.s. military strike it could destabilize lebanon and could create the kind of fracturing that we've seen across the syrian society. that is a major concern politically and from a humanitarian perspective for the officials here. luke? >> important distinction there you mentioned, ayman, about the fact that the jordanians allow the u.n. in, lebanon does not. two very distinct camps. thanks for the report. we appreciate it. this morning president obama gave us some specifics about why he eventually pushed the syrian

decision onto capitol hill. >> i put it before congress because i could not honestly claim that the threat posed by assad's use of chemical weapons on innocent civilians and women and children posed an imminent direct threat to the united states. in that situation obviously i don't worry about congress. we do what we have to do to keep the american people safe. >> former california congresswoman jane harmon is the president and ceo of the woodrow wilson international center, and she joins us now. ms. harmon, thanks so much for being on the program. >> thank you, luke. >> how do you read the president's performance here in the g 20? he obviously was not able to get ten nations in support as that was the ideal move they wanted to accomplish. >> yes. >> how do you read the situation? >> i read it positively. and i also read the move to ask congress's view very positively. i was concerned last week about an extremely messy process.

and there was one. but now that congress is having a debate, really conducting i think an international civics lesson for the world about how mature democracies behave, i think many more dimensions of this are being discussed. simply with the g 20. a lot of the leaders have political problems at home, so their public position may be one thing but their private position and the evolving position of their citizens may be another. i don't think it's clearly enough understood yet that nobody is talking about a combat mission in syria. what is being talked about is a limited set of strategic strikes to deter and degrade, important word, the chemical weapons potential of syria to conduct additional strikes on its own people or by missile on its neighbors. very important. on its neighbors. so i think this is evolving. i think the president's performance tomorrow night will be critical in terms of what congress hears.

but a couple of comments on congress. i was listening to earlier segments, especially chris salisa who voted for iraq based on my reading and i read it of the intelligence. the intelligence was wrong and i was wrong. but intelligence here is solid. and i think there are a bunch of members in both parties, especially in the house, who really know this needs to pass but want permission to vote no. and they'll vote no if they know other people will vote to pass it. it's a shell game that goes on often. they're also trading their votes for things they may want in their districts. this goes on, too. i know everyone is shocked to hear me say this. but the vote count won't be clear, i believe, until the actual time of the vote. nancy pelosi is a master at this. >> you're close with nancy pelosi. you know how she operates. she's a very experienced vote caller. from reading the tea leaves so

far, in if this is going to pass it will be on the backs of the democrats. is there enough resolve in the house democratic caucus to go with this? so many of them were elected in 2006 against the iraq war. so many have been lifelong opponents of military intervention to some degree. can she pull this off? she's delivered to the president every single big victory he's had. can she pull this one off? >> well, let's starts with the merits. this is a moral obscenity. it also is a huge threat to the lives of syrian kids and mothers in the future and the whole neighborhood. and the country of israel, which could be adversely affected, favors this limited strike and pro-israel groups are lobbying for it. that's going to move a lot of members, even in the left of the democratic party. what people are worried about, it's can i get re-elected, is being primaried from the left. i was primaried from the left numbers of times after my iraq vote, which i just explained to you. i won 17 elections including primaries for the house of

representatives. i never lost. i explained myself. some people disagreed with me. but i think the reason people get elected to congress in the end or should get elected is to lead. and that requires taking some risks. this president is very cautious. he's taking a huge risk here. he took a huge rest welcome respect to the takedown of osama bin laden. i think his risk is right. and i think the country gets more led in after tomorrow night will begin to move toward favoring limited, careful strikes without the insertion of combat troops in order to prevent a much larger-scale moral obscenity, which 180 nations including russia have said should never happen again. >> former representative jane harmon now at the wilson center. thanks for joining us. we appreciate it. >> thank you. in other news, making headlines here on the east coast, if the skies stay clear and they look great so far, an unprecedented spectacle is set

to light up the sky tonight, making everybody happy who likes astronomy like our own oliver cox here. a nasa rocket carrying an unmanned spacecraft bound for the moon will blast off just before 11:30 p.m. from a launch pad on the eastern shore of virginia. the rocket could be visible to tens of millions of spectators. nasa has even released these handy viewing guides showing what you can expect to see. i'll check that out tonight. forget kindergarten. this 5-year-old in china is already in flight school. that's moving quite quickly. he's trying to soar into the record books as the world's youngest solo pilot. the boy and his father, who calls himself eagle dad, have become famous in china for enduring a series of extreme challenges. surely this one will be the most extreme. i'm angela, and i didn't think i could quit smoking but chantix helped me do it. i told my doctor i think i'm... i'm ready. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking.

it reduces the urge to smoke. i knew that i could smoke for the first 7 days. i knew that i wasn't putting nicotine back into my body to try to quit. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. if i could describe being a nonsmoker, i would say "awesome." [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor

no two people have the same financial goals. pnc investments works with you to understand yours and helps plan for your retirement. talk to a pnc investments financial advisor today. ♪

bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? at midnight tonight, janet

napolitano will no longer be the secretary for homeland security. for the past 4 1/2 years she's led the third largest department in the u.s. government. at a goodbye ceremony today, vice president joe biden wished her well by praising her calmness in the face of tragedy and saying the u.s. is safer today because of the way she did her job. then he also added this. >> i told the president when he asked me to do this job, on two conditions, one i'm not wearing any funny hats and two i'm not changing my brand. so everybody knew what he was getting. but here's the deal. i think janet should be in the supreme court of the united states. >> this week, nbc's justice correspondent pete williams did an exit interview with napolitano. >> you've been homeland security secretary longer than anybody else. every morning hair-raising briefings about the terror threat. i assume you're not going to miss that >> yes. i get here early in the morning.

and that's the first thing we do is look at what's happened overnight during the past day. and i'll be leaving that to my successor, that's for sure. >> nbc's pete williams joins us now. some refreshing honesty. we don't see an opening per se on the supreme court for ms. napolitano. do we have any frontrunners for her successor? >> who will take control of the department of homeland security is the deputy secretary rand beers. but the president has yet to nominate anybody. >> one thing that people associate with dhs is the tsa, having to take your shoes off at the airport, your belt off. what did napolitano say about that and the organization when she was running it? >> remember under her administration two of the most controversial steps by tsa, full body scanners and the pat downs. what she said is that al qaeda's desire to attack an airliner remains the most serious threat, although she did say that the approach to airline security has changed.

>> yes, we've moved away from treating all travelers i'd i denticly and moved to more let's make decisions. 12 years and under you can leave your shoes on. if you're older you don't have to take off your belt or your shoes. >> there was a time when you and your predecessors thought that the liquids ban might be temporary. is it pretty much here to stay, would you say? >> this is something we are concerned about, the use of liquids as explosive devices on planes. it's something our science and technology directorate is working on. i think we're all stuck with small bottles of shampoo. >> and pete, when she was governor of arizona she worked very closely on the issue of immigration with other governors and with the federal government. what did she have to say about that issue? for someone who has had a lot of experience both governor of arizona and homeland security? >> she said one of her big

disappointsments congress has yet to pass an immigration bill. she's optimistic the house will pass it now senate has passed it. i asked her about continuing criticism from opponents who say they can't vote for it unless there's better security at the border. >> the border security argument to me, it creates the image that somehow we're not or haven't done anything at the border. and it's simply lucy goosy down there. exactly the opposite is true much more manpower, technology, infrastructure, crime and illegal immigration at 40-year lows. we continue to work on that border. >> interesting almost that she's trying to solidify her legacy as someone who made the border a lot more secure. surely deportations were up over her tenure. >> and arrests of criminal aliens. she says people who claim that we need better border security in order to vote the bill, she says that's just a pretext. they oppose it any way and

they're using that as an excuse. that's her view. >> fascinating stuff. you can get the whole interview on msnbc.com. call this time ultimate power lunch. former president bill clinton dined with former president george h.w. bush yesterday afternoon in maine, and president bush came ready with what clinton calls his "sock swag." clinton treated in quote "enjoying my annual lunch with the the president and mrs. bush in maine. envious of his western cactus theme socks." #sockswag. you can see the socks right there, quite quite cool. this is the latest example of bush's 41 sock style which ranges from colors to patriotic patterns. even president obama got into the footwear trend. he received a colorful pair from the president at the white house this summer. we do not know if he has worn them yet. he hasn't publicly. stay around. "andrea mitchell reports" come back soon. it starts with little things. tiny changes in the brain.

little things anyone can do. it steals your memories. your independence. ensures support, a breakthrough. and sooner than you'd like. sooner than you'd think. you die from alzheimer's disease. we cure alzheimer's disease. every little click, call or donation adds up to something big.

a writer and a performer. ther, i'm also a survivor of ovarian and uterine cancers. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick... and then i got better.

president obama and putin have agreed on one thing so far at the g 20 summit. neither leader is changing their mind on syria. putin and president obama met one-on-one for about 20 minutes this morning. nbc's keir simmons joins me now live from moscow. keir, what are the leaders there saying publicly about their private chat? >> reporter: well as you say, luke, they didn't say that they reached an agreement, though of course anyone who thought they might was frankly kidding themselves, even though that might be the best way to solve syria's problems. the president putin saying it was a very friendly conversation, lasted 20 minutes. we stuck to our guns. everyone remains in his position. president obama saying "my interactions with him tend to be very straightforward." straightforward, yes, but no compromise from either side.

the russians over here really see that they think they are making the argument, of course, the president is waiting for that vote next week. >> keir, you've been reporting on a fascinating story about how an artist in russia who had depicted president putin and prime minister medvedev in women's undergarments, his gallery was seized. he was charged with inciting hatred if you will of there in russia. sort of a crackdown we've seen in this country. what can you tell us about this? >> reporter: that's right. the artist, the picture that he painted as you say shows putin's head on top of a woman's body, half naked body. so obviously it is a picture that president putin didn't like. there has been this clamp down on artists over the last year. what we did was woe flew two hours from here to meet his family.

his little 2-year-old girl, his wife. he had to flee russia to paris. we spoke to them and about how frightened they are that if he came back he might be arrested. and we actually connected them up by skype so they could talk to each other, so he could see his little 2-year-old girl. it was a really emotional moment for them. but it just underlines that was president putin is opposing the u.s., he does face opponents here in russia. although he does at the same time have a lot of support here. >> and it continues a trend of cracking down on various freedoms throughout the country, keir simmons, thank you so much. we appreciate it. about two dozen demonstrators have been rallying outside the g 20 meeting to protest a new russian law banning gaye quote unquote propaganda. jonathan capeheart joins me now with more of that part of the story. jonathan, is this another point of tension for presidents putin

and obama. obama has been very outspoken. he's going to meet with lgbt groups there in russia. some pressure to boycott the olympics in the united states, the upcoming ones in 2014 because of this. talk about this in the context of the u.s. and russian relationship. >> that's just one more burr in the saddle, if you will. you've got syria, edward snowden, and now you have this. and i wrote a piece yesterday talk about sort of the dichotomy between these two leaders. here you have president obama who is president of a nation where the supreme court of the united states ruled unconstitutional the so-called defense of marriage act which has made it possible for the federal government to expand the reach of equal treatment under the law to lesbian and gay americans who are marrying legally in states where it's legal. and then you have president putin of russia who in june signed a law, the quote unquote gay propaganda law, which

basically criminalizes gay life in russia. it also applies to tourists, foreign tourists in russia. that was in late june. then in early july, there was a law that was passed that made it illegal for same-sex couples in countries where marriage equality is legal but also applied to singles and heterosexual couples in those countries from adopting russian children in early july. just this week the deputy of the duma in russia submitted a bill that would make it possible for gay parents to lose custody of their children because they're gay. so here you have two leaders, two completely different ways of dealing with their gay citizens. >> and it puts a lot of pressure on the united states, jonathan, because while the u.s. is trying to sort of get some diplomatic tension eased between the two nations, this is a very important issue to a lot of

americans, it is especially something it sort of seems like the russians are sort of egging on the united states or sort of saying yeah, tell us what we can't do. it's got to have a huge effect on the foreign policy implications, especially regarding syria. >> it doesn't help matters. and especially since president obama has been so -- i mean, he's been very vocal about his support for lgbt rights in the united states and around the world. remember, former secretary of state hillary clinton gave a famous speech in geneva where she said, human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights. that is an international message that's been coming out of washington and out of this administration for a very long time. so as i said before, you add the lgbt crisis in russia to the edward snowden nsa leaks crisis with russia and sort of the building international consensus to do something about syria with russia, and you just have a whole basket of trouble for the

president with regard to president putin. >> quite a geo political adversary. thanks for being on the show. 50 years ago today, an estimated 2.5 billion people around the globe tuned in to television to see the broadcast of the funeral of princess diana. at the age of 36, princess diana of wales dmiied in a car crash paris the week before. now her story has been made into a big hollywood movie. naomi watts plays diana in the film that premiered in london yesterday. the controversial movie that forms diana's romances after her divorce from prince charles is getting mixed reviews from british critics, noting a lackluster dialogue and historical inaccuracies. but most reviews commend naomi watts for her portrayal of what many call the people's princess. also a great article in "vanity fair" about that if you happen to check that out. building animatronics

is all about getting things to work together. the timing, the actions, the reactions. everything has to synch up. my expenses are no different. receipt match from american express synchronizes your business expenses. just shoot your business card receipts and they're automatically matched up with the charges on your online statement. i'm john kaplan and i'm a member of a synchronized world. this is what membership is. this is what membership does.

♪ 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. ♪ the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom. ♪ i'm fed up with always having to put my bladder's needs ahead of my daughter. ♪ so today, i'm finally talking to my doctor about overactive bladder symptoms. [ female announcer ] know that gotta go feeling? ask your doctor about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents, for 24 hours.

if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma, or can not empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz. get emergency medical help right away if your face, lips, throat or tongue swells. toviaz can cause blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness and decreased sweating. do not drive, operate machinery or do unsafe tasks until you know how toviaz affects you. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. talk to your doctor about toviaz. ♪ we go, go, we don't have to go solo ♪ ♪ fire, fire, you can take me higher ♪ ♪ take me to the mountains, start a revolution ♪ ♪ hold my hand, we can make, we can make a contribution ♪ ♪ brand-new season, keep it in motion ♪ ♪ 'cause the rhyme is the reason ♪ ♪ break through, man, it doesn't matter who you're talking to ♪ [ male announcer ] completely redesigned for whatever you love to do. the all-new nissan versa note. your door to more. ♪

it was in 2011 that nbc's kate snow first brought us the incredible story of america lindhout who was kidnaped with a friend by somali. she detailed her 15-month nightmare in captivity for a ""dateline" nbc" episode that will air tonight. kate snow is joining me now. kate, i read the recent magazine article that she published which was absolutely excruciatingly extraordinary. how did you first hear about her? and tell me about your relationship with her and this story. >> it's interesting, luke. we actually accidentally met two years ago. i was covering the famine in africa on the horn of africa in kenya. and amanda happened to be there. this is two years after she had been held -- kidnapped in

somalia. we met her when she was actually believe it or not going back into somalia two years after her captivity ended. she was going back as an aid worker to help to raise money for food and famine relief and really help people in somalia. we went along on that trip. and from there we've been in touch. she's written a book, the excerpt you saw in the "new york times" magazine was the excerpt from that book called "house in the sky" which is out now. and she details in this book and on "dateline" tonight everything she endured over 15 1/2 months. >> and her story -- >> they tide your arms and your legs and pull your body up by ropes and leave you. >> yeah. the three longest days of my life. when they left the room and i laid there on my mat alone, every single part of my body screaming and throbbing and in absolute agony. i made a very calm decision to

end my life. at the moment where i was going to slit my wrists, out of the corner of my eye i noticed some movement in the room. and there was a small brown bird hopping around on this little square of sunlight. curious looking at the room, looking at me. and then he flew out. and what i felt next was this almost overwhelming desire to live and to be part of the world. >> just the ability of the human spirit to withstand such, such difficult circumstances. kate, tell me a little bit about her captors and how she was actually freed. her mom had to get $1.5 million for this. this was not just the u.s. government here. sorry canadian government. this was her mother. >> yeah. her mother plays a huge role in this story. that's her on the right. she's amazing. she's a single mother of three

kids, worked as a cashier most of her life living in alberta, canada. the rocky mountains of canada. and she's thrust into this situation where her daughter has been taken hostage half a world away. she's now negotiator. through 15 months she's on the phone every day negotiating, this mom, with these hostage takers. it was really incredible what she did and the power of a mother's love. at the beginning, they wanted $1.5 million, as you said, luke. by the end, she was able to negotiate it down to $680,000 for both amanda and a friend she was traveling with. still, a lot of money that they had to raise privately and secretly because they didn't want the hostage takers to know they were raising money. >> it's an extraordinary story. i encourage everyone tonight to watch kate's interview on "dateline" at 9:00 p.m. eastern on nbc. you don't want to miss that. if other news, check out this pair of record breakers.

peyton manning did what no quarterback has done since 1969. he threw seven touchdown passes tying the nfl record in the broncos 49-27 thumping of the baltimore ravens in the season opener last night. and betty white has had a career for the record books. now it's official. the guinness book of world records has given her the longest career for a tv entertainer. that's her title now. the 91-year-old actress and comedian has been making us laugh, get this, for 74 years. >> after 25 years of marriage, my wife roberta sent me a dear john letter. >> that's terrible, mary. 25 years and she doesn't know your name is eddie? ♪

♪ [ male announcer ] some things are designed to draw crowds. ♪ ♪ others are designed to leave them behind. ♪ the all-new 2014 lexus is. it's your move. [ agent smith ] i've found software that intrigues me. it appears it's an agent of good.

♪ [ agent smith ] ge software connects patients to nurses to the right machines while dramatically reducing waiting time. [ telephone ringing ] now a waiting room is just a room. [ static warbles ]

what political story will make headlines in the next 24

hours? chris is back with us. chris, andrea's traveling with secretary of state kerry in lithuania for meetings with foreign ministers about syria as well as the arab league. there's also something else happening in the next 24 hours, a lot of college football which then segues into nfl football. we know andrea's going to be at the redskins game on monday night. this is a football weekend, my friend. it is a great distraction from georgetown's horrific home schedule for basketball that came out yesterday. >> not to mention losing otto porter to it the draft. it's not going to be good. luckily, i'll always have the georgetown football team. i just trailed off there. >> you excited for the nfl? >> absolutely. peyton manning, seven tds last night. nice way to start things out. you know i love football on nbc. >> it was great, even with the lightning delay. we make it happen. >> that was good for putting the kids to bed. >> that does it for this edition

of "andrea mitchell reports." tonight on msnbc, tune in for a very special two of hour event "advancing the dream" hosted by reverend al sharpton. special guests include magic johnson, stevie wonder, and condoleezza rice. that's on msnbc tonight at 8:00 p.m. tamron hall has a look at what's next on the "news nation." i know you're a dallas cowboys fan, but you're going to talk about a more serious topic, which is syria. >> indeed, luke. i'll call you to talk about football later. thank you very much. in the meantime, as luke mentioned, 96 hours. that's how long our first read team says the president has to win over lawmakers who are still undecided on whether to support his plan for military strike on syria. the president says he will take his case to you in a primetime address on tuesday. i'll talk with congresswoman zoe loftgron who is still undecided. plus, exit interview.

homeland security chief janet napolitano has just hours left on the job. before leaving, she's sending a message to local law enforcement ahead of any possible strike on syria. and confessions of a drunk driver. some people are applauding this man for a video admitting his role in a deadly accident. but are his actions really praise worthy? it's our "news nation" gut check. [ shapiro ] at legalzoom, you can take care of virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes. protect your family... and launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. like carpools... polly wants to know if we can pick her up. yeah, we can make room. yeah. [ male announcer ] ...office space. yes, we're loving this communal seating. it's great. [ male announcer ] the best thing to share? a data plan. at&t mobile share for business. one bucket of data for everyone on the plan, unlimited talk and text on smart phones.

now, everyone's in the spirit of sharing. hey, can i borrow your boat this weekend? no. [ male announcer ] share more. save more. at&t mobile share for business. ♪

we'll take something tasty and healthy. ♪ must be the honey! ♪ there's a party going on in your cereal bowl ♪ ♪ o's can help lower cholesterol ♪ ♪ oh why does it taste so great? ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey! ♪ oh why does it taste so great? ♪

nascar is ab.out excitement but tracking all the action and hearing everything from our marketing partners, the media and millions of fans on social media can be a challenge. that's why we partnered with hp to build the new nascar fan and media engagement center. hp's technology helps us turn millions of tweets, posts and stories into real-time business insights that help nascar win with our fans. right now on "news nation," president obama confirms he will address the nation tuesday regarding syria. meanwhile, town halls are getting heated across the country and senator john mccain is set to hold another one today. >> enough is enough. we do not want another engagement in the middle east.