the couldn't place when the white house was seeking consent from congress to arm syrian rebels? and was this strike contemplated at the time the white house was seeking the congress's concurrence? because this certainly didn't come up on their vote on continuing resolution. >> this is a group we've been watching -- to make sure we're focused on imminent plotting against the united states and against that's what he did last night. >> is the idea of an imminent plot against the united states by this khorasan group, is that the way the white house is essentially asserting its legal

authority? again, you don't have an explicit authorization from congress on the air strikes, on what we're doing now. what congress voted on was arming syrian rebels. the question i'm asking, is the legal authority to go into syria now, to do air strikes now, based on this idea of an imminent threat, is that how you're coaching it to congress? >> with respect to this group of al qaeda operatives and this group of al qaeda veterans, yes, they pose a threat to the united states and to our partners, and we were watching them conduct what we determined to be advanced stage plotting. and the president's been clear under current authority, he has the authority to go after, take that fight to disrupt al qaeda operatives and their associated forces to disrupt that plotting. he's also been quite clear he's got the authority he needs to take this fight to isil, but this is not america's fight alone. what you saw last night was five

arab nations working in a broad coalition to take that fight to isil under the authority that the president's been clear he has. he's also said in his statement of a week or so ago, we welcome congressional action on this because we are better off as a nation when we're working together with congress. >> would the white house like to see an explicit vote to authorize air strikes inside syria from congress? >> the president's been clear on this. there's a number of different ways congress can show their support. we saw one form in the authorization, the broad bipartisan support for the train and equipment program for the syrian opposition we'll be working, again, with partners to implement. >> lisa monaco, thank you very much. with me now is msnbc's chris matthews, host of "hard ball."

you add the khorasan threat, the imminent threat. that's how white house can couch this without going to congress for vote. we had a vote from congress which is different. arming syrian rebels. >> i always wonder why a leader tells us something, is it to get us to do something usually or support him in doing something? what are we to do to know -- what are we to do in reaction to the fact that we hear people have gone over to join isis from america and are coming home, what are we to do with that information? that's a great question. just support him in his air strikes? i think that is the answer. i think what they want is the left especially to back the president because of the threat to the united states and the united states. what i'm thinking of, if i'm running an airline coming out of -- coming out of istanbul, i'm going to make sure no one who's been with isis is getting on the plane. no worry about frisking them. they won't get on. khorasan, whatever route they take to the country, but you

have to look at geography and the history of the people that went over there and what they were doing there and their explanation. i mean, israeli airlines are pretty smart about this. they do about a 45-minute interview with you if they think there's a problem. they did it to me a number of times. that's one thing that scares the heck out of anybody, a bomb. they're talking about the khorasan group learning how to plant bombs on airplanes. i talked to a guy that's an expert, you can only carry a certain amount of liquid with your kit is because, beyond that, it can blow the plane apart. have you to be very careful about what kind of liquids they're carrying or dynamite on their hands. that's a huge action thing to do. i hope the airlines are listening to the speeches. there's nothing we can do, say yes or no to the president about whether to support. in the en, rational americans, the thing that got us into in war is the gut reaction to the beheadings. biggest news story you and i know in five years. everybody can imagine being

beheaded. they think, i whoa, i don't want that. they're the bad guys. >> the metastasis on this has been very interesting. americans say, we have no interest going into syria and continuing the arab springs by u.s. air force toppling bashar al assad, the president characterizing them as dentists and farmers, we're not arming them, then the beheadings and a complete turn-around. the american people for this. this is separate from what congress said he could do. this is air strikes inside syria. americans with it, republicans in congress -- >> because they killed these guys because they were americans. not because they were jewish or any other reason they had in their cause. they did it because they're americans. the american people got the message. if it was me, you or i would say, they would have done the same thing. they're going to do women now, do other people. just think about the reaction that's coming now to these air strikes. there's going to be reaction. their way is beheading. it's going to continue. we'll see whether, you know, should be fighting a war on that basis? we are.

>> we definitely are. what is the significance of having at least four arab countries, that it's not just americans over there. >> i said this earlier on ronan's show. i think it's remarkable. the first time in history arab countries, arab states have gone out and killed arab terrorists. really killed them. i mean, and i always say there's one reason you never have any peace in the middle east is because the palestinian people have never been willing to kill palestinian terrorists for killing jews, forced the jews to kill them, which has kept the war going. like all history f you're going to sign a treaty, have you to enforce it. when irish got their free state back in the '20s, they had to kill people who broke the treaty. that was the deal. they had to do it. so, when you find an arab country that's willing to enforce a treaty, respect for another country or go after terrorists and they're willing to do the dirty work, but i'm still waiting to see if they're in the skies with us. i want confirmation we have airplanes up there flying and

bombing. the uae has admitted to doing it, jordanians might have admitted to it. friends in high places. i want to see the pilots up there bombing, not just using their airfields. >> in history we've used a strong man to contain the islamist in their country. we did it in egypt with mubarak containing muslim brotherhood, hussein contained whatever shiite militias inside that country and now we have strong men are back -- >> every one of our allies is a monarchist. the emirates, jordan, king hussein, a good one, but another inherited monarchy, same with saudi arabia. we got rid of the baathist who look good compared to what we got. we got rid of hussein. we got rid of gadhafi. the other tradition in egypt begins with nasr in the army. inherited through the army. we don't have any democratic allies. we either have army people or we

have monarchists. >> is that why there's still a reluctance, even though now we are arming and training for a full year, i guess, militants, but we're not willing to go to the point where we're willing to train them to topple the saddam regime because you have one more place you don't know what you get? >> yeah, look, the arab street has never been with us. the arab street didn't like jewish immigration of '20s, never liked israel state. if there was a vote over there? is there wouldn't be a israel state. you've got to be kidding. the neocons, what i held against them was the dubious argument is that we have to topple every neighbor that's a problem with israel and then israel would be better off or we'll be better off. i never saw the evidence of that in history. so, whatever their motives were, they weren't right. >> well, and the countries that are helping us now, none of them, with the exception of jordan, are really cooperating in that other project, which is trying to gettis the israeli/palestinian peace going.

>> who is doing a good job is kerry. it's not time for applause but they're working hard. the united states government is working hard to avoid a war with iran. we have an ingredient to fight terrorists. >> in the end, is that really going -- isn't that the most positive outcome, potentially, here? as you said, now we have a new basis for coalition, that we all agree we have to fight this? >> you know why they're on our side? self-interest. they're the number one targets. they can talk about coming to get us, the united states, the real targets are the monarchiem, jordanian, saudi arabia, emirates. that's where they would like to grab control and build a caliphate. they're not going to build a caliphate in san jose. that's not the plan. may be the dream but not going to happen. >> chris matthews host of "hardball". >> we're going to send the entire show on the aspects of this war. we are at war. we're actually saying it.

>> chris matthews, ind indisspinsible "hardball." >> we are listening to bill clinton who is giving some remarks at clinton global initiatives. >> i want to bring out the president but i want to start by thanking him for being with us for what is a very busy week every year, the opening of the u.n., but because of all the turmoil in the world, it's a particularly busy week this year. he's been part of our annual meeting every year since 2008. and i'm very grateful for that. it reflects his lifetime commitment to and belief in citizen activism. just a koim weeks ago i was honored to join the president at the white house to celebrate 20th anniversary of americorps.

it was one of my proudest achievements because all of those 900,000 young people who have done that are now out making a difference in the world, like you are. an astonishing two-thirds of them chose a career in some form of public service. although not a lot of governmental. a lot ngo work. i'm grateful to him for continuing that movement. and far too many places around the world, people are still not free, however, to join together to do this kind of work. and that reminds us of the importance of government, at least to empower people, to do the kind of things you're advocates and spend your lives on. every successful government needs a strong government, a strong private sector and a vigorous civil society. i know from hillary's time at the state department that the president has always supported

this and has done what he could to support people like you from his current position. so, for many reasons, i'm especially grateful to him for being here, for continuing to believe that as he strives to stop bad things from happening around the world, the rest of us are supposed to do more to make good things happen. so, please join me in a warm welcome to president barack obama. [ applause ] >> thank you.

thank you so much. thank you. thaushgs everybody. please have a seat. good afternoon, all of you. i was just discussing with president clinton that if chelsea begins delivery while i'm speaking, she has my motorcade and will be able to navigate traffic. because actually it's pretty smooth for me during the week. i don't know what the problem is. everybody hypes the traffic, but i haven't noticed. always wonderful to follow matt damon. i saw people trickling out after he was done. these are the hard core policy people who decided to stay for me.

i want to thank president clinton for your friendship and your leadership and bringing us together. as only he can. bill first asked me to come to cgi when i was a senator. and as president i've been proud to come back every year. as president bill asked americans to serve their country. we recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of americorps on the south lawn. bill asked you to better our world. and together you've touched the lives of hundreds of millions of people. and it's a testimony, i think, to any leader, not just what they themselves do but how they can inspire action from others. by that measure, obviously, bill clinton has continued to exert

extraordinarily global leadership for decades. and i expect for decades more to come. [ applause ] now, in agreeing to come i had an ask as well. i think one of the best decisions i ever made as president was to ask hillary clinton to serve as our nation's secretary of state. [ applause ] she just welcomed me backstage. i'll always be grateful for her extraordinary leadership representing our nation around the world. and i still have a lot of debt to pay, though, because of two of them were separated far too often. hillary put in a lot of miles during her tenure as secretary of state. she has the post-administration glow right now. she looks much more rested.

so, it's wonderful to be back at gci. i cannot imagine a more fitting audience with whom to discuss the work that brings me here today. and that is our obligation as free peoples, as free nations, to stand county courageous citizens and brave civil society groups who are working for equality and opportunity and justice and human dignity all over the world. i'm especially pleased we're joined by our many partners in this work. governments, civil society groups, including faith leaders, and men and women from around the world who devote their lives and at times risk their lives to lifting up their communities and strengthening their nations and claiming universal rights on behalf of their fellow citizens. and we're honored by the presence of these individuals.

as we do every time this year, presidents and prime ministers converge on this great city to advance important work. but as leaders, we are not the most important people here today. it is the civil society leaders who, in many ways, are going to have the more lasting impact, because as the saying goes, the most important title is not president or prime minister. the most important title is citizen. it is citizens. ordinary men and women determined to forge their own future who throughout history have sparked all the great change and progress. it was citizens here in america who worked to abolish slavery and worked for women's rights and civil rights. they are the reason i can stand here today as president of the united states.

it's citizens who right now are standing up for the freedom that is their god-given right. and i've seen it myself. in the advocates and activists that i've met all over the world. i've seen it in the courage of solar, the leader of cuba's ladies of white, who faced harassment and prison. i've seen it in the determination of russians in moscow in st. petersburg who speak up for human law and rule of rights. i've seen it for those in senegal who nurture their democracy and young african across the continent who are helping to marshal in africa's rise. i've seen it in the hope of young palestinians in ramallah who dream of building their future in a free and independent state. i see it in the persevere

republicans of men and women of burma striving to build a democracy against the odds. these citizens remind us of why civil society is so essential. when people are free to speak their minds and hold their leaders accountable, governments are more responsive and more effective. when entrepreneurs are free to create and develop new ideas, economies are more innovative and attract more trade and investment and ultimately become more prosperous. when communities, including minorities are free to live and pray and love as they choose, when nations uphold the rights of all their people, including, perhaps, especially women and girls, those countries are more likely to thrive. if you want strong successful countries, you need strong, vibrant civil societies.

when citizens are free to organize and work together across borders to make our communities healthier, our environment cleaner and our world safer, that's when real change comes. and we see this in the spirit in the new commitments you're making here, all the people of west africa and their fight against ebola. we've also seen the spirit in other cause, the global campaign against anti-personnel land mines. tireless advocates like jody williams fought for the ottawa convention. leaders like patrick leahy have led the charge in washington. 20 years ago president clinton stood at the united nations and pledged that the united states would work toward the elimination of these land mines. and earlier today we announced we will take another important step outside of the unique circumstances of the korean peninsula where we have a long-standing commitment to the defense of our ally south korea. the united states will not use anti-personnel land mines.

so, we will begin destroying our stockpiles not required for the defense of south korea. we'll work to find ways that will allow us to ultimately comply fully and cede to the ottawa convention. the united states will continue to lead as the world's largest donor of global de-mining efforts for communi efforts, freeing communities and countries from these weapons. but the point is, this started in civil society. that's what prompted action by president clinton and by myself. and promoting civil society that can surface issues and push leadership is not just in keeping with our values. it's not charity. it's in our national interest. countries that respect human rights, including freedom of association happen to be our closest partners. that is not an accident.

conversely, when these rights are suppressed, it fuels grievances and a sense of injustice that over time can fuel instability or extremism. so, i believe america's support for civil society is a matter of national security. it is precisely because citizens and civil society can be so powerful. their ability to harness technology and connect and mobilize at this moment so unprecedented that more and more governments are doing everything in their power to silence them. from russia to china to venezuela, are you seeing relentless crackdowns vilifying dissent as subversive. in places like make it incredibly difficult for ngos to operate. hungary and egypt, increasingly

target civil society. around the world, brave men and women who dare raise their voices are harassed and attacked and even killed. so, today we honor those who have given their lives. among them in cameroon, in libya, in cambodia, in russia. we stand in solidarity with those who are detained at this very moment. in venezuela, lopez. in barundi, in egypt, ahmed mayer, in china, shuba, and now ilham tohti.

in vietnam, father lee. and so many others. they deserve to be free. they ought to be released. this growing crackdown on civil society is a campaign to undermine the very idea of democracy. and what's needed is an even stronger campaign to defend democracy. since i took office, the united states has continued to lead the way and as secretary of state, hillary clinton helped champion our efforts. across the global, no country does more to strengthen civil society than america. and one year ago, here in new york, i pledged that the united states would do even more. and i challenge the world to join us in this cause. working with many of you, that's what we've done. and today i'm proud to announce a series of new steps. first partnering and protecting civil society groups around the world is now a mission across the u.s. government.

so, under a new presidential memorandum i'm issuing today, federal departments and agencies will consult and partner more regularly with civil society groups. they will oppose attempts by foreign governments to dictate the nature of our assistance to civil society. and they will oppose efforts by foreign governments. [ applause ] they'll oppose efforts by foreign governments to restrict freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. this is across the government. this is part of american leadership. sending, we're creating new innovation centers to empower civil society groups around the world. i want to thank our partners in this effort, including the government of sweden and the agakon development network. starting next year civil society groups will be able to use these centers to network and access knowledge and technology and

funding that they need to put their ideas into action. and we'll start with six centers in latin america, subsaharan africa, in the middle east and in asia. oppressive governments are sharing worse practices to weaken civil society. we're going to help you share the best practices to stay strong and vibrant. number three, we're expanding our support in funding for the community of democracies to better coordinate the diplomacy and pressure we bring to bear. this means more support for those who are fighting against the laws that restrict civil society. and-n recent years we worked together to prevent new limits on civil society from kenya to cambodia. and we've helped expand the space for civil society in countries from honduras to tunisia to burma. and standing together, we can do even more. and finally we're increasing our support to society groups across

the board. we're going to increase our emergency interest to embattled ngos. we'll do to match groups with the donors and funding that they need. and in the coming months our treasury department will finalize regulation so it's even easier and less costly for your foundations to make grants overseas. [ applause ] we'll increase our legal assistance and technical support to those pushing back against onerous laws and regulations. we'll help more governments truly partner with civil society. we'll continue to stand up for free and open internet to individuals can access information and make up their own minds about the issues their countries confront. and through our programs to engage young leaders around the world, we're helping to build the next generation of civil society leaders. our message to those young people is simple -- america stands with you.

we stand with educators like waleed ali of kenya. where is waleed? there he is. in his village near the border of somalia, young people without jobs are tempted by drugs, recruited by terrorists, so waleed offers them counseling and business class and small plots of farmland, helping them rebuild their own lives and their communities and giving them options for the future. he strives, he says, not just for the idea of democracy but to cement the practice of democracy. so, we thank you, waleed, for extraordinary efforts and we stand with you. we stand with humanitarians like miriam. where is miriam? there she is right there. in communities that are racked

at times by horrific violence. children are so terrified to walk the streets that many begin that dangerous and often deadly march north. and miriam's outreach centers give them a safe place to play and grow and learn. and she says her dream is that people in honduras can walk free. and the young people will have opportunities in their own country. and we couldn't be prouder of you, miriam, and we stand with you. we stand with activists like sopi jock of cambodia. where is -- there she is. sopi saw a fellow human rights advocate hauled off by the police. she could have fled, too, but she said she never thought of leaving cambodia even for a minute. she keeps organizing and marching and mobilizing youth to demand justice.

she says, i dream that cambodian citizens can enjoy the freedoms they're entitled to. we could not be prouder of you and we stand with you. and we stand with advocates like john gad of egypt. where is john? like all egyptians, john has lived through the turmoil of recent years. as an artist he uses his poetry and performances to help people discover the power inside them, which is as good a description of being an organizer as anything. and being a leader. and he's been working to help women and girls recover from violence and sexual assault. he's focused, he says, on how to teach egyptians to accept each other. and he has said that we have rights that we can achieve in a peaceful way. john is the future. that's why we stand with him.

these individuals are just a small sample. they're just an example of the extraordinary drive and courage and commitment of people that oftentimes are outside of the headlines. people don't do stories on them. when they're endangered or harassed, it usually doesn't surface in the news. but they are those pushing the boulder up the hill to make sure that the world is a little bit of a better place. and we live in a complicated world. we've got imperfect choices. the reality is sometimes, for instance, for the sake of our national security, the united

states works with governments that do not fully respect the universal rights of their citizens. these are choices that i as president constantly have to make. and i will never apologize for doing everything in my power to protect the safety and security of the american people. that is my first and primary job. but that does not mean that human rights can be simply sacrificed for the sake of expediency. so, although it is uncomfortable, although it sometimes causes friction, the united states will not stop speaking out for the human rights of all people and pushing governments to uphold those rights and freedoms. we will not stop doing that. because that's part of who we are. that's part of what we stand for.

and when governments engage in tactics against citizens and civil society hoping nobody will notice, it is our job to shine a spotlight on that abuse. and when individuals like the ones i introduced are being held down, it's our job to help lift them back up. when they try to wall you off from the world be we want to connect you with each other. when your governments may try to pass oppressive laws, we'll try to oppose pem. when they try to cut off your funding, try to give you a life line. when they try to silence you, we try to amplify your voice. and if amid all the restrictions and all the pressure and all the harassment and all the fear, if they try to tell you that the world does not care and that your friends have forsaken you, do not ever believe it, because you are not alone. are you never alone.

your fellow advocates stand with you and your community stands with you. your friends around the world stand with you. the united states of america stands with you and its president stands with you. no matter how dark the hour, we remember the words of dr. king. the time is always right to do the right thing. and dr. king also said that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. the reason we support civil society is because we have seen in this country of ours that it does, in fact, bend towards justice but it does not do so on its own. it does so because they're hands

of ordinary people doing extraordinary things every single day and they pull that arc in the direction of justice. that's why we have freedom in this country. that's why i'm able to stand before you here today. and that's we will stand with them tomorrow. god bless you you all. god bless all those who are working under tough conditions in every corner of the world. thank you, cgi. thank you, president clinton. thank you. >> that was president obama speaking at the clinton global initiative in new york city talking about the civil soc soc projects that the white house intends to undergo around the world. supporting ngos and other groups that are trying to foster positive civil society around the globe. while the president was speaking, nearby at the united nations, secretary of state john kerry just wrapped up a meeting of his own. a meeting with iraqi president.

secretary kerry spoke about the air strikes in syria. >> we will not allow geography or borders to prevent us from being able to take action against isil. we will not allow them to have a safehaven where they think they can have sanctuary against accountability. we will hold them responsible for their grotesque acrotrocita. >> secretary kerry is also meeting at this hour with arab league secretary-general al arabi. they hit over 20 targets overnight and inside syria. we'll have more when we come back.

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the pentagon says air strikes in syria targeting isis and the al qaeda linked group called al -- not getting name correct. are just the beginning of u.s.-led efforts to destroy and degrade the isis terror network. the stepped up military action comes as president obama and world leaders are gathered in new york right now around the united nations general assembly. president obama spoke at u.n. climate assembly today. and secretary kerry is meeting with al arabi. united emirates states it with strikes against isis and khorasan with u.s.-led coalition. they hit over 20 targets overnight from the air and the sea, including isis headquarters and training sites. a little known al qaeda branch just mentioned called khorasan, which you're probably hearing about for the first time today, administration officials say

they were plotting attacks against the united states and its allies. here's what tony blinken told my colleague andrea mitchell a short time ago. >> with regard to khorasan, this is a much smaller group but these are very experienced folks, unfortunately, who have been in pakistan, in afghanistan, in north africa, chechnya. they are very focused on homeland attacks, attacks in europe and because the plotting was getting advanced, we thought it was very critical to take advantage of this opportunity to go after them as well. >> and i'm joined now by lathe, senior terrorism analyst. this new group, khorasan, which i'll now get the name correct s one most americans have never heard of. this is something that's just come up as of last night and of these air strikes. who is this group? what is their relationship to al qaeda? and if any, relation to isis. >> khorasan is a word that means

the afghanistan/pakistan region. first to really splint eer jiha cell splinter of al qaeda veterans who have trained at their training camps in afghanistan. they are the true legacy of osama bin laden. they joined this path as a result of his influence over them. they include a number of saudi and kuwaiti most wanted men. they also include a number of foreign nationals from a number of countries where jihadi zones actually exist like chechnya. it's not exactly associates with al qaeda officially, but we know that it's mostly comprised of, you know, al qaeda veterans. and, of course, there is a threat that stems out of that concerning they've received operational training, you know, during days of bin laden and they've traveled to a number of countries where they were able to not only fund-raise for jihadi factions but give them

tactical training. >> so you have a group you just explained, khorasan group, offshoot of al qaeda. you have al qaeda in iraq. you have covered the span of the region of the two groups trying to lay claim to territory in that region. are these two groups coordinated with each other? are they two branches of a single tree? or are they potentially at odds with each other? >> they're not exactly coordinating with each other, but i think because of what they call this crusader war on the islamic stake that it could potentially create an environment where some of these groups would start cooperating despite the disputes they've had. we know that isis has been at odds with most of al qaeda groups, especially in syria. even beheading a number of their commanders. but i think this -- you know, this may create an environment where they're forced to cooperate together. that's not good. it's almost like a deadly recipe. >> indeed. really quickly, are we starting

to hear any chatter, any response from militants connected with isis to the air strikes that the united states is conducting inside syria? >> most of the talk has been, you know, from anonymous individuals online that expressed their support to the islamic state. some are undoubtedly fighters with the islamic state active on social media. the call has been to basically jihadist fighters around the world. not only fighters but supporters, to really attack civilian and military targets associated with the west. primarily the united states, france, australia and other nations. they've also encouraged attacks on so-called proxy states like the kingdom of jordan, the kingdom of saudi arabia and the united arab emirates. so they feel like targeting western interests, as well in the region, they're able to do great harm to the united states and weaken its campaign on isis. >> thank you very much. appreciate it.

>> thank you. regita is a u.n. bureau chief. thank you for being here. i want to ask you to kind of give us a sense of what regional actors, those represented at the united nations right now, what is their reaction to what the united states is doing with four to five arab partners? syria? >> it's significant, arab partners, five of them are open about discussions and making it public that they have participated in this operation against the extremists inside syria. it's significant because they whe saying to the united statesu atev yeho t d i at defeing 'sha

eyth d not wto g d an ioatngainiayr that stenimth hyn perr murs the i methg tndhe scesha tt bes entruck r whas xtho, ws it ngo be ssle t tkeneg rehey analimitinge moentnd a poino em y ofheyriaha rege tt ishetsam . 's briountt icpartatg htag ains extmi g roup on the oere uidav he zbolh,sppoer f ol aco ond has been some coordination between hezbollah and the government of bashar al assad. on the other side you have iran con deputying the air strikes saying they're illegal but not saying they're against the idea

of striking isis. how does iran play into this equation and how does hezbollah potentially play into the equation? >> well, hezbollah plays exactly the way iran wants him to play in this equation. there's no independence for hezbollah, who is fighting inside syria, along the side of the president -- or the regime of bashar al assad. so, these are the guys that are fighting with isis are against isis. so, it's a very interesting position here. they want the united states and its allies to go and beat up on isil, isis, et cetera, but they really don't want to look as if they -- as they are accepting to be excluded from the coalition. they want to be part of it, legitimately, if you want. they want to legitimize the continued al assad in power where president obama says, no, he's lost legitimacy. so, they hide behind issue of

sovereignty. they say, have you to have the consent of bashar al assad before you go in. even if you are going in to do him a favor by getting rid of his enemy. i think this is not the end of the game. i think it would be -- it's a long haul. i think we're going to be seeing so many different things developing including hopeful liv if the united states clarifies for us, what are they saying to the iranians as far as their role in syria, how are they going on with their support of bashar al assad, who the president of the united states has lost legitimacy, and what are they doing next door to saudi arabia, the ally in this coalition, and i mean exactly in yemen. >> yeah. it's a fascinating game of three-dimensional chess. thank you for helping us understand it. we appreciate it your customers, our financing. your aspirations, our analytics. your goals, our technology. introducing synchrony financial,

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providing great power to our customers. when i go out there, flip the switch and get their power back on, there's a great sense of satisfaction. our plans supported bipartisan majorities in congress to ramp up our effort to train and equip the syrian opposition who are the best counterweight to isil

and the assad regime. >> president obama this morning reiterating his bipartisan support from congress to arm and train syrian rebels. however, some members of congress believe that a debate over syria air strikes should be happening right now. >> and we voted, luke, as you know last week for probably the most controversial piece of the president's plan, which was the arming and training of rebels inside syria. i wish we were having that debate on the authorization right now. if it's not just a defensive mission but an offensive one, that's when congress is needed. that's what the constitution says. >> congresswoman of ohio is chair of the congressional black caucus, holding its annual legislative caucus this week. hence, my presence here in d.c. congresswoman, senator cain just said the most controversial part of the president's plan was the arming and training of syrian rebels. would you agree that is more controversial than air strikes

inside of syria, by the way air strikes, which we have not discussed with the sovereign country we are bombing? >> i think he's absolutely right. i think that is the most controversial piece, because there's so many of us who do not believe, first off, there is a moderate opposition. secondly, we know this whole concept of training the moderate opposition is going to take more than a year. we're talking about as many as maybe 5,000 over a year. but isis is a threat now. they have more than 30,000 fighters and tons of money. >> you voted against it. you voted against that part that was connected to the continuing resolution in and of itself, might be a questionable thing for a lot of americans why it wasn't a stand-alone vote. you voted against that piece. do you support what's happening light now in syria? >> do i. >> why? >> i always believed the air strikes was the way to go. i think that once you start to train people, once we're on the ground, to me that's mission creep. and i just don't want to see us do that. i think as long as we can make real significant progress by air

strikes and, this is the bigger piece, to bring our allies in. i think that is what has made this and is going to make it a very successful event. a successful effort. but i do believe that the president was right when he says that other nations, arab nations, need to stand up. that's what i'm pleased about today. >> but should congress -- i mean, we do have this bizarre situation where we are now conducting air strikes inside syria. we have a military action. the president is calling members of congress and briefing them on what is happening, but congress isn't here. should congress come back and have a separate, distinct debate and vote specifically on what you have to say is our war conducting in syria. shouldn't congress come back and vote on that? >> yes. congress never should have left except for what we have is a majority who doesn't want to take a vote before the election. they say in this instance, the president has all the authority he needs. >> yeah. >> but then you'll turn around

and say, nope, you know what, he shouldn't have done that. >> they give him the executive authority except when they want to get out of town. john boehner -- the republican who is have spoken except for the more libertarian members, are in favor of these air strikes. what would john boehner -- what would there to be worried about coming back and holding a vote? >> his people being re-elected. that's what he would worry about. they don't want to take any vote about anything that's difficult, where weather it it be war, immigration, voting rights, anything. >> stunning. congresswoman, you're here in d.c. and i appreciate you being here with me today. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> that does wrap things up for "the reid report." i'll see you back here tomorrow at 2 p.m. eastern. be sure to visit us online at thereidreport@msnbc.com. news i, bad news in email. good news -- fedex has flat rate shipping. it's called fedex one rate. and it's affordable. sounds great. [ cell phone typing ] [ typing continues ]

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terrorist groups. the pentagon says this is only the beginning. >> beginning of a sustaining campaign to destroy isil. >> i can tell you that last night's strikes were only the beginning. >> and our response has to be all hands on deck. >> the first target is isis. >> last night on my orders, america's armed forces began strikes against isil targets in syria. the overall effort will take time. there will be challenges ahead. but we're going to do what's necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group. for the security of the country and the region and for the entire world. >> coalition strikes targeted isil training camps, control and command headquarters facilities, armored vehicles and leadership. >> we're not talking about hundreds of people. we're not talking about a 9/11-style trained operatives. but there are americans who have been trained there. they are coming back here. i can tell you from working directly with the fbi on this issue and european law

enforcement on this issue, they are extremely concerned that they are going to -- they're going to miss somebody coming back. >> i think this is undeniable and the subject of broad international consensus that these extremist groups cause an imminent threat to peace and security. >> a coalition of five arab nations are standing with the united states. president obama is meeting with these leaders today on the sidelines of the u.n. >> america's proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security. the strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not america's fight alone. above all the people and governments of the middle east are rejecting isil and standing up for the peace and security that the people of the region and the world deserve. >> represents is not something that iraq or even the region can or should take on alone. weac