>> we have at this point provided a broad range of nonlethal supplies to the tnc. we haven't made a decision with respect to lethal assistance? >> you're not ruling it out. >> we haven't made a decision at this point. >> in syria, you have a decision where a brutal dictator is engaging in a crackdown that in many ways seems similar to moammar gadhafi's. yet the administration will not publicly call for president assad to resign. why? >> what we have called for is a stop to the violence. we have worked with the international community and unilaterally to put increased pressure on him through sanctions and other means. we have indicated to the syrians that it's important for him to either move to some sort of reform agenda or transition or get out of the way. that's essentially the strategy that we've undertaken. >> why are you stopping short of asking him to resign when you did ask mubarak to resign? >> with respect to mubarak -- there are different circumstances. they are different circumstances at this point. we continue to press the syrian leader assad who has ma

you have seen the standing up of the opposition group in the form of the tnc as an increasingly legit for the people of libya and there is an ineffortability here building as to what the result will be. >> why not recognize the opposition? >> that's a complicated legal issue, frankly. we have said straight up they are the legitimate and credible representative of the libya people. under that guise they have garnered a lot of support from around the world. we have a representative in benghazi who works with the opposition group, the tmc. >> would you be willing to arm them the way that frempl are announcing they are. >> we have provided a broad range of nonlethal supplies to the tnc and haven't made a decision with respect to lethal assistance. >> you are not ruling it out? >> we haven't made a decision at this point. >> syria. you have in syria a situation where a brutal dictator is engaging in a crackdown that in many ways seems similar to gadhafi but they will not call for the president to resign. >> we have called for a stop to the violence. we have worked with the international co

we expect this recognition will enable the tnc to access additional sources of funding. >> there has been much to service demands for political and financial support. even with those added resources, the quest to remove gaddafi remains a daunting task. >> at least 19 people have been killed in protests after friday prayers. security forces opened fire on demonstrators in a number of cities. this which shows a mass rally in opposition territory. the president of the country -- seven people were reportedly killed as armed protesters slashed with yemeni protesters in a southern city. top security officials were among the casualties. in the capital of sanaa, many demanded the resignation of the president. thousands of his supporters held counter demonstrations. the president is recovering from an assassination attempt. officials have denied rumors that the president would return to him and this weekend. to britain where the head of news international has resigned over the surveillance scandal that has engulfed the company's newspapers. rebekah brooks said she felt a deep sense of respons

. >> we have been hearing that britain has recognized the tnc. the next up is to get you in recognition. >> exactly. we have had a steady stream of recognitions. the u.s. government a couple weeks ago. these are incremental positive steps in the right direction as far as the rebels are concerned. there is not a lot of money that is released by the recognition of the british government or the u.s. government. the great majority of the gaddafi funds, over $30 billion by some estimates is frozen by u.n. sanctions, applying to the rebels and the gaddafi regime. the sanctions have to be amended or figured out in some legal fashion and the only logical way to do that is to keep recognition by the -- seek recognition by the un. that is the main goal and that drive is strengthened by the recognition by major countries. >> we will leave it there. thanks for your insight. thousands of people have gathered in trafalgar square in london for the opening ceremony of the london olympics. the last of the major venues to be completed was open. the report on a day

but the credibility boost, the diplomatic boost that the tnc got today might help them to stand theirround for a bit longer. but they're starting to be impatient. >> now to the global economy. today, eurozone nations announced they will hold a summit in brussels to discuss how to handle the debt crisis and to provide fresh aid for greece. it comes as a to european banks failed stress test to see if they could cope with a future financial meltdown. >> the financial health of europe's banks have come under the spotlight once again. 90 of the biggest banks across the continent have been tested to see how they cope with the stresses and strains of another recession and financial meltdown. the stress tests come at a different -- a difficult time for european markets. investors are on high alert over economic problems in greece, portugal, ireland, and more recently in spain. last year's stress tests were seen as too soft, especially when two irish banks collapsed after -- just months after being given a clean bill of health. they have since beefed up the tests to see how banks will cope wit

we still have to work through legal issue, but we expect this step on recognitiognition will the tnc to access additional sources of funding. >> and wolf, as you mentioned, this did come as a bit of a surprise today. when secretary of state clinton made that announcement, applause broke out in the room where she was speaking. also good to mention that the final communique of the meeting today, all the participants basically said that gadhafi had lost legitimacy and that right now this libyan national transitional council needed to be recognized as the legitimate governing authority and that also a cease-fire needed to be created and implemented in libya at this time. wolf? >> the opposition, as you well know, they're certainly happy with increased funding. they're happy with increased political support, but there's something else they desperately ne need. can you tell the viewers? >> that's right, wolf. we ran into the spokesperson for the libyan transitional national council at the conference today. and he was expressing quite a bit of frustration at the fact that even though so man

tnc says, well, send it to quinlan brooks.of fo send it to her. she teaches at such and sucha college. i sent it to her. she said, look, young man, i don't know what you intend to d with your life, but you ought ti be a writer. that made something of an impression on me.essi on and so from their that ended upt totally redefining myself. i went on to become a columnistu for the chicago sun-times at the age of 19. my past was sort of said.e w >> we both know clarence very well. he tells a wonderful story aboue hiw he got hired on the chicago to be in. i 1969, the west side, gone up in flames. looked around the newsroom toi find that to the consent to actually knew the co west side,w there was nobody. parents get hired. did you have a similar kind of experience in getting into theto business? >> not exactly. but i got in on some of that same energy. i mean the beginning, the 1965,i you are talking about a time when for reasons repro will need not go into, major metropolitan newspapers, hire anybody black. and so most of them didn't have anybody black

that the tnc is self-appointed and unelected. it does not necessarily represent the full breadth of libyan society or all elements that will form a successor libyan government. as has been often commented during our debates, we really do not know who all the rebels are. in addition, representatives of the tnc and areas of libya that remain under the control of gadhafi forces are forced to remain anonymous now. touting their understanding. and their legal complication of recognizing the tnc. doing so could have the perverse effect of absolving the current libyan regime of carrying out legal obligations including compliance with u.n. security council resolutions because they would no longer be acting on behalf of the libyan state. recognition of a successor government of libya is in my judgment best left until the end of the conflict and not pre-judge before the parameters of the successor government are fully known. and so for these reasons i will oppose the amendment. >> mr. chairman, may i be heard on this? >> yes, senator boxer