president assad had basically a last chance. those of us-- those that you mentioned who thought maybe, maybe he could distinguish himself from the regime, in fact conduct a revolution against his own regime. it was always a pretty unlikely scenario, but there was that last hope because as your guests just said, he had a residue of sympathy, a residue of support that other leaders in the region such as president mubarak, didn't have. he had some of it. with the speech today he seems to have basically said no to always those who were hoping he would be the last card. and now the problem is when friday comes-- and whether it's this friday or next friday or any day-- if you have mass demonstrations-- and you will have them at some point because he has basically told his people there is no hope to expect from me at this point-- what will he do? the only option appears at that point to shoot which of course will be a tragedy, a tragedy for the syrian people, a tragedy for the regime. if its only obsession now is survival twill not sur

that's basically the lesson that i was talking about with respect to assad. in terms of whether he should stand down or not, you know, these kinds of things are up to the syrians, up to the libyans themselves. >> schieffer: this whole region is in turmoil now. trouble in bahrain and yemen, whose governments have been allies of ours in the fight against terrorism. now, there are demonstrations had jordan, one of our closest allies in the arab world. how do we decide which of these countries we're going to help and which ones we're not? >> bob, we're trying to help them all. i mean, you know, there is a lot of different ways of helping. we have certainly offered advice and counsel. i think the role that the united states played in egypt, for example, particularly between our military, between secretary gates, the field marshal, between admiral mullen and his counterpart was only possible because of 30 years of close cooperation. so we have to look at each situation as we find it. we don't have that kind of relationship with a country like syria. we just sent ba

in recent years, president assad has been courted by western countries. he is seen as a key to peace or war in the middle east. many syrians like president assad that he is facing the worst crisis of his presidency and he seems to be calculating that strength, not some sessions -- not concessions will get him through it. >> more than a billion people are thought to have spent the day watching the second semifinal of the world cup. india faced their neighbors pakistan. the first match was played on even soil since the mumbai tax that india blamed on militants based in pakistan. -- the mumbai attacks that india blamed on militants based in pakistan. >> at times, people seemed part of the problem. they promised security and we have seen it in operation. the line is the lucky ones, people with tickets. they have been funneled through these metal passages to an area where they could be searched again and where their tickets can be checked. somehow, patients prevails and the world cup had forced india and pakistan together in a way that many fans were trying to

al assad got a well-orchestrated show of support. the only visible dissent, this extraordinary scene. a woman rushing the president's car, quickly subdued. disappointed protesters are reportedly back out, with more expected. earlier this week, near syria's border with jordan, we met an eyewitness who dared speak. >> were you there when the security forces came to town? >> reporter: they invaded our mosque and started killing people, he said. tonight analysts say the syrian president seems convinced he can crush any protests. there are reports the military and police are out in force, rounding up a lot of people. >> there will be no limits to what president bashar assad will do. make no doubt about it. >> reporter: today the president said announcing reforms under pressure would be a sign of weakness. the same iron hand that kept his father in power for 30 years before him. ron allen, nbc news, amman. >>> in this country, when presidents and politicians use terms like "u.s. interests" and "the flow of commerce in the middle east and n

yesterday, assad's cabinet resigned. it's reported assad may lift a 60-year-old emergency law which is a key demand of government opponents. pro-assad demonstrators rallied in the syrian capital, and elsewhere, yesterday. >>> in japan, radiation levels at the crippled nuclear power plant continue to rise. sea water outside the plant contains more than 3,000 times the usual amount of radiation. the highest rate yet detected. government officials admit there is no end in sight for this crisis, and today japan upgraded its safety standards for nuclear power plants. tomorrow, french president nicolas sarkozy is due to visit tokyo. he is the first foreign leader in japan since the march 11th quake. >>> the president of the utility company that owns the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant has been hospitalized. he's being treated for high blood pressure and dizziness. he hasn't been seen in public for nearly two weeks. >>> also this morning, powerful and potentially dangerous storms are moving throughout the southeast. the w

yet unlike egypt's hosni mubarak or libya's moammar qaddafi, syria's bashar al assad has faced minorcattered demonstrations. but the situation is fluid and possibly escalating. scenes from youtube claimed to show protests across the country, including deraa, where there were deadly clashes. assad, who took power 11 years ago after the death of his father, has taken recent steps to put more money into people's pockets, and pledged to loosen some of the tight restrictions that have marked his government's rule. subsidies on several food staples were increased, something well received by this shopper in a damascus market >> ( translated ): everything is cheap-- cooking oil, rice, sugar. they're all cheap this time of year. >> reporter: she praises the government of the 45-year-old assad. an ophthalmologist trained in britain, he promised to modernize a centralized, soviet- style economy. consumer and luxury goods were allowed in, and syrians living abroad were invited to return. dr. haina shaaban is a key presidential adviser. >> president bashar did do many important steps internally,

assad did accept the resignation of his cabinet and this we -- cabinet this week, but they have little authority anyway. two weeks of unprecedented anti- government.protests have revealed strong discontent. at least 60 people have been killed in the government crackdown. >> in libya, the rebels are in retreat. gaddafi troops took back a few cities. the rebels are calling on western powers to send weapons, saying they cannot match the buffy -- cannot match the dauphine -- match gaddafi's ground arms. >> this is now a memorial to the fallen. benghazi is a stronghold, and rebels here say there is no going back. rebels tried to assess the situation in using their own photographs and videos. pictures from embattled towns. the latest are alarming. cities near tripoli and benghazi are now back in gaddafi hands. they want the others to help. >> they have an open area, but they have to do something. >> the rebels know that one area could fall next, a loss that would clear the way for benghazi itself. >> the people of egypt will get a chance to vote for a new president by november. parliamentary

the first serious challenge to president bashar al assad, 45, linked to terrorism by the u.s. he inherited power when his father died in 2000. hafez al assad ruled for three decades, accused of killing 20,000 opponents in a purge in the '80s. syria is now largely closed to outsiders. it insists foreigners are behind the unrest. and after first blaming armed gangs for the killings, today syria admitted some of its security forces made what the government called mistakes. a spokesperson for assad went on television to offer a laundry list of new benefits and reforms, higher pay, health care, more openness. she even said the government would consider lifting emergency laws in place 48 years. tonight opposition leaders dismissed those promises and demanded immediate measures, not talk. while calling for mass protests after friday prayers tomorrow. a day that may determine whether an uprising continues or gets violently crushed. ron allen, nbc news, cairo. >>> now we turn our focus to japan, where the humanitarian crisis is almost impossible to fathom. nearly 10,000 people are know

there's more turmoil in syria today after a hard-line speech by president al-assad. instead of announcing reforms, assad blamed recent protests on a foreign conspiracy. later a woman charged assad's motorcade-- you can see it in the video there-- she was immediate swarmed by his supporters. witnesses say syrian troops opened fire during an antigovernment protest. it is unclear if anyone was shot. that turmoil in the middle east has led to a price squeeze for drivers in this country. since the libyan revolt began last month, oil prices have risen nearly $20 a barrel. gas is up 47 cents a gallon, and with that in mind, president obama pledged today to make the u.s. more energy independent. here's chief white house correspondent chip reid. >> reporter: claiming he understands the pain caused by high gasoline prices, president obama today set a goal of cutting oil imports from 11 million barrels a day to just over seven million by the year 2025. >> we can cut our oil dependence by a third. >> reporter: but it's a promise presidents have been making and breaking since the

in syria, president bashar al- assad raised expectations of pending reform. he said people would be happy with his first speech since the protests turned bloody. the speech has come and gone and there is no promised to lift emergency rule and blamed the unrest on those targeting the country. our middle east editor has this report. >> president's assad delighted that his allies in parliament. he talked about change as he has done before, but he disappointed reformers who hoped for a big gesture, like the end of the emergency law that has powered the police state since 1963. instead, a foreign plot was one reason for the protest. something else loyal syrians should oppose. >> we are not seeking battles and fights. syria is peaceful and level, but we have never stopped from defending ourselves and our causes. those who want to take us on our welcome to do so. [applause] >> we reached a dissented inside syria who spent more than eight years in jail. >> he did not say anything new. all he says is from the past. >> he says he would like to be a reformer. do you bel

he had a lot of communications with assad before he killed the 13 soldiers in fort hood, and

today assad's cabinet quit and he hinted more changes may be coming. foreign journalists have been barred from syria. allen pizzey is reporting tonight from the syria/jordan border. >> reporter: tens of thousands turned out for what were termed loyalty to the nation rallies. the government said it gave people time off to attend, opponents claim workers were told they'd be fired and students would fail exams if they didn't show up. at the same time, state t.v. announced that the entire cabinet had resigned. the response to protests in which more than 60 people have been killed and hundreds injured trying to end 50 years of repressive rule. >> this would be a sea change, i think, and this is where the egyptian revolution did not do. i think this is where i see it's more important to watch changes in syria than any other place. >> reporter: the reason is simple: iran is syria's closest ally, which makes it a major problem for u.s. policy. syria is accused of providing money and weapons to islamic militant groups, including hezbollah and hamas. both are a

eleven days of fighting and they don't wave on wrath that shaken the regime of president bashar al assad of a government planes power sources like was claimed government ships are responsible for the situation in syria has raised he is another foreign intervention impossible james dennis is a right for middle east politics and security she says although the west is not the need to intervene in syria as a past right it might change its minds. it's bad to predict what's going to happen in the middle east at the moment but i would say that certainly what from what we're hearing from washington and from the europeans there is no appetite for expanding the current intervention that we're seeing in libya i think even in libya the americans have been very quick to hand over to to naysay and therefore sort of wash their hands of total responsibility to what will happen next that i had a reference in the was quoted as saying that they still believe that bashar assad is a reformer someone who can potentially i deliver a better syria rather than heading down into civil war which would have huge rep

breast that shaken the regime of president bashar assad while the government blames of foreign sources locals claim government to. interests football but the situation in syria has raised fears and now the foreign intervention possible change that is now is a light on middle east politics and security issues that the west is not an immunity to be in serious affairs right now ignite changes minds. it's bad to predict what's going to happen in the middle east in a moment but i would say that certainly what from what we're hearing from washington and from the europeans there is no appetite for expanding the current intervention that we're seeing in libya i think even in libya the americans have been very quick to hand over to nato. for sort of wash their hands of total responsibility for what will happen next that hillary clinton was quoted as saying that she still believes that bashar assad is a reformer someone who can potentially deliver a better syria rather than heading down into civil war which would have huge repercussions for the rest of the middle east bearing in mind syria's geo

happened next that i had a recurrence in was quoted as saying that she still believes that bashar assad is a reformer someone who could potentially i deliver a better syria rather than heading down into the civil war which would have huge repercussions for the rest of the middle east bearing in mind syria's geo strategic position so i don't see any kind of appetite at present for western intervention in syria that said syria has a legacy in the main in the eighty's of heavy handed clampdowns on its own sort of civil process and i think if we saw anything like what happened say ninety two to one family and the west would be first into being simply because the level of bloodshed but i think once again we're a long way away from that right now certainly libya has a more natural resources in terms of oil and is of course located i watch in the southern flank hold for us and pretty powerful european states syria on the other hand is deeply intertwined in the middle east peace process relations with israel of course has a longstanding and very complicated relationship with lebanon a country w

the salvation of libya has been providing a great deal of sideline advice and consultation now mr assad himself is a former captain in the libyan army and has a fairly deep amount of knowledge about how to operate so to speak tactically within the military confines so you have a grooming ground in washington which also seems to have a great deal of influence i think what you're going to see here is a secular style western government that would be introduced post that often but the likelihood of it succeeding for any length of time is minimal so you see no religious elements at all in this uprising in libya but i do but i do believe that initially we will see a western style secular style of government that will be introduced but that will that will fail i believe within a very short period of time and i believe that is where we will see a more fundamentalist islamic type of government that will surface and take power but initially i do believe there will be distrust by western western governments to try to instill a secular style western governments but i don't think it'll work the way

atop cars, carrying posters of assad and shouting, "only god, syria and bashar." >> brown: in a biddefuse tensions, assad, who took power 11 years ago after his father's death, has moved to increase wages for state workers. and the government promised yesterday to consider lifting the state of emergency in effect since 1963, with its restrictions on political freedom. but in washington today, white house press secretary jay carney condemned the regime's use of force. >> we urge upon the syrian government that they pursue a non-violent path, that they pursue political dialogue, because the future of this region depends upon... the stability and future of this region depends upon the decision by governments to listen to their people. >> brown: yesterday, defense secretary robert gates said that the syrian army should take a lesson from how the army in egypt refused to attack its own people. meanwhile, a leading syrian opposition figure called today for the international community to intervene to "stop the massacres." more now, from theodore kattouf. he served as u.s. ambassador to he

witnesses say president bashar assad's security forces opened fire. more than 50 people killed, according to human rights activists, in the town of daraa, epicenter of the uprising. video posted on the internet the only images of the carnage. >> the only way that assad can stay in power is by being brutal. he has lost his legitimacy. >> reporter: just yesterday a presidential adviser had promised a laundry list of reforms, higher pay, corruption investigations, a possible end to 48 years of emergency law. but clearly, many syrians are not buying it. in yemen, the crowds were even larger. hundreds of thousands demanding president ali abdullah saleh step down. saleh has lost key support in recent days. top military commanders and tribal leaders have joined the opposition, disgusted by a massacre last friday that killed nearly 50. today saleh was defiant, vowing not to hand over power. the u.s. counts on him to keep pressure on al qaeda in yemen and is reportedly trying to broker a deal. by phone a newspaper editor there said the president and the nation

assad has ruled for 11 years. he holds the majority of power in the authoritarian regime. in iraq, gunmen killed as many as 56 people in a siege in saddam hussein's hometown. at least eight attackers seized the provincial headquarters in tikrit. they took hostages before iraqi troops surrounded the site. footage showed smoke rising from the building as the battle raged. officials said the guen executed the hostages, then blew themselves up. in addition to the dead, nearly 100 people were wounded. the war of words over spending heated up today in the u.s. congress. it came as talks have largely broken down on funding the government for the rest of the current fiscal year. the house majority leader, eric cantor, suggested republicans might refuse to pass another short-term funding bill if there's no agreement on spending cuts. he blamed top senate democrats. >> i think that we have now seen as the american people have that harry reid and chuck schumer decided they won't be for cutting spending. if that's the case, there's only one other alternative. they've got to lay out a

i say with regard to syria, that assad, the dictator there and s probably getting a clear message. if he turns his weapons on the people and begins to slaughter them as gaddafi did, he is going to run the risk of having the world community come in and impose a no-fly zone and protect civilian population, just as we're doing in libya. and therefore, assad has one choice; that is, to negotiate with the freedom fighters in syria to create an entirely different government there. >> chris: let me just say briefly, senator lieberman, we are running out of time. are you suggesting that you would support some kind of international coalition to go in and do in syria what we're doing now in libya? >> if assad does what gaddafi was doing, which is to threaten and go house-to-house and kill anybody who is not on his side. there is a precedent now that the world community has set in libya. it's the right one. we are not going to stand by and allow this assad to slaughter his people like his father did years ago. and in doing so, we're being consistent with our american values and we're also on

assad did accept the resignation of his cabinet and this we -- little authority anyway. two weeks of unprecedented anti- government.protests have revealed strong discontent. at least 60 people have been killed in the government crackdown. >> in libya, the rebels are in retreat. gaddafi troops took back a few cities. the rebels are calling on western powers to send weapons, saying they cannot match the buffy -- cannot match the dauphine -- match gaddafi's ground arms. >> this is now a memorial to the fallen. benghazi is a stronghold, and rebels here say there is no going back. rebels tried to assess the situation in using their own photographs and videos. pictures from embattled towns. the latest are alarming. cities near tripoli and benghazi are now back in gaddafi hands. they want the others to help. >> they have an open area, but they have to do something. >> the rebels know that one area could fall next, a loss that would clear the way for benghazi itself. >> the people of egypt will get a chance to vote for a new president by november. parliamentary elections will be

in its crisis also internationally recognized president assad tara seized control of the administrative capital. for american presidents jimmy carter has criticize us policy towards cuba the end of a three day visit to the island he said decades of financial and economic sanctions have ended before carter and immediate able to wrestle his trade embargo and travel and calling them unproductive he was seen off by cuban leader castro said he was pleased with the visit. police in syria have reportedly opened fire at a demonstration in a false whole set of the talk and it's unclear whether shots were fired at the testers or into the air before the speech by president bashar assad let's hope they can also offer to lift the state of emergency as had been widely predicted according to human rights groups say over sixty people have been killed in a government crackdown on protests since march. over the take a short break now but how that got away katrina will be here with all the business news here on out. there is not enough stories for them on the ground. down to. get things nonexistent under

democracy and freedoms but it is quite interesting that she said americans almost defending bashar assad as a reformer today i think which is a reflection of how incredibly dynamic and fluid the situation is in the middle east at present. change. from middle east policy and security issues we've got the latest from libya around the clock and online check out regular dates from our correspondents on the. twitter stream and our facebook page and all the latest videos on our you tube channel. is it. that many mosques traveling on the match of stay are likely to think back to the devastating events of exactly a year ago thousand where dozens of commuters were killed and many others injured by two female suicide bombers saw getting to stations in the morning rush hour covering us out of it is outside one of the stations discuss the effects of a terror attack sac catechize state you have a second blast happened around this time where you people are starting to return to the interim member those hinge on. some possible it will. start i think there are pitfalls that brought the day people will b

to protect civilians the vote comes the supporters of the internationally recognized president al assad tyler seize control of the administrative capital as well as ivory coast second largest groups. police in syria have reportedly opened fire at a demonstration in the volatile city of latakia it was unclear where the shots were fired at protestors or into the air that followed a speech by president bashar al assad in which he did not offer to let a stage with mosul city have been widely predicted according to human rights groups say the sixty people have been killed in a government crackdown on protests since march. ok today the russian cosell seem to exhaust the doorstep of siberia to the truly open screech it is renowned for its nuclear research and ohms development with a regional malls shutoff tool for innocence as recently as the early ninety's but now it's all i do everywhere. to the albert hall you see the welcoming party for italian cosmonauts and astronauts is one of the designated space capsule landing zones special recovery teams are always ready to track and retrieve them j

democracy and freedoms but it is quite interesting that she said americans almost defending bashar assad as a reformer today i think which is a reflection of how incredibly dynamic and fluid the situation is in the middle east at present and as i said i think this is a genuine it's the biggest single challenge to bashar rule in ten years it's a huge event for syria can we just look at the implications beyond syria beyond yemen bahrain to iran now that there has been speculation that there's a wider goal here and that is to isolate iran and force a regime change there that of course coming from western influences is that something you suspect. well i think that story's been the intention of the west in terms of its policy towards iran it sees the iranian regime as its sort of public enemy number one and i think that honestly it would look to any means to do that but often the fact is that western support to opposition movements in these countries is actually far worse for those movements it gives them. a huge amount of legitimacy from them because there seem to be foreign backed elements

lebanon thinking i think i made a wave of unrest that she could have a genius president bashar al assad's government blames foreign sources locals claim government troops are responsible the situation in syria has raised fears another foreign intervention could be possible or dreams dense loud he's a writer a middle east politics and security issues says although the west is not in the new digital series a fast right now and might change its mind. it's back to predict what's going to happen the middle east in a moment but i would say that certainly what from what we're hearing from washington and from the europeans there is no appetite for expanding the current intervention that we're seeing in libya i think even in libya the americans have been very quick to hand over to the nature a. force of wash their hands of total responsibility to local happen next that i had a reference in was quoted as saying that they still believe that bashar assad is a reformer someone who can potentially i deliver a better syria rather than heading down into civil war which would have huge repercussions for t

main port city of latakia the latest city to be swept by protest against the rule of president bashar assad. the government says at least 12 people have been killed, reportedly by ungown-- unknown gunmen firing from roof 207s. for more on the policy challenges facing the president we are joined by john dickerson. good evening. >> good evening, jim. >> a quick question to start with, what does the president have to get done tomorrow night? >> well, he has to outline the exact shape of u.s. policy in libya, most important is the military role. how involved will the military be? how long will it be involved? and also what are the objectives, what does success look like. the president also has to kind of explain again the two halves of his libya policy. the humanitarian piece that required military intervention, and the second half, which is pressuring qaddafi to leave but that does not have a military component. he will declare victory of a sort by saying the military piece has been largely completed and hope that by saying he delivered on that promise, people will believe him about the promis

assad was widely expected to lift a decades old emergency law.tead, he blamed the turmoil on conspirators and vowed to defeat those who were behind it. >> ( translated ): i speak to you today at very exceptional times. the events and developments seem to be testing our unity, the test that keeps repeating itself every now and then because of continued conspiracies over the homeland. but our will and unity and god's will continue to succeed in confronting these conspiracies every time successfully, which adds to our immunity and strength. >> sreenivasan: after the televised speech, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the port city of latakia shouting freedom. and there were some reports troops opened fire at one of the protests. huge crowds of protesters gathered across yemen to demand president ali abdullah saleh step down. the anti-government demonstrators packed streets in sanaa, saada and marib. opposition leaders said saleh's insistence at staying in power constitutes a grave danger to yemen. in bahrain, the shi-ite opposition deman