assad is just protecting himself.the fact is, in doing so, he is making partnership with terrorist elements, attracting terrorists, engaging in terrorist activities against his own people, and i do not think that anybody today felt deterred notion thatthe there might be a better route, another route, other than a political settlement, which can only be brought about if he is prepared to negotiate. brahimi'sdy looks at resignation and makes a judgment about it, it it is not -- he performed valiantly against great odds. if the parties are not prepared to perform according to the standards that they have excepted to negotiate on, there is nothing that a negotiator or intermediary can do. we remain committed to try to find that solution. i am not going to discuss specific weapons systems or otherwise, except to say that every possible avenue that is available is going to be pursued by one country or another. on the third issue, the issue of suspect -- i have not talked to secretary hagel about what goes through his mind o

in your view, is it too late to defeat president bashar al-assad? >> no, i don't think it's too late. insofar as the position controls pager population zones and key geographies and has access to recruits, small arms and supply line, it's not too late. i would agree with you that the regime managed to consolidate to the extent where their survival is not at risk. >> joshua, what do you make of the situation now? has the tide turned in the favour of the damascus government? >> yes, it has. i agree with fisal, that it's not offer. there'll be a long and difficult insurgency for the regime to face. the rebels will be able to keep it alive. they have backers and in the united states. the united states is not going to look at them and throw in their lot with the rebels. the four largest rebel armies on the ground are not for democracy. that is i.s.i. s, working in iraq, controlling a big swath of syria, nusra, the al qaeda wing or the islamic front, nor the kurdish - none are democratics, hold elections or want democracy. the united states is dealing wit

bashar al-assad is on course to win. members of the syrian opposition say the vote is a farce. >> egyptians have been voting in a presidential election, the first since a coup. ruts suggest a -- results suggest a landslide victory for abdul fatah al-sisi. he is already facing questions about legitimacy. low voter turn out prompted the government to keep polls open. the outlawed muslim brotherhood boycotted the vote. >> coming up. a surprise. the fight over where the hot sauce should be made takes a new turn. >> search engines, glasses. get ready for google's self-driving car. >>> this is al jazeera america, i'm john seigenthaler in new york. working for the feds - a hacker turns informant. can he be trusted. i ask one of the world's most wanted trackers. >>> from the fbi files, why the government agency was keeping tabs on nond during his -- nelson mandela during his first trip in the united states. and remembering apping -- answering -- mary angelou's poetic words - a tribute. >>> cyber attacks are getting more aggressi

assad's calculus. as long as he believes that there are no real consequences for his actions, he will continue to defy the u.n. security council? as such, and because of this, i've sent a letter to president obama today which asked him to consider some next steps. madam president, i would ask consent that my letter to the president dated today be added to the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. casey: thank you, madam president. let me outline some of the things that i set forth in the letter. first, i asked that the president seriously consider allowing the deployment of lethal assistance to the moderate military opposition. a serious effort to help narrow the gulf between the moderate opposition and the better-trained and better-equipped extremist fighters would not only boost morale in the free syria army but could actually change the momentum of the battle. yesterday president jarva expressed his commitment to continuing to fight extremist forces. he made that commitment to me, an

against bashar al-assad. instead, assad has grown command over the country and will surely win the election later this week. >> we should not put american troops into the middle of this increasingly sectarian war, i believe that is right decision. but that does not mean we shouldn't help the syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his own people. >> but what kind of help is the president talking about? joining us from washington, d.c. is ubaay shabandar, ubay, good o have you back on the show. president obama said he was going to increase efforts to help the opposition. he wasn't at all specific. he talked about sending aid to syria's neighbors and coordinating with allies. what do you expect in aid and will it make a difference? >> i think a key statement made by president obama was that there is a recognition by the united states that the moderate opposition represents, as president obama put it, the best alternative, to not only the assad regime but to the estremists, operating in s

some of the people around assad, certainly those close to assad in terms of the effect and others certainlywill have a place in any transition. >> charlie: you're asking him to negotiate and at the same time saying to him there is no future for you here? >> no, there's no leadership role for you here. you're not going to be president during a transition. >> charlie: what's the likelihood he'll agree to that? >> not high, he hasn't done it yet, but if he thought the alternative was worse, that's the point in which he might. >> charlie: how do we make the alternative worse? >> the alternative becomes worse when one of several things happens -- his backers back off their support, his economy becomes -- >> charlie: iran's not going to do that, are they? >> -- untenable. >> charlie: the russians won't do that. >> we'll see. but all of them. no, thus far, they have not indicated a readiness to do that. i'm just giving you, analytically, the elements here. so that's one thing that could turn the tide. the economic circumstances for assad changing dramatically could turn the tide or the situation o

this guy, the assad gang, doesn't know anything other than the language of force.chemical weapons. but i want to be clear on something, we don't want our friends in america to enter any war in syria. we don't want your american sons to come and fight in syria like iraq and afghanistan. we just want the weapons to defend ourselves. the assad regime is drag and dropping barrel bombs on civilians, killing hundreds of people every day we dent have any weapons to confront them. again, we don't want the united states to send its sons or its war planes to fight in syria just want prepare ons to defend ourselves. >> reporter: obama administration secretary kerry putting great stock in these geneva peace talks between the two sides. and they failed. is that track essentially dead? >> geneva failed because of the regime's noncooperation. maybe you can say that it is dead. especially after assad announced overs go fog hold presidential election to top the skulls of the syrian dead. j where is the chance for a political resolution here? or isn't there one? >> i believe, yes. f

homs has been turned back to bashar al-assad.he humanitarian crisis, ghastly as it may be continues, and the geneva petitions process appears to have fallen apart. against the backdrop the president comes to washington. he's been with a week, met with secretary of state john kerry publicly last week. today more hush, hush. a scheduled meeting with the national security advisor, susan rirks the white house -- susan rice, the white house letting it know that president obama may drop by, all informal, not high profile. and some press officers telling me moments ago that - susan rice's press officers saying they expect a read-out of the meeting later today. >> what does he hope to get from the obama administration at this point? >> that's a great question, and the controversy conditions. the syrian rebel forces say her outgunned if not outmanned on the battlefield. they want more sophisticated weapons. the united states blocked the weapons from saudi arabia, who opposed the asaad regime. the man-pad weapon system of the the surface t

president assad has regained territory. he's holding elections. the opposition, different groups are fighting each other. they seem weakened. gone are the days when you can say not just assad, moscow, but he will go. is it time to reassess your strategy based on the likely survival of his regime? and if i might a second question on ukraine. can you be a bit more clear about what it is russia has to do or not do in order to avoid deeper, broader sanctions? because you say they must allow the election to go ahead peacefully. but what is it -- it looks as though the election will go ahead so does that mean there aren't going to be deeper sanctions? >> well, on the second point, it depends on russia's behavior over the next 10 days before the first round of the presidential election in ukraine. and of course we have to remember there may be a further round. we don't know the -- whether any candidate will achieve an overall majority in that election. so there could be a further round in the middle of june. and over that period, as president obama and c

so we obviously want assad out and some of the people fighting assad -- >> they're the most dangerousnes. the people fighting on the side to get rid of assad are considered the most dangerous terror threats as far as the u.s. is concerned. >> that's right. we've now let syria go down this road of terrorism and instability that now it's too late. >> i think what we've learned from a variety of terrorist front around the world, if we are just on the defense, things will get through. we have to be on the offense. that was a lesson that president bsh experienced and that president obama has also adopted. i think we're going to have to be more effective against some of these threats. >> thank you, sir. appreciate your perspective. you can hear more, by the way, from edward snowden, the whole thing tonight on the identify nbc night live news" on an hour-long primetime special airing on your local nbc station at 10:00 p.m. >> well, all my exes live in texas what the tea party triumph means there. but first, tdr trivia. first person to tweet the correct answer will get the on-air shout out. t

in the months that ensued, the further ind assad's favor. there needs to be a negotiated solution in which the institutions of the state art preserved. we do not want to see them dismantled as a has-been the case in other situation. assad cannot be part of a transition government. >> you say to him, there is no way that anyone will complete a negotiation where you will remain in power? >> i don't see a settlement where a opposition would accept what assad empower. , ine who are close to assad terms of the sack and others, certainly will have a place in the transition -- >> so you are asking him to negotiate and you're saying at the same time, there is no teacher for you here -- future for you here? >> no. there is no leadership role for you here. >> what the odds he will agree to that? >> not high. but if you thought the alternative was worse, and that is the point which you might. >> how to we make the alternative worse? >> it becomes worse when one of several things happen. his backers back off their support. his economy because untenable.

and the president has said many times assad must go. he drew the line and then didn't act on the crossing of the line. i think unless and until assad goes, american policy will be questioned. >> so what do you recommend? because he is succeeding apparently with russian cooperation, and destroying syria's chemical stockpiles. >> that's a positive, a laudable step forward. i think we can and should be providing more assistance to those opposing the regime. wolf, let me give you an historical example. it makes the case. in the second world war, the united states embraced the greatest mass murderer in history, joseph stalin. we provided billions of dollars of assistance. we supported russia in the war against nazi, germany, because we felt the alternative was worst. it laid the foundations for the cold war that followed. i don't know of a single analyst who said that was a mistake, we helped the wrong guy. we didn't. there are danger, in any course that you take. i think we have to be as prudent as we can be. i don't think we have to let fe

regained assad has territory, holding elections, opposition groups are fighting each other. days when you can ay not just outside moscow -- not that he must go but he will go. s it time to reevaluate the strategy and on ukraine can you be a bit more clear what russia not to do in order to avoid deeper broader sanctions? must allow the election to go ahead peacefully. does that mean there are not be deeper sanctions? >> on the second point, it behavior russia's over the next 10 days before the first round of the presidential the croon and we have to remember there may be a further round. whether any ow candidate will achieve an overall majority in that lection so there could be a further round in the middle of june. as president od and chancellor merkel made clear and we made clear in brussels on areas attitude and behavior toward the elections will be the determining factor n whether we need to apply wider sanctions. it is understandable to ask what definition of that but of course we can't give and an exact ant to give definition of that if we set a red line russia knows th

assad as you said previously is prepared on the ground. so it's not when they are winning that they are going to let assad out in the cold. >> reporter: if you knew that this resolution was going to be vetoed, and i assume you did, why did you continue? what was the point? >> we have tried to present a text that was as balanced as possible for russia and we really considered that this text could be voted by russia. when we were told that eventually, no, they wouldn't do it, we decided to expose russia, to show to the public opinion that russia was supporting assad to the point of covering his crimes but also the crimes of al qaeda. you know, we have been supported by 65 countries, by more than 100 n fwgos. it's a moral stance and a call to international public opinion. >> do you think it will have app affect? do you think moscow will be at all embarrassed? >> well, i don't know if we can embarrass the russians right now, but i do hold that it could help us in the next step because next step is that we are going to move forward with a resol

assad is only protecting himself.he's making partnership with terrorist ,lements, attracting terrorists engaging in terrorist activities against his own people, and i don't think anybody today felt the deterred one iota in the notion that there might be a better route, another route other than a political settlement, which can only be brought about when he is prepared to negotiate. as everybody looks at lakhdar brahimi's resignation and makes heudgment about it, performed valiantly against a great odds, but if the parties aren't prepared to perform according to the standards they have accepted to negotiate on, there is nothing an intermediary or negotiator can do. we remain committed to trying to find that solution, and i'm not going to discuss specific weapons systems or otherwise, except to say that every possible avenue that is available is going to be pursued by one country or another. on the third issue, the issue of i suspect -- i haven't talked to secretary hagel about what was in his mind or what he was referr

a good proportion of syria's up againsthas risen bashir al-assad's regime.roblem with the opposition, what i mentioned enjoy a veryegime militarynt monopoly of police and intelligence power. enjoys the support of certain of the minorities, certain elements in a christian community and other minority syria because these islamicear the rise of radical groups amongst the opposition, especially the .hristians so the regime has these things favor.ts the opposition, unfortunately, despite making valiant efforts, has been very disorganized. amongstcoordination various groups. effectivef external external spots, a mentioned before -- external support, as i mentioned before. but what has happened is a self-fulfilling prophecy that bashir al-assad, the president, .tated early on islamic radical terrorist groups infiltrated the syria. situation in these islamic radical groups thrive on instability and chaos. they infiltrate and they build their basis. that is what's happening now in syria. opposition is fighting not only the regime but is also fighting these islamic ra

i will volt for president assad. >> some people here are staunch supporters of president assad and consider this presidential election a sign of his mill mily victory, that he has won after three years of intensive fighting. >> it's the syrian rebels who drove us out of our homes, not him. >> many people showed up here also out of fear, fear for their families who are still in syria, fear that they won't be able to return to syria if they don't show up to vote. >> so many people seem to believe these days that president assad is not going away anytime soon, and they want to be able to go home once again. >> desperation here could be seen as pregnant women, old people and parents with dehydrated children refused to turn back before they could vote. that was despite the rough treatment by security men who struggled to control the crowd. neither the batons nor the heat, thirst nor exhaustion were stronger than these people's fear of the regime they now believe has survived the revolt. >> a virginia state senator confirming he is the author of a letter praising assad. in the letter, richard bla

their camp is in an area that has been under attack from the assad regime. the commander of this group, who only agreed to talk if we didn't use his name, says his is one of a few moderate rebel factions that have been getting covert support from the united states. >> american agents got in touch with us. they had researched us from the beginning. they had intelligence on us about all our work. they wanted to know our political leanings or whether we had any connections with extremist groups. >> narrator: the fighters get word there will be a nighttime meeting with their american contacts. muhammad rides with ahmed, the battalion's supply officer. >> narrator: ahmed won't let muhammad come all the way to the meeting. he says he doesn't want the american contacts to see him. >> narrator: for most of the war, the rebels have had to rely on capturing weapons from the battlefield itself. they had shown muhammad something they'd captured. >> narrator: the rebels are lucky. the fighter jet didn't spot them this time. >> narrator: muhammad has now heard from ahmed,

now he may be unpopular but my money is still on assad because he's a tough campaigner. he can go very negative because his attack ads are actual attacks. (laughter) meanwhile, electorally back here in america the mid-term elections are upon us and i could not be more mid-excited. i am half pumped. because, because the democrats are going to get whipped like one of their beloved smoothies. pineapple and mango blended together as one. i'm sorry, that is fruit sodomy. by the way, do not google fruit sodomy. (laughter) and it's all thanks to the plummeting popularity of barack obama. >> president obama's approval rating taking a nosedive amount of cording to a new "washington post" abc news poll, president's approval rating has hit a new low, 41%. >> stephen: 41%. that means he's only 35% more popular than congress. (laughter) and the bad new does not end there. because that same "washington post" abc news poll found that 53% of voters say they would rather see republicans in congress of-- control of congress. that is great news, the gop takes both houses they'll final be a

it is a symbolic and strategic victory for president assad. syrian leader is trying to gain control of all the in damascus. he is close to that now. going into elections next month, president assad looks stronger than ever. makinges, rebels are gains. it is not a simple picture, but president assad is winning more than he is losing. perhaps the real significance of homs lies in what it says about the rebels' morale. for some, three years of sacrifice with nothing to show for it is enough. >> both sides are tired, but local cease-fires like that in homs are still far from the negotiated settlement that would end this war. the $300,000 reward is being offered by the nigerian government to anyone who can help find and rescue the more than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted by boko haram last month. officials are calling or both american -- calling for both american and european security advice. >> a desperate seen as mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters are arrived at the school where more than 200 girls were at .pted -- abducted this footage,

. >> i will vote for president bashar al-assad. the guardian protector. >> a man and his mother voted for bashar al-assad. >> as did this family. even though they come from one of the most rebellious areas in syria, some people here are stark supporters and consider the election a sign of his military victory. that he has won after three years of fighting. people refused to blame bashar al-assad for the destruction of syria. >> it's the rebels that drove us out of our homes, not him. >> many showed up here, out of fear. fear for their families, who are still in syria. fear that they won't be able to return to syria if they don't show up to vote. >> so many believe that president bashar al-assad is not going away soon. they want to be able to go. >> desperation could be seen as pregnant women, old people and parents with dehydrated children refused to turn back before he could vote. that was despite treatment by lebanon security men who sometimes struggle to control the crowd. >> neither the heat, thirst tore exhaustion was stronger

assad may be the least of the evils here.he last thing i'll say is the debate about whether to provide more sophisticated weaponry to the rebels, surface-to-air missiles. there's this fascinating conversation happening right now. you can outfit these surface-to-air missiles with biometric locks and gps devices that would prevent them from being taken to other areas or given to other people and potentially to shoot down civilian airliners which would freeze up the global air traffic system and cause an economic catastrophe? really hard call but there's a lot of pressure on the administration to move forward with that. >> schieffer: i think that is an excellent point. margaret, you're at the state department every day. what do you think's going to happen here? are we going to give more aid? is there very much we can do right now? >> well, i tell you, no one at the state department would sayin' ott record what secretary gates did, which was there's no diplomatic solution, because officially, that's the u.s.' position. we can neg

so there's going to be some sort of flaw since representative is going to be assad's. at the wife positions always go there check it out which is this really could be a way. that we could least if they. they walk out of the whole thing that i don't know what that means. if having to russia today. for thirty days which is south i can't wait to spend seven weeks back any fear for my i'm in russia to help robert i've been together for a year. past a wedding last summer. that this man just. relieved that. it's finally culminated in the next hour and three weeks i think. that. this is new for me to be sent to i'm a he's the only person thing i can do this it's it's really only not static. it's actually bringing out groceries to give a list of things that i'm just dying for or can't get better they can't wait to spring for jars. bourbon to cut but i'd wallow bars. mechanic oatmeal just things that i lack that make me feel make me feel american have been that american food for traffic lights now. running on low fuel or take that i would kill for and foremost to spare her dad

military commander general martin dempsey warns that syria will plunge deeper into civil war if the assad regime falls he stressed the opposition legs the leverage to fill in for the current government all root out al qaida groups in the country in fighting is on the rise among a divided rebel factions inside syria while president assad's forces are making significant gains having just taking the key city of homs after a two year siege the western backed umbrella group known as the syrian and national coalition has been unable to unite the rebel factions but the white house is still pleasure for us of course for the opposition as granted you can't report. we're seeing a new push by the obama administration to fulfill a goal that he declared three years ago to topple the syrian president bashar assad has announced that syria will hold elections despite the war the us vehemently opposes those elections washington has already decided who the legitimate representatives of the syrian people are is the syrian opposition coalition president obama has met with a coalition leader ahmad jarba at th

and assad can be in at the beginning of negotiations but he should be out at the end. have taken the view that iran for particular reasons, may have to be out at the beginning of the negotiations. i believe with their influence, they have to be in at the end. >> do you think putin will intervene in the elections and what should be the response if he does? >> i think putin is tempted to push the envelope as far as he can. i think our response has to be firm. but i always thought our response should be before the may 25 election and a combination of one sitting down with mr. putin and the europeans and ukrainians and figuring out how we can meet his legitimate needs while meeting the legitimate needs of the ukrainians. that has to begin, in my view, with repairing the problem that led to the crisis. >> it is only 9 days away. >> we have to do it pretty soon. we're doing it off and on. until the economy of the ukraine gets fixed, mr. putin is going to enjoy an obvious opportunity to have extraordinary influence. if we fix the economy of ukraine, hopefully together, then w

there are two people challenging assad. the former ministerial nori is running, and 43-year-old hajar is an m.p. from aleppo and is the third candidate. most opposition leaders were kept from running based on new rules and requirements that they need to have lived in the country for the last 10 years. >> forces have taken control of a town in the northwest of the country. this video shows rebels celebrating their victory after months of fighting against government forces. the town has a strategic position and situated on the international highway between aleppo and damascus. >> dozens have been killed in a string of attacks across iraq in one of the worst single days of violence in five years. unrest is at its highest level since sectarian violence in 2007. many wonder if the attacks will ever stop. >> it's the sheer number of attacks that shocked many people, 16 across the country. one of the worst was here in baghdad where at least 10 were killed and more than 25 injured. >> a car bomb exploded here, carried so many tons

a parliament member just said assad has won in syria. the americans have lost. it certainly looks like assad at least for now has won. >> well, i don't think so. in fact, everything started in homs and it's because of the reaction of assad, a foolish reaction, very violent, that everything has started and then today you you have 150,000 people who are dead. >> but he's still in power. >> yes, unfortunately, he's still in power. through terror, through the help of the iranians and russian and hezbollah and what do we have to do? a, to support moderate position because we don't accept the dictator with the future and reaction is not inaction. >> and last week mike rogers was very knowledgeable and was sitting exactly where you are. >> yep. >> he said that he is most worried about syria right now because there are thousands of what he called terrorists involved in a jihadist disneyland there. westerners have foreign passports and they are training now to come to france, the united states, and elsewhere. >> that's very true. that's very true

most we talked to said they were voting for bashar al-assad. some are staunch supporters, and feel this is a victory. >> many have left their homes two years ago and have been living as refugees. they feel that if they don't vote their family in syria may be punished, and feel that their access to syria and their ability to return will change. they have to deal with this reality, and that's why they're here. we've seen pregnant women, children, and they're not moving away until they are able to vote because they want to be registered. >> and as you can see from the report, syrian refugees are scattered throughout the middle east, and they've taken up refuge in france. but those homes could be broken down because of an outbreak in scabies. >> reporter: this is one of the camps that will be destroyed by the police. you can see the conditions here. it's extremely muddy and wet. to keep the rain out and you can see. now this is not the first time this has happened. france has a huge immigration issue with many people who come from syria and north o

it's ab surd to talk about a victory for iran, for russia, for bashar al-assad. the game is far from over. >> there's an election on june 3rdrd. two opponents are running against bashar al-assad - if we can call them opponents. is there a possibility that bashar al-assad will be removed from power through this election? >> not by the candidates as the i know them, no. first of all, the bashar al-assad family, his father, they have a tradition of winning elections one way or the other. i expect him to win. what it means - well, it will show that he still has supporters, those loyal to his ideas, those afraid of what might come after him. baut the -- but the sooner he settles down to proposing reforms that are serious, that have the intention of reshaping the governing structure of syria, there'll be significance. in the election itself i don't see significance. >> former u.s. ambassador to syria, thank you for your time and ineight. >> thank you -- insight. >> thank you. >> 40 are dead after a boat carrying migrants sank. libyan authorities said the boat capsized

. >> ifill: in syria, president bashar al-assad is now seeking re-election, ignoring repeated u.s. calls for him to step down. more than 150,000 are now dead in that civil war, and peace talks in geneva fizzled earlier this year. on monday, while traveling in manila, the president offered a pointed response to critics who say he has been too slow to act forcefully. >> my job as commander-in-chief is to deploy military force as a last resort, and to deploy it wisely. and, frankly, most of the foreign policy commentators that have questioned our policies of military adventures that the american people had no interest in participating in and would not advance our core security interests. >> ifill: the administration has been able to score some victories, including the destruction of much of syria's chemical weapons arsenal. and last november, iran agreed to a six-month deal to freeze parts of its nuclear program. negotiations for a longer-term agreement continue. >> ifill: we dive right into the debate about the successes and setbacks, with nicholas burns, a career foreign service off

. >> i would vote for president assad. >> the man with his mother also voted for bashar al-assad. as did this family from th. even though they come from one of the most rebellious areas in sear why. some people here are staunch supporters of president assad and consider this presidential election a victory. that he has won after three years of intense fighting. this man refused to blame assad for the destruction of syria. >> it's the rebels who forced us out of our homes. not him. >> reporter: but many showed up out of fear. fear for their families who are still in syria. fear that they won't be able to return to syria if they don't show up to vote. so many people voting, but knowing that the president will not go' any time soon, but they wanting to home one day. >> reporter: desperation seen, pregnant women and parents with dehydrated children refuse to turn back before they could vote. that's despite rough treatment by lebanese security. >> and today's pow politics the first incumbent has fall no one today's 2014 elections. >> last night incumbents seeking election this year has

and its allies discussing more support for the syrian opposition assad's army is still making ground against the rebels his troops recently to blank control of homes the country's third largest city after a two year siege the failure of international efforts to find a political solution to the overall conflict has forced to one negotiate looked out brahimi to resign and began washington looks to be gathering support with the opposition even with the presidential election just around the corner chicken investigate. we're seeing a new push by the obama administration to fulfill a goal that he declared three years ago to topple the syrian president bashar assad has announced that syria will hold elections despite the war the us vehemently opposes those elections washington has already decided who the legitimate representatives of the syrian people are is the syrian opposition coalition president obama has met with a coalition leader ahmad jarba at the white house this week u.s. secretary of state john kerry told the rebels we've wasted a year in the fight against assad the participants

moscow is a close ally of bashar al-assad government's. the un expressed outrage at the russian and chinese veto. >> today is about accountability for syria, but it is also about accountability for this security council. it is this council's responsibility to stop atrocities, if we can, and at a minimum to ensure that the perpetrators of atrocities are held accountable. it was towards that minimum that we sought to make progress today. my government applauds the vast majority of members of this council who voted to support and the some 64 countries who joined us in cosponsoring this effort. >> translator: is it just a try once again to create a pretext for armed intervention in the syrian conflict? one could not overlook that the head of french diplomacy took his recent visit to washington to publicly criticize the us. this damage to the p-5 unity is inflicted at a critical point in the efforts to find a solution to the syrian crisis. >> james, some expressed outrage at this veto, but it's hardly surprising is it? >> well, i think we knew

coming up on today's show -- syrian refugees satirize bashar al-assad campaign program.taking a pledge on social networks, and a unique perspective on tightrope walking. announcing hey will be running in syria's june 3 selections. bashar al-assad has been promoting himself by facebook and online campaigns coming is going all out. aroundction campaign is the slogan in arabic for together and has been facing strong opposition online. his opponents have taken to social networks to air their grievances and some have given the slogan a sarcastic twist. his opponents say together, he and his friends destroyed, pillage, and plunder the country or murder their own people. they have also used the slogan to denounce the interaction -- the connection of the international community after more than three years of unrest. the criticism was primarily aimed at the u.n., the organization accused of turning russia and will stop china, bashar al-assad's allies are seen as untrustworthy in syria. every year, thousands of women are killed in india as a dowry payment. the age-old custom where

they worry if they -- assad. they worry if they don't vote they won't be allowed to return to syria or that relatives stiff living there will be punished. have to deal with the reality and that is why they are here. >> assad's forces are gaining ground over the rebel fighters in syria and once the results are in the vote will likely give him the stamp to continue that crack down on the opposition john. >> all right richelle, thank you. up next, the passing of a an american eye coffin. we'll look at the legacy she leaves. in his own words. the man who leaked nsa secrets says: he wants to come home. >> i open my mouth to the lord and i won't turn back, no ♪ i will go ♪ i shall go ♪ ♪ i'll see what the end is going to be ♪ flaw [applause] >> tonight we remember one of the most powerful american voices of the last century. maya angelou died at her home in winston-salem north carolina. tony harris has her story. >> across the river saying the beautiful song, it says come, rest here by my side. >> maya angelou's introd

government infighting is on the rise among the divided rebel factions or president assad's forces are making massive gains having just retaken the key city of homs after a two year siege of the western backed umbrella group known as the syrian national coalition has been unable to unite the rebel camp but all that isn't stopping the u.s. from throwing more support behind the insurgency as artie's gaia nature kind of reports . we're seeing a new push by the obama administration to fulfill the goal that he declared three years ago to topple the syrian president bashar assad has announced that syria will hold elections despite the war the u.s. vehemently opposes those elections washington has already decided who the legitimate representatives of the syrian people are is the syrian opposition coalition president obama has met with a coalition leader ahmad jarba at the white house this week u.s. secretary of state john kerry told the rebels we've wasted. a year in the fight against assad the participants of the meeting said john kerry made the remark in the context of a discussion about re

but it appears about half are against the assad government.he syrian ambassador went to jordan two days ago for what was described as his recent insults against the jordan government. it says it will not interfere in the election which is happening inside the embassy, which is considered syrian territory. but jordan cannot afford to diplomatic ties with syria. >>> the crackdown has jeopardized the fairness of the election. the mass arrest of political disdense has created a repressive environment, which has undermined the vote. meanwhile a presidential candidate has appealed the decision to extend the vote to a third day. >> reporter: polls opened smoothly for a third day of voting to choose a new president for egypt, but there is a growing debate about the low turnout in the last couple of days. there are around 50 million registered voters, and states media and talk shows were encouraging people to come out. a government official says 37% of people have voted, but al jazeera has no way of verifying that figure. while the opposition alliance,