instead syria's president about a shi-- bashir al assad is proposing changes to the constitution.eduled for february 26th. >>> and now a cnn exclusive. our photojournalist was able to get inside the besieged city of homs and get into a clinic. viewers may find some of our reporting upsetting. for her team's own security we're not revealing its location inside siro. >> reporter: on the horizon thick smoke billow from a sabotaged gas pipeline. this is the war zone that homs has become. we're in a neighborhood that's endured constant shelling opinion civilians are killed and wound every day. a 30-year-old man lies on the brink of death after shrapnel hit him in the head. he had brain matter that came out of the wound last night. i couldn't really do anything for him the doctor says. i just stitched him up to keep the brain matter in and insert ad tube. it's actually a nasal tube to suction the blood. he will die if he done get out. dr. muhammed is one of only two doctors here. his specialty is internal medicine. the other doctor is actually a dentist. the 36-year-old's arm is attache

they denounced president bashir al assad saying what he's doing to his citizens is considered genocide. there are protests going on at syrian embassies around the world. >>> the army intelligence analyst accused of the biggest classified leak in u.s. history will now face a court-martial. the commander of the district of washington handed it down against bradley manning last night. he is accused of giving wick qui leaks more than 7,000 classified documents from the wars in afghanistan and iraq. he faces 22 counts including aiding the enemy. the could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted. >>> a traffic alert for drivers. east and westbound lanes at leastburg pike will be closed from 7:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon. crews will be working on installing a new bridge ramp. all beltway ramps will be opened. it's expected to be finished late this year. time now, 10 minutes after the 6:00 hour. >>> a reversal of fortunes as the susan g. komen foundation decides to continue funding planned parenthood and the boost they're receiving from this week's controversy. >>> in case y

al qaeda leader called on followers to oppose president bashir al assad. >>> crews are finally pumpingome 500,000 gallons of crude off the cruise ship. many attended sunday's service for victims of the accident. >>> in venezuela enrique, a 39-year-old state governor has won a primary to run against hugo chavez in an election set for october 7th. >>> and in southern chile, hundreds were seeing red. they were smark and throwing over 30 tons of tomatoes at each other in a massive food fight that is intended to promote the local crop. >>> and now here's an early look at how wall street kicked off the day. the dow opened at 12801 after falling 8 9d points. the s&p fell 9 points the nasdaq fell 23. taking a look at overseas trading in tokyo ta knee quay gain 5d 2 while in hong kong the hang seng was up 103. >>> well, investors may react to the battle over greek debt. the unpopular austerity bill passed by the greek parliament was a requirement from the eurozone nations to get the money by march to avoid default. >>> japan's economy shrank october to november by 0.6% which was larger than exp

protesters continued, al qaeda leader ayman al zawahiri called on followers to oppose president bashir al assad>>> crews are finally pumping some 500,000 gallons of fuel out of the cruise ship that ran aground nearly a month ago off the coast of italy. the president of italy and other officials attended sunday's service for victims of the accident. >>> in venezuela henrique capriles, a 39-year-old state governor, has won a primary to run against president hugo chavez in an election set for october 7th. >>> and in southern chile, hundreds were seeing red. they were smashing and throwing over 30 tons of tomatoes at each other in a massive food fight that is intended to promote the local crop. >>> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opened at 12,801 after falling 89 points on friday. the s&p lost 9 points. the nasdaq fell 23. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei gained 52 points, while in hong kong the hang seng was up 103. >>> well, investors may react to the battle over greek debt. the unpopular austerity bill passed by t

. >> president bashir al assad's army is targeting rebels, working to take down its regime. the u.n. estimates more than 5,400 people have died since the pro-democracy uprising began almost a year ago. now the arab league is calling on the u.n. to form a joint peace-keeping force to help end the violence. the white house supports bringing piece to syria but admits an international intervention faces several obstacles. russia and china have already vetoed a resolution and syrian government has rejected any asistance. >> they are leading syria into the outcome that we all deplore. we do not want to see a civil war in syria. >> secretary of state hillary clinton says the united states will work to support the oppositin and deliver humanitarian aid, but the u.s. has said military force is not an option. and later this month the u.s. will meet with arab nations and the european allies in tunisia to talk about ways to rat chet up pressure. betty? >> thank you, susan. >>> whitney houston's body has arrived in new jersey where she grew up and where plans are being made for her funer

they chant for the downfall of bashir al-assad but not the president. some are afraid of what the people want but what they're watching is the start of an islamic takeover. it doesn't feel that way but there's a clear risk that ethnic and religious differences could become divisions and spill beyond syria's borders. [chanting] >> there are many front lines in this battle and we were taken towards one of them. thousands have died here as the president enforces his will through the barrel of the gun and people take to arms. like other places, government troops have moved into this area where homes have been shelled and civilians killed. we've just been brought into this building by the members of the presyrian army which hold syrian government positions just a few hundred meters out in that direction. we're also told they're using snipers and brought tanks and troops and that they've been operating in this vicinity so we're having to keep low and be careful. in the distance, you can make out a tank, a reminder of the force of the government's disposal. an

, voters have the chance to create a multiparty system, giving them a voice against president bashir al assad. assad's opponents say this is simply a ploy to quiet critics and demand he resign. the united nations says his government forces have killed more than 5,000 people since last march. >>> former south african president nelson mandela is expected to get out of the hospital today or tomorrow. the 93-year-old had a series of tests to determine the source of a stomach ailment. current south african president jacob zuma said mandela's hospital visit was planned for an issue he's had for a while. >>> and this week is special. you know what wednesday is? >> the last day of february. >> leap day! >> oh, yeah, leap year. >> february 29th. >> isn't that great? this is news! >> bonus territory. of all the days of the year i wish my birthday were on instead of may 9th was february 29th, only for that reason. >> it's not even a real day, though, right? >> of course it is! >> are you kidding me? i would only be 11 years old if my birthday was on the 29th of february. >> well, you look young. >> righ

the bashir al assad regime says the measure if passed will allow a multi-lateral government.ritics are dismissing saying it's superficial. jimmy carter talked about what he thinks is necessary to create true reform. >> well, for a number of months now i have advocated to first the arab league and then to the prime minister of calcutta and then later to secretary of state hillary clinton and then to the chinese on an approach to syria that i thought would be effective, and that is passing unanimous demand that the 2014 election for president and other offices in syria be moved to 2012 with complete supervision of the united nations muggies and the arab league and with monitors coming in to make sure that the election is free and fair and safe. i would guess that both a revolution and bashir administration feels that if they have an honest vote by the people, they will surely be chosen to continue the leadership of syria. >> well, new details are emerging about a journalist killed in syria. the sunday times reporting that norine was trying to get her shoes in an effort to escap

president bashir al assad's brutality continues unabated, so gin the failure of the u.n.cil to act, what can be done, what should be done to stop the violence, will it end? we'll talk to scholars, experts, policymakers. later in the show an exclusive interview with the great financier george soros on why he foresees european problems and about what he thinks of the united states economy. also, what in the world? mitt romney got me thinking about america's very poor. i'll show you the results. finally, what the dickens was going on in the british government this week? i'll explain. first, here's my take. if you are trying to understand the recent protests against the putin regime in russia, one of the best guides is an outspoken columnist that's been writing essays in the nation's leading newspapers over the past month. political competition is the heart beat of democracy. this author writes "noting the absence of such competition in contemporary russia." he describes the frustrations of the russian middle class, demanding political rights. today the quality of our state d

. >>> in syria they're staging a massive protest near the palace of president bashir al assad.for people killed by syrian security forces. opposition groups say at least eight people have been killed today. >>> pope benedict officially inducting 22 new cardinals in a new ceremony in the vatican city this morning. the cardinals hail from all over the world. one of them, new york archbishop timothy dolan. they advise the pope. ultimately the college of cardinals select his successful. >>> mourners are gathering as we speak at this hour for whitney houston's funeral. we'll go there live with an update coming up next. >>> we're now about 90 minutes away from whitney houston's funeral at this her home church in newark, new jersey. around 1,500 mourners are expected to attend. a short time ago the hearse arrived at the church. the casket containing whitney houston's body is now inside the sanctuary. and even more fans will be lining the streets to say good-bye to whitney houston. my friend and national correspondent jason carroll is there in newark. jason, what's the latest? >> repor

you would probably need permission from the government of syrian president bashir al assad himself to try to allow some military aid convoys in. this is just as the preliminary discussion stage right now. ted. >> clearly from those images that we're seeing coming out of syria, it is aid that is desperately need. hopefully it will get there, eventually sooner than later. ivan watson from istanbul, turkey. >>> mahmoud ahmadinejad is saying stay tuned at a rally. he said a few hours ago. he said major achievements in the nuclear field would be unveiled in the next few days. >>> much of europe has been in the grips of one of the hardest winters in years. the bitter cold is even icing over the beautiful italian city of venice. look at this. venice's famous canals are actually frozen over. boats are just sitting there stuck in the ice. let's bring in reynolds wolf. reynolds, we're getting a little cold here. a lot of people are waking up to it. boy, nothing like what europe has had to endure. >> indeed. it's been an amazing winter for them, very harsh. at this point parts of the northern pl

into one of the largest protests in damascus since the 11-month-old uprising against president bashir al assad cents at the gas station. now back to "lockup." >>> the nationwide ban against the death penalty was lifted in 1977. it wasn't until 2000 that robert glen koe became the first inmate to be put to death at tennessee in 40 years. so what is it like when an inmate faces his final days? it begins and ends with a process known as death watch. >> i've been on tennessee's death row 23 1/2 years. >> the execution chamber looms within walking distance from the inmates' block. it's also known as death watch. >> riverbend has the only execution chamber in tennessee to carry out executions. it was constructed with a death penalty in mind. >> i've had five execution dates. i went to death watch three times and i received a stay of execution. >> death watch is the area where the condemned inmate is housed three days prior to his execution. >> it was really hectic. because, number one, they come and get you, shock you. they take all your belongings, inventory and give you a receipt for everything th

. >> or bashir al assad. >> amazing.nk you. >> any time you get a space ball clip. >> it's friday after all. 6:26. still to come on "today in the bay," oakland needs to shut down two motels that have become hot spots for prostitution. details coming up. >> occupy protests setting up camp again. a live report coming up. >> i'm meteorologist christina loren live in the nbc bay area weather center. as you get ready to enjoy the weekend you want to make outdoor plans, one day better than the other. rain on the way. >> as we drive 101 out of the south bay things are moving smoothly up the peninsula. an idea what some of the hot spots are. even on a fridayou have to get to the office before you get to the weekend. >> reporter: occupy cal is back this morning at uc-berkeley despite rules you can't have tents on campus. i'll tell what you they want coming up in a live report. >> a couple of hotels oakland says are popular prostitution spots could be closed soon. we'll tell you how the city plans to do it. >> the man accused of s

china and russia vetoed a resolution calling for president bashir al assad to step aside. despite the u.n. veto members of the arab league are cutting off diplomatic ties with syria in an attempt to pressure al assad to step down. >> the former dictator in panama is in hospital. manuel noriega is being treated for high blood pressure and a possible stroke. panama's health minister said his blood pressure was very high, nearly leading to a stroke. he's expected to stay in the icu for at least 24 hours. >>> a minnesota family is making a difficult decision to move ahead with the memorial plans even though their loved ones are the among missing. in the "costa concordia" hit a reef and then flipped on its side. divers have never recovered the bodies of 15 other people including jerry and barbara heil. italian authorities called off the search last week. conditions under water were too dangerous for rescue workers. a memorial mass for the heils will take place on february 18th in minnesota. >>> a new book about john f. kennedy reveals details about an affair with an intern. the

stories now, president obama is coming out with a strong statement against syria's president bashir al assad. he says he has no right to leave syria and has lost all legitimacy. his remarks come as they come to a resolution that would force syria to end its brutsal crackdown. opposition leaders say more than 200 were killed in the past day, including women and children. >>> four people were killed following the early morning raid on the occupy d.c. raid. this week a federal judge ruled living in a public park as a means of protest is not protected by the first amendment. >>> and "the new york times" is reporting actor ben gazzara who played the role of brick in the original production of "cat on a hot tin roof" has dyed. he succumbed to pan cree attic cancer. and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪ let me get you a free tank of gas -- how's that sound? progre

and fareed, as you know, the russians are being accused of giving aid and comfort to president bashir al assad and for giving a green light to the slaughter occurring in homs. what's the russians motivation? >> they've always been reluctant to have the u.n. used as an instrument to get rid of the regimes. it's their last cold war alliance. the soviet union used to support half these middle eastern countries. they're left with syria, the one russian ally. i think that some of it is that. finally, remember, if the u.n. is allowed to intervene every time you see mass protests on the street, claiming that a regime is undemocratic, they've got protests going on in moscow right now, protests taking place all over russia, and the last thing the russians wants to do is establish some kind of international principle that when you have protests against an undemocratic regime, the u.n. security council can vote to intervene in some way or the other. >> fareed zakaria, thank you very much for your time. make sure you tune into fareed zakhar yar gps every sunday. now this. >> i thought you would be interes

it would keep embattled president bashir al assad in power until 2028. meantime american red cross is in negotiations to rescue two injured journalists trapped in the syrian city. the mission would include recovering the bodies of two western journalists killed last week, including an american. an ill-fated cruise ship, costa alegra is adrift. after a fire in the generator room kautsz the the ship to lose power. tugboats are on the way but not expected to arrive until tomorrow. the crew ship is carrying over 1,000 passengers and crew members. no reported injuries. the ship is the sister ship of the costa concordi. that crashed and killed people. a fishing vessel has arrived to the cruise ship to help with communication. >> a lot of questions about the liner and what's happening in the whack of it with the two accidents. >> what prompt aed a man to tos rocks and bricks through the windows of the state capital building. he targeted the state capital, office building and sacramento city hall. around 9. 30. last night. chp will recommend a charge of felony v

as russia and china, following russia's lead, are not willing to join in the pressure against bashir al assad>> well, first of all, i hope richard engel is staying safe. it is just tragic to see the press that is bringing us the stories, those out in the field, lose their own lives. so i would say that as a frequent viewer of his reports. as for this, i'm less optimistic than nick burns. there will be a friends of syria meeting in tunis tomorrow. it's significant that tunis is the place. hillary clinton is going there and i applaud her, along with 70 other nations. that is an opportunity, one would hope, to put more pressure on the bashar government. i think she's right that he has to go. he's about -- or his government is about to be named as war criminals by theuati united nat. i want to put up there a thought, and that is, let's look at the success of the transition of yemen, which six months ago i said was the most dangerous place on earth. sada, the autocrat who had ruled the place in a totally vicious way is now out of there. he's been granted personal immunity, but his vice president h

"bashir al assad is a dog," she cries. each death makes them hate the government more. a few miles away in homs, the shelling has made civilian life hell. families cower inside, this is the sixth day of bombardment. local men pull the injured and dead from houses blown apart by rockets and mortars. the activist danny abdul dayim wants the world outside to know what's happening in homs. "there's bodies in that house, pieces of bodies in that house. this is a civilian house." medical supplies to treat wounded children are running out. "five children from the same family. five children from the same family. i appeal to the people of aleppo and damascus to take to the streets to put pressure on this criminal regime." activists in idlib took these pictures of tanks on the streets. the rebels had been in control here, but for how much longer. there's a diplomatic impasse, and the syrian government is making the most of it. >> sreenivasan: u.s. officials said they were considering ways to get food and medicine to the people of homs. but it was unclear how that might work. the

resolution this weekend that would have called on basal -- bashir al assad to step down.ts embassy in damascus. and in egypt, the 30-year-old alliance with the united states is on shaky grounds after officials said yesterday that 19 americans connected with the pro-democracy ngos over there would be put on trial. one of those republicans is the son of ray lahood, our secretary of transportation. this is getting personal. and israeli leaders continue to hint that military action by them is coming against iran and that's coming soon. could that be an ultimate october surprise or sooner? david sanger is chief washington correspondent for "the new york times" and nira tanden is the president for the center of american progress. thank you. david, first. let's go through the ones relatively easy. syria, why are we worried about the syria thing so much? how did we get to take sides against assad's kid. you think up until the beginning of january you asked -- they've lost count now. from the beginning, we wanted to toppis the guy. i think there was a strong sense during the end o

peacekeeping force in syria, and they are urging all arab nations to cut ties with president bashir al assad'sing in a state of hysteria. >>> volunteers in washington state sifting through tons of paper at a recycling center this weekend hoping to find evidence in the josh powell case. powell killed himself and his two sons by setting his home on fire earlier this month. authorities confirming they received a tip that powell may have dumped some papers at the recycling center in the days before he died. >>> former penn state football coach jerry sandusky requesting more freedom to visit his grandchildren. should get a ruling on that today. prosecutors are asking the judge to keep sandusky indoors after getting complaints from neighbors that he has been watching schoolchildren in a play background behind his house. >>> and british singing sensation adele, the big winner at the grammys last night. she is rolling deep in hardware this morning, going six for six, winning everything she was dominated for. it was her first public performance since undergoing vocal chord surgery, and she gave her sur

as for president bashir al-assad,'s refusing to step down despite pressure. >> your days are numbered it is time and pastime for you to transfer power responsibly and peacefully. the longer you hang on, the more damage you do yourself, your family, your interests and, indeed, your country. >> and a heed hendy can tell us more about a saz. he's a syrian activist and dissident. you were imprisoned and tortured by syrian authorities. i was reading about your story. what can you tell us about the brutality of this regime? >> the regime is very brutal. they don't act like they are the head of the state. they act like a move yeah. i was jailed five years ago. it was so brutal. now the brutality increased. a lot of people being killed in the prison. they are poking the eyes of prisoners inside the prison in syria. now when we are speaking a lot of cities are being shelled by assad forces. houses are being destroyed. there is no way to communicate to those people on the ground except when we talk to them on sat phone. >> what happened to you? describe how you were treated when you were in pri

recall this comes after a resolution that called for the resignation of the president of syria, bashir al assad by russia and china. we have jill doherty to talk about the impact of this. jill? >> cnn just confirming that the embassy has been closed. the staff have been pulled out. that is the american embassy in damascus. the government, the syrian government we are told, the state department saying has refused to address its security concerns. and one of those major concerns was the possibility of some type of al qaeda action. they are pointing to a car bomb last month which was apparently carried out by al qaeda. so, again, 17 members of the staff now out of the damascus embassy for the united states. and this does not mean they are breaking diplomatic relations, but it's a serious step by the united states government. >> it's interesting they are focusing on security concerns and not focusing it on the resolution that was vetoed by china and russia. but do you think maybe the two are linked? >> this has been an ongoing concern that predated that vote. so i think you'd have to say that it's