jessica yellin, live for us in ramallah.> joining us now to talk about all of this is stuart holliday, president and ceo of a public diplomacy organization that works with the state department. is he formally the u.s. ambassador for special political affairs to the united nations. good morning, mr. ambassador. thank you so much for coming in. >> nice to be here. >> let me ask you about these rockets that hit in the southern city of s zechlt rot. you're involved in the world of diplomacy. when something like this happens when you're on a trip like this, does that tend to derail things or do you just have to keep focus and move on? >> it's a question of scale. what we see here, as jessica said, is all too common. it's a reminder that the palestinian authority doesn't control gaza. that underscores, i think, the weakness that we face in terms of the talks restarting, the fact that the palestinian government isn't unified, also a reminder to everyone how vulnerable southern israel is to these attacks. >> you get a sense that the

jessica yellin asked the president why he didn't just lock lawmakers in a room until they were to reachent and here's what he had to say. >> i am not a dictator. i'm the president. so ultimately if mitch mcconnell or john boehner say we need to go to catch a plane, i can't have secret service block the doorway. >> jessica yellin joining us from the white house along with dana bash on capitol hill. jessica, the president keeps saying the majority of americans support his position that there has to be more revenue along with spending cuts. but does he risk beingoff confident about this strategy of letting the cuts take effect sf. >> well, first of all, i did not say the president should lock lawmakers in a room. i asked him why he doesn't invite them over and ask them to stay or force them to stay until they have a deal. i think that would be an interesting story if he locked them in a room. in answer to your question, the politics for the president are really about time. how long will the spending cuts have to be in place before he either is willing to back off of his position or he forc

>> i want to also, sara, thank you, bring in jessica yellin, our white house correspondent, our chief white house correspondent. jessica, it is no secret that americans do believe that israel is a, either a great allay or a friend, to the tune of about 80% of them. but when it comes to just what we should be doing, if israel decides on any kind of preemptive attack on israel, or any kind of attack, it's almost 50/50. in fact, i believe the numbers are 49, yes, 49, no, we should support that nation. those are the kind of numbers that are not lost on an administration, when they have to go in and negotiate conversations. how public will those conversations be? >> reporter: excellent question, ashleigh. i think what you -- those conversations will be very private, is the answer. what you're going to see on this trip is largely reputation of the same language you've heard from the president in public on iran, here in israel, that you've heard back in the u.s. you will hear him talk, i expect, and i'm led to believe, about the u.s. commitment to israel's security and a belief that iran can

our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin is in jerusalem. orning, jessica. >> reporter: good morning, carol. you know, the president's arrival -- go ahead. >> no, no, no, i was just going to prompt you about syria. maybe we should start there. >> reporter: yes, so there are these new concerns about chemical weapons, possibly, in syria, and, you know, the fact that this is now all rising to the surface, just as the president is arriving here in israel certainly brings new urgency to the question of u.s. intervention in syria. but, you know, that all leads right back to the question for israelis, iranian involvement in the region, iranian -- the iranian nuclear program, which all, again, connects to israel's own security. so i'm constantly now being asked, will the question of syria dominate talks here. will that overtake all other issues? and quite simply, it just brings new urgency to the syria question and the matter of u.s. possible involvement in syria. but it will not overtake iran on the agenda, because the two are in israeli's mind, int

. >> our jessica yellin is traveling with the president in amman. ith all the turmoil in the region, how important is it for the u.s. to shore up its relationship with jordan? >> hi, fredricka. well, you know, the u.s. does as you said have a strong relationship with jordan. what's needed here is a show of support for the king. jordan as you say shares a border with syria. and for that reason has taken in close to 400,000 syrian refugees since the conflict began there. that's about 7,000 a day. now, with fears of chemical weapons used, they clearly have an enormous interest in ending the crisis there. that will be on the agenda while the president is holding this talk with the king. king abdullah is among the few royals still standing after the arab spring, but under enormous kplit kal pressure and economic pressure, it was made worse when an interview with a u.s. magazine he described his own country's tribal leaders as dinosaurs. he needs the president's support, especially financial support and this visit by the u.s. president, by president obama,

jessica yellin is already in israel. she joins us by phone. jessica, senator feinstein said a short time ago, quote, i think the probabilities are high that we're going into very dark times. i think the white house needs to be prepared. white house seems to be more cautious today. where do they stand on all of this? >> reporter: anderson, white house officials say they are still assessing reports that chemical weapons are used so cautious is the right word. we know that the president has said the use of chemical weapons, as you say, is a red line. he's gone further and said that if assad crosses it there will be, quote, consequences. he has said you will be held accountable. today his chief of staff said on cnn that it would be a game changer if, in fact, chemical weapons were used. now the president has not specified what he means exactly when he says assad or his regime would be held accountable. there have been reports that the u.s. has developed a plan for direct action against syria, but there's no indication the president is pursuant. let

jessica yellin is already in israel, she joins us by phone. jessica, you have senator feinstein a short time ago saying "i think the probables are very high and i think the white house needs to be prepared. the white house seems cautious today. where are they standing on this? >> anderson, white house officials say that they're still assessing the reports that chemical weapons were used. we know the president has said that the use of chemical weapons is a red line and that if assad crosses it that there will consequences. he has said you will be held accountable. today, his chief of staff said it would be a game changer if, in fact, chemical weapons were used. now, the president has not specified what he means, exactly, when he said his regime would be held accountable. there have been reports that the u.s. has developed a plan for direct action against syria, but there is no indication that the president would necessarily pursue it. and let's be realistic, it's hard to imagine that the u.s. would take any direct action against syria when the p

believe that this is a very serious issue and it's going to take some time. >> not passing. >> jessica yellin thank you. >>> when we come back, the update on the killing of a texas district attorney and his wife. she knows you like no one else. and you wouldn't have it any other way. but your erectile dysfunction - you know, that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have

jessica yellin is at the white house now.the face of it, it seems so utterly pathetic, childish and pathetic. am i wrong? >> no, you're not wrong, and i think you would be pressed to find anyone in washington who disagrees with you. the problem is that both sides are so dug in, and this is a case where each side thinks that they have absolute leverage, and just isn't willing to negotiate yet. so what we're going to have to see is the american people start, i think, start to suffer a little bit, before the two parties are willing to come together and really negotiate. >> which is astonishingly sellish of these politicians. i heard a statistic today that i want you to confirm if you can. the last time barack obama and john boehner met in person to discuss government spending was november 16th, 2012. >> that was before, during the fiscal cliff discussions. and i believe that date is accurate. they met before -- in the middle of those fiscal cliff discussions. they have spoken on the phone since then, but the white house's point

assault weapons magazines, not passing. >> jessica yellin, kevin madden, donna brazile, thank you. >>back, the update on the killing of a texas district attorney and his wife. ♪ [ female announcer ] band-aid brand has quiltvent technology with air channels to let boo boos breathe. [ giggles ] [ female announcer ] quiltvent technology, only from band-aid brand. use with neosporin first aid antibiotic. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, ask y

let's try to get some perspective from cnn's jessica yellin who is live in jerusalem. jessica, were there any surprises from the president at the press conference today? >> reporter: well, i think, jake, the president was especially forceful in his expression of support for israel's security. he used the language he needed to use to reassure the israelis. he understands. now, his posture with regard to iran and syria was strikingly different, and that's worth noting. on syria he was cautious, saying that officials are still determining whether chemical weapons were used there and there's no action he is willing to take until he knows what was used. we'll see if he'll take action when he knows what actually happened there. when it comes to iran, his language was much more vigorous. let's listen to this and we can talk about it on the other end. >> the united states will continue to consult closely with israel on next steps, and i will repeat all options are on the table. we will do what is necessary to prevent iran from getting the world's worst weapons. meeting none of

jessica yellin is live from amman, jordan where that press conference just wrapped. ssica, the president said assad would go but sounded perhaps a little annoyed about being asked how that might happen. why was he seemingly annoyed? >> well, jake, we counted and this is the sixth time that the president or a member of his administration has said assad must go just in the last month alone. but none of them has laid out a plan or a path for direct action by the united states to help remove assad from power. without any direct military intervention by the u.s. the president knows he is vulnerable to criticism. that he is standing by while a massacre is taking place and that is a particularly sharp and poignant charge when he is standing here in jordan where they are providing refuge to some 7,000 syrians who are fleeing for safety every day. some 7,000 people crossing the border into jordan from syria each day because of the violence there. >> i believe the king abdullah of jordan said that the settlements of refugees now form something like the fifth largest town in jor

jessica yellin joining us. i missed most of what the house speak he are said. job at summarizing it for me? >> i was running out to him as soon as we saw him show up, but essentially let me put this headline on it. the meeting didn't go so well. he basically said that this is not the way we should have to be negotiating on these issues. facing these spending cuts are not the right set of spending cuts to be addressing, but they're not going to move on their position that cuts -- that spending cuts is what we need to be addressing. and essentially revenue is not really what they're looking at right now. he's hopeful that something can be negotiated next month as we continue to take on these next battles over the continuing resolution and the debt ceiling. do i have a little bit of news to bring you which is that the president is going to be coming to the briefing room and making a statementi do have a little b to bring you which is that the president is going to be coming to the briefing room and making a statement some 10, 15 minutes from now, and no doubt he w

jessica yellin, live this morning, thanks for being with us.point," the nra turning its sights on a new new york gun control law. is this measure unconstitutional? we're going to get reaction from aurora shooting survivor stephen barton. >>> and a 15-year-old girl is trapped when burglars enter her home. >> hey, bring the bucket over here. >> okay, don't talk. >> bring it over here. >> how she survived in her own words. next. you're watching "starting point." [ male announcer ] rita's suitcase got lost a few months back. hi. i got a call today that you guys found my suitcase. we don't have it. you don't even know my name. [ sniffs ] are you wearing my sweater? [ male announcer ] good thing she hasn't noticed his pants. ♪ gain fireworks boosts the amazing scent for up to 12 weeks. ♪ [ sniffs ] [ slap! ] [ slap! slap! slap! slap! ] ow! ow! [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium-rich tums starts working so fast you'll forget you had heartburn. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums something this delicious could on

. >> jessica yellin and john king standing by in jerusalem. ke with an israeli cabinet minister today, more precise in making an assertion that the syrian military already has used chemical weapons. what exactly did she say? >> well, i spoke with the justice minister here in israel, and he said that he was convinced that in theory a chemical weapons were used. she would not say by whom. i think we have the sound. let's listen to it and talk about it on the back end. >> have you seen any evidence of proof that there has been chemical weapons used in syria? >> it is clear for us in israel that it is being used. and the problem is that while it is being used, we have syria, we have hezbollah and lebanon and the situation is that it is not going to be only in syria, but hezbollah can reach all these chemical weapons and use it against israel in the future. >> so at the very end you heard her raising one of the prime reasons israel is most threatened, feels most threatened by the possibility of chemical weapons used in syria, they could get into the

for that part of the story, let's go to jessica yellin. jessica? >> reporter: today at the white house, president obama seemed to try to shame members of congress into passing new legislation to reduce gun violence in the nation. as you say, he was surrounded by 19 women on the stage, all of whom were impacted by gun violence, some of them mothers of victims of the sandy hook shooting. here's some of what the president had to say. >> less than 100 days ago that happened. and the entire country was shocked. the entire country pledged we would do something about it and this time would be different. shame on us if we've forgotten. >> reporter: the president pointed out polling data, brooke, which showed that 90% of americans support background checks for gun purchases, but here's another polling figure that points to some diminishing support for fast action on gun control measures. 57% of americans supported tighter gun control laws right after the sandy hook shootings. 47% support it now. it's dropped 10% since those shootings took place. perhaps one

let's get to jessica yellin live this morning in jordan. is the president going to come home with diplomatic cues to break about? >> reporter: he is because of the low expectations you mentioned. in israel he seemed to have a breakthrough with prime minister benjamin netanyahu on a personal level. they've had an icy history and they seemed like buddies this trip after two days together. the president also wanted to persuade israeli people that he's personally committed to their security and he understands the jewish history of persecution. reviews out of israel show on that front he largely succeeded especially after that big speech he gave to israeli youth. those are the intangibles. the more concrete accomplishment of the trip, he brokered a truce between the prime minister of israel and the prime minister of turkey, two former allies and important military powers in this region at odds for three years so he can really crow about that one. >> tell us more about the implications of the phone call between the israeli and turkish leaders. >>

. >> reporter: jessica yellin, cnn, the white house. >> and we have new information tonight on the violent of a man running for mayor of a small city in mississippi. marcus mcmillan's body was found this week. and since then police have been tight lipped about how he died. even though they have a murder suspect. mcmillan's family released this statement on sunday. part of it reads "we know that marco was brutally murdered. his body was found on wednesday, beaten, dragged and burned, set afire." these are the first details released so far about how mcmillan died. at the time of his death, he was running for mayor of clarksdale, mississippi. mcmillan's family says he was gay, but they weren't aware how many other people knew. police are exploring whether his sexual orientation may have been a factor in his death. we're back after this.  >>> before we end the program tonight, we do have some breaking news we want to pass along to you. don lemon joins us by phone from puerto rico where, don, you're celebrating your birthday, right? >> i am celebrating my birthday. i can barely hear you, th

jessica yellin has more from washington. jessica. >> reporter: brianna, victor, the president has now signed the order triggering these forced spending cuts. administration officials acknowledge there was no kind of negotiating over a deal to avoid those cuts at a last-minute white house meeting with congressional leaders. they say the two sides are just too far apart. >> congressional leaders summoned to the white house for a last-minute meeting left less than an hour later with no deal. soon after the president came to the briefing room to give his side of the story. >> none of this is necessary. it's happening because a choice that republicans in congress have made. >> at issue, mr. obama wants to raise some money by closing tax loopholes. republicans want no new taxes. instead, replace these unpopular cuts with more targeted cuts. both sides are dug in. mr. obama insists he's done everything he can to reach a deal. >> what more do you think i should do? okay. i just want to clarify. you know, because if people have a sugg

. >> jessica yellin, cnn, the white house. >> and we have new information tonight on the violent deathman running for mayor of a small city in mississippi. marcus mcmillan's broody was fod this week. since then police have been tight lipped about how he died. mcmillan's family released this statement on sunday. part of it reads we know that marco was brutally murdered. his body was found on wednesday, beaten, dragged and burned, set afire. these are the first details released so far about how mcmillan died. at the time of his death, he was running for mayor of clarks dale, mississippi. his family says he was gay, but they aren't aware of how many other people knew. police are exploring whether his sexual orientation may have been a factor in his death. we're back after this. dad, i'd put that down. ah. 4g, huh? verizon 4g lte. 700 megahertz spectrum, end-to-end, pure lte build. the most consistent speeds indoors or out. and, obviously, astonishing throughput. obviously... you know how fast our home wifi is? yeah. this is basically just as fast. oh. and verizon's got more fast lte cover

jessica yellin, chief white house correspondent. jessica, i begin with you here. you have the president hosting top four leaders of congress. final stab at this thing. tell me what happened at the white house. >> reporter: there was a meeting here this morning between congressional leaders and the white house, all sides knew nothing was going to get accomplished in that meeting and that's what happened. it happened less than an hour. it came and went. congress is now out of town. after that meeting, president obama came to the briefing room and gave us his side of the story. he asked what the press -- what else we think he should have done. so i asked him this question, look. first of all, couldn't you have them down here and refuse to let them leave the room until you get a deal? >> you know, the -- i mean, jessica, i am not a dictator. i'm the president. so ultimately if mitch mcconnell or john boehner say we need to go to catch a plane, i can't have secret service block the doorway. >> reporter: so part of the reason i asked the question, brooke, is because the

let's go to our chief white house correspondent, jessica yellin. she is working the story for us. the president was determined he was passionate today, jessica. >> reporter: hi, wolf. he was. today senator marco rubio is the latest republican to vow a filibuster of some antigun violence legislation. it's the latest obstacle adding pressure to the president's efforts to push for new measures just now three months after the sandy hook massacre. surrounded by mothers of shooting victims president obama tried to shame congress into passing legislation that would curb gun violence. >> the notion that two months or three months after something as horrific as what happened in newtown happens? and we've moved on to other things? that's not who we are. >> reporter: next month the senate will vote on a measure to expand background checks on gun purchases to make it illegal to buy guns and resell them to criminals and increase funding for school safety. >> none of these ideas should be controversial. why wouldn't we want to make it more difficult for a dangerous person to get his or her hand

. >> jessica yellin traveling with the president in jerusalem getting ready to head over to jordan with tomorrow. jessica, thanks. >>> we're getting new information about claims that syria has used chemical weapons. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, has the very early results of the u.s. investigation. what is this, barbara? what are we hearing? >> brianna, as you said, the u.s. intelligence community has been working on this problem around the clock. did the syrian regime use chemical weapons. we do now have some initial results of that investigation. with video of syrians suffering from convulsions and breathing problems, and accusations of chemical weapons attacks, u.s. intelligence agencies have scrambled to determine if the charges were true. cnn has learned that u.s. intelligence analysts now have, quote, multiple indicators that chemical weapons were not used. officials emphasize this preliminary conclusion is in part based on video from syria. intelligence analysts say they see no indication patients are being treated for symptoms of chemical weapons outlawed by the int

jessica yellin for us in amman. >>> another political crisis in the middle east.government resigned today. his cabinet was torn by infighting over upcoming parliamentary elections and the future of a top security official. this comes during rising tensions in lebanon linked to the civil war in neighboring syria. >>> north korea taking 150,000 americans hostage. that's the latest threat coming from the rogue nation, as it rattles its sword at the united states and south korea once again. our pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is joining us now. what's going on with north korea? what are they saying to you over there, chris? >> well, wolf, basically there's well over 100,000 american men, women, even children living in south korea. and the north seems to be signaling if it comes down to a war, they are fair game. north korean troops charge over the border, as artillery blasts away. rockets rain down on south korea, as thousands of tanks invade. pictures of u.s. military officials flash, and a north korean narrator promises to take 150,000 americans as hostages. t

jessica yellin at the white house. going to do it behind his back in a room with no windows or something, right? >> reporter: well, they're not going to call a whole lot of attention to it, you're right, erin. they'll do it in a private -- in a private event. i expect they'll probably release a photo, obviously, not a lot of fan fare around this one. the president could sign it any time now. the moment he does sign it, that is when the cuts go into effect. what we know will not happen, the locusts will not come, flood gates will not open. the office of management and budget will still be open because they have to send their report to congress detailing what all the cuts are. but we know they're not going to be, as the president said, dire or immediate. people across the country aren't going to be feeling them right away, so it's really more of a sort of slow ripple effect on the economy. and that's something of a political challenge for the white house, erin. >> it certainly is, because obviously he used such aggressive

we go to amman, jordan, john king and jessica yellin tell us how the president did in the middle eastre importantly where we go from here. is there really hope an israeli, palestinian peace process can get off the ground? we will get their assessment, they have been there with the president. >>> and two potential republican presidential candidates, senator rand paul, congressman paul ryan, my interviews with them and a lot more coming up here in "the situation room." back to you, don. >> looking forward to it, wolf, thank you very much. >>> what if extinction isn't forever? researchers are working on bringing back some species that haven't been seen on earth for decades. that's next. [ indistinct conversations ] [ male announcer ] when you wear dentures you may not know it, but your mouth is under attack. food particles infiltrate and bacteria proliferate. ♪ protect your mouth, with fixodent. the adhesive helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not toda

. >>> i'm jessica yellin, and this is cnn. >>> we're deep into march madness, and as expected, some giantsfallen. our sports contribute is here. good to see you. >> before we talk cinderella, i'm not a basketball fanatic, but why is this this time of year, i always want to just sit around the bar, watch the monitor, eat wings and drink beer? >> that's the american way. sit around and win money. >> i don't do money. we were just looking at, borda gulf coast university stole the spotlight by defeating georgetown, and harvard, wichita upset. are these upsets good for college basketball? >> let's put it this way. everybody in america right now, truth, justice and the american way, we've got to pull it tonight against lasalle, against florida gulf coast, all these teams. because in the short run, send rel las are good. in the long run, people pull for cinderella, but they don't want to pull cinderella. we had a final, wichita state and that hideous florida gulf coast, who would you fervently cheer for or who would you fervently cheer against? >> do you know what i mean? we can either hate or lo

. >> gloria, i want to bring jessica yellin into the discussion.the president said i'm not a dictator, i'm the president. i can't force these guys. i just have the presidential responsibilities. that's the sound bite that i'm sure will be replayed throughout the day here and elsewhere, as well. i got the sense this is a president who is pretty confident, he thinks time is on his side politically in the battle with republicans, public opinion seems to be more in his corner than the corner of the republicans. and just as he got the republicans to blink on no new taxes at the end of december when they finally agreed to raise taxes for the wealthy, he thinks eventually they will come around to his side right now. is that your sense? >> yes, you've summed it up. could you tell by his body language that he was relaxed and confident and heading into another fiscal crisis that's very different from the mood we got from him in the fiscal deal or debt talks. so obviously he has the the sense that he had the upper hand in the negotiation for now. but it will

our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin is standing by, and john king are joining us from amman, jordan, where the president wrapped up his trip. he has done well in jordan, now the hard work begins. where do we go from here? >> reporter: the white house feels he accomplished what they set out as his primary goal, which was to reconnect with the israeli people and convince them that he understands where they're coming from on the primary security issues. the big question as you point out, can this lead to real accomplishments, that would be on the peace front with palestinians, simply too many questions that remain outstanding when it comes to settlements and exchange of prisoners, other major issues that the arab world and palestinians are unsatisfied with. and syria, iran, these are still just two looming trouble spots that are unaddressed at this point, but what we do know, the president and netanyahu prime minister of israel ended the note on a renewed -- >> reporter: the frost melted, major concession from netanyahu, they now have a real partnership, ability to work t

asked by our jessica yellin, lock the congressional leaders in a room. you can'tbut a mind wheel on -- the trekkies caught op, wait, that's a combination of the jedi mind tract and vulcan mind meld. you to do that. it blew up on twitter. people were tweeting like, beam me up yoda, mixed movie references. i won't take ed cred is for this, somebody tweeted that the president make a wookie mistake not a rookie mistake, a wookie mistake in reference to cha b k chewbacca. i should apologize for that. >> i like it. i like how serious people take this. earlier you said mr. spock and people blew you up on twitter for not calling him dr. spock. >> the white house put up a tweet showing the cuts aren't the solutions americans are looking for. trying to have fun with it, too. sort of like marco rubio, when you have a gaffe, have fun with it. >> thank you for that. >>> these cuts are so complicated. a lot of viewers are writing in with questions. our tom foreman is in washington with answers. what are people asking you, tom? >> reporter: asking about everything, bri

. >> naftali, the justice minister told our jessica yellin that it is clear in israel that syria has used chemical weapons. obviously the united states, the president and the state department have said they have seen the reports. they have not yet confirmed whether they think syria has used chemical weapons, whether it be the government or the opposition. have you seen proof that bashar al assad or the opposition have used them? >> well, i don't know about proof. we're very concerned about these chemical weapons being taken or handed over to hezbollah in lebanon. i'll remind you there's roughly 60,000 missiles in lebanon targeted at the north and center of israel. the chemical weapons exist in syria. the missiles exist in lebanon. and when you connect the two, it's a mortal risk for israel and we'll protect ourselves against this sort of action. >> naftali bennett on the security. cabinet and also the economy minister for israel. >>> it's been three months since the shooting at sandy hook elementary school. but to night we just -- this just crossed. it shocked us. a statistic on gun

jessica yellin is standing by. john king is standing by.a little sense of what has happened so far in the hours since the president arrived. >> wolf in the hours since he's arrived we have seen the optics that both governments want. that's a friendly, happy, upbeat reception. people talking washington, people talk here in jerusalem, across israel, about the frosty personal relationship between president obama, and president netanyahu. you would have no hint of that from watching the last few hours unfurl. air force one landed in tel aviv. a big celebration, even a joke from the prime minister that maybe he and the president should go out bar hopping. said he would give the president a despise. the president went to president obama went to the residence of the israeli president shimon peres, schoolchildren singing there. he's now in the private meetings with president netanyahu and that is the key question. in the private meetings, can they make progress on working cooperation when it comes to the iran nuclear program? what is their assessme

. >>> i'm jessica yellin, and this is cnn. >>> that's all for us tonight. anderson cooper in rome starts right now. >>> thanks, piers. good evening, everyone. the world has a new pope, as you know do in and out know by now. 1.2 billion catholics have a new leader and unlike many they have ever had. a short time ago, stepped on to the balcony, begins day one of his papacy as a true pioneer in many ways. the first latin american pope, you no doubt know. the first non-european pope in modern times. first to take the name francis after saint francis of assisi. this one made history quickly, as well. extraordinary scene in the square. this one made history pretty quickly. extraordinary scene in the square. the five rounds of voting, a decision. and as the white smoke rose, the crowd in st. peter's square erupted. the joy. this time, not tempered by mourning as it was eight years ago, because for the first time in 598 years, the previous pope is alive and well, retired, not deceased. as word got out, the crowd grew larger. people literally running to the square,

our jessica yellin is reporting that some of the new ambassadors the president is likely to name are the president's re-election campaign. imagine getting romantic paris, mark lasry might. he raised nearly $1 million for the president in 2012. he's already smiling in the picture. walking down the streets of paris with a glass of wine. or cosmopolitan london, matthew barzun might get that. or imagine going on safari for a long weekend vacation and sipping wine near table mountain in capetown. patrick gaspard might have drawn that lucky straw. he's executive director of the democratic national committee and he might be the new ambassador to south africa. or even the rise of theland of rising sun, carolyn kennedy is maybe up for tokyo or superhip toronto. is this cronyism at its ugly or smart diplomacy? former chief of staff for george w. bush. is the president crossing a line. these are people who put their entire clears to being good ambassadors and diplomats. these are some of the most important spots in the world. >> you really hit the nail on the head. presidents have been doing th

our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin begins our coverage this hour. it's an ugly site. what's the latest, jessica? >> reporter: wolf, president obama is here and at work but he has not yet signed the order that will trigger these spending cuts. when he does, it will be low key and behind closed doors. he says it will create a ripple effect that will be felt across the economy. congressional leaders summoned to the white house for a last-minute meeting, left less than an hour later with no deal. soon after, the president came to the briefing room to give his side of the story. >> none of this is necessary. it's happening because a choice that republicans in congress have made. >> reporter: at issue, mr. obama wants to raise some money by closing tax loopholes. republicans want no new taxes. instead, replace these unpopular cuts with more targeted cuts. both sides are dug in. mr. obama insists he's done everything he can to reach a deal. >> what more do you think i should do? okay. i just want to clarify. you know, because if people have a suggestion, i'

. >> but before that, our own jessica yellin asked the president why he didn't just lock lawmakers in a room until they could reach an agreement. >> i am not a dictator. i'm the president. so, ultimately, if mitch mcconnell or john boehner say we need to go to catch a plane, i can't have secret service block the doorway. >> cnn's national political correspondent, jim acosta, is at the white house. jim, congress will still try to come up with another plan, right? >> well, we'll have to see, victor. you know, the president signed this into law, essentially, he executed this order last night at 8:30 p.m. this is it right here. and omb, the office of management and budget sent over an 83-page letter to the speaker of the house, john boehner, detailing, line by line, where all of these cuts are going to be going into effect over the next several weeks, over the next several months, depending on which department of the federal government you're talking about. and you can just look at the numbers, they're pretty staggering. $289 million for the centers for disease control. nearly $1 billion

jessica yellin is live in jerusal jerusalem. so why now?on and one a lot of people are asking. every visit to jerusalem by a u.s. president is seen as rich in symbolism and strategic significant. symbolically the president's visit makes sense. you could say his first visit overseas in his first term was to give a speech in cairo to the arab world. now he can say his first overseas visit, the second term, he gives a speech in israel to the jewish world and any sensitivities he irritated the first time around he will have addressed now. but strategically, many people here in israel are confused by the timing of this visit. other american presidents have come to israel at a time when, for example, peace negotiations were at a crucial turning point and their visit had enormous potential to bring the two sides together. for example, jimmy carter came in 1979, the same month the of the egypt israel peace treaty. in clinton's term, there were four visits. in 1994, a peace treaty signed between israel and jordan while he was here. there were two th

let's discuss what is going on with jessica yellin, our chief political correspondent candy crowley,e anchor of cnn's "state of the union." does this hurt the republican brand when a republican congressman uses a word like that? >> it is the problem that happens to a lot of entities that when you already have a reputation for something and then someone adds to that reputation and underlines it, it's a problem. that's what's happened here. the republicans have been battling against more than 70% of hispanic americans voting for president obama last november, and republicans know that they have to reach out to this community and then this word gets out there from a republican congressman and it undermines it. is it fatal? no. does it help? absolutely not. >> you know, i'll point out, wolf, it is not just with latinos this hurts. a very respected republican research group just did a study and showed conservative republicans also want to see immigration reform passed and object to the positions that mitt romney took in the primary. for example conservative republican voters don't want to

let's begin in the shadow of this hour's meeting with chief white house correspondent jessica yellin.chat with the president. is anything going to happen? >> well, anything is possible, but i wouldn't bet your house on it, this is really a photo-op for all the leaders to say that they tried to get something done. they at least sat and talked before the midnight hour. what's going to happen tonight is before 11:59 p.m., the president is going to have to sign an order initiating these cuts. the office of management and budget which runs this budget, all these cuts, said something that looks like this, i don't know if you can see this, but it's a huge long document all the way up to capitol hill explaining which cuts will go broadly in which agencies. will was one that was sent last year, very long. and then the agencies have to ghin trimming their accounts. it rolls out very gladly, though, and the president has himself even said that this is now sort of a slide rather than for example a government shutdown. so you're not going to feel the effects instantly and politically that could be

thanks to jessica yellin in tel aviv this morning. we will come back to you over the course of the morning. this went from what was going to be a symbolic visit to one where all of a sudden there are urgent matters to discuss with the specter of chemical weapons possibly being used in syria. we want to go to our senior international correspondent ivan watson in amman, jordan, this morning. and ivan, yesterday syrian state media claimed that opposition forces launched a chemical attack in aleppo province. killing at least two dozen people, injuring more than 100. the rebels deny that charge and they actually accuse regime forces of shelling a town near damascus with chemical rockets. there are these dueling charges of chemical weapon use. what are you hearing this morning? >> some more finger pointing. the syrian government saying that 9 rebels, as they call terrorists, may have used chemical weapons that were smuggled in by supporters like turkey or qatar against this town which is largely a government loyalist town populated by shiit