josh ernst is backing off saying they don't know when he'll move on it. >> conditions change. we see things happening around the world that we don't expect and can't anticipate. despite best actions other things come to the forefront, taking precedence. i don't think it's a mistake. i think they are trying to figure out when would be the best time. you know, i trust that they'll figure out when is the best time and will act accordingly. >>> a new pugh research poll comes out on wednesday, suggesting that americans are focussed on border security and strengthening enforcement of immigration forms, finding 33% believe border security is a main priority, up from 25% last year. another poll found 31% of americans approve of how the president is handling immigration as opposed to 6 is%. do democrats, palings with what happened at the border, with the ipp -- especially with what is happening at the border, with the influx of immigrant children. does there need to be a greater focus on what is happening at the border and securing it? >> trust me, i've been in a lot of discussions, an

on monday the white house where are press briefer josh ernst gave a briefing and i asked why the free syrian army, and why new? >> the united states has been engaged in an effort to support them, and we have been for some time, for more than a year at least. separately, the concern that was expressed by the administration at the time, and has been - it's something that is oft repeated, is a concern that we didn't want to provide assistance to every individual who said they were fighting bashar al-assad. >> there has been an ongoing concern from the administration that arming the rebels is not a good idea, because many of them end up in the hands of the bad guys, armed transfers from third party countries has been blocked, for shoulder launched missiles. and the question of will the president consult congress before expanding operations into syria, it's clear that the president that's correct he has the authorisation that he thinks he needs. it appears that there'll be no further votes in congress to authorise an expansion of military action within iraq and syria. >> iraq's prime minis

white house spokesman josh ernst called for restraint. >> the white house calls for universal suffrage, and support the hong kong people. we believe an open society, governed by the rule of law is essential for hong kong stability and prosperity. >> afghanistan's government will sign an agreement with the u.s. to keep combat troops on the ground. the new president agreed to the deal after hamid karzai refused to support it. rosalind jordan reports. >>> with the inauguration of ashraf ghani as president, the people of afghanistan are getting more than a new leader. they are getting a military presence in 2015, something washington says will help make the afghan people safer. >> this one is afghanistan and the international community to maintain the partnership we have established to ensure that afghanistan maintains the gains of past decade. that is the plan. we look forward to having that signed. >> reporter: under the terms. bilateral security agreement, bsa, 9800 u.s. troops will train afghan forces and support them as they conduct patrols, gather intelligence and lead attacks. they'

. >> each though that is what they agreed to - let's listen to josh ernst at the white house and what he had to say. >> the united states reports universal coverage, and supports the people. >> the basic law would allow for a level of democracy and the people electing officials by themselves. it's a thing called one country, two systems. completely fantasy, really. >> it is fantasy. the beijing authorities called tibet autonomous, saying the same thing about shin jong. where the uyghurs are. you have the brutal policies. china is tough on internal dissidents. their mind-set is 1989 they stopped democracy across the country. they spilt blood, but taught the chinese people a lesson, and foreign countries didn't do anything about it. >> do you think this was inevitable. hong kong was a financial center, it had freedoms for decades before the chinese took over, and then you tried to meld that with a system where there is no freedom. it's like a - it's too irresistible. you can't possibly make those two positions work. >> yes, it was irreconcilable and had to happen. people in hong kong ar

a spokesman, josh ernst described the effort this way. >> a lot of this is de-conflicting, making sure some requests don't go unfilled. this is the situation of general allen, meeting with the press, updating him on the process. >>> that's general john allen, a former marine internal, in charge of i.s.e.f. forces, the coalition in afghanistan. chuck hagel, secretary of defense, testifies before congress tomorrow. >> thank you. the u.s. estimates dozens of americans are fighting for i.s.i.l. attorney general eric holder announced plans to stement the flow at a-- stem the flow at a crass roots level. >> the programme brings together a group of people to improve local engagement, to counter violent extremism and build a broad network of community partnerships to keep the nation safe. >> the u.s. and european nations worry foreign fighters will return home after learning how to fight with i.s.i.l. the united kingdom is considering seizing suspects of those suspected of fighting in iraq and syria. >>> a moment of silence for the british aid worker beheaded by i.s.i.l. david haines, the thir

white house spokesman josh ernst said it should happen soon, before congress heads home to campaign. >> the president needs the authority as soon as possible. in order to direct the united states military to ramp up the existence. and that is important now because of the response he had gotten from countries in the region. partners who are ready to support the effort. despite urging from the white house, congress does not plan to take a vote. reaction on criminal is mixed, some saying air strikes will not be enough. others voicing concerns that the arms for syrian rebels could get into the wrong hands. despite reservations, members of the house and senate team is supporting the president's plan, which is a big deal for the white house. as they push their message, the secretary of state is bringing that same message from overseas. he's been in jeddah trying to sum up support. the state department says after secretary of state john kerry leaves saudi arabia, he'll head to turkey and egypt and paris, where france is hosting an international summit on what to do with iraq. >> new numbers

. >>> white house press secretary josh ernst reiterizing the creating of a global force to battle i.s.i.s. welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm morgan radford. >> secretary general arrived in egypt to shore up support of arab leaders. 10 countries ruled to help. john kerry rule out allowing iran to join the coalition. good morning to you john, in erbil. why was it important for john kerry to address iran at this point? >> well, the u.s. has been concerned about iranian involvement for some time. there are iranian fighters on the ground. iraq and iran have a close relationship under the last administration of prime minister nouri al-maliki. so john kerry was expressing the concern of the u.s. government as it developed a coalition of nations, western nations and nations in the gulf region, his concern is iran may have excessive influence. this is what he had to say. >> but i think under the circumstances, at this moment in time, it would not be right for any number of reasons. it would not be appropriate given the many other issues that are on the table with respect to their engagement