i want to go back out to libby casey who is covering the hearing from capitol hill. libby, i'm sure you have made the same observation that i have had, compared to the senate foreign relations committee, the members here already have staked out their positions. there aren't a lot of questions about the technical details, but more political statements regarding their view of iran in general, as being anti-american, out to destroy the united states. >> that's right, stephanie, and that's largely what we expected. oftentimes when officials come before the house, it is a more racous environment, and secretary kerry was afforded respect last week before the senate committee, a committee he used to chair even as republicans had harsh criticism, talking about whether he and his team had been bamboozled or fleeced. here in the house, this is the way it usually is. and part of the frustration is that they have a very short window in which to ask questions. they only get about five minutes, and they have to decide are they there to get their side of things out, or are they ther

allow them to get a better understanding of our goals and decisions. >> we'll head back out to libby casey outside the embassy. libby, striking really to see the foreign minister of cuba standing between two flags the americaning from right next to the cuban flag, raised above the embassy 40 minutes ago. what else are you seeing where you are? >> stephanie we're right across the street. we're also on cuban soil. this is like the visa office, and a cuban flag just went up right behind where all the media is located. it was a much quieter moment but it was one where the family gathered. it's one where cuban americans on hand, and just to see that flag go up much as we saw behind us a little while ago here at the embassy itself, it was really pretty striking given how many decades the u.s. and cuba have just not had a diplomatic relationship. now we did see a member of the white house team inside the embassy attending this speech, this event today. we also have an assistant secretary for this state department, but there is by no means an uniform agreement that this is the way to go. republica

. >> i want to go back out to capitol hill and our libby casey, who has been listening to these hearings. libby, i understand that the white house has embarked on a pretty active crusade to try to convince key democrats that this is a good deal. what have they been doing to that effect? >> we will see house democrats go to the white house this afternoon, stephanie. they are also doing a lot of outreach, though sending teams to capitol hill trying to have conversations. president obama even golfing with house democrats. house democrats are crucial to the white house strategy because it is expected that the house and senate do pass in september as soon as they come back, as soon as this 60-day window rolls out, it is expected for them to pass a -- a vote disapproving of this negotiated deal. it is expected then for the white house to veto that. the real question is will the white house be able to hang on to more than a third of either the house or senate to prevent a veto override and -- and while the house republicans yesterday were especially aggressive, really pushing secretary kerry so

let's go to our correspondent on capitol hill libby casey. it was interesting to hear a democrat from florida, ted deutsche criticize this deal asking about the past military dimensions of the iranian deal. how many democrats are there on the hill like him who have serious reservations about this? >> reporter: i would say there are a lot, stephanie. the question is when push comes to shove in september, how will they vote? we are hearing from some like jerry connelly who is from a region right outside of d.c. who are supportive of this. but the top democrat on this committee and others are raising concerns. will the administration be able to allay those concerns enough to get votes? will they be able to gain traction here in the house and in the senate is the question. there will be a cooling off period of sorts because the house goes on recess for a full month. so they'll be able to hear from constituents we'll watch how the polls reflect the american public's perspective on this deal. so while democrats are raising tough questions now, that

. >> let's bring in libby casey now who is live on capitol hill. good afternoon to you libby. we know this is the second day of hearings, really the third existence congress began reviewing the deal. what has congress centered around today? >> erica, the unique thing about today's hear something that we heard from leaders of the military. the chairman joint chiefs of staff. the republicans want to push them especially general dempsey into saying that they don't support this deal, or that they have concerns about it. one senator described dempsey's reaction to the deal at tepid. general dempsey said no, i'm taking a pragmatic approach. these military leaders before the deal was entirely hammered out, pushed publicly to make sure that iran wasn't given entirely a free reign to go ahead and to buy and sell weapons. including inter continental missiles. five years no weapons. eight years with norrer with intercontinental missiles. that's something that both military leaders support. we also heard a lot of questions about the money. if if economic sanctions are lifted will iran bec

libby casey, al jazeera, washington. >> jonathan pollard is the former u.s. naval intelligence analyst who was sentenced to life in 1987 after passing top secret u.s. government information to israel. usual terms of parole allows inmates to travel outside the u.s. after four years. israel began demolition work on a housing complex in the west bank today, the two partially built blocks had been constructed illegally on palestinian owned land. meanwhile, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu flounced two new projects in the west bank. , netanyahu also gave approval for 400 new settlement homes in east jerusalem. >>> the mother of the colorado theater shooter tries to convince a jury to spare her son's life. >> i would have been crawling on all fours to get to him. >> what she said about the months leading up to the massacre. and the age are over the killing of a famous lion is growing on social media, the reaction to the illegal hunt. hunt. >> the mother of the colorado movie theater has broken her silence. today arlene holmes took to the stand for the firs

it's just the case. >> it's on your shoulder, sit that powerful. >> i think it is. >> libby casey, al jazeera. >> al jazeera will spend more time examining the criminal justice system o this weekend. imran garda will examine this on sunday. and this weekend ali velshi will bring you an inside look at the nation and the people who call it home and hopefully sheart some stereotypes along the way. that's this sunday night. that's our show for today. i'm mary snow, thanks for joining us. >> flames on a free way. a brush fire jumps a major california highway burning dozens of vehicles, and forcing hundreds of people to walk to safety. >>> looking for answers. a day after a gunman killed four marines in chattanooga, investigators in the community try to make sense of the voyages. >>> high level talks. president obama tells saudi officials why the nuclear deal with iran is good news for their country and their region.

it's just the case. >> it's on your shoulder, sit that powerful. >> i think it is. >> libby casey, al jazeera. >> al jazeera will spend more time examining the criminal justice system on this weekend. imran garda will examine this on sunday. and this weekend ali velshi will bring you an inside look at the nation and the people who call it home and hopefully sheart some stereotypes along the way. that's this sunday night. that's our show for today. i'm mary snow, thanks for joining us. >> tell me what you and your generation think is gonna to happen. >> three days of mourning after a huge isil car bomb kills more than a hundred people in iraq. >> also on this program, defiance in iran, supreme leader says the nuclear deal will not change his country's policy towards the u.s. a wildfire races across a highway in southern california destroying cars and sending

it's just the case. >> it's on your shoulder, sit that powerful. >> i think it is. >> libby casey, al jazeera. >> al jazeera will spend more time examining the criminal justice system on this weekend. imran garda will examine this on sunday. and this weekend ali velshi will bring you an inside look at the nation and the people who call it home and hopefully sheart some stereotypes along the way. that's this sunday night. that's our show for today. i'm mary snow, thanks for joining us. >> tell me what you and your generation think is gonna to happen. ♪ ♪ >> new york real estate developer and reality tv star

libby casey is live on capitol hill. y, good morning, last week's hearing did get testy at least at times. are we expecting the same today? >> stephanie we certainly are. the house republicans intend to go over their own set of questions, and we'll hear tough questions from democrats too. it wasn't just last week's hearings where senators used words like you have been bamboozled and fleeced. the rhetoric and conversation continued throughout the week. we heard ted cruz speaking on the floor last week calling for an amendment, saying that iran must recognize israel before congress can sign off on this deal. that sort of thing won't happen and he got a lot of pushback even from some republicans over the weekend who accused him of using this issue to play presidential politics so we have seen the temperature get hotter but some are saying let's not let this get out of hand and let members use this as a grandstanding opportunity. we do have real concerns say members of both parties, stephanie. >> there are quite a few remembe

libby casey is live on capitol hill. libby this is the most heated exchange we have seen this far, and it was from a democrat with some credentials when it comes to dealing with iran. >> absolutely. he long has played a big role in the senate foreign relations committee and has concerns about this. but that was expected as you said out for us. and we heard from senator marco rubio, bringing up a range of hypotheticals. what if for example, israel pushes back against this do we then side with iran? the administration saying no. and you're hearing some more heated terminology. we're hearing republicans getting bamboozled. democrats saying that is completely inaccurate and if the u.s. has been bamboozled then all international allies have been as well. >> menendez made the point of the credibility of snap back sanctions. and lou isn't have a clearance to that. and the brought up the arms embargo, and then there is this issue of why president obama has not said more explicitly that if iran does not comply with the nuclear dea

libby casey reports on how the u.s. and german government was handling the latest spy scandal. >> the latest leaks is a list of n.s.a. targets in germany, and a list of phone numbers of german officials, people in the government. it includes the contents of a 2011 phone call about angela merkel and a member of her staff. about the eurozone crisis. in response, the chief of staff invited the u.s. ambassador to a meeting, falling short of a summoning, but is taken seriously in germany, and is making headlines there. the german government is saying that it will prosecute anyone breaking the law and spying on german citizens. in response to the allegations state department spokesman john kirby wouldn't comment directly on the wikileaks content, only saying that the u.s. is focussed on keeping strong ties with germany, and in no way intends to jeopardise or strain the relationship. . >> it's certain our hope that nothing, regardless of whether it's these leaked documents or anything else - that nothing gets in the way of the

a ten-minute break to vote on another piece of legislation, so in the meantime i want to go to libby casey, covering the hearing live on capitol hill. good morning, so this is the third big congressional hearing in a week. this one is different, there is more of a focus on the broader issues of military implications what mccain called the geopolitical challenges that iran prevents. what else are you hearing are concerns regarding this deal at this point? >> well you are absolutely right, stephanie, and senator mccain said what will stop iran is military development, not a document. sort of dismissing this agreement and saying we need a strong robust military and one that is not afraid to act. he is very critical of this agreement, and we're hearing a lot about military might and potential dangers that they see in this deal. before we got the details of the deal some of the people you're hearing testify today, general dempsey and also ash carter the defense secretary voiced some concerns. and it's a bit unusual for them to voice concerns publicly. they voiced concerns about the potential of

libby casey reports. >> reporter: stop military brass took a turn on capitol hill defending the deal on iran adding their voices and credentials to the white house team pitching the plan. >> it's a good deal because it prevents iran there getting a nuclear weapon in a comprehensive and verifiable way. >> reporter: defense secretary ash carter and joint chiefs of staff chairman martin dempsey agreed all options if iran walks away from the deal. >> i've said from the start that relieving the risk of a nuclear conflict with iran diplomatically is superior than doing it militarily. but i will sustain the military options in case that becomes centers. >> but congressional members believe that is not enough. >> it is the u.s. military to do what is necessary if all else fails. and yet this agreement would enable iran to construct the kind of advance military arsenal that could make our military option far costlier to employ. >> reporter: democrats are weighing their options it's their support the white house needs from congress to derail the deal. >> do you believe that if we walk away fro

libby casey is outside of the cuban embassy in washington. libby, good morning. tell us what to expect at the ceremony. >> stephanie, in just a few minutes they will raise the flag over the embassy and the embassy did become official at 12:01 this morning. this is certainly a significant moment. hundreds of people are on hand to witness it. afterwards we'll go inside and we'll address 500 people. they include dignitaries and leaders from the caribbean generally and also cuban culture leaders. and then later meeting with the secretary of state john kerry for what is described as a no holds barred diplomatic meeting. >> they have called it a substantive meeting between kerry and rodriguez. libby, go into more detail about the status change from the cuban intersection to bam the embassy. >> this creates full diplomatic ties and gives them a full availability to be part of the diplomatic core. now cubans who work here can only travel 25 miles distance from the nation's capital. they also have been unable to open a bank account locally. that changed in may when the pr

ambassador to cuba. >> libby casey in washington, thank you. >> the u.s. embassy in havana is also officially open today but the american flag isn't flying there quite yet. the u.s. is waiting to see how things play out. we have that perspective from havana. >> these 40ifyed walls were built when cuba was still a spanish colony, a testament to a country that was born feeling under siege. in the 700s, it was from europeans and pirate attacks and in more recent times from the united states. she remembers all do welcoming here with her students to help build this bomb shelter, one of hundreds constructed in havana in the last 20 years. >> the same way they bombed iran and iraq, we felt we had to protect ourselves from possible attacks from the united states. >> that's why the renewal of diplomatic relations with the enemy as generations of cubans have seen the united states, is a long awaited game changer. >> it's a way of bringing us closer together after being separated so long. every cuban has a friend or relative living in the united states so what's happ

erica some. >> all right, libby casey, live from washington d.c. thank you. >>> well, there could be a new include in the search for missing malaysia airlines flight, 70. what appears to be part of a washed up wing in the indian ocean. the investigators are confident that it belongs to the same type of aircraft as the missing plane, but aviation experts say that the piece should have markings or numbers that could be traced to an individual be aircraft. the boeing 777 disappeared with 239 people onboard while going to beijing, they believe that it turned and crashed into the indian ocean west of australia. >> we need to verify whatever wreckage found, needs to be very fine before we can confirm whether it belonged to mh370. so we dispatch on these issues, and we hope that we can identify it as soon as possible. >> the news came as the united nations security council debated a resolution to find closure for another malaysian airlines tragedy. and the security council to set up a tribunal to try those responsible for shooting down mh flight 17. all 2

libby casey is with us on capitol hill. libby give me your take on that last exchange. a little testy at points. >> absolutely. the money is important, but what we have heard from white house officials is that a lot of this money will get freed up regardless of how congress votes and how the u.s. acts because this is an international agreement, what the administration officials have said is the u.s. will essentially get left behind. other sanctions will lift international activity will move forward, and the u.s. will be the ones out in the cold. we have heard some important exchanges this morning. this is the third hearing in just a week on this nuclear agreement, but we are threading on fresh territory today. one i want to point out is that general dempsey said this deal reduces the short-term threat of military action but allows the u.s. to pay more attention to the activities. another thing we're hearing a lot of focus on paul is the question of agreements with the iaea. republicans are calling them side deals or secret side deals. the administration says this is sta

now let's go to libby casey outside of the cuban embassy in washington. tell us what you saw. >> the cuban flag was raised for the first time in five decades. certainly symbolic. and also there it has been significant in terms of policies behind that. the u.s. officially has an embassy in havana and cuba has an embassy here. this basically creates more of a dealershippic relationships and gives those who work here at the embassy much more of a presence and gives them basically full diplomatic antis. we saw the flag go up, a lot of pomp and circumstance going on with that. we heard the national anthem of cuba play, and we saw hundreds of people gather to hear the foreign minister of cuba speak. the first time someone of that stature has been on u.s. soil in decades, something that the state department in and of itself is. >> i there were some demonstrators there. what was their message? >> frankly a lot of demonstrators out here were pro-cuba, and were in favor of the u.s. lifting its embargo. rolling back sanctions ending with what they're calling the blo

let's go out to libby casey with this problem. the front-row seat there libby. tell us what happened around you you. >> a lot of people here in washington have waited for this event for decades. we're talking about cuban-americans and activists and american business people who see this as a real break through and the opportunity of doing business in cuba. >> and what you're hearing in the background as far as the music is the cuban national anthem. again, another hugely symbolic event to be happening to have the cuban anthem to be sung there. john kerry is not there. but roberta jacobson, who was the lead when it comes to negotiations that led to this event, david, she is leading the delegation there. the symbolism aside what does this actually mean for cuba? the opening of the u.s. embassy in havana, and the opening of the embassy in washington. >> this speaks to many, and it says that this is a government that the united states is willing to do business with. you have not seen a lot of changes in terms of human rights abuses. there has been no transition to de

i want to bring back libby casey who is covering this very important hearing from capitol hill. libby the secretary referred to the urine test analogy that was earlier made by the chairman and said that's just not how it works. let's just talk about that for a second. because he is sort of a star in these negotiations in the fact that he is actually a nuclear physicist, it's hard for anybody in that chamber to really argue with him on the science of this. >> that's right. and we have heard members on both sides of the aisle praising him for walking them through this step by step. and that seems to be a bipartisan thing. and what we were talking about with that urine specimen mention, is chairman corker said look this is like asking an athlete to provide his own urine test. and what the administration official said is a lot of this is confidential. that got a lot of pushback. so the secretary is trying to allay the fears, and talk them through just how hands on both members of the united nations teams will be as well as international teams will be in making sure that iran is follo

libby casey is on capitol hill where she has been following it all morning. libby we have been watching this for hours now. what stands out to you the most? >> we're definitely seeing partisan lines drawn. tom cotton just had a round of questioning. a freshmen senator. freshmen usually listen more than they talk in the senate but not this guy. he is very critical of this negotiated deal and you heard some intense back and forth between senator cotton and members of the administration. senator cotton focusing on something we have heard a lot about this week. side deals, we calls them with the iaea deals between iran and the iaea. the administration says this is standard procedure. there are confidential agreements reached between the iaea and countries, it's standard procedure, but senator cotton said who has seen it? has anyone on your team seen it? and basically the administration had to say we have not had access to this yet, but that is typical for this situation. senator cotton says he wants the u.s. congress to see a it wheren text. paul that's very unlik

as libby casey reports, secretary of state john kerry fought back arguing scrapping it would not make it better. >> reporter: round two on capitol hill for the chief negotiators and pitch men for a deal not sitting well with republicans or top democrats. >> as i condition to review the deal, there's a number of issues i find troublesome. >> secretary of state john kerry flanked by the treasury secretary, trying to convince skeptics that this agreement is the best way to prevent iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. >> when it comes to verification and monitoring, there's no sunset in this agreement. no sunset ever. >> secretary of state john kerry says pulling out of the agreement now will give iran a free pass to double the pass of iranian enrichment and could isolate the united states. >> if we walk away, we walk away we walk away alone. our partners are not going to be with us. >> the clock has started ticking. the republican controlled congress has until september 17th to review the deal and vote to approve or disapprove. by the tone, the administration has a tough time ahead. >> if th

it didn't stop the changes getting testiment libby casey has been watching this. there's a part of these hearings that seem like nonsense and political grandstanding. in respect moments that were interesting, where there were members of congress that wanted to do right by the constituents and ask tough questions of the negotiators of the deal. what stuck out for you today. >> absolutely, and on both sides of the aisle, republicans and democrats. for some house members, this is a hot to hear from the administration -- shot to hear from the administration. i want to give you a sense of the tone of the exchanges. it did get heated. here is tom marino with the secretary of state john kerry, basically tom marino saying that he is concerned about even the negotiations that have taken place so far. >> how is that going to make the united states citizens safer. >> let me tell you, i'll tell you how it makes the united states citizens safer. because if iran implements the agreements we've come to. they will not be able to make a nuclear weapon. we started in a place where

libby casey has been at capitol hill all morning. what is your take on the last chapter that we heard? i thought very testy in the end. >> absolutely. and they're picking up on something that was said in the beginning concerns whether or not iran can sponsor terrorist activities. these malign activities it's a curious turn of phrase but they're talking about funding of hezbollah and other groups that the u.s. deem to be a threat. what the administration officials are saying, john kerry in particular s that a nuclear iran is even more dangerous. the deal that is on the table right now would prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. the administration believes it's the best shot at that, and it stalls the breakout time. right now the break out time is said to be only two months. with this deal in place they believe it will extend to a year. so the white house team saying dangerous as iran is perceived to be will be even more so if it obtains nuclear weapons paul. we did hear very heated exchange between a couple of senators, and secr

if indeed the republican led congress decides to disapprove of the iran deal, libby casey, thank you, we will take a quick break we will be right back with more live coverage on the iran nuclear deal. this is a great place to work. not because they have yoga meetings and a juice bar. because they're getting comcast business internet. comcast business offers convenient installation appointments that work around your schedule. and it takes- done. - about an hour. get reliable internet that's up to five times faster than dsl from the phone company. call 800-501-6000 to switch today. perks are nice. but the best thing you can give your business is comcast business. comcast business. built for business. welcome back to al jazeera. on the iran nuclear deal. it's still happening. they are more than three hours in. i just want to take a break from the hearing for a second to talk to our ghosts. he does bring a unique perspective to our coverage of this. notice of all, thank you for being with us. one thing that continues to come up, in the debate frankly on both sides of the ail, is that iran

. >> libby casey from capitol hill. thank you very much. professor, we're watching this hearing in the united states. they're watching it also or will be hearing reports of it on the streets of tehran. how will it play there? >> well, they will be intrigued because the rhetoric from--especially the republicans, it will reinforce some of the worst elements in iran who said that we can't trust the united states. their people--they're in the hearings talking about nuking iran. >> how should americans react to the fact that the supreme court leader does do a speech in which there are chants, once again in the audience with death to america? >> i think that the american public should separate what the iran government negotiates and the iranian supreme leader. he is in some ways a symbolic leader who panders to some in the country. but the majority of the public and the government represents the majority, i would say 70% are very eager for basically this. i would say there is 30%-- >> is it understandable that there is american skepticism when yo

and five other world powers and tie ran a few weeks ago and go straight to libby casey on capitol hillhat is the atmosphere leading to this hearing? >> a build up not just in the past week as we watched news of the nuclear deal come up but for months because congress knew this day was likely to come and this is the first public opportunity for members of the obama administration to talk directly to congress members who they really want to win over to their perspective and so there is a lot of build up to this very moment. now the administration has been briefing members behind closed doors and also tried to make some public pushes and saw president obama himself come out last week and talk about the deal but this is where the rubber meets the road stephanie and members of congress want the opportunity to ask genuine questions and also to show constituents back home they are pushing the administration to get details, to make sure that they understand exactly what this deal entails and to find out if they can get behind it or not stephanie. >> we have already heard some very vocal critic

libby casey reports. >> we should maintain. >> top military brass took a turn on capitol hill defending the deal with iran, adding voices and credentials to the white house team pitching the plan. >> it's a good deal because it prevents iran from getting a nuclear weapon in a comprehensive and verifiable way. >> ash carter and giants chief of staff martin dempsey pledged that the u.s. is continuing to advance military capability, leaving open all options if iran walks away from the deal. >> i've said from the start that relieving the risk of a nuclear conflict with iran diplomatically is superior to trying to do that militarily, but i will sustain the military options in case that becomes necessary. >> republicans say that doesn't go far enough. >> the ultimate guarantee that iran will not get a nuclear weapon is not 109 page document. it is the capability of the u.s. military told what is necessary if all else fails, and yet this agreement would enable iran to construct the kind of advanced military arsenal that could make our military option far costlier to employ. >> democrats are we

libby casey is in washington. libby. >> reporter: john, senators raised concerns today including whether the deal actually emboldens iran. whether be the be u.s. is relying too much on dploim diply and not enough on strength. whether there are side deals in play. top of military brass took turn on complol capitol hill. adding their voices to the white house plan. >> it's a good deal because it prevents iran from getting a nuclear weapon in a defined and categorical way. >> leaving open all options if iran walks away from the deal. >> and i've said trt start thatt that relieving the risk of a nuclear bomb, trying to do that militarily but i will sustain the military options in case that becomes necessary. >> but the republicans feel that doesn't go far enough. >> the ultimate guarantee that iran will not get a nuclear weapon is not a 109 page document, it is the capability of the u.s. military to do what is necessary if all else fails. and yet this agreement would enable iran to construct the kind of advanced milita

libby casey is in washington, libby?i don't know, the team that stood toe-to-toe with international negotiators hashing out complex details certainly has it's work cut out right here at home. today's hearing was an opportunity to dig into the deal but it was also a chance to score some political points. it was the first opportunity for the chief negotiator to defend his iran deal before congress. >> the alternative to the deal that we have reached is not what i have seen ads suggesting, it isn't a better deal. some sort of unicorn arrangement. involving iran's complete capitulation. that is a fantasy. >> the secretary of state made his case to the senate foreign relations committee. planned by fresh surery secretary. >> irans ties are exactly who we must keep it from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon. the combination of those two threats would raise a nightmare scenario. >> also making the administration case, a nuclear expert who sat at the negotiating table. >> to be clear the deal is not built on trust. it is hard nosed

libby casey is in washington with the latest on that libby. >> david this latest release. the various officials in the german government. the contents of a went 11 phone call and one of her staffers about the euro zone crisis. so this is definitely dealing a blow to u.s. german relations what is the response in all of this? >> the state department spokesman john kirby wouldn't comment today on the veracity of these wickky leak allegations. he did however empathize the relationship with germany, and said there is no intention to strain or damage that relationship. it is certainly our hope, nothing, regardless of whether it is these documents or anything else, and that if nothing gets in the way of the strong cooperation partnership, and friendship we enjoy with the german people. it is not u.s. policy whether they are ordinary citizens or world leaders david unless there's what he called a specific and validated national security purpose. this is didn't first time the u.s. oon defensive on allegations of spying two weeks ago had been monitoring her phone calls phone calls t

libby casey joins us from washington. did john kerry and company make head way with the senate? >> they may have gained traction with democrats by clarifying details of the deal and answering questions. they didn't challenge the mind of sceptics, disliking the deal and disliking the idea of having a deal with iran. some of those republicans would like to do what they can. >> reporter: it's an opportunity to defend the deal. >> the deal we have reached is not what i see ads on tv suggesting disingenuously. it is a better deal. some sort of unicorn arrangement involving iran's complete capitulation. that is a fantasy, plain and simple. >> the secretary of state made his case to the senate foreign relations committee to a body he used to chair. >> iran's ties to terrorist groups is why we must keep it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. the combination of the threats raises a nightmare scenario. >> also making the case energy secretary, a nuclear expert that sat at the table. >> the deal is not on trust. it's a hard-nosed requirement limiting iran's activities. i can assure you this i

libby casey did the senators get the answers they were looking for? >> reporter: jonathan, they certainly did get answers some of which they general winnley seemed to be after. they had real questions about the details of this iran deal. and that was laid out to great pain today. some in congress, and especially republics will be satisfied by anything the obama administration has to say. [ applause ] it was the first opportunity for the chief u.s. negotiator to publicly defend his iran deal before congress. >> the alternative to the deal that we have reached is not what we have seen some ads on tv suggesting disingenerously. it is "a better deal" some sort of unicorn arraignment involving iran's complete capitulation. that is a fantasy plain and simple. >> the secretary of state made his case to the senate foreign relations committee a body he used to chair. flanked by treasury secretary jack lew. >> that's why we must keep them from having a fuk lar weapon. the combination would be a nightmare scenario. >> also, a nuclear expert sat at the negotiatin

libby casey joins us now. >> reporter: tony, the latest from wikileaks allege that's the nsa was spying on germans and it has an allegation of a call between chancellor merkel and a member of her staff. back in 2011, she was discussing the euro crisis, and it has been met with a strong response from germany. the chancellor called for a meeting with the u.s. ambassador today. and the language is important because it did fall short of an official summoning but the german government said that they're taking this seriously and anyone who conducts spying on citizens in an illegal manner will be 3ed tony. >> how is the u.s. responding to all of this. >> state department spokesman john kirby, would not comment on whether these allegations are true, but he did emphasize that surveillance is done only on targets when it's warranted. he said only for a specific and validated national security purpose. whether it's on an ordinary citizen or on a foreign leader. he said there's no intention on the part of the u.s. to strain or damage the relationship with germany. >> it's certainly our hope that no

>> all right libby casey live in washington d.c. >>> coming up later this hour, my conversation with ali rezaian, his brother has been held in ircan for more than a year. >>> and expected to resume talks in pakistan later this week. pakistani officials say that arrangements are being made for talks on friday. the two sides had talks this month. >>> nearly 220,000 people have died in syria since the conflict began four years ago and millions more have fled the fighting. the new chief gave his first briefing to the security council on the humanitarian situation. and the news, in a word is grim. >> after more than four years of fighting in syria the sheer scale of the humanitarian crisis is staggering. since the spring of 2011, more than 4 million syrians have fled their shattered country nearly 2 million into turkey. making it the country with the largest refugee population in the world. most of the rest have mored into camps and communities in lebron james jordan, iraq and egypt. some have made it to europe, more than 270,000 have applied for asylum there. inside of syria the war has

let's check in with libby casey live on capitol hill.e heard them address some of the broader concerns that congressional members have. from what you are hearing, are we going to see minds changed at the end of this hearing? >> i think that's doubtful. but we're hearing from the top democrat on this committee, also saying that he has got some tough questions, so it's not as though republicans are doing the hard press and democrats are giving a thumbs up. ben carden says we need to have clarity on breakout time and understand whether inspections are robust enough to deter iran from cheating. both sides plan to ask tough questions. obviously republicans using far more critical language. we heard senator corker say he believes administration officials have been fleeced in this process, and he said that last night's presentation by administration officials frankly left him depressed stephanie. he also had words of praise for the energy secretary, he said he is trying to help him understand the details of this related to nuclear capabilities.