mr. bashar al-assad said if you want to avoid al qaeda, you have to support me. and the other ones say, if you want to fight against mr. bashar al-assad, you have to be with us. the reality-- and that's a position of many countries-- is we have to help to support the moderate syrians, what we call the national coalition, because they are the. -- and the solution is neither with the terrorists nor with bashar. and it is the aim to build a canlition between some element of the the regime-- not bashar-- and the moderates in order to build a new sirria. >> rose: some say they fear what is happening is some of these powerful rebel groups have abandoned the opposition's political settlement and are joining with islamistists islame suggesting a more radical front. >> we cannot support them, no, it's clear. the danger is if the situation keeps on during a long time, it will be more and popular bashar and the-- if we want to find a peaceful settlement for syria, a political situation, we have to have geneva 2 rather quickly in order to build the two elements. otherwise, wh

mr. bashar al assad's behavior has become even more reprehensible and in a way, you might argue, that this use of chemical weapons has been kind of a straw that broke the camel's back. >> it seems to me three things we can do. we can do nothing. >> right. >> we can do a limited military strike. or we can go in there full force and try to do a regime change. the president has said no to the regime change and doing nothing is unacceptable to him. so we'll go in there and do this sort of limited military action which will punish him. say day two, we've now punished him, a lot of buildings have come down. now they parade pictures around of the dead civilians saying these horrible americans have killed. iran feels imboldened, look at these horrible americans. >> i'm sure what we do is try to avoid inflicting -- >> i'm convinced that, too. >> i'm sure they'll go after military targets. i'm sure the choice the president wants to pursue is the second choice you described, a limited military strike in the hopes that that will deflect and deter bashar al assad from resorting again to chemical weapon

mr. bashar al-assad. the people who let the wayward children or young people, making the case against his regime. one of the haraway and very disturbing elements of this crisis is the impact that it has had on children. i received a report today they came from children personnel around the ground in syria. and i would note for the record a document entitled that the children crisis in syria, and asked that to be included in the record as well. >> without objection. >> that document, in great detail is the human suffering of children. and maybe the most graphic and disturbing example was the footage that many americans have had the opportunity to view. the hundreds of children that were killed instantly in this horrific chemical weapons attack , by one estimate, maybe as many as 426 children killed. so when we confront this, we cannot say that this is just another horrific situation around the world. when you consider what this regime did schoolchildren, by many accounts arresting and torturing them at the

the hard intelligence, charlie rose used the word transparent, excuse me bashar al assad used the word transparent, be transparent, mr that's what bashar al assad said, release the information. if you intercepted phone calls and conversations between syrian commanders and other leaders ordering them to go ahead and use chemical weapons against the syrian rebels, the syrian civilians, release that information. if you have other pictures and other information, go ahead and release it. what's on social media, he dismissed as irrelevant, if you will. so we'll see if the administration this week i suspect they will, if they do go ahead and become more transparent, and release some of the original, the hard intelligence that they say they have, that proves that the government in syria, the government of bashar al assad was directly responsible for killing those 1,400 people. >> the other thing that bashar al assad said that i found interesting in his taunting of the president, he intimated that chemical weapons might be used if america strikes syria. i'm not a fortune teller but it could happen. >> he was blunt. he said al

mr. president, look into the camera, talk directly to president bashar al-assad -- >> jon: and that's the stupid part. >> -- tell him specifically what you think he must do to avert a u.s. military strike. >> jon: and why you think he deserves the final rose. [laughter] >> jon: man, it's an interview. stop trying to make moments. you're telling the leader of the free world how we might avoid a possible world war iii. you don't need to amp up the dramatic with theatrics. seriously, look into the camera and have fun with it. try it with his lincoln beard on. go ahead. [laughter] >> jon: obama, mr. president, please politely dismiss this request while making it clear how incredibly (bleep) you think it is. >> president obama: i don't need to talk in the camera. i suspect he has people who will be watching this. >> jon: i cannot believe assad uses cnn on his own people. [laughter] >> jon: he is a monster! [applause] [cheering] >> jon: but you know, we got into this pickle from an ill-thought out happen hypothetical statement, but what kind of mago magoo-esqumagoo-esque genius cod bumble there

president obama addresses the nation, calling for action against bashar al assad's regime. but as mr. obama gears up for the big speech, a possible diplomatic breakthrough. the president told abc's diane sawyer that the assad regime can avoid a military strike if it turns over its chemical weapons. >> i want to make sure that that norm against use of chemical weapons is maintained. if we can do that without a military strike, that is overwhelmingly my preference. >> reporter: the syrian government embraced the suggestion made by secretary of state john kerry, that it could avert a u.s. attack by handing over the weapons. president obama calls it a potential breakthrough. but added, he still wants congress to authorize military action. >> if, in fact, the choice is between a world in which dictators and other countries start believing it's acceptable to use chemical weapons on civilians and children, that will make it more dangerous for us. >> reporter: the possible diplomatic out could not come at a better time for the president. on capitol hill, opposition to a military strike is ha

but while other arab dictators are toppled, dead or both, bashar al assad has proven to be far mr.addeningly successful than u.s. officials guessed during this high-stakes, 2 1/2-year-long showdown with barack obama. >> i had no doubt the assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change cannot be reversed and human dignity cannot be denied. >> assad will leave power. not a question of if, but when. >> we will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons against the syrian people or transfer to terrorists. the world is watching. we will hold you accountable. >> reporter: yet here assad still is taunting the american public in his interview this week with charlie rose of pbs. >> nobody expected it until september. you cannot expect, it is difficult for any one to tell you what is going to happen. it is an area where everything is on the brink of explosion. you have to expect everything. >> reporter: president obama tonight hardly mentioned his adversary. instead he tried to explain why he believes military action is necessary but then he hit the pause button again embracing a ne

mr. obama wants a limited action to punish syrian president bashar al assad while using chemical weaponses while tipping the balance of the rebels in that syrian civil war, heather. >> so how is opinion stacking up on capitol hill? >> well, there is strong opposition. and it comes from both sides of the aisle. here's a sampling. >> i'm a big supporter of president obama. i have great admiration for him. i support him on almost everything. but sometimes, friends can disagree. we're being told that there's two choices, do nothing. or bomb syria. clearly, there have to be other choices in between. we ought to explore them. >> i just wish the president had laid this out better. i wish he'd quick bagging away from his own red line. i wish he were more a commander in chief than a community organizer. >> the debate begins as early as tomorrow. >> thank you, steve. tomorrow, as lawmakers consider a possible military strike on syria, president obama will sit down with chris wallace. now that interview will air during a special report with brett bear on monday, 6:00 p.m. eastern time. all of this in

now from damascus, an interview with syrian president bashar al assad. >> hello, mr. president. fox news with this opportunity for an interview. i'm joined to be here by my colleague, reporter greg palkot, is and we're very interested in proceeding. as you know, there's been a number of breaking news stories which we need to discuss with you. the u.n. has just released its chemical weapon report. may colleague, greg palkot, will be discussing that with you in a moment. i want to talk to you about other major developments regarding the chemical weapons plan which has been agreed to by the u.s. and the russian government. do you agree with this plan to secure and to eventually destroy the chemical weapons? >> last week we joined the international agreement of presenting wmd, chemical wmd, in partial agreement. the main part is not to manufacture these armaments and not it store and not to use. and of course, not to distribute. and part of it is to get rid of those materials, the chemicals. of course, when we are part now of this agreement, we have to agree on that chapter. >> you

syrian cheating but the russians are going to be hurt and embarrassed if bashar al assad is caught cheating in this case. >> mrduthank you for coming i giving us your perspective on this. >>> joining me now is senator claire mccaskill. what's your reaction to the assad regime meeting its first deadline, declaring its inventory of chemical weapons and do you think the syrians will live up to their agreement? >> i think putin is doing the right thing but for the wrong reasons. he obviously now has an international stake in making good on what he has said and he wants to be relevant in the world. so putin has clearly moved the ball quickly. i credit secretary kerry and our entire team for a credible threat of military force which brought people to the table and we're pleasantly surprised because we have a good idea of what they have and clearly what they've revealed is a pretty good effort. so we've got to trust but verify, as president reagan said, and, you know, keep our eye on them because we don't trust -- we don't really trust putin but they are doing the right thing if it is for the wrong reasons. >> you ta

mr. obama has already vowed to punish syrian president bashar al-assad. he wants to avoid the humiliation of britain's prime minister. how does obama win over congress stand american people? berkeley professor said the argument is a strong one. he say tropical storm action should be narrow and no cussed in length. >> what the military action would do is race the political [ inaudible ] >> reporter: some say they can live with that. >> i think we should take limited military action. >> in an interview in the french newspaper, they said they would retaliate and things would get worse. they said it is a powder keg t.risk of a regional war is there. a comment like that is not unexpected. it is a typical response. >>> csu is adding online courses for college students. we're live in the news room with the offering. good morning kate. >> reporter: good morning. it's an option to help the students finish their courses. they are offering about 30 online options. it's to supply. the courses. it's a program called novo ed, online collaboration. students select their

chemical weapons is going to be a very long timeline, and i just think he gave bashar al assad a pass. >> that's the thing. mr. jeffrey, it's almost like, you know, i think putin is the big winner in this diplomatic dance if that's what is it. i think that putin helps obama in a sense because obama would have lost the authorizing vote, yeah. but he's helping his old pal assad. putin is helping assad. i don't want to help assad. as andy card said, there's no to end this. u.n. dance will go on forever. no time tables. there'no nothing out there. so we're all just going to forget about this at some point and go home and meanwhile assad and his chemical warfare continues. how can the president let that happen? >> i think the president made a big mistake by asking congress to authorize a military action of the sort the united states has done dozens of times over the past 40, 50 yea witho ngressional thorizion. havi donehat he was in a tit fix bause itooked like as you said, larry, he wasn't going to get such envotes. so, therefore, with this offer that had been discussed behind the scenes bubbling up on monday the

that they will land in the hands of terrorists mrs rice said that if left unchecked she believes that the syrian government and syrian president bashar al assad will use chemical weapons again and she also said that the reason u.s. president barack obama has decided to pursue limited strikes what they call limited strikes u.s. officials is that. the united states and its allies have exhausted a host of other measures so while this proposals come out this proposal for a non military intervention on syria a lot of u.s. officials seem to be standoffish while they say that they will take a long hard look at russia's plan they are still moving forward with president obama's initial plan of launching military strikes we should also mention that former secretary of state. hillary clinton recently made some comments and she said if the syrian government immediately surrendered its chemical weapons to the international community she believes that would be important first step she also said that she russia's proposal should be used sincerely and not used as another as an excuse for delay or obstruction of washington's plans but in the meantime of all t

mr. andrew sullivan. andrew, good to see you again. (cheers and applause) andrew, do you believe when it comes to taking military action against bashar al-assad using chemical weapons are you in favor of doing something or doing nothing? >> doing something that does not mean we get involved in someone else's civil war. that's what i'm in favor of and that's what we've got. >> stephen: so doing something that is nothing? >> no. >> stephen: like? you want to get the u.n. involved? >> no, i want russia which is the critical member of the security council involved here and china on the security council who have taken responsibility saying we're going to make sure assad controls and eventually destroys his chemical weapons. >> stephen: you trust russia and china more than you trust the united states of america! your word! that's what you just said! (laughter) >> let me tell you --. >> stephen: answer the question. do you trust putin and whoever china putin is -- (laughter) -- do you trust those guys more than barack obama? our commander? chief? >> yes, because the world has seen america go into these places alone. >> stephen: and kick ass and take

assad regime. let's talk to mr. delford of the united nations. >> thank you for inviting me. >> earlier, charlie rose says he has interview ed syria's president, bashar al assad and said he did not authorize use of the chemical weapons and had nothing to do with the attacks. you spent over 25 years in the government including the cia. how does one go about discerning the origin of the chemical weapons. whose fingerprints are on them? >> that's the key question. whose fingerprints are there? it's pretty evident sarin gas was used in this attack. the question is who was responsible for it. there will be surrounding intelligence data to make the case it wasn't the syrian regime. there will be the munitions used, specialized, if they're for sarin gas. there'll be the data about where they were launched from, where they were targeted. there will be presumably as well communications information. the part where it may get tricky for the administration is if there's not a clear link to bashar al assad himself. if there's communications between various lower levels where bashar al assad could make the case that he did not authorize it and the statements he made

mr. secretary hagel, i viet you to answer as well. if we do something, what is the likelihood in your judgment that bashar al-assad would use weapons as a routine weapon to turn the tide of this civil war? >> i think the likelihood is very high he would use them again. >> mr. secretary. >> i agree completely. i might even put it at 100%. i'd say probably we will see these weapons use routinely in this civil war to turn the tide if we do nothing. what is the probability that such weapons will also then get in the hands of hezbollah and other elements supporting the assad regime and thus perhaps proliferate the region against friend and foe alike? >> i can't give you that probability. i just don't know what it is. i do know this. that there are three principle supporters of assad and the rest of the world is in horror of what is happening. the three principle supporters are iran, hezbollah and russia. and if iran and hezbollah are allowed to both see him stay in power as well as do so with the use of chemical weapons, that is extraordinarily dangerous for jordan, israel, lebanon and our interests. >> we need to go to the chairman of the

mr. obama says putin is rejecting the idea that bashar al-assad used chemical weapons against his people, but he is always hopeful mr. putin will change his position. mr. putin said in an interview with the associated press that russia doesn't exclude supporting a u.n. resolution on military strikes against the provedegime if it is regime forces used poison gas on civilians. but he said it was ludicrous the regime would use chemical weapons a time when rebels were in the defensive. he warned the west against take you one-sided action in syria. we had a chance to speak with a capitol hill reporter to see how some of the politics play out here in washington. >> joining us is just an sink, a writer for the hell. thank you for joining us. talk about the document that was released yesterday. what it says in essence and what the debate will be on the senate side. time one is the amount of the obama administration would have to take action in syria to about treatments. it puts a kind of strict limit on whether the president can send troops into syria and say no boots on the ground. says weof mor

mr. president, if you're amenable to doing it, look directly into the camera, speak specifically to bashar al-assad. tell him what he must do to avert a military strike. >> i don't need to talk into the camera, he's got people watching this. we' we've been very clear about what we expect. and that is do not use chemical weapons. control the chemical weapons, and because now we've seen the willingness to use chemical weapons, we're going to have to go further and give the international community assurances that they will not be used, potentially by getting them out of there. at minimum making sure that international control over those chemical weapons takes place. that can be accomplished. and it does not solve the broader political situation. i would say to mr. assad, we need a political settlement so that you're not slaughtering your own people. and by the way, encouraging some elements of the opposition to engage in some terrible behavior as well. you know, what i'm thinking about is right now, though, how do we make sure that we can verify that we do not have chemical weapons that can be used no

mr. obama is set to address the american public on tuesday night primetime. >>> secretary of state john kerry is trying to rally support from allies in europe. in a speech he said that bashar al-assad has crossed a red line this with the use of chemical weapons. >>> voters are deciding on a president, a meyer, and two prime ministers. >>> the head of the nation's oldest civil rights group is stepping down. sunday ben jealous told the naacp that he will leave his job as ceo and president at the end of the year. there is no word yet on his successor. >>> jobs in the medical field are growing but not in hospitals. now the top three jobs in healthcare services are at home. registered nurses, personal care aids and home health aids. those are the headlines. you can always get the latest news online at www.aljazeera.com. >> jose antonio elena rodriguez was 16 when he was killed with a bullet through the head by the united states border patrol. nine more shots went into body, as he lay on the ground in his hometown, nogales mexico. the bullets fired from the top of this cliff in arizona traveled through an international boundary, and into a legal vacuum. the agent has never been named. >>

mr. president, if you're amenable to doing it, look into the camera, talk directly to president bashar al assadll him specifically what you think he must do to avert a u.s. military strike. >> you know, i don't need to talk in the camera. i suspect he's got people who will be watching this. >> he's probably watching it himself. >> we've been very clear about what we expect, and that is do not use chemical weapons. control the chemical weapons and now because we've seen assad's willingness to use chemical weapons, we're going to have to go further and give the international community assurances that they will not be used potentially by getting them out of there, at minimum making sure that international control over those chemical weapons takes place. that can be accomplished, and it does not solve the broader political situation. i would say to mr. assad, we need a political settlement so that you're not slaughtering your own people. and by the way, encouraging some elements of the opposition 0 engage in some terrible behavior, as well. you know, what i'm thinking about is right now though, how

officials downer syrian president bashar al assad told a russian tv network he will not turn over his weapons until mr. obama takes u.s. military action off the table. validation for them the president's threats have resonated. except assad has continued shelling rebel areas, leading some experts to believe assad will stay in power with putin pulling the strings. >> putin has told assad that, number one, he's not going to use chemical weapons again. whether the u.n. steps in or not. secondly, if he follows his instructions from this masters in moscow, he's going to win the war anyway with conventional weapons. >> reporter: now, breaking tonight, "foreign policy" magazine says a russian paper agreed to let senator john mccain write a column attacking putin, a rebuttal to the infamous "the new york times" top piece. one official chuckling saying that's something they might agree with mccain on. >> ed henry live on the north lawn. thank you. >>> secretary of state john kerry is carrying the ball for the administration, negotiating with his russian counterpart and other diplomats in geneva. chief washingt

mr breen. thank you for being with us. >> good morning were washington. >> the syrian rebels call this agreement a betrayal, and bashar al-assadis getting away with murder by killing his own people with chemical weapons - are they right? >> i think time will tell, the united states has two different objectives. they've been clear about this. the first is no further use of chemical weapons. the second is a peaceful end to the can conflict and bashar al-assad must go. first, will this help to get weapons off the battlefield. second, is this a second along the way to a peaceful solution in the conflict involving assad stepping down. we are hopeful to get to the second peace. we have a long way to go. the agreement is off the books. implementation is difficult at best. we'll see if this agreement brings us further to lasting peace. >> critics are focussing on 14-00 people who died from chemical weapons, and the world is ignoring the 100,000 that have decide and 2 million that are displaced. what happens when the bombs fall again and those images flood the screens. >> that's the question the i firmly believe that the price of peace

mr. president, if you're amenable, look into the camera, talk directly to president bashar al assad, tellwhat you think he must do to avert a u.s. military strike. >> i don't need to talk to the camera. i suspect he's got people who will be watching this. >> he's probably watching himself. we've been very clear about what we expect, and that is do not use chemical weapons, control the chemical weapons, and now because we have seen assad's willingness to use chemical weapons, we'll have to go further and give the international community assurances they will not be used, potentially by getting them out of the there. at minimum, making sure that international control over those chemical weapons takes place. that can be accomplished, and it does not solve the broader political situation, i would say to mr. assad, we need a political settlement so you are not slaughtering your own people, and by the way encouraging some elements of the opposition to engage in terrible behavior as well. you know, what i'm thinking about is right now, though, how do we make sure we can verify we do not have chem

what mr recorder just said is that russia does not believe the accusations and claims by the united states and several western countries that the chemical weapons were in fact used by bashar al assad's forces in fact of course as that different definitive proof of rebel forces using the chemical weapons were handed over first to the u.n. inspectors some some time ago or so weeks ago and this was not taken into the inconclusive as he described it reported by the united nations inspectors now this evidence and this is not we're not talking about some. gases or just you know inconclusive evidence this is according to records factual evidence by a samples and documents proving that the chemicals were in fact used by the rebel forces now they've been handed over to the russian side and all they're waiting now for is these documents to be completed translated from arabic into russian before moscow can fully assess what's in this proof and make it completely public but definitely has been very regretful about the fact that the u.n. inspectors are not taking this kind of evidence into consideration let's listen to what mr record had to say. we have indeed received additional evidence of wha

mr. president, any progress on syria? >> we were talking about the economy. >> the president is arguing a strike is necessary to deter syrian president bashar al-assad from usingure. the g-20 post russian president putin is staunchly opposed to attacking syria and is not alone. china is against the strike. germany will not take part in an attack and the european union is calling for a political solution. back in the united states, the debate conditions over whether congress should authorize the use of force against the syrian regime. >> i will look at the ramification for the region of a strike. >> there are no good options left. there are only bad and worse. >> if the president moves forward with the strike we have learned that the national security team is preparing for significantly larger military bombardment than most anticipated. an air campaign that could last two days strikely include tomahawk cruise missiles fired from the four navy destroyers in the mediterranean loaded with 200 missiles in addition on a bombardment of missiles and long range bombs fired from b1 and b52 bombers. >> the president will keep making the case for a strike to the american

assad says i didn't use chemical weapons so can you guarantee the american people, mr. rhodes, that chemical weapons were used and the assad regime used them? >> well, first of all, i think bashar ald tens of thousands of people. he's already used chemical weapons and i think people see in the videos at cnn aired other day the tragic, horrific consequences of what he's done. it's not surprising someone who would use those weapons would lie about it. what we have in terms of our intelligence in addition to all of the thousands of open source materials, the videos, the social media, is intelligence that shows syrian chemical weapons personnel preparing to use these weapons in the days leading up to the attack including distributing gas masks to their troops on the ground, then firing rockets from a regime-held neighborhood into opposition-held neighborhoods, 11 different sites, then an explosion of social media confirming an attack took place, thousands of people coming to hospitals with symptoms of chemical weapons attacks, and then afterwards we have intercepted communications of senior figures in the assad killing machine discussing the results of the attack. then we saw them bom

mr. secretary, you made the case for military action in the strongest possible terms on friday. if is situation is so dire, if bashar al assads such a thug, why is the president waiting until congress comes back nine days from now to debate this? why not call them into session tomorrow and begin this debate and get an approval to act? >> where the case hasn't changed and doesn't at all. the rationale for response, the president has flekted it's as poweful if in the more each day. yesterday, we have now learned that hair and blood samples that have come to us from east damascus from individuals engaged as first responders, i can report to you they have tested positive for signatures of sarin, so this case is going to build stronger and stronger and the president believes this decision is stronger when you have the time to be able to have the support of the united states congress and of the american people, so i think america is stronger here. that's the president's belief. i think people should be celebrating, that he's honoring the questions he's heard from many in congress to consult and be engaged with them and i think rea

bashar al assad handed over his entire staff stockpile of chemical weapons within one week now after his words manifested into a possible reality u.s. officials released a statement clarifying that mr kerry was making a rhetorical argument rather than a serious offer in the meantime the national security security adviser susan rice who used to serve as the u.s. ambassador to the united nations said that every time chemical weapons are used or moved around in syria it raises the likelihood that they will land in the hands of terrorists during a speech that she gave just a few hours ago she said that there is a likelihood that if left unchecked the president of syria will use these weapons again and again which will take the syrian conflict to an entirely new level and mrs rice also said that the reason u.s. president barack obama decided to pursue a limited strike is that the u.s. and other allies have exhausted a host of other measures but here's i think with the important question to ask if the obama administration is. rejecting the russian in syrian compromise proposal that's been tabled in the in the past twelve hours what is their plan for avoiding the use of force do they have

mr. secretary, you made the case for military action in the strongest possible terms on friday. if the situation is so dire, if bashar al-assad is such a thug, why is the president waiting until congress comes back? nine days from now, to debate this? why not call them into session tomorrow and begin this debate and get an approval to act? >> well, chris, the case has not changed and the case doesn't change at all. the rationale for the military response the president has requested is as powerful today and will be as powerful if not more powerful each day. the fact is that yesterday, we have now learned that hair and blood samples that have come to us from east damascus, from individuals who were engaged as first responders in east damascus, i can report to you today they have tested positive for signatures of sarin. so this case is going to build stronger and stronger, and the president believes that the united states of america, for a decision like this, is stronger when you have the time to be able to have the support of the united states congress and obviously the support of the american people through them. so, i think t