inside syria. first we didn't do anything for a few hours then went to do some easy stuff like eavesdrop and walk around. or something but we're really looking after this whole situation with the negotiations and in the end we thought that it was just like that's it it was screwed up it was a disaster but then all of a sudden it all changed again when i had to run we had to ski on a moment when we didn't know who was doing the lives we had to do as lives just in case nobody knew what was going on my phone died and in the end everything just worked out well and i really did feel this in these situations you feel the. second energy burst or something and you just do this life and you feel like this is why you're here i have to report on this sort of stuff and i know i'm not in syria right now and i know i'm not definitely not he a friend. this is a really big part of the story and i'm really glad we did it i think it's a great day and really satisfied with myself and the crew and i just hope that. no

>> i think he did the wrong thing in syria. and i don't think it was ever an issue of going to war in syria. i think what the president did is overlook the fact that moving towards diplomacy and saying there's no military solution doesn't mean that you sometimes have to take tough steps in order to convince some of the player, in this case assad and vladmir putin, that they had no choice but to go to diplomacy. john kerry was much more outspoken about this. he said back then in 2012 quite bluntly that in order to get assad to the table and he could have said in order to get putin to accept it, you would have to work hard at organizing the opposition, and you might have to give lethal arms. having covered this from the beginning, there were forces who could have been trusted, who could have been vetted and in order to get assad to the table especially as this thing develops with all the casualties, you had to take a lead role in organizing and making sure that weapons went to the right people. instead by basically hanging back t

he talked about sending aid to syria's neighbors and coordinating with allies. what do you expect in aid and will it make a difference? >> i think a key statement made by president obama was that there is a recognition by the united states that the moderate opposition represents, as president obama put it, the best alternative, to not only the assad regime but to the estremists, operating in syria today. i think this represents an important potential reflection point, given the recognition as stated by president obama in his west point speech today, that only by strengthening the moderate forces on the ground that are fighting not only the assad regime but al qaeda forces that have expanded in syria can can the united states not only help the syrian people in their fight for freedom and liberty and at the same time, deal with a growing threat that not only threatens, regional stability but american and reejt interests at the same time. >> in an almost by partisan vote -- bipartisan vote, national security advisor susan rice skirted the issue when she was asked a

if you think about syria. ago, if we had airstrikes cause civilian harm and collateral damage and put our forces in harm's way, could we have stop the mass atrocities that have happened afterwards? in terms of the type was that you use, what is better and how do you explain that to yourself? that is what the policymakers are trying to figure out. the issue of collateral damage is more complicated and has a lot of dilemmas and challenges to it. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. >> following that. i am going to start by saying i do not represent the u.s. government or u.s. military. that will be clear. i will say that i just met sara and bob. she is thest heard, master in this field and a trailblazer. we met at a national security project that i would encourage you to look up. it is the progressive answer to heritage. we came up with the idea of doing some awards. there is a lifetime achievement award. we do not think we would get it for a while. we won the award. called a is something humblebrag. i

for example, look what happened in syria. >> what is going on in syria? >> today or yesterday, brahimi resigned. i admire the guy and you should have resigned one year ago. i know that the regime in syria is going to play with everybody and they will not give power. we know that six or eight months after the revolution there was a solution to build a new syria. >> one was their opportunity to do that? like six or eight months after. >> why did it not happen? we sawput red lines and syria across it you put the red line and they cross it. you told them to not use the warplanes. they use the helicopters. they defy their people. right helpet the from the united states. >> in other words, you are the reason there has been a change in the near-term prospect in syria is because the united states did not step forward. >> did not step forward and there were many promises. >> it allowed them to cross the red line. >> if we are talking about radicals in syria, yes. >> you are supporting the known radicals. >> that's not true. >> some of them are very, very extreme.

now to the situation in syria a top u.s. military commander warned this week that western backed rebels would be unable to govern syria if president assad was removed from power this comes as a meeting of the so-called friends of syria group in london this week that led to the u.s. and its allies discussing the possibility of providing more support for the opposition meanwhile the head of the syrian air defense forces has been killed in the east of the capital as having fighting continues there but assad's army is still gaining ground against the rebels his troops recently took back control of homes the country's third largest city after a two year siege the failure of international efforts to find a political solution to the overall conflict has forced u.n. negotiator lucked out britney me to resign and once again washington looks to be gathering support for the opposition even with syria's presidential election just around the corner and she is going to change can comments. we're seeing a new push by the obama administrati

an attack in syria was the first to tart the presidential campaign. opposition fighters are blamed for the mortar, hitting a tend filled with hundreds of supporters, killing dozens. the opposition says the elections are rigged in bashar al-assad's favour. violence is expected to increase >>> force-feeding a prisoner on hunger strike - a federal judge lifting a restraining order, saying that her decision is based on the fact that his life is in jeopardy. lawyers call it abusive, and it comes a year after president obama recommitted to closing the prison. >> a day after a military cue in thailand hundred of political leaders are in custody or under house arrest. the military takeover comes after months of civil unrest. detaining politicians on all sides gives everyone time to calm down. there were a few small demonstrations today. >> joie chen is standing by to tell us what is coming up on "america tonight", at the top of the hour. >> good evening. tonight on our program an "america tonight" investigation into health care behind bars. in our continuing

. >> syria as well? is there something the united states can do they have not been doing to make the potential on the ground different? >> let's briefly examine the complications of this. in syria today, you have a sectarian war going on, a civil war going on, islam extremist terrorists of different varieties. you have the iranians sponsoring has belong in there. -- hezbollah in there. you have a number of dynamics in play plus opposition forces against assad. they are not all on the same page that they were on. a moderate opposition, that we support and we are trying to help, working with our allies in jordan and turkey, working with the gcc countries. i just came back from bringing all the gcc defense ministers together for the conference at saudi arabia, stopped in jordan, was israel, syria was the main topic. >> what was the assessment? >> everyone has this issue at the top of their agenda. there may be variations as to why, but this extremism, this sectarian war, sunni versus shia, which cuts into t

it has become so extreme in syria it is disowned by syria and pakistan. it is known for mass executions, suicide bombings. just this week there was new video out in syria of a car bombing and a government checkpoint by a group associated with them. although the group has been on the u.s. intelligence committee radar for more than a decade it was only this week the administration took more official steps to acknowledge the group in syria and al qaeda in iraq are in fact one of the same, jon. jon: thank you. >> you're welcome. jenna: a deadly mine disaster in turkey killing hundreds of people. the latest unrest as those take to the streets to call for safer working conditions. the u.s. government requiring general motors to make significant safety improvements to vehicles after a flood of recalls just this year. we will keep you posted on that. plus, all this caught on camera, a runaway truck nearly kills its owner. we will tell you where it happened and what is the deal here. next. book any flight or hotel and if you find it for less we'll match it and giv

in syria, we have eliminated 92% of the chemical weapons. assad is still in power, but this is not a bad thing. >> it's a terrible bumper sticker to put on your car, it could have been worse. much like he was with the economy when he was running for re-election. we learned this week the economy shrank in the first quarter. the idea that we avoided worse outcomes is not very satisfying either to him, much less to his opponents. and certainly with syria, the jury is still out. we'll see next week when he goes to europe. the russians haven't necessarily given up on making things difficult. ukraine just this week, they shot down a helicopter with a ukrainian general onboard. so there's a lot of hardships still ahead. >> christi, the west points speech iny the president was going to lay out again his vision for foreign policy, did it accomplish what they intended? >> well, i don't know if it did or not. it certainly didn't quell the criticism of the president's foreign policy. gwen: nothing will. >> and probably nothing will. seems like what the

sue >>> the war in syria hits home with an american suicide bomber. we'll consider what it says on where the war on terror is headed. >>> also, a meal replacement drink some are calling the end of food. >>> plus, is it possible to predict a genocide. >>> how will a driverless future work. >> i'm lisa fletcher in for antonio mora - welcome to "consider this," and here is more on what's ahead. >> in syria an american citizen reportedly blew himself up in a suicide attack. >> a truck allegedly packed with 17 tonnes of explosives. >> if confirmed it's the first time an american has been a suicide bomber. >> this man's deadly rampage revives the campaign over gun chrome. >> california has some of the strict lawyers, it didn't help. >> mental health issues played a role. >> google is developing a fleet of stars without steering wheels. >> 100 expected to hit the market. >> it's a nerdy vehicle. >> i love this. >> pbs series launched a kick starter campaign to revamp the series for the web. it raised a million dollars in under a day. >> we are changing the w

i slipped in on the border between lebanon and syria. there are a large number of syrians here, as was anyone could tell that supports the regime, people are starting to say that assad regime may be in they for a long time, could come to vote but not if they want to return to syria in the near future. >> is the victory of assad a foregone conclusion? >> very few people even among his supporters think that he there are two-- candidates here and that is the first time it has been a semblance of a multiparty election in 40 years. but the poll is only going to be able to be held in government controlled areas, this is outside government control, and those who vote will be those who want to provide assistance. for thosestrictions who have been living in syria for the last 10 years, this excluded many of the exiles in opposition, and i have candidates who can only be to some degree with the regime, with votes that can take place yes,vernment areas, so many believe that this is a foregone conclusion. >> thank you for that, reporting from beirut

this is not going to help the situation in syria. when he talked about supporting neighboring states in the struggle to protect refugees, that's crucial, but linking that to saying we're going to help them go after terrorists, well, the problem is that the people and governments that they support that they're going after are not terrorists, a brutal regime, but the terrorists are on the same side as those, quote, moderate opposition forces that the u.s. is trying to arm. >> do you think, then that, the obama administration really wants assad gone? because the al nusra front, that will be scarier for the u.s. administration, wouldn't it be? >> it would not be the first time that the u.s. has tried to overthrow dictators only to leave greater chaos in its wake. we can only look at iraq and the terrible situation there where violence has been spike to go levels we have not seen in several years. the situation in libya, very much the same. he referred to the capacity of battle-hardened extremists now in syria. now the place where those e

in syria, the government is responsible for atrocities beyond belief. brahimi is having to throw in his towel. he is the best mediator in the world and the government and the opposition are not able to use his services. so, let's call a spade a spade. governments are failing but we are also failing the international community to put pressure on them to behave differently and, you know, failing as an international community to provide enough relief in time to people when they need us the most in aleppo, where i was last year, it is beyond belief that we are not able to protect women and children. >> yeah. jan egeland good to talk to you? >> thank you. >> italy is calling on the u.to help. many hundreds drown as they try to get into italy. from the coastal city of catania >> reporter: finally, reaching the shores they have risked their lives for. these 200 migrants arrive at the port in catania ol tuesday night. they were rescued after their overcrowded wooden boat sunk off of the coast of libya monday. >> their boat sunk quickly. luckily there were two c

fear for their families, who are still in syria. fear that they won't be able to return to syria if they don't show up to vote. >> so many believe that president bashar al-assad is not going away soon. they want to be able to go. >> desperation could be seen as pregnant women, old people and parents with dehydrated children refused to turn back before he could vote. that was despite treatment by lebanon security men who sometimes struggle to control the crowd. >> neither the heat, thirst tore exhaustion was stronger than a fear of a regime that it is believed survived the revolt. snow the syrian ambassador told us that yesterday tens of thousands of syrians cast their ballots, and they expect tens of thousands more to vote today. it's important for the syrian government to show. also, people taking part of it are not only those living in areas under the control of regime inside syria. that's why they are at the embassy. it's something they have been highlighting strongly to show people are fed up with the crisis and want a solution

. >> the situation in syria has gotten worse. it's not gotten better, and it's hard for the president to ignore the deteriorating situation. he's right to say that it's a complex and difficult problem. >> reporter: the president pushed back against critics say that the partnerships are holdovers from the cold war. >> there are a lot of folks and skeptics who down play the effectiveness of multi lateral action. to work through constitutions like the u.n. or respecting international law is a sign of weakness. i think they are wrong. >> reporter: mark jacobs agrees the international response to violence in ukraine sets the model for the future. >> what the president did was a balanced diplomacy and action. >> reporter: but just how effective president obama's foreign policy may have more food with shifting international politics. >> the events from bengahzi, syria, ukraine, south china sea, the like, have put in question the administration's foreign policies or effectiveness. >> reporter: with his political elections behind him mr.

syria's brutal civil wars is on the verge of spilling over. today a car bomb exploded on the border with turkey, and it happened near a crossing used by aid workers in refugees, and killed more than 40 people. the attack allegedly did not involve government forces, instead, one opposition group targeted another opposition group, trying to gain control of the border post. and there are new capsized sayings of chemical weapons in syria, secretary state john kerry said he seen raw data suggesting chlorine gas attacks were indeed used by the syrian government against it's own people. and he. proked more u.s. action. >> every facet of what can be done will be ramped up. everything. and that includes political effort, it includes the aid to the opposition. it includes economic efforts. sanctions. >> the u.s. is also supporting a new diplomatic plan, and next week the united nations security council will vote on sending syria to the international criminal court, to be held accountable for war crimes. james bay reports. >> during three years of violen

the security council resolution passed to build aid to syria is not working. police in northern island are questioning republican politicians in connection with the murder of a belfast woman 32 years ago. jerry adams is innocent. she was killed in 1972. brunei was the first country in south-east asia to introduce criminal law. punishment will include flogging, potentially death by stoning. >>> 20,000 prisoners across egypt have gone on a hunger strike. it's in protest of conditions. we have more. >> reporter: from well outside the prison gates the chance of protest can be clearly heard. down with the regime they chant. down with military rule. >> this is the prin in the coastal city of alexandria, one of more than 40 facilities caught up. >> we have started a hunger strike. we decided not to go out for exercise. we will not be attending court sessions, nor will we stand before any prosecutors. >> they allege appalling conditions as well as daily torture. prisoners showed poor basic facilities, including a lack of beds, action to water, proper lighting or overc

he's part of the friends of syria group who have been meeting in london today. earlier, we saw william hague, the british fortune secretary addressing this meeting. we're going to keep our eyes and ears across this meeting and of course let you know of any significant developments. >> the war in syria itself has made life harder, not only for syrians themselves but also for the thousands of palestinians refugees who shelter in that country. many have had to flee to neighboring lebanon, but now lebanon is closing its borders to them leaving many palestinian families separated across two countries. >> this 12-year-old struggles to pass fee her 1-year-old sister. like thousands of palestinians refugees from syria, they fled the city and war to lebanon with his family more than a year ago. now not only does he to have cope with living in a tent and no job, he also has to take care of his children alone. his wife had to travel to syria and couldn't return when the lebanese government placed new measures restricting the entry of palestinian lebanese into lebanon. >> i

and later tonight, our unprecedented reporting from syria continues... uncovering how the united states is secretly arming and training the rebels. >> whatever is being done here is fully inadequate. without the united states, they're basically finished. >> narrator: correspondent muhammad ali investigates. tonight, two new reports, one exclusive hour of frontline. >> frontlinis made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support for frontliis provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional funding is provided by the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the wyncote foundation. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. >> narrator: over the past three monthfrontline's james jones has been traveling to ukraine. he's found himself on both sides of

. >> stephen: one of the things you talk about, you go to syria at one point in this. we have a clip of you. explain-- let's watch the clip and then explain to us what's happening here. here. >> they took you away for two months. >> stephen: so what does global warm having to do with the conflict in syria? >> so syria in the four years leading up to the outbreak of the civil war there, stephen, had the worst drought in its modern history. and the woman we were interviewing is from northern syria and that is is her son, who is a fighter. she was basically explaining they had never seen anything like this. their farm was wiped out. about 1 million farmers and herders left the countryside, flocked to the cities because of the drought. the government did nothing for them. so when the revolution started-- for political reasons, it wasn't started by the drought-- when it started you had a million-- normally conservative people, herders and farmers-- who couldn't wait to join the revolution. >> stephen: they had no other options at that point. >> and the government had done n

. >>> syria's air force chief was killed in fighting. general hussein ishaq reportedly died on saturday after rebels attacked a defense base. he is one of the highest ranking commanders killed in the 3-year conflict. >>> a citizen journalist in syria told how he suffered but survived a chemical attack, taking place in august, near damascus. he has since escaped to the u.s. and is working to raise awareness of the war. here is his personal account of his journey. >> i am 27 years old. i just made it here to the united states almost two months ago. i came from a town in the west of damascus. i got exposed by sarin attack, on august 21st. my heart stopped for three minutes. i lost my ability to breathe. i felt my chest was set on fire. my eyes was burning like hell. it was so, so painful. i felt like someone was tearing out my chest with a knife. i use the expression of judgment day to describe what it felt like for me to see women and children, older men, running and falling on the ground, suffocating, without seeing a single drop of blood

syria. we know it's going to include some increase in assistance to the moderate syrian opposition. jay carney, the white house spokesman left a sort of cliff-hanger for us. he gave a briefing as the president is on the weight of this speech. he's asked is this going to mean military training for those opposition fighters as has been talked about these last two days. he said i'm going to leave it to the president on that. we're just going to have to wait and see what president obama has to say. what this means is military training. however, i will say that secretary of state kerry, in doing these interviews today with broadcast networks did say in no uncertain terms that this would be no american boots on the ground. so we know it's going to be some additional assistance. also, the president is going to announce what he would like to see happen to be approved by congress, this anti-terrorism fund, a partnership involving a number of nations that would train other countries to fight radical -

what's going on in yemen, libya -- >> charlie: and in syria. and in syria. and, of course, the north african countries. we're working with allies and others, western european nations as well as african governments, to help them. this is not one monolithic challenge where we can identify one monolithic enemy. there are variations of these various terrorist groups. you mentioned syria as an example, which we have. it is. some of those groups in there are supporting assad. others are not. others are fighting for different reasons. some are fighting for political reasons. some are fighting for religious reasons. so there's no cookie-cutter approach to it except this: development of strong capacities in our partners. this is something president obama's talked about the day he got into the white house, it's what we're doing in the pentagon, helping build capacity of our partners. we can't fix every problem in the world, the united states alone. >> charlie: we're not the world's policemen. >> we're mott the world's policemen, we can't be. we have to rely on the gov

envoy zero wanda moment in syria's escalating crisis. do you get the sense there will be an increasing appetite for think through foreign policy and pursuing a robust, aggressive foreign policy position in the coming years from the administration? >> exactly right. presidents always find foreign policy, they come in running on domestic policy and then suddenly realize there's a thing called congress in town that they have lots of ideas about domestic policy and they have lots ideas of foreign policy but fewer levers of control for them. if president obama is like his two-term predecessors, he will spend the next 24 months or so or more spending more time abroad because he is less constrained if he has a clear vision of what he himself wants to do. >> john, really quick, this is a president who was brought into office for a number of reasons, but his international perspective was one of them. it's actually interesting so much so far has focused on the domestic given his level of comfort with international affairs and international diploma

in my view, syria is almost as bad as afghanistan was pr pre- 9/11. we have as many americans who have traveled to syria to fight with the opposition than we ever saw go to pakistan, afghanistan -- >> this is what makes it difficult. when you say afghanistan, i'm thinking afghanistan 1988, which is they're fighting on the side that america's on, oddly enough, right? >> syria has now become such a melting pot of violence going in both directions. so we obviously want assad out and some of the people fighting assad -- >> they're the most dangerous ones. the people fighting on the side to get rid of assad are considered the most dangerous terror threats as far as the u.s. is concerned. >> that's right. we've now let syria go down this road of terrorism and instability that now it's too late. >> i think what we've learned from a variety of terrorist front around the world, if we are just on the defense, things will get through. we have to be on the offense. that was a lesson that president bsh experienced and that president obama has also adopted. i think

especially syria. there is consideration being given that the president may approve the eyed to train and equipment moderate fighters inside that country. this has been debated for more than a year. is this something you would support? >> it's five days and five dollars short. we have been sending non-lethal aid and red lines we have advocated and ignores and in the process the situation as only gotten worse. you have a civil war with more islamists on the ground. you have to vet those rebels, determine which are less radical and try to assist them while they are on the homes because assad has been able to push them back. i welcome the fact he's taking a serious approach in acknowledging just sending food and non-lethal aid isn't enough. the question is can what he turn the tide. does assad believe we are committed to seeing this through? if he receives this as an incremental small step there is nothing this president's rhetoric that sound or seems like strength which is important. bill: you see the ri

syria is within sight from here and just as close as it's war. i'm with al jazeera in eastern lebanon. >> the daughter of an ira murder victim says she is ready to give names to the police, helen m mckendry went missing 42 years ago and held for questioning for two nights over her death which happened at the conflict in northern ireland known as the troubles. and they wanted to stay in the united kingdom but they wanted to be part of the republic of ireland and divides two arms of the christian religion and they are almost exclusively protestant while the others are catholic and more than 3 1/2,000 people killed and jerry adams have been president of the political wing of the now dispanneded ira and also a sittel mp in the british parliament and a key player in the 1998 good friday agreement which ended the conflict. under the agreement the prisoners were released but unsolved crimes committed during the troubles continued to be investigated as lawrence lee reports. >> reporter: this is a foreboding place where the questioning of jerry adams show

. >> syria win holding its election on june 3. joining us live, telling us what the concerns, zehna of the people you have been speaking to when it comes the this election in syria? >> yes, as you know more than a million syrian refugees who live in turkey, for them the election is not a priority. as i can tell you, we saw two syrian families sitting on the side of the road, they had just escaped illegally into turkey. some cross legally, some illegally, their priority the escaping, this is part of a charade is what they are calling it. a lot of them are growing helpless because they feel that the government is pushing forward with a military offensive, regaining territory. the rebels are bogged down in fighting, people feel the elections really mean that the election he will go long and there is no sort of political solution in sight. activists in turkey have encouraging people inside syria, those who live in government controlled territories not to participate ar in the election because they are taking partly in the bloodshed. >

go to syria for a variety of reasons. [laughter] >> thank you. >> but i saw friends of mine that i hadn't seen in nine years, and to provide some context, they told me a story about how they're minding their own business one afternoon, and all of a sudden their throats start to itch, their eyes start to water, they get dizzy, and they collapse. fortunately, somebody came in from the other room to close the window. apparently, the chemical weapons had come in and affected them, and it took them a full month and a half to find out what had happened because of the information blackout. so they then go on to tell me a story about how in damascus and homs and some of the big cities the government has set up these checkpoints where they ask you for your phone, and then they hold a gun to your head and ask for your login information. and if they don't like what they see, they signal up to somebody on top of a building and order them to shoot. my friend's brother was shot in the head because of something they found on his phone.

once their done in syria. this deadly explosion thousands of miles away is now being blamed on this man. an american citizen. cnn has learned the man was born in florida. officials won't say when he went to syria or why, but they believe he is responsible for packing 17 tons of explosives into a vehicle and blowing it up. becoming the first american suicide bomber in syria. experts say he may not be the only american training for such a deadly attack. >> you go over there. you meet a lot of very hard core al qaeda types, if you're associated with these groups, and they indoctrinate you further, and base and previous historic examples, particularly the afghan war against the soviet, lots of people trained and bombe the world trade center in 1993 and others planned the 9/11 attacks, and they have reason to be, concerned. >> reporter: at least 100 americans flooded into syria since the start of the civil war, and u.s. ish tos fear many more may already be joining a bloody belgts, getting expert training how to pl

on the ground in syria, the war goes on. these unverified pictures purport to show fighting the rebels and pro-government forces near damascus. troops loyal to president bashar al-assad made gains on another front today. insurgents have been trying to take a prison to free an estimated 4000 inmates held there. a government released a statement saying fighting around the prison had cut in supply line vital to the rebels. >> turkish police have clashed with protesters in istanbul after a man was seriously injured in the city earlier in the day. >> the man was shot during violence as demonstrators took to the street in protest of last week's mining disaster in western turkey. more than 300 miners died in an underground blast and fire in a coal mine in the town of soma. many people in turkey blame lax government 80 standards for that accident. and it was the deadliest clash yet for ukrainian soldiers in countering russian separatist. >> kiev says at least 13 soldiers died on thursday when separatist forces attacked south of theu

. >>> russia and china have vetoed a attempt to end the syria war. the two members of the security council have used their visa over the syria conflict. moscow is a close ally of bashar al-assad government's. the un expressed outrage at the russian and chinese veto. >> today is about accountability for syria, but it is also about accountability for this security council. it is this council's responsibility to stop atrocities, if we can, and at a minimum to ensure that the perpetrators of atrocities are held accountable. it was towards that minimum that we sought to make progress today. my government applauds the vast majority of members of this council who voted to support and the some 64 countries who joined us in cosponsoring this effort. >> translator: is it just a try once again to create a pretext for armed intervention in the syrian conflict? one could not overlook that the head of french diplomacy took his recent visit to washington to publicly criticize the us. this damage to the p-5 unity is inflicted at a critical point in the efforts to fi

dana hoda live for us on the border of syria. thank you very much. me meanwhile the syrian government took control of the city of homs from rebel fighters. strict restrictions on media in syria but an al jazeera team gained exclusive action to an area north of homs. this report >> reporter: abal mohammed lives with his wife and six children in a 1-room house. they use plastic sheets to cover holes caused by she willing. he has no prospect from work. his family relies on relief organizations and charities. >> translator: as you can see, there is shelling every day with all kinds of weapons like artillery and rockets. the shelling and bombardment have destroyed more than 90% of the houses and forced the people to leave the village. the government recently regained control after rebels agreed to retreat from the central city of homs. one of the many villages on the outskirts of homs devastated by relentless fighting. this used to be a stadium. this is what's left of the central mosque. the roads here tell the story of why people had to leave. more than

had not bombed syria as its worth and all of this war talk amid the u.s. and europe saying that they want to find a political solution to the. crisis in syria but we say there is no military victory meaning we being the united states there can be no military solution and every step that we're taking is a military step. and and so obviously what we're setting up is a longer term conflict more conflict the u.n. envoy for syria lakhdar brahimi has announced his resignation expressing regret for his inability to forge a coherent international response to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in syria the geneva talks have not led to a deal between the syrian government and the opposition although the syrian opposition has been largely unwilling to cut deals with the government of bashar assad nonetheless there have been instances of progress most recently thousands of syrians were turned to war battered parts of the central city of homs after the rebels left under an evacuation deal with the government but washington seems keen to prompt the syrian rebels to

a critical focus of this effort will be the ongoing crisis in syria. as frustrating as it is, there's no easy answer there. no military solution that can eliminate the terrible suffering anytime soon. as president i made a decision that we should not put american troops into the middle of this increasingly sectarian war, and i believe that is the right decision. but that does not mean we shouldn't help the syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his own people. in helping those who fight for the right of all syrians to choose their own future, we are also pushing back against the growing number of extremists who find safe haven in the chaos. so with the additional resources i'm announcing today, we will step up the efforts to support syria's neighbors. jordan and lebanon, turkey and iraq as they contend are refugees and confront terrorists working across syria's borders. i will work with congress to ramp up support for those in the syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators. we will conti

citizen from florida, the first american to carry out a suicide attack in syria. u.s. officials are reaching out to the man's family and are investigating how he was recruited. american fighters in syria, a potentially imminent terror threat sparking concerns at the highest reaches of government. >> as the syrian civil war spills across borders, the capacity of battle-hardened extremist groups to come after us only increases. >> reporter: at least 70 americans are believed to have joined the thousands of foreign fighters in syria. some have made their way back to the u.s., sources say, and are under investigation or surveillance. in an abc news exclusive, fbi director james comey recently warned that americans who have gone to fight in the syrian conflict might return home to form sleeper cells for al qaeda. >> can you give us a sense of how active you are at making sure you're keeping on eye on those people? >> we are very active. a civil war there is offering an opportunity for thousands of foreign fighters to get training in the worst arts of terrorism. they're goin

what is your message to the people of syria. >> we are ashamed. really, in a sense, you know, to tell them, you know, we are sorry. my country tried its level. french alone - it's a fact, really, which means that in the coming weeks and months there'll be more devastation, more rape, torture. >> al jazeera's obtained a copy of a new report from the u.n. secretary general to the security council about humanitarian access in syria, the grim reading suggesting the situation is getting worse. some countries want a new resolution to get further access, particularly across borders, without the syrian government's permission. such a resolution could, again, face a veto. >>> well, columbians go to the polls to vote in a tightly fought presidential election. the leading candidate had a tv debate on controversial issues. we have this report. >> columbians got the chance to see two leading candidates confront each other in a televised debate in what has been described as the dirtiest election campaign in this country's history. the last poll showed that pres

he told her. >> i started to feel i was back in syria. that this virtual window became very real, deep, beautiful. she became my homeland. and after i discovered this, yes, for me she is a metaphor of syria. >> reporter: this is a movie bringing the viewer closer to daily lives in a war-torn woundry, featuring rape, death and resilience. >> reporter: you're going back to syria? >> yes. >> reporter: are you scared? >> even if i die there, it's not... . >> reporter: these are people that have lost everything, except their dignity. she carries a bag of soil wherever she goes. a piece of homs. >>> it's important to have a piece of it with you at all times. >> the message is the broken thing. there is no language, there is no way to describe what i feel. >> reporter: her house no longer stands, her home will never leave her. >>> hong kong is in the grip of contemporary art fever, a show case of art and collectors from around the world. rob mcbride reports. >> reporter: it's not what hong kong's office blocks are used to. installation artist tu