this is richard engel being released after being kidnapped in syria. he was freed following a firefight at a checkpoint on monday. nbc news saying this morning that he was kidnapped by unidentified captors. he was held for five days along with his nbc news crew. of course, richard engel, one of our top journalists. nbc news chief foreign correspondent. what we're told from him is that he was actually crossing from syria into turkey when they were abducted. they were thrown into a truck and blindfolded and held at an undisclosed locationment engel coming out and saying thank you to everyone, these have been tough days and he's going to speak in the days ahead. i'm angie goff at the news 4 live desk. back to you. >> angie, thank you. he's no santa claus but a man in san francisco had to be rescued after he got stuck in a chimney. it happened early monday morning. he was stuck in the chimney of his apartment building which is seven stories high. firefighters had to break some of the chimney bricks to free him. it took about an hour. so far, not clear exac

congressman engel is a very pro- israel congressman. i am surprised he did not come out even stronger. it was interesting to see him say that it was not something he would do if he was in a position to make that kind of decision. >> where does this place the white house with the pre- nomination debate going on in the news media and elsewhere? >> the white house has a limited amount of time to get their agenda through. the greater the pressure mounts against senator engel, the worse are the chances of being nominated. ultimately, the president will have to decide whether or not he wants to appear to have been backed down by republicans for a second time, which makes him look -- or whether you want to spend his political capital earned after the selection on somebody like chuck hagel, who he may not have some personal attachment to one way or the other. >> i think this is a very busy time for the white house, and they did not want to get wrapped up. look at all the things that happened this week. you had to deal with sequestration, the de

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richard engel's incredible ordeal, next. we're coming right back. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. richard engel's incredible ordeal, next. we're coming right back. show. richard engel's incredible ordeal, next. we're coming right back. an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. progresso. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. >>> and we here at msnbc are relieved and happy to report that nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel and his crew were freed late last night after five days in captivity in syria. engel described the ordeal on the "today" show this morning. >> we were driving in syria, about five days ago, in what we thought was a rebel-controlled area. we were with some of the rebels. and as we were moving down the road, a group of gunmen just literally jumped out of the trees and bushes on the side of the road. there were proba

richard engel says the gunman moved them to a safe house and there was a firefight and engel and the crew escaped. richard and his colleagues are now safe and in turkey. the fox report chief correspondent with the news. they institute add blackout of this news over at nbc because they. whatted it try to get them out alive something we have done with correspondent whose met with similar fates to this network. thank god richard engel and the crew get out. >>jonathan: we observed that blackout at nbc request but a terrifying request for him and his colleagues. imagine this: 15 gunmen all wearing ski masked ambushed them and moved them constantly blind folded and hooded from safe house to safe house. they never knew where they were and then the mock executions. imagine the terror of that. you are hooded. they ask which you is going do die. first you refuse to give an answer. and you simply hear a rifle being fired. not surprisingly, engel and the others all say they simply want to put the experience behind them. >> the last five days were very difficult. we very happy to be out. we are v

joining me now olivia's cousin, john engel. john, how can you and the family deal with what's happened? i know this is the question everyone is asking you, but it is completely mysterious to us who have never experienced the loss of a 6-year-old like this. >> it's completely mysterious to us. thank you for reading that. that's the first thing the parents said is we want olivia to be remembered. we talked about it today, and they said we're so gratified to see the outpouring of support on facebook, people writing in, and they're saying not your daughter, but they're saying we've seen olivia's pictures, and we know who she is, and i have a daughter like that, and that's been hugely gratifying for all of us. >> reading those things about her, i was just thinking of my daughter. pretty much exactly the same set of interests, and there's such an easy connection, i think, that we all have to this tragedy. we can feel it very personally, very closely. her funeral is on friday this week? >> yes, it is. >> and what do you see after that

engel says they were blindfolded and were repeatedly threatened. the news team credits rebel forces helping them escape and get back to turkey. >>> president obama and house speaker boehner may be moving closer to an agreement that would prevent the nation from barrelling over that so-called fiscal cliff. 13 days from now. boehner acknowledged today that the tragedy in newtown, connecticut, has had an effect on the talks. he said had is not the time, in his words to put americans through more stress. >>> the newtown community today said farewell to two more young victims. family and friends helped funerals for first graders james mattioli and jessica rekos. school resumed for other students in newtown. it is unclear at this time when or where the sandy hook students will go back to classes. >>> it is still unclear whether the shooter in the sandy hook massacre suffered from a mental illness but the issue has become part of the conversation about what could have possibly gone wrong. erika edwards has more now on how that's being addressed. >> report

richard engel's incredible ordeal, next. we're coming right back. >>> and we here at msnbc are relieved and happy to report that nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel and his crew were freed late last night after five days in captivity in syria. engel described the ordeal on the "today" show this morning. >> we were driving in syria, about five days ago, in what we thought was a rebel-controlled area. we were with some of the rebels. and as we were moving down the road, a group of gunmen just literally jumped out of the trees and bushes on the side of the road. there were probably 15 gunmen. they were wearing ski masks. they were heavily armed. they dragged us out of the car. they had a container truck positioned, waiting by the side of the road. they put us into that container truck. we were with some gunmen, some rebels who were escorting us. they executed one of them on the spot. then they took us to a series of safe houses and interrogation places. we weren't physically beaten or tortured. it was a lot of ps

engel. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> and mr. by questioning the effectiveness of the foreign affairs committee. -- let me start by questioning the effectiveness of the foreign affairs committee. what are the prospects for this committee going forward having relevance? >> both the house foreign affairs committee and the senate foreign relations committee have been largely relevant for many years. they do not pass authorization bills, which is their primary responsibility. the bills they do pass are often ideological and partisan. the senate foreign relations committee can at least confirm nominations. the house does not even do that. what we're hearing today from congressman engel and from bob corker is that they want their jobs to matter. the want to bring these committees back to some sort of position of prominence. it is not clear that is going to succeed. the republican side of the committee, you will ha

engel: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 193 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 193, resolution calling on the new government of egypt to honor the rule of law and immediately return noor and ramsay bauer to the united states -- bower to the united states. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker. i ask unanimous co

our own richard engel and his crew set free after being kidnapped for five days inside syria. tonight we'll hear from richard about what happened and how they made it out. >>> is there a deal in sight on that so-called fiscal cliff? that may hinge on how both sides define "rich." >>> and making a difference. it started as a simple idea. just being kind. tonight ann curry reports on the overwhelming response now being felt around the world. "nightly news" begins now. 6 captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> four days since the tragedy that altered our entire country, the gun lobby has spoken its first words on the subject. 9 national rifle association, routine teenl referred to as the most powerful lobbying in the country have been silent out of respect for the victims after one man took 28 lives including his own, 20 little school children in newtown, connecticut. along with mental health the gun control debate has come roar into the american conversation in addition the nra is promising to say more at a news conference at the end of the week. we begin with tom cost

here is me and richard engel together in iraq. here is me and richard engel together in this room, on this show, talking about something that involved a map. and here is richard engel last week in syria, in extremis, along with his crew, both of we've had to work with on the show. richard and his crew managed to get out safe, and the chance to hear from him the story of what happened and what it means i'm telling you is worth stopping anything else that you are doing right now just to hear this out. this is worth it. i am glad you are back, obviously. >> i'm very happy to be here. >> nbc's chief foreign correspondent. you have spent your entire adult life reporting from places that most people have never been to and do not understand well. can you just tell us logistically how this happened, where you were, and how it started? >> yes. so this map shows the border area between turkey and syria. the yellow line, everything above that is turkey. this is the gate, the crossing between turkey and syria. and we crossed through bab al ha

our own richard engel and his crew set free after being kidnapped for five days inside syria. tonight we'll hear from richard about what happened and how they made it out. >>> is there a deal in sight on that so-called fiscal cliff? that may hinge on how both side define "rich." >>> and making a difference. it started as a simple idea, just being kind. tonight ann curry reports on the overwhelming response now being felt around the world. overwhelming response now being felt around the world. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television 6 captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. four days now since the tragedy that altered our entire country. the gun lobby has spoken its first words on the subject. the national rifle association, the nra, which is routinely referred to as the most powerful grassroots lobbying organization in this country, has been silent. they said today out of respect for the victims. ever since a troubled young man with four firearms took 28 lives, including his own, 20 of them little children at an elementa

. >>> we have some good information about richard engel who was reporting in the middle east. it says after being kidnapped and held for nearly five days inside syria by an unknown group, richard engel and his production crew have been freed and unharmed. >> here is your first look at scrambled politics. as anti-gun advocates rallied, the nra took down its facebook page. the group has not commented on the school shootings in connecticut. >>> bill chummily is proposing a bill that would criminalize implementation of barack obama's 2010 health care law. >>> senator john kerry of massachusetts suspected to be president obama's choice to replace secretary of state hillary clinton, but because of the connecticut shootings the announcement will be delayed until later this week. >>> some top newspapers are complaining about the mitt romney campaign sending them bills for reporters covering the campaign. they say they were egregious charges for meals and $745 for a vice presidential debate viewing party. >>> and former italian prime minister silvia berlusconi told a tv interviewer tha

>> well, eliot engel and i work together to make certain that we have the resources there. i think it is important to note that on the particular account that addresses personnel for embassy security, those agents that we deployed, congress actually increased the number of agents, the funding for those agents, over the administration request, over prior years. regardlessef whether it was republican or democrat. we increased that number. what was decreased at one point was a pgram, computer program account, but in terms of the type of personnel we're talking about, which is the time that would be deployed in a situation to protect the embassy, that was actually increased. and i think going forward we have to make sure the security needs are met. but during the hearing that we had last month in testimony, senior state department personnel said that that was not the problem. in this particular case, it was the decisions, the wrong decisions being made in management that caused the probm. >> eot engel, you say earlier you don't want to talk about who's to blame, and yet today w

. >> nbc reporter richard engel talks about being held captive for five days in syria. hear how he and his crew were kept this constant fear for their lives. i'm barbara harrison. >> and i'm keith russell. >> a true story of relief after our colleague was captured in syria. >> richard engel and his crew are safe arrest enduring psychological torture for five days in that war-torn country. angie joins us with more on this harrowing story. >> reporter: good morning. the face of nbc news known for covering some of the world's most dangerous stories found himself in the headlines after disappearing with his crew in syria. >> i'm very happy that we're able to do this shot this morning. >> we're in good health, we're okay. >> reporter: on the "today" show after a terrifying five days of being captive. earlier this morning we got our first glimpse and he talked about the traumatic experience. >> we were with some gunmen, rebels who were escorting us. theyxecuted one of them on the spot and they kept us blindfolded, bound. we were not physically beaten or tortured. it was a lot

not to report engel's disappear ps and most complied but a few refused. now, critics say the media are just protecting their own, but hard to publish a story that could endanger a colleague's life, especially when journalists like engel are taking risks to bring us the stories of war. >>> after the break, the movie about the hunt for osama bin laden sparks questions about accuracy, torture and coziness with the obama administration. we'll look at "zero dark 30." that's next. ♪ ooh baby, can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digestive balance? align can help. only align has bifantis, a patented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. try align to help retain a balanced digestive system. try the #1 gastroenterologist recommended probiotic. align. welcome to chevy's year-end event. so, the 5.3-liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds? 315 horsepower. what's that in reindeer-power? [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. get the best offer of the year -- 0% apr fi

. >>> reports that nbc news richard engel was missing surfaced online. this is what the statement says. after being kidnapped and held for five days inside syria by an unknown group, nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed. we're pleased to report, they are safely out of the country. some websites earlier reported engel was missing after turkish media filed reports that the u.s. journalist along with a turkish journalist that he usually travels with and works a lot with disappeared on thursday. so some comforting news early on this tuesday. back to you. >> angie goff live for us with that breaking news. angie, thank you. >>> the time right now is 4:54. coming up, a 13-year-old girl gets her wish had her fight for equality. one toy at a time. how the makers of the easy-bake oven are making changes. >> w did you get chips for the party? nope. cheese plate? cheese plate...nope. i made something better. ♪ you used the oven? boom ♪ [ male announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making be

since we first reported about the kidnapping of richard engel, we've learned new details. nbc news saying that the chief foreign correspondent along with his crew was freed from his captors in syria. engel was kidnapped and held for five days and eventually freed in syria after a firefight at a checkpoint on monday. nbc news has come out and said we're pleased to report they are safely out of the country. the captors were unidentified and were not believed to be assad loyalists. they didn't ask for money or a ransom of any kind. engel and his crew, this is new background information we got, disappeared shortly after crossing into northwest syria from turkey on thursday. we're being told he was abducted, the crew was blindfolded, they were tossed in the back of a truck and brought to an undisclosed location. the good news is they're saying that no one was physically harmed. the network did not have contact actually with engel or any members of his crew until he was freed on monday. that's the latest. now back to you. >> breaking news here at home. police in prince george's

there was a gun fight, two captors were killed, engel and his crew got away. defense secretary leon panetta paid tribute today to all journalists who risk their lives in pursuit of the truth, including our own cami mccormick. she was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb three years ago while covering the war in afghanistan. cami returned to afghanistan last week with secretary panetta. >> it was truly an emotional experience to be with her as she returned back to afghanistan for the first time after that injury. she put her own life at risk in order to tell the story of that war. and in her and so many other war correspondents we see the highest ideals of democracy upheld. >> pelley: defense secretary leon panetta. if there is one place on earth that know it is pain of newtown, connecticut, it is this one, and we will take you there next. ng ? campbell's has 24 new soups that will make it drop over, and over again. ♪ from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. a delicious new way to get es

our chief correspondent richard engel saw it firsthand, standing our chief correspondent richard engel saw it firsthand, standing by in cairo tonight, good evening, richard. >> reporter: good evening, brian, the egyptian president, mohamed morsy, supporters of the muslim brotherhood want a strong president and want more islamic law. his opponents say the president is forcing an islamic agenda down their throat. and today, the two sides clashed. on the doorstep of egypt's presidential palace, leading clashes, the fighting injured hundreds. the fighting is very fluid, sometimes the anti-morsy demonstrators, those right here will make advances just a few yards then get driven back. there are no police here, they are just two sides facing each other in the streets. as one side advances the other retreats. demonstrators kept police from the scene. there is still mistrust here, during the revolution of hosni mubarak. there were cheers as the police withdrew mubarak. >> when the egyptian people go >> when the egyptian people go out again in the streets, they never go back. they must win, othe

we did celebrate the news of richard engel today. >>> we move on next to the holiday. exodus under way as 93.3 million americans plan a trip over the rivers to grandmother's house. the problem is a wicked one-two punch of weather stirring up a mess. here is abc's meteorologist ginger zee. >> reporter: it's a pre-holiday pounding. after two days of rain this soggy hill just outside seattle turns into a dramatic mud slide, cascading through a freight train, sending it right off the track. and near san francisco, the rain caused this sink hole to open up. and then there's the snow from oregon to lake tahoe. the northwest is covered in white. this reporter showed us just how bad the roads were. >> winter hit the state of washington over night. here is what we are dealing with. really wet snow and ice underneath making roads very slick, makes kids late for school and making it tough for people to get the holiday shopping done in time. >> reporter: that storm tonight is on the move. blizzard warnings in eastern kansas and a snake of watches and warnings from denver to easter

. >>> richard engel is safe after he and his crew were held captive for five days in syria. two kidnappers were killed by assyrian rebel group. ingle and -- richard engel and his team are now okay. >> i am glad to see he is doing well. >> yes. >>> we will show you off the 80 freeway as you come off to the mcarthur maze, it looks good to the bayridge toll plaza area and if you want a good drive there are no problems on the bridge. same thing here in san jose airport area, they are doing very well. here is steve. >>> thank you. we have mostly clear skies off the coast we will have some build ups later on and the dry land has more support over land. we have 12 to 14 degrees cooler than it was this time yesterday. 26 up in tahoe. we had 54 and 55 degrees. that cold air will continue to set in. sunny and breezy as clouds build and a few showers to the north, maybe northern sonoma county, it will be in the upper 20s which would not surprise me and then friday all the way into the weekend, it looks to be ending christmas eve. >>> for the past few days we heard about the deadly shoo

make your mark with ink from chase. >>> here is me and richard engr engel p engel in a. reallreally, nop really, n. bbut there you have it. her here ahere and mp h togethetogether, mp togerp together p together in tto shop show, talking about s thtthar that involved a ma. ar and heand here ip an week inpweek in syria, hrhisp his crerhis crhin whwhom we'vp whom we've wh the show. we have had to shoot in places more far and dangerous than our usual new york digs. richap richard arichard ans usual new york digs. richap richard arichard a p get out safget out sa he say i'll come and pick you up from the border. came and picked us up, hello, hello. we drive off. a few minutes after leaving the border crossing, traveling with the rebel commander and one of his men and our whole team, we get ambushed. gunmen came from the side of the road, surrounded our car, wearing ski masks, had a truck waiting for us, and threw us in the back of the truck, boom! the doors close, they drive off. >> a large snof peopnumber of p lying in wait. >> this was an ambush. these were government peopl

. >> eliot engel, do you reod i any differently? "systemic failure" was the term. what in the end or who in the end was to blame? >> i think what's important is not who is to blame but that something like what happened benghazi never, ever happens again. we have to learn from the mistakes. there were many mistakes that were made. the important thing for me is not to play "gotcha" politics but to say what went wrong and how can we 56 it in the future.y i agree with everything my colleague said. i think the system broke down. i think there was a lack of coordination between the people responsible for diplomatic security and with the specialists in the middle east. there has to be-- that was one of the recommendations of the report. there has to be much, much more oordination. it's really outrageous that they were relying on local militias to protect the compound. we don't need local militias. we need our own troops and our own protections there. we want american protections and i think that has to change in the future and it will. but i think congress has a responsib

filming incoming is much more difficult. >> before too long, engel and his crew find themselves in an extremely difficult situation. the soldiers from restrepo design to mount an operation designed to draw out the taliban. >> the troops broke up into two units. one unit from restrepo climbed down in the middle of the night through the hills and took up a post in a safehouse in the middle of this village. the other unit openly, overtly walked, drove and moved in to the village on the other side and set up position in a farmhouse. >> it's a trap to catch the taliban. and things are going just as planned. until a tragic mistake changes everything. >> so i was filming and suddenly there's this very loud explosion. >> a u.s.-fired mortar lands directly on the safehouse where part of the unit waits in ambush. >> it was a really, really awful moment because what it meant was that the operation that we had thought we were going to do, suddenly turned into this very dire situation. >> i remember as soon as we heard that bang, we knew something was wrong. then we heard the most disturbing thing

. >>> richard engel was released after being held captive for five days. that is chief foreign correspondent richard engel and they were kidnapped last thursday, they crossed into syria from turkey and they were tied and blind folded until they were released following a gun battle at that checkpoint. >> we are very happy to be out and to be back in turkey. we love being here, we love this country and we appreciate the help. the last five days are days we would rather forget. >> richard engel speaks flaunt arabic. he said they were not physically abused and they would ask him which hostage should be shot first and when they refused there were mock shootings. >>> they sold a plane to late pop star jenny rivera have a. they were killed in that plane crash. the l.a. times reports, in 2001 a ban backed out to purchase from the same executive. they sued saying the plane was unacceptable. a public memorial was held. >>> a deal could be close and as carla campbell reports from our washington d.c. newsroom, they believe an agreement could be reached, here is more.

>>> nbc news correspondent richard engel explains what happened after he was kidnapped in syria for five days. good evening. i'm doreen gentzler. >> i'm jim vance. our top story at 6:00 tonight students went back to the classroom in newtown, connecticut. while more families laid more victims to rest. in the words of one high school senior, there's going to be no joy in school today. meanwhile, one elementary school in town did not open after the school received some sort of threat. the district was not taking any chances. also, as the morning continues the focus now turns to gun control. today the white house says president barack obama is actively supportive of efforts on capitol hill to reinstate an assault weapons ban. nbc's jay gray joins from us connecticut with more on the young lives buried way too soon. >> reporter: yeah, good to talk to you. as you talk about another rough day. first graders from sandy hook elementary all gathered again to lay to rest two more of their classmates while students from other schools here went back to class for the first time since the tragedy. the

---engel dice que el lunes, cuando eran trasladados de un lugar a otro, se encontraron con un retn de rebeldes donde hubo un intercambio de fuego y logr escapar ---se conocio que un traductor del equipo murio, mientras que los periodistas fueron torturados sicologicamen te. blanca --la ciudad de berkeley se pronuncio en contra del uso de aviones no tripulados para combatir la delincuencia... take vo ---el concejo de la ciudad planea declarar la ciudad como "libre de drones" que es como se conoce a este tipo de naves. ---esto se da luego de que varios residentes protestaran por la decision del condado de alameda de adquirir aviones no tripulados para vigilar sus ciudades. ---el jefe de la policia de berkeley dijo que no esta en sus planes adquirir este tipo de aviones. cesar ---en medio de la tristeza que vive la nacion por la tragedia en conecticut, hay historias que nos devuelven la esperanza y la fortaleza... blanca ---asi es, pilar niÑo nos tiene una de ellas. ---en esta navidad una jovencita latina celebra haber recibido un regalo extraordinario...cuentanos pilar. 00:00 00:06 00:

engel has gone on to say that they may have been thugs. in context to the civil war it refers to militia loyal toward the government. he thinks they may have been held in a bid to try and exchange them for captives held by the rebels, potentially iranian agents working for the syrian regime. a complex situation which seems to have been remarkably resolved in positive fashion, of course, shows you how anarchy things are getting in syria. >> thank you so much. you and i have known richard and his cameraman for a long time. we are all relieved this morning. thank you so much. >>> let's go back to newtown, connecticut, where soledad is. >> all right. john, thank you. and, yeah, we're all concerned about the news of richard engel. such good news for everyone. >>> let's talk more about what's happening among gun sellers, some taking action after the newtown shooting. what dick's sporting good is doing. it will surprise a lot of people. not done before. and famously pro gun democrat. but senator joe manchin having a change of heart? his latest co

firecrews are on the scene and it is happening at a home in engel side heights. abc7 news reporter ama dates is live with the latest on this. ama? >> dan, fire officials will confirm one person was found dead in the house. they will not say anything about the victim's identitiment we are are -- identity. we are a block away from the house. you can see what it looked like when we arrived on scene. it broke out about 8:40. about 40 firefighters responded, and they were able to put the fire out in 40 minutes. it burned through the garage and the second floor of the home. one person was found dead inside. now it wasn't the resident or the neighbor who called the fire in. it was an off duty firefighter who smelled smoke. >> firefighters have had good noses. they smelled like some wood was burning somewhere. they let the you are fireman know. >> reporter: and most of the damage was contained to that house on the corner. there was some smoke damage to the house next to it. one person has been confirmed dead, and they are finishing up at the scene. the fire officials tel

our chief foreign correspondent richard engel has more from cairo. >> reporter: tens of thousands came, down with morsy, they shouted. leave, leave. what a change for the new egyptian president. just last week, he won praise from mediating an end to the gaza crisis. but then, riding high, morsy shocked the country, declaring his decisions above the law. leaving parliament and the courts virtually powerless. now his loyalists have pushed through a new constitution in a single day. judges call it illegal. but they have been silenced. it triggered a wave of protests. the anger is also directed to the united states, people say president obama has gone too far to embrace the muslim brotherhood and has been too quick to praise president morsy, only making him bolder to take this controversial power grab. the demonstrators say the new constitution favors the islamic extremists, and allows citizens to become morality police, and doesn't protect women enough. >> they're trying to ruin the country. this eighteen-year-old student says that the area is dominated by the religious zealots. >>. >>> p

. >> olivia engel, 6. [bell tolling] >> the names were read aloud -- and a aloud and a -- were read aloud and a candlelit for them. >> people in our community are just heartbroken over what's happened in connecticut. we all identify with the parents and with the community. these little children have been killed so horribly. >> one person with a special bond to newtown is betty. she grew up there and her grief was clearly visible during last night's service. >>> more bay area candlelight vigil vigil are scheduled for tonight -- more bay area candlelight vigils are scheduled for tonight at 6:00 and ameral park in plan tonight -- in pleasant tonight. and also there will be one tomorrow. >>> more people are buying guns these days after that tragedy in connecticut. gun owners in oregon, virginia, texas say many are buying guns fearing for their safety. some storeowners also say the president's promise to deal with the gun issue has caused an increase in sales. >>> dick's sports goods says they are pulling certa

i would say it has some time to go. >> richard engel, thank you so much, richard. thank you. thanks for all your reporting from over there. one major concern, of course, has been assad's stockpile of chemical weapons, which president obama warned last week that he should not use or else risk the consequences. defense secretary kenya commented today. >> i would like to believe he has the message. we have made it pretty clear, and others have as well. it's also clear that the opposition continues to make gains in syria, and our concern is that if they feel like the regime is, you know, threatened with collapse that, they might resort to these kinds of weapons. >> washington post david ignacious joins me. you have been reporting inside syria and throughout the region. what is the appropriate course for the administration? the president trying to warn assad, but what are the military consequences? what is he really willing to do if those chemical weapons were used? >> well, i think the military planners have been working on that for many weeks trying to think how would the u.s. i

richard engel reports syrians are struggling to deal with the blood shet. >> reporter: parts of syria that are controlled by the rebels, there is no talk at all to finding a peaceful solution. the trips and meetings of hillary clinton with the u.n. and her russian counterpart, there's no hope for a diplomatic solution. instead what the people talk about are the suffering of the people. this house was bombed by mistake. the people who lived here lived next to a rebel commander. now they're homeless. there is also tremendous economic difficulties here. the syrian currency is worth about half of what it was worth when the war began. a loaf of bread costs 20 times what it did just a few months ago. but despite all of this the rebels are making advances. they say they hope to soon control the city of aleppo, the country's commercial capital. after that, damascus. richard engel, nfc news. >>> this morning latin music fans around the world are lourng the death of jenny rivera. the 43-year-old grammy nominee and six others died early sunday when their small plane crashed in rough terrain in n