u.n. security council control as secretary of state john kerry begins high level talks with his russian counter park. is putin pushing the decision on syria to the united nations? has the u.n. lost its credible on the world stage. >> a dramatic increase in the use of swat teams made the people lease are supposed to protect less safe? >> fewer than one ofify models was a person of color. has diverse city gone out of style in the fashion industry? we'll ask a super not he will straight head. we begin with syria. russian president vladamir putin is at the center of the syria storm. he's won a big battle by forcing the debate back to the security council where russia's veto gives it a voice in any internationally response. the paralysis on the civil syrian civil war raises questions. >> russia and china have flexed their veto power, raising questions whether the deep divides between word powers an the security council render the united states powerless. u.n. secretary admitted the failures. >>

the u.n. and their mandate to go check out what happened with the inspectors was to find out whether chemical weapons were used, not who used them. i know you'll talk about this with ambassador bolton. there's new reaction now in the u.s. and around the world to president obama's delaying his decision on a potential strike on syria. he's decided to ask congress to first authorize any military action. france saying it will wait for the u.s. decision on how to act. and israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu says his country is ready for any possible scenario. first to connor powell who joins us live from our mideast bureau. what's the reaction there? >> reporter: this move by president obama generating anger, confusion and even some just, you know -- confusion across the entire area of the middle east. particularly in israel. prime minister netanyahu said the country is, quote, calm and self-assured and the country really is prepared for any scenario. president obama's decision to postpone a

the u.n. to acknowledge the human rights violations of syria. >> we cannot agree even on this, then it will show that the united nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws. >> the president trying to talk tough today. did he succeed? charles krauthammer and i will analyze. >>> my point is that he should not be playing golf with men and women in uniform are still getting killed in afghanistan. >> i know the pressures of the job, and to be able to get outside and play golf with some of your pals is important for the president. >> former president bush disagreeing with monica crowley and sticking up for barack obama. monica will be here to respond. >>> also tonight, is america a mean country? and controversy over may brand-new book, "killing jesus." you are about to enter the no-spin zone. "the factor" begins right now. >>> hi, i'm bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us tonight. president obama, the tough guy. that is the subject of this evening's talking points memo. s

well the u.n. becomes very important al-arian so the main question is is russia going to veto anything in the u.n. security council that would harm their client syria and prevent a political settlement that's a big question what mass happen at the security council is most importantly one language that says you've got to get these weapons out they have to be destroyed there has to be a date certain for that to happen a secondly an arms embargo hopefully a so that weapons keep staying out of syria third and now i'm getting into wishful thinking possibly a diplomatic talks for power sharing for a political settlement which eventually moves assad out and and gets that country back on a path towards some kind of. democracy some kind of political resolution where all of these massive killings don't happen these refugees so that's the u.n. now becomes that much more important because the framework of an agreement has to come from the u.n. security council but as one of the five members along with the u.s.

we need a u.n. mandate. if you act without mandate, you are in a very bad situation, especially for a country like france which is a permanent member of the un security council. >> we are going to pick up on this point of the u.n. mandate. we can go to damascus. lucy fielder, who is based in beirut, which is in normal circumstances a short drive to the syrian capital. first of all, before i ask you about how people are seeing the debate going on here from where you are, how are things in damascus? >> this is a very tense, very quiet city. one that i knew well and always knew to be very thriving and bustling. over the last 24 hours i have seen so many businesses and shops and restaurants close down. the streets are empty. particularly at night, they become completely empty. there are roadblocks everywhere in the center of town. very difficult to move more than a few streets for checkpoints. an atmosphere of great tension, obviously. enormous concerns about the gathering support for a military strike. also a s

u.n. report says there's no doubt that chemical weapons were used in syria adding that warheads for the siren loaded rockets could have been improvised devices this is russia's foreign minister says the syrian opposition should be made to sit down for peace talks with the government. and under fire r.t. continues its series of reports from the heart of the syrian war this time our correspondent joins syrian troops dodging sniper fire in a damascus suburb. and i welcome you watching r.t. this evening with me andrey farmer. natural top story seven people reported dead and twelve injured after a shooting at a navy yard in washington d.c. we can i see some sacks he's at the scene sam i understand the area is still in lockdown at the moment and say the gunman is still at large what more can you tell us. rather this is still very much an active investigation there is still on lockdown this is i'm sure it is the alongside me you see police cars coming going you still see helicopters up ahead so w

russia says the u.n. report was rushed and ignores relevant evidence of other chemical attacks in syria the deputy foreign minister called in damascus this week confirmed un inspectors were informed of this material which was killed by the syrian the story was discreetly handed over to office sellstrom the head of u.n. mission here mission of experts which came and investigated the incident but never did so on the three subsequent incidents and then sell strong was asked to look into the and eventually factor this new evidence into the final report of cellphones mission you can never happened in fact still the u.s. is pushing for a response based on this u.n. investigation just last week the u.s. and russia agreed to a six point plan to rid syria of its chemical weapons damascus pledged to move forward and has so far complied a chemical weapons ploy if you like by the west and by the by the jihadist was. was countered effectively. i rushed aaron and damascus saying ok you want to chemical weapons you've g

. >> a report from u.n. weapons inspectors set to be released this morning is expected to confirm the use of chemical weapons in syria. now, this as the u.s. russia deal calls on syria to provide full details of its chemical stockpile in just one week. >> the raising of the costa concordia is finally underway. the cruise ship went down off the coast of italy, killing 32 people. crews are trying to get the wreckage back upright. >> it's part of what's called america's suicide belt. what's being done to help people living in remote areas of montana get access to desperately needed mental health care. >> we begin this morning in colorado, where massive flooding has displaced more than 11,000 people. now, nearly 1200 residents are still unaccounted for. rains stalled rescue efforts on sunday, as helicopters were grounded, and other missions dealt with mud slides and flash floods. president obama ordered federal disaster aid for tin counties, including boulder, el paso and larmier. many communities of underwater.

u.n. sent a team of inspectors to syria to verify the use of the nerve gas sarin. eight years ago in 2005, also, the u.n. security council authorized sanctions against syria. resolution 1636 punished syria for a terrorist attack in lebanon that killed a then former prime minister of lebanon, but chemical weapons being so horrific may have struck a nerve in world opinion enabling president obama to elude the u.n. and build international support against syria unchallenged by the u.n. by the way, the u.n. was the brainchild of former president franklin deleanor roosevelt who conceived of the world body, the u.n., as a way to prevent a third world war. british prime minister winston churchill joined him in the effort. the u.s. is the largest contributor to the united nations. get this, $4.3 billion this year alone constituting 22% of the u.s. budget. question. let's assume congress authorizes unilateral military action against syria. should commander in chief obama then take the case to the un

u.n. on day three of the assembly. the president said no nation should possess nuclear weapons. he also called on israel to admit it has a nuclear bomb. the report. >> the first world leader to take to the podium at a u.n. nuclear disarmament conference in new york this thursday, hassan ronny -- rouhani put the spotlight on israel. >> almost four decades of international effort to establish a nuclear weapons free zone in the middle east has regrettably failed. urgent practical steps toward the establishment of such a zone are necessary. israel, the only non-party to the nonproliferation treaty in this region, should join without further delay. >> israel, the main culprit, rouhani claims. he said a deal on his country's controversy it was possible within months. >> the only way is to introduce a timeline. the shorter it is, the more beneficial for everyone. if it is six months, that is still good. it is a question of months, not years. >> he assured the general assembly that iran's nuclear

i fear that a lot of people trust the u.n. to do that. the u.n. doesn't have a terribly effective record. are you worried? should the american people trust u.n. to oversee this new rug plan? >> the u.n. works sometimes. other times it doesn't. the record is mixed. the question is what passes in the u.n.? >> nothing if you're russia and china. >> france tabled a resolution in the security council today that basically embased the russian proposal that the syrians get rid of their weapons with international supervision and that if they didn't, then force was authorized by the u.n. security council. i thought that was great. it called russia's bluff. what do you think russia did? they said that was unacceptable. they don't want a mandatory resolution with teeth in it. they want it to be a presidential statement of kind of appealing to syria. >> senator santorum, do you -- >> credibility with this entire proposal. >> do you trust the u.n.? >> no. >> pick an issue. the answer is no. >> exactly right. >> 172 successful peace keeping missions and negotiat

the u.n.'s role in international affairs. host: robert lambert off of twitter this morning added this -- what comes to mind when i think about the u.n., a useless waste of time and money. some of the specifics played out in the speech, especially when it comes to u.s. relations. here is "the washington post" up.write eight reasons, but number six is russia's dilemma. he says -- host: the president is reportedly expected to address the area when it comes to speech state -- today. mark is from melbourne, florida. republican my. i'll ago how are you doing, pedro? host: fine, go ahead. has a: i think the u.n. limited role in international affairs. --n it comes down to what, down to it, military force is more prevalent. look at what happened in syria. they decided to give up their chemical weapons when we threaten them with a naval bombardment. that is my feeling. how: when you say limited, limited is their role, do you think? negotiate.y you sit down and negotiate across the table, but the u.n. doe

and while all eyes are on the u.n. floor, the haggling over syria's chemical weapons continues in the back room this hour. key u.s. and russian diplomats meeting to talk about a u.n. resolution again. what's the holdup here? >>> and the politics lead. president obama has called him his unofficial secretary of explaining stuff. this hour, former president bill clinton will try to help him do that for obama care but what can he say to a wary, weary public that has not been said already? good afternoon. i'm jake tapper. welcome to this special edition of "the lead" in new york city. we'll begin with the world lead. a very eventful hour is ahead. it could be a defining one for the obama presidency and you will see much of it unfold here live. here's what's happening. in about 15 minutes, secretary of state john kerry will hold a bilateral meeting with the russian foreign minister, sergey lavrov as they try to hammer out an agreement on a united nations resolution that would require syria to give up its chemical weapons for

part of a u.n. report says its inspectors are certain of chemical weapons use in syria this is russia's foreign minister says the syrian opposition should be made to sit down for peace talks with the government. and under fire continues its series of reports from the heart of the syrian war this time our correspondent joins syrian troops dodging sniper fire in the damascus. international news and comment twenty four hours a day you're with. four people have been confirmed dead and eight injured after a shooting at a navy yard in washington d.c. witnesses say a gunman was shooting from the fourth floor of people in a cafeteria reports claim two or three gunmen may have been involved in the attack that unconfirmed at the moment several civilians and police officers are among the victims approximately three thousand people who work at the building where the largest of the navy's command systems is situated but let's now get some reaction live from a political commentator john wright live from the u.k.

russia says the u.n. report was rushed and ignores relevant evidence of other chemical attacks in syria the deputy foreign minister called in damascus this week confirmed un inspectors were informed of this material which was killed by syria and the story was he's handed over to office else drum the head of u.n. mission here mission of experts which came and investigated the incident but never did so on the three subsequent incidents and then sell strong was asked to look into the and eventually factor this new evidence into the final report of cellphones mission you can never happened in fact still the u.s. is pushing for a response based on this u.n. investigation just last week the u.s. and russia agreed to a six point plan to rid syria of its chemical weapons the mask is pledged to move forward and has so far complied a chemical weapons ploy if you like by the west and by the by the jihadist was. was countered effectively. i rushed her in damascus saying ok you want to chemical weapons you've got the

is trying to blackmail moscow if russia does not support a u.n. resolution that allows the use of force. angela merkel has declared germany's election. and mobs cream for justice in greece where the killing of a prominent anti-fascist sparked uproar as thousands march in a national strike against endless austerity. the top stories and latest developments. this be is the weekly here on rt. western states are eager to gain a loophole for unilateral action against syria and don't care enough about peaceful efforts to resolve the syrian conflict. well, that's the impression the russian foreign minister says he's gained after several weeks of a diplomatic effort to avoid strikes. >> two weeks ago it seemed like the united states are ready to essentially strike syria. then they seemed to ease up a bit and now again russia seems to be facing some sort of animosity especially ahead of the u.n. general assembly meetings to take place next week. russia's channel 1 showed lavrov making some of president points he's made before but about the harsh manner in w

to speak at the u.n. shortly when he does we'll cross to it next iran's president expects a draft plan by october and working with the u.s. and international community over his country's nuclear program as sound of his comments came as he gave a news conference in new york in the past hour the spirit of diplomatic optimism at the u.n. also extended to a rare encounter which saw the u.s. secretary of state meet his reading counterpart for their country's highest level talks in decades their meeting centered on to iran's atomic program and it fell within the framework of the seven nation to go see a shift in tone is one of the big welcome both sides remain cautious though saying actions will speak louder than words international law professor middle east expert told me iran is trying to win the hearts and minds of people worldwide. around fields in a fairly comfortable position and they felt that the policy of ahmadinejad the pre-disaster of mr rouhani was not helping at all from a legal standpoint iran fee

the u.n., but the u.s. could still take action without u.n. approval. the report by chemical weapons inspectors into the attack in august could be submitted on monday. the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said it would overwhelmingly show that chemical weapons were used. talks between russia and u.s. entered a third day in switzerland. u.s. officials are quoted as saying both sides are coming to an agreement. >>> this was the scene in geneva where we expect to hear from the russian foreign minister and u.s. secretary of state john kerr, and we will, of course, go to that news conference as soon as that begins. >>> for weeks now the white house has been saying it knows the syrian government is responsible for poison gas attacks, but as we report, some politicians are questioning that intelligence. >> reporter: matthew is a former foreign service officer and captain in the u.s. marine corps. he was the first united states official to resign in protest over the afghan war, but his government co

s anastasia -- let's start with the u.n. security council. we are hearing reports that a deal may be reached on syria. the russian foreign minister address reporters within the last hour. what did he say and what are you hearing in regard to this deal? >> well, sam, finally confirm a diplomatic breakthrough has finally been reached on syria resolution to now be voted on by the security council. the russian foreign minister had confirmed that a text has been agreed upon by russia and the united states. this was something that was worked on for days if not weeks because of a major disagreement on whteether the use of force should be mentioned in this resolution. russia'position has been that this is out of the question and military intervention or use of force or simple chapter 7 of the u.n. charter should not be mentioned in this resolution. whereas, theue u.s. believes the opposite. they did agree that the use of force will not be mentioned in this text. basically, the security council today will already start putting together the document th

which is why every six years the u.n. brings together hundreds of climate scientists. >> this is the most comprehensive international review of the the climate science and what the reports have done is provide increasing evidence about the scale of the changes that human activity such as burning fossil fuels are having on the world's climates. >> reporter: authors are a mass of scientific research relating to climate change and 850 experts have been working on its 14 chapters and the document comes in at more than 2000 pages and the last revision received more than 30,000 comments from contributors and as chapters focused on the atmosphere and clouds in the oceans and seas and looked at climate models and considered projections for long and near term change. the last report from the panel on climate change concluded that climate change is occurring and the emission of greenhouse gasses is likely to be the cause. a small number of errors were used by skeptics to cast doubt on the report and said it over played warming pred

the u.n. for iran u.s. relations and a phone conversation between the nation's leaders offered hope for progress in. iran's nuclear program. greenpeace activists still in custody after attempting to gain an oil drilling on the face charges of piracy russian authorities accusing them of in danger to. crackdown on the country's far right golden dawn part. of an anti fascist activist linked to the group led to massive protests. from moscow you're watching artie's weekly. well this week's u.n. general assembly gathering was marked by some major diplomatic breakthroughs key foreign players reached their first agreement on syria since the start of the conflict there and then historic phone call open the prospect for real progress of international concern about iran's nuclear ambitions. reports now on changes in tone. hope for diplomacy progress on two fronts at the united nations a new tone in policy towards iraq and a security council resolution on chemical weapons in syria the opening union we've

u.n. asserts only it is able to provide a credible answer on whether toxic gas was used in syria last month is the u.s. ramps up its case for a military strike while continuing to blame the assad regime. meanwhile members of the arab league refused to go along with the syria attack including iraq which is still witnessing the effects of the u.s. led invasion there. radiation levels rise of japan's crippled fukushima nuclear plant as readings show exploded or could cause a death in as little as four hours. on the liberals saying a debt stricken greece may need a third ballot while the country struggles to meet the terms of current payments and unemployment remains the highest in the e.u. . and in moscow i'm at treasure bring you today's top stories and a look back at the week's news after being turned down by key international allies u.s. president barack obama moved to gain domestic support for a strike on syria he requested congress to ok an attack aimed at punishing the assad regime for

the u.n. says it should be the only one to establish whether there has been a chemical attack in syria itself to the us secretary of state john kerry claimed intelligence agencies have you prove. this as the world holds its breath over a possible intervention in syria as president obama calls for more military action but looks for approval from congress. while the russian president appeals to the american leaders and nobel peace prize winner warning him over the grave consequences of a campaign against syria. and the warring rise in radiation at the fukushima nuclear plant levels are eighteen times higher than previously thought which could prove lethal within. the note back at the top stories for the past seven days and the latest developments this is the weekly on. the u.s. president wants to launch a military strike on syria but he wants to win a domestic political battle for that to happen barack obama is seeking congressional approval for the attack and congress will consider it on septem

a u.n. report says there's no doubt that chemical weapons were used in syria adding that warheads for the siren loaded rockets could have been improvised devices this is russia's foreign minister says the syrian opposition should be made to sit down for peace talks with the government. and under fire r.t. continues its series of reports from the heart of the syrian war this time our correspondent joins syrian troops dodging sniper fire in a damascus suburb. a welcome you're watching r.t. this evening with me and. now twelve people are confirmed dead after a shooting at a navy yard in washington d.c. let's get the latest now from our to. the sea sam we understand the area wristed in lockdown but also two of the gunmen we believe still at large. right well things are quieted down here actually we just saw this stream of people here we suspect is the people who are still inside the buildings told to shelter in place they're now being released but things are quiet and down the next police briefi

the head of u.n. mission here mission of experts which came and investigated the incident but never did so on the three subsequent incidents and then sell straw was asked to look into the and eventually factor this new evidence into the final report of self strums mission it never happened in fact still the u.s. is pushing for a response based on this u.n. investigation just last week the u.s. and russia agreed to a six point plan to rid syria of its chemical weapons mask is pledged to move forward and has so far complied a chemical weapons ploy if you like by the west and by the by the jihadist was. was countered effectively. russia is not in damascus saying ok you want to chemical weapons you've got the chemical weapons it's interesting the latest is that the free syrian army disavowed any greenwood in the heart of the chain and so it went the other. not to give up their chemical weapons in this whole dispute and then john kerry the u.s. navy state is not even pushing on that instead he is pushing o

or he me the u.n. mediated for syria he says no action must happen can america really go it alone when it comes to a strike on syria. well actually this is more a question about power politics can america go along of course they did before and they can they have the means to do it the question is do they have a legal grounds. also the whole issue of proof even when a country has undeniable proof it has to go to the u.n. security council with that proof it does not give them a reason to attack even if the u.s. congress votes that does not give them the legitimacy to attack another country that you are the u.s. congress is a policy of the. country and that's. a mistake you know if i can just jump in here briefly i'm running very low on time but quickly to ask you quickly to ask you a fishelson saudi arabia and qatar have offered to bank roll any u.s. strike an intervention in syria why would that be the case how do you read that. well it's a pure and simple the real reasons why the u.s. and saudi arabia

in the u.n. to see stop working with the chemical watchdog in the hague this completely counters what we agreed on was john kerry namely the chemical watchdogs decision and then a supporting resolution from the un a c. but without a chapter seven. the russian foreign minister said that the team of u.n. experts who were in syria last month investigating reports of alleged chemical attacks actually couldn't complete their job in its entirety caving into the pressure from the likes of the united states who seem to be determined to push their agenda in only one direction. which all parties are blinded by an ideological goal to remove the assad regime they want to show the big can call the shots in the middle east. they are mostly concerned with proving their own supremacy and not the task that we are driven by which to solve the syrian chemical weapons problem. on top of that russian foreign minister has said that there is a high chance that the syrian rebels themselves could produce chemical weapons

>> stephen: and use the u.n. resolution? >> the u.n. is a useful institution to cover and to execute great power designs. >> stephen: what great power? what war have they ever preventd? >> well, we may have just prevented this one and i ale tell you why. >> stephen: but we don't know because it didn't happen! >> we don't know yet. >> stephen: you can't prove a negative. >> what we have preventd is any major war between great powers. >> stephen: because if we wanted to go to war with russia or china they would veto it and then we'd have to stop. (laughter) you're not wrong. that's why we -- we try -- (cheers and applause) >> stephen: how do you become a superpower if it doesn't exercise superpowers? that's like saying "i'm fantastic dancer i just don't want to get up right now." (cheers and applause) i tell you what, i'll just cut it out. go ahead. (laughter) andrewn,van,k%ç%ç%ç%ç >> stephen: welcome back, everybody, thanks so much. (cheers and applause) nation, i've got to take moment here and we have not talked about this yet on t

the russian president bypassing the u.n. to strike syria said ignoring the security council and beginning an attack would be an act of aggression we've got the full details of wide ranging interview. his debate taking action on syria as the country's president claims he's the only one to give orders and is determined to strike but only if washington decides to. new revelations by wiki leaks expose a huge snooping industry that's been selling spyware through before a terror in governments around the world so they can track down all opposition groups. live from studio seven here in moscow were just turned eleven pm this is. president putin has warned against a military attack on syria without the u.n. security council's approval the russian leader said punitive measures can take place only under international law and if there's solid evidence the syrian regime gassed civilians. reports. president vladimir putin was doing an interview with the associated press and russia's first channel and in that interview he strongly caution

they seem to have carved out some role for the u.n. so what is the reaction from the u.n? >> well, here everybody is welcoming this. we have had a statement from the u.n. secretary general ban ban ki-moon, a statement from france. when the u.s. does a deal it's a done deal, it's a reality, other leaders have nothing other than welcome this sort of thing. in private i think the reaction is somewhat different. i think you'll find there are western diplomats particularly from the u.k. and france that would have liked a slightly differently deal, a security council resolution with the use of force built in. meaning that if there was a breach by assad it would automatically trigger the use of force. it would be legal to start air strikes in syria. now that is not in the current deal. in the current deal, if there is a violation, if there's a breach then they have to come back to the security council to debate it. so can i give you a scenario? what if a few months down the line, a few days or weeks down the line there's a breach, the western governments say there's a breach, and

security council which still hasn't happened while the u.n. itself still haven't been able to reach a conclusion on whether or not that chemical weapons were used in that recent attack near them off because russia has been saying all along that it has to be decided by the u.n. and any military action against the government over sovereign state without the approval of the u.n. will be can. as an act of aggression so why is russia says the report on the chemical attack in aleppo earlier this year being ignored and the united nations we put that earlier to un veteran and its former humanitarian coordinator for iraq has crystal graph on. you can ask that question on the range of other. reports that have been received which are not convenient for those who are determined to carry out an attack but we cannot avoid looking into this and the media have. an obligation also to shed light on this when there are rumors that saudis and qataris have supplied chemicals is that true i don't know that the israelis were involved in this let there be a broad bas

the u.n. security council has unanimously back to resolution requiring syria to eliminate its chemical weapons the document put together by russia and the us imposes binding obligations on all parties of the syrian conflict but does not authorize immediate use of force for noncompliance. reports to read diplomatic breakthrough. this breakthrough marks the first time the united nations security council has agreed on a binding document concerning syria the resolution unanimously adopted by the council requires the verification and destruction of syria's chemical weapons stockpile however while it doesn't mention chapter seven towards the end of the document it does not indicate that immediate use of force would be allowed this is something that russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov explained in detail while addressing the security council is that it's in your book but the movie resolution does not fall under chapter seven of the un charter and does not alive the automatic use of force it reaff

debates on a u.n. security council resolution to rid syria of its chemical weapons are still ongoing russia says in the grievance could be reached in the coming days the main point of contention is committing a reference to chop to seven of the u.n. charter that would allow the use of force against a mass chaos if it fails to comply with the plan and this in no way reports now from new york well it seems like russia and the u.s. are a bit closer to seeing eye to eye on the syria crisis russia's deputy foreign minister says an agreement on the u.n. security council resolution the tax requiring syria to dismantle its chemical weapons stockpiles is in fact likely by the end of this week now the actual text of the resolution will according to him include a reference to chapter seven of the u.n. charter which allows force but it should be stressed that there will be no automatic trigger for chapter seven measures and another resolution in fact would be needed if syria fails to comply the text of the resolut

the u.n. report. those are the outside experts. that's a quote. that is the independent gold standard. that's a quote. well, despite the efforts of some to suggest otherwise, thanks to this week's long-awaited u.n. report, the facts in syria only grew clearer and the case only grew more compelling. the findings in the report was as categorical as they convincing. every single data point, the types of munitions and launchers that were used, their origins, their trajectory, their marketings, and the confirmation of sarin, every single bit of it confirms what we already knew, and what we told america and the world. it confirms what we have brought to the attention of our congress, the american people, and the rest of the world. the u.n. report confirms unequivocally that chemical weapons including the nerve agent sarin were used in syria. and despite the regime's best efforts to shell the area and destroy the evidence, the u.n. interviewed more than 50 survivors, patients, victims, health workers

and a u.n.-sponsored scientific group issued new earnings on global warming, and said it's 95% certain that human activity is the main cause. online, how do americans engage with the arts? apparently by doing "the hustle." a new national endowment for the arts survey tracks how much we dance, read poetry, go to museums and make art. find the results on art beat. all that and more is on our website newshour.pbs.org. before we go, a reminder about some upcoming programs from our pbs colleagues. gwen is off preparing for "washington week," which airs later this evening. here's a preview: >> ifill: so much to talk about tonight, from why today's senate vote really wasn't about health care, to why were suddenly negotiating with iran and syria. we go behind the scenes. later tonight on washington week. judy? >> woodruff: and coming up saturday. hari sreenivasan and the team in new york have a story of a billion dollar private project to build a new palestinian city in the hills of the west bank. that'