all of these wars are being waged in syria. the effect in syria is it is syrians to the dying. it is not syrians who stand to gain from any of these wars. the only thing we need to do with these wars is not to win inm, but to end the fighting syria. this escalation by the united states of its existing level of bombing and special forces, engagement, and intervention in syria has now been escalated to direct bombing against the regime target. this will make things worse, not better. the call i think needs to be to stop the bombing, stop the claim that somehow there is a military solution here. it knowledge there is no mill at -- acknowledge there is to military solution, a figure out how to make the kind of massive investment of high-profile time, of money, of attention, of all of the things into diplomacy, negotiation, a new approach that is not going to be based on the clearly false assumption that somehow this is a war that can be won. it cannot be won. it has to be ended instead. amy: let me end on refugees ,alia. president trump not only as president, but on the campaign, r

you insulted syria, iran, turkey, other states. mr. president, i would ask you t o make sure that the rules and procedures of this meeting are respected. if some of the members speak insultingly. i cannot accept that you insult russia. nevertheless, we are very grateful to you for your work in the runup to the next round, further work will be required to make sure that syrian dialogue is truly representative and broad. all patrioticly-motivated parties should have an opportunity to take part on april the footing to engage in -- on equal footing to engage in a conversation on syria, where all historical communities would live in peace and take part in building the country, as has always been the case. from the side of the opposition, the should be an inclusive and consolidated coalition -- delegation. there is no room for arrogance. we need to think not about pride. we need to think of the future of syria. that is the substance of your conceptual document. to think of the future of their state, and that we shouldn't interfere in their a

he repeatedly argued against military action in syria. >> why can't we let isis and syria fight and let russia, they're in syria already, let them fight isis? >> reporter: tweeting repeatedly after the last chemical weapons attack four years ago, that the u.s. should stay out of the conflict and suggesting that president obama needed congressional action before taking action. a step that donald trump did not take last night. the white house did inform two dozen lawmakers before taking action. legislators on both sides of the aisle are urging the president to involve congress if the administration decides to do more. the president stated concern with the humanitarian situation on the ground in syria also starkly different from his campaign rhetoric. >> if i win, they're going back. >> reporter: in which he argued against allowing syrian refugee into the united states. >> i always say trojan horse. watch what's going to happen. >> reporter: the administration stance toward russia advancing. the america's top diplomat saying russia has been complicit or incompetent on the ability to delive

service members in syria. is it clear to you, even just thinking about them, even just thinking about their families tonight, is it clear that the potential knock-on affects on that strike, the way the threat environment changes for those americans, is it clear to you that that's being adequately factored in to american decision making? >> i think there is evidence that it was considered why is why the special operators were moved out of that base. that was a force protection move, acutely on secretary mattis' mind. whether or not it's in the calculation of the president, who knows. >> do you have any idea what the president means when he says we're not going into syria, given that there are a thousand americans already there? >> i don't. i'm glad you pointed out at the top of the show that the united states has been bombing syria every day since september of 2014. american pilots are getting in aircraft or driving drones from afar and we have a thousand special forces on the ground and they are fighting again

there will be no solution to syria, no solution to the extremist problem inside syria, no elimination of al qaeda and isis in syria until the assad regime goes because the vengeance factor against that regime is so intense. look what that regime has done to its people. by the way, that's not to accuse what the extremists have done to that regime and the people in syria. remember, for every bomb that the assad regime has thrown or tossed at some city inside syria, believe me, there's been plenty of rebels, extremists who have committed as many atrocities, horrific atrocities against the syrian people as well including christians and other ethnic minorities inside that country. while as much as i'm holding the assad regime responsible, i cannot in any way, shape, or form condone or forgive what many of these sunni extremists have done to their own people as well. host: half a minute left. what's the state of our relations between the u.s. and israel and in particular president trump and the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu? guest: i think most american jews as well as israelis

strike in syria. there's always that touchy subject of human rights, you know, a lot of criticism directed at china because of its poor human rights record. in this particular case was that topic brought up at all? >> reporter: well, there's been a long standing tradition of u.s. administrations to bring up human rights when they meet with their chinese counterparts and it does appear that the trump administration sort of brought it up. so in this statement i'll show you part of the statement it read, in quotes, he, meaning donald trump noted the importance of protecting human rights and other values deeply held by americans. that's it. done appear they talked very much about it. they talked about the economy, they talked about north korea, they talked about the south china sea and then they put in one line about human rights and other values. so we don't know what those other values are but it appears human rights not very high up on this agenda. >> all right, matt rivers live in beijing. when we com

what is his syria policy? i think it's a fair question, because -- >> well, i think -- >> -- what he ran on was very different than what you saw overnight. if someone asked you to articulate the white house policy on syria this morning, could you? >> i don't think they have a policy yet, but they'd better have one because things are probably not going to get better in the syria area there. they're going to get worse, and we're going to be involved one way or the other, so we need a policy. we need to know what it is. the president ought to articulate it to the congress and the american people, and we should respond, if it's a good one. >> given the most recent chemical weapons attack last week on these innocent civilians, you've got dozens dead, including children, horrifying images to see. you know, not that long ago, in 2015, when asked about the refugee situation and syrian refugees coming into the united states, you said, "the syrian refugees, we don't need those people in this country." do you still feel

when it comes to syria. but again, the main thing is, the president did do the right thing, what he -- what really matters now, wolf, is what comes next. there's an opportunity to leverage what we did, to really try to push for a more durable cease-fire, to stop the ongoing use of chemical or biological weapons and maybe to get assad to the table on a negotiation toward a transition. you've got to use this to leverage the russians. there's a real opportunity to do that. >> well, if you were still in the government right now, tony, what advice would you be giving this new american president and his secretary of defense, his national security adviser, the intelligence community, because you can launch 59 tomahawk cruise missiles at these targets in syria, but that doesn't necessarily bode well in the long-term. >> first, and mr. tillerson is going to be going to moscow next week, i would make it very clear to the russians that we will hold them accountable for assad's actions. they need to reign him in and the

policy response to syria. in terms of the impact on refugees, what this will likely do, make it harder to come home, term, t in the short there have been beginnings of discussion around how you can millions of syrian refugees who lost the country again. home discussion around safe zone, no-fly zones, called various of the ver the course policy debate, buffer zones, you know, essentially spaces where millions of refugees could start coming back into the country, relieve some on europe and neighboring states around syria, that doesn't seem to be likely time now. the other main point we're syrians and the region is that this is really a drop in the bucket in terms of we've seen in attacks against civilians in syria, even chemical weapons strikes, we've seen documentation of the chemical weapons believed to be attacks launched by the the n government against people using chemical weapons. last november, december, last september, back this string of attacks documented and this is just one of them and really just a

that's the same -- that's the in addition syria. that's why syria is more difficult. the prime minister is struggling. he's working hard, but you don't have good political underpinning in syria. that's why a diplomatic solution s is the only way forward. >> you don't have that in iraq. if we don't get sunnis believing they're going to have control of their fate, iraq is going to go -- >> the sue sunni shia divide is not addressed. we've got to take a quick break. more of the russian challenge. a live report from moscow ahead. are you done yet? does it look like i'm done? shouldn't you be at work? [ mockingly ] "shouldn't you be at work?" todd. hold on. [ engine revs ] arcade game: fist pump! your real bike's all fixed. man, you guys are good! well, we are the number-one motorcycle insurer in the country. -wait. you have a real motorcycle? and real insurance, with 24-hour customer support. arcade game: wipeout! oh! well... i retire as champion. game hog! champion. ♪ seriously, what is this place? it's heaven. yeah, muscle heaven. you want to take one for a test drive

they don't understand syria. the second part of the country not interested in, in terms of geopolitics on the eve of the arab spring the united states wanted out of the middle east. after the 2003 oh iraq warar debacle they wanted to step back consciously say that under obama we don't want to get stuck in the middle east. temporarily, they abandon that logic when they got involved in libya. that turned sour and reinforce the idea that getting involved in middle eastern countries is a bad idea for so to problems in syria which is number one a country they don't care about. and secondly, at a time when they want to step back from the region. >> enter donald trump so we talk about this earlier, we still do not know what donald trump's approach to the middle east was areas. despite this strike that he is done, he is restrained by the same restraint that brock obama was is that syria is not important to the united states strategically. it seems to be even more remiss than it was in 2011 because the civil war has been

syria can be no exception. this was already a position of france the day after the chemical attack and we have never deviated from this position. the international community can no longer be fooled by delaying tactics of the assad regime. in adopting resolution 2118, the security council clearly committed itself to sanction any failure on the part of syria to meet its obligations. this did not prevent the regime of bashar al-assad from pursuing since 2013 the repeated barbaric use of weapons of mass destruction, openly flouting the authority of this council and its international commitments. these violations have been irrefutably documented by a united nations mechanism created by the security council. on the 28th of february last, the action of the security council once again was prevented by the unjustified use by russia of the veto. this impasse was seen by the assad regime as a sign of impunity. and in parallel, russia has not met its responsibilities and has not exercised the necessary pressure it should h

we want to keep syria together. you want to keep syria together. the best way to do that is not with bashar al assad. >> the president as a candidate, as a private citizen says don't telegraph what you're going to do. keep them guessing. i assume that's part of his strategy, not to announce. >> i think that's probably true. he said that during the campaign and even when people tried to press him on what his plans were he claimed he had these secret plans. yeah, i think he likes to operate in that way. if you look at the syria strike also he moved very quick wely a he's not somebody who's going to want to go to congress and talk about it and think about it the way president obama did. >> the iranians are involved supporting bashar al assad as well through various militia groups. saying the u.s. must not carry out any strikes. they didn't say what they would do, but it is a factor the u.s. should consider. >> iran is important in this because it's lost a huge number of fighters, well over 1,000, well over eight generals. its ally has lost over 2,000,

we need to think of the future of syria. that is the substance of your conceptual document, your note, the idea to think of the future of their state, and for that we should not interfere in their affairs. let them conduct their dialogue calmly and please don't interfere with his work in seeking a formula for a political solution. i know this is your position. an interruption in the work of state institutions. securityies to institutions that bear the main burden in combating the terrorist threat. look at the other countries of the middle east and africa and other regions. we can't even create a state institutions on paper, and what you want our to destroy the ones that are still there in syria, which is the most important country in the region. insist on discussions being held without any preconditions, and we know that is your position. obviously against a backdrop of political efforts, it is unacceptable that opponents of the government in damascus tried to achieve military progress or advances. on the eve of the previous

strike on syria. the pentagon is reporting significant damage to a syrian air base after president trump launches a missile strike in response to syria's chemical weapons attack. it's the first direct american assault on the assad regime since the war began six years ago. >>> policy shift. president trump's decision to strike syria is a dramatic shift from his promises not to get involved in the conflict. did the horrific images from syria cause a change in his strategy? what message does the strike send to enemies and allies around the world? >>> putin responds. russian president vladimir putin calls the attack a significant blow to the russian-american relationship as the pentagon announces it's investigating possible russian involvement in the chemical attack. >>> and staff shake-up? a senior white house official says a major staff shake-up is likely adding the situation is reaching critical mass. new questions about the future of chief strategist steve bannon and steve of staff reince priebus. we

did in syria. maria: watching markets for sure, of course, we should not forget in reporting finance first quarter big story u.s. missiles strike a syrian air base, in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack conner powell live on israeli-syria board the la latest good morning to you. >> good morning getting information some of the conflicting information about aftermath of these u.s. strikes, on the air base in syria, about 6 or so jets damaged in these stwriekrikes pentagon telling our team 20 or so syrian jets were damaged about disabled russia getting a heads-up about an hour or so before these strikes were carried out, there were no russian jets damaging and none of the russian soldiers at this base appear to have been injured we understand at least seven syrians killed in about a seven or so others injured, so there is some information coming about this strike the main reason that the trump administration carried out this target was this is where they believe, that the jets took off carri

responsibly in syria. states will no longer wait for assad to use chemical weapons without any consequences. those days are over. now we must move to a new phase, thisve for a solution to horrific conflict. we expect the syrian regime and its allies to take the u.n. political process seriously, something they have not done up until this point. we expect russia and iran to hold their allied accountable and abide by the terms of the cease-fire. we expect this counsel to speak loudly and forcefully when a regime or its allies undermine the political process, and countless of our own resolutions. took a verytates measured step last night. we are prepared to do more. we hope that will not be necessary. it is time for all civilized nations to stop the horrors taking place in syria, and demand a political solution. thank you. i will now resume my function as the president of the council. i give the floor to the representative of the syrian arab republic. at the outset, my delegation wishes to thank both the russi

s policy toward syria, he said no change. so it doesn't sound like they're singing from the same hymn sheet. what do you make of that? >> this is an administration full of conflicts. when the secretary of state was asked, he said our first and foremost priority is to defeat isis. after we defeat isis, we'll pay more attention to syria and we try to resolve the syrian conflict. he didn't say militarily regime change, but he said political transition in syria means the end of the assad regime as we know it. this is a very complex situation. it's been six years. assad is there to stay. russia is the most dominant powers. the reality is, the question on the table for all of us, what is the end game of the trump administration after the attack against shayrat? if the end game is to deter assad from using chemical weapons in the future, i think this particular message has been received. i doubt it very much if assad will ever use chemical weapons given the determination of the trump administration to carry out military attention. b

in syria. we are joined by john hannah, former national security office or for vice president cheney and senior counselor at the foundation for defense of democracy. and a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations. welcome to you both. mr. gordan, what did last thursday strike accomplish? -- thursday's strike accomplish? guest: i think if the culturist something important. to send a message that there will be a cost for the use of chemical weapons. that's a narrow message and it doesn't mean the united states is going to intervene to resolve the civil war. means if you use chemical weapons the united states will take them very seriously and do something about it. if you think about the opposite of that message, failing to do something would be a different message. that message would be go right ahead. you can use chemical weapons as much as you like. not only bashar al-assad but anyone else in the region. bashar al-assad but anyone else in the region. i would agree with that. i think it

in syria. but every once in a while, you hear something where there is some country claiming that they are illegal, but the question is, what is the united states position? guest: it is fair to say that the united states doesn't have a clear basis in international law for going after the regime. you can debate whether it is a case for going after isis. we don't have position -- we don't have permission of the syrian government. you can make a case about peace and security in the region and iraqis said isis in syria is a threat to them. so that would be a credible basis. going after president assad is much thinner. and the international defense of thathemical weapons is there is a chemical weapons convention that is being violated by the syrian regime and you have to pin that on humanitarian concerns versus international law. host: at the same time, there have been calls by the members of congress last year since last thursday on a debate in congress on the authorization of military force. wheth

>> why is trump bombing syria? >> he's the man. >> bill: caution, you are aboutt to enter the "no spin zone." "the factor" begins right now. ♪ hi, i'm bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us tonight. donald trump, commander-in-chief, that is the subject of this evening's "talking points." as we reported last week, president's job approval numbers are likely to go up because hein took strong action against syria after assad gassed his own people. right off the bat, mr. trump went up 3% in a new cbs news poll that is likely to rise even further this week. when cbs asked, do you approve or disapprove the u.s. launching missiles against syria, 57% approved. 36% disapproved. 8% don't know. do you have confidence in donald handle ability to the situation in syria? 41% confident, 54% not confident. finally, do you think it's necessary for congress to approve any further attacks in syria? a whopping 69% say it is. congress should get involved. 25% do not feel it's necessary.l there are new developments on the military fron

that gives you an idea of what a mess syria is. when you look at these areas, these are contested areas. that's where john mccain would like to see the safe zones. as we go through this, you take a look at the different groups. these are all the different factions in syria. assad's regime. the rebel coalitions. jihadist groups. kurdish groups. add russia to the list. here's the assad regime. we talked about that. fangs factions in syria. look, they do not agree with each other. that is one of the problems when you look at what the u.s. is going to do. who they're going to side with when this group doesn't agree with this group. it is very difficult to sort of game this out, especially from a military perspective. these are your jihadist groups. this is al qaeda. last thing i wanted to show you, because this is very important, as we talk about the russians and as we talk about why the americans used cruise missiles, look, the russians have a basic no fly zone that extends all the way out to cypress here. the russians are in charge o

strike on syria in response to this week's chemical attacks in syria. verye watching this keenly. the u.s. navy has launched about 60 tomahawks, according to an official. the u.s. is targeting one syrian airfield has the target for this response, as well as hangars and planes in syria. two navy destroyers have launched these missiles as a response to the chemical attack we saw in syria, so essentially getting some details on the fromary response washington. we had been anticipating that this might happen given that we were told we had that response from president trump am a fairly strong words about what happened in syria and the chemical attack that killed a number of people, including children. he had said we were expecting a military response, and that consideration has clearly turned into action. s&p futures erasing gains after the u.s. launched that attack. more on thistting developing story when the details become available. an eye on inflation as the r.b.i. looks to cut excess cash in the system to keep a lid on inflation. we will take a look at whether that will work. plus

syria -- i don't want to start world war iii over syria, believe me. i don't like assad at all but assad is killing isis. russia is killing isis. and iran is killing isis. and those three have now lined up because of our weak foreign policy. i will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me. my attitude toward syria and assad has changed very much. i think what happened in syria is one of the truly egregious crimes and it shouldn't have happened. >> let's go back to cecilia vega at the white house. cecilia, it's clear if you look at trump's statements that the images out of syria had a huge impact on him. however, the images out of syria in 2013, when the government there launched a chemical attack on its own people, those were also searing. what do you think has changed in the meantime? >> you know, dan, i was on capitol hill today. that is exactly what one democrat told me, that president trump, had he not seen those images? 2013? they're wondering what caused this soul-searching move and shift in the president's tone. especial

[laughter] >> [inaudible] >> i think syria exists, that syria still exists to some extent, and it exists in parts, but its parts have been centrifuged out, unfortunately, and, yes, it exists to some extent, diaspora exists to some extent inside, but i think we would be naive to think that syria's going to emerge as it was before. and, unfortunately, a lot of people have -- i mean, demographics are shifting. you know, the regime is very invested -- it has no problem with all these refugees leaving, and it's more than happy the replace them with a demography that works in their favor. but that was why i kind of wanted to go back. this was something we were talking about. i just felt like nobody was going to know what was at stake and what was being lost if we kind of didn't go back and sort of present an idea, a vision or a recounting or chronicle of what had been and to remind people, i guess. is because it doesn't seem like the stakes are high for anybody other than syrians or people who care about syria. it's just yet another middle eastern state that we're told is caught up in some mil

intervention in syria for years. he says that president trump has told him that he, president trump, will be consulting with defense secretary james mattis d with his national security adviser h.r. mcmaster, he will be consulting with them to try to devise a potential response to that chemical weapons attack in syria. again, a lot of moving parts here. lots of questions. nbc's hans nichols is standing outside the white house. hans, if the administration is moving toward some sort of formal response here, using some sort of force in response to this, what are the sorts of options we would be talks about? >> reporter: well, there are a lot of assets, steve, the united states has in the entire region, the eastern mediterranean, the northern persian gulf, arabian gulf as sometimes they call it in the navy and the favnavy thee very focused on that. "george w. bush," aircraft carrier in the northern persian gulf and cruise missiles and ships in the eastern med. a lot of options. now, you look at where both isis is in syria

they need syria. it doesn't matter whether assad runs syria or anyone else runs syria. however if we can get together with russia to solve the syrian problem and make a decision on who is going run syria, there is one clinker that we can't effect. doesn't care about warm water ports. iran is in a different battle. they are aligned in propping up assad, but at the end of the day, we satisfy this russian requirement, we still have to deal with iran and they don't yield easily to strategic notions of national security. >> so many that are so complex. >>o we still think about 10 or 13 minutes from now? >> that's what we are thinking, but stiemsma reometimetiemsmomr early. he has been to the right of president trump. we saw that at one of the first briefings he did in brussels. to the right of the president talk about how there wasn't the ability to cooperate with the russians. the russians were somehow involved on that chemical weapons attack of april 4th. they provide a fair amount of circumstantial evidence. whether or not mattis says and accuses russia of being behind or

was preparing to launch those missiles into syria. the chinese leader is not happy with the decision, firstly because of optics. , soas being wined and dined this doesn't look good back home. his tightly controlled government, the washington post says he does not like surprises. tensions are mounting with russia and syria's ally as well. sean spicer maintains that a solder respect the agreement not to use chemical weapons. now it is emerging that there's no real clear plan for what is next. donald trump has made his point. supporteceived a lot of from some of his most ardent critics, including florida senator marco rubio. he retweeted a proverb, saying the wicked will not go punished. senators john mccain and lindsey graham releasing a joint statement. is where totion from here. article was written, saying some are calling for the strikes to can and you for the military action to continue. was clear is he was trying to distinguish himself from barack obama. >> him with his right-wing allies. >> some supporters very upset. seek congres

by syria itself. furthermore, russia is in the frontlines of these efforts. we don't see any reason to diverge from agreed-upon parameters for the political process guided by the u.n. syrians have already taken on board the u.n. formulated proposal on the basis of the four baskets. this includes building of constitution as well as counterterrorism activities. vital working for a which complement each other. progress on all negotiations track of the best way to improve the humanitarian situation. thank you.thank yo >> i think the representative of the russian federation, and i shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of the united states. it's been just three weeks since the world was horrified by the pictures of boys and children ie syria, the result of deadly nerve agents dropped from the sky. those images of suffering and dying children will never be forgotten. quiet but there's a quieter, slower kind of death occurring in syria today.ng it is even more deliberate, more labor-

it is our policy for a unified syria that is governed by the people of syria. i think it is clear to all of us the the reign of assad family is coming to an end. ends will affect these stability and ability of a unified syria. we are not presupposing how that occurs that i think it is clear that we see no further role for the assad regime longer-term given that they have given up their legitimacy with these type of attacks. room have seen in geneva and other places how russia has been pressed to step off its support for the regime and many times have failed to get them to do that. why do you think this will be different? what are you taking the moscow that will affect the change the u.s. has been pushing for? sec. tillerson: i hope that what the russian government concludes is that they have aligned themselves with an unreliable partner. they signed the chemical weapons the syrianselves, government, and the russian government had signed it did now -- find it. russians has made the look not so good. it is also worth thinking about how russia has aligned itself w

just days after president trump's surprised missile strike on syria. some view the strike as a warning to north korea. the u.s. is willing to respond with force if provoked. the situation is so tense, we're at the brink of war, says this pyongyang resident. but if that happens, we will all go to the front lines to fight the americans. president trump may be trying to put pressure north korea to stop nuclear weapons but here in pyongyang that seems to have the opposite effect. one telling cnn the aggressive acts of war on the part of the united states are getting increasingly reckless. in response we will continue to strengthen ourself defense capability. north korea is working to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver a nuclear warhead to the mainland u.s. most analyst say they don't have one yet but it is only matter of time. >> we think we're very capable of defending ourselves, this pyongyang resident says, because we have the marshal of kim jong-un. they are not tense but festive on their biggest holiday week of the year. te

launching air strikes in syria. dramatically changing the tone with his meeting with xi jingping. >> the relationship developed between me and president xi is outstanding. we look forward to being together many times in the future. and i believe lots of potentially bad problems will be going away. >> reporter: meeting at his mar-a-lago resort, the president letting the missile strikes speak for themselves. >> what would you say about the strikes on syria? >> thank you very much. >> reporter: the president's decision to strike thursday evening was a turnaround in his posture towards syria. >> it is in this vital national security interest after the united states, to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. >> reporter: white house aides said the decision unfoelded lik this. at 10:30 a.m. tuesday, the president learns of the chemical attack in syria. 3:00 p.m. wednesday, the president is briefed on options by his national security team. at 1:00 p.m. thursday, the president convening a meeting o

policy toward syria? >> it could be. as i said, i think assad with his russian -- will begin to test after a period of time, they will begin to test american resolve and the resolve of our allies, with us, and about helpful if secretary tillerson in russia next week can convince the russians that we are determined to, again the point driven home by ambassador to the united nations ni ckki haley. tillerson has to get the russians to understand that and, in turn, for the russians to lean on bashir al assad. >> tillerson has said in the past 24 hours there is something of a plan to remove president al assad. does the u.s. have the leverage now after this strike that it needs to push negotiations where, as you well know, have failed? they failed many times before despite the enormous, tireless efforts of secretary kerry? >> well, heaven knows secretary of state john kerry did his very best. no, i don't think a one-time strike against one airfield in syria changes the american leverage very much in a six-year long syrian civi

views syria. this was in direct and targeted retaliation for that chemical attack earlier in the week. and interestingly he also said as we've been reporting that the white house reached out to members of congress, senators, representatives, democrats, republicans as well as they reached out to an international coalition to advice people, but he said this was a 100% u.s. military operation tonight in syria. >> jeff, hold on because i want to pursue something with you. the photos you're seeing are from earlier this week the results of the attack by syrian forces. so many children killed in that attack. images like these as jeff was reporting according to what the secretary of state are saying are some of what deeply effected president trump and suggesting and motivating him to look at options for some sort of retailatory strike. that was an important point. it sounds like he's saying this is not the first of multiple strikes, that this is essentially -- this was to make a statement, but it doesn't

how will syria respond? and we're following the latest on that attack in sweden where a stolen truck was used to slam into pedestrians at a department store. let's start with syria and what's next. our reporters are standing by at the pentagon with the president and on capitol hill. richard engel just arrived moments ago in turkey. but i want to start with senator richard blumenthal who is heading into that classified briefing. what new information are you expecting from the briefing, what questions do you have? >> i have questions about the apparent lack of a comprehensive, cohesive strategy. certainly none yet authorized by congress or even articulated by the american people. i'm concerned as well about the risks of escalation, as well as the potential dangers to hundreds of americanroops in syria right now. i'm hoping for a policy and plan that is articulated and clear and linked to our own national security interests with limits and goals. >> in the fall of 2013, you urged swift military action to send a

to act in syria. so what you're suggesting is that our only military option would have been some deadly, dangerous chernobyl type event on syrian air bases. what the trump administration of all administrations just showed is it's quite possible to destroy the means of delivery and therefore neutralize the threat without putting civilians at risk by destroying those weapons. i think it's such a shame that, four years ago, 100,000 deaths ago, the obama administration failed to act that way. >> rose: tony. as you know, bret, early on in the war, before they started using their air force, 90% of the victims of the syrian regime's aggression were coming from rockets, shells, mortars, et cetera, including those filled with chemical emissions. had we been able to take the entire air force out of the sky, and we can certainly debate that proposition, they simply would have gone back to that. then we would have had to stop that. that would have drawn us in further and further. it's a reasonable argument to say

troops in syria. there have been some condemnations from russia and syria, but barely muted with the syria government calling this foolish and russia sticking with its narrative that there were no chemical weapons used and that the u.s. couldn't get it alone and that this was illegal. but when russia is really angry, the world knows about it. russia seems to be able to move on with this. there's a meeting between russian president putin and secretary of state rex tillerson. for now it seems like it was a one-off, at least for now, it seems that russia is prepared to move on from this. >> we could have gone with flying planes over syria. you get hit with aaa fire, whatever, more skin in the game, more accuracy perhaps. in the case of these cruise missiles, is that a sign that we're really in retreat or we're on advance? what political signal does it give countries like north korea? >> i was told by a u.s. official that was very well briefed on this that it was a happy coincidence that it was during the

special forces on what we should do in syria. >> we cannot sit by and see this carnage occurring in syria and do nothing. the trump administration says it's prepared to do more after this week's missile barrage and a syrian air base meant to deter bashar al-assad from using chemical weapons against his own people. in a few minutes we'll ask one of the key figures who helped president trump plan the attack, general h.r. mcmaster. but first let's bring in kristin fisher live from palm beach with the latest from the southern white house. reporter: residents of the same syrian town hit in that chemical weapons attack said war planes have returned to bomb them, this time without the deadly gas. in a letter to congress he defended his decision to launch almost 60 tomahawk missiles without congressional approval saying he acted in the vital interests of the united states per unit to my constitutional authorities. he said the u.s. will take action as necessary and appropriate to further its important national interests. senior military officials say a russian drone was seen flying over the hospit

syria puts that number at six syria jets destroyed, but the pentagon puts that number higher, 20 or so is what they are saying. at least seven people were killed in these strikes, and about nine or so injured. not surprisingly, syrian officials and russia condemning the move. they are saying come according to syrian officials, this will undermine their ability to fight terrorism in their country. they are very much trying to portray this as a strike against their ability to fight groups like isis and the al qaeda affiliate in syria as opposed to a response to the chemical weapons attack that killed more than 80 people on tuesday. also, other u.s. allies weighing in from across the region. saudi arabia, israel, turkey all supporting this move and saying that this was a positive move by the trump administration. though there is a question about what happens next. there is a great deal of concern that this was just a one-off move by the trump administration, countries like turkey want to see the u.s. to even more against the assad regine. regine change is still very much on the list of ma

syria to stop bombing syria? >> i think the congress can be helpful here in having closed door sessions with the national security apparatus. and pointedly ask them if they have in the works at the moment a strategy for syria, a strategy for the region, where are we actually headed and get them to report to them. i think it's going to happen in any case. but i think it's worthwhile to do something that hasn't been done in a long time. and that is to coalesce both ends of pennsylvania avenue in a concerted effort to get something done. i think that mcmaster is wholly focused on doing exactly that. but it's going to take a while because we have not had a strategy for a long, long time. but he is very much a strategic person. i think marco rubio was completely wrong when he said this had some strategic value. maybe to text stent that he ext everybody else to. that's a tactical strike. you have a national security adviser who has lived his entire professional life focused on strategy. i think he would be well advised

should stay out of syria? ryan brown, put us up to speed. >> reporter: good morning, these strikes were targeted at this air base link toded to the chem weapons attacks, information indicated that planes were involved in a chemical weapons strike including tracking data showing the planes leaving that air base, conducting the strike and returns, they weren't targeted at the personnel at the base, but were targeted at aircraft, radar, everything that makes the airfield operational, officials said. it's at a time they expected fewer personnel present. this was incapacitating the airfield which has a long history of chemical weapons, the arrangement that was supposed to eliminate stock pile of those types of weapons and general mic master sa -- mcmaster said this was a targeted strike, 59 tomahawk missiles in the hopes that it will deter future chemical weapons being created by the assad regime. >> let's get some world reaction. turn to cnn's chief correspondent christiane amanpour. we know why he sent the airstr

is the onlyttlement of returning syria to peace and to easing the tensions in , through syria and through a political improvement in this country. that is the path toward normalizing the situation in many countries of the middle east. there is an opportunity of making syria a model of cooperation for a settlement, the various destructive geopolitical projects will not contribute to that. at least we will not give them a free pass on the security council. thank you very much, madam president. >> i will now make my statement is the representative of the united states. thank you very much for your helpful and informative briefing today. we do appreciate your commitment in this process going forward. last week, bashar al-assad yet again terrorized his own people with one of the world's most worth it weapons. his murderous attack shook every one of us to our core. it once again shows the world that assad is not a partner for peace. it shows what happens when assad's allies -- russia, iran, and has full of -- decide -- and has bulla -- and has below -- ollah -- decide to lend their support to a

troops in the region, if not in syria some 1,000 u.s. troops that are in syria. do you see that more are likely to be dispatched there? lindsey graham today on a sunday talk show said that he would like to see upwards of up to 5,000 u.s. troops there. what would be your view? >> i'm not sure about the exact number, fredricka. what i can say is i think it is definitely a prelude to some more insertion of troops in syria or in the region. these kinds of events have a way of establishing their own ecosystem, and that ecosystem will require further action and the fur insertion of armed force of one type or another. could be air power, could be naval power like we saw with the tomahawks or it could be ground forces. >> thank you you gentlem, gentl appreciate it. >>> tomorrow knoll gorsuch will be officially sworn in as the nation's newest supreme court justice. how le mold legal opinion and impact the court? that's next. if you drink 2,000 calories a week, you're getting close to half a pound a week of additional weight just from the alcohol. i think there are some go

syria, let's pivot to that. you have trump when he was a candidate, judging government, he said don't go into syria. that is crazy. there's no upside. the white house taking the opposite view. it is all about obama being weak and should have done more. >> it is a problem. you have a president who issued a statement in the north korea case suggesting he will do something. i think there are parallels in both situations. as he saw with health care and immigration reform, there are limits to the presidential power. take syria. you have two observers who are critical are making this simple. one is the continuation of the civil war. refusal to deal with bashar al assad and maybe the arming of syrian opposition who proven unable to oust assad. the second option to deal with the russians and say we want the civil war to end. we have 400,000 plus dead people. we have a situation where isis tlie thrives. we have to deal with assad to tighten the screws on isis and civil war. which option will you pick? a civil war we can'

>> i don't think syria will retaliate, syria is already engaging rebels to take down the assad regime, the trump administration may follow up if it sees there are additional barrel bombs being dropped or other attacks on civilians it can be stopped. >> thank you for being with us, 5:40 in washington dc. coming up, what does it mean for united states relations with russia and? straight ahead. the president trying to clear line in the sand and making it clear the united states is a leading from behind. how do democrats feel about that? we will ask the democrats next. there's nothing more important to me than my vacation. so when i need to book a hotel room, i want someone that makes it easy to find what i want. booking.com gets it. they offer free cancellation if my plans change. visit booking.com. booking.yeah. real cheese people 100% real natural cheese.ith doesn't matter if it's served on a kitchen table or a picnic table. under a roof or a starry night. every table tells a story, we're happy to have a seat at yours. sargento. we're real cheese people. what's the story behind green m

spicer: i don't see a peaceful syria with him in charge. you cannot have a peaceful syria with a thought in charge. i don't see how that ever works. -- with -- with a sad president assad in charge. >> washington post reporter and pulitzer prize winner david farenthold. live coverage begins at 8:00 a.m. eastern on c-span two. coverage continues at 10:00 a.m. on c-span with kellyanne conway, former cbs news man bob -- bob schaffer. and an address to the joint session of the canadian parliament in the capital ottawa. we'll have live coverage at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span two. you can watch all of these programs live on c-span or get and listen on the c-span radio app. >> c-span's washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. this morning, staff writer for foreign policy discusses this week trip by secretary of state >> tillerson u.s.scow and the future of relations. then, american action forum discussing what republicans could face as they attempt to replace and repeal the affordable care act. and editor in