♪ [ music ] ♪ >> this is "bbc world news." funding of this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york vermont and honolulu. numens own foundation, gibbing all profits to charity and pursuing the good for over 30 years. and union bank. >> add union bank our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in. working to nurture new venners and provide capital for key strategic decisions wolf we

offer expert as it and solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> now "bbc world news." ♪ [ music ] ♪ >> this is a special addition of "bbc world news" america reporting from the u.s. capital i'm katie kay. syrian office wants to put chemical weapons under control. the white house responds with skepticism. >> the knowledge to date doesn't give you a lot of confidence. >> meanwhile lawmakers have returned to capitol hill to debate whether president barack obama should use military force against the regime, we hear from both sides. and the secret life of a hair

dresser, meet the man who traded his seize scissors to a camera to capture new york city. >> welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. the white house is responding with skepticism tonight in orisen proposal dismasks has singled interest in the plan, but it is complicated efforts on capitol hill to win congressal support for military strike against the syrian president bashar al-assad regime, if there is an diplomating option, would lawmakers want military action. we will hear from two lawmakers in a moment. first, this report. >> reporter: this is the week that could break a president and this is where it could happen.

many members of congress returns to their summer break are deeply skeptical about plans to strike syria. ♪ [ music ] ♪ perhaps they will not pay much heed to protesters outside, but the russian plan could make them more hesitant to action. >> it is great pleasure to host my friend. >> the started in london, along side an ally familiar with the dangers. john kerry made the proposed strike sound hardly anything to be worried about, calling it insignificant and then mused how it could be avoided. >> he could turnover his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week, turn it over, all of it. without delay and allow a full and total accounting for that, but he isn't about to do it. and it can't be done obviously. >> the russians beg to differ, with remarkable picked up the

ball and ran hard. >> we don't if syria will agree to this, but if the establishment of chemical control in that country want to avoid strike, we will work with damascus and appeal to the syrian government where the chemical weapons are stored in international control and also for them to be subsequently destroyed. >> the chance of stopping this from happening again has an appeal, and welcomed by the united nations. >> i think that is the proper way for serious to -- syria to do, to agree to the proposal. and the international community will have options to make sure it is destroyed. >> all of this is the spoken white house wheels as they were

gathering momentum to sell the president's plans. he has six tv interviews lined up tonight a speech to the nation tomorrow, inside there, in the briefing a rather gunning acknowledgement of the russian idea. >> we have seen the reports we want to take a hard look at the proposal. we will obviously, discuss the idea with the russians. of course, we would welcome a decision and action by syria. >> we never spent out to spend eight years in war in iraq. >> already the no votes were stacked up. this from an organization who campaigned hard for the president. >> will no real plan for the consequences. we know it got worse. [ applause ] >> but other old allies are coming out fighting. >> this is about protecting both the syrian people and our friends in the region. the world will have to deal with this threat as swiftly and

comprehensively as possible. >> the senate will come to order. >> the senate is back in session, although you would hardly know they face a momentous decision, they are determined to take their their time and have things something new to chew hon. >> this debate is being watched in syria. and syria president has denied that his he was possible for last month. by charlie rose she warned against military action and the entire middle east is on the brink of explosion. >> the sun rose over damascus, another morning in the third year of civil war, no one was talking about syria giving up its chemical weapons, but the discussion is whether the americans would bomb and what that would do to the region.

syria are gave a discussion to the cbs and warning that the u.s. might face retaliation. >> they might expect anything through the government the government is not the only player in this region. you have this parties and different fashions, difficult identities, and it is difficult for anyone to tell you what is going to happen. it is an area where everything is on the brink of explosion. >> inin damascus the civil war ground on, with president's forces held by the rebels. and then the news came through from moscow, that syria would accept the russian proposal to get rid of its weapons. >> i declare that the syrian government is welcoming this proposal to save the lives of our people. we trust the groundment of the

russian people to stop the attack on our country. >> the proposal was a "win-win" for all sides. a face saving way out of the crisis. and the syrians know it will make the harder for the white house to win the vote for military action. so might the violent events, a place of christian pilgrimage not far from damascus, after fighting in the last week or so, the village is is in the hands of an armed rebel group that is affiliated with a. the christians and many of the muslims fled. in damascus, the men were controlled by the greek pate we ocs. they are speaking the language that they believe was spoken by christ, but some of the men were asking why the syrian army,

after severing -- securing the village pulled out without a fight, letting the front move back in. the answer is not clear but aid was distributed an aide told the the bbc they were used by the regime, to strengthen the anti-war camp in the united states. and it was a trauma. they said three had been killed and six kidnapped and the fighters desiccated their churches. >> they took the crosses, one of then they destroyed it by -- >> ( speaking foreign language ). >> ( speaking foreign language ). >> there is a statue for our lady and they tried also to destroy it. i don't know what they are fighting for, actually, but they are against christian now here.

>> they were registered for the church for relief aid, the latest of 4 million displaced by fighting in syria in this war. >> it is not easy to leave your village. when i arrived in the car, i looked to my village and i looked to my car, i was so scald, i was trying and my gosh, are we going to go back to my village. >> and the patriarch had a message for president barack obama. >> it is enough. let's go. now, now -- >> you're saying no bombing don't bomb. >> no bombing. >> do you think by a bombing. he will help syria president and al qaeda. >> he will make more chaos. chaos is more important, and more dangerous then, than chemicals. because, everything is about a load everything is worse and

worse and worse. >> these people are getting emergency ration whose just lost their homes are not for military action by president barack obama, they think it could make things worse and might benefit the jihaddist. the people face very different lights. syria waits for president barack obama's choice, to take the russian plan to remove chemical weapons seriously, or to keep pushing for an attack. >> this are precisely the issue which lawmakers are debating as we speak. we are going to hear from people on both sideses of the argument. we start with senator ron jansen, he is a republican, he voted against the resolution when it came before hives -- his

committee last week. senator johnson, you voted no last week. >> i'm still leaning that way now. i don't have the information it vote yes. i not sure this is the proper strategy. there might be better options. we might see an opening of russia almost being forced to condemning, not quite condemning yet, but certainly condemning the use of chemical weapons and possibly urging syria president to give up his stockpile. >> so the issue for you is not the syrian president bashar al-assad launched chemical weapons against his own people but the how. >> i don't think that anyone who has seen the surveillance video is questioning if syrian

president bashar al-assad did this, now we must respond. military action taken by the u.s. and a small group of allies, would divert attention guns the war crimes, and give our adversaries the opportunity to attacking that action, we should be assembling the coalition of the willing, strong were condemnation about the global red line that we all want response to. >> are you concerned that if congress votes no on the president's request, you are undermining president barack obama's authority not just here in the united states, but around the globe. >> that's the risk. the problem is that president barack obama has been silent about the disaster in syria in the last 2 1/2 years. now that chemical weapons have been used. he drew the red line, that undermines his credibility, that is a huge concern, it is up to president barack obama to make the case to gal viennese against

the syrian president bashar al-assad regime, and garner action that he might be considering taking here, and the problem he has not garnered that support. that is a problem. if you want to submit military action, you need to backing of the american people so you can be fully committed. i'm not sure that this is a definition of success. >> is there anything that president barack obama can say tomorrow night to make your change your mind? >> again, i'm going to continue to examine the intelligence and seek answers and questions but they are about answerable. who are the rebel forces, their competition, their strength, what is the possible of governing coalition be better than the syrian president bashar al-assad regime, these are difficult questions. one of the reasons we have not provided arms support to the western fashions within syria

they are hard to identify, these are difficult questions, but here is the problem, should we be initiating military action without all of the answers. that is a pretty dangerous position to be taking. >> senator johnson, thank you. >> thank you. >> well, from the opposite point of view, bob casey prom pennsylvania. and i asked him if the news came out change his decision if america should act. >> no, it doesn't, i don't put a lot of stock in what russia and syria says about chemical weapons. don't have much credibility in chemical weapons. i'm sure the administration will weigh this as they do every factor. in terms of senate, we're going to have a vote this week in force, i think that we should go out with the vote. >> should the senate delay it

while this is playing out. >> i don't rule out a delay, but i don't think this is the proposal to delay the vote. they make the proposal but no details in terming of timing when they would do this, how they would do it, i think it is a delaying tactic. i hope that i'm wrong about that, but in the end we'll have a vote and senators will have to confront that very basic questions about whether you condemn the act of chemical weapons orac as well. >> taking three weeks of the acts of august 21st. is there a downside to waiting further and giving every diplomatic opportunity a chance? >> well i think already there is a time frame between the senate vote and the house vote. if we vote by wednesday or thursday, i don't think the house will vote until several days later. maybe the house vote the next week and all of the way the consideration of a lot of factors.

we will see tomorrow and tuesday and wednesday, when we get more intelligence to see, at that point we might be able to weigh the broader case and be able to weigh if this is a real proposal that makes sense and can be effectuated quickly. >> you seem to support vision, not acting is worth the acting. >> i think that is a correct statement of what i feel. >> if the house does not vote to authorize military action. should president barack obama, if this is so important, launch a military strike anyway? >> i was for this kind of an optioneration before the proposal to bring it to the congress. i think she should, i don't know whether he will. i get concerned about the response to the crime, which i think it is, is, is essentially, but also the larger message it sends to the region. especially with regard to iran on their nuclear program number

1 and number 2, we tend to forget, their daily commitment to terrorist organizers around the world. you consider iran and hezbollah trying to blow up a restaurant, and foreign diplomats around the world. if they get the sense that we won't act when when it comes to chemical weapons, you can only imagine with the acts of terrorism. >> senator bob casey. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> well, view from both sides of this debate, and, of course, any vote still very much up in the air. you're watching "bbc world news." still to come on tonight's program, there has been a thorn in president's side, now, he proves that he can pull in votes at the battle box. >> years in a norwegian attic but a newly discovered pointing

from van gogh came to light years after hundreds of his death. it was painted in 1888 two years before he died. it belongs to the most period in the artist was life. it was quite a find. >> a rare, and remarkable moment. >> are you ready for it? >> yeah. >> this is the first full size canvas by the dutch master to be discovered since 1928. the stature of van gogh's familiar brush stroke. it was back to the day it was painted. in a letter to his brother in the 5 th of july, he said that he painted the sunset the day before on the 4 th of july, 1888. and especially notable time in the dutch master's life. finding missing pieces in the

jigsaw of such a portfolio helps us to understand how he develops such a distinctive style and formulates a picture of what makes van gogh such a influential member of the dump golden age. it was sold and disappeared from view until it was in the home of a norgenen. it was banished to the artic after suggestions it was a fake. now thea then sitty was verified. it is a once in a lifetime discovery. the painting will be on display here in after a stardom from the 24th of december. >> for the first time in ten years the people of moscow have

been electing a mayor and the results came as a surprise president putin's critic got more than a quarter of the votes. steve reports. >> the real surprise was how many votes this candidate got. alex says that president putin shouldshould be in jail. he secured 27% of the vote. unheard of for an opposition figure in recent russian elections. [ applause ] >> all of the more remarkablewhile you consider two months ago he was sentenced to five years in jail for embezzlement, a case his supporters are say was politically motivated. he was bailed, though, and allowed the run in the election. he might not have won the election but the stronger than expected support he got, his growing reputation as russian's

leading opposition figure and the thorn in president putin's side. the authorities maintain the selection was free and fair, but he is demanding a recount. he claims it was vote rigging that pushed the candidate passed the winning post. disputed polls have sparked street protests before. they are wondering if this will happen again . >> surprise election there in moscow. now, victor freedman was a high society hairdresser, customer of the famous places where he worked included jackie kennedy and marilyn monroe but at night his other passion, photographer for four years he spend his free time capturing the lives of new york city residents. here is his story. ♪ [ music ] ♪ >> here comes a shot. so they just come at you here. it is great.

here comes together one. ♪ [ music ] ♪ >> my name is victor freedman. i'm 83-year-old. i'm a hairdresser. and i'm also a photographer. one provides a living for myself and the other a living for my soul. it is great. i worked that beauty salon for many, many years, i have retired now, but it is running there. kenneth was jackie kennedy's hairdresser. he was going on a trip with her husband to text. -- texas, he was there earlier in the morning, he was there and he was shot and the whole thing went on, i think he closed the shop that day. the hairdresser is a life of people and communicating with them and talking to them besides that giving a product that you do better than somebody

else. photographying is another creation, it is more from the cut. wherever i want, i took my camera, i saw a neighborhood that i recommended at a kid and photographed on the street. ♪ [ music ] ♪ we're down on the street where i used to live in the neighborhood. probably when i was about 7 or 8, it, it -- a lot of people on the street, i loved it here. so, i loved going to areas that were -- kind of earthy might be the word for it. you get things that are kind of realism people are real and --

there are many times i could not wait to get back home. i have been reward would it. people do respond to it. it gives me a good feeling. i'm pleased. pleased with what i took and what i saw. ♪ [ music ] ♪ i'm still doing it. still doing it, 83 years old. still doing it. i love it. i'm still cutting air still. some suckers come along and ask me to cut their hair. >> from hair to photographer and still going strong. a very busy day here on capitol

hill, america lawmakers are looking at syria and looking at the latestruption proposal. for all of us here at "bbc world news," thanks for watching.

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: on television and on capitol hill, president obama launches a wide-ranging campaign to win public and congressional support for his plan to strike syria. >> the president made his case. >> my intentions throughout this process has been to ensure that the blatant use of chemical weapons that we sought doesn't happen again. if, in fact, there's a way to accomplish that diplomatically that is overwhelmingly my preference. >> in >> woodruff: in damascus president assad said the u.s. is lying when it claims he's gassed his own people. >> woodruff: assad's full conversation with charli