i have here at lenore's earnings in the white house years. this is based on study of income tax returns available in the hyde park library and it showed from the years 1937 to 1939 she averaged annual earnings of $62,000, a lot of money in those days, 68,000 before expenses. and they never wrote about eleanor. and enhance yourself. they covered up that kind of thing because they did feel somewhat grateful to her for allowing them to come to the white house every week. it was made craig, the one wy c first asked men be allowed in the pushed for the civil-rights activist for end to sex discrimination and forced news organizations to hire women on an equitable basis. in 1964, 81-year-old howard w. smith, a conservative virginia congressman, major civil rights legislation, and the pending act, jolo discrimination on the basis of race, by including sex, he held to review the proposed legislation to debt. capitol hill insiders, tagged the measure. and pushed for years, adjacent to the capitol press galleries for the women reporters accredited to th

you are looking live now at the white house. that is where the white house continues its push for military action against syria. the president right now meeting with party leaders of the house, including john boehner and nancy pelosi the house speaker and minority leader. vice president and secretary of state john kerry heading to capitol hill this afternoon. as we watch the situation in the house, we should point out -- or the white house, we should point out that we will take that situation live if and when the leadership of the house comes out. well, summer is over. and kids across america are heading back to school. but for school districts nationwide, budget cuts are a very, very real thing of life. in michigan, some districts are being dissolved completely and the 53 that remain are starting the school year in the red. from our busch ow bureau in dete about the closures. and we are going to come to busy in a moment, please stand by, this is house speaker john boehner. >> it was a bash russ act. it's pretty clear to me that

she brings the white house gardener back to this garden at prospect house and says to the white house gardener, thus re- create the rose section of this garden at the white house. ellen wilson could look out of her bedroom window in prospect mansion and look right down and see the flowers all day. similarly, she wanted the president of the united states to be able to see roses when he looked out of his window in the white house. this becomes a famous rose garden at the white house. ellen tragically doesn't live to see the rose garden completed, however. she is dying in the summer of 1914. she is wheeled out into the space outside in her wheelchair and she watches as a gardener works, but she doesn't live to see the completion of this vision she had for roses blooming at the white house. that is a vision that really begins here at aspect of art and in princeton. -- that begins here at prospect garden in princeton. >> here is a photograph of what it looks like you're in the wilson administration and here's what the rose garden looks like today. short tenure in the white house, she did d

house -- close white house years of the women and how they live their lives. here we have two women who had long white house lives. how are they doing as former first ladies? >> i think they're doing well. after you hit mid century, or maybe the kennedy administration, very often what you see as the causes of the first lady become so intwind with her image that she keeps that cause and that image through the rest of her life. i mean, we could talk about ross lynn and her commitment to mental health and we could talk about barbara bush and her commitment to literacy and her foundation, betty ford and her ommitment to sobe bright and additions and helping people who are addicted. so i think there's a whole line of first ladies that keep that gage and then do great things with it in the rest of their lives. >> they have a much broader range of opportunities. >> and availability. >> to influence, paradoxically, after they leave than their 19th century counterparts. >> but one of the ways they get to do that is by the creation of foundations where they continue, th

i think the white house candy store is open. i think the ideal job to have today is to be a democratic member of congress. what do you need for your district or state? a post office? a new military facility? what do you want? i think anything you want you're going to get because the white house is going to do whatever it takes to get a majority. bill: that means we're hitting syria based on that answer? >> well, maybe. who knows what the president is going to think in about two weeks. bill: but if you give him the authority then he is going to go forward? >> that's what he said on friday. you think, you think he is necessarily going to hold that view in two weeks? i'm not so sure. bill: thank you, ambassador. john bolton there still dubious. we'll check you in the dubious column today out of washington, sir. talk to you again tomorrow. thank you for your time. >> thank you. bill: 19 past, martha. martha: we're watching all these developments. we're expecting a statement from the state department soon as all angles continue to be

she made sure she took them with her when she left the white house. >> a sense of life at the white house under the roosevelts. now you were making the point earlier both of you that is the dawn of america on the international stage. and roosevelt as adventuring and impurial president in some yai. how did they use their social aspect of the white house to advance that view? >> well, in order for the united states to be taken seriously as a world power, the united states president had to entertain like heads of state elsewhere. the white house changing really made a difference. but plus all of the diplomatic receptions and cabinet dinners and open event big dinner something like 40,000 people came to the white house in the first year. it greats good will. you've had din we are someone you are more likely to be to be agree with them or work with them after wards. sometimes we underestimate the power of face to face interaction. the roosevelt did a good job of this. they knew how to socialize. they were very energetic entertainers. >> i want to underscore the number. 40,000 guests in the whi

hagel will suppress the white house. >> at the white house, a lot of strong statement and support of the president's call for action. and del, it's important to important to hear that we're called to action. speaker boehner's press secretary coming out with a statement saying that it's still up to the president. it's his responsibility to make his case to the american people, perhaps tempering that support a bit, waiting to see which way the wind will be blowing ahead of the huge meeting this afternoon. secretary kerry, secretary hagel going before the powerful senate security committee, and we'll see if the committee gets behind it this afternoon. >> if two men know the senate well, it's both of those gentlemen, former senator john kerry and former senator chuck hagel. sherry from political co-,the white house must be smiling right now. oddsmaker would have said that this would not be the case. >> i think you're right, del. weekend when the president first announced this there was a struggle to rally the support in congress. i don't think he's entirely there yet in terms of making t

the 2010 expo shows that the white house meeting off campus at coffee houses near the white house off the books, so it was not on the visitor log. so we don't know about it. penny? >> well, i think that again, i think that it is in the best interest of them to hear all sides of the argument, whether it is somebody representing google or facebook or whether they represent the american cancer society. i think it is a good thing for them to hear all sides. oftentimes the lobbyists -- many times they have the information there so they can avoid unintended consequences. so i think it is important for them, too. >> you mean the favoritism, corporate welfare, loopholes for corporations -- >> or how about the u.s. chamber on behalf of advocating -- >> number one, the president broke his promise, which you said he never intended to keep. the second point is that the people of this country do not have access to the white house. but people with the money, people that are literally buying influence, buying their way in, and getting rewarded for it -- >> shawn, i was just on capitol hill today and

our senior white house correspondent jim acosta is here at the white house as well. he's got a special report for us. i want to warn our viewers that what they're about to see in his report is very graphic and very disturbing. tell our viewers what you have, jim. >> well, wolf, as for that russian proposal that we heard jim talk about, the administration officials are all using the same words when talking about it, saying that they're going to take a hard look at it and even as that proposal is being considered, administration officials are as you said pulling out all the stops to get that vote for congressional authorization up on capitol hill, including welcoming an estimated 70 members of congress to the white house just today. it hasn't let up all day. a steady stream of republicans and democrats from top gop leaders to hillary clinton and the congressional black caucus, all meeting with administration officials making the case for lawmakers to approve a military strike against syria. the administration shifted into overdrive with the release of video showing the

first lady, particularly jackie kennedy, in the white house? this is something that edith roosevelt did. did she approach introducing americans to culture and supporting the cultural life of the white house? >> theodore roosevelt was not as bad as president grant. said there were two songs, dy and yankee doodle dan the other isn't. >> she brought amazing inner came into the white house, paluding have locus all -- cassals. she brought the entire philadelphia orchestra at one time. she loved the corcoran art gallery, theater and art and music. tr brought indian songs. helped encourage john lomax to discover cowboy songs. they wanted people to understand and have culture. it was not a colonial society anymore. european cultures for borrowing artists. they are really important in that sense, too. >> since they had sagamore hill, why did they need a retreat? get toook a while to sagamore hill because it is on the way in long island -- all the way in long island. he had a lot of political and att and difficulty times when he was having a rough time,

wendell has the news from the white house. the white house says secretary kerry's efforts have prompted the russian proposal. >> the offer is to police syria's chemical weapons under international supervision the white house said would never have been made without this country's determination to punish bashar al-assad, and while officials are skeptical they're reluck tenant -- reluctant to reject the offer. syria's track record is poor and have no intention of delaying their push for a military strike. >> any positive reaction to the suggestion they would forsake their chemical weapon biz the syrian government would never have been forthcoming if not for the credible threat of u.s. military action in response to the use of chemical weapons. >> syria's foreign minister responded positively to the russian proposal, and it would take resources and a peaceful environment to secure and remove the chemical weapons stocks. >> shepard: anybody who thought the white house might back down in the face of public pressure is wrong. they ha

me, not anynts, for about the white house as far as the white house. it was perhaps while we were in the administration and that would have been i had worked very hard trying to get passage for the equal rights amendment and it did not go through all .hat we made a lot of rye grass as a result, i think women have found it much more individual, in the worldlace .nd in this country what i was trying to achieve at women needas to say to have the opportunity for a choice of whether they want to go on to a career or have a career in their home because the career as a homemaker is one of the finest careers a woman can have. about trying to step that they were not prepared for. i just wanted our young garters and the young people coming along to have the opportunity to get into professions and to rise in those professions -- doctors, judges, the judicial branch, the legislative branch -- and have opportunities that were equal according to their ability. you know, i think we have achieved a lot of that through titles rather than the equal rights amendment. i c

the white house gardener, let's re-create this garden at the white house. ellen wilson could look out her bedroom window and see the flowers all day. roses.ted to see this becomes the rose garden at the white house. alan does not live to see the rose garden completed. she dies in the summer of 1914. is watches as the garden work done, but does not live to see the completion of the garden. it is a vision that begins here at prospect garden. >> so, ellen wilson cannot wait to see the rose garden completed. and as become part of our national lexicon. has become part of our national lexicon. here's what it looks like today. we have her tenure in the white house. we have a list of things that she did during the 17 months. we talked about the rose garden. the fact that she was a broughtonal artist and her profession to the white house. how significant was that? >> they did not set a standard for future first ladies. she earned money from selling her paintings. she'd set up a charity for her brother. the only of the first lady to earn money in the white house was

when you go to the white house today it is really edith roosevelt's white house. >> there was too much looking down, and i think it was a little too fast, not enough change of pace. >> yes, ma'am. lux i think, in every case, the first lady is really -- has really done would ever fit her personality and her interest. >> she later wrote in her memoir that she said, "i myself never made any decisions. i only decided what was important and when to present it to my husband." you stop and think about how much power that is, it is a lot of power. >> prior to the battle against cancer -- part of the battle against cancer is to fight the fear that accompanies the disease. >> she transformed the way we look at these bugaboos and made it possible for countless people to survive and flourish, as a result. i don't know how many presidents have realistically had that kind of impact on the way we live our lives. >> just walking around the white house grounds i am constantly reminded of all of the people who lived there before, and particularly all of the women. >> first ladies, influence and image, a

she saw it as her husband coming into the white house and herself coming into the white house. it was a very ceremonious occasion for her. she marked this occasion, her entry into the white house and added it as a mark of first ladies on the united states when she became the first first lady to donate her inaugural gown to the smithsonian institution. she happeneded to be the first first lady when the founders were putting the collection together. they met helen taft at a lunch commemorating dolly madison. they asked her if she would be interested in the new collection they were putting together. they were trying to acquire something from every first lady. mrs. taft generously offered to lend and donate her inaugural gown to the election. she's the founding patron of the first ladies' collection and she established a tradition that the first ladies would donate their gown to the collection. every first lady after mrs. taft who had an inaugural gown donated it to the smithsonian institution. >> many of you watching tonight have been through that exhibit over time. well, the taft

the white house seeks a green light to strike. leading charge the here secretary of state john kerry who was sent to run the gauntlet of weekend political talk shows. secretary kerry, his role here, laying out the administration's case. >> we are saying that the high confidence that the intelligence community has expressed and the case that i laid out the other day is growing stronger by the day. we know where this attack came from. we know exactly where it went. we know exactly what happened afterwards. >> here's what the time line looks like. the first hearing in the senate is expected to be held tomorrow. the full congress is not scheduled to return until next week. so far, the only consensus in congress is there is no consensus in congress. >> i'm hoping by the time next week comes around and hopefully the president can make his case, that he will be able to get a majority of the house of representatives. >> i think it's at least 50/50 whether the house will vote down involvement in the syrian war. i think the senate will rubb

our premiere episode of pin heads and white house correspondents stars fox news chief white house correspondent ed henry. there he is. he is the pinhead, or maybe the pinhead sitting in the front row of the white house press briefing room surrounded by some of the real reporters who work there. ed henry walked into the press briefing room yesterday with a plan. sure he was very proud of his plan. he knew it would thrill his fox news bosses. he was going to trap jay carnie with the brilliant question he had planned. >> you are talking enrollment, will jay carnie and white house staff enroll in obama care? >> pinheads are a proud people. very, very proud of their ignorance. that question could not possibly be more ignorant. like asking jay carnie if heave will enroll in the food stamp program since he is a known defender of the food stamp program. like asking him if he will enroll in medicare. he does not qualify for medicare for reasons ed henry may understand. because jay carnie is not exactly 65 years old yet. jay carnie its not one of the people the food stamp program its designed to help. fo

produced by our white house, the white house historical association. chronicling life in the mansion in the tenure of each of the first ladies. find out more at c-span.organize/firstladies. is. >> c-span student cam video competition is under way. it's open to all middle and high school students. this year, we're doubling the number of winners and prize money. create a five-to-seven issue documentary on what congress should consider in 2014. it should show varying points of view and they're due by january 20, 2014. need more information, visit student cam.org. >> a look back at the 2008 financial crisis with henry paulson and former representative barney frank. in an hour, president obama marks the fifth anniversary and takes a look at the economy. then the first ladies' program on helen taft. >> university of maryland professor will talk about the middle east reaction to the situation in syria. and its impact on the u.s. foreign policy. then politico magazine editor susan glasser discusses the unites nation's role in syria in the days ahead. later, bl

for the white house. they had to move from their home on long island back and forth. she would be there in the was the civil service commissioner in washington. she was used to packing up the servants in the households and moved back and forth. she is somebody who knew how to manage things. with money.ood she would organize him and the children. .he was a good manager couple of things. we are learning a lot, but we also learn in what you are interested in. in a few minutes, we will take telephone calls. let me give you the phone numbers. -- also, a conversation already going on facebook. you can join it by logging on facebook's c-span page and log into the mix. tweets. we are taking a #for the series we did not have in the first session, at first ladies. will mix all of that up over the next 90 minutes. one of the other great things is we have a video logger for out at the site of the earth's ladies along the way recording the places where they live. tonight, we will introduce you to two of those associat

but it looks like from the white house's perspective that both the white house and the iranians were open to the call and the call happened. >> yeah. and the president's national security adviser susan rice said the idea for the phone call came from the iranians. but we'll leave that aside there. you see a picture of the president in the oval office making that phone call. i understand president rouhani got out a little bit ahead of president obama in breaking the news. >> reporter: he did. i saw this tweet happen. it was a few minutes before the president was going to speak, a little bit of disbelief. i started calling around cnn and other officials saying is this true. before you know it a couple minutes later president obama walks out and confirms it. the other way president rouhani got out ahead was by tweeting the contents of the phone call, quotes about what they spoke about. for instance, how they said goodbye. president rouhani saying have a nice day in english, president barack obama saying thank you, goodbye, god be with you in farsi. but then those tweets were later delete

senior white house correspondent jim acosta at the white house. we know the president is out playing golf today, but can we talk some strategy at the white house? >> reporter: sure. well, don, i think their strategy at this point is to sit back and watch. one administration official calling this something of a circus what's happening up on capitol hill and the way you set this up before playing that sound from the president was perfect, don. president obama has said and administration officials have said that he will not say anything that delays or defunds obama care. that's out of here, that's off the table. forget about that. now, this proposal from house republicans to perhaps tinker with obama care, perhaps repeal that medical device tax that helps pay for obama care, that is not going to fly either with this white house. the president has said he is not going to do anything with obama care under the threat of a government shut down or a debt default and it's sort of ir irrelevant, because you heard what dana bash said a few moments ago, it's

want to get some immediate reaction to the speech so let's go live to the white house where our t. correspondent megan mopeds is. i mean again what were the highlights. what were the highlights of president obama's speech. there were a lot but my mirror more importantly there were more questions going into this speech than there were answers coming out of it we wanted to know where president obama stood because there are still so many questions as to where you stand we want to know where congress stands so what came out of the speech was essentially a reiteration of the media blitz that we saw yesterday when president obama went on c.n.n. fox news p.b.s. a.b.c. c.b.s. except he said that there is no doubt that chemical weapons were used in the country again he reiterated his criticism and if you hear there's chanting behind me obviously those protesters again reiterated his criticism of those on and blamed him for those chemical weapons he said that everybody sees what the. question what should be done about it and. he showed some older folks obviously. recent days with all the rec

that's the thinking in the white house. and in senator reid's office. >> echos some of what we were saying earlier. up on politicos this morning, democrats recruiting women to compete in red states against republicans. explain that a little. >> couple states including west virginia, democrats are running women on the theory that republicans have long had trouble running against women -- excuse me republicans have had trouble running against women without overplaying their hand and coming off as shove nist and there's polling that shows that voters think that women may be more likely to work together in washington, get things done. the democratic pollster tells us that women are viewed as more likely to reach across the aisle, rather than grandstand. i don't know where she would get that. >> mike, i heard that arens were thinking the same thing -- republicans were thinking the same thing too. such a premium on compromise, the issues will be trying to run a candidate who voters think will behave like a grownup and get washing

there for the white house. is there a sense that the white house work is going to pay off? >> the white house is going to stay optimistic. we've seen the unofficial vote counts from media organizations. you never know. they're back in session. they're milling on the floor of the house. they're trying to get a feel of where they are will be politically and in terms of other members of their respective caucuses. having said that, it does not look loalook good for the presi, they will try to turn some of those votes and move some of those votes on capitol hill as we look at those series, a very vital procedural vote is expected. the president traveling up massachusetts avenue where joe biden was entertaining republican senators and lobbying behind the scenes. the president is doing no less than six interviews all of them taped for broadcast later today and into the evening. then tomorrow the president makes the trip up to capitol hill. he'll be behind closed doors with senate democrats. he'll have to count on demo

it's not correct she only started when she got out of the white house area did -- a white she was very practice and politics even before she went into standing in for franklin in new york state when he had polio. she had been an activist in the women's movement, the labor movement, and she was probably one of the few first ladies who came into the white house with political constituencies of her own separate from her husband. >> has that happened since then? where was she unique? -- or was she unique? >> maybe hillary. >> on a much more modest scale. ine got away with things. terms of conflict of interest. personal radio broadcast. she was proud she drew bigger audiences than her husband. she commercialized the role of first lady. >> people would come down on her in reference to the film clip we saw tom a -- we saw,one of the things i thought was interesting about her is she was into the media at the time, on theularly the radio. night of pearl harbor, franklin is addressing the congress and eleanor is the one on the radio address to the american people. and talking about we are going

the white house says no press allowed. we knew the vp joe biden had invited top republican senators to dinner tonight. the white house said the president decided to stop by and join the debate on chemical weapons and syria. the wrangling for attacking the syrian regime won't stop here. the president is suffering weakness in his own political party. he sat down to meet with senate democrats in the hours before he'll talk with the nation on tuesday. stay close. [ school bell rings ] [ male announcer ] from the last day of school, back to the first. they're gonna create a ton of research papers and important projects. so make sure they've got a safe place to keep them all. this weeonly get 16 gig flash drives for $7.87. staples has it. staples. that was easy. [fuzz pile] we sure ve it great here. [curly fry] i know, right. [fuzz pile] movies,music,space as far as the fry can see. [bubble wand] ha.good one. [jelly animal] a great storm comes. we're all doomed. [bubble wand] that guy isn't all there. [fuzz pile] come on,it's a

from new york time square today to the white house. the president has not wavered, calling members of congress friday while flying home from russia on air force one. >> weigh cannot turn a blind eye. failing to respond to this outrageous attack increases the risk that chemical weapons could be used again. >> this was a preview of the national address the president will deliver tuesday night trying to better clarify the stakes. >> if he can convince everyone that there is a plan and if things go wrong, there is a plan b. i think he can tell people on this. >> the biggest obstacle are members of his own party. >> if the president loses congress, it cost him credibility in the united states, but also cost him credibility around the world. >> leading up to a vote that could come next week, the white house is spanning out forces, making the round sunday morning. joe biden hosting key republican senators that night. president obama doing six national interviews monday on the eve of his remarks to the country. the president will make more cal

we're standing by for reaction from the white house. what will the white house press secretary say? he's going to be going to the microphone shortly. we'll have live coverage coming up. stay with us. we'll be right back. we'll do almost anything. out for drinks, eats. i have very well fitting dentures. i like to eat a lot of fruits. love them all. the seal i get with the super poligrip free keeps the seeds from getting up underneath. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. a lot of things going on in my life and the last thing i want to be thinking about is my dentures. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. just by talking to a helmet. it grabbed the patient's record before we even picked him up. it found out the doctor we needed was at st. anne's. wiggle your toes. [ driver ] and it got his okay on treatment from miles away. it even pulled strings with the stoplights. my ambulance talks with smoke alarms and

>> that is the huge question, carol, and if you ask the white house that, you hear from white house officials they say, well, the president still has the authority to act, but officials won't say that he will do that. and i have talked with some long-time observers of the u.s. relations with syria and of this administration's policy when it comes to syria and they say, you know what, without congress okaying this, president obama may very well not go ahead. i think that that is a distinct possibility and i think that's part of the reason why, as we look at all of these lawmakers coming here today, why we see senator mccain and senator graham really tentatively lending their support to president obama. you recall they were here yesterday for that meeting, as well, carol. >> they had strong words of support for the president. nick to you, ban ki-moon wants the weapons report released very soon so the u.n. doesn't appear irrelevant, but that report isn't back for a week or two, plus two members of the security council, russia and china, won't vote for anything to punish syria. is the united nati

i personally would not support it. >> you would not support the white house's resolution. you are obviously supporting this since you helped draft it. let's say that this were to pass and the white house were to engage in the kind of strike that is kind of foreseen in the draft language here. what do you say to people that say, okay, so then what? >> well, the question in front of us is, is the evidence convincing? i believe it is. >> is the evidence -- let's be very clear on what it is. is the evidence clear that the assad regime actually launched this chemical weapons, killed -- >> to suggest the rebels did that is absurd. they have no such capability. it was clearly done by the assad regime. i believe intelligence corroborates that. the intelligence is fairly convinces. what is the remedy? people of good conscience on both sides of the aisle are wrestling with that. some prefer to do nothing. my concern is the legacy of that is very dangerous. >> can i give a counterexample? senator john kerry invoked the legacy question. it was a big part of the argument. saddam hussei

the white house says this thing is genius. the reason tt the american people don't like it is because the conservative media has been lying to the american people about the failings of it. and that's the reason people don't like it. that is the biggest steaming pile of garbage that i've ever seen. and i've been to a lot of landfills in my time. >> let me address that. listen to what ben said a few minutes ago, and charles and others have said. well, we should just let this thing fail so that the democrats lose so that obama is shown to be the phony that he is. that's what the white house is up against. >> and if it works, great. he said both. in the same breath. >> you know that's not -- you know that's not the prevailing wisdom. that's not the way the parties are behaving. >> i just like the wise mr. stein. that was very good. >> thank you. >> it sounded like it came from a faulkner novel. >> exactly. >> the idea that an elected representative would go down there and do his or her job, to have the sort of passion they present

the white house doesn't need to worry too much. i think it was embarrassing for us. >> don't you think this is another example of putin playing with the united states of america. now he's using pr. in the editorial he goes against military action, quotes the pope, pretends to be a religious guy. we have put him in the diplomatic seethe. if we didn't put pressure on him before, what leverage do we have now? >> i don't disagree with the north korea times for running the piece. dana is 100% correct. that counters putin's claims. they ran it and were smart to run hit. my problem is the same people are critical of putin and looking for bombs and boots on the ground. the fact is putin played us. he outmaneuvered the american people. i agree. it's bay game of high stakes international chess. i put together a big old chess board here. some how here's queen and king, john kerry and obama. the bishop takes tout king. that should never have happened. when playing with this kind of king, something that might happen. >> where did you get that s

i anticipate, melissa, going forward meetings at the white house, between the white house and capitol hill. all week long there's going to be a flurry of activity as the administration tries to get the measure passed. >> we heard secretary of state speaking in a surprisingly forceful way before the president spoke about the absolute need to move on this. he continues to speak in that tone suggesting to me, at least, that the administration wants to continue to make this case and make it daekt directly to the american people even as it is asking congress to authorize the acti action. >> you're right. they need to keep making the case to the american people. sharply divided. 50% of americans are opposed to military action toward syria. however, if you ask people specifically about a limited military strike, then 50% of people say they can back that. look, this is a political gamble for president obama. if congress votes no, then what? secretary kerry indicating the president would have the legal means to move forward with a strike against syria. however, how does that happen? how does p

peter alexander joins us just outside the white house. pete, anymore information about what we should expect from the president? he's 15 minutes late. >> reporter: yeah, he's 15 minutes late, but he's also approaching the top of the hour, 5:00 across the east coast and when you have the bully pulpit, that mega phone, this is a pretty big audience he'll have watching right now is one more time before we hit that midnight hour. he sort of has all eyes on him, martin.

the white house hopes that helps win over some republicans. as the vote comes as early as wednesday, our survey of lawmakers over the weekend shows that the white house still needs at least a dozen more senators on their side. and in the house, the skepticism is even deeper. so a lot of work ahead for the white house. >> a tense weekend kicking off a tense week for the president. all right, jeff, our thanks to you. tune in for diane sawyer's interview on "world news" ahead of his address to the nation on tuesday. >>> let's bring in george stephanopoulos, host of "this week." george, as we sit here on this sunz morning, on the eve of the president's big push, and the address to the nation tuesday night, how would you place the success of the odds? >> if the vote were today, he'd lose. he does have a decent chance of getting the votes in the senate starting this week to pass it through. and i think the white house hope is that then that will start to build momentum that will halt the erosion in the house and start to get those numbers back up, p

but first, jim acosta at the white house. what is the latest on this proposal from russia? is happening? >> reporter: the white house won't get into a back and forth with the senator but the president is getting back to the ceremonial duties that you see with a commander in chief. he's honoring the victims today. he was at a volunteer event for the chronically ill bagging lunches for them. as for the russian proposal, jay, first of all, the white house is not setting a timeline as to when syria will have to give up it's chemical weapons that was something asked time and again today that are not giving a timeline at this point, but you really got the sense, anderson, the white house is setting expectations for this russian proposal. they were saying at the press briefing earlier today that russia is assad's best friend, that the russians haven't been very cooperative in recent years, and this was all sort of punctuated by white house press secretary jay carney who he said russian practice stestige was oe with this proposal. here is what he had to say. >> russia is assad and

they say the white house didn't cover that speech. the press said president bush was not expected to say anything new. but the night in cincinnati became a significant event in us history because it was the first time president bush made his case for war just like this. >> we know iraq and al-qaeda share a common enemy, the united states of america. we know that iraq and al-qaeda have high-level contacts that go back ten years. iraq could decide on any given day to work with a terrorist group. alliance with terrorists could allow the iraqi regime to attack america without leaving any fingerprints. >> that became the central argument for the bush white house, for going to war in iraq, saddam hussein has weapons of mass destruction. he is going to give them to al-qaeda and al-qaeda will use them to attack us. that became their central argument and remained their central argument all the way into that decade-long war. saddam had weapons of mass destruction, he is going to give them to al-qaeda, al-qaeda is going to attack us with them. t

correct she only started when she got out of the white house area did -- a white house. been an activist in the women's movement, the labor movement, and she was probably fewof the first -- the first ladies who came into the white house with political owntituencies of her separate from her husband. >> has that happened since then? >> maybe hillary. >> on a much more modest scale. with things. broadcast.dio she was proud she drew more than her health and. -- her husband. of commercialized the role first lady. >> people would come down on her today. one of the things i thought was is she was about her into the media at the time, particularly the radio. they were talking about we are going to do anything we can to win. that illustrates her ee is in ee's --e media -- her the media.ng >> you often hear the times make the man or the woman. her husband served longer than any other administration. the public was eager to hear from the white house. >> she rose to the occasion. >> she was seen as the conscience of the administration. it made apec are for him to govern -- easier fo

i think -- i've been over here all day, you haven't been at the white house to talk to white house officials there, but i think what they will say is in the moment give a sense that life goes on at white house, it's business as usual. the nation's capital hasn't been disrupted, but then what they did is brought out a picture of the washington gridlock in dysfunction. that's what everyone doesn't like about washington, and what we saw here today in the aftermath of this horrific attack is some of what people do like about washington, the rallying together here, the heroism that we're told happened inside the washington navy yard as officials responded within seconds to this shooting. the immediate responders here and then, of course, the civilians and military officials who handled this with dignity and class throughout the day, a very, very trying and tough day here in washington. that was the tone down here by the washington navy yard, larry. >> you know, eamon, larry, of course, you've been down there at the navy yard all day, eamon. i spoke earlier today on cnbc with the chief economic ad

ed henry has the news and is live at the white house. ed, how is the white house responding to that op-ed from putin? >> well, they're trying to put the best face on it by saying, look, america promotes human rights, unlike russia, and has freedom of expression and express did putin in the "new york times" op-ed, the white house trying to brush off what is clearly an embarrassment, as they talk up the possibility that russia might breckary -- broker a deal with syria, you have vladimir putin in the op-ed slamming president obama, suggesting that assad was not behind the chemical weapons attack on august 21st, it was the syrian opposition behind it, even though there's no evidence of that. he goss on to attack the president's address to the nation this week. putin writing, quote, i carefully studied his address to the nation and would rather disagree with the case he made on american exceptionalism, stating the united states policy is what makes america different. it's what makes us exceptional. it's extremely dangerous to encourage peopl

about 2:30 in the afternoon, president obama, the white house, they placed this call. he is in his car on his way to j.f.k. for his flight home to tehran. and he answers and the two men speak for 15 minutes. they speak largely about the iranian nuclear program, but a few other issues. and at the end, president rouhani signs off with an english version of "have a nice day," and president obama says good-bye in farsi, and we have history made. >> rose: we continue this evening with the foreign minister of france laurent fabius who is in new york for the u.s. general assembly. >> as far as iran is concerned, the words are good and they are new, and it's important. but what matters at the end of the day is actions, deeds. and, therefore, all of the tasks will be to assure that the irany people do implement what they are talking about. that's our perspective. if there is an opportunity we have to seize it because situation is serious. >> rose: we conclude with the egyptian foreign minister of where they are after the overthrow of mohammed morsi. >> is there enough common gr

when you go to the white house today it is really edith roosevelt's white house. >> there was too much looking down, and i think it was a little too fast, not enough change of pace. >> yes, ma'am. >> i think, in every case, the first lady is really -- has really done would ever fit her personality and her interest. >> she later wrote in her memoir that she said, "i myself never made any decisions. i only decided what was important and when to present it to my husband." you stop and think about how much power that is, it is a lot of power. >> prior to the battle against cancer -- part of the battle against cancer is to fight the fear that accompanies the disease. >> she transformed the way we look at these bugaboos and made it possible for countless people to survive and flourish, as a result. i don't know how many presidents have realistically had that kind of impact on the way we live our lives. >> just walking around the white house grounds i am constantly reminded of all of the people who lived there before, and particularly all of the women. >> first ladies, influence and image, a

peter, the latest from the white house tonight, very unusual day today for the white house, i'm sure. >> reporter: that's certainly the case. within the last five or so minutes, the president ordered for the flags here at the white house to be lowered to half staff where they will remain until this friday at sunset. and the image is so striking when you consider that as the flags here now do fly at half staff, this time it's because of a mass shooting that took place within a matter of miles from here. we have also heard from the president just a short time ago. white house officials telling us the president did speak earlier today with the secretary of the navy, ray mavis, expressing his condolences as well as commending the bravery of so many of the navy personnel and first responders on what took place miles from where we are. the white house has been briefed by his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser and he's asked for those briefings to continue. one other note i should let you know, in the last five minutes we're ools hearing about this tragedy from the former represe

this from the white house. the president has been briefed several times about the unfolding situation at the washington navy yard by an assistant to the president for homeland security. the president directed his team to stay in touch with our federal partners including the navy and fbi as well as local officials. they go on to say, we urge citizens to listen to the authorities and follow directions from the first responders at the site. mike, as i know that you know, unlike many cities when something like this happens in washington, there are a plethora of law enforcement agencies who are involved. i'm looking at a number of them right now where you are standing. >> reporter: that's right, del. as the helicopters continue to hover above, there are some 27 separate police organizations, police departments is the best word within the confines of the district of columbia. the military, obviously, has its own police branch. the metropolitan police here, the park police. obviously, we're on federal property. techni

clinton the white house is enlisting u.s. government officials, plus dj's, librarians, insurance companies, even celebrities to help spread the word. on october 1 people who do not have health insurance must buy it. they can enroll for health insurance by examining healthcare exchanges, a kind of health insurance mini marketplace set up online in every state where people can shop for a health insurance plan tailored to their needs and enroll. that's key, enroll in it. if someone does not have health insurance by the year 2014, less than four months from now, by the way, he or she will be penalized. how? by the irs. the penalty for the first year is $95 per adult or 1% of family income, whichever sum is greater. that fine goes up the longer one stays unenrolled. by 2016 say the 1% penalty could go up as well as the $95 per adult climbing as high as $695 per adult. one main idea behind obamacare is that if everyone pays in, it will keep insurance costs low for everyone, but the lack of young people who currently do not have hea

major garrett is at the white house tonight. major? >> reporter: scott, the white house refused to impose a timeline for diplomacy to impose a standoff for chemical weapons. the threat of u.s. military strikes is more distant at any time than since this crisis began and russia, the white house said today, holds the key. the russian proposal embraced by the syrian regime has three parts: united nations inspectors would secure all chemical weapons sites; inspectors would control the weapons and oversee their eventual destruction. white house press secretary jay carney said russia must follow through. >> russia has, i think to its credit, put its prestige on the line when it comes to its close ally. >> reporter: so what you're saying is this is something russia has to deliver on the world stage now? >> i'm saying that russia has stepped forward and put this proposal on the table and i think this whole process will test the seriousness of all participants. and it is absolutely the right thing to do to pursue this. >> reporter: but the whit

house. >> you heard mike viqueira saying he is seeing a lot of activity around the white house. are you seeing that same level of activity around capitol hill? >> absolutely. you can feel it in the air here, waiting for everyone to come back and certainly more cameras than we've seen in days. and it's been busy as it is. yes definitely the pace picking up. >> some how i think it's going to get worse. paul beban from capitol hill. thank you very much. >>> meanwhile are russia said it's going to urge syria to put its chemical weapons under international control if that could lead to strikes being averted. all of this coming out of a meet with with meeting. we're live in london, phil, what else has come out of this meeting today? >> well, del, you know that headline there the russians saying that they would support the chemical weapons stock pile being put in the hands of the international communities is quite significant because the russians haven't really heretofore admitted that the assad regime has a large stock pile of chemical weapons. that in and of itself is interesting. an