over ten years ago, a remarkable orchestra played in damascus. performing arabic music at the highest level. but when war broke now the 2011, some musicians were forced to flee syria. but since 2011, the country has been torn apart by a this is the story of an attempt to bring the orchestra back together, for a once—in—a—lifetime tour, to reunite those living in syria and as refugees. and try to change the way the world sees their war—torn nation. since the beginning of the war in syria, an estimated 9 million people have fled their homes in search of a new life. one of them is essam. he claimed asylum in america in 2013, after being invited to teach music in a university here. i watched bombs, i watched all kinds of military issues. nobody knows when the bombs will come. did you know people killed? a lot of my friends, a lot of relatives too. his two younger sisters and parents are still living in damascus. he has not seen them since he left. syria, what does it mean? for me, family. you know. hopefully... this will be like a bad dream,

over ten years ago, a remarkable orchestra played in damascus. they were known across the region, performing arabic music at the highest level. but since 2011, the country has been torn apart by a bloody civil war. and many of the musicians have been forced to flee syria. this is the story of an attempt to bring the orchestra back together for a once—in—a—lifetime tour, in the hope of changing the world's perspective of this nation. since the beginning of the war in syria, an estimated 9 million people have fled their homes in search of a new life. one of them is issam. he claimed asylum in america in 2013 after being invited to teach music in a university here. i watch bombs, i watch all kind of military issues, and nobody knows when the bomb will come. did you know people have been killed 7 a lot, you know, a lot of my friends, a lot of relatives as well. his father and sisters are still living in damascus. he hasn't seen them since he left. syria, what does syria mean for me, actually, family, you know? hopefully this will be, like, a ba

she sings we are from syria, the music makes me feel like i am in damascus. it makes me miss my family in syria. the orchestra are joined by artists from across the world. there were three guys crying in front of us at the first part, already. we were like, this is so big! but now, their thoughts are starting to turn to home. good morning and a very happy new year to you. the change of year brings a change in the weather. if we take a look at the recent satellite picture, you can see this strip of cloud sinking its way southwards. there is rain coming from this cloud. it is associated with a weather front, and in fact, it is a cold front. and as that continues to journey southwards and eastwards through new year's day, we will see increasingly cold air digging in from the north. and that really is the pattern for the next couple of days. but back to the here and now, the first part of new year's day increasingly wet across southern parts of the british isles. so this is the story at 9:00am this morning. across south—west england, some quite heavy bursts of

if four-day-old d cease-fire is now under threat as government troops step up attacks near damascus. the bloodiest prison riot in brazil in over 20 years. dozens were killed and that fighting between rival drug gangs. violence is so intense, decapitated bodies were thrown over the prison walls. also coming up this hour, how china is hoping higher taxes on cars will help reduce its pollution problem. we will have the details in our business update. sports fans of the chelsea football team are due in court today over an alleged race is incident on the paris metro in 2013 when a black commuter was pushed off a train. that's racist incident on the paris metro in 2013. let's get straight to our top story. in turkey, renewed footage has been released -- new footage has been released, the attack left 39 people dead. new images have come out, showing its healthy video of a man who was thought to be the gunman. -- a selfie video. catherine has the latest. >> the news of that photo or selfie taken in istanbul released by turkish authorities as they close in on the man they believe is behind th

laura: authorities in serious a to fix abeen reached supply plant close to damascus. heavy fighting had left 5.5 million people with severe water shortages. many residents have been unable to wash or bathe in over three weeks. >> a glimmer of hope for residents of damascus, as long lines to get clean water may soon be a thing of the past. for many, the situation has become critical. >> we cannot wash anymore, and drinking water is becoming a problem. we take a bath every 10 days, but the water is very dirty. covered in's body is spots equipped syrian authorities say they have struck a deal with rebels to fix the water supply plant 15 kilometers northwest of the city. the spring was knocked out of monthe -- service last after fighting between government forces and rebels. left five point 5 million people with limited access to water, according to the u.n.. many residents have been unable to wash and bathe except that this centuries-old bathhouse which has its own private water supply. >> last time i came here was 12 years ago for my wedding. if i had water in my house,

government forces are launching attacks in and around damascus. turkey's foreign minister saying those planned talks could fail if the cease-fire does not hold. and there's a widening water crisis for 4 million people in damascus. acute water shortage caused by attacks on nearby springs that searches 70% of the city's population. >>> the facebook ceo mark zuckerberg famous for sticking to his ambitious plans for the new year. what does he have in store for 2017? hint it has to do with running shoes. we'll get a check on cnn money next. my arthritis pain used to make my favorite things to do... painful. but now with oder-free blu-emu maximum arthritis cream, i can enjoy life's big moments and life's little ones. blu-emu maximum arthritis cream. beat the pain and enjoy life. >>> breaking overnight -- authorities have identified the shooter in the new year's attack at an istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people. this, as the state news agency reports five members of isis have been detained in connection with the attack. the turkish parliament is movi

there has been an accidental water outage for nearly two weeks in damascus. here is more from the u.n. spokesperson. >> obviously, it is a humanitarian emergency and a contaminated lack of fresh water leads to waterborne diseases, particularly among children. response inur syria, the u.n. has already rehabilitated in number of wells around damascus to cover about one third of daily water needs in the city. since the 22nd, those wells have been the sole source of water for the entire city of damascus. >> donald trump's inauguration is less than three weeks away, but the u.s. president-elect is raising doubts about u.s. intelligence. he tweeted tuesday without citing any evidence that the timing of an upcoming intelligence briefing on suspected russian interference in the election had been delayed. his tweet, in line with repeated criticism of his nation's intelligence leaders, cause confusion among intelligence officials, who said there was no delay in the briefing schedule at all. all that comes as the republican party was forced to back off on its attempt to

the second is quite simply that these attacks are continuing to of damascus. anchor: as those talks continue, citizens and aleppo are coming to terms with the destruction of the city's great mosque. simon harding has this report. to be one ofused the city's most prized monuments. the great mask of aleppo was once considered one of the architectural masterpieces. now it resembles a little more than a pile of ruins. struggling to come to terms with how different the holding site looks. >> we used to visit the tomb of our master. it was clean, there were fountains and walls. today we were astonished when we came here. may god help us. all the landmarks of the mosque have changed. >> the mosque has been a -- has been a victim of fighting in the city. walls shredded by shrapnel. and the iconic symbol of the mosque shattered as the main holy site and aleppo -- clerics are already making plans to rebuild. some of the damage could be irreversible. be -- coulds could occur within a short time. >> rebuilding them will take some time. take two or three years but the mosq

appears to be largely holding, though there have been some fierce clashes in the barada valley outside damascus. the government says the truce does not apply there because of the presence of al-qaida—linked fighters, one of the groups excluded from the deal. 0ur middle east correspondent alex forsyth is in beirut. the un's envoy to syria is due to speak shortly, can we expect a more positive assessment from him? in some parts of syria there's a sense of cautious optimism. after seven days, the ceasefire appears to be largely holding in areas that until a week ago had seen intense fighting and bombardment. yesterday, aun fighting and bombardment. yesterday, a un official said fighting and bombardment. yesterday, a un officialsaid in fighting and bombardment. yesterday, a un official said in aleppo despite the enormous humanitarian need which still exists, the last few days without violence had allowed some much needed medical supplies, food and in some cases shelter to be provided, but elsewhere the violence continues. there are ongoing reports of the syrian regime bombing parts of the syrian

schlosser: 19 years before the damascus accident, a b-52 bomber carrying two powerful hydrogen bombs took off on a routine mission over north carolina. during the mission, the plane experienced a fuel leak, and suddenly, the b-52 began to break apart mid-air. as the fuselage was spinning and heading back towards earth, the centrifugal forces pulled on a lanyard in the cockpit, and that lanyard was pulled exactly the way it would be if a crewmember wanted to release its hydrogen bombs over enemy territory. bombs are relatively dumb. they sort of think that if you drop the bomb out of the bomb bay, you must have intended to do that. schlosser: one of the weapons in particular went through all of its arming steps to detonate, and when that weapon hit the ground, a firing signal was sent. and the only thing that prevented a full-scale detonation of a powerful hydrogen bomb in north carolina was a single safety switch. all it is is a two-position on-off switch. that prevented a four-megaton disaster. if the right two wires had touched, the bomb would have detonated. period. schlosser: the

the rebel-held here is our report. >> the taps have been dry in damascus for weeks. the children spend their days making trip after trip to wells to get water for their families. >> 70% of the city's water comes from a rebel-held area. the u.s. says infrastructure was deliberately targeted, leaving 5.5 million people without access to water. >> this has been the reality now for two weeks. it cannot continue like this. we need immediately to restore water supplies, since it is so enormous, the number of people freakted. and certainly many people are only now on subsays dance level subsays minimum -- dance levels. >> they are plaming each other. though a cease-fire has been in place since september 30, the fighting and suffering continues. a woman who is said to have undow influence over the president in south korea is on trial. judges are set to rule on whether park has violated the constitution. >> she is a key figure in the worst corruption stanley ever to grip south korea. a close friend of the country's president appeared in court in seoul. she is accused with col

see clarksburg just south of damascus. not too heavily populated there but we've got some folks who are watching and also a couple of sprinkles from charlestown right up 340 into jefferson and brunswick and cross junction there north of winchester crosses 522. the other story is going to be the winds. they're gusty here but not as gusty as in the mountains, gusts last hour over 40 in davis and right now 31 but those areas especially at the ridge tops here from it will blue ridge -- the blue ridge to the shenandoah valley to the mountains of maryland and west virginia. talking about gusts 40, 50 miles per hour on the ridges. so you guys have a wind advisory until 5:00 tonight. we're starting to warm up. we were in the 20s and 30s this morning. 44 now in town and look to the south and west. this is where the air is coming from. low 50s harrisonburg luray and look for highs in the low 50s and the next couple of days but cold air by thursday. will be back in a few minutes and let you know about the seven day and what's happeni

: syrian state television says a suspected suicide bomber has carried out an attack in the capital, damascus, killing at least six people. the blast is believed to have gone off in a neighbourhood that is home to ministries and buildings used by the security services. state tv is also reporting several explosions and a large fire inside the mazzeh military airport, just west of damascus. the reuters news agency is reporting that syrian army command says israel has fired rockets at the site, and is warning of repercussions. the nigerian government has asked taiwan to move its office out of the capital, abuja. it comes one day after china announced plans for further investment in nigeria. taiwan has asked the nigerians to think again, saying they regard the request as more pressure from china to isolate it. japan's prime minister, shinzo abe, is on a two—day official visit to the philippines, the first such visit by a foreign leader since president rodrigo duterte took office last year. the trip aims to improve relations between tokyo and manila. mr abe said japan will help the philippines'

syrian state media are also reporting that a military airport on the outskirts of damascus has been the target of israeli airstrikes. there's been no comment from israel, which the syrian authorities also blamed for an attack on the airport last month. shares in the italian—american carmaker, fiat chrysler, have fallen by at least 15% on the announcement from us authorities that the firm has violated the clean air act. officials say fiat chrysler used software that allowed excess diesel emissions in over 100 thousand vehicles. the company boss has denied the allegations, insisting it's done nothing illegal. the united states has scrapped its decades—old policy granting residency to cubans entering the country by land without a visa. the move is another step towards the full normalisation of relations between the two former cold war foes, who restored diplomatic ties in 2015. for more, our correspondent in the cuban capital, havana, is will grant, and liliet heredero is in miami. it was the cornerstone of the policy towards cuba from washington for 20 years or so as the carrot to the

syrian state tv is reporting a suspected suicide bombing in the capital, damascus, killing at least six people. it's believed the blast was in a neighbourhood that is home to ministries and buildings used by the security services. syrian state media are also reporting that israeli airstrikes have targeted a military airport on the outskirts of damascus. no comment on this from israel, which the syrian authorities also blamed for an attack on the airport last month. for what's thought to be the first time in two years, the central american country of el salvador appears to have had 24 hours without any murders. el salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world. wednesday was unusual, police say more than 100 people have already been killed since the start of the year. a hungarian camerawoman who gained notoriety after being filmed kicking a migrant child has been sentenced to three year's probation for disorderly conduct. petra laszlo was filming refugees on the border with serbia in 2015 as they broke through a police cordon. she was captured on video kicking two people as th

water shortages have been severe in damascus after fighting caused damage to the pumping facility. syrian football fans in aleppo have enjoyed the first top—flight match in the city after years of war. they watched local side al ittihad beat their city rivals. there was no professional football in aleppo after it was split between the army and rebel forces in 2011. the government regained complete control of the city last month after a major offensive. more than 2,000 people have protested in the russian city of saint petersburg against a plan to hand the famous saint isaac's cathedral to the orthodox church. the 19th century cathedral, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city, is currently run as a museum. analysts say the proposal is a sign of the growing power of the russian orthodox church. wildfires in chile are now known to have killed several people and left many others homes. firefighters and volunteers are tackling more than 100 separate fires half of which are still out of control. the authorities have detained more than 20 people suspected of arson. the

the un says the lack of clean water in damascus is a humanitarian emergency. any lack of water is obviously a humanitarian emergency and obviously lack of fresh water leads to waterborne diseases, particularly among children. as part of our response in syria, the un has already equipped a number of areas to provide water sources. we talk to myanmar‘s typists who wa nt to we talk to myanmar‘s typists who want to preserve their ageing miss it -- want to preserve their ageing miss it —— machines. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respect when it was announced he was dead. good grief. after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. teams were trying to scoo

damage done to the pumping mechanism during the fighting has caused severe water shortages in damascus. activists monitoring the conflict say the army entered the area as part of a deal under which the rebels will either lay down their weapons or be evacuated. syrian football fans in aleppo have enjoyed the first top—flight match in the city after years of war. they watched local side al—ittihad beat their city rivals hurriya. there was no professional football in aleppo after it was divided in two between the army and rebel forces in 2011. but the government regained complete control of the city last month in a major offensive. in tennis, serena williams has won a 23rd grandslam title, a record in the professional era. she defeated her sister, venus, in the australian open final. serena now goes one ahead of steffi graf in all—time grandslam list. she paid tribute to her older sister after the match. playing venus is... it is stuff that legends are made of, you know? i could not have written a better story. i feel like it could not have written a better story. ifeel like it was

speaking on the upcoming peace talks in kazakhstan, and on water shortages that have arisen around damascus. there are incidents, we know about them, we are involved and we are trying and hoping that the two actors will secede in overcoming them and richard the point —— reached the point where facilities will recover. 5.5 million people have had their water supplies cut or minimised. to sabotage and the night water is a war crime. it is civilians who drink it and who will be affected bash mac and to deny water supplies —— and to deny water supplies. police in austria say they are looking for six men suspected of sexually assaulting 18 women during new year's eve celebrations in the city of innsbruck. the men are thought to be from asia or north africa and the allegation is that they groped and kissed women as they watched a fireworks display. the assaults are a year after hundreds of women were attacked in cologne during the 2015 new year's eve celebrations. new year's eve celebrations. new year's eve celebrations in innsbruck. it was here in this crowd that 18 young women who had c

water shortages have been severe in damascus after fighting caused damage to the pumping facility. syrian football fans in aleppo have enjoyed the first top—flight match in the city after years of war. they watched local side al ittihad beat their city rivals. there was no professional football in aleppo after it was split between the army and rebel forces in 2011. the government regained complete control of the city last month after a major offensive. more than 2,000 people have protested in the russian city of saint petersburg against a plan to hand the famous saint isaac's cathedral to the orthodox church. the 19th century cathedral, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city, is currently run as a museum. analysts say the proposal is a sign of the growing power of the russian orthodox church. wildfires in southern and central chile are now known to have killed at least 11 people and left several thousand others homeless. firefighters and volunteers are tackling more than 100 separate fires, half of which are still out of control. the authorities have detained mor

water shortages have been severe in damascus after fighting caused damage to the pumping facility. syrian football fans in aleppo have enjoyed the first top—flight match in the city after years of war. they watched a local side — al—ittihad beat their city rivals. there was no professional football in aleppo after it was split between the army and rebel forces in 2011. the government regained complete control of the city last month after a major offensive. more than 2,000 people have protested in the russian city of saint petersburg against a plan to hand the famous saint isaac's cathedral to the orthodox church. the nineteenth century cathedral, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city, is currently run as a museum. analysts say the proposal is a sign of the growing power of the russian orthodox church. wildfires in southern and central chile are now known to have killed at least 11 people and left several thousand others homeless. firefighters and volunteers are tackling more than 100 separate fires — half of which are still out of control. the authorities

you know, sometimes you have a road to damascus moment. i've had my road to damascus moment, and if we don't change this, if we can't find our way to each other, it's only going to get worse. >> reporter: which puts glenn beck on roughly the same page as pope francis. his holiness compared media's obsession with scandal and ugly things to the sickness. if you're just finishing breakfast, just look it up later. it's nasty. it can, however, be profitable. margaret sullivan is media correspondent for "the washington post." >> there is now an industry out there of people who are producing things that are untrue and that are highly shareable, which is the magic word. it's engagement. it's all about engagement. if you can get things shared, you may be able to make money from it. >> how does it work, so that a fraction of a penny for every hit that you get? >> yes, yes. buzzfeed reported this, that there was a group of teenagers in macedonia who were doing nothing but coming up with fake news stories. they set up their own sites and they register

in the syrian capital, damascus, there is hope. translation: we must seek to reconcile and restore the good spirit to syria. we need the good to overwhelm us and the crisis to end. translation: i wish for the end of violence and hope the ceasefire will hold and be successful. over the course of the conflict in syria more than 300,000 people have been killed, 11 million displaced, many are approaching these talks with optimism, hoping to give this peaceful path of chance. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports on why astana was chosen as a place to host the latest negotiations. this is kazakhstan. at the start of a new year, another new effort to try to resolve the syrian crisis. and we have come to the foreign ministry here to meet the deputy foreign minister, roman vasilenko, to find out why it should be the capital of kazakhstan, astana, as they call it here, that should be hosting this new round of talks. why do you want to be hosting such a difficult round of negotiations? well, astana was chosen as a platfor

you know, sometimes you have a road to damascus moment. i've had my road to damascus moment, and if we don't change this, if we can't find ouray to get worse. >> reporter: which puts glenn beck on roughly the same page as pope francis. his holiness compared media's obsession with scandal and ugly things to the sickness. if you're just finishing breakfast, just look it up later. it's nasty. it can, however, be profitable. margaret sullivan is media correspondent for "the washington post." >> there is now an industry out there of people who are producing things that are untrue and that are highly shareable, which is the magic word. it's engagement. it's all about engagement. if you can get things shared, you may be able to make money from it. >> how does it work, so that a fraction of a penny for every hit that you get? >> yes, yes. buzzfeed reported this, that there was a group of teenagers in macedonia who were doing nothing b news stories. they set up their own sites and they register to attract add verytizing through facebook. they put t

investigation confirmed the suburb of gas in a damascus that killed 1400 people. such attacks led to a looming international crisis in the wake of calls to action. the framework document was letting the grounds for illuminating syrian chemical weapons program. this was concluded in a few days and we all knew that this would not have happened if we do not have the nunn-lugar experience in the past. the cake elements -- the key elements of the framework for specialovided procedures for the expeditious illumination of the syrian program. this wasn't the first time that the organization was going to get involved in an active war zone on an indigenous target base. the plan and submitted it to the executive council. the implementation plan for un's joint mission involves an operation and verification at each step. be carried out with the syrian civil war shifting constantly. target was tons of chemical warfare materials that needed to loading ontoore the cargo vessels for norway and denmark. several production facilities were destroyed and those which were above the gro

there are ongoing reports of the syrian regime bombing parts of the damascus countryside which has been under rebel control for four years. it is strategically important because it provides much of the water supplied to damascus, which has had water shortages for some ten days. the rebel groups say the regime's continued bombardment of the area represents a violation of the area represents a violation of the ceasefire agreement. much depends on russia and turkey which brokered the ceasefire, to see if they can exert their influence on those in syria to abide by its terms. after a week, this is only a small and faltering step on what remains a long, complex road, before there is any real hope of lasting peace. a group of mps and peers says immigrants should be expected to learn english before coming to britain, or attend compulsory language classes when they arrive. the parliamentary group also suggests ministers should consider letting different parts of the uk set their own immigration policy. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw reports. i will give my loyalty to the united kingd

it is around frederick, domestic, dust damascus, -- damascus. flurries may be switching over to a sprinkle later on, which could make for an isolated slick patch this morning. 70 down tomaryland, .70, holding in this area today the rest of the area is dry and breezy to windy with temperatures at least getting into the 40's and 50's, but a cold start. cloud cover and a flurry to the north and west of our area. today's high temperatures, going right up to about 53 degrees. julie, i like the fact that we will get sunshine later so bring the glasses heading out the door, and a nice warm jacket. we will show you our next 50 and 60 degree hi the accident activity on the inner loop at gallows has cleared. i-95 north is where we have delays heading out of dale city to the capital beltway, about a 33 minute commute toward 395. he earlier crashed is gone, but unfortunately it takes a while to clear out. struggleng to be a i-95 toward 395. no problems leaving oxon hill headed for the wilson bridge. we will be back in 10 minutes and update your ride. autria

suicide bombs in front of their house in damascus. that's who they are. filled with promise of the american dream. us to trump seems to want believe that immigrants are either terrorists or criminals, but these people here are her they are. these faces for the any kind of threat to america? no. they are the promise of america. so, we are here today. to.st wanted we have the support of so many religious leaders. 22:20. not too long or press the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of egypt. matthew 25 in the new testament, i was hungry and you gave me something to eat. i was a stranger and you invited me in. and i'm reminded of pope francis, who asked us in terms -- in order too protect their dignity, improve their quality of life, and face the challenges emerging from modern forms of persecution and slavery. so, mr. president i'm here to tell you we will fight this. .any of you know this i was named after my uncle ellis ellis islandafter and i named my daughter middle named after a great poet who wrote those lines on the pedestal of the statute of

in frontombs blew up of their house in damascus. fills with promise and the american dream. donald trump seems to want to believe immigrants are either terrorists or criminals. these people are who they are. are they any kind of threat to america. they are the promise of america. we are here today -- oh yes, this is also scriptural and we have the support of so many religious leaders of every different faith throughout the country. "for you were strangers in the land of egypt." matthew 25. i was hungry and you gave me something to eat. i was a stranger and you invited me in. francisreminded of pope who asked us in terms of crystal-clear to quotes -- with affective projects and new approaches in order to protect their dignity, improve their take -- andife, and in modernhallenges form for persecution and slavery. i'm here to tell you we will fight this. many of you may know this. named after uncle ellis, who is named after ellis island. this fight is in my bones. i named my daughter, her middle name is,. named after the great poet who wrote those lines on the pedestal of the s

an investigation by the united states confirmed the use of the gas in a suburb of damascus that killed 1400 people. such attacks led to a looming international crisis in the wake of calls for military action. the framework document was the foremost intervention for infusing the tension -- defusing the tension and eliminating the syrian chemical weapons program. this was concluded in a few days, and we all knew that this would not have happened if we do not have the nunn-lugar experience in the past. the key elements of the framework agreement provided for special procedures for the of theious elimination syrian weapons program. this wasn't the first time that the organization was going to get involved in an active war zone on an ambitious target base. we prepare the plan and submitted it to the executive council. this implementation plan for the un's joint mission involves an operation and verification at each step. it needed to be carried out with the syrian civil war shifting constantly. the target was tons of chemical warfare materials that needed to be packed at multiple locations

he fled from damascus in 2012 when his bakery was bombed. he went to jordan where he had a cousin, i think. he went there with his wife. he spent four years there until he was finally admitted to the united states a few weeks ago. now he's living in silver spring, maryland. this is a process that on average takes 12 to 18 months of detail detailed paperwork but also interviews. it can take 36 months to get through the process. this is a vetting process that is frankly second to none. it one of the reasons the u.s. has a success story to tell in refugee resettlement. the refugees, we get 80% of them into work in six months in is a group of people who knows how to value freedom and they want to pay back the country that has welcomed them. >> have religious minorities been neglected in this process thus far? >> i don't believe so, no. it right that persecuted religious minorities should be a basis for refugee admission. i met an iranian yesterday, who was an iranian christian. among iraqis, about 15% of the refugee who is have come to the u.s.

the arabs are out in the streets of damascus, more socially dressed. i want to live in a country where few people get everything and everybody else -- i don't want that. >> tucker: i'm asking about the largest christian populations in the middle east which have been destroyed by the civil war. but he has so much about that. they are very formally pro assad. he protected them. >> not uniformly. close. i met with him not long ago. here's the deal. the best thing happened for syria when they decided the leaders are not the russians or iranians. what does that mean to us? if you allow iran to develop and eco-weapon, i think he will do that. if you allow him to turn the middle east upside down, it will hurt us. hezbollah is supported by assad. if they dominate damascus and put their puppet aside in power, they're never going to accept that and israel is in a world of -- >> tucker: no offense, but the assad has been empowered for a long time. the assad family. now it's a disaster. is the free syrian army and the answer? >> it was four years ago, it isn't now

you know, sometimes you have a road to damascus moment. i've had my road to damascus moment, and if we don't change this, if we can't find our way to each other, it's only going to get worse. >> reporter: which puts glenn beck on roughly the same page as pope francis. his holiness compared media's obsession with scandal and ugly things to the sickness of copafala. if you're just finishing breakfast, just look it up later. it's nasty. it can, however, be profitable. margaret sullivan is media correspondent for "the washington post." >> there is now an industry out there of people who are producing things that are untrue and that are highly shareable, which is the magic word. it's engagement. it's all about engagement. if you can get things shared, you may be able to make money from it. >> how does it work, so that a fraction of a penny for every hit that you get? >> yes, yes. buzzfeed reported this, that there was a group of teenagers in macedonia who were doing nothing but coming up with fake news stories. they set up their own sites and t

congressmacongresswoman tulsi gd they sat down with assad in damascus. >> i did so because i felt it is important that if we profess to truly care about the syrian people, about their suffering, then we've got to be able to meet with anyone that we need to if they up the possibility that we can achieve peace. >> i spoke to dennis and his wife elizabeth as to why they went. >> did president assad have anything to say? >> the efforts of his country, to be able to keep a pluralistic society alive. to be able to withstand 93 different groups coming in from a hundred different countries to try to capsize syria. they are blowing up churches and mosques and making it impossible for culture to come back together again. this is a really far beyond what everyone thought it was in 2011. jihadists are using people in syria to train troops. where will they next export the next violence? >> are you concerned about the u.s. teaming up with russia and iran to work with the assad regime? russia and iran have different interests in the u.s. >> i has actually believe that it is important that president

you can let isis set up camp in damascus and use it to change the entire region, the destruction of christians and muslims, and also the effect on israel that is an inevitable. or you can stabilize region and have syrians choose who they want their leaders to be. >> their trip was funded by the air american community center for economic and social services, a nonprofit based in cleveland. last friday, while the president was being inaugurated here in washington, russia was renewing a 50 year leave for military bases in syria. >> >> tucker: it's interesting, as a candidate he expressed sympathies for the christian solder. i wonder if he agrees with tulsi gabbard's opinion on this. >> the white house may call her in and ask about her trip. >> tucker: thank you for>> that. up next, obamacare a appears to be on the brink of ending. we are joined next by a chief architect of it. we are joined next by a chief architect of if you're going to make a statement... make sure it's an intelligent one. ♪ the highly advanced audi a4, with available virtual cockpit. tiki barber running hambone!a barber shop

the arabs are out in the streets of damascus, more socially dressed. i don't want to live in a country where a few people get everything and everybody else get nothing. >> tucker: i'm asking about the largest christian populations in the middle east which have been destroyed by the civil war. no one in the united states has said much about it. they are very formally pro assad. he protected them.sa >> not uniformly. close. i met with him not long ago. p here's the deal. the best thing happened for syria when they decided the leaders are not the russians or iranians. the iranians have toppled four arab capitals. what does that mean to us?ll if you allow iran to develop and eco-weapon, i think he will do that. if you allow him to turn the middle east upside down, it will hurt us. hezbollah is supported by assad. if they dominate damascus and put their puppet assad in power, they're never going to accept that and israel is in a world of -- >> tucker: no offense, but the assad has been empowered for a long time. the assad family. supported by the iranians.

today they are back in damascus. >> we did everything by the book. we always lived by the rules all our life. i'm saddened and heart broken because they were sent back to the war zone. >> immigration attorneys are now helping the family figure out what to do next. today president trump defended his executive order saying it's not about religion, it's about terror. christie ileto joins us from the satellite center with more. >> donald trump fired back saying this is about securing our screening policies. clearly, not everyone is sold. >> donald trump held against those calling this a ban on muslims saying this is not about religion. it's about terror and keeping our country safe. the order stops muslims from seven countries from entering the u.s. 90 days. >> if they are folks that shouldn't be in this country, they'll be detained. while they fire back at critics, contention has erupted at airports, especially about green card holders that will be allowed into the u.s. but may face extra questions. >> apologize for nothing here. >> trump first pitched

suicide bombs blew up in front of their house in damascus. so, that's who they are. filled with promise of the american dream. donald trump seems to want us to believe that immigrants are either terrorists or criminals, but here, these people are who they are. look at the spaces. are they any kind of threat to america? they are the promise of america. so, we are here today. oh yes, this is also scriptural and we have the support of so many of the religious leaders of so many different they throughout the country. exodus 22-20. it admonishes us not to wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of egypt. matthew 25 in the new testament, i was hungry and you gave me something to eat. i was a stranger and you invited me in. and i'm reminded of pope francis, who asked us in terms frontl-clear to quote people who have been displaced by force with projects to protect their dignity, improve their quality of life, and face the challenges emerging from modern forms of persecution and slavery. so, mr. president i'm here to tell you we will fight this. many

says that left around 4 million people in damascus with acute water shortages. but now state media report a deal has been reached between the government and the militias, engineers have now been allowed to access that area. and to get the water flowing back through that nation's capital. >>> in west africa, we are getting word ivory coast's government has reached an agreement with mutiny soldiers. this is according to the defense ministry, although cnn has not been able to confirm the troops have accepted the deal. the agreement would end a dispute over bonus pavementpaym. a some soldiers say they were promised $8,000 and a house for helping to bring the current president to power after disputed elections in 2010. >>> this is "cnn newsroom." still ahead, the obama girls. they grew up in the white house. the whole world was watching. under a microscope in fact. and now they're getting advice about moving on from another pair of presidential daughters. it is 4:47 on the u.s. east coast. this is "cnn newsroom" and we are glad to have you with us. y . i did my ances

suicide bombs blow up in front of their house in damascus. so, that is who they are. filled with promise and the american dream. seems to want us to believe that immigrants are either terrorists or criminals. these people are who they are. look at these faces. are they any kind of threat to america? no, they are the promise of america. so, we are here today, oh yes. i just wanted to, this is also scriptural. we have the support of so many of the religious leaders throughout the country. exodus 22:20. it admonishes us not to wrong or oppress a stranger, "for you were strangers in the land of egypt." matthew 25 in the new testament, "i was hungry and you gave me something to eat. i was a stranger and you invited me in." and i'm reminded of pope francis, who asked us in terms crystal-clear to "confront the reality of those who have been -- in order to protect their dignity, improve their quality of life," -- this is the pope speaking -- "and face the challenges emerging from modern forms of persecution, oppression and slavery." , so, mr. president, i'm here to tell you w

just clipping upper montgomery near damascus. temperatures are significantly colder than at this time yesterday. we're down 17 in the last 24 hours from yesterdays temps. 21 colder in fredericksburg with the actual temps from 47 in reedville to a 41 in winchester. and teens in the mountains with plenty of snow. sunshine and clouds, 43. but with that wind it feels like 35. in the cold spots right now windchills are down in the upper 20s. and while it's cold, it's not horribly cold. there's no arctic air. and really cime soon. we've got the cold. cold enough for a bunch of snow showers up here in ontario down through our neck of the woods but that's about it. other than some flurries and snow showers at times a pretty quiet pattern. 48 today, maybe more like 46. a few flurries and snow showers. 43 tonight it'll still be breezy. saturday 46. flurries possible sunday, 43. now monday may see a few more flurries and snow showers. we'll warm up tuesday to the upper 40s with a mix of rain and snow showers on wednesday. 45 and blustery ag

syrian government but also the shia militias supporting them, who advanced of the woman in eastern damascus and have retaken a few towns there. —— advanced of the government. is there any optimism at all, we have seen so many peace plans, that 2017 might be a year when this dreadful civil war would come to an end? well, ben there were lots of hopes when the plan was announced by russia on thursday, just to say that there would be a nationwide ceasefire followed by meetings in kaza khsta n ceasefire followed by meetings in kazakhstan between the government and opposition and if everything goes well, there would be us—backed talks in geneva. the details of the plan are very optimistic, the russians are trying to find a political solution to the settlement. of course they are trying to win the time before a new us administration comes into office but the continuous violations by the syrian government, backed mainly by iranian and shia militias, are putting things at stake. we have not seen anything from the russian side that signed and approved of the ceasefire. so the ball is in the han

and the would be immigrants back in damascus. >> it was a shock to hear they were sent back the way they were. it's unamerican and unledgecal not to give them a phone call or interpreter. >> they say that the government should pay for a return flight. >> they be returned at government expense and we expect that say remedy that is required under federal law. >> so one suit has been filed and another is on its way the remedy being sought is that the government reinstates the revok revoked visas and pays for the return trip to the u.s. >> president trump will announce his pick for the supreme court tonight. that announcement is scheduled for 8:00 and you can watch it live here on channel 6. >>> closer to home burlington county authorities say that a woman beat her husband to death with a fire extinguisher. police have charged tinsly for the murder of her 74-year-old husband. it happened on hancock lane in willingboro yesterday and the motive is still under investigation. >>> philadelphia officials are trying to find out what caused this morning's destructive fire in the narrow streets of ol

saturday they were detained at the airport their immigrant visas were canceled, now they are back in damascus. >> we have done everything by the book and by the rules and america wanted us, we've always lived by the rules all our life. i was saddened and heartbroken because they had to be sent back to the war zone. >> immigration attorneys are helping the family figure out what to do next. >> david we have schools on school closing list at 6abc.com, delaware and new jersey. >> reporter: that's where the snow is now. storm tracker 6 live double scan it's mainly light we're seeing road coverage in parts of south jersey, where you're seeing the brighter shades of white. most of this is south of philadelphia. if you're planning traveling up and down the i-95 corridor, it's going to be light snow showers, the farther south you go through south jersey, the better chance you have of snow sticking to the roads. i could see that happening in the atlantic city expressway and route 55. see that changeover to rain around cape may, where we have managed to keep the temperatures on the point a bit above fr

they say it's in response to the government's continued shelling including a town that is close to damascus. they also cite other violations. that's go to our correspondent in beirut. say thee rebels government is completely ignoring the cease-fire. released ahave where they named a number of places where they say the government is committing violations. one of them is getting the most attention. says the islamic state group is not included in the cease-fire but neither is that calls itself -- they say there are fighters from this group in that area. i spoke to the head of the syrian observatory for human rights, and he saiaid as far ase is concerned, there are fighters from that group in that area, fighters,% of those which would perhaps justify the that they position are still carrying out assaults there. we spoke of the heads of one of political wings of a division of the free syrian army and he suggest there could be another reason behind this pullout from the talks, which is basically that h he doesn't thik the russians arere capable of controlling the iranian b backed shia militia who

. >> reporter: they're now back in damascus, their green cards revoked, while they wait for them in the u.s. but not everyone in allentown agrees with the order. he voted for president trump, partly because he vowed to make national security a top priority. >> i wanted him to try to make america safe. >> reporter: that campaign promise hit closer to home than they ever imagined. they both also voted for mr. trump. >> reporter: if the president were watching right now, what would you say to him? >> i would say why. what is your human side to send somebody into a war zone? we're all with him. i definitely want to be in a safe place, but people need us, and we need to be there for them. >> reporter: tonight it's not clear when they'll see their family again. but one thing is certain, their home will be waiting. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, allentown, pennsylvania. >>> i'm richard engle in iraq with the sharif family who four years ago left everything they knew behind and got on a plane heading for their new home in america. they only got as far as their layover in cairo where a gatekeeper tol

he came from saasaa, a town near syria's capital, damascus. his family is well-to-do and loyal to syria's president, assad. via a low-quality internet connection to syria, jaber's older brother allaa provides an interview. >> jaber had no extremist tendencies. he was normal like all of us, we -- like all of us. we pray and fast, play cards and smoke a water pipe. >> jaber is alledged to have gotten into trouble at his syrian university for criticizing president assad. he fled syria in november 2014, arriving in germany three months later. he told me about two imams in germany who where recruiting for jihad. i first noticed a change when he said he often went to them for friday prayers. he could have simply prayed at home. but he preferred to travel four hours to berlin. >> it wasn't the police who captured al-bakr, but the syrians mohammed, ahmed, and sami. they don't want to show their faces. their families live in areas controlled by is and they fear revenge. we meet in an undisclosed location and they tell us how , they captured al-bakr. >>

he came from saasaa, a town near syria's capital, damascus. his family is well-to-do and loyal to syria's president, assad. via a low-quality internet connection to syria, jaber's older brother allaa provides an interview. alaa: jaber had no extremist tendencies. he was normal like all of us -- we pray and fast, play cards, and smoke a water pipe. >> jaber is alledged to have gotten into trouble at his syrian university for criticizing president assad. he fled syria in november 2014, arriving in germany three months later. alaa: he told me about two imams in germany who where recruiting for jihad. i first noticed a change when he said he often went to them for friday prayers. he could have simply prayed at home, but he preferred to travel four hours to berlin. >> it wasn't the police who captured al-bakr, but the syrians mohammed, ahmed, and sami. they don't want their faces shown. their families live in areas controlled by i.s., and they fear revenge. we meet in an undisclosed location, and they tell us how they captured al-bakr. mohammed: he

he came from saasaa, a town near syria's capital, damascus. his family is well-to-do and loyal to syria's president, assad. via a low-quality internet connection to syria, jaber's older brother allaa provides an interview. >> jaber had no extremist tendencies. he was normal like all of us, we -- like all of us. we pray and fast, play cards and smoke a water pipe. >> jaber is alledged to have gotten into trouble at his syrian university for criticizing president assad. he fled syria in november 2014, arriving in germany three months later. >> he told me about two imams in germany who where recruiting for jihad. i first noticed a change when he said he often went to them for friday prayers. he could have simply prayed at home. but he preferred to travel four hours to berlin. >> it wasn't the police who captured al-bakr, but the syrians mohammed, ahmed, and sami. they don't want to show their faces. their families live in areas controlled by is and they fear revenge. we meet in an undisclosed location and they tell us how , they captured al-bakr.