0 was revered as an example of service and excellence. he wrote the best-selling auto biography, "american sniper," published by harper collins. that book detailed his 150-plus kills of insurjsents. texas authorities say 25-year-old eddy ray root is the shooter. he is believed to have shot the victims at 3:30, fleeing the lodge area in a ford pickup truck. a 911 call didn't come in until 5:30 or so in the afternoon. the motive is unclear, but a local station is saying that he suffered post traumatic stress disorder. the men had taken him to the range for help and he turned on the them and shot them in the back. the lancaster police took the suspect into custody after a brief pursuit. eddy ray root was taken to the the latest on this very odd and sad situation, later in our program. >> jamie: there are new developments to tell but in the growing crisis with syria. it's very close ally iran. syrian president is meeting with top iranian officials and assuring his ally that the syrian military is capable of confronting any aggression against his country. this is new video of president assad and the supreme court council of iranian security. assad referencing an israeli airstrike within his borders on wednesday. syrian tv releasing the video that shows the attack. we can't confirm the video. but u.s. officials say the attack targeted a convoy that was believed to be delivering anti-aircraft weapons to hezbollah. meanwhile, israeli's defense minister predicting the falof the syrian regime. >> i should admit, since you mentioned, most imminent and >> jamie: but realistically, is iran listening? they have defied sanctions -- they do their own thing. >> they are on a campaign. >> since we were youcprak otherg the suez canal, to replenish hezbollah's reserves. they are working to make sure that hez bowlal receive missiles and anti-aircraft missiles for a potential next round with the israelis, in the same way they have equipped hamas to engage with the israelis. iran is on a campaign and it is not stopping. assad has refused to leave and fails to fall. do you expect retaliation for that attack? >> i don't think -- knowing what the assad regime has been doing, in terms of strategy for 30 years -- the father and the son -- i would want expect that the syrian army would engage the israeli army head on. what they'll try to do, most likely, is hathey have done in the past, ask hezbollah or hamas or other terrorist, jihaddist groups that are pro-syrian to strike against israel. this could be in israel but this could be worldwide or regionally. that's the meaning of the statements. >> jamie: how concerned are you with the chemical weapons and the nuclear weapons that are available to syria, decly with iran and tehran's support and the risk to israel and other nations? >> well, the syrian military has middle-range, long-range missiles that can cover israel. israel knows that. they have wmd, in terms of chemical and biological, they paraded them in the past. now they are careful want to use them against the israelis unless it would be with the iranians and hezbollah. this would be full-fledged war. that's not what assad is thinking about. he is afraid the weapons will fall into the hands of insurgents against him. >> jamie: i have heard that rushia is involved now in contacting the rebel forces in sirria. what could russia accomplish in this? >> unfortunately, not mush. unfortunately, we are not accomplishing much in put approximating pressure on assad to go down. we had the opportunity in 2011, remember, we were in iraq. the regime was surround from the north 30 from the south, jordan and from the east, iscprak from the mediterranean sea. once we left, we have less possibility to pressure him. the russians have less possibility because they cannot offer the fall of assad. i think we are for a long-range struggle in syria. >> jamie: we will be talking about it again then. thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. >> eric: president obama says it's washington's fault, the latest explanation for the gridlock in washington and has been over the last 3 years. now here's the thing -- remember i told you this was a choice that we have to make? because what is holding us back right now is not that we don't have good answers for how we could grow the economy faster or put more people back to work. the problem is we have a stalemate in washington. this week, we received the 50 estimate of america's economic growth and it reminded us that bad decisions in washington can get in the waive our economic progress. >> eric: the president blames republicans, the republicans blame the president. who is to blame? both? we have the chair of the foreign pac and outreach director for john mccain for president and a congressman from pennsylvania. ford, you heard the litany from the president. after all, he is the commander in chief. he is the president... in charge? >> the president is the biggest obstac toll private-sector job growth in america right now. he seem, to we can tax, spend and regulate ourselves to prosperity. the private sector is asking for certainty. because the president doesn't want to pass a budget or modernize spending for bietlements. he is the big issue. it is up to him to take a long look in the mirror. i agree that congress has played a role. he needs to stop worrying about destroying republicans and start worrying about growing the economy. >> eric: joe, is that true? is he the biggest obstacle? >> the president is the steward of the overall economy. but both leaders of both parties have to look themselves in the mirror and they do -- look. there are two issues to focus upon, very pragmatic. the first is the star runningback. small businesses. a few years ago, we us to have 36 new small businesses that create 60% of all new jobs for every 10,000 citizens. today, we have 18, exactly half new businesses starting up each year. we should relieve small businesses of tax costs, they create the jobs for the spectators in the stadium. number 2, the debt -- both parties should have said, we do a principled compromise, like the simpson-bowles debt commission said. we know we need $4 trillion in debt reduction -- not this year, but over 8 years because our economy is fragile. the proof is last quarter, the defense department, our u.s. government spending decreased 22%. the impact was 1.3% less growth. this is a memo out in the defense department where one month furlough will be done for all civilians because as ford said, both parties can't come together in the $1 trillion sequestration or the debt ceiling. they get the problems down the road-- that's the problem -- >> well, joe. that is true. but the point about small business driving the economy. what is the biggest impediment? $1 trillion in new taxes that the president has imposed and also obamacare. let's be honest. the senate democrats don't move without the white house's okay -- >> well, actually i. the president needs to pass a budget and get serious, honestly about the debt and the regulation. he has 6,000 new regulations on the epa web site that i promise are going to hinder small business growth. i agree with you. both parties are to claim. but the president needs to take an honest look in the mirror. >> eric: how do we break this? where do you go for daylight? how do we get rid of the gridlock? >> if i could, thank you. i think we need to look at this in perspective. we know during the bush era, there were more epa regulations passed in the first four years of president obama's tenure. the real issue is, what small businesses want is access to capital. we have $4 tril trillion in our banks and our corporations that are not being spent because they say there is uncertainty about whether congress can resolve our issues with the president. so we need to have congress come together and stop finger-pointing. if we could have, which i believe is a good speaker, mr. boehner, who wanted to do a bipartisan compromise, with a good president, president obottom aand follow debt commission, we will give certainty to t. the health care bill decreases maul businesses' health care cost this is year with a 30% tax credit and 50% beginning in 2014. so that decreases -- [overlapping dialogue] >> i think you are glossing over how obamacare's going to hurt small business. most of obamacare doesn't kick in until 2018. so there is no certainty for the small businesses, that's why they can't get access to capital. because they don't know what the loping-term costs are going to be. i agree with you that coming and the white house has to come and get t. but i don't think the white house is looking in the mirror and being honest with its role in this. i think that in all certainty, they have to stop proposing reg eulogies that are crippling growth. >> vione last thing. i want to make sure that the fact goes out there. obamacare goes into effect in 2014, with the exception in 2018, the only change that year is instead of the government paying from the federal side, 100% of all changes in medicaid, it goes down to 90%, that's the only change in the law. so it is out there -- thank you for the opportunity to say the facts. >> eric: we have to do something. somebody's got to do something -- [overlapping dialogue] >> i agree with joe that congress and particularly the republicans in the house need to step up and propose it. but the white house has to get serious. >> eric: step up, both sides. everybody, step up. that's the message. >> that's the message. >> eric: thanks a lot, guys. now, to remembering ed koch. he was beloved for his approach to life. if he was in washington now, high would get something done am you can see his attitude 39 years ago, when i interviewed him in 1974 for public access cable temperature that was cable tv then. i was 16 years old. i was in high school. he was the liberal democratic congressman. during the interview, he said that president nixon should resign. he predicted if he decorates he would be impeached and he had well-known canned noraddressing the men who did support, george mcgovern, who he called the worst. >> life in public, george mcgovern was too radical. they thought his ideas were not well thought out... he was not the best candidate from our point of view. i voted for him and cam paped for him. but looking at it very realistically and candidly, he was the worst candidate who could have taken at the time. >> eric: that was 3 years before he would run for mayor. he explained -- why he wanted that job. >> i really love the city of new york. i was born in the bronx and i now live in manhattan. i actually live one block off washington square park. i really love the city very, very much. i prefer it to washington, to tell you the god's honest truth. i thought i would like to be the mayor. >> eric: ed koch, the irrepressible icon was 88 years old. the funeral is tomorrow. president clinton will be peeking. he will be missed. >> jamie: absolutely. all those years, he was terrific to cover. >> jamie: absolutely. we are taking a look at chicago, taking center stage in the debate over gun control as violence soars. we have a special guest, reverend jesse jackson is urging president obama to return to his hometown. reverend jackson will be live, telling us what he wants done in the windy city. >> eric: airlines are finding some new ways to lighten our wallets. man, oh, man, can you imagine the fees now. jamie will explain and tell us how we can avoid that. >> jamie: save moan, folks. i was in the ambulance and i was told to call my next of kin. at 33 years old, i was having a heart attack. now i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. 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