Ifill plus, in egypt, a pivotal vote on a new constitution stirs violence, and exposes deep divisions along the road of democracy. The outcome of this weeks vote, the turnout as well as the margin, is sure to be read as a referendum on egypts turn under the militaryappointed government. Ifill those are just some of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by theres a saying around here you stand behind what you say. Around here, we dont make excuses, we make commitments. And when you cant live up to them, you own up and make it right. Some people think the kind of accountability that thrives on so many streets in this country has gone missing in the places where its needed most. But i know youll still find it, when you know where to look. And by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. And with the ongoing support of these
Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. And the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. And. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff our lead story tonight the president made ready for a doubleedged assignment tonight, to address the nation with the case for a military strike on syria, and at the same time leave the door open to a diplomatic solution that could avoid it all this as russia pushed efforts for syria to surrender control of its chemical arsenal, and the u. S. Insisted on verification. Well have more on syria, right after the other news of the day. Ifill the days news on syria was a tonic for wall street. Stocks rallied as it app
Gwen, what a wild 24 hours it has been from where the administration was yesterday to where it is right now. Ifill the administration has a very clear goal tonight. The president has to answer what it is he wants the American People to support, why he needs to sipt it and how he does it. Its unclear how. Woodruff and this fine like hes walking for making the case for military action at the same time hes saying we need to leave the window open for a diplomatic solution if that is doable. Ifill he has a lot of audiences out there, the American People who are very skeptical about it as well as the International Community to want to take those weapons and isolate them. Its really very tough. Were waiting to see whether its possible for him to do all those things, judy. Woodruff thats right. I believe this is the first time in several years the president has made a speech from the white house, and here he is now. My fellow americans, tonight i want to talk to you about syria. Why it matters
It was extremely broad in its escape and there was no language in it about, first, trying to pursue a diplomatic solution. Senator susan collins, republican of maine, thank you for joining us. Thank you. Woodruff next, to the nuts and bolts of how to make a diplomatic deal work and put syrias chemical weapons under international control. For that we turn to jeffrey brown. Brown its a stockpile thats believed to be the largest in the world, a prewar map compiled by the Monterey Institute shows where syrias chemical weapons and production facilities were thought to be, spread through the western half of the country. Definitive information on the Current Situation is much harder to come by. To walk us through we turn to charles duelfer, a top u. N. Weapons inspector in iraq during the 1990s, after the u. S. Invasion in 2003, he led the c. I. A. s Iraq Survey Group which continued to look for weapons of mass destruction. Hes author of hide and seek the search for truth in hes author of hid
U. S. Officials set to work to secure a deal that would allow the International Community to take control of syrias chemical weapons. At the same time, the Obama Administration has been lobbying members of congress, urging them to authorize the use of force. Gwen, what a wild 24 hours it has been from where the administration was yesterday to where it is right now. Ifill the administration has a very clear goal tonight. The president has to answer what it is he wants the American People to support, why he needs to sipt it and how he does it. Its unclear how. Woodruff and this fine like hes walking for making the case for military action at the same time hes saying we need to leave the window open for a diplomatic solution if that is doable. Ifill he has a lot of audiences out there, the American People who are very skeptical about it as well as the International Community to want to take those weapons and isolate them. Its really very tough. Were waiting to see whether its possible for