outlined the help assad is getting from iran. weapons and computer expertise to root out opposition. their own people. barbara starr is there tonight. and robert bair, and even though we have word of more defections from the syrian army, you re hearing that assad has a firm grip on power in syria? absolutely. i spoke with three separate senior u.s. intelligence officials. the assessment is all in agreement. assad remains in control, in charge. commanding his forces. there is no break. they believe, in the inner circle around him. you see these defections. you see some generals fleeing, but this is not his critical inner circle. they have closed ranks, they have determined to fight. they have tucked themselves into it. one of the officials says they re fighting an insurgency, and they believe right now that they will win. and sadly, anderson, the opposition remains fractured and unable to really mount an effective counteroffensive, according to the officials. so does it su
situation for any late changes. this report coming from our state correspondent. it s one of many new developments tonight on many different fronts. two things remain constant. dozens of people are being murdered, killed every day and the assad regime continues to lie about it. in fact, they re finding new ways to lie about it. especially the two journalists killed in homs yesterday and whose bodies are trapped there. the government blaming them for dying in the conditions they created. also claiming they re not targeting journalists or civilians, only terrorists. the second statement is a flat out lie. one of the journalists, marie colvin did the last reporting on our program. we spoke to her hours before she was killed. a new rort out from u.n. investigators, sfie pages that read like an indictment of the assad regime. forces have committed widespread systematic and gross human rights violations amounting to crimes against humanity. with the apparent knowledge and consent o
two things remain constant. dozens of people are being murdered, killed every day and the assad regime continues to lie about it. in fact, they re finding new ways to lie about it. especially the two journalists killed in homs yesterday and whose bodies are trapped there. the government blaming them for dying in the conditions they created. also claiming they re not targeting journalists or civilians, only terrorists. the second statement is a flat out lie. one of the journalists, marie colvin did the last reporting on our program. we spoke to her hours before she was killed. a new rort out from u.n. investigators, sfie pages that read like an indictment of the assad regime. forces have committed widespread systematic and gross human rights violations amounting to crimes against humanity. with the apparent knowledge and consent of the highest levels of the state. the report notes the opposition of the syrian army committed abuses and not comparable in scale to those carried o
brooke, thanks very much. happening now, riveting new details, the rough draft about president obama s jobs speech. what we re learning about the plan he unveiled tomorrow night and whether he has new ideas that will sound either bold or timid. also, rick perry s first test on the presidential debate stage. he got a late ride into this race, but he s moving very quickly right now at the start of his presidential campaign. tonight, he has something, of course, to prove. plus, one of america s biggest malls prepares to be the target potentially of a terror attack. it s a valuable lesson in being ready for the worst ten years after 9/11. and get this, it costs next to nothing. i m wolf blitzer, you re in the situation room. this is cnn breaking news. we ll get to that in a moment. but we re just learning here at cnn that the former united states ambassador to the united nations bill richardson was scheduled to land just a little while ago in havana, cuba on a very
unexpectedly stealerized and is in front of cameras in tripoli. the opposition forces claimed they had him in custody. apparently not. in any case, not anymore. here s some of what he had to say. translator: there have led through the sea and through other means, people who are sabotage and you could see the people of libya are standing and had to have break the spine of those gangsters and rats, just today we will go in the hot spots of tripoli in tripoli an and we will reassure the people that things are fine in libya. now we re going to go on a walk about in tripoli and in the places where they said there has been they have actually seized from us. then he said, the hell with the oscc. a short time later, as the dictator s son was about to leave matthew chance caught up with him one-on-one. we broke the backbone of the rebels. so we re winning. and now, let s go, let s go together to the hottest places in tripoli, okay? it s very hot. you want to go? go, take t