in congress the senate foreign relations committee voted in favor of the limited attack while the secretary of state testified before the house committee looking for support mr.. syria's neighbors are demanding international help to deal with 2 million refugees who have flooded across borders. what is called the worst humanitarian crisis in decades. and we begin with the latest from washington, d.c. the senate foreign relations city vote. randall pinkston has been following that story, and he joins us now live. >> john, it was a successful vote for the obama administration in trying to gain congressional support to prescribing in syria, 10-7. on the hour side it was rough sledding for team obama greated with a cloud of skepticism throughout the day, and at a time when congressional curtsy was tossed aside. as the hearing began, anti-war protesters held up red hands. in this exchange republican tomorrow moreno wanted to know who a strike would help. >> do you trust these week? >> well, that's not my business-- >> certainly it has to be the business because you're making decisions to go into war and put american lives at risk. >> we're not unaware of all the different groups with self interest-- >> excuse me sir, i think we are aware-- >> congressman let me respond to that. >> would you do it quickly. >> it's the focus is not on good guys, bad guys. the focus is on resolution-- >> i don't think good guys would be using the gas. >> reporter: house members, many of them opponents of the obama administration, went on the attack. here congressman duncan. >> you never have been one that advocated other than caution when involving u.s. forces and past conflicts. the same is true of the president or vice president. >> excuse me, i'm going to finish, congressman. i'm going to finish. i supported military action in any number of occasions, including grenada, panama, i could run a list of them, and i'm not going to sit here and be told by you that i don't have a sense of what the adjustment is with respect to this when the real issue here is whether or not the congress is going to stand up for international norms with respect to dictators that have only been broken twice until assad--hitler and saddam hussein. >> reporter: but republicans were not the only skeptics. even administration supporters insisted on limits. >> i hope my colleagues will join me in supporting such an authorization, but we should not give the president a blank check. the authorization measure must say the strike should of a limited nature and no boots on the ground. >> reporter: the syrian strike would not be aimed at ending the civil war, and as for cost, it could range in the tens of millions of dollars. the house drafted their own resolution, and nancy pelosi is saying it could take up to two weeks to complete the job. >> randall pinkston, tough talk in the house today. we're live in the capitol where we've been following the hearings in the senate, libby? >> we, that's right. we've seen a couple of days here of intense questions and answers. the white house really getting its perspective out through senators kerry and hagel, and then an opportunity for members to ask their questions and raise their concerns. and members, john, still have a lot of questions. they're not done yet. we'll see a lot of intelligence briefings over the next few days, tomorrow and on monday. one congressman, gregory meeks, a liberal democrat of new york said he needs to find out more answers. some of the classified information. his constituents back home have a lot of concerns, and he's still wrestling with what to do. >> the hardest vote for anyone in congress, and i know it is for me, is to determine whether or not we should authorize the use of military choice, that is a vote of conscience. to vote just because the president happens to be a democrat or republican or, etc. it's a vote of consciousness and what you think is the right thing to do so you can sleep at night. now you give the president of the united states, you give him a head start because you believe--i believe that the president of the united states wants to do the right thing for the united states, and he's not one who is trying to hurry in into war. i start at that premise. he has a head start because he is the president of the united states, and he may have more information than i have, but it's my job to seek for as much of it as i can get so i can make a decision. even if my co constituents disae with them, i should be able to explain to them why i voted yes or no. >> the big concern is whether this is an unilateral effort. the u.s. cannot go it alone. he wants to see more worldwide support. but the congress has no control over that. >> let's talk about the senate vote, any surprises? >> well, we didn't see things break down along party lines, nor did we expect to, but some members who had some intense questions today ended up voting no. one of them was tom udall of new mexico, a democrat, he put forward an amendment to the resolution, they were able to pass today that did not make it through. his resolution went a little farther in terms of limiting american involvement. what senator udall wanted to do was make sure that american troops would not be in syrian waters or air space. they said look, at a time you're tying the hands of the white house, and you have to give them some muscle and decision-making power. this is an indicator that this is going to get stickier when we get to the house. >> thank you very much. the focus of congress is on syria, with me is congressman jim mcdermott. it's good to see you and thank you for being with us. >> it's good to be here. >> so what was your reaction today to the vote in the senate? >> well, it said one thing that i think people have wondered. this is not going to be a party line vote. this is the toughest vote that any member of the congress that are in the house or the senate has to make. that is acceptin sending people. it is not something that you decide on party or who the president is or anything is or anything else. you think about the 750,000 people you represent, and try to represent what you think is the best thing for them. and you got a split vote in the senate. i think that's what is going to happen in the house. a very split vote. >> i know you've been opposed to war at times in the past. how do you stand on this? >> well, i'm leaning no, i don't think going in--but i'm one who--i'm a physician, and i believe you continue to gather as much information as you can so that you can make the best decision on behalf of your people. i think that the thing that i worry about most is not how do you limit what kind of action you take, and what do you have five days later when it's over? if we have a widening of the war because iran has gotten into it or russia or something else, that is going to be a disaster. i'm really worried about what we have five or ten days later. you remember when we went into iraq we were supposed to be out in 60 days. >> so, speaking of information and gathering information, what are the people in washington state who are your constituents saying? >> my constituents have been almost unanimous against the war. our phone calls were something like 300-4 or 5 who were in support of doing something. our e-mails are running much the same. the feeling in the public is that the case has not been made as to how you stop saddam or assad from doing what he's doing by a limited airstrike with no boots on the ground. how does that work? i think people say i just can't believe it's going to do any good. it's liable to inflame the situation. >> you know, it's ironic when you slipped up san and said sad, was it because of the actions before that people are so skeptical, do you think? >> i don't think there's any question. i think many of us who went through the run up to the war in iraq have the same feeling that we have now. people are telling us with very good assurance that they have the best evidence possible, and that there is nothing to worry about. and yet that's what colin powell told us when he went to the united nations. we come away from it asking ourselves, do we know everything? do we know enough? are they doing this--it's hard to understand why we're doing it now. >> what if congress doesn't vote to attack syria? what does the president do then? >> well, then he has probably the most difficult decision in his whole career because he will have gone against the will of the people. the members of the house, if we vote this down, as they did in the british parliament, he will then have to say i'm going to do it anyway, and how he explains that, and whatever happens as a result of it could be very difficult for this country. it is not a situation--i don't envy him. i really feel for him in the depth of his--because he's concerned, and he loves the country, and believes that we should do something. >> let me push you a little harder. what else do you need to make up your mind about this? >> well, i have to have the feeling that we've exhausted every single diplomatic thing that we can do. we should be, in my view--in fact, i think that if you remember george bush sent colin powell up to the united nations and gave a speech. as a result of that speech the vote in the house was to support going into iraq. i think that the president has to be willing. he says he's sure. he has to be willing to go to the united nations, lay his case out in front of the united nations in the general assembly, and let that--let the world see. because right now there is an awful lot of people who don't believe, and don't think we've tried everything. we haven't done enough diplomatically and so forth. this is not just bomb or doing nothing. there really ought to be a focus on the issue. >> let's play that out. britain says no, and let's argue that the united states government says no. then he goes to the united nations, it says no, what choice does he have? >> i think he would go to the united nations first before he went to the congress. i think he would lay his case before the world. and he may decide to lay his case before the world on television in the united states. at some point he has got to layout all the reasons why we are doing it. you see, i didn't know until very recently that there had been a number of small incidents that had gone on before. nothing was done about them. finally on this day when there were whatever, 1400 people killed, suddenly now we're going to do something. so he has to lay that case for the american people so they understand how diplomatically they try to deal with this, and force saddam--excuse me, assad to the table to come to some sort of agreement. the russians and the united states have the power to end this thing. >> you speak of the russians, the president is on his way to the g-20 summit, and he'll run into vladimir putin. it doesn't sound like he can convince vladimir putin. what does he say to the other leaguers? >> i think he has to spent time with vladimir putin and get him at a table to start talking about it. the russians clearly have a very strong tie to syria. they have a port for their navy on the coast of the mediterranean in syria, so they have a lot of reasons that they want to support the assad government. i think the president has to leave with dealing with putin, he has to talk to everybody else, of course, but he really is--his prime object has to be mr. putten. >> congressman mcdermott from washington state, thank you for talking with us. putin called secretary john kerry a liar. he made the charge for what kerry had to say about al-qaida's presence in syria. >> i have watched debates in strong. the congressman asked mr. kerry. is there al-qaida? people say they have got an stronger. kerry said no. they know about this. it was not pleasant for me to see this. we communicate with them and assume that they are decent people. he lies openly that he knows that he lies. this is sad. >> well, that attack on john kerry came hours after president obama arrived at the g-20 summit. al jazeera's barnaby phillips has more on the already icy relationship between the two leaders. >> well, leaders arrive in st. petersburg for the summit that might highlight the glaring dinnerses between thedifferencee issues of the day. putin does not look like a man ready to compromise with the united states over syria. >> i have watched the debates in congress, and when they asked secretary kerry if there is al-qaida in syria, i say no, and they are not there. i don't like see iting this. we communicate with them, but he lies openly. and he knows that he lies. >> but the american president topping in sweden on route to the summit speak as if it is needed. >> my credibility is not on the line. the international community's credibility is on the line. congress' credibility is on the line. >> in damascus, syria speeches anspeaks indefiant action. >> the syrians will never compromise their independence and sovereignty. syria has a right to react according to the u.n. charter as such an aggression is not justified in the international law. >> the former agenda in the at e commit focuses on finance and populous of the largest countries in the world, but those issues are likely to be overshadowed by the syrian crisis. there are many here who believe russia and the western powers could provide vast differences in their approach to syria. >> it seems to be an impossible challenge in st. petersburg. leaders will try to find a consensus that has been so elusive in two long years of fighting in syria. al jazeera, st. petersburg. >> we have much more of our coverage on syria here on al jazeera. a call for international help as thousands of refugees stream out of syria. plus what syrians living here in the united states think about the military strike against their homeland. re# #a# #d# #y# ##fo# #r# ## al jazeera america - a new voice in american journalism - >>introduces america tonight. >>in egypt, police fired teargas at supporters of the ... >>a fresh take on the stories that connect to you. [[voiceover]] they risk never returning to the united states. >>grounded. >>real. >>unconventional. [[voiceover]] we spent time with some members of the gangster disciples. >>an escape from the expected. >>i'm a cancer survivor. not only cancer, but brain cancer. >> welcome back to al jazeera. foreign ministers were syria's neighbors are warning the refugee crisis is getting worse if the world doesn't offer more help. the ministers met in geneva to ask for more aid. and if there is an attack, thousands will follow. >> all actions of refugee flows need to cease. a political solution to end this cycle of horror is urgently needed. there is no humanitarian solution to the syria crisis rather than it needs to be a political solution to end the humanitarian crisis. >> the situation in lebanon is becoming very alarming, it's alarming on the security level, on the social level, on the economic level, and i think that so far the response of the international community to this crisis is frustrating. >> if this violence against civilians continues like before and if there is no international reaction to it, we are scared that all the neighboring countries will be facing much bigger numbers of refugees. >> the u.n. said more than 600,000 syrian refugees are already in lebanon alone, and al jazeera's reports from beirut, the influx is creating friction between the newcomers and the locals. >> one in every five people in lebanon is a syrian. many of them have settled in overcrowded neighborhoods like this one. they live in local population, but they can't help escape the feeling of not being welcome. >> the lebanese feel we have taken away opportunities. they feel we're doing jobs that should be theirs. >> even before the turmoil in their country began syrians would work in menial jobs but now there is a competition in an already weak labor market. syrians have opened shot shops d accept lower salaries. it's something that lebanese resent. >> their presence has changed our lives for the worse. most of them are not refugees but workers who brought their families here. the lebanese government is not taking care of them. >> but not all refugees are able to make ends meet and rental prices have increased. a small room in this slum cost $300 a month. those who cannot afford to play live in buildings under construction. >> it is clear after talking to people here there are tensions between the syrians and the lebanese community. officials have said those tensions are reach a dangerous level. the government is now worried that there will have to deal with a new influx of >> they have seen bombings, kidnappings and other incidents linked to the syrian war. this country has not been able to stay out of the conflict. lebanon is divided and its people have taken sides across their border. >> we don't want to make any problems, but many are already causing problems and they always blame the syrians. >> some feel the presence of the syrian versus contributes have e problem here. not just manage the number of refugees but syrians are increasingly looked upon as a security problem in a country already under threat. al jazeera beirut. >> the fear of an attack is spreading. we're in lebanon, robert, what are you hearing about refugees? >> well, john, it's a situation that as zena's piece just portrayed is very tense. the lebanese government has asked the world bank to texas the u.n. for funds. they fear this is a situation that will grow even mother out f control than it already has. there are many issues from health, trade, tore unfortunatelytourism.the lebanet know what to do. and if there is a strike, they fear more will come in. now 5 million plus is the estimation, the situation on the ground here is of deep concern. the lebanese people are looking for answers from their government, which, in fact, has not been a fully functional government since april of this year, john. >> robert, just one other quick question, can you tell us how the story is playing in lebanon? >> well, the story is playing incredibly deep. all eyes and ears are on this. in fact, if you walk around the streets of beirut, which is where we are, and in fact, right now it's about 3:30 in the morning so there are not a lot of out, but any cafe, restaurant, people are glued to their television, radios, wondering what will happen, what will the americans do? what will occur in the region? the country of lebanon doesn't want any more turmoil, to be honest with you. that's really the voice from the average lebanese citizen on the street of beirut. they're looking for help. >> robert ray in beirut tonight is joining us live. thank you very much. and joining us now from washington to talk more about the refugee crisis is janet mason, senior official with the u.n. refugee agency. thank you for joining us. give us your view now of this crisis. how big is it? >> the crisis is huge. as your correspondents have mentioned we have over 2 million syrians and the five countries that are hosting most of the refugees, fully half of them are children, and there is no sign of them abating. the shear numbers are huge, and the impact of the countries hosting the refugees is huge as well. lebanon is a perfect example, jordan, iraq, turkey, and even in egypt, tremendous impact on countries that are struggling any way. >> i want to you stand by for just one second. we'll take a break. this is the worst refugee chriss by all accounts in decades. we're be back with al jazeera right after this. >> welcome back to al jazeera. more than 2 million refugees streaming out of syria because of a possible attack on syria by the united states, and joining us to talk about this crisis is humanitarian crisis is janet mason with the u.n. refugee agency. you say this is a huge crisis. what can be done? >> what we're calling for, the agency and the governments in the region is a redoubling of international support both for the refugees and the government. let me be clear, the international community has been generous, particularly the u.s. government and u.s. people. but it's not enough. we're calling for increased commitment to humanitarian need and commitment. >> how much money do you need? >> well for the inside syria and outside of syria is a total of $5 billion just for this year alone. the humanitarian needs in the region are about $3 billion, and we're currently only 40% funded. there is a sizable gap there. >> so what happens? >> what happens is we try to get smarter with what we do with the funding. as i mentioned we're calling for greater humanitarian aid and development aid. when you think development aid you think of long-term poverty reduction efforts. what we need is both. we need the emergency life saving assistance being provided to the refugees, the syrian refugees, but we need development assistance to help the host communities and help them cope with the influx. lebanon is a perfect example. we're providing support to landlords who are hosting syrian refugees on their property. we're helping them to improve electricity and plumbing on their poverty so the syrian refugees will benefit and when the syrians go only, the landlords have that improvement on their property, so it's a win-win. >> in the meantime it's a tremendous challenge. thank you. our top story, secretary of state john kerry said the world is watching to see what action the u.s. will take on syria. kerry warned the consequences of doing nothing will be far greater than the risks of taking action. defense secretary chuck hagel and general chuck dempsey testified before a hearing that lasts four hours. >> i think it is the purpose that allows us to say with some confidence that our intent is to limit it. that's not to say that i discount the risk of escalation, which i can never discount, but i can tell you that we've mitigated it as low as possible. >> we're not dealing with a president who is hungering to invade another country or put boots on the ground. quite obviously his reluctance to do that is why we're here. >> let me begin, congressman, by challenging your proposition that i've never done anything except advocate caution because i volunteered to fight for my country, and that wasn't a cautious thing to do when i did it. >> mr. secretary-- >> when i was in the senate, i'm going to finish, congressman. i am going to finish. when i was in the united states senate i supported military action in any number of occasions including grenada, panama, i can run of list of them. and i'm not going to sit here and be told by you that i don't have a sense of what the judgment is with respect to this. we're talking about beam being killed by gas, and you want to talk about bengahzi and fast and furious. >> for now on how the world is reacting on the president's you urging for strike. what are we hearing? >> we know that france, germany and turkey and most of the arab lesion support president obama should there be a vote in congress to go ahead and do some kind of military action on syria, but we think it's very well worth knowing that actually out there th there in the widerd there are influential politicians saying hang on, the united states, hold on, because you could be getting yourself in a whole lot of trouble. now the president of russia, and you would except individual mirror putin would have something to say on any attack on syria. he has already called john kerry a liar. he said what the u.s. senate is legitimatizing aggression. we've all glued ourselves to the tv screens awaiting to see whether there is a sanction or not. what we should be talking about is absurd in principle. >> so we've also been talking about the iranian response, and whether there will be reaction there. what are we hearing from the iranians. >> the iranians are threatening israel in their rhetoric. this is the commander, he's called mohammedel ali fafari. you see there, an attack on syria a will mean imminent destruction of israel. and this is ban ki-moon, general secretary of the united nations. ban ki-moon's language is far more couched but just as urgent as we see coming from iran. ban ki-moon is calling on the u.n. to have the final say even though he knows the security council is hobbled. >> we've got kofi anen and he's weighing in now. >> he's leader of a group called the elders. it's a group of elder statesmen, if you like who spend their time working towards peace and human rights. kofi annan said every effort must be made to revent further blood shed and put an end to the conflict that has brutalized syria. and they are no nouri nouri ali said the hasty actions part response will be held accountable. >> it may start out to be a pinpoint cruise missiles strike, but it could escalate. now we are the former foreign secretary unfortunate unite unid kingdom, david owen said what starts small ends up large. and finally, john, it's worth noting the vast majority of the american people are against the strike on syria. of ten people asked six people say no, do not go ahead. >> john thank you for putting things in perspective for us tonight. thank you very much. another congressional hearing on syria again. code pink is asking the congress not to take action. they interrupted a senate hearing yesterday. medea benjamin is the founder of code pink and she joins us from our nation's capitol. >> thank you, good seeing. >> you thank you. >> what do you hope to accomplish. >> we represent the 60% of those who say this is crazy. this is not a priority of the united states. we can't afford more war. this will not help the syrian people. there are other venues to try that are not military, and so we were there--we consider ourselves the voice of sanity in the room. >> other than what you just described, what do you want to say with the hands that were raised up behind secretary of state john kerry? >> well, i'm just amazed to see the secretary of state john kerry being such a promoter of war. we thought he was going to be a real diplomat. he was pushing for peace stalks in israel-palestine, and then suddenly we think we need to rename him the secretary of war. we were there to say that blood will be on his hands if we go ahead with this. that there will be more syrians killed. there will be an escalation of the violence, and this was a an appeal to the congress people to recognize that they're supposed to represent us, the american people, don't put more bloods on our hands. >> you don't believe when secretary kerry says there won't be collateral damage, and there won't be boots on the ground, and this won't be a long---we won't get in a war with syria. >> been there, done that, john. this echos 2002 getting into the cake walk of iraq. we left the region in more miserable state than when we started these interventions, and this is a slippery slope that we should not allow our country to go again. >> should we allow the syrian government to continue gassing their people? >> no, i think the only positive thing is that we have the world's attention on two and a half years and over 100,000 people killed. let's use that. let's use the elders, the pope, the creative diplomascy, get everything at the table and demand cease-fire and stop selling reps to both sides and look for a political solution which is the only answer. >> you probably don't announce your protests, but other protests do you plan? >> we plan to be outside of the foreign affairs committee in the house tomorrow when they plan to be voting on this. we plan to be in congress every single day all of next week. we will be there. we're going to move our office to the rayburn cafeteria, and we hope to be visiting with lots and lots of congress people to tell them live to the public. we don't want another war. this is not the answer. >> medea benjamin who is sharing her view tonight from code pink. thank you. >> thank you. >> syrians living in the u.s. are speaking out on the possibility of an u.s. strike on the assad government. heidi zhou castro joins us in texas. heidi, what are they saying there? >> well, those syrians, john, told me earlier that they do support the u.s. intervention, but today i'm in waxahachie where a town hall meeting just wrapped where 60 americans applauded when the representative republican joe barton told them that he would vote against a military strike on syria. that's the opposite of what i heard earlier from this man, a syrian, who now calls the u.s. home, who said that the united states cannot afford to just watch and wait. the images we are seeing are not the same place ahmad grew up. >> syria should be a peaceful country, and we don't like to be involved in wars. >> reporter: but this is the syria the world now knows. matabi has been away from his homeland for 13 years. he's 47, lives in dallas where he leads the syrian diplomatic forum. an international network of syrian expats dedicated to ending the civil war. >> he killed women, kids, men and young people, the new generation is being killed for no reason. >> reporter: matabi ran a distribution business in syria. one day at work he came across some government documents he knew he would be punished for seeing. so he fled. >> i took my wife and my three children. >> just instantly overnight? >> i took them in the dark of night, and we fled to the united states. >> reporter: matabi is claiming asylum in the u.s. meanwhile the assad regime tortured his brother. >> broke his ear, hands, arms, nose. >> and they electrocuted his 72-year-old mother with a taser. so he said he's not surprised assad would use chemical weapons on his own people. >> they do whatever they want to do. that's the rule over there, their rules, not our rules. >> metabi wants congress to approve an u.s. military strike. he wants an international coalition to oust assad. >> if that regime falls everybody has to go back to build a new syria. >> he said he would return then to rebuild the country he loved. >> and of course you just heard one side of this very heated argument here at this town hall. we heard the other side where 60 individual voters told their representative very clearly they oppose any sort of u.s. intervention in syria. the reasoning, they told us, that the u.s. has enough domestic problems to address, and the conflict on the other side of the world is simply not a priority. >> heidi zhou astro in texas tonight. thank you. house speaker john boehner has turned down an offer from the russians for talks on syria. it's not clear how other congressional leaders will respond to the request. senator dick durbin is one of the senators who voted for an u.s. attack on syria, at the same time he criticized the united states government for misleading the americans on the war in iraq. he insisted that the situation in syria is very different. meanwhile it was another violent day in iraq. and we report on the growing numbers of attacks in that country. >> reporter: if we thought iraq had moved on from the violent days of the past, we're being proved wrong. on tuesday a number of car bombs tore through the capitol of baghdad, 11 in all. they went off in rapid succession, suggesting they were coordinated. we talked to people who were out and about in the wing. >> a powerful blast took place in the area. killing people. >> it targeted people who work to earn their living. they flew to the other side of the road. they're innocent people who work to live. >> reporter: but it wasn't just the south but the in the north and in the west. one of the worst attacks happened in the east, at a row of restaurant and shops. >> there was a checkpoint here and another one there. how does a car bomb drive to here? did they come from space? ty blame the government and security forces for the security breach. >> the number of bombings are rising and a number of them are sunni groups striking shia neighborhoods. more than 800 people were killed in the last month alone. >> the war in syria is affecting this country. in baghdad they say they're sending fighters into syria, and they are behind the car bombings they've seen in the last five to six months. there is a massive refugee crisis here in northern iraq, both of those are adding pressure to a country that is already a tinderbox. >> to the cleveland man who kidnapped three young women and raped them for nearly a decade committed suicide. he was found hanging in his prison cell tuesday night. an autopsy shows that he killed himself. the bus driver was serving a life sentence plus a thousand years for his crimes. bisi, the three victims didn't have much to say, but the community was speaking out. what was their reaction? >> the young women had nothing to say publicly about his suicide but i will tell you that a lot of people in this community were very vocal. behind me is the lot where ariel castro's home once stood. a lot of them came down and they have very strong opinions to share. on the 2000 block of seymour avenue in cleveland, flowers on an empty lot show no hint of a painful history of the house that once stood here. it was the home where ariel castro held three women captive for ten years a month after it was demolished, and a month after castro was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years in priso. >> i'm happy he's gone. i'i'm not happy to have a life gone, but that particular lif life--arresariel castro was an l person. >> authorities say castro hung himself in his prison cell tuesday night. after people stop here where castro beat and locked away three women for ten years. >> he should have suffered a little bit more because those girls suffered there for ten years, eleven and he didn't have the guts to suffer even a year. he took his life away. >> since his arrest in may castro spent barely four months behind bars. the prosecutor spoke out saying that castro was a coward. in terms of an investigation the ohio department of corrections, they're looking into this. back to you. >> bisi in cleveland. thank you. we're witamerica tonight, wy chen. >> a controversial figure a world away has stepped out of the shadow. in exile, he steps forwards and he now faces charges of of human rights abuse. why did he come back? >> i never thought in my mind that any day he would even take the chance of coming back, you know, but he did. haiti is the land of surprises, and shoot, that was a surprise to us. >> so when you testified in court, how hard was that? >> rough. >> the stunning reappearance and the conversation he had with america tonight special correspondent something that you'll only see here. >> thank you very much. well, record-breaking, tackle breaking, maurie jones drew is one of the smallest guys to play in the nfl, but he has got big game. >> you know, in some ways this is a sign that summer is over, the nfl is about to start, and it looks like we're just to the end of the summer but it will be an exciting year. we have sports. >> it's a better sign. i don't like the you can't wear white thing, but football is a great sign that summer is over. rookies are all the rage, 12 quarterbacks have started on opening day, and two more are about to join that list. e.j. manuel to go up against tom brady and the patriots. mamanuel underwent injured his . but now he's 100% now. >> i thought i was ready to go, as far as my knee, but if i had the chance to go out and play, i'd be ready for it. >> i would be lying if i was standing hear saying i don't expect him to do great things. that's why he's out there. >> i'm looking for greatness from myself all the time. i'm we have to go out there and execute our offense and defense will do their job, too. >> manuel won't be the only starter. the new york jets say they've starting second round pick geno smith when they open against tampa bay sunday. they say they have moved on from embattled and injured mark sánchez. 2005 does not seem like that long ago, until you do the math, and figure out eight years have elapsed. it's been an eight long years since the jacksonville jaguars have had a winning season despite having one of the best running backs in football. we sit down with maurice jones-drew to talk about his past, and future. in nfl week. >> most players dread training camp. not maurice jones-drew. he has been anxious to get back on the field after his 2012 campaign was cut short after a painful foot injury that left him sidelined for the final ten games of the season. >> i just want to play a full season, just to be out there with my teammates and enjoy them because it only lasts so long. >> how was the road of recovery for you? >> it's long. you have to be patient. i didn't play football for ten months. you have--i want to call it doubt, you have a little concern can i get back to it? but you know, it's like riding a bike. you get out there, and your body naturally starts making these moves. yeah, you're sore and different things here and there, but the biggest part for me was going out and sticking with it. >> coming off foot surgery many have said this is the end of the line for maurice jones-drew, but he has made a living of proving his critics wrong. he wears 32 as a motivational tool signifying all 32 teams that passed on the pro bowler on that fateful night in 2006. >> you always have to find a way to motivate yourself every day. that was just one of the days by looking at my number every day saying, okay, in the back of my mind, everybody passed me up, let's keep going. it's that thought in the back of my mind, we still have something to prove. we still have to strife to be the best. >> leave it to the nfl rushing champion to try to groom his own offensive line. >> i have a love jones for big men who can block. it's something exciting when you see a young guy who can come in and you plug them in and everyone gets better. that's what we're able to do with luke. he came in and plugged in the right tackle spot, and we all got better. to start off where h he is an aa rookie, the sky is the limit for him. >> jones-drew has a love of fantasy football. it's a huge topic on his sirius radio show. >> you try to be a competitor in everything that you do. for the first time i can own somebody. i own aaron rogers this year. aaron, if you're watching, i need you to run and throw. i know dejuan harris is there, but you have to win. >> have you ever drafted yourself? >> every time, number one. every year, it doesn't matter. >> a new coach, new expectations and this time around they're looking for a healthy dose of maurice jones-drew to turn the tied here in jacksonville. >> i don't want to ask you where you drafted me. >> absolutely, but it sounds like my son playing fantasy football, it's amazing. >> he's 5'7", don't judge a book by their cover. powerful things can come in small packages. >> when we come back we'll have your weather forecast. al jazeera america - a new voic] >> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist rebecca stevenson. two stories in the weather that are very important tonight. the first is cooling in the northeast. temperatures are dropping, tonight get ready to feel them in the 40's, and we have some friday morning frost advisories and freeze watches for the northeast. the other part of the story is a lot of rain moving into the storm to the west. president obama says the world's credibility is on the line can syria, not his credibility. he spoke about

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