thanks for watching us. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. >> the obama administration is defending the weekend prisoner exchange that freed a u.s. soldier. and the spiritual leader of the afghan taliban is praising that controversial deal, calling the swap a great victory for having secured the release from guantanamo bay of what he says were five important members of the taliban. >> needless to say, the deal that freed army sergeant bowe bergdahl is opening quite a debate. the details now from joe johns. a good day. >> reporter: a day after the president's emotional celebration with bowe bergdahl's parents in the rose garden, tough questions for his national security adviser, susan rice on, cnn's "state of the union" with candy crowley. >> did the united states negotiate with terrorists for his release? >> what we did was ensure that the united states doesn't leave a man or woman on the battlefield. >> reporter: rice said bergdahl's failing health justified not telling 30 days beforehand as the law requires. >> so there was a conscious decision to break the law as you know it dealing with details as you know them? >> no. the department of defense consulted with the department of justice. it is our view that of it appropriate and necessary to do this in order to bring sergeant bergdahl back safely. >> reporter: rice said qatar's, mir had assured president obama the five guantanamo bay detainees swa detainees did not pose a significant risk. >> i'm not at liberty to give detail about the restrictions -- >> the house intelligent chairman countered that there's now a price on american soldiers' heads. >> so we have a changing footprint in office which would put our soldiers at risk for this notion that if i can get one, i can get five taliban released. >> reporter: defense secretary chuck hagel insisted this was about saving a soldier's life. >> we didn't negotiate with terrorist. sergeant bergdahl is a prison of war. >> reporter: cnn, washington. >> the u.s. military is not saying much about bowe bergdahl's condition. >> doctor at an american military hospital in germany are assessing the army sergeant's physical and mental health. bergdahl's mother and father say they haven't even spoke weekend him. on sunday, they used a news conference to address their son directly. >> i am so looking forward to seeing your face after these last 5.5 years. long, long years. and to giving you a great big bear hug and holding you if my arms again, never wanting to let you go. our family, your family is strong in faith and hope. you are from a strong tribe. are you even stronger you in. five years is a seemingingly endless long time. but you've made it. >> and at that news conference, bowe bergdahl's father, baseball, says his son's rehabilitation and recovery in germany may prove to be delicate and difficult. >> yeah. and as ed tell us it may take some time. >> reporter: bowe bergdahl's parent have not had the chance yet to speak with their son who is in germany getting medical treatment there. they say it is all by design. that they have a handpicked team of specialists that will help him with the reintegration process back in to civilian and normal life in the united states. this is, they acknowledge, a process that will be a long and arduous task for them. and they say -- they likened it to a scuba deeper going deep into the ocean, and if you come up too fast, it could kill the scuba diver. they say that is exactly why they're being slow and methodical in the process of trying to help bowe bergdahl get back to normal here as he begins his way back to the united states. the process now appears that it will take bowe bergdahl from germany at some point to a special medical facility in san antonio, texas. and it is there where bowe bergdahl's parent will be reunited. the timing of that is very much up in the air. the -- bowe bergdahl's parents returned home it the state of idaho and thanked thousands of people who supported him over the course of the last five years and spoke directly to their son who they said they were proud of for adapting and surviving in those treacherous conditions he had been in for five years. an emotional moment. now the bergdahls say that even though this part of it, the captivity part of this is over, in many ways the hardest part is still -- it lies ahead. cnn, boise, idaho. >> of what it could it -- what could it be like for bergdahl after celebrating freedom for the first time in five years. >> we'll try to find out by talking to someone who managed to live the tale. that's coming up in a few minutes. we're learning more about the suspect who has been captured in the shooting death of three people at a jewish museum in belgium. prosecutors say the 29-year-old frenchman has a criminal background and radical islamist ties to syria. we're joined live from brussels with more on this. what do we know it his alleged ties to syria? >> reporter: well, what we know is that he spent most of 2013 in syria fighting with the al qaeda group isis. that's causing tornado. the exact headline in "the standard" is, "fears of new attack by syria returnyes." the new face of jihadist terrorism. there are clearly fears now that syrian returnees will come back. it is not clear if he was acting alone or working in a private network. he was fighting with isis but all, it seems, exposed to a number of radical extremist group while in prison in france. investigators are trying to trace back his history and see whether or not these groups either in france or syria may have ordered him or helped him to carry out an attack like this. at this point, they don't know whether he did it alone or with the help of other people. >> the big picture is how sbig this problem -- how big is this problem of jihadist coming back from syria. >> reporter: it's a growing problem, and france, i think, has the biggest problem so far. an estimated 600 people are believed to have gone from fans to syria to fight. most of them, four, young men. also in belgium, an estimated 200 to 300. the u.k., germany, dealing with similar number. we're talking about hundreds and hundreds of young men going over there to fight, getting weapons training, and what many counter terror official fear, that they're going to bring the skills back hare to carry out attacksment one of the thing about the attack on the -- attacks. one of the things about the attacks on the museum is the cold and calculated way it was carried out. you see in the video, he calmly pulls a gun and begins shooting, and seems fairly proficient with a handgun and light arms. and then walks away for quickly. so there was some counterterror official who saw that as an indication of training. again, we don't know at this point whether or not he picked up the training in syria where he spent a year or if he had other connections with other terror networks. >> and finally, does the syria connection in any way change the way authorities will deal with the actual crime itself? does it bump it to an anti-terror sort of level? >> reporter: well, there's two track now. a hate crimend an anti-terror crime. a terrorist crime. this is what they're looking at -- both lines of investigation. either which way, they're going to go tray and trace back his history, figure out where -- who he was meeting with in fran, in belgium, in germany where he first landed in february, and figure out of he helped or acting alone. >> thank you, live for us from brussels. qatar denies accusations of krungz in the successful bid for the 2022 world cup. >> britain's "sunday time" is claiming that $5 million was paid in bribes hoping to garner votes for the bid from top football officials. he was a member of fifa's executive committee for 15 years. the organization banned him for life in 2011 for a separate corruption scandal. fifa selected qatar in 2010. and some now calling for a revote if these latest accusations are, in fact, true. an editor for the "sunday times" offer an explanation for the alleged bribery. >> a whole trill of e-mail -- trail of e-mails, bank statement the, wire transfers showing that people with a bearing on the vote from places like african states and from the caribbean and all pacific islander were either soliciting funds for themselves or their football associations, or money was transferred into private bank nkts some cases. money -- accounts in some cases. money also transferred into his daughter's could in return for favors. weave got people saying -- we've got people saying, thank you very much, i appreciate that. in some cases, can i have some more wherever that came from. you know, then assurining that they will be standing by qatar in its bid. we've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the whole process of corrupt and tainted. that's why the only answer is to have a complete rerun. that's the only way for the taint to be removed. >> and we have not yet authenticated the document detailed in the "sunday times" report. fifa referred all comment to their chief investigator, michael garcia. we're waiting to hear back from him. >> cnn was also unsuccessful in contacting muhammad bin hamam. qatar has issued a response to the accusations. the nation's world cup organization committee says following today's newspaper articles, we vehemently deny all allegations of wrongdoing. >> they go on to say, "we will take whatever steps necessary to defend the integrity of qatar's bid. and our lawyers are looking into this matter. right to host the tournament was won because it was the best bed, and it's tame for the at least host its first fifa world cup." we attorney anything to, and a -- we turn to nigeria, and a car bomb went off as people were leaving a football match. so far there's been no claim of responsibility. nigeria's defense ministry says one person has been arrested:the u.s. environmental protection agency prom toys get tougher on polluters. the epa will prepz -- will provide new restrictions on power plants requiring them to cut emissions by 30% by 2030. each state will be given suggestions on how to meet the goals. u.s. republicans are already balking saying it would kill jobs in the coal industry. we'll take a break now. ahead, more on the u.s. soldier held captive by the taliban for five years. some what is ahead for u.s. army sergeant bowe bergdahl as he adjusts to freedom. we'll find out from other who have been held prison eer by th taliban. plus, almost 70 years ago to the day. but for some in france the memory of d-day is still very fresh. then later here on cnn "newsroom," from red carpets to the campaign trail, we'll dish on the latest rumor involving george clooney. you think you take off all your make-up before bed. but do you really? 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[ female announcer ] neutrogena® makeup remover. welcome back. more now on u.s. army sergeant bowe bergdahl. for five years he was held captive by the taliban. now he's free in exchange for five guantanamo detainees. >> but other people who have been held prisoners of the taliban say he has a lot of hard adjustment to make. alex endera field explains why. >> reporter: sergeant bowe bergdahl somehow made it through nearly five years of captivity. now are questions about what the soldier saw. >> psychologically, there will be a long debrief. they're going to want intelligence, who held him. i don't think he will know that much. i was kept have w very young guards most of the time and didn't meet senior commanders often. >> reporter: david rohde, former "new york times" journalist, was held captive by the taliban for seven month. taken from afghanistan intuate and held in tribal -- in 2008 and held in tribal pakistan until he managed to escape. can you give a glimpse into any part of what he might be feeling now. >> he doesn't believe it's real. he's probably afraid to believe it's real. >> how long did that last for you? >> for the first several days. went on for weeks. it's just a natural thing. a lot of people say, gosh, it's going to be so difficult for him to return. this is the most wonderful day in his life. >> reporter: over the years, he says bergdahl probably found ways to manage and captivity, as he did in his captivity. >> he somehow developed daily routine that kept him safe and gave him hope. i parade a lot. i'm sure he -- i prayed a lot. i'm you sure he did, as well. >> reporter: this man disappeared from iran seven years ago. last year his family publicly acknowledged the former fbi agent had been working for the cia despite u.s. officials having denied he was working for the government when he disappeared. news of bergdahl's release has renewed the family's optimism. >> this is a momentum us on. we're also encouraged because it looks like the obama administration has taken the right steps in doing what is necessary to bring people who have served our country home. my father served our country for almost three decades. i think that whatever needs to be done to bring him home should be done. >> reporter: dan levenson remain worried about his father's health. no one has heard from levenson since his family received this video in 2010. >> i am running very quickly out of diabetes medicine. >> reporter: declining health is one reason why u.s. officials say they moved swiftly to secure bergdahl's freedom when they got the opportunity. the sergeant hasn't been seen in photos since his release. >> this is going to affect him. but people should realize that just he's -- he's so thrilled to be home right now. it's so much better to be home than to still be going through this. and i had the question was it hard to come hoe home all the time. it was wonderful to come home. >> reporter: rohdse says the fact that he survived for five years in captivity is a sign that he has the strength for whatever's ahead. cnn, new york. the actress who played alice, the housekeeper, on "the brady bunch" tv show has died. ann b. davis usually appeared cheerful on the sitcom wearing a blue uniform, serving up witty one-liners. a close friend says the 88-year-old emmy award winner died in a hospital in texas after hitting her head in a fall on saturday. despite her role with a brood of sick kids, she once -- six kids, she once said she didn't do that well with children. >> hence he was a good actor. >> very good. very sad. >> good ending, 88. still to come, a major anniversary just days away. and world leaders will be arriving in france to mark the d-day remembrance seven decades on. the country reaffirms its gratitude for allied support. ♪ led to the one jobhing you always wanted. at university of phoenix, we believe every education- not just ours- should be built around the career that you want. imagine that. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®. u.s. president barack obama will leave for europe later this monday and is expected to come face to face with russian president vladimir putin for the first time since the crisis in ukraine began earlier this year. aides to the american president say he will meet with european allies to urge them to maintain a hard line on moscow. he also plans to meet with the new ukrainian president. last stop will be fran to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the d-day landings at normandy. mr. putin has been invited, as well, and is expected to be there. residents of france especially those in normandy remain grateful to the allied forces who stormed the beaches and fought for their freedom. a lot of effort goes into marking the anniversary and passing on the memory. >> reporter: not far behind the d-day beaches, michelle is getting ready to plant red, white, and blue flowers in front of his house. his flags are already up. "with me, they're up every year," he says, "it's an honor to decorate and commemorate all the soldiers who died." from the war memorial where they were hoisting in place new commemorative facades, to the manicured grounds of the american cemetery, pride is above the sound of drills as the 70th anniversary approaches. at the cathedral of bayou, it raised money to cast a new bronze bell for the anniversary and for peace. >> consolation that when veteran france and germany -- >> reporter: the priest says they raised so much money that they can afford to cast a second bell. he adds that not all here have completely positive memories of the commemoration. some have not forgotten how destructive it was. in fact, this year, french president hollande has ordered that attention be focused on the civilian losses as well as the military ones. it's estimated that during the normandy campaign alone, 20,000 french civilians lost their lives. in the city where hollande and more than a dozen heads of state and government will meet for lunch this week was 75% destroyed by the fighting. the germans held out in the crossroads city for two months after d-day, and the destruction here was massive as the allies laid siege to the city. in fact, 70 years on, there still remains evidence of the ferocity of that battle. in fact, there are mixed memories across normandy. 87-year-old charl says his village never joins in the commemorations because his city was nearly destroyed in the fighting. still, a generation may see things differently. >> my gratitude is -- i'm blessing every day the hareows that came to rescue us. >> he says it's not the way his generation thinks about d-day that worries him but whether they think about it at all, about its importance and how it changed thing. >> it is the beginning of the liberation, the victory in world war ii, and new conception of the world. i think people start to understand really the impact of it. >> reporter: for the veterans who remain, the impact is not just global but personal, as well. staff sathd jacques jones who serve -- sergeant jacques joan who served with the american army in the pacific, wanted to place a wreath at the n normandy, an honor to his comrades in arms. >> it's my way of commemraiding the six. i don't want them to be forgotten. it's too early. >> reporter: with each anniversary, there are fewer and fewer old soldier to keep the memory alive. fewer and fewer to come back. then there are many here who never left, and they, too, sustain the memory. jim bittermann, cnn, france. we have this just in to cnn. fresh violence to report in eastern ukraine. the ukrainian state border guard says one of their border guard is under attack by hundreds of militants. the assault is ongoing with seven border guards wounded but so far no fatalities. we want to look at the weather now. another round of severe weather for part of europe and another hot day for northeast asia. >> deja vu. let's go to ivan with the cnn -- >> or dodge him depending on -- >> for brisbane -- >> no one was watching last hour. >> no, not at all. >> move on. >> indeed. >> practicing. >> yes. all right. we will move on indeed. >> try to remember my self-esteem. >> all right. let's check in on rainfall here. it is deja vu. in fact, for eastern europe because the low has not moved, it has been in the same spot for the last several days. look what it's done. some of the rainfall tallies here, 45 millimeters in parts of romania, ukraine at 38. 62. these are not blockbuster numbers here, but nevertheless, it's been raining. these are want numbers we've been get -- these are the numbers we've been getting day in and day out. the low weakening a bit, but as that's happening, we have this feature that's going to be moving out of the mediterranean, coming the same direction. so the same areas will get hit again with more rainfall here. that's not going to be good at all. we'll watch that closely. low moving out toward the u.k., rain there. the stronger storms really down south. that's where we have level ones and twos as far as the severe weather threat the next 24, 48 hours. that mean heavy rain this time around. hail, and the potential for damaging winds. not expecting that much rotation here. we're not expecting tornadoes. that's a good thing. but nevertheless, you can get damage with the winds spinning. taking you to east asia, we've been talking about the season here that's been well underway with very heavy rainfall across the region. look at parts of china in the last couple of days. picking up over 100 millimeters. again, this comes on top of what we've already had. look at this frontal boundary here just draped and remains over the same area here. it continues to have rained heavily in the same spots. then we have this low that has developed along the boundary headed toward japan. and they are going to welcome that. not because they're getting rain but because they've been so hot that that will allow temperatures to at least cool off over the next several days. of course the heat has moved from beijing, crossing into japan where last week we had the warmest day that we've had in, well, 12 years. beijing hit 41.1 degrees. speaking of china, we're working hard to get this video turned around. a massive haboob across the northwestern part of china will have hopefully picture for you either this hour or the next. >> 'tis the season for the sandstorms to come in from the gobi desert. sandstorms, haboobs, as they're known in the mideast -- >> you've been in many. >> i've endured many haboobs. >> all right. >> thanks. well, a controversial prisoner swap has some u.s. lawmakers fuming. and who exactly are the five taliban detainees who were exchanged for sergeant bowe bergdahl? we'll take a closer look when we come back. plus, more reaction to the gang rapes and hangings in india. we'll have a live report. let me get this straight... 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[ female announcer ] lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy look for lactaid® ice cream and lactaid® cottage cheese. and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy what's your favorite kind of cheerios? honey nut. but... chocolate is my other favorite... oh yeah, and frosted! what's your most favorite of all? hmm...the kind i have with you. me too. ♪ >> whatever the president does he risks nuclear war. coming up to 3:34 on the east coast of the united states on a monday morning. you're watching cnn "newsroom." i'm john vause. >> i'm rosemary church. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. it's time to check the headlines. the american soldier freed after five years as a taliban captive in afghanistan is now at this u.s. military hospital in germany. doctor there are assessing army sergeant bowe bergdahl's physical and mental health. it's not clear how long he'll need to stay at this facility. police in marseilles, france, have arrested a suspect in the shooting deaths of three people at the jewish museum in brussels last week. authorities say they found 29-year-old frenchman with weapon linked to the crime. they call him a radicalized islamist. qatar is denying corruption allegations relating to its successful bid to host the 2022 world cup. britain's "sunday times" newspaper report that a former qatari fifa executive paid more than $5 million to garner votes for the bid from football officials. the five taliban leaders who were retloifd qatar's government -- released to qatar's government in exchange for bowe bergdahl are extremist members of the group. we report on who they are and why the u.s. has long considered them to be especially dangerous. >> reporter: these photographs posted by a taliban spokesman purportedly show the five guantanamo detainees arriving in qatar. they'd been held by the u.s. for more than a decade after being captured in afghanistan or pakistan during the invasion that ended taliban rule. he is possibly the most important. a former interior minister alleged to have been associated with osama bin laden. this man was the afghan army's chief of staff. the u.n. accused him of being involved in the massacre of thousands of shiites during the taliban's rule. number three was governor of two afghan provinces but always claimed he was not a senior taliban official. u.s. intelligence alleged that this man had been the number two in the taliban's intelligence operation with links to al qaeda. he always denied that. and finally, according to this man's guantanamo reviews, he also had links to al qaeda. he claimed he'd actually helped the u.s. try to track down the taliban shadowy leader. two years ago, then-director of national intelligence, james clapper, told congress all five had been assessed as both too dangerous to release and too difficult to put on trial. >> i don't think anyone harbors any illusions about these five taliban members and what they might -- might do if they were transferred. >> reporter: even then the obama administration was considering a halfway house in qatar for the five men. as part of a deal that might bring the taliban to peace talks. cnn. now to sudan and a request for asylum in the u.s. from the husband of a woman sentenced to death for her christian faith. daniel wiley says if his wife is released, then their lives and the lives of their two children will be in danger if they stay in sudan. two weeks ago, his wife, miriam ibrahim, was convicted of renouncing islam, a crime known as prophecy. she remains in prison with her 20-month-old son and a baby born last week. ibrahim's lawyer says his client should be released on the grounds that her marriage to a christian is internationally recognized. >> believe she has not committed any crime, whether adultery or other because she's legally married. and according to the international agreement which is identified by the government of sudan, there should be no crime. >> it has been almost 30 years since sudan executed someone for the crime. the anger continues to grow in india after another case of brutality targeting females. >> this time two girls, aged 14 and 16, were gang raped and then hanged. it happened in a rural community. we have more. first, a warning, her story includes some disturbing images. >> reporter: from rooftops through mud walls, people here still try to come to terms with what just happened in their remote village. this horrific image fresh in everyone's minds. "when we saw the girls hanging, the whole village was crying," she says. the teenagers were allegedly gang raped by three brothers, then hanged from a mango tree. this normally peaceful mango orchard has turned into high-profile crime scene. you can see the huge media presence here. this is the mango tree where the two bodies were found hanging. one of the girls was here on this branch, and the other over there. the girls were cousins. their mother still so shocked she did k barely speak. then this burst of anger. "the rapist should be hanged just like they hanged our daughters. that's all we want. nothing else," she says. the girls' grandmother in a state of transalmost repeatedly cry out, "they hanged them, they hanged my granddaughters." the girls had stepped away from their homes and gone to the nearby mango grove because there are no toilets at home. a common problem particularly in rural india that leaves women especially vulnerable. in this village of about 2,000 people, the majority of homes have no toilets. you can see the open drains here. and many people here now blaming this lack of the most basic of facilities for this gruesome crime. frustrated by the impoverished conditions, outraged that authorities initially failed to help them. "we went to the police station, but they told us we were disturbing their sleep and told us to get lost," he says. "we're from the lower cast. that's why they didn't help us. the police and the rapists, they're from the same upper cast," he says. the girls belong to a class regarded as untouchable. police official are investigating whether cast discrimination played a part in this case. the older girl was this father's only child. he says she wanted to become a doctor. cast discrimination, police apathy, shortage of toilets, violence against women, problems in some ways particular to india, all believed to be played out in the village. many here are used to living in difficult circumstances, with but this kind of horror is painful even for the midwest resilient of people. >> and reporting from new dell hill, we're joined -- delhi, we're joined live. people are shocked, of course, and angry. how likely is it that those who are responsible for this heinous crime will be brought to justice, particularly given two police officers are among those arrested? >> reporter: well, given the high-profile nature of this particular case, rosemary, it is very likely that those responsible will be brought to justice. we've seen a string of leaders, political leaders, visit this area. we've seen a huge media presence. they've been covering the story incessantly. there's a huge security present, as well. it is likely something will happen. as we've been reporting, three of the rape suspects have already done arrested on charges of rape and murder. they've also confessed partially to their crime. and two police officers have also been arrested on the same charges. now even if they did not necessarily partake in the rape and murder, the fact that they did not respond to the family when they went to the police station, the fact that they essentially discriminated against them because of their cast, at least that's what the father is saying, that's why they have been slapped with this relatively harsh charge and possibly a relatively harsh punishment, as well. this is really all positive fallout, i would say, of the 2012 gang rape that we saw in delhi. since that outrage, ever since the -- the indian consciousness was basically awakened by the story, politicians, authorities really cannot afford to ignore such cases anymore, rosemary. >> we are hearing that police are turning water cannon on protester in delhi. what -- proifrtds in delhi. what do you know about that and other reaction to this heinous crime across india? >> reporter: yeah, those protests are happening in the capital where this gang rape and hanging took place. the area, four, the most populace state in this country. a population of france, germany, and england combined, actually more than that. it's also one of the most backwards states in the country and one of the poorest states. now what we're hearing is the ruling party, the bjp protesters belonging to the ruling party, are actually protesting in that state against the state government there which is ruled by a regional party. so this -- this whole incident has taken a political -- has become political in a way because we've seen so many politicians from various groups coming here. and now, of course, these protests and now water cannon. we're hearing that there's hundreds of protesters there at the moment. >> all right. reporting from new dell hill. many thanks to you. we'll take a short break. when we come back, syria is set to hold a presidential election. we'll tell you what's at stake and can fair elections even be held in the middle of a civil war. and could george clooney be going from leading man to servant of the people? more on the talk, a career change could be in the works. ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. welcome back. the new palestinian unity government is expected to be sworn in in a few hours. the western-backed fattah party signed a reconciliation deal with hamas in april. palestinian authority mahmoud abbas says the government will consist of technocrats and independents. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is urging the international community not to recognize any pact between the two groups. israel designates hamas as a terrorist organization. syria is about to hold a presidential election. voters head to the polls tomorrow. on the ballot, president assad and two other candidates running against him who say they're not pawns of the regime. cnn report now from damascus. >> reporter: perhaps the most controversial election poster in the world. bashar al assad on a burnt out building in the battle-scarred town of homs. like this country, the opinions about the upcoming presidential election are deeply divided. the first question, can the country engulfed in a civil war even hold an election. in the government-controlled parts of damascus, it's clear. "i think at least 70% of the people will be able to vote," this woman says. "even in the battle zones, midwest of the civilians have fled anyway." "i think in every town in syria, the army holds some territory, so it will be possible for everybody to go to those areas and to vote," this man says. the opposition in most western countries disagree. they say it's impossible to hold a vote when rebels are holding much of the north and the east of the country. and they say the election won't be free or fair, that it will be rigged and assad declared the winner anyhow. this assad campaign poster says the choice is not yours. the people have chosen you. and it's part of the campaign to portray the president as a reluctant leader, only willing to stay in office because syria needs him. there are two other candidates, lawmaker haza and and cabinet minister. beth have been called prawns. nuri says he is for real. >> if you ask about the possibility of winning, i think the candidate, the current president is very strong. he's popular in this country. i cannot ignore this. i am working on his weaknesses. i am trying to attack his weaknesses. >> reporter: what are thing you think you can do better than president bashar al assad? >> i think in the economical forum and administrative forum and probably social forum i will be more aggressive and more effective than him. politically, i think he's doing what he has to do, especially concerning the crisis. >> reporter: while nouri says his ratings are climbing, talking to people on the streets of damascus, it's clear assad's opponents face an uphill battle. "we don't know anything about these people," this man says. "this is the first time we've heard of them. we don't have any sort of opinion on them. i don't think they have a chance at all." all together for bashar al assad, these soldiers chant. the syrian government has dismissed any criticism of the electoral process. it seems only a major surprise on election day could silence the critics. fred plight ken, cnn, damascus. when we return, this year has seen justin bieber in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. >> indeed it has. and now new video from his past is painting him in a very negative light yet again. [male vo] inside this bag exists over 150 years of swedish coffee experience. that's 150 years of experience in refining and perfecting the rich, never bitter taste of gevalia. and we do it all for this very experience. this very second. this exact moment. 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[ female announcer ] lactaid®. 100% real milk. no discomfort. and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy look for lactaid® ice cream and lactaid® cottage cheese. and for more 100% real dairy treats you'll 100% enjoy that's a man interviewino.for a job. not that one. that one. the one who seems like he's already got the job 'cause he studied all the right courses from the get-go. and that's an accountant, a mom, a university of phoenix scholarship recipient, who used our unique --scratch that-- awesome career-planning tool. and that's a student, working late, with a day job, taking courses aligned with the industry he's aiming to be in. ready to build an education around the career that you want? let's get to work. torrential rains could trigger more landslides in central america this week. >> let's get more from the weather center. ivan? >> a couple of those that are responsible for this have been pouring over central america. we had the landslide on friday. in fact, if you haven't seen the pictures, let's show what's been happening there. unfortunately, five fatalities as a result of earth just giving way, 400 millimeters. that will do. it incredible rains over the last few days. unfortunateli, it continues. yes, it is the rainy season. yes, we get heavy rains. the problem is we're enhancing the rains because we have a low that is to the west. then we have another trying to form to the east and just explosive thunderstorm activity in the last couple of days. the national hurricane center still depicting this as a high chance for development. so we'll watch this. we've already had our a storm in the eastern pacific. could have a b one setting up here. it looks healthier at this hour. then we have this feature to the north. less developed, but we're going to monitor both areas for potential development. here we're talking about the atlantic basin. you see the computer model spinning something up here over the next few days. we'll watch that rather closely. of course, as you know, hurricane season began yesterday across the atlantic basin. and any potential development here will be slow, and it will be slow moving. slow to develop and slow to move, as well. certainly something to keep an eye on across the gulf coast of the united states. hurricane season underway, we're expecting a pretty average one here with eight to 13 named storms from now through the end of november. we'll keep you posted if those systems do get going. >> all right. appreciate it. >> you're quick. thanks, ivan. well, the woman at the center of the donald sterling racism controversy says his client was associated in new york. >> he tells cnn . have -- cnn she was attacked sunday night. he said her face was left swollen. she didn't file a police report but is expected to today. >> stiviano's audio recording of sterling made headlines in april. his racist comments led to his permanent ban from the league. george clooney's days as a bachelor are coming to an end. so could another big change be on the way for the actor? a short time ago, i spoke with kim serafin, senior editor of "in touch weekly." so kim, george clooney about to get himself a new wife and maybe a new career? >> yes. very interesting. george clooney, now the reports are starting -- and they always start -- that george clooney maybe has political ambitions. now this time it's a friend, an insider saying that, yes, george clooney is planning to get in to politics immediately. he's very ambitious. of course, now that he is getting married, it does make a little sense that, you know, now he'll have that perfect political family especially his wife who's this humanitarian lawyer who obviously cares about social and political issues. it's interesting because we know this has happened before. george clooney has said, "i can't get into politics, i've been did w too many women and done too many drugs. he talked about how, look at president obama, he's the smartest man around, and he's even having trouble governing. why would anyone volunteer for that job. you know, there's a lot of people, lot of actors who always talk about getting in to politics. we had something on "in touch" about angelina jolie, eva longoria, alec baldwin. if you look at all the actors, i think george clooney is the one guy who could potentially be governor, could be president one day. >> president clooney. he would certainly appeal to women voterings. i think that's a safe bet. >> yes, he would. yes, he would. sign me up. >> something that doesn't seem to appeal to anybody now. justin bieber in trouble again. this time for a racial slur. this seems to have been more serious than the other stuff. >> yeah. joosh in trouble again. he's been having some trouble with the law and some other issues. now this video emerged where he was making a racial joke. he was a kid then definitely. and you saw it because it was everywhere. he finally -- he did apologize, he did come out and apologize. let me read some of his apology because he did put out a statement when i think is important. he said, "as a kid, i didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. i thought it was okay to repeat hurtful words and joke but didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny and that, in fact, my actions were continuing the ignorance." he goes on and on. it's a pretty long statement. he basically is saying he was ignorant. he apologized. he was 15 at the time. this apparently happened five years ago. he did address it right away because this video was everywhere. you know, i don't know if people will forgive him. maybe this is something that he did when he was a kid. but it's a racist joke. if you watch the video, you cringe watching it. he has apologized. >> the reason it's so serious is because he uses the q in the" word -- he uses the "n" word. >> yeah. >> fact that he was 15, does that make any difference here? >> that he was 15? i mean, i think we've -- look, this has been in the news, certainly donald sterling and the clippers, that's been getting a lot of press attention because of racial remarks. i think he was 15, i think for some that will give him a pass. for other people, they'll say, look, he's in the spotlight. he's someone who at 15 years old was making how many millions of dollars. you know, you have to know when the cameras are on you. >> yeah. it's a good point. and it's time to grow up, justin. >> yes, but always assume there's a camera recording something you'll say. >> we just don't say anything like that. >> exactly. behave yourself. >> thanks for watching. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. 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