of our viewers. they were able to do this after all of this discussion and all of this fight over specifically inclusion of fema funding. additional fema funding of in the short-term resolution. what is happening right now, john, is there is going to be a series of two votes, actually. and it's a clean or simple and this basically is the measure that everyone basically agreed to. funding fema as well as not shutting down the government and it strips away all of the obstacles that had really been holding up the agreement to this point. the second measure that they will be voting on is actually -- here's the confusing part. a one-week extension. one-week short-term spending extension. and the purpose of this is simply the house is out this week, as you well know. if they can't get members back in time, or they can't get an agreement to pass it very quickly. they will need that one-week of funding to avert the government shutdown and get the house back in time to vote on this measure. john? >> what changed? this morning into the afternoon we were told that you still had this partisan showdown. the democrats and republicans, everybody said yes. we want to give fema more money but there was a big debate over whether you had to cut other spending to get that money. what whanged? >> reporter: plain and simply, fema announced today that they had enough funding. they are able to stretch the funding in their federal disaster relief fund to make it through the end of this week. that's different than earlier predictions. fema had said that they might run out of funding at the beginning of this week, which would be a problem. the reason why, the key is that they can make it through this week. at the end of this week is the end of this year. the battle over whether to pay for the fema funding or not pay for additional fema funding all had to do with fema funding for the current fiscal year, '11. if they can get through this week t. removes the big obstacle on the table. >> for now. for now. kate on capitol hill. thank you. >> thank you. >> this is one of the things that we know drives you crazy. you watch debates at home in washington and you think it's sand box at best. a shutdown averted for now. it plays out at a time when you watch washington. it's pretty clear. it's pretty clear. you don't think much of this town. how is the u.s. being governed? 81% of americans are dissatisfied. dissatisfied with the way that the country is being governored. 19% say that they are satisfied. the historic high for discontent with the way that the government is being run. how about the united states congress? 69% of you say that you have not very much or none at all on the question of trust and confidence in the congress. look at that. 7 in 10 americans say that they have not very much trust or no trust at all in the latest branch of government. 69%. that has a very dim view of its government. let's go straight to the source. one of the republicans who came to washington promising to change the culture of this town, senator rand paul of kentucky. senator paul, we averted a shutdown for tonight. how much does this weigh on you? i know you came here saying that we're not going to spend any more money. how much does it weigh when you look at the american people look at washington and see a daycare center? >> reporter: well, i'm sort of perplexed because the democrats held this up because they said we don't want to offset the spending. in other words, the democrats are insisting that we borrow the money for fema. and i don't think anybody in america thinks that we can perpetuate these debts and continue these annual deficits and the trillions of dollars. so i think most people will say, gosh, why could we cut duplicate spending or cut foreign aid or welfare that we're spending? i think the american people are ready for us to offset what we're doing and have cuts and not add to the debt. >> i think the big question about that, most polls show that people are very upset about the deficit. they want it dealt with. i want to show another graphic to our viewers and talk about what we were talking about in the sense of this fema fight. $3.65 billion. this is the entire united states federal budget up here. you see where most of the money goes. discretionary spending, social security, fema, how much is fema? look at that tiny slice. this was a huge fight. senator paul, you were wondering, if it came to it, to of the united states government shut down over this tiny little sli ver. is it that important to you. >> reporter: the government is willing to shut down government if we don't borrow that amount of money. every program you can say it's only tiny little money. but if you can't cut 100 million here or offset 3 billion there, we're never going to budget the deficit. you have to look at small amounts and it should be a priority. should we be spending this money overseas in foreign aid or welfare, build our bridges here in our country, and it's something that i actually agreed with the president. i got to ride on air force one with him recently and he's mentioned that. we have to be concerned as a priority right now. >> how much does this come up with members on the ballot and i asked the question in the context of this. we have a new poll out tonight and again we can tell our viewers, the government shutdown has been averted. but who would you blame in republicans in congress, 47%. president obama, 33%. are there jitters in the republican ranks that the image of the party is taking a hit in the middle of all this? >> well, i think you could also poll and ask people whether or not they should add more debt or offset debt. it's not whether we should shut it down. and american people are bumping up about deadlines. it looks like poor planning and is circus up here. we're always up against deadlines. i'm up here day after day not voting, sitting around and having no debate and then the deadline comes and it's hurry up or the government shuts down. how come we didn't have this debate last week or the week before or the week before that? everything comes to a deadline, i think, because of poor leadership and poor planning in this place. >> i don't think i would disagree with you on that and i think that can be, at times, a by partisan disease. one of your republican colleagues said this. the gridlock this partisanship is disgusting. with economic instability around the world, it's unacceptable for congress to add more uncertainty in the marketplace while threatening another government shutdown. governor brown is up for re-election. maybe that's a little bit about his re-election campaign as well. we've already seen the united states credit rating downgraded. you saw the poll numbers that i just showed you. is there any effort to get the republicans and democrats in a room to say, let's get back to passing a real budget? let's get back to looking so we can figure out what we're doing here? >> reporter: well, many of us on the republican side have pointed out that it's been over 900 days that the senate has had a budget. so we are pushing to go through the process in a normal fashion and i think and it has to do with them having too much debt. that's our problem. we are following on the heals of europe because we have an enormous amount of debt. i agree with admiral mullin when he says it's the number one threat to our security is our debt. every time we have a new spending program, it's got to be offset by cuts in other places and that's the only responsible way for a legislature to react is to prioritize spending. for example, on the highway fund, squirrel sanctuary wies a flower beds and our bridges are crumbling. can we not fix our bridges and put off the beautification projects for a while? i am more than willing to work with the president on that. >> rand paul, thank you for your time and i hope the super committee gets about its business. we'll keep in touch with you as that plays out. we'll see you again, sir. >> thank you. still ahead, a new poll reflects that the rick perry boom may have peaked already. how far a syria regime will go to stamp out demands for democracy. ♪ ♪ ♪ when the things that you need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ after months of brutal atros stees in syria, the bloody determination to hold power. her crime? her brother was a pro democracy activist. she disappeared after leaving to get groceries. she was returned by security forces beheaded and dismembered. amnesty international calls her death an outrage. human rights calls it appalling. and the regime, on the word this latest crime surfaced, they asked the world to believe that syria is under attack by armed thugs and is trying to keep the peace. >> translator: syria exercises is the responsibility to protect its citizens and is going to secure their safety and stability. >> that doesn't match the accounts of the woman. >> zena carried by dozens of women in the city. protesting her slaughter and chanting for the downfall of the regime. her crime, her older brother was an activist well-known for leading demonstrations. for months he had been avading the authorities. the family says that the security effortses demanded her in exchange. on september 10th, muhammed was injured. then she was returned dead. >> gunshots were being aimed at protesters for more rights. then, of course, there's this. a man on his knees in front of an army tank, unarmed, and massacred. the images, months of them now, don't lie. and yet we are asked to believe this. >> syria provided our region with a model of peace for co-existence. a model which deserves to be emulated. >> here's our question. is there anything that the international community can do to push president assad to stop this. joining me is journalist and middle east analyst, robin wright, the an author. when you see the pictures, the procession, the horrible story of this woman killed, mutilated, by security forces and then you see the foreign minister saying, the world has it wrong. we are protecting our people against armed thugs, i don't know what the right term to use. it's fantasy land, parallel, universe. it would be laughable except for the bloody stakes. >> that's right. except for the tragedy of this young woman, who was 18. and it is too much to tell the audience what she was done. she was beheaded, her arms cut off. she was skinned. so in fact what we know is that now for bashar has crossed the rubicon. and when you hear about the dismemberment of syria, it's a grotesque idea because this regime still believes that it is facing foreign. >> rogue regimes, it becomes an international platform. we can say, my god, show the pictures and prove the foreign minister to be a liar. but what about domestically back home? is this helpful to president assad to have them condemning the united states and the world european? >> i don't think any syrians have any illusions of what is happening at home. the reality is that this is not the first time it happened. in april a boy went missing from his parents and finally his body was returned and he had also cigarette burns all over his body and at 13 years old, his genitals had also been cut off. syrians are very well aware. what is striking about what is happening in this country, the fact that they continue to turn out in peaceful disobedience against the regime. that's the stronger message that i don't think the foreign minister is convincing anyone at home. >> when we see these latest pictures, the young woman brutally murdered, we've been watching these pictures for months and months and months now. in that procession, the number of women was striking. they believe she's the first woman killed in captivity. is that anything that could suggest a broader resolve in society and a tipping point, perhaps? >> the thing about syria now is so far the demonstrations and the protests have been peaceful. but i think they will take stock of where they are and it cannot be taken on peacefully. can they stand up? i'm not so sure. does the international community care enough to come to the rest of the syrians? alas, it seems, the verdict is negative. still bashar is protected and shielded by china, russia, brazil, by south africa so i think it tells us something about the cruelty of the international community. >> and the foreign minister clearly understands, robin, for there to be additional sanctions, others would have to come around the the united states says it needs to protect the syrian people but the very sanctions it has put it n place, the foreign minister insists has done no good. >> it cannot be reconciled without pronouncement about the concern and rights of the syrian people. in defense of the state based the interference in our internal affairs. >> it's that last peace, interference in our internal affairs. that is something that china often complains about when it is criticized. that russia often complains about when it is criticized in the foreign community. >> it's clear that you're not going to see what the international community did to libya. but the sankss have begun to bite already. you're witnessing a race. can the regime squash the uprising fast enough before it begins paying a real price. the oil sales are already plummeting. letters of international -- letters of credit needed to buy syrian oil. it's a slow squeeze. sankss are never going to turn syria around overnight but can make syria pay a price. it is happening. it may not be enough but it's clearly some action, at least. >> robin wright, appreciate your insight. thank you. >> thank you. still ahead, which republican presidential candidate can brag about being in a dead heat with president obama tonight? and next, dramatic new pictures of what it was like inside the washington monument. welcome back. the senate just passed a bill that would avoid a government shutdown at the end of the week. sarah palin has informed that he may sue taughted the gossip in "the rogue." last month an earthquake hit here in d.c. and the shaking starts and the security guard looks around and pretty soon, everyone heads downstairs. starting tomorrow, the damage will be assessed. starting next monday, we move to 6:00 p.m. eastern. that's an hour earlier to make room for erin burnett. we start at 6:00 eastern and erin starts at 7:00 as of next month. and, next, what can be controversial about a bake sale? well, plenty. if a price of a cupcake depends on the color of your skin. it has microparticles, enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief to the site of pain. it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. there's an increased diversity bake sale. the goodies, $2. $1 if your asian. 75 cents for blacks and a quarter for native americans. women, get this, get an extra 25 cents off. yes, yes, there's a point. the berkeley college republicans hosting this bake sale say they are trying to call attention to proposed changes in university admission policies which would allow taking an applicants gender into account. shawn lewis is the president. ed hernandez is a state senator and democrat behind this legislation. shawn lewis, i want to start with you. what you are doing is pretty outrageous. i assume that's the point. >> right. and thank you. i want to say thank you, senator. it's really an honor to sit down and talk with you about this. thank you for inviting me. it's very controversial event and we feel that we are facing a controversial issue. and affirmative action-type debate. it's a very controversial issue and we're facing it with a very controversial event. >> explain why you feel this bill is necessary. >> well, again, thank you, shawn, for being on cnn. i appreciate your ability to express your opinion here in the democratic way. however, the way that you are doing it is insensitive. we need to look at what the true intent, nature of the bill is. and that is to make sure that we have access to diversity in the state of california and that diversity of these campuses reflect the diversity of the state. >> senator, let me stick with you for a minute. what needs to change? you say that i was reading some of the press releases that were sent out. current policy actually discouraged diversity on campus, college-age applicants for getting in the system. how so? >> well, the proposition 209 was written, the university of california and california state universities cannot use race when recruiting or trying to get qualified applicants. what this bill does and what we specifically did and understanding and know that we do not want to change the constitution or by any means go around it. we very carefully wrote this legislation to allow the universities to be able to consider, for example, race, ethincity, gender, to make sure that it reflects the great state of california. >> shawn, i assume you're not against diversity on campus. do you think the state of california has a problem? >> if the issue is about diversity, why are we only talking about race and gender? why don't we talk about things such as religion, or ideology? are we suggesting that our campus has a problem, we need to fix that problem, do we have underrepresented groups in those areas? would you suggest that maybe uc berkeley could use a few more college republicans since republican view is pretty far in the minority? do we need more diversity in that way, too? >> does he have a point that once you open this box, you have to fully open the box? >> well, if you look at the bill and the way it's written, other factors as well which could include exactly what he was talking about. it also talks about gender et nis tea. what the bill's main intent is to look at and make sure we have underrepresented minorities. if you look at pre-209 and post-209, if you look at the graphics of the state, the state of california, you have 45% latino graduated from high school and yet 16% of them are in the uc systems. >> shawn, i want to come back to the provocative nature of this. you're doing this to make a point. you're doing it to highlight anything that is affirmative-action base or quota base. are you worried about backlash? have you received any backlash from groups on campus saying, maybe i understand your point or this is offensive? >> we got hundreds of posts on the page. you're right. we were intending to be controversial. we were hoping it would force students and members of the community to think more critically about a bill, a piece of legislation that would bring in race and treat people differently based on the color of their skin. so the controversy was there. the backlash was surprising. we did on the facebook event, still public, all of the comments are still up. there are both implicit and explicit threats made to the organizers of the event. one including bringing a baseball bat to the table tomorrow morning and one that really stuck out that people really responded to or were worried about, one person said that, well, remember your faces on campus. pick your fights wisely. there certainly has been backlash and we expected some but we really were not expecting the uncivil and violent reactions that we received. >> help me out. senator, both of you started the conversation by saying hello to each other, by thanking each other and coming out with this issue in a sichl way. when you hear things like that and how can we get the two of you, maybe some other people in a room, can this issue be worked out through nonlegislative issues? is this something that can be caused by a divide like this? >> well, first of all, let me