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Sec'y of State Kerry says US has powerful evidence Assad ordered chemical weapons attack
• LONDON (AP) -- Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday renewed U.S. allegations that Syria's President Bashar Assad launched a chemical weapons attack against his own people and said that Assad could resolve the crisis by turning over "every single bit" of his weapons arsenal to the international community within a week.
• Appearing at a news conference with William Hague, his British counterpart, Kerry quickly added that Assad "isn't about to do that."
• Kerry was asked about comments that Assad made to CBS anchorman Charlie Rose in which the beleaguered Syrian leader argued there was no conclusive evidence about who is to blame for the chemical weapons attack.
• Asked pointblank about that, Kerry said, "I just gave you real evidence."
• "Evidence that as a former prosecutor in the United States I could take into a courtroom and get admitted," the secretary added. Kerry said he had personally tried people who had been sent to prison for life for less than what Assad is accused of doing.
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Pro-Israel groups face rare resistance in lobbying for Syrian force authorization
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Of all the interests backing President Barack Obama's call for Congress to authorize military strikes on Syria, perhaps none is more concerned about the prospect of a "no" vote than America's pro-Israel lobby, which is finding it difficult to overcome widespread opposition to the use of force.
• Considered to be some of the most influential lobbyists on Capitol Hill, officials with several pro-Israel groups say they are running into rare resistance from lawmakers, even among staunch Israel advocates on whose support they could almost unquestionably count in the past.
• The administration has sought and won support for the vote from most of the major pro-Israel groups that traditionally have been most effective in promoting legislation to enhance Israel's security.
• Among those that have released public statements and made private calls to lawmakers to urge them to vote "yes" are The American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
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