tough new sanction on syria coming from the white house this afternoon, but these aren't just the general sanctions against the country. they single out senior officials. this is an attempt to stir the regime, a crackdown on the protesters, a protest that's seen hundreds killed since mid-march. i want to go live to the white house to brianna keilar. why are they going after assad and these other officials? >> reporter: brooke, it's certainly a stepping up not just of the redrick but really in a very really way stepping up, drawing a link between the responsibility that president assad shares for the crackdown that we've been seeing against peaceful protesters in syria and the deaths there since mid-march. we've seen more general measures before.