Of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Charles schwab, proud supporter of the pbs newshour. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information at macfound. Org and with the ongoing support of these institutions and. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Ifill president obama spent this day trying to build support in congress and overseas in the run up to his nationally broadcast address. Its scheduled for 9 p. M. Eastern time. The newshour will provide live coverage. The president is now widely expected to expand the month old air campaign against Islamic State militants in iraq and extend it into syria. Hell lay out the strategy in his speech tonight. My fellow americans. Ifill it comes exactly one year since mr. Obama addressed the nation on a possible military response to syrias use of chemical weapons. Then, he sought congressional authorization. Even though i possess the authority to order military strikes, i believed it was right, in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to our security, to take this debate to congress. Ifill but congress and the public proved skeptical, and the plan was ultimately shelved when syria agreed to hand over its chemical arsenal. This time, the president is not seeking formal approval of military action against the Islamic State, also known as isis or isil. Instead, hes asking congressional leaders for other action, including funds to arm and train moderate rebel factions in syria. Senate majority leader harry reid backed the plan. And in biting terms, he charged republicans are taking their cues from the wrong man in a rush to war. Former Vice President cheney was here yesterday, giving republicans a pep talk. Hes going to he gave them advice on Foreign Policy. Please, mr. President , please taking advice from dick cheney on Foreign Policy . Thats a terrifying prospect. We should be learning from our past mistakes, not repeating them. Cheney answered with equally tough talk, in a speech today at the American Enterprise institute in washington. In a few hours we will hear what he has in mind for the terrorist onslaught currently in iraq. We can hope for and we should look for signs of a forceful, bold and immediate strategy to defeat isis. We can say already, however, that such a plan would mark an abrupt and dramatic departure from his record thus far. Ifill back in the senate, Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell took up that same theme, saying the president has been a rather reluctant commander in chief. Its pretty clear to me at least that the American People fully appreciate the nature of the threat. After the beheadings of two american citizens, they dont want an explanation of whats happening. They want a plan. They want some president ial leadership. Ifill at the white house, the president sought support from lawmakers, and he telephoned saudi arabias king abdullah. Meanwhile, secretary of state john kerry arrived in baghdad to meet with iraqs new Prime MinisterHaider Alabadi and his cabinet. A new and inclusive Iraqi Government has to be the engine of our global strategy against isil. And now that the Iraqi Parliament has approved a new cabinet with new leaders and representation from all iraqi communities, its full speed ahead. Ifill the new iraqi leader also appealed for International Aid against the Islamic State. France responded by saying it will join in expanded air strikes, if needed. Germany said its sending weapons and Armored Vehicles to Kurdish Forces in iraq. Ifill france responded by saying it will join in expanded air strikes, if needed. Germany said its sending weapons and Armored Vehicles to Kurdish Forces in iraq. There was also word the five permanent members of the u. N. Security council, including the u. S. , britain, france, russia and china will meet monday in paris, on how to stabilize iraq. Woodruff meanwhile, inside iraq today, at least thirty people were killed in a series of attacks targeting Security Forces and markets in baghdad. Wall street journal reporter matt bradley is on the ground there, i spoke with him a short while ago. Matt bradley, welcome. We just reported that secretary of state kerry has arrived in baghdad, meeting with the new Political Leadership there. What have you learned about the visit . Well, secretary kerry met with some of the leading ministers here in iraq. We have to remember that these are men who assume their post just in the last two days. They were sworn into Office Monday night. Mr. Kerry has been trying to project an image of this new government as an inclusive government, one that he can take back to washington and say is going to be supporting all the u. S. Intervention in iraq with the support of the entire country, of sunni arabs, shiite arabs and the kurdish minority in the north. So these meetings now were for john kerry to try to explain what president obama is going to explain to the American Public tonight. Woodruff is there a sense, matt, that this new government is going to be more inclusive and how much difference will that make . Its not so much this government is more inclusive, and even though the Obama Administration keeps using the word inclusive to describe this government, in terms of numbers and in terms of the positions and the power structure, its exactly the same or even possibly less inclusive than the previous government under previous Prime Minister nouri almaliki. But what Obama Administration officials keep saying over and over again is that Prime Minister maliki is gone, that Prime Minister maliki was the problem and now that hes in the vice presidency position he has been declawed and this new Prime Minister, even though hes from the same strong shiite political party, is going to be better. Theyre saying i he is much better. Woodruff what do you hear from what the iraqi leaders want to hear from president obama obama and is there a difference on what the leaders are saying on that . Here in iraq, a couple of years ago they were trying to push the United States out before they left in december 2011, now its almost unanimous that everyone from sunnis, kurds, shiite, all want to see more u. S. Involvement, some just want the u. S. To stick to air strikes but they want to see more. Across the board, they want to see more weapons to the Iraqi Military, more and better training for the Iraqi Military by the americans. They want to see more american advisors, of which there are several hundred on the ground in baghdad, and some even want to see boots on the ground, they want to see u. S. Forces reemerging on the ground here in iraq to fight back an Islamist Insurgency that the iraq can can military has shown themselves incapable of confronting. Woodruff we know the Obama Administration ruled out boots on the ground but it will be interesting to see how much of that squares with what the president said. Matt bradley joining us from baghdad. Thank you very much. Ifill in a few minutes, well turn to the diplomatic and political implications of the president s plan. Woodruff in the other news of this day, the president of ukraine raised hopes for the longterm success of a cease fire with prorussian rebels. Petro poroshenko told his cabinet that maintaining the truce has not been easy. But he said the majority of Russian Forces have gone home since the deal took effect on translated 70 of Russian Troops have been withdrawn from ukraine. It creates the grounds for the prospect of a peace initiative. Today, future developments depend on our joint, efficient and coordinated work towards the unity of the whole country. Woodruff russia has denied it ever sent any military forces into ukraine. In another development, the russian navy testlaunched a new, intercontinental ballistic missile. Its capable of holding up to ten nuclear warheads. In moscow, president Vladimir Putin spoke to a kremlin gathering, and said the test is a response to nato expansion in eastern europe. translated we have said many times that we will have to take corresponding countermeasures to ensure our security. So we very much would like to avoid hearing hysterics later when final decisions are made and start to be implemented. Woodruff development of the missile has been delayed by a number of failed tests. Ifill monsoon flooding across pakistan and india caused a major river to overflow today, threatening thousands more people. From the disputed kashmir region in the northern himalayas are now moving downstream, submerging more towns in the surrounding plains. The city of srinagar, on the indian side of kashmir, is already largely under water. The floods have killed more than 450 people. Woodruff top officials in and out of britains government spent this day appealing to scottish voters to stay in the united kingdom. Polls now suggest the yes vote, for independence, may carry the day in next weeks referendum. Gary gibbon, of independent television news, reports. Monday fellow party leaders, needed to abandoned everything and get to scotland today. They also agreed on the message, odont break up the u. K. Family. Everyone will be heart broken if this family of nations was torn apart. And these ties of family, these ties of friendship are not just ties for me but for people right across the united kingdom. Theyre a really important issue at stake. Its the future of the family of nations that makes up the united kingdom. Panicked products of another country. Theyre concerned that this last ditch effort seems to be for their own jobs, that is the contrast between Team Scotland and the narrow focus of team westminster. arguing on the edge, one of the Street Corner arguments across scotland. Youre telling me to leave my country David Cameron said scots mustnt treat the referendum lightly. I think people feel its a bit like a general election that you make a decision and five years later you can make a different decision if youre fed up. This is totally different than general elections. A lot of reminders of the u. K. Family that hed like to point out around scotland simply disappeared. This is the home of stillmill from 22 years ago. This used to be the british shipbuilding, all over the scotland, british coal. And also the areas of deprivation left behind that the yes support is surging most. The referendum is next thursday, september 18. Ifill a new injection of private funding will target the Ebola Outbreak in west africa. The bill and Melinda Gates foundation announced today it will spend 50 Million Dollars on the effort. Thats in addition to 10 million already committed. The new money will go to the United Nations and other international groups, to buy supplies and develop vaccines and therapies. Woodruff for the first time in 35 years the earths ozone layer is showing signs of thickening. Thats according to findings released today by a Scientific Panel at the United Nations. The ozone layer provides a shield against the suns cancer causing ultraviolet rays, but it had been thinning since the 1970s. The report says a 1980s ban on harmful chemicals in refrigerants and aerosol sprays has turned things around. Ifill on wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average gained nearly 55 points to close at 17,068; the nasdaq rose 34 points to close at 4,586; and the s p 500 added seven, to finish at 1,995. Still to come on the newshour. A preview of the president s address to the nation. What you need to know about the rare respiratory virus affecting children across the country. Using science and spirituality to treat Mental Illness in india. Why video games like minecraft are big business. And, a poet remembers his close friend, the journalist james foley. Woodruff we look ahead now to the president s address to the nation on his plan to dismantle the Islamic State group. Were joined by our own chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Margaret Warner and Political Editor domenico montanaro. So, margaret, to you first. You have been talking to Foreign Policy experts and others. What do they expect the president to say. Including officials to the government. I think its going to be a broad offensive hes going to announce against the Islamic State group diplomatic, military, economic, on every front, with the con that theyre trying to put together now. And he said this before, to degrade and ultimately destroy or certainly destroy i. S. I. L. s offensive capabilities, so thats the plan, and the elements are going to include, as we know, expanded use of american air power, first of all expanding the area inside iraq, not just to these confined groups, to confined areas, and secondly into syria, which is a government that is not giving permission. So its a great big step for them. And secondly, it will be to try to get members of this coalition to step up to helping to expand the arming and equipping of not only the Iraqi Military but the syrian moderate opposition. Essentially, theyll add an overt element to whats been essentially a Covert Program to do this. This will be much more overt than jordan and turkey. Ifill first reaction on capitol hill is, no, i dont think well give you what youre asking for, democrats, republicans. But in there seems like a slight shift this afternoon. Obviously, weve seen republicans try to support the policy but be critical of the president saying hes taking too long. When you look yesterday at John Boehners press conference, he said strategy 13 times in three minutes because he was trying to play off of president obamas last week saying well, we dont have a strategy yet. Well now the president is trying to get the strategy and one of margarets points about what president obama is trying to do, one of those things is perhaps arm Syrian Rebels within syria who could then fight the Islamic State group there, and what we could tell from that behind the scenes is that republicans are continuing a government funding measure short term. Because the white house has been lobbying them to do so, because theyre anticipating that the president is going to ask for some funding for the Syrian Rebels. Ifill theyre now saying they may let the president make his case, at least. Yeah, hes going to make his case and theyll meet tomorrow 9 00 a. M. To see if they will put it in another continuing resolution or look at it separately. Woodruff margaret, as we watch, we work up to a big moment tonight. A year ago was a big moment on syria. Our allies from abroad must be watching very carefully. They must be deciding whether theyre going to support it. Are they behind us . The administration has lined up close to 40 countries very quickly that say theyre part of this coals, but i am hearing great concern, especially from regional players about what they are asked to do. Are they willing to make the painful choices and if the famously noninterventionist president ready to make a commitment . They heard what he said two years ago in syria about bombing over chemical weapons only to see him pull back. Even european countries, britain france, indicated an interest. So arab governments will be at the meeting tomorrow where kerry will make the case. He said, well, you know, were committed but we havent heard any details and were waiting to hear what he has to say. And there are painful choices. For example, is saudi arabia really ready to cut off the funding thats going to support the same extremist groups in syria . You know, will the turks stop the flow of foreign fighters which theyve allowed to come lo the borders into syria and iraq . So there are painful choices that theyre nervous about making if they think that the president isnt really committed to a lodgeterm engagement here. Ifill does the strategy work without that support . I dont think so, judy, and i dont think the white house thinks so. The president doesnt want to look like hes george w. Bush pretty much going it alone, say, in iraq. And, so, they are very, as you can see, how hard secretary kerry and the president s been working the phones to have this look like a multinational, you know, coalition of the willing. And thats going back to old play books. Woodruff so, d do domenico montanaro, what do they think of president s Foreign Policy . Its at an alltime low but