[Velshi:] Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. A night of bloodshed in Syria. Government troops and civilians clashing again in the City of Hama. Reports of violence in several other cities as well. At least 24 more people reportedly killed overnight. Fifty-two died on Sunday, including four children. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling on the United Nations to take action against Syrian President Assad saying he has lost his legitimacy to rule. A major concession this morning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that could lead to statehood for Palestinians. Netanyahu announcing that Israel is now willing to negotiate with Palestinians based on borders that existed in 1967. In exchange, the Palestinians would have to drop efforts to get the U.N. to recognize them as a state and it would have to publicly recognize Israel as a state. Leaders on both sides are indicating that they are willing to accept those conditions.
[Costello:] Back here at home, the extreme heat, it just wouldn't let up in the Midwest and Dallas. Today will mark the 32nd straight day of triple-digit temperatures. Excessive heat advisories in effect from Texas to parts of Kansas. Also, right now, 12 percent of the country experiencing extreme drought conditions. Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center in Atlanta. So, any end in sight?
[Rob Marciano, Ams Meteorologist:] Well, what we need is a tropical system to come onshore. That's what we were begging for last week in Don. It completely fizzled and brought virtually no rain to Texas. So that's strikeout number one. We're hoping Emily brings something to the southeast which it can use the rain. But there's a chance that it may be strikeout number two. Here's where it is. Tropical Storm Emily in the Eastern Caribbean, this one already larger than Don, but still has some obstacles to undergo. There's some dry air out here. We've got islands that that are going to may get in the way of this thing. Here's the forecast track. It will skim San Juan. There'll be some rain there, maybe a little bit of wind. It will get over Hispaniola and that may tear it apart, at least limit its its development because of the mountains there, and they get somewhere into the Southern Bahamas. Florida is in the realm of possibilities, as is the Carolinas and Georgia as we get towards the weekend. So this is going to be of great concern. Obviously, if it develops stronger into a Category 1, 2 or 3 hurricane that wouldn't be good, but a weak tropical system we'll take that. Here's your heat advisories as you mentioned all over the place 109 the expected high temperature today in Dallas; 111 in Oklahoma City. Is it cooler tomorrow? No. Does it get cooler on Thursday? No, similar numbers. So the heat continues. And this system, guys, it doesn't look like it has much of a chance of getting to Texas. So they've got to have to get their cool rain from another source. Right now, it looks hot and dry. Guys, back up to you.
[Costello:] I don't really think that's possible, but maybe they'll think of something.
[Marciano:] Yes. That's right.
[Velshi:] It's I mean, that purple on that map just confounds me.
[Marciano:] Yes.
[Velshi:] The heat in the shade in Oklahoma City and Dallas, places like that, wow.
[Marciano:] It's been quite a stretch.
[Velshi:] We'll check on the weather later on with you, Rob. Thank you so much.
[Marciano:] Right. You bet.
[Velshi:] This might just be the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. The people of Somalia in the grips of a deadly drought and famine, nowhere in the world are people more malnourished. But getting the help to these struggling people in this African nation is next to impossible because of another ongoing crisis, attacks by Islamic militants. CNN's Nima Elbagir joins us live from Mogadishu, Somalia, this morning. Nima, what's the situation there?
[Nima Elbagir, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, Ali, the Shabaab Militant Group have now announced their Ramadan offenses, the Muslim Holy Month started yesterday and annually every year, what will Shabaab do is they try and use this as a rallying cry for their supporters around the world. We've been told by intelligence associates that three weeks ago they received a shipment of weapons from across the Red Sea in Yemen. They couldn't confirm 100 percent, but believe that was coming from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in preparation for this offensive. That offensive has now begun in earnest bringing with it huge concerns for the already impoverished aid that is reaching these people. The worry is that now that this offensive has kicked off, that those aids deliveries are in even more danger as meager as they were, Ali.
[Velshi:] Nima, what is the likely ability to to head off the continued famine? And I ask you this because "famine" is a specific word. It's not sort of thrown around normally. It means something specific. How long does this likely go on go on for if they can't succeed in getting food to these people?
[Elbagir:] And that's the huge issue here. If they can't secure the corridors to deliver the aid, then we're only going to continue to see this humanitarian catastrophe grow. Initially, the United Nations had said that famine and you're right, it is a very scientific term, and it talks about a very specific malnutrition rate, initially the U.N. had said that that was only in two areas in South and Central Somalia. Now it's warning that the whole of Somalia is becoming a famine zone. And the problem really is, Ali, is this really hasn't crept up on the world. For years now, year on year, we've been having drought warnings for Somalia and people have been aware that the security situation, the stability situation needs to change here and then, you know, this was coming. This could have been foreseen. And yet, now we have tens of thousands of people at risk of hunger, starvation, death, and it doesn't really look like there is an easy answer to this on the horizon. Many aid agencies are trying it to ratchet up their delivery of aid. But it's all well and good to get that to Mogadishu. The issue is how do you get it to the people who need it the most, Ali.
[Velshi:] All right. Nima, thanks very much for covering this for us. We'll we'll stay in touch with you on this important and tragic story that's unfolding.
[Costello:] Still to come this morning, the triumphant return of Gabrielle Giffords.
[Velshi:] Did this give you shivers? I mean, I really
[Costello:] Brought me to tears.
[Velshi:] It was unbelievable. I was so amazed.
[Costello:] Why the wounded congresswoman said she felt compelled to come back to the Capitol last night. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. Your business headlines up, too, after a quick break.