[Costello:] U.S. war planes overnight dropping ammunition to anti-ISIS rebels in Syria. Fifty tons of small arms ammunition and items including grenades are now in the hands of the Syrian Arab coalition. This move coming after President Obama assured the American public Russia is not leading in Syria. He did that during a sit down with "60 Minutes."
[Barack Obama, President Of The United States:] What we've been able to do is to stall ISILl's momentum, to take away some of the key land that they were holding. To push back, particularly in Iraq, against some population centers that they threatened. But what we have not been able to do, so far, I'm the first one to acknowledge this, is to change the dynamic inside of Syria.
[Costello:] And it's that dynamic in Syria that led to one of the most contentious moments of the interview, when CBS's Steve Kroft suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin was challenging President Obama's leadership. Senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns joins me with more on that. Good morning.
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Good morning, Carol. We did see flashes of the combative President Obama in that interview. He got asked a question from Steve Kroft about Putin, challenging his leadership in Syria. And he turned it around into a question about Putin's leadership. This sort of follows on with the message the White House has been putting out for days about the notion that Putin is damaging himself and Russia's interest in Syria. Let's listen a little bit to that exchange.
[Obama:] Mr. Putin now is devoting his own troops, his own military, just to barely holding to, by a thread, his sole ally.
[Steve Kroft, Cbs News:] He's challenging your leadership, Mr. President. He's challenging your leadership.
[Obama:] Steve, I got to tell you, if you think that running your economy into the ground and having to send troops in, in order to prop up your only ally is leadership, then we've got a different definition of leadership. For the last five years, the Russians have provided arms, provided financing, as have the Iranians.