Top of the Hour: Pressure Mounts on Syrian President as Protests Continue, Morning Headlines

Mass protests are expected to begin this hour across Syria a day after U.S. and European leaders called on Assad to give up power.  So far there appears to be no let up in Syria’s crackdown on its civilians. This morning Russia opposed calls for Assad to step down saying the Syrian President should get more times to implement reforms.  But independent reports this morning say security forces are once again firing on civilians in several Syrian cities.