Frum: A tax we could learn to love

David Frum says a carbon tax would encourage smart growth, freeing more people from traffic jams. David Frum: Carbon dioxide emissions worldwide are at record levels To strike a blow against climate change, U.S. should enact a carbon tax, Frum says He says it would provide revenue, allow for middle-class tax relief, spark economy Editor's note: David Frum, a CNN contributor, is a contributing editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is the author of eight books, including a new novel, "Patriots," and his post-election e-book, "Why Romney Lost." Frum was a special assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002. (CNN) -- Global emissions of carbon dioxide hit a record high in 2011, scientists from the Global Carbon Project reported last week. Another record is expected in 2012. The earth continues to warm, and to warm fast, with serious consequences for human life and welfare. 2012 saw the worst drought in the United States in half a century. Russia suffered its second bad drought in three years. Climatic shocks to these two countries are raising food prices worldwide, posing an especially acute threat to the world's poorest. Major storm events strike harder and more often, because warming oceans create conditions for fiercer hurricanes. The New York Times reported Friday: "Emissions continue to grow so rapidly that an international goal of limiting the ultimate warming of the planet to 3.6 degrees, established three years ago, is on the verge of becoming unattainable." Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. This ominous news arrives as delegates gather in Doha, Qatar, for the latest annual round of climate talks sponsored by the United Nations. Few expect the Doha talks to produce much decision. Yet there is good news on the environmental front, important news. Carbon emissions in the United States have declined since 2009 -- not emissions per person (those have been declining for decades), but emissions in absolute terms. The weak economy explains part of the decline, but the real hero of the story is the natural gas fracking revolution. A decade ago, half of all the electricity generated in the United States was generated by burning coal, the most carbon-dense fuel of them all. Today, coal's share of the electricity mix has plunged to one-third, as utilities substitute cheap natural gas. Gas production has become much cheaper with the growth of fracking -- forcing open rocks by injecting fluid into cracks. Gas emits about half as much carbon per unit of energy as coal. Australia introduces carbon tax Sandy a taste of things to come Europe's aviation carbon tax on hold Environmentalists have responded warily to the advent of gas. They prefer zero-emissions power sources like wind and solar -- sources made more uncompetitive than ever by ultracheap natural gas. (Today's price: about $3.50 per thousand cubic feet, down about 70% from the prices of the mid-2000s.) Moreover, natural gas does little (as yet) to address emissions from automobile tailpipes. But maybe there's a way to cheer environmentalists up. Take three worrying long-term challenges: climate change, the weak economic recovery, and America's chronic budget deficits. Combine them into one. And suddenly three tough problems become one attractive solution. Tax carbon. A tax of $20 a ton, rising at a rate of 4% per year, would over the next decade raise $1.5 trillion, according to an important new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That $1.5 trillion is almost twice as much as would be recouped to the Treasury by allowing the expiration of all Bush-era tax cuts for upper-income taxpayers. The revenues from a carbon tax could be used to reduce the deficit while also extending new forms of payroll tax relief to middle-class families, thus supporting middle-class family incomes. Meanwhile, the shock of slowly but steadily rising prices for fuel and electricity would drive economic changes that would accelerate U.S. economic growth. The average age of U.S. cars and trucks has reached nearly 11 years, a record. Millions of Americans want new cars. They are waiting for market signals as to what car to buy. They want to know that if they choose a fuel-efficient vehicle, they won't feel silly three years from now when their neighbor roars past them in a monster truck because gas has plunged back to $2 a gallon. After five years of depression, the housing market is also ready for renewal. Again, Americans are waiting for market signals: Should they buy smaller houses nearer to work? High and rising fuel prices will encourage developers to build more mixed-use complexes that allow more people to live car-free: walking to work, entertainment, and shopping. The surest way to reduce fuel costs is to drive less. The return to more urban living is a trend big enough to sustain America's next great economic boom. To the extent researchers can measure, the daily commute appears to be the single worst recurring source of unhappiness in American life. If changes in city shape can offer more Americans the opportunity to walk to work through an attractive shopping mall, rather than waste 50 minutes in a car in a traffic jam, those changes will advance human happiness, spur new construction work, and incidentally save the planet. A carbon tax will also enable the United States and Europe to press China and India to reduce their carbon emissions. A properly designed tax would apply not only to domestic goods and services, but to imports as well. China and India would discover that their products no longer seem so cheap when a carbon tax at the border adds back the environmental costs of dirty manufacturing. To export to the world's richest consumers, China and India will have to clean up their act -- an incentive more persuasive than a hundred Doha conferences. More jobs and growth; reduced deficits without raising income taxes; lower taxes for middle-class families; a kick in the pants to Chinese polluters; and more happiness for American commuters -- one policy instrument can do it all. What's not to love about a carbon tax? Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.

Brazile: GOP, break Norquist's grip

Grover Norquist's tax pledge calls for no more tax increases ever Donna Brazile: It's seismic that some GOP leaders are willing to defy his pledge She says Norquist's tax pledge has bound most elected Republicans to him for 25 years Brazile: Norquist is the man most responsible for GOP gridlock in Washington Editor's note: Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and a Democratic strategist, is vice chairwoman for voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and author of "Cooking with Grease." She was manager for the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign in 2000. (CNN) -- Who is Grover Norquist? He's a private citizen, a conservative lobbyist, the author of the Taxpayer's Protection Pledge and president of Americans for Tax Reform. His idea of tax reform is no more tax increases ever again. And no closed loopholes unless matched by cuts in government spending. In the 113th Congress, the one just elected that will begin in January, 219 of 234 Republicans in the House signed his tax pledge; in the Senate, nine of 41 Republican senators signed it. By contrast, before the 112th Congress, which is still in session, 248 representatives and 41 senators signed it. The drop in support has brought the pledge into the media limelight. Norquist says the pledge was made to the American people. But Norquist is the sole enforcer of the pledge, which he keeps in a fireproof safe in his office. No one has dared to challenge his self-appointed role as enforcer on behalf of American voters. Until this past week. Four Republican senators, among them South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, as well as Rep. Peter King of New York, said they would willingly ditch their pledge, in Lindsey's words, "for the good of the country." In an equally significant move, Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole of the Republican Whip team told House Speaker John Boehner that he thought the Republicans should join President Barack Obama and immediately pass a tax extension for 98% of Americans who earn under $250,000. Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. These declarations from Republican leaders are like political dynamite. And like well-placed dynamite, they might begin to break the logjam preventing effective leadership and legislation in Congress. Norquist, of course, doesn't think so. His tax pledge has bound most elected Republicans to him for 25 years. When King said that he felt his pledge was only for one Congress, Norquist compared the pledge to marriage vows, hinting King's wife should be worried. (I couldn't find "till death do us part" in the pledge. But then, I'm not a Republican). King replied that Norquist was "being a lowlife," words that caused almost an audible gasp among Republicans. You see, Norquist's pledge isn't about money; it's about loyalty. Is Grover's power overrated? Who is Grover Norquist? GOP softening tone on taxes Grover Norquist defends tax pledge Next to Mitch McConnell's pledge to defeat Obama in 2012, Grover Norquist is the man most responsible for Republican lockstep voting and gridlock in Washington. That top Republicans are willing to openly defy Norquist's pledge and that any are willing to buck McConnell and Boehner are seminal events in recent American history. It means some Republican office holders are actually listening to what the voters said in the 2012 elections: Help the middle class, work together, stop the finger-pointing. But McConnell and his collaborators are proceeding as if the 2012 election never happened. He and other Republican "leaders" apparently intend to extend the Republican campaign, disregarding the election and the people's mandate. They intend to push the Republican agenda that voters overwhelmingly rejected at the voting booth and in post-election polls. Boehner claims that Congress received its own mandate. But Republicans lost seats in the House and the Senate that they had expected to win. Besides, as Harry Truman used to say, "The president is the only elected official who represents all the people." John Podesta, President Bill Clinton's chief of staff, in writing about the fiscal cliff, said, "Obama didn't win just because of demographics: He won on the economy. ... The electorate understood that a vote for Obama was a vote for policies that would help the middle class and the working poor." Furthermore, "the public has joined the majority of leading economists in recognizing that a strong middle class, not ever more generous benefits for the wealthy, as the true engine of economic growth." The Peter Kings, Lindsey Grahams and Tom Coles of the Republican Party get it. There aren't enough cuts to offset $1 trillion in lost taxes from the excessive tax breaks the wealthy were given. The alternative is to harm our national security, weaken our defenses and cause some Americans to literally go without food. The Republican budget that passed the House, but not the Senate, before the election would cut food stamps as excess spending for unemployed parents. Extending the lesser tax breaks for 98% of all Americans is, indeed, a first order of business. Or as Cole said, "It's the right thing to do." There is money for these things. First, though, Republicans must break Norquist's insane hold on their party. More Republicans must put their country before someone else's agenda, and their Pledge of Allegiance before "The Pledge" to Norquist. It's merely a handful right now, but it looks as if the 75% of voters who approved of Obama's economic approach in exit polls to help the middle class and working poor are getting a voice in Congress. Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile.

Opinion: How Obama can win a deal

As deadline approaches, officials trying to find a solution to tax/budget issues Julian Zelizer: President Obama should look at how former presidents handled such issues Clinton broke promise not to raise middle class taxes; LBJ cut spending deeply Presidents who anger their party's base can use that to help reach a deal, he says Editor's note: Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and of the new book "Governing America." (CNN) -- Most officials in Washington are dreading the consequences of falling off the fiscal cliff. President Barack Obama and his advisers have met in the White House trying to figure out a deal that will protect them politically while avoiding the draconian deficit reduction option that will occur should the parties fail to reach agreement. And on Friday he traveled to a Pennsylvania toy factory to seek public support to pressure Congressional leaders to pass legislation extending tax cuts for middle-income Americans. Obama is not the first president to confront the challenges of deficit reduction, one of the least pleasant tasks in politics because it forces elected officials to take things away from voters rather than do what they prefer: hand out benefits. In the next few days, the president would do well to look at how previous chief executives have handled this task. In 1967 and 1968, in a period of united government and regionally divided parties, President Lyndon Johnson grudgingly undertook a brutal campaign to push through Congress a 10 percent tax surcharge and spending cuts to curb the growing size of the federal deficit that had resulted from spending on Vietnam. Under pressure from Southern Democrats who controlled the key committees and their Republican allies, Johnson agreed to much steeper spending cuts than his advisers wanted him to so that he could get the package through the House and Senate. Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. Many liberals were furious with the president, believing that he had sold them out and placed their programs in jeopardy. But Johnson had become convinced that the deficit reduction passage was essential to stabilize the dollar in international markets and ensure that the federal government had enough revenue to keep most of his domestic programs intact. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush undertook one of the most embarrassing about-faces in modern politics. Though he had promised in his 1988 acceptance speech, "Read my lips, no new taxes!" two years later Bush agreed with Democrats on a deal that implemented major restraints on spending while increasing taxes. The decision caused a firestorm. "Read My Lips: I Lied" said the New York Post. Republicans like Congressman Newt Gingrich were furious with his decision. To overcome this opposition, Bush took to the airwaves, making a speech in which he directly appealed to citizens to build support for this. Bush watched as his approval ratings plummeted. Gingrich refused to have his picture taken with Bush at the Rose Garden and publicly criticized the president. Tax cuts and political reality Sen. Barrasso discusses the fiscal cliff Obama & Romney do lunch ... no beef Three years later, President Bill Clinton took a stab at the deficit that continued to grow despite the 1990 deal. After the election of 1992 had made deficit reduction a major issue he used all his partisan muscle to push through Congress an increase in taxes for Americans earning $125,000 or more. Clinton abandoned his campaign promise that he would not raise taxes on the middle class. He allied with fiscal conservatives such as Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve who were insisting on deficit reduction. The bill was hugely unpopular. Every Republican voted against the bill, along with some blue dog Democrats. Many liberal Democrats felt that he had betrayed them. The final package increased tax rates and enacted spending cuts. Marjorie Margolis-Mezvinsky, a freshman Democrat who the administration pressured into casting the decisive vote in the House despite her knowing it would be politically devastating and despite her earlier opposition, lost her seat, as expected in 1994. "Goodbye Marjorie," Republicans had yelled when she voted. Clinton ended up benefiting politically from this controversial decision, as the economy boomed and deficit disappeared by the end of the decade, both providing his most lasting legacy. Angering the base is clearly part of what lies ahead for President Obama. Johnson, Bush, and Clinton all cut against what core members of the party wanted to reach a deal. At the most basic level, Obama will need to win enough House Republican votes for a deal and this will entail more cuts in domestic spending than liberals want to swallow. Equally important, the president will have to win over moderate Democratic senators who are nervous about reelection. In addition to helping achieve compromises on specific numbers, angering the base also has symbolic value to the White House. The criticism from supporters demonstrates that a president is bending over backward, pushing as far as he can, thereby offering an incentive for the other party to shift closer to the center. The president will also need to use the bully pulpit to sell the idea of sacrifice combined with the promise of growth. Obama must not simply work in closed rooms with House Speaker John Boehner. He must continue to take to the airwaves to build support for the bill. With regards to sacrifice, he must explain to voters why hard choices are necessary. He must tap into the legacy of Clinton by outlining the long-term economic rewards that could come from a good deal. Obama must also consider breaking some promises that he has made along the way. Johnson started his presidency by reducing taxes and assuring Congress he would not raise taxes to pay for his program. Bush did the same, as did Clinton. But when dealing with major challenges this is necessary. Effective politics is often about the need to be flexible. More than almost any other issue, deficit reduction requires this skill given that all the tradeoffs are unpopular. This might include being flexible on his assurances to avoid raising taxes on the middle class. Finally, the president will need to employ all the partisan muscle that he has. In 1993, Clinton famously leaned on Democrats who were dragged along kicking and screaming. Politics ain't bean bag, as the saying goes, and Obama must act like a tough partisan to win. Achieving a deal won't be easy and it won't be fun. But a deal is possible if the president throws all of his weight behind the effort. Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer.

Deadly bus crash: Driver 'unfamiliar' with Fla. airport

View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com. By NBCMiami.com and wire reports MIAMI -- The driver of a bus that crashed into an overpass at Miami International Airport apparently got lost in the moments before the collision, plowing into the flyover despite several signs warning vehicles over 8-feet, 6-inches to stop and turn left. Two people were killed and three others critically injured in the accident, which crushed the top of the bus. "It appears that the bus driver was not familiar with the area and somehow ended up in the area of the airport," said Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Lt. Rosanna Cordero-Stutz. "Because he was unfamiliar with the airport, [he] apparently ended up in a drive with an overpass that did not have clearance for his bus." A bus in Miami carrying mostly elderly Jehovah's Witnesses accidentally crashed into an overpass too low to accommodate it. NBC's Craig Melvin reports. The coach, carrying 32 passengers, was going about 20 mph when it struck the overpass, according to airport spokesman Greg Chin. Buses are supposed to go through the departures area because of its higher clearance, he added. NBCMiami.com reported that the driver wasn't injured. More news from NBCMiami.com Police identified the two men killed as Serafin Castillo, 86, and Francisco Urana, 56, both of Miami, police said. The bus was bringing the group of Jehovah's Witnesses to a gathering in West Palm Beach. No charges have been filed while the investigation takes place, police said. One survivor told NBCMiami.com how he tried to help fellow passengers escape the vehicle. "I felt my own blood trickling down, but that didn't worry me," said passenger Luis Jimenez, who injured his hand and lip in the accident. "I could walk, and I could try to help others." He was in the second to last row of the bus when the collision occurred. "I would tell them, 'Stay calm. Stay calm. Help is on the way,'" Jiminez added.  Wilfredo Lee / AP Workers and law enforcement officers prepare to remove the charter bus that hit a concrete overpass at Miami International Airport on Saturday. The coach was too tall for the 8-foot, 6-inch entrance to the arrivals area. "We are praying for all those people who are ill and injured. It was not our intention. It was an accident. It wasn't the driver's intention," said Mayling Hernandez of the Miami Bus Service who owned the bus. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records found online show the company has had no violations for unsafe driving or controlled substances and alcohol. It also had not reported any crashes in the two years before Oct. 26, 2012. The driver, Ramon Ferriero, who was unhurt in the crash, "is feeling bad," she said.  Ferriero couldn't be reached for comment Sundahy. "The airport is under construction, everything has been moved and maybe he got lost and something happened," Hernandez said. NBCMiami.com's Gilma Avalos and Juan Ortega and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bolts suspected in tunnel collapse

Collapse of Sasago Tunnel is being blamed on failure of "anchor bolts" The bolts secure concrete slabs to the ceiling of the tunnel Nine people died when concrete slabs fell on traffic on Sunday morning Forty-nine other tunnels of similar construction are being inspected across Japan Hong Kong (CNN) -- The mangled wrecks of cars being carried out of Japan's Sasago Tunnel suggest there was little motorists could do to escape the sudden collapse of the ceiling above them. A day after the disaster, one main theory has emerged as to what caused the collapse, which killed nine people who were trapped in their cars by rubble or the flames that broke out shortly after. At a press briefing on Monday, the executive officer of the tunnel's operator said it appeared that some "anchor bolts" used to secure concrete slabs to the tunnel ceiling were missing. "There were parts of concrete (slabs) where bolts had fallen off," Ryoichi Yoshizawa said, according to a spokesman for Central Japan Expressway Company or NEXCO-Central. Tunnel collapse in eastern Japan "The aging of the bolts or the concrete slabs could be a potential cause (of the collapse)," Yoshizawa said. He did not say how many bolts were found to be missing or how they came to be loose. Yoshizawa added that while regular checks had been performed on the tunnel, they were visual checks and there was no physical testing. Read more: Nine bodies recovered from tunnel Emergency inspections have been ordered on 49 tunnels across the country with the same ceiling structure, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. There are 1,575 highways tunnels in Japan and around a quarter of those are more than 30 years old, including the Sasago Tunnel which opened in 1977, the ministry said. The tunnel's ceiling gave way on Sunday morning at around 8 a.m. local time. Witnesses recalled the horror of smoke filling up the tunnel as huge concrete slabs rained down on traffic below. Charred bodies were pulled from the wreckage, including five from a single station wagon. Three others were in a burned vehicle, according to a police spokesperson, while another body was found in a truck. "It was terrifying. I don't think I could ever drive through the tunnel again," one shaken survivor told TV Asahi, as black and white video released by NEXCO showed rescue workers in flashlight-topped helmets stepping over rubble. The aging of the bolts or the concrete slabs could be a potential cause (of the collapse) Ryoichi Yoshizawa, NEXCO-Central The tunnel has been closed for the removal of debris and while experts ascertain the risk of a secondary accident. NEXCO says it's unsure how long the process could take. Speaking to reporters at the scene, Motohiro Takamisawa, the chief of NEXCO's Otsuki Safety Center, also referred to a potential problem with the bolts securing the tunnel's ceiling slabs. "At this moment we're presuming that the top anchor bolts have come loose," he was reported as saying. Takamizawa added that the bolts hadn't been changed since the tunnel first opened in the late 1970s. However, a company spokesman told CNN that Takamizawa's comments should not be interpreted as the company's official statement and that it could not confirm whether that was the case. One expert told Asahi TV said that it's possible that years of traffic vibrations had contributed to the tunnel's collapse. "Over the course of 35 years, all the shaking caused by cars has probably caused the bolts and nuts in the tunnel to loosen. As a result they fell off," said Hiroshi Chikahisa, head of the Geosystem Engineering Institute at Yamaguchi University. Immediately after the disaster, a company spokesman said the Sasago Tunnel, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Tokyo, was subject to annual inspections with more detailed checks every five years. It had been checked in the last couple of months. At the company's Monday briefing, a NEXCO spokesman said, "There was no record that we have conducted the tapping inspection at top of the ceiling in the tunnel." He was referring to a method used to identify potential damage within concrete structures that was mentioned in the company's 2011 annual report. It says, "although hammer tapping test is commonly carried out to investigate concrete structures, it takes enormous time and cost to conduct the test on all concrete structures we have." Instead, it says the company inspects concrete structures using infrared cameras, an inspection technology which measures the difference in temperature between "sound conditions and damaged areas" to detect potential weak points. There as no explicit reference to testing carried out on tunnels. The Sasago Tunnel runs for 4.7 kilometers along a stretch of the Chuo Expressway which runs for 367 kilometers, through a mountainous region, connecting Tokyo with the Nagoya in the Chubu region of Japan. Its operator, NEXCO-Central is one of three companies started in 1995 after the privatization of Japan's Highway Public Corporation. NEXCO-Central manages more than 1,700 kilometers of expressways in Tokyo and the Chubu, Hokuriku and Kinki regions, used by almost 1.9 million cars on any given day. Journalist Toshi Maeda, CNN's Junko Ogura and Alex Zolbert contributed to this report.

Syria witness: 'Arms and legs missing'

A Syrian airstrike targeted a town near the Turkish border, witnesses say Warplanes targeted a three-story building where rebels were holed up, they say NATO is considering Turkey's request for Patriot missiles, an official says NATO is widely expected to sign off on Turkey's request (CNN) -- Syrian warplanes bombed a town within sight of the Turkish border Monday, sending panicked civilians running to the fence that separates the two countries, witnesses told CNN. The attack came as NATO ministers considered whether to send missiles to Turkey should the civil war spill across its border. The bombing is the latest in a series of airstrikes across Syria launched by President Bashar al-Assad's forces in an attempt to drive back rebel advances in a number of locations, including in and around the capital city of Damascus, according to opposition activists. Thick, black smoke rose from the border town of Ras An Ail, where witnesses said warplanes dropped two bombs. One appeared to strike at three-story building "that the opposition forces were staying in," said neighborhood mayor Mehmet Saitavci. Terror on Syria's front lines Assad shuts down Internet in Syria Children fight for food in Aleppo It was not immediately known how many people were killed or wounded in the airstrike. But Saitavci said the wounded were making their way to the border where they were then picked up by ambulances. "There are people with arms and legs missing coming across," he said. The airstrike on Ras An Ail followed weekend claims by the opposition that Syrian warplanes pounded rebel strongholds on the outskirts of Damascus, where rebels were waging a pitched battle for control of the main road leading to Syria's largest commercial airport. The airport was shuttered for three days because of fierce fighting. Egypt Air announced it would resume flights Monday after government forces appeared to retake the area, though opposition activists said firefights were still under way. The airstrikes signal a sharp escalation in the fighting by forces loyal to al-Assad and rebels seeking his ouster, raising concerns among Syria's neighbors that the 21-month-old civil war could spill across the borders. Neighboring countries have reported deadly border skirmishes with either Syrian forces or rebels. In June, Syrian anti-aircraft defenses shot down a Turkish military reconnaissance jet, killing two pilots, after it briefly crossed into Syrian airspace in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Months later, errant Syrian artillery shells hit the border town of Akcakale, killing five Turkish civilians. As a result, Turkey has asked NATO for Patriot missiles to bolster its air defenses. NATO is widely expected to sign off on Turkey's request during a two-day summit that began Monday in Brussels. "This is a NATO ally. We've said from the start that we have strong commitment to NATO allies when they feel threatened, and so we would like to be able to be responsive in a positive way to the request that Turkey made to bolster its air defenses," a U.S. senior State Department official told reporters traveling with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the summit in Belgium. But even if NATO gives the go ahead as expected, it would be at least several weeks before the missiles could be deployed, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as a matter of practice. Aleppo power out, rubble everywhere Syria's Internet blackout Syrian crisis nearing end game? The United States, Germany and the Netherlands, which all have Patriot capabilities, have signaled they may be willing to contribute missiles should NATO approve the deployment to Turkey. The anticipated decision by NATO also comes as U.S. intelligence officials say there are "worrying signs" in recent days about Syria's intent with its vast chemical weapons stockpiles "There are concerns the regime may be considering use of chemical weapons" one intelligence official told CNN on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject matter. "This isn't just about movement, but about potential intent to make certain chemical weapons ready for use." The official said it is not entirely clear to the United States what the Syrian government is up to, or if this latest development was ordered specifically by al-Assad. The official declined to specify the exact intelligence that the United States has gathered in recent days. Syria is known to store its chemical stockpile, in many instances, separately from the artillery shells, rockets or missiles that would deliver those chemical weapons in an attack. As rebels make some gains, capturing military weapons as well as bases, U.S. and Middle Eastern intelligence services have been watching for some months for any sign the Syrians would be loading up those weapons with chemical agents. President Barack Obama has warned that any use of chemical weapons by Syria in its civil war would be crossing a "red line" that would prompt a swift U.S. response. Clinton warned Syrian on Monday not to test the U.S. response. "We have made our views very clear. This is a red line for the U.S.," she said, adding that the United States would not "telegraph" what steps it would take if there was credible evidence but "suffice to say we are certainly planning to take action if it were to occur." CNN's Arwa Damon in northern Syria, Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz in Istanbul, Barbara Starr in Washington and Jill Doughtery in Prague, Czech Republic, contributed to this report.

6M pounds of explosives found in 'True Blood' town

Louisiana State Police via AP This photo released by the Louisiana State Police shows piles of explosive powder that authorities at the Camp Minden industrial site in Doyline, La. By NBC News Police have evacuated a town in northwest Louisiana while they move out around 6 million pounds of illegally stored explosives. About half of the approximately 800 residents of Doyline were evacuated Friday after authorities discovered around 1 million pounds of explosive powder stored by Explo Systems Inc. at Camp Minden, a former army ammunition plant. Authorities moved to evacuate the town of its remaining residents Sunday after discovering up to six times more M6 artillery propellant -- 6 million pounds -- at the site, according to NBC station KTAL in Shreveport. Police and Explo employees have moved just under 1 million pounds of the explosives into 18-wheelers, and have segregated another 250,000 pounds of the material for future removal, KTAL reported late Sunday. 'Time-consuming' process In a statement, police said the process was "time-consuming" but so far there had been "no unexpected problems, incidents and injuries." The explosives had been improperly stored, officials said. The material should have been housed in a bunker approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and registered with the Louisiana State Police explosives division. Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton did not expect the evacuation order to be lifted until Tuesday, KTAL reported. Doyline has shut local schools on Monday and was considering staying shut on Tuesday as well, according to Webster. Doyline is situated about 270 miles northwest of New Orleans. According to the Internet Movie Database, scenes from HBO's popular "True Blood" series have been filmed in Doyline. Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmunson said that the owners of Explo were in South Korea, but were scheduled to return to the United States on Monday, according to KTAL. State police said the improperly stored materials were discovered during a follow-up inspection to an Oct. 15 explosion at the Camp Minden property. Complete US coverage on NBCNews.com According to its website, Explo "has been demilitarizing / recovering explosives / propellant for over 15 years" and "has a unique, on-site capability for purifying valuable TNT from tritonal for reuse." It has operated for seven years, according to the site. Phone calls to the Louisiana State Police went unanswered early Monday. The man who answered the phone at the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office said he was not authorized to comment to the media. More content from NBCNews.com: Police: Kansas City Chiefs linebacker kills girlfriend, then himself Cuba pushes swap: its spies jailed in US for American contractor held in Havana Passengers killed when tour bus hits Miami airport overpass Women warriors pass elite Army training course Teacher lured boys online to get nude pics, cops say 66 species of coral proposed for protection by US Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook