a great weekend. more on the thailand voting violence on the website. we'll have it more throughout the night and in the morning. thank you so much more joining us. weekend edition. i'm joie chen. we begin with a storey that divided a community. a student body is missing outside on an educator after he was forced to resign after marrying another man. this raises questions about the

doctrine of the catholic church. sheila macvicar with mr z in his first television interview. >> mark and david are a couple who are very much in love, they were legally married last july in washington state. same-sex marriage was legalized there a year ago. it was their marriage that job. >> i don't feel like i have done anything wrong. i married the love of my life. it is legal in the state of washington and it's important. i want to be married and have my faith and believe in god. i'm catholic and pray to got every day. >> he worked here at east side catholic school in a suburb east of seattle. he was a really-respected vice president and popular swim coach. in his first national tv

interview he told us school administrators and colleagues knew he was gay and that he lived with his partner. it was a clath lick -- catholic tell. >> they asked me not to bring my partner to school even or bring up issues or questions. he was not invited to anything. private. >> they kept their wedding private. unknown until a fellow teacher overheard a conversation about wedding flowers, and told administrators. unfolded. >> from what i understand a few teachers went to my supervisor and discovered i was married. sister mary, the haffed of the -- head of the school brought me into a meeting and she asked me if i had been married. and i said i was married to the love of my life.

>> she said it was unfortunate. >> he was called into a meeting with administrators and the school's attorney. >> they told me because i married a man, it was against social teachings, and the church and they'd have to let me go. >> it wasn't a decision that the school made because mr zmuda was in the office and resigned, recognising that he was a catholic practices ath like, understood the -- practicing resigned. >> this is a district attorney. >> it was difficult. he knew he had made a commitment to the school that he would uphold the catholic teachings, and when he was not able to attest tore live to the mission. he made the decision to resign. >> then the head of the school,

sister mary tracy made a suggestion - a way for him to keep his job. did she ask you if you would annul your marriage? >> she never said annul. she said, "would you consider getting a divorce?" she said "if you did, we could perform a commitment ceremony and the school would probably pay for it." >> they told you you had violated the teachings of church by marrying a man. >> yes. >> and suggested you could get a divorce, which is also against the teachings of the church. >> that's correct. that? >> well, again, i told them that i was not going to get a divorce. this was brazen, i couldn't believe anyone would ask me to do that. i love my husband, i love being married. it's justs very difficult to

have someone say "in order to divorce." >> it's a hypothetical "what if you got a divorce?" that was made out of frustration, without consultation, without church personal, without consultation with me or the board. it was made out of frustration because he was a valued administrator. that was never pursued, and obviously not on the table. >> eastside catholic school sits on a beautiful campus. as a private school it is not run by the seattle arch diocese, but adheres to strict teachings and guidelines. what happened next took many by surprise. almost immediately after hearing that the popular mr z as he is known was forced to leave, students staged a mass sit-in. >> there was a lot of anger and confusion on why an administrator who was doing his

job well would be fired because of sexual preference. it changed to determination, and wanting to change not just the catholic church, but people's views on gays and help them be able to be who they are. >> initially i was sad, upset and overwelcomed that something unfair could happen because he was a great person. i couldn't wrap my mind around what happened. after that it turned to anger at the school. then the parent got angry, some threatening to pull the kids departure. >> i like to see myself as helping him and the school turn the page. >> alumini over the country threatened to stop donating. >> i don't want a scarlett letter or be known as the guy

that went to school for the problems and they fire gay people and it's a billing media mess, that's why i'm involved. [ chants ] this if there are people connected to the school in favour of zmuda's departure, they stayed silent. driven by students on social media, there has been protests like this. >> let's bring the change we want to the church. >> with updates on twitter, hash tag keepmr z and an organising page on facebook. school swim meets are statements, and at every protest students i don't pope francis asking "who am i to judge? ". >> to have the love and support is incredible. they stood up for me, and on

what i thought was right. >> the school held meetings with faculty, teachers, parents and alumni. the media has been present. other gay teachers in other cities also lost their jobs in catholic schools after getting light. >> at this protest two weeks ago alumini and activists marched to the headquarters of the seattle arch diocese, delivering a petition signed by more than 20,000, demanding that the arch bish ol reinstate zmuda. >> we beg you to make a pastoral statement regarding god's unconditional love for all persons working in our local catholic institutions. >> the archbishop spokesman came to the door.

>> the school decided it had to by faith of to its mission in the catholic school and the arch diocese supports of the school board in its decision. >> reporter: how does this square up with what the pope says about gays? >> well, you know, pope francis reminded us of the limitless mercy of god, and reminded us that as catholics we have a responsibility to live the fullness of catholic teaching, including the teaching ontraditional marriage. >> the school and the arch diocese are not enforcing other catholic teachings. >> prohibition against divorce, remarriage and contravention. the story is not going away. sister mary tracy resigned last week. many say it is not enough to end the controversy. >> friday is z day. supporters are urged to wear one

the school colours, orange, and at 1:00 pm eastern time, to take a moment and stand up for mr z. >> if the student voice is strong use, this can carry, that is what started this, that's what continues to propel this for the students. >> the kids have been fantastic. i'm so proud and so honoured of catholic. >> we will be in charge of all of this. we will be able to make this change. right now this is how it starts. high school students challenging the catholic church in the name of equality. >> "america tonight" correspondent sheila macvicar will follow up. we are looking ahead to next week. punishment. >> started hearing "stop resisting, stop resisting", i yelled out, "i'm in handcuffs", and someone smashed my face to

cracking. >> a west coast sheriff's department mired in controversy. allegations of brutality in l.a. county. an investigation in crime and punishment - next week. >> after the break this hour, the other america. and the pursuit of the american dream - can it still exist. our "america tonight" series continues next. >> no doubt about it, innovation changes our lives. opening doors ... opening possibilities. taking the impossible from lab ... to life. on techknow, our scientists

bring you a sneak-peak of the future, and take you behind the scenes at our evolving world. techknow - ideas, invention, life. on al jazeera america

>> every sunday night aljazeera america presents eye opening documentaries. they are impartial... >> if you wanted to be a good journalist in iraq, you have to risk your life... >> they observe. and report... >> kidnapping is a very real problem... >> journalists on the front line >> sometimes that means risking death >> getting the story, no matter what it takes >> that's what the forth estate is all about... that's why i'm risking my life... >> killing the messenger on al jazeera america >> in this week's state of union address president obama laid out a goal to reverse the economy and bring back the middle class weual know. these days the opportunity for upward mobility can be hard to

find. with many living pay check to pay check, the definition of middle class has changed. take a look at the revival of the middle class. velshi. >> i would like to one day breathe a little easy. >> we have jobs. people don't have jobs. we are appreciative of that, and we are able to feed our family. we do struggle. >> we are not frivolous people. we don't have charge cards, we don't have car loans. my daughter can't go to college right now. it's not like, you know, we are spending the money and not paying attention to where it's going. we are working, doing what we have to do, and we can't get ahead. that's our lives. >> ali velshi is joining us now from new york. you know, this is really a picture of a new kind of middle class and we have talked on this program about a new kind of poor. and it's almost as though things changed so much for this group.

>> yes. this is a good example, because we have talked about it on our show, you talked about it on yours. this is it beyond economics and politics. as a channel al jazeera america will start a year-long conversation on america's middle class. we are doing this on monday. it's called rebuilding the dreams, nine out of 10 americans identify themselves as being in or want to be in the middle class of america. all agree that the middle class is squeezed after years of job losses, rising costs and stagnant wages while the higher classes make money. starting monday a special one hour edition of "real money," we take a look at america's middle class and the challenges it fizz faces, including student debt. we'll talk to families, experts about how to fix this, how to move ahead, and what happened to

the american dream and how to capture it. >> as you talk to people, do you have a sense that people know what the middle class is. is it an income thing, is it an education limit. how do we know what the middle class is? >> i'd like to have a real answer for you by august. by then you'll hear politicians across the country telling you how to vote for them, because they'll protect the middle class. if you ask 10 people, you'll get 13 answers. it's a bit of a concept. a state of mind. it's a life that makes you think you are doing better than your parents and your kids will do better than you. it allows for home ownership, gives you leisure time. working two or three jobs doesn't count. it's the ability to get an education and work out of the debt. to some people it's the ability to take an annual vacation with your family, it's a lot of things, if you feel like you are struggling, you spend a different way.

when you sfend in a conservative way -- spend in a conservative way, where a stock market change affects how you spend, it affects the economy. we depend on a strong middle class to buy things and pay the taxes. this is a problem whether or not you think it affects you. >> i know a part of this is generational thinking. different anal groups look at this a different way. >> there's a bit less -- different anal groups look at this a different way. there's a bit less, there's a thought that society would give them something. there was an understanding if you had a high school education or got into a manufacturing or office job, you could retire on that, it would give you a pension. now, nobody knows what to effect the the net effect is it people spend differently. if you are under 30, it's good for your economics, it's bad for wealth creation in the country, it's bad for home sales and the attended benefits that come from that.

this is starting that is starting to be a drag on the economy. we need to understand what you should expect from the american dream. class. >> so many are asking the question. glad that you are looking into this. the host of "real money," ali velshi. you can see all of ali velshi's one-hour special: >> president obama's calling 2014 a year of action, and a year of hope to restore people's hope in the american dream. the president's address embodied americans. we know these are the hard pressed it grows darker each day. we are talking about the single mum playing by the rules but barely getting by, the defeated college graduate with a mounting debt making minimum waning and the rise and fall of an immigrant businessman. they are more than political props,

they are the other america. >> i was always interested in karate or martial arts. i liked it, so when i was a kid and saw rocky the first time, i was so inspired by that movie i started boxing in the high school. i joined the team, and my boxing life started. i got a scholarship from the university in japan. i joined them. i focused on going to the olympic games. but i couldn't be national champion in japan. i started thinking what will i do? inspire people like rocky did. i feel like it's my turn to

inspire others. i dreamt about - coming to the united states to be app actor. you know, movie, hollywood. calf. maybe i can start from there. i decided to come to los angeles. when i came here, i was 27. of course, you know, i was nobody. i needed to have another job, you know, started looking for a japanese classified paper and i phoned a company, one gentleman. he had his own company. before then, i didn't know anything about hats. but i learnt. >> we adjusted height of the crown, lower or higher, and also, you know, the brim. >> we are looking for assistant for exporting company.

i like fashion, so, you know, that's how i hooked up with the hat business firstly, and two years later i opened up business. my conversation started growing and i exhibited. the first customer i got was the big nation wise chain store. they liked our hats. i see people on the streets, walking and wearing our hots, and i feel like "that's great", we made it. they sent me orders and we worked closer, we had orders, getting bigger and bigger. i did over a million annual

sails, and five employees. everywhere i tried my best. i pushed myself to the edge. my prices getting higher, my profit is shrinking, shrinking, shrinking. finally, you know, we wer froze - we were forced to close the company. i had to file bankruptcy. ordinary people work 40 hours a week. me, now, you know, i have two jobs, day-time, in the evening, driving taxi, about 85 to 90 hours a week.

i work at the japanese sushi restaurant. i feel like i'm just having the occasion of my life. this page is over, but next page, i'm opening my next page of my life. >> sushi bar recommendations. >> working for the restaurant, that's benefitted - we get free meal, lux. i can save lunch money. came back home around 4 o'clock tik a break, have a -- take a break, have a cup of tea and go to next work driving taxi. so now we are ready to go. let's go get some passengers. okay.

now we are on mel rose avenue. i had a customer selling products, showing samples. sometimes i miss those sales. it was fun. talking to customers, selling products. i don't want to see, like, my - all the customers, when i drive a taxi. that's kind of weird. of course, they maybe not ask, but they think why she's driving taxi? and this is where i was hanging out. every weekend - my dinner or - i don't remember now when was the last time i went there. i walked by there, you

know, a lot. driving by, you know. having been inside the restaurant - i haven't been inside the restaurant for a long time. since i started this financial difficulty. one day i'll be a customer again, i'll go back there. not now. okay. i have to figure out this paper. i almost feel like i work 24 hours. i mean, at the restaurant five days a week, taxi, every day, every night i drive. taxi. usually i make from restaurant about $900, and from driving

taxi cab $4,367. but rent $780. utility $50, car loan $250, medical insurance $200. home phone and cell phone, internet $220. my taxi lease is cost $2,080 a month. wire money to japan, supporting parents, $500 a month. after deduct all those expense, only $120 left. $120 divided four weeks. $40 a week, $30 a week divided by seven.

$4.29 a day. for in the morning, exhausted and ready to go to bed. there are so many people facing financial difficulties. i can have compassion for them. yes. makes me a better person. >> in the other america. after the break here - from the fight and poverty to the face of pop. the celebrity endorsement >> every morning from 5 to 9am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other american news channel. find out what happened and what to expect. >> start every morning, every day, 5am to 9 eastern with al jazeera america.

>> the struggling midddle class >> we just can't get ahead... >> working longer hours, for less pay. >> people are struggling everywhere. >> school loans... morgages...

inflation... taking it's toll... >> we live paycheck to paycheck... >> now in a continuing series, join ali velshi as we follow families, just like yours, as they try to get by... >> we're all struggling financially... >> america's middle class: only on al jazeera america!

consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the government shutdown. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> we've heard you talk about the history of suicide in your family. >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but, what about buying shares in a professional athlete? >> freedom of press is guaranteed, a luxe affording us, as journalists, the freedom to

publish. for journalists working in foreign countries, it's difficult to find. exico, russia, iraq, afghanistan, syria - the list long, the deaths countless. the pursuit for the truth never dies. >> censorship in mexico is basically a result of the threat of violence imposed by the drug cartels, and the failure of the government to provide minimal safety guarantees for reporters

in the media to do the work without fear of reprisal. killing of journalists is not collateral

damage. >> crime, corruption and violence, promoted by criminal organizations, organised crime. it is devastating the mexican press, undermining a citizens right to freedom of expression, access to information,

democracy. >> "killing the messenger" is the film. joining us now. which appreciate you being with us. in this clip we are focus the on mexico and the situation there. it's a proceed problem, and it isn't just conflict zones that we are talking about. >> yes, thank you for having me. the problem of killing the messenger or journalists is a global problem. we at cpg have been documenting and monitoring cases journalists have been murdered in the job for more than two decades now. >> now, in a recent year, for example, where are the worst locations in the world to be a journalist, most dangerous? >> just over the past year, 70

journalists were killed worldwide on the job. out of the 70, 31 were murdered in direct reprisal for their work. the most murderous nations are iraq, starting from the time when iraq was at war. there have been 90 murders of journalists, and to that day when iraq is there are allegedly a stable place, none of the 90 murderers have been solved. >> but it's not always a conflict zone that produces this. i understand that the philippines is high on your list, we do not consider that to be a place in turmoil. >> indeed, iraq was a conflict zone. it's not the only one on the list. countries like the philippines and russia, which are nominally

peaceful countries have at least nominally a vibrant press, have also been plagued by murders of oppressed workers and impunity in all of these cases. in the philippines we have more that 20 journalists killed over the past decades and in russia 16 murders, and only in one case have there been any killers prosecuted and conficted. >> in the last -- convicted. >> in the last few sessions i want to ask about russiaso much intention is focussed there going into the olympics. does that have a bearing on the country? >> we released a report on censorship in the run up to sochi. you can access it at www.cpa.org.

what we can say is censorship in russia is at its worse since the falling apart of the soviet union and the situation is dire, mostly for local journalists, and international journalist trying to cover sensitive subjects that the government wants concealed. >> fascinating. we'll follow up on the story. from the committee to protect journalists, thank you for being with us. al jazeera presents "killing journalists, the deadly cost of news" later this week. ahead - priceless penny. anthony

>> finally this hour we hit the hard court with a former basketball star, penny hardaway retired from the n.b.a. he never left the game. in an unusual and emergency situation, penny sunned in as a coach of a team. what happened next is the stuff of the silver screen. oscar de la hoyer has the story of a unique friendship -- we have the friendship. >> in memphis basketball is religious, in binghamton, it's a ticket out. where a local kid dared the impossible. former n.b.a. point guard anfernee hardaway started out here and became an n.b.a. draft pick and 4-time all star. nearly a decade passed, but he vowed to use the game he loved to inspire a group of middle

schools to believe in what might be possible. penny hardaway returned to his memphis middle school to help a childhood friend who was battling cancer. >> in 2010 desmond merriweather was given 24 hours ha life. the father of fully, whose son played on the team, awoke from a medically induced coma, and had lions. >> i was, "hold on, we are not worried about the team, we are worried about you." he didn't want to hear it. he was, "i know i'll be okay. but we are going to the state championships", i thought he was crazy, he was not worried about his health, he was worried about the kids. >> let's go get it. the families are hear to watch us put on a show. let's go.

>> penny hardaway honoured his friend's request. no foul, no foul. >> did you think you would be a middle school coach? >> no, not at all. i didn't think i would be a middle school coach. it happened. i thank god for putting me in this situation. i enjoy it. if you don't invest in the community, these kids will be the robbers, the kids, driving drunk, doing something negative that we hate seeing on the new, we can do something about it. all they want is love. i knew he would do it. his heart is so big. people just - they can't imagine somehow great he is as a person. >> it brings tearing to my eyes because i knew the job was hard. he's made is easier. >> penny hardaway's new job

evolved into hor than teaching the game of basketball. when they returned to gang-infested binghamton, he saw little had changed, the same courts that draw a string of plars. >> i wanted to make a difference in my neighbourhood and the mentality of the boys. there are no fathers, the mums are working hard to make ends meet and the neighbourhood is tough. you can get lost into that neighbourhood if you are not careful. i want to change the mind-set and bring a winning attitude to the schools. >> you walked in their shoes. >> that was me walking through the halls, didn't have a gather. mum was gone. from. >> he put education first, walking the halls to check on the players and demanding progress reports. he approaches doing the right thing in and out of the

classroom and asked gang leaders to stay away. here? >> i care because the love given to me. my neighbourhood was awesome as far as support. my grandmother was there, the people in the neighbourhood. i told my grandmother. if i made it i'd never forget where i came from. it's in my heart. god gave me the heart. it's an easy job to do, going back and trying to touch lives. >> desmond merriweather recovered enough to return to the bench. but the chemo took its tool toll. penny hardaway stepped in as head coach. they gave him the first championship season. and then a second. he never won a championship of his own. >> it was great. it was a total team coaching effort. everyone played a part, coaches, family principal. it was a total team effort. it was

gratifying. we took a team with no confidence to a team with a lot of confidence. to see it come to fruition made it so great. >> fighting colon cancer, desmond merriweather requires by weekly chemo which leaves him trained, but he refuses to stay home. >> once i see one of the boys' faces i jump back into the zone as being the coach. i can lead it alone. >> why do you do this? you don't have to. you are sick. nothing. >> it puts so much in me. it helps the kids. it's my heart. >> that's the game plan. we are coming off cj and staying home on the shooters. we are not face-guarding the shooters and not ball watching. >> on game day preparation starts behaviour tip off. >> throw it over his head and give up

>> then it's off to penny hardaway's home where the team play. >> all we have to do is stay on the block. start waving like this. alex lomax, spent the last three years under him. >> he's like a father-figure. my father is not in my life. if coach penny was not around, we'd be a different place, i don't think i would be in the seat. i thank got he let's me be around coach penny for how long i get to be around. >> i came a week... >> jan eata is the assistant director of the lester community center where penny hardaway spent hours refining his game. >> he made is a difference. >> he did. he did. penny is a genuine good-heart

person that wants to see our children grow. and grow to be positive. >> how has their basketball team changed the neighbourhood? >> it's the morale of the people behind the basketball team, and a lot of parents i didn't see, i see a lot of them. the basketball players are into it with their heart, you know. and penny, he's the coach, but it's not just about coaching, it's about the wellbeing of the students. that has really made a tremendous difference. >> today they are competing in a basketball tournament that's the city's premiere competition for regional

teams. >> the lester lions give up their lead and lose the semifinal game, taking home third place. the loss takes getting used to, intact. >> this will be an experience out of love. for everyone that didn't play, you'll get better by the time we get to the city and the state. this year marks the third and final season. they are parting ways with something more valuable than a tournament title. for the players, hope. for penny hardaway, a promise kept to the grandmother that raised him. the lester lions have their eyes on another prize, a third state championship for the departing head coach, and his team that could wants the three peat. >> into they are all winners. that's sara hoy reporting. that's it for us here on "america tonight."

remember, if you would like to comment on any of the stories, log on to the website aljazeera.co aljazeera.com/america tonight. you can get all the previews and meet the team and tell us what you would like to see. goodnight. we'll have more of "america tonight" tomorrow.

mike haines on technology to protect kids and pros from brain injuries. should college football players unionize? welcome to consider. here is more on what is ahead. >> a former u.s. sold we are was accused of spying. >> they have poor judgment.