past. a lot of issues. good to have you with us, as always. the show may be over but the conversation continues on the website. you can find us on facebook, google+ and twitter. see you next time. hi everyone. this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. truth and consequences - new questions about sergeant bowe bergdahl freed by the taliban, but facing a desertion investigation. dangerous prescription. chicago accuses the biggest drug companies in the world of using deception to push addicted pain-killers. growing acceptness, support for gay and traps gender --

transgender rights. my conversation with kurt eling - see and hear why he's considered one of the greatest jazz artists. how are you different from other jazz singers? >> i'm living. >> well, yes. [ ♪ music army sergeant bowe bergdahl remains in a military hospital, props he is not aware of the firestorm vouching both the deal to free him and the murky circumstances surrounding how he fell into enemy hands. president obama is defending the decision to release bowe bergdahl, others say the real story is not told. randall pinkston reports. >> no one denies bowe bergdahl suffered during five years of captivity by the taliban. some soldiers who served with him say he has no hero. >> i want him to be held

accountable for his actions. he purply and wilfully left his post. he desert me, his platoon, and the united states army. >> joshua was a medic in bowe bergdahl's unit. former army sergeant evan was a squadron leader accusing bowe bergdahl of being responsible for the death and injuries of soldiers set out to find him. >> it's a spit in the face to the soldiers who died as a result to him leaving. >> one involved in the search was second lieutenant darren andrews. his twin jarrod blames bowe bergdahl for his brother's death. >> i have frustration that potentially he could be alive if bowe bergdahl hadn't left his post. we lost someone we loved very much and will never see him again. >> the controversy extends from the unit to the capital where senior officials joined in criticism of the obama administration.

dianne fienstein said that she and five from told some may be september to qatar to get the release of bowe bergdahl. they objected. >> we should have been consulted, that the law should have been followed and i regret that that was the case. the detainees are in qatar. republican says some are responsible for deaths. the president needs to look the american people in the eye and explain to the american people why he was justified in releasing the five individuals, and why their background didn't demand and mandate that they be detain add at guantanamo for a period of time. >> the release of the taliban held in gaum -- guantanamo was conditioned on the qataris

keeping an eye on them, creating structure. we'll keep eyes on them. i wouldn't do it if i thought it was contrary to america national security. we have confidence that we will be in a position to go after them if, in fact, they are engaging in activities that threaten our defenses. of course, the military community has mixed emotions about bowe bergdahl's return. heidi zhou-castro is in texas with that story. >> reporter: fort hood is the united states largest military installation, and 45,000 soldiers are currently stationed here. in the surrounding community they exist to support the servicemen and women. into the community we took this question - is bowe bergdahl a hero or something else? bowe

bergdahl has been the talk of the town in killeen texas, a community of military personnel and their families, a city used to welcoming home all u.s. soldiers as heroes. but on this day people at this barbecue stand are not sure what to make of bowe bergdahl. the deal that the u.s. made to bring him home and accounts by comrades that he left his post before he was captured. >> our president made a trade with some of the top taliban, who are willing to go back to work doing what they were doing, and now they window out he deserted. >> that man's family lived here for six generations and says that bowe bergdahl should be forced to face charges. >> there were others that died because of what he did. >> according to a member of the bowe bergdahl's unit, six soldiers died whilst searching for the prison are of war.

three were from texas, killed by roadside bombs in 2009, and people in the home state say bowe bergdahl's return reawokened the pain for the those soldiers lost. >> i think i would demand the deposit to look into it if my son or daughter died. if he deserted, he needs to be punished, and the government has actions they can take against him. >> the army may investigate ealeses of bowe bergdahl's -- allegations of bowe bergdahl's desertion, but he is innocent until proven guilty. army leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred. back at the barbecue stand after hearing officials in washington prays bowe bergdahl was a hero, this woman lost trust in the government's promises. >> i feel we are being lied to as a nation. i would like more answers. >> reporter: until then she'll

withhold judgment on someone the military community considers one of its own. >> reporter: now, general dempseys said it would be premature to assume that bowe bergdahl would not face discipline, the army announced that it would launch a comprehensive review once he has medically recovered. >> there's not been any charms or investigation starting. if the army were to find bowe bergdahl guilty of desertion, what would happen after that? >> well, the most severe penalty which most see as unlikely is execution. that has not happened in the u.s. military for a desertion sense 1944. bowe bergdahl could face lesser discipline, including administrative discharge. the military experts speaking to al jazeera say a guilty finding would be unlikely because of the high burden of proof that military prosecutors face.

they'd have to prove that bowe bergdahl not only left the base, but left with the intention of staying away permanently. the fact that bowe bergdahl was captured, denied him of that intention because he lacked the ability to come back as he so wished. >> heidi zhou-castro. thank you very much. tonight - new information about the young american who became a suicide bomber in syria, and the details, questions of where and how he was radicalized. we have that story. >> reporter: in syria's civil war foreign fighters are flooding in. the fbi says it includes u.s. citizens, like this young man from florida who the state department says was the first american to carry out a suicide attack in syria. officials say the 22-year-old

detonated 16 tonnes of explosives in a truck last month outside a restaurant where government forces gathered. the exact payment of people he killed is unknown. he was born in west palm beach to an american mother and palestinian father. reports say his high school classmates described him as a young man who loved basketball and video games. he was funny, outgoing, happy and devout muslim, not an extremist. but at some point there was a change. he dropped out of high school. drifted from clem to college, then disregard only to -- college to challenge, then disappeared, only to shape up as a suicide bomber in syria. last week's attack raised alarms at the white house, and it prompted a renewed focus op home-grown terrorists. >> reporter: the u.s. believes as many of 70 of its citizens travelled to syria to train and

fight. the concern is if and when they return. that's why the top lawyer in the united states announced he's creating a task force to deal with what he calls an escalating danger from home grown terrorists and says:. >> the task force is called the domestic terrorism executive committee and made up of leaders from the u.s. justice democrat, federal bureau of investigation, and u.s. attorneys. the task force is not new. it was first put in place in 1995, after the domestic terrorist bomb attack in oklahoma city that same year. priority shifted after the september 11th attacks to an overseas focus. now with an additional spotlight on threats, there are questions about whether it's necessary.

we had domestic terror. >> as a problem in the united states since inception. it's probably no worse or better than it was at the turn of the century. there needs to be more thought on actions. whether those are necessary or making it more secure. the justice department says terrorists have been behind more than two dozen incidents in the u.s. since the september 11th attacks. it's this threat that it hopes to stop. some dangerous storms sweeping across the country. the extreme weather brought large hail, rain, rolling into nebraska and iowa. kevin corriveau is here with the latest on that. >> nebraska has been pounded all through the afternoon, into the evening the the thunder storms continue to build up across the region, of course, we are seeing that in iowa as well. i want to show you video that came in from omaha. look at this. severe flooding.

because of the constant rain going on across the region. let's show you other video across the area. we were looking as the storm clouds were pushing through. believe it or not we saw between one to two inches of hail, wind gusts up to 80 to 100 miles per hour, and this caused problems on the road as well. the hail that i mentioned caused destructive damage not only to homes, but trees. we saw a lot of power lines down. this will continue through the rest of the evening. coming back to the weather wall, we are looking at storms pushing through. was nebraska, it was iowa, now looking to parts of mississippi as well. that will continue. if you travel tomorrow, chicago, indiana, we'll have major problems. so far this evening, believe it or not, there has been over 220 storm damage reports dealing

with wind as well as hail. and there's no reason that that will end soon as we go into the early hours. tornado warns are in effect for nebraska and iowa. >> more people may have died in general motors car accidents than originally thought. a reuters study estimated 74 fatalities may have been caused. gm linked 13 to the ignition switches. a study found more accidents with significant similarities. g.m. did not comment on the findings. >> from chicago, a multi million lawsuit against five of the biggest companies in the world. the city claims they deceived people to hook them on prescription drugs. we have the latest. >> reporter: the lawsuit filed say the companies concealed the

health risk in relation to potent pain-killers, so they could sell more and increase profits. it created addicts costing the city millions in health claims. some of the addicts moved on to heroin because it's cheeper and easier to get. harold says the complaint is modelledar the lawsuits. they are not saying the pain-killers should be marketed, but that there was deceptive advertising, and that the companies few that they were more addictive than they let on. they knew that they didn't help as much. >> the companies named are:. >> the same five manufacturers were named in a similar lawsuit filed in california. that suit accuses them of using deception to increase sales of opioids, creating what it called a population of addicts. >> in 2006 criminal and civil

charges were settled for misbranding oxycontin, agreeing to bay sediment for marketing misconduct. sales have risen. there has been a 300% in the increase in the sale of prescription pain killers. it was called a deadly endemics, responsible for three out of pour overdose threats in the united states. dazed cohen is a -- david cohen is a clinical director. at a treatment center and is an addict. >> it is a powerful force in our establishment. i believe it has a moral obligation to educate the consumer on what the composition of the drug is, and what the participation consequences of that can be. that's a more hall responsibility. >> a spokeswoman says the company is committed in ethical business practices, and promotion, prescribing and use of medications and that they are

reviewing the complaint. representatives declined comment or did not respond. the city wants the companies to pay restitution and dams and change the marketing practices. dr seal each gound, r joins us. she was researched this issue. >> are opioids overprescribed by doctors. >> i believe they are. they used to be prescribed after surgery. pharmaceutical encouraged physicians to prescribe the medicines for what they were spended for, short-term, and end of life pain, but for neck, back, joint pain, which they weren't studied or intended for. >> if people had pain, why

shouldn't their doctor give them the drugs. >> one of the things shown is that in long-term use with the medications you develop a tolerance. in fact, an increased sensitivity to pain. it doesn't solve the pain issue. in addition, some of the studies in washington state looked at whether people returned to work after an injury at work, and we started on opioid. and they found you were less likely to go back to work and less functional if this is how your pain was managed. >> if they became addicted, why don't doctors recognise that? >> well, it's a complicated conversation to have with a patient and easier to give them the prescription they want in a 10-minute visit than to take the time to understand what the patient's facing to counsel them about the options and that's hard to do. >> are you suggesting that people should live with pain? >> not at all. there are other options. a lot of pain, chronic muscular

cell tap pain, a lot related to obesity. >> just getting older. >> yes. some of the things we should do that is not well reimbursed, like physiotherapy - it requires effort, insurance reimbursement and it's not as easy as giving a prescription for narcotics. >> there's thousands of prescriptions out there. how do you dial it back? >> it's another challenge. you have patients who are dependent. to wean them off is challenging. it takes a lot of time. you need the patients to work with you to find other ways to manage pain. >> it strikes me that this is a societal problem. why don't doctors understand it, why aren't they doing more or leading the way? >> unfortunately many of us were taught, you know, part of the

our mission is to relieve pain and suffering. we didn't realise the harm that we were causing by prescribing opioid medications. it requires a culture shift among physicians and support to physicians so they cap help patients make the changes. >> we look at fizz irps to teach us -- physicians to teach us these things. who will teach them and the patients. >> it will be difficult, when you have pharmaceutical companies that fund the training that physicians sometimes take. the pharmaceutical companies make a lot of money on this, right. >> they do. there are requirements now that they need to start as a group to fund the training to try to educate the fizz irps about how to -- physicians about how to do this safely. that is reasonable new. >> in they educate the people

they make less money so it's not in their interests. >> that's right. >> thank you very much doctor. teaching the common core - how a bitter debate is having an impact on elections. tiananmen square, 25 years later - reapplications from a leading activist.

tens of thousands of syrians voted in the presidential election. the winner was no surprise. bashar al-assad is expected to take the next 7-year turn by a landslide. rebel-held areas did not participate pt the opposing candidates are viewed as puppets of asaad. it was called a farce by western countries. egypt's former military chief has been confirmed as the president. abdul fatah al-sisi won with 97% of the vote. the 25th anniversary of tahrir square massacre arrived in china. the biggest pro-democracy movement ever. the protests were crushed by the military. tanks rolled over demonstrators, and the survivors were forced into prison, hiding and exile.

i spoke with chiling a student leader and i asked her what they were fighting for and what has changed since 1989? >> i and my last 5,000 students chose to stay at tiananmen square, hoping for the world to see what was happening in china and come to the rescue. >> did the world come to your rescue. >> at the time they didn't. at the beginning there was protests, media, outrage. later, life goes on. people want to do business. it was disappointing. >> why did you risk going to prison in order to protest? >> you know, the life we had before tianamen in 1989 was a life without freedom. it was a life - we came to tooep to have economic reform, political reform and spiritual reform. we want to the free them from fear and injustice.

freedom from lie and deceit and from false prosecution and imprisonment and freedom from corruption much has any of that changed? >> china only allowed economic reform. they have the worst form of economy. economic dictatorship. there's no political reform. china is taking place, undergoing spiritual reform. >> at one point you were on the chinese government's 21 most wanted list. what was that like? >> it was not good. i'm still on the list. we had to be put on the run after the massacre. >> you escaped. >> it took me 10 months of hiding inside of china until i came to freedom. the last journey was put in a cargo box. it took me four nights and

five days in that cargo box until i reached freedom. >> the schools don't teach tiananmen square to young students. how will they know what happened? >> i notice that every chinese student that came to america, the first thing they want to know is what happened in 1989. through them the word goes back to china. i talk to some young people in china, and they say we cap break through the fire wall. >> the night before tooep, what did you -- tiananmen square, what did you expect would happen? >> we never expected a massacre. we thought a crackdown. once the tank moved in and people were shot. it was disbelief. i could not believe it. the argument about leave or stay was so intense, and one minute workers had machine guns saying don't order anyone to leave. another a knife - a kid come in

with a knife saying ling, if you don't order everyone to leave, i'll cut you. i said we have a democratic process and we'll use peace and love to overcome violence and hatred. the last hour in tiananmen square. i remember looking into the tanks and troops. it was amazing. i didn't now how much hatred and resentment. it was a flood of love and hope. i was hoping the chinese leaders, and the soldiers would know what a better world we hope for them. and for the next generation, even though they may never know or remember us, we hope for a greater china. i call the chinese leader to go ahead, expand the political reform and the spiritual reform. only then, when we have three reforms, can it have lasting peace and prosperity. >> we are pleased you have the freedom to talk to us about this

tonight. >> thank you very much. >> tank you, god bless you. >> thank you. coming up, traps gender model geena rosaro talks about her life, message and mission. [ ♪ music ] my conversation with kurt ellie.

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comcast business built for business. hi, this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler in new york. coming up, on the ballot why the edu kaghts standard common core is a -- education standard common core is a key issue. gender wars - transgender americans are gaining more rights and becoming more accepted. jazz musician - for a new generation. my conversation with kurt elling. [ ♪ music ] it is primary day in eight

states with senate battles in all eight except california. the race it tight in mississippi, where senator cochrane has gop support, but state senator mc-daniel is gaping momentum. the other in iowa, new jersey, barac barack oba barack obama -- and alabama. >> reporter: from races for the state school board to legislature, common core is the most dominant and divisive issue across alabama. spawning websites and ads getting thousands of hits. 48 states helped to develop the maths and reading standard for kindergarten through 12th grade students, designed to prepare them for college and the workforce. in 2010 alabama adopted the standards. 44 others adopted the same.

common core pushes students outside the comfort zones. >> in third or fourth agreed we asked students to add three digit numbers and come up with a correct song. in the new standards it requires the same function of earth met icts, but asks groups of students to come together. take the arithmetic, derl to use it to solve a real-world problem. conservative candidates called it a power grab by the federal government. for two years bills to pull alabama out of common core failed. in this election the debate intensified. a long-time republican leader added her voice to the tea party opposition. >> it dictates what children will learn in classrooms. the barack obama administration and progress ifs have found a way to take away choices from parents and get rid of

competition and education. >> a group called the barack obama foundation pumped 700,000 into a stock common core pact. >> i'm yet to hear an alternative. that appears to be against this. i'm not sure what i'm for. that concerns me. >> a lot of the disputes... >> this man leads the political science department at stanford university at birmingham. he says tea party candidates have support where president obama is unpopular. >> you get president obama linked to any issue and you get tremed energy and mobilization of people. >> reporter: top groups have thrown support behind common core, the fight launched by anti-core activists signals an education debate several years

old may be more serious than after. gun control is enmerming as an issue -- emerging as an issue in the primaries. led by gabriel give orders and her husband focuses on 11 races american for responsible solutions will back a slate of democrat incumbents who support expanded background checks. they raised more than $14 million since founded last year. president obama pledged $1 billion in military support for allies coninspectored about the conflict. making the announcement from poland on the first stop of a 4-day tour. >> reporter: president obama's mission was clear since landing in warsaw. a show of n.a.t.o. military hardware. posing with the president before f-16s, there was no smoking

president obama's message to russia. >> i'm starting to visit here because our commitment to poland's security and the security of our allies and central and eastern europe is a corner stop of our own security, and it is sacrosanct. >> president obama promised a million dollar programme. many hear echoses of history in russia's aggression towards ukraine. it's a fear described by polish leader. >> poland is interested in the continuation of uneasy process of reconciliation behind difficult and painful history and bloody history. >> the leaders gathered in a show of unity. all under the thumb of moscow and the soviet union, all members of n.a.t.o. president obama vowed to stand by them, and uphold the treaty.

>> we are here because as allies, we have to stand united. we stand together. president obama wakes up wednesday in warsaw for a second day, beginning with a bilateral meeting, a newly elected president of ukraine. vice president biden goes to kiev for the swearing in on saturday. while in warsaw, president obama will give a major outdoor address on foreign policy to the polish people before boarding air force one, heading to brussels for the g7. we are keeping our eyes on other top stories, richelle carey is here with a briefing. >> the white house apologised to lawmakers for not telling them in advantages about the changes of five taliban prisoners for army sergeant bowe bergdahl. president obama defended the trade saying it had to be done in a timely manner.

critics raise the questions about the case and soldiers accuse him of deserting his post. president obama launched a 4-day tour in pole apped and announced -- poland and announced a billion in funding. he assured washington amid concerns over russia and ukraine. severe weather brought thunder storms and hail. the storms hit nebraska, iowa and missouri. reports of damage and flooding are coming in. officials say there's potential for a storm packing strong winds, spanning for many miles. officials warn that the weather is dangerous, and is expected to move to parts of illinois. thank you. transgender rights advocates won a victory. a federal board says medicare has to pay for sex reasign.

surgeries. activists hope it will give momentum to the transgender right campaign. jonathan betz jips us with more. >> activists hope it will pave the way for some surgeries to be routinely covered. because of the groups discriminated, acts towards transgeter people are the ones that suffer the most. >> lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, they walk hand in hand and campaign together on capitol hill. when it comes to equal right, the t in lbgt lags behind. [ chants ] . >> reporter: gay rights activists had plenty to celebrate. the repeal of don't ask don't tell in 2011 opened the door to out day soldiers, but for now transgender people cannot join the military. defense secretary chuck hagel

says it should be reviewed. when it comes to workplace discrimination they do not enjoy the same protection as gays have. 21 states in the district of columbia have laws banning employees discriminating against gay workers, only 18 protect transgender workers. part of the problem is visibility. suggesting that transgender people make up less than half a per cent. a poll found that while 90% of americans know someone who is gay or lesbian only 8% know a transgender person. that makes them all the more important. activists are celebrating this milestone, the first trans person on the cover of "time" magga dispeep, lavelle cox. >> reporter: one reason the magga dispeep cover is ground breaking, it's hoped that

attitudes will change when people understand them. jonathan betz. thank you. joining us is fashion model and transgeter activist geena rocero, the founder of the organization gender proud. welcome. it's good to have you on the programme. >> thank for having me. >> you tell me you got back from the philippines, what were you doing? >> i was doing advocacy work, visiting communities, i grew up in the philippines where i joined beauty pageants, wees have transgender beauty pageants. i'm at a point where i'm coming home and giving back. >> you say you knew when you were five years old that you had been identified as a boy, but that you wanted to be a girl. >> yes. i knew earlier than that. >> you did. >> i had a moment when i was five when my mum asked me and said "how come you wear the t-shirt?", i said mum, this is my hair, i'm a girl. i was able to self-identify.

i didn't know the full spectrum of what that meant. i knew something was different. >> you had a dream that you wanted to be a model. your dream came true. how did it happen. >> with the support system of my family, my mum wanted me to pursue the dreams i wanted. i met a lot of fashion people in 2005. >> that was a big year. >> yes. >> why was 2001 a big year. >> i was living in the philippines, i was young, having fun, hanging out with friend. mum called and said my petition came through and i could move it the united states. initially i didn't want to do that, because i was having fun with my friends.

my mum said if you want to become a woman, there's a law in the united states. that, in itself was a reason for me to move. >> you have a number of messages, but can you talk a little about why you believe it's important to speak out. >> it's important. people are realising that, "t" in l.g.b.t. has different knees. with marriage equality, i believe it's going to be a dom jipo effect. not just in the united states, but around the world. >> what about transgender rights, is that happening? >> with the "time" magga zeen cover with lavelle. >> what does that mean? >> it's huge. not just in the united states, all over the world. we were celebrating. the transgender community are having a conversation, that we need to come together as a movement, a group, that this is our moment to speak out, created

thought forms, blogs. out there. >> this has not been easy. there are so many transgender americans around the world who suffered. you talk about suicide being a big problem. what other challenges do you face? >> lavelle on the "time" magga dispeep, at the statement there were two transgender women attacked and stripped of their clothes in atlanta, while people applauded. what a world do we live in. >> what sort of hate did you experience? >> in 2005 - i became a u.s. citizen in 2006. in 2005 i travelled from new york to japan, to tokyo. i had a philippine passport with male name and male gender marker. going through immigration i was being escorted by two immigration officers and taken to the holing office for two hours, questioned about who i am, asking about supporting

document, i need to prove this is who i am. i understand the technical reasons, because it didn't match who i am. that was dehumanizing and it's existing now. >> how do you talk about that to people who just meet you? do you mention it or do they accept y you... >> i don't specifically mention it. when within opportunity presents itself, i'm an educator. >> you are well-known. >> amongst many hats that i wear, one of the important things is i'm an educator. i engage with people, with conversations. i need to transcend moments of uncomfortable questions. do people push back. what do they ask you? >> not many go to the surgery question. i say i'm more than my body, i'm more than my surgery. i have the same diagrams. we need to talk about dreams and

possibilities. i think of a young transgender woman watching right now. this moment is very important, to have the vision or possibility. >> what do you tell them? >> i tell them i was assigned boy when i was born. i knew i was a woman at a young age. the thing that i'm doing with gender proud is the core message is we live in a culture that easily assign us gender at birth. it should beeesy to rea -- be easy to reasign it if it's causing suffering and misunderstanding. >> do you find many are bullied in school and have to endure hateful things that are said. >> those are fear-based decision making. there's more layers as to why those things happened. i think conversations, disability is important. conversations like this, where we are having a conversation about what it means to be transgender. as a transgender woman. >> what is your message about

those that are bullied and how to deal with this. >> it's a sensitive thing, but the world is changing. be out there, keep moving, keep moving forward. as long as you pursue your truth, you can't go wrong. there are difficult moments, i've had difficult moments, we all have. >> i suspect your difficult moments have been more difficult than other people. >> exactly. i didn't talk about my status for a long time n a way, for me, as i go out, travel the world, i came from the philippines and hopping conning, i feel like -- hong kong. i feel like i'm being heeled. we need to talk about the healing process, and to have empathy and compassion. we are the same human beings with the same diagrams we want to pursue our truth and what is more important than that. thank you for being here and sharing four story. great to meet you. today's imaging of the day

is up next. [ sings ] plus kurt elling, an improvised hive -- life from the grammy winning artist.

the storm system across the midwest is expected to turn into a deratio, meaning it will be a long-lasting storm and a growing

storm. let me show you an example of one in 2012. it began as a line of thunder storms, and as it moved to the east it grew in intensity and length, and also took about 12 hours to make its way from parts of indiana to virginia. we'll watch what is happening carefully this evening. of course, we have seen 250 storm-damage reports in terms of wind and hail. just as the system made its way from parts of nebraska to parts of iowa, and into missouri. it is not over, it will go all the way to tomorrow morning. if you have plans to fly out of chicago or indiana. expect delays or cancellations across that area. tomorrow, as you can see the ohio river valley will be affected by the storm. by the time we get to thursday, it will be on the coast, but it will not be the same intensity

as what we see today. we'll see clearer conditions just behind that. now, tropical storm boris developed down here off the coast of mexico. the interesting thing is we expect it to cross over mexico, make its way to the carr by jp, and it could be the next tropical storm there. that's a look at the weather. your news is up next.

[ sings ] ♪ one reflects ... kurt elling is considered one of the greatest jazz vocalists working. he one a grammy for best album. each record has been grammy nominated. his style. the way he interprets phrases makes him a fan and critic alike. the "new york times" says kurt

elling is a standout male vocalist, the standout male vocalist of our time. what is it like to get high praise like that? >> it strokes the ego, it helps my music get out to a couple more people. maybe a couple of fans will get out and we'll meet them and try to have a good time. >> where does your passion for jazz singing come from? >> jazz music is exciting. it invites individuality and invites a signature sound out of everyone who takes part in it and at the same time it invites and demand cooperation between musicians if the real music comes out. we have to get a common language together to create something of beauty in tandem with one another in real time in front of a live audience. the critics give you high praise

and talk about how you are different. how are you different? >> i'm living. [ singing ] >> well, yes. i can't put it into words myself sometimes, but there is something different about what you do. can you explain it. >> i can tell you what my intention is, it is to vet the best parts of jazz history's past, and to - when possible - bring it into the present and anticipate the future. [ sings ] >> your performance of "nature boy", is remarkable. it strikes me how different it sounds, yet reintroduces me to a

song i haven't heard for a long time. >> that's nice of you to say. that's the flavour we are going for. >> what is it like to be a jazz performer with all this beautiful stuff written about them. how tough is it? >> on the economic front it will always be tough, it always has been. i know of a couple of jazz musicians that have gotten wealthy. we play the game. i do 200 plus nights a year on the road and am paid from my experience on the road. ♪ little shy ♪ and ... you're frrm chicago, but your latest album is about a building in new york called 1619 broadway. what is the significance of that building. it's called the brill building.

>> it has, for gerpations -- generations been home to song writers, pushers, pluggers, people that want to write and produce hit records. it was home to people like carol king, and the people that brought you songs like "on broadway" ♪ they say the women treat you fine ♪ ♪ on broadway >> give he a sense of what music do you like, what era do you focus on? are you across the board? >> when i'm at home, i like to rich to a combination of c.d.s i have not heard, from people on their way, because i want to be turned on to something i haven't heard before, and i like to do that in xiption and juxtaposition with some of my favourite jazz records. people like miles davis, and people like lester young, and, you know, great sax phone

players like wayne shorter. >> so you're from chicago, you live in new york. >> proud chicagoan, life-long and live in new york. i'm learning the city. what do you thick new york means to jazz? >> it's over this city. it's not manifesting itself on the cutting edge in manhattan, there's a lot of young people making the scope, that is making a difference, it's not a say that manhattan is lacking. you have the story jazz clubs, the vanguard and birdland and smalls and, you know, smoke way up in the upper westside and there's another place trying to open up. god bless them for it. i think new york is really overflowing with jazz riches in a way that it has been. jazz has never been the big popular music. even in its heyday it was a peripheral music, culturally

speaking. [ singing ] it's easy to see why the critics say what they say and fall in love with kurt elling's music. thank you for talking to us today. a sunbather had a classical with an airplane. this was tape at a german report. the pilot told the media that he did not see the sun bather before he was married. no one was injured, but the plane mr need repairs after ploughing through a fence. tonight's freeze frame comes from beneath the brooklyn bridge. new yorkers mystified when a grand pianner appeared on the shore. no one knows how it got through or who it belongs to. some snap pd pictures and some

play it. headlines are next with richelle carey. see you back here tomorrow night.

welcome to al jazeera america i'm richelle carey, here are the top stories. controversy surrounds the exchange of five taliban prisoners for army sergeant bowe bergdahl. today president obama defended the trade that freed bowe bergdahl from the taliban. some soldiers who served with him accused bowe bergdahl of deserting his post. president obama pledged a billion to fund training the n.a.t.o. troops, and announced the decision on the first stop of a tour in poland. part of the mission is to reassure n.a.t.o.'s allies of commitment to defense, amid the growing crisis in ukraine. >> strong rain and wind rolled through nebraska, iowa and andrej meszaros. there are report of hail damage and flooding. more people may have died in g.m. car accidents. reuters study estimated 74 fatalities may have been caused

by faulty ignition switches. g.m. blamed 13 to ignition switches. several crashes were claimed with significant similarities. those are the headlines. "america tonight" with joie chen, and we sure to check out our website aljazeera.com. a 3-day manhunt ends by the golden gate bridge with a takedown caught on video. the explosive threats federal investigators found in his home. and how a popular bay area media consultant became their target. also tonight - candid camera - and the cops. >> go away. go away. everywhere you look someone has got a camera rolling. can the police stop you if you turn the cameras on them.