>> is a chance at a better life worth leaving loved ones behind? >> did omar get a chance to tell you goodbye before he left? >> which side of the fence are you on? >> sometimes immigration is the only alternative people have. borderland only on al jazeera america >> this is al jazeera america. live from new york city. i'm david shuster with a look at today's top stories. u.s. airstrikes have begun against islamic state forces iraq. o >> in gaza the cease-fire is

over after palestinians fired rockets in israel and israel responded with airstrikes. and the "world health organization" says ebola is now a global emergency and threat. >> in northern iraq where the united states took action again this afternoon to try to stop the advance of islamic state fighters and dress humanitarian crisis in the region. the u.s. joined iraqi forces in dropping food, water, and emergency supplies to thousands trapped near the syrian border. there is now late word from the pentagon that another round of airstrikes were carrying out a

short time ago. the white house is trying to underscore this military action in iraq is limited in scope. president obama said the authorized strikes to protect personnel and stop potential genocide by islamic state fighters against ethnic minorities. lisa stark joins us live in washington. what do we know about the latest round? >> we're just getting word from the pentagon about the latest strikes, there were a number of them. unmanned airstrikes where fighters from the islamic state came back they struck again and as the pentagon put it they were eliminated. also there were four f-18 fighter jets that took a strike an hour and a half after that first strike. eight bombs total dropped on that convoy. again, this is all happening

near the town. u.s. said they are deciding when and if a strike is necessary. the president in consultation lifting the military commander. and they also said that at this point this is an open ended mission. here is the press secretary. >> the president has not laid out a specific end date. we'll take this approach in which those kinds of decisions are evaluated regularly and are driven by security situation on the ground both as it relates to the security in american personnel, but also as it relates supporting the ongoing efforts of kurdish security

forces and iraqi security forces. the president has no intention of being dragged in another war in iraq or even in a prolonged military conflict. david, the house and the military knew once the president gave this order to launch these military strikes. will there be additional ones they wouldn't say from the white house today but given what we've seen so far i certainly wouldn't rule it out. >> everyone is concerned about the siege where they're surrounded. the white house said they're going to be working with the kurdish forces to break that siege. i wonder if you can give us a little more about the relief supplies and the aid they are sending there. >> there is an air drop of humanitarian aid late yesterday. the pentagon said it included 8,000 meals ready to eat and

5300 gallons of fresh water. apparently they were not successful in a humanitarian drop. the british said they would help with you man tearan aid. there could be more humanitarian aid coming. this would be decided as they see the situation on the ground in the mountainside. now secretary kerry is traveling right now. he was in afghanistan earlier today, and he talked about the humanitarian crisis, and what's happening as a result of the actions of the fighters alive with the islamic state. here's what secretary kerry had to say. >> it's grotesque targeted acts of violence. show all the warning signs of genocide. for anyone who needed a wake-up call this is it. isil is not fighting on behalf of sunnies.

isil is not fighting for stronger iraq. isil is fighting to divide and destroy iraq and it's fighting to create a state of its own brutal impression, a place where chaos and brutality. ruthless brutality governors. >> reporter: now as the state department today repeatedly was asked why it took action to help as opposed to other groups in the world where they're facing again side. they said they were able to take a specific action here to help these people, and that is why they went in and again as we say there may be additional humanitarian aid.

>> they were flying above 30,000 feet so no one wants oh to take chances at this point. the faa has banned u.s. flights flying over they say it's just too dangerous. the conflict is on the ground. the only exception is if there is an emergency or government-approved flight.

>> it i >> and on sunday the rebels took over a town called zungar forcing 40,000 people to hide in a nearby mountain. children have died from dehydration because of the heat, partly why the u.s. has gotten involved. >> interesting of that.

joining us now is john, retired lieutenant colonel of the u.s. army. there are some reports if isil blows up a stand it could cause a catastrophic event and a water would wash in, and given that kind of threat should we expect.

>> what's interesting given the number of islamic state fighte fighters, if the military ratchets up her strike. >> on regaining ground and regaining lost territory.

there is more substantial air power and i think you'll see this thanksgiving build in days to come because this problem is not going to go away. we'll be able to blunt th the isis offense citizen. we won't be able to move isis by just air power. that will be boots on the ground. if not american it will have to be iraqi. they need boots on the ground. >> they have kurdish forces to the north.

>> they are known to be pretty good forces. so i called three peopl j. >> it's not clear to me that we won't have to get to american advisers perhaps not military, former military. where civilians are. they're pushing back the tide of isis. >> other government agencies,

many who used to be in the military, still wear boots in the field and it will take boots on the ground to clear up isis. it is causing such destruction and devastation. up to the north to the kurds and some of the religious minorities against muslims to protect government of people. >> thanks for being with us. we appreciate it. u.s. officials keep repeating a refrain that the challenges facing iraq need to be solved by new inclusive iraqi governments. but establishing that is not a very simple task.

we look at the fragile situation in baghdad. >> reporter: fighters parade through an recently occupied northern iraqi town. their strength is such that now the u.s. is launching airstrikes against them. for months the i.s. spread across the country as it wilted before them. for eight years nouri al-maliki has governed iraq in a way that it has become increasingly sectarian. maliki's party on usually fell short of the majority. in the months since the combination of the rice of the islamic state group kurdish opposition and weakening support from iran has eroded maliki's

support base. in iraqi itself the shia group said it will support any candidate from maliki's party except monthly ca maliki itself. they have indicated they think maliki should not cling on to power but many people are united against maliki. it's less clear who could succeed him. it is not a given. but the main delta in terms of how that would come out, those possibilities are strong support. including military support that pulse together in one direction. >> they believe they have failed to deal with rising sectarian violence ten years ago. one of the favorite of the bush

white house he is close to iran and become prominent again in government years. >> a look at the islamic state and it's leader coming up at 5:00 p.m. eastern right here on al jazeera. >> how many hamas fighters have been killed. and on the other side 64 israelis and three soldiers have within killed.

we have the late fest gaza city. >> after attempt to extent a cease-fire in cairo. then a grim routine of the emergency response and tending to the injured. a 12-year-old child died after an israeli airstrike. rockets have been fired at israel within seconds of the cease-fire expiring. some intercepted by the iron dome missile system.

now. >> now the return of the family their house was daddy damaged but they have been backed to receive condolences for one of their adult songs who had been killed. >> i remember in every part of the house. >> they are now back in a mindset of desperation. andrew simmons. al jazeera, gaza city. >> there were only.

>> rejecting two main demands from the palestinian delegation in cairo. these are the palestinians are asking for a c port from gaza. a commercial c port that will enable goods construction materials and something that would be free of israeli control because for the moment it controls the commercial crossings into gas. it sends in goods but no one is allowed to export anything. one of the key demands with the palestinian delegation is an airplane. gaza had an airport before. it lasted three years and was oh bombed in 2001. now it's a bombed out ruin. palestinians were so desperate for construction material that they started to dig you up what remained of the bombed out

runway. now the egyptian delegation from what we're told the mediators are trying to tell the palestinians that these are not realistic demands from their behave but from what we're hearing palestinians are sticking to their list of demands and these are two of the key ones. >> nicole johnston in jerusalem. >> the "world health organization" declared today global emergency. the agency said africa needs more help to fight the outbreak and said help is needed immediately. we have reports from lagos, nigeria. >> reporter: the ebola outbreak is the worst in history. it's so far affected more people than any other previous outbreaks combined. >> this morning i am declaring the current outbreak of the ebola virus disease a public health emergency of international concern.

the committee's position was unanimous. it applies to me, acknowledges the serious and unusual nature of the outbreak and the potential for further international spread. >> the current outbreak has crept to liberia, serie a leone and nigeria. the ebola outbreak is an emergency. until now they've been fighting it on their own, and the declaration will become more financial and technical. >> our collective health security depends on support of containment operations in these countries. i urge the international community to provide the support on the most urgent need basis as soon as possible. >> sierra leone and liberia, two

of the most affected countries from the outbreabreak in civil wars. liberian troops are set up to stop public access to some of the worst hit towns. they are part of the state of emergency the government declared to contain the outbreak. disruptive as they are these missions will continue for up to 90 days. a number of airlines have suspended their flights. ebola has no license. of all the people who caught the disease during the outbreak half have died.

al jazeera, lagos, nigeria. >> there have been no change for two americans who have been stricken about ebola. they remain in serious and stable condition at emory hospital in atlanta. dr. brantley thanked his doctors and nurses and feels he is growing stronger every day. >> the republicans said the establishment has put the tea party on ice. we'll show you the latest primary results, and why changes in mark's top credit score agency, that may be our credit scores.

>> wall street responded positively to signs of reduced tensions in ukraine and u.s. military actions in iraq will be limited. the do you gained 185 points and nasdaq and s&p 500 also saw big gains. the tea party has come up empty in another senate primary race. 50-41 for joe card. activists had elevated the race to national prominence making the victory for alexander by

comparison even sweeter. >> what i hoped to do in a new term in washington is more of what i tried to do as governor, which is recognize that if we want to change obamacare we're going to have to pass something. if we want to fix the debt we have to fax something. in order to do that we have to work with other people to get it done. >> that message and statewide race about getting things done instead of just throwing bombs has worked well for the republican establishment incumbent republicans have iced tea party challengers in every primary race this year. one republican congressional race remains too close to call. urged to resign after revelations he had extramarital affairs and forced his ex-wife to have two abortions. but family values is leading by 33 votes out of 77,000.

there is still uncounted absentee ballots. but this is not going away just yet. and for arkansas democrat mike prior who is facing a tough re-election campaign has just released a new ad aligning himself to john mccain. this comes after republican tom cotton claims that democrat prior supports amnesty for illegal immigrants. >> mark prior voted the same way as john mccain and many other republican senators. >> security the border first. >> 20,000 new border agents. >> a 700-mile fence. >> and a long term solution. >> polls show that prior and cotton are running even. going to the polls tomorrow in hawai'i. kneel abercrombie is in danger

of losing to a democrat. but a few days ago all campaigns instructed supporters to take down banners and yard signs because of this, hurricane adel bringing strong winds, rain and flooding and another hurricane is expected over the weekend. voting is still on for tomorrow, but political strategists say they have no idea who the nasty weather might help or hurt. and for all those keeping track 40 years ago tonight the night that president richard nixon announced he was resigning u.s. presidency. that is today's power politics. coming up, thousands are stuck in a mountain in northern iraq surrounded by the islamic state group. we'll have a closer look at this religious minority with roxana saberi who traveled to iraq. and a postal worker tossing crates of unopen mail into the trash.

>> the pentagon confirms that the united states military completed a new round of airstrikes in northern iraq a short time ago. it is an attempt to stop the advance of the islamic state fighters and address the humanitarian crisis in the region. we're joined on the phone with the latest, jane, the white house said this is an all everyone to work with surrenderish forces. what are you seeing about that effort? >> well, we've been hearing from the iraqi foreign minister that those air attacks in his words have been extremely effective. now he specifically mentioned some of the first airstrikes earlier today in which units of heavy artillery used by the islamic state, long range guns

have been as h he said obliterated. destroyed a convoy of humvees, armor vehicles used by islamic state fighters that he said were moving to attack installations. in fact, he and our kurdish officials have called the u.s. break a turning point and he has said that they want to express their gratitude to the u.s. >> does it sound like the kurds now they've got some help might turn things around and go on the offensive? and secondly any new information about the scene in whether or not the kurdish forces have been able to break through? >> reporter: that's exactly what they're planning, going on the offensive once they have help from these airstrikes that are taking a position. essentially the group has been able to take over a wide swath

of territory, leaving kurdish forces by more than 600 miles of active border. basically what is happening now now that the airstrikes are not going in, that's expected to leave room for kurdish forces to go in and try to take back some of the territory that they've lost. thousands of people, up to 10,000 are still there for the large part, waiting for air drops to range by the united states. there is expected to be some military action to create a corridor to be able to leave. but so far people are telling us that has not happened yet. >> i know you were reporting there was great anxiety and nervousness. has that changed given these airstrikes? >> there is a considerable amount of anxiety for more than

a decade. and it's the part of the country that because it's been peaceful and most prosperous. there are a lot of foreigners here. there are a lot of custody here and a lot of foreign investment. that's kind of the way to go when things become relatively tense. they criticized the british government for evacuating its embassy saying that the move was unnecessary. it's not just foreigners are worried. iraqis are trying-- >> sorry to cut you off. jane reporting for us from northern iraq. thank you. president obama has said that the airstrikes in iraq were launched to help a religious minority under attack by islamic state. tens of thousands are trapped on a mountain in northern iraq. roxana saberi got to know many

when she visited northern iraq last year. >> i visited their holy city in northern iraq last year, the same area where many are now fleeing. as militants chase this group from northern iraq many are trapped in the mountains with no food or water. others are headed here 200 miles to the northeast to the northern city. i visited last year. all are expected to make the pilgrimage. they believe the man buried here dates back to adam. the guardian of the temple. they believe in one god who created the world. the holes in this rock represent the good and evil that exist in each one of us. i asked if this faith has

similarities to islam. >> our religion is very old religion and we believe other religions have come from ours. we haven't taken anything from them. >> reporter: they told me roughly 6 of hundred thousand live in iraq and their numbers have dwindled. some have left the country to marry outside of the faith and escape the unemployment rate. they have been the victim of massacres 72 times in history. they have kept their culture and faith alive despite persecution by saddam hussein and the violence after his fall. muslim militants see them as infadels deserving death. >> reporter: many more will move to other parts of the world including turkey.

i reached out to people that i meat when i was there last year and i have not heard back from them. >> we have a senior program officer in the middle east and with the institute program of peace. what is your reaction to these airstrikes? >> this is in "n" response to a very difficult situation you, and the lives of 10,000 people are at stake. this is a welcomed step from those communities and the iraqis in general because they have been seeking u.s. support and international support for the unfolding human crisis related to the massive member of the people for quite some time. this is a welcomed development. >> i wonder if you can provide a little more context or information in that particular area and some of the specific challenges that the refugees have in that area.

>> sinjar is located to the west of mosul city, and it is right on the syrian border. it is inhabitbled mostly by the azities. they do not have the kind of defenses that other defenses have in iraq, so they feel very vulnerable throughout the conflict. and the recent take over pushed them all the way back. some of them managed to go to the kurdish--areas controlled by the kurdish government, but some chose to go to the mountain. it's a very rugged area where

they're unable to access anywhere else either on the syrian side or iraqi side. they've been stuck there for six days in a very scorching weather of summer. the temperatures going beyond 100 to 120 fahrenheit. not having water, food, and the kurdish forces to have the capability did not have that capability. the external support was an international support was requested including the u.s. support for some time. >> there have been a number of reports of atrocities carried out by islamic state as many as 1500 people were executed just a few days ago in a mass execution. what is your understanding about the level of violence that is going on right now in terms of islamic state and ethnic minorities. >> it's very much in line with

what i've been hearing from sources representing minority groups. hundreds of yazidi women, have been taken and enslaved. their men have been given the choice mostly as a community they have been given a choice to convert to islam or to be killed. even when you convert to islam they impose strict ideology and they want them to go along and fight as fighters for the islamic state. they have the reports of the yazidi, some still need to be verified, a higher level of brutality than exercised in the minority areas in the past few weeks. in the beginning they went and controlled these areas, then they started to push those who were given free choices to convert to islam or be killed.

and in the case of the yazidi it has gotten more brutal. they have killed quite a number of them. >> what is the long-term solution. let's assume that united states and british aircraft were able to bring supplies and they were able to break the siege at mount sinjar. do you see it going in any direction? >> obviously the situation we see today is the symptom of a larger problem, which is struggle about the power sharing in iraq and the government not able to provide security and the political division paralyzing the institutions of the state and basically alienating communities and reducing almost lack of cooperation between us and the kurds and the iraqi government because they feel that the government in baghdad

did not represent the interests and was not inclusive enough of the all the iraqi people and it has been selective in applying specific policies alienating the sunni communities. for the situation requires a larger comprehensive strategy that involves all of the iraqi actors. it should definitely look at the military solution but the larger solution should come from a political solution and the government formation process that is under way is that hope that many iraqis and the regional actser will happen soon. so that they can work with us as legitimate avenue to rally a different iraqi forces that it takes to look--to address the islamic state. they have the speaker of the parliament. they have president and they now need to name a prime minister who will in 30 days will have to form a government.

that government needs to be inclusive government where the iraqis can work. it is only then that you can rally the different forces of kurds, the sunnies, and the shiite together to fight the islamic state. they cannot do that on their own. all the regional actors need to intervene and the iraqi people have always asked for international support. >> the senior program officer for the middle east programs at the u.s. institute for peace. thanks for being on our show. we appreciate it. the u.n. security council says any russian intervention with the eastern ukraine would be considered an invasion. russia has finished military exercises in the region. fighting battles. human rights agencies say 50 people have been wounded or killed every day in the conflict. and in lebanon the army has

entered the city of arsol after a week of fighting with syrian rebels. the battles have been the worst spill over. fighters with the islamic state swept in to capture some 30 lebanese soldiers. they withdrew from the town along with their captives in a cease-fire. convoys of families displaced by the fighting were seen leaving the area. maria ines ferre has news around america. >> reporter: david, general motors is recalling more than 200,000 vehicles effecting 200 2002effecting 2002-2004 saturn models. 2013 cadillac atf four-door sedan and th. the philadelphia mother of three children who was killed after a

hit-and-run. they were selling foot on a sidewalk on june 25th. that's when a car crushed the curb. the kids all died that day. two have been charged. each faces three counts including second-degree murder and carjacking. a hunter is charged with starting a campfire that spread into a massive wildfire. he's accused of starting a campfire in an area where fires are prohibited. it turned into the rim fire that raged across 400 acres. anthony weiner wants to open a restaurant in new york city. it would be located in the rockaways. wiener resigned from congress in 2011 after admitting he sent photos to women who were not his wife. he ran for mayor last year in new york city before more

allegations of sending more photos. under investigation video showed a woman throwing undelivered mail into a dumpster. this was shot by a neighborhood resident on a cell phone. you can see her dumping out the con tents of a white crate and returned for more mail and dumped that in the dumpster, too. she could be charged with federal misdemeanors for deserting mail an delaying mail delivery. >> now i know the thank you notes that i sent to ohio-- >> reporter: that's what happened. >> marie y thank you. hawai'i hit by a terroris tropical storm, and a hurricane on the way. it may be easier to get a loan thanks to how your credit scores are calculated. people...

real understanding... >> where you scared when you hear the bombs? >> al jazeera america real... news...

>> there are no reports of deaths or major damage after the first of two major storms have hit hawai'i. rain and high winds knock down trees. power companies say thousands of people across the state are without power. you can see transformers blowing there. flash flood watches and warnings are posted around the islands. this is round one. hawai'i is bracing for hurricane two. dave warren joins us with more. >> meteorologist: two straight storms. two different types of impacts. they may not make landfall. but the storm this morning made landfall and heavy rain is the result of this landfall right on the southern portion of hawai'i. this is estimated rainfall of

10 inches or more and a foot reported. heavy rain and winds, this is the wind battering the coast causing storm surgery. live pictures showing what is happening now. that rain and wind continuing. as we look at the radar there is a break in the radar. the radar is at ground level and right here the rain is not stopping, it's just not being picked up by the radar. there is the landfall. the storm system crosses right over the state. and moves back over the water. rain 50 mph moving west-northwest at 20 mph. moving to the north not making landfall and maybe not making an impact but close. >> is there a name for that mountain interference. >> meteorologist: there is, just a break.

unable to track rain when something like that is in the way. >> it's easier for some of us to get loans. they're changing the way they calculate fico stores. medical debt and collections will now have less of an affect on credit scores. scores will go up 25 points as a result. we go to rick newman, how important is this for consumers who have had bad credit because of medical bills? >> it's not necessarily going to clean up your credit overnight, but what it will do is it will lift some people from a class of credit worthinesses to another. that's where you want to do now. delineate prime credit to medium scenario to subprime. this will help people get over the threshold into a better

credit category. that will help them in two ways. one, it may allow them to get a loan when they otherwise would not have been able to get one, and two, it may help them get a better interest rates. that's one of the things that determines the interest rate. it will help. this will be meaningful help for could be several consumers. >> when we're talking about a better interest rate, we're talking about half a percentage point. full percentage point. >> probably like a quarter of a percentage point which may not sound like a lot. it could be more than that, i guess. but when you think of loans for many thousands of dollars that last for the length of a car loan or the length of a mortgage that adds up to a lot of money over time. it could easily be hundreds or thousands of dollars. one of the things everybody wants to do when they take out a low is get the lowest rate they possibly can. that will save a few months.

>> the reason because medical debt is different than housing debt or credit card debt? >> yes, medical debt is, you know, we all know these stories and many have had to deal with these personally. these are often bills that come out of nowhere and can add thousands and thousands of dollars to what you owe. i think people who have been faced with these can make the argument, i was managing my money just fine until this came out of nowhere. i can't be responsible for $100,000 in new bills that i didn't even know i was--otherwise i've been managing my money just fine. we do know that medical debt is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy. you know, there is just as often no easy way to come out from under that debt. what they're doing is saying we're going to some extent going to put that debt aside and evaluate your credit worthiness based on your bills. >> appreciate it.

coming up, an app that aims to identify sketchy neighborhoods but it has caused controversy because some people say its racist. details are next.

>> now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors...

>> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now >> a new app aimed at identifying sketchy neighborhoods is causing a stir in social media. some saying that it's racist. >> reporter: david, these two new yorkers created the app called sketch factor. it combines user posts with publicly available data about an area rating our sketchy an area is. the app had only been up for a day but it's getting a lot of criticism with people saying its plain racist. shawny is saying white america does not fail to baffle me. there will now be an app called sketch factor to help them avoid black neighborhoods.

now some people do think that this is a positive app, as a mugging victim it's good knowing i can warn others of the area. now the creators of the app put a statement out on their website saying sketch factor is a tool for anyone. it's not exclusive to privileged opportunities or tourisprivilege ed communities or tourists. david, since users can judge a neighborhood with comments about what they see some are already posting jokes about it. i clicked on one here. someone wrote. >> maria. thank you. >> former national agency contractor edward snowden has brought the murky world of spying and surveillance to the forefront. now a play inspired by his actions. we have more from h edinburgh.

>> few knew about edward snowden but they know him now. surveillance is the issue. people watching shows about people watching people. it comes to the subject of big brother. directed and inspired by the snowden revelations. >> being farfetched and paranoid is now the reality, you are being watched on skype, text message and feeling uncomfortable about people watching me and everybody else without our consent. so i want to engage in that debate. i wanted to make something to make people think about this. >> reporter: another forously

yours comes from h edinburgh from australia. a tale of lies, sex and spies. surveillance is a world of concern and theater appears to be the way to spot that. >> i think it's very interesting to literary persons and artists to be living at a time where there is a huge avalanche of electronic information is swirling around. >> the audience is increasingly used to being watched. the question being raised by the fringe is how long will they tolerate it for and ultimately do they have choice in the matter? al jazeera at the edinburgh festival. >> robots that can remorph and rebuilding each other is not just found in "transformers." a robot that can form itself in

four minutes without human intervention. they hope it reduces the time it takes to build new robots. i'm dav david shuster. inside story is "next." next. >> to hear al baghdadi hear it, he's head of state. the status that merges religious and governmental leadership. who al baghdadi, how he got where he is, and the caliphate are all on "inside story."