every saturday, go where science meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've ever done... even though i can't see! >> "tech know". >> we're here in the vortex. >> saturday, 7:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> hello everyone, i'm tony harris in ferguson. 12 days since the shooting death of michael brown, and ferguson is a town a bit more calm today than it has been in previous days. i believe this is a really important day. the captain of the state highway

patrol said it himself last night. he talked about this being a turning point day, and let me just read to you the quote from captain ronald johnson from the missouri state highway patrol. this was 2:30 this morning. high colleague robert ray will be joining me. he said a city torn by rights is beginning to heal. he said, i believe there was a turning point made. this was at 2:30 a.m. this morning, and he credited volunteers, activists, this is something that robert ray can speak to, clergy in particular and other community elders with changing the tone of the sometimes violent demonstrations. they walked, again a direct quote from captain johnson. they walked, talked with people. they urged peace and had a calming influence on the younger people. picking up on that note, that

theme, this strands from the captain, this then becomes a turning point a critical day in terms of building momentum for the city from days of chaos, looting and violence, civil disobedience to a more calm city. let me bring in my colleague, robert ray. how long have you been here now? >> i've been here four days. >> talk to me, there is news we're going to get to, but pick up on this note from captain johnson that is a turning point day. it's about building momentum on what was relatively speaking, a calm evening. what are your thoughts on that, and what have you seen during the course of the day that perhaps reinforces that notion? >> well, all day today, tony, this have been relatively small amount of people. >> yes. >> it hasn't been like the past few days at all. it's been quiet. when the protesters first came out at 7:00 p.m. they were

walking, 200 to 300 of them. they were walking with elders. those people were calming the young people down, the crowds who were walking up and down the epicenter which is about a quarter mile down there. that seemed to create a calmness, an ease and almost empathy towards these kids. then of course at midnight when everyone clears out you have the hooligans, the ones-- >> the knuckle heads who are here to cause problems. throwing the water bottles, and i guess that happened again after midnight. >> exactly. we can't blame everything on the protesters because last night something really quiet unfortunate occurred. a police officers from st. ann at thi township, pulled out a gun, used profanity and walked up to one of the protesters and said, i'm going to kill you, back up. a sergeant came in and took that officer off the streets, and we

found out that that officer has been released of duty. >> do we have the sound? >> we have sound from captain ron johnson addressing that, if we could, let's roll that, guys. >> if there are been police officers who have displayed inappropriate behavior we have taken appropriate action. we have sent some officers home and that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated on either side, by law enforcement or criminals who have antagonized the peaceful protest. >> so you can hear him, tony. he clearly knows there are some issues out there with some of the police. >> this is significant. it has to be stated because you have heard, i have heard time and time again if people are going to be complaining about intimidation actiqs.

a militarization of this police force, for a moment of that capture, and for the officer to respond to that and remove officers, that's a significant move here. >> it is, and they need to do more of it, if that is, indeed, the case. if there are that many patrol men who are going to as act that way, you need to get them off. if i was to put an ar-15 at you you're going to be freaked out. it's not good. >> when i get to the news of the day, i promise, i'll get to the news of the days because the u.s. attorney general is here, and that's significant. but if this is a turning point moment that we need to drill down a little bit about what happened last night, this was the integration of clergy into the protest groups and having the calming affect, and also

there were instances. we were on the air where there was a scuffle in the crowd. i'm let you explain what happened. >> we were on the air. there was a disturbance up the block about 300 yards where we were, and it turns out it was a fist fight between two protesters. it went anything major, but those kinds of things occur out there. as we know we're both sweating here. it's 95 dress, anyone is going to get agitated if you're outside that long walking around. it's what attorney general holder came today was to reinforce this common piece when he flew in this morning. he immediately met with college students some of the young people out there protesting, told them that change was on the way. he went on to a restaurant where he shook hands with people. we're told he is in st. shoes speaking with fbi agents, making sure that everything went well.

but let's listen to what attorney general eric holder said today. >> i need to be here. i was disturbed people asking why i was here. why wouldn't i be here expect right here, right now to talk to the people in this area who are disturbing th and causing tension, we want to help. we want to listen to the issues he all are dealing with, and see how we can help. >> you know what else was interesting about the attorney general today? he was very candidate with the students. he conveyed his experiences growing up as a black man, and some of the things he has gone through with police throughout his life. when you hear from someone of that stature in the united states these kids are going to take that to heart. >> the significance of him being

an african-american attorney general at this moment resonates. >> yes. >> he can't talk about the case, so for him to chair those experiences means something to those young people. robert, terrific. thank you. we'll be talking with you soon. we want to get back to david shuster, he is in new york city for us. august 9th, the day that michael brown was killed on canfield avenue. what do we know, and what do we not know about this case. >> this is what seems clear so far to all of us. first, darren wilson shot and killed michael brown on august 9th. the police say brown was stopped for walking on the street and to move on the sidewalk, again, not because he was a suspect in a robbery of a a convenient store.

when he tried to leave his vehicle brown then pushed him back and struggled with him. there was a struggle over the officer's gun and at least one shot was fired inside the car. witnesses have total different version of the initial encounter. a witness said that he was trying to surrender. another witness said he was trying to run away. an autopsy found that he was shot six times. the pathologist said that brown was likely killed by a gunshot to the head. these are just the basics going in front of the grand jury now. >> yes, yes, absolutely. so many questions, thank you. roxana saberi is standing by with us now in new york city. roxana is looking into the number of cases of

police-involved shootings where there has been a black victim. what's interesting to note is that how rarely officers involved in those shootings actually have cases that come to trial. and rarely those officers are even indicted. >> that's correct. and even more rarely are they convicted. attorneys i've spoke with said it's clear officers in these cases usually walk away. one reason is that jurors and judges tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. >> michael brown's parents say this will continue until there is justice. >> we need justice for our son. >> reporter: but more often than not these officers walk away. >> the outcome is rare to have an indictment and then once the indictment, it's rarer for that

officer to be tried and convicted. >> reporter: one law enforcement found out of 21 recent case where is an officer killed an unarmed black person only seven ended in criminal charge and only three officers were found guilty. take the case in 1999, an officer shot a man from guinea, striking him 19 times. >> from the officer's perspective, they fear for their life. as long as they can put that doubt in the mind of the jurors then they can be acquitted. >> reporter: a year later a los angeles police officer shot anthony dwayne lee. police say he held up a toy pistol. they found the shooting justified and settled with his family for $225,000. they say there are many reasons why these cases don't go to court or get convictions. >> you have the police officers testimony, and you also have a

close relationship often between the police and the prosecutors. >> reporter: the prosecutors in missouri is facing criticism he will favor the officer who shot michael brown, but he's refusing to step down. >> one thing that i pledged is that we will do a full, fair, complete and impartial investigation into this, nothing will be left untouched. >> another black man in ferguson is suing a police officer claiming she beat him in the head with handcuffs. she is now a city councilwoman. the officer charged with destruction of property because thei blood was on their uniform. >> we go to a prosecutor, susan, it's great to have you on the program. the reason why we wanted you here is to look a little more closely to the grand jury

process. maybe you can explain to us what today is about in terms of--was there actual evidence, is this about impaneling a grand jury. talk to us about this day and at what point will there be evidence presented in this grand jury. >> all i know about that is that they were to begin presentation of evidence. i know at that office now. >> that means there is a grand jury inn paneled. >> absolutely. >> that means the process is under way. >> that's my understanding is that it's began. >> talk to us about that process. who presents? >> okay, the grand jury is u another option available would be the presentation of evidence. >> in a criminal community. >> through a preliminary hearing. that's an option that is available, and then the defense could present evidence, the

prosecution could present evidence, and that could be filled by the public. >> is that option available? >> it is available. i can tell you that typically it is not in this type of a case the grand jury is utilized, but it's certainly an option. >> why is that? would it be used in this case because it is such a high profile case? >> i can't really address the why. that would be mr. mccullough's place to any why. but rape cases, child molestation cases, often those types of cases, oftentimes murder cases a grand jury is utilized when there are difficulties with presentation of evidence. >> so how long might this presentation take? i know there is a situation where a grand jury may be

impaneled longer time. >> generally a grand jury sits for a term unlike a pettit jury. it's comprised of more individuals, i believe it's 22 and 23. they meet with regularity regarding cases that the prosecutor presents to them. >> let me put it bluntly. there is concern in this community that the evidence may not be presented in a fair, unbiased, even-handed manner. how would you respond to people in this community who are voicing this concern to us on a nightly basis. >> well of course i can't speak to whether that will occur or won't occur, but one way to avoid would be to deviate from the standard practice of presenting evidence of a murder case such as this to a grand jury.

they could have, as i said earlier, they could have a preliminary hearing. where it would be open. >> do i almost hear you suggest that that would an better option? >> well, i can't-- >> is there another comment here? >> that's not my decision. >> you're not in the office any more. >> no, that would not be my decision, but if those are the criticisms being raised, that would certainly be one way to alleviate those criticisms, and to, you know, reduce the tension. >> sue an. >> not my call. >> yes, yes, former prosecutor here in st. louis county. a pleasure to have you on the ground. >> thank you. >> you stay right there. stay right there. i want to tell you that i spent part of my day walking up and down the avenue. one of the things i wanted to do was to get an opportunity to talk to people of the community.

we saw so many businesses, as you know, vandalized looted, shuttered up because of the violence over the last ten days. we found a business, red barbecue. a barbecue shack that reopened for the first time in nearly a week. we visited the barbecue shack, had a terrific time, and we want to show you a bit of what we found and clue you in to some of the conversations as well. >> come on, come on, get you some barbecue. >> reporter: original reds' barbecue reopened for the first time since looting during the michael brown shooting forced it to close. red is just around the corner from where michael brown, big mike, was shot and killed in ferguson. today the sweet smell of ribs lured people hungry for something more. >> this is a good thing. the reopening of reds. this is a good thing. let's get you taken care of

here. >> for ferguson mothers it meant food for the kids. >> my son was terrified to come outside. we couldn't get to practice, school has been delayed because of this, it's been unfair to my babies. >> don't be scared of the police. they're just trying to eat. >> law enforcement mingled easily with residents. for a moment the racial tensions from the last two weeks seemed to dissipate as quickly as the sweet plumes of smoke rising from the grill. >> we're joining together, we're eating together. we're talking about our community. we cleaned up the community behind the violence and things of that nature, just trying to get life back on track in the neighborhood. >> for us here in st. louis it just showed the world that we're really a nice community. >> red's owner is an immigrant from india. it hurt him to see ferguson, his

adopted city, to be hurt by violence and racial tension. >> the reason we opened up was to make a positive statement. there was no positive spin going on in the community. what happened is not what we are, what we stand for. this is more of a positive spin. we're returning to normal. we want to put that positive thought out that things are normal. >> food. today, it brought people together. in ferguson. >> okay, we're going to take a break. when we come back joie chen will be with us as she has spent a week here on the ground in ferguson, and she's been getting to know the people and the town a bit better. we'll find out what she found out on her day today in ferguson. and we'll talk with natasha, she has been visiting with businesses also in ferguson, also the family of american journalists. james foley talks about his murder at the hands of is fighters.

we're back in a moment live from ferguson, missouri.

>> hello, i'm david shoes center new york. we'll get you back to ferguson, missouri, in just a moment.

will has been an outpouring for james foley. last night western intelligence i analysts confirmed its authenticity. and today his family spoke about his friendship and colleagues. >> he was love and courageous, loving to the end. we hardly recognize our little boy. he was just a hero. >> you know from the videos that his last words from, i wish there were time to see my fami family. >> so jim had a big heart, and just--i just, you know, that's what we shared with president obama. we just pray that jim's death can bring our country together in a stronger way, and with the

values that jim holds dear. >> held dear. >> held dear. jim would never want us to hate or be bitter. we cannot do that. so we are just very proud of jimmy. >> there are fears that journalists stephen satlauf could be the next victim of the islamic state group. he was taken from the turkey-syria border last august. there are new reports that the united states may send a small number of troops to iraq to help secure the capitol. this comes as the united states says it has carried out a dozen airstrikes in iraq since yesterday. america's aerial campaign began two week ago and has been targeting the islamic state group. it helped to recapture mosul dam.

president obama said that the airstrikes will continue. a report from the federal reserve said that officials are ready to raise interest rates. the news came from the latest meeting of the fed's policy make per ali velshi is here with more on that news. >> reporter: it's important, david, that we distinguish these are the rates the federal reserve sets. these are not your mortgage rates. interest rates that the feds set have been just about zero since 2006 when the financial crisis was starting. the idea was to make money cheap enough to spur investment and hiring. when will the federal reserve raise those rates? today we got another glimpse into the fed's thinking. they released their policy meeting minutes. it indicates that the federal reserve has been surprised how quickly the labor market has recovered, but they want the jobs recovered a little more convincing. unemployment has dropped, the

percentage rate, not enough quality high-paying jobs have been created, and some beneficials want a decision on interest rates to be based on the overall economic recovery. but even they agreed more data is needed before they could make the decision to increase interest rates. the feds signal today that they will tell us before they are going to raise rates i think they do a pretty good job signaling it, any way. but you'll notice that it has gone from 3.5% last spring up to the high 4s and they're back to 4% for a 30-year fixed mortgage. while the market and investors hang their hat on what the fed says the market itself is what sets mortgage rates. you shouldn't use that word from the fed to make your decisions about whether to buy or sell a house. >> wise advice. what else is on the show? >> we're talking about the economy in ferguson, missouri, an important topic and we'll talk about islamic state, isil

as we used to know it. where they get their money, and how they've become largely self-sufficient. toppling them will take hitting them in the pocketbook, and that may be harder than we think. >> ali velshi with "real money ." ali, thanks as always. officials told associated press the bank will pay $10 billion in cash and provide $7 billion in consumer relief and requires the bank to admit misrepresenting the quality of its securities. we'll go back to tony harris with more live coverage in ferguson, missouri. >> when we come back we'll talk to natasha. she's been visiting with business owners up and down the avenue today. and some of those businesses have been closed, looted,

vandalize. we'll have the report and we'll talk about the president getting criticism from all sides over his handling of the situation here in ferguson. we're back in a moment. this is al jazeera america.

>> welcome back everyone to al jazeera america live from ferguson, missouri, i'm tony harris. it's important how we reset on day 12, where we are. this is a momentum building day here for this community and the police who are trying to bring peace and restore order to this community. important, again, to mention the comments from captain johnson from the missouri highway patrol, his early morning press

conference that he please that this city has reached a turning point. the turning point has been made, and he's crediting community elders for changing the tone of the sometimes violent demonstration. as we go into the evening hours here it will be important to watch and see if that tone, that changing tone that the captain is describing holds tonight here in ferguson, missouri. my colleague, natasha, has been on the streets today of ferguson especially on the main business stretch here in ferguson, talking to shop olders who have been impacted by the violence here. as you know many have had their businesses looted and vandalized. some are still closed. some have reopened. natasha, let's speak with one particular business owner. >> business owners are out thousands of dollars.

you and i connected at this barbecue joint. it was looted last week, broken into days later. it reopened today but only for the daylight hours. charles davis is the most cheerful business owner we've encountered on the commercial strip that is repeatedly turned into a battlefield one the sunset. >> i'm loving business. >> ferguson burger bar and more opened the day before michael brown was slo shot and killed. and then activists and journalists descended on this town and they came to the restaurant for a burger or some comfort food. he said that his wife grew up with brown's mother. he has been a businessman for 26 years. he knows this kind of publicity alone is priceless. >> from a business perspective it has been great but i wish it

was under different circumstances. >> reporter: hairstylist and single mom kelly tucker said that the loss of back-to-school business has cost her $700. she said her clientele is steering clear of the area. >> this is my income. this is what i do. this is my life. >> reporter: one of the complaints that has emerged from the protest is that african-american business owners are a minority. one business posted a sign saying "black owned." one business owner said that looting cost him $25,000 in damage. >> i love the people of ferguson, why would i leave. >> he said that his business was born out of grit and he followed his father's advice. >> he told me, son, as african-americans we don't have the luxury to sit down and plan. we just do. >> reporter: he hopes the

protests stop but that the people keep coming. no matter what store we visited or who we spoke to, everyone said the same thing, they hope that this is the beginning of things stabilizing here and the real work and so the real work of rebuilding this community can begin, tony. >> natasha, appreciate it. natasha, thank you. i'm joined by joie chen, you've been here close to--since last thursday. and each day it seems to me because i'm finding just in my two days on the ground, you meet different people with different perspectives. tell me during the day. you were traveling the streets and getting an opportunity to talk to people as well. >> it strikes me that you see such a big contrast between day and night. the street was quite normal

although you would see there has been a lot of law enforcement presence on the side street. you can't go up and down the side streets without running into officers there. there were not demonstrators on the streets earlier in the day when i was here, which surprised me. i would have anticipated some of that activity. i think some folks were look forward to attorney general's eric holder's visit. we were on the street, and we saw no action. just in the last 15 minutes or so we saw that the officers started to close down the corners as they did last night. an they just seem to be their strategy of how to contain things. they have moved us, in the media over here, a half mile from the main corner of the protests, and just as last night start to go block off, and starting to bring in the armored personnel carriers and really stepping up their presence for the even.

>> it is as hot as blazes here, and it is really hot. you're right, it is those evening hours that have proven to be a bit difficult. we're going to spend time together this evening. give me a piece of what you're working on for america tonight. >> we've been trying to get perspective on what's going on. one of my correspondents have following attorney general holder's visit today, and she'll report on that as well as other developments of what the local prosecutor plans to do. and we'll get a little bit more perspective about michael brown, the young man who died, his death who set off these days of crisis here in ferguson. we're going to talk to someone who went to high school with mike brown, who was also intending to go to college this week. we'll hear about mike brown, his ambitions and what his last days were like. they just had their graduation and they had an interesting

school that had a lot of difficulties, and is closing. and mike brown was part of that last graduating class. >> i think we've titled our special, we're back together at 10:00 eastern time. i think it's "flash point: ferguson moving ahead." >> moving ahead. >> that's so important. we look forward to joining you. i got to tell you clearly the death of michael brown has put the president of the united states barack obama, in a difficult political situation. mike viqueira has a look at that part of the story. >> reporter: just six months into the job president obama stepped on a very sore spot. mistrust between the police and many african-americans. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> reporter: mr. obama's off hand criticism of law enforcement for arrests his

friend harvard professor louis gates, a black man, became a distraction during the first term agenda, since then it has not gotten any easier for mr. obama. in two recent public statements he stepped gingerly around the racial turmoil happening outside of st. louis. >> for the community of ferguson that is rightly hurting and looking for answers, let me help to seek understanding rather than just holler at each other. >> reporter: for paul butler statements like that lacked passion. >> there is a problem if there are 53 officers in ferguson, and only three are african-american. even though the city is 70% block. why couldn't the president speak out against that?

>> there is a problem. there is a discrimination problem. >> a pugh poll suggested 80% of african-americans say the shooting in ferguson raise important issues about race while 47% of whites say the issue of race is getting more attention than it deserves. the president does not want to put his thumb on the scale of an investigation by speaking out now, but in 2012 in the shooting death of trayvon martin mr. obama spoke publicly and personally. >> you know, if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. >> reporter: president obama dismissed the idea he should lead a national discussion on race. >> i haven't seen that being particularly productive. when applications try to organize conversations, they end up being stilted, politicized, and folks are locked in the positions they already have. >> reporter: many, like

professor butler, believe that's not good enough, and mr. obama has fallen short as champion for the cause. >> he talks about race reluctantly. when he does it often seems as though he's translating the concerns of african-americans to white people. >> reporter: after two days of meetings in the white house, tuesday the president lifted off from the south lawn and headed back to martha's vineyard to resume his vacation. even as his attorney general eric holder cut short his break to be on the ground in ferguson. >> mike viqueira joins us live now from washington, d.c. what's come out of the attorney general's visit to ferguson so far? i should say i don't know about the comments that the attorney general has been making, but the photo ops have looked pretty good, actually. >> tony, you make a great point. part of this is about the photo

op. this is showing the people of ferguson that the government cares, the administration cares, and someone close to president obama, who happens to be african-american african-american is there. he has made the rounds. he went to a community college. he has been to meetings behind closed doors. he has been to those in charge of curfew and crowd control. he has noted he has the most experienced agents and investigators there to conduct the investigation. but there is a parallel investigation including the county grand jury. eric holder won't have anything to do with that directly, but he has made the rounds. he has reassured folks and said that change is coming. he told one individual to another person who was concerned about the violence and public

safety in ferguson. he said we can make it better. eric holder has been visible. he has been behind closed doors. he has been in front of the cameras, talking to the players, talking to ordinary citizens. trying to bring some semblance of reassurance that the government is on top of it, tony. >> let's bring in al jazeera's political contributor jason johnson who joins us from ferguson. it's good to see you, jason. you know, a lot there, the attorney general saying change is going to come. your thoughts on the attorney general. >> the federal government is actively engaged. if i were a gamble man i would say that they won't have a case. >> there is a lot of skepticism, and there is some thought that perhaps the attorney general is here to perhaps take over the

case. i don't know what the mechanisms would allow him to do that, but he is certainly running a parallel investigation. one way of looking at that is that if we provide an extra set of eyes and checks and balances. primarily because the doj said we don't want you to release the tape. we have to doer do our owour own autopsy. you know, eric holder is the top cop in the united states of america. it makes sense for him to be here after 12 days of rest. >> should the president be here? >> i don't think the president should be here right now. this is a law enforcement issue. >> the president has been criticized and many have suggested that the president should be here and his own comments about that, seemingly answering that question, he said i don't want to give the appearance of putting my thumb on the scale, but you don't think he should be here. it would not be appropriate.

>> i don't think the president should be here, but he should do more than he has done. >> we get to the criticism of the president. >> yes, there is a problem that allows local police departments to get all sorts of military gear. >> which is the complaint here that police have not been in patrol cars but in armed vehicles. >> you have a bunch of police officers. a lot of them are trying to do their jobs. some grew up playing medal of honor and they're excited to have toys to gas people. that should be reviewed by the federal government. if you're going to give people that kind of weaponry, you need to have oversight. that's something that president obama could do with a flick of a pen and executive order. >> any other thoughts. has hen strong enough in his thoughts, has he talked about of his understanding of being a

black man in this country. he has been criticized because of his unique position. >> yoyou have the highest voter turnout than any turnout in the country. you owe them. he has given lectures on respectability politics, and that has not engaged the community, and a lot of people are disappointed in him, including myself. >> when we come back, more from ferguson, missouri. this is a night where the missouri state patrol, a turning point moment. last night it happened. will it continue into the evening? will we get another night of relative calm here in ferguson. we'll continue to keep our eye on the situation on the ground in ferguson. we're back in a moment. this is al jazeera america.

>> we'll bring you up-to-date on an intriguing statement a day after the islamic state public that had gruesome video showing the beheading of american journalist james foley. the u.s. has released a statement saying that u.s.

military attempted to rescue american hostages in syria. the mission was carried out by several dozen operations troops who were on the ground in syria for a short period of time. they apparently engaged with isis fighters, however the special ops troops failed to find the american hostages at the location where they were suspected of being held. the pentagon confirming reports that the u.s. military did attempt to try to rescue come of the american hostages being held in syria. unfortunately the personal ops troops did not find the hostages at the location where they thought they were being held. we'll have more on this as the story develops. the united nations security council has you nanlously called for the palestinians and israelis to resume cease-fire talks. the five-day truce collapsed yesterday and back and forth attacks have resumed. prime minister benjamin netanyahu said his government will not stop airstrikes until

it's military are secure. he i nick schifrin is live in jerusalem. nick, these statements from the israeli prime minister tell us about the context and what are you hearing and seeing in this extended conflict? >> yes, well david this has been one of the most violent days since this war began. we had more than 200 rockets flying from gaza into israel. those killed nobody, injured nobody, as you said more than 20 palestinians dead in gaza. a huge barrage of airstrikes in israel and prime minister net yahoo vowing that the airstrikes will continue until the rockets stop. >> only the guarantee of the calm and safety of israeli citizen also bring an end to this operation.

and therefore i will continue to operate with firmness an firmness. >> now one of the targets of the airstrikes today was mohammed daf. his out was hit. hamas leaders say that he was not home but that his wife and child were both home, they were both killed, and two of almost two dozen palestinians killed in the airstrikes today. >> nick, how is hamas responding to the latest back and forth today? >> well, as you can imagine they're responding with defiance, and we heard right after netanyahu statement by the spokesman of hamas. he was calling the operation a

failure and netanyahu's speech a failure as well. >> netanyahu's speech is an attempted failure that reflects the extent of the occupation's violence and their lack of seriousness in achieving a cease-fire. these threats will not frighten hamas leaders. on the contrary we'll continue to protect and defend our people against israeli crimes or foolishness. >> now what hams has done, three specific threats, new language we have not heard from them before threatening the people telling them not to go back to their homes, threatening people here behind me in jerusalem from going to large events, coming into large crowds, and number three, threatening the airport, the ben gurion airport.

and hamas has issued those threats before, but nonetheless that language is new. >> nick schifrin reporting live from jerusalem in a conflict that continues between hamas and israel. no. lie year i can't police fought back protesters to try to limit the spread of ebola. 50,000 people were closed in by police. they say they were given no warning before they put up the roadblocks and does not allow them to get to any food. >> the united states supreme court is delaying the start of same-sex marriages in virginia. maria ines ferre has that story and more news around america.

>> reporter: david, the highest court granted the request to block same-sex marriages while the issue is being appealed to the supreme court. without court intervention same-sex couples would have been allowed to marry as of tomorrow. no explanation for why the order was given. most other court decisions in favor of guy marriage has been put on hold. a california wildfire has destroyed eight homes and 1800 houses are threatened. the blaze near lake isabella is 15% contained. firefighters are working in drought conditions. residents from 200 homes are under evacuation orders. the cause of the fire is under investigation. in chicago two suspects are under arrest following a hostage stand off that lasted 20 hours. the suspects barricaded themselves in the house with eight people. they let four children go overnight after hours of talks. the others were freed after authorities stormed in.

>> every was up on the second floor. we entered the first floor through the front door by taking the door down and then once we had the first floor occupied we were then able to move up to the second floor. and enter the room where the hostages were being held and we were able to get everyone down and secured and get the hostages out. >> reporter: two officers were wounded in angle initial exchange of gunfire. they're both expected to be okay. and in may the als ice bucket challenge has gone presidential. president george b. bush is the latest to get doused. >> i've been challenged by several americans to bring awareness to the als campaign, woody johnson, our daughter jenna, coach harbaugh and recently rory mcilroy. for those who challenged me, i do not think its presidential for me to be splashed with ice water, so i'm simply going to write you a check.

[ screaming ] >> that check is for me. i didn't want to ruin my hairstyle. >> the former president nominated former president clinton to take the challenge. david, i'm surprised you haven't been nominated. >> there is something undignified about it, but on the other hand, kudos to the former president. they've raised-- >> a lot of money. everyone been a great sport about it. >> we'll head back to missouri for more of our coverage on the shooting death of michael brown. tony harris is there with a look at what is coming up next. tony? >> david, it's hot as play blazes here. if somebody wants to give us that challenge we'll take the challenge gradually. we'll come back and talk to this man right here. mr. monk, a comedian from chicago who has come down here

to ferguson to march with the demonstrators and protesters keeping in mind the serious nature of what has happened here. i don't have to tell you that he has an interesting take on aspecters of the demonstration. we'll be back in a moment. this is al jazeera america.

>> do you see that? she rolled her eyes at me. do you see that? all right, so we're back here in ferguson, missouri. we have a the felonees, aka. >> as you were saying at the break you were clearly acknowledge the serious nature of what has happened here 12 days ago and the shooting death of michael brown, but tell us

why you decided to come down here. you certainly didn't have to, but you probably saw this playing out, tell us why. >> on top of erik garner a couple of days ago. and back to back it starts to pile up. i have to question these facts. they're being acquitted, i'm not going to see that they did or didn't. i have to see for myself. i came down. >> what have you seen? >> well, ferguson is nothing like what i was told. >> you mean through the media? >> yeah, i didn't say that. >> i felt it. >> no, the media gives you an impression that this is a downtrodden poor community full of violence and misguided youth. then i come down and see 7% unemployment, which is not bad at all and you have an average of 1.5 murders over a 12-year period. so this isn't a violent place.

and then i look for the dysfunctional families of ferguson, they're not here. i have different feelings about i don't think the media is doing that because they want to demonize but maybe they want you to pin him. either side if you're demonizing or petting the people of ferguson, that's not what they need or want. >> the small elements. there seems to be a small element of people who have come here, and they have not been residents of the communityish and they've been causing trouble midnight on. >> you're talking about people who are hijacking a movement. you do have people who want chaos. they want problems. the people of ferguson are going through an mourning process. and there will be some residents who get extremely angry and ac mandarin out. but for the most part people who are here were the outside they're using ferguson's mourn and emotions to incite more. i would love to see the police instead of terrorizing the large

group, to pull out the individuals who are responsible. >> we're starting to see that more and more. it was certainly evidence last night. this is the thing, mr. monk. >> mr. long. >> you cannot fin monk. >> you can't find humor. you can't make light of this. >> sure you can. >> i saw do the right thing. ice bucket challenges, raise money for als and maybe we could get justice here. instead of doing that, we're out here burning up. they're in all those hot clothes. i'm not sure that they are not angry. if you had to wear that jacket, helmet and those boots you would be hot, too. if they stripped down to regular police clothes they would calm down and stop lobbing things to the crowd. you know they wanting to home early. calm it down.

>> felloiou, thank you. >> i'm going to be here i'm doing some work on the side. >> we're out of time. >> what do you mean, you don't have love for my business. >> we're out of time. we have "real money with ali velshi" next. . >> flash point ferguson, missouri, where lives and livelihoods have been thrown in disarray. i'm looking at race and opportunity as how small business owners are trying to stay open and protect against trouble. also i'm following the money in iraq and syria to show where the so-called islamic state fighters get their money from, we're talking billions of dollars. if you're planning to borrow big bucks for a house or car, i'll tell where you the interest rates are hde