>> that's it for now. the conversation continues, on our facebook or google plus pages. @ajconsiderthis or tweet me @amora.tv. we'll see you next time. >> >> hello everywhere, this is al jazeera america mp . >> they are well funded. we must prepare for everything. >> a stark warning from the secretary of defense about the islamic state group and their threat to america. this and the new report that the group sought over $100 million in ransom to free american

journalist foley. we'll look at the efforts to feel the slaip journalist. plus in america... >> i'm thrilled to be alive and well and reunited with my family. >> an emotional die for the doctor that survived ebola. leaving the doctor disease free. >> and a concert for our own peter gres peter greste gaoled in egypt, the concert in australia. we begin with the crisis in iraq. tonight iraqi forces are fighting to keep the country together, out of the hands that calls itself the islamic state. iraq's military has reportedly attacked islamic state forces in anbar province and the city of

tikrit. they are trying to push back fighters from an organization that the pentagon called a bigger threat than al qaeda pre-9/11. seven months ago president obama compared the islamic state to a junior varsity basketball team. today the united states launched a fresh round of air strikes against the group as part of the effort to assist iraqi and kurdish troops on the ground. >> islamic state grabbed america's attention when it released video after the beheading of foley, a journalist. the man that spoke had a british accent. secretary chuck hagel confirmed in keeping with u.s. policy the obama administration refused to negotiate a ransom for foley. islamic state asked his family for over $100 million. in july the pentagon deployed a rescue mission for foley and others held hostage. paul beban joins us for more.

>> the white house never disclosed the operation, but decided to go public, because a number of media outlets for on the verge of reporting it. the mission to rescue james foley was over, and tragically we know it was a failure. >> reporter: some time this summer the u.s. staged a night-time rage on a compound in northern syria, with cover from drones and fighter jets, dozens of special operations forces in black hawk helicopters. swooped in, fighting their way to where they e fought foley and others were held. when they got there the hostages were gone, moved hours or days before. u.s. officials say several islamic state fighters were killed during the fire fight. one american was lightly wounded. all the americans were flown out safely. at a pentagon briefing secretary of defense chuck hagel and general martin dempsey, chairman

of the joints chief of staff defended the mission. >> was it a failure of intelligence? >> no. the fact is, as you know, intelligence doesn't come wrapped in a package with a bow. this operation, by the way, was a flawless operation. but the hostages were not there. >> some analysts questioned the wisdom of releasing information about the failed rescue. others say it will not do anything to aid the enemy. >> it doesn't matter. they were going to defend against the taking regardless. they knew we were coming. if they didn't know before, they know now, since attacking them. >> president obama vowed to pursue the self-declared islamic state, especially when american lives are at stake. >> we'll continue to do what we must do to protect our people. we'll be vigilant and

relentless. >> reporter: so far the u.s. side of the battle against the islamic state has been limited to air strikes. at the pentagon thursday, secretary hagel seemed to warn that it would take more than that. >> they are beyond is terrorist group. they marry ideology, sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. they are trementsly well funded -- tremendously well funded. it's beyond anything we have seen. we must prepare for anything. the only way to do that is take a cold steels hard look at it, and get ready. >> the vatican says that pope francis spoke with con foley's family and offered his condolences and prayers. yesterday foley's parents told reporters that their son's strength came from god. >> when foley was captured he

was freelancing with the "global post", and he talked about efforts to negotiate with the islamic state group. >> we were focused on a smaller amount that we believed would be sufficient. but the captors never engaged in a real negotiation. of course, we were aware of the fact that it's against united states law to pay a ransom to a terrorist group. but they said our own -- based on our own research with the government, the family felt they could pursue the course of action and not be subject to prosecution. >> we have heard and we read in different reports that countries in europe like spain and france offered great sums of money to get the hostages released. is that something you wished the

u.s. would do, and maybe jim would be here today. >> i think that in light of jim's horrific killing, and in light of the fact that the islamic state has risen to a new level of power and mennize in the world that it may well be appropriate for the united states government to consider some change in their policy. >> you said you watched that video of jim's beheading and it was very difficult to watch, obviously. but what do you feel towards those people who killed him? >> i i don't feel hatred. i imagine john and diane feel the same way.

i prayed for them, as i prayed for jim. >> several americans are still being held by the islamic state group. steven satlof is one of them. his supporters are pleading with president obama to take action to save him. nearly 5,000 signed a petition posted to the white house website. he was captured a year ago after crossing in syria from turkey. christopher voss was the fbi's lead negotiator, in the situation of sotlof, is there anything to be done or is there a group to negotiate with and know they have sway over the people holding him? >> first of all, thank you for having me on, but it's a matter of definition of negotiation. what the islamic state is doing now is gauging the reactions to the publicity for when they murder murdered james foley, and trying

to decide whether to proceed with for publicity like that. they never engaged in subsequent negotiations with james foley. the amount that they ridiculously put out was intentionally ridiculous to make it look like they were interested in engaging in talks. it was a ruse on their part, and they were simply trying to orchestrate the murder of defenseless man all along. what they did was a cowardly thing to do. >> are there particular nationalities, though, that may be more vulnerable to being taken as a hostage because of policies of negotiating or trying to negotiate as hostage takers. >> unfortunately, the way things evolved in that part of the world, that is what is going on. in any country where kidnapping exists, human being are a market. those of us that had to respond have to under how our opposition looks at it. they look at it as a commodities

market, and market prices are set with the western europeans paying high prices. that sets a high price for other kidnapped groups. if they can't get the price from the western european nation, they trade hostages, because they'll have a value to someone. >> there has been criticism of the pentagon, the obama administration releasing information about the military mission to try to rescue james foley. some suggest that makes it more difficult to not only rescue other hostages but complicates other negotiations. do you see it that way? >> no, i don't see it that way at all. american special forces have been working to rescue hostages wherever they can in the middle east, iraq and regions around iraq. that's not news to the opposition that the american special forces will come to them

if given the opportunity. we didn't reveal anything news. i was heartened to find out there was a rescue attempt made. the united states government should do what it can to rescue its citizens. there was no additional information revealed to the criminals in this cas. they know that special forces will come if we gather enough intelligence. >> for the criminals serious about getting money for the hostages they take, how does it happen, where do the first calls usually go? >> well, everyone has the same thing in their phone. you have it in your phone, i have it in my phone. should we be kidnapped they should open the phone and get the word mum. they'll go through the cell phones and find out who their family members are and ol keyings, and tart -- colleagues and start to call them. in short order they talk with people that would be interested

in trying to pay money to get them out. it's simple for the kidnappers, the criminals, to get in touch with those paying money to achieve the release of their loved ones. >> christopher voss, former lead negotiator with the fbi. thank you for coming on. >> my pleasure. >> this is a calmer night in fisz, and there are -- in ferguson missouri. robert ray has the latest from ferguson. how does it look out there tonight. >> it's quiet. there's about 100,000 demonstrators walking up and down the main drag. it's peace: we are not seeing the show of force. the national guard has been deployed. they are not out on the streets any more. they are not at the tactical

command center. captain ron johnson was out here earlier, walking around, talking to demonstrators, shaking their hands, took a few questions from the press. our producer asked him a couple of questions. he's happy that the elders and the religious people came out to try to calm down the young people on the streets, and feels ta ta was a reason why the peace and the calm began two night ago. we had a chance to go out with the protestors about half on our or so ago. let's have a listen. you're leading this march. is it peaceful? >> yes, it's a peaceful march. >> reporter: how is it going with the police tonight? >> no problems, everything is good, great. >> reporter: do you feel like you guys are getting what you want out of the demonstrations. >> yes, every little wit count. being out here, supporting mike brown. it means a lot.

they are chipping away. it's going to get big. what is the ultimate change you want. what is the ultimate change. that's the only thing we do. that's what we are here for. >> reporter: you want the police officer sent to gaol. >> immediately. he should be in gaol. >> they are not allowing the protesters to come down here. we have to walk 20 blocks. it's intimidation tactics. >> reporter: you heard them talking about putting buses out there. >> it sounds good. >> reporter: do you think he'll do it? >> no. >> reporter: so the protesters don't believe what the police are saying. and you know what, they don't believe in the prosecutor, counts prosecutor. they are calling for him to back off of the case and get his hands out of the grand jury

because of the fact that he had a lot of family history. his father was killed in the line of duty, an african-american shot and they think he'll have a bias. tonight, it's hot, mugs and calm. >> robert ray on the ground in bill ferguson. thank you. the outrage in ferguson has st louis police rethinking how they handle officer shooting. they released two surveillance video of two cops who opened fire on a black man wielding a knife. john hendren has that story. >> reporter: the racially charged shooting may have happened in many segregated towns. a few days later, one did. not far away from st louis. on tuesday, a store owner accused this man of shoplifting. that shows what happened next.

>> oh, my god. >> reporter: watching that video, it's hard to understand why he was taunting police. the people in the neighbourhood understand, and say young black men are disrespected by authorities. when he shouted shoot me, no one expected him to shoot. >> they could have used mace or spray. >> nobody should have to kill someone. if that's the case why arrest, let's go. some police training efforts say a threatened officer doesn't have a choice. >> why don't they shoot to the aim or center. if i aim center and miss, i will get a hit and potentially shot. i aim for an arm, and miss, i don't mitt anything. >> the attorney for michael

brown, whose tilling set off the protests in ferguson, missouri, say it creates a pattern of force. >> when he put his hands up in surrender, you don't continue to shoot. that's why so many people are passionate and protest. they saw it with their own eyes. this is not the first time. after before, after, they have a matter where mr powell who they execute him. >> reporter: nor now the guns are holesstered while the officers try to restore calm. a second american infected with a deadly bowl is out of the hospital. the medical team that treated brantly says he posted no health threat to others. >> reporter: a miracle in georgia, dr kent brantly free of

ebola applauded by the doctors and nurses that cared for him at emory hospital in atlanta. >> today is a miraculous day. i'm tlhrilled to be alive, well and reunited with my family. >> it was different last month when brantly, an aide workers, arrived from west africa, wearing protective clothing to stop the virus spreading. three weeks later, he is able to hug staff and family, his bods free the disease that nearly killed him. >> we have determined in conjunction with the centers for disease control and state departments that dr brantly has recovered from the ebola infection, and can return to his family, to his community and to his life without public health concerns. >> reporter: at the same news conference emory hospital

announced the other aid worker. nancy writebol was discharged tuesday. brantly and writebol received an parliamental drug that -- experimental drug that is not available. the virus us is prevalent in western africa, with 1400 dead. >> the two individuals walked out the hospital healthily. the ebola epidemic rages on in africa. >> 576 have decide in liberia. 396 in guinea, 274 in sierra leone, and four in nigeria. something that dr kent brantly is aware of. >> please, continue to pray for liberia, and the people of west africa. and encourage those in positions of leadership and influence to do everything possible to bring this ebola outbreak to an end. thank you. >> nancy writebol and her

husband asked for privacy. dr brantly says give me time for my family, after not seeing them, and then he'll be happy to answer media questions. >> earlier tonight we spoke with jeremy writebol. nancy's son. we asked how his mum was doing and if he planned to return to av cape. >> mum is -- africa. >> mum is doing well. she's glad to be released and happy to be out of the hospital. continuing to recover, and get better from the virus. >> one of the stunning images that a lot of us saw, we saw that your mother had to be fan in to emory hospital. she didn't have the power to walk in herself. what was going through your mind. >> really, really sad. that was a very hard moment

emotionally. mainly because i hadn't talked to her in about a week. i didn't know how she would be. and concerned that she wasn't going to make it at that point. >> what was the point at which you saw her turn the corner or felt like she was turning the corner in terms of her condition. >> i think as we went through the two weeks that she was in care at emory hospital. day by day thinks improving, signs of health and recovery. it was probably midway through that we had a sense that she had made it and is going to recover from this. somewhere in the middle, i think. >> does your mum want to go back to africa now she is clear of beach volleyball. >> that is something that mum and dad are thinking about, trying to sense what god's call on them is, if that's something

they feel they should do, they'll do that. if not. they'll serve people, and do what god called them to do here at this time. >> what would you like. would you like to see your mum go back to africa and say "hey, i'm living prove you can beat this." >> i want mum and dad to do what they feel best. there's no expectation for me to go back. if they want to, that's great. they have my support. if they feel god calls them to stay here. that is great too. >> thank you for joining us on al jazeera america. congratulations to you, your mum and family. >> thank you very much. >> you're koim. >> coming up, israeli air strikes kill three hamasility leaders as hamas makes a big administration. there could be problems in iceland, one of the biggest volcanos is rumbling.

this was a violent day alounge the israeli-gaza border, three senior hamas commanders killed, and thousands took to the streets to attend the leaders' funeral. meanwhile there was a claim of responsibility for the incident that touched off the summer of violence. a senior official said al-kassam brigade was behind the kidnapping of three israeli teenagers, that's the armed wings of hamas. hamas fired more than 100 rockets into israel. and shot 12 mortars hitting a residential area. hundreds of thousands of children in israel and gaza need psychological monitoring after living under the threat of attack. an american group travelled to israel to help them cope. nick schifrin has the story. one mile from the gaza

border the kindergarten is a blom shelter. here, for every group of children laughing for the camera, that's 5-year-old girl traumatized by war. the children lived through hundreds of rocket attacks. >> many have difficulty going to sleep. >> feelings of fear and anxiety leads to post-traumatic stress disorder. proximity to war creates scars. this woman came from chicago to try to heal them. >> their childhood has been robbed. they don't know how to normalize the situation. they are on edge of can i go there, where is the shelter i need to go. >> rina's form of therapy is art. she doesn't try to get them to talk, but infuse them with threat. >> asking a child to verbalize

can be confront. presenting something. draw an animal that is strong. how are you strong about the animal. >> reporter: on this day, children that see war, draw the strongest animal they can imagine. >> there were brown lions, golden lions, and an elephant. >> have you explored what maded animal strong. children need to hear the messages from their parents. a box was created for the parents to gi their kids. blowing bubbles slows down breathing and helps anxiety. >> who is helping you. >> tracing hands on construction paper sparks a conversation about how families take care of themselves and each other.

>> all of this is designed in a particular way. you hear this. each as reinforced concrete. inside is a blast door. closing from the inside, it's heavy. and inside it's reinforced with concrete and the windows covered because this is a bomb shelter. gaza is so close, it's visible through the tents. israeli tanks parked across the street. inside they are building protections from trauma, one animal at a time. next, what the white house is saying about rescue in additions for james foley. plus... ..a concert with a cause, calling for the release of our gaoled colleague peter greste.

psh @

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster. there are new details about the attempt to rescue journalist james foley, l the racial divide in st louis, and why it seems the city is lying in a civil war era.

and trouble could be erupting in iceland. a volcano appears ready to blow. now, it's out in the open. the lead singer of neon tree talks to us about a decision to come out as gay, as a mormon. as promised president obama is not backing off air strikes in iraq after the brutal killing of journalist james foley. mike viqueira reports from washington. >> the u.s. military today announcing that u.s. military air strikes continue in iraq, around the mosul dam, a vital facility, six strikes bringing the title to 90. half of which, 57 have been around the mosul dam. trying to give the peshmerga

worses and ricky forces... >> the american stated policy is the same, to protect american interests and facilities inside iraq. there's a dramatic escalation of the rhetoric in the wake of a brutal beheading of james foley released by islamic state forces. chuck hagel, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey held a briefing at the white house, and chuck hagel talked in ex-placement and dramatic terms -- explicit and dramatic terms about islamic state. >> they are behind a terrorist group. they marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. this is behind anything we have seen. they are well funded. we must prepare for anything. the only way to do that is take

a cold steels hard look at it and get ready. >> at the state department they say there are some 12,000 foreign fighters fighting on behalf of the islamic state, from as many as 50 different countries, although a small number of them are american. meanwhile chuck hagel credits american air strikes with turning back the momentum or stalling the momentum of the islamic state within iraq. this as martin dempsey says if the islamic state is to be routed, they'll have to be thrown out of syria with military force. >> a congressional watchdog group says that the pentagon broke the law when and swapped five leaders for bowe bergdahl. the defense department was required to notify congressional committees. something it failed to do. officials say the money used for the transfer was another legal violation. bowe bergdahl was a prisoner in

afghanistan for five years. >> in fisz for ferguson mississippi, the streets are quiet. there was racial tension in the st louis area long before the death of michael brown. robert ray is live in ferguson with more. >> reporter: indeed. there has been racial tensions, economic disparity, and what some residents say is a heavy-handed police department in the entire region, we hit the streets of the st louis area, talking to people. have a listen. >> reporter: it's america's monument to western expansion, the gateway amp, the symbol of a journey towards a prosperous future. in st louis, life is bound to a history of racism. >> this is st louis. they have been this way for a long time.

they used to sell slaves during the civil war in st louis, i don't think the mentality has left. at amb car wash and repair, murals pay homage to civil rights leaders. inside a racial profiling kit from the aclu is tacked to the wall. >> i had an incident where i left my house, was going up to the gas station to get a packet of cigarettes. an officer stopped me here. >> reporter: for walking down the street? >> for walking down the street, yes. >> reporter: how does it make you feel? >> bad. sad in a way. i don't know what is going through anyone's mind. >> poverty is one aspect. the other aspect is a lack of investment in your urban core. >> carol heads the center on urban research at washington university. in neighbourhoods like these, where low income residents are more likely to be black, the

contrast between have and have not grows as the tax base crumbles. the results schools and other programs moving people forward suffer. >> so america is a land of opportunity for those who have the preparation to take advantage of those opportunities. however, the disinvestment for the young and the poor has not been. that's where the promise has not fulfilled its reality. across the united states there are many cities that have segregated neighbourhoods and divided areas. if you drive down the boulevard, and get out and talk to the people, they call it the delmar divide, because whites are on that side and blacks on the other. the economic desaparts is out in the open. >> the geographical divide, where you have appearance of colour living in one segment of the city and the counts, and

whites living in another part of the city, exacerbates that. some say the natives it acknowledge segregation exists here - intentional or not. >> for instance, going into north city if you are white, most people think they can't go there. it's a community you don't interact with. it's sad. >> i think there is underlying racism. >> a divide that some compared to native americans put on reservations. >> if you break it down in that way, you will get a better understanding of how you are being herded, manipulated, and shoved and what is being thrown noure community. and why you have this type much thing. >> this man brought a house in this blighted neighbourhood for $4,000, believing one investment

at a time could make a difference, a difference that could be ignighed by the racial flashpoint in ferguson. >> now, david, we have been talking about how moment to moment the streets out here, this entire week. just a few minutes ago, there were two people arrested right across the bridge over there. they were in the wrong area, and police in tactical gear took them, put the cuffs on them. we don't know the charge. that's what we overheard. they were walking down the wrong areas, not with the protesters up and down the street. as we say, this is a moment to moment situation, and we hope over the weekend tempers do not player as we go into friday night and the sun goes down. >> robert ray reporting from ferguson missouri. >> the banks of america agreed to pay $17 billion to settle its

role in the financial crisis of 2008. this is the largest civil settlement ever between a single firm and the u.s. government. andy gallagher has the story. >> what we going to do if we lose our home. >> reporter: the davis family is the face of a financial crisis most want to put behind them. they were sold a junk mortgage that may leave them homeless. they haven't been able to pay off the bank of america loan, and this family faces a threat of losing everything. like countless others, she feels cheated and betrayed. >> can they give me some of that money back so i can move forward with my life. please can you help me. i'm not asking to live for free. can you just lower the interest rate, chop it down a little bit. that's not a lot to ask. >> at the height of the financial crisis in 2008, foreclosure rates across the u.s. were rampant.

banks and financial institutions were blamed. the justice department says the fine offers home owners hope. >> this is one of the largest consumer relief packages we have assembled with a single financial institution. it's impact - the impact could benefit hundreds of thousands of americans who are still struggling to pull themselves out from under the weight of the financial crisis. >> housing advocates like josh say without criminal charges, the fines, which he says are a slap on the wrist, mean little. >> the fact that none of these civil prosecutions, criminal prosecutions are going through means that the real story of these banks' activities, fraudulent activities leading to the economy crash are not coming out, they are being buried.

>> following the announcement, shares in bank of america went up. it's a cashing chapter the bank can put behind them. the news that the bank of america has been fined a large amount of money is cold comfort to people in these neighbourhoods. many have been foreclosed on. few believe they'll get financial aid. for others, it's too late. >> in july, bank of america made moves to auction this woman's house. she launched a legal challenge. for this mother of six the help is elusive. >> a federal judge declared florida's ban upon gay marriage unconstitutional, ruling that the 2008 measure violated guarantees of equal protection and due process, but there'll be no same-sex weddings soap, the judge issued a stay allowing for appeals. in iceland there's an aviation alert.

that's due to a vol capo threatening to -- volcano threatening to erupt. hundreds of tourists have been evacuated. >> reporter: below europe's biggest glacier the earth is rumbling. this volcano, although covered in ice, scientists say less than 10km from the surface, magna is chirping. they don't no if, or where, magna could surface. with almost 1,000 small quakes here every day, something is imminent. >> we are on the nearbiage of the glacier. the fact that the volcano is underneath this expanse of ice creates the role risk for iceland. if magna comes to the surface, water will flow downstream. if it doesn't break through, it could melt enough to cause

damage. that's why authorities evacuated hikers north of the eruption zone. >> the magnitude of the flow will depend on the magnitude of eruption. but the most likely scenario is that you'll get something that is five to 10,000 cubic metres per second, which is about 10 to 20 times the normal flow of the glacial river. >> it's the possibility of ash that is worrying europe. in 2010, huge plumes were sent across the continent, grounding flights. scientists say it is unlikely to trachl. in the capital, people are watching but are unafraid. >> no one is kind of in panic. no one is panicking. it's exciting. >> they are on facebook. waiting for something to happen. >> aware they are at the mercy

of nature, they are prepared for i don't remember reminder. it's been 236 days since three al jazeera journalists were imprisoned in egypt. peter greste, australian native, was one. a benefit concert was held in his honour. we have this report from melbourne by andrew thomas. >> reporter: 900 tickets sold out fast. the crowd is here not just for the big names on stage, but the cause - supporting the family of a man they believe firming has been wrongly imprisoned - peter greste, gaoled for doing his job. >> i was stunned by the sentence. it was one of the greatest miscarriages of justice. >> complete shock. i was horrified. >> watching rehearsals was peter's brother. peter, he said, knew all about this. >> he's especially jealous to

see the talent on tonight. many of them are his childhood heros. >> the event organised by musicians and lawyers, ipp crud u louse at a travis of justice. rex lavers had the idea. by day he's a supreme court judge, and for now drummer for a lesser known man. the lex pistols. >> something had to be done, we needed to find a way to support him, his family and maintain abarns amongst people generally. >> tickle sales and donations would raise thousands to keep the campaign fresh. >> australians were baffled by the trial. when the verdict came, they were greeted with disbelief. the campaign has been high profile. this gives it another boost. >> that is something peter, in a letter from prison, read by his

brother, appreciates. >> i know the noise from this place is combined with supporters. >> they have a simple aid - funds for a cause. the hope is this will have a follow up that is fun. one peter and his colleagues is able to attend. coming up... [ singing ] ..she's the lead singer of neon trees, he's mormon, and he just announced he's gay. tyler glen is next. plus, a family's farewell to comedian robin williams.

we'll enjoy cool low temperatures in oklahoma, chicago, and enjoy. the highs will be soaring into the '90s, and add in a lot of humidity. it will feel like triple digit heat from the midwest to the south-east. thunder storms will gradually shift into parts of nebraska and kansas, where the stronger storms are expected to be on the day on friday. now, we could use rain in, friendships, california. but showers and thunder storms -

coming up through nevada, and brushing parts of eastern california have been continuing the wildfire concerns. the thunder storms are dumping a lot of rain fall, pulling up a tonne of moisture out of the eastern pacific. stretching up over burn scars, we have problems when it comes to flash flooding, mud stlids and debris -- slides and debris flows. we are watching them all the way up to the pacific north-west, into friday. for the weekend - a bit of relief. the heat and humidity will be cooking in the midwest. al jazeera america news continues.

there is word tonight that robin williams ashes have been scattered in san francisco bay, according to his death certificate. the beloved comedians death was ruled a suicide, a day after being found dead. his widow said he was suffering depression and had been

diagnosed with parkinson's disease. 10 years into his music career, the lead singer of neon trees made a decision, tyler glen came out as a gay man to his friend, family and bandmates and sat with thomas drayton to indicate how it influenced the latest album. >> it indicates the struggle. instead of focussing on the darker part of that i decided to celebrate what the outcome was, and write about that. that's why the record is fun and colourful. >> it's about your personal life in journey. >> yes. >> a year ago you made a leap. you held a secret for a large part of our life. >> coming out as a gay man released a real weight and i

love being able to talk about it now and share my story because i didn't know it would be a big deal for people. i don't think it's as surprising any more when the guys come out. it really was important to people, and to share that i not only have faith in god, but i'm figuring it out, and trying to be honest and open. >> it was surprising because your friends pretty much call you an open book. >> i'm not compartmentalising. i got good at leading a double and triple life. and i think music was my security blanket. because i will be who i wanted and be the flamboyant performer.

[ singing ] >> what was the release like when you told your friends, your bandmates. >> it was awesome. the first person i told was my producer. one of my closest friends, and when i got an enthat was exciting and loving, versus the, like, things i expected, my world was rocked and i want to tell everyone. it's been wonderful to tell everyone in my life, and have them all still here. when you're brought up in certain areas of the country that may be more suburban and conservative, you are told that there were family and friends of the there's a lot of fear.

[ singing ] >> along the way, along the journey, you held on to your faith. when you were 18 you said you double downed on mormonism. >> yes, i served in a mission for two years in nebraska. i loved it. they would be my two favourite years. i grew a lot. >> is it a battle. the teachings of the church. >> sure, there's definitely teachings, but there's something about it that i feel connected to. i feel like leaving plenty of people leave. but i would rather stay and promote a new face of

homosexualityie and be more of a role model for those that struggle with faith, inner sexuality, because there are a lot of people like me, that i discovered, and that i hear from constantly. [ singing ] >> did it change your approach in song writer. >> i wrote the record and i haven't really written new material since. >> is it a little relief writing the lyrics. >> yes, i was frank in a lot of material. it still has a lot of pop sensibility in it.

[ singing ] >> your home-town fans, 80% mormon will look at you differently. >> that was a concern. i felt like maybe somebody won't keep coming to the chose, but we played summer in salt lake. it was sold out when i talked about my journey on stage. the applause - it felt good. i had arms around me. >> what would you tell the person about the bling with fates and sexuality? >> don't feel - i would say don't feel the pressure to ever be something that you've not. take your time and figure it out. the one thing i can hold on to in this whole seriousness is that i've been true to my heart and spoken from it. i don't have all the answers. i don't think any of us - any of

us do. but i think when you are true to yourself, the happiness comes tenfold, that's a personal discovery of mine. >> what is next for tyler glen, beyond trees. >> world dom nation. who knows? >> new music. >> yes. neon trees announced the date for their fall u.s. tour. the als ice bucket challenge dominating social media is turning tout be lucrative. since july donations to the alf association added up to almost $42 million, inspired by people recording themselves duxing ice water on their heads. $10.3 million came in yesterday alone. compared to $2.1 million raised last year. don't look for an ice bubbling

it by obama. me nixed the idea as unpress den shall and the white house wr said president obama made a donation. and we end with a huge rubber duck, 6 storeys tall, leading tall ships into los angeles harbour, to open the tall ships festival. i'm david shuster. al jazeera america. journalists. >> journalism is not a crime.

on america tonight, is it a cire? an experiment stall drug helped two americans refrom ebola. >> today is a mir reclose rag louse day. i am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and tock reunited with my family. >> but that kind of medical help remains out of reach for many in africa, infuriatessed by what the ebola outbreak has done to their communities now the question, can more help come in time to save them. also tonight, return to flash point ferguson. and exclusive incint