real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. l jazeera america. >> this is al jazeera america. we have a look at your top stories. the islamic state group gains ground in iraq and syria. a new report showing 3 million people have been forced from their homes, fleeing the fighting. ukraine asks for n.a.t.o.' pro texas at separatists take control of the city. and th stewart speaks out after

hitting and killing a driver on the racetrack. >> british prime minister said the thread posed by the islamic state group is more dangerous than that of al-qaeda. that's why britain moved to raise its terror threat level from substantial to severe. >> i don't anticipate at this point that there are--that there is a plan to change that level, but those are official announcements made by the department of homeland security. >> libby casey. what made the u.k. raise its threat level? >> reporter: this comes a week after the video was released showing the beheading of an american journalistly a british

citizen. they're able to go to iraq, become battle tested and come home with the intent to do harm. there are more than 400 citizen who is have gone to the syria-iraq region, and there could be more. that causes the prime minister david cameron to say that is not a threat far away but one that could affect the homeland. >> this is not foreign conflict thousands of miles from home that we can hope to ignore. the caliphate is a threat to u.k. the root cause is quite clear. it is a poisonous ideology that is condemned by all faiths and all faith leaders. >> reporter: the prime minister is introducing legislation that makes it easier for the government to take away the

passports who travel to syria. he plans to unveil that over the next couple of days. >> so libby, the british are raising their threat level. why isn't the u.s. following suit? >> reporter: homeland secretary jay johnson said that there is not at this point a specific credible threat to the u.s. those are key words. they're looking for specific threats. the white house said frankly the british have more to worry about because they've seen more men go over to iraq and syria to be trained as fighters. the pentagon spokesman rear admiral kirby talked about what the threat might be in the u.s. >> right now they've got global aspirations and they have aspirations to strike western targets. i've said this before, i'll say it again today. we don't believe they have the capacity and capability to conduct a major attack on the

homeland. >> reporter: so we're looking at specific being the operative word when it comes to the u.s. with its threat level, tony. this of course comes even as there have been two american citizen who is have died overseas. we saw that in the news that there are americans going over there, and this comes as the president weighs options whether or not or no to conduct airstrikes in syria and continued airstrikes over iraq. >> libby casey for us at the white house. thank you. with me now is national security jj green. what is it about the timing of david cameron's comments? does the new u.k. terror threat level indicate a specific mobilization or a specific strategy? >> yes, it does. a couple of weeks ago the u.s. asked britain and other countries to be a bit more careful on who flew to u.s. on

direct flights from there. since the beheading of the journalist there has been suggestions of attempts in the near term by fighters in iraq and syria to come either to the u.s. britain or some western country and conduct attacks. what they've done is internally they looked at how they can beef up security. how they can change protocol to get to britain or to the u.s. and if they are, indeed, in britain at this point they want to make sure that these folks have tough time pulling off what it is that they want to do. >> jj the white house said that there is no plan right now to raise the threat level here, but if homeland security did decide to raise it, what would that actually entail? >> secretary jay johnson said that there would be some specific measures that would be some of them visible to the general public. but a lot of it would be in the background. the bottom line on what they

want to do is they want to make the opportunity for people coming back from overseas, from these training camps who might display certain kinds of behavior and engage in some type of planning process to make it difficult for them to carry it out. the see something--say something campaign is going to be kicked in high gear. in the meantime, intelligence, technology and the analysis part of the intelligence community is doing is going to raise up to a different level because they recognize these people know now how to sort of navigate some of the system and gain some of the system to get in a position to do what it is they'll do. it's a whole different level of security. >> there are huge concerns about homegrown militants in the u.k. joining up with terror groups in the middle east. how big of a problem is that for the united states?

>> huge. just multiply the size of britain and look at the u.s. basically how much bigger the u.s. is than the u.k. you have way more people in the u.s. and many of them that they're concerned about are people who are in the shadows. people they don't know about. britain is armed with tv cameras all over the place. you cannot do that in the u.s. and a part of the reason for that is because of the expansive size. look at the water borders, the land borders. that's why the u.s. has a huge problem. the u.s. is the number one terror target in the world. the real goal of most of these organizations is to attack the u.s. if not u.s. then britain is number two and then israel. they're hoping to use technology, the internet, every way they can to reach people in the united states and grow themselves. do it utah mustily.--to do it

autonomously. >> we have have a holiday weekend ahead of us. the anniversary of september 11th is right around the corner. should there b be a heightened alert in light of u.k.'s reaction? >> probably not just because of the u.k.'s reaction. one thing that has been constant and clear in the last decade or so, every time there is a major time of year, holiday, specific security event is what they call, special security events there is a certain amount of heightened security. the thing that should raise this to a different level in the u.s. should be the fact that three americans within the last few weeks have been killed in iraq or rather syria for one reason or another that had to do with terrorism. they all had passports and could travel freely to the u.s.

they mostly had friends and comrades and cohorts over there with them. this is the thing that should make it more of a concern right now. not necessarily the holiday or the september 11th's anniversary, but you're dealing with the $2 billion organization who has the momentum, weapons, skill and those willing to go to bat for them. >> jj green joining us from washington, d.c. have a great weekend. thank you. the u.s. military said it carried out more airstrikes in northern iraq. this video showing airstrikes against i.s. vehicles. the military said it carried out four airstrikes in that area today. the syrian refugee crisis is now the largest and most expensive in history. the u.s. today said 6.5 million are internally displaced. and the u.n.'s money is

literally running out. it wants more than $3 billion to continue its work. syrians who have escaped the violence have found safety and more difficulty. >> reporter: after being stranded in know man's land between jordan and syria for 11 days, she came here with with her two sons for fear they would be detained in syria and left her husband and daughters behind. this is where they start their lives as refugees. they've been handed basic items, now they're on their way to see where they're going to live for what could be an extended period of time. she's disappointed when she gets to her pre-fabricated home because it does not have any flooring. aid agencies are cash-strapped and unable to construct cement floor. it's her first day here and she said she's already facing grim challenges.

>> at the beginning you have to suffer to adopt to life here. first i had to get used to living in this home. then i have to get used to my neighbors. i may not feel comfortable with them and i'm birdie. >> reporter: the massive refugee camp may be the largest in the world. it could host up to 130,000 people. a lot of effort went into the planning of the camp but it needs much more funding to become fully operational. the camp is four months old and the 11,000 refugees living here still don't have electricity. the plan was to provide this service, but aid agencies haven't received enough money from international donors for this. >> hussein came two months ago. he said its impossible to live under the searing heat without no electricity for very long. >> the most important things are we need electricity and proper flooring for our homes. if we don't get these, i suspect

many people will return to syria. >> reporter: the organization said that they will have to scale down their efforts, the menu tearan efforts around the world are not happen either. >> choices have to be made by donor countries and we're affected by this. >> reporter: the fact that 3 million syrians are displaced outside of their country is depressing. and the political solution by the conflict also sees a remote possibility. >> u.n. data shows jordan has seen a steady increase in syrian refugees neighboring nations as you can see from this map are struggling to stem the tide. the u.n. said its struggling.

military jets pounding neighborhoods in damascus today. there are fears that hard line groups are killing chances for a peaceful end. we have reports from the israeli-occupied golan heights. >> reporter: smoke from the battles between the syrian army and rebels. there has been intense fighting here for days. on wednesday anti-government forces including fighters affiliated to al-qaeda took control of the crossing into the israeli-occupied golan heights. a day later dozens of u.n. peace keepers stationed in the area were taken hostage. >> 44 troops are being detained and 72 filipino troops have movements who are still being restricted. the updated figures follows cross-checking and confirmation of leave records with the

mission. >> peace keepers in golan heights are in a stand off with syrian rebels as they try to storm their positions around 10:00 a.m. syrian time yesterday. our peacekeeping forces are holding their grounds with their respected positions. >> reporter: speaking as an u.n. forum being held in indonesia the secretary general condemned the detention and intimidation of the peacekeeping troops. >> these courageous peace keepers have deployed to bring greater stability to the people of the area. we've been through everything possible to secure their release. >> reporter: it's it's third time peace keepers have been taken has a taj i hostage in the area. israel has largely been uneffected of three and a half years of fighting in syria but on sunday five roberts fired from syria landed here in the israeli-occupied golan heights.

on wednesday an israeli soldier was moderately wounded by stray fire from syria. elsewhere inside syria there are different front lines. this video apparently shows syrian army soldiers in the northeast. being forced to march and cheer by their captors the islamic state group. the human rights observatory said dozens were later executed. the soldiers were captured after the islamic state group took over a government air base. more than 500 people were killed during that fighting. in the past week the islamic week have been gaining more and mortar tore inside syria taking it from government forces or other rebel groups. and it's the battles previously quiet frontiers which are making neighboring countries worried. israel is bracing itself for a potential sillover of the war in syria. jackie roland, al jazeera, in

the israeli occupied golan heights. >> the government of ukraine is seeking the protection of n.a.t.o. membership in response to russia joining rebel forces in the east. if comes one day after ukraine sent tanks and armored vehicles invaded the area from russia. >> reporter: novoazovsk is a small town but who controls this place has massive significance for east-west diplomatic relations. those who now occupy refuse to be filmed. the residents were almost as reticent but a few were prepared to express their fears. >> i'm worried. i want everything to be fine. i want to have everything in order and a peaceful sky above. >> reporter: ukraine and it's western allies say the town is one of several along the border which were captured in recent

days by a combined force of separatist fighters and russian regular soldiers. effectively a russian invasion. for three days now the separatist militia for the people's republic has been in control of this town. there is no sign of panic mock the local population and there is a sign on the wall saying people who are concerned should get in contact with the local con man can't. what is unclear is what the ultimate ambitions of the militia in this area are. the cross something over and the fighters calling themselves the frenchman have shown evidence of recent fighting. separatists have six tanks here. the fighter deny that they're from russia. >> there are no russians here. there is no russian equipment

coming through here. we're fighting with the machinery the ukrainian army abandoned. >> in their past lies the important city of maripath where the residents have been helping to dick trenches at the city limits. having presented what it says is compelling evidence of direct russian involvement on ukrainian territory ukraines western allies still remain reluctant to respond with direct involvement of their own. paul brennan, al jazeera, novoask. >> i'll talk with admiral james. a study published today found an experimental drug healed all 18 monkeys given the ebola virus.

more than 1500 people have died from the virus. senegal is the fifth confirmed case. >> a fight against ebola. a new laboratory in freetown. one of two other labs in the country equipped to test for ebola after a member of the staff caught the virus. >> if you would like to test for ebola, the test results would be issued after a few days. times even after a week. if not even longer. here we can issue the results. we can issue the results within three to five hours. >> in guinea, unicef has donated

motor bikes to the government to help health officials reach remote villages. it says the outbreak has already changed the lives of thousands of children. >> with an average of five children our fanned with each deceased parent from ebola there are thousands of children made vulnerable from this epidemic. >> clinical trials in the u.s. are likely to start next week in the u.k. next month. vaccine development usually takes up to ten years. and it hopes to finish the first phase of clinical trials by the end of 2014. the experimental vaccine has already been tested successfully on chimpanzees which are known to catch ebola. and both elements the chimpanzee flu virus and two proteins from the ebola virus have been shown to be safe in humans. but you suggestions that the

ebola virus in africa is mutating fast. >> with long experience with developing vaccines you got to be careful when you first put it in humans to make sure above all that it's safe, that there are no unexpected adverse reactions. that's why you go in very slowly with very few people and you follow them carefully. >> with a number of new cases in guinea and sierra leone, the who warn it could take months or years to bring the outbreak under control. >> coming up on al jazeera america how republicans are trying to shut down the possibility of president obama using executive orders for immigration reform. that is next with david shuster and power politics. and a building in california that changes the definition of concept. it aims to prevent sexual assault but it's already seeing

some criticism.

>> okay, let's take a look at stocks. that's not bad on the day as

wall street has it's only molly gains in february. in today's power politics, it is clear that the obama airstrikes in syria are not going to be an election issue. >> we'll talk about what is an arab, and we'll start with what is not an issue. :mcconnell says congress will support the obama administration shoes to attack the islamic state in syria. everybody is signaling that military action would not be a wedge issue in the fall campaign. we told you that strategists in botherstrategists instrategists

in both parties are commenting on the president's use of executive authority. >> the president is resolved to use as much as he can muster to solve this problem on his own. he does that hoping that house republicans will come to their senses and pass legislation that would be more impactful. >> some say that granding citizenship could prompt lawmakers were passing spending bills and causing a government shutdown. and mary landru is in trouble because of where she lives. she list as louisiana home. her parents have been living in. oops.

and in the north carolina senate race republican challenger tom tillis has been under fire for cutting funding for state education. he's now responding with this. >> a 7% pay raise is what we passed for north carolina teachers. that's simple math. but math is lost on the senator. she's misleading you about me to hide her own partisan record. >> now to presidential politics, 19 days, 19--that's as long as it took hillary clinton to speak out on the police shooting and tensions in ferguson, missouri. here she is at a tech conferen conference. >> i applaud president obama for sending the attorney general to ferguson and demanding a thorough and speed yes investigation. nobody wants to see our streets look like a war zone. not in america. we are better than that. >> 19 the days, was it worth the

wait? >> from playing it safe to speaking out massachusetts senator elizabeth warren was being urged to run in 2016 and just took a strong position on israel and said the israeli military has the right to attack palestinian hotels and schools in self defense if hamas has put rocket launchers next to them. she defended her photo to send funds to israel saying casualties are the least thing israel wants. summertime financials reveal, the richest person in washington is darrell issa. he had assets at the end of 2013 totaling at least $392 million. >> man. >> a lot of car alarms in california. >> who knew. issa new. >> coming up on al jazeera america we talk to a former supreme ally commander in

n.a.t.o. why he said that n.a.t.o. will response to the conflict in ukraine by providing advisers and weapons. we're back in a moment.

>> ukraine wants to join n.a.t.o. and get help in putting down a separatist movement in the east. it accuses russia from interfering with the conflict. but revelations have found that russian troops are helping relevance. it's appeal puts the pressure on the military alliance. and earlier i spoke with admiral who served as supreme allied commander in n.a.t.o. i asked him if nato would allow

ukraine to join and what that would mean for the conflict. >> well certainly they can ask to join n.a.t.o. and if i were ukrainian that would be the top of my wish list because n.a.t.o. membership is the gold standard of security. but it's a long process to join n.a.t.o. it would be a two-, three-, four-year process to join n.a.t.o. but i would be asking. >> the reason to ask is the idea it would trigger some robust response and even military response to what is happening in the military right now? >> i think they would like to begin the process of simply looking into the future, recognizing they're in this for the long haul in opposition to russia. they're a nation under invasion right now. i think they're reaching for any security agreement they can find. >> admiral, that's my next question, has russia to your way of thinking invaded southeast

ukraine? president obama had an opportunity to call the action an invasion and did not. >> i think invasion is the position of armed troops without the concept of the sovereign nation, and i think that's happening right now. >> why, why is russia--have you been able to answer to your own satisfaction the why question here with respect to russia and it's actions in the you train? >> i think it's a bit of a puzzle. everything they're doing tactically tends to foil the strategic goals you would think they would want. by invading ukraine they're re-energizing n.a.t.o. they're strengthening n.a.t.o. and causing n.a.t.o. nations to spend more on defense and it will become an internally pari pariah. it will come under sanctions. it's hard to imagine what the calculous is that would cause them to do this other than a

motion, a kind of russian desire for nationalism and historical attachment to that region. that's all i can figure. >> you mentioned an re-energized n.a.t.o. what do you expect next week. >> i think we'll have a robust readiness action of plan with pledged reassurance along the border. you'll see more naval deployments to the baltic sea. you'll see more forces in eastern-eastern european nations. you'll see a higher level of support. so it will be a real package of action on ukraine, which i suspect will be number one at the submit. >> does it carry with it the potential to escalate the

current hob flick. let's face it. russia has already invaded. so i would say now it the moment that n.a.t.o. needs to step up and show strength. it doesn't mean troops or bootsen the ground in you vain, but causing russia to pay a significant for 19th century military to drive territorial acquisition. we haven't seen this since the 30's in europe. >> are more and stiffer sanctions necessary? i'm trying to get some kind of military action, and maybe it is the package as you just described. what gets russia's attention? >> i think it's fundamentally sanctions. the russian economy is an one-trick pony centered on oil

and gas. by putting significant sanctions on those sectors as well as individuals who are driving particularly segments of the russian economy. you start to get the attention of the russian people. as the economy inevitably begins to spiral downward. strength bye-bye strengthening n.a.t.o. around the edges you get the attention of the russian military and that gains the attention of president putin, who, let's face it, is flying high with record levels of popularity into his own country. he'll be talking about this for quite some time. >> let's talk about isil, in iraq. what is needed in iraq right now. what's needed right now milita militarily to defeat isil. >> i think the most important thing is tocracy to create a

two-front conflict for isil. in other words, isil has the center position strategically. they can move to the north and go after the kurds. they can move to the south and go after the iraqi security forces. they can dodge back to the west. taking away from central position by a two-front action which means strengthening the peshmerga. force isil to fight on two. fronts and bomb i the back end, the west. think that puts a lot of tes pressure on the troops on the ground.

>> i think we'll be talking about several thousand. the iraqi security forces can fight. they need crisis, mentoring, equipment, and that kind of support i think can be provided with between 1,000 and 3,000 u.s. troops. >> ground troops fighting forces. >> not fighting in combat. supporting the iraqis and giving them advice mentoring. much like we're going to do in afghanistan as we drop down the combat forces in afghanistan. >> take this one here because it seems to be at the root of much of what we're talking about when we talk about isil, isis in syria. ias listening to the news conference this morning from the u.k. prime minister david cameron. what is it going to take to counter what he calls the

poisonous ideology of the extreme radical islam. and behavior that features beheading, raping of women, slaughtering of mellow muslims and spreading terror abroad. what does it take? >> i think it takes the vast majority of those who practice islam who are moderate, decent people who live a life of virtue, that enormous number need to put pressure on this tiny minority who are doing the wrong thing. i think it requires all of us from whatever nation or whatever faith, to work together. i think we recognize no matter what faith we are the barbarism represented by the isil. in the 20th center we try to great walls and hiding them

creme. >> i think in the 21 century we need to face isil and take them on. >> thousands of muslims cross the united stateacross the united states are gathering in detroit. the conference will fuss o focus on the future of the muslim in the united states. they have season out against the islamic state. bisi onile-ere joins us. how are people at the conference reacting to the conflicts not only in syria but also in iraq? >> tony, people here have been speaking out against the islamic state and what it stands for. there seems to be an understanding that the islamic state does not represent a majority of muslims. the people i've talked to said that this group's actions are both inhumane and unjust.

there are thousands of muslims here in detroit at this con convention from arounconvention from around the country and many of them here share the same concerns when it comes to the islamic state. >> when the religious minorities were being attacked in northern iraq, we condemned that to the fullest extent. and we condemn the murder of a journalist by isis a couple of weeks ago. it does not represent the muslim community or israel 10. and this is tore rum contains many workshops. >> this seems to be stirring up controversy among conservatives.

no surprise there really but what can you tell bus that. >> reporter: yes, there are conservative groups coming out saying that the islamic society of north america says that this group has ties to islamic extremists. this group here strongly disagree, they say there is no connection whatsoever and this group is about unity and peace. >> thank you. palestinian president mahmood abbas blamed hamas for extended fighting. more than 10 100 people were killed i today in fighting. the comments are leading to doubts about the failure o future of the palestinian humanity government which hamas

supports. prime minister sharif said did he not want the military's help. they have been camped out for two weeks now. and in libya thousands of people demonstrated in tripcally hoping for an end to the political crisis. the interim government resignation is believed to be an olive branch. until today the country had two governments. >> in mexico a new elite police officer has deployed to the resort town o after a surge of kidnappings. but because it's a popular destination for the country's elite, it is getting a lot of attention. >> this quaint town a few hours

outside of mexico city is the last place you would expect to see these men and women. instead of the usual tourists and members of mexico's elite crowding the streets, it's federal soldiers. in the past month more than a dozen kidnappings were reported. and a new federal police force is being deployed to try to stop the violence. 5,000 newly trained recruits protect key parts of the economy like mines, tourist destinations from drug gains. >> they will help to tone from dismantle there robbery, extortion and kidnapping. >> when business leaders started getting kidnapped the federal government started to worry.

here is coping many people from the clear lake in tha in the alpine forest. he has never had so few customers. >> it's been a well-kept secret that we've been suffering from violence for a while. the town looks peaceful but if you go to the outsid outskirts, we sometimes find dead bodies. >> the first security force created by president enreek yay pena nieto who is struggling to keep his promise of making mexico safer. but many worry the strategy is nothing new. it's been months since the military were deployed and his rich clients are still not buying luxury speed boats because they're too scared of

drawing attention of criminal gains. >> unfortunately we're in mexico. even if they increase security it doesn't mean we'll see results because nobody has much faith with the authorities. >> reporter: making the area safer for residents like miguel is the first step in luring people back to this town. it's a mission that many say they can't afford to lose. al jazeera, mexico. >> a settlement today in a foster care related lawsuit p maria ines ferre has that story and other headlines making news across america. >> reporter: tony, three private new york foster care agencies will pay $17.5 million as part of the settlement. the lawsuit was filed on what have of eight children fraudulently adopted by 67-year-old judith linkin. they claim them abused and imprisoned in a house of horrors. many of the children are now

adults. the mississippi police officer caught on camera pointing his rifle and verbally threatening protesters has resigned. he tells them i will kill you. he was suspended after this happened on august 19th. the local police chief told us that the board of police commissioners believes it was in his best interest to resign or to be discharged. he chose to resign. meanwhile police officers in ferguson, missouri, have been trained to use body cameras. many have been bought and donated by private companies. three cameras have already been deployed. >> my understanding if i activate the red light this automatically tomorrows on. >> how many shots were fired. what was the position of the two individuals when the shots were fired. one one running away, advancing, retreating, what were the officer's commands? what was the conversation

between them. >> police chief tom jackson said he hopes all members of the police department will be wearing the welcom cameras soon. lieutenant coral morris fontenot died in an f-15 crash. he reported before losing air contact. the air national guard said he was not able to eject. in arizona no criminal charge will be filed after a nine-year-old shot and killed her gun instructor. the girl fatally shot him after she lost control of the machine gun at the gun range. he had been standing next to her when the recoil forced her arm over her head. law enforcement officials say that the incident is being viewed as an industrial

accident. another flight diverted after a dispute over a reclining seat. it all began when a passenger in front of edmond alexander pushed back her seat. he became enraged when she refused to push it back up. two undercover air marshals accost him. in boston he was arrested. in a similar situation this week a plane was diverted to chicago. >> oh, it's getting ugly. >> it sure is. people are getting heated about it. >> but you pay for the whole seat, you get to incline the seat and then push comes to shove and then you have a diverted flight. a bill to help prevent sexual assault by defining when yes means yes when no means no. but not everyone is sold that it will work.

>> california lawmakers want to change the way colleges report sexual assault. they basse passed a bill that

requires the investigator to decide if the victim said yes to sex or no. >> the question should be whether bo sides consented to sex. critics say the bill is vague and will hurt young men accused of sexual assault. >> ads like this are sending a message that california state lawmakers want to put into law. in determining when a sexual assault took place colleges should not ask whether someone said no but if both people said yes. >> it's difficult to say no if you're drugged, too drunk to say no. there are a lot of situation where is survivors don't say no or they've been coerced. >> the 21-year-old said she was sexually assaulted two years ago at the university of california-berkeley. she said she told college

investigators she did not consent to sex but in the end the student she accused simply graduated early. now she's part of the advocacy group that supports the bill. >> now we're going to shift the dialogue to no means no to yes means yes. it's important for students because they didn't say no, that they can't report it to the university. >> reporter: the bill which passed on thursday said consent should be conscious and voluntary. it explains lack of protest or resistence does not mean consent. nor does silence mean consent. affirmative con sense must be outgoing throughout sexual activity and may be revoked any time. critics say that is too broad and too vague. they fear innocent young men will be labeled rapists. >> we know that i with people not consenting, we completely

support that. but the problem is that another group is not having it's rights properly protected. that group happens in this case to be the people who are accused of sexual fre sexual predator. >> reporter: we're asking for partners in a potential sexual relationship and in sexual encounter to get permission at each stage of the progression. meaning, is it okay if i kiss you? is it okay if i touch you? is it okay if we go to second base, third base. it's kind of ridiculous. >> the california bill comes as universities across the usa face pressure to improve how they handle sexual complaints. 55 universities are under investigation for mishandling sexual assault cases. many individual colleges have what this ball called for but if governor jerry brown signs it,

it will be the first state in the nation to apply the yes means yes to every college that receives state funding. >> tony stewart is headed back to the racetrack for the first time since hitting and killing a fellow driver. we hear what he had to say since that day. >> i'm ray suarez. new york player bill deglassio is making good on promise for four-year-olds classrooms. what do you teach and for how long? how do the kids get there? we look at all these logistics and whether the efforts are really worth it. does starting early lead to success. inside story live at the top of the hour.

>> the nascar driver has made his first news conference since the crash. >> this has been one of the toughest tragedies i've ever had to deal with both professionally and personally. this is something that will affect my life forever. this is a sadness and pain i hope no one ever has to experience in their life. >> the investigation of stewart's role in the death is still ongoing. opera companies often go on tour to perform in different places. but in canada some singers take a different route when they go on the road. >> reporter: on tour with the bicycle opera company these performers carry almost everything they need for a show in bike trailers or backpacks. they fix their own cycles and put their lungs to work peda

ling as well as singing. >> a lot of people don't realize that opera singing is an athletic endeavor. it's an athlete sport. so we've been training our muscles to get a precise sound and effect and of course volume. [♪ singing ] >> reporter: this is the third season that bicycles have brought opera to cities in canada. usually they take july and august off or go abroad to hone their skills. now they go to places where they may never have earth an aria before. >> we had perfect weather the whole time. >> reporter: there is no orchestra pit or proper stages. this version of opera arrives on a bike and sets up in a gymnasium or country church. it's all about visibility making a highly specialized fine art able to everyone in the

neighborhood. >> this is in english and we break down the barriers even by th the concept of bicycle opera. people are intrigued to find out what that is. >> material is modern and by canadian musicians. it is su titled an. >> a lot of people don't realize that theyould enjoy opera, so getting out and taking it to the people is pretty smart. >> mixing arias with bicycles makes i it's reach wider. >> that is all the time for this

news hour. thank you for being with us. if you would like the latest, let me send you over to our website. www.aljazeera.com. once again, that's www.aljazeera.com. inside story is next on al jazeera america. here it is. >> next thursday the giant new york city public school system embarks on a new big experiment. making preschool available to everyone who wants it. it's going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. whether it makes sense is the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray sre