>> i will not hesitate to take action against isil in syria or iraq. >> president's plan to deal with the is state group including potential airstrikes within syria. we have reaction from around the world. >> the nfl calling on the head of the f.b.i. to investigate allegations that the league had that ray race video months before it became public. >> the oscar pistorius trial, a

judge saying he didn't commit murder. could he still go to jail? >> i asked him to be good, take care of mom, be good in school, do their best in life and make me proud, because i didn't think i was coming out of there. >> remembering the day that forever changed this country, honoring those lost on 9/11. >> good morning. welcome to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. >> i'm stephanie sy. >> president obama says his new strategy will degrade and ultimately destroy the islamic state group. >> the president unveiling his plan to fight back against it on the eve of 9/11, including airstrikes inside iraq and syria, as well as more military advisers and humanitarian assistance. >> vice president kerry is trying to drum up more support in saudi arabia. >> we have team coverage from around the world this morning. nick schiffron gathering reaction from the middle east,

but first, let's go to mike viqueira in washington. mike, the eyes of the world were on president obama as he laid out his case. what exactly did he have to say? >> well, del, the president says it will take a steady relentless effort to eradicate the islamic state group, and organization he calls a cancer. though easy opening the door for expanded airstrikes in syria now, crucial details are still coming together. >> my fellow americans. >> laying out his case to the nation, president obama outlined his strategy in combating the threat posed by the islamic state. he included this message to those he said are neither islamic nor a state. >> if you threaten america, you will find no safe haven. >> that includes an expanded air campaign in iraq. beyond protecting americans and providing humanitarian relief. the president is now prepared to strike in syria. >> i've made it clear that we will hunt terrorists who

threaten our country wherever they are. that means i will not hesitate to take action against isil in syria, as well as iraq. >> the military presence ins to be beefed up in iraq, sending more military personnel to join more than 1,000 there. he insists they will not be combat. >> we will not get dragged into another ground war in iraq, but they are needed to support iraqi and kurdish forces with training within intelligence and equipment. >> that will also be given to moderate syrian rebels fighting i.s. to fund that program, the president will need authority from congress, after saying he doesn't need their approval for military action. >> i welcome support for this effort in order to show the world that americans are united in confronting this danger. >> in addition to rooting out the islamic state's financing, the president reiterated no american combat boots on the

ground. the u.s. will rely on coalition partners. the king of saudi arabia has given his support to host the training of syrian rebels. at the same time, secretary of state john kerry was in the middle east, shoring up arab support, first in iraq, where he welcomed their new government. >> this is a fight the iraqi people must win but also a fight that the rest of the world needs to bin with them. >> a fight the president says will take time, with ultimately one goal in mind. >> our objective is clear, we will degrade and ultimately destroy isil. >> this has been repeated most recently by the director of the c.i ooh, said by many officials, there is no direct threat in the estimation of officials to directly attack the u.s. homeland, although they do not leave out the possibility that that is their ambition ultimately. >> important words on this

anniversary of september 11. mike, how are members of congress reacting to the president's new strategy to combat the islamic state group? >> largely supportive, del, we heard the speaker of the house, john boehner, a robust endorsement of what the president wants to do. members on either side both the isolationist libertarians and republican party, did you havish members of the democratic party believes the president must come to congress to expand airstrikes. that's not going to happen. the president will need if he wants to realize his plan of arming the so-called vetted opposition, the free syrian army within syria now fighting the assad regime and islamic state group, he's going to have to go to congress if hes going to covertly arm and train them. now he needs congressional authority to do that all above board to increase the flow of

arms and training to rebels inside syria. >> mike viqueira, beginning our coverage from washington, d.c., thank you very much. >> nick schiffron is live in jerusalem. good morning. one of the key components of the president's plan is the moderate syrian option. what are they saying? >> this is a crucial part of the plan. these are the front line fighters in a fight the u.s. simply cannot win by air power alone. these are the people who would be fighting the islamic state inside syria. they have endorsed the president's plan, but given a specific warning. this is a statement from the president of the syrian coalition. we urge the congress to approve the president's policy as soon as possible and allow the training and equipping the the free syrian army. the coalition stands ready and willing to partner with the international community and not

only to fight the islamic state, but to free the people. they have to have a long term political solution to the syrian civil war and critics of the president are saying this morning there was not even a mention of how the syrian civil war can actually be brought to an end, during the peach last night. >> secretary of state john kerry is currently in saudi arabia. what has been the reaction there? >> this is a crucial meeting not only because it's inside saudi arabia, but because senior members of all of the regional governments are there at this meeting, looking at three aspects, one the training of the free syrian army will take place in saudi arabia in part, talking about the logistics of that. number two, cutting the funding. saudi has been at the center of funding of radical fighters in the last few years, the u.s. pushing the kingdom and other countries to cut finances that get to the islamic state.

three crucially, saudi has a huge influence religiously, but specifically with sunni's inside iraq. the u.s. needs saudi arabia inside iraq to say all sunnis need to fight the islamic state and support the new government. >> nick, thank you. >> coming up in about 15 minutes, we'll talk about president obama's military strategy with colonel cedric layton, a former member of the giants chief of staff and drawing lass olifant. >> a colorado teen pleading guilty to trying to help the islamic state group. the 19-year-old agreed to provide information about other americans who are trying to join i.s. conley was arrested trying to board plane to the middle east. >> the nfl is launching an independent investigation into the handling of the ray rice incident. the former head of the f.b.i.

will take a closer look at when the league knew and when. >> the league seems to be in damage control mode. >> absolutely del, roger goodell maintained all week that both he and the league never saw the latest ray rice video until the rest of us saw it this past monday. the fact that the league is now investigating the validity of that claim has done little to appease those who smell an nfl coverup. >> did the nfl have the video of ray rice hitting his wife before its public release monday? the league says it has asked former f.b.i. director to get to the bottom of that. while the nfl says the f.b.i. will conduct an independent investigation and have access to all nfl records, it also says giants team owner and steelers president will oversee the investigation. >> we know that one person at

the very least had access to and saw that video. >> the associated press reporter who wrote the story wednesday that has prompted the nfl's investigation spoke to us. >> today we reported that a law enforcement official sent a copy of the video from the elevator showing ray rice punching his fiancee at the time, now his wife, and he sent that to an nfl league executive. we have also learned that there is confirmation from an unidentified woman at the league office calling my source and leave ago voice mail, which i heard, a 12 second voice mail saying that she received it, and agreeing that it's terrible. >> muller took over the f.b.i. one week before the 9/11 attacks. these days, he's a partner at wilmer hale, a law firm that in the recent past has represented

the nfl, washington team owner daniel snyder and has several former employees working for league teams. n.o.w. had been calling for independent investigation. still, she called the muller led investigation window dressing. she has called for nfl commissioner roger goodell to step down, a sentiment echoed wednesday by north carolina senator heidi hide camp. 12 democratic congressman sent a letter to goodell urging transparency in the league's investigation. >> the nfl says when muller's investigation is done, it will release the report to the public. the nfl has not indicated when it expects the report to be done. >> thank you. >> a major decision this morning by the judge in the oscar pistorius trial. she started delivering her verdict early this morning. she has ruled that premeditated murder is off the table. >> we have more. john, good morning. despite this ruling, it is not

ruled out that pistorius could be found guilty of murder. >> premeditated murder, the big one is off the table, but the judge is still summing up in this case that has captured international headlines for months. today, it could come to an end. south africa has no trial by jury. his fate lies in the hands of one woman, the judge. her final verdict could come by day's end or tomorrow. she's been rung through months of testimony for nearly 40 witness it was so far, she's ruled out that the shooting was premedicated, but that goes along with his version of events, that he confused his girlfriend for a burglar. throughout the trial, we often saw the olympic sprinter driven to tears, and at one point vomiting. all broadcast live in

television, rare for a country that some say is skeptical about its judicial system. >> most people don't ever get to see justice in action. it's given people access to justice in a way that most people would never see in their lives, but there is that always present threat of sensationalism and misreporting. >> this is a live shot of the courthouse. now as i tell you that if pistorius is found guilty, he could face 25 years in jail. he faces four charges, murder, which appears to be rolled back now and then three other unrelated firearms charges. if i may just sum up, i think he could still go to jail, because he could be found guilty of any of those firearm charges or he could still be found guilty of what they call in south africa culpable homicide, a bit like what you would get if you ran over somebody in a car, not premeditated, necessarily but still did it.

>> so the gravest of charges against him will not hold. >> we'll talk to jami floyd, our legal expert about what's happening in the courtroom and the judges decision so far. >> a new law makes missouri the state with the strictest abortion waiting period in the country. women will have to wait 72 hours after consulting a doctor before they can end a pregnancy, the legislature overruled governor jane nixon's veto. the law does not contain an exception for rape or incest. >> gun owners in missouri will be able to take their guns into more places, the governor overriding a veto to expand open carry rights. they will be able to carry firearms even in city that is ban it. >> texas has put a convicted murderer to death. willy troy was executed by lethal injection last night after the supreme court rejected his appeals. he admitted to killing his

common law wife and her brother two decades ago. he claimed it was in self defense. >> detroit's bankruptcy law is on hold, trying to work out a deal with a creditor. the bond insurer now negotiating what it might get in exchange, which includes toll money from the detroit-windsor tunnel. >> today marking 13 years since the september 11 attacks. >> at the world trade center, the pentagon and of course shanksville, pennsylvania. they will be remembered with somber as her moneys. aljazeera's erica pitzi is live. the annual ceremony has become sort of familiar at this point. a lot has changed in the inquire you're in. >> absolutely, good morning. you can see that dramatic

regrowth of the area, the freedom tower, the new one world trade center is certainly the iconic image of that. you see it is rising 776 feet above the area that we know is ground zero. not only is it the tallest building in new york, but the tallest building in the country now with that fire. we are in jersey city, a city that lost 39 people, and statewide, 750 people lost their lives in the world trade center attacks. so many communities coming together to remember and reflect on this day of remembrance. you can see some folks coming over before their day of work here to pause and take a moment. you can see this man here just leaning against one of the beams, the twisted beams pulled from the rubble here in jersey city. the people in the victims from

new jersey, those names will be read along with thousands of others. as they do every year, they will read the names and each pivotal moment from that day will be marked with a moment of silence and the exact time each tower was struck bay jetliner and the moment of the towers when they collapsed. this is certainly going to be a day of remembrance, again reflecting, they are getting ready right here in jersey city and so many people already doing that reflecting as you see this morning. >> the vision of that man that you just showed, taking a moment really encapsulates it all for a lot of people here, that it's just so personal, this day. we're going to check back with you in a bit. we will bring you coverage of the 9/11 remembrances from new york, washington and shanksville

pennsylvania at 8:30 eastern. >> parts of the midwest cleaning up after severe weather. >> let's bring in meteorologist nick mitch for a first look at the weather. >> this line moving through, more significantly wind damage. we had reports of tornadoes and this was one of those clouds that eventually lowered one of those into ohio. this is in stowe. there were four or five reports along this area. they go back in after the fact and look at the damage and rank these. i will guess they will be e.f.0s or one. there was structural damage, a lot of places reporting debris. did cause a lot of flooding. you can see where the line is now through the great lakes impacting the east coast today as we get rain in that area. those areas in red are where we had the tornado reports across the area. that's not the only thing with this storm, though. we have the front itself, but on the backside of all of this,

definitely some cold air and some moisture. for some places, we're talking first snow of the season, a significant temperature drop. i'll have more on all that in just a little bit. >> nicole mitchell, thank you. >> the white house laying out that strategy for taking on the islamic state group. >> president obama saying a targeted air campaign will be used to degrade and destroy the group. a former member of the joint chiefs of staff is here to talk about how the administration will implement the plan. >> after six months of testimony, oscar pistorius learning his fate following the death of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. the verdict is expected to be handed down any minute. >> the case that sparked international outrage, israel arrests the police officer seen on video beating an american teenager. >> $50 million, that is our big number of the day. >> what bill and melinda gates are doing to help fight ebola.

>> today's big number, $50 million, that's how much the gates foundation is pledging efforts to fight ebola.

>> the money will go to u.n. agencies and other international organizations fighting the outbreak that's now killed more than 2200 people. >> more than $10 million has been handed out, half is going to go toward paying for supplies. >> the other half will help the w.h.o. sale up emergency operations. another $2 million will go to the c.d.c. to research treatments and how to stop ebola's spread. >> also this morning, ukraine's president saying 70% of russian forces have left the eastern part of his country, saying that security in that region greatly improving since the ceasefire. he pledged to give the separatists more autonomy. the eu suspended more sanctions against russia. >> a 15-year-old american was accused of resisting arrest and attacking officers in israel.

the officer has been arrested. israel is launching criminal investigations into its own military actions during the gaza war, looking into a missile attack that killed several palestinian children on a beach. the u.s. accused israel of unnecessarily killing civilians. the u.n. is conducts its own investigation. >> president obama's strategy to fight the islamic state group involves airstrikes in syria and iraq. he said the u.s. won't get involved in a ground war there. he is calling on congress to give him the authority to do more. how is the president's plan being received by the arab nations? >> well, del, i think this plan is being received very well, otherwise you wouldn't see the

officials meeting with u.s. secretary of state john kerry in saudi arabia today to discuss how to implement the strategy. there is a fear in every country in the region that it would eventually because the next target of the islamic state group, so everyone wants to be ready and that's why they believe in this plan that targeting the islamic state group fighters in iraq and syria, where they already control territory is the right thing to do, because a lot of these countries that have borders with iraq and syria, like jordan, feel at is state fighters are in their back yard, so there is a feeling and a need here to protect every country before the is state threat becomes more real than it already is. >> continuing our coverage from this jordan, thank you very much. >> cedric layton is a former member of the joint chiefs of staff and joins us this morning.

in your view, did the president layout the best military strategy for confronting i.s.? >> it's certainly a beginning of a strategy. i don't know how complete it is, because what we're looking at this morning is the obviously the possibility of a coalition being formed, and that is absolutely a good move and the right move to do in this particular situation. the key session is how much can you rely on other ground forces to actually do the job, and that's a significant question, because the way the president outlined his strategy and the way he wants to implement it in his speech last night, he basically said that we're going to be relying on others to do the ground forces portion of what is necessary move against isis. when he does that, he is depending on the iraqi armed force and -- >> can we depend on those force to say help pinpoint u.s. airstrikes? because that's normally a

function for special forces, as i understand. >> that is correct. that is absolutely a function of special forces, and special forces that oh, by the way have been trained to do that specific mission. the short answer is it depends, and that's, you know, behavioral the kurdish forces are experienced in doing this. the iraqi forces not so much. and that's going to be the significant issue, i think, as we look at this. >> would you expect u.s. airstrikes in syria soon based on the president's speech last night? >> if i had been the president, i would have really implemented those airstrikes before giving this speech and then announced that those airstrikes had happened. now, of course, i'm not sitting in the white house and i don't know all the information that the president knows, but i think it would have been a clear message that we are not only doing this, but we're going to pursue them all the way to where they need to be pursued, the folks from the isis. that really shows that i think

that we will probably see airstrikes against syrian based targets in the next week or so would be my guess, but we've lost a bit of the element of surprise. >> colonel, thank you. >> if you've been outside lately, it feels like fall. let's get another check of our forecast. here's nicole mitchell. >> i'm going to jump right to win ther with this one. >> i was being poll light. >> in the plains, 80's, 90's at the start of the week, this morning, rapid city, 33 degrees, the cold air continues to funnel in from canada. so cold, we have a lot of winter storm warnings up, the black hills, higher elevations, up to six inches, lower plains, two to throw inches, today is earliest

snow, chances are tomorrow. record early snowfall, a dramatic front coming through. >> i don't like the phrase "record early snowfall." thank you. >> for many first responders, the 9/11 attacks feel like yesterday. >> we'll heat a hero who says he doesn't deserve that title despite rescuing his colleagues. >> school girls still not found after being kidnapped by boko haram.

>> this is lower manhattan, a remembrance ceremony to begin in over and hour on this 13t 13th anniversary of the september 11 attacks. we will have special coverage of that ceremony. also ahead in this half hour, tensions flaring in ferguson as

police and protestors face off and demonstrators try to shut down a major highway. we'll have the actions they're demanding over the shooting death of michael brown. >> a partial verdict in the murder trial of oscar pistorius. the judge said he did not commit premeditated murder, but he could still be convict of killing his girlfriend. our legal expert jami floyd will break it down. >> first let's get a look at top stories this morning. the nfl hiring former f.b.i. director robert muller to investigate what the league knew and when it knew it in the race rice case amid reports the league was given the video showing rice hitting his fiancee five months ago. >> ferguson missouri protests ended in mass arrests as crowds tried to block the roads, marking one month since michael brown was shot by derron wilson. >> >> the president's plan to ache on isis, sending in more

military advisors to iraq, insisting they won't be involved in a ground war. he wants to form a coalition to battle i.s. mic, the president making the commitment to destroy the islamic state group, how is that playing out in washington. >> when you listen to congress, it's always a confusing muddle at best. with weeks to go before a mid term election, where every member of the house of representatives and more than a third of the senate is up for reelection, it's perhaps never more so. largely, we can say the reaction is positive. some republican, even the speaker of the house, john boehner a republican went further, wants the president to go further, calling for an all out effort to defeat the islamic state group. we're wait to go speak with john boehner to figure out what that means, whether or not he wants ground troops to be inserted. there are members there are supportive and yet find way to say criticize aspects of what the president wants to do. two of them are john mccain, a

noted critic of the president on foreign policy and bernie sanders, the socialist from vermont. he thinks the president has the authority to go ahead with this and yet is still wary of the situation, thinking that ground troops may ultimately be required. let's listen to both. >> we have 1,000 boots on the ground right now, he's going to send another 4035, they're in a combat situation. to say they're not is obviously untrue. >> people will become angry. maybe we send troops into combat and then you have a perpetual war decade after decade. >> you heard the president last night saying he wants to consult with congress. he would welcome their support but makes so pledge to go to them to ask for them to vote exelicitly on voting for this expanded air strike. >> they are called upon to provide equipment and training. is that something that could

pass through the house and senate soon? >> this is required by law, del, referred to as title 10. the c.i.a. has been providing covert military aid to the free syrian army and elements within the syrian opposition they deem to be moderate and vetted. they check them out, say they're trustworthy, the administration has asked the congress to come forward to train with more equipment elements like the free syrian army. there will be a debate whether or not they can provide that authority. you'll see people citing the penalty's own words in the new york times a month ago when he pretty much trashed the free syrian army, said they were not a capable off trustworthy force. there are a lot of outstanding questions here, del. >> make, thanks. >> imran khan is live for us

now. the islamic state group is responding to the president's speech. what are they saying? >> they said the strategy means nothing to them, saying we have not declared war on america. the beheadings were simply a warning to the u.s., blood for blood, they say. they say the caliphate will continue to survive, it will expand and that their borders will be defended. they're being defiant and saying that the american plans make little difference to them. >> are you getting a sense of how most iraqis people about this new plan to fight i.s.? >> officially, the plan has been welcomed. there was a very strong and positive comment from the iraqi vice president. he told aljazeera that he welcomed the plan that this was exactly the strategy needed. he particularly singled out the idea, setting up these national

guard units that the americans have said they will help with to defend towns and cities. also, he said the u.s. airstrikes and the air support for iraqi ground troops is crucial in turning the battle, and that they will be able to defeat the islamic state, given that kind of support. it's very, very positive. they think that this kind of strategy is exactly the thing that they need to beat the islamic state, also the coalition they're building of international countries is crucial. the vice president said that this wasn't jihad i.'s versus american state, that there was a regional problem that required a regional solution. >> your reaction to that

response by the islamic state group, saying they don't consider themselves at war with america. your reaction. >> interesting, but not terribly relevant. they may not consider themselves at war with the united states, but the united states believes their actions are threatening. allies in the region are causing a humanitarian cries and do ultimately present a threat to our homeland. >> the presidenting that america is taking the lead, but says other countries will be involved. take a listen. >> well, trust me, that is what he said. right now, the islamic state group is fighting bashar al assad. i think one of the questions that a lot of people are asking is when they talk about putting together this coalition of the willing, the last time a coalition of the willing was put together, it was called the coalition of the unknown. who should the partners be and are you convinced that those partners will be on the table?

>> the partners on the iraq side are a little easier to put together. in iraq, we have the iraqi army, the kurdish forces. we have iranian advisors with the iraqis. kurdish out of turkey have played a role. it's interesting there. in syria, it's confusing and we don't know who we're going to be able a ally with on the ground on the syria side of the border. >> with all of this confusion, why shouldn't the american public be skeptical about who is really involved, who should be involved and what is at stake. after all. the saudis and turkey are closer. isn't this their war? >> well, what we're going to see is the united states playing an orchestrating role.

the united states will be from baghdad with its advisory team there, helping to put together the plan, bringing forward the intelligence, using united states air power, but then king are nicing all the various groups will be providing ground power in the region and making sure that they're all more or less pushing toward the same objective or at least as coordinated as we can make them. >> thank you very much. >> trying to keep this other story on the radar. today marks 150 days since hundreds of nigerian school girls were abducted by boko haram. the fighters vowed that make them slaves. now boko haram is joining forces with the islamic state group. we are live. good morning, what is going on with efforts to rescue these girls? >> 150 days later, very little is known about the rescue operations.

the nigerian government hasn't exactly been transparent on that front. we don't know what is being done and more importantly, whether there have been any meaningful negotiations to ensure their release. given the time, the military said they al can't go in guns blazing for fear that that could undermine the girls' lives. if you look at the bigger picture, there has been significant international attention since that brazen abduction and it almost looks like that abduction further emboldened boko haram, the greater international profile give boko haram a push to even now signal a shift in strategy, and further seize towns and villages in a very strategic move. we have seen international assistance in the form of intelligence from the united states, but of course these governments have been very reluctant given the humanitarian rights record. >> talk about expanding territory. what are you hearing there about

reports that boko haram is strengthening ties with i.s. and giving them advised on how to build an african caliphate? >> we have seen the leader of boko haram in various videos express admiration of the leader of the so-called islamic state group in iraq and syria, but that's as far as it goes, really. there is no significant evidence, concrete evidence whatsoever to any real link between the two sides beyond that ideological, that loose ideological connection. the situation in nigeria is very different than iraq and syria. they are criticized for their inability for containing boko haram. what boko haram does in the north is pushes people out of these towns. it doesn't really govern a territory, so no islamic

calendar fatal for now. >> thank you for that clarification. >> another story we're staying on top of, ferguson, missouri, demonstrators clash, these there. crowds tried to block i-70, a major interstate wednesday. police sealed the roads, making dozens of arrests. we follow the story from chicago. what exactly are they now trying to achieve? >> what they're trying to do is keep michael brown in the michael brown story out there. they were trying to draw attention to the shooting, but more specifically want derrin wilson, the ferguson police officer who shot brown arrested. they've called for a special prosecutor, saying the county prosecutor has a bias in favor of law enforcement. they wanted the governor to replace him, but the governor said he's not going to do that. >> what about the progress in the investigation, what are you hearing about that?

>> the investigation continues. there was a grand jury convened about a week and a half after of the shooting. they've been meeting once a week and hearing evidence for the past few weeks. they are expected to possibly hand up some sort of a decision, sometime in october. could be the middle of october, could be closer to the end of october. we're still in a wait and see mode on that. >> live in chicago this morning, diane, thank you very much. >> you may recall that yesterday the attorneys for michael brown said they wanted to see him arrested, derrin wilson arrested now. >> there are calls for that. >> the mayor of toronto, his future in the mayoral race in question. ford went to the hospital to investigate a tumor in his abdomen. he had pains for three months. doctors need to determine what type of tumor it is to proceed. >> here is a forecast you don't

hear everyday, right nicole? there is a solar storm. [ laughter ] >> heading for earth. us.a. today that solar flair could wreak havoc an communication and power systems on earth. its already caused impacts to high frequency radio systems. here's the nice side effect, northern lights could be especially brilliant and seen further south. >> there's always a face side to a solar flair. >> a baby bear caught on video playing on the golf course. he's dancing around with a flag and using it as a back scratcher. >> do we see that? looks like he's struggling with the flag. you need some levity on mornings like this. we appreciate it. >> there's the back scratching bear. >> he's furry, i can understand

that. >> we never, ever disappoint here on aljazeera america. >> today is a day america will never forget, certainly not the first responders. >> we will revisit the day with one man who thought he'd never see his family again. >> then coming up, international reaction to president obama's plan to take on the islamic state group. why some say the key lies in his success with arab nations. >> your blood type could play a role in how well you remember things as you age. that is one of today's discoveries. >> a live look at the pentagon. in arlington, virginia, mash be the moment that american airlines flight 77 hit the building. building. @

>> time now for one of today's

discoveries. your blood type may play a role in the memory that you have later in life. researchers at the university of vermont looking at thousands of americans say people with the rare a.v. blood type appear to be more likely to have memory problems as they age. >> 4% of americans have a.v. blood. researchers say there are bigger things to be concerned about, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity, those they say affect your memory more than blood type. >> just a moment revisiting september 11 with 1 of the first responders on the scene, but first the murder trial of oscar pistorius finally coming to an end, the judge delivering her verdict right now, so far finding the olympic sprinter not guilty of the premeditated murder of his girlfriend. we are live outside the courtroom. they just returned from lunch. what can you recap for us as to what happened so far? >> >> this is a decision that was

expected for days, the judge giving her summation, her analysis of the key pieces of evidence -- case of premeditated -- >> tanya, unfortunately, we're having problems with your satellite signal. jami floyd has been following it, she is with stephanie right now. good morning. >> jami, you have been following the live court proceedings, so you can tell us what tanya was starting to tell us. the premeditated murder charge is out, but you were saying the other murder charges are also not holding. >> they actually read the verdict there. it's very different from our system, no jury, it's a judge and two assistors, and she, before she officially delivers the verdict, reads through their

reasoning. what this judge has been doing is she has been laying out the facts and interweaving the law of their reasoning, leading up to the verdict, so she has not yet said that oscar pistorius is not guilty of murder, but we know that's where it's going, because she has said we find, myself and my two assessors find that there was no premeditation. the prosecution could not prove premeditation, there's only circumstantial evidence and not enough of it. she threw out the witnesses and evidence that would support premeditation and took it off the table, murder one. she went through murder two and did essentially the same thing. we're left at the lunch break with only the culpable homicide, the third of the most serious charges. although she's not delivered the formal verdict, it's very clear that that's where it's going. >> can you explain culpable homicide and what the outcome of

that might be if he's found guilty of that. >> that was the defense's best hope before they went into this. at the lunch break, they're very pleased. that was the i was terrified, disoriented, i fired by accident. i thought it was a confused defense, because it was kind of self defense, kind of i fired by accident. i thought it was rather inconsistent, but seems it may have worked. of course she could acquit him altogether, that's an option. if she finds him guilty of the culpable homicide, that means that he could do five years, which is generally the sentence, or as many as 15 years. it's a much more flexible standard. by that the way, sentencing hams at another time. they get to come back to court with expert reports on both sides of the case, and the sentencing occurs months from now. the interesting thing bit, though, despite findings that seem to be in favor of

pistorius, she said she thought he was the worst witness, just about the worst witness she's ever seen. >> in what sense? >> she thought he didn't seem truthful. we remember how upset he was on the witness stand. this is not based on his testimony. >> what is the one thing that made it clear to her that he was not culpable of intentional murder? >> it wasn't about the defenses case being so strong. it seems that it was the prosecution's case being so weak. they just did not have the proof. the prosecution thus far, she said had the burp, and they didn't have the facts to make the case for murder. >> ok. we'll see what happens after the lunch break, a lot of developments on that front. jami floyd, aljazeera's legal contributor, thank you so much. >> this morning, we are remembering the september 11 attacks. it's an emotional day for a lot of us, including those who were at ground 013 years ago. we are now getting a new look at the steps rescuers tried to take

to find survivors. >> scott is visiting the 9/11 memorial for the first time, searching for the names of his fallen friends. >> 14 guys from my unit here. obviously looks a lot nicer than it did that day. i couldn't tell you where we were exactly standing. >> on september 11, scott was here, part of the city's elite rescue squad. the e.s.u. or emergency service united. the officers arrived just as the second tower collapsed, previously unseen images obtained by the discovery channel captured the search for survivors. >> we will find the body parts. it was somebody nobody ever should see. >> hours passed with no sign of survivors. then around 8:00 p.m., the rescuers learned that two port authority officers were buried alive. will was stuck 30 feet inside the rubble along with john. scott was one of the first

rescuers to survive. >> we had to crawl 30 feet on an angel, had to crawl 10 feet across, look back and we could see will. >> he and another officer were digging with their bare hands. >> he was encased in rubble. we had that crawl in and scratch away at him with our hands above our heads. to myself, i was talking to my kids. they were six and nine at the time. i asked them to be good, take care of mom, be good in school, do their best in life and make me proud, because i didn't think i was coming out of there, but i wasn't stopping, either. >> emergency workers formed a line outside, passing gear from hand to hand down the hall. three hours later, scott emerged, will was finally free. other rescuers worked through the night and got john out the next morning. they all became heroes, their story of survival a bright spot

on a dark day. >> how would you like people tomorrow your friend? >> the heroes they were. >> are you a hero? >> no, not even close. heroes are still being made from that day, and that's the families of these men and women that died. >> how are those families doing? >> holding up, but struggling. >> how are you doing? >> struggling. >> scott hopes what people remember from september 11 is that faced with danger and tragedy, americans came together to help the country heal. aljazeera, new york. >> stay with us. we'll have special coverage of the 9/11 remembrances from new york, washington and shanksville, pennsylvania. our coverage begins at 8:30 a.m. eastern time. >> mourning the death of richard

keel. he he died wednesday in l.a. he was 74 years old. his health had been declining. along with that jaws role, he was known for his portrayal of adam sandler's boss in "happy gilmore." >> wet weather continues across the country today. let's get a check of the forecast. >> the weather includes areas starting to see the snow, the first snow of the season. the main portion of the front is sending heavy rain through the south with flooding. arkansas towards areas like memphis this morning see that go and showers all the way up the east coast. on the backside of this is where you see a couple of blues on the radar that might make you feel a little blue this morning. i don't know that anyone was quite ready for this early in the season.

rapid city, gillette, a couple of places reporting snow right now. not only do we have the moisture, but that excessively cold air that came in from canada. some of the other areas you see, northern parts of north carolina, minnesota, freeze watches and warnings. that means if you have any plants outside, because that air is so cold, it's going to hurt vegetation. that's something farmers have to watch, as well. highs today, 40s as we get towards mountainous terrain. places in the 80's and 90's a couple days ago, so it's a shock. >> we'll talk about the president's plan to destroy the islamic state group. >> we'll look at how middle eastern leaders reacting and important their support is. >> we are preparing to mark 13 years since the attacks of 9/11. stay with us for our coverage of the ceremonies as they begin in new york city in just under an hour. >> we are back with you in two minutes with more aljazeera

america. here at shanksville, memorials in the field where flight 77 crashed. stories of heroism there. >> an astonishing america tonight investigative report >> why are you wearing gloves? >> ocd... taking over this woman's life... >> i don't wanna touch anything... >> now a controversial surgery can literally reprogram her mind >> we can modify emotional circuitry >> is this a miracle cure? or an ethical nightmare? >> there's a lot of mystery right now... >> rewiring the brain an america tonight investigative report only on al jazeera america

>> a crisis on the border >> they're vulnerable these are refugees. >> migrant kids flooding into the us. >> we're gonna go and see who's has just been deported. >> why are so many children fleeing? >> your children will be part of my group... >> fault lines, al jazeera america's

hard hitting... >> there blocking the door... >> ground breaking... >> truth seeking... >> we have to get out of here... award winning investigative documentary series... no refuge: children at the border only on al jazeera america >> if you threaten america, you will find no safe haven. >> president obama going after the islamic state group. this morning, washington and the world are weighing his proposal, including airstrikes in syria. will allies give the president the coalition he wants? >> the controversy involving ray rice and the nfl taking another turn. now the former head of the f.b.i. investigating the league's response to the incident. >> tornadoes tearing through the midwest, leaving a trail of

destruction, as the system spawns severe weather, making its way across the country. >> honoring the thousands of lives lost 13 years ago this day, september 11, the tributes from new york to washington, d.c. and shanksville, pennsylvania. >> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera may. i'm stephanie sy. >> president obama telling the nation that he will go it alone the if he must but wants a coalition to join in the fight against the islamic state group. his plans reveal airstrikes in iraq and syria and military advisors on the ground in iraq. >> john kerry is in saudi arabia making the case in the arab world. the president's speech came at a critical time. >> >> my fellow americans. >> americans overwhelmingly feel the islamic state group is a threat to the united states. with that backdrop, u.s. president barack obama promised

action. >> we will degrade and ultimately destroy isil through a sustained counter strategy. >> the goal, total destruction. he promises to accomplish that with limited u.s. action, mainly through increased airstrikes in iraq and possibly into syria and with the help of a coalition of countries. >> we will not involve american combat troops fighting on foreign soil. this counter terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady relentless effort to take out isil wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partners forces on the ground. >> his secretary of state in baghdad was less definitive. >> unless something very, very dramatic changed. >> the u.s. will have 1500 troops in iraq, many to advice iraqi and kurdish fighters. the goal is for those forces to do the fighting on the ground. as to the plain in syria, white

house advisors insist airstrikes there will not help president bashar al assad, that their goal is still to defeat his military. they hope to do that with aid and training to the moderate forces inside saudi arabia. the president promising a painless fight. analysts say that comes with risks. >> the main risk is that it won't work, the situation will be seen as getting worse, the islamic state will defend its hold on more territory and continue its brutal campaign. america will be seen at ineffective. >> with falling poll numbers, the president is under pressure to project strength and have a plan. he says he has one now and reassuring the country it's one he can win with limited cost to the united states. aljazeera, washington. >> we have team coverage on this. nick schiffron is gathering reaction from the arab world but

first to mike viqueira in washington. the president's critics there in washington have blasted his foreign policy lately. are they likely to get behind him now? >> they're largely supportive. that does include some of the president's biggest critics, john mccain, of course the republican senator from arizona. if anything, they want to see the president go further. john boehner, of course the republican speaker of the allows behind the president, what he is wants to do, the president had options in terms of going to congress for authorization or not going to congress for authorization. it's clear now he's not going to do that. even top members of congress agree that he has an authorization dating back to three days after september 11, when congress passed the so-called authorization of the use of military force. this has been a blanket piece of legislation, used ever since then. >> the president says america will not get involved in another ground war in iraq, but is

sending over more troops to act as military advisors. isn't that still u.s. boots on the ground? >> it is boots on the ground, and the distinction, maybe it's rhetorical is the white house says there are no american combat troops on the ground. they allowed for the possibility, if you recall a few weeks ago, when there was that siege of mount sinjar where u.s. airstrikes helped turn back the siege, the white house allowed for the fact that there might need to be a humanitarian corridor formed with the help of u.s. advisers on the ground. now, they would be in a defensive position, but certainly was the possibility they could come into hostile contact with enemy forces. if you look at the numbers, when the president announced he was considering airstrikes and sending the first advisors in that was june 19, he said up to 300. we're up to 1600 advisers, a far cry there at the peak of the

surge, the number closer to 120,000, but there is a concern now about mission creep, as the president moves forward. >> thanks, mike viqueira for us in washington. >> is there a growing consensus in the middle east about the growing threat of the islamic state group? >> the u.s. is certainly trying to create that consensus regionally and internationally, a new coalition of the willing, to use president bush's term before the gulf war. the reason the u.s. is trying to do that is that the islamic state group cannot be defeated by airstrikes and cannot be defeated by the u.s. alone. >> after a month long campaign of american airstrikes and local fighters' attacks, the islamic state group still controls one third of iraq and syria. the u.s. can't defeat the group militarily. it must convince a normally fractious region to unit.

>> we condition do for iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of arab partners securing they're region. >> the u.s. will try to unit states to create a growing consensus with a country often seen is the enemy, shia iran. >> we want the islamic state defeated, iraq to be a successful untary state. >> saudi arabia will host training camps for fighters and try to eliminate islamic state group support. >> saudi arabia has the power to persuade public opinion in the sunni arab world to enencourage them to break with the islamic state. >> turkey can prevent foreign fighters from joining. kuwait can cut off funding and

jordan can provide intelligence and host u.s. troops, but to defeat the islamic state group, two most important partners are battling the group on the ground, iraqis and syrians. in i rack, a new government is needed to solidify and local fighters to take the lead. >> we'll probably see a coordinated land campaign with the rack keys, arab and occurred providing forces and u.s. providing air power, intelligence, planning synchronization. >> more fighters will be trained and they'll now likely have help from u.s. airstrikes inside syria, but analysts argue that won't provide a sustainable solution to a 3-year-old war. >> we have a very good game plan for the short run management of the islamic state threat but don't have a game plan for a regional alliance, understanding for addressing the problems long run.

>> so the real test of the president's strategy is not his words, but it will be u.s. actions in the coming weeks and months, whether the u.s. can find political solutions in the middle east and actually create long term alliances to fight a common enemy. >> nick schiffron live in jerusalem, thank you very much. >> a guilty plea from a colorado teen who admits trying to help the islamic state group. a 19-year-old shannon conley greed provide information about other americans trying to join i.s. she was arrested in april trying to board a plane to the middle east. >> the nfl on offense this morning, launching its own investigation into what it knew about the ray rice incident has hired the former head of the f.b.i. to conduct a probe. >> this as the report surfaced that the league may have given the video months ago. that video shows, of course rice hitting his then fiancee. >> absolutely, video we've been seeing since monday, reports are at least one person in the nfl had seen that video before

commissioner roger goodell leveed his far too lenient in the eyes of many two game suspension against rice, prompting the league to tap former f.b.i. director to investigate. while the f.b.i. said muller will conduct an independent investigation, two team owners will oversee the investigation. the league promised to release the report to the public when it's done. roger goodell maintained neither he nor anyone else in the league had seen the video until the rest of us saw it this past monday. an a.p. reporter said i has evidence to the contrary. >> we report that had a law enforcement official sent a copy of the video from the elevator showing ray rice punching his fiancee at the time, now his which, and he sent that to an nfl league executive. we have also learned that there's confirmation from an unidentified woman at the league

office calling my source and leaving a voice mail, which i heard, a 12 second voice mail saying that she received it, and agreeing that it's terrible. >> back to the investigation. it should be noted that robert muller is a partner at a d.c. law firm that has done significant work for the nfl in recent years, which will no doubt lead some to question his objectivity. >> thank you. >> missouri lawmakers passing the strictest abortion waiting period in the country, women there now having to wait 72 hours after consulting a doctor before they can end their pregnancy. the republican-led legislature overruled the democratic governor jay nixon and his veto. he had rejected the bill because it didn't contain an exception for rape or incest. >> the legislature overrided a veto for carrying guns even in

cities that ban it. >> a protest in ferguson ending in mass arrest, 35 taken into custody wednesday as they try to block a major interstate, i-70. they were angry over the death of michael brown. we follow the story from chicago. were the protestors successful in getting their message across? >> sort of. they wanted to get out during rush hour and block traffic on i-70. the missouri state patrol prevented them from doing that. they got to a ramp but nat able to get on to the highway from there. they weren't successful in that protest. they did get a lot of media attention. that's what they were looking for, so they were successful on that end. >> brown was killed a month ago this week. are tensions still high in ferguson. >> tensions are still relatively high in ferguson. they'll probably continue to be until we see some movement on this case. the protestors really looking

for darren wilson to be arrested. right now, that is in the hands of a grand jury. the grand jury is still weighing evidence, and so until we hear one way or another whether there's going to be indictments, tensions still going to be running fairly high in ferguson. >> if you would bring us up on any progress that has been made in the investigation. >> it's still continuing, dell, they've been meeting for about the past few weeks, meeting on wednesday to weigh evidence as it comes in. they're expected to continue doing that, at least for another month, so we may not hear anything from that grand jury until at the earliest, probably mid october. >> live in chicago this morning, diane, thank you very much. >> del, detroit's bankruptcy trial is on hold while the city works out details of a deal with a key creditor. it has agreed to take 26 cents on the dollar. the bond insurer is negotiating

what it might get in exchange, including toll money from the detroit-windsor tunnel. >> texas putting a convicted murderer to death, willie troy executed last night hours after the supreme court rejected any last minute appeals. he admitted can i go his common law wife and her brother in 1993, claiming it was in self defense. >> somber ceremonies today in new york and washington and pennsylvania, the nation will pause to mark 13 years since the september 11 attacks. our erica pitzi is live in jersey city now. there is a memorial ceremony going on now. >> that's right. it is really just getting underway here. you may hear the music in the background as the band prepares and people are starting to arrive and bag pipes have been going. you can see jersey city across the river from the area that became known as ground zero. you can see the freedom tower in

the background there. this is an area that was impacted by the attacks, as well, nearly 37 people lost their lives in jersey city, and across the state in new jersey. that this is a remembrance, you've got dignitaries that are going to speak people say this is a sad day, but there is also hope. you can see here that one world trade center, that is a pinnacle of hope, really here, standing 776 feet above the ground, the largest building in the country with that spire on top. right at the base there, they're having their own memorial service today, kicking off later. we will certainly bring you live coverage of that, as well. in the meantime, we are live in jersey city. back to you. >> of course the freedom tower

is going to be opening soon. we will bring you special coverage of the 9/11 remembrances from new york, washington and pennsylvania coming up at 8:30 eastern. >> perfect weather in narc, but severe weather spawned tornadoes in the midwest. >> for more on the national forecast, let's bring in nicole mitchell, dangerous conditions. >> i want to qualify her shot. that was cloud cover, that's preceding rain that could come in, so a few of those as her moneys could get a little wet today. this is what happened at this moved through ohio yesterday. we had a couple different tornado reports, not causing a lot of damage fortunately, this is out of stowe, ohio, caused home damage. you know, we know tornadoes can be much worse than a little bit of home damage. this is a line that went through, causing heavy rain this morning in places like eastern tennessee. you can see that approaching the east coast and already the cloud cover starting to move in, but this is the damage as it went

through, a lot of wind damage, as well and flooding has been a big concern with this system. that's not the only thing. on the back, cold air and with moisture, yes, say it ain't snow, it is. we have it in places like rapid city this morning, very early in the season to have this. some places, it's about a month earlier than average, so all these different watches and warnings up, including winter storm warnings, places like the black hills, higher elevations could get at much as six-inches. even if you're not getting that, you're feeling the cool down, as much as 40 degrees in a couple of places. >> is it enough for early season skiing? is that the positive side. >> it's very early in the season. >> just looking for bright side. nicole mitchell, thanks a lot. >> the world reacting to the president's view to destroy the islamic state group. >> what it will take to get everyone onboard specifically in the middle east. >> bill gates opening his wallet once again. what he and his wife are offering in the fight to stop

ebola in west africa. >> heavy rains tearing across japan. this video from the tokyo subway system captured by one of our citizen journalists around the world.

>> divers coming across an ocean sunfish. you can see the size of it in comparison to divers. it's huge. this is off the coast of malta. the fish can grow to 3,000 pounds. >> bill gates and his wife are

helping fight ebola. first, congress and word leaders this morning are weighing president obama's strategy to fight the islamic state group, he's proposed airstrikes in iraq and syria. he insists the u.s. won't get involved in a ground war but is sending more military advisors to iraq. iraq is welcoming mr. obama's strategy. how does the u.s. plan to partner moving forward? >> 475 advices bring the total number of u.s. advices in this country to 1,600. their role is to give the iraqis intelligence support and also to train them in the use of military hardware and tactics they have bought from the americans. that's one way they're going to do it. the key strategy is the use of

airstrikes and support. what the americans will now be doing, when we saw limited examples of this in the north, just a few weeks ago, is there going to be using close support aircraft that will coffer the iraqi ground troops that will fight the islamic state. that requires coordination. that will be the reason why all of these new advisors are coming in. that's really the key plank of the strategy. also, there is a setting up of this thing called the national guard. these will be trained by the u.s. and supported by the u.s. they are national guard units used to defend the cities and towns i've rack against the i.s. threat. >> we should mention that this plan comes after another violent day in baghdad, several people killed in a series of car bombs. how is the new government working to protect the capitol? >> it's very difficult to protect the capitol against the threats of car bombs, because these aren't typical types of

explosives. they're not like t.n.t. these are ordinary household materials that they put into the backs of cars and drive around the city, making them very, very difficult. what what needs to be done and the iraqi government have asked for in the region is help in intelligence gathering. that's the only real way you can beat this. you to have find where these bombs are coming from before they get into the city. that's really the only way you can beat this. they need more troops on the streets here. that's something all iraqis would like to see. >> imran khan, thank you. >> ronnie cory is the director for policy and international affairs at the university of beirut and joins us this morning. overnight, you calmed the president's actions arrogant, paternalistic, unilateral u.s. military action. expand on why you say this. >> there absolutely must be a

concerted regional global effort to defeat the islamic state thugs. these guys are criminals. the vast majority of the people in the region are against them and frightened of them, so they must be beaten. my concern is that an american-led military-based effort that allies with a lot of arab dictatorial states is a recipe for catastrophe, because it is precisely that combination of american arms and arab auto contracts that allowed the al-qaeda group to begin years ago and then the islamic state in iraq and later syria and isis, and later the caliphate as they call it and american armaments is a catastrophe. >> are you saying the united

states doesn't have a dog in the hunt? there were two american citizens that were beheaded. >> of course, those are crimes that must never happen and people should be caught and punished for it, according to existing laws, but the problem is not just that these two innocent americans were killed. the problem is that thousands and thousands of people have been killed by the combination of arab and american arming. >> what about those -- >> what about those arab powers, though. you criticize the president, saying he is relying on arab states whose failed policies gave birth to the islamic state. why shouldn't they be involved in this fight? >> they should be involved, but if they are involved in the same way they've been involved in the

last 20 years of fighting al-qaeda, the result is going to be the same. american military are you familiar with arab involvement with tens of thousands of people in arab jails in the same count rays that are your allies, mostly for their political opinions, not for crimes, that's going to lead to the same result, create chaos, resentment, anger and create zones of ungovernability and chaos in which those areas, zones of chaos are the only places where groups like al-qaeda and islamic state can thrive. where are these guys operating? having a, pakistan, yemen, iraq after the american invasion. that's my problem, the matter of this coalition seems to repeat the failed ways of the past. there was only a couple hundred of these guys in afghanistan, now there's tens of thousands of them. >> thank you very much. joining us live from beirut this

morning, thank you. >> the bill and melinda gates foundation is pledging $50 million to fight ebola in africa. 2200 people have dialed in the outbreak. the foundation says the money will help pay for critical supplies, personnel and research. >> the nation pause to go mark september 11. our special coverage is going to begin. we'll bring you ceremonies from new york, washington and shanksville, pennsylvania. >> remembering the passengers who perished on flight 93 in shanksville, pennsylvania. pennsylvania

>> an astonishing america tonight investigative report >> why are you wearing gloves? >> ocd... taking over this woman's life... >> i don't wanna touch anything... >> now a controversial surgery can literally reprogram her mind >> we can modify emotional circuitry >> is this a miracle cure? or an ethical nightmare? >> there's a lot of mystery right now... >> rewiring the brain an america tonight investigative report only on al jazeera america >> after the twin towers fell, the nation pauses to remember those lost and honor the victims with a day of service. ceremonies are held at ground zero, the pentagon and

shanksville, pennsylvania. one day after each site received congressional gold medals awarded to the men and women who died. little has changed since those years, but there have been signs of progress. one word trade center is almost finished and the national september 11 memorial museum is now officially open. as we reflect, look back on the worst terror attack in american history, we look ahead to what president obama calls the newest terror threat. >> mourners and dignitaries gathering in new york city right now. these are live pictures from memorial plaza, where the twin towers once stood. the annual observances of the september 11 attacks set to begin in a few minutes. good morning, i'm stephanie sy. >> i'm del walters ergs. welcome to our extended coverage. >> it has been 13 years since the worst terrorist together on u.s. soil, when al-qaeda highjackers flew passenger

planes into world trade center towers, the pentagon and a field in shanksville, pennsylvania. >> nearly 3,000 americans, police officers, firefighters, pentagon officials, mothers fathers sons and daughters all losing their lives, setting off a chain events that spawned wars in iraq and afghanistan and sparking the national debate over our national security. >> let's rejoin erica pitzi in new york city. you are standing at the memorial where a small ceremony is held each year. >> it is getting underway right this minute. you can see the american flag here as the gateway to this ceremony. we have emergency responders lined up along with dignitaries not just from jersey city, but also former governor of new jersey. you can hear the music going.

you can see wreaths hangen on a twisted beam from one of the towers, of course jersey city affected like so many other communities, nearly 37 people lost their lives just from jersey city and across the state, 750 people. so certainly, so many people coming down, want to go take this time to just remember those lives lost, but you've got to keep in mind it's not just about the sadness, there's also hope and that is what you can see right now across the river. you see the freedom to your wimp is nearly done, set to open up next year. already, there are businesses that are leasing space. it is 776 feet tall, the tallest building in new york, tallest building in the country and you can see he how beautiful it is, just looking across the river. let's take a minute, if you

will, just a hear a little bit of this memorial, what they have to say right now. >> the department of health and human services, division of affairs and the 9/11 memorial of jersey city, we'd like to welcome you to reflections, 2014. please rise for the presentation of colors. >> they are getting started and right around 8:45 is when they're going to have a moment of silence, as so many other as her moneys across the nation will be doing, since that was the first -- when the first plane hit the first tower. >> thank you. we do have team coverage throughout the morning of the events commemorating 9/11. >> we'll take you live to as her moneys taking place at ground zero when they begin. first we want to get you caught up on some of the other day's

headlines. president obama saying his new plan will destroy the islamic state group, addressing the nation last night announcing more airstrikes in iraq and also syria. he's placing more military advisors on the ground in iraq and expanding syrian opposition fighters, saying i.s. poses a serious threat. >> it is recognized by no government nor the people it subjugates. >> the president is taking heat from senator john mccain over his contention that there will be no u.s. combat forces on the ground in iraq. >> easy going to send another 435 boots on the ground, they're in a combat situation, to say they're not is obviously untrue. >> secretary of state john kerry is in saudi arabia trying to drum up additional support for the mission. the saudis have agreed to host

training for syrian opposition fighters. >> also this morning, that american teen who tried to help the islamic state group has agreed to turn informant and turn information over to the u.s. authorities. the 19-year-old pleaded guilty to aiding the rebel group. she was arrested in april board ago plane to the middle east. she will be sentenced in january. >> a south african judge ruling that oscar pistorius did not intend to murder his girlfriend, but has not yet decided his fate in the killing of reeva steenkamp. he could be found guilty of homicide and other firearm charges. >> in ferguson, missouri, protestors clashing with police, trying to black a major highway during rush hour wednesday. 35 people were arrested. the protestors angry over the shooting death of michael brown. >> we want to go live to mike viqueira live at the white house this morning. this is a day of remembrance, also a reminder of the potential threat that still exists.

we heard from the president last night. bring us up to date. >> it doesn't get any easier 13 days later. you're right, there is a certain symmetry here after listen got to president last night. you can draw straight lines from what happened 13 years on the ground to today what is happening now in the course and region of iraq and syria, the threat of terrorism now, a heightened awareness since that day. president obama taking part in a moment of silence on the south lawn. you can see preparations underway. he'll walk out with the first lady and the vice president at 8:47, the moment of silence. no one needs to be reminded of the moment when the first plane, american airlines flight 11 hit the tower. setting off pandemonium. no one needs to be reminded of the events that transpired after

that. president obama announcing the fight against terror continues obviously. if you reflect on this, this is a president that came into office with the promise of ending the iraq war and his view to end the afghanistan war, last night announcing that the united states was going back into iraq and syria, now albeit in a more limited way, but still carrying on that air campaign, expanding it, sending 475 more military advisors into iraq, bringing that total now to more than 1600, so a certain sad symmetry to this day, and the events that have transpired over the last several days. del. >> also a day that changed lives, including your own, something you don't often talk about, but you were inside the capitol on september 11, and it's an odd turn every vents that has you standing where you are today.

>> you're absolutely right. i'm not alone. americans and people around the world have a deeply visceral reaction to what they witness that had day certainly in new york and at the pentagon and pennsylvania. in pennsylvania, the heros aboard flight 93 likely saved the lives of many trying to overpower the cockpit. todd beamer and the rest "lets roll," that flight being scuttled and everybody dying in the field in pennsylvania. it's a very emotional day. one of my three children were born.

i even wonder if they would be alive today if it weren't for the heroes on that flight. >> we want to go live now to the site of one world trade center. the mayor on the left. we've been seeing these as her moneys every year. a couple of things, the 9/11 museum are now open. one world trade center is nearly done and will be occupied starting this fall. tonight as they have for the last 11 years, those two beams of light will reach into the new york skyline. the light marks the location of the towers. they are so bright they can be seen from up to 25 miles away. there are no stronger lights, i

was reading this morning than these two to mark the twin towers. >> it was meant to abtemporary tribute, but it was so poignant on the moments and days after september 11 when they went up that when people saw it, they said that is what we want to be permanent. it is now a permanent part of the tribute and one of the things that i know as soon as i come across the manhattan bridge tomorrow morning, i'll be looking for it, as well. we are waiting for the ceremonies to begin. >> what we're seeing is people gathering, families and guests, as well and again what we're seeing is new jersey governor chris christie speaking with rudy giuliani. you can't forget the images of him at ground zero with the mask over his face and how defining it was for a lot of the politicians of the age. >> one of the things that we have to point out is how different things are this year. the tone has been changing, and

that's former mayor michael blackberg there. the terms and mood has not changing over the course of the years as we get further from the date. if anything, it is a tribute to the fact of the slidty of america, the fact that the terrorists wanted to destroy the way of life in this country and if anything can be said 13 years later is that they failed, the area has been rebuilt. >> the other thing you see on this day is the diversity and the community that was affected in new york, around the world and in the country, the dozens of nationalities of the victims and how you see the diversity of the city and really america come together on this day at the memorial ceremony which is going to kick off in 30 seconds as it has year after year at the beginning of the ceremony. >> that is when we hear the bagpipers who will begin playing the processional, followed in just a few minutes with the singing of the national anthem.

then we'll have the first of six moments of silence, followed by the reading of the names. it is an iconic remembrance of those who died on 9/11, the names of course being read by the victims' family members. >> we are still waiting to hear the beginning of what will be live audio of the processional by the bag pipe players we are seeing. >> you are seeing the memorial. there it is. we've been down there. let's listen in now, because this is the beginning of the procession.

>> we want to take you live to the south lawn of the white house where president obama and the entire white house staff have gathered to observe a molt of silence. first, the national anthem. ♪

♪ oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light, ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, ♪ ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. ♪

♪ o say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ [ bell rings ] >> as you can see, dual services being held.

♪

[ bagpipes ] >> what you can see is the world trade center flag.

>> let's listen to the names. >> donald leroy adams. >> patrick adams. >> shannon lewis adams. >> steven george adams. >> christie adomo. >> sofia b.adu. >> lee adler. >> daniel thomas aflito. [ names being read ]

>> and my marry, john leslie albert. he was a dedicated father, a loving husband, a respected colleague. easy sorely missed. >> and my sister, door knee r. more gone, you stand tall in our hearts. ♪ >> that is the first phase of the reading of the names.

it will be going on almost all day. 2,983 people dying during the attacks in 2011 at the word trade center, the pentagon and onboard flight 93 which crashed in that field in shanksville, pennsylvania. >> ahead, we'll take a closer look at the state of terrorism around the world and the massive security challenges and changes that the u.s. has put in place since the september 11 attack. you are watching live coverage of the 9/11 remembrance ceremony on aljazeera america.

[ names being read ] >> they're still on the a's, so many people killed in the attacks on 9/11. it takes hours to get through all the names. of course, they are read out by family members. you are watching live coverage of ceremonies for the anniversary of 9/11. >> the i.s. threat, which is fighting in iraq and syria has the full attention of the white house.

>> 13 years after september 11, al-qaeda is not what it once was. >> if you look at the two big indicators of what makes a global jihaddist group strong, personnel, which in this case is foreign fighters and money in materials of donations largely from the gulf, the islamic state is far outpacing al-qaeda. >> there was a string of post 9/11 al-qaeda attacks. bali, jakarta, madrid, london, islamabad and others, but never another strike inside the u.s. even so, some analysts say al-qaeda and its offspring remain a potent threat, especially al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula, or aqap. >> al-qaeda's affiliate in yemen, which has put a person on an airplane over detroit with a bomb, and that bomb failed, but nonetheless, that is very long reach, considerable capability.

>> even without pulling off another attack in the u.s. on the scale of 9/11, the seeds of violence sewn have born deadly fruit, inspiring so-called lone wolves to carry out attacks at fort hood, the boston marathon and a failed attempt to bomb times square. now there's concern about a potential new breed of lone wolf, americans who fight with violent groups overseas, then sets his sight on his homeland. >> you think you all killed osama bin laden -- >> a florida kid carried out a suicide attack in syria. >> now the u.s. is focused on the islamic state group, also known as isis, its leaderral baghdady was imprisoned, later reds and the u.s. is now

offering a $10 million down they for his death or capture. the group has drawn in fighters from europe and the u.s., the fear is that some will return home ready to do damage. >> isis certainly could operationallize these fighters coming in and tell them your mission is to train and return to the u.s. >> so far, the islamic state group focused on consolidating gains and shown little interest in attacking the u.s. or europe. the tides and tactics of violent groups are forever changing. paul beban, aljazeera. >> who can forget in the days and weeks afterwards, president bush saying we are going to be in this battle for at least a generation, now 13 years later, we still are. >> we are joined by jim walsh, no stranger to our program here. also michael balboni, the former

home land security advisor or new york state and michael kay. thanks for being with us today. >> the president said last night in his address that america is safer today. would you agree? >> i think we're much more aware and built up an infrastructure. we've been able to connect the dots from our security force perspective. the hardest thing is taking national security and make it hometown. i think weaver done that. the question is remaining vigilant, continuing resources. it gets expensive over decades. at this point in the world, we still have issues with sharing the right intelligence, making it actionable so that we can truly engage all the resources we have at state and local levels. >> the one thing i keep hearing people say over and over again when talking about the islamic state, al-qaeda, boko haram, is that it's confusing. for americans, it is confusing, because the enemy keeps morphing into a new group.

how difficult is it to attack an enemy that no longer is for instance like hitler that was a nation state? we are talking about a group that can move from border to border. how do you attack that? >> that's the underlying problem. we've had cases after the fall of libya. we've had migration from syria into iraq, so that is a problem. the nature has changed, in some ways, that's good. it's good that al-qaeda is not sitting in pakistan with the support of pakistan with global ambition to say hit us. most groups have regional ambitions. right now, they want to set up something in syria and iraq, so i think that's where our focus is going to be. >> colonel, you actually served in the british air force, right, for 20 years. when you look at iraq and afghanistan, both places in

which you served, was 9/11 the beginning of a series of policy failures by the united states? >> i think it absolutely was. i think what we are still trying to get our heads around here is the transition of state on state warfare to non-state actors. the asymetric threat. what i mean is the people who are the enemy do not wear uniforms. they do not abide by international conventions in terms of accountability. they don't have rules of engagement. so the way that we have to target them isn't with military hardware. we don't understand this yet. they go by an idealogy. they are not bounded by sovereign territory. >> don't we also need a military reaction at this point? >> we do, but fused with foreign policy. we can't have a military strategy that is unguided short term and isn't for the benefit of foreign policy and that's what we don't have at the moment. >> you're in that intelligence community. these