is at stake. that's our show for today. i'm ali velshi. thank you for joining us. ♪ hi everyone this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. home grown threat, a new focus on americans looking to join isil and the fight to stop them. plus -- >> we want you to stay. >> final plea, the british's impassioned speech in scotland. rising costs, new death toll numbers linked to the general motors ignition switch defect and the money grieving families

could get. nfl backlash, protests grow over profootball controversies. and why the domestic abuse issue is much bigger than ray rice. and the new report that says a warming climate is actually making winters colder. ♪ and we begin with the battle against the islamic state of iraq and lee -- lee vant. today world leaders pledged to offer military assistance inside iraq and washington said it plans to open a brand new front to combat the growing threat isil poses right here in the united states. we begin with jonathan betz. >> the u.s. is deeply worried about americans joining isil, so the justice department launched

a new program that hopes to stop them before they head to places like syria and iraq. the message is just as chilling as the voice. >> my name is [ inaudible ] and i'm from america. >> reporter: an american proudly joining the fight in syria. to stop them before it's too late, today the attorney general launched a new fight. >> we have processes for detecting mesh extremists. >> reporter: they launched a new program to come forward if people suspect someone from becoming radicallized. >> we can work with them to identify threats before they emerge, to disrupt home grown terrorists and app -- app rehind

would-be terrorists. already a french fighter is accused of killing four earlier this year. and over the weekend in both germany and indonesia possible isil suspected made news with court appearances and arrests. the u.s. government believes at least 100 americans have joined the fight in syria, including this 22-year-old from florida, and this 33-year-old from san diego. both have died. but many others are still fighting. and tracking them can be incredibly difficult. >> my goodness, living in the west -- >> reporter: which is why the u.s. is now focusing on stopping them before they leave. the justice department hopes to avoid what has happened in the past which is that fbi didn't

even learn americans joined these groups until their families reported them missing. >> jonathan thank you very much. you heard what the attorney general had to say. how effective will this program be? >> well, the problem for the united states and many other countries is really understanding why people are going to join the isil. for us it looks horrible, brutal, really medieval organization, but i think for many people who go over there, they see it as an opportunity to really contribute and belong to something and feel purposeful, and any program that tries to understand that process and deal with it, has to be worth trying. >> so can this new coalition stop recruits? >> i think stopping them all together will be difficult, but

if it can undermine the narrative put out by the islamic state itself then it must be effective. >> we have heard about their sophisticated communication techniques. do you think that they are that sophisticated? the >> they are very sophisticated in the use of social media and video production. which achieves their objective, to terrorize people and to encourage people to join them. so i think they are very sophisticated in how they do it. >> can you talk about the difference in the way they are viewed in this country very the u.k. >> it seems to have much more resonance in the u.k. than here. the estimates here are about

100, but from the united kingdom it's about 600. >> why is that? >> well, i think that's a question we have to ask ourselves, and i think it's because the community in britain that is attracted to this sort of thing has less sense of empowerment than they do over here. plus syria is easier to get to. >> david cameron has issued a crackdown on all citizens who have joined isil you disagree with that, right? >> i think many of the people that have gone over there, decided it wasn't what they wanted and want to come back. and if you say no, then they only have the option of staying and the longer they say the more

radicalized they become. >> these videos are horrible, but what is the purpose of this. is it like they are just punching you in the nose? >> i think so. the first video came of james foley's death after the loss of the mosul dam. and that was a real real blow, and i reckon they thought they could hold on to it indefinitely without those air strikes. so that was one thing. you hit me, i'm going to hit you back. but if you hit america, you can't expect to intimidate america and they say oh, we're not going to do anything about it. >> so did they misjudge? >> i think it's more saying to people who might be tempted to

join them, we don't care. bring it on. and we'll deal with you here. >> it really is that sort of macho stuff going on. >> it is, because that appeals to a lot of people in north africa, middle east, and even europe. >> why is that? is that just based is culture and history and the last ten years of conflict? >> yes, to a certain extent. but i think american policies are quite unpopular, because people identify american policies with american interests. american values are fine. i don't think anyone is objecting to american values, but i think they feel -- a lot of people feel genuinely humiliated by the fact that

their country seems to weak, and corrupt, and america comes to support them again. >> yeah, that's a very interesting conversation. thank you very much. diplomats are trying to find a unified approach to fighting isil. >> reporter: for the french president a chance to forget about the low poll ratings and focus on foreign policy, for his iraqi counterpart an appeal for help. >> translator: we must not allow i.s. to set up sanctuaries. we must pursue them wherever they are. we must cut off their financing. hem them in and stop other countries come coming to join i.s. >> reporter: just hours after

french planes began reconnaissance flights, the foreign minister said a military response was crucial. >> translator: when you are facing a terrorist group as dangerous as this one, a certain number of measures have to be taken of a military nature. these are vary according to the country. >> but while some countries have hinted they are take part in air strikes. the u.s. is looking to its gulf partners for its support. >> translator: the international community has stood together more than 30 countries are on the side of iraq, and they are prepared to support iraq at all levels. they understand what is happening in the country. >> despite the talk of unity coming out of the talks here in paris, one important question remains unanswered how to stop

isil from operating over the iraqi border in syria. while the u.s. says they are prepared to go after the group there, there is little appetite among other countries to do the same. one regional player was not at the paris talks. iran has been against isil from its start, but the country's leaders have rejected a request from the u.s. from joining the fight. >> translator: in the last few days we have had excitement, and we have been hearing from american officials forming a coalition. >> john kerry says he won't take part in a back and forth with iron on the issue. in washington members of

congress are considering their options in the fight against isil while most say they support president obama's plan, they are also keeping the upcoming midterm elections in mind. and mike viqueira is at the white house with more. >> john the next couple of days here we expect to have key questions answered as the president and the central command announcing that the first air strikes actually have taken place, and it's interesting on the eve of this debate and as the air campaign gets started, public support for what the president is doing is remarkably strong and growing. and this is 180 degree reversal from where it was last time. 60% of democrats support what the president is try doing. 66 republicans -- 66% of republicans say the plan doesn't go far enough, while 54% of

democrats worry that the plan will go too far. but only 18% think it will decrease the chance of an attack on this country. 34% say it will actually increase the chances, john. what we are waiting to find out is what kind of fruit is this going to bare. they haven't named the members of the coalition. also there is the question of arming the so-called moderate vetted opposition in syria. >> so there is not really going to be a vote before the midterms or is there? >> there will be a vote on authorizing the air strike per se, but something that the congress can't get around, they are required to under title 10, they are required to give the administration the authority to overtly arm these rebels inside

syria, and they are going to do the training -- remember that saudi arabia has aagreed to allow that to happen on their territory. now congress is going to have to vote on that. and the way this is shaping up now is that it could skate through. some republicans believe the president isn't going far enough in precluding the use of american ground troops, democrats are skittish, and yet the house will begin debate tomorrow, and the senate will follow shortly thereafter, to give the president the authority to arm those rebels. and these is sort of a de facto vote. >> some delicate maneuvers. mike thank you. iraq's shaky new government is facing huge challenges. we have more from imran khan in bagdad.

>> reporter: despite a renewed offensive lead by the u.s. against the islamic state in iraq and the la vanth, the group continues its bloody battle. this is the north of the country. mass graves of men have been found here, allegedly slaughtered by isil. without iraqi stability, defeating the group is difficult. and stability is down to this man. he formed the new government this month. he has to unite the three main groups in iraq, in order to keep the country together and move forward. his biggest task is to fill the minister of defense and interior, which could be decided on tuesday. >> translator: the iraqi political system is based on sectarian quotas.

these two ministries are important because whoever controls them wields power. >> reporter: the non-state powers in iraq are iran and the u.s. their role has been criticized by many, particularly sunni politicians. so they remain wary of this new government. >> translator: on a personal level i'm not optimistic that this government can bring us all together. all and all we don't want the influence of the iranians in the iraq yay government. what we want is a good working relationship with the international community and to govern our own affairs. >> reporter: as the iraqis go about their day-to-day because, the next 24 hours will be crucial. under the last government, maliki kept the ministries of interior and defense for himself. that's not the case with this

government. get those positions right, and iraq can move on. get them wrong, and they will once again be in a political dead lock. in mexico, thousands will spending tonight in temporary evacuation shelters. hurricane ohdeal brought fierce rains to the baja peninsula. >> that's right, john. i want to show you the shot of the hurricane. this is where it made landfall. i want to show you video that came in this morning. of course, we're talking about a category 3 storm, 125 mile per hour sustained winds coming directly over this resort city. the storm right now is pushing to the north, but what is very interesting is what is happening with this storm is what happened last week when we had hurricane

norbert make a similar track. with nor bert, we saw historical flooding. so that is why we are so concerned with odeal as its makes its way over towards the east. so this storm is going to be shifting to the north and then the northeast, we expect to see over the next couple of days in arizona as well as new mexico, 5 to 8 inches of rain. so will this break records? we can't say that right now. but expect to see flash flooding across the country over the next couple of days. >> up next, the rising death toll connected to general motor's ignition switch problems. plus the display of courage under fire in vietnam that earned a retired soldier the

medal of honor today. ♪

tonight the death toll from general motors deflective ignition switch has grown. bisi onile-ere is here in our studio tonight to tell us more about these numbers. where are these numbers coming from? and they are human beings we're talking about. >> yes, john, the details are

coming from the attorney who is overseeing this compensation process. ken fineberg is using a broader approach to identifying victims. he is also taking more evidence into consideration. gm says it is receiving claims every day since this process began. just six weeks into accepting applications, ken fineberg has received 445 claims. he reports that 31 are edgeable for composition. of those 19 are for deaths. that figure is higher than the 13 deaths, gm initially linked to the faulty ignition recall. that number is expected to rise. fineberg did not identify the victims or offer details, but families who lost loved one will

receive at least $1 million. >> the age of the accidents, you see here, we're reconstructing accidents that occurred ten years ago. the car is gone. the black box data is missing, and we have to use circumstantial evidence, photos, police reports to reconstruct the accident. >> reporter: i reached out to the center for auto safety. it called the report disturbing because the number of death claims right now is 50% higher than originally revealed by gm. gm released a statement saying:

any victim or family who accepts money waives their right to sue gm. the auto maker has estimated it will cost between 400 and $600 million to settle those claims, however, gm has not put a limit on how much money it will eventually shell out. the deadline to file these claims is december 31st, so this is just the beginning. we're just one month in, so you can only imagine that the numbers are increase as the months go on. >> thank you very much. president obama is expected to outline a plan tomorrow on fighting the ebola outbreak in west africa. the pentagon has already announced a 25-bed hospital will be sent to liberia. more than a,000 people have died

from the outbreak there. at the white house today president obama presented the highest military honor there is to two vietnam heros. slote died after throwing himself on a grenade to save fellow soldiers. and atkins talked with us. >> it has been nearly a quarter of a sentry since that battle that he is being honored for. >> this award is for the other 16 americans that were with him. >> atkins was at first a reluctant soldier, drafted at age 22 after dropping out of college. >> i didn't know if you dropped out of college you went to the

top of the draft list. so -- [ laughter ] >> reporter: but he found the army suited him and he reenlisted. by that time he was married with children. he headed off for vietnam. in 1966, during the second of three tours, a large veet kong division attacked his jungle camp. >> this attack was a constant for 38 hours. >> reporter: it was a fierce fight. he was blown out of the mortar pit twice to rescue the wounded and recover the dead. >> i worked with a great soldier. >> reporter: hal was one of five americans who died. so did over half of the 400

south vietnamese in the camp. those who survived escaped into the jungle. >> i was fortunate enough to have a radio, and i used my body by standing in water and which able to community with aircraft. >> reporter: but the helicopter that came to rescue them was shot down. >> all of a sudden we could hear noise and see eyes moving around us there in the jungle and that night a tiger stocked us. >> reporter: the enemy could see the tiger too. it kept them at bay long enough that they could be rescued. for his valor, atkins has received a chest full of awards. >> we don't do this for medals

we do this for love of our way of life. >> i'm just proud as i can be of him. i couldn't be any prouder. >> reporter: did you think during this whole period that you were not going to get back home? >> never. never. >> reporter: atkins credits his special forces training for giving him the mental strength he needed. >> i'm just 80, and i want to see if i can reenlist. [ laughter ] >> reporter: you are ready to join up again. >> that's right. >> reporter: for now he'll have to settle for a tribute from a grateful nation. coming up next, an nfl star running back talks about his decision to strike his four-year-old son as the leagues grapples to deal with domestic

abuse among its players. hey, jennar fuzz mike troober munny sling... awwwwww scram! i'm crust mike jubby roll bond chow gonna lean up an kiss bet. peas charty get town down. [laughter] ♪ borf a liver tute face stummy wag ♪ pow pam sha-beeps stella nerf berms. saxa-nay nay? badumps a head. temexiss gurrin. juppa left. fluppa jown! brone a brood. what? catch up on what everyone's talking about with the x1 entertainment operating system. preloaded with the latest episodes of the top 100 shows. only from xfinity.

this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in america. coming up, female nfl players up in arms over the handling of the nfl domestic abuse. and why the u.k. says

scotland needs to stay with them. plus, why scientists say weather extremes are here to stay. ♪ tonight there is more controversy surrounding two star nfl players. ray rice suspended indefinitely for punching his wife. and adrian peterson who has been charged with abusing his son, was reinstated by the minnesota vikings today. michael eaves is here with more. >> the vikings said they believe his case deserves to go through the legal process and that's why they decided to reinstate him. as for ray rice he had until midnight tomorrow to formally file an appeal. but neither the nfl nor the

player's association has made an announcement pertaining to such an appeal. one day after banners flew over two different nfl stadiums demanding roger goodell's resignation, gaedel said that three women will help lead and shape the nfl's policies and programs relating to domestic violence and sexual assault. freel was the head of the sex crimes prosecutor unit for more than a decade. randall is a cofounder of no more, and smith is the former executive director of the national coalition against domestic violence. gaedel said while freel will be involved in all incidents, the group will over the develop of

the sexual assault and domestic violence policy. the nfl has yet to issue any punishment for two other domestic violence incidents, involving ray mcdonald, and gregg hardy who was benched by the team before sunday's game against the lions. meanwhile the minnesota vikings reinstated adrian peterson today in the wake of his charges of child abuse. he whipped his 4-year-old son with a switch. the statement announced in peterson's reinstatement read in part, quote:

>> we are trying to do the right thing. this is a difficult path to navigate regarding the judgment of how a parent disciplines his child. >> reporter: now that peterson has been reinstated he will be allowed to practice this week and is expected to play in sunday's game when the vikings travel to new orleans. peterson issued his own statement apologizing for injuring his son, saying, quote, i never imagined being in a the position of the world calling me a child abuser because of the discipline i administered to my son. as it relates to sports, ray ricin -- ray race incident bringing up so much more attention to domestic abuse, and now adrian peterson's case

bringing up the case of acceptable discipline. >> yeah, this is kient of drip drip drip. >> yeah, they have fumbled this situation a few times. >> and just to put a period on this, adrian peterson was indicted. >> yes, he was. he faced charges. he was released -- >> but still going to play. >> practice started today and will play this weekend. >> women's groups across the country are holding rallies across the country. kristin reports from new york. >> reporter: women's groups are saying gaedel must go. even flies flags over stadiums to that effect. until this video was released, gaedel settled for a two-game suspension. >> he shouldn't have needed a

level nor this level of public outreach to do the right thing, given that that's what it took, i think it's clear that we need somebody other than gaedel in charge of a major american institution like the nfl. >> reporter: gaedel is now dealing with two other players dealing with domestic abuse. then there's pushback from women's fans. >> there is a black eye for the nfl there's no question about it. and how they move forward will be really important. but in the short-term this really damages the league's integrity, credibility with women. >> reporter: are onlier gaedel may be losing face with the public, but remains incredibly popular with the owners. and the incredible $44 million salary and bonus package of the

commissioner. in recent days at least three team owners have come out publicly and expressed their unwavering support. there is a closely watched contest of another kind taking place this week in scotland. people are days away from a vote on whether to split from the united kingdom. the white house said it would respect the outcome but for scotland to stay a part of the u.k. david cameron warned a yes vote would be irreversible. >> independence would not be a trial separation. it would be a painful divorce. so this is our message to the people of scotland. we want you to stay. head, heart, and soul we want you to stay. >> if scotland goes global geo politics could shift

dramatically. lawrence lee has that story. >> reporter: if there was ever a nuclear war this place would be in the middle of it. sheltered by low mountains and deep lakes, is the u.k.'s nuclear defense. you can just make out the shape of one of the submarines in dock behind wire under constant control. defense of the realm, but many in scotland don't want nuclear weapons on their land. >> we have been against nuclear weapons for quite sometime now. and that's the reason why it has come down to a yes no note on nuclear weapons.

>> reporter: the have their nuke lors weapons here because the locks are so deep. nowhere else around the coast of the rest of the u.k. offer such good places to hide. they have been very keen to talk about all of the problems it says an independent scotland would face if they try to go it alone, but the dread fear in westminster is exactly what happens if an independent scotland demands withdraw of the united kingdom's nuclear fleet. on a day-to-day basis the scottish police force has to protect the naval base. if scotland wanted to force the u.k. to remove their nuclear weapons it could simply cut off support. it could make sure the clyde is

filled up with any fishing boat. the other question is what happens to the british army which has traditionally carried lots and lots of scots. the scottish army want their own army. many people that scottish soldiers would rather stay where they are now. >> scotland forms the background of the british army. >> reporter: outside all of that, imagine what the u.k. would look like on the world stage with one of its four corners suddenly missing. would a union of england whales and northern ireland, look, well, a bit small? kurt is the former u.s. ambassador to nato.

he is in washington, d.c. ambassador welcome. >> thank you. >> how big of compromise to western security is a disarmed scotland? >> you know, i don't want to make too much of that. i think whatever scotland decides, everyone who has worked with scotland and the u.k. for years will find a way to deal with it. what to do about the nuclear weapons, whether scotland would become a member of nato and what would happen to the territorirt, but we'll respect whatever the decision is. >> scotland's leadership say they want to ban nuclear weapons within four years of independence. so what impact would that have

on security? >> well, the first step is that this is going to be a matter for discussion during this negotiation period after the referendum and before march of 2016, if the scots vote for independence. if they do vote for independence that's a negotiating issue. if through those negotiations scotland insists on the removal of nuclear weapons, then i think they will be looking for alternatives. it is in the u.s.'s interest to not be the sole -- i think we would work together to look for the best alternative-basing arrangements. >> in your mind what does the u.s. relationship with scotland look like if they become independent? >> well, that largely depends on

the choices the scots make. because nothing is automatic. they are not automatically a member of nato or the e.u. there are a number of rules that apply to qualify. and even if scotland didn't host nuclear weapons still much subscribe to the overall policy. that being said we have great relationships with countries around the world, ireland is a neutral country not a member of nato, and we have a great relationship with ireland. we would make due with whatever the scots decide. >> let me ask you this, what is the likelihood do you think that nato and the e.u. would welcome scotland with open arms if they decided to disarm? >> you know, for nato and the e.u. it's not an emotional

issue. it's not we're mad or scotland or oh, we love scotland, so you are in. it's a qualifications issue. the e.u. has a long set of rules, but they would have to resubscribe. the same thing with nato and the security zone. nato has nuclear policies, collective defense policies, and things that all of its members have signed up to, all of the new members that have had to subscribe to. >> several banks have suggested they might move from scotland to england. are scotland's oil resources enough to keep that country independently sound? >> i wouldn't count on the oil or gas reserves. the reserves are gradually being

depleted. i don't think you can count on more than 10 to 20 years of economic support coming out of those. and even there who gets the benefit from those is going to be a matter of dispute. so i think that there's going to be a limited amount of support for the scottish economy coming out of that. scotland has a talented work force, great educated population, a tremendous innovator, it's very toss posz -- possible they could come out of this okay. >> very soon we will find out. ambassador voelker, thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> thajs for having me. the united nations is taking over the peace keeping mission in sentra africa. thousands have been killed there since january, more than 2 million people are in need of

aid. >> reporter: this is another expensive and complex u.n. peace-keeping mission in africa. 10,000 or so peace keepers may not be enough. the u.n. insists this is more than just a change in the color. unlike the previous african force, this mission has new powers to arrest and disarm. >> i don't think the international community is spending money carelessly here. this time we're going to bring about the peace. >> reporter: here the presence of forces have already made a difference. during the day at least most people feel safe. >> translator: i really thank god they are coming. this is a sign of peace. >> reporter: but the muslim neighborhoods there is anger at

french soldiers. they are accused of failing to protect muslims from christian armed fighters. this is one of the few mosques that survived the fighting earlier this year. >> translator: i want them to watch over the general population without any distinction of race like in the past. with their help we hope to breathe again and find happiness in a new era. >> reporter: the muslim seleka fighters are still active. central african republic is a dangerous place. these u.n. peace keepers from 20 nations will come up against armed groups roaming the country, and a civilian population terrified for their lives. these peace keepers are marching into a toxic mix of violence, poverty, and corruption in a country that has already seen years of suffering and war.

all right. it's time to head to washington, d.c. now. joie chen is standing by to tell us what is coming up on "america tonight." >> good evening, john, tonight on the program, an exclusive look at a ground-breaking medical procedure that could change the lives of millions of americans. doctors are changing patient's thoughts, moods, even their obsessions. tonight we have exclusive access as a young woman who's life is controlled by her very square foot veer disorder has surgery, and it may finally make it possible to enjoy something as simple as a hug from her mom. >> i couldn't kiss her. i wouldn't hug her. she would be crying. i would be crying, and if i touched her -- she would freak.

>> "america tonight" adam may on this pioneering effort to bring hope to millions suffering severe psychiatric disorders is an amazing process. you're going to see it here at the top of the hour. there was another example of change in the catholic church. pope francis presided over the marriages of 20 couples. roxana saberi has that story. >> reporter: by uniting these couples, pope francis broke a taboo, marrying men and women who were living together before marriage. one couple had a child outside of marriage. the weddings are just the latest headlines the pope has made challenging tradition and changing the church's image. last year he criticized the church over being obsessed over

issues like birth control, and gay marriage. >> that was a shocker. i think some of the bishops are confused. and this is going to limit the impact he has. >> reporter: but he has had a lot of influence already. a poll from earlier this year, found that more than 8 in 10 american catholics viewed the pontiff favorably. most say the change is for the better. >> he is trying to reach people where they are at. the church never wants to preclude people from her membership. >> reporter: the changes began soon after the pope was elected 18 months ago with his emphasis on simplicity. >> translator: inside the santa marta, i live a normal life. >> reporter: he is also visited

a brazilian slum. and kissed the feet of inmates at a juvenile detention center. showing the catholic church is less concerned with sin and sex and more concerned with passion. >> he wants the church to be somebody who embraces people, who tells them about god's love. he is rebranding us. >> reporter: of course some catholics say he is moving too slowly in addressing the sexual abuse scandal, others want him to let women become ordained as priests. up next, global warming, making winters colder. the science behind the surprising new study. ♪

while we are watching odile bringing a lot of moisture up towards arizona and new mexico, california is dealing with the

opposite scenario, and that is the dry conditions as well as at the. los angeles you are looking at 93 degrees. there are ten major wildfires burning in california alone right now. we are in a heat wave in many locations. palm springs about 110. we do have heat warnings, excessive heat warnings in effect along the coast, red flag warnings dealing with the wind and heat as well as heat advisories all the way down towards san diego. this has been going on for five to six days. tomorrow los angeles is expected to still get to those mid-90 temperatures. down towards san diego, about 87. we begin on wednesday to see a break in the weather. 93 there. it is not until the end of the week, 81 degrees on friday. your news is next.

the official start of autumn is a week and a day away, but

scientists are already worried about another brutal winter. researchers have found a connection between global warming to long periods of deep cold. >> john this past winter there was a great debate going on. the question was, how could a planet that is warming -- how could it produce this brutal winter? well, scientists and u.s. at korean agencies have pinned the answer down. first you have to get back to what a polar vortex is. this term was bandied about a lot over the winter. what a polar vortex is is a doughnut of cold air that circles the poles. it was pushed off of balance because ice that normally covers the seas north of scandinavia

was not there, and the warm air pushed up towards the arctic and caused that guy to lose his balance. it was pushed off balance, came down into the united states, and brought with it temperatures as low as 40 degrees below average. so this is the first time anyone has helped to explain why it might have happened. >> well, we have lost jake ward, sadly, but we'll try to get him back. what we can tell you about coming up tonight at 11:00 eastern time, the new deal in detroit. the agreement that could help pull the motor city out of bankruptcy. plus, why some people are afraid of the water in a small town in louisiana. we'll look at how a brain-eating ameba entered the water supply. those stories and a lot more coming up at 11:00 eastern.

all right. we'll try to get jake ward back at 11:00. our picture of the day. we'll see you back here at 11:00.

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>> on "america tonight": an exclusive look at a life-changing surgery. jennifer gesen spent a lifetime becoming more and more isolated. suffering an acute disorder that makes it impossible for her to give even her own mother a hug. >> she'd be crying. i'd be crying. if i touched her, she'd freak. for years. >> "america tonight" correspondent adam may on a