a team in liberia, not before he did he made sure to buy his wife a dozen roses. as he boarded the plane to monrovia, captain edwards reminded his team of an oath to defend this country and they began a rousing rendition of the "star spangled banner." they're there now. of those who were chosen for this mission, not a simila single one declined, not one. they all stepped forward. i know that with all the headlines and all the news that people are scared. i know that ebola has concerned them. but the reason i'm so proud of this country is because when

there are times we need to step up and do the right thing, we do the right thing. that's who we are. that's what we do. no other nation is doing as much to help in west africa as the united states of america. when i hear people talking about american leadership, and then promoting policies that would avoid leadership and have us running in the opposite direction, and hiding under the covers, it makes me a little frustrated. we are at our best when we stand up and take responsibility, even when it requires us to make sacrifices. especially when it requires us to make sacrifices.

it is how we help others around the world that is important. it's not just massive deployments of troops and equipment as proud as we are of that, but it's also our skill and compassion and pain-staking effort, and our ability to learn from mistakes that are made. our ability to work through problems that are really complicated. and to see something through. and not lose our heads, to have grace under pressure. and apply ourselves with slow, steady effort, the kind that change and progress requires. that's what i want to see from us, the pride of the nation that

always steps up and gets the job done. america has never been defined by fear. we're defined by courage, compassion, hope, and selflessness, sacrifice, and willingness to take on challenges when others can't and when others will not. and order americans who risk their own safety to help those in need, and who inspire there by the example of others. all in the pursuit of building a better world. not just for ourselves but for people in every corner of the earth. that's how i know we're going to contain the disease in america because of the heroes like those who are here today. that's how i know we will fight this disease spread as health professionals join the effort. that's how i know ultimately we'll end the outbreak in west africa and we'll eliminate the

threat that it poses to the world. that's how i know that we will not only save thousands, tens of thousands, potentially hundreds of thousands of lives, but also how i know that we will remain true to our ideals and our values. i put those on notice, who think that we should hide from those problems. that's not who we are. that's not who i am. that's not who these folks are. this is america. we do things differently. thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> president obama speaking in the east room of the white house this afternoon about the ebola crisis and making several big points there, including he feels the u.s. is seeing a difference in its work why west africa.

putting usaying that the mood has changed ey liberia, and that a lot of work is left to be done, but also critical about those who have mandated involuntary quarantine. he has called those who gone over to help heroes, and our lisa stark has been listening to us. she stands by this afternoon. the president made these similar points yesterday. why do you think it was necessary to hold the event again today? >> reporter: well, yesterday they were just comments made outs of a helicopter as he was leaving the white house. today he was surrounded by a host of healthcare workers, some of whom have gone to west africa, some of whom are still going to west africa. this was really a presidential pep talk, if you will. he was applauding, as you said,

those folks who are making this effort. he called them american heroes, and he did make the point, jonathan, he said these folks deserve our respect. as you said in a sense he called out although not by name some of the states and others who are trying to quarantine these healthcare workers. he said we can't discourage healthcare workers from going to west africa. we need troops, as he put t as he made this point several times the only way to make sure that ebola does not come to the u.s. is to stop it at its source, and tha that is in west africa. he's trying to rally the healthcare workers that they have the support of the administration. that the administration, at least, has their back. >> one of their healthcare workers, tracy hiccocks remains in quarantine in main. she has been frustrated in

fighting that home quarantine. has the white house addressed that specific situation? >> she came home from sierra leone and was first put in quarantine in a tent outside of a hospital. she was in a huge uproar. she raised concern, now she is in maine. but she indicated she does fought feel like she needs to be in quarantine. she takes her temperature. she feels no signs of being ill. >> i truly believe that this policy is not scientifically for constitutionally just. and so i am not going to sit around and be bullied by politicians and forced to stay in my home when i'm not a threat to the public. >> they have threaten to take legal action to force her to stay in quarantine. it does fly in the face of what president obama said today when he talked about that we have to follow sensible guidelines.

the white house has not addressed this case directly at this point. they simply, the cdc did talk to the new jersey governor when she was quarantined there, but the white house sidestepped the question and said well, we don't know what the policy is any maine in, and they did not answer the question if they would get involved in her situation in maine. >> we have troops fighting the fight against ebola, and secretary of state chuck hagel announced new measures. >> the measures are all over the map, which is a bit of a problem for the white house. the defense secretary today did confirm that he will follow the policy set in place by the army, and that is that workers that the military workers who go to west africa will come back and be quarantined in italy most likely, for 21 days. they're not calling it a quarantine, but that's essentially what it is. this is why chuck hagel said they needed to do that.

>> we don't have that sound there, lisa. >> okay, let me tell what you he said. he basically said that this was done in consultation with families, and with the military members, and that it's really taking an extra step. it's an abundance of caution. these folks are being sent over there at the order of the military, at the order of the president, and they feel it's overly prudent to put these folks in some sort of isolation for 21 days. the secretary of defense said that they would take another look at this in another 45 days to see if it is warranted. >> it's a complicated disease. lisa stark, thank you. al jazeera spokes to ebola surviving nancy, she was infec infected while working as a missionary. we asked what she thought about

the mandatory quarantine in the u.s. >> we're afraid if quarantines are put into place, then volunteers who would be willing to go won't go mainly because they don't have the time. doctors and nurses leave their practices, their jobs and can donate two or three weeks, but then have to come back and be in a mandatory isolation could really hurt the volunteers. i just really think that if they are asymptomatic that it's not necessary. >> now since recovering, writebol has donated blood to other patients, including dr. craig spencer, who is being treated right now in a hospital right here in new york city. let's look at ebola by the

numbers. 5,000 people have died from this virus. in liberia there are 6500 cases. in sierra leone there are more than 5,000 case there is. and in guinea 1900 people have been infected with ebola. this could be a turning point in the fight against isil. they try to hold onto the syrian border town of kobane. dozens of peshmerga fighters and heavy weapons have crossed the border from turkey, and kobane's kurdish forces are getting help from a small group of syrian rebels. what's not clear is how much of a difference this will make in the fight against isil. we have more from the turkey syrian border. >> for turks it's an unprecedented sight. these are iraqi peshmerga on their way to join the battle for kobane in syria. the turkish government are

allowing 150 fighters to transit it's territory after pressure from the u.s. to do more to stop kobane from falling to isil. turkey has been in conflict for kurdish separatist for 30 years and said the syrian kurds are no different, but turkey does not see iraqi kurds as a threat, so it's letting them through. as the convoy made it's way, the u.s.-led coalition launched more airstrikes apparently focused on the border crossing. it is there that peshmerga will aid syria. >> instead of finding a way to reconcile between the different parties the united states now decided to arm more people, and to train more people. this will only prolong the war, and this will be more heavy than it is now. >> the peshmerga are bringing with them heavy weapons such as

artillery and mortars. it is this hardware that courtsides in kobane desperately need for more than a month they held their ground as well as the airstrikes. there are reinforcements from the free syrian army. added to the peshmerga it means 200 men. this is a battle where both sides have thousands of fighters, and where isil particularly seems to be able to easily and rapidly replenish it's ranks. bernard smith. al jazeera, on the turkish-syrian border. >> the coalition against isil said that the fight will last a long time. the u.s. plans to set up three facilities to train syrian opposition fighters. those fighters will then take on isil and other syrian groups. >> we've clearly expect that the free syrian army elements will be built into a credible field force that will hold it's own and deal with daesh and also

al nusra elements, and to be able to defend itself from the regime. we want the free syrian elements to be able to defend itself and defense the innocents, and that's the intent. we're building a free syrian army that can be supportive of the moderate syrian opposition, around as we talk about the political outcome in syria, which is what we seek, a political outcome that does not include bashar al-assad, the moderate syrian opposition becomes not a prominent, not only a prominent voice in the political outcome, but the pre-imminent voice in the political outcome. >> now we got to warn you the images on this next story are a reminder of the brutality of syria's civil war. [ screaming ] [ sirens ] >> activists posted this video which is said to show the aftermath of a barrel bomb on a

refugee camp in syria. stephanie dekker has more. >> reporter: the man filming this has just arrived on the scene. this is what is left after the syrian regime dropped a barrel bomb on a camp tha who have been forced out of their homes. what he has filmed is too gruesome to show. a dead child has been picked up, and there are many dead here. shame on you, where is your conscience, this man screams. have you forgotten who the enemy is, he asks? there has been fighting between those two groups around idlib

province. this video appears to show the al nusra front taking control of the village in the area. al jazeera cannot confirm it's authenticity. >> there is a lot of tension in these areas because of the infighting, especially between free syrian army andal news are a front. this is causing fear for civilians. you don't see anyone in the streets. people are nervous because of this infighting. >> while that goes on the government is making head way on the highway to the south that leads here. idlib remains in government hands despite the attack by the al nusra front. syrian tv wants to show that everything is understand control despite the many casualties suffered. syria's war is not a simple one of opposition versus regime. there are many groups and many allegiances, it seems that nothing in this war is clear any more. al jazeera, beirut. >> a tit-for-tat is developing

between u.s. and israeli officials. president benjamin netanyahu said that u.s. government officials are criticizing him only because he's defending israel. he was reacting to a quote in the atlantic magazine article where an unidentified official used an expletive to describe it, and the president said a war of words is not helpful here. >> the u.s.-israeli relationship remains strong. our bonds have never been greater. we remain fully and firmly committed to israel's security. on the comments we think such comments are inappropriate and counterproductive. i spoke with the secretary about in this morning, he certainly feels strongly that a war of words is not productive from other side. >> in a matter of sects an unmanned rocket exploded just after launch.

there it coast. that rocket put 5,000 pounds of supplies on the international space station. it took off from virginia last night. the force of the explosion shook buildings for miles. authorities are investigating why it happened, and say they do expect some answers within a few days. now no one was hurt, but the explosion destroyed several students' science projects on board. roxana saberi is here now. >> their project was one of 18 on that rocket heading towards the international space station. the students had been working on that project for more than a year. when the rocket exploded they were devastated. when the rocket launched on tuesday night it carried with it a science project led by these four eighth graders, celebrating in madison heights, michigan. >> i was so happy i was jumping. writing today is the best day.

our experiment is going to space. so when the unmanned rockets exploded shortly after take off the girls broke into tears. >> i was so upset. i felt that we would never reach it again. >> reporter: this was what they were working on, an experiment testing the use of iodine to make water cleaner for astronauts. the project was chosen from projects around the country. it was the result of more than a year of hard work and the first big science experiment by these girls, refugees who moved from iraq less than two years ago. >> when i was in iraq i loved knowing about space, but then i would go to school, and i didn't--i didn't know that much

about space. >> reporter: the students now have a chance to keep learning about space. on wednesday morning the head of the program said all 18 projects will travel on the next rocket. >> i was so happy, like, i don't know. it feels like our hopes didn't go. >> reporter: this was the first accident since nasa started relying on private operators to deliver cargo to the international space station. russia's space station has offered to help get supplies there. the cause of that explosion is under investigation. >> disappointing for a lot of people, and including those kids. after the american rocket that was destroyed, it was the russians who came to the rescue. they successfully launched their own unmanned rocket from kazakhstan this morning. it launched around 9:00 a.m. eastern time. stockdow was down 31

points. the s&p 500 fell 3 points and nasdaq lost 15 points. the bond buying program was part of the program to lift the economy out of the great recession. we have patricia sagba to break this down. >> quantitative easing, that's what the program is called. it's not about printing physical money. it was an audacious, unprecedented experiment that pumped money into the economy by buying bonds from banks, and crediting their accounts with new money that didn't exist before. how much money? well back in september 2008 when lehmann melted down, the fed had less than 1 trillion-dollar of assets. now it's balance sheet has swelled to $4.5 trillion.

now the stimulus was designed to flush banks with cash and encourage them to loan more and the hope woul would be that it would trickle down. >> the biggest winners are the banks. the next biggest winners were the wealthy who were invested in stock markets, and the wealthy who are able to refinance at very low interest rates, and i think also the beneficiaries are the workers because i think unemployment is less than in otherwise would have been. >> banks did make out like bandits. look at their excess reserve accounts. that's money over and above 9 fed requires them to hold for bad loans. in september 2008 excess reserves stood at $1.8 billion compared to $2.6 trillion today.

in other words, instead of lending that money out either because the demand is not there or loan requirements are tougher, that money stays parked for the feds where it does earn interest for them. take a look at how the s&p has done over the past five years. the housing market has recovered in parts of the country. as for ordinary americans who don't hold a lot of assets unemployment dips below 6% last month. that is well off the 10% peak hit in 2009. but many of the high- and median-wage jobs have been replaced by low-wage jobs. average paychecks adjusted for inflation have turned negative five times so far this year. >> five times so far this year. that's not good news. >> no, and wages are still a big concern. oddly enough in this fed's language they're being hawkish on inflation and being quite s

sanguine about the fact and inflation is a good thing. >> thanks, patricia, appreciate it. lava is making it's way through a town in hawai'i. dozens of homes are now in its path. that's head. a hidden camera exposing the harassment that women face simply walking down the street.

>> volcanic lava is spewing out in a remote town of hawai'i. people are being told to clear out as officials warn that the area may be engulfed in a stream of molten lava coming from the volcano. >> it is being described as a slow-motion disaster even though the lava flow is moving at eight of 10 miles an hour. there is not much residents can do but to wait and watch. >> reporter: residents are seeing how destructive lava can be. it was wiped out and replaced by a smoke field black field. two roads have been closed and a cemetery has been overtaken by

the lava. at least 50 or 60 structures including home and businesses are in the area likely to be hit. the county has been working around the clock to rebuild two roads as additional evacuation routes. the nearly 1,000 residents and flow path have been told to prepare to evacuate at any time. >> i have my trailers ready, but i'm not putting anything on them until the guy across the street's house is burning. >> a mobile clinic is on stand by until those are cut off, and the red cross has set up a shelter for those who have nowhere else to go. >> people are losing everything they have. we're trying to provide a safe place if they need. >> as of right now the lava flows towards the small town of pahoe. even though residents are

encouraged to leave, they are allowed to stay and watch their homes burn as a means of closu closure. >> here on www.aljazeera.com. website pride a lot of services but do you ever read those terms of service? our team found a great way to explain the jargon and break down pros and cons. it's right there on the screen on the technology page of www.aljazeera.com. six days until the midterm election. one of the dirtiest campaigns in the country just got dirty. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news.

>> time for today's power politics. six days until the midterm elections and former first lady barbara bush has joined the campaign effort. david shuster is here with more on this. >> reporter: by her own admission the 89-year-old barbara bush does not do camping very often but the former first lady and wife of george h.w. bush, they're friends with paula page. la page is facing a very tight campaign election, so bush is helping him with this. >> paul is blunt, direct, like me. on november 4th, photo for paula page. he's moving maine in the right direction. >> the story of maine, we'll get back to a moment, stands in

stark contrast with the florida governor race. today crist is hit back. >> with the stroke of a pen rick scott said that the centers were not needed but they helped over a million florida women to get counseling and legal help. these centers are for women who have no place else to turn, and rick scott turned his back on every single one of them. one of the most competitive battles, democratic incumbent nick rahall has been in politics for decades.

>> congressman nick rahall. >> he pocketed millions of dollars because rahall took bribes trading cash for votes. nick rahall is not for us any more. >> and rahall standing next to nancy pelosi, that's harsh. mark udall is focusing on the single issue he has highlighted the most, women's rights. in his latest add the attacks cory gardner for supporting anti-abortion legislation and then denying it. >> his denials failed the independent fact check. >> you're not telling us the truth. >> colorado just can't trust the cory gardner. >> greg orman is hanging on to a

tight lead. >> pat roberts was one of the true conservative who is stand with rand paul and said stop sending taxpayer's money where radicals storm our embassies, burn our flags and kill our diplomats. in fact, where paul suggests that bruce braley remain in a dead heat. more outside groups are pouring money into the campaign. here is the latest from the national education ocean. >> joni ernst is working to take money from public schools and give them to private schools instead. that's not right. >> ernst said she would not cut the money. she would give it directly.

this is still a hot button at the end. question number one on the state's election day ballot would use jelly donuts to lure bears out of the woods so hunters can shoot them. there were 1300 ads for and against the bear-luring restriction. >> only stops junk food baiting and hounding. no one wants problem bears in our neighborhoods. so let's stop feeding them. vote yes on question one. >> no one wants problem bears in the neighborhood. just to be clear. question one, shooting and killing the bears is okay, but giving them sweet treats as a final meal should be prohibited. jonathan, it would seem the good folks in maine are missing the point or outrage that people have over this story. >> i was going say that's politics for you right there. >> just don't feed them jelly donuts. >> thanks, david.

it is illegal to vote twice in the same election so election officials in 28 states are using a program called interstate cross check to check voting records of people who may try it. >> greg is a private investigator turned journalist who has been following voter rights in every election since 2000. >> i got into this stuff and when bush won by 527 votes, and now it's a decade and a half later, and i'm hearing the cry of voter fraud. there are a million people committing voter fraud. >> here is the type of action that they do. vincent do. vincent hardy williams voted georgia. vincent h. williams voted in virginia. they say that's the same guy. >> how do they know that's the

same person? >> stacey abrams is a top ranking democrat in the georgia assembly. he went to meet her three weeks before election day. >> i sit as minority leader of the house of representatives, this information has never been represented to the house of representatives. i intend through my auspices as member of the house of representatives to investigate and request information from the secretary of state about this program about the nature of the program, about the origin of it and resources being used to implement it, and the attempt to disenfranchise half a million of our georgia voters. >> earlier i spoke with the journalist in that piece about his investigation into cross check, and i asked him how many states have signed up for cross check, and whether they are knocking voters off the roles? >> we have 27 states signed up for this cross check program, and almost all of them are republican-controlled states.

when you knock off black voters, hispanic voters, aaron-american voters who vote three-quarters democratic, you're going to have a big effect on elections. >> what kind of effect will it have in less than a week? >> we know in virginia, 41,000 have lost their votes, if we have that type of purge to start off with, it's going to have a huge effect in north carolina. where there are very tight senate races. the biggest effect this list operates in the 2016 presidential race. >> why is that? >> because it takes a while to remove people from the voting role. virginia has removed 41,000. they're refusing to tell us how many, but most of the names will be removed over time. but in time for the presidential election. >> if people are being removed from the voter roles because the accusation is that they voted in different states more than once

what happens? are they notified that you've been taken off this list? do they show up and vote on a provisional ballot instead? what happens? >> people who are accused of voting twice get a postcard in the mail. the postcard looks like a piece of junk mail. and unfortunately a lot of people throw them out. the postcard says it does not accuse of voting twice. it's legalese, and it says if you don't confirm your name and address and sign it, send it back to us at this state office you could be an inactive voter. it's very fancy language. if you don't send back the card, and you miss one election you're off the voter role. >> but if they show up to vote on election day they're given a provisional ballot. >> that does not mean that your

ballot gets counted. more provisional ballots are not count the in tight races. it's a placebo ballot. we're looking at hundreds of thousands of people by the presidential election, and the problem is it's random. it's mostly minorities because they're concentrating on common names. the types of people who are being targeted on these voter roles, correct? about one fifth of aaron americans share 30 names. chung, lee, kim park for korean. we have a massive number of aaron-americans for the first time are feeling the push of vote suppression. >> thanks. now part one of the

investigation airs this evening on america tonight. that's at 9:00 p.m. eastern right here on al jazeera america. well voters are frustrated with the gridlock on capitol hill. if you share those frustrations here's your chance to let us know. take a picture of yourself holding a signing saying #dear congress, i want... and then fill in the blank. america tonight will share your images in the responses in the days ahead. a california man has revolutionized the way we get results. he has left which are services like the associated press, but as jennifer london reports, all that could change. >> can you build a trailer, please? >> they work the late shift dispatching big rigs all over southern california.

this time of year he's busier than ever. not because of the dispatch business is booming, it's become an unexcepted treasure to the likes of associated press, which has owned the art of declaring winners on election night. >> a lot of people have fallen back on well, the a.p. will give us our return. >> finnigan who studied studio art decided he could do better. in 2012 he launched ace of spades an election results blog that posts the outcome of some races before the wire services. >> republicans on capitol hill will vote on a new majority leader later this month following the defeat of eric cantor. >> i was surprised. he was losing.

>> he called the race 30 minutes before the wire. >> what is on the screen is what every volunteer will see when going into an election night. they're assigned kne municipal ities for turn. i watch for the number when it becomes painfully obvious that the candidate cannot make the vote, it's an easy call. we announce it on twitter, our website and then go on to the next race. >> reporter: he gets 30,000 readers, on primary night. given the blog's success so far finnigan said there is an appetite for a new, faster voice on election night. >> we're used to the big corporate behemoth with all of their staff and the millions of dollars spent.

but the little guy coming along and beating them to the call? >> are you the little guy then? >> for now. >> al jazeera, california. >> don't forget to join al jazeera america on november 4th for a complete round up of election results. we've got other news to talk about today. let's go to maria ines ferre. ines? >> jonathan a high tech balloon is not helps in the search for a suspected pennsylvania cop killer. the balloon is rigged with cameras. the police were hoping that it would help to search the area for eric freinfrein is on the run after killing a state trooper and wounding another last month. a judge entered not guilty pleas to charges of murder of two women. he spoke to the judge this time after refusing to talk last week. the governor of illinois is intervening in a teacher strike

after a contemptuous meeting. parents and teachers packed the meeting, and they were angry when victoria torres cut the time short for comments. >> let's go. i'm a parent, too. sit down and shut up. >> today torres issued an apology for her outbursts. and in florida the coast guard rescued dozens of people trying to escape cuba on an overloaded boat. the small craft was holding 33 people. the coast guard picked them up in the waters of bow co-are bocboca ratan today. >> i can't get over that school member, sit down and shut up. >> yes, ma'am. >> thousands of mourners turned out funeral of "washington post"

ben bradley. >> he is our hero, benjamin c.bradlee. >> he led the post for a quarter of a century most famously during the watergate scandal. they spoke of a man who was never afraid to report the truth. still ahead on al jazeera america, a new kind of college scholarship. getting tuition for playing video games.

>> it's a psa showing a woman walking through new york city receiving comments from men. the creator of the video put a camera on his backpack and walked in front of the woman who is walking down the streets. she had a microphone in each hand. she received more than 100 comments during a ten-hour walk through new york city. the video has sparked a discussion on social media, some people agreeing that's those comments were verbal harassment. others were saying they were compliments from men. i spoke to the creator of the video, he said you have to consider the course of the day over a few months.

>> if they said you're beautiful once every few months. but it's not that. it's that guy and then the next guy and the dozen guys on the next block. it's that collective wait where people are judging you on how you look, and your hair, and if you're smiling or not. it's ridiculous. >> and jonathan the woman in the video has received some rape threats on social media over the last 24 hours. the none profit that commissioned the psa said that they definitely hit a nerve but they want to go further and end street harassment all together. >> 100 comments in ten hours, and i knew it was a problem, but i didn't know it was that bad, ines. did they say how they hope to end this program? >> no, but they're saying it's a spark to conversation. >> i can't get over that, 100 comments in ten hours. we'll hear from the actress in that video later tonight. she'll be joined by one of the

organizers who created it. that's at 11:00 p.m. eastern, 8:00 p.m. right here on al jazeera america. that does it for us at this hour. i'm jonathan betz. ideas story.i--"inside story" is up next. >> after 13 years, the american project in afghanistan is about done. at least this phase. did the country accomplish what it set out to do? a new afghanistan. that's inside story. hello, i'm ray suarez. spoke was still