this is al jazeera america, i'm erica pitzi in new york with a look at the top stories. an outbreak of weather in the nation's midsection with at least 14 tornado on the ground tonight. a raid by u.s. special forces results in the death of a top i.s.i.l. commander in syria new speed rules for amtrak less than a week after a commuter train travelling twice the speed limit derails in philadelphia. and we look at sex education in

the united states we begin with breaking news. tornados touching down in oklahoma and other states. a swath of severe weather has been moving through the plains churning up stwisters, and dump -- twisters and dumping heavy rain. there's reports damage and the storms are not over. for the latest on the weather let's go to kevin corriveau. >> that's right. we knew that today would be a bad day, and they upgraded to this morning to what is called a moderate risk, almost as high as you can go to this area. let's look at what it happening. the big focus is across the central plains if you look between the last 2-4 hours, the thunder storms in red popped up. in this area as well as to the north, we have seen 14

preliminary tornados across that particular region. i want to go closer to oklahoma. it's this line here that just went through elk city. look at the video that came through in this area. this is out of region. there's dark rain showers coming though, as well as - we are looking at older video from elk city. do we have that to show? there we go. this is what came through. there has been reports in that area that this was a wide tornado, as well as baseball size hail has been reported out of these particular storms. it's a very very dangerous situation. let's look closer in, and you can see the amount of tornado coming through the region per talking to the west of michael oku city. that will be-- oklahoma city. it will be in the pass of this line as we go through the next several hours, and up to iowa. that will be a place we'll

watch. now, tornado warnings. we have here in red, we'll be watching those over the next several hours. still a very dangerous night. >> what can the area expect for tomorrow? >> tomorrow it will be still another bad day. it will move up to the north-east a little bit. but still very bad. >> thank you, we'll keep an eye on that. now to the latest on the fight against i.s.i.l. u.s. special forces kill a high-ranking commander, the man known as abu sayyaf was shot trying to escape. he was believed to be the organizations chief financial officer. in all, about a dozen i.s.i.l. fighters were killed. president obama approved the mission that took place. for more from senior washington correspond mike viqueira. >> the white house says the president signed off on this mission personally a raid into eastern syria, the target abu sayyaf said to be a finance

minister, a powerful figure for i.s.i.l. the kneel was to take him alive. u.s. delta force commandos a night time raid attempted to do so. those around abu sayyaf and abu sayyaf himself engaged in a fire fight. it's said they tried to use women and children as human shields. everywhere was killed who engaged u.s. troops, know u.s. commandos were killed. an individual who was a target was tape out alive. and that -- taken out alive. that was the wife umm sayyaf and she was described as no innocent. ash carter put out a statement reading in part: allegations by u.s. officials, that a yazidi woman, the religious minority was located

they were trapped on mt sinjar last year liberated in part due to u.s. coordinated air strikes. still persecuted and one individual held as a slave by this couple, abu and umm sayyaf. reaction in washington is, of course applauding the military rehabilitation but criticizing president obama for the recent gapes. in the last 48 hours or four days by i.s.i.l. in vital towns very close to the capital city of baghdad. ramadi now tape over partially by i.s.i.l. forces and the oil refinely at baigy and the town -- baiji also under siege by i.s.i.l. forces as they try to trak it back after -- take it back after u.s. forces took it and touted it a success, a few

weeks ago. back to you. >> joining us now is major mike lyons, an al jazeera security contributor. thank you for joining us. who do we know about abu sayyaf. how important is he in the i.s.i.l. operation? >> he is important. he's part of an organization, a finance organization with multiple people in it. he has control over oil and gas fields. we are using the military to go on a raid, taking out a middle level guy that will affect communications. no longer are we focused on mill stands. he was a soldiers a businessman. one domain we have to go after is attacking their business. >> what is the possibility that someone will be will to replace them? >> the key is finance is a committee. there's multiple people that cap

system up and do the same job. they'll likely be set back for a few days, but the way i.s.i.l. works, the way the business model works, they are decentralize the. they recover, they'll be on a path of communicating. now that they know the united states has the ability to go in and conduct a raid will put them on their guard. it's a risky move troops on the ground. >> or any country, we are talking syria here. >> this is a situation where it could have gone badly. we must have in tremendous intelligence, there was a fire fight. they didn't have a lot of soldiers around him. i.s.i.s. probably let their guard down. >> we know he had his wife with him, and you heard the u.s. calling her "no innocent." what happens with her. we have her alive.

what will we do with her? >> she's likely getting back to whatever country she's from. we won't send her to gitmo or a prisoner of war. if it's syria, that's a problem. this was probably more of a capture mission. they wanted information on american hostage, and trying to figure out where the network is and hopefully get information from her, and send her back to her family. >> do you think she'd have information about the operations? >> she's obviously within exposed. -- obviously been exposed to them. she may not have the wherewithal to speak up about it. it depends. they'll bring in the right type of interrogators, someone that feels comfortable in order to have her understand what the united states is looking for. >> we know this operation rescued a yazidi woman enlived. what will the u.s. military look to clean from her? >> the same trying to send her

back where she's from. she could be from kobane or iraq. that has not been determined. and find out if there's other relatives she has. this is so many steps to unwind this situation controlling syria and the northern part of iraq. the other thing is they had advances. they have tape over ramadi -- taken over ramadi. it's a big get. we seem to be dismissing that. we have to be concerned. we don't have an answer for anbar province. until we have that. we won't have an answer to other areas. >> when you dismiss that are you saying the white house is downplaying the advancement of i.s.i.l. >> we are, we down played ramadi but back on the football with the raid. we didn't let 48 hours go by before we talked about it. usually time passes we check out the networks, and let the

enemy get out that information. we were so anxious so anyone from that side knew they knew to break the cell phones the network is down we have to change everything. >> looking at the big picture, what does this say about the fight against i.s.i.l.? >> it says that the white house is likely focus on communications business people living the kinetic to the iraqis and not focus on that and we'll go after the other pillars of trying to take down them, not necessarily the military solution. >> mark lyons for us think you very much there's concern about i.s.i.l. fighters pushing into a city home to 2,000-year-old rel ucks. the u.n.e.s.c.o. site is home to many, and there is concern that the ruins will be destroyed. every year they attract thousands of tourists

federal officials dempded amtrak deploy speed restrictions in the north-west of the this comes after the deadly derailment. courtney kealy joins us. >> the federal railroad administration told amtrak to immediately take several actions to improve safety along the north-east corridor. ordering speed limit signs and necessary and appropriate technology to be used wherever needed. they ordered amtrak to conduct an analysis of the curves on the track running between washington d.c. and boston cutting through areas like appears on tuesday. the railroad administration issued a statement saying: it ordered amtrak to start using

a speed control system on northbound trains trailing though philadelphia, and -- travelling through philadelphia. it notifies the engineer if the train is speeding and applies the brakes if the engineer doesn't respond. this system has been used in other areas. administration is saying: amtrak responded saying it would follow the demand and the installation of a positive speed control will be completed by the end of 2015. amtrak says they are initial steps and more will be implemented as the investigation continues. >> thank you courtney kealy. here are new details on the derailment. the death toll stands at 8. the body of a maryland man was

pulled from the wreckage this week. funerals for those lives lost have begun. and the fbi will investigate a report that a projectile may have hit the train before it derailed. forensic experts will examine damage to the windshield. in egypt tonight ousted leader mohamed mursi has been sentenced to death. it will be happened over to a grand mufti. the religious leader will ratify or recommend is to be dismissed. it's up then to the judge to accept the recommendation. the sentence came down on estate for his role in a prison break. >> translation: let's wait until the nation's mufti makes the decision and the court decision. we'll exert every avenue for an appeal in front of the court the ousted leader serving a 20 year sentence for his role in the killing of protesters in 2012. the court sentenced 16 muslim brotherhood to death on charges

of spying. the brotherhood condemned the sentences, calling for an escalation of protests. mass convictions and sentencing is common since the military took over. egyptian human rights group says since 2013 as many as 41,000 have been gaoled most in short trials and mass sentences. amnesty international says that sentencing violates human rights, human rights says: in april and may last year more than 1200 were sentenced in two verdict. most were given the death penalty the retrial of two al jazeera journalists in egypt is due to begin 1 june. egypt accuses mohamed fadel fahmy and mohammed badr of promoting the outlawed muslim brotherhood. the journalists and al jazeera reject the charges, they have

been free on bail since february fierce eruption in yemen near the end of a 5-day truce. civilians dodged bullets and mortar shells. dozens were killed. the fighting threatened to derail a ceasefire meant to bring food water and medicine to the war-torn country. the truce will expire sunday. yemen's political parties are expected to met in saudi arabia on sunday to help with violence against rebels and pro-government forces. >> the secretary of state john kerry is in beijing. he met with top officials, and claimed wreaths and islands off the the philippines and vietnam. kerry said he sharesst concerns with the chinese premier. >> i urged china, through foreign minister wen jiabao to take action that is will join with everyone in helping to reduce tensions and increase the

prospect of a diplomatic solution. the pentagon denies reports that it is going send ships and plains to the region. jamie mcintyre has more from the pentagon. >> reporter: the source of the tension is a series of islands china has basically built on top of submerged reefs in some of the world's busiest shipping lanes in the south china sea. for example, here is the fiery cross reef as it appeared in a satellite photo last august. by march of this year it was built up enough to support an airstrip, and work underway on. what appears to be another run way. it is said that china is violating a dispute of a treaty settling ownership of the islands in the south china sea. it is a provocative flexing of military muscle. >> china's land reclamation could have a range of

military implications. these could include developing long-range radars, deeper draft ships, developing air fields for carrier based aircraft. >> china's rapid reclamation around seven reefs alarmed the philippines and vietnam, that has territorial claims on other islandsin the spratley archipelago. the u.s. is concerned the ports, airstrips and storage will allow beijing to reflect power deeper into south-east asia. it is kerbing china's structure to manmade bases. last month president obama told a town hall event in jamaica, the u.s. thinks china is using its size to muscle aside philippines and vietnam in contravention of international law. >> we don't have a particular view on the territorial disputes, the maritime disputes. our attitude is let's use the mechanisms in place internationally to resolve them.

>> china's ambassador to the united states, rejects u.s. interference and what it says are legitimate activities, and blames washington for making the tensions worse. >> translation: the cold war mentality, which is prone to the use of force is outdated. >> reporter: he denounced outdated cold war mentality. the u.s. might send ships to pass within 12 nautical miles to assert the right of freedom of navigation. >> china accuses the united states of having a double standard, saying the u.s. doesn't blame other countries building on reefs owned by china. the white house says secretary of state john kerry is conveying u.s. concerns, but they stress that the u.s. wants to see the issue resolved diplomatically pope francis warmly praised

mahmoud abbas an angel of peace. in the past he referred to mahmoud abbas and shimon perez as men of peace during his visits to israel. mahmoud abbas is in rome for the canonization on sunday of two nuns that lived in palestine in the 19th century back to the top story, breaking news - 15 tornado confirmed in the united states. plus, a deeper look at the state of ex education. why american teens are taught different things in different states and why some say that's dangerous. a quick programming note. valerie payne joins us tomorrow night about the threat of nuclear proliferation, hear what she has to say tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. eastern,

5 pacific.

tonight, we are taking a deeper look at sex education in

the u.s., and how it's impacting american kids. programs are different in practically every state. some only push for abstinence, others talk about contraception. the c.b.c. says 53% of teens are sexually active. a california judge issued an historic ruling condemning abstinence only. melissa chan has more. >> reporter: in 2012 some parents decided to sue a school distribute for failing to include information about sexually transmitted diseases and ways to prech pregnancy in -- prevent pregnancy in the curriculum. the context was a law saying that it sex education could not contain bias material. the judge had to decide whether teaching abstinence only was appropriate. the debate is not about what you feel is right or wrong the the

acau decided to fight within the confines of science. the judge's decision is considered a big deal for opponents of abstinence only. 37 states require the ipp clues of abstinence as part of sex education, and 18 states require discussion of contraception in sex education. in california each distribute makes a decision. many places include contraception as part of the curriculum. >> we know half of kids by the end of high school are active - through survey studies. so we think it's important for kids that choose to be sexually active, they need education, resources so they don't get pregnant unintentionally or s.t.d. >> while the debate continues, let's not forget that teen preing yapsy for women --

pregnancy for women between 15 and 19 happiness at a rate of 2.7". it's on the decline in the united states but much much higher than other industrialized country. >> al jazeera reached out to the school district for comment. they did not respond. in an email. the chief communication officer said they were considering an appeal because they say: to dig deeper into this topic, let's bring in our guest. joining me in new york is dr celine gounder, ain ferkz disease physician in new york and phillipa joining us from san francisco, a reproductive justice policy director for the

a.c.l.u. a.c.l.u., and wendy patrick, an attorney and christian minister joining us from irvine california. phillipa a.c.l.u. was involved in the case you called the ruling a victory for students. tell us why? >> well toons deserve complete accurate health information. they need it at whatever age. the rule something a huge victory for the students who are getting a much-improved curriculum than when we brought the case. the implications are larger. the judge said access to medically appropriate sex education is an important public right. the heath of our youth is too important to teach them misinformation and biased information that can put their health at rick. schools need to be a -- at risk. schools nee to be a place where young people can get reliable information to make healthy decisions. while the ruling is specific to

clovest, the lessons been the importance of accurate sex education should apply nationwide. >> actually, staying with that do you think this could set a precedent for the rest of the california, and possibility the nation. will the a.c.l.u. tart other states next? >> this is based on california's law that requires information be accurate, that schools include information about condoms and contraception, as well as the benefits of delaying sexual activity. other states have medical accuracy requirement. i do thing that other states and schools in those states will be looking at the ruling and realising that they should evaluate the curricular. materials in use in clovest have information suggesting that

condoms were not effective in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. there was a video comparingeing a woman who was not a virgin to a dirty show. that does not have a place in the classroom or help children develop into normal healthy adult, which is what we want from them. >> generally speaking, what concerns you about the ruling. >> the ruling is accurate according to california law, that is not a surprise. california law does not require schools to teach sex education, what it says is if you do it cannot be ab stipens only. that is not a surprise. what was a surprise is parents i-keeley should -- ideally should teach about sexed. we know some kids come from disfunctional home, broken homes, and a lot saying let the school teach the kid, not knowing it wasn't being done. if the parents aren't doing it

and the school system are not doing it. they'll have information from their peers or the internet. what surprised me about the ruling is more parents in california were unaware what if anything the school systems were teaches kids. >> let's bring in the doctor an infectious disease doctor. let's talk about sex education. you heard phillipa say there are states we know 19 states require sexual education to be medically accurate. this california judge found abstinence to not be medically accurate. how effective is ab sinnens that we know when it comes to sex education. >> numerous studies looked at comprehensive programs as compared to abstinence. when we talk about comprehensive it include abstinence a way to prevent pregnancy.

it's not the only option available. comprehensive programs give you the full toolbox. we know from numerous studies that the comprehensive approach is far for effective in reducing teen pregnancy and reducing transmission of sexual disease. >> let's talk about that. s.t.d.s, if they are left out of scprul education, -- sexual education, how dangerous can that be for kids. >> it's life tlaghtening. you could be infecting your partners baby down the line. there are severe consequences of acquiring an infection. some other consequences may include infertility, for a young woman that acquires a sexually transmitted infection at 16, it may have an impact on the ability to have children. we have statistics. let's bring these up. those are from the cet in 2013

nearly 10,000 people, aimed 20-34 were diagnosed with h.i.v. acting for half of the 20 million new s.t.d. cases, and approximately 273,000 babies born to teens - to teen mums 15-19. seems like significant statistics, when you look at the 20 million new s.t.d. cases. we are talking about teenagers reported, accounting for half. >> well, it is concerning. we do also say in the united states, our teens have higher rates than other developed countries. for example, sweden the u.k. and, so we are clearly doing something differently, and that different thing that we are doing is focussing on abstinence only. sex education, not providing xrens ieducation -- comprehensive education.

>> wendy, you heard the numbers, they are serious statistics, do you think that abstinence only is the right way to go sore should there be more of a comprehensive sexual education programme given to the kids. >> ideally we'd like is to be abstinence only. that way we have no s.t.d.s, that is an i deal situation. >> we are talking about practical reality. in reality you heard the statistic at the top of the show. more than half of teens are sexually active. is it dealing in reality when we say abstinence only will prevent s.t.d.s. >> that's why when we talk about legally, what we'd like. both sides are closer. they want a comprehensive programme on the risks and dangers associated with unplanned s. unsafe sex, unprotected sex. they want - there's abstinence

a component in that leading teens to think carefully before going down that route. we don't want unplanned pregnancies, we want an informed knowledge whenever they choose to be sexually active. we want them to be informed as to the risk. promiscuity, that's what people are worried about. they want providing information to be the goal, not just passing out condoms. >> so you object to schools giving out condoms. >> i think that schools should not be promoting sexual activity. i think a lot of parents are going down that route. in other words, they can teach promote all the different ways about medically accurate information, but what many parents are concerned about is they don't want to promote promiscuity. that is the worry. i have to tell you, that brings up something that is not discussed enough. who teaches the classes? it's hard enough to keep the

attention of a giggling class of seventh grader on any topic, when you talk about sexed, you node to -- sex edyou need to choose someone that has the expertise, someone that an e-ternize the risks. >> should schools be given out condoms. you hear wendy say, "no." what do you think? >> i wanted to mention the bit about parents. i agree that parents play a critical role in this debate and issue, as a parents i want to talk about the issue, but a vast majority support the teaching of this in school. it includes information about condoms. the reason parents support this education is it compliments

discussion that parents have at home with children so the schools are providing accuracy science education, parents at home are complimenting that with discussions about valuation, and how other families want to drals the issues. it's a complimentary approach and doesn't need to be an either or. that's what young need to promote sexual health. it's important role for schooling to play in advancing health. >> what exactly should you know the sex education programme look like? how important is contraception to teach that and say this is how it's used. and possibly give them out. how important is that? >> that is an important element of quality of sex education.

we see some of the abstinence-only programs saying how to prevent stis and then they go through a list of the activities, none of which mention condoms. it has to be part of a conversation. i think what we are hearing is a little bit of a reduction model in which any discussion of contraception is seen as something promoting sexual activity that is not supported by the research, which shows that the type of comprehensive sex education that includes information about condoms is effective in delaying sexual activity and increasing condom use amongst the sexually active. abstinence only approaches have not been shown to have an impact. what they have been shown to do is cause young people to think

condoms are not effective. what we need to thing is young people are going to be sexually active at some point. we need to equip them to make healthy decisions. it's critical. >> let's bring in the doctor here. what do you believe from a medical perspective are important point that we need to get across? >> i think abstinence should be a proponent, but you need to provide information about the different kinds of cov sentive methods, condon iud devices, and transmitted diseases. knowledge is power. having the knowledge will help you navigate discussions with partners and as a teenager and later in life. >> spirited debate. thank you so much.

joining me dr celene philiper in san francisco, and wendy patrick in irvine, california. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank you severe weather in several midwest states. 15 tornado have been confirmed. kevin corriveau is up next with an update. stay with us.

following breaking news let's get more on the severe weather moving through the nation's mid section. kevin corriveau is here with the latest. >> just after the break we can upgrade the numbers to 17 tornado across the region. it's hard to anyone an accurate total of what is happening. let's look at the thunder storms. these thunder storms really have come together over the last 2-3 hours. we have a line all the way down towards texas, and that will be

involved as well. here are areas from texas, kansas and up to the north, parts of minnesota. i'll get to that in a moment. here, this is a video of elk city tornado. a lot of damage reports have come in with this particular tornado, and it was quite essential. tomorrow we go out and assess the damage. rate the tornado, whether it was an f2, f3 tornado, and give out feedback on what that was. right now, we have tornado active still towards the south central oklahoma as well as northern parts of texas, and that is locational watching. >> here you see those light reds. that is a tornado warning in progress. you have to remember a tornado

warning is en route. if it's in your area. >> something to watch out for thank you. another stream of migrants arrived in italy. more than 400 men, women and children were rescued by a coast guard vessel crossing from libya to europe. most were in good health. a quarter suffered scabies. most came from eritrea, somali and syria. >> there's no end in sight for the south-east asian migrant crisis. more than 1,000 refugees washed ashore in malaysia and indonesia. they are weak, dehydrated after a long journey on boats, and are fleeing persecution in myanmar. some are being treated for injury. >> translation: most of the refugees are suffering traumatic injuries because of fighting or beaten up on the o

officials from malaysia thailand say they cannot accept for refugees from myanmar. the navy's are pushing boats away. thousands of migrants are believed to be on crowded boats. some of the ships abandoned by the crews. the minnesota orchestra made history while baking fousk. as ashar quraishi tells us they became the first to perform in havana. >> reporter: in havana music is everywhere. [ singing ] >> reporter: this weekend music is the universal language that many hope can reunite the hearts and minds of cubans and the people from the u.s. ooep for a brief -- ooep for a brief moment. >> music is a powerful element. it's an element of our life. when someone is trying to build

something new between two countries, what could be better than this? >> [ ♪♪ ] it's the first time an okay stra from the states -- arc stra from the states -- orchestra from the states travelled to the communist island in 15 years. more than 100 american musicians from the miles per hour orchestra are reporting as part of the international disco suspiciously. this is the first visit to cuba since 1930. the maestro says the ensemble is performing one of the same pieces. >> they have played 1300 during a visit. that was the reason why the local organizers wanted to have this. here you come back to play the same symphony, but like you did 85 years ago. >> the trip takes op more meaning since the evolution of

u.s.-cuban relations. in disease president obama took steps to renew ties with havana which the u.s. cut. diplomats from both countries do their work. tours like this help to build a relationship on a person to person level. >> i want you to get more core to the sound. >> u.s. mussicians like the principle khellist are coaching and playing with cuban students. >> they have a huge appetite for, you know our kind of classical music, which is our cause to bring it to life. >> we talk about the relationships between nations and countries, and in this case this is beyond symbolic it's important. >> this is incredibly exciting. to be the first major orchestra in this new era in relations, and, you know to make friends through music is the easiest

way, we love the same things let's talk about it. [ ♪♪ ] >> translation: it is interesting to see how music, a universal language can eliminate barriers. >> reporter: it is this greatness artists home will build momentum to bridge the divide between cuba and the united states, through the sound of music coming up they call themselves kayak-tivists, and a big oil rig that they are making waves about. details ahead. stay with us.

u.s. special forces raided an i.s.i.l. stronghold in eastern syria tonight, killing a high-ranking commander. the man known as abu sayyaf was shot during a firefight. he was believed to be the organization's chief financial officer. about a dozen i.s.i.l. fighters were killed. i.s.i.l.'s rise will be up for discussion on the premiere of one of al jazeera's new shows "third rail", here is a clip. >> i think reasonable moderate muslims have to be on muslim websites showing an alternative. i do that. there are extremist right-wing jews calling for violence. i go on websites. i debated, and beat one in a debate. >> here is a difference. if i go on to a rad illegal

website, i'll get on a watch list. >> why not. geller is on a list. >> i don't know about that. >> you mean an american watch list. no if you are an anti-american person joining us to talk about his show is imran. welcome, thank you for joining us you have big names on the panel. they are having a fascinating exchange on i.s.i.l.'s influence on line. >> that's right. a topic was these guys go on twitter, inspire people around the world and in the united states. we discussed does the u.s. military, government, have the right to cut the cord. improves war-time -- impose war-time censorship. contentious debate. alan wants free speech, but

wants modern muslims to go out and engage. he didn't get what faisal patel was saying, she was saying if i go i would be on a watch list. >> he thought she was saying i.s.i.l. wants to go to pangella. and she said, "no, the u.s. authorities", and he said "we can do asking about it", that's one topic. we have a panel of smart people on the panel. and they run through a mix of topics and chime in passionately. >> let's talk about the topic. in the first half our your guests tackle religion does it do more harm than good. let's take a look at another clip. >> you have to remember for all the good the churches did in furthering civil rights they were fighting against christian churches in the south that were working for segregation.

>> that doesn't underdo the fact that every meaningful reform movement in the west has been motivated by judaha christian world view... >> every movement. >> meaningful reform movement. >> yes, i said within the western world. motivated by judaho views to ablution right through. >> how about gay marriage. >> i don't consider that a liberal civil right. ein angelical crist -- evangelical christians will not get on board with that. >> religion - outlines a contentious debate. there you have it an i thinkious. . >> we added an imam to it. sounds like the start of a joke.

it's contentious, egey they are uncomfortable. it's awkward at times. i try to be tenacious and robust and fair and give everyone a hard time equally, and they give each other a hard time. that's "third rail", if you like, that part of the train tracks that you don't touch or something electorifying, dangerous will happen that's what we are trying do. >> we can expect it - when you tackle a topic like religion that's widespread. you heard that they brought up gay marriage. it's almost like you can get on the track of religion and fear off a little to talk about all the different topics that you know, can be contentious within the debate of religion. >> absolutely. >> that was a fiery exchange going on for 3-4 minutes, as you'll see when you watch. and if spilled over into the panel. we saw the panel with alan and

faysa and taves, and we discussed why is it in the united states that it seems presidential candidates have to profess to be religious christians to play the game to get elected. they had interesting screws on that. >> throw in politics on top of it you have everything. >> more to come. >> excellent. thank you so much. tune in tomorrow for the premier of "third rail." here on al jazeera america stay with us, we'll be right back.

is >> welcome back to al jazeera america. hundreds of activists travelled out to the waters of the finaling it sound protesting shell oil's plans to drill in the arctic something the president obama administration approved. they call themed kayak --

themselves kayak-tivists. >> there's something big headed for seattle. really big. the polar pi job ear, shell's -- pioneer's shell's exploration rig. it sits 85 mels -- miles away and has been greeted by protesters. >> our capacity shouldn't be underestimated neither the result. >> they call themselves kayak-tivists, groups planning a protest, which will bring two drilling rigs and support vessels to the port of seattles terminal 5. >> they are not drilling near seattle. they are drilling in the chuck nick sea 2,000 miles away. >> the community in seattle is offended that we'd use the public courts as base station

for an arctic destroying equipment. >> reporter: it will bring jobs and the port has agreed to a 2-year 13 million contract with foss, a local marine service company that will do the work with shell. >> does this fit with seattle in 2015. >> it depends who you talk to. a lot of people i talk to it fetes with the value of the city and i area from others they feel that's misalignment with where the city is headed. >> environmental groups are challenging the contract in court as inappropriate use of space with no final ruling. shell turned down a request for an on-camera interview, but answered questions in detail. a spokesman tells us plans for staging and loading is unchanged, writing:

. >> >> i picture in my mind 100 larger crafts. >> spoiling for a fight, and hoping for a turn out. >> can you stop the rig with kayaks? >> we can stop this rig with kayaks there's no doubt. they come to seattle. they'll stay in seattle. >> reporter: you'll blockade them in? >> absolutely. >> reporter: told of those mans the shell spokesman replied: expect a collision between small boats and big oil some time soon

in elliott bay. foss marine services, the local company that will do the work issued a statement saying 417 jobs have been created specifically because of this project, and hundreds more will follow russian president vladimir putin likes to show off his athletic prowess in judo and swimming. this time the russian president took up ice hockey. he scored eight in all. most were assists from retired american n.h.l. stars. saturday's exhibition game before russia played the u.s. in the world championships in sochi. it's been almost 40 years since we had a triple crown winner in horse racing. all eyes on american pharaoh, kent uky derby winner to see if he can break-in the prooek yeses. >> it wasn't close.

he blew by the field, winning by less. all that is left is the belmont stakes. the last triple crown winner - 1978. i'm erica pitzi in new york. we'll see you back at 11:00p.m. eastern, 8:00 p.m. pacific. on the weekend edition of "america tonight", the real price of prosperity. >> so what kind of damage did that do, permanent damage to the area in north dakota christopher putzel found a native community tapping its underground riches and fears the theft of its future. >> this is our home today. i don't want people to come in and destroy it also tonight. >> never before has the air force put a new fighter bomber at a commercial airport.