look at the american dream hard earned only on al jazeera america >> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned". >> this is al jazeera america. i'm erica pitzi in new york, with a look at the top stories. a day of dangerous weather as tornados and severe weather tear through middle america a lightening raid by u.s. special forces kills a top commander in syria in the aftermath of tuesday's deadly amtrak crash, the government imposes new safety regulations in the north-east and what are american teenagers taught in sex

education classes and what is being left out. that's a subject of tonight's "a deeper look". >> we have funnel forming to the north dramatic footage from storm chases as they capture a tornado forming, one of several forming throughout the nation for more on the weather let's go to kevin corriveau. how much longer before the folks are out of danger? >> there's another few hours tonight and a big problem tomorrow. this is the big picture we are looking at now. if we look across the mountain stakes, notice the area of circulation. ahead of that that is the area where we are looking at weather. i'll show you the storms

anywhere from texas, oklahoma nebraska and minnesota. they saw one tornado. it has been down here across oklahoma, and texas, that we have seen some of the major city of the tornado, and some of the worst ones. look at the video here as the tornado makes its way to the ground. it did make its way and caused damage along the ground. we saw debris associated with the tornado, to the east of elk city. then, i want to show you still pictures that we had. look at the width of this tornado. this is a wedge tornado because it is so wide at the base, and really going straight up to the clouds. these particular tornado could have a bottom rayedius of half a -- radius of half a mile to two miles and they'll evaluate the damage tomorrow. closer in, the storms that we were looking at moved past

oklahoma city, you are probably out of the city for this evening. dullesa, to -- tulsa to kansas city, we'll watch closely as the thunder storms make their way to the north. there's one tornado warning here to the east of oklahoma city. as you can see, most of the warnings and watches to the west are dropping out. that is good news across the region, and up here to parts of minnesota, we had tornado warnings in place, but they have been dropped to a tornado watch right now we'll stay watching that. joining us on the phone is jerry loika, a spokesman for the oklahoma emergency management. thank you so much for joining us jerry. >> my pleasure. >> tell us what is the severity of the situation on the ground there right now. >> well we have localized flooding. there were many tornado that

touched down. the wedge was the large one in western oklahoma going through roger mills county near the border near texas. some damage. we don't have an official - anything official from the country emergency manager out there, but we do know that we have a couple of businesses and some homes and mobile homes that have been damaged or destroyed. and then there were at least 20 other counties that the weather passed through. so there is some damage in each one of those. we don't know the extent at the moment. >> so, jerry, obviously as oklahoma emergency management - it's your job to make sure people are safe. what are you telling residents to do now. the message for the past couple of days, and keeping this in context since we have experienced bad weather, especially in bridge creek and south oklahoma city. people pay close attention, and we have a lot of confidence in

the weather service and the local weather folks here that when they tell them to be weather-wise, they are. so they ask them to get into the center portion of their home into - if it's a closet or somewhere where there are no window into a bathroom where there are no window take a mattress and blankets with you, take a helmet classes or goggles, anything that can provide protection for you if you don't have a shelter. we are always encouraging people to invest in a shelter, and whether that is above ground or in ground that's the safest place to be, is in a shelter that is designed to withstand the winds. >> okay. you talked earlier about having heard of some damage to businesses, homes, but any word at all about injuries or death?

nothing that has been reported officially. we have seen a couple of things on social media and the news with regard to the injuries and overturned vehicles. we have not heard anything from the emergency services verifying injuries thus far what are your emergency teams doing to respond at this point? >> well in the emergency operation center we wait for the calls that come to us from those jurisdictions that are affected and if they require outside resources or special resources like you know search and rescue teams, heavy equipment, anything from the red cross, then they will call us and then we activate the resources to get them to the affected jurisdictions, and so far the state has been asked for no additional resources, so the local jurisdictions seem to

handle what is happening to them so far so talking about resource, of course you have the command center running at full tilt. you are talking about local resources responding. do you have the outside support you need, though in case you need to sort of call in for more help? >> absolutely. i mean if it escalates to the point that we are asking for more resources than we can handle, it will be way more severe than it has been this evening. so - but those people are on stand by. it takes a phone call. sometimes they are far enough that they are out of state. but we haven't reached - we haven't reached that magnitude this evening at all. >> all right. hopefully it stay that is way. jerry loika for us, with oklahoma emergency management. we'll check back in with you later. stay safe now to the latest on the fight against i.s.i.l. u.s. special forces kill a

high-ranking i.s.i.l. commander. the man was shot trying to scope during a raid in eastern syria friday night and was believed to be the organizations chief financial officer. in all, a dozen fighters were killed. president obama approved a mission that took place in eastern syria, more from senior washington correspondent rick are -- 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 idea 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. everyone was killed who engaged u.s. troops, know u.s. commandos

were killed. an individual who was a target was 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, top u.s. officials that a yazidi woman, the religious minority was located, in northern iraq, 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 action but criticizing president obama for the recent gapes.

-- gains 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 familiar to the u.s. forces in the province now taken over partially by i.s.i.l. forces and the oil refinery at baiji and also under siege by i.s.i.l. forces as they try to 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 national 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 within isil that has 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, wasn't necessarily the ceo, that will affect communications. no longer are we focused on mill -- militants. 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 there to replace them? >> the key is finance is a committee. there's multiple people that can step 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 decentralized. they recover, they'll be on a path of communicating. now that they know the united states has the capability to go in and conduct a raid will put them on their guard.

. >> putting them on their heel a little bit. >> yes, the talent tha could have gone badly. we must have in tremendous intelligence, there was a fire fight. he's not a militant, they didn't have a lot of soldiers around him. i.s.i.s. probably let their guard down. they didn't think he would be a target. >> 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 sent back to whatever country she's from. in it's syria, it will create a problem. we won't send her to gitmo or a prisoner of war. this was probably more of a capture mission. they wanted information on american hostage, and they are trying to figure out where the network is, and hopefully get information from her, and send her back to her family.

major mike lyons for us, thank you so much. there's concern about i.s.i.l. fighters pushing into an ancient syrian town home of 2,000-year-old ruins, the u.n.e.s.c.o. world heritage site is west of the city and activists are concerned i.s.i.l. fighters will destroy artefacts. every year they attract thousands of tourist. federal officials are ordering amtrak to add safety matters after the deadly derailment. amtrak was ordered to install speed limit signs. they want the rail line to use a speed control system on northbound trains travelling through philadelphia. it will alert the engineer when a train is speeding and apply the breaks in the engineer does not respond pt the safety system is up and running on southbound

trains now approaching the deadly surf. a statement was issued 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 . >> secretary of state john kerry is in china sharing concerns about the islands in of the south china sea. >> i urged china through finance minister wen jiabao to take actions to help reduce tensions and increase the prospect of a

diplomatic solution. the pentagon denies reports that it's considering sending ships and planes 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. the u.s. said china is brokering on a reclam amation programs that 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. if china attempts to pursue

them. these could include developing long-range radars, deeper draft ships, developing air fields for carrier based aircraft. >> china's rapid reclamation around seven reefs has alarmed the philippines and vietnam, that has territorial claims on other islands in the spratley archipelago. the u.s. is concerned the ports, airstrips and fuel storage facilities will allow beijing to reflect power deeper into south-east asia. the us is struggling on how to kerb 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,

forcefully 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 to resolve disputes is outdated. >> reporter: he denounced outdated cold war mentality. that 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 in egypt, ousted leader mohamed mursi has been sentenced to death. the sentence will now be handed over to a grand mufti.

the religious leader will ratify or recommend it be dismissed. it's up to the judge whether to accept the recommendation. the sentence came down saturday for mohamed mursi's role for a 2011 prison break. >> reporter: let's wait until the nation's mussyfti makes a decision and the court decision. we'll exert every avenue before the court he is serving a 20 year role for the killing of protesters in 2012 the retrial of two al jazeera journalists is due do begin june 1st. mohamed fadel fahmy and mohammed badr are accused of promoting the outlawed muslim brotherhood. the journalists rejected the charges, they have been free on bail since january. >> fierce clashes erupted in yemen at the end of a 5-day humanitarian truce. civilians dodged mortars and

shells. dozens were killed fighting threatened to derail a ceasefire meant to bring food, water and medicine to the country. the truce will expire sunday. yemen's political parties are set to met on sunday to end the violence between rebels and pro-government forces. >> pope francis praised the palestinian president, the vatican, on saturday. the head of the roman catholic church called mahmoud abbas an angel. in the past pope francis referred to mahmoud abbas and the former israeli president as men of piece. mahmoud abbas is in rome for the canonization of two nuns that lived in palestine in the 19th century. >> keeping a close watch on severe weather pattern across the country. after more than sa dozen tornado, what will tomorrow bring. in lyn county kansas damages to homes and buildings reported.

kansas city television station reported that a freight train stopped on the tracks was blown over. kevin corriveau will have an update when we come back. first, a deeper look at the state of sex education across the united states. why some say teaching students abstinence only is dangerous to their health. plus, a veterans affairs insider accusing the agency of wasting billions and risking lives and tomorrow night - an interview you don't want to miss. valerie payne will talk to al jazeera about the threat of nuclear proliferation hear what the former c.i.a. officer has to say.

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 education this week. melissa chan has more. >> reporter: in 2012 some parents and the aclu decided to sue a school distribute for failing to include information about sexually transmitted diseases and ways to prevent pregnancy in the sex education curriculum. the context was a law saying that sex education could not contain bias material. the judge had to decide whether teaching abstinence only was medically in accurate. 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.

to give you an idea of the national norm, 37 states require the inclusive of abstinence as part of sex education, and 18 states require discussion of contraception in sex education. in california, each school district makes a separate decision. many places include contraception as part of the curriculum. >> we know half of kids by the end of high school are sexually 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. or hiv >> while the debate continues, over sexual abstinence let's not forget that teen pregnancy for women between 15 and 19 happens 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, infectious disease physician in new york, and phillipa joining us from san francisco, a reproductive justice policy director for the 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, students deserve complete accurate health information. they need it at whatever age. the ruling is 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 at risk. schools nee to be a place where young people can get reliable information to help them make healthy decisions. while the ruling is specific to clovest, the lessons about 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 possibily the nation. will the a.c.l.u. target other states next? >> this is based on california's law that requires information be medically accurate, that schools include information about condoms and contraception, as well as the benefits of delaying sexual activity. that is part of comprehensive instruction. other states have medical accuracy requirement. i do think 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. that is inaccurate. there was a video comparing a woman who was not a virgin to a

dirty shoe. that does not have a place in the classroom or help children develop into normal healthy adult, which is what we want from them. . >> wendy, let me bring you in here. 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 abstinence only. that is not a surprise. what was a surprise is parents ideally should teach their children about sex ed. 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 or the internet. not a reliable group, 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 abstinence that we know when it comes to sex education. >> numerous studies looked at comprehensive sex education programs as compared to abstinence. when we talk about comprehensive it includes 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 more 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 sexual education, how dangerous can that be for kids. . >> when you talk about h.i.v. it's life threatening. you could be infecting your partners, baby down the line. you carry it for life. 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 years later. we have statistics. let's bring these up. those are from the cdc 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 teen pregnancy rates than other developed countries. and higher rates of infection. 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 comprehensive education. >> wendy, you heard the numbers, they are serious statistics, do you think that abstinence only

is the right way to go or should there be more of a comprehensive sexual education programme given to the kids. >> ideally we'd like it to be abstinence only. that way we have no s.t.d.s, no unplanned pregnancies that is an ideal 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. both sides want this . they want a comprehensive programme on the risks and dangers associated with unplanned sex. 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 or stds, we want an informed knowledge whenever they choose to be sexually active. we want them to be informed as to the risk. with don want to do it in a fashion promise ing 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, they can 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 sex ed, you need to choose someone that has the expertise, someone that can

have the ability to deliver the information where they eternalise and explain 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 with my kids, but a vast majority support the teaching of this in school. it includes the benefits of delaying sexual activity and condoms and contraception. 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 values, and how as a family they want to address 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 a condom, 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. condoms are extremely effective in presenting stis, 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 and contraceptive use amongst the sexually active. abstinence only approaches have not been shown to have an impact on young people's sexual behaviour. it causes them to think they 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 points that we need to get across? >> i think abstinence should be a component, but you need to provide information about the different kinds of contraceptive methods, condon, birth control pills, iud devices - underutilised, 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 gounder in new york, philiper in san francisco, and wendy patrick in irvine, california. thank you so much.

severe weather in several midwest states. 22 tornds have been reported. we are seeing the first images of the damage in oklahoma homes and property has been ripped apart. no word on injuries there. kevin corriveau is here now. you'll have an update when we come back. >> that's right. we have two tornado warnings in effect in parts of oklahoma and tomorrow we'll see more threat as thunder storms roll north. i'll bring you all the details when we return after this.

breaking news dangerous weather, multiple tornados, moving through several kates. kevin corriveau is here. >> that's right. we'll go to the radar and you

can see the well-defined line. kansas to texas, i'll take you to oklahoma. i want to show you a video that came in. this is outside elma oklahoma. it's a wedged-shape tornado, wide at the base. extreme damage and they tend to stay on the ground for a while. we'll get the reports in and tomorrow, the national weather surface will go in and estimate and survey the damage caused by this tornado, as well as the other tornados that we have seen across the region. we are not done yet. come back to the wall. what we can expect to see through the rest of the evening. going down closer this was the area we are watching the tornado here. at grand tulsa, we are looking at warnings in effect. i mentioned tomorrow the national weather service will go in and look at the damage. when we looked at the tornado in

texas, that was an ef3 tornado, with wind gusts up to 160 miles per hour causing 40 million in damages. right now, across parts of tulsa to the north and the south, tornado warnings are in effect through the next 15-20 minutes. they'll re-evaluate. up here kansas city to texas, we are looking at tornado watches across the region flood something a major problem. because of all of the thunder storms over the last couple of days much of the area is saturated and rain is really causing major problems. tomorrow - we are looking at this, severe weather from texas, all the way up to minnesota. it is going to be another severe weather day keep an eye on it for us kevin. >> damning statements from a self-described whistleblower with the department of veterans' affairs. the senior official told a

congressional committee that the agency is riddled with fraud, waste and abuse to the tune of billions. paul beban explains. >> today i find myself in a position i never envisioned myself to be in. i'm testifying as a whistleblower. >> reporter: that is the deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and statistics at the department of veterans affairs, speaking to a his subcommittee on veterans' affairs. >> i will no longer be a party. >> reporter: he was on capitol hill to talk about a 35-page memo written to ronald mcdonald in march reported by "the washington post", the v.a. has been illegally spending 6 billion a year buying services and supplies from outside vendors without proper contracts, oversight. violating the agencies own rules and federal laws. in the memo he describes a

culture of lawless innocence, chaos, gross mismanagement, a mockery that leads to harm or death. doors are wide open to waste, fraud and abuse, apt the sprawling health care system that tends to 9 million veterans. he faces the blame for the problems on the top brass, accusing senior v.a. officials of ignoring his concerns and deceiving congress. no persons were held accountable for the violations of law. the matters were swept under the rug, and senior v.a. leadership directed my office to approve on institutional ratification for thousands of unauthorised commitments worth hundreds of millions of dollars. >> you can't do veterans like that, you can't treat veterans like this. >> reporter: the memo is the latest scandal for an agency rocked by a series of scandals. revelations of cover up of long wait times for veterans seeking

care led to congressional hearings. >> working together and really meaning it. working together for the good of our veterans. that is what the public expects and that is what i'm committed to. >> look what the public got. the public got - 40 veterans died. >> reporter: and the resignation of eric shinseki, when mcdonald took over he vowed to change course. >> right now the department of veteran affairs has before it the greatest opportunity to enhance care for veterans. >> fry is a retired colonel overseeing v.a. acquisitions. in the memo he said the problems he describes shakes the bedrock of the agency. as a boy he writes:

the v.a. issued a statement about the allegations in fry's memo saying that it is struggling with rapid growth and urging congress to pass legislation to help fix the problems a russian rocket carrying a mexican satellite malfunctioned saturday shortly after lunch the the proson m rocket developed problems 8 minutes into the flight and failed to reach orbit and burned up over siberia. a russian spacecraft malfunctioned. the crew aboard is not in danger shanghai skyline is rapidly approaching the clouds. here are the two new towers. the one on the left is the second tallest building in the world. the shanghai towers opened for a preview. it will not be completed until later this year. the view from the top is looking down at the cloud.

to give you a comparison the tallest building in america is world trade center number one the freedom tower. with the antenna top it reaches 776 feet into the sky. >> fighting over a killer whale. peta plans to sue the miami aquarium for cruel conditions. why the federal government is getting involved. hard earned only on al jazeera america >> part of our month long look at working in america. "hard earned".

>> tuesday. >> i thought we were doing something good. >> bodies donated for science... >> how much regulation exists? >> very little. >> a shocking look inside the world of body brokers. >> got a call from the fbi saying we have your husband's remains. >> an america tonight exclusive investigation. tuesday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. u.s. special sources raided a syrian stronghold. killing a commander, abu sayyaf he was believed to be the chief financial officer of the a dozen firefighters were killed.

this that be up for discussion in "third rail." here is a clip. >> reasonable moderate muslims have to be on muslim websites showing an alternative. i do that there are extremist right-wing jews. i stand up against it. i debate those that no one will. >> here is a difference between you and me. if i go onto a radical muslim website i'll get on a watch list, and you won't. >> why not. geller is on a watch lift. >> i don't know about geale rer. -- geller. >> you mean an american. >> not if you are an anti-violent person. we can change that. >> joining us is imran gharder to talk about his show. thank you for joining us. you have big names on the panel. they are having the fascinating exchange on i.s.i.l.'s influence online. >> that's right, one of our

panel topics is the guys go on twitter, inspire people around the world, each in the united states as we saw. and we were discussing does the u.s. government, if you like have the right to cut the cord and impose censorship on the guys. contention debate. they were saying they want free speech and moderate muslims to go out and engage. he didn't get what fayser patel was saying, see said if i go there, i would be on a watch list. he thought i.s.i.l. want to go after pam geller. she said "no, no the u.s. authorities will go after me." "i see, we can do something about it." that's one aspect. there's a medley of topics. there's a panel of smart people. and they run through a mix of

topics and chime in. let's talk about a topic in the first half hour. your guests tackle religion does it do more harm than good. let's look at another clip. >> you have to remember for all the good that the churches did in furthering civil rights, they were fighting against christian churches in the south, that were - that were looking for segregation. >> that doesn't undo the fact that every meaningful reform movement in the west has been motivated by judaho christian view that promoted... >> every movement. meaningful reform movement. >> yes. >> throughout the world. >> i said in of the western world. motivated by beginning with abolitionism and right through. >> how about gay marriage. >> i don't consider that to be a

legitimate civil right. evangelical christians will not get on board with something like that. it runs counter to what they believe marriage, which has been defined a particular way is religion. always a contentious debate and there you have an atheist, evangelical christian, that must have been spirited. >> we added an imam to it. sound like the start of a cloak, yes. it's contentious. edgy, they are uncomfortable questions. i tried to be tenacious and fair, and give everybody a hard time equally. and they give each other a hard time as well. that is third rail if you like. it's that part of the train track that you don't touch, else something electrifying will happen something dangerous. >> we expect that when you tackle a topic like religion

it's a wide threat. you heard that they brought up gay marriage, you can get on the track of religion and veer off a little to talk about all the different topics that you know can be contentious within the debate of religion. >> absolutely, it was a fiery exchange, going on for three to four minutes, as you see when you watch. it spilled over to the panel. and you saw that. we discussed why is it that in the united states it seems that presidential candidates have to profess to be religious christians to play the game to get elected. i have interesting views on that. >> throw in politics you have everything. >> more to come. >> excellent. thank you so much. tune in tomorrow night for the premier of third rail at 6 eastern, 3 pacific here on al jazeera america stay with us

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hundred of activists paddled out into the water, protesting shell oil's plans to drill in the arctic something the obama administration approved this

week. animal rights activists are threatening to sue the miami sea aquarium over the fate of a killer whale. she has been in captivity for decade in what peta calls cruel positions. jonathan betz explains how the federal government is getting involved. >> reporter: she is miami aquarium's biggest star. but activists call her the world's loneliest orca. living in the same tank and performing for more than 40 years. animal rights groups are promising to sue to free her, alleging many acts saying that she is confined to a small baron tank exposed to the hot sun. activists are encouraged after federal officials added lolita to an endangered species list.

>> this is a new law providing to her. she's a protected animal. >> one issue is the size of the pool. it's 20 feet deep. put not nearly large enough. >> it's the oldest smallest 60 by 80 feet. activists want lol eata released and perhaps reunited with other killer whales in the pacific north-west where she was captured in 1970. it's a wonder she is alive. while she is, she needs to be moved. >> reporter: miami aquarium did not comment about the lawsuit. but we spoke with them this year. >> plain and simple, if you release her, she'll die. >> you are convinced of that. >> absolutely. 100%. >> freeing lol eata would be too traumatic and dismissed allegations that she is suffering. >> she has a trained group of professionals care are for her day in, day out, 365 days a

year night or day. she's cared for better than many children in this world. well it's been almost 40 years since we had a triple crown winner in horse racing. all eyes were on kentucky derby winner american pharaoh to see if he would win the preakness. >> american pharaoh won the preakness yes, it wasn't even close. he blew by the field, winning by seven lengths, all that is left is the belmont stakes in three weeks. by the way, the last triple crown winner was in 1978. that does it for us in new york. pim erica pitzi. more -- i'm erica pitzi. more news is headed your way, have a good fight. -- have a good night.

thousands of refugees stranded on what the u.n. calls floating coffins. myanmar says it's not responsible for the crisis hello, welcome to al jazeera, i'm darren jordon. also coming up the u.s. sends in special forces to syria to kill an i.s.i.l. commander. former egyptian president mohamed mursi sentenced to death for breaking out of gaol during the 2006 revolution. >> i'm in west jerusalem where christians are celebrating the