in just shy of eight hours. paul rees, al jazeera. just a reminder, you can always keep up to date with all of the latest news on our website. all of the day's top stories. you will find everything on aljazeera.com. there it is on your screen. aljazeera.com. a kentucky clerk's office is opened and issuing marriage licenses today, but the boss kim davis is not there, even though she is out of jail. the house weighs in on the iran nuclear deal. and the u.s. is facing pressure to revise its response to the syrian refugee crisis. the white house now considering

welcoming thousands more to american shores. ♪ good morning, this is al jazeera america. the office of a county clerk in kentucky is open this morning, but kim davis is not there. she violated a court order, and refused to give licenses to same-sex couples, claiming she was following her chrissian beliefs. the judge said he would set her free only if she did not interfere with the process. john davis says she is not coming to work today. so what is it like there? >> reporter: well, you know, there's a bit of a festival going on behind us, the singing of religion songs, and hymns,

against the idea of same-sex marriage here in kentucky. but no sign of kim davis. we thought she was going to come to work, but then it became clear she is taking a couple of days with her husband and family. we're told she will be back at work on friday or possibly even as late as monday. in the meantime the issuance of marriage licenses going on. and one of the deputies here today was asked directly will you go on issuing if she comes back and tells you not to. and he said i will. and he gave that answer to mark who is in from san francisco. he is here with his partner alan, they have been together for seven years, and they came here to rowen county really to make a point, but because the supreme court said they could get a marriage license anywhere in the united states, they wanted one here, and they got one this morning. here is what mark had to say. >> i think that no matter where we had rights to marry, i think

part of it is that now we have the right to marry everywhere. so i got married in rowen county. >> reporter: and mark says he doesn't think it is right to have jailed kim davis because it makes her a martyr, something in his view she certainly is not. >> without her name on the licenses, so the big question now is are those licenses in if jeopardy? >> reporter: they are funny little things these marriage licenses, they are about the size of a bank check, very tiny and unimpressive looking, but they obviously mean a lot to the geementing them, and they mean a lot to the county in terms of revenue coming in. but the attorney general of kentucky thinks they are legal, though kim davis thinks they are not. she is not happy about these licenses going out. her attorney, said today that in

his view these marriage licenses being issued, the ones that have been issued since last thursday are most definitely up to snuff legally. >> kim davis has asked that her name be removed from the licenses. the licenses were issued without the consent of the clerk of rowen county, and they are not valid. >> reporter: the next thing that needs to happen here is for kim davis to come back to work, and for us to see what she actually does. in the meantime, it must be a little bit destabilizing for people who are getting licenses, both straight couples, and same-sex couples, because they must be wondering whether the licenses really are legal or not. and there's no way of knowing that until this whole thing plays out, jonathan. >> okay. john terrett, we'll see you

throughout the day. thank you. the house of representatives begins its debate over the iran nuclear deal in just a few hours. 42 senators now back the accord, and that is enough to support -- to filibuster to a vote of disapproval. libby the president seems to have the support needs, so why do they want to block the bill from geting to the president's desk? >> reporter: democrats that are supporting the president's agenda would like to see as much support as possible. with 42 on his side, that could indeed keep a bill from even getting to the floor. basically it helps the optics for the president and for the history books if the white house goes down in history as having a congress not fighting them tooth and nail. the white house feels like it will come out better in the end.

we just heard from the house republicans this morning. this is their first day back in washington talking to the press. speaker john boehner still calling this a bad deal and saying a majority of members of congress do not support it. that is the case. the key is how this all plays out procedurally. the house speaker also saying there is a growing movement against this deal, the numbers just may not line up for the republicans, though, jonathan. >> what is the next step, libby? >> reporter: robust debate in both the house and senate. mitch mcconnell the top republican in the senate is calling for everyone to be present here. oftentimes when you see a senator talking in the senate chamber, he is talking to an empty room. well, not this week, they really want to see full attendance and discussion, so you will see it play out. votes could happen as early as this friday, jonathan.

>> a lot of people weighing in on this. including hillary clinton. what does she have to say about all this? >> reporter: the former secretary of state spoke this morning here in washington and talked about how she had traveled the world, twisting arms, as she put it to get nations on board with the sanctions program that she says ultimately lead to iran sitting down at the negotiating table. she says she will make sure that iran does not get a nuclear weapon and laid out what she would do if she does become president. >> i will not hesitate to take military action if iran attempts to obtain a nuclear weapon. and i will set up my successor to be able to credibly make the same pledge. >> reporter: bernie sanders here in the senate does plan to support this deal. and we have heard a lot of republicans weigh in against it. it's not just people vying to be in leadership who are talking

though, we are also seeing john kerry here on the hill, talking to senators and making sure they have the votes they need this week. jonathan. >> okay. libby casey live on capitol hill, thank you. and as that key vote approaches, public support for the deal is falling. a research poll shows just 21% of americans approve of the agreement, nearly half disapprove. mid-july, 33% of the public supported it. and 45% did not. donald trump will be part of a rally against the iran deal in just a few hours on capitol hill. we'll be joined by ted cruz and sarah palin. the rally is expected to draw thousands who oppose the agreement. josh earnest has called the event a big pro-war rally. this morning investigators are trying to figure out why a british airways jet caught fire

in las vegas. flames and thick smoke started billowing below the wings last night. the plane was about to take off, but the flames forced the pilot to abort. >> you could see the flames and smoke and that's when it hit me. >> meme went to the back, the slides came down, and the smoke started flowing in, and there was a look of panic on the crews' face. >> passengers praised the pilot for quickly getting everyone off of that plane. secretary of state john kerry is on capitol hill to discuss the refugee crisis in europe today. it comes as the u.s. considering new options on how to help. mike viqueira reports. >> reporter: last week the white house said the europeans had the capacity to handle it. but as the refugee crisis grows,

the u.s. is he thinking its approach. >> it does appear that the situation is worsening. and that's why the united states is going to continue to consider additional steps that we can take to help those countries that are bearing the brunt of this burden right now. >> reporter: the obama administration is quick to point out that the u.s. has given $4 billion to help syrian refugees, more than any other nation, but as the tide swells, the number granted entry into the u.s. has been tiny compared to come european nations like germany who said it will take in some 800,000 this year. compare that to the u.s. taking in 1500 refugees since the civil war began five years ago, 1300 coming this year. during their civil war, an estimated 4 million syrians have left their homes, most going to neighboring countries like turkey and jordan. now many are on the move. opponents of allowing more

refugee into the u.s. say there could be terrorists hiding among their numbers. >> we have to balance that against the proper vetting procedures to make sure that particularly when we're bringing in people from that part of the world, that we're thing it safely and security. >> reporter: the u.s. has brought in around 70,000 refugees every year. >> it certainly is clear that we are going to need a more robust response from countries around the world. that includes countries in the region that we have already seen countries in europe step up, and offer up additional support. >> reporter: if the president allows more into the

united states, congress would have to approve any more spending. while european countries and the u.s. face pressure to do more, some arab nations are also facing criticism. there are complaints that wealthy countries along the arabian gulf have not done enough. >> the syrians know that they will not be welcomed, there's no pathway to citizenship in the gulf countries. there have been hundreds of thousands of syrians in the gulf states over the years, but they come in for a job, they are expected to leave, and they are compelled to leave if they no longer continue with their employer. the hope is that in europe they will move on and perhaps move into citizenship in those countries or the west. >> the uniteder arab emirates

defended its response. it says it has given more than $530 million in aid, and provided residency to more than a hundred thousand syrians since 2011. school officials are considering this hit on a refugee assault. but the players say they were provided.

the board that oversees sending in baltimore has unanimously approved a $6.4 million settlement with freddy gray's family. gray's death sparked protests and some rioting. six police officers have been charged in the case. baltimore's mayor spoke about the deal a short time ago, she responded to critics who say the settlement could be interpreting of the officers being guilty before they stand trial. the city says the deal does not acknowledge any wrongdoing by police. officers near san antonio are considering whether to file criminal charges against two high school football players who tackled a refugee during a game. but the players are levelling accusations against the ref and one of their own coaches. >> reporter: the incident

happened last friday in a game between two san antonio-area schools. and the two players involved are telling school officials what they did was not unprovoked. >> the incident is shameful to us, and deeply troubling to all of us. >> reporter: the fallout continues from the behind the back hit on a texas high school football referee friday night. the two players remain was pebded from the team and the school. now as local police decide whether or not to charge the players with a crime, the pair say that umpire robert watts directed racial slurs at them. >> they are in the process of filing an official complaint about the racial slur allegation. >> reporter: on the website, the referee is reported as saying, quote: and the austin football

officials association says the referee is wanting to press charges. the players were also angry about perceived slights watts committed against them in last friday night's game. >> the players were feeling lots of frustration by what they perceived to be missed or wrong calls by the refs. >> reporter: the two players say that lead one of their coaches to tell them to take revenge. >> the student allege that an assistant coach said that guy needs to pay for cheating us. >> reporter: that coach is this man, a former star, and college football player, he is now on paid administrative leave while the district looks into this allegation. >> i'm not going to speak for the coach now, but i can only assume, allegedly, maybe the emotions got the best of him. >> reporter: it's a misdemeanor

punishable by up to six months in prison and a thousand dollars fine. back to you. john henry smith thank you. one of the nation's largest insurance companies is looking for hundreds of workers online. they are holding a virtual open house today trying to fill it, customer service sales, and a couple of other positions. and by the way, chipotle is also hiring. they hope to add 4,000 jobs today. it's all through a national career day event across the country. most positions will be entry level with no specific experience required. as students return to school, more experts are saying they should start their day later, and there are biological reasons why.

♪ and there he is, steven colbert takes his debut with host of the late show with a presidential hopeful on the hot seat.

welcome back. seattle teachers are striking this morning for the first time in 30 years. and it has lead to the cancellation of the first day of

school. this comes after contract talks broke down last night. the district said it offers a generous pay raise, but teachers say they deserve more. the district wants teachers to work longer days, but the union says that comes with no extra pay. and they say the district gives too many tests that simply aren't useful. getting up early for school can be a challenge for students and their parents. researcher now warn that waking up early is not only tough on the body but can impact a student's ability to learn. >> reporter: it's a cliche because it's true. exhausted and grumpy teenagers barely able to drag themselves out of bed and get to school each morning. but now there's a growing chorus to start the school day later.

most schools in this country begin classes earlier than the recommended 8:30 am start time. the result, according to health professionals, tired and sleep-deprived students who don't get the eight to nine hours of sleep each night doctors say they need. >> sleep deprivation has been studied extensively and has significant impact. >> reporter: an impact that can lead to poor school performance. and even dangerous effects on teens. >> teenagers who are sleep deprived are more depressed. they have more accidents when they drive. it can cause behavior issues, learning issues, [ inaudible ] has been linked to sleep deprivation. >> reporter: between 75 and 100%

of public schools in 42 states started classes before the recommended 8:30 am start time. and two out of three u.s. high school students sleep less than eight hours a night on school nights due to early wake-up times. >> every station in the nation has the state of minnesota did many, many years ago, should delay the school start for teenager. not make it earlier, which is exactly what is happening today. >> reporter: but opponents of an earlier start time say pushing back classes comes at a price, including an increase in bus costs and less time for after school sports and jobs, a small price to pay, say some, who in the meantime encourage parents to begin getting kids ready for their new schedules now. >> i would recommend for parents to start a couple of weeks

before the school onset. so start waking up the teenager earlier, so they can get used to the new schedule that they are going to have to have in school. ray suarez reporting there. a lifetime achieve for queen elizabeth. she is now britain's longest-serving monarch. ♪ >> there were no official celebrations, but the queen did receive some pomp and circumstance in scotland where she opened a new rail line there. she has now been on the thrown for more than 63 years, that surpass's queen victoria's mark. and this morning serena williams is two wins away from tennis history. she is headed to the semifinals after beating her sister in a classic display of sibling

rivalalry. >> reporter: with that point, serena williams moved one step closer to being the first woman since 1988 to win all four grand slams in a single year. she hugged her big sister after defeating her in four sets at a sold out stadium in new york. >> i think i look back on it fondly. it means a lot to me, obviously. we are very, very tough competitors on the court, but the second it's done, you know, we're sisters, we're roommates. >> i just said i'm so happy for you, and i don't remember what else i said after that. >> reporter: serena has won against her sister 16 times in their 27 matches, but this edition was not easy for serena, venus won the second set, and gave her little sister a run for her money. >> it was down to the match

point it just was not easy. it was probably the toughest match i have played in a really, really long time. >> reporter: serena started celebrating wins shots with big fist pumps out of view of her sister. she said the match was an testament to how far they both have come. >> i think it's the greatest story in tennis, how we started and grew up, and how we are able to win championships and be such inspirations for so many women across the globe. i mean it doesn't get better than that. it is a great story and a great match. a star-studded debut for stephen colbert as he takes the helm of the late show. among the first get was jeb bush. >> i'm going to say something that's hair tick, i guess, i don't think barack obama has bad motives. i just think he is wrong on a lot of issues.

>> oh, you were so close to getting a clap. you were this close. you have got to pause until they clap, and then hit them with what they don't want to hear. that's hard. >> if you start with the premise that people have good motives, then you find common ground. >> because for seven years on the republican side the emotional needle has been nailed bang, in one spot obama bad. >> colbert brought some sarcastic political it with, and poked fun at donald trump. >> yes, everybody likes trump. even white supremacists, which is amazing, because trump is not even white. he is more um pa lum pa-merican. >> and he also thanked david

letterman. that does it for us for this half hour. the news continues right now from doha. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello and welcome to the news hour. this is al jazeera live from doha. here is what is coming up in the next 60 minutes. >> we have to accept these people on the european territory. [ applause ] >> the european commission president proposes a mandatory process system for 160,000 refugees. rebels in syria seize an air base in idlib province from the assad government after a two-year battle.