Today the mother of journalist Steven Sotloff made an emotional plea on a saudirun news station broadcast throughout the arab world. Since stevens capture, ive learned a lot about islam. Ive learned that islam teaches that no individual should be held responsible for the sins of others. Steven has no control over the actions of the u. S. Government. Hes an innocent journalist. Meantime, the family of minnesotaborn isis fighter Douglas Mccain says theyre in disbelief after mccain was killed fighting for isis in syria. Attorney general eric holder says federal prosecutors are running about 100 investigations into u. S. Citizens who may be following mccains lead. The pentagon spoke about that earlier today on Andrea Mitchell reports. When we talk about the potential immediacy of the threat, thats this idea of foreign fighters going over there, getting radicalized, get equipped, get trained, and go back to their home state. Quite a busy day. So many moving pieces. Here to help sort them out, we have kenneth pollack, senior fellow at brookings institute. He worked on president clintons National Security council. Thanks so much for being on the show, sir. Always glad to be here. Thanks for having me, luke. I was interested in an oped written in the Washington Post today where a gentleman basically says that the best way to go after isis is not necessarily eliminate baghdadi, their head, because someone else could fill the vacuum, perhaps someone we do not know. But the best way for the u. S. To eliminate this threat is to go after midlevel leadership and try and decimate them through that capability. What is the best way for the u. S. To go about getting rid of isis militarily at this point, considering theyre using ieds and our air strikes can only go so far . Yeah, look, this is the 64,000 question. What we have learned historically is the way you defeat groups like isis is not to go after the top, not to go after the middle, its to turn the people against them. This is what the u. S. Ultimately succeeded in doing in iraq. We convinced the sunni population of iraq back in 20072008 to finally turn against what was then al qaeda in iraq. It was enormously successful because they wanted them out, and they simply needed our help to do so. Thats what were seeing up in Northern Iraq where the kurds and other groups are pushing back on them. A little bit of american support, weaponry, air strikes goes a long way when youve got the people armed and willing to push back on them. The problem in much of iraq and in much of syria is thats not the case. The people are not armed. Theyre not organized. And in many cases, they are frightened and ambivalent about the threat that al qaeda and isis pose to them because they see other threats. The assad regime, the maliki regime when maliki was in power. These are the real challenges. So it has to be this combined political and military campaign. Lets talk a little more about the political piece of that in iraq. And this is something youve been writing on. Very interesting things. Weve all been talking about how we cant have this divided government. We have to have some sort of a government in iraq that has political legitimacy among all parties. Youre writing about some of the specific asks that the sunnis, shias, and kurds and other groups in iraq actually want. What is a viable political solution potentially look like in iraq . Yeah, this is the huge question, krystal. I think we request look at the situation in iraq and can say broadly its going to have to be a situation where the sunnis get much greater say over their own affairs, maybe they get an autonomous region similar to what the kurds have. Power in iraq is decentralized. The sunnis get a share of oil revenue. The Iraqi Military is thoroughly refo reformed. Thats kind of easy to say. Its actually unbelievably difficult to make it work in practice. Chances are its going to take months, maybe even years. So the key is right now for the u. S. And its allies, the turks, the saudis, groups that actually have influence, within particular the sunnis. Weve got to get them what they need in the near term. Symbolic gestures, initial steps by the Iraqi Government to make them feel comfortable that theyre going to get what they need at the end of the day but they dont try to wait until they have everything they need to start fighting isis. We need them to start fighting isis soon. We cant wait two, three, four years, maybe never, for this political process to sort itself out. The real key is going to be how much can we get them, and is it going to be enough . Symbolic gestures, initial steps, things we can hand them and say, look, this is a clear sign the shia would want to work with you. See if thats going to be enough. Get them to start working against isis with us. Seems like in iraq there are these various constituencies we can work with. Were using our air power and supporting the iraqi kurds, what remains of the iraqi central government. In syria, is there that partner for us . How can we intervene in syria given the vacuum that exists there and try to support something to push isis out . Yeah, you know, at the end of the day, josh, there is a partner. Its called the syrian people. In particular, syrias sunni populous, like the iraqi populous, they really dont have any love for isis. They dont have any love for the nusra front. They see this front as dangerous and imposing harsh conditions on their life. But no one gives them any al person pif. No one protects them from these guys. The average person is not going to turn on them. So they go along with it, no matter how unwillingly. What you find is where it works, youve got to create circumstances where the average person feels comfortable pushing back, where they feel safe enough to do so. And the problem is in syria there is just no one doing that. This has been one of the constant criticisms of the obama administration. And i think to the extent we are looking at how do you actually solve this problem, its something that weve got to look hard at. In iraq, yes, theres the potential there. Maybe if we can get a unified new Iraqi Government, that will allow us to then help them. In syria, right now weve got nothing. What that means is if we are going to really deal with the threat of isis and these other groups in syria, were going to have to build a new group in syria that we actually can back and that the average syrian can put their trust in. Thats not impossible. Weve done it in other places of the world. But its going to require a much bigger effort than the administration has so far been willing to make. Ken, news that iran is sending arms and ammunition to the iraqi kurds to help them in their fight against isis. We see isis is unifying the world in the fight against isis, making nations that dislike each other work together. But this is what we need. We shouldnt have an American Force going it alone. We should have forces from the middle east and from europe helping us combat isis. Yeah, youre right. First, welcome to the middle east. This is how things work there. But we do need to remember that the enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend. In this case, youre absolutely correct. Everybody pretty much hates isis. There arent too many people out there who really like isis. There are some people who will tolerate it, some who may be seeing it serve some of their purposes. In general, everyone is pretty scared of it. That includes the iranians. This is one of those issues. There are a number where we and the iranians do have common interests. I think youre absolutely right. From my perspective, we shouldnt be fighting the iranians on this. If they want to contribute to the common fight against isis, we should be welcoming it. The more countries willing to do so, the better. But we also need to recognize that iran has its own interests. For them, this is a big twofor. On the one hand, they get to help the kurds fight isis. They like that because they hate and fear isis. But theyre also looking for influence over the kurds. Theyre very nervous about iraqs kurds declaring independence because theyre afraid that will pull their own kurdish population away from them. So dont assume this is just out of, you know, some kind of an iranian strategic interest thats perfectly aligned with the united states. There are always dark lineings to go with the silver clouds. Ken pollack of brookings, timely and poignant analysis. We appreciate that. Up next, what every day americans make of all this. One congressman tells us what hes hearing from constituents back home. Plus a setback in the battle against ebola. And later, the difference between a martyr and a saint. Why it matters this week as the cycle rolls on for wednesday, august 27th. Im going to rant. Luke letting loose. You drop 40 grand on a new set of wheels, then. Wham a minivan tbones you. Guess what your Insurance Company will only give you 37thousand to replace it. Depreciation they claim. How can my car depreciate before its first oil change . You ask. Maybe the better question is, why do you have that Insurance Company . With Liberty Mutual new car replacement, well replace the full value of your car. See Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. My golden years will not just be gold plated. I had 3 different 401 k s. E trade offers rollover options and a Retirement Planning calculator. Now i know when im going to retire. Not if. Co until youre sure you do. You need a hotel room bartender thanks, captain obvious. Co which is why i put the hotels. Com mobile app on my mobile phone. Hotels. Com i dont need it right now. Cycling right now, a setback in the battle against ebola. A third top doctor in sierra leone has now died from the virus. He was working in a clinic with he contracted it. Health workers have been the most susceptible because theyve been so close to sick patients. More than 1400 people in west africa have died from the virus so far. Two American Workers flown back here for treatment have recovered and since been released. And turning now to politics. Tons of chatter inside the walls of the white house has the president mulls air strikes inside of syria. But inside of congress, members of the president s own party are growing increasingly concerned about what may be happening under their watch but without their consent. Theyve had a month to hear about those concerns also from main street. Congressman peter welsh has been talking with his constituents back in vermont, where he joins us from this afternoon. Thank you for being with us. Thank you. So congressman, i know something youve been very outspoken about is if we are going to have air strikes, there needs to be a congressional vote. There needs to be accountability for members of congress to stand up and say where they stand on that issue. First of all, do you know how you would vote in such an instance and why . Also, is that something youre hearing from your constituents that theyre really concerned about, that piece of congressional accountability here . There is. A couple things. One, it would depend on what the president requested. I did support the efforts he made to stop the genocide of the yazidis and to protect our personnel in erbil. In that circumstance, it was specific to genocide and protection of american lives. But we also had a circumstance where we had a competent government, kurdish government, and a competent military as an ally of the peshme arga. But if we move now into going after isis in syria, thats a whole different question. Thats us making a move towards assuming major responsibility when, in fact, we can be of assistance but the primary responsibility has to be the people in the region. What im hearing here, its complicated in a way. Theres collective horror about what isis did to mr. Foley. Of course, his parents live just across the river in new hampshire. Also, vermonters were relieved on the part where theo curtis went to Middlebury College and there was a much better outcome there where he was released after two years of captivity in the nusra front. But theres a real skepticism about america taking on primary responsibility. And thats not just war weariness. Part of it has to do with the common sense recognition that having our boots on the ground in iraq did not get the job done because the iraqi political situation was a mess and continues to be. And nation building in afghanistan didnt really get the job done. So i think people here are skeptical of america taking on responsibility to revolve ageold political conflicts that really persist between the sunni and shia in the middle east because thats something they have to fundamentally do themselves. President obama has said that. Congressman, what sort of sense are you getting from your colleagues . Do members of Congress Want to vote on this . Do they want the responsibility for deciding the course of action here, or do some of them prefer to leave it to the president . Well, candidly, i think a lot of folks would say theyd like to vote but hope we dont have to. Theres a reason why i think congress should. We have an independent responsibility. The president as commander in chief has to make decisions about whats required to protect National Security and americans. He has to do that with reference to what he believes is within his legal authority. But congress has an independent responsibility. We never can be successful in any kind of significant ongoing military action unless the American People are behind it. Weve seen what happens when there isnt support to sustain a military action. So one of the reasons i believe so strongly that we in congress have a responsibility, tough as that vote may be, is that congress does best reflect where every day americans are. So i think that both the president and the congress have to step up, and if were going to be supportive of anything the president s doing, we should say yes or no and be held accountable by the people we represent. Congressman welsh, luke russert here. You said congress does the best job of representing where the American People are. Ive gone to a lot of town halls over the last year, and one thing i often hear, whether it be a conservative district or a liberal district, is we do not want anymore boots on the ground. We do not want to commit trillions more dollars to the middle east for a mission we cannot quantify success often. Where do you see your constituents now, especially after the growth of isis, the beheading of mr. Foley . A lot of things are in peoples living rooms on a day in, day out basis, showing how much we should fear this group. Do you think there is some more desire on behalf of your constituents to go to war against isis . I actually dont think there is. I mean, theres nothing that we could do to isis that people wouldnt in a way support. Because if we could just decapitate them, i think people would support it. But going into syria, people have had experience with whats happened in iraq and in afghanistan. And when you actually start thinking about the collateral consequences of significant military action, especially in syria, thats the one place where if theres a competitor for worst actor in the middle east, its bashar al assad, whos murdered, who has tortured, who has beheaded his own people. Hes created a mountain of bodies. Now, how are we going to navigate between the monster assad and the monster isis and somehow have that come out to be a democratic liberal state . So i think theres a lot of practical reservation on the part of every day people who, yes, are horrified at what isis did but are skeptical of any kind of boots on the ground. Thats conservative and lib call districts both. Congressman, let me turn you back to domestic affairs. Georgia congressman hank johnson says he will in september introduce the stop militarizing Law Enforcement act, which will prevent the transfer of military equipment from the dod to local pds. Would you support that bill, and do you think that it has a chance of getting through congress . There seems to be bipartisan support, possibly, for that. Well, its an important discussion. But ive been talking to my local please chiefs and our commissioner of Public Safety here and asking them about that. What they say is no matter what equipment you have, number one, theres got to be real training. Number two, theres got to be tactical judgment. You dont bring humvees and huge vehicles to a demonstration. So theres an immense abomount training thats important in any department thats going to get equipment. Secondly, in vermont we do have some heavy equipment. Its under control of the state police. Its not like every local Police Department has a humvee or some of this heavy equipment. So the real issue here for me will be taking a hard look at what equipment is going out, if it goes to an agency, should that agency have to be trained both tactically and with leadership about how and when to use certain equipment. Because what you saw in my view in ferguson was a tactical overresponse in the use of equipment that made a volatile situation much worse. Congressman peter welsh, thank you so much for your time. And up next, youve heard from the congressman just what will happen when he and the rest of his colleagues get back to washington. We will put that to dana milbank. And coming together in ferguson through football. Sports illustrated with a take on the town that you havent heard until now. So i get invited to quite a few family gatherings. Heck, i saved judith here a fortune with discounts like safe driver, multicar, paperless. You make a mighty fine missus, mlady. Im not saying marks thrifty. Lets just say, i saved him 519, and it certainly didnt go toward that ring. Am i right . [ laughs ] [ dance music playing ] so visit progressive. Com today. I call this one the robox. Live in the same communities that we serve. People here know that our operations have an impact locally. Were using more natural gas vehicles than ever before. The trucks are reliable, thats good for business. But they also reduce emissions, and thats good for everyone. It makes me feel very good about the future of our company. Great. This is the last thing i need. seriously . Lets take this puppy over to midas and get you some of the good ol midas touch. Hey you know what . Ill drive i really didnt think this through. Brakes, tires, oil, everything. whistling in case you miss congress, and who doesnt, theyll be back in a few weeks. Theyll be in washington. We just heard from congressman peter welsh on what hes hearing from constituents back home. Now lets hear from friend of the show and washington wiseman dana milbank. Dana with a recess beard. What a beard. He stole barros beard. Im going to keep growing it until they pass something in congress. Its going to get long. Old man winter. So dana, obviously isis is a very significant issue for the president s Foreign Policy team, and its something voters are paying a little bit of attention to, but we just talked to congressman peter welsh and asked, would your constituents be in favor. People are really part of a war weary nation right now. Do you think isis can at all play in to the 2014 midterms . Youve seen republicans tie this into a culture of incompetence by the obama administration. Or is this really just going to be about the economy, more so than anything in 2014 . Well, luke, its part of the overall stew of issues that is going on here. Thatll be one piece of it. But probably a small piece compared to immigration, to the economy, to jobs and everything else. So i think the congressman made a good point here. He said when hes being candid, most of his colleagues dont want to have a vote on an authorization of a use of force. Theyd like to kind of look the other way, hope the administration can do something to handle it. That seems to be okay for the republicans too because they just like to criticize whatever the administration does. So youll be shocked that i see it highly unlikely that any sort of congressional action on this very important National Security matter. You are hearing, though, more and more democrats, obviously congressman peter welsh in our last segment, but other democrats as well saying we really do want to have this vote. We want people to be on the record. Do you see enough of a Movement Building there . So far its predominantly on the left, although you could certainly see some republicans stepping up and saying the same thing. Do you see that getting much momentum or is congressman welsh more of a loner in terms of actually wanting the vote . I think he is, krystal. First of all, lets be fair. Ive checked the congressional schedule between now and the election. Theyre technically in for 12 days, but six of those are kind of those half days where they just show up at the end of the day for a vote. So lets put it all together and say maybe they have about nine days left. So if the question is anything, the answer is no, theyre not going to do anything about it. I think welsh is a bit of an outlier there. I think a lot of democrats do not want to be put on the spot. Hes quite liberal and would be happy to stake out that ground and safe to do so up there in voth. A lot of others dont want to have to do that, particularly vulnerable democrats up for election. And the republicans arent eager to help them out, so they may seek more aggressive resolutions that are also not really about events on the ground there but about making statements before the election. The big takeaway from what you just said for me is that your beard is soon going to be z. Z. Top long, which im looking forward to. But also, you might have already answered this question. The likelihood of congress doing something about demilitarizing our American Police forces. Are you going to say no chance of that in 2014 . Well, if you push for it, toure, i think you could get it over the top there. If you think about it, hank johnson, like welsh, hes definitely from the liberal wing of the party. Hes got his following. But hes kind of out there. And theres nothing that is being offered by House Democrats or has been for the better part of the last four years thats going to become law now. So you can sort of see even, look, we couldnt even react to the border crisis when there was a very real need for some money to get going. So the fact that they can do something where are the republicans have a builtin entrenchment entrenched opposition, very unlikely. But i dont want to seem so dour, so lets say its possible. Congressman welsh, when toure asked him about it, wasnt willing to say he would vote for it. Sounded like he wouldnt vote for it. Not to mention it wouldnt get to the house floor. Well, harry reid poured cold water on the idea. But other than that, it sounds fine. Other than that, smooth sailing. You brought up the border crisis. I think if youd asked me on august 1st, i would have said this recess was going to be all about immigration. That was before everything went to hell all over the world. That issue, is it going to come back . What do you see happening on that politically, either in congress or with executive actions from the president . Its certainly not going away regardless of what happens. So the big question here, as you know, josh, is the president going to make some significant executive action that republicans can point to as amnesty between now and the election . A lot of democrats, particularly the vulnerable ones, are afraid of that. On the other hand, it could really rile up the democratic base, which is desperately needed if theyre to hold on to the senate. On the other hand, itll also rile up the republican base. So it may be the wiser thing for them to hold off another eight weeks or so. You know, luke, what i take out of this segment with dana talking about it how much vacation Congress Gets is youve got a pretty plum beat down there. I would love to Work Congress hours. Sadly, i cant get away with that. Hes the hardest working guy in the capitol, that luke russert. A low bar. Dana milbank, a man with a wise beard. Thank you so much. Lets shift gears to a truly bizarre story thats cycling now in philadelphia. Police are still piecing together the details after two people were abducted, thrown into a van, and then drowned in a river. A third escaped and flagged down a driver on a nearby road. That lone survivor was stabbed at least nine times. He says he didnt know the two victims, that they were already in the van when he was bound, his mouth duct taped and thrown in the back with them. Cops are now poring through Surveillance Video to try and find out who did it. Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. To fill your Viagra Prescription online . Go to viagra. Com to find out about viagra Home Delivery. Millions of men have some degree of erectile dysfunction. Talk to your doctor, if viagra is right for you, you can fill your prescription at your pharmacy, or check out viagra Home Delivery and get started at viagra. Com ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain, it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. To avoid longterm injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. Stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. Viagra Home Delivery. A convenient way to have prescription viagra shipped straight to you. Go to viagra. Com to get started. Been all fun and games, here at the harrison household. But one dark, stormy evening. She needed a good meal and a good family. So we gave her purina cat chow complete. Its great because it has the four cornerstones of nutrition. Everything a cat needs for the first step to a healthy, happy life. Purina cat chow complete. Share your rescue story and join us in building better lives. One rescue at a time. Do you guys have Identity Theft protection . [ male voice ] im sorry, did you say identity distribution . No. Protection. Identity theft protection. You have selected identity distribution. Your identity will now be shared with everyone. Thank you. No, no, no [ click, dial tone ] [ female announcer ] not all Credit Report sites are equal. [ male voice ] were good in here, howie. Yeah, have a good night, brother. Experian. Com members get personalized help plus Identity Theft protection. Join now at experian. Com. With enrollment in experian credit tracker. [ male announcer ] thats why theres ocuvite to help replenish key eye nutrients. Ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. Ocuvite. Help protect your eye health. Winners and losers on wall street. But its all winning in philly this afternoon. The city is celebrating its Little League team, their homecoming after placing in the semifinals of the Little League world series. Right now the citys famous are perform. And in chicago this morning, a celebration for the American World series champs. What a story here. Its the Jackie Robinson west Little League team, which is the first all africanamerican squad to win it all in 30 years. They also have become a muchneeded beacon of hope for a somewhat troubled city. Folks from st. Louis county are looking for their own beacon of hope. They might look to a Football Team that plays just outside of ferguson. The guys hadnt been able to practice at their school because of the unrest. But they kept on practicing elsewhere, relying on the game to keep their heads straight and their bodice away from the street. Coaches want them to keep from growing up too fast and tell them to focus on their football, forget about the protests, they say. They also say, Michael Brown could have been one of you. Sports illustrated writer robert clemco has been following the comments and coach for weeks. He joins us from chicago. What did you learn about st. Louis county following these boys . Well, i learned that the youth there have a very conflicted relationship with police. Many of them are indifferent, but many of them also have had bad experiences with them. I spoke with a bunch of young men on that high school Football Team, and the big conflict for them was, you know, spending time getting ready for the season and also deciding what to do about this social unrest in their city. Should they participate . And finding out kind of what their Life Experiences lended to their view on the situation. Yeah, one of the interesting parts of your story, you talked about trevor span, our boy whos on the team. He had a rough interaction with a cop, as many of the boys in this area have. So he decided that he hated the cops. A couple years ago, his mother married a cop, and that had made him reassess his relationship with cops, the way he felt about them. He began to see the humanity in cops. There you see and when folks get to really know each other, you cant be an abstraction anymore. You have to see someone as a real human being. Right. You may have read the lawsuit filed in 2012 that has come back to light now against a Ferguson Police officer where a young boy, 12 years old and shirtless, checking his mail at the driveway, was thrown to the ground and assaulted by police. The police claim he had assaulted them. A young man i spoke with by chance had a very similar situation, though not to the same extreme. He was also 12 years old playing tag with his friends in a park. He was accosted by the police, thrown up against a car, searched and interrogated under the catchall excuse, you know, you fit the description of a robbery suspect, which is what a lot of the young men in ferguson who say they have been racially profiled say happens when the Police Approach them. This young man, as you mentioned, his mother met and married a st. Louis police officer, not a Ferguson Police officer, and later on in life, you know, years later as he began to think about it and talk about it with his father, he decided he wanted to be a state trooper in missouri. So like i said, a very conflicted relationship here between these kids and the police force early in their lives. Robert, you have this quote that toure just mentioned from the coach where he tells the kids, Michael Brown could have been one of you guys. What did he mean by that . Was that sort of was it like a keep your nose clean kind of comment, or was it more you need to be aware and active in whats going on in the community here . I think it was part an attention grab in order to get them thinking about this in a responsible way, and also to let them know they need to be aware of their surroundings when theyre Walking Around on the street. People have differing versions of the story in the rumor mill there in ferguson. One version says that the boy was completely innocent, and nobody really does know the truth, but what he was trying to impress upon his team is that they could be victimized in a way that they see Michael Brown has having been victimized. So while the coach was trying to get them to focus on football, for instance, he spent an entire practice having the team watch the civil rights documentary eyes on the prize by pbs. He asked them, had they heard who the black panthers were, and barely any of them had. Wow. So very much with this team and with a lot of the teams in the School Districts in and around ferguson, the coaches during the summer when this has all gone down and theyre not in their classes, have been educators both on the field and off. One comment i found especially interesting from the head coach of the team was he implored his players, dont be a stereotype. How do you think the team reacted to that . Not only in the context of being a Football Team but also in the context of everything thats happened in ferguson over the last few weeks. Right. Well, i think thats a message that the coach has tried to impart upon his team for the last three years. Being a predominantly black school and an allblack Football Team that last had a white player two years ago, certain fans and people who are associated with the team expect certain things of the team. They expect kids to screw up, for kids to have bad grades, kids to get kicked off the team every so often. So the coachs constant message to them has been, dont fit the bill. Dont be what everyone is expected you to be. It especially resonates in the context of all this. They dont want to be in a position where the police can abuse their authority. They always want to be on their toes and doing the right thing so that nothing like what happened to Michael Brown can happen to them. Robert, i think people have been looking at this as one of the uplifts aspects of the ferguson story. How do the kids on the team feel about being in the spotlight like that and the role theyve been playing in the story . That was the best part, just sitting in there and riding the bus with them. They love the attention. They were schooling me on their favorite rap artists, guys that id never heard of and have since become fans of. But these kids are so resilient. And really more media savvy than i think we give them credit for. The one thing i realized in talking with them is that teenagers in this setting, in this experience are viewing and experiencing this crisis in new ways that no teens before them had before. With columbine students, everything was communicated via television and cell phone. But these guys are experiencing everything through twitter and instagram. Most of the kids i talk to first learned about Michael Brown being shot by seeing instagram pictures posted by their friends of him laying in the street for those hours that he was there. So theyre very in tune to what were saying about them, what the local and National Media are saying about them, what their friends and neighbors are saying about them more than any other generation. You have to tell me who those rappers they love are later. Robert, thank you very much for that. Great story. Up next, the surprising thing keeping some couples together these days. Its marijuana. Puff, puff, pass, luke. Plus, a man who gives a lot of folks the giggles. You know him from jimmy kimmel, tosh. 0 and late night with conan obrien. Todd glass is with us next. Trouble makers. Dreamer of dreamers. We are the yao chinese singing oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Years of swedish experience in in perfecting the rich,150 never bitter taste of gevalia. We do it all for this very experience. Thats good. I know right . Gevalia. Morning, hank. What a day, huh . Hey morning, hank. [ male announcer ] for people who dont have allergies everyday, just on allergy days. [ sneezes ] [ groaning ] [ male announcer ] new qlearquil. The powerfully effective, take it only when you need it, so you can be you again, allergy medicine. Boo haha. All right, see you, buddy [ male announcer ] and introducing qlearquil nighttime, the new allergy medicine for night. Qlearquil. Powerful sinus and allergy medicine from the makers of vicks nyquil and dayquil. Qlearquil. 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So get out there, and get the best price guaranteed. Find it for less and well match it and give you 50 toward your next trip. Expedia. Find yours. Cycling right now, a new study from the university of buffalo found married couples who smoke weed together, at least a couple times a month, are less likely to fight or be violent toward each other. Theyre also more likely to get the munchies. The key is smoking it together. So now we know why the family that gets high together stays together. I always wondered that. Something else that can keep couples together is laughter. Every time theres a sign it happens. If you see a sign that says, no diving in the jacuzzi, or must put nozzle back on the pump, that means it happens. Someone went, 30, 40, 50 todd glass has been a standup comedian for more than 30 years. While he can be brutally honest on stage with the audience, it took a brush with death to be honest with himself. In his new memoir, todd talks about coming out of the closet, which he thinks should be called something more manly like busting out of the tool shed. Todd joins us in the guest spot. There you go. Look at that shot. Thats going to be hard. All i do is look at myself. You look very much out of the tool shed now. Wait, what are you saying . So my favorite thing you had in this book is one of your earliest jobs in the early 80s, you were an opening act for Patty Labelle. I think we have some video for our younger viewers who might not know what shes like. You describe getting into a sparkly sequinned dress. I can say as a gay man with a certain amount of experience with these things that opening for Patty Labelle is probably the gayest thing you can do thats not a sex act. My question is, were you fooling anybody . First of all, if the act it wasnt like, you know, i set out to do that. They approached me. Right. Oh, yeah. That wasnt you. I knew a lot of her fans were very flamboyant. But i was so scared that, like, if anybody would i remember one guy was probably hitting on me after a show. Im 19 years old. Look at me now. Imagine when i was 19. Oh, my god. He said something to me, maybe hitting on me. All i did was launch into a story about my fake girlfriend, i think, for an hour and a half. I was like, my girlfriend, my girlfriend, my girlfriend until he got tired and i think fell asleep. With r you wearing the sequinned dress at this point . No, that was something you know, its funny. I forgot that was in the book. That was something her road manager, during that segment youre talking about, she asked people up from the audience. At that time, i didnt really know who Patty Labelle was. I watched her, and she would do this bit where she invited people from the audience to dance. Once of the backup dancers said, oh, you should put on one of her dresses and go out there. I was on the side, so they could see me, but the audience couldnt. I got scared and said, i dont want to do it. Theyre like, do it, itll be funny, and pushed me out there. Were in front of 3,000 people. It was good fun. But and to that point, for your average person staying in the tool shed or the closet is a very incredibly difficult and wrenching task, but when youre a public person and on stage talking about your life, you went to elaborate lengths to hide who you really were. The thing that makes it a little less sad because people would say, you made up stories about your girlfriend. I changed the sex, but they were all real stories, which sort of indirectly proves that relationships are relationships. Not at one point did anybody ever hear me talking about, which was a guy, saying it was a girl and sit in the audience and go, wait a second. Theyre all the same. Sort of the joke me and my friends had is the only reason i would have gotten caught is if i told a story like, im in the bathroom peeing next to my girlfriend. Wait a second. Wow. So talk about why you becamewow became a comedian, did you have a youthful need for attention. Im lonely. Because im bored. When i was younger, comedy made sense to me. Everything else confused me. I had dyslexia and they didnt know that much about it. I couldnt understand anything and all i thought was nobody understands anything, you have to pay attention. Every year i would say youve got to focus and i would sit there literally going focus, focus. And i realize, that was the only thing in my head which i still couldnt learn. When i heard standup comedians, whether they were silly and didnt have anything to say or political things to say or social things to say, it made sense. I loved standup comedy and fell in love with it. I love the way in the book you talk how the standup Community Responded after you came out, you were talking about how youre like, wow, i have a roommate, im 40 something and more embarrassed of that and letting people know im gay and jeff carlin is like theres my favorite gay comedian and youre embarrassed and at first i was, everything is great now and awesome. As Everybody Knows that does it, unless your family has trouble with it when youre younger, its much better. But still not to forget some some kids its still very hard. Especially depending where you live. A lot of people do that in your social circles things are good because you should be commended for your friends being accepting but you cant lose touch with the real world. But being positive, things are better. And yeah, my comedian friends were very funny. I remember i talk about this in the book and got to say that, a lot of authors say that well get to you in one second. He said, hey, look, todd, dont worry about it. Its no big deal. I dont care. I know a doctor, he can help you. And then he goes, maybe do you have a black friend, maybe the three of us can walk around the mall and i can get some pr out of this. I imagine concealing something about yourself has to change the way you approach life and when youre suddenly open about this it might change your perspective. Thats a good question. You like that. Im getting good at this. I dont know why im doing the comedic sides to you because i was honest on stage before, but obviously i couldnt be. Theres definitely things i talk about now that i can be much more open about, things i didnt perceive to be manly before, that ive now talk about, its all makes it much better when youre not hiding something, no matter what it is. Thank you so much for being here, todd. Thank you. Up next, luke lets loose on a collision of politics and religion. Watch out for that. 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Ill let the pope decide who is a martyr among this but it comes on the heels of another conversation about martyrdom, this past week pope francis said the late bishop killed in 1980 would have his path to sainthood be unlocked, quick back story, he was a bishop during the civil war and it was an ugly affair and he spoke out against the u. S. Backing of an el salvad salvadorian army. Romero would later be assassinated by a government affiliated gunman, the vatican saw him as a spokesmen for liberation theology, the faith through the eyes of the poor. Not pop up lar when fighting communism was all rage. Therefore it was blocked by Pope John Paul ii and pope benedict. For a catholic churched thats could be deemed as too political, perhaps more than his poignant comments on contemporary life, he moved to pave the way for sainthood is something that should be celebrated not only from can catholics but those who stand for truth and justice. He was killed doing the works jesus commanded us to do for our neighbor. And also a martyr. Pope francis has moved to make him a saint. In order for that to be complete, a miracle must have occurred. Wheres the miracle with oscar romero, look no further than a story in the daily beast. He covered romero and ensuing chaos following his assassination. At romeros funeral, tens and thousands turned out knowing theres a chance they might be killed. At least 35 died. Most of the dead were crushed in the panic. I was there and can tell you the miracle was that any of us survived. Lets hope he becomes a saint and james foley is remembered whether as a martyr or good man. That does it for this edition of the cycle. Alex wagner starts now. It is wednesday, august 27th and this is now. Growing threat of the terrorist group isis. Dozens and dozens of americans are potentially becoming radicalized and going over and fighting with groups like isil. Estimates are up to 100 americans in the isis force. Conservative estimates suggest 500 british jihadis. Fighters could go over there and get radicalized and come back to the homeland. Were very concerned about the risk that those individuals pose. We have got to repel this movement. Inaction also at a price. There will be air strikes syria. I dont know what will be accomplished by the air strikes. They cannot take territory or hold territory. What exactly are we getting ourselves into . Under what conditions would we be prepared to work with the Syrian Government . Im ezra klein in for alex wagner. There is breaking news this hour, a Law Enforcement official tells nbc news it appears to be true, that a second american was killed over the weekend in syria in the very same