we begin tonight with iraq and what could be a serious blow to isil's top leadership in that country. the pentagon says three of the group's senior military leaders have been killed in recent air strikes. the coalition has expanded attacks on isil and is planning a major offensive next year. mike viqueira is at the white house with more. mike? >> reporter: john since coalition air strikes began in august, they number almost 1400 now. and today they say they have taken the lives of several top leaders. including the leader of isil forces which swept so dramatically out of syria, taking large swathes of area in iraq. and a governor of the disputed area of mosul, which of course still is in the hands of isil forces. in an interview today the pentagon said it has degraded isil significantly. >> and iraqi forces are still not ready to fight on their own, so how long will that take? >> that's right. and top pentagon officials say that isil is going on defense now. they are not taking over more territory. they say they are being very careful about when they strike, who they strike, cooperation with iraqi forces still very confusing. they don't want any friendly fire incidence, including with any of the sunny tribes. american trainers are arriving. it is well-known in the judgment of american military officials many iraqi units are not viable now. james terry commands all coalition forces in iraq, and he let it be known that training iraqi forces was going to take much longer than anticipated. >> i think we have made significant progress in halting that offensive that i talked about, the ability to continue to expand in terms of terrain and geography out there. i think what we must do, especially inside of iraq is continue to build those capabilities. i think you are talking a minimum of three years. >> and john that involves american military involvement and training those iraqi forces to take the fight to isil. >> thank you very much. >> northern iraq fighters say they have broken the siege of sinjar mountain. sue reports. >> reporter: we head to the top of the mountains with the man in charge. this is their fight. this is their land. he brought weapons and ammunition, but it's far from enough to hold back the isil fighters who launch attacks daily in an effort to control this strategic mountain range. to get to his own village, we pass towns and villages now controlled by isil. homes that the volunteer force are determined to take back. >> translator: we fill we need to take revenge because of what they have done to our people. we want to fight them, to defeat them. >> reporter: this is just two kilometers from the isil front line, and home to one of the most sacred temples. an hour before we arrived a truck had driven up to the edge of the village packed with explosives. >> translator: they drove a big truck with other fighters providing covering fire. we fought well against them, and they didn't get into the village. i fired an rpg and it was on target. >> reporter: his commander says he had left the mountain to meet the kurdish president. >> translator: i just came back from meeting with the president and asked for support with weapons. he gave his word that we would get them as soon as possible. i'm sure if we got these weapons we would drive isil out of the whole area. >> reporter: but not today, we're soon under attack with five mortars falling within 30 meters of his home. the push on isil positions surrounding the mountain cannot come soon enough. we're advised to leave, but be isil surrounding on three sides we have no choice but to climb up the mountain. now we're walking up the mountain because the town has just come under too much fire, i can see plumes of smoke already. they appear to be aiming at the church that we were filming at earlier today. >> reporter: the fighters told their ground for now, the kurdish forces are pushing on isil to the east and north of the mountains. villages they must take before they can help the aseedy win back their land. they say the push has been successful much because of the hell of the coalition air strikes. they say ten countries have been involved in those air strikes in the past ten days. and now we wait and see whether or not they can win back this land. mike lions is a retired army nature at the truman national security project. mike, welcome. >> thank you, john. >> let's start with the pentagon saying that three isil leaders were killed. is this a turning point? >> not yet. the key now is to go on the offensive and put no time between them being killed and going on the offensive. they very a very deep bench of former officers that could fill in. >> and then win back sinjar mountain, these are little steps, big steps? >> the question is holding it. none of these forces have been able to do that. again, time will tell whether they will keep sinjar mountain. >> you talked about the importance of fighting isil with ground forces. is that still necessary? >> i'm not sure that decision is going to get made just yet. general dempsey is setting the conditions inside of iraq for this offense to take place in the coming months. >> so a big push in the first of the year. what could that mean? >> it means iraqi security forces coming up the anbar province, and the valley. the mow cuss is going to be mosul. >> why mosul? >> million people in that city. it would be a significant win back for the iraq government. the first time, really, they have won back a major operation from losing. >> what about iraqi forces, we talked with mike viqueira about when this might happen. and how long it takes? you would have thought all of these years of the u.s. training wouldn't need to be done. but obviously it does. how long? >> they are saying three years total for isil to be defeated. but right now the initial focus is just gaining small victories as they work their way back up. >> how can we be sure that the iraqi forces really are behind this? that they really want to do this? >> that is going to be measured likely in the situation on the ground. how isis reacts to them losing. there's no question the air strikes have blunted their operations, and if we show them going back inside of syria and consolidating them, then the iraqi security forces and iraqi government can say we're winning. >> is this still an international effort? >> it is international probably in thought, but not a lot of action at this point. these are mostly u.s. air strikes. i wouldn't say they have their hands in their pockets so to speak, but, again, the u.s. has to do the heavy lifting now -- >> from the air. >> from the air. >> and to help with planning? >> to help with planning and the situation on the ground. if we don't have the right people on the ground chor coordinating -- >> so after some time it appears the u.s. is making some progress? or am i pushing it too far? >> general dempsey would say so far so good. it's going as planned. we all would like more results, but they are not going to retreat. isis is going to continue to do what it can to try to win back certain cities. >> thank you very much. many are hailing the dramatic changes in u.s. and cuban relations. but the development is causing some confusion in some cuban communities and familiar list. morgan ratfort has more. >> reporter: while the political risk seems to be shrinking, in fact this has left many children of cuban disdance at odds with their own family. the reaction here is hardly universal. take this family. like so many other families, the generations collide when it comes to talking about u.s. policy towards cuba. >> my parents are very, very upset. they feel hurt that the cuban community -- the cuban american community in the united states was not consulted. my parents just like many here feel very betrayed by the american government, because everything that they have gone through, and everything that has happened was not taken into consideration. fidel castro caused the death of many, many lives. >> they are exiles who fled the island as children and really had no intention of going back, but their daughters saw things differently. they wanted to explore the country for themselves. we first met them last year on the 60th anniversary of the cuban revolution. the sisters along with their dad had just returned from cuba, javier's first time back in 43 years. >> you are paying a lot to go back. a lot of that money is going right to the government. and they want to see where i grew up. >> going to cuba did not change his perspective at all. i believe that there are certain things about this move that can really help the cuban people if we react responsibly. >> this was his father last year, her mother still refuses to set foot in cuba. for her the revolution destroyed her family. regina is cautious yet optimistic. her trip has left an image of what an open cuba can do for her, and her peers living inside cuba. well, john, that trip reopened some old wounds for regina's parents, but she says the real france -- transformation is going to come from her generation and her generation in cuba. >> there is new hope tonight of financial opportunities ahead for cubans. >> translator: with these new relations, cuba is hoping for prosperity. it is great news for the end of the year. the economy is going to grow, relations will improve. following 56 years of revolution, this is the best that can happen to our people. >> still while the u.s. is opening diplomatic relations with cuba, the trade embargo will remain in place. in that embargo has isolated cuba and created a rift between the u.s. and some of his latin america neighbors. >> reporter: a photo opthat sums it up. raul castro welcomed with open arms. more than 50 years after washington called for the expulsion of communist cuba from the organization of american states, it is the united states that has become isolated from its neighbors. the highly unpopular u.s. economic embargo against cuba, a thorn that has diminished washington's leadership in the americas. that's why it's more than just a gesture to cuba. south american leaders gathered here in argentina applauded the announcement, and what some described as the audacious move by president obama. and while it will not iron out all of the differences, it could as one analyst put it, signal a new beginning. >> translator: i want to recognize president obama for his brave gesture, one that is necessary. he has taken what may be the most important step of his presidency. >> reporter: for ordinary cubans renewing diplomatic ties signals the beginning of an end of a cold war that has marked their lives for generations. and while the embargo against cuba won't be lifted just yet, the easing of restrictions will have a major impact on a country struggling to survive. >> translator: it will be an economic shock treatment in the positive sense. it will mean more trade, more tourism, and more investments from the united states, which will help the people of cuba who suffered an embargo for more than 52 years. >> reporter: the next summit of the americas will be held in april, and thank to the significant announcement for the first time in more than half a century, leaders from every nation in the americas, without exception will be able to sit at the same table. >> we are joined by a cuban american and high school teacher. she moved to the united states with her family when she was three years old. she is in miami tonight. let me ask you, what does this announce mean for your and your family? >> hi, thank you, john, for your question. this has meant a lot of discussion. let me tell you. cubans, we get very rowdy, and we have so many different points of view. if there were political parties in cuba, there would be so many. this has been a lot of strain on my family, mostly because my grandma has a lot of pain, and my mother as well, and same with my father. and none of them agree, and it has caused a lot of friction. >> what do they say to you about this? >> okay. so my grandma, she has gone so far as to call me a communist for celebrating this victory, to say they should go back to cuba. thanks of that nature. but i understand her, because she is coming from a place of severe pain. and at the end of the day, i understand all of that. but as a young person that has seen what democracy, that lives here, that can express ourselves, i realize that, you know, this is a positive step in the right direction. americans are going to be travelling to cuba. i mean how big is this? they are going to be travelling freely. they are going to be bringing their credit cards. this is huge. i'm really excited. >> you actually traveled to cuba -- three times in the last couple of years. tell me about that trip. what was it like for you? >> yes, well, actually i have traveled three times just this year. it's been fabulous. i hadn't been back for 20 years. i left when i was three. i -- it was really an emotional time to recontact with my roots, and to live the reality instead of reading about it. and for me i saw a lot of contradiction. i saw that there was just -- no one has the right story. what i heard at my university, what i heard on the news here in miami, wasn't the same as what i lived there, and what i hear there, and what i saw there was a lack of information, as a matter of fact, again, did not depict the reality of things. so i think ultimately forming your own opinion is crucial, and for that you need to go to cuba. you need to live here. you need to travel. traveling especially in this global day and age. and it's a shame that neighbors -- cuba just 90 miles off of the coast of key west, a neighbor, has been isolated for more than 250 -- 50 years. it's appalling. >> i understand you have friends in cuba. what is their reaction to this announcement? >> yes, i do have friends in cuba. they are happy. they are suspicious about some things, but as a whole they are really, really happy. they are curious, and eager to talk to americans to see what credit cards are like, how they function, you know, all of that, as well as more internet. they are k looking forward to more internet in cuba. i think a lot of them are not oh bailiffous. it's hard to keep them away from what is out there. information is being passed around in cuba. so they are really just excited to be able to freely engage with the computer and look up whatever they want. they have a lot of hunger for information, and cuba has not done a good job of informing and educating its citizens, and this is a step in the right direction. >> all right. let me ask you this question. do you think if you had experienced the things your grandmother did, if you had experienced the things that she saw and felt and heard, that you might feel differently about this? >> undoubtedly. i think that i have to acknowledge my grandma's place of pain. i -- it would be cruel of me not to. however, i think she is stuck in the past. i think we need to stay away from that. we need to be proactive and take action. a policy that hasn't worked for more than 50 years, you know, needs to be changed, and it's getting there. that's really -- that took a lot of courage, and i'm grateful that obama took that step. i also think that honestly, this is -- this has been a long time coming, and my grandma is just stuck in the past. the future needs people that are optimistic that want to talk, that want to agree to disagree, that want to have debate, you know, that want to try something new. cuba needs something new. and it needs to try freedom of expression to foster creativity. part of the reason there are no jobs, is because the creative people leave because there's no opportunity. so i'm really really just happy that something is happening. something is changing. change no matter what will always push people to think harder and better about their choices and what to do moving forward. so i'm excited. i hope the cuban government also reexamines itself, realizing it has been in control for more than 50 years and gets off of that power platform. >> i would love to be at the dinner table and hear the discussion with your family this year about this issue, because i'm sure it would be an interesting one. elaine that it's good to have you on the program. thank you very much. >> thank you, john. coming up next, holding them accountable, the chemical company executives now facing criminal charges over pollution. and the sony hacking case, why some are doubtful that north korea is responsible. ♪ in west virginia, federal criminal charges have been filed in a case of corporate pollution. the huge chemical spill contaminated water for hundreds of thousands of residents back in january, and now several executives could face serious time. >> the u.s. attorney general did not pull any punches on this. he called the company's actions grievously unacceptable, and put an entire population needlessly at risk. people in charleston, vest virginia had never seen anything like it. >> i will never use the tap water here again, ever. >> reporter: now months later, indictments against the executives in charge. >> we have to make crystal clear that those who would commit violations like this are held accountable. >> reporter: this week six employees with freedom industries were charged with violating the federal clean water act. for a leak in january that sent a chemical used to clean coal into a creek, and the water supply for 300,000 people in west virginia's largest city. >> can't cook. can't bathe. can't clean dishes. you can't mop the floors. because you can't get your hands in there. >> reporter: the indictment accuses the company of a range of violations. they say it was more concerned about profits: and to comply with environmental laws was ignored. >> we remain committed to protecting public health through the appropriate investigation of significant violations, which this clearly was. >> reporter: the charged executives plan to plead not guilty, calling the charges baseless, since they do not own the company. at the center, gary southern, a constant and controversial figure during the disaster. at the time many accused him of being dismissive. >> look, guys, it has been an extremely long day. >> reporter: a line he is still repeating. >> did you lie to protect yourself? >> no. >> reporter: he faces the most charges. arrested this week and accused of lying about his role with the company that has declared bankruptcy after the spill, his attorney said: in charleston it took weeks for many to trust the water, something most will never again take for granted. >> you don't think where your water comes from, until you don't have it. >> reporter: southern could face 65 years in prison if convicted. there was a plea deal that the company will not seek money for the victims. >> thank you. federal prosecutors have sued the city of new york. a justice department investigation of reichers found what it called a deep-seated culture of violence towards young inmates. the new york mayor announced the end of solitary confinement for 16 and 17 year olds. up next, the sony picture's hacking case, how washington is taking it very seriously. plus we'll hear from one of the survivors of the horrific attack at a pakistani school. and we ask why officers sometimes turn off body cameras. ♪ >> hi, everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. sony pictures hack. another movie canceled after threats. why the white house is investigating the breach. putin's promise. is a russian rebound on the horizon. police tactics, one department with a history of corruption and brutality. can body cameras turn things around. and new york subway as you have never seen it, the photographer bringing into focus a pivotal moment in american history snft the white house says it is considering a response to the cyber attack on sony pictures, but officials are not saying publicly whether they think north korea was involved. jamie mechanic entire reports. >> they still not fingered north korea publicly. but there was a number of meeting at the white house. >> taken out. >> for drinks? >> reporter: sony canceled the release of "the interview" after the four largest theater chains said they wouldn't show it, because of a threat from hackers that cryptically referred to the 9/11 attacks. >> this is something that is being treated as a serious position thattal security matter. there is evidence to indicate that we have seen destructive activity with malicious intent that was initiated by a sophisticated actor. >> reporter: reports quote u.s. fibl officials as pointing an accusing finger at north korea. the u.s. is still considering how to respond, but homeland security secretary, said the attack is being taken very seriously. >> it involves an attack not only on that company, and it's person el, but also on freedoms we enjoy in this country. the freedom of artists and entertainers to produce movies, and the freedom of certain citizens to go see movies. so the u.s. government is considering a range of options that we'll take in response. >> reporter: john mccain issued a statement calling the u.s. response, quote fortunate -- quote fortunate -- quote: but the white house cautioned whoever was behind the attack may have been seeking to inflame relations. >> sophisticated actors when they carry out actions like this are oftentimes, not always, but often seeking to provoke a response from the united states of america. >> reporter: the white house says any response would be proportional, which seemed to rule out military action. if north korea is the option, the options are limited. some in congress want to impose additional penalties to wall the country off from the international banking system, and the u.s. is capable of engaging in cyber attacks as it reportedly demonstrated a few years ago when it disabled iranian nuclear centrifuges. jamie thank you. let's now take a closer look at why some blame north korea and why some don't. >> reporter: john, it's not clear why everyone is so convinced that north korea is responsible here and that's because the evidence is pretty thin. it may be the white house has access to other information that it doesn't want to share, perhaps that requires invading the cyber infrastructure of north korea in a way they don't want to admit, but we have two available pieces of information. one of the computers used in this was set to be used in korean, the language of korean was the primary language of that computer. the other is that one of these attacks seems to have come through bolivian servers that have been associated with north korea. but in a court of law, this would be very, very thin evidence. here is what we do know. for one thing there isn't a sub culture, a public culture of hacking. and that's because unlike russia, the united states, china, the internet is not available to the north korean public, so they don't really get to grow the sub culture naturally the way we do here and in other countries. instead they have created a bureau 121. an elite military unit, about 3,000 to 5,000 hackers. bureau 121 is specifically aimed at hacking attacks. but here is sort of where it departs from what we have seen so far. they tend to do very military-style attacks. wipe out data in a kind of brutal way. there is no disseminating of it publicly. it requires almost a sense of humor that the north korean military has not displayed in the past. and they tend to time those attacks to certain anniversaries. there is no discernible anniversary here. so in terms of both a brood cultural sense of north korea and how it has operated in the past, and in terms of the bare bones sort of cyber security evidence, john, we're not really seeing the clear evidence that you would want to see to pin this on that country. peter shankman is a technology and media and marketing consultant. welcome. when whe first started talking about this, would you have ever imagined it would have escalated the way it has. >> no one would. for them to cancel a $44 million movie three days before launch, is just unheard of. they are scared. >> did north korea do it or not? >> if they did -- it is true that north korea does recruit the smartest kids out of school and have them work for the government hacking and creating viruses. on the flip side i don't think it was necessarily a hack -- we think of a hack -- when we think of some guy in a basement somewhere typing in lots of code. someone got to a top exsec, and he has a little too much to drink -- >> that's totally a theory -- >> it's a theory. because we're not very secure when it comes to our pass words. >> but it is a way in. >> it is a way in. it's someone being stupid and not having a strong pass word -- >> if many cases that is how it happens. >> exactly. >> so somebody else could be behind it -- >> absolutely. i don't believe it is another company. >> somebody with a vendetta -- >> north korea of course has denied it, but they also call it a wonderful deed. we talk more about north korea than we have since dennis rodman visited there. >> is it possible to figure out who has done this? >> yes. >> it is? >> our latest sources guess that -- anything we want to guess. we're never going to know exactly how this happened. the same way that america has never confirmed the fact that they inserted spyware into iranian nuclear fusers. it is going to hurt sony, but god forbid, they released this film, and one loan wolf walks into a theater, like in aurora they are dead. the ripples are spreading fast. and you are not seeing any other company come to sony's defense, because let's face it we all have emails like this. >> are we never going to see the interview. >> it is available online. i have seen the scenes that north korea protested about the most -- >> why not release it on pay per view. >> mitt romney said in a tweet that sony should release the film, and ask for a $5 contribution to fight ebola. that's a great idea. >> are they afraid? >> yes. >> of what? >> i think the theater aspect is minimal -- >> the release of more information? >> the release of more information. >> they are worried that more damaging information could come out -- >> your phone has gigabytes, and then there's ter and bites. they stole the ending to the new bond film, and now they are rewriting it. if i were sony it's not a bad idea to cave only to hope they don't do this again. >> what about the other film companies in hollywood -- >> there was a meeting last week between the fbi and all of the heads of the studios where they said you have got to be aware this could happen. >> what could they do though? if your theory is correct -- >> all it takes is one way in. that's really all you need. and if nothing else, i think the studios are getting much smarter about how to protect themselves. >> who has access -- >> right. what was the line with -- we should really bump up our security, i guarantee you is now a top line emergency. >> interesting discussion. peter thank you very much. on wall street today stocks saw their biggest gain in three years. the dow raised 400 points after the feds promised to keep interest rating low for now. in a news conference today, vladimir putin said russia's economy will rebound, but it might take a while. rory challands reports from moscow. >> reporter: they call this the president's big press conference, and they are not wrong. a list of thousands, journalists, a question-and-answer session that goes on for hour. this week it came on the week the rubble fell through the floor. >> translator: as you may know the situation has changed under the influence of foreign economic factors, primarily the price of energy resources. i believe the government and the central bank are taking appropriate measures in this situation. we would question the timeliness or quality of the measures taken, but generally they are kt ag adequately. >> reporter: the economy he believes are recover in the next few years. putin asked why russia was considered aggressive when it is any u.s. that has missiles and military basis spread across the world. russia is like a bear, independent and fierce. >> translator: maybe he should stop chasing pigs and bores around the forrest, maybe then he will be left alone, but no, he won't be. because someone will always try to chain him up, as soon as he is chained they will tear out his teeth and claws. >> reporter: on the streets the reaction ranged from admiration to despair. >> translator: our country is rich and huge. i don't understand why everything is going this way. i sympathize with putin, but i don't believe he will solve this problem. it is always like this in russia. >> translator: he didn't say anything global. all of the real things are to be done quietly behind closed doors, and not on a press conference. >> translator: vladimir gives me optimism. he says the right things. i think he understands how normal people live. he can sense the situation. >> reporter: russia's economy he said will bounce back stronger. russia is not the aggressor in the ukraine, and the united states is and always has been trying to keep russia down. and for anyone looking for signs that putin is a chasened or worried leader, there were non-unless you consider the length of the press conference, just three hours, rather than the usual five. president obama signed legislation today authorizing new sanctions against russia. they take aim at russia's defense and oil industries. the president has said he has prepared to roll back sanctions if russia ends its involvement in ukraine. in northern nigeria there are reports of another mass kidnapping and murder. 185 were kidnapped. local officials say they suspect boko haram. the incident happened in a small town. the town is not far from where boko haram kidnapped more than 200 girls in april. now to pakistan a country still in shock after tuesday's attack on a school. 166 people died. the vast majority children. mohammed met with some of the survivors and their families. >> reporter: this man has only one child. he is now in hospital bed fighting for his life. with whispered prayers and suppressed tears, she is trying to combat her worst fear. >> translator: when i heard that my son was shot, i ran toward the school in panic, but luckily when he answered his foin he tried to calm me down, and told me mom don't cry. i'm okay. even though he was bleeding. i am proud of my son. he is such a brave boy. >> reporter: he is in the ninth grade and was in the school auditorium when the attack began. shot in the chest he fell down and was bleeding, but his father tells me he was brave enough to crawl away and call his family. and a 12th grader who was shot in the groins and had his left ear chopped. this eighth grader was shot in the back. this ninth grader has a gunshot wound in the arm. >> translator: they looked like just animals. they were animals, long hair, long beard, and a cap on the head [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: he and the other students are now in a stable condition unlike a few others with more serious wounds. we are now inside the intensive care unit. out of the 121 students wounded in the attack, ten were brought here. one died on the first day, and three are still on life support. the familiar list of these young victims aren't even allowed to see them. we're told it is meant to prevent shock awrong the parents. outside families gathered to show their anger at the authorities. they blame the army and the government for having failed to maintain security in public places. and no amount of visits by high-ranking politicians could calm the parents. >> translator: unfortunately i can't see any future of our children in pakistan. we can't send them to the mosques, to the school, and even sending them to the parks is unthinkable. >> reporter: this father says his son is brave and will certainly go back to the same school. we can't afford to surrender he tells me. now to washington, d.c., joie chen is standing by to tell us what is coming up on "america tonight." joie. >> good evening, john. we're going to take a look at the intersection of race and justice. we have seen the blow black in places where cops have crossed with communities of color. that has forced many black families to have the talk with their young men. about what they should do and not do if the police stop them. >> as a 17-year-old in america, you shouldn't have to think to come to terms with the fact that if you get wrongfully killed nothing will happen. and that person who kills you wrongfully will not be held accountable for their actions. >> "america tonight"'s sarah hoye gets real with black parents, their kids, and what they need to do to keep their children safe on the streets. an independent panel is recommending major changes for the secret service after a man scaled the white house fence in september and made it all the way into the building. they say the white house needs a better fence. and training needs to be improved. and the new secret service director should come from outside of the agency. the security failures lead to the resignation of the former director. in new orleans hundreds of police were equipped with body cameras this year. some say it is doing the opposite of what was intended. jonathan martin has more. >> reporter: more than six months after new orleans police department equipped its 400 officers with body cameras, there are still questions of how often they are being used. susan hudson runs the independent police monitor. her office reviews civil complaints made against the police. >> they are saying things happen before the camera starts rolling or after they turn the camera off. so there are still efforts we're hearing about. >> reporter: the cameras are supposed to help rebuild trust between the commune and a department that is now under oversight. >> so that we know what our officers are doing, what allegations the citizens are making and how accurate those allegations are. >> reporter: officers are required to activate the cameras during every encounter. when the police shot this man in august, no cameras were rolling. >> had he not gotten shot that day, and took him to jail and everything was fine, then is there anything in place to check what happened that day? >> reporter: a report from a federally mandated oversight committee found: >> we know office thatters are taking them off, and -- and putting them on when they want to. >> but chief harrison says in many cases officers simply forget to turn them on, or the cameras aren't working. since the august shooting incident, he says, officers are now required to verify their camera is working at the beginning of each shift. >> we see they either used it or didn't use it. and why they didn't use it. >> reporter: and officers will be subject to additional training. she says in her client's case had the cameras been rolling there would be little doubt about whether the officer's use of force was justified. coming up tomorrow, how police and a computer programmer in seattle are working together to put body camera videos on the web. coming up next on this broadcast, new york subway in the 1960s. the color photos on display for the first time. ♪ we have been watching a lot of rainfall come down in the west, and another series of systems coming through as we get into the weekend. a look at california's most recent drought report, you can see a significant change has happened. the highest amount of drought is exceptional, and that area has shrunk. still 100% of the state of california is in drought state at some point. but it has shrunk because of all of the rainfall. from san francisco southward you can see we're all ahead for the month of december when it comes to rainfall, and with the water year starting anew october 1st, these are impressive amounts we're hoping to maintain as we look towards february. we're monitoring a lot of conditions, but specifically the big storm coming in from the west. it's a going to be a atmospheric river included. and note 40% of boughts in northern california are ended by atmospheric rivers. we'll have more details and what is going on in your weather coming up. kailz news continues. real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. tonight a slice of life from a different time captured by photographer danny lion. they are from 1966 and they are in color. showing commuters on new york's sprawling subway system. the images remind us how much has changed while much has stayed the same. danny lion got his first job taking pictures for the leading civil rights group in the 60s. he helped revolutionize documentary photography. he went on the road with motorcycle gangs, but these are the pictures that people have been waiting to see for almost 50 years. the new york subway had been documented before, but never in color photographs like these. new yorkers underground in 1966. like this man, dressed to the nines, probably on his way to a party with noise maker in hand. a sailor alone on a platform in brooklyn. the pictures evoke the solitude and uncertainty of modern urban life. like this loan woman beneath the sign that says do not hand here. visitors to new york will see how much has changed since 1966. after all there are no more coin-operated horoscope machines on subway platforms, but they are also get to see how much has remained the same, and how much of the vitality of this great city is owed to its subway system. the only one in the world that runs 24 hours a day for the city that never sleeps. the pictures are on display for the next year at one of the major transit hubs at the subway system. coming up ruled a suicide, why the family of a dead african american teen says he was lynched. and the movies chosen to be archived in the congressional library. those stories and more at 11:00 eastern time. now our picture of the day. a classic american car in havana. that was taken the day after the u.s. and cuba renewed diplomatic relations. that's our broadcast. we thank you for watching. i'm john siegenthaler. "america tonight" is next. and we'll see you back here at 11:00 eastern time. ♪ on "america tonight" could it be the strange fruit of another dark time. a mother's fear that it wasn't suicide. >> right now the way i feel it's a lynching, because of this public display. >> questions about the death of this teenager and why the local police didn't answer them. and having the blunt talk about race and justice in america. >> they probably think i play basketball, and pro