who had the golden tone. >> there was a very nice and very memorable moment. >> andrew thomas al jazeera, sydney. quite a legacy there. you can always visit our website as well for all of the latest on the stories we have covered. that is aljazeera.com. >> go! go! go! >> severe storms tear through three states causing major destruction. communities picking up the pieces today. president obama speaks with raul castro ahead of the summit. and new questions over a police shooting in south carolina. dash cam video shows what happened in the moments before a white officer killed an african

american man. ♪ >> this is al jazeera america, live from new york city and i'm stephanie sy. officials are still searching homes and businesses for people missing after severe weather hit the midwest. the storm struck iowa illinois and ohio. the worst damage seems to be west of chicago. one person is confirmed dead. a restaurant toppled over injuring more than a dozen people. back in fairdale these images tell the story. massive piles of debris everywhere. officials say it is the worst damage they have ever seen. >> lots of challenges a lot of safety issues as well as you have a lot of debris to pull off. it is going to be a lot of

happened work and work with heavy equipment. we're hopeful our search will be fruitless in the sense we that we won't find anybody. >> reporter: this was a massive storm that blew through here and it came just as night was beginning to fall. >> oh my gosh. >> reporter: a tornado ripped through fairdale illinois. officials say the twister damaged every single building in the village, destroying many of them. >> the west side of fairdale was pretty well destroyed. >> reporter: some homes simply toppled over. in nearby rochelle a close call. the twister shredded this restaurant. >> we pulled in here and ran inside and got a couple of pictures of the tornado right across the street and the owner said in the basement. >> reporter: fire officials say fortunately no one was seriously

injured. the wild weather was part of a line of severe storms that stretched from texas to michigan. authorities worked through the night and say they won't have a solid idea of just how severe the damage is here until later today. now emergency crews don't think that there are anymore fatalities but they are going to be picking through all of the debris to make sure that everyone is accounted for. >> diane eastabrook reporting from outside of chicago. more than 700 flights were canceled into and out of the chicago area on thursday. there are still delays this morning on flights headed to the east coast, and there is still a threat of severe weather today from the gulf north to the mid-land take region. president obama is in panama this morning for a kickoff of the summit of the americas and the white house is revealing that the president spoke with cuba's president over the phone before leaving washington. the two are expected to sit down for a face-to-face meeting.

it has been five decades since a u.s. president sat down with his cuban counterpart. secretary of state john kerry is also at the summit in panama. he spent last night talking with cuba's foreign minister. lucia newman is live in panama city. lucia, this meeting is widely expected to happen. explain the significance of meeting. and do we know what is on the agenda? >> stephanie, let me just correct you. it is not absolutely certain that there will be a one on one meeting. that has not been confirmed or states although as you just mentioned, there was that phone call between the presidents of both countries before president obama left to come here to panama. so maybe they know something we don't yet. but the fact that they will be in the same conference room they are expected to shake hands and maybe even pat each other on the back for the first time both leaders together.

remember it has been 53 years since cuba has been allowed to sit at the same table with all of its neighbors of the americas. so it is a big deal for the region. >> secretary of state kerry did meet with his cuban counterpart. did anything come out of those talks, lucia? >> reporter: well they haven't told us exactly what they talked about, but they have said that it was a very positive meeting, and we understand that secretary kerry was discussing the administration's desire and perhaps announcement that might be made here in panama to take cuba off of that list of nations that sponsor state terrorism. that was a demand by the cubans before full diplomatic ties could be renewed, and that's something that certainly the administration is very keen to move forward. >> yes, and we are going to talk about right now. randall pinkston is here with more. randall as lucia said a big

issue for cuba is it wants to get off the u.s. list of state sponsors of terrorism. does it appear that may happen soon. >> well the white house is is playing it very close to the vest. they have made no announcements of when cuba might be removed from the list. but it could happen this week. cuba has been on the list since 1982. last september when president obama announced the move to normalize relations with cuba he ordered the state department to review the status of cuba being on the list. he says it is now being reviewed by his team which mr. present a recommendation. >> throughout this process our emphasis has been on the facts, so we want to make sure that given that this is a powerful tool to isolate those countries that genuinely do support

terrorism, that when we make those designations we have got strong evidence that in fact that's the case and as circumstances change then that list will change as well. >> so we'll find out. >> yeah so what would it take for the u.s. to formally establish diplomatic relations with cuba and how would that affect the island? >> certainly it takes a decision by the u.s. to do it. and the u.s. is operating something called an intersection. in most countries, the interest of the country where you don't have diplomatic relations are handled in switzerland. but in cuba we have a building with an embassy with all but the name. and really all it takes is a change of letter head and a decision. >> there is also a great deal of opposition to resuming full

diplomatic relations, and part of that is cuba's ongoing human rights issues and their record. >> yes, and that has been raised prominently by senators who have cuban ties. those human rights concerns are not only are raised by public officials, but human rights watch accuses cuba or arbitrary imprisonment and intimidation of individuals who try to publish articles critical of the government. critics say the president should demand that the castro regime show some evidence they are not continuing to repress their citizens. >> thank you. ashe ash carter says recent threats by north korea against south korea should be taken seriously. he says the u.s. will help the government find ways to deal with north korea's aggression

and also help maintain stability in the region. china is disputing president obama's claim that is it bullying neighboring country over a land dispute in the south china sea. it said that it was using its muscle to intimidate the philippines and vietnam. china's foreign minister today said it's the u.s. pushing countries around. police dash cam video and a new witness are helping shed new evidence on what happened the moments before officer slager shot and killed walter scott. >> reporter: the dash cam video from michael slater's patrol car, shows the mercedes driven by walter scott slowly pulling into a parking lot. slager approaches then explains the stop. >> the reason for the stop is your break light is out.

>> reporter: soon scott says he doesn't have all of the documents. later after slager returned to his cruiser, scott tries to get out. several minutes later, scott gets out again and runs. you hear slager give chase, but no more of the encounter between the two men is visible. of course what is visible on the eyewitness video is slager shooting scott in the back and killing him. the assertion that he had taken the taser and threatened him with it wasn't true. >> i think he wasn't hurt by the taser, he was just trying to get away from the taser. that's all he did. he never tried to take it away or try to fight with the cop, no. the cop had control of the situation. >> reporter: thursday another north charleston man came

forward to account an incident nearly two years ago when he believe that officer slager used excessive force against him. he said he came banging on his door at 4:00 a.m. >> he never even told me why he came. i want to say it right. he said he had a service call around the corner about a guy up here -- about a break in. and he is like come out i'm going to tase you, so i put my hands up and he started tasing me. >> reporter: with slager facing a murder charge his mother says she is struggling to reconcile the man she saw on the video, and the son that she knows. >> i can't imagine him -- he loved being a police officer. i can't imagine him doing something that -- that's just not like him. that's not his character. i hope god takes care of everybody involved.

not only my family but the scotts family because i know they are grieving just like i'm grieving. the state newspaper analyzed records collected by south carolina's state law enforcement division between 2010 o 2014 and here is what they found. police officers fired their weapons at suspects 209 times. 79 suspects were killed 3 officers were accused of misusing force, none of the accused officers were convicted. a police officer in massachusetts is facing charges this morning after allegedly assaulting a black suspect. >> this department is a big believer of transparency. when something like this comes forward, if there's enough evidence to support the claim, we go forward, and we take out the appropriate charges against the officer. >> officials say the incident happened in december at the police station and was caught on

video. a suspect was handcuffed in a holding cell when the officer allegedly punched him to the ground. he is a 17-year veteran of the force and has been put on leave. pakistan pushing back on requests for troops in yemen, urging for a diplomatic solution instead. the divide and what it means.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. a suspected gunman is in critical condition this morning after police say he shot and killed a guard at the headquarters in washington, d.c. police say it started when the man kidnapped his wife leading to a car chase and gunfire. his wife has since been found safe. hundreds of soldiers in chad have been injured and dozens killed in the fight against boko haram. 71 soldiers were killed in the last two and a half months.

chad niger, and cameron are leading the fight. a pakistani man is free on bail. the prime minister has condemned the release today. the 2008 attacks on mu buy killed 166 people. pakistan's parliament has voted against joining the saudi-lead coalition battling houthi rebels in yemen. kamala harris has more. >> reporter: pakistan has said all along that it would take parliament into confidence and that the people's representatives would then decide whether the saudi's request for help and what way to respond to that. so after a debate they came to a conclusion that while there was no compromise on the defense and security of saudi arabia in the eventuality that

[ inaudible ] territorial integrity was violated that pakistan would go to any level. however, pakistan was against any military intervention in yemen, saying this was a tribal war, not a sectarian war, and what was needed was proactive measures to try to bring everybody to a negotiated settlement and arrange for a ceasefire. the pakistanis saying they will stand shoulder to shoulder with the saudis if they were threatened. however, pakistan would remain neutral as far as the conflict in yemen was concerned. planes carrying badly needed medical aid have planneded in sana'a. it is the first delivery since fighting began three weeks ago. the plo says it will not take part in any military action to free palestinian refugees from a camp in syria.

the yarmouk camp has been under siege for days. even decades after the 1986 chernobyl nuke last disaster thousands of babies are born with health problems. andrew simmons reports. >> reporter: this 3.5 month old baby is clinging on to life. his heart has been stopped, a machine takes over. >> without this surgery, the baby wouldn't survive. >> reporter: this doctor leads the chernobyl heart team. he says most if not all of his cases relate to the 1986 nuclear accident. >> this baby was so big and so strange defect and not usual.

there's a very high probability can be related to the chernobyl disaster. >> reporter: after all of this intense surgery, the tiny heart is beating again, and there's now every chance this baby will survive. half an hour later and the mood is positive. >> the blood pressure of the baby is 96 over 52. we have a good heart rate. so we're happy. >> reporter: within an hour the surgeon who carried out the operation leads her patient to intensive care. the doctor earns less than a taxi driver in ukraine's underfunded, poorly equipped health service. she reassures the baby's mother. you can touch him, she says. everything is okay. touch him. he'll feel you. >> translator: a very big thanks to those who did the operation. they have golden hands.

>> reporter: they may have golden hands, but most of the funding for training and equipment has come from overseas a charity in ireland has been at the forefront of the effort. foreign surgeons are also flown in for more complex operations. but the doctor says that help may not be enough now. ukraine's government is making more budget cuts. >> we may start to lose kids. just simply you know, we'll not be able to provide surgeries. life-saving surgeries. >> reporter: as this baby waits in line for the next operation, the reality is unless there's more funding, the life-saving work here will be reduced or might even come to an end. andrew similar amongeds al jazeera, ukraine. coming up on al jazeera america. guns on campus the latest state

pushing to allow students to carry concealed weapons and an inside look at a program hoping to keep young offenders from being put back behind bars.

>> the national rifle association's can yule convention kicks off in nashville today. the speakers include texas senator, tez cruz, he was the first to announce his bid for the oval office. and one topic on the agenda is the concealed carry laws. eight states allow them at public universities and florida could be the next to make that legal. as robert ray reports, there is some strong opposition. >> there has been a shooting in the library. stay where you are. we'll be coming -- >> reporter: in november former student stormed on to the campus of florida state university and started shooting. police killed the gunmen but not

before he shot three students, paralyzing one of them. >> i think people have the right to defend themselves. >> no drama. >> reporter: fuelled by this recent shooting some state politicians are pushing a bill that would legalize concealed carry of handguns on florida's public universities. iraq war veteran and republican state representative is sponsoring the bill. >> a lot of people think that 21 year olds don't have the experience that backpacks and bullets don't mix. what do you say to that? >> my first response is we don't have a problem with 17 and 18 year olds entering into the u.s. military. >> reporter: the director of the student government association doesn't agree. >> there's going to be a lot of suspicion and worrying. it's going to be a state of absolutely chaos, and is only

going to lead to a dangerous situation and more opportunity for students to get injured or possibly killed. >> reporter: now if the bill is passed it would require that each person be 21 years or older, and have a concealed carry gun permit to walk on any campus in the state of florida with a loaded handgun. but the main concern right now is weapon's training of which there is very little required. >> i mean we're talking 45 minutes, and then you walk into the back of a trailer and shoot a 22 and you are certified. >> reporter: some say kids are kids they are drinking some are doing drugs, hormones raging what do you think. >> when i went to college, all of that didn't happen on campus. all of that happens off of campus and they can carry there now, and there hasn't been a

problem. so if they are carrying off campus, where the drugs and parties is going on then why would letting them carry on campus suddenly create all of these problems. >> reporter: the florida board of governors university police chiefs and others voiced vong opposition to the campus concealed carry laws. they wrote: al jazeera reached out to florida state's president, the campus chief of police and students for concealed carry at fsu. they all declined our request for interviews. >> they did not want guns -- >> reporter: in the meantime state lawmakers have until may 1st to vote on the bill that could allow guns on florida campuses. robert ray, al jazeera,

tallahassee, florida. in texas one judge is doing all he can to help young people from getting into legal trouble. his program is teaching responsibility and respect to some of the most at risk. heidi zhou castro has the story. >> reporter: the numbers are troubling. one in three black boys born in america is at risk of imprisonment during his lifetime. and for latino boys it's one in six. minority men end up behind bars in far greater numbers than their share of the population. but here in dallas there is a program trying to turn that trend. it's a specialty court designed to help minority boys and teens clean their record through a program that keeps them out of jail. >> you would really hope that what we're doing is the same thing a good parent would do. >> reporter: tonight we'll hear more about one boy's journey

from setting off fireworks inside his school to be charged with terroristic bombing, to then being given a second chance. there are actually 60,000 young people under the age of 21 behind bars here in the u.s. new mexico has developed a program to reform these offenders. soledad o'brien got an inside look. >> reporter: inside these walls, teenage thieves, gang bangers, drug abuser even kids who kill but this once notorious juvenile lockup is trying something knew. what does playing the piano do for you? >> therapy. hobby, interest. >> reporter: education, counseling offering a second

chance. >> he used to be an incredibly aggressive young man. ♪ >> reporter: but to succeed at the center they'll have to control their rage. >> honestly i think this place has just made me a better criminal. >> reporter: inside new mexico's juvenile system. >> soledad's special report airs this sunday at 10:00 pm eastern right here on al jazeera america. former secretary of state hillary clinton is reportedly preparing for a major announcement this weekend that she will run for president. the announcement will come via social media on sunday with her campaign kicking off next week in iowa. clinton would be the first democrat to throw her hat in the ring for 2016. crowds around the globe lining up to get the first glimpse of the apple watch. thanks for watching i'm

stephanie sy. the news continues next live from doha. ♪ this is al jazeera. ♪ welcome to the news hour. i'm i'm rochelle carey. cargo planes are unloaded in yemen. pakistan's parliament calls for a diplomatic solution in yemen, implying it will not play a military role. the leaders of u.s. and cuba are set to m