inside story. ♪ this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm bisi onile-ere. tony harris has the night off. hitting isil harder than ever, president obama defends his strategy against the work. rich versus poor, safe versus violent. the two different sides of chicago. our special series. and rules of the sky, the faa announces new regulations for drones. ♪

president obama is fighting back at isil, and at critics of his strategy to defeat the group. today the president made a rare visit to the pentagon to discuss the u.s. military's plan in syria and iraq. al jazeera's national secure if i correspondent jamie mcintyre has the story. >> reporter: bisi after a more than two-hour meeting here, president obama's message was essentially this, read my lips, no new strategy. trust me the old one is working. president obama's motorcade left the white house mid-morning, for the short trip across the potomac. the rare pentagon meeting of his entire military and homeland security team was intended to show that defeating isil remains

among the president's top priority. afterwards in the pentagon briefing room, obama talked tough but took no questions. >> as we squeeze its heart, we'll make it harder. >> reporter: he offered no new plans just a promise to pursue his current strategy. >> i ordered more actions to intensify our war against isil. >> reporter: that's very similar to what the president said the last time he visited the pentagon. >> indeed we're intensifying our efforts against isil's base in syria. we'll continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations. >> reporter: that was then. this is now. >> in recent weeks we have unwaved a new wave of strikes on their lifeline. their oil and gas infrastructure. >> reporter: back in july, the president conceded progress was

slower than hoped. >> this will not be quick. this is a long-term campaign. >> reporter: and he has the same message now. >> we recognize that progress needs to keep coming faster. >> reporter: the president pointed to the ongoing iraqi offensive to retake ramadi is evidence that isil is slowly losing its grip on power. >> so far isil has lost about 40% of the populated areas its once controlled this iraq, and it will lose more. iraqi forces are fighting their way deeper into ramadi. they are working to encircle fallujah and cut off supply routes into mosul. >> reporter: with the u.s. still doing most of the heavy lifting. president obama is dispatching ash carter on an arm-twisting mission to the idder -- middle east trying to get countries to do more to actually battle isil.

first stop turkey. >> reporter: turkey has started pulling some of the soldiers that is stationed in iraq back towards its borders. it says they are there to train the army. but iraq's governance called it a hostile act. turkey says they are not leafing the country. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: after weeks of a war of words between turkey and iraq, the turkish troops stationed in northern iraq, are finally on their way out. fore than a thousand troops according to kurdish sources are on their way out. the kurds also say there are trucks that are carrying not just tanks but also heavy military equipment back to turkey. the movement of discipline and the large number the result of a row between the two governments.

the prime minister of iraq wrote to the united nations asking its to use its influence on turkey to try to get the troops out of his territory. turkey insists these troops are important in the fight against isil. kurdish sources have told us that this has happened after negotiations between baghdad and ankara. now we know these troops are on their way out. >> al jazeera's correspondent reporting. counsel late operations will be scaled back for the next two days, and americans were told to maintain a high level of vigilance. officials called it simply a security situation. secretary kerry is en route to russia tonight. he departed paris for moscow

earlier this evening. he will meet with the russian president and foreign minister lavrov. as winter sets in the plight of refugees is once again a major concern. bernard smith reports. winter as arrived in syria, bringing with it a new set of challenges for people displaced from their homes. >> children can suffocate from the smoke of these heaters. >> reporter: 35,000 syrians live in this camp on the northern outskirts of aleppo. while fighting in the area continues, in the central city of homs a u.n. administered ceasefire between rebels and the government is holding. the u.n. humanitarian chief met residences of one neighborhood.

he says the u.n. had been able to deliver life-saving aide to the district for the first time in 11 months. but another truce is under threat. iranian-backed pro-government fighters have been tunnelling towards opposition positions. andy government fighters say they are trying to cut a supply route to the damascus airport. and more than 50 people have been killed on attacks on an opposition strong hold east of damascus. it happened as the u.n. humanitarian chief wrapped up his visit. there are about 7.6 million internally displaced syrians. the u.n. says three-quarters of them don't have access to

drinking water, while 2 million children are out of school. bernard smith, al jazeera. authorities in egypt say they have found no evidence of any foul play that brought down a russian jet over the sinai. 224 on board were killed when the airliner jet crashed. the initial egyptian report contradicts the russian investigator's findings. the kremlin believes a homemade bomb brought the plane down and isil claimed responsibility. police in southern california are investigating vandalism at two mosques as hate crimes. the word jesus was spray painted on a fence, and a plastic replica of a hand grenade was left in the driveway of another mosque. in baltimore, juries got the

case in the freddie gray case after two weeks after testimony against police officer william porter. john we saw strong closing arguments today from prosecutors and defense lawyers. >> reporter: we certainly did, bisi. good evening to you from baltimore. the aim of the prosecution's closing arguments was to show that officer william porter lied on the stands that there were inci inconsistencies between what he told police and what he said in the court last week. they also set the jury a test, what would a reasonable officer do in similar circumstances. said the prosecution, that's how you should make your decision in this case. and the woman who delivered the closing argument, said the wagon gray was being carried in was a

coffin on wheels. we have graphic to further illustrate what she said: and she went on to urge the jury to convict officer william porter on all four charges against him. and john, the defense attorneys, what are they saying? >> reporter: well, the defense attorneys were trying to paint a very different picture, as you can understand. they are trying to say to the jury, leave the emotion out of it. look at this in a dispassionate way. we have another graphic to put on screen for you now. this time illustrating the words of the defense attorney. he says:

and that's important, because that brings us back to the test set by the prosecution, what would a reasonable officer do in similar circumstances? bisi? >> what the security situation in baltimore? >> reporter: well, it's all hands on deck here. the police commissioner has canceled all police leave for the next seven days. police have given a conference to local media, in which they say they expect protests, but they expect them to be peaceful. they will not say what their plan is if they turn out not to be peaceful. and baltimore council is not sending any trips into the city until at least friday. and they have activated the

emergency center just case. the jury deliberated for three hours today, they'll back in session tomorrow from 9:30 in the morning. bisi. >> thank you, john. army officials cesar -- say sergea sergeant bo bergdahl will face charges. he could face life in prison. the faa announced new regulations for drone users starting next week, owners will have to register them. al jazeera's lisa stark has more from washington, d.c. lisa why next week and not the new year? >> well, bisi, the faa wants to get this done now, because they are looking at holiday sales of drones. those could top a million.

pilots this year, so far from reported more than 1100 citings of drones. the faa, say, look these are aircraft. and must register. with drones flying off of the shelves this holiday season, the faa moved with lightning speed to require drone registration. the online process will be up and running next monday. owners that own drones from half a found 55 pounds will need to register. there's a $5 fee, but free if you act fast, within the first 30 days. owners will get a unique identification number that must be marked on the drone so it can be traced back if it ends up where it shouldn't be. and that has been the problem.

errant drones have turned up on the white house lawn, in the stands at though current news update open, they have come dangerously close to airplanes. a new study finds in the last two years, there were 327 close calls in the air. 90 involving commercial jets. 38 with helicopters. in 28 cases, pilots had to maneuver to avoid a collision. >> it's a nation-wide issue that a lot of airports are experiencing, and certainly this is not just -- we're not just talking about commercial airliners, necessarily, we're also talking about crop dusters, medical air lift helicopters. pilots of all scale and every level have experienced some kind of interference with a drone. >> reporter: there is always resistance from a hobbiest group. the academy of [ inaudible ]

says educational campaigns like this one are key to keeping the sky safe. >> do you know far away you are fly this thing? >> no. >> you have to still be able to see it. >> reporter: the faa says education is critical, but with so many alarming issues it wants accountability from owners. now there is some question about whether the faa actually has the authority to require drone registration. the agency insists that it does, but bisi this could all end up in a court. >> lisa thank you very much. it has been unseasonably warm across much of the east coast the last couple of days. temperatures hit 70 degrees in new york yesterday. shattering a 30--year-old record. our meteorologist is here to

explain. >> we have been talking about -- since the fall about el niño and how strong it is probably going to be. with el nino we see a much warmer climate. today's highs for example, chicago, 55, washington 69. you if you compare that to the average. we're talking about washington, 22 degrees above and ration for this year. for new york 21 degrees above average. the jet stream is well to the north of where it should be for this time of year, especially out here towards the east. we are going to get a little bit of a break this coming weekend when temperatures are going to come down. but next week as well as towards the holidays, we think the temperatures are going to come back up. right now it is still 64 degrees.

and washington is still 63 degrees there. for the rest of the five-day forecast, we are looking at that break down to about average for washington. same thing with boston. but the long-term forecast looks like this. we are going to see most of the east coast as well as the central part of the united states warmer through then of the year. in terms of snow you really have to go toward the north of west to see any snow, and it looks like the ski season especially in the northeast is not going to be a good one. chris christie and rand paul made the cut for the first tier in the next debate. recent polls in iowa and new hampshire show them with just enough support to meet the threshold. income inequality is a major

issue in the presidential raise, and the two parties have different plans to address it. patty culhane went to where the split between the haves and have nots is visible. >> reporter: it is a city built for excess where everything is on display and for sale. and thousands can be bet on a single game of cards. lost veining -- las vegas, nabokov is rebounding. but for things that make the play possible things aren't as good. people like maria, she cleans hotel rooms. she says it is not enough for her and her four kids even though it is double the federal minimum wage. >> i feel a lot of stress at home. i feel sad and i had to -- sometimes i had to stop paying some bills to get food for my kids, you know. that's -- that's my life every

day. >> reporter: in the shadow of the gleaming gold tower where she works, she took part in this protest march? an attempt to get her coworkers to start a union. because the person she works for, donald trump, says a hire minimum wage would be bad for the country. it's a big debate in this campaign. american wages have barely increased since the recession, so should the federal minimum wage be raised? democrats say it would actually help the economy. >> you have this direct effect, where people who really need the money get it. but you also see they really need the money so they spend it, so that creates business opportunities and it's not just a few who are getting the increase. >> reporter: republicans argue the opposite would actually happen. >> it would make our businesses

less competitive. it would likely mean higher prices for individuals. >> reporter: both sides say they have studies to back up their arguments. for maria hers is much more personal. >> we are a person. we have a life at home. like they do. so we deserve to have better. >> reporter: her boss disagreed, though her coworkers voted to form a union, hoping if they can't change his mind for the country, they can force him to change in one part of his business empire. one week after leading the polls, france's far right national front party failed to win a single region in municipal elections. her anti-immigration picked up

support. the conservative party easily defeated the national front. still ahead, attack hoax a teacher in france who claims he was assaulted by an isil supporter changes his story. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. a parliamentary session in kosovo was disrupted today by

tear gas. opposition politicians set off canisters in the chambers. the session started again in another room, but was temporarily suspended again by another tear gas canister. kosovo broke away from serbia in 1999 after the killing of ethnic albanians by serbian forces. a french teacher admitted today he made up a claim that he was attacked by an isil sympathizer. he was even treated at the hospital for superficial night wounds. the report sparked a manhunt and general panic. when the infamous mexican drug lord tunnelled out of prison, it made headlines around the world, but for decades drug traffickers have been using

tunnels to smuggel drugs inside the u.s. >> reporter: it looks like another empty warehouse in tijuana, just a stone's throw from the u.s. border. this one is different. it hides a secret. under its floorboards one of the many so-called supertunnels built by mexico's powerful cartels to get drugs into the united states. their sophisticated works of engineering with electric lighting, ventilation, and even a primitive transport system. this trolly can be wheeled along as i'm doing now. and that's exactly what the people are doing today to transport soil in and out of the tunnel. their multi-million dollars investigate is up to 8 soccer fields long. investigators tell us that tunnels like this one are rented out by their owners to other

criminal groups who want to transport their merchandise to the other side. those hired to do the digging, are usually told little. it has happened in the past that cartels have simply killed the people that were digging so that they took the secret to their grave this women. this cartel are the undisputed masters even recently tunnelling el chapo out of jail through his cell's shower. >> if you put in a long row of warehouses on the mexico side and a long row on the united states side, and at any given time there's a large vacancy rate, the cartels are going to use that to their benefit. >> reporter: this man is in charge of a task force used to

stop the tunnels. they have discovered 40 tunnels everywhere from under toilets to behind lighting panels. when they find them, they fill them in so they can't be used again. but that doesn't always happen on the mexican side. >> we have come across instances where the tunnels are not remediated, and the cartels will dig into a preexisting tunnel to lessen the investment. >> reporter: how many more are moving millions of dollars of drugs under the very ground the authorities are guarding. straight ahead, a tail of two chicagos. the growing disparity between rich and poor neighborhoods. what can be done to change it? our special series, five days in chicago. and germany's refugee backlash, the growing anti-muslim sentiment from an anti muslim

rally in dresden.

>> we're here to fully get into the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target. chicago is plagued by gun violence. last weekend alone, 30 people were injured in shootings, and two men were killed, both shot in the head. some appear to have been targeted, many others were hit by stray bullets. today a judge cleared a police commander of aggravated assault and misconduct charges.

glen evans was accused of shoving the barrel of his gun down a suspect's throat until the man bled. in a separate case an officer has been found guilty of using excessive force. the man was taken to the hospital where police tasered him again. he died hours later. many people in chicago do not trust the police. it has gotten so bad the mayor fired the police chief earlier this month. critics say officers do not treat everyone equally. in that the city is split in two. the rich, they say, are protected, while crime in poor communities is high. ashar qureshi investigators. >> reporter: weekend after weekend, shooting after shoot, chicago has become infamous for its gun violence. >> this chicago ten people are

dead, at least 54 others injured. >> reporter: it has dominated the headlines. giving rise to the city's nickname, shi-raq. and yet the city is arguably safer than it has been in decades past. in 1991 there were 928 homicides. but safety is relative. >> and it starts from the top down! >> reporter: city worker is fed up. >> your mayor -- >> reporter: we took the day off to protest. >> it always has been division. it has always been two chicagos. we have known that our whole lives. we hear shots almost every night. everybody is on pins and needles, and then after a period of time you become numb to it. i don't want us to become numb anymore. >> reporter: chicago is america's most segregated city, with violent crime concentrated in mostly poor black communities

and neighborhoods. the most dangerous neighborhoods are found on the south and west sides. critics say more effort needs to go into less violence happens in the most socioeconomically challenged parts of the cities. cook county commissioner a vocal critic of the mayor, says the disparities are undeniable. >> there thought to be equal protection in communities devastated by gun violence. >> the reality is, is that the people in charge are not going to change anything within those communities. those communities need an entire effort to bring the change, and

as long as you have areas where there is very little hope, you will have gangs, guns, crime, and murder. >> are you stupid! >> reporter: skisim came to a head in recent days. >> if one of us civilians murdered someone we would be in prison the next day. ♪ >> reporter: it's the tail of two cities, say some. one of them thriving and safe, the other poor and perilous. >> michael kendall is a writer and cofounder of hood-feminism.com. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> as ashar mentioned, murder

rates dropped between 2008, and 2012, but the yellow dots represent where homicides in chicago have occurred. the north side experienced its lowest crime rates in 20 years, while the murder rates in parts of the south and west sides were as much as 80 times as high as the north side. is this proof that two chicagos really do exist? >> i think that we're really talking about more than two chicagos. we're talking about basically dozens of chicagos. because there are significant sections of the south and west that are just as safe if not safer. but chicago has one of the largest open-air markets in america. and one of the old solutions for violence in chicago, was to cut off the heads of various gangs. that sounds great on paper, in theory it greats a lot of different sects, with a lot of different goals particularly around the commerce of drugs.

if you overlay the violence with school closures with mental health clinic closures and transit shutdowns you have get a very different picture of what is going on in chicago. >> income inequality is also another mayor issue if you take a look at the median income rates, you see the middle class is shrinking. you can see a huge shift in income with the poor minority areas highlighted in red. in fact according to one report, the wealth gap is widening faster in chicago than anywhere else in the state of illinois. mickey, why is that? >> this takes us back to what i was saying about services being cut. you see that rom emmanuel cut 50 schools, and then you don't necessarily hear about the budget cuts for the schools in the surrounding area. you see that prior to this

point, transit has been cut, housing costs have skyrocketed. wages have not kept up, and then you kind of run into a place where, where is the access to opportunity? where is the access to a chance to climb the class ladder? if you are born poor in chicago, it is almost impossible unless you leave or have a lot of lucky breaks to get past that poverty line to be middle class. >> chicago has a long history of political corruption. do you think that plays a role in this divide? >> absolutely. i find it pass -- fascinating what funding goes where. we can't find $50 million for schools, but we can find $90 million to fund a stadium. the question becomes what is more important. the stadium for students to play

ball in on the north side? or those 150 schools on the north and west sides. >> if the city didn't have these problems with the police, do you think there would still be a push for the mayor to go? >> absolutely. rom emmanuel has failed this city on a number of issues. the chicago housing authority is sitting on a lot of money. he is aware of that. what he is not doing is making sure that money is used to create affordable housing in safe neighborhoods in chicago. >> all right. mickey thank you so much for your perspective. >> thank you. coming up tomorrow, a look at chicago's gun laws. the city has some of the strictest in the nation, but illegal guns are still flowing. what one mother is doing to try to stop it.

three years ago to the day a man charged in the sandy hook elementary school in connecticut with an assault rifle and started shooting. he killed 20 children and six of their teachers. the event has become known to many as the new town massacre. there were nearly 100 rallies organized across the country, calling for stricter background checks on people trying to buy firearms. up next, uber unions, seattle becomes the first in the nation. and one of the hottest holiday gifts this reason may be too hot to handle. ♪

hate groups are on the rise in germany in backlash over the paris terror attacks giving anti-immigrant sentiments a boost. sheila macvicar reports from dresden on the challenges these groups pose to the government. >> reporter: germany's far right has taken advantage of the arrival of over a million refugees. and just days after the attacks in paris they killed 130 people, germany's neo-nazi party demonstrated in front of the refugees registration center in berlin.

for more than a year, huge rallies with tens of thousands of people repeatedly call for the resignation of german chancellor, angela merkel, who has welcomed refugees. and arson attacks against refugees are up tenfold. fears about the refugees has helped the right-wing to grow. even spawning new parties. polls show that one of them is now the third most popular in the country. >> the most important right-wing populous party at the moment is the alternative for germany. and all of the people who are unsatisfied with all of these refugees coming in with the politics of angela merkel, they think there is no alternative except the alternative for germany. so they are rising. >> reporter: in dresden for more than a year, crowds of up to 20,000 people have been gathering every monday night to protest against islam, and

chancellor merkel's refugees policy. this rally was started by a right-wing group. it's called pagita. >> reporter: sneijder's sentiment are echoed by leaders on the far right, like this man, with alternative for germany. >> the rise of right-wing parties that we see at the moment is a great threat to the german society, and to the german democracy. these demonstrators are calling all politicians who are not exactly doing what they want, traitors of the people, and the german word they use is the same word used six years ago by the nazis. >> reporter: the crisiser is

usly dammed the popularity of germany's chancellor. >> before the crisis she was seen as the most beloved politician in germany. and now her approval rate has dropped significantly. >> reporter: sheila macvicar, al jazeera, germany. >> you can see of more of sheila's report tonight on "america tonight." for a look at what is coming up at the top of the hour, john siegenthaler is here. coming up tonight at 8:00, tough talk from president obama on the fight against isil. >> it's simple. you are next. >> tonight a hard look at the u. u.s. strategy. in plane view, this woman

made no secret of her views. some of her on-line posts called for violence, long before she came to america. why immigration officials never even bothered to look at them. center ted cruz mounting a big challenge to donald trump. the issues pushing the presidential race into a new face. plus our conversation on linda's remarkable career in television news. why she is calling it quits now. and her sober advice for young people who want to get into journalism. >> find an honest trade fast. find a day job. >> we'll have those stories and a lot more in about 15 minutes. ride services such as uber and lift are becoming increasingly popular. allen schauffler is at seattle's

city hall with more. >> reporter: a lot of talk today about the historic nature of the vote we saw. this is legislation that hasn't been tried anywhere else in the country as of yet. quiet now, but that was not the case when this vote went down a little more than an hour ago. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: and that was the crowd cheering on the youian mouse vote, 8-0 in city hall. if this legislation is ever implemented, and we do expect legal challenges, it would give at-base ride service drivers the right to organize and collectively bargain over workplace conditions. it could be an interesting test case for a changing work force in the 21st century.

at uber business is booming. it has more than a million drivers behind the wheel in 250 cities in more than 50 countries. this man drives for uber and other similar services in seattle. >> i do it on my own schedule. it's goo to me so far. [ inaudible ] and also i like transporting people. >> reporter: drivers pick their own uber hours, and most own their uber cars, but they don't receive traditional workplace benefits, because they are independent contractors who get a predetermined cut of each fair. the company sets the rates. there is no precedent for contract workers to have collective bargaining rights. >> what i want to do is give the driver some leverage in negotiating with uber, with lift, whoever it is, so they

have some say in what their employment looking like. >> reporter: it would be a first in the u.s. for any contract workers. the attorney says congress should probably take a look at how contract workers are defined and compensated, that uber and its competitors have created a new model, and federal law may need updating. >> federal law has researched the area of private sector humanization for more than 50 years. >> reporter: it's not clear how many drivers want to unionize. but this man wants more control over his workplace conditions and wants legally-backed input into how uber sets its rates and hires and fires its workers. >> we like uber, we like how the apps work, but what we are saying is just treat us in human

way. treat us fairly. >> reporter: we did not get a comment from uber directly on whether that do plan to challenge this new legislation, but everybody here from city council members to the teamsters helping the drivers to organize expect that challenge to come. uber sent a statement saying simply: so that vote unanimous, but we're almost certain there will be legal challenges. >> thank you, alan for that report. hover boards are one of the hottest gifts of the holiday season, but they may be hard to find these days because two major online retailers are no longer selling them. john henry smith explains. >> reporter: hover board is on fire. >> reporter: timothy kaine paid $500 for his hover board, but he says it started burning up just three days after he got it.

>> i hadn't even road it like 75, 100 feet, and it exploded, just like boom! >> reporter: there are ten active fire investigations in nine states involving fiery hover boards, including ones that badly burned houses in new york and louisiana. >> i could hear it, it sounded like a lit firework. >> reporter: now amazon appears to have joined other retailers pulling most hover boards to its site. amazon has notified all hover sellers that they must firstproof their boards meet federal safety boards. consumer safety advocate, shawn kaine says it is what is powering these povr boards that make them dangerous. >> the fire problems come from the batteries. >> reporter: those are the same

type of batteries in smartphones and laptops, but much bigger and more powerful. the federal aviation administration ran that test showing what could happen to those batteries on flights. that's what most domestic carriers no longer let passengers bring hover boards on board. >> i'm hoping they worked out the kinks. >> reporter: it has made others check their wish list twice. >> i don't really want it anymore. up next, "star wars" returns, walking the red carpet with a global franchise. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

it was the russian space program that put the first man in space in the 1960s, and continues to be a critical part of the industry today. in fact russia does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to the international space station. but some of moscow' technology is now outdated. >> reporter: lives depend on these measurements. judging the pressure wrong risks an explosive launch pad accident. they put the first man in space in 1961, and it's engineers have never stopped even though the

space port became foreign territory when the soviet union disisn't d disintegrat disintegrated. >> the job needed to be done. we were enthusiastic. you knew the job was important and that your country needed you. >> reporter: with the demise of nasa's suggest -- shuttle program, it's now the only way astronauts can get to the international space station. in many cases it's based on systems that are now decades old. 20th century technology, in a 21st century world. now, that's fine if it works, but increasingly for russia's space industry, things have been going wrong. this was an unmanned launch in 2013. since 2009, 13 russian missions

from fully failed. at least four more have been partial failures. in october vladimir putin headed to russia's far east. it's the new area he hopes will become russia's primary launch site, finally reducing reliance on the previous program. he touched on the suspicious disappearance of $126 million of state funding. >> translator: russia's space industry is at the point of deep crisis. it's a question whether russia can reform the industry and modernize it. at least from the point of efficiency. >> reporter: russia wants to amend its position as a global leader in piloted and commercial space launches. that will be a challenge.

russia's space agency was recently told it will get $22 billion over the next ten years, less than half of the budget it was expecting, and not much more than nasa gets in a single year. rory challands, al jazeera, kazakhstan. well, you can't put a price on a ticket to see the new "star wars" movie from this location. special arrangements have been made from the crew of the international space station to view the force. they tweeted we have a projection and space on board. "star wars" opens for vip audiences today in los angeles. this is a live look at the red carpet. rob reynolds is there. >> reporter: it is expected to be the biggest opening night for a movie this year, and possibly the biggest for any motion picture ever.

on hollywood boulevard there are three movie theaters that have been preserved for the opening night premier. and look at this. blocks and blocks of hollywood boulevard closed off to accommodate the red carpet celebrity march. this is not, however, just about one opening night. it's about a dynasty, and a cash cow that could last for decades. disney bought the rights to the "star war star war franchise four years ago. people are estimated with the box office receipts, merchandising of toys, dvds, video games, and the addition of "star wars" areas to disney's amusement parks, the company

could be reaping in $25 billion over the next decade. al jazeera's rob reynolds at the "star wars" premier. thank you. i'm bisi onile-ere. thank you for watching. john siegenthaler is back with more right now. thank you. and we begin with president obama's high-profile visit to the pentagon. it was a show of force by the commander and chief. his comments were aimed at his critics and at calming nerves. jamie mcintyre has more. >> reporter: after more than a two-hour meeting in the secure briefing room here, president obama said essentially, read my lips no new strategy. trust me. the old one is working. his motorcade left mid-morning for the short trip across the potomac. the rare pentagon meeting of its entire militarynd