me to come back to china, but i don't want to go back. >> reporter: looking out at a chinatown that she now barely recognizes. gabriel elizondo. al jazeera, new york. for more any time, aljazeera.com. breaking news, the pentagon confirming ten isil leaders are dead after u.s.-lead air strikes. nothing, a police officer enters his plea over murder charges. thousands of flights delayed or canceled as a deadly storm system slows travel because of ice and snow.

this is al jazeera america live in new york city. i'm del walters. we begin with breaking news concerning the fight against isil. ten isil leaders were killed in december in air strikes, including one that they say has been linked to the paris attacks. al jazeera jamie mcintyre is live at the pentagon, and jamie. ten isil leaders are killed but all eyes are on the one. who was he? >> he was identified as a syrian-based isil leader who the pentagon says has a direct link to the paris attack cell leader. the pentagon claims that they killed him in december in an air strike christmas eve in syria, and they say at the time that they killed him, they believe he was actively planning additional

attacks against the west. a pretty startling list released today i'm looking at the list of people killed. all in december, all by air strikes. one on december 7th, two on december 8th, two on december 9th. two on december 10th. ten leaders all together. which indicates by the way, del, that the u.s. has pretty good intelligence of where these people are, because they were not killed by forces on the ground. all were killed by u.s. air strikes. some by drones and some by manned aircraft. >> how big of a blow is this to isil? >> every time we get these reports that an isil leader has been killed, it seems that isil is able to easily replace them. let's listen to the explanation

of what the effect is. >> this organization is losing its leadership. so we are striking at the head of the snake. we haven't severed the head of snake, and it still has fangs. these are individuals who are specifically working to strike the west. they want to strike in europe. they want to strike in our very own homeland. and it important that people understand as long as those strikes are operating. the united states military will hunt them and we will kill them. >> so the u.s. military says they are actually seeing an effect on the battlefield in isil's ability to communicate and coordinate their strategy, but they are under no illusions that you can win the battle by taking out senior leadership. it is going to have to be done

by hard-earned advances on the ground. and the u.s. military released a map of ramadi showing which parts cleared and which parts still had isil fighters in them. and had not been cleared by booby traps, et cetera. and a large portion of the city still remains to be cleared. that's why you are not hearing the u.s. military talk about a victory just substantial progress. >> jamie thank you very much. once again the breaking news at this hour, ten isil leaders killed. that news coming at the same time that iraqi leaders are claiming victory in ramadi. earlier today, james jeffery, the former u.s. ambassador to iraq says he thinks the obama strategy in iraq is starting to show progress. >> any victory is significant. this shows the united states is capable of changing its strategy, which is similar to going after the al-qaeda people

earlier. secondly, we can mobilize sunni arabs, at least in that province, and thirdly that government forces can do the job without the involvement of the much hated and fears shia militias that we have seen. the ambassador saying that what the pentagon toeld jamie mcintyre, that there still needs to be ground forces. jason van dike pleading not guilty to charges of first degree murder. dash cam video showing him shooting mcdonald 16 times as he was veering away from officers. andy rosegen is life is chicago. what happened today in court. >> reporter: this was a quick

court appearance. he didn't say a word. his attorney offered the not guilty plea for him. afterwards the attorney came out and said he wants the whole world to see jason van dyke's story. the attorney also wants a change in venue, because he says that van dyke can't get a fair trial in cook county given all that has gone on. also there were a couple of police-involved shootings over the weekend, in which a grandmother was killed by police. the first police-involved shooting since the charge against van dyke. the attorney says obviously that doesn't help van dyke's case, but shouldn't make a difference ultimately. the great uncle also came out and said those shootings are just another indication that chicago police have a

long-standing tradition of sh t shootishoo shooting first and asking questions later. >> this is one of a number of cases that has put the chicago police department under the microscope. always calling for the major to step down. has he said anything. >> reporter: he just came home. yesterday coming back from a vacation that was cut short. and he said the two shootings over the weekend races serious questions about the police department, and how it responds to incidents, especially ones involving mental health issues, but beyond that, he hasn't said much. and that has been a sore spot for a lot of people who say ever since he offered his big apology about three weeks ago, he has barely been seen or heard in

public. but now he is back, this is just one more headache for him. andy thank you very much. this morning severe weather making it a west for travelers in the northeast. ice and winds making for treacherous driving conditions. air travelers also facing long delays and cancellations. ines ferre has more. >> reporter: drivers are hearing warnings of a dangerous commute in the country. >> first storm of the year, there's a lot of accidents. >> it has been anything but minor across much of the u.s. this week. high winds and icy roads created dangerous conditions in wisconsin. in missouri deadly flood waters shut down major highways. and new mexico declared a state of emergency after heavy snow left behind snow drifts. one couple with trapped in their

car for 20 hours before rescuers broke the wind shield to free them. >> my wife was shivering and shaking. i got into the passenger seat and we slept together. >> reporter: hundreds of travelers have been stranded or delaid in the airports. there were almost 3,000 flights canceled across the u.s. on monday and nearly a thousand more today. the dangerous weather system also spawned dang weather around arkansas. cleanup is underway near dallas, texas where a string of tornados left miles of debris. this man rushed to reach his sister's car, but couldn't save her. >> reporter: we have tons of guys try to flip it. i couldn't save her. >> reporter: ines ferre.

>> and kevin corriveau one week ago there were people in flip flops and sandal in the northeast. >> all the way back towards billings, montana, we are looking at temperatures well above average. and we are seeing the last bit of the system make its way across parts of new york and new england right now. there is still a little bit of rain across parts of florida. those temperatures are causing it either to be rain, sleet, or snow across much of new england. new york is 45 degrees, that's a big difference. last night it was about 34 to 35 degrees. for boston we are looking at 38. so we are seeing a change over to rain. you notice the green is starting to make its way up towards the north. that means it is changing over. we still have quite a bit of

mixed precipitation, coming across new york into new england. that is still going to be a big problem here. for new york, your rain is about to end. you can see that pushing through as well as down towards washington we are looking at bet ere conditions. up towards the north we'll see quite a bit of snow. what is going to happen with these advisories is they are going to drop off especially to the north. but the ones to the north, they will probably stay in effect all the way until 7:00 pm and we expect to see still quite a bit of snow, but tomorrow much better. >> no more flip flops. >> no. there are new details about the escape and capture of a young man. the lead sheriff talking about why arresting ethan couch was so personal. >> we were the agency that had to work the initial accident scene, had a tremendously vested interest in making sure that eaten couch was brought to

justice. felt like at the time that the court system did not adequately assess any punishment, or adequate punishment, at least, so when he then disappeared, obviously people in this agency who had to work that crime scene and deal with the victims families and do everything it did, took it very personally. >> he was arrested in mexico yesterday for violating his probation. two years ago he killed four pedestrians driving drunk. when we come back, disappearing culture, the forces driving immigrants out of neighborhoods that bare their names across the u.s.

all this week we are looking back at some of the most important stories of 2015. one was the improved relations with the u.s. and cuba. >> this is probably going to go down as one of the most historic years in the change of relations between these two countries, dating back to 1961 and 63 when the embargo was first put in place. americans can go there now without interference. as a business person you can look at potentially hiring cuban employees. something that was not possible before. you look at telecommunications if you have a verizon or sprint

phone, you can use it in cuba. that was something you could never do before. day-to-day interactions with the business community in south florida and cuba, this is starting to grow in a way that we haven't seen in half a century. >> has all of this change been good? >> it depends on who you ask. there was an aging cuban exile cuba in miami and elsewhere that have made florida this key critical swing state. in that group is not as potent of voting force, but there are other aspects as well. the united states has had an interesting immigration policy when it comes to cuba. they have allowed refugees to seek political asylum to be guaranteed citizenship when they

get to the united states. there is concern that now that this historic relation is going to warm, that policy might end so all of the cubans who had planned to come to the united states have started to up tick that plan to get there. >> also food is a major factor, a big chunk coming from imports from the united states. how is that going to change? >> a lot of people don't know this. but cuba since the mid-'90s, they basically looked to the united states as the number one food importer. you had this symbiotic relationship that was very much tied to the cuban states. that has changed over the years. when you look at what has happened going forward, we have seen some of those imports decline. but the idea of bringing some of the micro finance into the

country. the idea that they might be able to tap into a showroom that john deere has opened up in havana, that is going to start to change. >> what about the areas that the united states has been given the green light, but have not yet signed off on yet. >> like i mentioned before the claims issue is a big one, but there is a questions about the exchange of fugitives, how cuba will go back and forth from the united states when it comes to those types of deals. but american companies have the ability to at least start to broach some of these changes. of course the embargo is still in place, but they still have to get past authorities here. you want to open up a small shop in cuba or do business with a cuban entrepreneur, a lot of

that still has to go through the cuban government. so it's important to keep that in context, because the cuban economy is still largely run by the army. and so getting american businesses to do business with the army, that will be difficult to square. >> personal thought on the fact -- you said you lived in cuba for two years. did you ever think you would see the american flag flying over havana. >> when i first moved to cuba it was right after the election of barack obama, and there was always of this ground swell of hope and the possibility of change, sort of caught up in that rhetoric. at that time the u.s. contractor was then detained and that all went away, now that this approach in relations starting to take hold, you see a cuba that i have never seen before, people on the street who are very cautious about talking to

reporters are being much more open. it seems like anything is on the table at this point, but the politics also play into it. as many as 4 million chinese immigrants now call the united states home, many of those lives in china towns. >> reporter: when jenny tang came to washington, d.c. with their family almost 20 years ago from china, she chose to live in the tight knit ethnic enclave of china town. but today china town is fast disappearing. the famous chinese gate only remains as a tourist attraction, surrounded by western food and clothing franchises. but it's about the people. at one time, 3,000 chinese lived

in washington's china town. today only about 300 remain, and half of those might soon be gone, their building being replaced, jenny tang to be evicted to a luxury condo can be built. >> reporter: most of the people that live here, they all have jobs, but we don't have as much money as them, but every day, every month we pay our rent on time. >> reporter: they are victims of what is called gentrification, a process through which poor minorities are pushed out, as the city develops and the wealthy move in. non-chinese populations in these areas have doubled in a decade, some researchers estimate that of the 15 large china towns in america, only three still remain authentic to their past. >> china town is not just with

the people. china town is a place where social networks, economic fabrics, right, it's been built. >> reporter: but when chinese are pushed out, it breaks up cultural cohesion of the community, and threatens traditions. new york city has been one of the loan success stories of people taking to the streets to fight back against development. because people here know one the heart and soul of their china town is gone, it likely will never come back. in washington jenny knows this and is deeply saddened. >> translator: my sister tells me to go back to china, but i don't want to go back. >> reporter: looking out at a china town that she now barely

recognizes. when we come back. protecting animal rights, the move to crackdown on animal cruelty as one way to keep humans safe. ♪

and the band motorhead is mourning the loss of their lead singer. he died from cancer. he was 70. he learned of the december back on december 26th. he formed motorhead back in 1975. he was the singer and basist. the band released 23 studio albums, and were best known for that song you just heard. beginning friday, anyone convicted of animal cruelty will be part of a database in tennessee. >> reporter: an animal is abused every ten seconds in the united states, according to the american society for the prevention of cruelty to

animals. according to the fbi decreasing animal abuse can help lower overall crime rates. >> instigation came from -- there were several times that we had received reports of someone literally going into a store, getting, or to a shelter, adopting numerous puppies and actually torturing or killing those animals. state senator sponsored the bill. >> you look at the documented link between animal cruelty and cruelty to humans that -- that you know -- what happens with domestic abuse and violence in our communities and neighborhoods, that this is something we want to put an end to when we can. >> reporter: the registry is expected to help the fbi and

other agencies identify trends and patterns. ? fact the fbi recently added animal cruelty to a top tier crime list. among the information to be released, the name and photo of the convicted abuser. there's no telling how many abused animals are out on the streets or in homes, but we know this, when they are picked up, many are brought here to the largest shelter in nashville. this shelter holds up to 400 animals at a time, some of them picked up roaming the streets others neglected and abused by their owners. >> oftentimes that can escalate to violence against humanings as well. so i believe this registry will help law enforcement as well as animal control agencies who make sure we are keeping them people off of the streets. >> reporter: they --

>> for us we see dogs not being given the appropriate care and attention they need. >> reporter: the information will remain on the registry for two years following a first offense, and five years following a second one. several states have tried unsuccessfully to pass bills to create a registry. while a -- registries of this type are on a local level, there are none on a state level until now. and the san antonio spurs mascot coming to the rescue last

night. the coyote managing to capture a wayward bat. that's it for us here. the news continues next live from london. ♪ they were actively planning additional attacks in the u.s. >> u.s. air strikes have killed an isil leader suspected of masterminding the paris attacks. ♪ hello from me david foster, you are watching al jazeera live from london. also in the next 30 minutes, more than 20 are killed in pakistan as a suicide bomber targets a government office. his sentence over bribery charges has been reduced, but he will still be the first formal isra