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tv   News  Al Jazeera  December 29, 2015 7:00pm-8:01pm EST

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more perspective. >> from our award-winning news teams across america and beyond. >> we've got global news covered. six
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in relation to the october 2014. the video shows him firing 16 times while the teenager was walking away. it contradicts the account that he was combative.
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the mayor is heading back from his cuba vacation today. police are responding to a domestic call that a man was carrying a baseball bat and threatening a family member. it was said he was combative. a lady was accidentally killed in the cross-fire. the attorney for the family of betty jones who was killed. you have to explain to me to the best of your ability, to the best of your knowledge at that point, how is it that your client goes from opening a door to ending up dead? >> thanks for having me on. it is absolutely amazing what
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happened in this case. to call this incident an accident is not an accurate description of what happened here. the day after christmas ms jones merely comes to her doorway and unbeknownst to her an officer is standing some 20 feet away appeared begins to fire-- and begins to fire into her house, striking and killing her as well as the 19-year-old young man, antoni arcs le greer. one of the most reckless use of forces. we describe this as a drive by, shooting from the street in a house. this officer knew that there were innocent people in that home, yet he still thought it appropriate to fire not once,
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not twice, not three times, but some five to seven times into this home striking and killing this innocent woman the day after christmas larry, what brought betty jones to the door because i'm struck by a couple of images here. something brought her to the door. i don't know if it was police sirens or whatever. whatever brought her to the door then there's the verb of the officer-- visual of what i have in my head of the officer standing in the driveway shooting >> we're still receiving many preliminary reports about what happened here, but what brought betty jones to the door that night is what brings us all to the door many times. a door bell ring. she was answering the door responding to the door bell ring. she opens the door and she gets hits with the barrage of
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bullets, not by a thug but from a sworn officer of the chicago police department. these were bullets not only firing through the doorways, they went through walls of the property so the officer rang the door bell and backed away. is that what you believe? >> i don't know quite clearly who rang the door bell, but it seems to me based upon the description of where he was lying and where betty was lying, that it was quintonio in the door. they were found in the foyer of the apartment door inside the premises. you have an officer who is some 20 plus feet away in the parkway on the public side walk firing his service revolver toward a house that includes innocent by
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standsers. absolutely one of the most reckless acts i've heard of from a police officer there are videos. do you expect there are surveillance videos available? >> we are in the process of contacting witnesses throughout the neighborhood. we have identified a number of witnesses who corroborate the fact that the officer was not on the porch, but was again some 20 plus feet away firing at the house. we have identified several properties in the area that have videotape, some of which has been seized by the chicago police department. so this just happened days ago. we're still gathering information, but, again, based on the physical findings from the scene and the location of ms jones, the location of quintonio legreer and the description of where the police officer was, its absolutely inexcusable, it is reckless.
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it is not an accident. it is reckless behaviour on the part of this officer that sounds like a charge, reckless endangerment. tell me something about betty jones. >> betty jones was a hardworking young lady, 55 years old. she was the mother of five, the grandmother of nine. she was the matriarch of sorts of her home. her children are absolutely loving children. they love their mother. they were close to their mother. they're still grieving. they have not yet even buried their marcids. this is-- mother. this is a very difficult time for them. they're distraught about what happened. they have a lot of questions. she was hardworking. she worked in a bakery for the last several years. prior to that she worked as a certified nurse assistant. just a good solid citizen of the city and someone who did not deserve what happened to her on
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december 26 i think that, above all else, is very clear. larry rogers junior. he is the attorney for the family of betty jones we should tell you that the past year police in the auchlt s shot and killed nearly one thousand people. this is according to statistics from the washington post. they have led to protests and prosecutions during the year. a look back at police and deadly force. >> reporter: across the country police officers are under scrutiny for deadly encounters with the public. from charleston where an unarmed black man was shot in the back from a white police officer after being pulled over from a broken brakelight, to another,
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jammal clerk, shot in the head. another unarmed teen was killed inside his home. these police involved shootings have sparked protests across the nation. re-ignited debate about police relations and exercise force. statistics about fatal police shootings are hard to find. the numbers are often incomplete. f.b.i. director james comey called the government's efforts to track deaths in police custody embarrassing. in january the paper launched a year-long study. >> right after ferguson, we wanted to figure out how often do police shootings kill people. that basic information wasn't available. >> reporter: the project revealed that race remains a factor in police shootings. while black men make up only 6% of the u.s. population, they account for 40% of the unarmed men shot to death by police this year >> most of the time when
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officers kill somebody they're going up against somebody with a weapon. we lenders also that by doing some analysis on the raw data blacks are three times more likely to be killed in america than whites >> reporter: in july 43-year-old samuel beboys an unarmed black man was shot in the head of shot by a white police officer on a traffic stop. the shooting caught on video by the officer's body camera. for many americans the disturbing video shared on social media are how they become aware of police confrontations. this cell video showed the last moments of a robber armed with a straight edge razor who were shot and killed by police this month. the video was posted online. >> i think it has transformed the conversation in america. there are communities that for decades have been talking about police use of force, believing that it was out of control in
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their communities and they have really got nowhere until there were videos out there. >> reporter: online videos have led to calls for a review of how police officers are playing. >> he was not violent. he was peaceful. he was loving and caring and he was my brother. >> reporter: while victims' families will remember 2015 as a year of mourning, john terrett al jazeera a taliban affiliated group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in north-western pakistan. the blast killed at least 26 people and wounded over 60 others at a government office. al jazeera's victoria gattenby has the details. >> reporter: the attack was time to cause maximum devastation. the government office issuing identity cards was pacts with people. there was chaos in the moments after the blom explode - bomb exploded. police say it was a suicide attack. many people were killed and many
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more injured. >> translation: there was a blast in the office around 2 o'clock. around 100 people are injured around around 20-- and around 20 injured. >> translation: i was offering my prayers in my house when the blast occurred. it was a huge blast. when i came running here there were dead bodies >> reporter: it happened in the tribal area bordering afghanistan. a group that was linked to the pakistani taliban has claimed responsibility. the pakistani taliban says it had nothing to do with the attack. attacks by its fighters have declined over the past year. that is in part of the because of the increase in military operations and the government's efforts to shut down the armed groups sources of funding. the explosion comes two days after the head of the army was in kabul for a meeting with the president. they were trying to restart talks with the taliban. >> ma pakistan-- - what pakistan is trying to do is persuade them
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to engage in negotiations with the government instead of fighting this insurgency in afghanistan. the focus today is in must be some sort of political settlement between the government and the taliban. >> reporter: although both governmentss have been adopting a new approach towards the armed group, it appears there are many fighters who are committed to continuing the chaos upnext a significant step in the iran nuclear deal. nearly all of tehran's stock pile of enriched ewe um is now ute oft country-- uranium is now out of the country.
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iran has sent 25,000 pounds of ukrainian-- uranium to russian. experts say that remaining amount is not enough to make a nuclear weapon. john kerry said it is a significant step. a researcher with the mandela it security studies program. an al jazeera national community contributor. tell me why from your perspective, i don't really care what everyone else is saying, but from your speaker technical spife why-- perspective this is a significant deal implementation as hailed by the secretary? >> i think it comes down to something that the white house
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spokesman tweeted out earlier today. this is the first time in 10 years that iran does not have enough uranium that if it decided tomorrow to go and build a nuclear weapon. it does not have the material to build a nuclear weapon. that's a first in the decade. there is more parts of this agreement, more to implement that will provide further assurance. that is a major milestone a lot of people in and out of government suggested a year ago that iran would never agree to do what it did yesterday. are you surprised that so far at least iran is implementing the agreement? >> no. i'm not. i've been at this for 15 years and i have been to iran a bunch of time and now all the principles. the reason i'm not surprised is they're doing this because they see it in their self-interests. this is a voluntarily negotiated agreement. it wasn't imposed on them. they came to the table.
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they get something out of it. they get sanctions relief. i think more importantly the president gets an election benefit. there is an important election in iran in february. he will be able to go into that election saying "i delivered all my promise". it is in their interests to follow through in their interest. when is implementation day? what is it and how much money potentially? i've seen 60 billion, 100 billion, comes on line for iran? >> implementation day is the day that this agreement officially takes hold. it is a little bit confusing because the way the agreement is structured, it's front loaded, iran does everything we want them to do upfront before the agreement - before implementation date. they dismantle the centrifuges, they open up to the agency. we get our stuff upfront. then they get their sanctions
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relief. it's 120 billion technically, but a lot of that they owed other countries for goods and services. they will be able to sell oil to countries. it is a variety of things. it does mean a cash infruition. i think more-- infusion the next important steps here for iran to carry through on in implementing this agreement is what? i know there is a disassembling of centrifuges; is that correct? >> yes. they've started that. they have a heavy water reactor. they need to convert that so it is not a danger. that has started and they're on their way. they have to allow the i.a.e.a. in for the inspections you will help to monitor
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this for us. happy new year to you thank you. >> happy new year to you former israeli prime minister olmert is going to prison. the supreme court upheld his conviction for breathalyzer bring. his sentenced was reduced from six years to 18 months. >> reporter: the hearing was brief, but the ruling was cleared-- bribery. he will be the first prime minister to serve time in jail. he is ordered to spend 18 months in prison for bribery starting february. he was first convicted in 2014 and sentenced to six years. it revolves around a project in west jerusalem. the development was approved for construction while he was
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serving as mayor. speaking to the media after the ruling, olmert welcomed the verdict. >> translation: a large weight was lifted from my walmart when the supreme court decided to acquit me. >> reporter: he is going to jail for accepting a bribe around $15,000 for a separate real estate object that was approved while he was mayor of jerusalem. he maintained his innocence. >> translation: no bribe was offered to me and i never accepted one. i repeat this today. in line with my beliefs and life i accept the verdict of the supreme court judges. >> reporter: he served from 2006 to 200 the as prime minister. he was a relatively popular leader at the time, but as his case worked its way through the
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judicial system, there were increa increasing commands that he finish his tenure. >> reporter: he still faces a potential sentence of eight months in prison over allegations of fraud and making illegal payments to an american businessman. while the supreme court has yet to rule on that case, olmert's legacy as the first israeli prime minister to be handed a prison sentence is cemented for a look at what's coming up at the top of the hour, jonathan betts is here >> targeting i.s.i.l. leaders. a u.s. strike has taken out links to paris attacks. we will see how u.s. forces were able to crackdown those men. also helping children in war-torn syria. one idea is to give them video cameras.
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surviving war, famine and loss of family. what it is like for young syrian. a group of refugees living in the middle of an oil field. the diseases they face and what the oil companies are now being asked to change. also tonights losing benefits by tens of thousands of people in louisianna are about to be denies food stamps. all those stories and much more ahead in just a couple of minutes china's economy is in the middle of a slow down. the worst since the early 1990s. that is having a big impact on the country's steel workers. adrian brown has a report. >> reporter: this man has more time to play with his daughter these days. she was born just months after her father was told that the local steel mill where he had
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worked for more than 20 years was closing. that was nine months ago. >> translation: with this money they brought your whole lifetime. many people had been working hard for several decades but finally what did you get? just this money, your youth and your time all have been wasted. this is the biggest loss. >> reporter: she is named after the steel metal to which he devoted so much of his life. his father also worked in the steel mill. many of his workmates pass their day drinking tea in a local café. for 50 cents they can sip all day. like him they too were paid off. the amount depended on how long you had been with the company. the redundancy money will eventually run out. >> translation: so we are very careful with our daily expenses. we try to save every penny for my daughter's future but i am
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not very welled indicated-- well ed indicated. it is very difficult to finds a job. >> reporter: the closure of the million has been taking the toll on the local community - mandela ill-- forcing many to close. the steel mill had been one of the largest of its kinds in china, employing more than 16,000 workers. in many ways it was the city. the mill's closure is part of china's gradual transition away from the heavy industry upon which it has been so reliant for so long >> it has been painful and it is going to continue to be painful. it will be even more painful. we have a global problem of excess capacity. there are way too many producers of steel and there is ininsufficient demands and they have to cut back. >> reporter: many join the search for elsewhere.
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his wife bought their apartment before they met, but it is a home in a town without a future. >> translation: my life is a failure. my life is very boring. i didn't study hard enough. every day just keeps repeating itself. i thought about it. even though i took the severance pay, i don't think i hate the factory, but i am very disappointed with my life. >> reporter: he worries about his daughter's future and hopes it won't be spent here. if she can leave this place, he says, sympathy can have a better life. adrian brown still ahead disappearing culture. what's happening to china town in american cities.
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an estimated four million chinese immigrants call u.s. home. they're mainly in china towns. they're resident and excluded from other neighborhoods. china towns are disappearing. >> reporter: when jenny tang came to washington dc with her family almost 20 years ago from china, she chose to live in the tight night ethnic enclave of china town in order to hold on to some of her cultural heritage. today china town is fast
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disappearing. the familious chinese gate over the main avenue only remains as a tourist attraction surrounded by western food and clothing franchises. it is about the people. at one time 3,000 chinese lived in washington's china town. today only about 300 remain. half of those might scone be gone-- soon be gone, their building being replaced, jenny tang to be evicted so a luxury condo can be built. >> translation: we all have jobs but not as much money as they. we pay rent on time. >> reporter: they're victims of what is called a process through which poor minorities are pushed out as the city develops and the wealthy move in. according to one study, non-chinese populations in these areas have tablets in a deck-- doubled in a decade.
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some researcherss estimates of the 15 large china town in america, only three remain authentic to their past. >> a china town is not just the people. china town is a place where social networks, economic fabrics, right, it has been built. >> reporter: when chinese are pushed out, it breaks up cultural cohesion of communities and threatens tradition. in new york peopling are fighting back. >> reporter: in some ways new york has been a lone success story of people taking to the streets fighting against development. everybody knows once the heart, soul and original character of their china town is gone, it likely will never come back. >> reporter: in washington, jenny tang knows this and is deeply saddened.
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>> translation: my sister tells me to come back to china, but i don't want to go back. >> reporter: looking out at a china town that she now barely recognises that is all of our time. thanks for watching. i'm tony harris in new york. jonathan betts is back today. >> we begin tonight with what could be a big blow to i.s.i.l. ten i.s.i.l. leaders have been killed in air strikes in just the past month. officials say that includes at least one person linked to last months's paris attacks that left 130 people dead. more now from jamie make tine. >> reporter: the efforts is degrading effectiveness while sending a powerful psychological message that there is no safe haven in either iraq or syria. the u.s. says one of the i.s.i.l. leaders killed