responsible. >> reporter: the two recover at home. young people who so many here say suffer the consequences of demanding a better life. charles stratford, al jazeera. and you can find out much more on many of our stories on our website. the address, aljazeera.com. explosions are heard during a police operation in brussels as firms confirm at least two americans are among those killed. we are systematically eliminating isil's cabinet. >> meanwhile u.s. official forces take out isil's second in command in syria. and a new law in north carolina that critics call the most anti-lbgt legislation in the country. ♪

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm richelle carey. major raids in belgium today by police. prosecutors say three people were detained in raids in connection to the arrest of a french man in paris suspected of plotting a new attack. and one person carrying a bag of explosive us was arrested in another raid. the family of two siblings from new york city confirmed they died in the bombings. the dutch nationals were on the phone with a relative at the airport when the phone went dead. john kerry has been showing solidarity in brussels today. >> we will not be intimidated. we will not be deterred, and we

will come back with greater resolve, with greater strength, and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nilistic beliefs and cowardous from the face of this earth. >> paul tell us more about these raids and arrests. >> reporter: yeah, really intensive period of police activity, special units have been going to addresses across brussels in different districts, looking at houses, going in -- really very -- in a very robust manner. two separate raids, two arrests were made. and both of those raids these suspect was wounded during those raids, wounded in the legs in both occasions. a number of arrests, and what is coming out -- and the prosecutor

here in brussels has issued a news release just in the last hour and a half explaining that the build-up of information is becoming much clearer and is linking both the paris attacks with the brussels attacks earlier this week. they have said that basically, the person that -- one of the people seen in that cctv footage from the airport just before the explosions is a man who's dna has been found at addresses which were connected to the paris attacks. his dna has always been found on explosive vests used in paris and the brussels attacks. and he carried out a suicide attack in brussels earlier this week. so they are coming to the conclusion that it is one large conspiracy of radicals, and that is giving them something really intensive to work on. >> paul what more are we

learning about the stakes in the investigation leading up to the attacks. >> reporter: yeah, as the police make more and more progress and more and more information comes in, they realize that perhaps some information was in a little bit earlier than they anticipated. for example, earlier on friday, a police chief in a town just 40 kilometers north of brussels came out and addressed to the media that within of his officers had information that could have lead anti-terror officers to an address used as a hideout by salah abdeslam. unfortunately he didn't input the data in, in a correct way. it was not a deliberate omission. but nonetheless it could have lead to salah abdeslam's being

caught much sooner, and it could have impacted on the police's efforts to try to prevent the brussel's attacks taking place at all. a serious mistake, not deliberate, of course, but potentially with very catastrophic consequences. >> it's obvious by the crowd behind you, that there is still a big energy around what has .hahhed this week. that things have not returned to normal. tell us what the progress is supposed to be to get back to normal service at the airport and metro. >> reporter: yeah, the three days of mourning finer initialled today, friday. it's easter weekend of course this weekend, and the terror threat was reduced on thursday. so we have seen a gradual relaxation. there is still police and solders openly patrolling the streets of central brussels, but

the amount of security checks has been reduced slightly, much of the metro system is now up and running, although of course the malbec station is still closed and the airport it's a is set to open monday at the earliest, nonetheless people are here expressing their sadness but also their defiance. >> thank you. a top isil leader has been killed. it happened tuesday near the iraqi city of mosul. the united states is not confirming the method of the attack. let's go to jamie mcintyre at the pentagon. so jamie what do we know? >> reporter: well, the phrase that secretary of defense ash carter used was the systematic elimination of the isil cabinet.

this earlier killing of the reputed number 2 of isil is just the latest of senior-level isil leaders that have been killed. earlier the pentagon confirmed that they killed a man who was considered to be equivalent to the secretary of war. they also captured a man believed to be the head of their chemical weapons and they were getting intelligence from them. and today at this news conference, secretary of defense ash carter simply indicated that the success they are having, whittling down isil's leadership confirms that the momentum is shifting. >> these leaders are senior. they are experienced, and so eliminating them is an important objective, and achieves an important result, but they will be replaced and will continue to go after their leadership and

other aspects of their capability. so i would say it's necessary, not sufficient, but important. >> reporter: secretary carter said this man was particularly key because he had been around a long time. in fact he was a former lieutenant of -- of the al-qaeda leader, back when al-qaeda in iraq was a big force there, and was seen as quite influential within isil. he also said he believed this man was connected to financing and perhaps coordinating plots outside of iraq and syria. although he stopped short of saying he was connected directly to the attacks in brussels or paris. richelle. >> jamie how are the attacks in belgium -- how are they effecting the pentagon's strategy against isil? >> reporter: the first thing that secretary carter said today was that these second quarters under score that the defeat of

isil needs to be hastened wherever it exists, and there is a limit to what the u.s. military can do. obviously it can attack what carter likes to call the parent tumor of isil in iraq and syria, but not in these other countries. that's a function that law enforce and intelligence is going to have to do. he made that point, but he also talked about the fact that the u.s. is pushing to accelerate the fight against isil, in particular it has made requests for new capabilities to assist the iraqis in retaking the city of mosul, and it was also revealed that some of the u.s. marines on the ground are now providing artillery fire to help those iraqi forces that are beginning to do the shaping operations around mosul. >> all right. jamie thank you so much. a sgroup of marines operating from a small outpost fired illumination and artillery

rounds to help iraqi forces and providing help finding targets as part of the operation to retake mosul that jamie was talking about. u.s. officials have long insists that only 200 marines are there to provide assistance to iraqi soldiers. gdp grew in the fourth quarter. today's commerce department estimate shows the u.s. economy has slowed down a bit but not as sharply as had been predicted. economists expected a meager .7% growth. but with recent wage increases and housing prieszs on the rise, consumers seem to be more comfortable with the market. indiana has signed a bill that will reduce a woman's access to abortion. this law requires the mother to pay for the burial or cremation of her fetus, and bans selective abortions including those with

disabilities like down's syndrome. a new law on the books now in north carolina is being called discriminatory against lgbt people. and john henry smith reports some corporations are denouncing the law. >> reporter: protesters camped out in the street outside of the mansion of the governor. the latest backlash over a new law that excludes gays, lesbians and transgender people from discrimination protections. >> this legislation is literally, the most anti-lgbt legislation in the country. >> reporter: also expressing outrage, corporate america, many have denounced the law. the ncaa is deciding whether or not it will still hold scheduled championship basketball games

there in 2017 and 2018. and the nba expressed concern about hosting the 2017 all-star game in charlotte. it's that city's ordinance allowing transger der people to use the bathroom of their choosing. >> this law is about protecting the families and children across north carolina. >> reporter: now all public institutions must insist that people use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate. >> it's common sense that boys should go to the boys room, and girls should go to the girls room. god got it right when he said that he created them male and female. >> reporter: the governor called the law an overreach, but lgbt advocates say the new rules put them at risk. >> he literally affirmed to our nation that north carolina is not a friendly place for lbgt people. >> i won't go back to the men's

room. people like me die there every day. >> reporter: advocates are hoping if the safety message doesn't provoke change an economic one will. >> i think it's something we would worry more about when you get an argue niceation like the nfl our the nba, or ncaa behind it, it's much harder to coordinate individual businesses. the kentucky state house has passed a bill that would create a single marriage license form for straight and gay couples. the bill passed by the house gives applicants the option of selecting bride, groom, or spouse. the republican senate's version would create separate forms. both proposals were in response to the controversy around kim davis the clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. up next the republican presidential candidates get personal. ted cruz demand donald trump leave his wife alone. and a new warning over the

long f-term effects of marijuana use.

a war of wores between ted cruz and donald trump is heating up. it started with a pro-cruz group ran this ad. in response trump tweeted this picture. >> it is not acceptable for a big loud new york bully to

attack my wife. donald you are a coward, and leave heidi the hell alone. >> reporter: the tension between the two is so serious, cruz is now refusing to say whether he would back the republican party in the election if trump is the nominee. delegates from alaska, hawaii, and washington state are up for grabs. washington state is one of the biggest contests left with 101 delegates at stake. hillary clinton has about a 300 del grate lead on bernie sanders. which holds it presidential primary on april 5th. and a win in that state could help bernie sanders close that gap. >> reporter: when it comes to campaigning for candidates

stephanie has been doing it since she was seven. >> bernie sanders. >> oh, yeah, i'll vote for him. >> reporter: i began campaigning over 35 years ago for president carter's reelection. >> reporter: now she is trying to work her magic in mock's african american neighborhoods. it's not going to be bernie who is going to be? >> hilary. >> oh, that sends chills down my spine. >> reporter: why are you supporting bernie? >> bernie speaks to my heart. it's time for economic justice. i am for economic justice, and that's what bernie speaks. >> reporter: with 96 delegates wisconsin could be important to the sanders campaign. while hillary clinton lead sanders by 9 points last september, sanders pulled ahead of clinton slightly in the most recent poll. >> a win in wisconsin which stands alone between the earlier

primaries and the later, gives him an opportunity to reemerge and show that he can win in a midwestern state. >> reporter: in populous democratic strong holds like mock african american voters could play a pivotal role. while blacks have backed clinton solidly in the south, sanders fared a bit better in the rest belt states. >> in terms of finding new jobs, that's something that is really difficult, especially with a shrinking economy, with less, i guess revenue for cities to operate, there's less jobs available. >> reporter: but in this milwaukee home these middle age's voters say clinton has a better track record with african americans. >> bern bern was the senator in vermont, and how many african americans was in vermont that he had to represent?

>> reporter: at clinton's office staff and volunteers are monitoring the phones. >> we definitely need more people making phone calls. >> reporter: they also hope to reach voters before stephanie does. >> do you know about bernie? >> reporter: diane eastabrook, al jazeera, milwaukee. about 250 people are now headed back to their homes in northwest minnesota after a train derailment, tanker truck burst into flames after colliding with a freight train on thursday. it happened about 50 miles east of farfoe, north carolina. this fall more than states plan to vote on possibly legalizing marijuana. the study is raising questions about long-term pot use. jake ward has more. >> reporter: states are making

long-term changes to marijuana laws without knowing much about the long-term effects of the drug. and that's just because the research has not been done. >> we know way less about marijuana than we do tobacco and alcohol. you know, the -- the -- when a product is legal, it's -- in addition to being a lot easier to use, it's a lot easier to study. marijuana has always been a struggle, because people don't want to say they are using it because it is illegal. so we know far less than we should given how widely used it. >> reporter: while researchers have been able to look at something like alcohol use and it's relationship to violence and poverty, nobody has been able to do that with pot, but now a new study looksal marijuana use in people who have been tracked for their entire lives. this processor one of the authors, says the group events a special opportunity for

researchers. >> people who are born between april 1972 and march 1973, so all births in that time period, and they were followed up every three to six years until they were age 38. we have information on them, health status, families, socioeconomic condition, and by having information on cannabis use, we can look at magnitude and duration of use and how that impacts later problems. >> reporter: the study has bad news for heavy, long-term users of marijuana. >> people who were cannabis dependant were just as likely to experience work -- anti-social workplace behavior, relationship problems, and downward social class mobility as people who were alcohol dependingant over many years. and in terms of financial difficulties people who were cannabis dependent experienced more financial difficulties, and

food insecurity, compared to people who were alcohol dependant. >> before we think about how this might be relevant to the united states, it is important to understand a few a littleations. this study was only roughly a thousand people, almost all of them were white, and they were all in new zealand. but at time when political and business momentum is gathering around legal marijuana, the findings are an alarming reminder that the science may have been left behind. cultural milestone for cuba. the rolling stones are getting ready to give thousands of cubans some satisfaction.

we're now getting an estimate of how much that oregon standoff will cost the government. the estimate is at least $6 million. the compound is undergoing a giant spring cleaning with the use of industrial vacuums, cargo trailers filled with cleaning supplies, and total that officials are expecting again is probably more than $6 million. a seattle man is refusing to go to court after he first refused to come out of a tree. he hunkered down in an 80-feet tree in downtown seattle for 25

hours. and police say the pelted passers by with pinecones and branches. on thursday the 28 year old refused to leave his jail cell for a bail hearing. another historic moment in cuba is happening today. for decades rock acts like the rolling stones were banned in the country, but in just hours the band will be there in person to play a big free concert. as lucia newman reports. >> reporter: until recently this was the closest that a legendary british rock star had ever come to cuba. now the countdown has started for what promises to be the most exciting rock concert in this country's history. the rolling stones are coming, and no one wants to miss them. >> translator: when i was her age i dreamed of going to a concert like this, but it was never within our reach. >> translator: it is the first time we will see something like this, and maybe the last.

we want to travel abroad to see them. >> reporter: the famous british rock band has brought in some 500 topps of equipment, and will be playing before an estimated crowd of hundreds of thousands. ♪ >> reporter: this will be the grand finale of the rolling stones latin america tour, but only here are they performing for free. ♪ >> reporte >> ho law cuba. >> reporter: mcjagger spoke in pretty good spanish on youtube saying this is an historic concert. but practically no one has seen the video, because internet access here is so limited. tln cuba is not on the kiir suggest of major music tours, so you can imagine. also the stones span three generations of fans.

>> reporter: it is also worth remembering for decades the music was banned by the communist government which called it's -- idealogical deviation. cuba is being embraced by a rock band that is a living legend. ever wonder what would happen if you didn't return a movie rental? one man in north carolina is in trouble with the law for forgetting to take back a vhs tape. the officer told him he had an outstanding warrant for not returning a tape back in 2002. the movie was freddy got fingered. the video store has shut down as

you can imagine. thank you for joining us. i'm richelle carey keep it here. the news continues next live from london. ♪ this is al jazeera. ♪ hello everyone i'm felicity barr and welcome to this news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes. a suspect is wounded and arrested in brussels in the latest of a series of raids after tuesday east attacks. two turkish journalist go on trial in turkey behind closed doors. they say they are [ inaudible ] freedom of the press. and a fleet of buses arrives at the greek border with