like to think that -- here's the promo right here. i don't even need to say it. this man is awesome. i love your stuff. if you're watching me silently it starts at 9:00 p.m. right here on cnn. thursday, right? >> that's right. >> thank you, everyone for being with us. brianna keilar will take over. she's in for wolf. she starts right now. hi, there. i'm brianna keilar in today for wolf blitzer. we begin with the breaking news about the violence and chaos in yemen and what it means in the fight against al qaeda. yemen's minister of information says shiite houthi rebels have taken over the presidential palace. she called it the completion of a coup fighting between government forces and the houthi rebels lead to a cease-fire yesterday but violence flared again today. cnn's nick paton walsh is the only western tv journalist in yemen. he joins me now live from the capital sanaa. nick give us an update on the situation and from where you

have been observing things is this actually a coup that we are witnessing? >> reporter: we are seeing a lot of activity on the streets here which does in the words of the information minister seem in her mind to amount to completion of a coup which she says has begun yesterday. let me explain what that means. we've heard from her and from two interior ministry officials at the presidential palace the key symbolic building of power in yemen, was surrounded this morning. apparently the houthis have moved in and taken over that entire compound. it seems to be in their hands now. she says there was a period of shooting outside the house of the president of yemen. he didn't leave the building. he is said to be safe. but that is certainly a cause for great concern. and it led the information minister a member of his cabinet, to say he had no

control in the control at this particular time. the question is, what do the houthis want? they said yesterday they were attacked first. we are supposed to be hearing imminently from their leader on their local tv channel here to give a message to where this goes. people ask, do they want power entirely to run the government or simply want to remind the government and president hadi that they can influence things as they wish? deep concern in the streets of yemen right now because there is a sense of a power vacuum there is a sense of gun law on the streets deciding what happens on the political table. talks were supposed to be ongoing but clearly they've not mapped out the compromise many thought would save yemen here. and it seems to be edging further towards collapse. >> collapse of a government that is friendly to the u.s. in its fight against aqap. very alarming indeed. nick paton walsh in sanaa, thank you so much. i want to talk now more about this situation in yemen with our

experts. we have paul cruickshank with us from new york. and we have cnn intelligence and security analyst bob baer joining us from colorado. paul the u.s. backed the yemeni president. this country is a u.s. ally in the battle against al qaeda. what happens if the houthis take control, even if they aren't big fans of al qaeda themselves? >> that's a big question indeed. the hadi government has been an ally of the united states in going after al qaeda in yemen, in the country. over the last several months they haven't focused on that because they've been fighting for political survival. and this coup which is finished today actually started in september when the houthis took over much of the capital, sanaa, many of the ministries. they've been the document force in the capital. the houthis have been fighting al qaeda themselves in many part ts of central yemen so they're no friends of al qaeda. they've been going after them to some degree.

but the americans are very concerned because the houthis are essentially shia and they worry that al qaeda are taking advantage of sectarian conflicts to recruit more sunni tribals into al qaeda's ranks. we're seeing al qaeda expand its presence in the tribal areas of yemen, get more territory, more manpower more resources. it's main priority in recent weeks, it says is attacking the united states. it claimed responsibility for the "charlie hebdo" attack as well. there's no one in yemen, no government officially to go after these guys. >> and, bob, what about -- i want to listen to something that president obama said because it's really sort of -- now it's getting a lot of attention. this is what he said in september, not all that long ago when he was talking about yemen. let's listen. >> this counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady relentless effort to take out isil wherever they

exist using our airpower and our support for partners' forces on the ground. this strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us while supporting partners on the front lines is one that we have successfully pursued in yemen and somalia for years. >> so he used what we've seen in yemen as an explanation for why going against isis and recruiting partners in the region was going to work in that case. what happened here? where did this success story go wrong or was it ever really a success story? >> well brianna, that was a political statement. the president was looking for one victory after the loss of anbar province in iraq. it's a lot of bad news that's coming out of the middle east and it's getting a lot worse. as paul said yemen is clearly a defeat for us. in the middle east. the houthis will drive the sunni

tribes, as paul said into the arms of al qaeda, just like the sunni tribes in al anbar province are driven into the arms of the islamic state there. so you're seeing a sunni community across the middle east under attack defensive. and when they get defensive, they turn to radicalism and turn to attacks overseas. and this attack in paris on the 7th of january is i think, a result of that. >> yeah it is bad news and it just keeps coming. bob, paul, thanks, guys. appreciate it. also breaking news this hour two yemeni nationals now facing charges in the u.s. for conspiring to murder americans abroad. court documents say the men were initially arrested in saudi arabia and that their alleged criminal behavior dates back to 2003 and 2009 and when they met with a senior al qaeda leader. coming up, we're following more breaking news. the mayor of paris plans to take legal action against fox news. hear from the mayor herself next.

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japan faces a threat from isis militants as europe works to round up suspects and shut down terror cells. here's the latest. isis is threatening to kill two japanese hostages unless japan pays a $200 million ransom. isis released a video showing the men in orange jumpsuits kneeling in front of a masked man. this is very similar to previous hostage videos that we've seen. and japan's prime minister is calling for the immediate release of these men. he's also standing by a pledge of support for those affected by isis. four terror suspects held in connection with the paris attacks were in court today. they were formally accused of

quote, association with a criminal terrorist organization. five other people held since friday were released last night and belgian authorities are searching for the ringleader of the terror cell targeted in last week's raid. they suspect he is abdelhamid abudde an isis fighter. also believed to be the terror cell's link to isis operatives in syria. just a short time ago, cnn chief international correspondent christiane amanpour interviewed the mayor of paris. anne hildago said she will take legal action against fox news. fox has apologized multiple times for the comments. let's bring in christiane amanpour now who's joining us from london. we also have brian stelter with us and we have cnn legal analyst paul callan. christiane this was a fascinating interview. what did the mayor tell you?

>> well we had the interview in the context of the arrests and what needs to be done and all sorts of comments from the prime minister about the deep divisions in society and also in the context of them being very worried about not just anti-semitism that we saw in the market and also rising backlash against islam. so all of this and then reacting to these comments by fox news and its experts which basically targeted and accused france of having no-go zones, islamic sharia law -- right after -- about the same time as they'd done the same thing about birmingham in england. so the mayor said paris had been particularly damaged and she called prejudiced about it and she was going to take legal action. listen to what she told me. >> translator: i'm insulted. and when we've had an image,

then i think we'll have to sue. i think we'll have to go to court in order to have these words removed. the image of paris has been prejudiced and the honor of paris has been prejudiced. and i think in the great discussion of truth, everyone is to play its role. and we are going to have to be realistic and put things as they are. >> can you clarify which exact network you're going to take to court and sue? >> translator: fox news, that's the name. >> so it's unclear where this will go. but she seemed fairly determined. is she making a point or do they expect real legal reparations? we don't know. interestingly, actually it's been a french satirical news program sort of modeled loosely

on jon stewart's "the daily show" which actually took on all of this commentary by fox on very very amusing programs they've done over the last several days. and the french ambassador to the united states has been tweeting out a storm saying that of course this is not the france. it happened after similar comments about birmingham england, where the prime minister david cameron said, i nearly choked on my porridge when i heard about no-go zones in my country. >> krimechristiane thank you for breaking that down for us. brian, you've talked a lot about this on your show reliable sources. christiane was talking about that example of birmingham. there was a guest, it was not a fox news host but it was a guest that said that birmingham was basically a completely muslim city and that it was a no-go zone where police officers or

non-muslims wouldn't go and then they later corrected it saying actually the census per 2011 birmingham is only 22% muslim. also this map -- this map was used. and i believe that these are identifying what are really actually poor parts of paris and these were described as the no-go zones of paris. >> yeah this is probably the best example right here. of what the mayor is objecting to. it's highlighting parts of her city that may have -- i don't know for sure. they may have higher crime. they may have more poor people. but this is based on a map from 1996. so even if it was accurate back then referring to areas that need more support from the government who knows if it's accurate now? so you have something that was taken from 20 years ago and then conflated to be these no-go zones. the reason it's so significant is no-go zones is something of a theme in right wing media here in the united states. it presents this image of

muslims as the other, as something to be feared. and that is why fox and others have been widely criticized for their coverage about this recently and why there were a number of apologies on saturday. we'll see if this legal action goes forward now. >> paul. speaking of that does the paris mayor have a case? >> france has a law that was enacted in 1881 that became famous in the dreyfuss affair in which if the honor of a person or a body is insulted one can bring a defamation case in france. and you can bring it either for money damages or you can even bring a criminal case if you can convince law enforcement authorities to proceed. so technically there's probably a law on the book that is they could invoke. but frankly i think it would subject them to such ridicule throughout the world. and in terms of political commentary and geopolitical commentary how could any

network safely comment on anything without being in fear of being pulled into a defamation suit? so i think for that reason ultimately this is going to go no place. but it will make a great headline or two. >> you have me digging back into my high school history files. but, brian, talk a little bit about what the lesson is journalistically here. there were guests who wanted to talk about no-go zones on cnn and yet it was an issue that seemed very murky. and so -- it was sort of this issue about what is this really and is this even a real thing? what's the lesson here? >> one of them is if a guest says something that seems out of bounds, the anchor has to challenge it. we see it all the time on television. but we didn't see it in these cases on fox. reminds me of something a mentor said to me years ago. the solution to bad journalism

is more journalism. the idea to us in the united states that lawsuits are the solution that seems anathema to what we stand for. the solution is more journalism good journalism, sending reporters to these so-called mabds and showing what neighborhoods and showing what life is like there. >> brian stelter, paul callan, thanks to both of you. coming up we'll look ahead to tonight's state of the union address. we'll get a preview from both sides, republican and democrat about what they want to hear, going to be very different i'm pretty sure. tup-ny. it's working for new york state. already 55 companies are investing over $98 million dollars and creating over 2100 jobs. from long island to all across upstate new york, more businesses are coming to new york. they are paying no property taxes no corporate taxes no sales taxes. and with over 300 locations, and 3.7 million square feet available,

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well tonight marks 50 years since the first primetime televised state of the union speech. that one given by president lyndon johnson centered on the great society. and it brought calls for the establishment of medicare, medicaid and the voting rights act. tonight president obama will talk about tax credits, community college and cyber security. joining me to talk more about it is texas republican congressman max thornbury. thanks for being with us, congressman. i imagine the first issue you think the president should touch on in his address is not going to be the one that he does. but what would you want to hear from him? >> i would want to hear about national security just look at what you've been reporting in this hour about the deteriorating situation in yemen which increases the danger to us.

there's lots of questions about terrorism, about protecting the homeland after the attacks in paris and the president needs to take leadership and leadership in working with congress to solve those things because they're not going to get better with him doing his own thing, as it were. so that's what i'd like to hear. a president reaching out, wanting to work together for the good of the country. >> okay. so one of the things we are expecting the president to talk about is tax credits for people who earn less and then increasing taxes on wealthy earners through capital gains. what's your reaction to that considering he's up against a republican congress, united in two chambers now after the election and i imagine you aren't all too amenable to that. >> well, my reaction you've just given because he knows there's no way it's going to happen with this congress. so it's not a serious proposal. it is political posturing. and that's really why i said what i did at the beginning.

what we need is a president who is not so focused on ginning up political base or trying to help democratic candidates in 2016. we need a president who will work with this congress that was elected by the american people to solve the problems we face in this country and around the world. so my reaction is disappointment because that sort of thing tells me the president is not serious about solving problems or getting things done with congress. >> you are the new chairman of the house armed services committee, the first texan in that role, i believe. earlier today you talked about congress and its role in preparing the military. what's your message for the president and for your fellow congressmanmen congressmen on that? >> the only way to face this huge array of threats that face us is for congress to play its role and be cooperative with the administration. again, just think about the news of the day.

how do we protect the homeland? how do we deal with this growing terrorist threat all around the world? it's only going to be with a combination of congress and the administration working together. and congress has a key, irreplaceable role in putting the tools together to deal with those sorts of threats. >> and quickly before i let you go this latest news out of yemen, can you react to that in how you see the u.s.'s role in that situation? >> well i think it's a further deterioration of the international situation. it increases the danger to us. we've got to be really worried about our people on the ground there. and it forces us to recalibrate how we deal with yemen. remember most of the serious threats against our homeland have emanateded from there in recent years. so this is a big deal and increases the danger to us. >> congressman mac thornberry thanks so much. coming up we'll hear from the democratic side congressman

angle will join me live to talk about the president's address. and cnn's coverage of the president's state of the union begins right here tonight at 7:00 eastern. in other news why is there a russian spy ship docked in havana harbor? our cnn reporter is inside of the ship and is going to explain its connect to thawing u.s./cuba relations. (cough, cough) mike? janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry, scratchy thing going on... guess what? (cough!) it works on his cough too. what? stop, don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm packs 2 medicines in one pill to relieve wet and dry coughs for 12 hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer...

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welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm brianna keilar in for wolf blitzer today. there is a situation developing off the coast of cuba a russian spy ship has appeared in the harbor outside of havana. the ship's arrival comes as a u.s. state department delegation is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. cnn's patrick oppmann is in havana for us. this isn't the ship's first visit there to havana and it isn't exactly hiding, right? you can see it can't you? >> reporter: not at all hiding. we're just feet away from not only the cnn's havana bureau but also where many other international media outlets have their offices in havana. this is usually a terminal used for cruise ships. we're in the heart of old havana havana's tourism district usually a place where you see tourists walking around. instead we've got a reluctance spy ship.

you see lots of high-tech equipment that's used to scoop up massive amounts of data presumably from the united states. we're just 90 miles away from the united states brianna. and you could say this is all a coincidence. but coincidences are not that common in cuba. seems to be a message that's being sent that the russians from influence in cuba as well. vladimir putin was just here last year signed an intelligence-gathering agreement with the cuba presumably allowing the ship to come here refuel, pick up supplies. it's part of that agreement. and just a day before a u.s. delegation arrives, relations seem to be normalizing between cuba and the u.s. but the cold war perhaps isn't over just yet, at least when it comes to cuba brianna? >> it isn't over. it's just over your shoulder right there. patrick, thanks so much in havana cuba for us. i have breaking news that i want to tell you about. this is on the investigation

into flight 8501. we just have new information in. indonesian media is saying the plane was climbing at a rate of 6,000 feet per minute. that is faster than a fighter jet. the minister also noted the average climbing speed of a commercial aircraft is between 1,000 and 2,000 feet per minute. the plane crashed on december 28th with 162 passengers and crew on board. both of the plane's black boxes in its tail section have been recovered and part of the fuselage identified on the ocean floor. what started as a letter to santa ended with an invitation to tonight's state of the union. you're about to meet one lucky kid, one very special kid who had no idea how many people he would touch with his powerful words. and one freshman congresswoman is polishing up her words. she's actually a senator. johni ernst is publishing up her response to the state and union

and the risks she takes making it.

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tonight will be president obama's next-to-state state of the union. we're told the speech will focus on middle class economics, counterterrorism and personal stories. joining me now is new york congressman eliot engel, the ranking member on the house foreign affairs committee. and i wonder what you think, congressman, of the first issue, that you think the president really should touch on in his address tonight. >> well i think the president is going to to talk a lot about the economy and the middle class. and i think that's important because although the economy has improved greatly, the middle class is still not feeling it. and i think that's what he's going to do. i think he's going to use this speech as part of his legacy. he faces a republican senate and a republican house majority

that's hostile to what he has to say, anything he has to say. and i think he wants to put it right out there to the american people speak directly to the american people even though this is a state of the union, he's really talking to the american people as well. and i think people will see the real barack obama tonight. >> you say they're hostile to anything and certainly they're going to -- the republicans in congress most if not all of them will be hostile to one of the biggest proposals we know the president is going to put out there. increasing taxes on the wealthy and creating tax credits for lower earners. knowing -- no matter what you think of that politically, knowing that there's no way that gets through a republican congress. why is the president pushing that? >> well because i think sometimes the state of the union is not only putting forward proposals that can get through congress it's putting forward proposals that the president really believes. it might not get through this

congress but when he puts it out there, it will percolate and will hopefully get through other congresses in the future. i think it's a very, very important issue. the middle class works hard. it's very hard to even just keep in place. wealthy people are doing very well in this economy. but people who work are struggling. i think the president is going to propose different proposals that will help put more money in people's paychecks, paychecks haven't really increased that much. and there's still a sense of feeling that people are sliding backwards. if people are working a full-time job and earning money, they should be earning enough money to be able to keep their family eating and clothed and all kinds of things that you expect. but that hasn't been the case with so many people. >> is that where we're at, though? i sort of wonder from the perspective of just americans who may be tuning in tonight or maybe the ones who won't be tuning in. you said some of these things won't pass this congress. we're at the beginning of two

years of this congress. so is that where we're at just sort of resigned to the fact that nothing much is going to get done? >> well i'll support most of these programs but i wish more people would. look the president's laid it out on immigration and it's really been rejected by the republicans. the president's laid it out on tax cuts for middle class at the expense of perhaps taxing the 1% of americans a little bit more. that's something the republicans don't like. i don't think the president can worry about what might or might not pass. i think he has a bold vision that he's going to put out there and hopefully -- you never know where it all ends. you put it all out there. it becomes talking -- people start talking about it. there's pressure. you never know. so i think we're going to see the president's vision tonight and i think it's going to be a good one. >> can you tell us from your

view as a significant member of the house foreign affairs committee, we're at this key time when it comes to terrorism. what do you want to hear president obama say about it? >> well i think people want to fight the war on terror. i want to hear the president talk about a war on terror. i want to hear of his plans to fight it. we have isis. they're obviously very very dangerous. we've seen the events in paris, in france these past couple of weeks. i think people want to know the united states is very involved in the fight against terrorism. i think it's important that the president articulate it. i'm particularly interested in hearing what the president has to say about the iran negotiations because i'm supportive of it. but i think at some point we've got to keep the pressure up on iran and the question is what do you do? what does congress do? so i want to hear what the president says about all these foreign policy challenges challenges to america's

security challenges by terrorism. and i think basically what has happened in europe recently and in paris -- i think the american people want to hear it as well. >> so important this year. congressman eliot engel, thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you. my pleasure. >> the annual state of the union address is the president's chance to lay out his agenda to congress to talk to the american people about how he wants things to go. but it also throws a spotlight on one select republican. and this year it is iowa senator joni ernst. joining me to talk about this is cnn national political reporter peter hamby. i guess first off, who is senator ernst for those who don't know and why was she picked for the rebuttal? >> well if you covered the last campaign joni ernst was a breakout star. >> famous for castrating pigs and -- >> that's right.

she ran a tv ad saying i castrate hogs i'll get to washington and cut pork -- >> make them squeal. >> right. she is kind of perfect for the state of the union response. the response does two things. one the opposition party gets to introduce a rising star to the american public and it tells you a little bit about where they stand, especially heading into the next election. in 2006 the governor of virginia democrats chose him to give their speech. in 2009 bobby jindal was chosen to respond to president obama's first address to congress to show that we're a diverse party as well. republicans are still struggling a little bit with women. in the last election they did better than they did in previous elections but still lost one by four points. joni ernst is a fresh face a female, a combat veteran. it's a good opportunity for them. >> second year they've had a

woman doing the rebuttal. explain the risks here because we saw with marco rubio -- and bobby jindal too, he didn't give as good of a response as i think republicans hoped for. this is high risk high reward. >> the best responses are the ones that you forget. does anyone remember what she said last year? >> she didn't do any damage. >> that's the point. people remember moments and in the responses and remember the gaffes. marco rubio sipping water. tim kaine's floating eyebrow. if joni ernst gets through this -- and she is a talented performer. if she gets through it without a gafr gaffe, that's what she wants. >> looking forward to both tonight. peter, thank you so much. just getting breaking news. the white house is reacting to the reported coup in yemen. a senior administration official

telling cnn's senior white house correspondent they're monitoring the situation in yemen and is president is being updated by his national security team. they say, we strongly condemn the violence and those stoking it. we'll continue to support efforts to bring about a peaceful solution. catholics should be responsible and not breed like rabbits, those words on family planning straight from the pope himself. more on his comments and the topic of contraception next.

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pope francis makes eyebrow-raising comments on birth control. while the pope was in the philippines, he visited kids who were abandoned because their parents could not afford to care for them. he met a woman expecting her eighth child and called her irresponsible. then on the plane ride home he said this about catholics and birth control. >> translator: some think that excuse me me if i use this word in order to be good catholic, we have to be like rabbits. no responsible paternity, that is clear. >> wow. father edward beck is a cnn religion analyst. i want to ask you about this because we know that a lot of practicing catholics are also using birth control and they don't adhere to the traditional role in the church of don't use birth control and have obviously many kids. that's what happens when you

don't use birth control. but is this traditional take on this changing, father? >> no it's really not changing at all brianna. and members of the papal press pool have said these airplane trips are their absolute favorite because he's off script and they don't know what's going to come out of his mouth. and now indeed this colloquial breeding like rabbits comes out. and what's interesting is it's nothing different from what the church has always taught. the church has always taught responsible parenthood and family planning, just natural plan family planning. the church has never been opposed to birth control. it's questioning the means by which people have birth control. it's nothing new but it opens the door for conversation in a new way. that's what's intriguing about it. >> and, yes, i sort of live for these airplane moments. that's where he also addressed homosexuality and he makes a lot of news standing there in the aisle.

you're talking about the method, really, of birth control. how does he reconcile these two things chastising the woman for having too many children on the other hand telling her she shouldn't be using contraception. so he's talking about abstaining? h a woman charts her fertility cycles. there are only six to nine days in a month where a woman can conceive. if she takes her temperatures, measures secretions she can use a natural family planning method of birth control. he's saying the church offers options when you want to be responsible parents and limit the amount of children which you should. that very controversial document from 1968 says certain couples have a moral responsibility to limit the amount of children

that they have, if they have certain conditions by which they should do that. >> let's say the rhythm method is a form of birth control. the success rate for that compared to other methods, the pill among them i mean, it's pretty dismal compared to other methods. yet, that's what the church is still standing by. >> well again, it's dismal because most people don't take the time to do it correctly. however, for some women, it does not work because of their irregular cycles. so the pope addressed this as well. he said confessors and pastors, which people come to you and they cannot live up to this church teaching because of individual circumstances, you must be pastoral with them. you must give them a way out. you must say, okay this is the church teaching. this is the norm. however, in your case you may not be able to do that. he's encouraging the pastors and the ministers to deal with people as individuals and give them a way out if the law cannot apply in their circumstance. >> okay.

well thank you so much. those airplane moments are very interesting, but they do sometimes need a little bit of context. we appreciate getting it from you, father. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> now, in other news all that a 13-year-old chicago boy wanted for christmas was to feel safe but his letter to santa was redirected to the white house. president obama wrote back. that teen will join us live next. [container door opening] ♪ what makes it an suv is what you can get into it. ♪ [container door closing] what makes it an nx is what you can get out of it. ♪ introducing the first-ever lexus nx turbo and hybrid. once you go beyond utility there's no going back. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's

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distinguished members of the united states congress. >> members of the supreme court. >> distinguished guests. >> my fellow americans, i can report to you -- >> the state of the union -- >> is strong. >> think for a minute. >> how far -- >> we have come -- >> in 200 years. >> we find ourselves challenged by new problems -- >> at home and abroad. >> we must rise -- >> to make a nation -- >> better -- >> than -- >> any -- >> we have -- >> known. let us have the will and the patience. >> to do this job together. >> we need many different kinds of strength. >> military. >> economic. >> political. >> and moral. >> nothing similar possible.

>> no glory -- >> will ever be too great. >> we are -- >> americans. >> part of something -- >> larger -- >> than ourselves. >> god bless -- >> you -- >> and god bless -- >> the united states of america. >> thank you very much. >> that was 67 years of state of the union speeches in 67 quick seconds. president obama taking center stage tonight for the state of the union. but there will also be a lot of attention paid to the first lady and maybe more specifically the guests in the first lady's section. among them will be a 13-year-old chicago boy. his name is maalik bryant. you see him there. he's joining me now from the north lawn of the white house. hang with me because i want to share your story for a moment. you were invited to the state of the union after you wrote a letter to santa claus. his only request was for safety. he said i just want to be safe. president obama wrote back and in the letter response he said please know your security is a

priority for me in everything i do as president. maalik thank you for being here. what was it like getting a response from the president to this letter that i don't even know if you knew was going to go to him? >> no i didn't know it was going to go to the president. i was excited, though when it came back when he wrote me back. >> so what, does it just pop up in your mailbox, and your mom hands it to you? >> yeah i was asleep. >> did she wake you up? >> yeah. >> all right. so i wonder, you know the part of the letter that really strikes me is when you say, i have two siblings living with me and i'm the only boy on my mom's side of my family. but all i ask for is safety. i just want to be safe. just give us a sense of what your hope is for you and for your siblings and also what your worries are for you and your

siblings. >> there's too much killing. >> you are the only boy. i know that there have been many shootings on the streets near your house right? >> yes. >> so you're in washington. i know it was the first time that you've take an plane trip. what's it been like? has it been kind of overwhelming for you? >> yeah like the plane trip i was kind of scared at first. i got used to it. >> yeah that's what always happens. i still get scared as well. well you have a huge day ahead of you. the state of the union address. you'll be meeting the first lady and i presume the president. thanks so much for being on with us. >> okay. >> malik bryant for us joining us from the north lawn. cnn's coverage of the president's state of the union address will begin here tonight

at 7:00 eastern. that's it for me. for our international viewers, amanpour is next. "newsroom" with brooke baldwin starts right now. here we go. i'm brooke baldwin. you're watching cnn. thank you so much for being with me. we have to start with this massive manhunt happening now for potential terrorists. terror raids and arrests in france belgium, greece germany, and the netherlands. look at this map here. all revealing this widening web of suspected terror cells across europe. and we're hearing that french police have arrested five chechens over a terror plot. also today, other suspected terrorists were in court. four of them being kept behind bars as investigators probe their links to the paris attacks. all of this as these two prime suspects are still on the run. and let's talk about this one man here believed to be the ring