erfect for people on the go. could she be alive? a u.s. family tries to get answers from isis about the fate of their daughter. back to prison. a key opposition leader in malaysia loses an appeal on sodomy charges. also ahead, more shoveling. warnings and cancelations as another round of heavy snow hammers the u.s. northeast. hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world, i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. thanks for joining us. we begin with growing concern over the fate of two people held hostage by isis. american aid worker kayla mueller was abducted in syria in april of 2013. >> british journalist john cantlie was kidnapped in 2012.

a new video had emerged showing cantlie separately. mueller's family has a message for isis. >> it is a message the american aid worker's parents want to give directly. they want isis to contact them. >> in the meantime the mueller family waits. cnn's kyung lah has more on their ordeal. >> reporter: the days months pass. for a year and a half in prescott arizona, kayla mueller's parents forced into excruciating silence. on august 4th 2013 isis captures their now-26-year-old daughter. their threat -- her name gets out and isis murder her. >> you have no control so you have to abide by the rules. and it was a living hell. it has been a living hell for the family and it is today. >> reporter: he says kayla's mother and father suffered in that hell alone, telling virtually no one except u.s.

authorities. last may, nine months after kayla mueller was taken hostage, isis sends the family proof of life confirmation. two months later in early july a daring rescue attempt by u.s. forces to save journalist james foley. it fails, but the military finds strands of hair believed to be mueller's. just days later, on july 12th isis announces it will kill kayla in 30 days unless the muellers pay nearly $7 million in ransom. increasingly desperate, the muellers begin reaching out to anyone they know in power. their daughter's mentor northern arizona university professor carol thompson joined in trying to reach human rights lawyers and activists. she's in zib-- in zimbabwe, and we spoke by phone. >> the hundreds of people who mobilized for one month because we were given -- it's a 30-day notice -- to try to create other

options because the threat was you do a or b or she's killed. we were trying to go beyond options a or b. >> reporter: as the silence in this town held amazingly even in the internet age. kayla's parents personally telling friends, one slip and their daughter's life could be over. the 30 days passed and no word from isis on kayla mueller. then last month, a terrible mistake mistake. on abc's sunday news program, the white house chief of staff accidentally says her first name. >> but kayla's family knows how strongly the president feels about this. and will continue to work this. >> reporter: the muellers called local arizona reporters who figured it out urging no one report kayla's name. the silence again hold. then friday this claim by isis -- but no proof saying kayla mueller died in this building. what was friday like? >> ooh.

friday of a dark day. punched a hole through you, a big hole. you go numb. you don't want to hear testimony you don't want to believe it. >> reporter: kyung lah, cnn, prescott, arizona. more on the isis video featuring hostage john cantlie. he appears as a reporter describing battle damage and daily life in the syrian city of aleppo. >> cantlie had shown up in earlier isis videos but calls this "the last film in the series." he was kidnapped along with american journalist james foley. a video released by isis back in august showed foley being beheaded. syria's president says his government is receiving messages on coalition efforts to fight isis. >> in an interview with bbc world, bashar al assad says his

regime has been getting information indirectly from third parties like iraq. he added there had been no direct cooperation with the u.s. since air strikes began in syria in september. >> the american planes in the air above syria the whole time. do you coordinate? >> no. because we don't talk to anyone and they triumph over international lay which is about international sovereignty. they don't talk to us. we don't talk to them. >> i'm curious at a time when there's american military in the air above syria and your people are in the air your air force is also -- the syrian air force, there haven't been incidents between the two. no shots seem to have been traded. no planes have been shot down. that suggests -- >> that's correct. but again, there's no direct -- >> direct? is it iraq? that's when some have said?

>> more than one party. other countries. sometimes they convey messages general message. there's nothing tactical. >> so they don't tell you we're going to be bombing at 10:00 this evening, please keep out of the way? >> when you're about to campaign before it started, we didn't know about the details. >> is that a continuing dialogue that you have through third parties? >> there's no dialogue. there's, say, information. but not dialogue. >> they tell you things? >> something like this. >> do you tell them thing? >> no. >> in the same interview, assad talked about dropping barrel bombs in areas in the country's civil war. the bombs have killed thousands of civilians, thundershowers. a comment to many traveling in the u.s. northeast, stay off the roads. that message as another winter storm just slams into the region. the massachusetts transit authority has completely shut down service for tuesday. and this is why -- a train here

stuck with -- in the show to with people on board. the train, folks on board did not get anywhere. >> and they're tired of shoveling out as it's the third winner storm to drop snow in three weeks. miguel marquez on the record snowfall. >> reporter: we have come to the literal end of the road. hull massachusetts, across the gray boston. if it weren't so stormy we'd be able to see boston. i want to show you something. this is a snowdrift. it heifer two feet of snow here in way mouth and quincy. if we don't get moving this will probably bury us very quickly. the front doesn't look much better here. just blowing snow. this is what they're having -- the biggest problem, it's snowing very hard now. the blowing no from the stuff still falling from the sky. mountains of snow slam the northeast tonight. >> everybody's fed up. >> reporter: massachusetts, boston and surrounding cities

again and again bearing the brunt. >> it's only been 1 days and -- 14 days and we've gotten 70 to 80 inches of snow around the commonwealth. this is pretty much unprecedented. >> reporter: so much snow the city is working round the clock to melt it at snow farms like this in south boston. across the region schools closed once again. >> it's good because like we get to go out more. but it's like the wind is so hard stow makes it worse. >> reporter: transportation stopped cold. at boston's logan airport, most flights canceled. authorities urging drivers stay off the road. but emergency workers have no choice. >> every call gets more difficult. if someone doesn't have the sidewalk dug out -- stairs dug out. i mean, we have to try to carry them through deep snow. we can put them on plastic-type sleds. >> reporter: in connecticut, piles of snow dwarf equipment struggling to remove it.

>> this is ridiculous. it's freezing. we're ready for the summertime. i'm tired of it honestly. >> reporter: the massively snowfall weighing down roofs with collapse crews have a treacherous job finding ladders to shovel them off. >> if we get wet snow on top of this it's going to become a weight issue. >> reporter: what is most amazing is the ability to move snow despite the crippling effect of all of the snow this they've had over the last several weeks. they are still able to keep most roads open and keep thing going at a minimum. in the forecast another storm. cnn, hull massachusetts. >> another storm. ridiculous. pedram is here to talk about this and, of course, where to put the snow. that's the problem. >> piling up. >> the governor in massachusetts saying so much snow has had to be removed that the gillette stadium, the home of the new england patriots super bowl champs would be filled 90 times

over. that's how much snow they've had to displace. it's not getting warm so it's not melting. >> that's the deal with the cold temperatures. what next then? there's more on the way. and -- >> more on the way. absolutely. we'll show you what's happening. we want to take you into thursday and friday. a couple days away. another storm system -- another model says this is coming close to land. that's the american model. that puts tremendous snow over boston in the bull's eye. the european model takes it offshore. if that's the case we get half the amount we're expecting. here are the snow totals. the minimum, six to eight inches in boston. two to four out of new york city. the higher totals if the storm comes closer to land would be boston over a foot by friday afternoon. new york city, four to six inch by friday afternoon. more snow on the way. more snow -- filling up the stadium 0 times over. remarkable amount of snow. the officials around boston have plowed some 114,000 hours worth of plowing.

nearly 160,000 tons of salt put bounds. and the distance of land covered in the city nearly the distance of the earth from the moon. 220,000 miles or so of roadways have had to be plowed because of the recent set of snowstorms. temperatures taking a nose-dive. morning lows, incredible. friday into saturday, four degrees, sick degrees, one fahrenheit on sunday there in boston. about 20 below celsius. temperatures in midwestern united states in the most populated areas. >> you see the purplish hue come on -- >> looks beautiful on rosie. >> feels horrible on the body. painful kind of cold. we'll keep an eye on rosemary's colors from now on. >> absolutely. >> thanks a lot. we'll get you a news item here. the latest on ukraine. u.s. president barack obama says he's still deciding whether to send weapons to the country to help battle separatists there. he met with german chancellor

angela merkel monday. they promised to work together to pursue diplomacy. fighting continues in eastern parts of ukraine. according to reuters, the military says seven ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 23 wounded in fighting just in the past 24 hours. still to come on cnn, the latest developments out of malaysia after a key opposition leader is convicted of sodomy. plus, a jury is selected and the trial set for the start for the man accused of killing one of america's deadly ever snipers. a full report ahead.

i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital

that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel -- and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road.

i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. a hong kong woman could face palestinian face prison time for torturing her maid. we're about to show disturbing images. a judge ruled that this indonesian woman was starved, beaten and imprinted by her former employer law wan-tung. >> we'll show the graphic images. they show her battered body. it was these pictures that caused outrage all over the world. justice for erwiana became a rallying cry for many domestic workers. law's sentencing is later this month. we turn now to malaysia where the country's top court has upheld a sodomy conviction against a key opposition leader. >> after a long legal battle the federal court on tuesday rejected anwar ibrahim's appeal

and upheld his five-year prison sentence. anwar was accused of sodomizing a former political aide. the conviction takes the 67-year-old out of contention for elections for the foreseeable future. let's talk to our asia pacific editor andrew stevens, joining us live from malaysia's capital. and anwar ibrahim says really this skies all about politics -- this case is all about politics that's why there was such an effort to get him behind bars. he does sound as defiant as ever. we all wonder what will happen next there. >> reporter: well yeah. he has been saying absolutely that errol, this is politically motivated, this entire case. and he's certainly been echoed in the sentiment by human rights watch, as well. they described this verdict soon after it was delivered which uphealth the appeal which we'll see him go to prison for five years. human rights watch saying it was politically motivated as well. mr. anwar says that he will continue the fight behind bars.

he spoke to some of his supporters yesterday on the eve of the -- of the hearing and of the sentencing to say that it was a price he was prepared to pay. he also spoke to our john vause just before he was taken to prison. this is what he had to say. listen to this -- >> it is for the judiciary a chance to redeem themselves to write the wrongs of the past but choose instead to remain on the dark side in drowned imorals and scruples of subterfuge. >> reporter: the prosecutor's office says justice has been served. it's been years of teamwork

uphold the appeal. all technicalities have been covered. it was justice being served to. we've also had -- served to. we've also had the public prosecutor saying anwar trying to use this as politically motivated was a smear against the judiciary. indeed we've also had the government officer releasing -- releases as well. they pretty much echo what the public prosecutor was saying. it was an exhaustive and comprehensive due process which has been followed over many years. so as you see, there's a clear divide in the interpretation between the opposition and the government on that decision. certainly what it does mean is that mr. anwar will be been bars for five years. we understand there may be one remaining appeal process. this would be more on proceedings, a procedural appeal rather than anything to do with the actual factual evidence which has been presented over the years.

not sure whether the avenue will be taken at this stage. mr. anwar is behind bars taken to prison where he will be for five years. and then as you said, it will be another five years he will not be allowed to stand for office. and that will take him into his late 70s. >> all right. andrew stevens live in equalmalaysia thanks. china has executed a former billionaire mining tycoon. he says sentenced to death in a high-profile trial last may for murder and running a "mafia-style gang." >> he was linked to former security czar the most senior official caught up in china's anti-corruption campaign. his younger brother and three other men were also executed on monday. we're going take a short break on cnn. please stay with us.

bulldog: what what? mattress discounters presidents day sale ends presidents day? but mattress discounters has the largest selection of memory foam mattresses under one roof! comforpedic... icomfort... posturepedic hybrid... and wow! get up to four years interest-free financing on the entire tempur-pedic cloud collection! and, get a queen size serta mattress and box spring set for just $397. mattress discounters presidents day sale ends presidents day! ♪ mattress discounters ♪

a jury has been selected in the murder trial of the man accused of killing one of the dead lowest u.s. snipers. eddie ralph, a former marine is accused of killing chris kyle and another veteran at a gun range two years ago. >> kyle had at least 1 0 confirmed sniper -- 160 confirmed sniper kills during four tours in iraq. we profile this american sniper and the man who goes on trial this week for killing him. >> reporter: if you live in texas, chances are you've heard of chris kyle. in fact the story of chris kyle has reached legendary status

across the country. the navy s.e.a.l. is considered the deadliest sniper in u.s. military history with at least 160 confirmed kills over four tours of duty in iraq. >> i'm ready. >> reporter: "american sniper" is a huge hit at movie theaters across the country. it's now the highest grossing war film ever. earning more than $300 million, and it's nominated for six academy awards including best picture and best actor. chris kyle's life from rodeo and ranches to war hero doesn't have a hollywood ending. kyle and his wife made no secret of how their marriage almost fell apart after he returned home from war. it's what inspired kyle to devote so much of his time and energy to helping other veteran transition back to everyday life. in february of 2013 kyle and his friend chad littlefield, brought a marine suffering from ptsd named eddie ray ralph to the rough creek lodge and resort. kyle and littlefield take ralph

to the gun range to talk and bond. instead, police say ralph turned the guns on the two men trying to help him. police say ralph left the scene in kyle's pickup and drove to his sister's house right after the killings. >> my brother just came by here. he told me he's commit a murder. >> who did he say he was -- he had killed? >> he said he killed two guys. they went out to a shooting range. he's all crazy. he's [ bleep ] psychotic. >> reporter: ralph is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity in the deaths. he served four years in the marines including a tour of duty in iraq in a humanitarian mission to help the victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake in haiti. he reportedly made several service to the v.a. hospital in dallas and spent the two years before the killings in and out of treatment for mental health issues. journalist laura beale wrote an in-depth account of the struggles in a book called "the enemy within." she says shortly before the

shooting ralph's mother turned to kyle desperate for help. >> clearly they feel like he -- he could have gotten better care. and had he gotten better care she would not have approached chris kyle. i mean that's one important thing to remember. she only did it as an act of desperation. >> reporter: the murder trial will unfold in stevenville, texas, a town of nearly 20,000. chris kyle went to college here in the early 1990s. he's such a legend in his home state that the second anniversary of his death was declared chris kyle day by the texas governor. that popularity has eddie ralph's attorney saying the trial should be moved out of this small texas county. the judge in the case has denied the request. after three days of screening potential jurors, the jury is now set to hear the case. the panel will be made up of ten women and two men. opening statements will begin wednesday morning. >> ed lavandera there. the so-called legend of chris kyle has sold a lot of movie

tickets. some u.s. veterans and family members say kyle's story is a lot more complicated. and you can read that and more, of course, on cnn.com. it may be six months before police in california determine what caused a fatal crash involving bruce jenner. the former olympian was involved in a multi-accident over the weekend that killed a 69-year-old woman. >> now police will look at cell phone records of all four drivers involved. it's against california law to send or to receive texts while driving, and phone must be hands free. now once headed for the top office in france, now dominic strauss-kahn is set to testify about his alleged role in a six ring. details coming up. first, there were questions about respects from iraq by a top u.s. anchorman. how it some of his other stories are getting a closer look. also ahead, the crisis in ukraine. the kremlin says russia will not

be bullied ahead of a key meeting with germany and france.

welcome back. we pressure you staying with -- we appreciate you staying with us. those of you in the u.s. and around the world, i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. in stories we're following, many schools and businesses across the u.s. northeast are closed again today while people deal with a third major snowstorm in three weeks. boston, massachusetts, has been -- has seen record-breaking snow totals. more than 77 inches or 195 centimeters since the middle of last month. the parents of an american aid worker kidnapped by isis are asking the militant group to contact them directly. kayla mueller was abducted in

2013. isis says she was killed in a jordanian air strike last week but they've not provided any proof of that. malaysia's top court has upheld a sodomy conviction and five-year sentence against a key opposition leader. the court on tuesday rejected anwar ibrahim's appeal to overturn his conviction. anwar denies the charge. and after the ruling he told cnn he will keep fighting for freedom and justice. let's return now to the crisis in ukraine. the e.u. has delayed new sanctions against russia to give diplomacy a time to work. the kremlin says russia will not be bullied. russian president vladimir putin is now in cairo. and that's also where cnn's ian lee is. ian, the u.s. decision on whether or not to supply arms to ukraine is on hold as is the option as we mentioned, to apply tighter sanctions on

russia all in an effort to give diplomacy a chance. russia's president doesn't appear to be responding to this form of pressure. so what's his likely next move here? >> reporter: we know that he's coming to this region to get greater support, to really cement other relationships outside of the region. with the u.s. and the e.u. playing hardball with the russians he's looking for allies and support in other areas. here in egypt he's receive a very warm reception from the egyptian president. they're going to discuss an array of i. ukraine possibly a-- array of issues. ukraine possibly and mutual trade agreements. last night they went on a date of sorts. the president of russia and ejipg president to the opera and then to dinner. today is when they'll be hammering out a lot of deals.

we're expecting them to come through later today economic deals. also possibly military deals. the united states has been -- the support here has been waning. president putin is looking to capitalize on that and encourage further support for the russian although talking to analysts while the average ejipg here on the street may support a warming of relations of russia it is going to be very difficult. rosemary? >> we know you'll keep a close eye on that story. but we do. to turn to another story that happened in cairo yesterday when that deadly football violence occurred. what is the latest on that? >> reporter: well the investigation is ongoing, and the egyptian president has vowed that they're going to figure out the cause and hold whoever is responsible -- hold them accountable. right now the investigation ongoing. last time we saw violent clashes

like this in 2012 there were days of street protests and violence. we haven't seen any of that happen now. people are skeptical that those who were responsible will be held accountable, talking to some people who were their witnesses. they refused to give their names because they believe that the government is just going to crack down on the fans that were there. the fans say that they were the victims of police aggression. the police saying the fans were trying to enter the stadium by force. there's a lot of suspicion that when the investigation is completed, that the right people will be held accountable. >> many thanks to ian lee covering two big stories there from a very noisy street there in cairo. many thanks to you. german chancellor angela merkel went to washington on monday part of her whirlwind travels to broker a diplomaticen to the ongoing violence -- diplomatic end to the ongoing

violence in ukraine. they took on the economic situation with greece. athens wants to restructure it debt to the e.u. and imf. the german chancellor is taking a hard line on that. >> translator: i think what skounts what greece will -- counts is what greece will put on the table will i've always said i will wait for greece to come with a sustainable proposal and then we'll talk about this. >> the greek finance ministers he will present his own proposals at a key e.u. meeting that begins later today. he says his country's committed to economic reform and staying in the euro union. he warned that the e.u. could unravel if greece left the union. >> we should not be playing around with people at lives with a prospect of having a gradual frog. ation of the eurozone. -- first of all. ation -- the gradual

fragmentation of the europe will tear it apart. >> let's look at key dates this month for greece. tomorrow greece's finance minister will bring the country's debt proposals to a meeting of eurozone finance ministers. that will take place in brussels. on thursday and on friday the european union's 28 national leaders will meet. the first meeting of its kind that newly elected greek prime minister tsipras will attend. and on february 28th greece's bailout agreement with the eurozone officially you know, and the country is not seeking an extension. it's hoping for a bridge loan to negotiate a new deal instead. rosemary? we go now to indonesia. an indonesian maid beaten starved, and imprisoned by her former employer now has justice. the housewife accused of torturing the young woman has been found guilty in hong kong. we have been following the trial and listening to a statement

from the tortured maid erwiana. talk to us about what she had to say in that statement she read in hong kong and about the ramifications of the high-profile mistreatment case. >> reporter: this is being call a victory for foreign domestic workers around the world. certainly a bittersweet victory given the abuse that this young woman endured. so many, there are 300,000 foreign domestic workers here in hong kong. leaving their homes and family behind in search of a better life. erwiana of just 23 years old. she endured horrific abuse. you mentioned she just read a statement. let me tell you a little about what she said. she said two employers in hong kong, i hope they will start treating migrant domestic workers as workers and human beings and stop treating us as

slaves. that's exactly it. let's call it like it is. this is modern day slavery perhaps in its worst form. her employer tortured her, abused her, assaulted her. in one case using the nozzle from a vacuum cleaner. she was forced to sleep on the floor. she was not allowed to leave the apartment. in fact the only reason she ever was send back to indonesia, and the only reason this of actually discovered which happened here at hong kong airport, is because name they had become so weak she couldn't -- because erwiana had become so weak she couldn't work. this is a brave young woman. not only did she go through this and endure burk she came back to hong kong to testify against her accuser. this case hinged on her testimony. the judge said "i am sure she is telling the truth." rosemary? >> certainly a brave young woman. david, i'd be interested to find out how often this type of abuse does occur in hong kong where a significant number of household

rely on domestic help. and what's the hong kong government planning on doing to protect these maids? >> reporter: activists say it happens all too often. amnesty international came out and reacting to this saying this should be a wake-up call to the hong kong government to take action. the thing, let's be clear the hong kong government and labor department has said abuse will not be tolerated. any cases where there are evidence will be prosecuted. i talked to one of the detectives on this case. he says he hopes that this increases awareness. allows people to think about it and to bring their cases forward if they have them. if they feel inspired by erwiana's story. activists, though have been pushing for changes. they say that some of the laws here in hong kong actually foster more abuse or the likelihood for it. in particular they say working

hours need to be capped. there need to be an option for these maids who come here these domestic worker to live outside the home. and they're also talking about something, the two-week rule they want changed. if one of these maid or workers leaves their employer they have to find a job within two weeks or will be deported to their home country. with many of them coming here on contracts with employment agencies owing money sometimes, that is not an option. it is thought some of the rules keep them in environments according to activists, where there could be the prospecks for more abuse. certainly hope this will spark at least awareness if not some change in the time ahead. >> yeah that's certainly the hope. of course at the end of the month, erwiana's employer will find out how long she will go to prison. the sentence will come down. that will certainly be one that everyone will be listening out for. maybe she'll be shown an example of. we'll see.

reporting from hong kong. many thanks to you. at the top levels of economic policy now he's on trial in a sex ring case. coming up we'll bring you a live report on dominique strauss kahn's day in court. and rapper kanye west is being told to sit down and shut up after his grammy stunt. we'll look at why his latest antic have hit such a nerve. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing,

but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about and which aarp medicare supplement plan works best for you. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. there's a range of plans to choose from, too, and they all travel with you anywhere in the country. join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp an organization serving the needs

of people 50 and over for generations... and provided by unitedhealthcare insurance company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it. ♪ ♪ call today. remember medicare supplement insurance helps cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. expenses that could really add up. these kinds of plans could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. you'll be able to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. and there are virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. with all the good years ahead, look for the experience and commitment to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decision guide. this easy-to-understand guide will answer some of your questions and help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that's right for you.

a man who was once headed for the french presidency is in court. dominique strauss-kahn will testify about his alleged role in sex parties involving prostitutes. jim bury man now joins us live from paris with details -- jim bittermann now joins us live from paris with details. stunning this potential presidential candidate mixing it up with pims. there were even protests over the trial itself. what's the latest? >> reporter: well there was a wild scene when dominique strauss-kahn's limousine arrived this morning. protesters feminist protesters attacked the car. police bundled them and took them away. this trial is obviously attracting a great deal of attention across france and around the world. and for dsk himself, it brings

to sort of the culmination of four years of doubt about his legal future. seldom has such a high flyer come to earth in such a spectacular fashion. four years ago, dominique strauss-kahn was on top of the world literally, as director of the international monetary fund. he had huge influence on the economies of countries around the planet. what's more he was the leading prospective socialist candidate in the french presidential elections of 2012. an election his party won, and he probably would have too. then came may 14th 2011. strauss-kahn was arrest at new york's kennedy airport on charges he had sexually assaulted a maid at a hotel where they had stayed. he resigned in disgrace from the imf, and there following months of legal battles. in the end, he was cleared of the charge and allowed to return to france tonight find his name had come up in connection with a prostitution ring organized from a hotel in a northern french city and stretching to new york

and washington. specifically he was charged with aggravated pimping, accused of organizing or encouraging sex pears which the prostitutes involved said were like orgees. strauss-kahn has never denied that he took part in the parties. the crux of his defense is that he did not know prostitutes were involved. a biographer of strauss-kahn believes his story and points out that in france prostitution is legal, but pimping is not. >> if he knew that the girls were prostitutes, i think he wouldn't have made them come to washington and wouldn't have a picture of them in his office. >> reporter: if the court does not believe him and he's found guilty strauss-kahn could be sentenced up to ten years in jail and fined 1.5 million euros. in the year since his new york arrest strauss-kahn has spent much of his time trying to clear his native american he's tried to revive his reputation and

start a new career by creating an economic consultancy, taking on private and governmental clients. clients which, according to his biographer he needs to pay his legal bills. he does not believe strauss-kahn can or will ever be directly involved in politics or policymaking again. >> >> he's 66. he's a father a grandfather. he's suffered a lot. and i don't think he would have the energy and the will to come back in policy. >> reporter: long before the trial, strauss-kahn said almost as much in an interview with cnn's richard quest. >> i made the mistake to believe that you, have a public life doing what you had to do in the public life and never do something against in my private life and that you can have a private life. my mistake of certainly to believe that you can have the two things together without any connection in between.

it was wrong. it was wrong. the way you say because people are not expecting this kind of paradox behavior from somebody having a public responsible. >> reporter: he will be on the stand three days. one of the more dramatic points is expected to come later today when two of the prostitutes involved in the sex parties are expected to testify that it was impossible for strauss-kahn not to know that they were prostitutes. errol? >> all right, jim bittermann live in paris this morning on a very interesting case. thanks. the most-watched network news anchor in the united states is facing more scrutiny. >> nbc news now investigating some of brian williams' reporting from over the years. just last week he apologized on air for falsely recounting an incident from the iraq war from 2003. williams told the story for many years where he claimed he was in

a chopper that was hit boy an rpg. >> after he confronted about the exaggerated claims williams said he misremembered. as randi kaye tells us the anchor may have some explaining to do about some of his other reporting. here at superdome, as we left there tonight, the first signs of restlessness -- >> reporter: on the ground in new orleans, tales of dead bodies dysentery, and wild games. >> worst fears realized -- >> reporter: stories that now have skeptics taking a closer look at brian williams' reporting. in a 2006 interview, the "nbc nightly news" anchor shared this -- >> when you look out of your hotel room window in the french quarter and watch a man float by facedown -- >> reporter: how can that be? other claim the french quarter remained mostly dry. the former general manager of the ritz carlton hotel where williams stayed during the storm told the "times picayune" newspaper that there is no

physical way the water was deep enough for a body to float in. recalling just six to eight inches of water on the first floor. some pictures show streets under water, but it's still unknown exactly how deep the water was. and there's more -- in his own 2005 documentary about katrina, williams claimed he'll heard the story of a man taking his own life in the superdome. what he told his predecessor, tom brokaw just last year seems to go far beyond simply hearing about the suicide. >> we watched -- all of us watched as one man committed suicide. >> reporter: that story among others is all under investigation by nbc including his account about getting sick from sewage water while reporting on hurricane katrina. author douglas brinkley quotes williams as saying he was fading in and out and that the hotel was on lockdown to keep out armed gangs. >> our hotel was overrun with gangs. >> reporter: the "washington post" reports that three different people told reporters

that no gangs had infiltrated the ritz carlton. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: williams' coverage of israel's war with the militant group hezbollah from 2006 is also under scrutiny. in 2007 he spoke of hezbollah rockets flying beneath his helicopter. >> there were rockets passing underunder underneath the helicopter i was riding in. >> reporter: a year earlier on his own blog there was no mention of that close call. only this there was activity on the grown and a rocket launch six miles -- the ground and a rocket launch six miles away. all of this came long after the minutes to iraq now in question from march 26th, 2003. in his first report no mention of a rocket-propelled grenade attacking his helicopter. >> on the ground we learned the chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky. >> reporter: ten years later, williams told david letterman his was one of two army choppers hit. >> rpg and ak-47.

>> reporter: rpgs and ak-47s or nothing at all. that remains for the nbc investigators to figure out. randi kaye, cnn, new york. now we should keep in mind that it was a military newspaper that actually helped break the story about brian williams',age rated claims. >> they -- exaggerated claims. >> they confronted williams about the account last week and have released the full interview. here's some of what williams told "stars and stripes." >> i will not have chosen -- would not have chosen to make this mistake. i don't know what screw-up in my mind caused me to con plate one aircraft from the other. the fact is i remember three aircraft going down. i was on one of them. and an additional aircraft aside from ours took an rpg through the rear housing above the ramp.

>> all right. brian williams there. i mean, for a lot of people, it's very hard to believe that he can get back in that chair and gain that trust. >> sitting in these chairs, it's all about trustworthy not and how viewers see you -- trust worthiness and how viewers see you. can some see him again? not sure. >> if it had just been this incident the rpg, the helicopter maybe. now seems so many other stories, it's a problem for the network. >> a shame. now brian williams' very real reporting troubles aren't escaping the attention of a fake newscast. "the daily show" with jon stewart underscored criticism of the u.s. media's coverage of the iraq war and compared it to the intense scrutiny the williams story is getting. check this out. >> now there's question about was he really mugged as he claimed he was when he was selling christmas trees in red bank, new jersey. >> rescuing puppies from a fire. what started as one puppy that he rescued from a fire

apparently morphed into two puppies from a fire. [ laughter ] >> dammit brian wms, one puppy or two? don't you [ bleep ] lie to me! i want the truth! >> making his point. of course they are good friends. and there was some criticism that stewart hadn't actually addressed this last week. so -- >> he did last night. you almost can't have an awards show without some type of controversy from kanye west. after the break, what the rapper did at sunday's grammy awards that has everyone talking.

i'm sure you've seen on line everyone talking about rapper kanye west after is not's grammy awards. >> yeah -- sunday night's grammy award. >> yeah, but it's not because he was a big winner as jeanne moos tells us. >> reporter: there were the usual grammy jokes, comparing rihanna's dress to an umbrella or a loofah teasing iggy azalea about her hairment when it came

to kanye west what seem like a joke -- [ applause ] >> crashing the stage and upstaging beck had celebrities laughing at first. clapping kanye's shoulder and craning their necks. but once he explained he was serious -- >> and beck needs to respect artistry and should have given his award to beyonce. [ laughter ] >> reporter: talk show audience seemed to be laughing at kanye rather than with him or even dissing him. after all, this of the second time he's stolen a winner's moment of glory to proclaim beyonce should have won. >> are you that egotistical or that needy -- >> reporter: ladies and gentlemen, the ego has landed posted one commenter. >> is that sick? >> he keeps making a fool of him. >> why does he always have to make it about himself? >> reporter: one of kanye's biggest defenders was beck who gestured kanye back -- >> you mead some help. >> reporter: and later told "us

weekly," i still love him and think he's genius. kanye's not just a polarizing figure he's become a figure of speech. inspiring expressions like "kanye pulled a kanye" and "to be truly kanyed." >> why doesn't he have his own awards snow. >> reporter: tweets and vines sprouted showing beck's face captioning "when you see kanye approaching." jay-z and beyonce's reaction to kanye pulling a can gentlemen all of our reaction to kanye pulling a kanye. >> somebody need to tell him to sit down and shut up. >> respect other people. shut up and sit down -- >> sit down you [ bleep ]! >> reporter: are they commenting on kanye or running for governor of new jersey? >> sit down and shut up! >> reporter: jeanne moos cnn. >> shut up and stop. >> reporter: new york. "early start" is next for our viewers in the united states. >> further everyone else, stay tuned for "newsroom."

shopping online is as easy as it gets. wouldn't it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters and even piano tuners were just as simple? thanks to angie's list now it is. we've made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. buy their services directly at angieslist.com no more calling around. no more hassles. start shopping from a list of top-rated providers today. angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. visit angieslist.com today.

bulldog: mattress discounters presidents day sale ends presidents day? get up to four years interest-free financing on the entire tempur-pedic cloud collection! and, get a queen size serta mattress and box spring set for just $397. ♪ mattress discounters ♪

records shattered again. a monster snowstorm burying millions on the east coast. we will show you the areas -- excuse me. the areas hardest hit and the new storm fast approaching. ending the war in ukraine. president obama clashes with world leaders on how to stop pro--russian rebel