heartbreak and resolve for the death of a u.s. aid worker confirmed boy isis is confirmed. a pair of tv networks make big change. one forced the other voluntary. and heavy fighting in ukraine just hours ahead of a push for peace. hello, and welcome to our viewers in the united states and across the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. we want to begin this hour in yemen where the u.s. says the security situation there is so bad, it wants all americans out of the country. the u.s. has already suspended operations at its embassy in sanaa and removed all personnel.

now britain says it will do the same. >> houthi rebels forced out the u.s.-backed president last month and took over a number of government buildings. the u.s. says the political uncertainty creates the risk of violence that threaten yemen wes and the diplomat -- yemenis and the diplomatic community in sanaa. >> the u.s. vows to bring those responsible for the death of kayla mueller to justice. >> isis sent proof of mueller's death in a private message to her parents. it included photos one showing kayla wrapped in a burial shroud. >> reporter: the governor of her home state of arizona has ordered flags to be flown at half staff in her honor. >> but for mueller's family and friends, all they can do right now is mourn the loss of a young woman devoted to helping others. cnn's anna cabrera has more from kayla mueller's hometown. >> reporter: kayla mueller's parents received word of their daughter's death in a message

from isis. a message that included photos that confirmed the 26-year-old is dead. what is still not known is how she died. late today, kayla's aunt remembered a caring courageous young woman. >> kayla's calling was to help those suffering whether in her hometown of prescott or on the other side of the world. she has done more in her incredible 26 years than many people can ever imagine doing in their lifetime. >> reporter: while in captivity, mueller sent a letter to her parents which they released today. reads in part "if you could say i have suffered at all throughout this whole experience, it is noble knowing how much suffering i have put -- it is only in knowing how much suffering i have put you through. i will never ask you to forgive me as i do not deserve forgiveness." had worked with humanitarian groups in india, israel and the palestinian territories. by 2013 she was already in turkey helping syrian refugee. she posted this in 2011. >> i reject the brutality and

killing that the syrian authorities are committing again the syrian people. >> reporter: august 3rd 2013 mueller entered syria. she travelled with a young man believed to be a syrian and alternately described as a colleague, boyfriend, or fiance. he went there to fix the internet connection at a hospital. kayla apparently joined him on a trip to a war zone off limits to americans. the two stayed overnight, but the next day returning to turkey both were grabbed on the road. mueller's family didn't hear from isis for nine months. in may, 2014 their first message -- proof that mueller was alive. two millions later, a ransom demand. about $7 million or kayla would be killed. that deadline passed with no further word. in the letter to her parents, mueller talks about how isis treated her. please know that i am in a safe location completely unharmed and healthy. put on weight, in fact. i have been treated with the utmost respect and kindness.

isis claims mueller was killed in this building by a jordanian air strike. today a white house spokesman placed the blame for her death squarely on isis. >> this, after all, is the organization that was holding her against her will. that means they are responsible for her safety and her well being. and they are, therefore, responsible for her death. >> reporter: we know the president has spoken by phone with mueller's parents. he sent his condolence commended kayla's selfless work and he pledged to relentlessly pursue those who had a hand in her death. priority one is to bring kayla's body back home so the community, her family can have closure and kayla can rest surrounding by those who love her. anna cabrera, cnn, prescott, arizona. such an extraordinary young lady. such a tragic ending. >> yeah. and you heard an excerpt there was kayla mueller's letter to her family while she was in captivity. if you're interested in ded dinterested

head to cnn to read more. mueller's death comes just ahead of president barack obama's request to congress for authorization to use military force against isis. >> for details on that and washington's reaction to the aid worker's death, senior white house correspondent jim accosta reports. >> reporter: it was the sad confirmation of what was widely feared -- that american hostage kayla mueller, once held captive by isis is dead. the president said in a statement no matter how long it takes, the united states will find and bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for kayla's captivity and death. an emotional arizona senator, john mccain, whose state mueller called home, choked up as he paid tribute to the fallen aid worker. >> she will never be forgotten. >> reporter: the white house rejected claims from isis that mueller was killed in last week's air strikes that came after the terrorist group burned to death a jordanian pilot. >> the information we have is that there's no evidence of civilians in the target area

prior to the coalition strike taking place. >> reporter: with mueller's death adding pressure on the white house to strike back the president is expected to officially ask congress as soon as tomorrow to back a measure to authorize the war on isis. it would replace the more open-ended 2002 authorization for the war in iraq. sources say the current proposal would be specific to the fight against isis and expire in three years. one big sticking point remains -- whether the new authorization would limit u.s. boots on the ground. something republicans may not accept. >> i'm not talking about an occupying american force. i'm talking about a force to supplement the regional forces that exist today. if you took american combat power off the table in terms of ground troops, i'd vote against it. >> reporter: a sign the administration could face an uphill climb. white house chief of staff dennis mcdonough roaming the halls of congress trying to whip up support. one thing the white house is ruling out is any coordination with syria over air strikes. even though that country's

leader bashar al assad, told the bbc has government is speaking to the u.s. through third parties. >> sometimes country convey messages general message. there's nothing tactical. >> there had been no coordination as it relates to military operations in syria. >> that was the white house spokesman speaking at the end of the report. the number of foreign fighters joining isis is on the rise. a senior intelligence official tells cnn they are now more than 20,000 people from 90 different countries fighting for the terror group in iraq and syria. >> that number has been rising steadily over the past few months. up from 16,000 in november. as many as 5,000 of those fighters are from western nations. we turn to another story that's captured the attention of many people here in the u.s. and across the globe. the nbc television network is spending one of the --

suspending, i should say, one of the most popular and influential news anchors in the united states for six months without pay. this comes after nightly news host brian williams admitted exaggerating a story about an iraq war mission he was on in 2003. >> in a statement the chief executive at nbc universal says williams' actions are inexcusable. however, he goes on to say that williams deserves a second chance. cnn's brian stelzer says williams' career at nbc is, of course in jeopardy. >> there is no precedent for this. many don't believe williams will ever come back to the anchor chair now that he'll be going away for such a long period of time. this is a severe suspension. i'm not sure nbc had any other choice. they felt they had to impose some sort of harsh penalty given all of the tall tales that had been discovered that williams had been telling over the years about an iraq war mission in

2003. and had also had been scrutiny about stories he reported on over the years, most notably hurricane and the aftermath of the storm. >> the founder and editor-in-chief of the rap, sharon wax did man, joins us from los angeles to talk about this. nbc news no longer seeming to stand behind brian williams. you've got the suspension for six months without pay in that memo announce by nbc news president debra turnis. has brian williams' credibility been damaged beyond repair now? >> his credibility has been badly damaged. so has the credibility of nbc news in all of this. i think it's really devastate what's happened to them. the fact that they would have to take such a severe measure as a suspension. but i don't feel capable of passing judgment yet on what brian williams' credibility is or ought to be. i think we need to wait and see what the results of the investigation that nbc is conducting are. after all, brian williams has a very distinguished career as a reporter as an -- a news

anchor. and his credibility up to this point has been very well deserved. >> why do you think he may have been encouraged to embellish these stories? was he seduced by fame and entertainment outside of journalism? can we critique the u.s. media landscape in general in some way? >> first of all, i'm sure brian williams is asking himself that very question right now. why would i do that? because it's clear that he did. at least as regards the 2003 taking rpg fire sniper fire into -- in rpg rocket into his helicopter that actually never happened as he was reporting in iraq. there's a number of elements here. we have someone who is a true celebrity as well as a news anchor and a journalist. this is not the first indication of the conflict that happens when somebody who has to play the role of a journalist in a

dispassionate reporter and deal with big world stories and also themselves be a celebrity. at the same time brian williams has a real interest in entertainment and a flair for it. i mean he does like going on the late night talk shows. he was on jon stewart's "daily show" a ba-zillion times, not the exact number but something more than a dozen times. something like that. and he was really good on it. he has a sense of humor, and he pokes fun at himself. and he's fun to watch. but -- >> is it the perfect question? is that part of the problem? jon stewart, the news today, is that he will be stepping down from his post at "the daily show" after this year. you could argue that jon stewart the comedian has done more to highlight certain issues than many journalists. isn't that kind of the changing landscape that we're seeing in some ways? >> i will argue that. i actually -- i absolutely believe that and argue the bigger news in terms of news

culture today is that jon stewart's stepping down and the -- that should take first place above williams being suspended because more people who are taste makers and influencers and young people are getting their news from jon stewart like it or not than they are from brian williams' newscast. so that is a tremendously guideline and thoughtful -- tremendously influential and thoughtful and truth-telling voice that we are going to be losing from our national conversation. and i for one deeply lamb that loss. >> yeah. major changes in the u.s. media landscape. sharon waxman, found irand ed -- founder and editor of "the rap." thanks for joining us. as you heard, it's the end of an era for the comedy central network, as well. jon stewart says he's leaving "the daily show" later this year. >> can you believe it? the comedian has hosted the news parody show for more than 15 years, poking fun at

politicians, mocking everybody in the media. stewart talked about his decision to step down just a few hours ago. take a listen. >> it's been an absolute privilege. it's been -- the honor of my professional life. and i thank you for watching it. for hate watching it. whatever reason you were tuning in for, it -- you get in this business with the idea that maybe you have a point of view and something to express and to receive feedback from that is -- the greatest feeling i can ask for, and i thank you. >> he also said that the show deserves a less restless host. i think he felt he'd been there long enough. it was time for somebody else. he wanted time with his family. >> and also we saw he direction a movie out of his stage. perhaps he'll be able to pursue other interests. you can't overstate how much he's done in the world of news. young people consuming information. >> he has been -- >> he knows his stuff, as well. you have to know the news

information to be able to be satirical about it. and he certainly showed he was able to do that and will be missed. >> very smart man, indeed. comedy central hasn't said exactly when stewart will sign off. but it happen as soon as this summer. some other stories to get to -- to bring you this hour -- violence escalating in eastern ukraine ahead of crucial peace talks. we'll bring you a live report from moscow and kiev ahead. >> technology gives you security. technology gives you control

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a surge in violence is casting shiseido over crucial talks to try and reach a peace deal in eastern ukraine. negotiations set to happen later today in minsk in belarus. >> ukrainian president poroshenko paid a surprise visit to the city late tuesday. at least 12 civilians were killed there in rocket attacks. poroshenko reiterated democrat for an unconditional cease tire. >> these crimes should be punished we demand immediate, unconditional cease-fire as well as talks closing the border withdrawal of all their foreign troop from ukrainian territory. >> and that comment comes on the heels of a phone call between presidents barack obama and vladimir putin. mr. obama urged the russian president to seize the opportunity for peace. for the latest we are joined by cnn's erin mclachlan

in moscow. and senior international correspondent fred pleitgen in kiev. erin there is a lot at stake in these upcoming meetings. what is achievable and what isn't given the collapse of the september minsk protocol which no doubt would be weighing heavy on some of the participants in these talks? >> reporter: hi rosemary. well there's still some outstanding issues that the so-called contact group which consists of representative from kiev separatist leaders as well as monitors are trying to resolve ahead of the normandy four. the so-called contact group having met last night, as well. now on the negotiating table, according to russian media reports, is a broader demilitarized zone. the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the fighting areas, as well as the establishment of some sort of a perm dialogue between

don bass and kiev. really the question remains out of any sort of achieve. if anything the talks could potentially achieve, will it in fact stick, especially considering that the separatists continue to gain ground. rosemary? >> yeah. and erin u.s. president obama hasn't yet made a decision on whether or not to provide arms to ukrainian troops in an effort of course to give diplomacy a chance. how's that playing out in moscow along with the delay in applying more economic sanctions on russia? is that bringing more pressure to bear on the russian president to try to work to forge a cease-fire? is it having any impact? >> reporter: talk of so-called lethal defense aid to the ukrainian military certainly not sitting well with the russians. the head of kremlin's security council of quoted in russian media yesterday, accusing the

americans of trying to draw russia into some sort of interstate military conflict to achieve russian regime change. so that gives you a kind of an idea of the russian mindsets when it comes to that topic. the united states for its part continues to accuse russia of supplying military personnel and weapons to the conflict in eastern ukraine. fueling the conflict something that russia continue to deny. rosemary? >> erin mclachlan with the latest from moscow. >> let's get the latest from kiev and turn to our senior international corn frederick pleitgen. you see him on the screen. fred good morning to you. give us an update on the still ongoing fight taking place in the eastern part of the country. we know that pro-russia separatists made some gains over the last few days. what's new? >> reporter: they certainly did. one of the things that really worries the ukrainian government in kiev is they say it's going to be very difficult to hammer

out in cease-fire agreement in minsk as long the fighting is as intense as it is right now. now of course one of the things that happened is that incident where not only a civilian area was shelled but also the military headquarters for what ukraine called the anti-terror operation in the east was shelled, as well. we have heard from the ukrainians that in all of the fighting area 19 soldiers were killed over the past 24 hours. of course the ukrainian troops also all but encircled the town as well. so certainly from that vantage point, they are the defensive at this point. then in the city of donetsk, there was another incident there where civilians were killed early this morning. this of in rush hour traffic when a bus station was hit at around 7:20 hole time. we know -- local time. we know four people were killed in that incident. however, ukrainian forces are also on the offensive. if you look south near the city of mauripol they are trying to

gain territory back there. the town of strategic persons because if the pro-russian separatists were to take it they would have a land route from russia all the way to crimea which, of course was annexed by russia in -- last year. intense fighting. that is a very worrisome sign for those cease-fire talks that are going to be happening -- people hope will be happening in minsk today. but certainly the ukrainian government still says they want an unconditional cease-fire and they want it immediately. after that they want all the heavy weapons to be taken out of that area in the region, as we heard president poroshenko say earlier in the show. >> still, there is some level of hope that these peace talks will take place and, hold. did you have president poroshenko saying this is the last shot for a meaningful cease-fire. you have the u.s. president barack obama and that possible of lethal aid being provided to the ukrainian military if the cease-fire and these talks don't

work. and russian president vladimir putin has been on the phone, meeting with some of his european counterpars dscounterparts. are people hopeful, at least some observers, that the talks may have a better shot than the previous ones? >> reporter: well i think many of the leaders here in kiev that we have spoken to are disillusioned at the talks that have happened in the past. we have to keep in mind that there is at least nominally a minsk grammy in-- agreement put in place in september that was breached days after it was put in place. so there's a lot of people that we speak to on the ground who say they believe that something, well come out of these talks. there could be a cease-fire agreement coming out of the talks. that it will be signed off to by the russian separatists as well. however, the big question then is even if something does get signed how meaningful is that going to be on the battlefield, in eastern ukraine. certainly if you look at past

experiences, then one can be very hopeful that such an agreement will hold. of course there is always the possibility that it will. it would be a positive step to get the agreement in place. however, then the big question is going to be is that going to be stuck on by both sides. >> and it is healthy skepticism. we have been here before. fred pleitgen live in kiev. approaching ten:25 in the morning there. thanks. we'll take a short break. ahead, a public health mission is scaling back. the plans for u.s. troops hoping to support the battle against ebola. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ great rates for great rides.

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welcome back everyone. we want to walk you through some of the stories we're following now. all but 100 troops are returning from west africaa the pentagon scales back its ebola response. at the height of the epidemic about 2,800 troops were deployed. all returning troops will undergo monitoring. 100 troops will remain to support 10,000 civilian responders. a new york city police officer has been indicted in the shooting death of an unarmed man. 28-year-old akai gurley died from a single hot thisshot to the chest. it happened at a housing project in november. at the time the nypd said the shot was accidental. and reassuring leader of gulf states of close ties. this comes after a leaked

recording purportedly shows the president and senior aide making insulting remarks with their rich donors. the recordings have not yet been authenticated. the israeli prime minister is defending his decision to address a joint meeting of the u.s. congress next month. benjamin netanyahu says he has a profound disagreement with the u.s. and its partners on nuclear talks with iran. he says the deal would be dangerous. listen -- >> i'm going to the united states not because i seek a confrontation with the president but because i must fulfill my obligation to speak up on a matter that affects the survival of my country. >> police in australia say they've foiled an imminent terror attack. we'll show you what they found when they search this house in a sydney suburb next. the high-profile "american sniper" trial begins hours from now in the u.s. coming up how the blockbuster movie may complicate the case.

hello, and welcome to our viewers in the united states and across the world. glad you're still with us. i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. we want to check the headlines this hour. u.s. president barack obama has vowed to bring the killers of american aid worker kayla mueller to justice. the family of the 26-year-old receive a private message from isis confirming she's dead. the islamist militants kidnapped mueller in 2013. the u.s. tv network nbc has suspended nightly news anchor brian william for six months without pay. the move comes after williams admitted exaggerating a story about an iraq war mission he was on back in 2003. lester holt will fill in for

williams during his suspension. u.s. president sbroim urging russia's -- barack obama is urging russia's president to seize the opportunity for peace in ukraine. mr. obama phoned vladimir putin tuesday. the call came ahead of peace talks planned for wednesday in belarus between mr. putin and the leaders of ukraine, france, and germany. preliminary talks have already begun. a verdict is expected today in belgium where 46 suspected jihadists have been on trial since september. they're suspect members of the group sharia for belgium and are accused of brainwashing young belgian men to fight in syria. most of the suspects are being tried in absentia. police in sydney have arrested two men for allegedly planning terror attacks as revenge for incidents overseas. anna coren has developments live from australia. what are thoughts telling us

now, bring us up to date on all that we know about this alleged terror plot. >> reporter: well the only reason police knew about this was from a tip-off that they received yesterday. so around 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon, they raided a home in western sydney where they found not just these two men, but also a hunting knife, a machete, an isis flag as well as a video recording. police believe they were about to carry out an imminent attack a violent act. the deputy police commissioner in new south wales, she didn't go so far as to say that it was going to be a public beheading, but that is the fear considering what was found in that house. let's take a listen to what she had to say earlier. >> we believe the attack was going occur yesterday. one of the items that will be

introduced into evidence is a video. and in that video we will allege that one of the men indicated that an attack was going to be carried out. >> reporter: neither of the men were known to police. both age 24 and 25. and i think that is what is of great concern was that they were just simply were not on the police radar. obviously there have been a number of plots foiled in recent months. there were those raids that were conducted last year across the east coast of australia when numerous people were arrested and police said they foiled plots to but he -- to behead members of the public as well as carry out mass shootings. in cambra, tony abbot described it as a serious problem and believed it was going to get worse before it got better. rosemary?

>> that tip to police was critical. of course the police in new south wales calling on anyone if they have information, and right across australia and indeed across the globe it is up to citizens to be vigilant in situations like this. anna coren bringing us up to date from australia. many thanks to you. in a few hours from now, opening statements begin in the trial of a man charged with killing the former navy s.e.a.l. whose story of the basis for the hit movie "american sniper." >> all eyes will be on defendant eddie ray routh. he is accused of killing chris kyle and kyle's friend at a texas gun range. cnn's martin savidge has more. >> reporter: at the movie theater outside stevenville, texas, just like anywhere else you can catch the film "american sniper." the hit movie that focuses on navy s.e.a.l. chris kyle. but unlike anywhere else in the center of town, at the courthouse the focus will be not on how kyle lived but how he

died. as many as 800 jury notices went out. despite the number and obvious note right of the case, jury selection ended a day early. ten women, two men, all white, and two alternates. each one of them had to fill out a four-page questionnaire asking such things as where they work, if they know the accused, eddie routh, or the two victims, kyle and chad littlefield, the other man murdered with him. they are also asked about military service and question number 14 -- have you read the book listened to the audio book or seen the movie "american sniper"? answering yes did not get you disqualified but the very question shows how the blockbuster movie has complicated the case. but in the courtroom, the characters are real and all eyes will be on defendant 27-year-old former marine eddie ray routh who, like kyle, also served in iraq. routh allegedly confessed to carrying out the killings to his sister. >> my brother just came by here.

he's told me he committed a murder. >> who did he say he was -- he had killed? >> he said that he killed two guys. they went out to a shooting range. it was like he's all crazy. he's [ bleep ] psychotic. >> reporter: routh later entered a plea of not guilty. his attorneys plan to argue his military service forms the crux of his defense, innocent by reason of insanity due to post traumatic stress. author laura beale wrote about routh's struggles after leaving the military. >> his final downfall happened quickly. >> reporter: expect both sides to produce plenty of medical documents and call lots of medical experts. a single camera will be allowed to video the proceedings, shooting through a window. in an unusual move the judge has ordered after opening statements there will be no due audio from the courtroom which is unfortunate. the first went to be called is the widow of "american sniper"

chris kyle. cnn, stevenville, texas. and there is another case we're watching closely because we get a verdict in the coming day after closing statements in the trial of captain fran search and rescue oh schettino. his cruise ship capsighed after hitting rock in 2012. this incident killed 32 people. the captain is charged with their deaths causing a maritime disaster and abandoning ship. he faces 26 years in prison if convicted. the former chief of the international monetary fund insists he committed no crimes when he attended sex parties. dominique strauss-kahn isa on trial accused of organizing the parties with prostitutes. he told the court he had no idea the women were prostitutes. in france prostitution is legal, but supplying prostitutes

is not. >> he said prosecutors had exaggerated his participation saying there were only a total of 12 parties. four per year for three years. the proceedings generated an unusual protest. topless women with anti-strauss-kahn slogans painted on their bodies climbed on his car as it arrived. police quickly bundled them off. for more on the trial, we are joined by michael stoddard the paris correspondent for "the financial times" and has been in the courtroom. thanks for talking with us. we know on tuesday dominique strauss-kahn told the court that he committed no crime and no offense. what can we expect to happen today? what will we hear? he's got the three days of talking to the court. >> yeah today we're expecting to hear testimony from more of the prostitutes who are involved

in the -- some of the sex parties. notably involved in one of the sex parties in washington. and offer more information on his flat in paris, where the sex parties took place. that's part of the evidence that ties strauss-kahn to being an "organizer" of the event rather than just a participant. >> as we reported strauss-kahn has admitted he took part in 12 sex parties over a three-year period. he doesn't seem to think that's up. he denies charges of pimping. how do prosecutors plan to prove he procured sex workers for a prostitution ring? >> reporter: there isn't really -- nobody's really arguing that he was there actively calling prostitutes at organizing them for the parties. what they're trying to prove is

that he knew when he attended the parties that these impeachment were prostitutes. and -- these women were prostitutes. and therefore he was in a way aiding and abetting prostitution which under french law cowens as -- counts as the definition of what pimping is. the line of question has been arched eyebrows and saying do you really expect us to believe, sir, that when all these women had sex with you, when they didn't know you at these parties, we expect to believe you thought they were doing it for the fun? must have known that they were prostitutes. that's been their line of inquiry so far. >> right. and if dominique strauss-kahn is found guilty he could face up to ten years in jail. so just how strong is the evidence against him? >> well, it's hard to tell. but it doesn't seem very strong

from -- i'm not a lawyer. but from following the case, it seems quite weak. he might go down for being dominique strauss-kahn as there's public interest and pressure to get a conviction. at least so far in the trial, the connection between -- so far in the trial his defense that he really didn't know they were prostitutes seems hard to disprove. >> of course you've been there in the courtroom. he was there tuesday. he'll be there again giving testimony today and for a third day. as mentioned, how would you describe his demeanor in the courtroom? and others there? what are you sensing? >> well when he turned up for the initial proceedings last week he seemed very -- almost pleased to be there and pleased to be in front of an audience. cool and calm.

and he was also quite calm and collected yesterday. but his demeanor started to break slightly when the prostitutes started -- the former prostitutes started giving evidence about some of the sex parties. the magistrates got excruciating detail from one of them in particular about the beastial nature of the act and, you know some quite harsh details. you saw his composure breaking and him looking very nervous and very awkward and looking at his watch, looking around the courtroom. so yeah. he was much more composed at the beginning of the proceedings than he's looking at the moment. >> all right. we'll await to hear what he has to say today and the day after that. many thanks to michaelstad stoddard from paris, maintain thanks.

>> the party secrets out. uncomfortable moment. >> very awkward, i will think. greece and germany get set to play let's make a deal over the eurozone bailout. this is no game. the real-life stakes are enormous. we'll explain all of that next. plus six feet or nearly two meters of snow and counting. a look at one u.s. city that's growing very frustrated with the winter of 2015.

greece's new prime minister alexis tsipras, has won a new confidence plan regarding the bailout. >> many are unhappy with the strict austerity measures attached to the bailout money. the vote comes as eurozone finance ministers are set to meet today in brussels. germany's finance minister is taking a hard line against any plans to change the greek bailout deal. he and other european leaders want greece to seek an extension on a program when it expires this month. if greece refuses, he says that's it. >> translator: we have a euro group meeting tomorrow. the greek finance minister will for the first time present the ideas of the greek government to the euro group. we will take notice and consider what could be the next steps. but the public announcements are more confusing than helpful. >> today's meeting of finance ministers is just the first

step. e.u. leaders get together for a osu thursday. the stakes are high with the possibility that greece could leave the eurozone. paula newton has more. >> reporter: call it a case of when game shows meet real life. >> make a deal -- >> reporter: in this popular tv contest, contestants must choose their doors wisely. >> it's a hyundai accent -- >> reporter: or return home empty-handed. >> it's a carpool. >> reporter: the two main players in europe's version of "let's make a deal" are new greek prime minister tsipras and the reigning champ, angela merkel of germany. two fiercely determined players out to win big for their domestic audience back home. with greece the goal is nothing less than debt relief and an end to business as usual. >> translator: the greek people gave a strong and clear mandate to immediately end austerity. this catastrophic austerity.

>> reporter: greece wants to rip up its existing agreement and swap the old debt for less onerous new debt. better terms may allow for new stimulus higher wages, and new hiring. the new government is hoping for a bridge loan so future aid can continue well into spring. angela merkel is keeping an open mind in public. >> translator: i've always said i will wait for greece to come with a sustainable proposal and then we'll talk about this. >> reporter: behind closed doors, the merkel government takes a harder line. it refuses to change the terms of the bailout. it says a deal is a deal. there is a third contestant here. ecb chairman mario draghi. greece's current bailout expires on february 28th. draghi says he cannot offer any more help to greek banks without some bailout agreement in place. the options for greece boil down to this -- behind door number

one, some kind of agreement with creditors. perhaps a longer time frame to pay back that debt. behind door number two, getting the greek economy on a growth track that austerity has failed to deliver. but it negotiations collapse, there is the potential for door number three. >> it was a giant butterfly. >> reporter: or in europe's case a messy greek eurozone exit. time is running out, and all sides need to be careful not to choose that wrong door. paula newton, cnn, new york. >> we'll see what happens. tempers are flaring and patience is wearing thin as boston tries to dig out from a record moon of snow. more on the efforts to get the city back on track coming up. plus music fans listen up's called rock and roll's holy grail, and it will be up for sale soon.

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transit chief. and on tuesday, she hit back. >> what we're going to do is to get things up as quickly as we can, as responsibly as we can. i will tell you this -- the fixing of it has to wind up being part of a collective because you are -- we are running an extremely aged system. >> scott also says there isn't a system in the country that could have continued operating as normal given the amount of snowfall over the past three weeks. there will be some more officials fighting soon. not one but two more snowstorms are in the works from now until sunday for boston. we're joined from the international weather center to tell us how bad the fights will be between officials when this thing moves through. this is going to mess up a lot of people's days. >> there's not going to be as much snow as we initially saw 24 hours ago. the track has been displaced a little offshore. we go from 30 centimeters, a

foot possible to ten centimeters, a few inches around boston. the ireporters sharing with us out of boston. you know the railway disruptions across the region literally so cold some of the doors frozen shut across some of the railways. this snowfall has come down. 78 inches. 200 centimeters. here's what is normal. 27 inches. now you see why this is such a big deal. new york city not as much. just a little above the norm. north of boston to bangor maine, nearly doubling -- more than doubling what is average for this time of year from what should come down in the way of snowfall. here's the next weathermaker across the great lakes. it will eventually push in off the northeastern seaboard. and again, initially it will look like it could stay close enough to the coastline to produce significant snow accumulations. at this point, thursday night we believe the storm system will be parked offshore. close enough to produce at least some moderate snow showers. should be generally a dusting, maybe an inch or so around new york city. north of new york to boston is what we're looking at for some decent accumulations. again, on the order of five six

inches. here are the multiple models we're watching. close agreement as far as the track of the storm thursday through friday. boeing of them remaining offshore. that's why we have minimized the snow accumulation forecast around maybe two to four in boston. based on the lesser amount if you want to take in the higher amount of the models. you would take four to six inches. not a major weathermaker compared to recent days. that's just the first storm coming on friday. there's another one similar to this coming in on sunday that could produce another four to six inches. keep in mind sunday down in new york city nba all-star game. all-star weekend across new york city this weekend coming up. that's something worth noting. two feet on the ground around boston. 12 to 24 inches on the ground much of new york state. getting to central park. about eight inches is on the ground there. of course this is going to be accompanied by brutally cold temperatures guys. we're going to get an arctic blast of air. >> brr. >> yeah. minus ten, could be some of the windchills around new york city in the next couple of days. yes.

>> still too much snow. thank you very much. it is one of the defining sounds of rock and roll. the gibson les paul guitar. there will be one up for antibiotic in new york. >> the -- auction in new york. >> the invenor called it black beauty. some call it the holy grail. the head of the auction house expects a selling price to the tune of $2 million. to find out more or make your own bid, head to our website, cnn.com. >> spare a couple million. thanks for watching. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. "early start" is next for those of you in the states. for everyone else "cnn newsroom." have a great day. [alarms blaring] ohhhhh... whoa whoa whoa!

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a tragic turn in the war on isis. the white house, the family of kayla mueller say that she is dead. the family is in mourning as the president prepares new authorization in the war, and middle eastern allies step up their attacks. we're breaking down all the angles on this story coming up. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. it's 4:00 a.m. in the east. christine romans is off today. breaking news overnight. the united states closing down its embassy in yemen. the state department has evacuated dozens of diplomatic officials from its compound in sana'a while urging all americans to leave that country immediately.