his half brother is now the new king. we have a report. >> the world learns of the death of one of its few remaining absolute monarchs. the path to power was shaped from his birth by tradition and conservatism. >> the problems of the world are caused by people rejecting the principles of justice. terrorism and crime are the enemies of god and every religion and civilization. >> young abdullah was taught religion literature and science by islamic scholars. he spent long periods of his childhood living in the desert. as crown prince, he took control of the country in 1995 when king fahd had a stroke. ten years later he became king. there were hopes the saudi kingdom would at last open up. >> he has inspired a greater openness in two particular areas, for women and in freedom of expression. there's an outburst of criticism, social criticism and also of government policy inside saudi arabia that has happened with the let's say tolerance to some degree of the saudi government. >> abdullah inherited a kingdom basking in an oil

as we mentioned yesterday, hearing the new king's address yesterday, he is promising the continuity really seeing what we have seen over the past decade under the rule of king abdullah. max? >> considering the challenges ahead, the regional challenges first of all, what change might you expect there? as you say, a promise of continuity but this is a different king as well. >> reporter: absolutely. it's said that no king in the history of modern saudi arabia has inherited a neighborhood a kingdom with so much turmoil in it right now. if you look at what's going on to the southern border in yemen, this is something very alarming for saudi arabia with you know the sunni saudi arabia seeing the shia movement consolidating power in the capital, sana'a and in the government there. there are concerns also about this chaos, this political chaos and the vacuum in yemen, giving more power to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, aqap there. and of course there's also the concern from isis to the north, gaining, you know its power there in iraq and syria. just last month, there was a cross-border attack

and after that they spend the whole night until early morning just following the news and reaction to the death of kingabdulaziz and following the news of solomon, the new king solomon being the king of the saudi and saudi arabia. later on king solomon just announced to name his nephew prince mohamed believed to be the deputy crown prince of saudi arabia also and his son mohamed to be the defense minister of this country. today just he will receive people who will congratulations to him on becoming the head of the state of saudi arabia with other princes and the crown prince and also the deputy crown prince prince, prince mohamed, the minister of interior of saudi arabia. arabia. there is no really formal celebration or to have it in saudi arabia. that wouldn't be normal days in saudi arabia. the stock market would run and school will be open and all the bureaus will be open just after the weekend, so there is no really and normal posing of the country during these days. >> reporter: unlikely to be any great change in the way people are going about their business thanks very much it was good to get you

most of those interventions have not gone very well for the saudis and this is an issue that the new kingl have to address the nature of saudi political intervention and military intervention around the region and the second is the domestic political structure and governance system the mild reforms that king abdullah started will probably continue but the regional turmoil especially in terms of the crash in oil prices which the saudis can handle but a lot of other people like iraq like iran and others simply cannot withstand for very long. so this is a real challenge for the new leadership in saudi arabia. >> reporter: it's a real challenge for the new leadership and you were mentioning there more intervention in policy in resent years and you mentioned the world militant with regards to somalia, iraq and lebanon and other places you say this is something that the current king solomon is going to have to address, do you expect to see any shift or a change of approach when it comes to those regional challenges those conflicts? >> well political and policy shifts in saudi arabia happen acco

so the dynamic of this new king will be crucial. but i would say that the thoughts today are really with king abdullah because he was a really popular leader who all these people flying in now knew incredibly well and you heard that tribute from tony blair. think how much the leaders in this region will be missing him now. and they'll want to be paying their respects in a few hours at his funeral. >> mark lobel in dubai, as the preparations are taking place, and the arrivals there ahead of the funeral of king abdullah which we understand could be starting in as little as an hour from now. we'll keep a close eye on that for you here on "bbc world news." >>> let's pick on other news stories now. thailand military-appointed particle amount has voted to impeach the former prime minister, yingluck shinawatra for her role in overseeing a government rights subsidy program, which cost billions of dollars to implement. miss yingluck condemneded the move on her facebook page. she said, democracy has died in thailand today along with the rule o

so today we expect to see more of those world leaders and dig thaers arriving to greet the new king and also pay their respects to the late king abdullah. >> and the new king has set out a plan for continuity from what the previous king was -- in terms of his strategy but there's a new set of dynamics that he'll have to deal with and he's a different king so how do you think he will first of all, deal with those regional challenges? he's a major player there. >> reporter: absolutely. saudi arabia has been playing a key role in the region especially since 2011 with the arab upricings that we saw here in the region something that really alarmed saudi arabia but of course if you look at the country's own borders, there's concerns about what surrounds saudi arabia. king salman really inn art ago country with so much turm oil around it. it's southern borders, what is going on in yes, ma'am ens, of course saudis would be concerned now seeing -- sun gee saudi arabia would be concerned with what it's seeing taking place in the capital with the sheia movement and of course concerns about this th

what should americans know about the new king salman? >> he is a very long practised practitioner in saudi arabia since 19. he ruled the cabinet of riyadh for 52 years, so is in tune with society. he has a gift for remembering and knowing people of the the been is i don't think his health will be very well. and still, early onset of alzhiemer's. john hopkins from the clinic are his team. this well erases the -- the fact that he'll be a figure wet. there is a number three guys, and the son with a defence minister. >> as part of the transition they have named a crown prince. we know effect who the next king will be. is it important? into well it's important we know him. i think they make two announcements. first, the crown prince. the youngest son of king abdullah and the end of the line of king abdullah. also they have designated the minister of interior as the deputy prince and the second deputy prime minister so the number three position. not a guarantee of succession but at the powerful signal that they are ready to move to the next ge

the crown prince was made king friday but news of king abdullah's death did cause a surge in world oilow that saudi arabia has had a big role and quite a voice lately where oil prices have been. >> reporter: that's right. it holds the opec secretary-general role. as the largest oil producing country in the world, saudi arabia was instrumental back in november in the recent decision to keep the current level of oil output unchanged, despite the fact that prices are continuing to fall. that precipitated the price in oil's fall. it's down 60% since the month of june, though it did come back up quite significantly, largely based on the fact that there are questions whether saudi arabia will continue the economic policy under a new leadership here. so will it continue to keep those production levels at current levels keeping the oil price low on the hope that they can ride out the competition coming from the u.s. shale oil industry. because it's far more expensive to tap shale oil than get oil out of the ground with drilling as saudi arabia does. the thing is saudi arabia wasn't necessarily

the new king soloman and the crown prince since 2012 and a broadcast on state tv he promised to maintainproach as his predecessors and king soloman in power and the succession to the throne was not so certain and it goes to brothers and not sons and meant an aging royal now as we report. >> reporter: soloman is the next king of saudi arabia and became the crown prince in 2012 and the swift appointment by late abdullah was shoring up the line and avoiding a struggle for power and one of 7 powerful brothers known as the 7 and they are the sons of the founder of saudi arabia king abdullah all from the same mother. all of the remaining sons are over 75 years old. he was governor for nearly 50 years, during tenure the saudi arabia capitol grew in a mayor modern city and prince aman attracted foreign investment and seen as politically and economically aligned with the west and developed a network of relationships in arab and international circles and became minister of defense in 2011 and also appointed to the powerful national security council that oversees foreign policies security and intel

saudi arabia's new king promises to stay the course on his first full day in power. the king ascended to the saudi throne friday as his family laid to rest his half-brother king abdullah. abdullah died at the age of 90 after a battle with pneumonia. his half-brother of appointed crown prince and heir to the throne. in his first televised address as king, he called for unity among followers of islam. there are, though a number of person challenges facing the new king. for more on that let's bring in our reporter from aman jordan. certainly one of those challenges could be stability in the region after so many years since the arab spring has not brought that. hello. >> reporter: hello, natalie. from the moment that the announcement of the king taking over from his first televised speech sick decrows in the first -- six decrews in the first hours showing that the country is stable. in the history of modern saudi arabia the kimberly king domestic has never had a monarch who's taken over and inherited a kingdom with so much regional turbulence going on. if you look at the

there's a new king. king solomon who will be the new king. stay with us for continuing coverage.in burnett outfront starts now. >>> outfront next breaking news. saudi arabia's king abdullah is dead. the king of the number one ally in the arab world. the leader of the largest export of oils. we have brebreaking details. >>> time is running out for two hostages. >>> black man shot and killed by a police officer during a routine traffic stop. all of this caught on dash cam video. was it justified? let's go outfront.

the crown prince is now being named as the new leader of saudi arabia. kingllar was 90 years old and led the country for 10 years since 2005. he ascended to the throne in 2005. he is one of the 10 sons of the leader of greater modern saudi arabia. and led the country for of the last 10 years and is one of the richest men in the world, an estimated net worth of over $18 billion. he has died today after a long illness. pimm fox joins me right now from new york. he's been sick for quite some time here. this was a very interesting time for world oil prices and what this might mean for adjustments and how much oil saudi arabia -- and how much saudi arabia is governed from an oil price point. >> it means a lot to the saudi arabian government. budget just as important. the political implications in the death of king abdullah and the ascension to the throne of his half otherbrother. saudi arabia was an ardent supporter of sunni muslim fighters in syria, looking to topple the current government of a sod. -- of assassad. saudi arabia, a big supporter of sunni interest

there's a new king. king solomon who will be the new king. stay with us for continuing coverage. dramatic developments unfolding. i'm wolf blitzer. erin burnett outfront starts now. >>> outfront next breaking news. saudi arabia's king abdullah is dead. the king of the number one ally in the arab world. the leader of the largest export of oils. we have brebreaking details. >>> time is running out for two hostages. >>> black man shot and killed by a police officer during a routine traffic stop. all of this caught on dash cam video. was it justified? let's go outfront. good evening. much more on our breaking news. the death of the king of saudi arabia. first, i want to get to this issue we're dealing with with the hostages as the clock is kicking down at this moment. time is running out for the hostages held by isis. we have less than six hours before the deadline expires. the threat to murder two japanese men until $200 million is paid. officials are in a desperate race against time. they are trying to communicate with isis the the theory is trying to pay something. we don't know f

president obama will travel to riyadh to make a condolence call and to meet the new king. ent obama right now is on his way to india for a 3-day state visit. it's his second trip there. the president is looking to strengthen ties with new delhi. >> as barack obama leaves for indiana, his first attending a foreign country's national day. the first time india has asked a u.s. president to be a guest as they celebrate republican day, as the president and prime minister modi watch the u.s. parade by the u.s. hopes it will include more work for u.s. defense contractors. >> there seems to be a momentum in the relationship that had not been there in the last several years. a momentum to really not only on a strategic -- from a strappedege ilk standpoint but an economic and commercial standpoint. >> the obama administration has long put the focus on indiana. his very first state dinner held in honor of modi's predecessor but the promise of increased trade hasn't really panned out. the obama administration is hoping modi can change that. one priority: changing indian laws that would

. >> reporter: the new king salman said he would steer the course as his predecessor. >> translator: we are going to continue the approach of the father king abdullah aziz, and the prophet mahmoud muhammed to lead our nation. >> he will be greeted by other members of the saudi royal family. he has now been buried in a simple unremarkable grave. erica wood, al jazeera. >> of course king abdullah was one of america's greatest allies in the middle east. his death points out the ties between the two countries. libby casey has the story from washington. >> reporter: john, president obama releasing a statement saying he vowed king abdullah's relationship undenialable tensions between the united states and saudi arabia. it's a 70-year alliance that dates back to president franklin roosevelt and king abdullah's father and continues today. >> as the president has articulated in his statement last night expressed his deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of king abdullah and saudi arabia. that the president enjoyed a genuinely close and warm relationship. strategic partnership work

as the new king begins his reign saudi arabia is facing several challenges. they have to crack down on dozens of people suspected of having linked to isil. and there are threats along the eastern border with iraq. isil formally announced its desire to conquer saudi arabia. and as the fighting continues over in syria, saudi arabia has been spending millions training rebels trying to overthrow president bashar al-assad. while over in yemen the rise of shia houthi rebels there as lead to the fall of the prosaudi government. and regional rival iran is suspected of backing the houthis. a has played out not just in yemen but also in syria, lebanon, iraq and bahrain, with each side supporting opposing armed groups. this man says obama's visit underscores the close relationship between the u.s. and saudi arabia. >> well i think this is a critical -- it's a very nice gesture on the part of the president. to go to saudi arabia which has been an ally for decades, and underscores the very close relationship we have had, and one i expect us to continue to have over the ye

it's very good to have you both with us, karen, on thursday, the king, the new king announced cabinet changes, including the removal of the former saudi ambassador to washington somebody very familiar to americans. he had an important post in saudi arabia. he also removed two the former kings sons from top positions, eliminated a whole bunch of state government bodies. how significant are these huge moves just days after becoming king? >> i think salman is clearly trying to indicate as our late secretary of state al hague said, i'm in charge here. if you recall his comment when president reagan was shot. the king is trying to establish i think that he's in charge. i -- from what i can see of the new moves, i wouldn't expect human rights to take any higher position in the saudi hierarchy, because he has removed the justice minister who was seen as something of a liberal in the saudi context, and apparently also removed the more liberal head of the religious police, so he seems to be by removing all these extraneous entities, getting hopefully decisions will get made quicker and the dec

ties with this complicated country as top american officials meet with the new king. let's start with al jazeera senior washington correspondent mike viqueira. why did the president cut short the visit with the indian prime minister. >> saudi arabia, a country that president obama described as key to a very complicated group of nations. that might be an understatement. he tut cut short his visit. he was going to be sightseeing visiting the taj mahal. he has a habit of having to cut short these trips to asia. but if he had done that, and this had gone forward, and he had not been in saudi arabia with this incredibly large american delegation, there are stars of administration past and present, eyebrows would have been raised. if he had gone forward with the original plan and send vice president joe biden the president and the vice president would have been out at the same time. and yes the president's absence at the paris march at the charlie hebdo march was a factor in this decision. make no mistake, it's a big deal. the white house sending a very big importance to th

elderly monarch died in hospital after being admitted last month suffering from pneumonia, and the new kingeen the crown prince since 2012. king salman promised to maintain the same approach as his predecessors. >>> houthi rebels in yemen are calling for the formation of military to run the country. >> reporter: a dawn attack in yemen's capital sana'a. shia houthi rebels take stock of the damage. across the country, people have been reacting to what they see as a houthi takeover. some in celebration. overs in angry. in this city they demonstrated a besieged president resigned. >> translator: we say to the president he must not run away from taking responsibility. he must complete the peaceful transition of power. we the people will stand with him. >> reporter: but his decision was made under pressure. he has been hold up in his home since the houthis stormed the palace earlier this week. the houthis signed a u.n.-brokered deal after taking control of large parts of sana'a. but they are demanding a bigger say in government. >> reporter: i want to assert again that the crisis can't be resolve

they say the group wants to use them as human shields. >>> saudi arabia's new king salman has repositioned his leaders. the foreign minister remain unchange. >>> just news just in now from iraq and i.s.i.l the islamic state of iraq and the levant has killed a senior curkd kurdish commander and 5 peshmerga troops in iraq. went on until friday morning we understand that 46 people have been wounded. we'll bring you more when we have it of course. the united nations says rival factions in libya have agreed to hold talks. the national congress says it will join negotiations with the internationally recognized parliament if they're held in the country. dominic kane reports. >> reporter: this is where some of libya's rival factions have been meeting for days, far from their home country in geneva. then on thursday came news that that position was shifting. >> translator: the general national congress announces that it will end our participation in the national dlieg and outdoors dialogue and it will be held anywhere in libya. >> if that happens the u.n. special envoy to libya for months has been

rather, he is going to meet with the new king as well. big american delegations are traveling there. they are expected to be on the ground for four hours, we understand. you can see the saudi officials lined up there waiting to greet the president when he comes off air force one. not quite certain what will be on the agenda but president obama has said he will raise his advocacy for human rights. he says balancing advocacy for human rights with the needs to cooperate with saudi arabia on terrorism and security as well. michelle obama is with the president for return. throughout the day on "bbc world news." let's talk about president obama's time in india. he spoke about the untapped potential of economic relationships between the two countries. in the speech in delhi, he spoke of the importance of solving regional disputes. following the trip is matthew. let's go to him in delhi. matthew? >> reporter: thanks very much. welcome to the college, one of the oldest and most prestigious colleges in new delhi. half of india's population is under

it's uneven asking the new king to take a close look at the freedom and women's rights and mentioning the blogger's case, of course. but others are saying it's a policy of the kingdom, regardless of the king. so many people did not expect the optimism that it's going to change in the near future. >> and angy i mean outside of saudi reaction are there any other countries where they seem -- within the region where it seems there's a particular sort of strong response where they care frankly, a great deal about what is happening in saudi arabia? >> well of course aside from the gulf because the families in the gulf it's all a big deal for them but i think egypt for this case to say it's particularly interested because of the known saudi support to the current egyptian regime. so the imposition against the regime within egypt will discuss this issue. and they say from the position of the saudi king being one of the main supporters of president assisi and they're talking about what the death could mean. wonder rg will it will change increase, decrease and what it will mean for the egyptian

the new king. ke "the new york times", "new king, old order." >> the issue here is that the religious community in saudi arabia fostered the extreme brand of islam that literally creates the textbook that islamic states and extremist groups are joining. >> roster that in "the new york times," king abdulla was a prisoner of the system he inherited interested in reform but unable to find the room or take the risks required to see it through. we in the united states are prisoners as well handcuffed to saudi arabia. the elephant in the room is oil. how do you play that? >> obviously saudi arabia is involved in trying to knock out -- not just in terms of country but >> at the same time, the -- how do you filter the politics into how you look at investments ? >> it has been tricky for us. we along with other people in the investment community did not see -- did not expect to see oil come down as far as fast, and it has shaken up the markets. any other oil producing company has been shaken quite a bit. at

news hour. i'm jane dutton. thousands gather for the funeral of king abdullah. we look back at his legacy and forward to the man who is replacing him. >>> also on the news hour yemen slides deep into chaos after the resignation of the government and the president. >>> ukraine's conflict has claimed 5,000 lives, says the u.n. we are in the country's east where people are living in fear. >>> and heading for a radical shift, greeks will soon vote in an election that could see the left party come to power. >>> first to saudi arabia where the funeral has been held for king abdullah who has ruled since 2005 and died early on friday morning, local time. tributes have been pouring in. erica wood reports. >> reporter: dignitaryies from all over the middle east and beyond arrive to pay their respects to heard seen by many as a reformer. among them the mayor of kuwait. after they arrived they gathered for a simple funeral, lasting less than an hour the ceremony was a chance for foreign dignitaries to greet his family including his successor. international leaders passed on

. >> he says the king's death is a shock to the nation but the transition to the new king has been swift. he went on to say that king salaman is a modern person. he says he will see more opens. there is no doubt that we have to begin incorporating into the international community and society. >> let's get more from the region. hello. >> hello. here is what we know. in a few hours from now at about 3:00 p.m. local time in saudi arabia the funeral is set to take place at the prince mosque. there that will be followed by the burial. >> dignitaries and world leaders have announced they will be heading to saudi arab that. the jordan leader has cut short a visit to the world economic forum, the president of egypt and vice president joe bide listen will be heading a presidential dell occasion to pay respects. following the burial the royal court will open its doors to morner s morners this is a process that is expected to take several days. >> and the new king what challenges what issues will he face regarding the region there? what's going on with the isis situation and ser yooyria and iran et

saudi arabia king abdullah has kid, a new king is in prays.dy is saying they expect stability, continuity. is that what you expect? or given the royal family, something different? something much rougher? >> i think at least in the short term that stability will continue in saudi arabia. that's the way they do things. the new king will pretty much, i think continue policies of king abdullah. they will maintain a strong relationship with the united states, probably continue the oil policies they're involved with and i think they'll generally continue a lot of the policies that saudi arabia was involved with. i think the real big question is going to be how they ultimately deal with all the other turmoil going on in the middle east. that's dpoipght be the question -- going to be the question mark for the future. >> on the royal family, stephen steve hadley, you don't expect a how we are struggle? >> two things mitigate against that. king abdullah and now king salman work together to arrange this succession. we'll go from salman to muqrin and so o

the new king will continue the policy of king abdullah. there will not be much change. we might see changes in domestic policy. but they are temporary. usually a monarchy policy has been stable for the last 40 or 50 years. >> before his brother's death, he addressed the counsel for the first time. he spoke of unprecedented challenges facing the kingdom, including conflicts in iraq and yemen as well as falling oil prices. those led to the biggest deficit in saudi arabia's history in over 33 billion euros in 2014. one of the many tests he will be facing in the coming months. >> yemen is in a state of confusion after the president, prime minister, and his cabinet stepped down from power on thursday. resignations have thrown the country into deeper turmoil. since september, rebels have been tightening their grip on the capital while four provinces in the south have declared themselves independent. >> chaos and destruction. yemen thrown into turmoil following the resignation of its president. days after the militia took control of the capital retaliation against the group ap

king abdullah's half brother salman was quickly pointed to replace him. the white house says president obama will be calling the newy.

is that something to be discussed between the president and new king?ink they have to have a clear understanding about what the strategy is. >> we have two little wars against isis syria and no strategy. there has to be a larger agreement about what it is we're trying to do. i agree with the previous comments and it appears defact on that we're leaving assad in power, but that's obviously not what the saudis want and we need to have a serious, very private set of conversations about what the overall strategy must be. >> gentlemen, thank you. don't go anywhere. we'll take a quick break. on the other side we'll talk about iran and could iran emerge sort of the winner in all of this? that's next. when the flu hits, it's a really big deal. the aches. the chills. the fever. an even bigger deal? everything you miss out on... family pizza night. the big game. or date night. why lose out to the flu any longer than you have to? prescription tamiflu can help you get better 1.3 days faster. that's 30% sooner. call your doctor right away. and attack the flu virus a

that succession of course seamless transition to the new king, king solomon. king solomon getting set to sit down with u.s. president barack obama and talk a bit about isis. they want to talk about yemen. couple of years ago you could have been forgiven for saying that saudi arabia was a bit of a can sandra. at this point what you have here is a state that is pretty much surrounded by cay use. to the south you have yemen. they have an order with yemen. at this point we've had a cue over the last several days and the government in yemen is now run by an iranian-backed ma eded militia. you and the traditional faux iran and so many areas of iraq overrun by the islamic state. as well as, you have to remember there are problems in syria. there are problems in jordan which is holding so many refugees. and, of course the saudi government has been backing the new regime in egypt over the last year. the president speaking to us last week committed to the relationship with saudi arabia. it's no surprise that barack obama would cut the trip to india short to make sure he

it is seen unlikely the new king will alter that stance. that is causing a muted reaction in oil prices. you can bet, john a lot of parsing of every word of the saudi plan to do with the oil wealth. >> i knew the second that king abdullah died that there was a moment in the market. >>> ten minutes after the hour. president obama sat down with three pre-selected youtube so-called stars on thursday. it was all part of his state of the union effort to get message out to larger non traditional audience. as sometimes, things did not go as planned. watch what happens when glozell green hands over her signature green lipstick. >> okay my mom said when you go to somebody's house, you have to give them something. don't come empty handed. >> all right. >> i have green lip stick. one for your first wife. >> my first wife? do you know something i don't? >> oh. >> okay. of course a selfie here that they all took together here. >> is it presidential or cutting edge? you covered presidents. >> i think the answer to all of that is yes. or yes and no. no it

the new king was the governor of readd, for 50 years. if he wanted to change things he probably would have done them already. what i think is most important is the idea of continuity. saudi arabia wants to maintain stability. they want to maintain the same policies that have worked for them kept the family in power for nearly a century. so i think that's the key thing here, not to -- in fact saudi arabia was actively against rapid moves towards democratization. one of the big ironies here is that president obama in his statement said how close he was to king abdullah. king abdullah did not like president obama. in fact, a lot of people i know that are quite close to the late king abdullah said the king could not stand president obama because the president was supportive of the arab spring because the president did not support hosni mubarak, turned his back on hosni mubarak in egypt, so this close personal bond between the president and the late saudi leader i think is people being polite at time of national funeral. >> he said i always v

their minds. >> you must be disappointed that barack obama did not raise this issue when he met the new king yes, we are. it would send a statement to the whole world and the importance of protecting freedom of religion and speech every where. but if he did raise it privately with the king and is giving the king an opportunity to back off this punishment we could live with that. because at the end of the day, the public message is important, but we also need to save this man. >> this group of seven willing to take 100 lashes each it is a very diverse group. >> it is indeed. we are of different religious backgrounds and different back grounds in general. but we all work together on the commission that you mentioned and we are all united in our strong common belief that freedom of religion is critical and must be protected for all people everywhere and the united states as a great leader in the world needs to take a leading role in doing so. >> daniel, great speaking with you. and good luck with taking a stand. >> thanks for helping call attention to this really important issue. >> he said the

this is not just an opportunity to pay respects to the late king but really to get a measure of the new kingg salman to see what he wants to do now. there has been some [ inaudible ] about his state of health and there have long been rumors that he has dementia and long denied by saudi arabia. so it will be interesting to see his state of health. we see though that president obama has put together very hastily an enormous delegation to accompany him, including john kerry, various national security advisors, the commander of central command, various bipartisan members of congress john mccain, james baker, condoleezza rice so really an enormous delegation to show their respect. the topics we understand -- well they are pretty self explanatory, syria, iran saudi is unhappy with the negotiations with iran. yemen, and the houthi takeover. and the islamic state of course. what we were told wasn't been on the agenda is human rights. nor indeed oil prices which some could have expected would be on the agenda. but it's a very brief visit, only about four hours, then they will all head back to the sta

prices fell back after the new king said he would maintain his predecessors policies. financial markets are advancing -- adjusting to the ecb's announcement. one who is definitely -- the head of japan's central bank. he spoke to bloomberg in davos. >> growth could be accelerated. both would be beneficial to the world's economy including the japanese economy. we welcome this action. >> japan may need to look at new options for stimulus. earlier this week, the bank of japan cut inflation forecast to 1%. in greece, polls show the anti-austerity party has a six-point lead heading into sunday's election. syriza has promised to abandon the tax hikes. the plan has restored the country's economy -- concerned that syriza might win. that time of the year when we find out how much money ceos made. tim cook took in more than double his compensation and received $9.2 million when apple shares set a record. jamie dimon got his first cash bonus since 2011. up a little more than $7 million. lloyd blank fine -- lloyd blank fein with $20 million. speaking about ceos, mcdonald's out with

this is very unusual for saudi leadership but this is one of the things that he has done. >> the new king salmon has said he would steer the same course as his predecessors. >> we're diagnose to continue with the approach of father, king abdullah assis who is followed by his sons we're going to continue to implement the qur'an and the character of prophet muhammad into our legislation. >> there is no former swearing-in ceremony for king salman but he'll be greeted by other members of the royal family and saudi arabia to show their allegiance. the former king has now been buried in a simple, unremarkable grave. >> now the saudi king's relationship with two american presidents at times generated headlines, but not for the reasons they might have wanted. king abdullah's government began a deck raids-long relationship between the u.s. and saudi arabia. libby casey. >> reporter: good evening stephanie. this relationship is important to both countries, president obama saying in a statement that he appreciated king abdullah's perspective and valleyed their friendship, which he described as farm

transition to the new king has been smooth. abdullah's half-brother 79-year-old king salman promised to continue the policies of his predecessors. the transition of power has also elevated another person mohammed bin yet is the head of saudi arabia's counterterrorism program. he is a very close u.s. ally and now saudi arabia's third most powerful person. as for oil prices that's also expected to remain unchanged with the new king. saudi arabia is the world's second largest producer of crude oil. expert says the new king won't cut production, even though low prices are hurting his country's economy. he says he is fearful of losing market share to iran or iraq. >> i expect continuity. king salman will continue to keep the production level up which means prices will stay low. >> reporter: while the average american is saving about $750 a year from lower gas price, experts say over 30,000 oil industry jobs have been lost. and some states are being hit hard. >> be careful what you wish for. the lower prices go could trigger some sor

the new king has promised continuity and has called for solidarity among muslims.ka wood has this report. >> reporter: -- from all over the middle east arrived to pay their respects. just after they arrived, they gathered for a simple funeral, lasting less than an hour the ceremony was a chance for foreign dignitaries to greet his family including his success or salman bin abdulaziz al-saud. international leaders passed on their respects through statements. the kingdom of bahrain said: and u.s. president barack obama said: and a similar sentiment from the former president of israel. >> it is a real loss for the middle east and a real loss for the peace in the middle east. he was an experienced leader and a wise king. >> reporter: the u.n. secretary general said: an it's a legacy that standings out in saudi history, one his successor will have to choose how he will carry on. >> he unleashed a foreign policy that was far more dynamic interventionist and militant in some ways than any previous saudi king. he sent troops to bahrain to stop the uprising and this is very

a new king in saudi arabia and isis still on the move in iraq and syria. this morning a former captive's exclusive story about being held by isis. >> they want to be more better than al qaeda. islam. this is why they need to do something more brutal than world trade center. >> is violence in the name of islam really about islam? basketball laj end kareem abdul-jabbar talks. >> it's great to be back in the state great state of iowa. >> who will capture the conservative wing of the party? mike huckabee joins us. >> and the national obsession. >> this isn't isis. no one is dying. >> tom brady is right about that but not many are buying patriot's explanation of deflate-gate. >>> tom brokaw stephanie rawlings-blake helene cooper and hugh hewitt. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press." >> announcer: from nbc news in washington, this is "meet the press" with chuck todd. >>> good morning. the president arrived in india overnight and has already had a press conference where he vowed to continue america's counterterror strategy as the middle east continues to desc

>>> president obama pays respect to saudi arabia, bringing a heavyweight delegation to meet the new king. >>> and confirmation showdown. senate republicans promise to grill the woman tapped to be the next attorney general. this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, january 28, 2015. >>> good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. in the words of one new englander, it was a wicked storm. the blizzard of 2015 battered boston and hammered the massachusetts coast with hurricane-force winds. this morning the storm is winding down, but the damage is done. the snow in new england began monday and continued most of yesterday. some areas got 3 feet. by last night boston had over 23 inches. chris van cleave is in marshfield on massachusetts's coast. >> reporter: blizzard of 2015 hit, hurricane-force winds and high tide hit new england. coastal massachusetts was hardest hit. about 30 miles south of boston high tides and 75-mile-an-hour winds took out a sections of sea wall in marshfield. >> we've got to make a determination as to whether to evacuate some of the people down here now

"new york times" said the king hung up on the president at one point. what do you think this visit will achieve? can it smooth over any of these previous differences? >> i do want to make a prediction that you'll recall the pictures of george w. bush holding the hand and kissing king abdullah who just passed away. i guarantee you there will be people who worked in that bush white house who will be on your air ridiculing whatever barak obama does in saudi arabia. so let me kind of lay that out there. look, the fact -- >> and what does that mean? >> look, what saudi arabia is doing right now in many respects is actually quite positive for the u.s. by flooding the market with oil, we are saving hundreds of dollars for every driver in the u.s. we are putting real pressure economically on iran and russia whose economies are predicated on very high oil prices and by those prices being down, it makes iran much more likely to agree to a nuclear deal. we have convinced saudi arabia to bomb isis. sends a real big signal to the arab world when the saudis are engag

king abdullah. he will also meet with the new saudi leader king salman.hey will discuss the fight against islamic state militants, and human rights. more on the president's trip a little later. a mixed bag of economic report today. orders for capital goods dropped unexpectedly for a fourth month in a row, a sign of global economic slowdown starting to impact american companies. consumer confidence rose more than forecast in january to the highest level since august 2007. americans took part in an improving labor market and prospects for higher earnings. that is a look at our top story this hour. a mixed bag and a lot of economic data today, including the housing front. sales of new homes rose more than expected in december 2 11 point 6% while home prices rose at a slower pace of 4.3%. anika khan, wells fargo senior economist is with me now from charlotte, north carolina. welcome back. good to see you. >> thank you. good to see you as well. >> even with the next bag, are the gains we are seeing in home prices reflective of and consistent with a housing mar

>>> president obama pays respect to saudi arabia, bringing a heavyweight delegation to meet the new king. >>> and confirmation showdown. senate republicans promise to grill the woman tapped to be the next attorney general. this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, january 28, 2015. >>> good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. in the words of one new englander, it was a wicked storm. the blizzard of 2015 battered boston and hammered the massachusetts coast with hurricane-force winds. this morning the storm is winding down, but the damage is done. the snow in new england began monday and continued most of yesterday. some areas got 3 feet. by last night boston had over 23 inches. chris van cleave is in marshfield on massachusetts's coast. >> reporter: blizzard of 2015 hit, hurricane-force winds and high tide hit new england. coastal massachusetts was hardest hit. about 30 miles south of boston high tides and 75-mile-an-hour winds took out a sections of sea wall in marshfield. >> we've got to make a determination as to whether to evacuate some of the people down here now

jenna: the other big story, the new king of saudi arabia pledging to stay the course after the death of his brother king abdullah. king salman joining for solidarity among arab nations. we're joined by robert jordan former u.s. ambassador to saudi arabia who took the post after 9/11 and worked with the king to promote a stronger relationship between the two countries. ambassador, great to have you on the program. initially what is your reaction to the death of king abdullah and the relationship with saudi arabia? >> jenna this is of an era and king abdullah he sat a path toward reform that has a long way to go but i have a lot of confidence salman will continue on that path and he also -- [inaudible]. in ways that think will even make a stronger ally for us. >> it is no secret thaw took the helm of the ambassadorship at a really difficult time, the month after 9/11 and no secret at all that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from saudi arabia and i'm curious about your relationship and how you see your relationship our relationship with saudi arabia from that point on. and how you feel the c