we want to bring in our senior international correspondent nic robertson. good morning, nic. >> reporter: john experts are looking at yemen as tipped as a failed state status. houthis with no indication and the deal progresses along the timed outline. they will accept stronger positions in government and pull back some of the forces release some of the people they detained. there are indications that they are beginning to spread influence into other parts of the country. some of the key oil regions there. you also have the gulf cooperation council meeting in an emergency session in saudi arabia. calling this a coup and giving their backing. it would appear to the government president hadi. we are hearing from the south where there are secessionists that want to break-away calling for the gcc support. we have this opportunity for al qaeda. you have the leader of al qaeda in yemen, but the number two of al qaeda calling for people to stay at home and attack there rather than go to yemen and join the fight. you will see the sunni tribesmen not only to attack th

nic robertson joins me again. do we know much about salman?experience as an administrator. he was a governor of riyadh for about the last 40 or so years. he's viewed by some as a conservative. others have told me that he is also had something of a moderate as well. that seems conflicting, but bottom line here is this is another old man, 79, and not in the best of health, anderson. >> in terms of, i've read a lot that's he a staunch supporter of wa wahhabi wahhabism and if abdullah wanted more reforming, there are other people he might have selected. >> the problem he would have had doing that is that it's not only him involved in the selection as a counsel that appointed to oversee the election because >> nic robertson, thanks. that does it for us. morgan spur lock "inside man" starts right now. >>> robots. they've been promised to us for generations, autonomous. today, technology is advancing so rapidly that we might be on the cusp of the new age of robotics and artificial intelligence that we've dreamt about for so long. the question is, are

nic robertson is following for us. and on the phone, chief international correspondent, christiane amanpour joins us as well. christiane let's start with you. obviously, the king was quite old when he officially took the throne but he was still considered a reformer. though a reformer in a very conservative context of saudi arabia. >> reporter: well anderson that's right. king ab doula was king far short of time he was ruler of saudi arabia since 1995. sort of dates back to when his predecessor king stod developed a debilitating stroke. he's the man the united states and the rest of the worltd has dealt with for the last 20 years. he has had several very important initiatives and very thwarted in some ways relationship wts united states. back in the early 2000s, for instance, king convinced the arab league to present an unprecedented agreement to recognize israel. in 1967. that hasn't happened but that plan is considered still the basis of what might eventually be a peace settlement or a big part of it. obviously, he w

nic robertson, stand by for us. we're getting -- we're trying to turn some video for you of japanese officials speaking just moments ago there about this apparent beheading. as soon as we vet we will bring that to you. let me go back to jurmanah jurmanah kuratchi in ahman. could you you'd please speak to what nic was saying isis trying to destabilize jordan here and wondering if they were real hi sincere in saying we will release these two hostages the jordanian pilot and japanese journalist if you give us back this female convicted terrorist. >> reporter: that is absolutely been the feeling here poppy, that the only reason that isis brought up sajida al-rishawi was after japan had set up this crisis center here to try and negotiate the release of its own hostages. of course choosing jordan because the country is believed to have those indirect channels here that it has been using to try to secure the release of its own hostage, the jordanian pilot, and because of its position regionally and the ability to talk to i

let's bring in the correspondent nic robertson for the latest. good morning, nic. you describe this king as someone who by person standards certainly not up to western standards on human rights and religious freedom. a step ahead of his peers. >> reporter: he certainly was and the continuity that the saudi monarchy tries to maintain and handing power and established the crown prince and now king salman. now all of this is projecting that stability. what we saw king abdullah do in last few years of his reign is expand the saudi army. up to $150 billion defense spending projecting over the next few years. salman in that context, if he continue was that spend and that vision will be a strong ally for the united states and the region. king abdullah had watched what saudis considered counter playing and a damaging role following from the arab spring and backing the muslim brotherhood. saudi arabia and king abdullah deciding to take the lead in the region and become the lead player. it is key in the moment against the fight of isis. it is the key going forward for the in

okay nic robertson.r that. >>> happening now in belgium, the country's public prosecutor getting set to address a police operation tuesday that happened very close to the border with france. so far, officials have only said that 82 people were evacuated from 33 apartments and the operation went calmly. no comment yet on whether this was a terror-related operation, as suspected. officials are searching right now for abdelhamid abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of an isis-linked belgian terrorist cell. cnn has obtained a tape of abaaoud defending their tactics. listen to this. [ speaking foreign language ] ocese martyrdom. >>> now to yemen, where houthi rebels have successfully staged a coup overtaken the presidential palace in sana'a. yemen's minister of information telling our nick paton walsh the president is no longer in control in yemen. there are concerns that a government collapse could send the country into full-scale civil war. a turn of events that could be exploited by radical groups like al qae

we have senior correspondent nic robertson joining us live from paris. operations and developments all over the continent, nic. >> reporter: indeed, john. the arrests in germany not linked to the immediate terror threat. it doesn't seem that they are stepping in to thwart some kind of major incident. the investigations just beginning. here in france more developments. the nine people who were held in police custody for questioning, five of them had been released last night following days of questioning. the four others, all young men in their 20s will appear before a magistrate in paris today. that's when we are told we can expect to hear the details of the charges against them. so we will begin to learn a little more of what the police are beginning to understand about the attacks of two weeks ago, john. >> nic robertson in paris for us covering the developments. i appreciate you being with us. >>> european officials scrambling to close loopholes in the terror attacks in europe. european foreign ministers have been meeting in brussels and floated a numbe

i want to bring in correspondent nic robertson with the latest on the turmoil. >> reporter: good morning, christine. experts believe yemen is tipping to a failed state. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula and al qaeda in yemen is the organization that has al qaeda's best bombmaker and the man who developed and designed and made the underpants bomb attempting to bring down a plane in detroit years ago. when this organization and its leader who is not only the leader of al qaeda in yemen, but the number two in al qaeda, globally makes a threat like this it is a real threat and should be taken seriously. the turmoil in yemen right now plays into al qaeda's hands. the houthis who have taken control forced a new deal with the president giving them more power will likely enflame the passions of the tribesmen. when we look back three years ago, the president back then in yemen was almost killed in the mosque inside the presidential palace the al qaeda managed to take control of three states inside yemen. more instability as we have seen them grow as the tight groups grow in iraq and syria. what i

let's turn to nic robertson live in paris, but the latest on this investigation. good morning, nic.t's chilling to look at that video. >> reporter: yeah one of the things that you notice in that video the way coulibaly is dressed. in scanty clothing there. they wanted to blend in and look like another couple out on the streets, while in the meantime planning acts of terrorism. we're also learning details from the prosecutor. they said they have made good progress in the investigation against coulibaly. the prosecutor giving the first name to the four people being held. he said one was called willie one kristof, one torino the other michael. these are not muslim names. one associated with coulibaly used to drive him to the supermarket. and they're also involved in buying weapons. dna, the other one, michael, the fourth one, found on clothing police say. so the impression created here is that coulibaly was drawing on support perhaps criminal elements. three of them had criminal records, according to the prosecutor rather than other people moving in as islamists. >> really interesting

i want to go to nic robertson, our cnn senior international correspondent, joins us on the line from saudi arabia. nic, given this latest development it is once again isis carrying out their threats their propaganda. we are not showing our viewers the video of this horrific beheading and not reading to you exactly what they said. but clearly they're placing the blame on japan. they blamed prime minister shinzo abe directly. and they said this will be a nightmare for japan. nic, what is your early read on this? >> reporter: well they're continuing to threaten japan. they're saying that they will spill more japanese blood. it's a very clear message for the japanese government and for the japanese people who have obviously been transfixed by this as have so many other people. but it does seem that what isis is trying to do by bringing in the issue of the would-be female suicide bomber they want released is to put pressure on the jordanian government by bringing in the issue of the potential release of the jordanian pilot, pressure on the jordanian government again, try to peel away the t

i want to go to senior international correspondent nic robertson in paris. n, nic, there were proceedings into terrorists tied there? >> reporter: that is right. five of the suspects held released late last night. that leaves four in custody. we are told due to appear before the magistrate today. they are all in their 20s. we are told we will be informed of the charges against them when they appear. that will give us a better idea of what the police believe they have been involved in. the german arrests this morning, two of the police involved in the raids with 13 locations, we are told that in connection with two islamists arrested last week. not thwarting an imminent attack. that is the headline from those arrests in germany. this is part of a broader investigation into counterterrorism issues which is under way in germany. despite the fact that a lot of northern europe on high alert at the moment. germany, at least, these arrests are not heading off an imminent attack. >> nick robertson in paris. thank you. the raids in germany and belgium and france. cont

i want to bring in our senior correspondent nic robertson live in paris. good morning, nic. >> reporter: good morning, christine. the dna found on an ammunition clip magazine clip bullets for a weapon inside amedy coulibaly's apartment. that's one of the leads the police are following. whose dna is that? they want to talk to that person. then dna found in a car that french media believes was used by coulibaly as he went to the kosher supermarket that he laid siege to and killed four people on the friday after the "charlie hebdo" attack. two key suspect for the police they are now looking for. the popularity of the president here has taken a boost in the polls. up 21 points. prime minister up 17 points. that clearly a validation of the french people they think the government is handling this well. that comes on a day when one of the coulibaly's victims, the french police woman, the day after the attack on "charlie hebdo" she will be buried today. clarissa jean phillipe. christine. >>> thank you, nic. nic was saying the funeral will be held for the officer wh

our correspondents embedded around the globe, ivan watson nic robertson. and anything paton walsh in yemen. first to ivan where 12 coordinated raids first hinted at how large this network of terrorists can be. ivan belgian officials say parts of this terrorist cell are still active. what is the level of concern there? do they have a handle on exactly who's still at large? >> well the global concern is so high jim, that the belgians took a very unusual decision to deploy troops in the streets of two belgian cities, soldiers for the first time in more than 30 years this weekend. it's only about -- going to approach about 300 soldiers in all, but it's still a very symbolic gesture putting them out to defend embassies, government buildings as well as jewish institutions, synagogues and so on. the belgian prosecutor in charge of the investigation keeping his cards very close to his chest. so far not identifying the two suspects who were killed in a gun battle with belgian police on thursday when police started their round of raids. the belgians say that they in

christine. >> nic robertson in abuja. thank you, nic. taking a new turn. >>> 20 minutes past the hour. secretary of state john kerry touching down in india. he will meet with the prime minister laying the ground work for a visit from president obama at the end of the month. the goal to boost trade with the two countries and promote sustainable energy initiatives. officials in india expressed an interest in making the country more hospitable to foreign investors. secretary kerry will travel to france on friday. >>> time for an early start on your money. u.s. stock futures pointing higher to start the week after stocks fell on friday. the dow closed down 170 points. s&p lost about 1% as well. it has been a bumpy start for stocks. they made up early losses until friday put it down for the year. hackers declaring war on terrorists and retaliation for the attack on "charlie hebdo." members of the group anonymous announced #charlie hebdo. the group also named dozens of twitter accounts they say belong to terrorists. 21 minutes past the hour. >

thanks very much to nic robertson in paris. i want to go to anything paton walsh live in sanaa, yemen. it's the home base of the terror groups that the u.s. have said is the most threatening to the u.s. and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. also the group that has the direct tie to the paris attacks. nic, what is the handle that yemeni authorities have there? fact is isn't it that they've been losing ground against aqap in recent months rather than gaining. >> reporter: well, actually, the country has been in such turmoil generally for the past few years, that's the main thing what happened happened in the aqap to have a stronghold. the houfis have swept into the capital of sanaa behind now now. that has caused significant up upheaval. they said they detained -- kidnapped -- the presidential chief of staff just yesterday in the city center itself. obviously an escalation in that war there. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula one diplomat told me are finding themselves benefiting strangely, furthermore from this upheaval because

nic robertson in nigeria.r report. >>> up next we're live from paris with new developments on the rally and terror investigation, and where was the u.s.? we'll talk about why the president, or perhaps vice president joe biden, or secretary of state john kerry, did not attend on this historic day. >>> you are in the "cnn newsroom." i'm jim shoeciutto in paris. >> i'm brianna keilar in new york. welcome to our coverage of the events in paris. >> the most famous emblem of france towering brightly over a city that filled today with historic numbers of people united against violence and terror. all across france more than 3.5 million people rallied and marched and paid tribute for the 17 people who died last week in several violent acts committed by islamic extrem

nic robertson, thank you both very much. appreciate it. >>> coming up next we'll talk to someone who knew the victims and iranian cartoonists who is living in exile in paris for cartoons he drew to protest the iranian government. he'll join me next. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? he has that dry, scratchy thing going on... guess what? (cough!) it works on his cough too. what? stop, don't pull me! spoiler alert! she doesn't make it! only mucinex dm packs 2 medicines in one pill to relieve wet and dry coughs for 12 hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. >>> in a news conference this afternoon, france's interior minister condemn the attacks. we are getting reports of shots fired in direction of a muslim prayer hall and grenades tossed into a mosque courtyard. julie, welcome. >> thanks for having me. >> you have written extensively on what happens to muslims in the wake of attacks just like we saw where you are in paris. is there a prevailing fea

our correspondent nic robertson is covering this story for us. he's live for us now. it just seems that there is no stopping boko haram, and it's just baffling why not? >> reporter: the attacks seem to be getting bigger in the past week or two in scale, and in frequency. and in barbarity. if you look at the two suicide bombs on saturday and sunday using young girls as apparently unwitting carriers of these suicide vests and detonating them remotely. it's the town of baga where the attack started on the 3rd of january. people say they woke up that morning hearing gunfire and explosions. they thought the army was training. then they saw the soldiers from the army outpost on the run, fleeing that base had been overrun. then they saw hundreds of boko haram members entering the town on trucks and vehicles. they said thad tried to fight them but realized they were outmanned and outgunned. so this witness went into hiding hid out for three days until boko haram moved on to surrounding villages. he witnessed what he thought were as many as 3,000 bodies. at one time he said wa

nic robertson has more on that. >> reporter: "charlie hebdo" office, paris. 12 dead.but this latest attack just one of many in recent weeks across the globe, raising the question is this a world at war? this is when things get really bad. less than a month ago, i was stepping through the carnage of another radical islamist attack thousands of miles away. this time pakistan. 132, mostly muslim schoolchildren gunned down. cold blooded murder because their taliban killers said the children's parents were in the army. in the days before that australia, half a world away. a radical islamist takes early morning customers hostage in a chocolate shop. two people were kid, plus the gunman. that gunman claiming australia kills muslims in syria and iraq. each attack a different rational given. the reality is attacks are bread out of a redepressive view that espouses a war without boarders without end, against western values. a world at war. think about it. not just the killings in paris, pakistan and australia, in the past month, there have been many many more all in the name of

our senior international correspondent nic robertson joins us now from nigeria's capital. n talk about the details of this horrific attack. what do we know about the attackers? >> reporter: they appear to be -- although they're not taking credit for it boko haram is believed to be behind the attacks attaching the explosives to that 10-year-old girl and this attack on the town. the depravity of it and depths they're sinking to wasn't the only young girl they tied bombs to this weekend and then detonated those bombs in a busy market. they did it in another nearby town putting explosives on another two girls and blowing them up when they got near a security checkpoint. more people and those poor young girls killed in that attack. when boko haram decided to target this town there were hundreds of them on trucks and in vans with heavy machine guns on the backs of vans according to an eyewitness and they told us that the army fled in the face of barack obama and that he hid out in his garden behind trees between his neighbor's house and his house for three days watching them kill

i want to talk with you we just heard nic robertson's story about this king and where he was able todo you think -- how do you think he'll be remembered as a reformer in saudi arabia? >> i think his opening for women, despite the fact as nic said they did not achieve the right to drive, the most significant change that will last in the kingdom that he brought about will be the role of women and the king abdullah scholarship, sending 150,000 young saudis out of the country for education. when those young people come back they may be the solution to the kingdom's problems. they may be the kingdom's newest problem. >> yes, that will be interesting to watch. you interviewed him. what did you think of him personally? >> king abdullah when i met him was crown prince in 1982. he was a very you know humble approachable individual. he invited me to some camel races in saudi arabia where the winner got a big water tank. but he just seemed like a very kindly man, not full of himself. >> you wrote a book on saudi arabia. what was it about the country and its, you know ways of being repressed, co

i want to bring in our senior international correspondent nic robertson. he is live in paris. good morning, nic. >> reporter: good morning, christine. for the police any leads connecting other people to amedy coulibaly is hugely important. concerns that a group around him may be continuing potential threat for follow-on attacks. he was well on and that is where some of the dna was found. that is where the dna was found on the guns and ammunition and magazines in his apartment. a clip holding bullets. dna found on that. leading police to suspect at least one other person may have been aware of the weapons that he had there. a large number of weapons he had there and with him on the attack at the kosher supermarket. also dna that french media is saying is believed to have been found in a car that coulibaly is believed to have used to get to the kosher supermarket on friday the day he perpetrated that attack. these two leads for the police very very important associated with coulibaly. security remains very very high. 10,000 french troops on the streets here. this is unprecedented

nic robertson, cnn, nigeria. >>> traveling to cuba from the u.s. just got a whole lot easier.travel experts ready for a new era. those rules taking place today. that's next. shrimp? who are you calling a shrimp? that, my friend, is a big shrimp. it's red lobster's big shrimp festival. i get to pick my perfect pair from six creations for just $15.99. so open wide for crispy jumbo tempura shrimp with soy ginger sauce, and make room for creamy shrimp scampi linguini. yeah, we're gonna need a bigger fork. unless i eat those spicy sriracha grilled shrimp right off the skewer. don't judge me. join me. but hurry, because the big shrimp festival ends soon. if you're taking multiple medications does your mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can be a side effect of many medications. but it can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath. that's why there's biotene available as an oral rinse toothpaste, spray or gel. biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too. remember, while your medication is doing you good, a dry mouth isn't. biotene, for people who suffer f

. >>> let's go to senior international correspondent nic robertson in paris. there will be another funeral today for another victim of the terror attack. >> reporter: indeed upon the policewoman who was killed by coulibaly on thursday right after the day following the attack on "charlie hebdo." she is being buried today. and we understand some more details about that dna, where it was found, associates of coulibaly's or people that police believe are associates of coulibaly. they say that dna of found on the magazine gun clip. the ammunition clip if you will, for a gun in coulibaly's apartment. french media's also reporting that a car, a vehicle believed to be used by coulibaly to get to the kosher market on friday the day he laid siege to it. dna found there is leading them to believe that there's a second person that they want to bring in for questioning at this time. all of the investigations the security measures the handling of this by the french president appearing to do his popularity ratings, a favorite if you will has taken a 21-point boost in popular

cnn international correspondent nic robertson has more. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: paris, ground zero for the latest islamist terror attack. on the surface it appears this is retribution for pictures of islam's prophet muhammad. is it part of something larger? the latest battle by islamic extremists dedicated to the destruction of western val use. it's the biggest radical islamist attack in europe in ten years. but one of many in recent weeks across the globe. this is when things get really bad. less than a month ago, i was stepping through the carnage of another radical islamist attack. thousands of miles away. this time pakistan. 132 mostly muslim school children gunned down. cold-blooded murder. because their taliban islamist killers said the children's parents were in the army. in the days before that australia. half a world away. a radical islamist takes early morning customers and employees hostage in a chocolate shop. two people were killed plus the gunman. that gunman claiming australia kills muslims in syria and iraq. each attack a different radical rational given. a world war al

nic robertson, thank you so much. >>> we're talking so much of course about what happened in paris but here in the united states counterterrorism officials are aggressively looking for possible connections to this paris massacre. federal agents are especially interested in about a dozen people who fought in syria but are now back in the states. cnn's justice correspondent pamela brown is working her sources and joins me from washington. pam, do u.s. officials have any reason to think the terror suspects in france had any kind of contacts here in the u.s.? >> i'm being told not yet, brooke but that evaluation process is ongoing and you really hit the nail on the head. that's what they want to figure out. is there any connection there? could happened in paris impact any of these high level targets in the u.s.? these tier 1 suspects. we know the fbi, dhs and intelligence agencies in the u.s. are scrubbing data bases evaluating these high priority targets searching for any connection between the attackers and americans. any sort of secondary connections between them. so the tier 1 targets

let's bring in nic robertson in paris. nic, what was discussed in the phone call?re was only a single mention of paris in the brief -- brief mention in the general reference to anti-terror efforts. what was discussed? >> reporter: president obama offered president francois hollande any assistance necessary to help in the investigation into the "charlie hebdo" attack. the kosher supermarket attack and other ongoing investigations here. there's a broad support for the immediate problem in france and more generally across europe. they talked about -- they talked about iran ukraine, stability in the middle east now. they also talked about africa. nigeria specifically, saying the two countries should cooperate to help nigeria's elections coming in less than a month now. president obama also asked president hollande the two countries should cooperate, to tackle boko haram and provide help -- help provide a regional basis for defeating boko haram. of course boko haram not just in nigeria but where the u.s. operates drones and chad and cameroon. a discussion there about ho

nic robertson is out front. he's in northern nigeria tonight.led to succeed in the fight against boko haram. you are there now. can you tell us why? >> reporter: well what we're learning here is we talked to some of the soldiers in the nigerian army. it was the particular targeted by boko haram. they overran it. some of the soldiers were killed. some of them ran away. we're talking to soldiers here who are telling us they run off the battlefield. the reasons why they go into battle. they say with only small ak-47s with about 60 bullets. they have big anti-aircraft guns capable of shooting from three quarters of a mile with accuracy and deadly force. their hitting ak-47s are no match for that. they're being pushed off the battlefield. the moral is low. they have to pay for their own uniforms and sometimes they get injured they have to pay for their own medicine for their own treatment. they just don't have what it takes to hold boko haram back. >> the incredible tragedy. they have used at least three girls, children strapping them with explosives

cnn's senior international correspondent nic robertson looks at what else we know about them. >> reportererif kouachi is 32, french citizen with a criminal past. in 2008, he was sentenced to three years in prison for being part of a jihadist recruitment ring in paris that sent fighters to join the conflict in iraq. he and another man were about to set off, from there they planned to each iraq where war was raging but he was arrested in 2005, at the time, cherif kouachi's lawyer said his client was more of a pot smoker from the projects than ans islamist. the month after his arrest vincent olivier told the french news paper, quote, he smokes, drinks, doesn't sport a beard and has a girlfriend before marriage. at trial, however, a different portrait of a young man, coming under the influence of a radical muslim preacher at a mosque in paris. according to the french newspaper, his basic training for jihad to iraq involved jogging in the park and learning the ins and outs of a rifle frshs a man he met at the mosque. at trial he reportedly told the court he was motivated by u.s. troops abusive

nic robertson reporting live from saudi arabia this morning.nks so much. >>> in other news is excessive drinking the biggest threat to a safe college campus? the president of dartmouth said yes. he's banning one of my next guests says yes. a farmer student and confession of an ivy league frat boy and a journalist also joining me. welcome to both of you. andrew i want to start with you. the president of dartmouth says he'll ban hard alcohol from campus because he thinks that that will in part help stem the amount of sexual assaults con campus campus? is he right? >> no. i don't think this plan is going to get us there. it doesn't deal with the root of the problem which is just the presence of this greek system on our campus in the first place and banning hard alcohol will not work and probably cause more problems than it's looking to solve. >> why do you see that? >> you know we've seen in the past prohibition doesn't work. fraternities are able to break the rules. the identity that a fraternity will follow this rule i find it laughable to be ho

senior international correspondent nic robertson joins us on the phone from northern nigeria.ew video. >> reporter: yeah jake. while the rest of the world debates how much they can expect to see the terrorist violence in nigeria from boko haram spill over, how much will it affect the rest of the world, you have the leader of boko haram now just himself making the connection between his radical organization and those attacks in paris. we are truly happy about them, this is what he said. [ speaking in a foreign language ] rs here all say nigeria needs help this is an international problem as he tries to sort of justify there. it's an international problem that needs global military action. so the view from here from the very leadership of the government down to soldiers on the front lines who are facing off against the boko haram fighters this is they believe, time that the world sees that they have a problem here steps in to help. jake? >> we saw a lot of international support go to paris after those terrorist attacks. it's taken longer for this to take hold both with the media

nic robertson joins us with what's ahead.bama will meet with the new monarch, king salmon, and will talk about a range of topic including isis and yemen. can we expect any changes in the way the new king lead his country on these issues and perhaps other issues? >> reporter: well not in the short term the best analysis at the time. there's no indication that king salmon will change anything king abdullah put in place. king abdullah make changes, taking a much more leading role in determining what the gulf countries, what the region should do about isis. now of course a developing problem. yemen only slipping closer toward being a failed state. the -- certainly president obama is bringing with him a team of people who have been involved in saudi arabia for a long time. obviously u.s. secretary of state john kerry will be with him. senator mccain been here many times. former secretary of state condoleezza rice long connections with saudi arabia. national security adviser ben roots. the cia chief was stationed here in saudi arab

joining us, cnn correspondent nic robertson. one guy was a pizza delivery guy, a fish monger for a time. who are these men? >> the lawyer of one of those men, representing cherif in a trial where he was accused of recruiting young men, accused of going to iraq via syria back in 2008 his defense lawyer said this guy is a poor kid from a poor neighborhood more of a pot smoker and a dreamer than a radical islamist. events seem to have shaped him in a very different way. these are two men who have now a decade long association, it appears or is appearing in radical islamist circles. of course that plan to go to iraq and join al qaeda and iraq at that time. and back at that time cherif had said that he was radicalized or his views were changed because of the photographs he saw coming from the u.s.-run abu ghraib jail outside of bagdad the torture, apparent torture of muslim detainees. this was something that radicalized him. but we're talking over a decade ago. this pair have continued, it seems, to have run in radical circles and co

nic robertson has more on that. >> reporter: anwar al awlaki. the radical american born yemen based preacher killed in a u.s. drone strike september 2011. an inspiration for some of the paris gunmen and rt spokers worldwide. >> reminds me of osama bin laden and also al zawahiri in terms of his soft-spoken, at the same time the knowledge that they have. >> reporter: reality was awlaki was sufficient a al qaeda rising star in 2011, bin laden was jealous of him. blowing off suggestions the cleric should run al qaeda in yemen. awlaki's father was a minister in the yemeni government. he had lived in the u.s. he was smart and privileged and preached at a mosque in virginia but was name in the 9/11 commission as knowing some of the 9/11 hijackers. soon after, he left for yemen. that is where this man, a danish biker turned jihadi who said he became a cia spy. >> his passion to obtain revenge on the west and spread global jihad was, it was his whole life. he sacrificed his life to achieve that. >> reporter: he also had a taste for western women. storm s

nic robertson cnn atlanta. >> reporter:. >> pam: racking their brains and held the wheel got there.hale >> reporter: from this video from our helicopter partnership with abc seven news you could see that he was discovered at the national seashore amount to 30 this afternoon. we are talking about this well the species and is not a baby will about 6 ft. long and weighs up some 300 lbs.. >> we very rarely see some will stranded a short period that are alive. --ashore. >> reporter: will was found in such a remote area that they are waiting to my morning to euthanize this will if is still alive if the rise separate and steady the carcass to find how the will got there. --whale >> pam: president obama says. he wants to make community college. free. the president posted a video on facebook saying, he wants give everyone access to a two- year degree. >> pam: in the video president obama says, on friday, he will unveil a plan to make that happen. >> pam: a similar plan exists already in tennessee. >> pam: governor bill haslam created a scholarship program for the state's high school graduate

nic robertson, cnn, atlanta. >> terrorism expert now joins me. you think it's safe to say, fair to say, that radical islam is at war with the entire rest of the world? >> it's always been the case at least in the jihadi sphere. france has been facing threats in the past from all of these networks coming from al qaeda, to al qaeda and the arabic peninsula to al qaeda in the islamic and to the islamic state. so yes, it has always been the case and also with france we had rooted radical islam for years. we have more in france than in any other country in europe. so we knew that the threat was there. it existed, we're actually expecting such an attack due to the national context and the radicalization of most of these networks. >> as nic robertson pointed out in his piece the number one victim of radical islam is muslims. moderate muslims, innocent muslims. it's interesting because there were different reasons, radical reasons all, given for each attack, whether in paris or pakistan, you have boko haram in nigeria, afghanistan, australia. different g

nic robertson, cnn, nigeria. >> after 8,000 deaths finally encouraging news on the ebola outbreak.hey say the spread of the disease is slowing, probably because of better access to care there. we have the report on the rapid decline of new cases. >> reporter: optimistic signs in the battle against ebola. international and regional health officials say they are seeing a significant decline in the number of new cases of the virus in west africa. >> change in the behavior we have been hoping for, working for, anticipateing is now happening everywhere. >> reporter: the u.n. special envoy is just back from liberia, one of the hottest hit countries. he says there are now more beds and treatment facilities available to help the sick. >> the result is we are seeing the beginnings of the outbreaks slowing down. >> reporter: in total last year during the worst days of the epidemic u.n. health officials say there were 60 to 80 new ebola cases every day. as of january 12th in liberia, just ten confirmed cases in the entire country, according to the deputy health minister there. guinea and sier

. >> nic robertson, appreciate it. we'll see you again at 11 p.m. morgan spurlock "inside man" starts now. >>> robots. they've been promised to us for generations, autonomousautonomo. we might be on the cusp of the new age of artificial intelligence we've had for so long. the question is, are we ready for them and are they ready for us? give me a call, i just want to catch up on two shows. it's time to work on a new episode of "inside man." this week is about the world of robots and intelligence. i'm excited to hit the road and start filming. >> what's happening today? >> lizzy and vinny. >> my life is getting in the way. we've got projects in development. >> moving things along with the church deal. episodes of inside man we're editing. how far inside the episode are you? >> time to have a web presence. >> and meetings upon meetings upon meetings. i'm always taking on a lot, but this time, i may have gone too far. >> how am i going to get everything done and shoot this episode?how am i going to get everything done and shoot this episodhow am i goin

nic robertson is in london tonight.ansition in saudi arabia is a crucial one for every country around the world when you look at how important this country is in terms of providing oil and stability to the planet. >> reporter: absolutely. the country's has become more pivotal in the region taking a stronger stance. that's part of what king abdullah ultimately delivered an perhaps maybe his longer lasting legacy. when he came to the throne absolutely. there were great expectations. >> king abdullah ushered in great expectations. it was august 2005. he'd been running saudi arabia since 1996 following his half brother's stroke the previous year. now is the time modernizers hoped saudi arabia would shed some of its ultraconservative values improve women's right, broaden political freedoms. he was the sixth saudi monarch. his father was the country's first ruler. unifying the desert kingdom in 1932. on his death in 1953 succession passed to his sons. the eldest almost capable first. by the time he took the thrown he was alre

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nic robertson, thank you so much. as he said live this evening in nigeria. we'll be right back. do you pay him? dad: of course. kid: how much? dad: i don't know exactly. kid: what if you're not happy? does he have to pay you back? dad: nope. kid: why not? dad: it doesn't work that way. kid: why not? vo: are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management at charles schwab i have a cold with terrible chest congestion. i better take something. theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes relief to your worst cold symptoms plus chest congestion. [breath of relief] oh, what a relief it is. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. [ m'm... ] [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® >>> she ended up on al qaeda's most wanted list. that was four years ago.

senior international correspondent nic robertson joins us live in nigeria.s hard to wrap your head around, this horrific attack. what can you tell us about it? >> reporter: yeah, anyone who thinks that this is a kind of lone type of event where they're strapping explosives to a ten-year-old girl really needs to think about. boko haram. following day put explosives on another two young girls sent them into a different market, detonating explosives on them. but sit that big and significant attack on the strategic and important town of bagger where as many as 3,000 people killed when hundreds of boko haram showed up in truck, big automatic weapons on the back of their truck, overrunning the army base, forcing the army out, forcing 30,000 people to flee. eyewitness telling us he hid out for three days until it was safe to move. when he did walk out he saw body after body after body. this is a town on the border with chad right on the lake. it gives boko haram easy access to chad, gives them freedom of movement in nigeria, the army has been forced out. if you thi

nic robertson reporting live for us this morning. >>> still to come in the "newsroom," he's one of thetacks. before that he lived briefly in an arlt in yemen with a man who would also make headlines for his own terror attempt. i'll tell you who his roommate was and take you inside their shared apartment next. ♪♪ your eyes really are unique. in fact, they depend on a unique set of nutrients. that's why there's ocuvite to help protect your eye health. as you age your eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite is a vitamin made just for your eyes from the eye care experts at bausch + lomb. ocuvite has a unique formula that's just not found in any leading multivitamin. your eyes are unique so help protect your eye health with ocuvite. you just got a big bump in miles. so this is a great opportunity for an upgrade. sound good? great. because you're not you you're a whole airline... and it's not a ticket you're upgrading it's your entire operations, from domestic to international... which means you need help from a whole team of advisors. from workforce

nic robertson has our report. >> reporter: inside a french jail prisoners hang bed sheets from a windowyo-yoing they call it. spreading inging messages. it's becoming a gaping hole in prisons. cameras are banned yet prisoners including kosher supermarket killer shot this themselves several years ago. according to journalists at the french newspaper who were documenting prison life. the jail is on the out skirts of paris. the same jail where years earlier cherif met coulibady. >> both young men been in contact directly for seven months with him, a terrible affect affect. >> reporter: he's more powerless than ever to keep order. >> sometime we are too -- >> that's impossible. >> it's really odd to do. >> reporter: the french aren't the only country with this problem. this reform terror convict in the uk told me about rampant cad calization two years ago. >> this is al qaeda here. >> reporter: when u.s. troops showed me around the prison in iraq in 2008 they were having the same problem. radicalization. isis leader grew popular here. in the u.s. a muslim convert who is accused edd beheadin

nic robertson, cnn, nigeria. >> the battle to contain ebola is not over.american doctor who survived the disease after contracting it if liberia has not been scared off as senior medical correspondent tells us, he is heading back to the west african nation to help people still in danger. >> there are certain things i know i will take. >> reporter: dr. rick sacra is packing up he's heading back to liberia. >> it's my second home. >> reporter: a charity, he and his wife have spent two decades volunteer physical leberia. he was last there in august when he stepped in to help after his colleagues dr. kent brantley and fancy writebol were acted by the ebola virus. the disease has killed more than 184 people in the last year. sacra spent 20 days in omaha before returning home ebola free. thanks to plasma donated by brantley and a drug. >> i think i was spared the worst of it. i think ebola has treated others a lot worse tan it treated pe. >> reporter: an ob/gyn. he was delivering babies in liberia and isn't sure how he was affected. he is now relieving colleague

nic robertson, what are you hearing?: well the very fact that this -- what appears to be now an al qaeda in yemen trained operative or pair of operatives here and the fact that they came back to france and were able to throw the french authorities off the sort of scent that they were active terrorists who planned an attack a tactic that they were perhaps intensally using to lie low for a while and then spring back when no one was watching them with this attack is troublesome, because it applies there's a potential for this in the future. and talking to someone who used to deal with anwr awlaki a leading figure in al qaeda in yemen at that time, who heard one of the brothers saying this was an attack for his death, the fact it tells me awlaki was asking him to recruit westerners for this attack and his concern is there could be more sleeper cells in france and europe. another source says i've been telling you all along, france is a very big target for al qaeda and he expects more for prance and the rest of your. >> i'm su

nic robertson has more on that for you. >> reporter: paris -- ground zero for the latest islamic terror surface, it appears this is retribution for pictures of islam's prophet mohammed. but is it part of something larger? the latest battle by islamic extremists, dedicated to the destruction of western values. it's the biggest radical islamist attack in europe in ten years. but one of many in recent weeks across the globe. >> this is when things get really bad. >> less than a month ago, i was stepping through the carnage of another radical islamist attack thousands of miles away. this time pakistan. 132 mostly muslim schoolchildren gunned down cold blooded murder because their taliban islamist killers said their children's parents were in the army. in the days before that australia, half a world away a radical islamist takes early morning customers an employees hostage in a chocolate shop. two people were killed plus the gunman. that gunman claiming australia claims muslims in syria and iraq. each attack a different radical rationale given. a world war, all in the name of islam. somalia,

. >> nic robertson reported that it appears these little girls did not know what was about to happen kidnapped from a village after their parents were killed. >> that is correct. you may remember that in april of last year nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from an elementary school in another village and of course there were abductions since then and the girls have not been found. the nigerian government has not really either initiated or communicated an effective plan of action either to retrieve the girls or to protect the civilian population. >> why? why? >> there are all sorts of theories. i think there's one fact that the nigerian military is underequipped and suffers from low morale and that's as a result of years of corruption and in fact when the attack proceeding the massacres, the nigerian forces fought for several hours and ran out of ammunition. there's corruption issue. morale issue is much more troubling because it's both reflective of the political leadership's shortcomings as well as the strategy that has been implemented in the north which is very harsh and targets all

nic robertson joins us live from paris. what was discussed in that conversation? >> reporter: just before we get to what was discussed in the conversation the prosecutor here, french prosecutor is discussing the case at a preference conference. the four people being hold terror charges of them involve in transporting weapons for a terrorist act. so we're getting more details on that. at the moment the telephone call president obama had with president hollande. it was to get an update on the investigation. perhaps getting an insight into what the prosecutor is telling us now. and to offer support upon president obama offering from chance and the president all the spt necessary in the shootings to track down those responsible but also the wider terrorist effort to crack down terrorism here and in northern europe. they also discussed, as well iran ukraine, the middle east. but nigeria, too. president obama telling president hollande the two countries should help to get a regional solution to boko haram which affects not just nigeria but, of course niger where the u.s