we have iona with the mic. >> we got a question right here. . >> hi my name is joanne, i visited atlanta for social reform >> where are you? >> i am here. i visited atlanta for a whole week. the community bus is the best thing we can have if we can put it together. it's nothing like bringing the community together. you have to start at home. if you want to put something together, you have to go to the communities. have the youth say it. i see a lot of youth parents taking them to school because they are afraid they won't see their child again. it starts in the community. this meeting is really great. you are preaching to the choir. we need to speak to the youth. i have seen violence on the bus of a kid showing off a weapon in the bay view. people don't want to change and they don't want to be labeled. we are not protected. you have to be careful on what you see. you can't say what you see at all times. if you live in the community and you see something. you have to understand people are not telling things because they are not protected of the we have to understand, what we can do about i

reporter iona craig is in yemen and says reaction to his depar ture is mixed. >> they've certainly been celebrating over the last 24 hours as the news spread that president saleh left the country but in the north of the city again, there are shelling and mortar explosions at night. and not early hours of the morning as well. >> reporter: human-rights groups estimate more than 160 people have been killed in the fighting in the last two weeks. for now the vice president is assuming control of the country but a government official said today that president saleh plans to return to the capitol after he recovers from his injury. >> it depends much on him. he proved to be a se stubborn and stoic man in the last if you months. it's ultimately down to him and also at this stage i suspect much will depend on his health. >> reporter: the uncertainty is adding to international fears that the already unstable nation could descend further into chaos. whit johnson, cbs news, washington. >> mitchell: for perspective on what the fast moving events in yemen could mean for the united states we are joined

iona craig of global radio news is there. >> smith: in politics, at first he did not succeed, now mitt romney is trying again. the businessman and former governor of massachusetts officially kicked off his second run for the republican presidential nomination today. he has plenty of company, including newt gingrich, tim pawlenty and ron paul to name a few. nancy cordes, now, on day one of the romney campaign. >> i'm mitt romney, i believe in america, and i'm running for president of the united states. (cheers and applause). >> reporter: announcing his intentions at a new hampshire farm, mitt romney did not mince words when describing the man who holds the office now. >> barack obama has failed america. when he took office the economy was in recession and he made it worse and he made it last longer. >> reporter: aides to romney say he has learned important lessons from his primary fight four years ago, when he won in 11-- mostly smaller-- states and then bowed out early after blowing through $113 million in campaign funds. >> limiting marriage to relationship between a man and a woman.

reporter iona craig is in the capital. >> smith: edmund hull was the u.s.mbassador to yemen from 2001 two 2004. mr. ambassador, good evening. >> good evening. >> smith: why should americans be concerned about what's going on in yemen right now? >> well, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is based in yemen, and that's the most active today in the al qaeda network currently. and within the last couple years they have twice targeted the u.s. homeland-- initially with the underwear bomber on christmas day, and then more recently the printer cartridge bombs in airplane freight. >> smith: if, in fact, yemen ended up as a failed state as a somalia, for instance, how dangerous would that be? >> it would be extremely dangerous. it would give al qaeda a safe haven akin to that which they had in afghanistan before 9/11. and one of the cardinal lessons that we learned from our study of the 9/11 attack was that the united states can never allow al qaeda to create those kind of safe havens again. >> smith: is there literally anything that can be done? >> a lot can be done

iona craig for us in yemen. thanks for taking the time. in yemen, u.s. officials say there is a growing risk that the country could become a safe haven for terrorists. cbs homeland security correspondent bob orr has more on that. >> reporter: the arab spring has renewed hopes for millions of people in tunisia and egypt. as you said it's brought chaos and violence to yemen. in the rapidly deteriorating situation there now has u.s. counterterrorism officials on edge. as the yemeni government disintegrates and the country moves toward civil war, the threat of a new terror strike against america grows. yemen is home to the most lethal al qaeda franchise, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. the fear is the group will exploit the chaos to plot fresh attacks. >> the threat posed by al qaeda on the arabian peninsula is metastasizing and to some extent getting worse. >> reporter: aqap has already tried to hit the u.s. first with the christmas day 2009 underwear bombing attempt on a northwest flight over detroit. and again last fall with sophisticate

reporter iona craig joins us from sana'a, the capital of yemen. on the ground there right now? >> reporter: well, in the capital city where i am there's a very tenuous cease-fire that was brokered by saudi arabia in the past couple of days to try and bring to a halt the fighting that we've seen in the city over the past two weeks between tribesmen and the president's troops. that cease-fire seems to have collapsed last night when there was heavy fighting to the north of the city, gunfire for several hours. so far today since the sun has come up, it's certainly quiet now in sana'a at least. >> yesterday you tweeted some video inside yemen along the streets. people celebrated as president saleh was taken to saudi arabia for medical treatment there. do you believe that the president will return? >> reporter: i think saudi arabia will certainly try and prevent that from happening as well as u.s. diplomats. this is the one opportunity now that he's gone for the transfer of power that's been on the table for two weeks and to be initiated and for some fo