saudi arabia's king salman has announced that a bridge over the red sea will be built to connect the countries of egypt and saudi arabia. the monarch's five day visit to cairo. >>> djibouti's president omar galla has won reelection, extending his 16 year rule over the nation. >>> yemen following a u.n. backed deal by warring parties to stop the fighting on sunday. the kingdom will commit to a truce if houthis will pull out, talks aimed at bringing the year long war to an end are scheduled in two weeks time. >>> now so far greece has returned more than 300 refugees to turkey. under the eu deal which came into effect on monday. two boats carrying many pakistani migrants, be arrived in dakili, boarding buses to reception centers where they will be processed. harry fawcett reports. >> they arrived on two separate boats, one bringing people from the island of lesbos, others, who were collected on samos and kos and returned here. these were as we were told, voluntary detainees, majority of them pakistani men, they had health checks carried out and that process is now over. their next stop w

. >> saudi arabia's king salman has received anhonary degree in cairo. from cairo is a non-resident fellow at the institute for middle east policy. is what we are seeing now a tactical coalition almost between these two countries? >> it's an attempt by the two countries to reinforce an appearance of solidarity. there have been a lot in the press about the relationship between egypt and saudi arabia over the past year since coming to power. there are people that were doubting egypt was continuing to be in his good graces. i think this was meant to reinstate behind the photo opportunities, that looks good and productive. one notices on social media there has been a defendant pushback against the idea of egypt giving up part of its sovereign territory to saudi arabia. >> reporter: there has been a lot of concern about that a lot 69 population was shocked to learn egypt planned to hand over these islands that have been undejob description control since 1950 this relationship with riyadh. what happens if e gyp starts taking some decisions that saudi arabia do

liz: do you trust king salman? he has recently gotten power. what do you think? >> generally i trust him. i worry a bit about entrusting so much of the kingdom's business to 30-year-old deputy crown prince. i know the crown prince, mohammed ben-aief, the best of those. liz: the shot has frozen with the ambassador. we will try and get it up. he's clear in saying, he's read it, feels it needs to be released but there is no smoking gun that he feels ties the saudi government directly to the 9/11 attacks. our thanks to ambassador robert jordan, former u.s. ambassador to saudi arabia and apologize to our viewers for the ghost in the machine there. closing bell 30 minutes away. hillary clinton speaking in connecticut on gun violence ahead of next tuesday's primaries. can she keep her new found momentum going in next tuesday's big blue state blitz after her decisive win in new york? fox news senior political anchor and special report host bret baier helps handicap super tuesday 3. that's next on "countdown." >> blame the victims, blame the victim's family, blame the vic

arabia this morning where the white house insists the air has been cleared with the united states and ally. president obama met with saudi king salman. the administration officials claim progress has been made between the two countries. though a prominent member of the saudi royal family is calling for a recalibration of the relationship. we have more from nic robertson in riyadh. >> reporter: i think president obama will hear more of the same he heard from king salman in the bilateral meeting. president obama meets with the gcc. kuwait and united arab emirates and oman. this recalibration will bring forward and pivot toward asia and in this region they feel this is a loss because the pivot is the nuclear deal with iran. the nemesis of saudi arabia and allies here. what the president can expect today is calls from the gulf states for help building a ballistic missile system and what they can expect to hear from president obama is support to defeat isis. thanks for the support on counterterrori counterterrorism. saudi arabia plays a big role supporting the united states and others for that. there is good, if you will, mutually benefi

there are clear signs of a new road, one that has traditionally been assumed by egypt. king salman's may not resolve the differences, but it shows the two nations still see a need for consultation and perhaps solidarity. >> i think that he believes the importance of egypt, and if saudi arabia will continue to go with this policy to use military force and not shy about it, he needs egypt on board. >> reporter: the visit also comes a few weeks ahead of one scheduled by u.s. president barack obama to riyadh. obama has been critical of what he says are sunni nation fragmentation. the king is likely trying to show the u.s. that sunnis are united. >>> ja bu ta goes to the polls on friday. djibouti is swiftly becoming an actor in the international security arena. our correspondent now reports. >> reporter: the port of djibouti, a growing shipping hub on the east african coast. it is the gateway to the one of the busiest shipping roots. >> over 6,000 kilometers of sea ports there are no ports other than this. so we are taking advantage to build, to invest, close to $14 billion. >> reporter:

has been cleared. president obama spent hours with king salman. tackling the role in the middle east crisis and the fight against isis. the progress has been made between the two countries. the royal member of the saudi family is looking for a recalibration of the issues. let's get more from cnn's nic robertson in riyadh. real issues for the president in saudi arabia, nic. >> reporter: this is the case. it will be the toughest days of his 24 hours here. yesterday meeting with king salman in a bilateral. today, sitting down with the kuwaitis and qataris and arab emirates and oman. the two-hour meeting with the king yesterday, there is cooperation with saudi arabia and the allies. what really clouds the relationship at the moment is the united states nuclear deal with iran. that's seem through a negative prism in this part of the world. it clouds everything. the air will have been cleared in the meeting yesterday, i think president obama today is going to face a lot of tough diplomacy and talk of recalibration from the saudi diplomat echos from what

king salman of saudi arabia. and note this. china's president xi jinping -- who has sought to portray himself as an anti-corruption campaigner -- has been embarrassed by the appearance of his brother-in-law on the list. and note something else. u.s. dollars held by allies of russian president vladimir putin. that may be held on mr. putin's behalf. what's the biggest story here, using shell companies to dodge taxes or using shell companies to hide political corruption? eleanor: i think it's mostly to hide money and whether that money is legally gained or gotten through nefarious means, it all ends up being green and it gets passed to panama. i think we should give president obama some credit this week because the treasury department has tightened some rules and they did stop a big inversion that was under way between pfizer, the drug company and allergen a company in ireland. i think maybe we should take some solace that there are not any 1% americans on this list, but this is only one law firm places to hide money and americans to end hide their money in the cayman i

has been visceral. in that kind of tense relationship when president obama meets with king salman this afternoon, it's hardpair of them really looking at each other and getting beyond this tension that has been building now for the past number of years. but i think we can expect them to come out and at the end of this visit to have at least something positive to say. but behind the scenes, we do know it's going to be tense. those 28 pages making it more so. >> tense indeed. nic robertson this morning for us in riyadh. >>> breaking news. the first criminal charges expected today in the flint water crisis. local officials have been pointing fingers at each other. >>> a court victory for sandy hook families. a superior court judge allowing their lawsuit against gun maker remington to move forward. they can now begin depositions and get access to remington's internal records. remington manufactured the ar-15 used by the sandy hook gunman. >>> back to the breaking news. morning. big wins for donald trump and hillary clinton. really reshaping the race for president again. >>> thank you, new york. we love new yor

perhaps the saudis' response has been visceral, will pull out hundreds of billions of dollars worth of funding in the united states. when president obama meeting with king salmanooking at each other and getting beyond this tension that has been building now for the past number of years. but i think we can expect them to come out and at the end of this visit here to have at least something positive to say. behind the scenes, we do know it's going to be tense. those 28 pages making it more so. >> tense indeed. nic robertson this morning for us in riyadh. thanks, nic. >>> breaking news, the first criminal charges expected to be filed today in the flint water contamination crisis. local, state, and federal officials have been pointing fingers at each other since the discovery that a decision to switch the city's water supply to the flint river caused contamination including dangerous levels of lead. >>> a court victory for sandy hook families. a superior court judge allowing their lawsuit against gun maker remington arms to move forward. a trial set for 2018. families who lost loved ones in the school massacre can now begin depositions and get access to remington'

foreign affairs correspondent margaret warner has the story.o >> warner: beneath the ornate chandeliers of riyadh's diriyah palace this morning, saudi king salmanle, as president obama outlined steps the u.s. and gulf statesf were taking to deepen cooperation on regional and security challenges. but their two days of meetings came amidst new strains emerging in the decades-long partnership between the two countries, first the fundamental bargain: oil for guns. a reliable supply of saudi oil, in return for u.s. military protection, and weaponry, for the kingdom.p but today shale-oil-and-gas rich america has less need of saudi oil. and with the region in turmoil, from conflicts in syria, iraq and yemen, islamic state aggression, oil prices falling, and a rising iran, the original bargain is fraying. >> this is a relationship that saw its glory days in the 1980s, 1990s.gl but since the al qaeda attacks on sept 11, 2001, a lot of mistrust has seeped into this relationship and this breech has yet to be overcome. >> warner: randa slim, an analyst at the middle east institute, says each country feels let down by the other. >> the g.c.c. led by the sau

has just arrived here. he is sitting down for talks with king salman. you're right. it's a very strained time. that the president has made over recent weeks questioning essentially the commitment of saudi arabia as an ally on any number of issues. also, in recent days this issue of 9/11 has come up again. some of the 9/11 families are upset with president obama for not backing a bill making its way through the senate that would give them the ability to sue the saudis for damages. they're still deeply suspicious of the role the saudis may have played in 9/11. there is also the issue of the classified information still being withheld and kept secret that's part of the congressional investigation of 9/11. the so-called 28 pages. some of the families also believe that that might contain information that might implicate the saudis. the administration, the obama administration, has said that's a matter for intelligence agencies to decide, whether or not it should be made public or not. that's in the background as well as issues of terrorism. as you know, the united states now feels that has some mome

obama has been critical of what he sees as sunni nations fag meantation and inefficiency to address extremism. by visiting egypt king salmanto show the u.s. that sunnis are united. >>> let's stay with that story. david is a senior researcher and middle east expert of the woodrow wilson center. why does saudi continue to pour so much money into the egyptian economy? >> well, i think in the first place, they are very worried about the stability of egypt and the survival of al-sisi, although they don't say that publicly. but if the economic conditions in egypt continue to deteriorate, there is a likelihood of another uprising and al-sisi could be in trouble. so i think they are doing everything possible not only to help him, but to get that egypt standing up economically, and it's a long, difficult struggle. >> is that why nay have slowly moved over the past, what, two or three years, from just literally cash to setting up business deals as well? because if you remove sisi from the equation, if the economic fundamentals are made stronger, whoever follows him might survive? >> i think you are exactly right. they have moved fro

king salman amid a time of heightened tension. in the wake of declassifying the 28 pages of the document as to who financed 9/11 and that the foreign governments would be held liable. saudi arabia hasays denied a role in the attacks. the two leaders discussed joint action on isis and he pushed the saudis to be more open to diplomat wh diplomacy with iran. >>> and the volkswagen will unveil a plan in court today to buy back the 500,000 diesel cars that it rigged to evade u.s. emissions tests. cnbc's nancy hulgrave joins us live from london. what does this mean for consumers and the company going forward? >> well, alex, it is good news for the company as far as investors are concerned. we have seen the stock rally for a second straight day on this news. however, we don't yet have confirmation of volkswagen of what in deal looks like. when we talk about what it means for the consumers, as you touched on there there are reports that volkswagen could be ready to buy back around 500,000 cars. now, these are the cars that have the diesel engines fitted with the so-called defeat device that the company has admitted cheat on admission test standards. what this means when we talk about the b

has serviced enough middle east royalty to fill a palace. it's helped two kings, mohammad vi of morocco and sing salman of saudi arabia take to the sea of luxuryonly ones being caught up in this. the names of 29 billionaires featured in forbes' list of the world's richest people also turned up in the documents. so did movie star jackie chan, soccer phenom, lionel messy, and music producer, simon cowell. none of them are accused of any personal wrongdoing. cowell and messy have denied doing anything improper or illegal. chan has not yet commented publicly. in all, the accounts are linked to 200 countries and at least 140 politicians and public officials from around the world. now we should make clear that just holding money in an offshore company isn't automatically illegal, but it does raise an antenna. such financial arrangements can possibly be used to commit illegal acts, such as money laundering or tax evasion. where are all of these americans on the list? according to mcclatchy, the records includes the passports of 200 americans and addresses of 3,500 clients. sounds like a lot, but consider that the law firm at the center of this set up

king salman and meetings today with the gulf cooperation council. he sought to reassure them that the nuclear deal with iran did not mean the u.s. has its eye off of that nation's behavior. as the president described it, it is still of serious concern to his administration, dealing with isis and turmoil and in a range of countries. iraq, yemen, libya also an important topic. president obama in an "atlantic monthly" article interview a few month ago had called some of those gulf countries, free riders. interestingly enough, melissa, according to deputy national security advisor ben rhodes, the topic of 9/11 did not come up in any conversations with the saudi leader or others. the reason according to rhoades, saudi arabia knows the obama administration's position for the release of that 28-page classified section of a 9/11 report dealing with the saudi role in the terror attack and against current legislation pending which would allow in fact a terror victim families to sue countries like saudi arabia. now, to the u.k. we'll be looking forward to tomorrow after it gets, president obama get as good night's sleep at randolph house. that

king salman. the two leaders did meet later, and offered smiles and graciousu words. the saudis have opposed the president's outreach to iran and his approach to syria. >> sreenivasan: the u.s. supreme court hasa judgment that forces iran to compensate victims of terror attacks. they include relatives of 241 u.s. marines killed in a beirut bombing in 1983. their families will collect from nearly $2 billion in frozenil iranian funds held in the u.s. >> woodruff: the european union widened its anti-trust battle with google today. e.u. officials accused the tech giant of rigging the mobile application market to benefitet its own products. in brussels, an e.u. commissioner said google uses the android operating system to freeze out competing apps. >> as a result of google's behavior, rival search engines, mobile operating systems and web browsers have not been able to compete on their merits, but rather been artificially excluded from certain business opportunities. >> woodruff: google strongly denied the charges.. >> sreenivasan: back in this country, the tainted waterhe crisis in flint, michigan is now a criminal case. two state regulators and a city employee were charged and arraigned today, a

king salman for more than two hours to clear the air of simmering issues. a significant point of contention -- a bipartisan bill in congress that would allow 9- 11 victims to sue the saudi government. no evidence has come to light that the saudi government was involved in the plot. the white house is against the bill, but the saudis are threatening retaliation by selling off u.s. assets if it is signed into law. experts say this week's meetings are a good start , but there are few easy solutions to the relationship. we do have strong, common interests which will keep us in a partnership, but it will be a reduced and more difficult partnership than in the past. obama will have a lighter load on his next stop, the united kingdom, where he'll meet with the queen as she celebrates her 90th birthday. in washington i'm steve nannes. >> pam:a key suspect in the terrorist attacks in paris that killed 130 people has been charged with attempted murder after a shootout with police last month. the charges against salah abdeslam were released today. by belgian federal prosecutors. on march 15th, four officers were allegedly fired on by abdelsam. while searching what they thought was a vacant apartment in bruss

what has happened over the last several months the president is here on a bit of a damage control trip if you will. the president did have an important meeting today meeting with saudi king salmanor about two hours. that is usually twice as long. they are usually meeting of an hour or some the minute talked about security cooperation as you can imagine but also the growing threat posed by iran. that had u.s. officials reassuring saudis and gulf cooperation council partners they can count on u.s. senator. >> on iran i noted that the united states shares with our gcc partners the view that even as the nuclear act order verifiably prevents iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, there are many more issues to be concerned with regarding iran's behavior in the region. reporter: put it mildly there is defense secretary ash carter. meanwhile the 28 pages of that much talked about congressional 9/11 report still reverberating around the saudi kingdom, at issue frankly is the question. was the saudi government aware or did it provide material support for the 9/11 attackers? we don't know if those are in the papers but many people around the globe and the country think they should be relea

king salman when he's like what's up with this bill? i'm sure he doesn't speak that way, but why are you doing this? >> he has i don't think that's productive. i will say the administration has not treated saudi arabia well and the biggest sign of that is when he shows up at the airport, he doesn't get a royal family member, the king should be, to shake his hand when he arrives. they sent a local governor and in that culture, that is about as big a slap in the face as you can get to the united states. that tells you the relationship isn't good. so he can tell him i'm going to veto the bill, bah what he needs to do is give some deliverables to saudi arabia. they think -- this is the president who said they're going to have to share the middle east with iran which is pouring gas on a fire for arabs and our arab league partners. that has caused huge problems and i think one of the reasons why he's there is to fix it and not helping so far. they don't have the same values as we do on equal rights for women and other things, but we have to maintain that relationship because they help us fight the terror fight not