abc's martha raddatz is right here tonight. and i wanted to take our viewers at home back to that image of jihadi john. the brazen videos we mentioned. so many of them taped in broad daylight. people at home are going to be asking why can't we get this guy? >> reporter: it's incredible david. we have so much equipment over there. we just don't have people on the ground. and that's what it takes, intelligence on the ground to figure this out. plus jihadi john as he is called he knows not to communicate on cell phones and other things the u.s. would be able to pick up. but the president tonight is going to say, "we will defeat and degrade these terrorists in isis." >> we'll hear that a short time from now. meanwhile, yemen. you've been there several times. the presidential palace surrounded for a time. what's the latest on that and what's the status of the u.s. embassy there? >> reporter: the presidential pal lals over there, still surround d. the president of yemen is not inside that. he's inside his house, but he's also surroun

abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz on who they're looking for. >> reporter: it is this woman, hayat boumediene -- young radical, armed and dangerous -- who police are urgently searching for tonight. her accomplice, and boyfriend, amedy coulibaly, the hostage taker killed by police in the kosher grocery store. coulibaly and the 26-year-old woman believed to be connected with the gunning down of a female police officer yesterday. the four terrorists, part of an al qaeda cell, not the loan wolves, we have seen in the past, radicalized muslims seeking revenge against the west, views that likely grew more extreme during time some spent in prison. >> you have somebody who is in prison for committing a crime. they're often going to be exposed to other bad individuals. >> reporter: at least one of the attackers traveled to yemen for training in 2011 and in that phone call to a french television station this morning, before being killed by police, cherif kouachi said they were financed by anwar awlaki, the american-born al qaeda leader in yemen who was killed by a u.s. dron

in kabul, and we want to get the latest tonight from abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz, live in washington. martha? >> reporter: david, this is an international airport i have been through so many times. there's security on the perimeter to even get close to it and heavy screening to get on the airplanes. but the shooter was apparently himself one of those afghan security officers or dressed like one. and without question, those three contractors would be easily identifiable as americans or westerners. over the last five or six years, there have been more than 100 attacks by afghan forces on u.s. and coalition troops but the number has gone down dramatically in the last few years. but this shows, david, that despite the drawdown, afghanistan remains a very dangerous place. >> all right, martha raddatz with us tonight. martha, thank you. >>> and to another developing headline at this hour, the deadline passing on that prisoner swap to save two hostages held by isis. isis had been offering a deal to jordan, asking for this woman, a would-be suicide bomber, that vest of ex

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> and the killing of these journalists is dominating conversation online and in newspapers around the world. >> here's a look at some of the headlines this morning, most of the newspapers are splashed with words like the war on freedom, barbaric and massacred in minutes. >> big show of solidarity as well for the people of france. stretching all the way here to the u.s. a large crowd gathered last night for a candlelight vigil outside the french consulate in san francisco and held signs and sang the french national anthem. >> hundreds of them many from france and many americans expressing condolences and outrage. some of them chanting je suis charlie, i am charlie in support of the newspapers "charlie hebdo." >> stay with abc news for all the latest details on the terror attack in france. live team coverage coming up on "good morning america." >>> here at home the extreme cold is plunging 200 million americans into a deep freeze. >> we have dangerously frigid temperatures now. they forced schools to cancel classes for more than a million students fro

abc's martha raddatz now. >> reporter: this u.s. naval base at guantanamo is a town unto itself, with more than 7,000 military and civilians. and tonight, that small navy town has been rocked by scandal. >> the base commander has been relieved. >> reporter: the commander captain john nettleton, helicopter pilot, iraq war veteran, has been stripped of command after officials say the husband of his alleged lover was found dead. the coast guard discovered the body of christopher tur, a former marine and father of two, in the waters off base. his wife lara had reported him missing the day before. there was no indication of suicide, but it has not been ruled out. officials tell abc news that it was in the course of the investigation they learned of lara tur's alleged relationship with captain nettleton. he has now been reassigned to duty in florida until the investigation wraps up. adultery is a crime in the military but this case seems to go well beyond that, david. >> and martha while we have you here i want to take viewers back to tho

. >> let's bring in martha raddatz. so many questions how the brothers and other hostage-taker have been able to take this off. they've been linked in an attempt to get the other convicted terrorist out of jail. one of the brothers had actually been convicted. they were on french radar. they were still able to slip through and pull this off. >> that's undoubtedly something the french authorities will have to explain. they are talking about a suspect who french officials knew trained with al qaeda in 2011. that's when the american-born cleric was being hunted by officials, anwar al awlaki. he was later killed by an air strike. you can't track every suspect 24/6 24/7. there's a lot that want to join jihad but not that many known to be involved with terrorists and returned to the country. he should have been tracked. not physically but electronically phones internet. a lot of questions, george how they slipped through. >> that kind of travel to yemen would put any suspect on america's radar. >> it's something u.s. authorit

more from abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: the recent attacks in canada, in australia, were carriedt didn't really know much about it. the so-called lone wolves who were likely mentally disturbed and looking for a cause. but these men seemed homegrown and far more hard core, more determined to terrorize and kill as many as possible. this is exactly the kind of attack authorities fear most in the u.s. terrorists who may have traveled out of the country to get trained and then return, or those connected to a larger group, a larger cause where they can get weapons and support within their own country. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> here in new york, the police department has beefed up security around the french consulate in response to the paris attack. but there won't be a noticeable change across much of the city. officials say that's because new york already has an extensive security and counter terrorism presence in place. >>> meanwhile our coverage of the terror attack in paris does not end here. we'll update the investigation in our next half hour. >>> another developi

clearly very troubling if we lose that cooperation, which has been so important. >> all right, martha raddatz who has been to yemen herself several times. martha, thank you. >>> and to a new development from cuba tonight. last night here, we broadcast live from havana. those history-making talks under way between the u.s. and cuba. this evening, u.s. officials calling the round of talks today, quote, positive and productive. beginning discussions on how to open the u.s. embassy there in cuba. >>> and from cuba to indonesia now, and chilling new revelations from the black boxes on board that air asia flight. what the pilots heard in the cockpit, those alarms in the final moments. and officials here at home saying, it's time to take action, making sure all planes are easier to track. abc's david kerley now. >> reporter: out on the southern indian ocean tonight, these ships are still searching for malaysia 370, one of aviation's greatest mysteries. and after that frustratingly long search for the wreck of the air asia jet. a new plan aims to keep this from ever happening again to a jet flying ov

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> stay with abc news as we await more details from the frenchica." >>> another developing story this morning, the search for those black boxes of the downed airasia jet. take a look at this video. a bit haunting here. indonesian military divers at the tail section of the plane. the leader says that section will be recovered today if conditions allow. there have strong currents and the tail is partially buried. at least three more victims' bodies were recovered raising the total to 47 recovered of the 162 on board. >>> to texas where firefighters in san antonio battled a huge apartment fire for hours last night before finally bringing it under control. flames broke out on the second floor and quickly spread to the attic. about 20 families had to be rushed out of the building. thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. >>> and the rescue efforts for a teenage boy who had fallen through the ice ended in tragedy in nevada. swimmers from the reno fire department braved the icy waters before pulling out the victim. they estimate he'd been submerged for at

let's bring in martha raddatz. does this plan have any chance of passing? >> well, you know, dan, that's exactly what all of washington is asking. it's already drawn fire from some republicans. the president is proposing a w $320 billion tax hike over ten years on the wealthiest americans and large corporations. he'll do it by increasing the capital gains tax. closing the so-called trust fund loophole. and adding fees to financial institutions. all of that would pay for a middle class tax cut, including helps with families with children, tax incentives for college students. it's an ambitious plan already meeting resistance in the republican-controlled congress. dan, no surprise. >> whether it passes or not, it may set the terms for the 2016 debate for sure. let me switch gears. you'll be talking about terror on this show this morning. can you give us a sense of what is coming up? >> we'll delve into where the sleeper cells that alex talked about where coming from and where they're headed. we have a lot of great guests this morning. >> martha, thank you. jus

brian ross and martha raddatz standing by. >>> also breaking tonight, the american hospital the suspect in authorities say shooting a cardiac surgeon. >>> the deadly collapse. the overpass giving way. new questions tonight about america's highways. >>> the mansion fire mystery growing tonight. the home burning to the ground and what we've now learned about the missing family. >>> and we're here in washington for the state of the union. and tonight, what the president plans to say to america.

let's bring in abc's martha raddatz who is in washington. martha, so let's start with this angry new rhetoric from north korea. what are they saying and is the white house running some risk of escalation with new sanctions? >> reporter: well, dan, no surprise. north korea denied any role in the hacking and accused the u.s. of groundlessly stirring up bad blood and showing what they call an inveterate repugnancy and hostility towards the north. but the spokesman from north korea says this will only harden its resolution to defend the sovereignty of the country. the reaction is fairly muted and somewhat familiar so i think so far the tension has not been raised too far. >> are these sanctions likely to do much damage to the north koreed they already are? >> well we don't think any of the people involved in this round of sanctions has anything to do with cyberattacks and, of course, we know there have been all kinds of sanctions on north korea. this is just one more round and the u.s. wants to be careful not to cause pain to the north korean peo

here's more from abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: from his hometown of cincinnati to capitol hill,ed mama's boy go from this, the clean-cut wrestler, the home body who loved his cat to this, a man the fbi accuses of preparing to bomb the capitol in support of isis and al qaeda terror groups? >> he's not a terrorist and i don't appreciate him being painted as a terrorist. >> reporter: but fbi officials who acknowledge they ran a sting on christopher cornell say his plans involved not only detonating bombs at the capitol but then mowing down members of congress with assault rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition he purchased at a gun store moments before his arrest. cornell's parents said the boy was just trying to figure himself out, described as a quiet student who converted to islam last summer. that's when he first appeared on fbi radar after they say he pledged his support to isis on social media under an assumed name. officials believe cornell was the classic lone wolf, but the fbi does believe he was trying to communicate with radicals overseas. although in the end, no one from o

let's go to martha raddatz. as we heard from brian, this is different, and a real concern. >> and the attacks in canada and australia, they appeared to be inspired by isis online but were so-called lone wolves look for a cause and mentally disturbed. these seemed more determined and home-grown. this is exactly the kind of attack authorities fear most in the u.s. terrorists that have traveled out off the country to be trained and returned, and came back to get weapons and support within their own countries. >> thanks. >>> tonight -- pierre thomas what are they telling us tonight? >> well evidence of stepped up security. nine other french consulates in u.s. and they're enhancing security. abc news has learned fbi and homeland security officials will hold a special conference call. officials warn -- >> thank you. >>> meanwhile -- sliding into the back of a tractor trailer in blinding snow, and dragged for 16 miles. from wisconsin, minus 16 degrees. slick roads and whiteout conditions coming from upstate new york. t

abc's chief global affairs pondent martha raddatz has traveled to yemen several times. she brings us this report. >> reporter: in the middle of friday's dramatic siege on the two brothers who carried out that reign of terror in this week, one of them, cherif kouachi, boasted to a french television station that the men had been directed by aqap, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, and that they had been financed by one of the group's top leaders, american born cleric anwar al awlaki. soon after the deadly siege ended, a top leader of the yemen-based aqap praised the attacks calling france a beacon of blasphemy. a separate statement claiming aqap directed the attack in revenge for the honor of the prophet muhammad who the french magazine had depicted in cartoons. u.s. officials said at least one of the brothers had traveled to yemen for terrorist training in 2011. >> the fact that he was in yemen getting trained as a terrorist working with terrorists was grounds to arrest him. >> reporter: this week's deadly attacks by the french terror cell carries on aqap's efforts to st

here's martha raddatz. >> reporter: today, from his hometown of cincinnati, to capitol hill, there is nothing but shock. how did this 20 year-old, so-called "mama's boy" go from this -- the clean-cut wrestler, the homebody who loved his cat, to this -- a man the fbi accuses of preparing to bomb the capitol in support of isis and al qaeda terror groups? >> he's not a terrorist and i don't appreciate him being painted as a terrorist. >> reporter: but fbi officials, which acknowledged they ran a sting on christopher cornell, says his plan involved not only detonating bombs at the capitol, but then mowing down members of congress with assault rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition he purchased at a gun store moments before his arrest. cornell's parents said today the boy was just trying to figure himself out, described as a quiet student who converted to islam last summer. that's when he first appeared on fbi radar, after, they say, he pledged his support to isis on social media, under an assumed name. >> martha is with us live. do we know if he was acting alone? >> no link yet, they think h

more from abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: the recent attacks in canada in australia, were carriedd to be inspired by isis online but didn't really know much about it. so-called lone wolves who were likely mentally disturbed and looking for a cause. these men seemed home grown and far more hard core, more determined to ter terrorize and kill as many as possible. this is exactly the kind of attack authorities fear most in the u.s. terrorists who may have traveled out of the country to get trained and then return or those connected to a larger group, a larger cause where they can get weapons and support within their own country. martha raddatz, abc news washington. >>> here in new york the police department has beefed up security around the french consulate. there won't be a noticeable change across much of the city. new york already has an extensive security and kornt terrorism presence in place. >>> meanwhile our coverage of the terror attack in paris does not end here. we'll update the investigation in our next half hour. >>> another developing story, the urgent search for black b

. >>> i want to bring in abc's martha raddatz tonight. and martha we just heard from brian there that u.s. officials believe one of the brothers might have been in yes, ma'amenmen in 2011. you reported from yemen in 2011. what was the climate at the time? >> reporter: david, that was the year that oust officials were laser focused on yemen. we were in the country reporting onramped up u.s. counter-terrorism operations. there were regular u.s. air strikes. the hunt was on for anwar al alack key who was thought to provide support for the so-called underwear bomb ebber. yemen has long been a mag gnat for terrorists in training but for now, there is no evidence that the brothers had any direction from al qaeda for this massacre in france but we just don't know yet, david. >> all right, martha brian, terry, my thanks to you all. >>> and two more notes on this tonight. the iconic eiffel tower, dimming its lights in honor of those that lost their lives. and this image just coming in president obama at the french embassy in washington, d.c. signin

>> martha raddatz once again on the story for us tonight. martha, thank you. >>> we do move on now to the dangerous conditions out there. winter weather and freezing rain advisories from arkansas through the ohio valley. a dangerous mix for anyone on the road. and tonight, new images of that horrific highway accident in michigan. cars and trucks slamming into one another, leaving one person did. dead. here's abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano. >> reporter: tonight, snow falling at up to four inches per hour. burying parts of upstate new york in nearly four feet of snow. watch as this snow squall slams watertown. radar showing nonstop streams of heavy snow ripping across lake erie and ontario. covering roadways, reducing visibility. driving again treacherous. in michigan, lake effect snow dropped visibilities to near zero friday, leading to this. new images from that frightening pileup involving nearly 200 vehicles on i-94. watch as car after car hits the crash site. the chaotic scene leading to one death and 23 injuries. blinding snow li

. >>> abc's chief correspondent martha raddatz joins us. you heard alex talk about the u.s. involvement in the global terror hunt. the pentagon now promising to send a thousand new troops to train syrian rebels in the fight against isis. how will this work? >> a lot will be support troops. the actual number of trainers will be around 400 but still more than we thought. the training will take place in qatar, saudi arabia turkey. the goal is to train these moderate rebels and send them back to syria to protect their own community, but also to eventually go on the offensive against isis and try to take back territory. but the glaring problem here is this training will take a long time. they expect only about 5,000 rebels to be trained in the first year. it will take a whole lot more than that to start taking back territory. >> martha, thanks to you. martha will have much more on the latest terror threats when she hosts "this week" tomorrow morning. >>> next we turn to the weather. black ice triggering a 20-vehicle accident in oregon. right there you see two trucks carrying haza

let's go to martha raddatz. many at home likely thinking about these recent attacks. in canada, storming the parliament in ottawa. as we heard from brian, this is different, and a real concern. >> it is, david. the attacks in canada and australia, they appeared to be inspired by isis online but didn't know much about it. so-called lone wolves looking for a cause and mentally disturbed. but these seemed more determined and home-grown. trying to terrorize and kill as many as possible. this is exactly the kind of attack authorities fear most in the u.s. terrorists that have traveled out of the country to be trained and then returned, or those connected to a larger group and a larger cause where they can great weapons and support. >> thanks. >>> this evening, we've learned of heightened security here at home. at least four cities. pierre thomas, what are they telling us tonight? >> well, there's evidence of home. new york police are standing guard outside of the french consulate. there are nine other french consulates in the u.s., and atlanta, boston and chicago are also

. >> meantime martha raddatz, the campaign against isis continues in iraq and syria. perhaps more quietly below the radar right now. the air strikes have continued. the momentum that isis had through the summer has stalled in some respects it appears. >> it has. and the air strikes are really ongoing. we have hundreds of troops over there now. and, we have them out in the west at al assad air base. because that's a hot bed of isis activity. they've been stalled. but not pushed back. that is key here. if you saw lately they have given the united states is now sending over emraps. those mine-resistant vehicles. and humvees. the iraqi forces seem to be out outgunned by isis. i was there when they overran mosul. isis remains a huge problem. they are not going to be pushed back until iraqi ground forces go in to try to root them out of the major city and in the west there in fa will youll will youfallujah as well. they remain a major mayorjor threat. >> matt olsen, talk about the coordination that will be going on between the major western leader ps. the president obama, d

. >> meantime martha raddatz, the campaign against isis continues in iraq and syria. perhaps more quietly below the radar right now. the air strikes have continued. the momentum that isis had through the summer has stalled in some respects it appears. >> it has. and the air strikes are really ongoing. we have hundreds of troops over there now. and, we have them out in the west at al assad air base. because that's a hot bed of isis activity. they've been stalled. but not pushed back. that is key here. if you saw lately they have given the united states is now sending over emraps. those mine-resistant vehicles. and humvees. the iraqi forces seem to be out outgunned by isis. i was there when they overran mosul. isis remains a huge problem. they are not going to be pushed back until iraqi ground forces go in to try to root them out of the major city and in the west there in fa will youll will youfallujah as well. they remain a major mayorjor threat. >> matt olsen, talk about the coordination that will be going on between the major western leader ps. the president obama, d

brian ross and martha raddatz standing by. >>> also breaking tonight, the american hospital, the suspectng in, authorities say shooting a cardiac surgeon. >>> the deadly collapse. the overpass giving way. new questions tonight about america's highways. >>> the mansion fire mystery growing tonight. the home burning to the ground and what we've now learned about the missing family. >>> and we're here in washington for the state of the union. and tonight, what the president plans to say to america.

i do want to go to martha raddatz. he did make a request to congress, asking for that authorization for the use of military force against isis. what are the prospects on capitol hill right now, i assume there's going to be some pretty heated debate over whether or not to -- what to say about ground troops in that resolution. >> yeah, i think they'll want to see what the president puts on paper and how narrow this becomes. although, this has been an area of some bipartisan support. let me mention mitch mcconnell, because he said there is the potential for agreement here. but george, i have to look at the liberal democrats and think it would be very, very hard for some of them to authorize another war. no matter what the president says about limited engagement. that he doesn't want to send in a great deal of ground troops, it would be a very, very hard vote for some. >> this will only pass with bipartisan support, he's not going to get all democrats, not going to get all republicans. and another foreign policy issue, the

martha raddatz has the latest for us this morning. good morning martha. >> reporter: good morning, paula. these attackers were inspired by al qaeda on the arabian peninsula. there are now claims they were directed, financed and trained by the group. in a chilling video released friday, al qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack on "charlie hebdo," warning the french there is more to come if they don't stop what they called an assault on muslims, or they would never be safe. the two brothers cherif and said kouachi, along with the kosher grocery store attacker amedi coulibaly were part of a cell, not lone wolfs. but wad callized muslims seeking revenge against the west. >> you have somebody who is imprisoned for committing a crime. could be a terrorism crime. it could be a nonterrorism crime. they're going to be exposed to other bad individuals. >> reporter: coulibaly is believed to have converted to islam while serving time for armed robbery in 2005. he coordinated his attacks with the kouachi brothers. one of the attackers travele