[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Chaos in Yemen, threatening the U.S. efforts to fight terror. This American ally pushed to the brink of collapse as al Qaeda in that country boosts its presence and issues a new warning to the West. We're live with the very latest this morning.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Time ticking down for two men held hostage by ISIS. Will Japan pay their $200 million ransom? We are live in Tokyo with the latest.
[Berman:] No charges expected for the former police officer who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. Why the Justice Department is not going to bring charges against Darren Wilson. That's ahead. Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
[Romans:] I'm Christine Romans. It's 30 minutes past the hour. We begin this morning with a crisis in Yemen, a crisis that could al Qaeda a new foothold and new power. There is now a tentative deal between the U.S.-backed government and rebels who have been attacking the president's palace for days. It's not clear whether this truce will hold any longer than the last one. Yemen is now a hotbed of terrorism. Al Qaeda's affiliate there claims to have planned and funded at least some of the Paris terror attacks. The leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released a new video this Wednesday, calling for jihadist to launch lone wolf attacks at home in Europe and the U.S. And ISIS is now known to be active and recruiting in Yemen. The Obama administration sees Yemen as crucial to the war on terror. This morning, that partnership is anything but stable. Let's bring in senior international correspondent Nic Robertson with the latest on the turmoil. And, good morning, Nic. This is a development that is certainly troubling for counterterrorism experts.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Absolutely. I mean, look, state regional experts there believe that Yemen is tipping towards a failed state. You have the Gulf Cooperation Council, this is the major oil-producing nations in the Gulf meeting to discuss what is happening. Yemen, right on the border of Saudi Arabia, very close to the strategic seas where a lot of the world's oil flows there. So, a major concern there. But there's a very significant concern also, for Saudi Arabia, because the Yemen branch of al Qaeda, if you will, threatens them. But as we have seen in the past, al Qaeda and Yemen is capable and intent on trying to attack the United States, claiming to be behind also the attacks in Paris over the past few weeks. So, what we are seeing, the picture emerging, if Yemen tips more towards a failed state, if the Houthis agreement with the president continues to be shaky or is not honored, there will be a greater breakdown of power, a greater vacuum of power, al Qaeda will leverage this vacuum and space, as much it has done in other countries like Iraq and Syria as we have seen that in the past. And you have on top of that the Houthis being essentially viewed as on the one hand getting support from Iran, on the other hand as being a branch of sheer Islam. The Sunni al Qaeda will exploit that to try to grow its own core strength in Yemen to not only fight the Houthis, but then export terror back to the West, beyond the borders as they are stating as the leader in Yemen is stating. It is not an idle threat. They have done this before Christine.
[Romans:] Not an idle threat. All right. Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that, Nic, this morning.
[Berman:] Japanese government officials are trying to save the lives of two hostages. They are scrambling this morning for means to communicate with ISIS. The Islamic terror group is demanding $200 million or says it will execute these two men by Friday. Japan's prime minister has cut short a trip to the Middle East to deal with this crisis. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting in London this morning with partners in the coalition trying to defeat ISIS. I want to turn now to CNN's Will Ripley who's on the ground in Tokyo with more of these Japanese efforts to save these two hostages, Will.
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes, John. We know that the Japanese government is trying to establish a line of communication with ISIS. Here we stand 24 hours away from their murderous deadline. And as far as we know, the latest official word, there has been no channel of communication open with the terrorist group that has killed five people on video since last August and threatens to do the same to two more two innocent Japanese men who could very well be dead by this time tomorrow, if some sort of a deal is not worked out. It's a very difficult reality for people in the pacifist country to wrap their heads around. But at the same time, as you can imagine, there is a real struggle here to think about if money were to go in the hands of ISIS, even if it wasn't $200 million, but a smaller ransom, would that give the terror group more tools to do more harm to more people? That's the real struggle. Public opinion here is split, as most people in this country are certainly banding together and their feeling of fear for these two men and anticipating very great sadness if ISIS does follow through with its threat, again, less than 24 hours from now, John.
[Berman:] All right. Will, important information right there. Every country deals with the situation differently. But one thing that is not different is the sympathy people feels for the families and the people involved. Thanks, Will.
[Romans:] All right. A grand jury has indicted an Ohio man who allegedly plotted to bomb the U.S. Capitol. Twenty-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell faces two counts of attempted murder of government employees. Each count carries a possible 20-year sentence. He's also facing firearm charges. Cornell was arrested outside a suburban Cincinnati gun shop last week after purchasing two M-15s assault weapons and 60 rounds of ammunition.
[Berman:] The White House calls it a breach of protocol. This is as House Speaker John Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress next month and make a case for new sanctions against Iran. That is a policy the president is against. Let's get more now from CNN's Dana Bash.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Congressional Correspondent:] John and Christine, GOP sources I talked to admit that Congress does traditionally coordinate with the White House before asking a world leader to address Congress. But not this time, it was a back channel between with John Boehner and Benjamin Netanyahu. They both want Congress to pass new sanctions against Iran which the president opposes. Is this just a way to poke the president in the eye on an issue like Iran where you know he very much opposes what you want to do?
[Rep. John Boehner , Speaker Of The House:] I did not consult with the White House. The Congress can make this decision on its own. I don't believe I'm poking anyone in the eye. There is a serious threat that exists in the world. The president last night kind of papered over it. The fact is that there needs to be a more serious conversation in America about how serious a threat is from radical Islamic jihadists and the threat posed by Iran.
[Bash:] Just hours earlier at the State of the Union Address, Obama warned more sanctions against Iran would jeopardize delicate diplomatic nuclear negotiations and as the president spoke, he had no idea that John Boehner sitting behind him had been planning for weeks to bring the Israeli prime minister to stand in the very same place and tell Congress the opposite. The best way to push Iran is to enact more sanctions. Now, Boehner is taking advantage of a long history of tension between Netanyahu and Obama. And the speaker is also helping Netanyahu. He is a hawkish Israeli leader Republicans like. Israeli elections are scheduled for next month. And a high profile speech on a nuclear Iran which Israel sees as an existential threat could help John and Christine.
[Romans:] All right. Dana Bash, thank you for that in Washington, Dana. Historic high level talks on normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba being held in Havana. The initial discussions will focus on trade and travel and reopening embassies in both capitals. Talks come just weeks after President Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro formally ended six decades of official estrangement between the two countries.
[Berman:] An abrupt about-face by House Republicans. They have dropped plans to debate a bill that would ban virtually all abortions after 20 weeks. Objections from some women on the Hill and others left Republican leaders short of the votes they need to pass this measure. The vote had been scheduled to coincide with the gathering of anti- abortion activists, an annual gathering that marks the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Rowe versus Wade decision that legalized abortion.
[Romans:] President Obama issuing an executive order to better coordinate federal programs in the Arctic Ocean. The president says this is a necessary response to decades of climate change that had transformed the Arctic, its features and its accessibility. One Alaska senator says the order does not do enough and focusing too much on climate change and too little on development and build up of critical infrastructure.
[Berman:] On the subject of climate change, the Senate is on record saying climate change is real and not a hoax. That measure with that wording passed by a 98-1 margin. But senators voted down a pair of measures that said tat global warming is created by human activity, or contributed at least to by human activity. So, they say climate change exists, but they did not pass the measure saying humans contribute to it. The president is still on the road, selling his middle class economic program and other ideas that he presented in the State of the Union. He delivers a speech today at the University of Kansas, and after that, he turns to Washington where he will be interviewed by several hard-hitting YouTube stars.
[Romans:] YouTube stars, something you couldn't even have said, you know, ten years ago, five years ago, two years ago, YouTube stars. All right. Time for an early start on money, folks. Asian shares they ended higher. European shares aren't moving much quite yet. There's a big story developing there. That's the European Central Bank expected to announce a massive bond-buying stimulus program later this morning. U.S. stocks were also up. Yesterday, stocks climbed for the third day in a row. That's the longest winning streak so far this year. It tells you what this year has been like, right? Layoffs coming at two big American companies. Yesterday, eBay announced 2,400 job cuts. That's about 7 percent of its workforce. American Express is cutting 4,000 jobs this year, about 6 percent of its staff. Both companies reported a rise in profits last quarter.
[Berman:] Federal investigators not expected to file charges, no charges coming in Michael Brown's deadly shooting. We'll tell you why Officer Darren Wilson will not face a federal jury. That's next.