This Morning from CBS News, Jan. 23, 2015
Countdown begun
Militants affiliated with the ISIS have posted an online warning that the "countdown has begun" for the group to kill a pair of Japanese hostages. The posting, which appeared today, shows a clock counting down to zero along with gruesome images of other hostages who have been beheaded by the group.
Murder in Argentina
A murder mystery is turning into a growing political scandal in Argentina, and at the center is Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports on the tangled series of rapidly-changing events related to prosecutor Alberto Nisman's death.
Saudi king
King Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz, the monarch who ruled over Saudi Arabia since 2005 as a staunch ally of the United States, has died. He was 90 years old. His death comes at a time of massive regional turmoil: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula demonstrating its global reach by striking the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, the resignation of Yemen's government, and the rise of ISIS.
Counterterrorism strategy
When President Obama unveiled his strategy to fight ISIS last September, he pointed to Yemen as a prime example. Yet the collapse of the Yemeni government yesterday has raised doubts about the efficacy of a "light footprint" counterterrorism strategy, in no small part because the power vacuum creates an opening for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
New leadership
House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took aim at some ideas aired by President Obama in Tuesday's State of the Union address. The president said he'd like to raise taxes on the wealthy, make community college free and increase the federal minimum wage -- all bad ideas, said Boehner and McConnell. CBS News anchor Scott Pelley will have more of the interview with the two GOP leaders this Sunday on "60 Minutes."
Patriots "shocked"
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady told reporters he had no knowledge of any tampering with game footballs on Sunday prior to the playoff match-up against the Indianapolis Colts, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. Brady described his involvement with balls used for the game. Earlier yesterday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he was "shocked" to hear about the initial reports of the tampered balls.
Super Bowl bet
A glue company called Loctite is one of a dozen companies buying a Super Bowl commercial for the first time. That's the most newcomers in more than a decade. With an estimated 184 million people expected to watch the big game, these companies think it's worth making a high-stakes bet.
Europe's stimulus
The world's financial markets are still digesting yesterday's announcement by the European Central Bank (ECB) that it will begin purchasing about 60 billion euros ($68.4 billion U.S.) of bonds each month until September of next year, and possibly longer. Injecting money into a fading economy is not a new concept. The U.S. Federal Reserve Board initiated a quantitative easing program during the depths of the Great Recession, as did the British and Japanese central banks, to varying degrees of success. But the ECB's actions raise a wide variety of questions.
Moon on Earth
Before you blast off to the moon in search of the $30 million purse offered as part of the Google Lunar XPrize, and the juicy $20 million grand prize for being the first to get there, you must make sure all your systems are ready for the harsh realities that exist outside of our atmosphere. However, testing for the moon while here on Earth is a complicated thing, and finding a place that replicates the lunar surface is difficult. If you're in Japan, one place reigns supreme: the sand dunes outside Hamamatsu.
Challenging with Dylan
Old Crow Medicine Show is up for a Grammy next month for its newest album, and that's just the latest achievement for a group some call the greatest string band in the world. CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford spoke with the guys challenging the status quo in Nashville and reports on how they came to share a writing credit with Bob Dylan.
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