york tomorrow morning. kyra, save us. >> soledad, no, i was going to say have you noticed how roland starts issues every morning? every morning he causes trouble and you and i go through this. >> have you noticed? >> yes. could you do something about that please. >> yes, i have. >> have a great morning. >> i'm going to kill him right now. >> look out. we begin this hour with a daring rescue by u.s. command joes. their nighttime raid freed two hostages. you're looking at it here, jessica buchanan and poul isted. they were abducted three months ago. before his address president obama gave defense secretary leon panetta a shoutout. >> good job tonight. good job tonight. >> chris lawrence is at the pentagon for us this morning. chris, this stirs up memories of that mission that killed owe some ma bin laden. the navy seals at it again. >> reporter: that's right, kyra. eerie similarities. even going as far as the president not really showing his hand last night as to what had happened just hours before. now we're getting new details about this daring raid that happened overnight in somolia. the u.s. military sources telling us that a special operations team, some of which were navy seals, came into that compound. they got some intelligence that they had to act on so this team came upon the compound. the seals were deposited near the compound. they came under fire before even getting inside. nine kidnappers were holding these hostages. the military says all nine of them were killed in this assault. they found the two hostages at an outdoor encampment. got them back on a helicopter and got them out of somalia. kyra. >> now the hostage taking appears to have been driven by ransom money, not terrorism, right? >> reporter: it appears so on the surface. there is a big militant group obviously in somalia, but they don't really have a lot of control of that area where this was. u.s. military official i spoke with said the kidnappers who were on the scene there don't appear to have any links or ties to an established militant group. obviously the president and the obama administration has made that part of africa a bigger focus in the last year or two. we've seen an international strike group patrolling the waters off somalia. there have been several targeted strikes both by special operations and by drone strikes to target militants in that area. yeah, this one appears to be for ransom. >> chris lawrence. let's add a little context to that. zain verjee has been following this for years and has spoken to ex-pirates, hostages, and those that fight piracy. zain, what message does this send to so he molly pirates? >> reporter: the u.s. is sending a strong message. we're not afraid and we're fed up and enough is enough. this was a really bold, daring raid that fortunately ended successfully. from all the reports that we're getting here, somali piracy has been a problem for years, kyra. they are a very well established, very well structured, incredibly well oiled and organized machine. many people would be surprised to know in some ways they work like a firm on wall street almost with investors, different structures and who gets paid what money. it's really down to the minutia. they've been causing a lot of problems on the high seas. this is a big blowback. >> all right. so how have the tactics changed, do you think? >> yeah. this is a really important point, you know? the somali pirates typically would go out, hijack a vessel, take it to somalia and then negotiate money for ransom to release the vessel, cargo and hostages. typically they wouldn't harm the hostages because that's their leverage. what's been happening, you have nato being much tougher on somali pirates. a lot more onboard security on vessels. you've also got a situation with the weather. the weather's not been that great. it's been tough out there for the pirates. what they've done is moved their tactics from on sea to on shore so you see kidnapping of individuals and using them for ransom. >> zain verjee, in london. thanks so much. back here in the states president obama wants to level the playing field between the rich and the poor. and he used his state of the union address to make that case for equal access to the american dream. >> the defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. no challenge is more urgent, no debate is more important. our country has a shrinking number of people doing well while a growing number of americans barely get by or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot and everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same set of rules. >> go to the white house and brianna keilar. brianna, we're getting specifics now on this economic blueprint that the president talked about last night. what can you break down for us? >> reporter: there were a number of policy provisions, kyra. of course, a big issue is that the president shouldn't be expecting congress to help out a whole lot on that. some of the things that he outlined that he wants. more manufacturing jobs. this is what he'll be touting today in iowa, arizona when he heads on the road this hour. that would be tax breaks for companies that bring jobs back to the u.s. getting rid of tax breaks for those who outsource as well as job training. for instance, for out of work americans, for veterans. then you heard him focus on energy production, domestic energy production, both fossil fuels and renewable energy. it was the tax on millionaires that he talked about that was central to this idea of fairness that you mentioned, that all-americans should do their fair share of work and also pay their fair share laying out that buffet rule kind of again but in more specifics that if you make $1 million or more you should be paying 30% tax rate or more. kyra, of course, this very much draws a contrast between the president and his presumed opponent. at least mitt romney. that's how the white house sees it. they expect that he'll go up against mitt romney who sort of we learned yesterday from the tax return he released and his projection for 2011 is paying a 14% tax rate, kyra. >> once that speech wrapped up we got the rebuttal. let's take a listen. >> we need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction. that politics is about cling to go rigid ideologies instead of building consensus. >> no feature of the obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some americans by krastigating others. >> strong words there. hearing the president and hearing republican governor mish daniels of indiana. >> it was interesting, kyra even earlier in the day before the state of the union you had republicans sort of knowing what the president was going say accusing him of class warfare. you heard him address that in the state of the union saying this isn't class warfare, this is common sense. one of the things that governor daniels said that was perhaps very much to the point of what president obama has to be on the defense for in his campaign is this republican claim that the president, yes, he did inherit a bad economy, but that he's actually made it worse. you heard daniels say that. a lot of republicans say that. big vulnerability for president obama will be that 8.5% unemployment rate. we saw that last month. it's not expected to budge. he's making his case, he will continue to in the months to come, that he is helping to turn the economy around. it may be slow going, but it's heading in the right direction and the american voters should give him more time, kyra. >> brianna keilar at the white house. president obama also revealed a plan to help homeowners get cheaper mortgages. >> i'm sending this congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage by refinancing at historically low rates. no more red tape. no more runaround from the banks. >> christine romans live out of new york breaking this down for us. what do we know about the plan, christine? >> well, we know there's been a lot of red tape and run around from the banks for the past few years because there have been several -- actually, numerous rescue programs from washington that have helped maybe 1 in 4 of the homeowners that they were intending to. the president is saying, look, we want to make sure that homeowners can take advantage of low rates so they can lower their monthly bills. we don't have a lot of details. we know in the next few days officials are saying we should get more. it would have to go to congress. congress would have to pass it. this is a president who is campaigning against a do-nothing congress. he's saying if you could get those underwater homeowners a way to try to get -- to take advantage of low mortgage rates it would be helpful to the tune of $3,000 a year. who's underwater? one in four, kyra. you could very well be underwater, my dear, and i could be underwater, too. anybody who's bought in the last five or six years probably is. that means you owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth. if you're underwater, you can't take advantage of the super low mortgage rates because the bank says you're underwater on your loan, you don't qualify. the president saying that he has a new plan that would help people be able to be eligible for refinancing and we're going to learn more about it in the days ahead. >> i'll tell you. we need it in this country for sure. we need some type of new plan to help folks. >> haven't been able to fix the housing market. >> christine, thanks. i'll tell you what, it was a pretty tender moment as the president made his way to the podium for his speech last night. take a look at this. got to love it. the tears, the smiles, the hugs. the president gave it all to gabby giffords this. the arizona congresswoman got a 90 second standing ovation as she walked into the chamber. she's going to vote one last time today before submitting her resignation this hour. she's going to focus on recovering from that assassination attempt last january. when that happens, when the resignation letter is actually read, we are going to dip in live and show you that moment. well, the president didn't mention mitt romney by name, but did say the rich should carry their fair share hours after romney released his tax returns. paul steinhauser live in jacksonville, florida. romney's giving his rebuttal to the state of the union in 15 minutes whampt do you think, paul, was the president taking a big dig at him? >> reporter: he may not have named him but it seemed obvious, didn't it, kyra. mitt romney 15 minutes from now in orlando, florida, he'll give a response. let's start with the taxes. you mentioned that. the president said if you're making millions, you shouldn't be paying less than 30% tax rate. well, we know all about what happened yesterday morning with mitt romney coming out releasing his tax returns for 2010 and the estimates for '11. he's paying a lot less than 30%. another thing that struck me was the president very much touting his rescue, his bailout of the auto industry which he says saved lots of jobs up there in detroit and elsewhere around the country. romney opposed the federal intervention back in 2009 of the auto industry, the bailout. the so called bailout of detroit and big motors company. finally, what about the home foreclosure crisis. the president said we don't have to wait for the home foreclosure crisis, the housing market to bottom out to help people. of course romney has talked about that. three specific cases where he didn't mention mitt romney by name but it sure did sound like he was talking about mitt romney. kyra? >> okay. we're less than a week away until the florida primary, paul. are you ready? >> reporter: i'm ready. i'm here at the university of north florida. we've got a debate here thursday night. that's tomorrow night. wolf blitzer is going to be moderating. cnn, republican party of florida. this is the last debate before the primary next tuesday. we have brand new poll numbers out this morning in florida. look at this keer yeah. this is a survey of people likely to vote in next tuesday's primary. this was taken thursday through monday so before and after saturday's big win by gingrich in south carolina. these are the overall numbers, dead even basically, 36%, 34%. paul and santorum farther down. go to the next one, kyra. this is interesting. we break it down. that's thursday and friday before gingrich's victory in south carolina. you saw romney up by 11. look at sunday and monday's numbers. what a difference. this poll indicating that right now at least gingrich is surging here in florida. will that last a week? stay tuned. kyra? >> stay tuned indeed. paul, thank. as paul mentioned, tomorrow night, days before the florida primary, cnn and the republican party of florida teaming up. that's tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern right here on cnn. also coming up we're going to talk more about the president's state of the union address. he talked about how we're not going back to an economy hurt by bad debt and outsourcing. sounds good, but can he deliver on those goods? uh, i'm in a timeout because apparently riding the dog like it's a small horse is frowned upon in this establishment! luckily though, ya know, i conceal this bad boy underneath my blanket just so i can get on e-trade. check my investment portfolio, research stocks... wait, why are you taking... oh, i see...solitary. just a man and his thoughts. and a smartphone... with an e-trade app. ♪ nobody knows... [ male announcer ] e-trade. investing unleashed. life with crohn's disease is a daily game of "what ifs." what if my stomach pain and cramps end our night before it even starts? what if i eat the wrong thing? what if... what if i can't make it through dinner and a movie? what if i suddenly have to go? what if... but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your crohn's symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need visit knowcrohns.com/tv and use the interactive discussion guide to speak with your gastroenterologist. a state of the union guest list included folks like gabrielle giffords husband mark kelley, steve jobs widow, warren buffet's secretary. we know those names but a furniture guy from north carolina who did not outsource to china might best represent what the president was hoping to achieve last night when he was talking about the economy. let's go straight to john avalon. first off, john, give me your overall impression. did the president nail it when it comes to what he says he wants to reclaim the american dream? >> it was a strong and confident speech. the president speaking as commander in chief framing essentially an economic agenda with an eye toward a military frame. our military men and women should set an example. they should be set on a mission for the country. helping restore a sense of the american dream. he is drawing a contrast with republicans, no question, explicit and implicit. 's saying continuing on from that kansas speech positioning himself as the defender of the middle class saying government has a role in strengthening the middle class going forward. it could be a very good message for those middle class folks who have been feeling squeezed and forgotten. >> all right. we've got a quote here that i pulled from the speech. he talked about how he doesn't want to go backwards to an economy, quote, weakened by outsourcing, phony financial profits, and bad debt. it sounds good, but bottom line, did he give you any sort of solution that convinced you that he can bring work and jobs back? >> look, he did put forward some policy proposals that should on the surface bring about bipartisan support. there are things government can do to incentive advise people to bring jobs back home as opposed to creating tax code incentives for outsourcing and otherwise. these are serious, serious debates. the question confronting congress and the white house is whether they can find a will to work together on some of the issues which they actually do agree. you know, those do exist. whether you're talking merit pay for teachers, ending bailouts. that was an interesting proposal that needs a little bit more me meat on it. if they go under, the taxpayers won't be left holding the bags. the question is whether politics will overwhelm policy agreement in this political season. there's a narrow window where we can get things done. congress should feel a sense of urgency about it. their approval rating is 11%. they need to show the american people that they can get their job done too. it's not all on the president. >> before i let you go, let me ask you about the president creating this trade enforcement unit to investigate unfair trade practices in china. do we need another unit, another czar? >> normally when someone appoints a commission it's a nice way of saying into is going to get done. that said, i think he intentionally chose the word unit to make it sound more active. there are important things that can be done. mitt romney in a debate said the president hadn't signed any free trade agreements. there were three of them, columbia, panama and south carolina south korea. enforcing them is essential to make sure that american jobs and businesses aren't the a a competitive disadvantage. while i think there's a healthy skepticism around bureaucracies, committees, if this is targeting to folks on the real issues and partners with business, it could be beneficial to the overall-american community. >> thanks for joining us. egypt one year later. thousands of people marking the beginning of an uprising that toppled a regime, but is there really reason to celebrate? live pictures from the scene right after the break. was found, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ let's take you to egypt now where thousands of people are marking the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted leader hosni mubarak. a lot of people are saying, rather -- let's just get straight to zain verjee. she's watching the international news coverage and she's monitoring these live pictures. what do you think, zain? it definitely takes you back to that moment where we saw the square fill up during that uprising. >> really unbelievable to think that it was almost one year ago that this happened. when you look at these live pictures of tahrir square, you really remember how it was a geographical symbol of unity, of all of egypt. what's happening today, kyra, are there are so many did i advice sieve forceness that country. let me show you what they're saying. the national and united arab em rate says egypt's uprising continues to be a work in progress. there is little doubt there will be trials and tribulations ahead, but a year later the egyptian revolution is real. the national post in canada, egypt marks one year after the revolution. kyra, it says the anniversary, which is both exhill ler righting and frustrating, highlights the growing gap of public expectations of the post mm era and the revolution. the paper in turkey it says a year after the rev vee lugs egyptian turkish relations are booming. they're witnessing these rapid and unpredictable changes having been faced with so many different threats and challenges. one important thing to note that strikes me as we look at these live pictures coming to us from tahrir square in cairo, in egypt, that a lot of the people here support a group the united states has been very worried and weary about, the muslim brotherhood. the