dan hicks with one final good-bye from hsherwood. mcdowell and tiger gave it their best today, but in the end best today, but in the end mcdowell is the champion. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

what's going on ? we're fine. we just figured since it's taking forever to pay off our mortgage, we might as well slow our whole life down. touch the ball. get rid of your mortgage faster. get an easy orange mortgage from ing direct. pay less interest, pay more principal, pay it off sooner. yes !

tax it breaks. who benefits from the deal being hammerered out? out of work. are today's unemployed tomorrow's unemployable? how to improve your chances of finding a job. backup plan. why all cars will soon be required to have a rear view camera. and on course will this be the start of a comeback. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. it won't be just the christmas credit card deals come due next month. uncle sam in january will be taking a bigger chunk of your paycut. that's because the tax cuts we've all known in the past ten

years are about to expire. but after ekes of political pob turing over whether to extend those tax cuts to just certain americans both sides tonight appear to be on the verge of compromise, determined to reach a deal perhaps as soon as this week. as to what that means for your bottom line, let's turn to nbc's mike viqueira following all of this at the white house. >> reporter: now hope tonight that the president, republicans and congressional democrats can come together and agree in time for all americans to avoid a tax hike at the end of this month. today signs from both sides that a deal on taxes is taking shape. >> bottom line on the extension of the tax rates, unemployment benefits being extended, you see a compromise here in short order. >> i think the american people expect us to work together to make sure their taxes don't go up and we're working on that package. >> reporter: aides say president obama is willing to go along extending lower rates for all americans, including top earners, couples making more

than 2 fw$250,000, $200,000 for singles. >> we don't want no tax increases on nobody. that may be poor grammar but great economics. >> reporter: but under the deem deal, extension for the top earn hes would only be temporary. aides say the president would insist that unemployment insurance that expired last week for some 2 million americans be reknewed. that is must-have for democrats. >> i can tell you that without unemployment insurance being extended, personally this is a no-starter. >> reporter: saturday democrats tried and failed to block an extension to lower rates to the wealth country. after the vote, the president called for compromise. >> we need to redouble our efforts to resolve this impasse in the next few days, to give the american people the peace of mind that their taxes will not go up on january 1st. >> reporter: in fact, a deal was already in the works.

after his remarks, the president called nancy pelosi and harry reid to the white house. later at the vice president's home, pelosi huddled with joe biden and treasury secretary tim geithner. this morning they were willing to go along with the brokered deal. >> the president is fighting to get the unemployment insurance they've held hostage. >> reporter: it goes without saying that the tax cuts for the middle class will be extended indefinitely, but one question remains. how long will the extension be for the higher income earners? once that's resolved, the president hopes to see a package on the floor of congress by midweek. >> mike, thanks. let's drill down a bit further with john harwood, chief washington correspondent for cnbc. john, mike really asked the question, how long might an extension we see for the higher earners, and what would keep this from not being a done deal at this point? >> there's still haggling to go and democrats have to make sure their base is comfortable with

the concessions president obama has made. but it appears that they're headed toward a perhaps two-year extension of all of those tax rates, three years would get it past the 2012 presidential election but it ace costlier in terms of the deficit. one year would put congress right back here on the next year. the smart betting i think is on the two years. >> a middle class tax cut was essential of course. obama's campaign promise. does he pay a political price with his base for extending it to the wealthy? >> yes, he does. he's getting his middle class tax cut but conceded on that point. they don't have a lot of leverage given what happened in the election, given the fact that even before the election democratic lawmakers were not willing to go to the mat to advance the position of rolling back those tax cuts at the top end so it appears as if this is the event that's been dictated by the voters. >> and dictated by the clock as well, correct?

>> absolutely. we only have a few weeks before all the rates would go up. nobody wants that outcome. and you can't see the outlines of a situation where republicans feel greater responsibility for running the government, not just what president obama has done and the president is trying to indicate he's willing to meet the republicans halfway as well. >> john hared wood, thanks. now to the latest on wikileaks. one week after the release of hundreds of thousands of state department cables, after companies in this country and france took down the wikileaks web site, sweden and switzerland became the main access points. as for the man behind wikileaks, he says he continues to receive death threats. peter alexander has the latest from london. peter, good evening. >> lester, good evening to you. one month to the day since julian assange was last seen publicly. the illusive founder of wikileaks remains defiant, now threatening he could expose another tidal wave of sensitive information if anything happens

to him. >> reporter: it's a secret cache of unsensorored files. julian assange is threatening to release the archive of documents if his web site is shut down or he's arrested. assange told online readers that more than 100,000 people worldwide have already downloaded the heavily encrypted files. if something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically, he wrote. the files are believed to include documents on bp, bank of america and guantanamo bay with one reportedly called insurance locked by a 256-digit cold that only assange knows. >> it's a ticking time bomb with a remote fuse so this bomb can go off the second that they release the key. and the key will spread around the internet in a matter of seconds. >> reporter: assange's lawyer defended the move on the bbc today, arguing wikileaks has been the target of attacks and censorship.

>> they need to protect them sfs and they believe this is a thermal nuclear device in the electronic age. >> reporter: the latest cables as reported in the "new york times" revealed blunt often pessimism tis efforts in the u.s. efforts to disrupt terrorist finances in the middle east. donors in saudi arabia constitute the most significant source of funding worldwide. others describe the united arab emits as a gap. kuwait as a key transit point. one republican today called assange a high-tech terrorist. >> he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. if that becomes a problem, we need to change the law. >> reporter: of the 39-year-old is wanted for keing by swedish authorities after allegations he raped and sexually assaulted two women in august, accusations he vehemently denies. even if he's arrested, it could

be some time before assange would return to sweden. >> anticipate a final result within six months. >> as for the wikileaks threat, assange's lawyer tells nbc news that only 261 out of 250,000 files have been exposed and more continue to be released. u.s. government officials and future diplomats including college students, have been receiving warnings not to read those sensitive duocuments. >> it's hard to believe no one was keeping track of him. is there any idea where he might be tonight? >> well, there is indications tonight, including some from his own attorney, that he is still here in britain. they're not saying specifically where he is. they say because of those death threats they are not disclosing that information. scotland yard has said that it will contact assange's attorneys before they make the arrest, but at this point, nothing is is so far. >> peter, thank you. iran made a defiant

statement today about its ability to carry out its nuclear program on its own. it said that for the first time it had mined raw uranium making it independent of foreign suppliers. but western officials said iran does not have enough uranium ore needed for a network of nuclear reactors. a spokesman says the announcement raises new questions about iran's intentions. in northern israel, officials declared the worst fire in the country's history under control. it raged for four days, killing 41 and burning 12 with,000 acres. palestinian firefighters are usually barred from entering israel helped battle the fire, so did an american 747 that carries 20,000 gallons of water and fire fighting chemicals. back in this country, an early blast of winter weather has settled in from the midwest down to florida. the weather channel's adam berg

joins us with the latest. >> gang, it is cold out here. you see where with the blue is, right down to florida? temperatures way below average over the next few days. here's why. we've got this arctic ring that pushed in. with clockwise flow around high pressure, you can see the arrows bringing cold air down. this is why we expect it to hang around. we've got that big ridge right over greenland. we call that a greenland block. so the whole pattern is basically congested, that means the cold air has a hard time getting out of here. because of that, the numbers are really going to suffer. plus, there's a lot of wind. so windchill values are really going to make things brutal. monday highs, d.c. barely out of the 30ss, in atlanta, way below average for the middle of january, even colder if you can believe it on tuesday. 10, 15, 20, even 25 degrees below average. again, wind will be a huge, huge issue. a little bit better once we get into wednesday and then almost no wind toward the latter part of the week and the temperatures will bump up a bit. two to three really rough days,

maybe good indoor weather, then you're back to it. >> adam berg from the weather channel, thanks. as the country's unemployment rate rose to 9.8% last month, it brought into focus one of the unfortunate realities facing the long-term unemployed, the longer they're out of work the harder it may be for them to find a job. here's more on this. >> reporter: 51 year old tim smith has been unemployed sincety 0 2008. he's only been on three interviews and where his potential interviewers might think he's lost his edge. >> it's frustrating to think you're being perceived that way because i don't know what to do about that. >> reporter: job seekers are noticing a pattern, employers looking to fill vacancies with those who already have a job. it's listed in posting after posting, must be currently employed, xmruing those who need

those who need work the most from applying. >> there's a perceived image your skills are not where they need to be, not on top of the latest technology or not on top of the latest buzz in your industry. >> reporter: in fact, statistics suggest the longer people have been out of work the harder it is for them to find a job. the newly unemployed are three times more likely to it find a new job than those who have been out of work more than a year. experts say the key to being marketable is staying busy, volunteering your time and citing that as professional experience. >> put in a very strong few sentences on what you're doing in teams of volunteer work and how that work is very current with today's market demands. >> reporter: tim smith is doing just that. while he continues looking for a job, he's producing an independent documentary. >> even though i'm not working right now, i am really busy. >> reporter: taking on a labor of love while waiting for a different kind of work.

nbc news, new york. still to come on "nbc nightly news," a new effort to protect children from a hidden driving hazard. and does he have what it takes to make a winning comeback? did you know a problem in your heart can cause a stroke in your brain? it's true. an irregular heartbeat, called atrial fibrillation, or afib, can make a blood clot form, here, in your heart, that can break free and go straight to your brain where it can cause a serious stroke. having atrial fibrillation gives you a 5 times greater risk of stroke than if you didn't have it. strokes that are twice as likely to be deadly

or severely disabling as other types of strokes. if you, or someone you care for, have atrial fibrillation, even if you're already taking medication, there are still important things you'll want to know. for a free interactive book call 1-877-afib-stroke, or log onto afibstroke.com. learn more about the connection between atrial fibrillation and strokes, and get advice on how to live with afib. and with this valuable information in your hand, talk to your doctor. call 1-877-afib-stroke today. [scraping] [piano keys banging] [scraping] [horns honking] with deposits in your engine, it can feel like something's holding your car back. let me guess, 16. [laughing] yeeah. that's why there's castrol gtx... with our most powerful deposit fighting ingredient ever. castrol gtx exceeds the toughest new industry standard.

don't let deposits hold your car back. get castrol gtx. it's liquid engineering. nothing beats prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn with prevacid®24hr, all day, all night. nothing works better. we have a sobering story now about car safety and the startling number of children killed or injured every year by drivers who back over them. as a result, the government is about to require backup cameras offering a rear view on every new car. in just five years. nbc's tom costello has more. >> reporter: as a parent, some things in life you never get over. for the nelson family it was losing one of their three kids. >> truly in our wildest nightmares we never thought we'd

lose a child. >> reporter: alec was just 16 months old when he walked right behind an suv as it backed down the family driveway. >> all it takes is an instant that somebody doesn't realize where that child is. >> reporter: it was with adrian's father, alec's grandfather, who had carefully checked all of his mirrors but never saw alec behind the car. >> he was destroyed on the hill while i held him. i said, it's not your fault. i forgive you. >> reporter: it's a tragedy repeated all too often. every week in america 48 children are injured and 2 die after being backed over. a consumer reports investigation found the bigger the vehicle the bigger the blind spot. sedans have a blind spot of 12 feet on average, minivans, 13 feet, suvs 14 feet and double that on pickups to 30 feet. but backup cameras can make a huge difference. here's the problem. i know there are three children right now standing behind this car, but i can't see them in

this mirror, can't see them in this mirror or that mirror. it's not until i put the car in reverse that those three little ones pop up in the rear view camera standing right behind the license plate. now the transportation department is set to require backup cameras in all new cars by 2014. >> no one would buy a car if you couldn't see 20 or 30 feet going forward, but we all have been buying vehicles where we can't see 20 or 30 feet going backwards. >> reporter: for the nelson family and alec's grandfather being a crusade that's intensely personal. >> i think's still hard for him and probably will be until he leaves this earth. >> reporter: tom costello, nbc news, washington. up next here tonight, high honors for some of the greatest figures in american culture. ease arthritis symptoms. y but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion.

because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor about your medical history

and find an arthritis treatment that works for you. ask your doctor about celebrex. and, go to celebrex.com to learn more about how you can move toward relief. celebrex. for a body in motion. about how you can move toward relief. ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering.

in texas it took only a few seconds to bring down part of a ft. worth landmark, one with side you of the football stadium at texas christian university was was imploded today, the first step in a renovation project that costs $100 million. home games resume in the stadium next season even as reconstruction continues. in the bering sea off alaska, a ship lost power, it's 738 feet long and has a crew of 20, carrying almost 500,000 gallons of fuel. it's expected to reach dutch harbor on tuesday. big night at the white house this evening, the annual kennedy center honors.

president obama paid tribute to five outstanding cultural figures, oprah winfrey, paul mccartney, jerry herman and country legend merle haggard. >> to many people, the superfluous is necessary. the theater is necessary. dance is necessary. song is necessary. the arts are necessary. they are a necessary part of our lives. the men and women here tonight embody that idea. their work has enriched our lives, it's inspired us to greatness, and tonight it is my honor to offer them the appreciation of a grateful nation. >> president obama at the white house tonight. coming up, a nail-biter for tiger woods out to win his first tournament in a year.

a real cliffhanger in california as tiger woods found himself in a sudden death playoff trying to win his first tournament in a year. we've got the story tonight from nbc's george lewis. >> reporter: aiming for a shot at redemption, tiger woods who in the last 12 months has been kind of a lost soul -- >> been a long year. >> reporter: a year when he graced the covers of all the tabloids with multiple alleged mistresses, a year when his wife elin divorced him, reportedly

walking away with a $100 million settlement. >> for all that i have done, i am so sorry. >> reporter: a year when he lost his mojo here at the masters and other major tournaments, hitting into the rough, missing putts, failing to win tournaments. but this weekend at the chevron world challenge in thousand oaks, california, a tournament he help ee eed sponsor, woods w four strokes ahead of the competition going into today's final round. >> i think this day is very, very important to him, regardless of whether or not he's going to let on about that. >> reporter: woods, who as part of his effort to rehabilitate his image has been on twitter talking to fans saying, yep being it's me being i kind of like this twitter thing, predicted that today he would shoot a 66, four under par. but, in the final round, he started badly, missing putts on

the early holes and struggling on a very unlucky 13 with a double bogey. as his playing partner, u.s. open partner mcdowell, took the lead. in an exciting finish, mcdowell hit an amazing putt in the first playoff hole to beat woods by one stroke. >> it was close. we had a good battle out there. >> reporter: so now tiger woods will have to wait until 2011 to get back p in the winning column. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. up next, football night in america followed by nbc sunday night football, the steelers versus the ravens. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online.