on the broadcast tonight, over and out. the war in iraq officially over. richard engel is live in baghdad as american troops have lowered the flag. they now begin the last leg of their journey home. contagion. one of the most deadly viruses imaginable. why scientists created it. and now the debate over how much to reveal about it. buyer's remorse. a potentially dangerous sign for retailers and our economy this holiday season. and making a difference with random acts of kindness during this season of giving. random acts of kindness during this season of giving. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening.

at a ceremony in baghdad today, the americans lowered the flag and it was a quiet ending to a war that went bad not long after its spectacular start. this ends close to nine years of warfare and the u.s. exit from iraq comes after a high cost. nearly 4,500 american troops dead, more than 32,000 wounded. on the iraqi side, eimates e, begin at 150,000 dead. the cost in dollars to the u.s., around 2k4r8z$800 billion. some estimates put that at a trillion. please remember every american who served there volunteered for duty while their families sacrificed greatly here at home. and tonight, here's what it looks like to wait for a ride home, and not just any ride. a few members of bravo 224 of the 25th of virginia national guard unit en route to ft. hood, texas. they all need a ride out of camp virginia in kuwait tonight.

they will be airborne while most americans are asleep. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in baghdad where he lived for many years covering this war and where he covered today's ceremony. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. for the more than one million u.s. troops who served in iraq, this is the end of an era. the iraq war defined their lives, in some cases ended their lives, and now it's over. ♪ >> reporter: for a big war, it was a remarkably small closing ceremony. a few hundred troops, a five-piece band on a base by the airport on the edge of baghdad. but with the casing of the colors, the u.s. military command in iraq ended a mission that began what feels like so long ago. >> we cannot know the duration of this war. yet we know its outcome. we will prevail. >> reporter: at least now we

know the duration. america's costliest war in decades officially ended today. >> your nation is deeply indebted to you. you have done everything your nation asked you to do and more. >> reporter: this ceremony has been nine tough years in the making. after an invasion, elections, a civil war, a surge and finally a training mission, for the first time the u.s. military command no longer has a presence here in iraq. this is now a sovereign nation. there is still one mission left -- to withdraw the 4,000 remaining troops in iraq in the coming days. most have already made it south to kuwait where they go through inspections and wait for flights home. major allison daye was skyping with her children in texas. >> i love you! >> reporter: she used to read them stories by phone from iraq. she'll see them soon. >> what do i want for christmas? i want santa to bring me home.

does that work? >> i asked for that, too. >> reporter: the major now only wants one thing. >> waking up in the morning and having their cute little faces there. >> reporter: the war has been controversial and costly, but the troops by and large are leaving with their heads high. >> iraq is doing their own thing. they are their own country now, up and running. it's wonderful. >> reporter: did america prevail? iraq's future remains uncertain. but today, december 15, 2011, will be written the day america's war in iraq ended in time for the holidays. what was conspicuously absent today, brian, there were no parades among iraqis, no victory celebrations, no thank yous. >> richard, you spent a good chunk of your adult life there. how does it feel today? >> reporter: i'm worried about what happens in this country, brian. i'm worried that the violence could return. i'm worried that the united states embassy footprint with thousands of security contractors could antagonize

iraqis. the infrastructure in this country is still very poor in many parts of baghdad. there are only a few hours of electricity a day. the iraq war is ending for the united states but it might not be ending for iraqis. >> richard engel in baghdad tonight. richard, thank you very much. and now we turn to this country to the campaign trail, the final gop debate before the iowa caucuses tonight and the stakes are high again for newt gingrich who has been under attack from his rivals all week. our report tonight, a preview from our political director chuck todd. >> reporter: newt gingrich meeting with voters in fort dodge, iowa, today, trying to get his game face on for tonight's debate. >> i think we actually have to solve problems, not just bicker about them. >> reporter: this as mitt romney threw the proverbial kitchen sink at him in two separate interviews tuesday. >> zany is not what we need in a president.

zany is great in a campaign. he's been unreliable in his support of the most important conservative principles of the time. i think it's difficult to replace a career politician if you are just another career politician. if you have a half a million dollar purchase from tiffany's, you're not a middle class american. >> reporter: gingrich is being attacked by the republican intelligencia. the influential national review penneded an unusual editorial coming out against gingrich without endorsing an alternative. >> our main concern has been to warn republican primary voters about the frontrunner who we think is a deeply flawed candidate. >> reporter: gingrich spent most of his day in interviews with key iowa media admitted it hasn't been easy to stay above the fray when attacked relentlessly. >> your first reaction when somebody attacks you, lies about you or hits you in the kidneys politically, your first reaction is to hit back. well, my campaign is entirely based on the idea that i'm not going to hit back. >> reporter: he addressed shortcomings including how he came to grips with personal indiscretions in the '90s, comparing it to being a recovering alcoholic. >> it wasn't hubris.

which is what drunken power would imply. it wasn't that i felt i was bigger. it was that i felt so tired and i tried to do so many things that i felt empty. >> reporter: in a separate interview with the des moines register, gingrich, whose half sister is gay, was asked if being gay is a choice. >> i believe it's a combination of genetics and environment. i think both are involved. i think people have many ranges of choices. people choose to be celibate. >> reporter: sparks may fly tonight at the final debate in sioux city. chuck todd, nbc news, washington. >> there are new numbers tonight that will get your attention. according to the census bureau 1 in 2 americans is either low income or poor now. that's a total of 146 million of our fellow citizens and a reflection of how the middle class has been squeezed and even working people are having difficulty paying for food, gas, heat and medical care. wages for low income workers have fallen over the last 30 years or stayed flat while

earnings of the top 5% of households, as we know, have soared. and a separate study says a record number of children in this country are homeless. the study by the national center on family homelessness puts the number at 1.6 million. that's 1 in 45 kids in this country. that's up a staggering 38% from 2007 when the economy started to go south. some of them were on capitol hill today talking about what their lives are like. >> we'll be staying in a motel. >> i have lived in over 16 places in my life. six shelters, for times doubled up with many different people. we had our own house six times. >> we lost everything. it affected my attitude because i lost all my friends over and over again. i was afraid to get close to people because i knew we had to move again. >> i have seen my dad cry the last month more than i have in my entire life. when i see my father cry it hurts me a lot because i know he is trying his best and it still

isn't good enough. >> another grim way of looking at the extent of this problem. there are now more homeless children in this country than there were in the days immediately following two huge natural disasters -- hurricanes rita and katrina. there is new trouble tonight for this country's best known sheriff, joe arpaio from phoenix, arizona. known for things like making prisoners wear pink underwear and putting them on chain gangs and more recently for his crackdown on illegal immigrants. tonight the u.s. justice department says the sheriff and his deputies went too far. they have been violating the constitutional rights of latinos. we get more from nbc's george lewis. >> reporter: sheriff joe, as he's known in phoenix, is famous

for periodic raids on high crime neighborhoods including places that have a lot of latino immigrants. >> this is our 17th crime suppression operation. >> reporter: his tactics put him at odds with the obama administration and today in a sharply worded 22-page rebuke the justice department said the maricopa county sheriff's office engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing directed against latinos. >> law-abiding residents of maricopa county who are caught up in the web of unconstitutional activity and unlawfully stopped, detained and sometimes arrested. >> reporter: the justice department said that in the phoenix area latinos are four to nine times more likely to be stopped by deputies than nonlatinos. the justice department is giving the sheriff 60 days to change the way he does business. and if that doesn't happen the department threatens to sue him. the mexican-american legal defense and education fund is

already suing the sheriff. >> i think that joe arpaio is a textbook example of how not to police consistent with the constitution. >> reporter: the sheriff has long accused the obama administration of making him a scapegoat. >> we do not racial profile. when they can't get you on anything else they throw up the race card. >> reporter: late this evening the sheriff called it a sad day for america as the department of homeland security cancelled his authority to conduct immigration screenings in his county jail. george louis, nbc news, los angeles. >> now to the national obsession this time of year. holiday shopping. just ten days left until christmas. retailers say the season got off to a record start. they expect holiday sales of $469 billion, up almost 4% over last year, but that's a projection. we are also learning about something else. not everyone at the busy stores and malls is there to shop and spend. some are expressing buyer's remorse and returning things that they have already purchased. craig melvin is with shoppers in herald square in new york. good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening

to you. as you can see behind me here the usual preholiday energy is alive and well. thousands of shoppers rushing about with their bags and packages. but this year thousands of shoppers are also rushing in to stores to take back what they have already bought. >> bought too much stuff. >> reporter: jennifer moreno had to take back the discount barbie she snagged during the black friday madness. >> did a lot of shopping, got some deals and bought it when i saw it? >> reporter: now? >> now it's easy to return. >> reporter: more and more americans are returning what they bought before they even wrap it. this year shoppers are expected to return a record $217 billion worth of merchandise. that's 14% more than last year. one big reason, buyer's remorse. >> people bought too much in the panic of black friday week, broke their budgets and have to return merchandise now so they can finish their gift buying later in december.

>> reporter: leaving retailers competing not just for sales, but for returns. >> there is no time limit. that's the best part. >> reporter: at kohl's, you don't even need a receipt. the bulk of returns are electronics. companies that make and sell them will lose $17 billion on returns alone this year. that's up 21% since 2007. >> we think it's a great time to be in our business. >> reporter: bill angrick has a warehouse full of tvs, tablets and more. on liquidation.com he auctions returned merchandise. he credits 30% growth in his business to smarter online shoppers. >> when you can check on your smartphone where to get the best price that often leads to someone finding a better deal somewhere else. >> reporter: this man bought a pallet full of tvs he plans to sell at his electronics store. >> if people weren't returning merchandise i would be out of business. >> reporter: retailers' loss is his gain. >> people are looking for

bargains. they want to save money. they shop around. that's how we get business. >> reporter: so, brian, it looks like this year with just a few holiday shopping days left the lines at the register will be long and so will lines at the return counter. >> craig melvin outside macy's herald square here in new york. thanks very much. we'll take a break. as "nightly news" continues, a new virus that could be a serious killer created in the lab. now a pressing question -- is the research too dangerous to share with the wider world? and later, the christmas display saved from foreclosure. just one of many random acts of kindness that are making a difference this holiday season.

back now with a story that

got our attention today. scientists have created a flu virus on purpose in the lab that could potentially kill a lot of people. now a big fight is about to erupt over how much to reveal to the wider world about it. we get more tonight from our chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: starting with the virus that causes bird flu, two scientists have created a highly contagious version in the laboratory that one calls probably one of the most dangerous viruses you can make. a government committee is deciding how much detail scientific journals should reveal when they publish the studies. and the controversial decision is due soon. some top scientists think the entire project is wrong. >> i think it's a bad idea for us to take a lethal virus and transform it into a highly transmissable one and it's a second bad idea to publish the results. >> reporter: bird flu called h1n1 first jumped from chickens to humans in hong kong in 1998

and was deadly, killing about 60% of the people infected. the city stopped the outbreak by killing all chickens. since then periodic outbreaks have occurred in southeast asia, but the virus has never been very contagious, infecting only a few people at a time. the two scientists, one in europe and the other at the university of wisconsin, genetically altered wild bird flu so it could be easily transmitted from person to person. they proved it by using ferrets which transmit flu like humans. they submitted to results to two top journals, "science" and "nature." scientists did this to see what would have to happen in nature to make a pandemic. others say it could be a cookbook for terrorists. a government panel will make the recommendations. but it's not certain the journals will follow them. >> scary stuff. bob bazell, thanks, as always. up next as we continue, a better than average family portrait just released today.

there is a new family portrait of the first family. by the way, to all the parents out there who have kids who grew up too fast it sure looks like both parents are hanging onto those beautiful girls for dear life. malia and sasha are now 13 and 10. the portrait of the obama family was taken after they returned from church on a recent sunday by white house photographer pete sousa. in an interview with "people" magazine the obamas talked about family life these days. neither daughter is allowed on facebook. while they admit to being technologically behind the obamas have a dvr in the white house. they like watching "modern family" and the president said he likes grittier shows like "boardwalk empire" and "homeland." it's the talk of the web, what did vladimir putin do to his

face? pictures of putin from just a while back compared to a televised appearance today show something's up. in the great tradition of our own aging hollywood stars putin has looked different lately and finds it a little more difficult than usual to crack a smile. there is a joke going around russia these days to the effect of, "who says there are no new faces in russian politics"? the golden globe nominations are out. while we will put them all for you on our website tonight, suffice it to say some guys made out well. clooney got three nominations. gosling got two. and maybe audio is overrated. the first silent film in years in general release, "the artist" got the most nominations. "the descendants" and "the help" also did well. it is the annual curtain raiser for the oscars. it will air january 15th here on nbc. up next tonight, something we are seeing all across the country this time of year. it's our making a difference report tonight.

despite all our troubles these days from all over the country, stories are coming to us about the random acts of kindness that happen this time of year and it reminds us what this time of year is all about. so tonight nbc's kevin tibbles

has tonight's making a difference report. >> reporter: this christmas, good king wences would be proud. when this unemployed plumber lost his wallet, he lost the money for rent and his daughter's gift. cue the good samaritan of san jose. >> i broke down in tears, gave her a big hug. she comforted me and said, "it's okay, it's okay." >> reporter: kathy silva, a single mother seeking work found the $1,300, returned it and refused any compensation. >> i didn't feel i needed a reward for returning something that belonged to someone else. >> reporter: jim jordan lost his home to foreclosure in costa mesa, california, and his 40-year tradition of putting up a snoopy lights display was in jeopardy, so the town stepped in to host the festivities outside city hall. in the carolinas 200 packages containing pearls were tucked away here and there with the

message, "finders keepers from hg pearls, a christmas treasure." >> it's the season for giving and it's good for the people. >> reporter: in hard times there is always need. this salvation army center in chicago wants to give toys to 1,200 kids but so far there are only 200 to give. a secret mrs. santa in michigan asked who was buying toys on the layaway plan and paid the bill anonymously. >> i thank her. it's the best gift i ever received. it's the gift of believing in people. you know, believing that there is good out there. >> reporter: and in columbia, south carolina, santa asked the three miles children what they wanted. >> my daddy. >> reporter: a precious christmas surprise from the middle east was delivered safe and sound. >> daddy! >> daddy! >> reporter: often the best gifts don't cost a penny. >> daddy! >> reporter: kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> that's our broadcast on a thursday night.

thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i'm doing very well, thank you. >> thank you. >> right now at 6:00 and only on "nbc bay area news." we hear from him for the first time after the brutal attack outside a giants dlsh