on this sunday night, tow d torture debate. dick cheney with a forceful defense of harsh techniques used on terror suspects saying he would do it again in a minute. jail break. the dramatic escape by three dangerous inmates who outsmarted guards in alabama. tonight the latest on the manhunt. under attack, new fallout from the cyber assault on sony pictures and the hot new property the hackers have stolen. troubled waters. the shocking finding about the world's oceans polluted with more plastic than we thought. and the sandwich man, making tens of thousands of them to go

for those who really need a hand. >> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. no apologies or regrets from former vice president dick cheney for the harsh iin tear gs techniques. the former vp called it necessary as he delivered a powerful counter attack on nbc's "meet the press." he took strong exception to the senate report and contrary to its conclusions told chuck todd that the interrogation techniques absolutely worked. kristin welker is at the white house with more on this. good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. facing criticism after the intelligence report was released this past week, dick cheney was

unapologetic this past week and said the bush administration got it right. dick cheney unwavering in his support for the harsh interrogation tactics on his watch and today he ratcheted it up. >> i would do it in a minute. >> long periods of water boarding were necessary and insisted the procedures were not torture. >> torture is what the al qaeda terrorists did to 3000 americans on 9/11. there is no comparison between that and the interrogation. >> he called it more politically motivated. >> i won't use a word on your show, but it is a crock. >> reporter: and he claims the interrogation tactics provided credible information. >> it worked. it absolutely did work. >> but one of the strongest critics of the program, john mccain, who was tortured as a

prisoner of war in vietnam, took to the senate floor to argue just the opposite. >> i know from personal experience that the abuse of prisoners will produce more bad than good intelligence. >> reporter: and today mccain again questioned cheney's claim that the techniques worked. >> it is not about them, it is about us. it is about us. what we were and what we are and what we should be. >> reporter: democrats said what happened was, in fact, torture. >> with respect to waterboarding and the vice president is obviously comfortable with it. i consider it to be torture. >> reporter: still there seemed to be little appetite on either side of the aisle for opening up debate. and the question now is what this means for the future of the cia. >> i think going forward you'll see cia officers hesitant to use these kind of techniques as long

as they remember this investigation. but it is hard to change an institution for many generations. >> reporter: now chain by disputed the claim that george bush wasn't regularly briefed on thein tear gans program and cheney said today quote, that is a flat out lie. lester. >> kristin, thank you. more damage to sony pictures as a result of the hacking attack on the company's computer system. this reportedly included new disclosures of what sony executives said about some of the biggest stars and the theft of a high-profile movie script. we have the latest from joe fryer. >> reporter: james bond has a new villain and his next film isn't out yet. like a scene from sky fall, the hackers have attacked.

spectre which is still in production, it was hacked. there is concern that third parties who received the screenplay may seek to publish it. the hackers say they are just getting started. >> they promise more to come and they say merry christmas that will deliver devastating thicks -- things so sony. >> after some didn't have nice things to say about leon ardo dicaprio and george clooney. so far pascal has apologized after public e-mails. sony have not commented on the latest. >> it will get a lot worse before it gets better. >> today recode which partners with nbc news, there is another

batch of data posted on a file sharing website. >> by disclosing precise operation about how the studio operates, it rips the veil off an industry that has worked through smoke and mirrors. >> reporter: some say the ramifications could be felt for years. sony is planning a town hall meeting tomorrow but the hackers who call themselves guardian of peace don't seem ready to take a holiday break. joe fryer, nbc news. it has been a tense 15 hours after a jail break sent three dangerous jail mates on the run. it happened in butler where the inmates overpowered a guard. tonight with two of them captured, a massive manhunt is under way for the third, an accused killer. we get more from janet sham

line. >> reporter: tonight the charges are added of jail break that is something out of a movie. the third suspect considered extremely dangerous is still on the run and authorities say because he is charged with capital murder, they believe he feels he has nothing to lose. a multi state manhunt intensifying for capital murder suspect 23-year-old marcus woodard, one of three inmates who made a break for it in alabama early on saturday. he was alongside gordon and cul bert when they made the escape. >> one of my jailers were overpowered. >> the men were in a single cell and persuaded the guard to open the door when one of them appeared to be sick, vomiting on the floor. >> one of the guys took his keys, opened the gate and fled and the other two subdued the jailer. >> two of the inmates attacked the jailer, wrapping his head in

a towel and spraying his face with liceol. they stole his keys and cell phone and made their escape. a police dog tracked them to this bank parking lot a quarter of a mile away. and that is when the trail went cold and the manhunt started. >> we put out a call for all responding -- adjacent county for assistance. we have a very small sheriff's department so we are using all of the help we can get. >> residents in the community of 1800 are on edge awaiting word. >> you are scared an you get nervous and you don't know what will happen and you hope they are not in this area and got out of town. >> reporter: they did just that. culbert was found in a movie theater parking lot in duska lisa. and culbert suspected of involvement in a double murder hid from cameras in this police suv. the sheriff said he's optimistic

woodard's freedom will be short-lived. >> reporter: the two men captured won't have an opportunity to make plans again. they are being held in separate facility. as the manhunt continues in two states for the third suspect, dozens of agencies are now involved. lester. >> janet, thank you. this was a weekend of protests around the country, calling for greater accountability after the police use of deadly force in ferguson and other places. among demonstration if oakland last night, several fires were started on the street, including the burning of the american flag. several windows at a whole foods store were broken and 45 people were arrested. in new york after a peaceful afternoon, protested by 30,000 people, things turned ugly on the brooklyn bridge as protesters threw debris on the breath and two officers were injured.

and in downtown boston, 23 people were arrested, for trying to shove past a line of state troopers. it is official tonight, no government shutdown after the senate approved a 1$1.1 trillio spending plan that will fund through next september. president obama has said he will sign it into law. >> a growing health concern to report in the national hockey league. an outbreak of the mumps, 13 of them so far, the latest was sidney crosby of the pittsburgh penguins. players on the abba heim -- anaheim ducks and the new jersey devils have also been diagnosed. it causes painful swelling of the glands between the ear and the jaw. people in california are keeping an eye on two storms that are expected to pass

through as mudslides brought on by torrential rains and there could be more heavy rain and the possibility of more floods an mudslide. the same big storm system that pummelled california is heading east bringing rough weather to the middle of the country. let's bring in kim cunningham with the latest on that. good evening, kim. >> good evening, lester. we are watching it. and bringing severe weather to oklahoma. even a tornado north. and snow in the denver area. so this is going to move east. we'll watch this move east. as it does, it is a warm event. what i mean by that, we're really going to warm up out ahead of it. so winter taking a high atous a little bit but for the east coast expect temperatures above average. above average week for a lot of us for temperatures and a rain event threw tuesday for the east coast. where it will be winter is here in the central and northern

plains where we could pick up 5-8 inches of snow from this. so we'll watch one storm pov east and the next one coming into california tomorrow. again, not as bad. back to you, lester. >> kim, thanks. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this sunday, a concern about the health of the world's oceans. they may be far more polluted than we thought. and [prof. burke] it's easy to buy insurance and forget about it. but the more you learn about your coverage, the more gaps you might find. like how you thought you were covered for this. [boy] check it out,mom! [prof. burke]when you're really only covered for this. or how you figured you were covered for this. when you're actually paying for this. you might be surprised at what's hiding in your coverage. talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ [announcer] call 1-800-farmers and see how much you could save. hard it can be...how ...to breathe with copd? it can feel like this. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

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new report that came out this past week on the state of the world's oceans. specifically the finding that they contain more plastic than first thought. we get more from our chief environmental affairs correspondent, anne thompson. >> alaska's rugged shoreline, home to brown bears and sea otters. looks pristine from a distance but not close up. >> it is just debris literally everywhere. >> this scientist finds plastic on the coast of the sparsely populated 49th state and new york's congested long island. >> look at this. this is all trash. >> yeah. and you can clean up a little bit if you take a walk, you could spend your whole walk picking up garbage and come back the next day and there is just as much. >> reporter: a new study said there are mind boggling 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in

the world's oceans, nearly 300,000 tons. marcus ericson said that is enough of two liter plastic bottles to go to the moon and back twice. few pieces are that big. >> 92% are the size of a grain of rice or smaller. >> reporter: but ericson and his colleagues didn't find as many as the tiny pieces as expected. >> we found, as it got smaller, the salt and pepper size fragments were disappearing from the ocean surface. they are not on the surface. they could be spare else and that is where we are concerned. >> reporter: they could be sinking deep below the five gyres where plastic accumulated or entering the food web. >> we are finding a more enzo plank continue in sea birds and mammals. >> reporter: the sea birds mistaking plastics for food. >> can we solve this problem? >> well we made it, so

presumably we could solve it. >> california has banned single use plastic bags and some manufacturers are using plastics made from plants that break down in months, not years. the american chemistry council believe that littered plastics of any kind do not belong in the environment and should be recycled whenever possible. reducing, reusing and recycle, to prevent a walk on the beach from being a walk among trash. anne thompson, nbc news, stony brook, new york. we're back in a moment with brook, new york. we're back in a moment with the health can change in a minute. so cvs health is changing healthcare. making it more accessible and affordable, with over 900 locations for walk-in medical care. and more on the way.

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the football world's most prestigious award was awarded to oregon quarterback marcus mariota, at a time when the has perm conduct issues many were struck by his humility last night. here is part of what the hiawai native had to say. >> i hope this is only the begin. young athletes everywhere you should take this as inspiration for greatness. this is the hardest part. finally, mom and dad, and the rest of my family, thank you. thank you for sacrificing and providing me and matt every opportunity we could have. words can't express how much it

has meant to me. i'm truly grateful to have you guys in my life. >> marcus mariota, heisman trophy winner. tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of the premier of gone with the wind. while the film quickly found its place in history, the set that's with the movie's back drop did not. but that may soon change as we hear from nbc's gabe guiterrez. >> it was a story for the ages. >> frankly, my dear, i don't give a damn. >> but in the final scene, when scarlet vows to return home, few would have imagined what would become of her precious home. >> it is in the dairy barn/museum. >> it is in a dairy barn. >> welcome to tara. >> peter barner is restoring one of the most famous facades of

all time. it turns out tara wasn't a real house after all, just a set. >> this is where scarlet moves in and out of the house. and the set is right here. >> those pillars and grand cathedral windows were built in california in 1939. they sat on a movie lat for 20 years and were eventually sold to a georgia socialite for $5,000. now bonner is trying to rescue tara one more time. >> it amazes me that there is any left. the story of survival is in the barn in that tara is still here. >> still here and drawing audiences once ghagain. >> i got tears when i saw it. >> emily has watched the four hour film a dozen times. >> to see the pieces and hold them in your hand is just a story you'll take with you forever. >> reporter: as bonner will tell you, if the deep south the past

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finally tonight, in the season of giving we learned about a man who gives back all year long. he's in minneapolis and he's come to be known as the sandwich man. using his own retirement money and the generosity of others to help those who might otherwise go hungry. here is nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: after shelters and soup kitchens close, this van hits the road. for many it is the only food they get. >> he really helped me out. i don't have no food in the frig right now. >> every night he makes the rounds through the streets of greater minneapolis, delivering home-made sandwiches to people on corners, in housing projects and to children. >> how are you doing, mr. law? >> enough to feed hundreds. >> i bring food for hundreds and if i don't see that, i leave enough food for 1600 a night. >> reporter: it is an effort he began when he was a teacher.

>> i would stay on the streets until 1:00, 1:30 in the morning and come in and sleep for three hours and start the day. >> reporter: when he retired, he stepped up the effort. now making deliveries all night long. >> what made you take this on as a cause? >> i don't know. ever since i was a young kid i knew i had to help people. >> reporter: through a nonprofit organization he founded, thousands of volunteers from nursing homes, corporations, even the boy scouts donate the groceries and help make the sandwiches. >> i've seen people out on the streets before, and i'm like, i wish i could do something about that. and then i'm like, yes, i can do something. >> reporter: all of the sandwiches are store the in his apartment. >> you have 17 freezers in this apartment. >> well there is ten right here and two in the kitchen and three in the bedroom and two in the dining room. >> this year alone he's passed out 720,000, earning him the

nickname sandwich man and now it is an inspiration. >> we get e-mails every day because we are starting a food drive because of allen. >> reporter: and he says he is just one man going the extra mile. >> i don't want people looking at me and saying he is wonderful. we are all part of the puzzle. it is as simple as that. >> reporter: rehema ellis. nbc news. that is "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. up next, football night in america followed by the cowboys versus the eagles. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of here at nbc news, good night.

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. >> announcer: nbc sports. exclusive home of the nhl. premier league. primetime's number one show. sunday night football and super bowl xlix. a look at the skyline of philadelphia where tonight first place is on the line in the nfc east as the 9-4 eagles host the 9-4 cowboys on sunday night football. celek and the eagles had a 33-10 loss onning thanksgiving. jason witten and the cowboys are trying to reach the post-season