on the broadcast tonight, the tax deal is a done deal. signed, sealed and delivered. now what does it mean for americans? who are these women? their photos, scorings of them, may solve an awful mystery. but the police are pleading for the public's health. "toy story." it's something a lot of parents are watching. are they trying to take the happy out of the happy meal? and tonight's "making a difference" report has got to be seen to be believed. he was the quiet man in town, and he's left behind a big surprise. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. they've been arguing and fussing and fighting for months in washington. but tonight, the tax bill has been passed, delivered to the president and signed, and while no one seems quite happy about the whole thing, the important part is what now happens in american homes and lives and families. taxpayers are supposed to get a break on their upcoming taxes. our white house correspondent savannah guthrie starts off our coverage from the white house to the hill with a look at exactly what has happened here. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the president portrayed this bill as a victory for the middle class but had to backtrack on a promise to let the lower bush tax rates expire. it was notable who was there and who wasn't. republican senate leader mitch mcconnell came, but democratic leaders nancy pelosi and harry reid did not, though there were

other key democrats there. the president acknowledged this had been a tough compromise for some in his party to swallow. >> candidly speaking, there are some elements of this legislation that i don't like. there are some elements that members of my party don't like. there's some elements that republicans here today don't like. that's the nature of compromise. yielding on something each of us cares about to move forward on what all of us care about. >> reporter: this is a massive $857 billion tax package. it extends the lower tax rates enacted under george w. bush for two more years. it extends long-term unemployment benefits for 13 months. and the estate tax is capped at 35% and kicks in for estates over $5 million. the president said he believes

the bush tax rates should expire for the top earners and they'll have a chance to fight on that again in two years, just in time for the presidential election. >> savannah guthrie at one end of washington. now remember this, all of this represents just one item on the agenda of this lame duck congress before they leave town on the christmas break, before the new congress comes in and gets sworn in. but there's a whole lot more to decide before they skip town. kelly o'donnell on capitol hill with the list tonight. >> reporter: good evening, brian. they've moved on to one of the top foreign policy priorities for the president, the new s.t.a.r.t. nuclear arms treaty with rushi. republican senators met with the president and told him directly that the democratic majority leader harry reid could harm the chances. their complaint the democrats plan to vote tomorrow on don't ask, don't tell, alienates

republicans who say if the treaty is so important, don't jump to those more controversial social issues. democrats say they have to act now, because they have the votes to finally repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. will republicans who don't want to see that change retaliate by killing the treaty? republicans say harry reid has poisoned the well around here but will vote on the treaty on its merits. but there's plenty of friction around here. >> quekelly, thanks. more on all of this sunday morning on "meet the press." vice president joe biden will be david gregory's guest. a day on the new white house report on afghanistan made it clear that pakistan is not moving aggressively enough against the taliban, three u.s. missile attacks have killed 53 militants on the border. that's the single highest number of deaths have any drone attacks

carried out of our chief foreign correspondent richard engle confirms the cia's top spy in pakistan has been pulled out of there. he's been named publicly in a lawsuit by the family of a victim of a u.s. drone attack. he quotes a senior intelligence official as saying the officer is returning to the u.s. after the decision was made that terrorists threats against him in pakistan were of such a serious nature, it would not be smart not to act. folks in los angeles woke up to a bracing image today, photos of 180 women, all the photos found in the possession of an accused serial killer. police say they hope the photos will help spur new tips in what's become known as the grim sleeper case. phone calls have been pouring in and for a lot of people just looking at the pictures is proving to be a wrenching experience. from los angeles, our report tonight from nbc's kristen welker.

>> reporter: the images seem never ending. pictures of 180 nameless women, each face a mystery. police say they all have one thing in common, a connection to suspected serial killer, lonny franklin, doubled the grim sleeper. >> these people are not suspects. >> reporter: 57-year-old franklin, an ex-auto me dannic, is charged with killing ten people, working class african-americans. detectives say he started his spree in 1985, killing seven people in his south los angeles neighborhood. and then more than 15 years later, he came back. the case was doubled the grim sleeper for the apparent time gap in the killing spree. franklin was arrested in 2010 when advanced dna testing linked him to the crimes. police say these pictures suggest there may be more victims. >> i think it's absurd to think he just stopped one day and started another day 14 years

later. >> reporter: according to investigators, these photos were found in franklin's home, taken from undeveloped film and videotape. police believe many of these images may be 20 to 30 years old. today, they're on the front page. hundreds of phone calls have poured into the los angeles police department. people who recognize missing loved ones. le'tania clark says picture 118 is her sister, last seen in 2005. >> i just want answers, because it's been five years. >> reporter: many community leaders have expressed frustration with authorities for their seemingly slow response to solving the killings. >> we would have seen a much more aggressive investigation on behalf of the law enforcement community had these been upper middle class white women. >> reporter: police believe they have their killer behind bars. >> there are over hundreds of investigators that participated in this through the 25 years trying to bring justice for these victims. >> reporter: they're hoping

these photos will shed some light on how many victims franklin had. women who may be unidentified but who are not forgotten. kristen welker, nbc news, los angeles. more news tonight regarding the biggest ponzi scheme in u.s. history. the one involving bernie madoff whose victims lost billions. tonight, they all learned they are getting a big chunk of it back. the estate of one man, one of the biggest investors who was swindzled by bernie madoff, has agreed to turn over $7.2 billion to the victim's fund. this investor died back in 2009. his widow says the settlement with the victim's trust fund honors what her husband would have wanted. there's a lot of news about the weather to report tonight as we head into the weekend. first, be happy we're not living in denmark. they're dealing with a storm across europe that's paralyzed traffic, not just on the ground, about 800 flights have been

canceled across the continent. in this country, something to worry about on both coasts. a monster storm in the western part of the country and the rumors of a nor'easter coming here to the east. which is why we need weather channel meteorologist chris warren from atlanta tonight as we head into this weekend. what can you tell us? >> reporter: the latest is it looks like that we are going to catch a break on the east coast. there was two possible scenarios that we are looking and it looks like we are going to be seeing the best case scenario out of this low pressure from sunday into monday, with minor to moderate impact. a little snow in parts of new england. the alternative would have been much worse. now, the west looks like we're going to see major impacts potentially here as an area of low pressure spins a series of disturbances and california takes the brunt of this. take a look at this.

snowfall totalling in the mountains in california, 6 to 15 feet. that's feet of snow. avalanche risk will be up there. strong winds, as well. and look at the rain. between now through midweek, brian, 6 to 12 inches of rain for the lower elevations. this brings the threat for flooding and mudslides. >> going to be an unbelievable weather event on the west coast. chris warren, thanks as always. because there's snow and then there's snow, we wanted to show you these pictures out of iowa where steve and betty ellers were out of town and when a relative went to go check and make sure the furnace was running, this is what he found. a side door blown open. they had suffered a rare in-home blizzard. snow was found everywhere, found its way into everything, closets, cup boards, you name it, there was snow in it. a loved one with a big heart cleaned it up before they got home. they sent in these photos to our nbc station out in sioux city. when our broadcast continues

from new york on a friday night, are they trying to take the happy out of the happy meal? well, some parents say, you betcha. later, a story you've got to see. it's our "making a difference" report in this season of giving. wait till you see what one man did for an entire town. if anything, i thought i'd get hit by a bus, but not a heart. all of a sudden, it's like an earthquake going off in your body. my doctor put me on an aspirin regimen to help protect my life. [ male announcer ] aspirin is not appropriate for everyone. so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. to my friends, i say, you know, check with your doctor, 'cause it can happen to anybody. [ male announcer ] be ready if a heart attack strikes. donate $5 to womenheart at iamproheart.com, and we'll send you this bayer aspirin pill tote. donate $5 to womenheart at iamproheart.com, it's that time of year. time for campbell's green bean casserole. you'll find the recipe at campbellskitchen.com. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™

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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. the mcdonald's happy meal long ago earned its place in the american culinary landscape. and as you may know, if you have kids, the happy meal is under

fire these days because of a simple thing that all parents know. if you put a toy in the bag, kids are going to want it. and the parents who don't want their kids to eat the food that comes with the toy are speaking up about it. nbc's lee cowan has the latest story tonight from california. >> reporter: if happy meals had a home outside their cardboard box, this household in cincinnati might be it. leslie started eating happy meals with her son 25 years ago. back then, he was enticed by the toys. she was enticed by the cheap meals. and ever since, their home has practically sprouted arches. >> to have something that they can play with that doesn't cost much is i think a good thing. >> reporter: while she sees the toying as collectibles, others see them as a ronald mcdonald plot to entice kids to eat poorly. >> i would like my children to make decisions about food aside from a toy that they would like to have.

>> reporter: monee parnham is leading a class action lawsuit, claiming they feature toys to bait children. which it claims is inherently deceptive and unfair. why? because she claims that kids aren't old enough to understand that ads for a good toy doesn't mean good nutrition. >> they then respond to those advertisements by asking me to take them to mcdonald's. >> reporter: asking, begging, even crying. whatever the tactic that little person uses to get their happy meal, it's usually pretty persuasive. but this has caused a lot of people to ask one basic question -- >> are you going to be the parent? >> reporter: are happy meal toys the problem? >> i think it's the most frivolous lawsuit that i've seen in my career. >> reporter: mcdonald's says it's proud of its happy meal and says it intends to vigorously intend to defend our brand, reputation and our food.

critics say the toys are the carrot. the bad diet is the stick. but for people like leslie, sometimes a toy is just a toy. and for parents, sometimes a no has to be a no. lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> we'll take a break. up next, believe it or not, a new reason not to have a working lunch on the job. [ male announcer ] humana and walmart are teaming up

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whether it's hatting or octopi or 167 ounces of molson golden, tossing things on the ice is a tradition. so could you believe 23,000 teddy bears for charity? it rained stuffed animals onto the ice for what seemed like several minutes. it's an annual event and the hitmen later delivered the toys to a children's hospital. confirming our worst fears, we've learned officially that eating in front of your computer makes you fat. people who ate lunch while parked in front of their screens ate more than other people did

during the day. it's the distraction that makes people less aware of the volume of what they're eating. sgz >> this nation has lost another medal of honor recipient. melvin biddle, acting as an army infantry scout, he took out three machine gun nests and killed 13 germans single handedly, allowing the allies to advance into the town. when president truman placed the medal around his neck at the white house, he famously said on that day, people don't believe me when i tell them i would rather have one of these than be president. melvin biddle of indiana was 87. his death now leaves 86 living recipients of the medal of honor. up next, a man all the neighbors thought was frugal, tight with his money. wait till you hear what they think about him now.

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the robitussin relief finder. it's that simple. the robitussin relief finder. this holiday, do you really want to cut corners by using a broth with msg? swanson chicken broth has no added msg. so for a perfect meal, the secret is swanson, 100% natural chicken broth. sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur.

alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. fair warning. this next story is going to get to you. our "making a difference" report this friday night comes to us from our nbc station up in minneapolis-st. paul. it's a story about what happened recently in a small minnesota town on the border with iowa, where a 94-year-old retired

farmer named lauren krueger died last year. all his neighbors knew lauren to be very tight with his money. but that was before lauren krueger had the final word. he made a difference. we get tonight's story from reporter boyd hooper. >> reporter: there are people in big cities who would consider this harsh, unwelcoming country. people who wouldn't give a nickel to live in leroy, minnesota. who wouldn't pay the quarter they charge for coffee at the senior citizens center. people who need to pull up a chair and listen. as eileen evans tells the story of small-town values, and a check. >> we didn't know what to do. >> reporter: the envelope arrived from the estate of 94-year-old lauren krueger. a retired farmer, who had seen his share of sadness. having lost his first wife.

then his second. having lost his only child, a teenage son, to cancer. but long before he passed away last year, lauren gained a reputation. >> very frugal. very frugal! he was very careful with his money. >> reporter: apparently so. for as he humbly lived out his days in this white frame house on main street, lauren quietly amassed -- >> he held on to it. >> reporter: a fortune. >> i say let me see it. i've never seen a check like that before. >> reporter: that first $20,000 check was followed by two more. $100,000 each. >> i said, my gosh, look at this, look at this! >> reporter: up to then, the seniors had been getting by on what the county gave their center, $600 a year. >> well, we got $220,000 total. >> reporter: and lauren wasn't done. >> he loved his church.

>> reporter: he willed roughly $1 million to st. patrick's catholic church. then he revealed an ecumenical streak. when lauren left the presbyterians more than $400,000, too. >> we're looking at the new steel roof we put on our church, thanks to lauren. >> reporter: checks for the same amount were delivered to bethany bible church and the lutherans, who have already used some of the gift to repair their bell tower. >> we were notified through his attorney. >> reporter: that old pumper truck, plans are to replace it with a new one thanks to the $220,000 lauren left the fire department. >> this is our corner. >> reporter: another $220,000 allowed the ambulance service to build an apartment. >> so we have to get another bed in here. >> reporter: for its on-call emts. >> nobody knew. >> reporter: all told, lauren spread some $3 million around a town of 925 people.

but to suggest that the giving ending in a $3 million flurry is to show you you have a little more to learn about leroy. the churches were all aware the town's assisted living center needed a new kitchen. >> the stove will go here. >> reporter: so together, they're sharing some of the money lauren gave them to build one. >> it's just the type of community we live in. >> reporter: the seniors wrote a new check for the school play ground and joined by the lutherans in paying for improvements at the community pool. >> makes you feel good. >> reporter: good, the way the seniors felt when they wrote a $10,000 check to grace christian church. >> we thank you for your generous gift. >> reporter: which had the misfortune of being the only church in leroy, founded after lauren had made out his will. >> why not give it away? it was give to us. we didn't have it before, so why not help other people that are in need, too? >> reporter: frugal was the word

pinned on lauren krueger in life. generous is the way he'll be remembered. >> it's astounding what he did. >> reporter: there are still people who wouldn't give a nickel to live in leroy. but folks around here prefer to put their faith in the kind of person who would give everything. boyd hooper, leroy. >> told you that was a great story. our thanks to boyd and all our great friends in the twin cities and for all of our viewers who have come to love our "making a difference" reports here on the broadcast. we wanted to let you know, we'll have one each night all next week, all of them in keeping with the theme of this season of giving. for us, for now, that's our broadcast on a friday night and this week. thank you as always for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we hope to see you right back

here on monday night. in the meantime, have a great weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com .