follow the leader. tonight, newt gingrich hoping a key endorsement boosts his surging campaign to topple mitt romney. border crisis. a deadly air strike, now a diplomatic mess. tonight, the investigation amid funerals and fury in pakistan. education nation. the growing number of public schools going virtual, kids taking classes in their pajamas. royal rescue. prince william answers the call in a daring mission at sea. and reaching for the stars. the business of celebrity auctions. >> 350 now. >> bigger than ever. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. just over five weeks now until the iowa caucuses kick their presidential race into high gear. and tonight a high profile endorsement is shining the spotlight on newt gingrich's surging campaign. it comes from the leading newspaper in new hampshire, where the nation's first presidential primary will be held just after the start of a new year. it was only last june that gingrich's campaign seemed on the verge of a premature death, when his campaign manager and senior staffers walked off the job. now, as we rapidly approach a key moment in this contest, the former house speaker seems positioned to challenge mitt romney's status as unofficial front-runner. nbc's kristen welker starts us off tonight from the white house with more. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. this endorsement doesn't really guarantee anything. but in this crowded and volatile race, every little bit helps. citing his record of helping

balance the budget while serving as house speaker in the '90s, the union leader editorial is a shot in the arm for the latest republican front-runner. newt gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate, but republican primary voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running. drew kline, the editorial page editor, dismissed former massachusetts governor mitt romney as a play it safe candidate. >> he doesn't want to offend everybody or anybody. he wants to be liked. he wants to try to reach out and be very safe, reach out to everybody, bring everybody on board. imagine that that would be like as president. >> reporter: in the past 30 years, "the union leader" only supported two republican candidates who went on to win their party's nomination. ronald reagan in 1980 and john mccain in 2008. and although the latest new hampshire poll shows romney with a commanding 27 point lead over

gingrich, the race has been volatile from the start. >> a lot of voters haven't made up their minds for sure yet. one-third of mitt romney voters see newt gingrich as their second choice according to the latest unh poll. there is lots of time here for voters to make up their mind and for those polls to change. >> reporter: today, other candidates downplayed the importance of the gingrich endorsement. >> i'm getting whiplash watching these people go up and down. it was an unthinkable a month ago for newt gingrich to get the endorsement of "the union leader". >> the good news is most of my supporters have stayed on the cain train, as we say. >> reporter: all eyes are also on iowa where gingrich is leading in some polls. mitt romney, who lost the state back in 2008, has only recently started to wage a more aggressive campaign there. lester? >> kristen, thanks. for more on where this race stands and where it is going, we turn to our chief white house correspondent and political director chuck todd. chuck, mitt romney has watched

challengers rise and fall over the last few months, all the while keeping potential questioners, ie the press, at arm's length. any reason that may change? >> i don't know if it is going to change, lester. this is a strategy, rudy giuliani tried to use this four years ago. he was the national front-runner. then finally as support started eroding in iowa, new hampshire, he decided to do national interviews and they turned into a disaster, it piled on. mitt romney doesn't want to allow the media to do what opponents could do, which is to take his various issues and use that against him showing, well you said this in one year, you said this now, which side of a specific issue are you on, whether it is immigration, abortion, et cetera. he wants to avoid that. one thing he has going for him, while newt gingrich is rising in the polls now, right now newt does not have any money. he hasn't run a single paid television ad, direct mail piece, anything in the state of iowa. that's where he's got to get things started.

and that's where all of the negative ads could come against romney. and right now newt doesn't have the money. >> chuck todd on our washington newsroom. chuck, thanks. a few more hours remain for bargain hunters in this opening weekend for holiday shopping. and so far it has been a record breaker. for some insight on that and more, let's bring in cnbc's chief international correspondent michelle caruso-cabrera. michelle, will this news power the markets out of the recent slump? >> it is certainly going to be very well received by the markets, lester. it confirms a lot of other recent economic data we have seen which shows the economy is getting better. it is not great, but getting bet enand puts to rests the fears we had in late august maybe we would see a second recession. however, at the same time we have to be very worried about europe. last week economically speaking was a dangerous week for europe. we're starting to see things in their financial system that were similar to what we saw in the fall of 2008 that should have served as warning signals for us. so the coming week is going to be critical for europe to see if they can come up with any kind

of policy decisions. so that may cause the markets to suffer and the consumer spending we have seen from this weekend may not be good enough to lift it. >> michelle, thank you. now to the diplomatic crisis reverberating from islamabad to washington. after a nato air strike near the border of afghanistan and pakistan that killed two dozen pakistani soldiers. nbc's atia abawi joins us from kabul with the latest. good evening to you. >> reporter: good evening, lester. well, tonight exact circumstances of the attack remain unclear. the u.s. and nato are investigating as the pakistanis bury their dead. a day of mourning in pakistan. the flag-draped could havens of 24 soldiers killed in a nato air strike that appears to have gone terribly wrong. the attack sparked protests across the country today, pakistanis demonstrating the rage and distrust of nato and the united states. while most of the anger was

aimed at the u.s., some blame their own civilian government for giving america the opportunity to kill their soldiers. >> translator: our existing political leadership has become the guardian of american interests. our leaders have literally mortgaged the pakistani people and put a pakistan for sale package across the globe. >> reporter: the pakistani soldiers were in two border posts near afghanistan in an area where militants are active. afghan officials said today their troops and nato forces called in the air strikes after they came under fire from the direction of those pakistani border posts. the attack prompted pakistan to clez two bo close two border crossings. many drivers are afraid of becoming sitting ducks. last year when pakistan shut down one crossing after two soldiers were killed in another nato air strike, insurgents atacked the supply trucks, setting many of them on fire. for their part, the u.s. state department and the pentagon

released a joint statement last night saying that top u.s. officials have been in touch with their pakistani counterparts and stressed, in addition to their sympathies and a commitment to review the circumstances of the incident, the importance of the u.s.-pakistani partnership. a tense partnership now facing its most serious challenge in years. and in addition to closing the border crossing, pakistan has also ordered the u.s. to vacate an air base used for cia drone missions. lester? >> atia abawi in kabul tonight, thanks. for more on the situation with pakistan, let's bring in retired army general and nbc news military analyst barry mccaffrey. if the u.s. loses access to those supply routes through pakistani definitely, how badly does it hurt u.s. operations in afghanistan and the pursuit for terrorists along the border? >> well, lester, i think we're one step short of a strategic crisis. probably 50% of the tonnage that supports 150,000 nato troops, 800 miles from the scene, comes

in through the port of karachi and up through the khyber pass or the southern route. so i do not believe we can sustain a presence, probably more than about 90 days, and continue operations at this rate. so we have got to talk to them. we have got to pay them. we have got to apologize for the strike. we have no option literally. >> we appreciate your insight. general mccaffrey. elsewhere in the region, the arab league has approved sanctions against syria in an unprecedented move against a fellow arab nation. egypt maintains a tinder box since the arab spring. ayman is in cairo for us this evening. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. for months, the regime of bashar al assad has tried to suppress a popular revolt against his rule. the united nations estimated 3500 people have been killed. tonight the strongest attempts to stop that killing is coming from the arab league here in cairo.

a critical vote in the arab league, a near unanimous decision by arab countries to punish one of their own. the syrian regime now under sanctions for its deadly crackdown on an eight-month-old protest. qatar's prime minister announcing the list of measures, they include, quote, a ban on syrian officials traveling to arab countries, banking restrictions including the freezing of syrian government accounts and restricting trade with syria. just outside the arab league headquarters in cairo where the vote took place, the future of another arab revolution unfolds. on the eve of egypt's first post revolution parliamentary elections, a warning from the head of its ruling military counsel. egypt is at a crossroads, either it succeeds politically, economically and socially or the consequences will be extremely grave, he told journalists.

ten months after egyps drove out president hosni mubarak in a popular uprising, tomorrow's vote will be the first true democratic test for the arab world's most populous country. despite security concerns and political upheaval, a record voter turnout is expected. the elections come after a week of deadly clashes between the security forces and protesters, many frustrated by a military counsel that has increasingly tried civilians in military tribunals, suppressed free speech, and failed to deliver key political reforms. but if egypt wants america's shining example of stability in the middle east is any indication, the change sweeping the region is bringing with it a great deal of uncertainty. in libya, where a transitional counsel is struggling to impose law and order after the death of moammar gadhafi, a group of men surrounded a plane from naishing

tunisia and delayed its takeoff. they were protesting their government's failure to investigate a deadly crash last week in libya. lester, back here in cairo, polls are getting ready to open in seven hours. international observers, even a u.s. congressional delegation arrived in the country to observe the first round. the elections will take place over the course of the next several months. so it is well into 2012 before a fully functioning parliament is up and running. back to you. >> ayman, as amazing as that scene is behind you, we recognize tahrir square, a small part of a big country. what is the mood in general on the eve of these elections? >> reporter: there is no doubt a great deal of anxiety across the country. security primary concern for people and voters. they're expecting a record turnout tomorrow. but there is no doubt there is a great deal of tension and uneasy calm following a very deadly week here, lester. >> ayman, thank you very much. the students caught up in the clashes in cairo are back

safely in the u.s. they returned home to three similar scenes of hugs and smiles from relieved families. the students deny they were on a roof throwing firebombs as egyptian authorities alleged. appearing with his mother this morning on "today," sweeney described the first night in custody as the scariest of his life. >> we spent about seven hours in the fetal position with our hands behind our back, handcuffed in the dark and they were behind us with guns saying that if we moved at all, they would shoot us. >> an egyptian court ordered their release after a week behind bars. when "nbc nightly news" continues, the growing number of kids going to public school, not in the classroom, but at the kitchen table at home. later, the business of celebrity auctions, hotter than ever. ♪ [ man #1 ] i was fascinated by balsa wood airplanes since i was a kid. [ man #2 ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines.

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serious investors are choosing fidelity. open an account today and get a $500 apple gift card. back now with our education nation report on the growing number of schools across the country that are offering, some even requiring, online classes for middle and high school students. in fact, some of these public schools exist completely online. we get our report tonight from our chief education correspondent rehema ellis. >> reporter: it is time for school for allison shanaki. >> i wake up at 8:00. i eat breakfast. i go to my school. >> reporter: for allison, class is right at home. >> in the kitchen, on the table, in my room. >> reporter: she and her brother noah are enrolled full time in the florida virtual school, an internet-based public school. virtual schools aren't fading quickly, from students from kindergarter to 12th grade, allowing them to take all or

some of their classes from home. they can answer questions by e-mail, phone, even video conference. >> it is providing them fields they're going to need time management, and consistency in your work. communication with instructors. >> reporter: and just like a student, some teachers do it right from home. nationwide, 250,000 students are enrolled in full time virtual schools, up 40% in the last three years. 30 states offer a full-time online education to at least some students. advocates say this technology is one way cash-strapped districts can save money. variety and flexibility are major draws. >> we don't believe that virtual schools are going to replace public schools. we believe they're going to change them. >> reporter: still, some question the effectiveness of online learning, saying more research needs to be done. programs do include teacher and student interaction, critics argue school is about more than just completing a lesson.

>> schools historically in this country existed not simply to teach people to read or count, but also to teach them how to be citizens. >> reporter: for the shanakis, the ability to juggle school work around busy schedules is part of the allure and challenge. >> you have to push yourself harder. no one is here saying you got to do it and jam it down your throat. >> reporter: a new way of teaching and learning, redefining just what it means to go to school. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. when we come back, it is britain's prince william to the rescue. we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities

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some wet weather from the midwest out of the southeast made for slow going for travelers on the long road home this holiday weekend. a lot of folks are dealing with flight delays at the country's busiest airports this sunday after thanksgiving. also taking to the skies today, leave tenant william wells known to you and me as prince william, he's not just second in line to the british throne, he's also an officer with the british royal air force and today he was a man on a mission, a life saving mission. we get the story today from ana bell roberts. >> reporter: early this morning in the cold waters of the irish sea, a man waved frantically from a life raft. a helicopter was sent to rescue him. the co-pilot, the future king of england himself, prince william. the eight-man crew of the cargo ship had been sailing along the west coast of britain in atrocious weather. >> he was hit by an enormous wave. she rolled and it sank very

quickly. >> reporter: first one survivor and then a second were plucked from the life raft. one member of the crew was found dead, five are still missing. on board the helicopter, the survivors found themselves beside the heir to the british throne, prince william, who flew them to safety. in april, the queen visited the base in wales where william is spending three years at the royal air force search and rescue pilot. his brother prince harry has also faced danger, while serving in afghanistan, he carried out patrols in hostile areas and said he's keen to return. >> prince william always said when he became a servicemen, he wanted to have a proper job. there is no way he could be posted like his brother prince harry to the front line in afghanistan because of his role as the future king, but he is a service man, he's not going to shirk his responsibilities. >> reporter: william and his new bride kate middleton live a relatively normal life not from far from william's base. but he will be deployed to the

south atlantic, kate's first taste of the typical life of a military life. this rescue was the prince's most harrowing mission to date, but no doubt there will be more like this as the future king spreads his wings. ana bell roberts, nbc news, london. up next, a touch of celebrity, what price would you pay? i was taking a multivitamin... but my needs changed... i wanted support for my heart... and now i get it from centrum specialist heart. new centrum specialist vision... helps keep my eyes healthy. centrum specialist energy... helps me keep up with them. centrum specialist prenatal... supports my child's growth and development. new centrum specialist is a complete multivitamin that gives me all the benefits of centrum. plus additional support... [ all ] for what's important to me. [ male announcer ] new centrum specialist helps make nutrition possible. [ male announcer ] new centrum specialist sometimes life can be well, a little uncomfortable. but when it's hard or hurts to go to the bathroom, there's dulcolax stool softener. dulcolax stool softener doesn't make you go,

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it has been a busy season with high end bidders reaching for the stars, and coming this week, what could be the biggest auction of the year in one of the ritziest zip codes in america. here is nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: when never before seen home movies of marilyn monroe on the set of the 1959 classic "some like it hot" surfaced recently, it wasn't because someone just found them in the attic. this was part of a well crafted marketing campaign, the whole movies are going on sale. >> starts at 500. >> reporter: lauren moore of tinseltown's treasures are hitting the auction block. >> look at that. exclusively designed for elvis presley. >> these are our artifacts. >> reporter: this week, one of the largest collections of hollywood memorabilia ever sold will be auctioned off in beverly hills. >> there is something for everything, contemporary hollywood to vintage hollywood and to lady gaga right to john lennon.

>> reporter: want george harrison's suit from "it's a hard day's night," cyndi lauper's "girls just want to have fun" frock, they can be yours for a price. hollywood auctions like these have become big business. last month, michael jackson's "thriller" jacket was expected to go for about $200,000. it ended up selling for 1.8 million. and when elizabeth taylor's jewels hit the auction block next month, they're expected to fetch as much as $50 million. and all of that money hasn't gone unnoticed. with real estate tanking and wall street on the roller coaster, some serious investors say owning a piece of hollywood isn't just sentimental, it is smart. michael eisenburg has been collecting hollywood memorabilia for 20 years. this week he has his eyes on these pictures from marilyn monroe's first photo shoot. >> tomorrow morning, you can lose 10%. it is very hard to go down 10%

for a piece of mim deemorabilim. >> reporter: it could go for $10,000. while it may sound like a lot, some optimistic investors with stars in their eyes are hoping one day all this stuff will be worth much, much more. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, beverly hills. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. coming up next, "football night in america" followed by sunday night football, the steelers take on the colts -- or take on the chiefs, i should say. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. from all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com