reagan asking for more time away from his mental hospital but it turns out he's been lying about what he's really doing when he says he's at the movies. also tonight, about last night. also tonight, about last night. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. even in this bad economy with so many folks out of work, if you have any money at all connected with the stock market there is a good chance you made money today. the market was up big. the dow was up almost 500 points. nasdaq and s&p also up today and coming off some pretty good shopping numbers over the past few days, some folks are wondering what this means and if there is anything larger at work here. cnbc's sue hererra starts us off tonight from cnbc global headquarters. so, sue, that's the question. what is at work here?

>> basically, you're right, brian. we have had better economic news lately. but what really sent wall street soaring today was that central banks from around the world threw an economic lifeline, if you will, to europe's troubled banks. wall street has been or very worried that all the debt problems that have been unfolding, if you will, over the past year or so in europe would spread here to the u.s. what the central banks did was they made it extraordinarily cheap for those banks who need to get extra cash. they can now get it and borrow it from banks around the world for a very minimal sum. it basically buys the banks time to get their economic house in order. >> so is this, by any chance, larger good news for the folks watching tonight whose investments or perhaps retirement accounts did, indeed, have a good day? >> i think it is. it's a step toward resolving what's a huge crisis. that's led to the volatility on wall street. one day you look at your portfolio and it's up big like today.

you could look at your portfolio another day and it's down big. if this helps smooth out the volatility we have seen on wall street lately, that's a big step in the right direction really for the american investor and the american consumer. >> sue, thanks for helping us out with this. sue hererra from cnbc global headquarters tonight. now we turn to health news and a staple of so many american families in the news. there is a new study out tonight in consumer reports. it's about apple juice and specifically what's in it. tests found arsenic in samples of ordinary store-bought apple juice and some of the levels they found are raising concerns about the risk of cancer. our report here tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: it's yet another warning about potentially troubling levels of arsenic in both apple and grape juice. inorganic arsenic has been linked to skin, blood and -- lung and bladder cancer. 88 juice samples were tested and 10% had total arsenic levels

higher than the limit set for drinking water by the fda. that a limit is ten parts per billion, but for a 154-pound adult, not a child. >> kids have much smaller weights, much smaller bodies. they don't need that much to reach their daily arsenic limit. >> some of the best known brands in america have arsenic in their apple juice. >> reporter: it was just two months ago that the dr. oz show raised similar concerns about arsenic in apple juice. at the time the fda questioned the findings. >> the sum total of the data says the arsenic we have in the u.s. apple juice supply is at very low levels, levels that don't cause us to be concerned. >> reporter: the fda said it would be concerned if arsenic levels exceeded 23 parts per billion. on the "today" show this morning, the juice industry noted only one sample for grape juice exceeded that level. >> the juices are safe. the industry is committed to meeting whatever science-based

standards the fda sets. if fda scientists decide that the science justifies changing the standard then the industry will meet it. >> reporter: because kids drink so much apple juice there will be a new national standard not to exceed 3 parts per billion. that would be considerably less than the current standard for water which is 10 parts per billion. the fda now says it is considering a new standard to reduce consumer exposure to arsenic in apple juice. to many parents that makes sense. >> these are our children. we need to be more careful, especially with our little ones. >> it's certainly not something that you expect to hear -- that there is arsenic in apple juice. >> reporter: the question is how much is too much? no one is calling for parents to stop giving children apple juice. the issue is about setting new, tougher standards, brian. >> what parents watching tonight especially with young kids will want to know about is brands. the brand they serve at home, if it's on the list or not. if so, what should they get?

>> the trouble is that the results really varied. different levels of arsenic between brands and even within brands bottle to bottle. it was produced in multiple countries including the u.s. the complete consumer reports is on our website, nbcnightlynews.com. again, the headline is the fda will look at setting new guidelines. >> tom costello in the washington newsroom tonight. tom, thanks. now we turn to presidential politics. the increasingly wild race for the gop nomination. a lot of political types will tell you in a way it's un-republican party. it's personal, messy, unsettled. sooner or later somebody has to emerge. while leaders have risen and fallen we get the first results from iowa in less than five weeks. until then it's mitt romney and newt gingrich trading jabs. herman cain looking like he's sticking with it while under attack. our report tonight from nbc's lisa myers. >> how you doing?

>> reporter: with newt gingrich on the rise mitt romney today went on the air in new hampshire emphasizing that he's a creature of the private sector. >> i spent my life in the private sector. i have competed with companies around the world. >> reporter: in an interview romney took a shot at gingrich portraying the former speaker as a career politician and a washington insider. >> speaker gingrich is a good man. we have different backgrounds. he spent 30, 40 years in washington. i spent my career in the private sector. >> reporter: gingrich countered with a jab about romney's wealth underscoring his own humble beginnings. >> i haven't been as a successful as mitt romney, but when i babysat at fort reilly, kansas, and when i was a pin setter in a bowling alley, preautomatic machines. i set pins and worked as a gardener. >> reporter: with the emergence of gingrich as romney's main challenger, the vulnerabilities

of both candidates were on display. romney became testy when pressed about mandating health insurance in massachusetts. >> brett, i don't know how many hundred times i have said this, too. this is an unusual interview. okay. let's do it again. >> reporter: gingrich rolled out some of his trademark incendiary rhetoric calling a judge an anti-religious bigot and suggesting michele bachmann is factually challenged. >> the voters will be good over time as distinguishing between people who know facts and people who don't know facts. >> the greatest danger to newt gingrich is success. when he's doing well he tends to exaggerate, make a big mistake. >> reporter: as for embattled herman cain he proclaimed that stupid people are running america. lisa myers, nbc news, washington. former penn state football coach jerry sandusky was sued today by a new accuser in the child sex abuse scandal.

the first one to sue for damages. the man identified in court documents as john doe a. is now 29 years old and says sandusky molested him from 1992 when he was 10 years old to 1996. says the abuse happened in the penn state locker room, in sandusky's home and on the road. in a handwritten statement, the man talked about his anguish now that the scandal has become public saying, quote, i'm hurting and have been for a long time because of what happened. but feel now even more tormented that i have learned of so many other kids were abused after me. a former colorado sheriff who was well known in the rockies for his toughness and bravery is now sitting in a jail that bears his own name after being arrested on charges that have shocked his community outside denver. our report tonight from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: shackled and appearing frail, it's a stunning fall for a man once revered as a law enforcement icon in colorado.

patrick sullivan, the former sheriff of arapahoe county arrested yesterday by deputies from the department he once ran, accused of trying to exchange methamphetamine for sex with a man. >> it's sadness for our community. well beyond the sadness, no one is above the law. >> reporter: patrick sullivan spent a lifetime in law enforcement in the denver metro area. in 1989 he made national headlines when he crashed his suv through a fence to rescue deputies and a wounded teenager who were pinned down by a murder suspect with a machine gun. >> we need to address these weapons that were primarily designed and manufactured as military weapons to kill and maim people. >> reporter: in 1995, sullivan served on president clinton's national commission on crime prevention. in 2000 he served on a statewide meth task force. and in 2001, he was named national sheriff of the year. investigators believe sullivan had been bonding suspects out of

jail within the denver area. today at his own hearing sullivan's bond was set at half a million dollars. so far the former sheriff and his lawyer aren't talking. tonight he's being held in protective custody in the patrick j. sullivan jail, the very jail named after him. miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. now to news from overseas. new fallout from the attack yesterday on the british embassy in tehran. today the uk ordered the embassy closed. they pulled their people out, ordered all iranian diplomats out of the uk immediately. and a history-making visit by secretary of state hillary clinton to myanmar, the first visit to that repressive regime by a top u.s. official in more than half a century. there have been some signs of reform recently. secretary clinton says she is there to see how real they are. vice president biden is on a visit to iraq just a few weeks before u.s. troops there complete their withdrawal.

among the more than 1 million americans who have now served in iraq over the past eight years, biden own son beau in the delaware national guard. ann curry is with us tonight from baghdad. ann, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. that's right. vice president biden is marking the final weeks of the eight-year u.s. war in iraq. he's saying the obama administration is fulfilling a promise to the american people. he reaffirmed the final withdrawal will happen before december 31. and after meeting with iraq's prime minister malaki today he said the u.s. is about to begin a new chapter launching a civilian mission to help iraq rebuild but it's unlikely that u.s. troops will ever return here. we were able to grab a few moments with the vice president today. he became passionate when asked whether americans have a moral obligation to thousands of iraq

war veterans now returning home. >> if you want somebody who knows how to handle pressure, billions of dollars worth of equipment, who knows how to operate under fire, hire a veteran. we have an obligation. they fought over here. they have gone through these god awful sands and deserts in the middle of a war. they are in god-forsaken places in afghanistan. they shouldn't have to come home and fight for a job. >> reporter: what is happening here is described as the largest movement of military equipment since world war ii, brian. no one is quite sure what will happen to iraq after the withdrawal. the vice president says the u.s. will have a, quote, robust security relationship based on what iraq decides. the u.s. expected to leave behind a significant presence of u.s. contractors and also cia operatives, brian.

>> you can hear the c-17 and c-130 cargo planes at the top of the report above you. they will be busy over the next few weeks. ann, safe travels to your team. esident biden tomorrow morning on "today." the reverend billy graham, we learned tonight, has been hospitalized near his home in north carolina. he was admitted earlier today suffering from what appears to be pneumonia. said to be doing well tonight and in stable condition. billy graham is 93 years old now. he preached around the world for more than 60 years and was counselor to so many u.s. presidents. he said he looks forward to being home for christmas. still ahead of us tonight on "nightly news" as we continue along the way on a wednesday evening, john hinckley. what he's really up to on his leaves from his mental hospital. why the secret service agents say he's dangerous and he's a liar. later, old school, right in the heart of america's high tech capitol, a school without a computer in sight and they like it that way. a computer in sight and they like it that way.

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back here tonight with a story about the man who tried to kill president ronald reagan back in 1981. john hinckley is now 56 years old. he's asking to spend more time outside the washington, d.c. mental hospital where he's been treated now for three decades. but today the federal government strongly objected to that request arguing that hinckley is lying to even his own doctors about what he's really been doing on all those hospital leaves that he already enjoys. we have more on this tonight from our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: the man who shot and nearly killed president reagan outside a washington, d.c. hotel in 1981 went to a virginia bookstore this past july, stopped and looked at covers of books about reagan and presidential assassins but government lawyers say john hinckley never admitted looking at the books and told his doctors he went to a movie.

secret service agents assigned to watch hinckley saw it happen, the government says. for the past eight years a federal judge has gradually been granting hinckley longer visits to his parents' home a hundred miles from washington. now, he and his doctors are seeking longer visits lasting up to 24 days each, eventually allowing him to live in williamsburg as a mental hospital outpatient. in court today government lawyers strenuously argued against it. hinckley, they said, has a long history of of deceptive and secretive behavior. there are significant risk factors for future violence but as hinckley listened today his lawyer said in eight years of visits there's never been a hint of risky behavior. as for the bookstore browsing the lawyer said lack of candor about attending a movie does not make him dangerous. hinckley began the visits to both his parents, but his father died three years ago. his mother turns 87 next month. government lawyers say his

brother scott calls it debatable whether williamsburg is the best place for him. scott hinckley declined to talk about it today. a ruling from the judge isn't expected for months. john hinckley may not get all the time he wants, but when he comes to court he usually gets something. up next it's one of the rare schools these days not rushing to fill up the classroom with computers. the american military unlike any other we have seen. military unlike any other we have seen. [ knock on door ] cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] got to go. priority mail flat rate shipping at usps.com. a simpler way to ship.

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[ coughing continues ] [ female announcer ] more pollution from power plants means more childhood asthma attacks. [ labored breathing ] there's technology that makes the air cleaner, but too many plants don't use it. we can't wait. epa must update power plant standards to protect our kids. [ baby coughing ] we're back with an education nation report tonight. as high technology becomes more and more a part of most school experiences in this country, we have a school that is rejecting technology completely to tell you about. you may be surprised by where it is and who the students are. our report from our education correspondent rehema ellis. >> reporter: at this silicon valley elementary school,

technology plays a pivotal role. >> make sure you have your ipad with you. >> reporter: just across the valley, in america's technology mecca, teachers say high tech and learning don't mix. at the waldorf school of the peninsula, learning is hands-on. blackboard, chalk, paint, shovels, but no computers. oddly enough the parents of most of the kids are bonified techies. >> i try to play with my dad but he's mostly on the computer. >> reporter: his dad is a google vice president. he's plugged in 24/7, but doesn't want that for his kids. >> i think we are providing them with a great childhood not constrained by technology but where they can just be children. >> reporter: the waldorf method is almost 100 years old. nationwide there are 30,000 students at 160 schools. here in silicon valley, a

waldorf education with a full garden experience comes at a hefty price. it costs more than $17,000 for kindergarten through 8th grade and $24,000 for each year of high school. in the upper grades, waldorf students do use computers but sparingly. >> when it's appropriate, when it enhances learning then we'll use it. just introducing technology has not been shown to have magical effects on student learning. >> reporter: waldorf points to a graduation rate of nearly 100% as proof that old-fashioned teaching still has value in modern education. rehema ellis, nbc news, los al tos, california. >> first lady michelle obama unveiled this year's white house christmas decorations with u.s. military families who have become a special cause to mrs.

obama being honored as part of this year's decor. one of the highlights is a gold star family tree with ornaments containing messages from loved ones of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. another feature is a likeness of the obama family dog bo. there is one hidden in every room. some are easier to find than others. another break. when we come back, what happened last night and what's happening tonight. ck, what happened last night and what's happening tonight. let's see if we can get one past the defense. hut! go! here it comes! right on the numbers! boom! get it! spin! oh, nice hands! chest bump. ugh! good job, man. nice! okay, halftime. now, this is my favorite play. oh! i'm wide open. oh, fumble. fumble. don't want to fumble any of these. [ male announcer ] share what you love, with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. it's up... and it's good! good?! they're grrreat!

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so before we go tonight a quick word about last night. those of you who watched the first live feed of our broadcast at 6:30 eastern time saw it and heard it. our fire alarm went off and it kept going off for pretty much the whole broadcast. it's not supposed to sound in here, but it did. there was never any danger, just to our hearing. a little bit of danger would have made it more worth it. while i look for the guy responsible i just wanted to thank those of you who expressed either concern or support today and we just wanted to thank you for bearing with us and apologize for what was probably not our smoothest effort around here. hopefully things will go better in our backyard tonight.

this is a big night every year. we're here at rock center in new york with thousands of our closest friends outside. that would include tonight mr. roker, savannah guthrie, entertainment including buble and the biebs. it's all tonight on nbc as they light the most famous christmas tree in the world right here at 30 rock. and that is our successfully completed broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we do hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we do hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com tomorrow evening. tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com