means more freedom. for everyone. over and out. after nine years, tonight american troops are gone from iraq. our richard engel on the end of an era. blizzard warning. tonight, millions of americans in the path of a dangerous storm. culture wars. growing outrage at a home improvement giant caught up in a reality tv controversy. student housing. why college kids are ditching the dorms and moving into mcmansions. and out of the past. hollywood hopes for movie magic by reaching back in time. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. as the sun came up over the middle east this morning, the last american troops exited iraq, literally closing the gates behind them. they left the way they came, back in early 2003, rolling into kuwait with military precision. in the end, it was an almost nine-year long journey, over a path paved with triumph and heartache, hope and frustration. we lost 4,487 of our men and women in uniform. the number of wounded, over 32,000. the price tag, $800 billion. finally, it is over. and tonight those who served and those who bravely waited for them here at home are taking stock of it all. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel was there to witness the historic moment. he joins us now from kuwait. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. it was an organized, dignified exit from iraq and now the rest of the troops have returned here

to kuwait. a convoy of mraps moved into kuwait in a single file line. it left iraq without firing a shot. >> it is a piece of history. it was a privilege to be part of it. >> reporter: the last 480 troops to leave iraq following a million americans who came before them. their journey began 12 hours earlier, 200 miles north in southern iraq. at sunset at iraq's camp adder, they smoked cigars and checked every engine. then 110 vehicles were on their way in the darkness, holding a steady 35 miles an hour. >> how does it feel up there? >> good. >> reporter: until lights appeared, the kuwaiti border, and the crossing began. it is now just after sunrise here in kuwait, as the last american troops leave iraq. some of the soldiers have been waving. others taking pictures to remember this moment, the moment the iraq war ended. moments later, the gate to iraq

was shut. one vehicle got special attention, the last of the last to exit iraq. this specialist from hawaii will be able to tell his friends, wife and eventually the daughter he hasn't seen since she was born that he was the last soldier to leave iraq. >> all we care about is everybody got home in one piece, safely, you know, nothing going on, no attacks or anything, just safe and smooth right back here. >> reporter: the last female soldier was specialist britney hampton, from texas. >> i'm just proud, honestly. i'm glad it's over. a sense of relief. >> reporter: military families like hers carried the burden of this war. other americans at times preferred to ignore. hampton's father served four tours in iraq. she's finishing one. her fiance did one too. >> we're going to have christmas at our house this year. that's all i'm looking forward to, all i can think about. >> reporter: now it is over,

after many are struggling with injuries, trauma, divorce and anger. today, the troops left with their spirits high. >> it is a great day for not just for me, but for everybody. all the sacrifices the united states made and over the course of the iraq war. >> reporter: a controversial war, perhaps not mission accomplished, but at least now mission complete. also, lester, after all of these years of war, the iraqis have paid a heavy price, about 150,000 iraqis killed since the conflict began. and here it is, lester, the last vehicle. and you can see where the soldiers wrote in chalk, just that, last vehicle out of iraq. all that is left now is to send all of this home. >> richard, you have a good perspective. you were there for the beginning and were there for the end. what does the u.s. leave behind in iraq? >> reporter: the fear is that iraq is becoming a sectarian shiite state. i think it is revealing that the last american base was called

camp adder, named after a snake, but as soon as it was handed over to the iraqi government, it was renamed the iman ali air base, named after the founder of shiite islam. >> richard engel in kuwait tonight. richard, thank you. now to washington. a showdown over taxes in congress. when we left you last night, it looked like lawmakers had reached a deal on their way out of town. but tonight, it is a whole different story. our capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell joins us now with the details. kelly, here we go again, right. >> reporter: indeed, lester. good evening. it is a big change tonight. the fate of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefit extensions is up in the air all over again after senator and the white house thought they achieved a short-term ans, a two-month extension. but today john boehner said house republicans are not on board. washington's holiday truth fell apart quickly. your paycheck could get smaller and unemployment benefits could run dry for many out of work a

long time. after house speaker john boehner said this on "meet the press." >> how can you do tax policy for two months? >> reporter: boehner surprised washington today when he flat out rejected the senate's bipartisan solution that the president praised with relief on saturday. >> congress has finally agreed to extend this middle class tax cut into next year. >> reporter: it was an imperfect deal, hammered out with 89 senators from both parties, who agreed to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for just two months. instead of the one year many expected. >> it is pretty clear that i and our members oppose the senate bill. >> reporter: boehner insists senators come back to washington and keep at it until a full year extension is reached. >> i believe that two months is -- two months is kicking the can down the road. >> reporter: democrats who left town were outraged. majority harry reid said, i would hate to think that speaker boehner is refusing to act on his bipartisan compromise

because he is afraid it will actually pass. democrats said house republicans should not kill the bipartisan deal. >> to play games with the middle class tax cut is very, very unfair. and we should make sure that every middle class family gets it. >> reporter: the house had already passed its own version of a full-one year tax extension to keep the benefits going and they had some democrat support. he says there is still two weeks left in the year, enough time to reach a new compromise, but, lest, the practical path to getting that done is unclear tonight. >> kelly, thank you. to presidential politics now. a major endorsement today for mitt romney from iowa's largest newspaper. it is a shot in the arm for the romney campaign, hoping to stem the recent surge of newt gingrich. nbc's mike viqueira with the latest. >> reporter: entering the homestretch in iowa, candidates in the back of the pack are racing to catch up. rick perry and michele bachmann

are blanketing the state on bus tours, stopping to greet voters. and delivering attacks on front-runner newt gingrich. >> trying to sound like a conservative, but sounding more like a 30-year establishment washington beat insider that he is. >> reporter: today, mitt romney questioned gingrich's ability to lead. >> he has been unreliable in those settings and zany. i wouldn't think you would call mirrors in space to light highways at night particularly practical or lunar colony a practical idea, not at a stage like this. >> reporter: this as gingrich invited more controversy, speaking out in favor of abolishing some courts, allowing presidents to ignore judicial rulings and empowering congress to subpoena judges. >> would you send the capital police to arrest him? >> if you had to. or you instruct the justice department to send u.s. martial. >> reporter: in the past two days, romney scored a string of endorsements, including the "des moines register," though the paper's record of picking winners is mixed. john mccain was their choice in

2008 over the eventual caucus winner conservative mike huckabee. the backing comes as a welcome boost for the romney campaign. >> all we have seen and heard from governor romney, he was very measured, very focused on what we think is the most pressing issue in front of all of us, the economy. >> reporter: and, lester, you may be surprised to learn that newt gingrich pronounced himself delighted that the des moines register endorsed romney, he called it a solidly liberal paper and pointed out that the manchester union leader, much more conservative editorially, endorsed him. >> mike viqueira at the white house. mike, thanks. tonight interest there is a major snowstorm bearing down on millions of americans. it is a dangerous blizzard at the start of a very busy week for holiday shopping and, of course, travel. kelly cass is tracking the storm for us from weather channel headquarters. kelly, fill us in. >> reporter: good evening. we're talking about blizzard conditions, first for new mexico and then believe it or not, parts of texas and oklahoma and even kansas will get in on the act as well. where you see the orange this is

where we have blizzard watches that are being upgraded to blizzard warnings. not only will we see very heavy snow, but strong gusty winds. that's going to blow that snow around, causing really terrible travel along i-25, through colorado, new mexico as well, i-40 will be impacted as well. so if you do have to travel, make sure you have your winter weather kit in the car. make sure you have what you need so in case you do get stranded or have car problems, you know what to do and have all the essentials. look that the, texas, oklahoma and kansas tomorrow night. and after that, watch as it moves into nebraska, we're talking quite a bit of snow here, several inches, but it is not just the amount of snow, we're talking about very strong winds, lester, which is really going to cause that snow to heap up in huge piles, especially at the intersections. back to you. >> kelly cass, thank you very much. now to the u.s. army private charged with treason, accused of giving away government secrets that were famously revealed to the world via wikileaks. it was the largest leak of classified information in american history. tonight, lawyers for bradley

manning have unleashed a surprise defense, trying to keep their client from facing a court-martial. our chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has details. >> reporter: it is the first public glimpse of private first class bradley manning in a year and a half. he's been locked away in military jails on charges in the wikileaks scandal. sitting quietly in the courtroom, manning appeared for today's hearing to determine if he should face court-martial. manning is charged with knowingly giving information to the enemy, by leaking hundreds of thousands of secret documents that were then published on the internet. but the prosecution claims that while in baghdad, as an intelligence analyst, manning stole the classified information from military computers. manning's lawyers blame the leak on the military's own lax security and revealed that manning suffers from something called gender identity disorder, that he sometimes dressed as a woman, and at a facebook page under the name brianna.

they sent manning to the sensitive intel job in iraq anyway. manning's accused of leaking this classified video from an american helicopter gun ship over baghdad. killing suspected militants and two employees of reuters news service. he's also suspected of leaking secrets on american combat operations in iraq and thousands of embarrassing u.s. diplomatic cables with rude cracks about some of america's allies. almost all of it wound up on wikileaks, released publicly by its controversial founder julian assange. >> the strength of this material is that it is from people on the ground. >> reporter: that's exactly the government's claim against manning. if court-martialed and convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison. jim miklaszewski, nbc news, washington. overseas tonight, clashes continue in and around cairo's tahrir square. at least ten protesters have been killed, and more than 400

wounded in three days of violence as egyptian troops cracked down on the protesters who are demanding the nation's ruling military immediately step down. today's protests have been fuld by an image sparking outrage around the world. it is of a woman being stopped by egyptian police, her head scarf pulled over her face. in the philippines, a staggering death toll following torrential rains and flash floods. officials there say at least 650 people are dead, and more than 800 missing. many of them washed away as they slept. tributes are pouring in from around the world tonight, remembering an anti-communist champion who led czechoslovakia's 1989 velvet revolution. vaclav havel was a dissident playwright who spent years suffering in communist jails before become his country's first democratically elected leader. he proved that moral leadership

is more powerful than any weapon. he passed away at his home in the czech republic, he was 75 years old. when "nbc nightly news" continues, caught in the culture wars, outrage and protest at a home improvement giant. later, le hhollywood goes b in time. urism season in years. all because so many people wanted to visit us... in louisiana. they came to see us in florida... nice try, they came to hang out with us in alabama... once folks heard mississippi had the welcome sign out, they couldn't wait to get here. this year was great but next year's gonna be even better. and anyone who knows the gulf knows that winter is primetime fun time. the sun's out and the water's beautiful. you can go deep sea fishing for amberjack, grouper and mackerel. our golf courses are open. our bed and breakfast have special rates. and migrating waterfowl from all over make this a bird watcher's paradise. so if you missed it earlier this year, come on down. if you've already been here come on back...

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>> how low can you go. >> reporter: outside a lowe's home improvement store in brooklyn, protests and demand for apology after the company pulled its tv ads from "all american muslim" tv series. >> people are sick and tired of bigotry permeating every nook and cranny of this society and saying no. >> reporter: the protesters say lowe's bowed to pressure after a conservative christian group petitioned the show's sponsors, claiming the series doesn't accurately portray muslims and hides what the group calls islamic agenda to undermine american values. >> we're concerned that americans are being fed propaganda that is not complete as it relates to islam. >> i like there to be harmony. >> reporter: the show follows sue and her family in dearborn, michigan, offering a snapshot of muslim life in the place nicknamed america's muslim capital, where nearly a third of the population is of arab descent. >> hoping to dispel the

misconceptions and stereotypes that people have of muslims. >> reporter: this weekend, at an interfaith rally at lowe's just outside dearborn, supporters fought back against the evangelical group's claim. >> they want to have muslims seen in a particular frame of extremism and that is not the reality of the community. >> reporter: for its part, lowe's now faced with a petition and boycott from protesters, issued a statement today, defending the move to pull its ads for "all american muslim" saying the company's advertising plans are a business decision, and are not influenced by the actions or demands of any group or organization. it was never our intention to offend or alienate anyone. lowe's says it plans to stick to its decision, while the protesters say they also have no plans to back down. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. there is a lot more to talk about tonight when we come back. college kids ditching the dorms, living the high life instead. nighttime n congestion meant, i couldn't breathe right.

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a scary scene last night in arlington, texas. look at this, a runaway electric cart plowing into a group of people after a high school football game at cowboys stadium. still unclear what caused the cart to take off on its own. seven people were hurt, mostly minor scrapes including the winning head coach. now to a sign of the times as the housing market continues to struggle nationwide. california has been especially hard hit. foreclosed homes dotting neighborhoods across the state. they're vacant and available to rent at bargain basement prices. now some surprising new tenants are moving in. nbc's george lewis with our report. >> here is my room. >> reporter: university of california merced political science major jerron brandon concedes he and his roommates are living the good life. >> it probably would be a pretty good party house. >> probably? >> it probably would be. >> reporter: this new york times photo of jerron studying in his whirlpool bathtub made him

something of a local celebrity. merced, california, is in the middle of a depressed real estate market, where home prices have collapsed, and where rents are low, even for large well appointed houses. this house shared by jerron and his roommates boasts 4200 square feet of living space and six bedrooms. each of the roommates pays about 300 bucks a month in rent. compare that to cramped campus dorm housing that costs $13,000 a year, with space for only about 35% of the students here. university officials encourage them to look for off campus rentals. >> i think it is nice that they can have a large home and take advantage of better tubs and kitch fnz they can. >> reporter: the empty mcmansions of merced houses a growing student population. >> it only makes sense that the with all of the students that don't have dorm space to live in to rent out the houses. >> reporter: it certainly makes sense to jerron and his

roommates who saw a bargain and went for it. >> i went and found house mates i get along with great and we had a great situation here. we have a very nice house. it is not the tidiest at times but we try live nicely, like anyone else. >> reporter: you don't need a degree in economics to see how well that old law of supply and demand worked out for students like jerron. george lewis, nbc news, merced, california. up next here tonight, turning back the clock at the movies. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] a simple gesture can spark romance anytime. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day so you can be ready anytime the moment's right, even if it's not every day. [ man ] tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity.

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finally tonight, a feeling of nostalgia sweeping through hollywood. as we prepare to close out another year, the big movie studios are releasing the best they've got, hoping to strike gold this awards season, by reaching back in time. here is nbc's kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: in a year of protests -- >> we will not go! >> reporter: -- and unrest, filmmakers look to give us an escape. ♪ with the return to the past, and glimpse back at the golden age of hollywood. >> forget marilyn monroe. forget hollywood. >> reporter: from "my week with marilyn," a romantic slice of the screen siren's heyday, to the tree of life which transports movie grgoers inside life in the '50s. >> it is the imagination that things were clearer and simpler

in the past. >> reporter: take the artist, shot in black and white, it is a silent film with the unmistakable aura of a bygone hollywood era. perhaps no film captures that yearning for the past like woody allen's "midnight in paris". >> it is a fantasy. >> i'm in love with you. >> reporter: where a modern day writer travels back in time to spend evenings with the greats like ernest hemingway and f. scott fitzgerald. >> it is the movie of the year that encapsulates all of the nostalgia, all that longing for some time when things were more intense, more adventurous, more exciting. >> reporter: this holiday season brings us "warhorse," it is steven spielberg's epic adventure of a boy and his horse in world war i. the sweeping cinematography evoking visions of some of hollywood's grandest films from the '40s and '50s. while "hugo" is morton sco

scorsese's own movie. >> happy endings only happen in the movies. >> reporter: movies that this year are full of history. filmmakers hoping the luster of the past is the gold of the future. >> cut. >> reporter: kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. that that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. coming up next "football night in america" followed by "sunday night football", the ravens versus the chargers. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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