we're joined live now by nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engle there in baghdad.ood to see you. thanks for being with us bright and early. you've covered this war in its entirety. you have many interactions with the troops there, as well as the iraqi people. what is the sense as this end of mission ceremony gets under way? >> well, this end of mission ser knowneny is under way right now and what this signifies is the closing of the u.s. military command here. this is the official -- this is officially called the casing of the the colors ceremony. that means, after right now and just a few minutes ago, the american military command flag was taken down. that means the u.s. military command in iraq is closed. now, what happens next is going to depend a lot on the iraqi people and many iraqis are concerned that sectarian violence could once again become a problem for this country, that the country could descend back into civil war. we've also heard many iraqis expressing great concern about the thousands of american military contractors that will stay behind, working

richard engle, nbc news, kuwait. >> at home, the u.s. senate gave working americans a gift of sorts before heading home for the holidays today. lawmakers voted to extend the payroll tax cut, but only for the next two months. the president says he is pleased taxes won't go up for now. but he expects more. >> be it excusable for congress not to extend this middle class tax cut for the rest of the year. it should be a formality. and, hopefully, it's done with as little drama as possible when they get back in january. >> republicans used the tax bill for quick approval of the keystone oil pipeline project. the legislation requires president obama to say yes or no of the construction of the pipeline within the next 60 days instead of a year. the senate also approved a $1 trillion spending bill that funds the government for the next fiscal year. >>> san jose investigators made an arrest from a woman stealing jewelry from children. she allegedly approached girls at three san jose elementary schools pretending to be a family friend. police say s

richard engle, nbc news, kuwait. >>> one more note from overseas. tonight the death toll is mounting in the philippines where hundreds of people have been killed in flash floods, many of them overcome by raging floodwaters as they slept. a tropical storm tore through homes in two coastal cities. the water cascading down from the mountains after 12 hours of torrential rain. >>> here at home, a rare sight this mild december. some real snowfall in cleveland today, some areas receiving 3 to 4 inches. parts of new england are expecting light snow later tonight. it's been an unseasonably warm fall across most of the country, just four days now from the official start of winter. >>> when "nbc nightly news" continues, the ultimate punishment. why juries are increasingly resisting the death penalty. >>> and later, making a difference. learning to give back early in life. >>> we're back now with a surprising statistic. 2011 is ending with the lowest number of death sentences handed out by juries since capital punishment was reinstated in the u.s. 35 years ago

chief correspondent richard engle at the airport in baghdad. richard, you've been covering this war up close from the very beginning. tell us what you're seeing there this morning? >> well, this sore meneny is still under way so i'm going to have to speak fairly quietly. this is a significant ceremony. what this means is the u.s. military command in iraq is closing down. it means that the only mission left in this country is to pull out the some 4,000 american troops that remain in iraq, but the military command, the iraq war as we have known it for the last nine years, is ending right now. there are a speech going on by the defense secretary. they've been talking about the accomplishments that have been made. they've been talking about how saddam hussein, a dictator, a tyrant, has been toppled and that iraq now has the opportunity to build a new future. it's very different, however, from what we're hearing when we speak to iraqis off military bases like this one. what we're hearing from iraqis is that they are very worried about their future. y

we'll get more now from nbc's chief foreign correspondent, richard engle. >> a last roll call before going home. the u.s. military command closed last week in baghdad, but troops are still leaving iraq, crossing the border and coming here to kuwait. >> this was, you know, so nice to be able to leave the country. >> kuwait is the official outprocessing center where the war began nine years ago is where it is ending. kuwait's lob 58 is now being described as the world's biggest parking lot. it's packed with $8 billion worth of vehicles. >> it's coming all here. it's getting put on the property book and making sure we can account for all the equipment. >> but not quite everything is going back. the military estimates about $220 billion worth of equipment is staying in iraq. transferred to the iraqi government. for the troops in kuwait, the procedure is all relatively simple, but can seem boring and slow. most of the troops spend about five days in kuwait, turning in gear, filling out paperwork, packing and loading. until, finally, a preflight inspection. then, as they pass a sign that r

. >> foreign correspondent richard engle from baghdad, those are the interviews you conducted earlier. talk to me about the mood and what it felt like to be there. >> par certainly do feel that the soldiers are aware that they are taking part in something that is historic. today will mark when the history is written, the day the iraq war or america's involvement in the iraq war is over. there was a lot of talk about american accomplishments. it was a small ceremony considering it was the closing ceremony for a big war since vietnam. there were only a few hundred soldiers present there. the event lasted less than one hour. now there is one mission left even though the military command here is officially closed. that mission is to withdraw the remaining 4,000 or so troops from the country. most of them have made it to kuwait where they are outprocessed and on the way home to families. >> live for us in baghdad, thank you so much for your excellent reporting. developing now, a federal investigation found toughest sheriff in america committed serious civil rights violations against latino

richard engle was with the troops as they left the country and has this look as what was their first part of their journey home, how it looks and how it feels. >> reporter: a last roll call before going home. >> definitely a great thing. i can't wait to go home. >> get my life back again. spend some time with family. >> reporter: u.s. military command closed in baghdad. kuwait is iraq's official out processing center where the war is packed up and shipped home. >> we look forward to getting home. about six months, a year from now everybody will look back on it wow we were the last people there. >> reporter: the iraq war was launched from here in kuwait nearly nine years ago. now everything seems in reverse. the troops are leaving from where they once prepared to fight a dictator. the war is ending where it began. tanks are being washed instead of prepped for battle. kuwait's lot 58 is being described as the world's biggest parking lot. it is packed with $8 billion worth of vehicles. >> it's coming all here. it's getting put on the property book and make being sure we can account for

richard engle and jack jake sobs give their thoughts on the ceremony in iraq as 4,000 forces were theres. an investigation after a fraternity issues a who would you you rape list? it is unbelievable. authorities are now involved. next on "news nation." so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] try bayer advanced aspirin. it's not the bayer aspirin you know. it's different. first, it's been re-engineered with micro-particles. second, it enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. the best part? it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. test how fast it works for you. love it, or get your money back. . >>> developing news on "news nation." a call for cooler heads to prevail as the threat of a government shut down lingers and congress realizing voters are not in th

nbc's richard engle was with them. >> until lights appeared, the kuwaiti border and the crossing began last of sunrise in kuwait as the last of american troops leave iraq. some are waiting, others taking pictures of this moment, the moment the iraq war ended. >> moments later, the gates to iraq were shut. one vehicle got special attention, the last of the last to exit iraq. >> the nearly nine-year-long conflict claimed the lives of nearly 4500 soldiers. among them david hickman when a roadside bomb destroyed his truck. hickman is believed to be the last u.s. soldier killed in the war. >>> my next guest knows a thing or two surviving that very war. first class jessica lynch was captured. they safely got her out in a harrowing rescue that we all witnessed. private jessica lynch joins me now on the telephone. jessica, it's nice to speak to you today. >> hi. thanks so much for having me on. >> now that the war is officially over and your fellow servicemen and women are coming home, what are your thoughts, especially from the standpoint that you survived this war? >> i am just so thankful t

doing is hiring locals -- i'll give the example of the nbc producer who covers the middle east for richard engleed four or five big men that you hire, and who speak arabic so they can hear what the crowd saying and take her out as soon as they hear the crowd talking about this woman. >> i didn't mean the same thing happened to the extent that lara logan was assaulted. but being groped, harassed -- >> happens to everyone -- >> sure. if you look, it's egypt. i mean, there is state-sanctioned violence against women, rape and torture. and so it is a culture and atmosphere. but i think we have to be careful not to say that it doesn't happen everywhere and that we don't just, you know, say it -- it's only in arab countries. >> in a mob, it happens everywhere, whether it's latin america or in tehran. >> and regard will of gender, you've been in war zones. you know, there's the danger of war, but you could be embedded, for example, with the u.s. military in afghanistan or egypt. sometimes with protesters, with mobs, that can get out of control. and there can be no defense. >> yeah. there's a natural inc

nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle is in baghdad for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. with this small ceremony attended by just a few hundred people, the u.s. military command in iraq closed its operations, making this country a sovereign nation. in a brief ceremony on a base on the edge of baghdad, the united states took down the flag of its command here to mark the end of the military mission. with the casing of the colors, the american military command in iraq is officially closed. the iraq war as a war led by the u.s. military is no more. all that's left to do now is withdraw the 4,000 remaining troops in the coming days. defense secretary leon panetta. >> no words, no ceremony can provide full tribute to the sacrifices that have brought this day to pass. >> reporter: but as the mission ends, most troops have already made it south to kuwait where they've repacked. >> go back, spend some time with the family. >> reporter: and go through preflight inspections. after years of fighting they're not used to carrying just tiny

richard engle has the latest. richard, what are the demands to release warren weinstein here? >> al qaeda is asking for everything it can get. it wants the united states to stop drone attacks in afghanistan, pakistan, yemen, somalia, to close guantanamo bay, to release all al qaeda and taliban prisoners. it seems very unlikely that these demands will be met. mr. weinstein was kidnapped in lahore, pakistan, last august. he was getting ready to leave the country, and he was about to have a going-away party, and there are many people in pakistan that believe this was an inside job, that his driver or one of the security guards tipped them off. >> all right. richard, thank you very much. >>> the u.s. military handled over camp victory in baghdad to the iraqi government this morning. the former palace compound built by saddam hussein became the military headquarters throughout the war in iraq. it is now under the authority of the iraqi government as part of the effort to move troops out by year's end. >>> the senate has blocked obama's plan for a tax cut which would have taxed weal