bnsf, the engine that connects us. th and by the alfred p. sloan foundation.porting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: gunfire tore at the nation's holiday mood again today, with the emotional wounds from a school massacre still fresh. there were more fatal shootings, including one in western new york, where an attacker lay in wait for a fire crew. >> responding firefighters when they pulled up on the scene started receiving -- were fired upon. >> police speaking shortly after a home and car erupted in flames. it was arson they said later that turned out to be an ambush. >> it does appear that it was a trap that was set. for responding first responders. >> gunmen killed two volunteer firefighters and wounded two others then killed himself. police identified hi

. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by bnsf railway. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> warner: washington's clock ticked another day closer today to automatic tax hikes and spending cuts, the so-called "fiscal cliff". the president took to the road, while republicans warned there's a deadlock in efforts to reach a deficit deal. >> now, of course, santa delivers everywhere. i've been keeping my own naughty and nice lists for washington. >> warner: the president chose a seasonal setting, a toy factory in hatfield, pennsylvania, and holiday imagery to press again for extending tax cuts for the middle class. >> if congress does nothing, every family in america will see their income taxes automatically go up on january 1. i mean, i... i'm assuming that doesn't sound too good to you. >> no. >> that's sort of like the lump of coal you get for christmas.

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: neither side showed signs of budging today as the nation edged closer toward a so- called fiscal cliff that could raise taxes by year's end. we begin with a report from newshour congressional correspondent kwame holman. >> we're going to have to see the rates on the top two percent go up. we're not going to be able to get a deal without it. >> reporter: in his first interview since the election, president obama rejected a proposal from house speaker john boehner. he spoke on bloomberg television. >> unfortunately the speaker's proposal right now is still out of balance. i'm happy to entertain other ideas that the republicans may present. but we are not going to s

bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: house republicans today offered their counter- offer to the president's plan for a deal both sides say is needed to avoid year-end tax increases. the move was the latest volley in an increasingly tense face- off between the two branches of government. >> with 28 days left to come to a deal on the nation's fiscal cliff, the white house is holding firm on its proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy. spokesman jay carney. >> the obstacle remains at this point the refusal to acknowledge by republican leaders that there is no deal that achieves the kind of balance that is cessy withut raising rates on the top 2% wealthiest americans. the math simply do

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: much of the world paused today to observe christmas. the day brought all the traditional rites of faith for christians and a new urgency to calls for calm in the troubled corners of the globe. thousands of the faithful greeted pope benedict xvi today at his cal bony overlooking st. peter's square. in that timeless setting, the pontiff issued a new appeal for an end to violence especially in syria. >> may peace be for the people of syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which has not spared even the defenseless and reached innocent victims. >> ifill: pilgrims also flocked to the holy land for christmas mass in bethlehem's church of the nativity beli

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation.icated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is "bbc world news." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news america." >> this is "bbc world news america," reported from washington. innocence mass

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a hethy, pductive fe. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woouff: michigan, atate consided aradlof the union movement, today struck a blow against organized labor. the republican-dominated state legislature approved laws that deny unions the right to require membership in exchange for a job. more than 12,000 people gathered outside the state capitol in lansing to protest the move. inside, they chanted "shame on you!" at republican governor rick snyder. late today he signed the bill. for more, we're joined by micheline mayrd, a contribur to forbecom and former detroit bureau chief for the "new york times," and by bill ballenger, editor of "inside michigan politics." welcome to you both. mickey maynard. first, this has all happened ve

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and friends of the newshour. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: a holiday season that should have been alive with the joy of children is now, instead, a season of mourning their loss in newtown, connecticut. the first of the funerals took place today for the victims of the massacre at an elementary school. ray suarez begins our coverage. >> suarez: flowers streamed into funeral homes around newtown as the shock and horror of friday gave way to grim rituals of grief mourners in black waited under gray skies to attend services for jack pinto and noah, 20 of the... two of the 20 first graders killed at sandy hook elementary. townspeople are still reeling. >> really sad. i didn'

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation.icated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org captioning sponsored by wpbt >> this is n.b.r. i am suze guerra, this is the eve of a critical weekend for retailers, will stores be filled with buyers or just browsers? the answers will decide how this holiday season turns out. >> good evening, i am tom hudson just in time for the holidays, cheapers gasoline and the prices could keep falling, they could at all below $3 a gallon in the new year. >> and why a new program to hell student loan borrowers could be a big win for high earners with graduate degrees. >> that and more tonight on nbr

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the white house had a new proposal on the table today in the fiscal cliff negotiations. house republicans said it fell well short, but the two sides kept at it, hoping to avert across-the-board tax hikes and steep mandatory spending cuts in 2013. >> we're moving closer. let me say that. it looks more encouraging today than it did yesterday. >> woodruff: there were some voices today like california republican congressman wally herger who saw signs of a deal in the works. president obama offered monday to lower his target for new revenue to $1.2 trillion over ten years. down $400 billion from his first offer. he also raised the threshold for higher tax rat

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. to the idea that all people deserve the chance to le a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy, productive life. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org captioning sponsored by wpbt >> this is n.b.r. >> susie: good evening, everyone. i'm susie gharib. tom is off tonight. president obama tells republicans and democrats they have ten days to work out a fiscal cliff deal. and he says it's doable. tonight's market monitor guest is not scared off by cliff worries. he's buying stocks, saying the markets will do well in the new year. he's richard steinberg of steinberg global asset management. and warren buffett, the oracle of omaha has plenty to say on taxes and the fiscal cliff: we talk with his long-time friend and "fortune"

bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: president obama made another foray outside washington today, trying to build public support for a fiscal cliff agreement. it came a day after he resumed talking with the top house republican, and as a year-end deadline moved even closer. the president took his public campaign for a deficit deal on his terms to the daimler diesel plant in redford michigan. >> if congress doesn't act soon meaning in the next few weeks, starting on january 1, everybody is going to see their income taxes go up. it's true. y'all don't like that? >> no! woodruff: instead, mr. obama again pressed for raising tax rates on the top two percent of incomes. >> and that's