bret? >> bret: jim, thank you.ars that yet another threat of a government shutdown will go down to final hour, with less than 30 hours to go until that deadline. mike emanuel shows there are signs of movement but only signs. >> the threatened government shutdown seem to change everything. they worked on the final unresolved sticking point as they seem anxious to get something done. >> i think everyone needs to step back and take a deep breath. >> after a week of heated rhetoric, change in tone as lawmakers realize no deal would mean government shutdown tomorrow night. speaker boehner says it's not in anybody's interest. >> we believe it's important to keep the government open and it's important to finish work on payroll tax cut. unemployment insurance. >> president obama agrees. >> there is no reason the government should shut down over this. i expect to us do what is necessary to do the people's business. make sure it's done before the end of the year. >> the house is expected to vote on language of the $1 trillio

." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening i'm bret baier.come to sioux city, iowa, coming to you from the convention center for the republican candidate debate. it sets up the last campaign stretch before the iowa caucus in january 3. tonight, chief political correspondent carl cameron reports on how several top candidates are now waiting until tomorrow -- are not waiting until tomorrow night to take shots at one another. >> mitt romney is full steam. newhe said that former speaker return the money he made from the venture capitalist. >> to suggest that there is something wrong about investing in enterprise that ultimately doesn't succeed is lack of understanding of how the economy works. >> gingrich suggested that romney return his earnings monday after romney challenged the former speaker to run the $1.6 million he was paid for advising freddie mac that needed a bail-out to avoid collapse. romney aides delivered a video of gingrich saying in 2008 those who made money off of ready before the near bankruptcy should cover the bail out. >> eve

bret? >> bret: unique hearing. jim, thanks.itician sent out holiday cards featuring carnage. we'll tell you who it is later in the grapevine. up next, the end of the war in iraq. [ male announcer ] cranberry juice? wake up! ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. try bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some people just know how to build things well. give you and your loved ones an expertly engineered mercedes-benz... ho ho ho! ...at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends january 3rd. >> bret: president obama today celebrated the coming end to war in iraq, calling at it moment of success. he went to fort bragg, home to so many men and women who fought and died over there. chief white house correspondent ed henry tells us what else t

bret?bret: jennifer, thank you. >>> there is now a inuringle in the 9-month-old political uprising in syria. sophisticated attack today on government buildings is not blamed on the pro-democracy protesters who oppose president bashar assad's regime. correspondent leland vittert has the details. >> reporter: today's twin car bombs reduce intelligence agency to rubble. debris littered the street of upscale damascus neighborhood while rescue workers cleared dozens of bodies. they reported dozens killed in the al-qaeda where the government blamed al-qaeda. blast came in hours of the arrival of the arab league observers sent to monitor the government promise to stop the brutal military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. since march, nearly 5,000 people have reportedly been killed. many in alleged government massacres. syrian army defectors formed a loosely associated rebel force to fight assad's soldiers. so far, they have appeared ill-equipped and poorly trained in videos uploaded to youtub

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.sident obama is characterizing a nearly half percentage point drop in unemployment as evidence of an ongoing recovery that needs to be accelerated. still, chief white house correspondent ed henry reports it is hard to find genuine optimism about the current state of affairs. >> we could create a limited number of jobs out of this, even in this lousy economy. >> lousy was probably not the adjective president obama had in mind when he invited former president clinton to tout another initiative to create green jobs making buildings more efficient, especially on a day the white house finally had positive news. the unemployment rate ticking down to 8.6%. the lowest level since march 2009. >> despite strong headwinds, the american economy created private sector jobs for the past 21 months in a row. >> even when the rivals used the phrase good news. though mitt romney quickly added this is still the worst recovery since hoover. >> his economic policies made us like europe. high unemployment a

." ♪ ♪ >> bret: i'm bret baier.se is digging in for a long night as it debates the merit and pitfall of the senate version of the payroll tax cut extense and attempt to come up with the own way forward. chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel is live on capitol hill with the latest. mike? >> good evening. they are expected to have three votes. the first is expected to kill the package that passed on saturday. house spea speaker john boehnery they need to sit down and work it out. >> there is a disagreement between the two chambers. and we sit down and rethe differences. that is what i believe the house will do. >> message from harry reid that thought vote in the senate including the 39 republicans meant the issue would be finished until february responded, senator mcconnell and "i" negotiated compromise in speaker boehner's request. i will not reopen negotiations until the house follows through and passes an agreement negotiated by the republican leaders and supported by 90% of the senate. vast majority of th

." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening, i'm bret baier.re is no letting up with the front runners on the campaign trail after last night's debate. we saw more attack ads, big endorsement and candidates making a case to the iowa voters. chief political correspondent carl cameron shows us as clock kicks down to january 3, some candidates are turning up the heat. >> after a strong debate performance where he took no shots at the g.o.p. rivals, he got the endorsement of nikki haley. >> i lot of us stood at her door hoping to win the endorsement. i could not be more proud to have the stage making the endorsement, your governor, my friend nikki haley. >> this is a governor that made hard decisions cut taxes 19 times and balanced it with 85% democratic legislature. after last night's debate, the harsh attack fliers from the third party outside groups left on car windshields in sioux city blasting gingrich as opposed to abortion. unrelated damaging tag line at the end reading "as abusive as two ex-wives." referring to the admitted infidelity in th

bret?bret: peter, thank you. >>> violence broke out in marches tonight in athens, greece. the third anniversary of the fatal police shooting of a teenager. protesters clashed with riot police outside parliament as greek lawmakers inside debated the 2012 budget. newt gingrich is once again leading the latest republican presidential polls. the chief political correspondent carl cameron shows us that it makes gingrich an easier target for those down bow low. >> reporter: now it gets rough. with iowa caucuses four weeks from tonight and newt gingrich leading the polls, ron paul launched the first direct attack ad attacking gingrich for profiteering in washington and occasionally selling out conservative principles. >> four-point individual mandate. folks, don't ask me to explain this. >> everything that gingrich railed against when he was in the house, he went the other way when he got paid to go the other way. >> it's about the serial hypocrisy. >> the latest "washington post" poll in iowa sho

bret?thank you. >> another of the fox news polls found one in 20 participants considers the economy in good shape. 94% say it's fair or poor. but 53% say things will be beter a year from now and 53% say it's going to be worse. some congressional staff members give meaning to the phrase "political party." that is later in the grapevine. up next, are we ♪ ♪ >> bret: in world news, more than 2,000 afghans rallied to mourn 56 people killed in the deadly bombing of a shiite shrine in kabul tuesday. many people blame that attack on pakistan. meanwhile , across the border in peshawr another rally to condemn the u.s. over nato airstrikes that killed 24 pakistani soldiers last month. activists in syria say security forces killed at least nine people today, including two children. this is said to be video from the city of homs thursday that purports to show a government tank fires in a residential area. the family of a retired f.b.i. agent is begging for his release, in another of long line of issues

bret? >> bret: thank you., hillary clinton was a woman she says represents a dream. >> bret: in world headlines now, more protest in pakistan today over the nato airstrike that killed 24 pakistani soldiers last weekend. fox news has learned u.s. forces had come under fire. and were told there were no pakistani troops in the vicinity before the airstrikes. the u.n. human rights council approved a resolution criticizing syria's crackdown on decent. four people were reported killed in violence today, including an 11-year-old syrian girl struck by a stray bullet across the border in lebanon. iranian diplomats left london a few hours ago. earlier they were busy packing after being ordered out by a british government. that was in retaliation for tuesday's mob attack on the british embassy in tehran. two female political leaders displayed sisterly solidarity today in burma. senior white house foreign affairs correspondent wendell goler is traveling with secretary of state hillary clinton. >> she greeted secretary of

bret? >> bret: right. the two-month extension is not a great thing to trumpet for the white house. but they are using the issue politically. >> no doubt about it. they are also saying look, this is step one. the president has been committed over recent days. now says in a statement tonight he is committed as speaker boehner is on the other side to get it done and actually have a long-term one-year extension after the first of the year. >> bret: thank you. we should point out that the speaker says he is going to pass this by unanimous consent. that goes without saying. he could have a speed bump there as well if someone objects in the republican caucus. so we'll be watching all of that closely. the rhetoric is certainly heating up in the g.o.p. presidential race as the candidates make their final pitch to undecided voter ins the early voting states. it's just 12 days until the iowa caucuses. three of the candidates crisscrossed the eastern part of that state today. we are 19 days out from the new hampshire

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.ise visit to the white house briefing room today. president obama insisted on a compromise, on two-month payroll tax cut extension. without it, he warned that the fragile economy could be in jeopardy. also in jeopardy, the lawmakers holiday plans. we have fox team coverage. ed menry has the white house response -- ed henry has the white house response to political back-and-forth, but mike emanuel has the latest on the maneuvering on capitol hill. >> the house sounded anything but bipartisan today. trading verbal jabs over the payroll tax holiday issues. so president obama steps in to force the issue. >> let's be clear. right now, the bipartisan compromise that was reached on saturday is the only viable way to prevent a tax hike on january 1. >> moments later, the speaker responded he needs the president's help. >> president obama needs to call on senate democrats to go back in session, move to conference and sit down and resolve the bill as quickly as possible. >> earlyer the house vot

bret?thank you. >> another of the fox news polls found one in 20 participants considers the economy in good shape. 94% say it's fair or poor. but 53% say things will be beter a year from now and 53% say it's going to be worse. some congressional staff members give meaning to the phrase "political party." that is later in the grapevine. up next, are we already at war with iran? [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. great fall. ugh, it's my sinus congestion, and it's all your fault. naturally blame the mucus. he's funny. instead of blaming me, try this, advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. happily ever after. another story? from him! [ mucus ] advil congestion relief. the right relief for the real problem. ♪ ♪ >> bret: in world news, more than 2,000 afghans rallied to

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.s remain before a tax break for about 160 million workers expires. yet house and senate leaders are still bickering about who should come back to washington to deal with the issue. president obama called house speaker john boehner and senate majority leader harry reid to push for resolution. we have fox team coverage tonight. mike emanuel tell us who is winning the fight on capitol hill. we begin with chief white house correspondent ed henry who shows us how the administration is piling the pressure on house republicans. good evening, ed. >> good evening. yesterday, the president said he did not want brinksmanship. tonight, that's exactly what we've got. sending the signal he is feeling good right now, president obama spent the afternoon picking up pizza and buying a chew toy for his dog. the casual holiday shopping trip, a sharp contrast to the terse message he delivered in a phone call to john boehner. kay carney said the senate worked out a bipartisan compromise on two-month extensi

bret? >> bret: james, thank you. the big three auto makers had a better november this year than last. chrysler says its sales were up 45% over november 2010. ford gained 13%. general motors was 7% ahead. president obama pledged u.s. support to help additional 2 million people around the world get access to hiv treatment. by the end of 2013. the president was joined via satellite by his predecessor at a world aids day event in washington. >> we are a blessed nation in the united states of america. i believe we are required to support effective programs that save lives. >> this fight is not over. not for the 1.2 million americans living with hiv right now. not for the americans who are infected every day. >> bret: president obama praised mr. bush's leadership on aids saying it was one of his greatest legacies. evangelist billy graham has been diagnosed with pneumonia. but is responding to well to antibiotics. spokesman for mission hospital in asheville, north carolina, says the 93-year-old graham is alert and in positi

bret, back to you. >> bret: steve harrigan live in miami. thank you. the democratic governor of massachusetts wants a second do-over. tell you what that is about in the grapevine. ron paul has something special cooking for holidays. pú? >> bret: now, fresh picks from the political grapevine. massachusetts democrats may have to choose between the democratic troops and the party. the troops rather of the party. the state house news service reports the date for the massachusetts primary was moved from september 18 to september 6. because of a conflict with the jewish holiday. now, democratic governor duval patrick is asking for the date to be moved again because the 6th is the closing night of the democratic convention in north carolina. the state house republican leader says pushing the date back could jeopardize distribution of the absentee military ballots. my question would be why did he sign it in the first place? was he doing a book deal or too busy traveling? we're not changing it for religious or enfranchisement reasons but so they can go to the

bret? >> james, thank you.ironmental protection agency says hydraulic fracturing may be causing ground water pollution. technique called fracking uses pressurized water sand and chemicals to improve the flow of oil or gas. epa says it found chemicals associated with fracking in water beneath wyoming community. >>> red cross on whether it will come after you for playing video games. that is later in the grapevine. up next, are republicans painting president obama in a corner over the payroll tax cut? the droid razr by motorola. the first droid that becomes self-aware. it remembers what you do and does it faster. create shortcuts like automatically syncing while you sleep. instinctively shape-shifting from a music stream for your workout to newsfeed during breakfast, then a gps for your morning commute. powered by verizon 4g lte, this droid is too powerful to fall into the wrong hands. >> bret: president obama said today that europe's leaders can solve their debt crisis if they muster the political will. the lead

bret? >> bret: shannon, thank you. still ahead. from sioux city, iowa, look at who will be voting in next month's caucuses. first, with america struggling throughout tough economy, we are, why are we rather giving away billions in foreign aid? we will examine it. >> bret: u.s. employers advertised fewer jobs in october, 3.3 million than in september. there are 4.25 million people out of work for every one opening. retail sales were up .2 of a percentage point in november. sixth straight monthly increase. down day on wall street. former democratic senator and governor jon corzine today appeared before his one-time colleagues to testify about the failure of m.f. global. the brokerage firm he headed until a few weeks ago. senator want to know where the missing $1.2 billion of customer money went. corzine said he doesn't know, nor does he take responsibility for authorizing the removal from the accounts. now back to electoral politics. anden issue that has come up in the republican presidential race. foreign aid. senior national corres

this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> bret: good evening. i'm bret baier.a kicks off voting in the 2012 presidential season in 22 days. the first primary of the campaign is four weeks from tomorrow in new hampshire. the two leaders for republican presidential nomination were both in the granite state today. chief political correspondent carl cameron spent much of the day with the front runner. newt gingrich stormed in new hampshire, the only state he is not leading the polls and warned voters his rivals will smear him. >> contest between here and winning the nomination is the power of positive ideas versus the power of negative advertising. a simple race. it will pile on. and they will try to knock me down. >> reporter: mitt romney conceded that newt gingrich is the front runner. asked if the exspeaker should return the $1.6 million he made consulting for freddie mac, romney took a shot. >> i sure do. he was on a debate saying that politician who took money from freddie and fannie should go to jail. which is outrageous in itself. >> reporter: gingrich count

bret? >> bret: shannon, thank you. still ahead.x city, iowa, look at who will be voting in next month's caucuses. first, with america struggling throughout tough economy, we are, why are we rather giving away billions in foreign aid? we will examine it. the droid razr by motorola. the droid that wirelessly pulls files, music and movies, all at 4g lte speeds. and introducing the droid xyboard. with an 8 inch hd screen and adaptive surround sound, a home theater for your hands. powered by verizon 4g lte, these droids are too powerful to fall into the wrong hands. buy a droid razr and get $100 off a droid xyboard. >> bret: u.s. employers advertised fewer jobs in october, 3.3 million than in september. there are 4.25 million people out of work for every one opening. retail sales were up .2 of a percentage point in november. sixth straight monthly increase. down day on wall street. former democratic senator and governor jon corzine today appeared before his one-time colleagues to testify about the failure of m.f. global. the brokerage f

i'm bret baier. the man who made headlines at the top of the presidential list is trying to get endorse fire department a man making money expanding his brands for decades. newt gingrich today calling on donald trump. chief political correspondent carl cameron showed us what happened. >> reporter: newt gingrich met with donald trump in new york city. he dearly loved the billionaire backing. >> of course i want his endorsement. i want -- yes, he has to do this debate. >> reporter: trump is planning to moderate the debate. so far, only gingrich accepted. >> the debate is december 27. i am looking to endorse somebody after the debate. >> reporter: herman cain's support is up for grabs, too since suspending his campaign. and newt gingrich leads the des moines register poll. mitt romney is second. ron paul is third. marist has ron paul second and romney third. >> i don't know that you ought to count running for senate in 1994, running for governor, then running for president for six years. i don't know if