i'm margaret warner. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown.ll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks among others. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> 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 n.b.r. >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. tom hudson will be along a little later in the program. a positive turn in the fiscal cliff crisis. house republicans agree to meet sunday night to resume talks after a day of finger-pointing and complaining in washington. on wall street, fiscal fears created whiplash for investors: a big stock market sell-off and then bounce back on word that lawmakers are springing back into action. and, if you used your smartphone to shop this christmas, you're in fashion. it was the year's top retail tr

i'm margaret warner. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown.ll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks among others. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> 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

i'm margaret warner. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown.ll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks among others. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> 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 >> thi>> this is "bbc world news america." funding for 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 hot and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news america." >> president obama cut short his holiday

like going to your neighborhood cvs or anywhere else. >> brown: open season in congress look >> brown: seven weeks after election day, there are open seats in congress. we look at contests in three senate races. >> ifill: fred de sam lazaro profiles a priest who became a doctor to help haiti's poor and orphaned children. >> brown: and we close with a conversation with the editor of a new anthology of verse: 100 poems written over 100 years. >> it doesn't have poetry. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. 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

thank you. >> brown: the u.s.se of representatives headed toward approval this evening of a tax plan that republicans backed and democrats said was a waste of time. the division demonstrated that efforts to get a bi-partisan agreement and avoid the fiscal cliff are stuck in stalemate. >> the house will be in order. >> brown: house republicans pushed their plan b. despite a veto threat from the white house and the strong opposition of senate democrats. speaker john boehner insisted the president had left him with no alternative. >> for weeks the white house said if i moved on rates that they would make substantial concessions on spending cuts and entitlement reforms. i did my part. they've done nothing. >> brown: the public sniping continued: at the white house, press secretary jay carney fired back that the president had shown more of a willingness to compromise than republicans have. >> he never said, either in private or in public, that this was his final offer. he understands that to reach a deal it would requi

brown from the vehicle. >> brent and brown were college teammates at the university of illinois. the two were reunited in october when the cowboys signed brown after the indianapolis colts released him. cowboys owner jerry jones said at this time our hearts and prayers and deepest sympathies are with the members of jerry's

now, back to jeff. >> brown: and to egypt.hin the last 24 hours the country has seen the worst violence since president mohamed morsi was elected in june. seven people were killed and more than 600 hurt during overnight clashes in cairo outside the presidential palace. we have a report from jonathan rugman of "independent television news." >> reporter: last year, they ousted a dictator. last night, they turned against one another. religious and secular egyptians fighting outside the palace of their first freely-elected president. after riot police gave up keeping the two warring sides apart. seven people were killed and hundreds were injured. both sides were armed with clubs, but eyewitnesses said the first gunfire came from president morsi's supporters. the president's opponents let off fireworks. but they say they won't back down until the president gives up sweeping new powers or resigns. this morning, the army moved in. not to mount a military coup, but to defend a president they would once have jailed for his political vi

literary events are packed. >> brown: why do you think that is? >> well, it's inexpensive, inexpensive entertainment. ( laughs ) but i think people want to be together. they want to be talking to people. >> brown: the crisis around here, she says, rarely makes it into her poetry in an explicit way. but she did have one direct hit for us, a playful work-in- progress called "austerity measures." >> i love the term "austerity measures." it sounds so poetic. >> brown: even though it's so real, nitty-gritty in what's happening here? >> yes, i love the idea of "measures" as, you know, verse. it was prompted by a headline that i read somewhere, which was "greece downgraded deeper into junk," the greek bonds. and it scanned nicely, and i just wanted to play with it. so this is just playing it. "austerity measures." "if you believe the headlines, then we're sunk. the dateline oracle, giddy with dread? "greece downgraded deeper into junk." stash cash beneath the mattress, pack the trunk. will drachmas creep where euros fear to tread? if you believe the head

>>> politics isn't the only battle governor jerry brown is fighting. the 70-year-old is being treated for prostate cancer. cbs 5 reporter elissa harrington is at ucsf this morning and that's where the governor is undergoing radiation treatment. good morning. >> reporter: for the next month, governor brown will receive daily treatments here at ucsf. they are supposed to be painless and last about 10 minutes. governor brown's office announced yesterday that he has early stage prostate cancer. they say it has not spread and has a high cure rate. the 74-year-old governor will keep up his full work during his treatment and doctors say there won't be any serious side effects. this is the governor's second bout with cancer since taking office in 2011. last year he had a procedure to remove skin cancer from his nose. brown is in good shape of and he called out the governor of new jersey, chris christie, back in august after getting slammed at the republican convention. >> i hereby challenge governor

sometimes i laugh with that. >> brown: why? >> i laugh because i think it's incredible.ag how did i manage to arrive at that age? ( laughs )ic >> brown: greece today can use some of that laughter, and, with its own rich and often troubled history, from ancient times to today, the poet's sense of purpose and survival.el >> ifill: we have more poems from stallings and patrikios on our poetry page, as well as a conversation with greek novelist ersi sotiropoulos.ve find that on art beat. again, the major developments of the day.l there were calls for peace around the world, as millions celebrated christmas. police in webster, new york found human remains in the burned-out home where a gunman t ambushed and killed two firefighters on christmas eve. the victim appeared to be the shooter's sister.e and the election commission in egypt confirmed the new constitution won nearly 64% of the vote in a referendum. online, we ask, who's the best arbiter of the most important events of the year? you, of course. kwame holman tells us about yea

jeffrey brown has that part of the story. >> brown: the syrian civil war has now closed in on presidentashar al-assad's seat of power, with rebel gunfire ringing out again today in damascus. amateur video also showed new shelling in the capital, as government forces continued a push to retake key suburbs. and while the noise of war grows louder in damascus, so have fears around the world that assad may resort to chemical weapons. the syrian government has a number of sites containing what may be the largest chemical weapons stockpile in the world. it's made up largely of sarin nerve gas, mustard gas and cyanide. on monday, president obama sounded a warning, amid reports of unusual activity at the weapon sites. >> the world is watching. the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. if you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable. >> reporter: assad's regime answered that it would never use such weapons against its own people, but today, at nato headquarters in brussels, secretary of state hillary clinto

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we get perspective on the partisan tug- of-war in washington, from one half of the team that produced the deficit-cutting plan republicans say is their inspiration, democrat erskine bowles. >> there are over $7 trillion worth of economic events that are going to hit america in the gut. i think impact would be really strong. if anybody thinks this is going to be a slope better wake up. >> ifill: the link between brain injury and sports, new evidence ties repeated blows to the head to long-term damage. we take a look. >> brown: ray suarez looks at the firestorm over israel's announcement it will expand settlements in the west bank. >> ifill: elizabeth brackett looks at how one chicago school is dealing with the transition to new state-wide standards. >> i really did find that the kids do understand more, and they learn more. they're more interested in what they're learning. >> brown: plus, as global carbon dioxide levels hit record highs, we analyze the increasi

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we look at this first cabinet change for the president's second term with david ignatius of the "washington post" and journalist and author james mann. >> woodruff: then, we turn back to the tragedy in newtown, connectit, as more victims are laid to rest one week after the shootings. >> brown: speaking out for the first time since the massacre, the nra's wayne lapierre rejects calls for new limits on guns. >> i asked congress today to act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation. >> woodruff: and ray suarez talks to mark glaze, director of the pro-gun control advocacy group mayors against illegal guns. >> brown: plus, we hear from high school students from across the country, and gwen ifill talks with secretary of education arne duncan. >> schools have been forever the safe haven, often safest places in the community. and we need to continue to do everything in our power to make sure th

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight, paul solman breaks down the latest report. and we debate the benefits of extending unemployment insurance amid washington's fiscal uncertainty. >> woodruff: then we turn to the supreme court which agreed today to take up the issue of gay marriage. margaret warner looks at what's at stake with marcia coyle of "the national law journal." >> brown: hari sreenivasan reports on the threat to the shellfish industry from coast to coast, as ocean temperatures rise and the waters are more acidic. >> this is a very dramatic change that has not been seen in the worlds oceans for more than 50 million years. >> woodruff: mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> brown: and gwen ifill sits down with michael beschloss, whose recent foray into the twitter-verse has opened up a new way to view history in the digital age. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support

i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. "washington week" can be seen later this evening on most pbs stations. we'll see you online and again here monday evening. have a nice weekend. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. 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. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is n.b.r. >> susie: good evening everyone. i'm susie gharib. the unemployment rate drops to a four year low as u.s. businesses add 146,000 jobs in november. we look behind the numbers. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. we meet t

i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online and, as it's looking like the end is not upon us yet, again here monday evening. have a nice winter weekend. thanks for joining us. good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. 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. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is "bbc world news america." funding for 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

it was very heartbreaking. >> the crime occurred when brown was 16 years old.'s now serving two 50-year sentences for the murders of his mother and stepfather. >> aaron brown bewilders me. he sat in wait with a shotgun until his parents came home one night, and as his mom walked through the door, he blasted her with the shotgun, shot at his stepfather, missed, and ended up chasing his stepfather around the house shooting at him until he finally killed him. and i wanted to know why. >> weeks earlier before he grew out his hair and beard, we interviewed brown about the murders. >> i just remember when i woke up like the first thing i said that day was, today is the day. i had myself convinced and for whatever reason there was nothing wrong with it in my mind. i didn't see any other way. >> any other way than what? >> there was no other way for me to escape that environment. it wasn't -- i didn't get abused physically or sexually or any other way, but i did not love my parents then, i did not feel like i was loved, and i just did not feel i could be there anymore.

i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> macarthur foundation. 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 >> this is n.b.r. >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. just 28 days to go before the fiscal cliff deadline, today house republicans sent the president a counter-offer, calling for big cuts to entitlement spending, and no new taxes on the wealthy. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. auto sales speed up in november, with buyers taking advantage of ultra-cheap financing to ditch

jeffrey brown has more. >> brown: the highly critical report came three months after the deadly september 11th attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, that left ambassador chris stevens and three other americans dead. former ambassador thomas pickering and admiral mike mullen, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff chaired the outside accountability review board. they spoke at the state department. >> frankly, the state department had not given benghazi the security, both physical and personnel resources, it needed. >> certain state department bureau level senior officials in critical positions of authority and responsibility in washington demonstrated a lack of leadership and management >> brown: overall, the report found that systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies resulted in a security posture that was inadequate for benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place. earlier, mullen and pickering

i blame arnold schwarzenegger and jerry brown, who played politics with this. they talked about closing parks and would save a pittance. it was to scare people into voting for higher taxes, and in the end, it hurt parks, because when the two accounts were found with $54 million that they hadn't spent -- nobody stole the money, they hadn't reported it properly -- then the backlash was huge. because then the public was like, why are you asking us for money and then holding money? that leended up in the resignatn of the parks head. >> is there somebody who will fix this? >> anthony jackson, he's a former marine general. i don't know how much he knows about parks, but he's a guy who jerry brown can show to the public, look, we've got a no-nonsense guy who's going to whip these folks into shape. >> yeah, well, you know, tom vacar, 2011 in some ways was the year of the pg&e sam bruno explosion. 2012 we had a refinery fire in richmond. were there commonalities to those stories, common lessons to be learned? >> the common lesson is that whether you're a corporation or

but scott brown has a high approval rating in the state.sachusetts democratic machine turn out a marquis or lynch victory over scott brown inspect are they strong enough to do that? >> no question about it, they need to find somebody. one of the reasons elizabeth warren did so well is because people were passionate about her. 2 machine only comes out if people are really truly excited about a candidate. and they were about warren from the get-go. if they don't feel that way, especially in the special election when voter turnout is going to be low, anyway, it's going to be scott brown's to lose. >> and lastly, i'll just ask you, what is the level of disappointment that ben affleck is not going to run in the state of massachusetts or the commonwealth of massachusetts? >> i knew that one was coming. well, hey, you know, we were all surprised. we either heard jones that he was going to run and suddenly people were taking it seriously and he posted on his facebook page a rather serious posting that said, you know, i'm not going to do it but i'm

>> he is waiting in the wings if scott brown doesn't run?he ran for governor of new york and more power to him if he he can pull it off but national republicans and the money thinks he has the best shot. >> thank you both for joining me tonight. coming up, our final update or the year. on the kind fund. i'll read some of the comments that you have left about it. in the rewrite tonight i can understand why the guys in the vatican are so wrong about marriage. so if it fair that we expect them to understand the first think about it? they have no excuse for not understanding socialism. and they live in one now. they are all together in tonight's rewrite that is coming up. sfx- "sounds of african drum and flute" look who's back. again? it's embarrassing it's embarrassing! we can see you carl. we can totally see you. come on you're better than this...all that prowling around. yeah, you're the king of the jungle. have you thought about going vegan carl? hahaha!! you know folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. how h