the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs you.on from viewers like thank you. >>> good evening. welcome to kqed newsroom. today the fbi announced it's investigating the san bernardino massacre as an act of terrorism. law enforcement agents said the suspects had been in telephone contact with other possible terror suspects in the united states. a facebook official confirmed to the associated press that malik pledged a pledge to isis. agents completed a search of the suspects' home yesterday. today the landlord allowed reporters in to see the location where investigators found an arsenal of ammunition and homemade bombs. a news agency

additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: again and thanks for joining us. president obama tried to reassure americans that the u.s. government is doing everything it can s asu to protect us from potential terrorist attacks like the one last week in san bernardino, california. the president spoke to the american public from the oval office tonight for only they third time in his presidency. he said there is no evidence that california couple who gunned down w 14 people and wounded more in was directed by indemnity overseas organization or part of any broader conspiracy here in the u.s. but he also said the military will hunt down leaders of the islamic state in iraq and syriai known as isis or isil and traini forces there to fight the group on the ground. the president said he would ask congress to continue the use of military force. >> if congress believes like i do that we are at

additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening. thanks for joining us. investigators today zeroed in on the pakistani woman who, alongside her husband, killed 14 people in wednesday's attack in san bernardino, california. law enforcement officials are now searching for connections between the two assailants and the islamic state group. the newshour's stephen fee has more. >> reporter: new details emerged today about 29-year-old tashfeen malik, who posted her allegiance to the islamic state on facebook the same day she and her husband, syed rizwan farook, opened fire on a holiday party for the san bernardino county health department, killing 14 and wounding 21. today, the official online radio station of the islamic state said the massacre was carried out by two "supporters" of the extremist group but did not claim responsibility for the attack. family and friends in the u.s

the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs you.on from viewers like thank you. >> once again, live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. >> good evening. i've got to be honest with you. figuring oute week how to have this conversation tonight. do we focus on the candidate himself? a new wall street journal nbc of americansws 57% object to trump's proposal to temporarily ban muslims from entering the u.s. but trump will be the first one to point out that so far, this polls, hurt him in the where he continues to hold the lead in iowa, new hampshire and nationally. >> worst thing that's ever happened to isis, the people in my party fully understand that. they're running against me. for the most part, they have no numbers. i'm leading by a lot. they get it. they're trying to get publicity for themselves. do we focus on the words he utters, which stirred such a at home and abroad? >> until we can get a handle on who should be here and who think something has got to be done. >> why did i come to this country? life?d i build my for what? i could have had all this

corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by boeing. additional funding is provided by newman's own foundation, donating all profits from newman's own food products to charity and nourishing the common good. the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ones again, live from -- once again, live from washington, model rator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. we've reached that part of the year where everyone begins to take stock. at the white house, the president tried for a victory lap. >> i said at the beginning of this year that interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter and we are only halfway through. gwen: president obama seemed upbeat, perhaps because he was headed to hawaii. he claimed credit for a budget, criminal justice reform and insisted he does have a plan to defeat isis. peter, does the president have a reason to be optimistic? >> he finished the year better in some ways that you might have expected at the start. he'd just lost the senate and people thought we were heading into a strong lame duck moment but in twivinget he had some things to show for all the. climate change most recently in paris, an iran agreement on the nuclear program. he's

additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thanks for joining us. negotiators from nearly every country in the world unanimously agreed to a landmark agreement today to combat climate change, pledging to reduce their emissions from burning fossil fuels that cause global warming. it's the first-ever climate pact to commit all countries -- industrialized ones like the united states and developing countries like china and india - - to take action. delegates from 196 countries cheered as the gavel came down to end the two week conference. no delegation objected to the 31-page final agreement, which is set to take effect in 2020. the "paris agreement" aims to limit the rise in global temperatures to two degrees celsius, or three and a half degrees fahrenheit, over historic averages. to achieve that, the agreement calls on nations limit their greenhouse gas emissions to a

additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening. thanks for joining us. united nations secretary general ban ki moon says the climate change pact endorsed by close to 200 nations is a turning point" to make human life "sustainable on a healthy planet. world leaders are welcoming the agreement designed to curb planet-polluting carbon gases that have been causing a rise in global temperatures. the paris agreement approved yesterday commits countries to take steps that could cap the rise in temperatures to no more than two degrees celsius-- or just over 3.5 degrees fahrenheit-- over pre-industrial age levels. the pact aims for every country to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels in the coming decades so the earth can naturally absorb them in the second half of this century. and under the agreement, countries will re-submit their pollution reduction targets to the u.n. ev

additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thanks for joining us. a key region in afghanistan could be on the verge of falling to the taliban. the deputy governor of helmand province, an area that u.s. troops once fought to secure, says urgent action is needed to prevent its collapse. the official posted an unusual public plea to afghan president ashraf ghani on facebook saying, quote: "helmand is standing on the brink, and there is a serious need for you to come." the helmand official said he had lost 90 soldiers in the past two days and hundreds more during six months of taliban attacks. a spokesman for president ghani said the president is aware of the facebook post and met with his national security council about the situation. an afghan army spokesman said helmand would never collapse. air france says a bomb scare that forced a passenger jet to make an emergenc

additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by conributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, megan thompson. >> thompson: good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm megan thompson, in for hari sreenivasan. officials now say at least 17 people are dead after a string of deadly storms and tornadoes ripped through the south earlier this week. last night, families near birmingham, alabama were left to sort through what was left of their homes after a tornado touched down christmas day. two hundred roads in alabama are still closed and flood warnings are still in effect. in tennessee and mississippi, recovery crews and utility workers continued to clean up after a tornado tore a 100-mile path through those states this week, demolishing dozens of homes and buildings. unseasonably warm temperatures spurred the severe weather. more rainfall is expected through monday. meanwhile, oklahoma and texas are preparing for what the national weather service says could be a "historic

additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thanks for joining us. president obama has vetoed legislation intended to slow his policies on climate change. the bill would have nullified an environmental protection agency rule requiring power plants to reduce carbon emissions by one- third over the next 15 years. his "pocket veto"-- exercised after congress had adjourned for the year-- was expected. 27 states are suing to stop the rule. the president is in hawaii for his annual two-week family vacation in his home state. en route, the president and first lady stopped in san bernardino, california, to meet relatives of the 14 people shot and killed by a radical islamist couple at a holiday party this month. the meeting, behind closed doors at a high school, lasted nearly three hours. >> some described their loved ones who had come to this country as immigrants, others w

the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastingd by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the place is paris. the subject is global warming. the goal is the strongest agreement yet to rein in rising temperatures. what could be difficult talks on the issue, began today. >> ( translated ): on this first day of the conference, we have our backs against the wall. >> ifill: the summit opened with a warning from its host: french president francois hollande. >> ( translated ): this wall is built on all our egoisms, our fears, our resignations. this wall is built on indifference, recklessness, and weakness. but this wall can be scaled and it all depends on us. >> ifill: in all, 151 heads of state and government converged on the french capital. they're hoping to finalize an accord on reducing heat-trapping emissions of greenhouse gases. but the paris attacks loomed in the background, as president hollande argued the problems of climate and security are linked. >> ( translated ): they're two big world

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: evidence is mounting this evening that the killers in san bernardino, california had become home-grown islamist radicals. but it is not clear they had links to anyone else. those facts emerged as the f.b.i. launched a full-blown federal investigation. >> we are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism. >> woodruff: after days of questions, a partial answer-- but few details. the f.b.i.'s david bowdich says there's still much they don't know about the carnage at a social services center. the killers-- syed rizwan farook and his wife tashfeen malik-- tried to cover their tracks. >> they attemped to destroy their digital fingerprints. for example, we found two cell phones in a nearby trash can. those cell phones were actually crushed. we have retained those cell phones and we do continue to exploit the data from those cell phones. we do hope that the digital fingerprints that were left

and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support for frontliis provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional support is provided by the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the john and helen glessner family trust, supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide, at fordfoundation.org. the wyncote foundation. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. and additional support from scott nathan and laura debonis. (horns blowing) >> erenberg touchdown! >> listen to this crowd, they're on fire! >> the steelers have their key receivers in. stallworth on the left, 82, swann, 88, on the right. franco harris is now at the 30, big pileup. he fumbled the ball! and let's see... minnesota has it! jeff siemon on

and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support for frontliis provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional support is provided by the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the john and helen glessner family trust, supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide, at fordfoundation.org. the wyncote foundation. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. and additional support from scott nathan and laura debonis. >> second and three, ball on the three... freeman in motion... wide open... touchdown! >> the brains are precious cargo. >> now back to the third, and he goes outside... >> we have to get the brain usually within hours of the death. >> ...scores a touchdown. >> play action... going deep... >>

the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastingd by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: at least 14 killed, another 14 wounded and up to three gunmen on the loose, in military-style outfits. that was the deadly tally today after the shootings at a social services complex in southern california. it happened in san bernardino, a city of more than 200,000 people, about 60 miles east of los angeles. >> ifill: it was late morning when heavily armed police and others raced toward inland regional center, moments after the alarm sounded. >> apparently the subject is still inside the business: 1365 south waterman. its in building number 3-- possible active shooter. male in black clothing. he's still firing rounds. >> ifill: the social services center is one of 21 that's run by the state, serving people with developmental disabilities. they were either dressed or equipped to indicate they were prepared and have automatic guns. they were on a mission. >> ifill: marco said his wife was inside the build

the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastingd by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: 14 people are dead and another 17 wounded including ten critically after the nation's latest mass shooting. it happened today in san bernardino, california, a city of more than 200,000 people about 60 miles east of los angeles. gunmen attacked a banquet facility at a social services complex, then fled, but authorities now say suspects died in a shootout with officers hours after the attack. it was late morning when heavily armed police and others raced toward inland regional center moments after the alarm sounded. >> the subject is still inside the business, possibly active shooter. male in black clothing is still firing rounds. >> ifill: the social services center is one of 21 run by the state, serving people with developmental disabilities. >> people came prepared, either dressed in a way to indicate they were prepared and they have long guns, not handguns. they came prepared to do what they did as if

department of education, the corporation for public broadcasting's ready to learn grant, and by contributions station from viewers like you. thank you. ve. this is my partner, agent otto. this is a picture with five jackalopes in it. but back to otto and me. we work for an organization run by kids that investigates anything strange, weird, and, especially, odd. our job is to put things right again. (theme music) (unicorn whinnying) - ah! - hi-yah!

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. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. ontributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the federal government will remain open, for now. congress today sent president obama a short-term spending bill to fund agencies through next wednesday. the move buys more time to negotiate a $1.1 trillion long-term tax and spending bill. house lawmakers on both sides remained optimistic a budget deal could be reached by next week. >> the republicans have previously shown their willingness to go into a shutdown. so hope we take this new five day period to avoid a shutdown permanently rather than to just do another three or five days again and again and again. >> writing a $1.1 trillion omnibus bill takes a lot of time. there's multiple items to be negotiated. now i think both sides are negotiating in good faith in this legislative body, and i think the administration is participating in good faith. >> woodruff: negotiators remain divided over additional, unrelated provisions that some lawmakers are trying

. >> 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: geneva, switzerland, went on high alert today over new warnings of possible terrorist attacks. officials said a search was on for 2 to 4 suspects with possible links to the islamic state group. it was unclear if the alert was tied to last month's attacks in paris. police stepped up screenings at border crossings, and there was heavier security deployed outside the u.n.'s european headquarters and other sites >> ifill: the u.s. military is attempting to explore expanding its ability to fight islamic state forces beyond iraq and syria. "the new york times" reports the pentagon wants to build up bases across east africa, southeast asia and the middle east, for special operations and intelligence. at the pentagon today, defense secretary ash carter said, that kind of network would help cut down the militants' reach. >> this tumor is metastasizing or has metastasized. that's the reality the recognition

the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastingd by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: president obama today insisted coalition forces are hitting back at islamic state militants harder than ever. as a result, he said, the group - also know as isil - has lost key leaders and control of large swaths of iraqi and syrian territories. the president outlined the progress after meeting at the pentagon with his national security advisers. >> every day, we destroy as well more of isil's forces. their fighting positions, bunkers, and staging areas; their heavy weapons, bomb-making factories, compounds and training camps. in many places, isil has lost its freedom of maneuver because they know if they mass their forces, we will wipe them out. >> woodruff: also called on allies in the middle east to step up their contributions to the fight. and islamic countries like turkey and pakistan. >> ifill: investigators in egypt say -- >> ifill: investigators in egypt say october's crash of a russian passen

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: from president obama today, a year-end promise to target terror in the year to come. he spoke at a white house news conference, and sought again to allay public fears of potential attacks. at home, he called for americans to stay vigilant, and overseas, he promised to pound away at the islamic state group. >> isil's already lost about 40% of the populated areas it once controlled in iraq, and it's losing territory in syria. squeezing isil's heart, its core in syria and iraq, will make it harder for them to pump their terror and propoganda to the rest of the world. >> woodruff: we'll have an extended report on the president's remarks-- on terror and a number of other subjects-- after the news summary. in the day's other news, wall street went down-- hard. the sell-off was driven by falling oil prices, the chinese economy and foreign reaction to the federal reserve's interest rate hike. and, losses accel

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting.by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: there's much moreç today on the attacke$] and their weapons in the san bernardino shootings. but police and federal agents are still searching for what sparked the attack that killed 14 people, wounded 21 and culminated in a fatal confrontation. hari sreenivasan reports from san bernardino. >> sreenivasan: this morning, a bullet-riddled s.u.v. still sat in a san bernardino street, stark evidence of wednesday's violence.ç the fwo suspects, syed farook and his wife, tashfeen malik, died there in a gun battle with police, after a chase. hours earlier, the pair opened fire at a social services center during a holiday luncheon. police swarmed in to track the husband-and-wife team, ending in the final shootout a few miles away. police chief jarrod burguan says the couple had an arsenal in the s.u.v., including two rifles and two handguns -- all legally purchased -- and bullets that could punch through polic

the ongoing support of these institutions >> 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: how to respond to the threat of terror? that question dominated action in congress and the presidential race today. one response came in the house of representatives, late this afternoon, as lawmakers voted overwhelmingly for new curbs on who is admitted to enter the united states. >> woodruff: the push in the house was to end the practice of not requiring entrance visas for anyone who has been to iraq or syria-- among other places-- in recent years. currently, people from 38 countries qualify for the visa waivers, but house majority leader kevin mccarthy said that time has passed. >> that you have more than 5,000 individuals that have western passports in this program that have gone to iraq or syria in the last five years. those are gaps that we need to fix. >> woodruff: democrats joined in supporting the bill, but they also insisted the house address gun control. minority leader nancy pelosi and

the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastingby contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the u.s. military has suffered its worst single day in afghanistan in a year- and-a-half. six soldiers were killed and two wounded today in a taliban attack. it was the strongest sign yet of the militants' resurgence. we'll have details and a full report on the state of the fight against the taliban right after the news summary. >> ifill: president obama now says there's legitimate criticism of his efforts to battle the islamic state group. in a year-end interview with n.p.r., airing today, he said he's failed to keep the public fully informed about thousands of air strikes and recaptured territory. the president also urged americans to keep the threat in perspective. >> i understand why people are worried. the most damage they can do, though, is if they start changing how we live and what our values are. and part of my message over the next 14 months or 13 months that i remain in office is to just make

the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastingd by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: fierce storms rolled across the south and the midwest today, but instead of snow and ice, warnings went up for tornadoes and floods. one twister struck in mississippi, and a woman died in arkansas when a tree hit her house. officials said high winds could turn christmas decorations into shrapnel. meanwhile, rain and fog caused flight delays and some cancellations across the northeast. the unseasonably warm weather is predicted to last through christmas. >> ifill: there has been a miraculous rescue in china, nearly three days after a devastating mudslide. it came today in shenzhen, where the massive collapse buried part of an industrial park. martha fairlie of independent television news, reports. >> after 67 hours of searching, there are excited shouts from the rescue workers. they have found a survivor. a man, buried alive for more than three days under the mud and rubble of a landslide in shezhen, i

. >> 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: the christmas holiday turned into christmas horror overnight, as killer storms blasted parts of the south. today, communities were left to count their dead and damages, including at least 11 killed and scores hurt. one after another, tornadoes touched down across five states wednesday evening. >> ifill: the worst was in northern mississippi, where more than a dozen twisters spun down. a state of emergency stretched across seven counties, from the arkansas border in the west, to tennessee in the north, and near alabama in the east. governor phil bryant visited the region today. >> it is difficult particularly this time of year to see such damage and know that heartbreaks go along with that damage. that families have lost loved ones. seven mississippians have been lost in this storm. funerals will be planned. this should be a joyous holiday season. and it will not be for many. >> ifill: a string of miss

. >> 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: the flood tide along the mississippi river and major tributaries has finally begun to crest in places today, but for many people, relief arrives too late. towns in whole sections of missouri and illinois are under water, with at least 20 dead and untold millions of dollars in damage, and it's not over yet. the scenes of soaking wet destruction are everywhere across southern missouri: homes flooded, roads washed out. >> this is devastating here. this is five feet higher than the past record and just total devastation. >> ifill: the deluge turned runways into islands at this airport, and stranded small planes. some of the worst damage is along the surging meramec river, southwest of st. louis. whole neighborhoods are under water in eureka, where firefighters have used boats to rescue nearly 50 people there since tuesday. downstream, the meramec crested today near valley park, at a record 44 feet. the wa