>> a dear friend of ours, ron buford saw a little card, gracey allen left for george burnes when she died. it said, never put a period where god has placed a comma. ron went home or to his motel that night and said "why don't we want to put a period where god has placed a comma?" he said ah, because god is still speaking. >> that's amazing. glad to hear that. >> we have one more segment, we gotta wrap up. there are some other great stories. thank you for joining us, please join us in our final segment with the jazz and justice church. be out there! be out there! [female announcer] time was, kids did what came naturally, spending free time running barefoot through the grass, wading knee deep in streams, climbing to the tallest branch. but today, american kids are more likely found texting, watching tv, or gazing at a computer screen. they spend more than seven hours in front of electronic media. something essential has been lost. childhood's connection to the natural world. that's why national wildlife federation created the be out there movement. kids moving indoors causes a host of

the entertainment world, including johnny carson, frank sinatra, dean martin, don rickles, and george burnses, but he did some things with andy williams that were really adorable. 'cause andy williams is a very... he was a smooth guy, and low-key, kind of jazzy in his personality. and he had a great time with my father. they played well together. here is the great victor borge. hi, friends. victor borge for victor borge pianos, where the key to happiness is in c natural. and with your keys, three pedals, all ivory interior. i can put one of these in your living room tonight with all the strings attached. this model is the top of the line. the concert... grand prix -- it comes without watch. and a warranty of 5 years or 2,000 songs, whatever comes first. and whitewalls. what time is it? and what makes it amazing is that it's 100% sent from company complete with tenor, or soprano. this is the tenor. ♪ ol' man river ♪ he just keeps ♪ rollin' ♪ a... [ playing ♪ a... final chord ] ♪ a... ♪ a... ♪ a... [barking] [barking] ♪ a... [barking] ♪ a... woof! ♪ a... woof-woof! ♪ a... woof-woof! ♪ a... ♪

she was a beautiful singer and a lovely human being, and we were told by the old masters like george burnsack benny, they said, son, you're off to a good start but it's going to take you seven years before you become a competent performer, performing in front of an audience, but now these new schools, they're teaching them what to expect and how to be prepared. >> and in your experience, are they as prepared and ready and able to nurture their talent in the same way you could after years of treading those boards? is it as good? >> they were all very professional. they were all prepared. they came in. i loved lady gaga. when i first met her on this record date, and she was -- she went to the whole staff after it was finished, the recording that we did, thanking them for believing in her. she was so sweet to everybody, to every stagehand and everybody, "thank you for being so nice to me" and all that and i was very impressed with that. >> the great thing with you, you've had this as i said extraordinary career where you are absolutely huge to the 50s and 60s, one of the great stars of the wo

>> successful third-party candidates have three things -- a regional base, george wallace a burning issue, george wallace or ross perot, got 19% of the vote and a vivid personality and lord knows that perot and wallace had that. >> who was the most influential politician of 2011. >> john boehner. he bested the president time after time. >> i can't say the president. okay, i have to agree with george, then, john boehner. >> otherwise, the president? >> the president is still the president. and he can set an agenda in a way that others can't. >> paul ryan who put forward a campaign to reform entitlement spending. think he shaped the debate and made clear that this is an argument that we can make and make with confidence. >> i'll say paul ryan, slightly different take, he put forth the idea that you could actually tackle entitlements and survive politically and he got every single republican in the house to sign on to his plan. we'll see if it works. a major factor in the election going forward. they'll demonize ryan going forward. but i think paul ryan. >> do you think, of course, we actual

. >> successful third-party candidates have three things -- a regional base, george wallace a burning issue, george wallace or ross perot, got 19% of the vote and a vivid personality and lord knows that perot and wallace had that. i don't see anyone with any of the three. >> quick lightning round then, who do you think was the most influential politician of 2011? real name. not the president. >> john boehner. skis consistently managed an unrurally president and bested the president time after time. >> i can't say the president. >> no. >> i'm afraid i have to agree with george then. >> otherwise, why the president? >> the president is still the president. and he can set an agenda in a way that others can't. >> paul ryan who put forward a concrete plan to reform entitlement spending which stood an onslaught by the left in defense of it and i think has shaped the debate and made clear to republicans and conservatives that this is an argument we can make and make with confidence. >> i'll say paul ryan, slightly different take, he put forth the idea that you could actually tackle entitleme

no wood burning today. >>george: there are fewer cars than any other work week. we have seen a lighter than normal loads around the bay area. currently we are not tracking any hot spots. if we have not yet had it this morning. on the bay bridge toll plaza, traffic is not bad at all. cable later today than yesterday or even monday. even with the metering lights we do not have a backup. a few cars slowing of the backup to the cash lane is. the ride on the san mateo bridge is a good one. heading back to the golden gate bridge for 101 northbound and southbound, light traffic each way weather added to or from marin county if. let's fix up the traffic maps for a look at the east bay to be started off with the 680 ride southbound from the benicia bridge to the san ramon valley. 80 is a clear shot from the carquinez bridge to the bay bridge. the peninsula traffic ride on highway 101 is problem free in the south bay, you can see the right looks good for your trip heading north on a 101 out of the coyote valley. your trip into sunnyvale is easy weather coming from 85 or 10

. >> karl rove gave us george bush and george bush crashed and burned. because of that we have obama. >> reporter: like other frontrunners this year, gingrich has problems in his own party, even with fellow conservatives like tom coburn who gingrich helped sweep into congress in 1994. >> there are all types of leaders. leaders that instill confidence, leaders that are abrupt and brisk. leaders with one standard for the people they are leading and a different standard for themselves. >> reporter: brian, keep an eye on the class of 94. 70-plus republicans elected that year. so far none of the current members from that class in the house or senate have endorsed. it appears just one endorsed newt gingrich. brian? >> interesting to see how it collides with the money and organization of the romney campaign. chuck todd in our washington newsroom tonight. chuck, we'll stay at it. thanks. >>> president obama for his part threw down with congressional republicans today over extending the payroll tax cut for another year. nbc's kristen welker with us tonight was th

. >> karl rove gave us george bush who crashed and burned. because of that we have obama. >> reporter: like other front runners, gingrich has problems in his own party, even with fellow conservatives like tom coburn who gingrich help hed sweep into congress in 1994. >> there are all types of leaders. leaders that instill confidence, leaders that are abrupt and brisk. leaders with one standard for the people they are leading and a different standard for themselves. >> reporter: an interesting nugget on the famous class of 1994 newt gingrich swept into congress. so far not a single member of that class has yet to endorse gingrich for president. a few endorsed other canada datas. >> interesting to see how it collides with the money and organization of the romney campaign. chuck todd, we'll stay at it. thanks. >>> president obama for his part threw down with congressional republicans today over extending the payroll tax cut for another year. nbc's kristen welker with us tonight was there for it. >> reporter: good evening to you, brian. what has b

. >> karl rove gave us george bush and george bush crashed and burned. republicans, they have to get rid of the karl roves and they need fresh blood because karl rove is going to lead them into doom. >> just one more drama in the never-ending reality show that is the gop race. joining me now, nia malika henderson and casey hunt. thanks to both of you for being here tonight. >> thank you. >> casey, newt is surging. why do you really think he's catching on? >> i think it's something that you've seen throughout this entire primary process. you've seen people get excited about michele bachmann. then you saw people get excited about one after the other of these republican alternatives. they're just searching for somebody who isn't mitt romney. what makes newt different is that he has a national identity. people know who he is, from back in 1994 when he was the speaker of the house. we're going to have to see whether or not that means he has more staying power than those who have risen and fallen before him. >> nia, if you look at the die graph of newt's surge

. >> karl rove gave us george bush and george bush crashed and burned and because of that, we have obama. and, you know, karl rove, the problem that this, frankly, that the republicans, they have to get rid of the karl roves and they need fresh blood because karl rove is going to lead them into doom. >> and newt gingrich is fresh blood? karl rove sees his empire crumbling, no doubt. the millions of dollars he's raised through his cross roads gps pac and countless hours he's spent trying to influence the nominating process is going up in flames thanks to the republican infighting. rove thinks it's time for someone to step in and set the party straight. >> what the heck are the rea debate with a guy who says, i may run for president next year as an independent? i mean, i think the republican national chairman ought to step in and say we strongly discourage every candidate from appearing in the debate moderated by somebody who was going to run for president. >> rove wants the republican national chairman to stop the madness, but the chairman skirted the issue when he was asked about the don

and george bush crashed and burned and because of that, we have obama. and karl rove, i mean, the problem that this, frankly, that the republicans they have to get rid of the karl roves and they need fresh blood because karl rove is going to lead them into doom. believe me. >> he would like the rnc chairman to step in to stop this debate. are you going to call the rnc and ask them to sanction it? >> yes, the rnc was very positive. very nice. in fact, they had a big fund-raiser at my golf club this year at washington. a big, big fund-raiser. i think the most successful they ever had and you said that he made negative statements. he did not say that at all. >> if we're going to have a factual contest here, i said he distanced him, he appeared to distance himself from the idea. >> he said that's up to the candidates whether or not they go in the debate. that has nothing to do with us. he didn't make any negative statements. >> i didn't say it was negative, i said distant. you want to bring up some issues and i agree with you on issues like opec and some of

and george bush crashed and burned and because of that we have obama.ublicans have to get rid of the karl roves and they need fresh blood. karl rove is going to lead them into doom. >> republican strategist mark mckinnon is co-founder of no labels and a former advisor to george w. bush. >> thanks. >> if you were advising one of the candidates in the republican race would you say they should debate in this debate that will be moderated by donald trump? >> i'd say don't do it. it ruins the brand of the republican party. it diminishes the brand. the reason i'm at the jfk school at harvard i'm doing a propaezal to recommend a presidential commission for primaries in 2016 so we don't have these ridiculous side shows. >> what do you think about the candidates that have tried to get donald trump's endorsement. it's increasing the perception of his influence. do you think he's such a powerful figure inside the party? >> i don't get it. i really don't. i think it's bad for the party. i think it's bad for people who are looking to the republican party for new ide

burns. why do a three-minute george washington tribute. why not say, next guy is going to be the grover cleveland of the 21st century. >> what is with that? >> the election is in november of next year. it will be about growth or no growth. prosperity or more of what we've got. we divide the cake or grow the cake. that is what it's going to be about. why shouldn't it be framed in knows terms? >> what is washington cross the delaware got to do with it? >> this is like george washington. if i could pull any person out of the hat to get elected. that is a good one. it's politics, remember? you don't remember what they said two weeks ago. >> exactly. newt coming out and in support of the individual mandate in 2006, if someone came up with a memo of general washington supporting the tea act.... >> oh, come on. get out of here. [ laughter ] >> so newt in iowa, numbers are about half of where they were a couple weeks ago during the christmas break. >> he really had a top spotted but this is like a horse race. he certainly has a lot of experience a

burns. why do a three-minute george washington tribute. why not say, next guy is going to be the grover cleveland of the 21st century. >> what is with that? >> the election is in november of next year. it will be about growth or no growth. prosperity or more of what we've got. we divide the cake or grow the cake. that is what it's going to be about. why shouldn't it be framed in knows terms? >> what is washington cross the delaware got to do with it? >> this is like george washington. if i could pull any person out of the hat to get elected. that is a good one. it's politics, remember? you don't remember what they said two weeks ago. >> exactly. newt coming out and in support of the individual mandate in 2006, if someone came up with a memo of general washington supporting the tea act.... >> oh, come on. get out of here. [ laughter ] >> so newt in iowa, numbers are about half of where they were a couple weeks ago during the christmas break. >> he really had a top spotted but this is like a horse race. he certainly has a lot of experience a

. >> karl rove gave us george bush and george bush crashed and burned and because of that we have obama. >> reporter: rick santorum, michele bachmann and newt gingrich of committed to the debate. ron paul and jon huntsman turned him down. >> ron paul has zero chance of getting the nomination. mr. paul called my office and then he went on the debate and said i didn't meet with mr. trump like everybody else in the room. i'm sure he'll tell the truth because he's a mormon. >> reporter: mitt romney will be endorsed pie dan quayle today in arizona. as gingrich surges in the polls he is struggling to gain his infrastructure. his ad is set to start airing in iowa today. >> some people say the america we know and love is a thing of the past. i don't believe that. because working together, i know we can rebuild america. >> reporter: you know, the obama re-election campaign and the dnc have focused all their fire on mitt romney. that is up until yesterday. for the first time we heard from david axelrod and what he thinks about gingrich and he says this. you talk about the godfather of gridlock he

george mcgovern did after he ran for president in 1972. but first we're going to get to ed in ohio. >> good evening. there is an important article that nick of burned -- that make governor -- the george mcgovern wrote that was in the washington journal. it is my advice to obama. he went on to say, first, i will order all troops out of iraq and afghanistan by thanksgiving. >> ed, i am going to leave it there because we're getting a lot of feedback. you have to turn your television down. scott farris, pick it up there with george mcgovern and his impact on president obama. his antiwar views. >> he created a coalition that represents the modern democratic party, the party that elected barack obama in 2008. the obama campaign in 2007-2008 tended to mirror george mcgovern, an insurgent candidate against a more established candidate, hillary clinton. clearly, president obama followed the george mcgovern blueprint to a certain degree. in terms of the war, george mcgovern has said two things. first, he has been disappointed that president obama has escalated american involvement in afghanistan. he has criticized that and suggested that afghanistan could be

a other investors, like george rombach and gene hasenbeck, said they, too, had been burned by the treasurere worried. karl was becoming a friend, they told him, leave it all behind, move on. >> i didn't think karl had much of a chance. dennis has obviously been doing this for a long time. >> reporter: did you, gene? >> i tried talk him out of it. i said, karl, you're at a low point here. you don't have the money to be throwing after this. >> reporter: and karl began to have second thoughts himself. how would he do this? where would he even start? if anyone was elusive, it was standefer. but then, through a tip from the growing network of ex-investors, karl met a man named harold karaka. harold said he knew all about dennis. >> he could sell that same piece of ice cube to the eskimo more than once, which is evident by the number of victims that were victimized more than one time. >> reporter: karaka says standefer took him for over $12,000, promising valuable asian artifacts. he never delivered. and now, karaka was angry. >> i told karl i made a promise to dennis that he decided not bring b

the conservatism was to say that george bush was -- >> he was talking about being a different kind of republican, when newt gingrich was talking about burningush was talking about the role of government, immigration reform -- >> that's right. and gingrich is also a bigger government conservative. >> we talk gingrich out in '98 for a variety of reasons. but i remember hearing carl rove telling somebody, if gingrich were still speaker in 2000 when bush ran,he probably wouldn't have won. it was close enough. but would you agree with that? >> absolutely. >> what do you think -- >> it's the definition of the republican party. and gingrich has the role now of defining the role of the republican party and where it's headed, where it's been. he says he's an historian and he's been part of that history. >> if you polled the country and asked them who was bob dole's running mate in '96? >> i don't know, it's gingrich versus obama, you say what people want to see. i don't want to see that, i don't think it would be good for the country. >> but mika, i don't think you're exactly who is appealing that. >> well, i agree, we've been arguing the payroll ta

burn bright heading into the new year. >>> the law was sibd by then president george bush in 2007. >> teaching moments and the big pot bustt gives a group of teens a lesson in responsibility. >>> this is the state's tensiontroke -- detention facility. we have more on a release. >>> emotions are running high on the campaign trail, just days before the caucuses and we, . >>> it is 45 and partly cloudy. the latest polls have mitt romney holding onto his lead and in the final count down, the report on wjz from demince. >> the crowds bundling up to hear a candidate with a campaign that is heating up. >> it is not a race about just replacing president obama, even though that is very important, but it is a race to save the soul of america. >> he brought the new jersey governor, a star among conservatives. >> struggling at 5th place, newt gingrich broke down in a restaurant talking about his mother. >> i will do everything i can as a candidate to be worth what i am to be. >> the efforts were not to bring crowds out, we were just dropping in. >> the national debate, not just the face-to-face meetings with the voters have done the

george's county. he eventually lost control of the truck and was arrested. his name has not yet been released. >> we now know the identity of the person found burned inside a vehicle thinks giving morning in baltimore county. 51-year-old carolyn davidsen von schnell was inside the car. officials have not determine exactly how she died, but investigators tell us the car drove over a hill before catching fire. the investigation is open. gary giordano has been trying to explain some of his behavior that has been labeled suspicious by prosecutors in aruba. he told interviewers that the insurance policy took out on his travel partner with party policy to count on both of them -- was part of a travel policy he took out on both of them his travel partner disappeared while snorkeling. >> while hermine kaine ways his political future, the heat is ramping up on the other candidates. >> hermine kaine sat down with a new hampshire newspaper this afternoon and said if his wife tells him to quit, he will. but whether he is in or out, the contest is running full speed ahead. >> with the gop in limbo, the countdown is on. >> we need a serious conversation. >> newt gingrich was in

george lewis reports. >> reporter: los angeles firefighters had their hands full as they responded to call after call. autos parked in carports burning, the flames spreading to surrounding buildings in many cases. mike robins went door to door to warn his neighbors. >> within just about -- you know, a couple minutes that carport was pretty well enveloped. >> reporter: investigators said the fires had been deliberately set. one firefighter was injured when he fell. >> very dangerous fires. these can certainly lead to loss of life, injury. we're very concerned about it. >> reporter: there were a total of 19 fires in hollywood and the neighboring city of west hollywood. some of them near famous landmarks. one of the incidents was at the former home of the late rock star jim morrison. the fire reported at about 1:20 this morning. ironically morrison who performed with the doors in the 1960s was the guy who famously sang "come on, baby, light my fire." now arson investigators are koem combing through surveillance videos to see if they can find out who lit these fires. police arrested two men for arson on thursday. they were in jail during

burning vehicle and now the good samaritans are speaking out. and it's unbelievable footage. and a school bus crash in prince george's county that was no accident. >> and l every time a local business opens its doors... or creates another laptop bag, or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america we know the impact tt local businesses have on communities. that's why we extended $13.2 billion to small businesses across the country so far this year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. ♪ jif to go goes here goes the ♪ ♪ j to go goes anywhere ♪ ♪ jif to go goes here goes there ♪ ♪ jif to go gs everywhere ♪ ♪ goes here, goes there ♪ jif to go, wherever you go ♪ >>> welcome back. time for a check of traffic and weather every ten minutes. chief meteorologist doug hill joining us. this is the kind of forecast we like. no big complaints here. >> no lovers are not feeling very happy these days for the mild temperatures. we will see if old man winter will pay us a visit later this december. on this thursday morning, these

power, greece's george papandreou and italy's silvio berlusconi, two big political figures. 2011 also saw summit after summit after summit. and the world watched as finance chiefs burned the midnight oil at a final summit in early december in a last-ditch effort to save the euro. jim boulden takes us now through the rocky year that was for the euro zone. >> reporter: the euro was in safe hands surely. by the time the irish wept to t went to the polls in february, its bailout was secure. greece was promising reform, but then events conspired to undermine the best hopes. bond yields kept rising. fear was growing about whether portugal and spain might need a bailout. the japanese earthquake, nuclear safety and libya put the euro on the back burner at the euro zone leaders march summit. by july, italy was in the firing line. and greece was not going to be able to pay its bills. europe's leaders held a crisis summit. overnight, they agreed to give greece huge debt relief as part of a stunning second bailout. >> the head of states and government of the euro zone showed a real determination to defend the zone to make sure that greece was taken care of and had a comprehensive

burned. they took him to a local facility to be treated. the home was cluttered, which made it difficult for firefighters to >>> democrat tim kaine and republican george allen will debate for 90 minutes in richmond. kaine, a former governor and allen another former governor, are the only ones who have raised enough money in the polls and are qualified for the debate. >>> campaign signs will not litter the streets of fairfax county next year. officials there voted to approve legislation that lets authorities remove advertisements illegally posted along vdot right of ways. last month nearly 99 candidates in fairfax county blanketed roadsides with their signs. authorities are allowed to remove signs in every other part of the state but fairfax. the county's vote gets rid of the exemption from the virginia code. >>> for the first time, since an fbi raid on his home, d.c. council member harry thomas returned to the wilson building in time for a preliminary vote on the ethics reform bill. thomas sat quietly for hours and refused to answer questions of reporters while the council debated and passed a version of the ethics reform. it requires less spending an

burned up on reentry into 1986, challenger exploded after liftoff. >> we will never forget them as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye. >>reporter: in 2004 president george good be bush issued any directives for u.s. space travel which included its lands and the shuttle program. >> it is time for america to take the next steps. >>reporter: until nasa develops vehicles to replace this shuttle, astronauts will have to hitch a ride aboard russian shuttles. the end of the shuttle program cemented nearly 8000 job cuts at nasa. the agency is looking towards the future. >> there is no question about our leadership in exploration inside space flight. we have been the leader for many decades. we will maintain that leadership. >>reporter: nasa is working on its next human spacecraft which is designed for deep human--deep space human eye wall. cut the plants send astronauts to mars in to see 30. >>reporter: private companies will also play a major role in manned space flights. space explores and technology has a contract with nasa to supply car go two of the international space station. >>catherine: facebook time line is now active. it will soon be rolled out to al

george lewis. >> reporter: los angeles firefighters had their hands full as they responded to call after call. autos parked in car ports burning, the flames spreading to surrounding buildings in many cases. mike robins went door to door to warn his neighbors. >> within just about, you know, a couple minutes, that car port was pretty well enveloped. >> investigators said the fires had been deliberately set. one firefighter was injured when he fell. >> very dangerous fires. these can certainly lead to a loss of life injury. so we're very concerned about it. >> reporter: one of the incidents was at the former home of the late rock star jim morrison. the fire reported at about 1:20 this morning. ironically, morrison, who performed with the doors in the 1960s, was the guy who famously sang, "come on, baby, light my fire." now arson investigators are combing through surveillance videos to see if they can find out who lit these fires. police arrested two men for arson on thursday, but they were in jail during friday's incident. >> when this is something that's manmade and someone is actually trying to do harm and trying to cause dama