i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, margaret warner gets the latest on the foiled plans and assesses the reach of the terror network in the arabian peninsula. >> ifill: then, ray suarez reports on the hefty price tag for an ever heftier america. >> millions of us continue to gain weight forcing hospitals to invest in new equipment like this ambulance specially designed to handle patients up to 1,200 pounds. >> woodruff: we talk with oklahoma senator tom coburn about his plan to tackle the nation's escalating fiscal crisis, as told in his new book, "the debt bomb." >> every one is going to have to sacrifice. every one of us. and if we delay putting off sacrifices, the pain is going to be much more difficult and much more severe. >> ifill: we look at which nations are best and worst at creating healthy mothers and children. >> woodruff: and we remember maurice sendak, the man who created the children's classic, "where the wild things are." >> it made my life pleasurable. i'm happy to have one book

once again, live from washington moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. one of the best things about accepting the news at week's end is we get to see what went according to plan and what didn't. the president wanted to make the case that his re-election has sustained the recovering economy. >> one of the ways that we can sustain momentum is for congress to take some actions right now even though it's election season, even though there's gridlock, even though there's partisanship. >> mitt romney wanted to say the exact opposite. but -- >> people are shuttering because of the policies in this administration. he has try toddy vide the american people and tried to talk about this group and the 99%. we're all americans and we're a united people. our strength as a nation has come to the fact that we've come together, we work together . gwen: this time the distraction came in the part of a billionaire brokerage founder bill rickets. what was he trying to do, jeff? >> joe, rickett is the latest example ol a wealthy contributor of playing by the new rules where u

good evening, i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight, we go inside the courtroom at today's sentencing and explore the issues in a case that captured national attention. >> ifill: then, we examine a lawsuit filed by catholic leaders, institutions and schools against the obama administration for mandating birth control coverage for employees. >> brown: from our american graduate series, paul solman reports on a move to keep kids in school by teaching skills both inside and outside the classroom. >> high school dropouts here in bloomington, illinois building low income houses like those very homes behind me. is this the way to get kids back to school and into the work force? >> ifill: judy woodruff assesses the nato summit, as world leaders agree to hand over security in afghanistan by the middle of next year. >> brown: and we remember powerful german baritone dietrich fischer-dieskau. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this is the at&t n

thank you. >> once again, from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. we have a special treat for you tonight -- an in-depth look at the presidency, and the men who held the job. there are five living presidents right now -- the oldest, jimmy carter. george w. bush invited the four other members of the club to come back to the white house shortly before president-elect obama was sworn in. the message -- they were all on the same team now. >> one message that i have and i think we all share is that we want you to succeed. whether we're a democrat or republican, we care deeply about this country. and to the extent that we can, we look forward to sharing our experiences with you. all of us who have served in this office understand that the office itself transcends the individual. and we wish you all the very best, and so does the country. >> this is an extraordinary gathering. all the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office, and for me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these indivi

once again, live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. one of the week's most fascinating stories unfolded half a world away. it involved a blind hero, a daring escape, alleged death threats, secret negotiations of a high-profile domestic dance between two tentative allies, the u.s. and china. the curious case of chen quangcheng. >> he confirms that he and his family now want to go to the united states so he can pursue his studies. over the course of the day, progress has been made to help him have the future that he wants, and we will be staying in touch with -- gwen: so who is chen quangcheng and how did he end up in the middle of a debate between two of the world's super powers? >> it was a whiplash week. we all thought this was solved, that he would stay in china in the middle of the week, but alas, by the end of the week he's going to come to the united states. let me backtrack a little bit, a lit bit more about chen. human rights activist, as you said, blind, so dramatic this week, because he escaped. he had been under house arrest

once again, live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. well, that was some week. and by the time it ended, both barack obama and mitt romney had been temporarily at least knocked off course. at that t started with vice president joe -- it started with vice president joe biden on "meet the press." >> i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual -- are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties, and quite frankly, i don't see much of a discussion beyond that. gwen: the vice president's use of the term "marriage" not say "civil unions" excited two bases. liberal democrats and conservative republicans. three days later, the president announced a decision he had apparently already made. that he, too, supports same sex marriage. >> malia and sasha, they've got friends whose parents are same sex couples. malia and sasha, it wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. it doesn't make sense to them. and frank

. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the "newshour" tonight, we'll explore the president's evolution on the issue and talk about the debate going forward. >> brown: then, we turn to the political upset in indiana, where a tea party candidate toppled veteran senator richard lugar. >> ifill: we get new details about the would-be suicide bomber who was a double agent cooperating with the c.i.a. to foil an al-qaeda bomb plot. >> brown: from cambodia, fred de sam lazaro reports on one group's efforts to help homeless children have a brighter future. >> in make-shift gatherings like this one-part kindergarten part clinic, the children come to get cuts and scratches tended, to play board games or a rare luxury: to shampoo their hair. >> ifill: and ray suarez talks with steven lee myers of the new york times about the high-level, diplomatic drama that freed a chinese activist. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> citi turns 200 this year. in that time,

good evening, i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight: we have the latest on this historic day, coming 15 months after the ouster of president hosni mubarak. >> ifill: then, we look at the facebook fallout as the social media giant's market debut falters out of the gate. >> brown: we have two on-the- ground reports on europe's economic troubles from spain and greece, where austerity measures are hitting home for ordinary citizens. >> ifill: we examine the iran nuclear talks in baghdad as world powers float a proposal to curb tehran's enrichment program. >> brown: and we close with the diamond anniversary of an american treasure. spencer michels has the story of building san francisco's golden gate bridge. >> it's not all celebration, a 75-year-old controversy has flared anew over who should get the credit for designing this spectacular bridge. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundati

. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the blind dissident who claimed today that chinese authorities threatened to beat his wife to death. >> brown: then, we turn to the presidential race, as the campaigns ramp up in virginia, expected to be one of several key battleground states. >> ifill: hari sreenivasan reports on the balancing act for educators who try to steer clear of politics when teaching climate science. >> the science classroom is about using fundamental principles of science. it's not about talking about policy debates. it's evidence. >> brown: ray suarez examines the shifting burden of responsibility in afghanistan after president obama signed a pact heralding a new era of partnership between the two nations. >> ifill: and judy woodruff talks with gerda weissmann klein about how her horrifying years in nazi captivity inspired her to work with students on the value of american citizenship. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs

. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the weekend's elections, and what's at stake across the continent. >> brown: then we turn to the presidential contest here in the u.s., as vice president biden stirs new questions over the politics of same-sex marriage. >> ifill: spencer michaels reports on a trendy gourmet treat of the crunchy, crawly variety. >> these are huge. they're usually super abundant and very good to eat. i can put it in barbecue. >> brown: and margaret warner examines the trial of five 9-11 suspects arraigned in a military courtroom on saturday. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this is the at&t network-- a living, breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life. >> look, it's so simple. >> in a year, the bright minds from inside and outside the company come together to work on an idea. adding to it from the road, improving it in the cloud, all in real time. >> good idea

i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm geoffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the president's visit and the agreement he signed with president karzai spelling out the continuing u.s. commitment after american combat troops leave. >> ifill: then our series on the aftermath of the financial crisis continues with a look at how consumers and banks have altered their spending and lending practices. >> brown: ray suarez examines a new study showing a dramatic rise in the number of babies born addicted to prescription painkillers. >> brown: and judy woodruff gets two views on how hard the u.s. should press china over human rights violations. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> this is the at&t network-- a living, breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life. >> look, it's so simple. >> in a year, the bright minds from inside and outside the company come together to work on an idea. adding to it from the road, improving it in the c