alabama state representative steve clouse and state senator hari harri-ann smith have spoken about the hostage. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> we know this little boy is named ethan, about to turn 6 in a few weeks. i know you've been speaking to the family, how are they holding up? >> right now, savannah, they're holding on by a thread. the whole community, the whole county is coming together. we had five prayer vigils last night around the county. people are hopeful we can bring this to a successful end. at the same time, we had the family of the slain bus driver, whose lives have been devastated. our gratitude needs to go out to him for protecting all these other children. he started the day as a school bus driver and he ended as a hero. >> senator smith, let me ask you about this medical condition we understand ethan has. i understand there's been some medication that's been given to him. is it the sort of condition that might be even more serious if he

hari sreenivasan tells us more. >> sreenivasan: economics correspondent paul solman wants to know where live and where, if anywhere, is the standard of living higher than right here in the united states? you can respond on our making sense page. that and more is on our website newshour.pbs.org. ray? >> suarez: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. i'm ray suarez. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'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: >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. >> 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." funding for this

>> i think so hari. it's not absolutely clear but because this decision has so much import and because it's the same question being heard now by several different circuit courts and thus there is a likelihood, a good chance there might be a conflict between the circuits, i think it points strongly to the supreme court hearing this case some day. and meanwhile, the labor board might really be in limbo for a year or two or three until the supreme court issues a decision. >> so let's talk for a second about richard corddry. he was confirmed in the same manner on the same day as these members in the national labor relations board is there a likelihood that he will be affected by this as well? >> yes and no it's unclear. so yesterday president obama renominated mr. corddry for full term. and when de that two years ago originally congress basically signaled the republicans in the senate signaled we are not going to confirm mr. corddry so the president did this recess appointment. now it's unclear whether the r

>> i think so, hari. it's not absolutely clear but because this decision has so much import and because it's the same question being heard now by several different circuit courts and thus there is a likelihood, a good chance there might be a conflict between the circuits, i think it points strongly to the supreme court hearing this case some day. and meanwhile, the labor board might really be in limbo for a year or two or three until the supreme court issues a decision. >> so let's talk for a second about richard corddry. he was confirmed in the same manner on the same day as these members in the national labor relations board is there a likelihood that he will be affected by this as well? >> yes and no, it'snclr. so yesterday president obama renominated mr. corddry for full term. and when de that two years ago, originally congress basically signaled the republicans in the senate signaled we are not going to confirm mr. corddry, so the president did this recess appointment. now it's unclear whether the re

hari sreenivasan tells us more. >> sreenivasan: economics correspondent paul solman wants to know whereive and where, if anywhere, is the standard of living higher than right here in the united states? you can respond on our making sense page. that and more is on our website newshour.pbs.org. ray? >> suarez: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. i'm ray suarez. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'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: >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. >> 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

. >> brown: hari sreenivasan hassles been out on the streets of washington >> brown: hari sreenivasans of washington today. you can watch his dispatches on our web site. also there, you'll find interviews with inaugural newsmakers, and, of course, the president's full address and video of the day's musical performances. and you can track tonight's events on our live blog. all of that's at newshour.pbs.org. >> ifill: joining us now are newshour regulars, syndicated columnist mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks. we all watched this together today. now that you had some time to digest it all, mark, the president said we are made for this moment. who is we? >> we americans. my fellow americans, we are made for this moment. i think that's how he put it. we can seize it if we do it together. i think that was the theme of today. i mean, it was a strongly commune tearian, more than i had heard the president use in the past. it was a sense of rather than asking the question that has been asked by presidents and candidates of the last generation, are you better off? am i be

. >> ifill: and vice president joe biden hangs out with hari sreenivasan on google plus to talk about gun violence. >> make your voices heard. this town listens when people rise up and speak. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> 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: the u.s. military has a new order of the day: working up plans for putting women on the front lines. the process was set in motion today at the pentagon. >> not everyone is going to be able to be a combat soldier. but everyone is entitled to a chance. >> brown: with that, defense secretary leon panetta-- joined by the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey-- announced he's ending a

. >> ifill: and vice president joe biden hangs out with hari sreenivasan on google plus to talk about gun violence. >> make your voices heard. this town listens when people rise up and speak. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> 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: the u.s. military has a new order of the day: working up plans for putting women on the front lines. the process was set in motion today at the pentagon. >> not everyone is going to be able to be a combat soldier. but everyone is entitled to a chance. >> brown: with that, defense secretary leon panetta-- joined by the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, general martin dempsey-- announced he's ending a

miss hari participated by phone and i didn't find that. on page 5, in bold i the motion moved, seconded and passed, second line. this was really funny, find that miss st. croix and miss st. croix -- i wasn't aware, but you might want to amend and the following line, i think that is just a wfl failure to comply with the sunshine ordinance and strike "task force" there. and finally on page 6 in bold the motion, that the ethics commission adopt the annual report as amended. >> sorry, you were on page 6 where? >> that the ethics commission adopt. is that correct? >> yes. and i wouldn't be submitting a 125-word statement. never mind. >> i think it bears noting that we have accommodated these folks after all of this time. although i'm sure they will see the minutes. >> i think mr. pilpel's changes are good, unless mr. st. croix, there is something that we need know? any other changes? to the draft minutes? did you guys catch those? is there a motion to adopt the minutes as amended? >> so moved. >> second.

hari sreenivasan has more. >> sreenivasan: meet the newest members of the house and senate, making upmost diverse congress ever. read some of their stories on our politics page. all that and more is on our web site. >> brown: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow with mark shields and david brooks among others. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> 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

it was so cruel hari to want to come work we only need ice cream that's going to be heaven think of the aftermath. and were there any. point a few people the underwater world is not the only attraction of the white sea in smooth ice is an excellent environment for kite sledging fans. of failed often visits this remote place in the past he would only dive under the ice with scuba gear now he prefers to ride over the top with a special sledge and a parachute good killer but almost what i like about kite sledging is that you have a choice of parachutes the three metre parachute is good for strong winds the sixty seven metre parachute is the right size for milder winds this one is nine and a half meters there are codes for any weather conditions or all of them will pull you forward if you want to do. i. buy much of you get you would like your catching the wind is what i enjoy most of all i should here it is like riding a giant horse galloping at breakneck speed i am carried away by a feeling of exhilaration you know because i am fully aware of the infinite power of nature's forces they coul

. >> sreenivasan: and i'm hari sreenivasan. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the decision and the reaction from the white house. >> brown: then, we hear from two of our newshour colleagues on the road: margaret warner reports from jerusalem on moves in israel to form a new coalition government. >> sreenivasan: and ray suarez updates the high-powered meetings of heads of state, business leaders, and others at the world economic forum in davos, switzerland. >> brown: from mali, lindsey hilsum looks at tensions caused by government troops as they advance into islamist territory. >> sreenivasan: spencer michels has a story about trash and one city's crusade to eliminate all of it. >> reporter: san francisco boasts that it recycles 80% of all garbage, and is aiming for zero waste. but some skeptics don't believe it. >> brown: plus, mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

hari sreenivasan tells us about one way to track this year's nasty strain. >> sreenivasan: did you know that counting the number of times people search for "flu" on the internet is an effective indicator of the spread of infection? find a graph of how much your state has been googling the flu. plus, we want you to tell us what you think of our science coverage in a new poll. find both at "lunch in the lab." jeff brown talks to "washington post" film critic ann hornaday about the surprises and shutouts in this year's oscar nominations. and we profile an entrepreneur who built a web site for citizens to report and get responses to problems in their community. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. judy. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. on monday, we'll look at the lifting of travel restrictions for cubans some 50 years after fidel castro put them in place. 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

here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: wall street started the year with a bang, as the fiscal cliff deal put an end to fears of sweeping tax hikes and spending cuts. the dow jones industrial average surged 308 points to close at 13,412-- its biggest gain in a year. the nasdaq rose more than 92 points to close at 3,112. the civil war in syria yielded grim new numbers today. the u.n. human rights office reported the number of dead has risen sharply over previous figures. we have a report narrated by alex thomson of "independent television news." some of the images may be disturbing. >> truly shocking. the words of the u.n. officials. syrians need no persuading of that. today, at least another 30 or so added to the death list. somebody fired into the petrol station. they'd have none here for four days. news was spreading fast that respliefs happening and the place was crowded. vulnerable human bodies... metal, concrete, fire, and high explosive. we can only show you a little of what took place here government jets were filmed apparently bombing suburbs as they do almost every day. acti

here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: the u.s. house of representatives will vote next week on lifting the debt ceiling. majority leader eric cantor said today republicans want an interim measure to provide about three more months of borrowing authority. the bill would not mandate immediate spending cuts, as house speaker john boehner earlier promised. instead, it would force congress to pass a budget or go without being paid. the government cld reach t current debt clingy mid-february. ray nagin, the mayor of new orleans during hurricane katrina, has been indicted on charges for corruption. a federal grand jury accused him today of bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering while in office. nagin was the city's mayor from 2002 until 2010. two former new orleans officials and two businessmen have already pleaded guilty in the case. u.s. attorney general eric holder today defended president obama's moves to curb gun violence. the president signed 23 executive orders this week, calling for such things as more research into gun violen

here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: suicides in the ranks of the u.s. military hit a record 349 last year. the associated press reported the figure was nearly 50 more than the previous year. it's also more than the 295 u.s. combat deaths in afghanistan in 2012. defense secretary leon panetta has called the problem of military suicide an epidemic. afghan president hamid karzai called today for a loya jirga-- or grand assembly-- to decide whether u.s. troops should be immune from afghan laws. the u.s. has said it needs sole legal jurisdiction over any troops who stay, after combat forces leave at the end of 2014. in a kabul speech, karzai said it would take about eight or nine months to come to a decision. it is a decision of the people of afghanistan. the national assembly of elders of the people of afghanistan should decide whether to give the i am unity or not. if they give it, under which conditions they should do so. but the americans told us that if you do not give us the i am unity, we have to leave afghanistan for good. and won't have any relation

here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: a federal judge in new orleans gave the go-ahead today to asettlement with b.p. in the 2010 gulf oil disaster. the company agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter and other charges and to pay a record $4 billion in criminal penalties. the gulf disaster began with an oil rig explosion that killed 11 people. before the well was finally sealed, it spewed more than 200 million gallons of oil into the sea. senator john kerry of massachusetts was confirmed today to be secretary of state. the vote was 94-3, as the five- term democrat won the overwhelming approval of his colleagues. kerry is 69, and a former democratic presidential nominee. senators from both sides aised him in a rare show of bipartisan support. john has already built strong relationships with leaders across the world. which will allow him to step seamlessly into the role of secretary of state. >> i don't know of anybody who has led the life that has been more oriented towards ultimately being secretary of state than john kerry. >> sreenivasan: kerry has been an unofficial envoy for th

hari sreenivasan has the details. >> sreenivasan: just what is dark matter?find a short video with a simple answer on today's science roundup. nasa and the european space agency are partnering to send a telescope into space to investigate dark matter and dark energy. read more about these mysterious forces and what scientists hope to find on our science page. and think you've received bad advice about social security? our benefits guru gets to the bottom of that issue in today's "ask larry" column on our business page. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. gwen? >> ifill: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we'll return to the immigration debate with a look at the president's plans for reform. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. 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 po

hari sreenivasan has more. >> sreenivasan: how do you maximize your spousal benefits?our social security guru larry kotlikoff has that answer and more on our business page. also there, you can read larry's commentary and economics correspondent paul solman's counterpoint on the fiscal cliff deal. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. gwen? >> ifill: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we'll look at the explosion of free online college courses. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. 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 captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is "bbc world news ameri

here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: former cycling great lance armstrong was back at the center of a media storm today. it was widely reported that he has now publicly admitted to doping. armstrong's statements came in an interview with oprah winfrey taped monday. she did not release direct quotations or sound. instead on cbs this morning she said armstrong had been forth coming. >> i felt that he was thoughtful. i thought that he was serious. i thought that he certainly had prepared himself for this moment. i would say that he met the moment. at the end of it, two-and-a-half... literally two-and-a-half hours, we both were pretty exhausted. i would say i was satisfied. >> sreenivasan: at the same time winfrey said armstrong did not come clean in the matter that i expected. the interview came several months after the u.s. anti-doping agency issued a damning 1,000-page report that accused armstrong of master minding, quote, the most sophisticated professionalized and successful doping program that sports has ever seen. while he led the u.s. service team. since then armstrong has b

here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: president obama announced his nominees today to run two key financial regulatory agencies. he tapped mary jo white to chair the securities and exchange commission. she's a former federal prosecutor in new york, with a long record of prosecuting financial fraud and other white- collar crimes. >> if confirmed by the senate, i look forward to committing all of my energies to working with my fellow commissioners and the extremely dedicated and talented men and women of the staff of the s.e.c. to fulfill the agency's mission to protect investors, and to ensure the strength, efficiency, and transparency of our capital markets. >> sreenivasan: the president re-nominated richard cordray to lead the consumer financial protection bureau. the former ohio attorney general has held that position for the last year, but his temporary appointment will expire in december. >> we understand that our mission is to stand on the side of consumers: our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters and see that they're treated fairly. for more than a

hari sreenivasan has more. >> sreenivasan: the u.s. spends more on health care per person compared to other high-income nations, but that doesn't translate to healthier lives, according to a report from the national academy of sciences. read more about the findings on our health page. and poet richard blanco has been chosen to compose and read an original poem for president obama's second inaugural. he is the first hispanic and first gay poet selected for that honor. you can hear him recite some of his work on art beat. all that and more is on our web site newshour.pbs.org. gwen? >> ifill: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. on thursday, we'll examine president obama's likely choice for treasury secretary, white house chief of staff jack lew. i'm gwen ifill >> b bwn: and i'm jeffrerebrown. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. 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. >> support also comes fro

hari sreenivasan has the details. >> sreenivasan: just what is dark matter?find a short video with a simple answer on today's science roundup. nasa and the european space agency are partnering to send a telescope into space to investigate dark matter and dark energy. read more about these mysterious forces and what scientists hope to find on our science page. and think you've received bad advice about social security? our benefits guru gets to the bottom of that issue in today's "ask larry" column on our business page. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. gwen? >> ifill: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we'll return to the immigration debate with a look at the president's plans for reform. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. 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 po

here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: the u.s.house of representatives will vote next week on lifting the debt ceiling. majority leader eric cantor said today republicans want an interim measure to provide about three more months of borrowing authority. the bill would not mandate immediate spending cuts, as house speaker john boehner earlier promised. instead, it would force congress to pass a budget or go without being paid. the government could reach the current debt ceiling by mid-february. ray nagin, the mayor of new orleans during hurricane katrina, has been indicted on charges for corruption. a federal grand jury accused him today of bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering while in office. nagin was the city's mayor from 2002 until 2010. two former new orleans officials and two businessmen have already pleaded guilty in the case. u.s. attorney general eric holder today defended president obama's moves to curb gun violence. the president signed 23 executive orders this week, calling for such things as more research into gun

but first, with the other news of the day, here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: a u.s. army judge ruled today that the soldier in the wikileaks case was treated too roughly in the first nine months after his arrest. but the judge refused to dismiss the charges against private first class bradley manning. instead, she reduced his potential life sentence by 112 days. manning was arrested in 2010, accused of leaking thousands of classified documents. he was kept in a cell with no windows-- and sometimes, with no clothing-- at a marine corps brig. his court-martial begins in march. the u.s. may not leave any troops in afghanistan for training duties after combat forces leave at the end of 2014. deputy national security adviser ben rhodes said so publicly today. u.s. and afghan officials are at odds over legal immunity for u.s. troops who stay behind. also today, nato announced an afghan soldier shot and killed a british soldier on monday in helmand province. six other britons were wounded. the u.n.'s world food program warned today that one million people in syria are going