captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. the military's ban on gays serving openly can be repealed without a risk to readiness, said a pentagon study released today. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, we get the details from the report's authors, and look at how the military can prepare for an end to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. >> lehrer: then, kwame holman reports on president obama's meeting with congressional leaders. >> a stated aim of today's white house meeting was to resolve major issues in the lame duck congress. it was an early barometer of how the president and the opposition will get along in the next congress. >> woodruff: we have a newsmaker interview with white house senior advisor david axelrod. >> lehrer: margaret warner examines the decrease in schools known as "dropout factories" and the rise in high school graduation rates. >> woodruff: and gwen ifill talks to marcia coyle about today's supreme court arguments over moving inmates out of california's crowded prisons. >> leh

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. a compromise was within reach tonight on a deal to extend tax cuts for high earners and unemployment benefits for those seeking work. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we look at the state of play and the debate within the democratic party about making a deal. >> ifill: then we go inside a rare televised court hearing on california's same-sex marriage ban. >> brown: margaret warner updates the new talks on iran's nuclear program, as tehran claims to have mastered another key step in processing uranium. >> ifill: ray suarez sits down with former president jimmy carter to talk about his latest book, today's political climate, and the war in afghanistan. >> i don't think we have the capability or the will to actually prevail militarily over the taliban. that seems to me to be an almost hopeless case. ♪ the lord is here >> brown: and we listen to the sound, the style, and the spirit of a gospel music contest. >> most genres got their start in gospel music. you take

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. the lame duck congress jockeys for middle ground on taxes, the budget, national security, gays in the military and extending jobless benefits. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight: we talk to senators dick durbin and john barrasso about the deal- making ahead in the closing weeks of the session. >> ifill: then, debt commission co-chairs alan simpson and erskine bowles explain how they plan to win support for cutting the federal deficit. >> woodruff: two takes on the mexican drug wars-- tom bearden reports on the reach of the cartels 1,000 miles north of the border. >> the drug dealers are sent from mexico to run these cell organizations in small town america and their goal is to sell as much drugs and make as much money as they can. >> ifill: and margaret warner gets an update on the violence, and the crackdown, on drug kingpins from nicholas casey of the "wall street journal" in mexico city. >> woodruff: plus, we have a second look at spencer michels' story b

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. house democrats pushed through a bill extending bush-era tax cuts for the middle class. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight: we look at today's action, and the prospects for a deal to keep tax breaks for all americans, even the wealthy. >> lehrer: then, we excerpt today's hearing on the repeal of the military's "don't ask don't tell" policy, and get the views of senators joe lieberman and saxby chambliss. >> woodruff: from indonesia, miles o'brien reports on the science and superstition surrounding the eruption of the mount merapi volcano. >> lehrer: jeffrey brown talks to neil irwin of the "washington post" about what the federal reserve did to stave off the financial crisis. >> woodruff: and we reprise the debate and vote to censure 80- year-old house ways and means chairman charles rangel for financial misconduct. >> i stand to say that i have made serious mistakes. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. last-minute shopping helped bolster a surprisingly good holiday season for retailers. >> warner: and i'm margaret warner. on the "newshour" this christmas eve, we talk to retail analyst dana telsey about what's behind the strong sales numbers. >> brown: then, we hear from new mexico governor bill richardson, just back from north korea. >> warner: lindsey hilsum of "independent television news" reports on iraqi christians forced to flee in the face of anti-christian violence. >> christianity's been here for 2,000 years. but the killings, bombings and attacks of the last few weeks may have tipped the balance. people want to go. >> brown: we examine the uptick in illegal harvesting of holiday greenery from the forests of washington state. >> warner: mark shields and michael gerson analyze this week's news. ♪ >> brown: plus, we take a second look at paul solman's story about a great composer who was also a smart investor. that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. fewer americans applied for unemployment benefits last week raising hopes for a healthier job market next year. >> suarez: and i'm ray suarez. on the "newshour" tonight, we recap the latest numbers and take an end of the year look at the stock market, mostly up despite a lackluster economy. >> okay, listen. somebody has got to get serious. >> i think... >> we need renewable energy. >> ...renewable energy is vital to our planet. >> you hear about alternatives, right? wind, solar, algae. >> i think it's going to work an a big scale. only, i think it's going to be affordable. >> so, where are they? >> it has to work in the real world. at chevron, we're investing millions in solar and biofuel technology to make it work. >> we've got to get on this now. >> right now. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this progr

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. fewer americans applied for unemployment benefits last week raising hopes for a healthier job market next year. >> suarez: and i'm ray suarez. on the "newshour" tonight, we recap the latest numbers and take an end of the year look at the stock market, mostly up despite a lackluster economy. >> brown: then, from sudan: jeffrey kaye reports on the changes ahead after next month's vote on independence. >> i have never seen a country which will be starting out with as little infrastructure as southern sudan should the referendum result in a vote for separation. >> suarez: we have two takes on charitable giving-- a look at the use of social media for fundraising and the story of a company that puts its profits into philanthropy. >> brown: judy woodruff talks with veteran congressman james oberstar of minnesota, one of the leading democrats swept out of office in last month's election. >> suarez: we examine an arizona law that restricts what can be taught in ethnic studies classes. ♪ >> bro

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. we have two major stories-- president obama's surprise visit to afghanistan, and the rise in the jobless rate. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we have a report on the president's four-hour trip, where he addressed troops at bagram air force base. >> lehrer: and we look at what the weak unemployment numbers mean for a recovery. >> brown: plus, paul solman examines the bleak job market for recent college graduates. >> i don't want to seem ungrateful, you know. i just feel like i've devoted years of my life and thousands of dollars into developing specialized skills that i'm not using. >> lehrer: then, we look at the failed vote of a presidential commission to approve a plan for cutting the deficit. >> we took a big banana and threw it into the gorilla cage and the gorilla has picked it up like they do, they peel it, mash it, play with it. but they will eat some >> brown: david brooks and ruth marcus analyze this week's news. >> lehrer: and we excerpt today's te

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. the justice department filed a lawsuit against b.p. and eight other companies to recover billions of dollars in damages from the gulf oil spill disaster. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill on the "newshour" tonight. we get the latest on the legal battle from john schwartz of the "new york times." >> lehrer: then, we talk to two business executives who met with president obama today-- motorola c.e.o. greg brown and honeywell c.e.o. david cote. >> ifill: and we track the progress on congressional action to extend tax cuts. first, kwame holman reports on the its lopsided senate passage today. >> lehrer: and judy woodruff gets the views of two house members on changing the estate tax. >> ifill: margaret warner interviews elizabeth bumiller of the "new york times" about new intelligence reports on the afghanistan war. >> lehrer: and jeffrey brown profiles the unexpected partnership of a city and a leading dance company.çç hari sreenivasan almost three years ago, renown choreographer tray mcint

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. president obama signed legislation today extending tax cuts for all americans. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, ray suarez outlines the $850 billion package, and reports on last night's debate and vote in the house. >> lehrer: then, margaret warner looks at the u.s. push to get pakistan to root out insurgents within its borders. >> brown: special correspondent stephanie hanes reports from the dominican republic on haitian immigrants living in a legal limbo. >> lehrer: outgoing white house economic advisor lawrence summers gives his take on the tax cut deal and more. >> compromise that was right with a weak economy in 2010 would be very wrong two years from now as the economy recovers and progresses. >> brown: and mark shields and david brooks analyze this week's news. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> auto companies make huge profits. >> last year, chevron made a lot of money. >> wher

we'll see you online, and again captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. the digging out was under way today after a powerful blizzard crippled the east coast. >> warner: and i'm margaret warner. on the newshour tonight, we have the latest on efforts to get stranded passengers to their destinations after more than 5,000 flights were cancelled. >> brown: then betty ann bowser reports on challenges to the new federal health care reform law in one midwestern state. on november 2 republicans here in wisconsin took over everything from the state house to a number of u.s. congressional districts. we're here at the capitol in madison to see how lawmakers intend to use their new influence to put the health-care reform law on pause. >> warner: and we get perspective on where health care reform stands nationally and the battles ahead from julie rovner of npr. >> brown: plus, we examine political dissent and the law in russia, as oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is found guilty of embezzlement. >> wanrer: we begin a week of encore reports from paul

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. a jailed chinese dissident was honored in absentia today with the nobel peace prize. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we report on the scene in oslo and beijing, and judy woodruff examines the state of u.s.-china relations. >> lehrer: then, margaret warner gets the latest on the violent protests in britain over tuition hikes from ned temko of "the observer" in london. >> brown: we update today's back and forth on capitol hill on the tax cut deal. >> lehrer: mark shields and david brooks analyze this week's news. >> ♪ i'm expressing with my full capabilities ♪ and now i'm living in correctional facilities... >> brown: and we look at rap music as a form of lyric poetry. a new anthology makes the case. >> i think when you get to dive into these lyrics you get to see how much depth is really in what these people are saying. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> opportunity can start anywhere

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. president obama has apparently secured more than enough senate votes to ratify the u.s.-russia start nuclear arms treaty. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, naftali ben david of the "wall street journal" looks at the shift in momentum as key republican senators lined up behind ratification. >> ifill: then, carl dinnen of independent television news has the latest on europe's travel troubles as some airports struggle to cope with unusually wintry weather. >> woodruff: there are more americans than ever living in different places. we look at new numbers with census director robert groves, and at the political fallout with david chalian and stuart rothenberg. >> ifill: ray suarez continues his reporting from havana. tonight he examines the cuban health care system's emphasis on preventive medicine. >> suarez: in a country with a struggling economy and very little money to spend on health care, they achieve some of the best results had the world. >> woodruff: and

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. in a flurry of public debate and private negotiation today, the senate moved toward action on the start nuclear arms reduction treaty with russia. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, the movement on start comes after a weekend of votes on capitol hill. we recap what happened, and assess where things stand. >> ifill: judy woodruff examines the challenges ahead as the u.s. military prepares to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time. >> brown: ray suarez begins a series of reports from havana. tonight, the push for economic reform in cuba. >> suarez: in advance of next spring's communist party congress, the country is buzzing about what shape reform might take. what will the next cuba look like? >> ifill: and we talk to white house health reform director nancy-ann deparle and virginia attorney general ken cuccinelli on whether americans can be forced to pay for health coverage. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. the house democratic caucus voted to reject the tax cut deal. speaker pelosi said her party will work with the president and republicans to change it. >> warner: and i'm margaret warner. on the newshour tonight, we look at what's next for the agreement, and ask outgoing senators evan bayh and bob bennett about the art of compromise. >> lehrer: then, we update the post-election violence in haiti as officials say they'll verify the vote totals. >> warner: special correspondent dave iverson has the story of the therapeutic power of dance for parkinson's patients. >> many people with parkinson's feel like they are outside of the human experience and dance is a huge part of the human experience. so to come in and dance, you're human again. >> lehrer: judy woodruff interviews the u.s. surgeon- general about a new study on the health damage from even small amounts of cigarette smoke. >> warner: and with the holday shopping season underway, jeffrey brown talks to technology reporter david pog

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. bombs rocked the chilean and swiss embassies in rome today. >> warner: and i'm margaret warner. on the "newshour" tonight: we'll talk to two former top u.s. intelligence officials about what's being done to meet heightened security fears in europe and the u.s. as the holidays begin. >> woodruff: as the united nations reported more than 170 deaths in ivory coast, we talk to deputy assistant secretary of state william fitzgerald about the growing turmoil gripping the african country following its disputed presidential election. >> warner: special correspondent john tulenko reports on the controversy spurred by the success of small, alternative schools in the new york city system. >> when the city closed a large high school with say, 2,000 students, it was replaced by small schools serving, in most cases, hundreds of students less. and each time that happened, all those left over teenagers had to find somewhere else to go to school. >> woodruff: with south korea's on-going military exerc

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. president obama urged lawmakers to back the tax cut deal, and told them to "get it done." >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight: political editor david chalian fills us in on the president's appeal for support and the response from his own party. >> lehrer: then, two takes on immigration. marcia coyle goes through today's supreme court arguments over sanctioning employers who hire illegal workers. >> ifill: and judy woodruff referees a debate on the dream act, a measure to allow the children of illegal immigrants to become citizens. >> lehrer: plus, spencer michels reports on the cyber attacks against wikileaks and the hackers who have come to the defense of wikileaks. >> right now there are like 500 web sites set up just by supporters mirroring wikileaks' content. wikileaks was never in danger of being pulled off the web. now it's only more popular than ever. ♪ attend the tale of "sweeney todd" ♪ >> ifill: and jeffrey brown talks to broadway legend stephen sondheim ab

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. president obama assessed the legislative output of the last week and said today the nation is not doomed to endless gridlock. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the "newshour" tonight: we take a look at the president's lame duck accomplishments and ask andy kohut and susan page what the seven weeks since his midterm shellacking tell us about what comes next. >> brown: then, we take a closer look at two other major pieces of legislation passed this week. first, today's bill to provide health care benefits to the survivors and first responders of 9/11. >> ifill: and eric olson of the pew trust walks us through the new food safety law. >> brown: ray suarez wraps up his series of reports from havana. tonight, a look at medical diplomacy, cuba-style. >> tens of thousands of doctors have treated millions of patients in the poorest countries on earth. finding good will for a country shunned by the united states. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs news

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. work crews struggled again today to free snowbound and testy new yorkers, three days after a blizzard crippled much of the northeast. >> suarez: and i'm ray suarez. on the "newshour" tonight, we get the latest on the digging out and the political fallout from bob hennelly of wnyc radio. >> ifill: then we assess the dangerous political standoff building in the west african nation of ivory coast. >> suarez: we continue paul solman's encore reports on the mortgage crisis with the story of a boston nonprofit that offers homeowners in foreclosure a second chance. >> ifill: the second of judy woodruff's conversations with house lawmakers the voters sent home last november. tonight: south dakota representative stephanie herseth sandlin on being a moderate democrat. >> at times, the blue dogs felt somewhat unwelcome in our own caucus. we felt that we were being listened to but not heard. >> suarez: from new delhi, fred de sam lazaro examines how india's growth is straining its limited water s

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. president obama said the gains against al-qaeda in afghanistan are considerable, but also fragile and reversible. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight: we recap the administration's review of the war strategy and get two views on whether progress is being made. >> lehrer: then, we excerpt today's senate debate on a new nuclear arms treaty with russia. >> arms control treaties are an integral part of this country's modern history premised on the shared belief that a world with fewer nuclear weapons is a safer world. >> the united states must be able to rapidly adapt and respond to new threats to our security. now's the time for more flexible deterrent capability, not less. >> woodruff: and we debrief political editor david chalian about the politics of the agreement. >> lehrer: plus, jeffrey brown looks at changes in the cable news business as larry king hosts his last cnn program tonight. >> woodruff: and ray suarez remembers the life of legendary hall of fame

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: good evening. i'm jim lehrer. veteran diplomat richard holbrooke was remembered today by world leaders, friends, and colleagues after his death last night in washington. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, we look back on the diplomat's life and legacy with former ambassador john negroponte and susan glasser of "foreign policy" magazine. >> lehrer: then we interview drug czar gil kerlikowske about the jump in marijuana use by teenagers. >> ifill: john merrow reports on an ohio school district where teachers evaluate each other. >> we like to think of it as a way to help people. but if they don't, the other option is, yes, they will be looked at for termination. >> lehrer: and judy woodruff has a book conversation about passing on life lessons, with co-authors andrew young and his godson, kabir sehgal. >> i would not listen to parents, but i found out that i absorbed. i never heard what they told me but i did what they did. >> people say you stand on the shoulders of giants. i've been swinging fr