welcome back to the big picture i'm sam harben coming up in this half hour mideast peace talks between israelis and palestinians have taken a back seat while the world what this is a revolutionary wave across arab countries and i think coeditor of the goldstone report joins me in studio to discuss mideast peace talks and what that report calls for plus in today's tough economy it seems bank of america is doing just fine making billions in this bull market but there's new concern we may be headed for another financial meltdown then i give you my take on this bubble economy and what it means for you and me the taxpayer but first it's the video sting that's making headlines across the nation. that's it for national public radio vivian schiller resigned today she was in the middle of a controversy one day after an n.p.r. executive in charge of fundraising ronald schiller no relation by the way of it was caught on videotape calling some members of the tea party racists here's a video. i think. it's. safe to take a. piece of. white. america. scary. series. one of what you saw was the worker

i am joined now in the studio by our mideast analyst. do y y believe this cease-fire is a serious offer from the regime? >> this is not a serious offer. gaddafi is trying to buy time. there have been fights going on along the tunisian border. the fact is the war is going on. >> what does this mean for the no-fly zone? >> gaddafi is trying to achieve results on the ground. he knows starting tomorrow he will face serious consequences in terms of being attacked. >> what options does gaddafi have now? >> there is no way anyone will negotiate with him. however he will not voluntarily leave his position so there will be more fighting for some time to come. >> we are going to come back to you after a few minutes. leaders from europe, the u.s. and arab countries are to meet on saturday in paris to discuss the un resolution. in washington president obama warned gaddafi to implement a cease-fire. he outlined what the international community expects from the leader. >> gaddafi must stop his troops from advancing, pull them back from various areas a

how many more mideast countries are going to erupt in revolution after libya? be right back.welcome back. .2011 revolutions in the arab world started in tunisia, spread to egypt, but may be at a standoff in libya. our big question of the week, has itnded in libya or will it spread around the region snon david brooks? >> i'm afraid we will see massacres there if we don't do something. chris: should we go in without the arab league? >> we should. the question to me is should we arm some of the rebels. >> i'm ask surprise it's not -- stopping already. the military has screened off the very top layer of government but doesn't show indications that it's really moving to democratic rule. >> on the hill that's what i'm hearing as well. the elation factor people were feeling after egypt has tapered off. chris: because of gaddafi's ruthlessness? >> yes. >> i'm going take the opposite view and say it's a tienanmen square moment. what's exploded in the arab world among the youth is not something you can put back in a bottle and i think it's good -- going to roll on and persist. i see no

the oil prices are up the mideast in turmoil. no surprise stocks are down right? >>rob: if i were julius caesar's i would be marching. we started it ought we ended up way lower. when the oil goes higher market goes lower. it's something big happens in europe. rob over 4 1/2% for the year if i were to project that that is a 26% year. that's sweet. yet to give some back on occasion in this is a good of excuse as any. >>catherine: he talked about jobs. let's hear what he had to say about jobs today. >> to see optimism about the job market over the next three quarters, not local decline in the unemployment january, a drop in claims for unemployment trends. even so if the rain economic growth remains moderate as projected, it to be several years before the unemployment rate has returned to normal level. >>rob: whats a normal level? it used to be about 6% back 10 or 15 years ago. we're now looking at the normal of about 7 1/2%. i know people were making $20 an hour that i know how to make $10 an hour. and what america is changing. it's a good thing in a bad thing. it's

fears mideast unrest could undermine the economic recover rattled markets once genetic. uncertainty resurfaced by renewed counterattack forces in libya while reports iran was cracking down on anti-government protesters added to investor fears. oil shot up more than $2 to settle just under $100 a barrel. investors shrugged off ben bernanke's testimony before the senate banking committee that higher prices could impact the recovery, but only temporarily. as for february, new data shows retail sales were up despite rising fuel costs and those nasty winter storms. auto sales are bouncing back with sweeter deals and discounts pushing february sales up an average of 20% over last year. house lawmakers welcomed word from treasury secretary tim geithner that the obama administration plans to resolve -- dissolve failing housing giant fannie mae and freddie mac. he warns that it has to be done gradually over the next several years. >>> the former director of goldman sachs and procter & gamble has been charged in the largest hedge fund insider trading probe ever. j. crew approved a

they shook off a long list of potential pitfalls yesterday from mideast violence and oil supply worrieso japan's nuclear crisis and deepening debt in europe. instead, traders focused on upbeat earnings from the likes of software company red hat, which shot up 18%, and better than expected results from conagri foods. chip stocks got a boost from micron technologies sending its shares and fellow chipmaker nvidia 8% higher. on the jobs front, the government reported fewer folks applied for unemployment, the fourth week in a row. after the bell, a 78% jump in oracle's net income sent its shares sharply higher in late trade. but it wasn't all good news. best buy slipped 5% despite earnings that beat the street, thanks in part to weak same-store sales here in the u.s. also after the bell, blackberrymaker research in motion tumbled in extended trade after failing to impress investors with its current forecast. >>> the u.s. postal service delivered a grim message thursday. it's doing away with some 7,500 jobs this year and shutting down seven district offices. >>> elsewhere, for the first time

>>> on the broadcast tonight, mideast mayhem. fighting and protests surge across the region in syria, yemen, bahrain and now jordan. we're on the ground with the latest. >>> front lines. in libya, fighting on the ground and western attacks from the air, and we talk to the u.s. general in charge. >>> under control. a new breed of air traffic controllers taking over with fresh questions about safety still in the air. >>> and hanging tough. brave new worries about the crippled nuclear plant, but we find survivors of the japanese disaster giving everyone a lesson in resilience. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. i'm lester holt in tonight for brian williams. for a seventh straight day the u.s. and its allies bombarded targets in libya, still trying to break the back of moammar gadhafi's assault on rebel-held cities. the u.s. for its part says it's prepared to take a back seat, but exactly what the ultimate goal is and even who's in charge of this operation are still somewhat ill

. >>> after months of relative quiet, tensions are mounting in the mideast. no reported injuries after israeli aircraft struck suspected targets in the gaza strip. the assault comes after rocket and mortar fire directed at israel and a bomb ripped through a bus stop in jerusalem. one woman was killed, the first fatal attack in the city in several years. >>> we are getting the first look inside the crippled fukushima nuclear plant in japan where workers are desperately trying to prevent more radiation from seeping into the atmosphere. new photographs from inside the facility show crews trying to stabilize the damaged reactor yesterday. today, officials report three workers were exposed to radioactivity and two of them were sent to the hospital for treatment. meanwhile, workers are distributing bottled water all across tokyo after residents cleared store shelves following yesterday's warning that the city's tap water had elevated radiation. and the japanese government now estimates this month's earthquake and tsunami may cost up to $309 billion in damage, which

it's not like our intelligence in the mideast is that terrific. >> ifill: not even agreed about regime change, are we? >> that's even jumping the gun. before you stay up at night worrying about whether we're going to be able to help a better group come to power and do it in a way that doesn't backfire on us and make us look like the ugly americans again, qaddafi has to go. here is what people i think are most confused about. the president has said and his people have repeated qaddafi must go. he no longer has legitimacy. one goal is qaddafi must go, but the goal of this international agreement is not qaddafi must go. >> ifill: it's humanitarian protection. >> yes, and everything else. so we have a mission whose authority is more limited than the goals that we've set out. we're engaged in a bit of finger-crossing here that with a combination of the military action against him and the financial sanctions that have soaked up a bunch of his money, the opposition of his people and a bit of good luck, that he will be so cornered that he will end up leaving, having to leave. >> ifill: roger,

syria has one of the mideast's most oppressive government. >>> the federal government admits part of the radiation warning system was out of service last week as millions worried about being exposed to fallout from japan. no dangerous levels of radiation have been detected in the u.s. from the fukushima plant. but four of california's monitors were off line for repairs or maintenance last week. in japan the prime minister called the situation at the plant, quote, grave and serious. officials are still trying to determine if there has been a breech in one of the reactors. japan's nuclear agency says radiation in the seawater just offshore of the plant has spiked to more than 1200 times higher than normal. >>> there is a new superbug in southern california hospitals and nursing homes, and it is spreading. it is called crkp, and it has made 350 people sick in southern california, some are gravely ill. 40% of the patients have died within a month of infection which is vary sis assistant to ant -- resis sent to antibiotics. >> there are not many treatment options available. the one that i

particularly with the turbulence nlt mideast. >> and energy, and that department. they really don't have much chance to fall back on. >> tom: lucy, how long before japan is open for business again? >> i think the authorities will ensure things are back to normal as they can be post haste. >> tom: thanks, lucy. lucy craft from tokyo. we should note the bank of japan had been scheduleed to meet on tuesday, and moved that up to monday to respond to the disaster. >> susie: the aftershocks of the earthquake will be felt throughout japan's economy. but could there also be ripple effects on the global economic recovery? erika miller reports. >> reporter: it's too soon to know the full extent of the damage caused by the earthquake. but it clearly throws a question mark over the japanese economy. i spoke with kenneth cukier a reporter for the "economist" by skype to get his take on the economic impact. >> industrial production will be curtailed because factories in that area will certainly be closed. even if they are open, they might have a problem getting electricity. howe

the coalition forces are i mean tolerating libya mideast experts suggest the reason is revenge or rob other than to protect civilians. also if there's radiation surges to andre three thousand times above normal at the pushy many of the appalled pounds. of what he pulled on except for with stakes in handling the crisis the quake and tsunami disaster has killed ten thousand. a day the sixteen thousand still missing . now talk to the russian president's special representative in afghanistan he tells us that nato a strategy that is not working and it'll cost more lies if. so make up wolf president visits new representative to afghanistan it's great to have you with us today sir thank you very much now you've pointed to a cold war mentality that was preventing nato from hitting good advice do you think that they now accept that stable afghanistan is also in russia's interests or will you have to convince them. that. it's they should understand that first of all that stable or going to them in russian troops because of genesis it's much more closer to russia burned through three marriages f

thanks to the volatility in the mideast roiling the oil market this month, the energy sector was the best performer, adding almost 7%. despite the higher energy prices, though, consumer discretionary stocks did well, followed by a small gain in the health care sector. speaking of health care, it helped lead the way today for the dow industrials. johnson & johnson jumped 3% to a five-week high. clearly still well off the 52- week high set last spring. shares have been trending low over the past year as it wrestles with several product recalls. the dow leader this month was disney. over the past month, it's up 12.5%. nice move for the house of the mouse. let's roll out the past year and the trend is clear: higher prices. last night's oscar broadcast on disney's abc television network saw a ratings dip, but the show sold out its ad time. and disney's own "toy story 3" was a oscar winner and a huge winner at the box office, bringing in more than $1 billion. now the worst dow stock over the past month was cisco, sliding more than 12%. this drop in early february came on a weaker-than-expe

he is already dealing with a nuclear crisis in japan, fighting in libya and turmoil in the mideast. >>> 4:45. house of representatives has voted to cut federal funding to npr. the house voted along party lines to end federal funding, lot senate passage is very unlikely. it's home to programs like car talk and all thing considered. recently an npr employee was overheard saying they don't need federal funding. >>> beginning march 28, the "new york times" will begin charging for unlimited access to its website and mobile services. the fees will range from $15 to $35 a month depending on what level of access you want. print subscribers will not be charged. >>> 4:46. the bay area custodian under arrest after a disturbing crime on campus. that story coming up. >>> people in the south bay sound off on a new proposed area code. their concerns coming up. >>> when it comes to reliability, the best car to buy. a school on the ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, peninsula. belmont p >>> a hayward man is under arrest accused of molesting children at a school on the peninsula. belmont police started investigating the

the dramatic rise, of course, is being driven by the unrest in the mideast, and today the white house signaled it's considering emergency measures to try to bring gas prices down. california is feeling the most pain, and that's where we start tonight with nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: from new york to illinois to california, sticker shock. >> it's a ripoff. $4 a gallon? i spent $65 to fill up my car, it will only last me like a week. >> reporter: $4 a gallon is a bargain in some california cities. >> it's frustrating. it's only going to go up more. >> reporter: in the golden state gas prices spiked nearly 50 cents a gallon in february alone. michigan, up 38 cents. illinois rose 34 cents. and in new york the jump at the pump was 28 cents a gallon last month. fear from ongoing turmoil in the middle east contributing to the rise in prices, but not the only factor. >> we're seeing demand increases, not only in the u.s. but throughout asia, africa, and south america that are all contributing to higher crude oil prices and consequently higher gasoline prices at the pump. >> reporter:

but the administration is trying not to get sucked in to a mideast conflict. the president's hope is that gadhafi will head off a bloody stalemate and make way for new leadership. randall pinkston, cbs news, at the united nations. >>> the u.s. is asking iran for help returning ex-fbi agent robert levinson to his family. there's been no word on levinson since he vanished from the iranian island of kish four years ago while doing private detective work. iran has insisted they know nothing about his disappearance. levinson's family, though, has received proof that he is alive, and on thursday, secretary of state hillary rodham clinton said there are indications that he is in southwest asia. levinson's wife said, quote, our family is tremendously encouraged by the news that bob is alive, but remains concerned for his safety and well-being. >>> a u.s. aid contractor facing up to 20 years in prison goes on trial today in cuba. allen gross, seen here with his wife, is accused of supplying sophisticated satellite phones to dissidents. he was arrested in havana in 2009

we saw more stock buying in the face of renewed european debt worries, mideast violence, and higher oil prices. technology led the way. semiconductor maker nvidia jumped 8%. despite the sell-off we've seen over the past month, shares are up 25% since the start of this year. investment firm needham calls the worries about apple's ipad hurting sales of tablets using nvidia's chips "overblown." micron also rallied, with an upbeat outlook on computer memory prices, thanks to tablets and smartphones. shares jumped more than 8%. software firm red hat rallied 18% on strong earnings. and hewlett-packard led the dow industrial gainers with this 2% increase. there was plenty of action after the close with blackberry maker research in motion beating the street by two cents per share. but revenue was a little light, and its outlook for this quarter was disappointing. networking analyst at evercore partners alkesh shah is optimistic about the rest of the year, thanks in part to its new tablet, the playbook. >> we think the second half of the year that new blackberries that can run android applicatio

said prices soaring mean a shock waves from the middle east turmoil are being felt worldwide now the mideast crisis is hitting home for outrage americans as oil prices have skyrocketed so too have the prices people pay for gasoline and now the price americans paid upon is threatening to derail the u.s. economic recovery a surge in oil. prices will be the end of the u.s. economy not just in and for the recovery there's no more bailouts like a reality peak oil expert michael c. rupert sees happening at oriel hits one hundred fifty dollars a barrel which he believes is inevitable this year others predicted going to two hundred twenty dollars it's so devastating because oil. fuels more than just cars. if you use the entire global economy. though there's no doubt that if gas goes to five dollars a gallon for americans asked some predict there would be a high political price to pay for the obama administration's you know gasoline prices go up and march and for a very long period it could be your or. your political impact if there is no denying the u.s. has played a role in the events that have tra

latest from central moscow writes that with the current on rest sweeping through north africa and the mideast that you agreed they had i want to discuss what exactly was on the table today. well of course the current unrest sweeping the north north african and middle east regions were definitely topping the agenda of talks between benjamin netanyahu the israeli prime minister and the russian president it is needed here in moscow both men agreeing that efforts need to be stepped up in order to control the destabilization and perhaps resume peace negotiations in the middle east conflict between israel and the palestinian national authority of me to just say no to try any changes are currently under way which could lead to severe destabilize they should all the region as a whole and could prove seriously detrimental to the continuation of the middle east peace negotiations then minutes on the outlook his sense said that russia has a lot of experience in putting out these metaphorical boyer's they're currently ravaging north africa and the middle east and asked the russians help in putting those

a weapons deal in the mideast one of the cities where things people had already been taken over by the rebels and. was a government weapons depot to begin with the rebels took it over to get out of it then of course he was the enemy and he was a dictator and he's a terrorist if canadian forces marched into washington d.c. and took over the pentagon and we responded nobody would call the american government a terrorist government for protecting our own interests but that's what we're seeing here with me and some of these so-called bombings it's very interesting that there's very little in the presence of pictures of actual you know butlins another theme in the reporting that i read today was this idea that people in washington are. conversing with governments in europe about what to do about this rogue state libya and that and the need for humanitarian aid instead of military intervention well the military intervention has already occurred by that i mean special forces have been on the ground in libya before february twenty sixth laying the ground for what's going on there now they're a

markets now start with europe and european shares alone wednesday as investors continue to be unrest in mideast and north africa the fourth day of the dr down round of the senate says that rising oil prices could hurt economic recovery from the investors to sell stocks and hedge against the decline. going to russia now russian energy sector is better from high oil prices gold companies will see significant gains as price of precious metals gets higher more detail now some of those stocks gold is up one then the half percent actually two point three at the moment i see of my over here and the wages are mostly on the rise gas from bucking that trend point one percent downs bagley's and point four percent on the obvious. price of gold is a new record as investors turned towards the precious metal in times of uncertainty however the prices wavered so. more than fourteen hundred dollars or so is also up at thirty four dollars seventy cents. so we have time for right now we go back i want to update stay with us. for the full story we've got it from. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face w

. >>> it's no surprise that political revolts in the mideast have spiked our gas prices.wrangling, california still has no renewable energy mandate for the future. i'm suzanne shaw, editorial director. the goal of our current law will be met this year with 20% renewable power in our electricity. so what's next? we believe that the senator's new bill calling for 33% renewables by 2020. california is rich in renewable energy, wind, solar, geothermal. the bay area has often led environmental reforms with broad public support. with our venture